Overall, Misaki would call the experiment with the ear coverings a success. While the problem with not being able to hear well with them on had certainly been something, it was at least made up for by the fact her ears had been toasty warm, and the coverings had not messed up her hair like a knit hat would of. Nor did they catch the wind or block vision like a hood.

So it was she wore them to the hotsprings.



Sinking into the hot water with her hair up, the fluffy things were just a cherry on top to the situation. On a breezy evening like this, the ears and nose were really the only two parts that got cold at a hotspring, and these seemed to work quite well at mitigating at least some of that. Though she did not want to experiment with what would happen if they fell in the water...

A man walked… flowed… up the path towards the hot springs. There was much happening in his world… the bonds of destiny were weaving their way towards an important confrontation.

The shape of his enemy was beginning to form… the shadowy mass which had hung over him now altered into a collecting mass. He was intent to ensure it would not dissipate again… when the moment came he would strike and end the darkness.

And so this evening he sought to keep himself in perfect physical condition. He approached the side of the pool before noticing the woman with the… ear coverings.

He nodded his head politely and averted his eyes just to her left before asking, “May I intrude? I do not wish to disrupt your soak.”

Having seen the man approaching, Misaki had moved her earmuff off a bit to hear him better, so she was prepared when he spoke up.

"Of course, Samurai-san. The water is warm and the moonlight bright, so please, join me."

She lifted and arm out of the water to motion to a spot.

"Misaki, of Lady Doji-sama's Crane," the woman said by way of introduction as her arm slipped back into the warm embrace of the springwater.

He bowed his head in acknowledgment.

Perhaps someone my sister would have known…

“I am called Kakita… Numbered among the followers of Lord Ryoshun.”

"Kakita? An interesting choice in names to be certain, my parents having grown up in the tribe of the same name."

She thought about asking the reasons behind the choice, but as interested as she was, it really was not any of her business.

"Still, on of the Bat, hm? I will admit, I have not had the chance to meet any from your Clan, both before the wedding here or before."

“There are not many. And they reside in the far north. I have accompanied Ryoshun Rei on her journey to attend her cousin’s wedding.” He replied.

I’m sure our parents knew one another… Father would know you.

“I share a connection with you then. My family also hailed from the tribe from which I have taken my name. In a past life I too was a member of that tribe.”

"Ah, I see. Well, perhaps our parents knew one another then? Still, duty and other things will lead us where they will. What are the Bat lands like, if you do not mind me asking? I have heard a little about Lord Ryoshun-sama's people, but not much about the lands they call their own."

“I too have not spent much time with them… only a few months. The lands of the Bat cover large stretches of untamed forests and mountains. I have spent a fair amount of time in the mountains. They are cold in the winters… snows pile up deep and winds blow hard from the north.”

He lets out a long breath as the warmth from the pool begins to seep through his body, “It is a land of possibility and mystery… well-suited for the followers of Ryoshun.”

"That does sound wonderful... untamed and beautiful. There is certainly something to that, both from a sense of purity and an artistic sense. I feel as though the lands I come from are starting to feel quite tamed, by comparison. Likely due to my own actions of course, for a part. Not that there is anything wrong with tamed, settled, prosperous lands of course. But... they certainly lack certain things at the same time."

He nodded slightly, “So I assume you trained with the architects?”

"That's right. Are you familiar with the school then? I meet few people who have heard of it beyond Doji Kakuro-sama's work. There are so few of us, after all."

She could count the number of people who'd studied at the dojo with her on one hand. Though there had been some who had come in after her graduation of course.

“I am familiar with the school, yes.” He replied simply.

“I had someone quite close to me serve as Lady Doji’s handmaiden years ago. She kept me appraised to different things happening within your clan.”

Kakita wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:12 am

“I am familiar with the school, yes.” He replied simply.

“I had someone quite close to me serve as Lady Doji’s handmaiden years ago. She kept me appraised to different things happening within your clan.”

"I see. Did you study with the Crane before moving to Bat lands then?"

“In a past life… perhaps. But I am familiar with the techniques professed by Lord Nanzi.” He replied.

A past life? That definitely sounds like something I should not pry into.

"You do have the look of a swordsman about you, hai. So you came with Ryoshun Rei-sama as a bodyguard of sorts then for the road?"

He nodded, "That is correct."

He then turned to look towards her a bit more closely, "Do you happen to work with the Lady Doji much in your duties?"

She shook her head, "I have met the Lady Doji-sama once, at my graduation. Other than that, I'm afraid my work is mostly out in the fields; So I am away from big cities, let alone the capital, almost all the time. The highest ranked individual I see regularly is still Doji Kakuro-sama. And even that is very rarely I feel, though I suppose it depends on one's definition. Even with the responsibilities he has, he too is most often traveling. He says to those of the school that being in the field is both the best way to learn and the best way to keep up one's skills and compassion."

He nodded as he heard her description of her duties after a moment he turned to face her fully.

"I hope you do not mind me asking... Would you mind looking me in the eyes for a moment?"

That certainly caught her off guard, and the woman hesitated. Was there something wrong with her eyes? Did she... no, they had just met. Surely the man had something else in mind.

"Um... hai, I suppose I can do that."

To her credit, apart from the slight hesitation, her voice didn't betray any discomfort per say, and she turned her head to open her eyes. It was evening and the sun had set, so there was just the moonlight and firelight from the lanterns around the hotsprings to go by, but it would be easy enough to tell her eyes were either a very light brown or a dark yellow, Misaki trying her best not to blink in case that mattered for some reason.

...certainly some might have questioned the request, but Misaki was nothing if not trusting, perhaps even a bit gullible.

Kakita returned her gaze with a penetrating look of his own. His dark eyes seemed to stare past the woman deeper into her being itself. The world seemed to pause for a moment and the rhythm of the elements became finite and real for no longer than a fleeting speck of time...

Suddenly his gaze diminished in strength, leaving behind only a look of warmth and relief. His eyes closed a moment later and his head simultaneously lowered in a polite bow.

"Thank you for your kindness towards me. I realize it is a strange thing to ask... but I am strengthened in my resolve by your willingness to do so."