[D1, LA] The T in GTL (Open)

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo emerged from the cool sea slowly and shook the water out of his hair. His eyepatch and other belongings sat on a blanket above the high water mark. He sat down and let the Lady Sun do her work. "Please be kind Blessed Lady, tanned not burned." Glancing around to make sure it was clear and ignore the improper nature he quickly changed into a dryer fundoshi before laying down on his back.

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"I do not believe the Lady often makes distinctions between burned and tanned." Yingzi murmured in his monotone voice. Where exactly he had come from was unknown but he had likely traveled along the beach as he had no footprints. Which meant the waves had already washed them away.

"I must admit that taking the afternoon to work on ones tan is a new one for me. I had not come across a samurai who had done such things until you."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

The Crane sat up and opened his eye. "Ahh greetings Shosuro-san." He put his eyepatch on and leaned back on his elbows. "I think the darker skintone will help once we get into the woods, a took a peak at into the forest earlier and it looks delightfully menacing, a real test. So I am making sure I am ready for it, not that this is bad way to spend an afternoon. Daidoji Kenzo by the way and an honor to meet you, I spotted you once or twice on the boat but you looked like you didn't want to be bothered."

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"I get that a lot." He answered in reference to looking as if he didn't want to be bothered. "I am Shosuro Yingzi. The honor is all mine, Daidoji-san. I do believe we shall be working together in the future as well seeing as we are both scouts." His green gaze moved to the forest. "I do not believe that you will be able to blend into the forest just by tanning. Sticking to grease paint would be the easiest method and one less precarious. Grease paint does not burn your skin and cause blistering."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"True enough regarding the paint but I little color can't hurt and the water is pleasant. I am pleased to meet someone who will likely be my partner in the future. In the name of the Emperor I we can accomplish great things together." He rose and offered a respectful bow. "You are certainly quiet enough to be a scout, I will try not to draw too much unwanted attention." He offered a wide honest smile. "So what are your thoughts on this place so far?"

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"I am certain that when out in the field you are silent as well. I tend to not like to make a lot of noise so I apply the techniques when walking around casually. On several occasions I have been told I need to stop or that I need to wear a bell." It seemed he might've been trying to make a joke, but his serious nature and neutral voice made it difficult for anything to come across. "My thoughts? That many will not come off of this island unchanged in some large manner if they leave at all. This island makes me uneasy. Like we should not be disturbing it."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo chuckled at what he perceived as a joke. "I don't think Lady Sun would have show us this place if we were meant to be here. Perhaps, like the Suzume do with the Emperor's most pristine lands, she has been saving it for just now. I for one hope there is something strange about this place, did you hear the dock workers back on the mainland and their wild theories? Thatr this is the home of the Kenku. That this is where Blessed Lady Doji went when she disappeared. All ridiculous but if this is just a another island that would be pretty disappointing."

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"We're assuming this is her work and not the work of something or someone else. This could be the work of Suitengu or Isora." He commented simply. "But I did hear some odd comments. Someone claimed that this is an old Togashi island and that the work of their monks is what kept it hidden. Said now that the mist is gone that means the monks keeping it up have all died. Either way this is no ordinary forest or island. Like everything else in Rokugan it's very much alive but not so by mortals."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"I thought about starting a rumor about it being a refuge of the ancient Kitsu but given the number of lion here I think I won't, last thing I need to do is offend a whole regiment." His smile widened. "Care to have a seat, I have a few rice balls and some water if you would like? Or perhaps you wanted to take a dip in the water?"

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"No. I will pass on 'taking a dip'. I will take one rice ball if you are willing." Taking a dip in the water meant undressing. He would never do that in public. "Beginning that rumor however would be a humorous way to pass the time. Do you think they would get upset because they had not finished the job properly or because they had not married them off to some unsuspecting women?"

[Daidoji Kenzo]

He lifted the package to the Scorpion, letting them take their pick. "Both probably, and the fact that I dared to speak about them. it would be humorous for the brief time I would be breathing." he chuckled. "So you've come to the beach just to explore then. Uneasy feeling or no you must admit it is a lovely place, this will probably become a retreat for the Emperor once we've tamed it."

[Shosuro Yingzi]

He picked one and held it in his gloved hand while he spoke. "That would likely be their excuse but the reality is that they wanted to kill you for being a Crane. If anyone else spoke about their history they would tolerate it better." After saying that he looked along the beach. "It is not a bad place. Not one that I care much for. I would rather the forest but one that I knew the rules of. You are also assuming that we will be able to "tame" this place for the Emperor. I am not so sure about that."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

He took his gaze of the Scorpion, picking a rice ball for himself and then focusing on the water, deliberately. "It is our duty to tame it for the Emperor, if this place is really dangerous there is a chance we will not survive it but others will come until suck time as it is pacified or the Emperor, blessed be his name, decides to abandon it which would mean everyone who came here has failed. I for one don't plan on failing and I suspect it isn't something you are fond of either."

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"We cannot tame the Shinomen. What makes you believe that we can tame this island?" He asked with what might have been curiosity if he showed emotion. "This could be potentially all in vain but I do not know if I would call it a failure of ours. We cannot do what is impossible even if we believe we should because our superiors said we should." He slipped his mask up for a split second in order to eat the rice ball. "There are just some things in this world that we cannot do."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"Well we won't know until we try, I don't think there is anything that is impossible for us as a race, we are divinely chosen. We may fail but I for one do not plan on failing this duty, indeed I eagerly await our first foray into the brush. There are many questions I would love to ask you, to get to know you better because I think it will help us work better together, but I know the Scorpion prize their secrets and anonymity so I will restrain myself. Instead, is there anything you care to volunteer about yourself?"

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"I would have to say that divinely chosen is a bit of a stretch. Some of us might be but what is so divine in the arrogant Lion that does little more than cause destruction? What is divine in the Phoenix that does little more than laze about in their library eating sweets?" After asking he moved over to a stump and sat down. "Failure is something no one tolerates but even we cannot stop the will of the Fortunes and spirits. What if this is another Shinomen Mori?" A pause. "Ask your questions. The worst I can do is not answer them."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo considered this a moment before speaking. "What drives you as a person outside of your duty, what do you enjoy on a personal level?" He took his eyepatch back off and laid down in the sun once more.

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"My drive is to be well-rounded like any proper samurai is. Able to excel in both battlefields while upholding decorum as expected. What I enjoy on a personal level is playing the guzheng. My grandmother taught me when I was younger and it has stuck with me since then." He answered without hesitation or emotion.

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"That's quite an instrument to take up, did you manage to bring one with you? This place could use a little music."

[Shosuro Yingzi]

"I did actually but I am not a performer. I have no inclination to play for the masses. Grandmother taught me that music was to be shared intimately. She believed that the best and only way to play was from your heart. As such you cannot put your heart on display to everyone otherwise you will be taken advantage of and will not know who did it. That is why she always played in small groups or with us. That way she would know who took advantage of her and would be able to make sure it never happened again." There was a breath of air that was more forceful than the rest. "It was a shame that there was not many who could understand what was going on in her heart when she played. Her music was beautiful and many said it was cheerful but it was not. She had lost so much and there was always sadness when she played. The lurking emptiness that never left her heart."