1935/Late Summer Gardening

Late Summer Gardening
Date of Scene:	09 September 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Seiko meets Hinata and the two have a talk about combat while gardening.
Cast of Characters:	Seiko Akai, Hinata Muramasa

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Seiko Akai has posed:
The sun is hanging in the western sky, adding warmth to a rather cool day. The seasons are starting to change and the temperatures are reflecting that. The change in seasons means a change in the flowers in the School's flower gardens. The gardening club is out in force, pulling weeds and preparing to switch out the usual summer flowers for some of the fall persuasion. Among them are a whole slew of Chrysanthemums.

One member of the Gardening club is working on a garden all by herself. That person is Seiko Akai. She is happily pulling weeds. Along side her, for those who can actually see her, Hoshi is there pulling weeds too. Seiko quietly sings an old hymn that her mom used to sing. "When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, though has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul..." Hoshi happens to be humming along with the tune just enjoying being with her bearer.

Seiko plucks a rather large weed out of the garden and winces. she pats the dirt back into the garden before tossing the weed to the side. "I hope that wasn't a flower..." She comments not really thinking it was a flower."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Though not part of the Gardening Club, Hinata Muramasa likes to stroll through the gardens when she's not busy with various things.

    Today is one of those days. The littlest samurai wanders amongst the garden plots, making sure to keep well clear of the club members so she doesn't get under foot... though the sound of a singing voice wafts over on the wind, drawing her a little closer to Seiko and her Chara.

    Listening for a few moments, Hinata draws out a Shakuhachi flute from her satchel, and on the next verse, begins to play an improvized backing accompaniment, green eyes closing to focus on the music.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko hears the flute before she sees Hinata playing it. She turns her head to see the girl playing. A smile forms on her lips as she recognizes the accompanyment to the song she was singing. She then looks to Hoshi who is smiling happily at the idea. Seiko starts singing again. "It is well... With my Soul... It is well, It is well With my soul." She sings the next verse just enjoying the time.

Seiko turns her attention to the garden before her. Her song ringing out in tune with the flute. Music makes the job easier. Before long, The weeds are pulled from the garden and the only thing remaining are the flowers which are nearing their end for the season. "You play very well." She states to the flutest.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    When Seiko's song finishes, Hinata flourishes the final refrain, before clasping the instrument in both hands, and giving a little bow. She doesn't smile at the praise, her dour expression belying the emotion being put into the music mere moments before.

    She straightens and says in a monotonic mitre. "Thank you. You sing very well also." she then bows slightly again. "Muramasa Hinata, Grade 7. I was going for a walk when I heard you singing."

    If she can see Hoshi, she's making a very good effort of not acknowledging the little chara.

Seiko Akai has posed:
"Thank you!" She stands and gives a little bow. "Its my dream to be a pop idol." She grins at the prospect of it. "My mom used to sing that song I was singing. She'd sing it while we worked in the gardens when I lived in the USA." Seiko smiles brightly as she thinks about her mother. "I miss her a lot."

Hoshi for her part is being well behaved. She doesn't try to find out if she can be seen. Not this time. Her lesson has been previous learned. She simply flies up and just floats over Seiko's shoulder.

"Seiko Akai, Grade 7. A pleasure to meet you. I am part of the gardening club and we are getting ready to change the flowers over to more fall ones like chrysanthemums. Those are really popular this time of year. Also they come in lots of colors. I am going to plant some petunias here along with the 'mums. They will look really pretty!"

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "My Grandmother taught me how to play... I miss her." The barest vestige of a frown passes the girls nearly unmoving face. "We would play together during family festivals before I came to the Academy. The kami came to collect her last year."

    At the mention of the flowers, she nods. "I am sure. The gardens have always looked very nice since I came to this school. The Gardening club does very good work."

    Her eyes betray a flicker over to Hoshi for a split second, but refocus quickly on Seiko instead. "I am part of the Kendo club, we practice every day after final lessons, and on fridays during lunch period... if you would like to come watch, should it interest you." she offers then.

Seiko Akai has posed:
"I'm sorry for your loss. My mom didn't pass. Her and my Dad got divorced. She wanted to be free I think. I miss her a lot. My dad didn't want me to sing. I think it reminded him of my mom's singing. She would always sing when we were working and I kinda picked up the habit."

"Yes, I really liked when I saw when I first came here. The gardens are very well kept and you can tell that a lot of the people in the club are passionate about the flowers. I'm passionate about them but not to the degree that some of the other club members are." Seiko blushes a little as she thinks about the level of passion some of the others have.

Seiko doesn't notice the glance to Hoshi. Or if she does, she doesn't say anything. "Oh Kendo! I've never used a sword of any kind. That must be really interesting. I may have to come and see! It would be pretty cool to see how its done."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "The whims of the heart are difficult to decipher at times. Emotions are fickle and sometimes cruel... but they are what make us human." remarks Hinata softly. "You have my sympathy. I hope your mother is well, wherever she may be."

    She then nods in agreement with the varying passions, "Everyone has their own sense of fun and enjoyment... some of the Kendo club members are in it just for the exercise, others are in it for the history of the martial art. I am of both camps." she explains.

Seiko Akai has posed:
"That is the truth. I just wish my mom would contact me. I dunno, write a letter or make a phone call or something. She just left and that was it. My dad is kinda. Well he prefers life on the farm. When he couldn't keep me from dreaming of being a singer, He sent me to live with my grandparents here in Tokyo. Then I got invited to the school and, well here I am!" Seiko giggles a little at that. "Its been an adventure."

She pauses and listens carefully to the words about Kendo club. "I never really got why people did Kendo. I just never studied it. Never thought about the history of it either. It sounds really fascinating though now that I think about it. I mean its been around for a really long time."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "It evolved from the core principles of Samurai swordsmanship. Alongside Kyoudo for bowmanship, they formed the very essence of what it meant to be a Samurai." explains Hinata. She's clearly passionate about it, but one wouldn't tell from the dour expression, and emotionless tone she uses. "I could go into detail, but they would distract you from your club activities... and I would not wish to do that." she continues, glancing around at the other groups working the garden plots.

Seiko Akai has posed:
"Wow! That is really cool." Seiko smiles. "I only know a little about the Samurai because I mostly went to school in America. I'd love to learn more!" She beams happily. "Oh! You're right I should probably get to planting. I know the others will help me eventually but I don't wanna be the only one who couldn't keep up."

She goes down to her knees and begins digging a small hole. "So How is using a sword like using a bow? Those two weapons are very different from each other." She asks as she grabs one of the Crysanthemum plants and plants it. A moment later she moves the dirt over the plant and gets it looking nice and level, like its always been there.

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Without being asked, or even making an offer, Hinata drops to her knees and begins copying Seiko's actions, after watching for a few moments. She then responds. "It's the philosophy behind them, not the weapons or martial arts associated themselves. Samurai live by a code of honour, the Bushido. This is reflected in their battle styles. They do not fight with anger, or allow their emotions to control them. Kendo reflects this by focussing on form and counterform, instead of driving force with emotion." she explains, glancing over occasionally to figure out if she's still doing it right.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko is already digging a third hole in the ground and planting another crysanthemum. She smiles to Hinata as she watches her work. "Oh! I guess that would make a difference. Fighting when emotional could be good or bad. I mean it could give you an edge in a battle or it could make you lose sight of what you are fighting for." She accidentally tips her hand for a moment. Hoshi quickly taps on her shoulder and shakes her head. "I mean! One would think. Fighting out of anger would likely make someone irrational in a fight. While fighting out of love could either make someone distracted or it could make them much more driven. I guess fighting without emotion would bring about a balanced form of fighting. One that would sure pure skill as opposed to how raw emotion could affect them." The pinkette smiles and starts digging another hole.

"I guess thats where my dream is a bit different. Music without emotion is like an ocean with no water. Just a desert..." She frowns at the thought. "Through song we convey emotions and stir those emotions in others. I suppose that could make things either good or bad. I mean imagine pouring negative emotions into a song and making people feel like that. It could really cause problems." She stops for a long moment and just considers what could happen to a person's heart's egg if that much negative energy was poured into them. "Hopefully I can bring positive emotions and good energy to people through my singing and my music."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Hinata glances over when Seiko starts speaking as if from experience. She then looks directly at Hoshi, before looking back at Seiko with a knowing look in her green eyes. "There is room for emotion in battle, but allowing it to control you is what the Samurai work to control. If you allow anger or hate to rule you in battle, you are no better than a monster. Take them. Control them, and channel them into constructive directions." she continues, "But just as negative emotions can be harmful in battle, positive ones, when uncontrolled, can be just as damaging to your abilities."

    She starts on a second hole, planting another flower into it with a neat, almost mechanical conservation of movement. "Moderation is the watchword of a true Samurai."

Seiko Akai has posed:
"I don't know if I'd make a good Samurai. I might be too emotional." She blushes a little but listens to what is being said. She considers the words spoken to her as she plants another flower. "I guess you're right. Moderation. As long as those emotions don't rule you. You could easily lose yourself to anger and rage. Or even to love and Joy. You would put your heart into a fight when your head needs to be in it."

Seiko starts making smaller holes and starts planting petunias in those. It fills in a lot of the blank spots making the garden look far more full. "I guess the same could be said of music. While you have to put your heart into it, you've gotta put your head into it too or things won't work out very well. You could have all the love in the world in your heart but without your head, you will just sound like a blabbering idiot while trying to sing about it."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "Or play an instrument." agrees Hinata, as she goes to make a third larger hole. Her work is far slower, and a bit less refined. She's not exactly a gardener, or a green thumb. "I am less familiar with Kyoudo than Kendo, but my big sister is a professional Kyoudo practicioner. She explains that to know the bow, and the arrow, means you know where your shot will land before even drawing the bow... many Kyoudo practicioners even close their eyes while shooting at their targets."

Seiko Akai has posed:
"Wow! That is really impressive. The idea that you know your target so well you can hit it without seeing it, Its kinda overwhelming when you think about it. I suppose the same happens with playing instruments. To become so in tune with your instruments that you can just close your eyes and know where your fingers are going. Sometimes I can do that with piano." She smiles brightly.

I don't really know any weapons. I guess in a way, Music is my weapon of choice. You can do a lot with it. Still Maybe it would be a good idea to learn some sort of martial arts." She smiles. "If anything it would be good for self defense, if things ever get not so safe, you know?"

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    "That's another reason people come to Kendo club... but I would suggest Karate for self defense... or Jiu Jutsu. They focus on redirecting your opponent's own force back at them, so it doesn't matter as much if you're weaker than an attacker." she explains. "Kendo requires a certain level of strength to overpower and defend against your opponent.. and I think I read somewhere even carrying a Bokken around would be considered suspicious activity at least."

Seiko Akai has posed:
"I will need to look into martial arts. Maybe it will be a good thing to learn?" She smiles. "Plus I could use to build a little muscle. Right now I'm pretty weak." She holds up a dirty arm and flexes showing a rather small amount of muscle.

Seiko laughs, "Yeah I could see it being a bit odd carrying a bokken around. People would think I am just looking for trouble. Maybe something smaller? Like battons or something? Even that would be suspicious to carry around though."

Hinata Muramasa has posed:
    Hinata finishes up one more planting, then dusts off her hands and makes to stand. "I should continue my walk. I have homework to do. Take care, Akai-san. Maybe I'll see you at Kendo practice sometime." she says, then turns to start walking off, unless stopped.

Seiko Akai has posed:
Seiko smiles and dusts her own hands off. She needs to get more flowers anyway. "It was a pleasure meeting you Muramasa-san. I do intend to come by Kendo practice sometime, if only to really get a feel of what its all about. I look forward to having another chat with you too!" She smiles and gives a polite bow before going to collect more flowers.