Day 2, Mid-Morning, OPEN, A hot meal?

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

For a moment the woman looks like she is about to argue playfully with the man, then the moment passes and she bows to him. "I hope this meal is to your liking, Captain-sama. I will go get you a cup of kava if you like. We got a pot of it brewing for the morning."

"You are a saint and a star amongst women," Uminushi replies with that easy charm as he does his part to assemble his morning meal.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

The Dragon gives a solumn nod to the Scorpion's words, giving a bow to the entering Toritaka before turning back. "Hai, the matters of spirit can be likened to a riddle with no answer but one we all must answer. Even if it is impossible to count every snowflake that falls, how wise would the man be that knew the answer?"

[Toritaka Punchiru]

Punchiru returns the bow and gets his breakfast.

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

A bow to the Toritaka before returning to the 'spirited' debate.

"Well, I doubt that I'm old enough for anyone to mistake me for wise," Nobuyoshi offers. "However, in my experience the answers to such questions tend to be something quite other than the literal, and generally give the listener something to think about."

Nobuyoshi shrugs.

"Diving between true wisdom, and the appearance of true wisdom can be the trickier part. After all, anyone can ask the question, 'How many monks does it take to refill a lantern?'" he offers in his normal flat voice.

[Toritaka Punchiru]

"Do you mind if I join you, samurai-samas?"

Punchiru interjects at the Bayushi's bow while returning it.

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

"Do you mind if I join you, samurai-samas?"

Punchiru interjects at the Bayushi's bow while returning it.

"Of course not, Toritaka-san." Nobuyoshi offers in his quiet, flat voice. "Indeed, perhaps you might have something to contribute on a discussion of matters spiritual."

[Toritaka Punchiru]

Punchiru cups his ear with his hand, trying to hear the soft voice through the din of the galley.

"Spiritual matters? I am afraid I do not have the same skill with the spirits as my father, but I have not been lax in my study of the heavens either. What is the question at hand?"

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

Itsuho was about to respond to Nobuyoshi when Punchiru approached. Having already bowed to him before, she remained still as he took a seat at Nobuyoshi's prompting. At their exchange, Itsuho spoke up. "Ohaiyo, Toritaka-sama. I am Mirumoto Itsuho, and my soft spoken dining companion is known as Bayushi Nobuyoshi. It is an honor to make your aquaintence." A pause. "Bayushi-sama and I were discussing the difficulty and practicality of spiritual knowledge as a life's goal, and the process of understanding such matters within the self."

[Volsung]

"You are a saint and a star amongst women," Uminushi replies with that easy charm as he does his part to assemble his morning meal.

Cook once again bit back her usual reply to the Captain's charm and merely nodded her head then disappeared into the back to go get that pot of kava for the captain.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

He had his tray mostly assembled and loitered near the stove looking pitiful as he waited for his pot of kava. Whatever thoughts the man had, he kept to himself behind that look of good-natured humor.

[Volsung]

Cook returns swiftly with a rather large cup of a nearly black liquid that had roils of steam coming off of it. "Here you go, Captain-sama." She handed him the steaming cup very carefully and then bowed to him, waiting to see if he needed anything else before she got back to work.

[Toritaka Punchiru]

Itsuho was about to respond to Nobuyoshi when Punchiru approached. Having already bowed to him before, she remained still as he took a seat at Nobuyoshi's prompting. At their exchange, Itsuho spoke up. "Ohaiyo, Toritaka-sama. I am Mirumoto Itsuho, and my soft spoken dining companion is known as Bayushi Nobuyoshi. It is an honor to make your aquaintence." A pause. "Bayushi-sama and I were discussing the difficulty and practicality of spiritual knowledge as a life's goal, and the process of understanding such matters within the self."

"Uniting the physical and the spiritual is the study of a lifetime, Mirumoto-sama. I am afraid my limited years have left me unable to even know where to begin with such matters."

Punchiru digs in.

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

A smile breaks out across the man's face as he takes the cup of kava, "Thank you obachan."

Uminushi turns and moves his tray to the table. He drops on to one of the stools and rubs his hands as he looks over the meal.

"This does look good," he says to no one in particular before clapping his hands together, "Itadakimasu."

[Usagi Zenko]

Zenko beams a smile towards Cook at hearing the Captain's comments on the food. He also inches closer, "Uhm...so that is kava then? What is it?"

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

Itsuho nods to the Toritaka. "It has always been said that the first step on the path to true wisdom is acknowledgement if ones lack of understanding. A wise answer, even with your years, Toritaka-sama." She turned to look at her Scorpion companion once more. "As for your earlier statement, Bayushi-sama... perhaps Toritaka-sama's wisdom in part answers that quandary. Admitting that you have much to learn can help ground one, preventing the ego from making one believe to be wise without true wisdom."

[Yoritomo Uminushi]

Uminushi's brows arch at the question rather than Zenko's presence. He lifts the cup (more a bowl) from his tray and points down at the dark liquid in its depth, "This, young Hare, is a unique drink. It sharpens the senses and can restore one's energy and focus when face with several days of duty."

[Usagi Zenko]

He nods in thanks. "Ah, I understand, my thanks Captain-sama." He returns to his post, serving meals.

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

Itsuho nods to the Toritaka. "It has always been said that the first step on the path to true wisdom is acknowledgement if ones lack of understanding. A wise answer, even with your years, Toritaka-sama." She turned to look at her Scorpion companion once more. "As for your earlier statement, Bayushi-sama... perhaps Toritaka-sama's wisdom in part answers that quandary. Admitting that you have much to learn can help ground one, preventing the ego from making one believe to be wise without true wisdom."

The Scorpion considers the answer. It's not a very novel one, but it's a start.

As the galley fills, he raises his voice a bit, not because he cares if he is heard, mostly because he doesn't want to bother repeating himself.

"Would it then be fair to say that the second step towards wisdom is finding the will to seek it out? If you fully realize you know nothing of wisdom, then the temptation to remain with what you know, mundane though it may be, would be strong." Nobuyoshi asks.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

The Dragon shook her head slowly. She sips lightly at her water, her own meal finished as the others in the room continued to eat. "The will to seek it out is an important step, hai, but I see it as a later step. If one does not push themselves to learn they will still learn. The second step after acknowledging that you know nothing in my mind would be leaving behind all that you COULD know. No one can know "nothing" without realizing that they have learned much in their lives. When a samurai travels to the Togashi mountain, they are told to kill all things in their life, figuratively. The path to wisdom means not only telling yourself to learn as if you knew nothing, it requires you to look at the world with new eyes."

She pauses a moment. "All that said, Bayushi-sama, I am sure there is no one path to true wisdom. Many have found enlightenment taking their own path. There are things that no one should do to seek true wisdom, which ios more what we touch on."

[Toritaka Punchiru]

Punchiru swallows.

"I have found the wisest to be those who allow wisdom to come to them."