[NULL] The Tutelage of Master Seigi [T5,R4]

Adam

Rostam, you've been here since the crack of dawn, training with Master Seigi. It's been a rigorous morning of cardio and calisthenics, and you're both sitting in meditation together, reflecting the various techniques used in more complicated forms when Tao comes wandering in. They're normally here earlier in the day, but there's been a lot of rumbling through the pagoda about one of the Honorbounds taking out a pair of rogue bots down in the club last night — you have it on good authority (read: Master Seigi) that Tao was that Honorbound.

Do you two normally study together? Or do you keep in a separate group from the Honorbounds? Has Master Seigi ever approached you about serving the Daimyo in such a fashion? Seigi chuckles at the sight of Tao, and waves them over to join you. "Speak of the devil," he teases, "I was convinced we wouldn't see them until noon..."

Tao, Your daimyo afforded you the entire day off as a reward for your off-duty service protecting the club last night; and as such, your routine has been thrown out of whack (again). You're a little late getting to the dojo today for your katas. Master Seigi is familiar with the occasional need for skipping training — but two days in a row is likely not something you want to suffer his wrath for.

You spot Rostam resting with Master Seigi on the mats, clearly sweaty from a morning of hard work. Seigi summons you over with the wave of a hand. What's the nature of your relationship with Rostam, especially here in the dojo?

What do you do?

trevis

My dear Tao, Regrets at not being able to take you up on your offer. Obligations did not permit. I look forward with pleasure to our next meeting. Mnemosyne Attachment

The attachment is a artistic construct, a sort of portrait of you but nothing so direct as an image. More a portrait of an experience. What detail did I include that moved you?

WPTunes

My schedule fluctuates widely, given what work I'm doing. Tao and I do work together in the dojo sometimes, but not regularly enough to say that we "study together." It's a pleasure to see them, though. I nod my head in acknowledgement. As they walk toward us, I ponder the sort of life they have. It seems, well, honorable, but in a feudal way where duty leads to honor, rather than the other way around. When Seigi asked me, once, I merely shook my head with a smile. I prefer my relationships with power to be quantifiable and not tangled with tradition.

Rich

Rostam is an excellent fighter. He is impressive to watch, and he is a man I admire. He has no cybernetics whatsoever, which is admirable in a way despite the loss of functionality he suffers as a result. Since I have very little augmentation myself, I'm sure you can see why I favor him.

Also, I haven't defeated him in a single sparring session, which is extremely rare. I've even snaked a win from Seigi-sensei. I will get Rostam. I will do it very soon. Perhaps today.

"Deepest apologies, Seigi-sensei. My celebrations from last night ran away from me. Please allow me to catch up." I say all of this quickly, as if I'd rehearsed it on the way. Which is true. I flick a glance over to Rostam to see how he's handling this.

The image from Mnemosyne took a moment for me to recognize as me. She captured the silhouette of me on her couch, without my daisho, eyes closed and relaxed. She sees me not as the samurai, not as a slave, but a person. The image choked me up, but luckily that was when I woke and after Junko-chan and the others left my place.

Adam

Tao, Seigi offers only a stern look in response to your excuse. You know he's not really that much of a hard ass, but he takes his mentoring very seriously — especially with his star pupils. He's facing Rostam, but his shades bar you from knowing whether he's actually looking at him, or yourself. He huffs, "Rostam has been here for hours already, and he is warmed up and ready. It would appear you got some cardio in on the way here, Sai Utemaki — I would think you're as caught up as you need to be."

He claps his hands, and addresses the two of you, "I saw the security feed from a certain fight last night, and I was disappointed with the sloppiness of my pupils' form. I will not have my students waggling their katanas about like children with sticks. 1000 strikes. Let's go."

He turns and looks at Tao directly, his hard expression softening ever so slightly. He nods.

Tao, what does a class from Seigi-Sensei typically look like?

Rostam, what is your favorite part of training as part of a group?

Rich

I do not tell Seigi-sensei that I was high as a kite, and barely remember what happened. It doesn't matter, I am sure he was right.

I bow low, and take up a boken and begin the thousand strikes. I push my mind into the state where I feel every movement and only the movement. I am not tired, I am not even Tao. I am a samurai. I am a pupil. My form is perfect. I am the weapon, I do not wield the weapon.

A class from Seigi-Sensei is a mix of repetitive effort, difficult questions, and combat. One will wear us down to show the mettle underneath, the others will hone and give us a keen edge. It depends on the person which one wears and which ones hone.

WPTunes

I like the variety of unique challenges when training in a group, especially when some are of the level of Tao.

Although I am warmed up as Sensei says, I stand again and take up a bokken of my own. Part of the challenge of repetition is to fall into the rhythm of kata next to a partner so that the two of you are moving and breathing evenly and together. Slotting in to that space is, I think, something like what communicating through the Veil must be for those more conventionally outfitted than I.