[D1 LA] Short Lesson Before Dinner

[Usagi Tomoe]

She gave a moment to think it through, then decided she could always get revenge if Yuuru asked something too outrageous.

"Deal. I have every faith I will be the winner, anyway," Tomoe chuckled. "But I have to see this wrestling match of yours. Just because it would be fun to see that Moto knocked down a few pegs."

[Soshi Yuuru]

He chuckled, "Then I'll have to try my best. I'd have thought you wanted me knocked down a few pegs. I'm kind of jealous you already dislike him more than me."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Hah," she made a face.

"Not so much dislike as in I really really don't want to be married to someone like that. Don't see why you would be jealous of something like that... you're quite vexing sometimes, you know." Tomoe huffed like a textbook tsundere.

[Soshi Yuuru]

He chuckled, "Because with you the feelings of disgust and affection are mixed pretty often. You hating him more than me can quickly turn into you liking him more than me."

He bumped his shoulder against hers playfully, "I'll have to beat him up good to make sure that doesn't happen."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She groaned and rolled her eyes, though grinned soon enough afterwards. "You're impossible. Especially for someone who is never honest."

"You better not try to peek at the ladies in the baths here... they'll do more than shriek and throw buckets after you." Tomoe tiled her head back as a thought struck her. "Huh... do they even have baths here?"

[Asako Hirase]

The tall woman smiled brightly. She was relieved to hear him say such words. "You are right, Hirase-san; the past does not control us." She, of course, was speaking on behalf of her own injuries. "Did your child come with you, Hirase-san?" She was unsure if the boy would be left at home or not.

"Absolutely." The man's small smile surfaced again. "He is currently having lessons with Eriko, my servant. She keeps him for me during the day so that I can work undisturbed. I had to bring him along, however. First, it is only practical if he is here if I marry into the Unicorn. More importantly, however...a potential wife should meet him and he her. She will be the only mother he knows and it is important to me that there be harmony between them to start."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Absolutely." The man's small smile surfaced again. "He is currently having lessons with Eriko, my servant. She keeps him for me during the day so that I can work undisturbed. I had to bring him along, however. First, it is only practical if he is here if I marry into the Unicorn. More importantly, however...a potential wife should meet him and he her. She will be the only mother he knows and it is important to me that there be harmony between them to start."

Well there goes me asking to meet his kid. Or... should I?

Yue contemplated on the matter. In the meantime, her horse came in to show her some affection, nuzzling with her. She could not help but giggle and pet Hikazume in return. "Does your son like horses, Hirase-san? Would he like to ride a horse too?"

I wonder if big sis would approve of this man. He's interesting, at least.

[Asako Hirase]

"He had never met one before this journey and, even then, didn't interact much with the ones that pulled the wagons." Thinking of it,he asked, curiously, "How young do Unicorn start learning to ride unassisted? It may be that I need to find him a teacher, too. He is three years old."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"We Unicorn are born in the saddle," she said. "That is how the saying goes, at least." She looked over to Hikazume with a smirk and then back to Hirase. "Children ride unassisted around four years or five years of age, Hirase-san. However, your son could ride with me."

[Asako Hirase]

"I think he would find that wonderfully exciting." The tiny smile took on a rueful edge. "He takes after his mother in his sense of adventure. It has lead to some interesting scrapes already. Our village was rather mountainous and the children will climb. He's too young, really, but it doesn't stop him from trying to get away and try. We has to spend the next day indoors as a reprimand, but he is always at it again in time. I suspect the boy will be a warrior, though time will tell on that matter."

[Shinjo Liu Fei]

"So Otaku horses live longer? Most horses only live about 20 years. Fascinating." The Phoenix exclaimed. Yuki then flushed a bit at the last answer. "Hai, well, I'm sure. But I meant why do only women serve among the Battle Maidens? Is it a position of honor like the Lion's Pride then?"

"Lion's pride?" came the quick, only natural question.

[Matsu Kogo]

...

"I think that among the Unicorn you'll find plenty of folks that know how to switch between living in the moment and looking to the future. Being nomads practically mandates such an outlook. And it's very likely you'll be able to pick that up from your husband."

"That's a good point. I could see how that would work. The ability to adapt in the moment, but the ability to plan ahead. Like being able to look at the ground at your feet, but also see the storm on the horizon. Is this a skill of yours Shinjo-san?" She asked, looking at him in a casual way.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I don't have really have the training or experience to see the long view or big picture. I imagine that will come in time though. Fresh out of my gempukku, I follow orders and look to the future with hopes rather than plans," he says with a smile. "But I will, once I've got a more settled position and know what I need to do in order to do my duty."

[Matsu Kogo]

"I don't have really have the training or experience to see the long view or big picture. I imagine that will come in time though. Fresh out of my gempukku, I follow orders and look to the future with hopes rather than plans," he says with a smile. "But I will, once I've got a more settled position and know what I need to do in order to do my duty."

"It is good to know one's capacities. A samurai must follow his lord. Akodo says, in Leadership, that 'it is one man's duty to serve his lord. One man's duty to give his life that his lord may live. One man's duty to avenge, if his lord fall before him. If it is one man's duty, in all things, to know truth'. I find his words deeply meaningful in delving into the depths of my thoughts on Bushido. I find sometimes, it seems that the most important things are swept away and all we are left with is our fragile selves and their desires. " She shakes her head a bit. "It is a serious conversation for a beautiful day, but also important. What aspect of Bushido speaks most to you Shinjo-san?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

He gives a thoughtful look for a moment. "For me I'd have to say Honesty. If you cannot be honest with others how can you be honest with yourself? And if you lie to yourself can you truly be trusted to follow any of the other tenets? At least that is my thinking. And serious conversations are always welcome. Even if I may have a somewhat carefree attitude much of the time and a mindset that leads me to live moment to moment, that would not excuse me from not living each of those moments with the highest respect for the opportunities that they are." He nods, happy with his answer.