musubi | thirty-third breath ✧ voice/action

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luceti

thirty-third breath ✧ voice/action

[Today, Isamu makes a public post from a public place. That is to say that he's sitting with his journal open in the middle of the clothing store, up on one of the tables where he's moved aside a pile of assorted coats.

He looks serious, thoughtful, though he hasn't actually picked out anything yet.]

Those of you who work with the filial spirits here... How did you get them to work with you? Because I'm trying to figure out what makes them work with some people and not with others.

[For the longest time, the only one that would respond to him was Nala, and he feels lucky to have managed that much sometimes.

What this has to do with him sitting among piles of clothes isn't all that apparent.]

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[After a moment of hesitation, and not looking pleased about it, Isamu does so.

It had better stay in one piece.]

[Relax, Isamu. Don just puts the hat on, fitting it awkwardly over his big head.]

Now knock it off. [...] The hat, I mean.

You'd better not stretch that.

[It isn't much of a threat. The hat's seen worse.

He takes a moment to think up the best course of action, finally trying the sort of feint Don had used earlier. Granted, his is far more clumsy.]

My head's not that big.

[He's probably setting himself up for something with that line, but whatever. The strike is easily blocked, and he beckons for Isamu to try again.]

Says Mr. Showoff.

[Isamu grins, trying for another attack. It's not a whole lot better than the first one.]

[Well, that could have been worse.]

[Don blocks this strike too, though he does note the slight improvement.]

Focus. Where do you want me to be, so you have an opening for that attack?

I can't just tell you where to be. That's like cheating, isn't it?

[He strikes again, hoping to catch the turtle off guard.]

[Don is not distracted by this, but he does give his student a Look.]

No, Isamu, that's like strategy.

You say that like they can't be one and the same.

...What if you bent down a little more?

No. Yamete.

[He lowers his staff, and waits for Isamu to do the same.]

Isamu, cheating is a really important concept. You have to know where the line is.

[He'd been mostly kidding with that comment, but he lowers his staff anyway.

These sort of lessons will probably happen whether he wants them or not, so he might as well go with it.]

[Geez. How to even approach this conversation.]

Please tell me that you are familiar with the idea of honor.

Of course I am!

If you're trying to say I'm completely honorless, then that stings a little, Don.

[He was friends with Raph, after all.]

[That's a pretty serious accusation.]

I'm saying that everyone needs to stop once in a while and think about what honor means to them.

[Isamu frowns.]

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Why do you think cheating and strategy are the same?

When did I say that?

One strategy appearing to be cheating to me doesn't mean all are.

[This is not really going well.]

You think this particular strategy is cheating and I don't. That's a problem for one of us.

Hey, whatever. You're the teacher. You tell me what to do and I'll do it.

If you think something will help me learn better than I should go with it, right?

[He shakes his head.]

That's not the point. I'm teaching you moves, but in a real battle you have to decide for yourself which you're willing to use and which you're not.

Well... yeah. And in a real battle I won't be able to tell you where I want you to stand, either.

[Don frowns.]

You don't understand what I meant by that?

I... maybe?

I thought it was self-explanatory.

I didn't mean it literally, if that's what you thought.

Well, then how else did you mean it?

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