Another Day of Duty (Early Morning 3-Open)

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru shrugs.

"Ill be ok. I think its something I will have to get used to anyways."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

"I'd given it some thought. I was told by Isawa-gunso that they have a high respect for priests, so it might be safe for me to wander a bit. Besides, it seems like we're being tested to our limits, being exposed to the dangerous and bizarre in equal measure. First the Sea of Sorrows, now a barbarian port. I cringe to think what's next."

"Can never tell Isawa-san though I'd be surprised if this is the only barbarian port we visit. Ya can't exactly plan for everything ya might want your trainees to experience after all. Personally though I think I won't mind so much as long as we don't experience some terrible weather" he said making a sign against misfortune after his words.

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"I'm glad to hear Ikoma-sama, hopefully your evenings will be compensated with hot tea."

[Isawa Junpei]

"Can never tell Isawa-san though I'd be surprised if this is the only barbarian port we visit. Ya can't exactly plan for everything ya might want your trainees to experience after all. Personally though I think I won't mind so much as long as we don't experience some terrible weather" he said making a sign against misfortune after his words.

"I can't say I'm not terrified of the elements, but I respect their power enough to resign myself to whatever fate they may cast upon us. The gaijin though, they are a different matter entirely. I find it baffling that we are dealing with them at all, not to mention spending time in their lands. I understand, 'know thy enemy,' but..." He seemed at a loss for words to continue his thought.

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru nods and says.

" It is a good thing moderation is a virtue I adhere to. Right now I feel I could drink all the tea on board."

[Akodo Amuro]

Amuro went about his daily duties without much complaint. He did give bows of acknowledgment to those as he met them each morning but for some reason he seemed a bit more overly focused than normal, a slight scowl on his face as he went about his work.

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"Only good that the crew won't see that happening, there's bound to be unrest when the tea supplies are exhausted." Hoshi returned the bow in kind when she spotted Amuro go about his duties. "Akodo-san is diligent as always."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

"I can't say I'm not terrified of the elements, but I respect their power enough to resign myself to whatever fate they may cast upon us. The gaijin though, they are a different matter entirely. I find it baffling that we are dealing with them at all, not to mention spending time in their lands. I understand, 'know thy enemy,' but..." He seemed at a loss for words to continue his thought.

"Difference of opinion there I suppose Isawa-san but understandably so," The mantis replied after a few moments. "As to dealing with them it likely has as much to do with necessity as anything else. It's easy enough to run out of supplies on a ship of this size and could be we are doing that. Also there's information to be had dunno what kind of dangers are sailing this sea with us and if we could get a hint or two it could save some lives."

[Isawa Junpei]

"Mostly my confusion comes from why we're dealing with gaijin at all, or patrolling their waters. We wouldn't need to resupply in a foreign port if we weren't dealing with the gaijin in the first place. I'm not questioning orders, but this definitely runs counter to everything we're taught about our most fundamental Imperial laws."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

The mantis sighed inwardly where was the mans sense of adventure? "You'll have to ask the captain if you want to know the why of it Isawa-san. I figure there is a good reason for it though."

[Isawa Junpei]

He shook his head, "No, inevitably the whys are of no consequence. Knowing why would not change our circumstance and wouldn't change how I go about my duties. Inevitably it's little more than an academic exercise, but perhaps a mystery to be solved one day."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

The mantis nodded slightly at that and let the topic drop, there really wasn't much more that could be said on the matter anyways. "Different to see you on deck for a change though. Get a little tired of flying around or did ya have something ya needed to get done down here?"

[Isawa Junpei]

The tensai's eyes turned to the horizon, canting his head with a pensive look, "My gifts are a curious thing, and though they are as natural as breathing, they take their toll. My wind riding greatly increases my wind and destroys my earth. In many ways I become like the aerial spirits I devote myself to above all others, discarding, in a fashion, my physical body. To strengthen my earth I must remember to ground myself from time to time."

It wasn't the whole truth, but the nuances of metaphysics were beyond most bushi and Junpei simply did not have the inclination to explain at present. Still, something tugged at the side of his senses in an indefinable way.

[Yoritomo Kaito]

"Huh." Said the mantis thinking over the Isawa's words. "Does that Increasing your earth thing work on a ship? Cause it seems to me we aren't exactly on the ground..." He asked quizzically his eyes looking at the ships planking.

[Isawa Junpei]

"It has seemed to thus far. Wood, while it is alive, consists of all for elements, though it contains mostly earth and water. When it is planed, sanded, and treated to serve like this aboard a ship, the last vestiges of fire and water are taken out of it, leaving just earth and air. That is the paradox that allows it to float. It is of the earth, so it is solid, but it holds air which allows it to be buoyant. So apparently there is enough earth to help nourish my own cultivation."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

"That makes sense I suppose." The mantis replied his eye's on the wood below his feat or the air and earth whichever it really was. "I think I got it Isawa-san, the reason wood catches fire so easy is cause it doesn't have any water left in it when used as planking. So if ya spend too much time in teh air you won't have any earth left in ya and you would break real easy or just kinda not be there at all."

[Isawa Junpei]

I haven't much thought of it. Given enough time, I've felt myself...how do I put it...fading away. It is not death, it is more like transformation, but I worry that were I to lose the last vestiges of myself I would dissipate into the air to some unknown end. Who knows, perhaps I might become a kaze-kami, or some kind of aerial spirit, but it seems just as likely I might become a ghost or vanish entirely, a lost voice on the wind. A chilling thought, but these are the blessings of the gods...they were not entirely meant to be held in human hands."

[Yoritomo Kaito]

The mantis nodded slightly at that. He figuried that the idea of disappearing should likely be something that you should give a lot of thought to, but eventually deciding phoniex were weird anyways he decided not to push the matter. "True enough Isawa-san, Do you want I should call out to you if I ever see ya getting a bit wispy or see through or the like?"

[Isawa Junpei]

Junpei hid a soft, but more verbose smile behind his sleeve, "No, I don't think that will be necessary. I mean, of course do so, but I doubt it will come to pass, and if it does, I would like to think I'd be the first to know. But on the off chance I'm not it'll be nice to know you've got my back." He laughed a short quiet sound that nevertheless carried out to sea on the breeze.

[Yoritomo Kaito]

The mantis grinned as the man laughed. "Glad to be of assistance." Kaito replied adding a mental note to keep watch on the bird man while on duty. It would be mess trying to explain what happened to the captain if the Isawa just upped and disappeared one day after all.