D1MA, You Must Practice This Diligently (Open)

[Ikoma Matisutou]

Matisutou goes away from the cluster of villages, finding a clear enough space to do what he means to do, and limbers up his limbs, stretching his joints and focusing on freeing up his hands. Soon enough, he begins to practice, with agonizing slowness, the draw-cut of the Exquisite Art, working to reinforce the position in each moment of the draw into each fiber of his body, moving again and again through each motion painstakingly, from drawing to striking to clearing the blade to resheathing it, turning and going again.

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo slide out of the brush into the clearing like a wraith, his gaze focused on the ground. Noticing the Lion in his kata he cursed himself silently, not wanting to interrupt ritual unfolding before him. He considered sliding back into the brush but watched for a moment trying to gage the man's skill."

[Ikoma Matisutou]

Matisutou pauses at his full extension, cuts his eyes over to the Daidoji. Slowly still, he moves through the ritual of cleaning the blade and returning it to the saya before turning to regard the Crane.

"It was Daidoji Kenzo, correct?" he says and gives a nod of his head. "Ikoma Matisutou."

He is no Kakita, certainly, but his grip on the sword was sure and his form solid.

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo bowed. "Indeed it is, a pleasure to meet you Ikoma Matisutou-san. Please forgive me for interrupting your kata, I was tracking what i believe may be a small wild boar and noticed to late that someone was here. Please continue I will give you your privacy."

[Ikoma Matisutou]

"A stretch of the legs'd be welcome," Matisutou replies, "if you'd care for company. And two sets--two people looking might see what a single person might miss, neh?"

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"A wasted effort I think, I'm fairly certain that it's next move is to head deeper inland. These tracks are also about a week old, I was simple using them as an excuse to explore, though I thank you for the offer of company. how are you finding the island so far?"

[Ikoma Matisutou]

"It's humid," Matisutou remarks. "Lush. Smells nice. Good to be somewhere the floor doesn't move so much.

"And you?"

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"Much as you find it, it is a wonderous place and I can't wait to begin exploring it. I would be out there right now if three separate people hadn't already told me it was suicide, so I'm just biding my time. I'm surprised to see you out here alone, I heard that the Lion forces usually drill on the beach as a unit but you are here in peaceful solitude, are you perhaps a duelist?"

[Ikoma Matisutou]

"I've studied the Exquisite Art," Matisutou replies. "But I've not been introduced to many others of my Clan here. I reported to Akodo Karutsu after reporting to our expedition leader, but that's been all, as yet. And the Orders demand we practice, among other things.

"But who has said the woods are so perilous? I have not been told quite so much--but then, I have not yet had the pleasure of speaking with many."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

"Well, as I was told, no one who has ventured into the island beyond sight of the shore has never returned. Every expedition has disappeared as has everyone who went looking for them so there is something very dangerous about this place." He rubbed the back of his head. "Which all just makes me want to go in there more but I am abiding by the order not to so like you I am out here practicing my craft. That boat ride was boring, smelled bad and was terrible for maintaining ones skills."

He glanced around them looking for something.

"A shame we don't have any bokken, I would offer to be your training dummy for a bit so we could knock the rust of our sword arms." he said with a smile.

[Ikoma Matisutou]

Matisutou chuckles.

"You're not wrong about the boat," he replies, then sees, not far off, a stand of bamboo. "A moment," he says, and goes over to it, breaking off a couple of lengths. "Here," he says, tossing one to the Crane. "Not bokken, perhaps, but one makes do with what the land provides."

And he salutes with his "blade" before adopting a stance.

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo took the offered "sword" and gave it a few test swings as he walked over to a nearby tree. He removed his katana, says and all, and set it down leaning against the tree then he adjusted his wakizashi so it was basins him and could be drawn with his right hand before waking back to the center of the clearing. He returned the Lion's salute and took a low guard.

"On your mark."

[Ikoma Matisutou]

A breeze blows in from the ocean, and when a small branch dislodged from one of the trees slaps onto the ground, Matisutou surges into motion.

~~~~~
Did you want to roll for or narrate this?

[Daidoji Kenzo]

If he hadn't already taken a defensive stance he would probably already be in the dirt. He wasn't surprised that the Lion changed headlong at him, he was even counting on it, but the young Ikoma's speed did surprise him and he was only just able to spin away to left and avoid the blow. He didn't strike back however, and instead feinted at his ribs to see if the Lion's speed was a fluke or real.

"Whoa, close one."

[Ikoma Matisutou]

The advantage of leading with a straight thrust is that it keeps the "sword" in a centered position, one from which responses can move easily in any direction. And so Matisutou brings his pole sharply to the side, slapping Kenzo's away and out of line, whipping it towards his arms.

There is a smile on his face, the Lion enjoying even the simulated combat.

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo knew he would never get the pole back in position in time to defend himself so he opted to roll twice in the direction his sword was already going, trying to put some distance between them.

Damn this kid is fast.

[Ikoma Matisutou]

Matisutou lets the Daidoji gain some distance. It's a friendly bout, after all, and he's more than capable of closing distance quickly.

"Good ukemi can save your life," he says. "Come on again!"

[Daidoji Kenzo]

He circled to the Lion's left.

"If this was a real fight I would likely be dead already. But then, if this was a real fight I would fight a bit differently, didn't Akodo-kami say something about everything being fare in a fight?"

He had moved just two steps closer and was still several more out of range of a strike but he swung anyway. Leaves, pine needles and dirt flew out of the end of his bamboo pole. It wasn't nearly enough to cause harm but it could serve as a distraction and as it bloomed outward Kenzo rushed in behind it trying to take the Ikoma off his feet with a sweep.

[Ikoma Matisutou]

"He did," Matisutou responds, and he ducks his hat into the spray, thrusting his pole into the ground to block the Daidoji's swing.

And then he shoulder-checks him.

"And the First Right Hand is not wrong."

[Daidoji Kenzo]

Kenzo tired to roll with the impact but still ended up on his butt in the dirt.

"Before we leave this place remind me to request a transfer to the SOUTHERN Crane border, far from you and whoever else your sensei has trained." He said with a wide smile while holding a hand out for help getting up.