Trouble With Expression (D3LE)(OPEN)

[Doji Hikaru]

"I have my flute." Hikaru said. "I imagine it's quite different from knots, but still..." He made a vague wave of his hand. "If you would like to try it sometime, that would be acceptable."

He smiled, just a little. "I have it here," he waved a hand again, "-not here here. While students of Lady Doji are skilled with many forms of art, I don't pretend that there are flute emergencies, in the same way as I carry my sword everywhere."

His expression suddenly turned thoughtful. "Although there are times when the mood strikes you..." A minute shrug. "Perhaps a flute would be good. You could take it onboard your ship."

[Otomo Gusai]

Gusai strokes his chin.

"There are some as do," he notes. "And a pipe calling on a clear day is a fine thing, afloat or ashore. But you'd be surprised what all would serve in dire straits. Why, there was one voyage I was on when I was still only the third on the Hopeful Venture..."

He trails off, sighing.

"But those were different days altogether."

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru inclined his head. "Well, in that case, I can certainly teach you a bit about the flute."

His eyebrows went up. "Is that a story more suited to this setting? It's clear there is one. Or is it only after a few cups that you share them?"

[Otomo Gusai]

"Drink improves many things," Gusai replies, "but I can offer some words on it.

"So, when I was third on the Venture, there was a crewwoman, Misha. Quite the flautist, really; always had a tune ready to go, and somehow managed to keep her pipes strong against the salt spray."

Gusai's eye returns to Hikaru, looking to gauge the reaction so far--and leaving the thread in place so his player can go to an exercise class.

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru gave a nod of encouragement, although his expression didn't change. But that seemed fairly normal with him.

"Admirable dedication." He said. "I enjoy meeting such artists. It's too much to hope that she is here, I expect?"

[Otomo Gusai]

"Ah, but Misha's not!" Gusai exclaims, having had time to think about the story. "She hasn't shipped with the Hopeful Venture in a while, and for good reason; family-raising takes time and attention.

"But anyway, we were sailing on, Urimoto commanding us, and we ran up into a dense fog. Now, that kind of thing happens often enough; you get water coming down from up north and air coming up from the south, and fog. But there was something different about what we saw then. It was thicker, somehow, and it moved, like it was hungry. Now, I've seen schools of fish move like that, going after food, and I didn't fancy the idea of being food, myself, but my captain, he held the course, even though we lost sight of markers and the stars, themselves.

"Misha, though, part of the reason she did well with the flute was that she'd practice. A lot. And she'd play when she was nervous, on watch or off, if she had a moment. She was off-watch, then, but we were all pretty nervous, and she starts playing. It's kind of a rushed thing, wavery, but as she plays, two things happen. One was that we started hearing people calling from shore; we'd evidently gotten closer than we thought and were close to running aground. The other was that the fog starts to lift.

"You might think, of course, that the sun was coming up--but that wasn't the case; it was still full dark and all. No, something about that fog just did not agree with Misha's playing, and it let us be."

Gusai shrugs.

"Like I said, you never do know."

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru listened, his expression as just-above neutral as ever. As the tale went on, however, his pale eyes seemed to grow more and more interested.

"I see." He said as the story finished. After a few moments, he bowed, a smile touching his lips. "That was a tale well-told, Otomo-sama. Even in a casual form, Crane respect the ability to tell stories, for is that not a form of art?" His lips shifted. "And it seems I was wrong about flute emergencies, too."

A slow nod. "Perhaps then, I will show you a little of the flute. It is more likely to bolster your spirit than to save your life. But apparently the latter is not entirely out of the question."