[Day 16, Early Morning] The Easy Part

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora had been awake for some time.

Not nerves, exactly- he'd woken on plenty of ugly mornings with the prospect of death staring him in the face.

If anything, he felt, in a weird way, that he was better-prepared than on many of those occasions.

Back then, he'd been an unhappy thug, murdering people for being on the wrong side of a river because that was what Hikaru warriors did.

But today...

Today the stakes were higher than they had ever been, and despite the fact that he had more to live for now than he ever had in the Spine of the World, the prospect of death scared him less than it ever had before.

Because unlike those squalid fights of his past, this was worth it.

Whatever it took.

He glanced to his side of the tent.

His weapons and armor were laid out, and he'd scared up a mortar and pestle to grind his first, worn-down piece of jade into powder to coat weapons as needed.

He also had his warpaint ready. He hadn't worn it in over five years, since even when he'd fought for Emperor Shiba, it hadn't seemed... right to wear it. But this time... the paint would see use, but so would ink he'd mixed with trace amounts of jade dust.

He'd need some help with it.

He picked up the brush and did his left hand.

They wouldn't all be able to be with him when he went into Jigoku... and he couldn't risk taking their names into that place. Not their real names.

But what the Nezumi shamans had said about Fu Leng's use of an alias had given him an idea.

On the back of his left hand, he carefully made the characters for "Big Axe Rat."

Ch'jakk'matt would be there with him, guiding his left hand. Maybe he could get Kinyoubi to do his right and his face. But later.

He took the warpaint and daubed it onto his armor, blowing on each character to dry it..

Mother Spider.
Monkey Queen.
Dragon Spear.
Reading Crab.
Horned Song.
Rock Squirrel.
Fast Auntie.
Uncle Baldy.
One-Hand.
Pure Stone.
Drinking Buddy.
Lonely Hammer.
Clever Nose.
Little Teacher.
Little Mountain.

That just leaves the ones on my right hand and my face.

He exhaled.

As he had told Koyama, none of them were alone in this.

[Seidou Satone]

Satone emerges from her tent and watches Sora for some time. When it seems like his ritual is complete, she speaks up.

"You know, in the Seidou, those who prove themselves in an extraordinary fashion have a scene or symbol of some sort permanently painted on their skin to commemorate the occasion. With all the ink you have on you now, you look like quite the hero"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Well, these are all just names... stand-ins. For people I either wish could be going with me but who can't, or people I'm doing this for."

He chuckled.

"Besides, I'm not done yet- need someone to do up my right hand and my face."

[Canary]

The small scribe woman soon appeared alongside the two. "Sorry for the wait... I wanted to record a couple of things about the morning of a day like this."

[Jiyo Sora]

"I would expect nothing less. A small favor to ask- my left hand isn't as... skilled as my right. Could you put the characters for numbers one through five on the knuckles of my right hand, then 'Mother Phoenix' on the back of it? When that's done, I'll need three others on my face..."

As he spoke, he painted the blade of his dagger axe.

Young Phoenix. For Ayumu.

"Phoenix Emperor on my forehead, and then... I'll need your help with the other two- I want a good alias for Fukurokujin on one side, and... well. Given your, ah... proposal, I think it'd be fair to let you pick your own... alias."

[Nanzi]

Nanzi approached looking regal and resplendent, even if one was in the pit of hell one must look the part. He said to Sora, "This is a rather unique morning regimen."

He held out a gloved hand and a raven perched on it as he greeted the others, "It seems we all stand on the cusp of destiny. Nanzi prays the charlatan was apt in his decisions."

[Canary]

She bowed to Nanzi as he entered, pausing only to look strangely at his raven before giving a small smile. It cawed, making her jump a little before she turned and bowed to Satone, as well. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Kinyoubi, Jiyo-sama's scribe."

She came over and opened her writing kit, taking out a brush to paint the warpaint onto him.

"All right, please hold still." 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 across his knuckles, and "Mother Phoenix" on his hand. Her hand with calligraphy was very elegant. "Phoenix Emperor" was carefully written on his forehead, "wise god" on one cheek, and "gold scribe" on the other.

[Seidou Satone]

Satone looks at Nanzi and his bird.

"That's new. When did you get a bird? Also, Shinsei picked Seppun Dawei, Ch'chit T'kkiri, the Nezumi, Jiyo Sora here, and Noriaki no Yamadono. Hantei also said he is going."

[Nanzi]

"Nanzi, Daimyo of the Nanzi family and Lord of the Crane," he aid with a bow to the woman.

"Nanzi is well aware of who was chosen."

[Seidou Satone]

"Oh, I thought you were asking. In any case, there were many who seemed disheartened when told their weaknesses and passed over. And many who disagreed that Hantei is going as well."

[Nanzi]

"For a man who espouses that one should choose their path and destiny he was remarkably easy and draconian in choosing the destiny of others," he responded.

[Seidou Satone]

"The Kami seem to trust him. He helped me see more clearly into my own struggles as well. Why do you dislike him? I do not know him well, so I have no opinion other than that he is very...to the point and uncaring of feelings"

[Nanzi]

“Nanzi has met many charlatans that say mystical words with little depth. He is a hypocrite. He espouses the divinity of man and hopes we can all chose our way and yet when people have the choice to choose their destiny he chooses it for them and gives them mealy mouthed responses that seem deep but are plainly obvious,” he responded.

“If he helped you, then good on him, but he did nothing for me and his arrogance nearly killed someone of importance.”

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora arched an eyebrow at Nanzi.

And his bird.

"And yet despite the fact that you insult him with every breath you use to speak about him, you picked up a blackbird much like his. Out here, of all places. How singular."

He peered at the bird.

"Haven't seen anything that looks that... normal in days."

[Nanzi]

"Guess you have not been looking hard enough," he responded.

"Was Nanzi insulting him, or just speaking the truth? Did he not choose the fates of others? Does he not espouse that all people are free to choose their destinies? Seems a conflict of ideologies. But hey if you like someone then might as well ignore when they make little sense or contradict themselves."

He shrugged and added, "A man's actions are not an insult, they simply are who they are."

[Seidou Satone]

"Pointing out that however can be insulting. If I were to say someone is rude, they surely wouldn't want to be characterized like that."

[Nanzi]

"Pointing out that however can be insulting. If I were to say someone is rude, they surely wouldn't want to be characterized like that."

“So is challenging people to kill you, but some still do it anyway,” he replied.

“If he is your man, and you trust him then so be it, Nanzi is not here to change your mind. But you asked why he felt as he did and he offered it.”

[Jiyo Sora]

<Redacted, pending a night's sleep and other developments. Felt a bit of metagame and a bit of, "I didn't label this thread as open, dammit!" in that last screed, so... best I don't go with that.>

[Seidou Satone]

“So is challenging people to kill you, but some still do it anyway,” he replied.

“If he is your man, and you trust him then so be it, Nanzi is not here to change your mind. But you asked why he felt as he did and he offered it.”

"My statement was not directed at you, just using it as an example of why the word insult was chosen. "

Satone shrugs.

"I value input from everyone, especially when it concerns those who may be leading this new Empire. If Shinsei is looked on poorly by some, I feel it is good to know why."

[Nanzi]

Nanzi replied, "Admirable approach, Seidou-san."