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+--- Thread: Amaterasu's flowers (/showthread.php?tid=172346)
Amaterasu's flowers - Megaera - 07-30-2019
The room was almost empty, besides a table in the centre, placed on fine quality tatami mats. In the east and west walls, painted shoji doors formed the only exits. The tokonoma was on the north side of the wall. It had two vases with Chrysanthemum flowers and two swords laid infront of a golden statue of Matsuda. Behind the low wooden table sat a woman with loose long flowing dark brown hair. She wore a black kimono with a golden obi. She saw the western shoji door open and a woman enter the chamber
"Konnichiwa Kiku-san"
She looked at Kiku with and gave her a soft smile. Infront her was an empty cup. Not far from it, on the side laid a silver mask with an intrinsic gold pathern on a piece of yellow silk. On Kiku's side of the table was an identical cup that was set ready for the guest.
"Take a seat. I heard alot about you. You are a priestess of Amaterasu ne? I wanted to personally meet you."
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Shinju - 07-31-2019
Prologue
Kiku was being summoned. It couldn't be a better time for her because all of the rituals and readings were finished earlier that day. Usually Kiku moved around on her own or with one priestess, this time however her sister joined her. "I've got a strange feeling about this. We've been part of this for two days and we caught attention of somebody... Said Yoshigahara, it was apparent she had to protect her sister, she has been doing that for years anyway. "You don't have to be worried about me, not at this time. There is no real danger and if there was, you are here with me anyway." Kiku said and had to nudge her sister. Soon they both approached the door. Yoshigahara sighed and turned around to her younger sister. "Just make sure you are alright, I will stand near, just in case." Yoshi said and Kiku nodded quietly.
Meeting room
Kiku opened the door and confidently walked in. Her arms crossed, she slowly proceeded to the table where other woman was already present. "Kon'nichiwa" Kiku said again with confidence and bowed slightly. After that she carefully sat down, crossing her legs, almost like if she was ready for meditation. "I am not sure if rumors were right however. I am high priestess of Amaterasu, with shrine located on Ainu." Kiku took a deep breath, carefully observing mimics and body language of the woman in front of her. "I am Kiku of house Kiwako." She bowed her head slightly, showing her respect for the woman.
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Megaera - 07-31-2019
She returned the bow.
"Hajimemashita. Glad you came Kiku-san. I am the Matriarch of the Gen'an Chrysanthemums. My name is Aya of house Ishikawa. To the outside world I am nameless, Kiri, the Mist. Only the Sisterhood knows my name."
A woman in a light grey Kimono with a pink obi came into the room, bringing a pot of hot cha with her. She sat down next to the table and filled the cups of Aya and Kiku.
Aya continued "I summoned you for no other reason than to meet you. We have few priestesses in our movement and I admire people who have a clear calling in life."
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Shinju - 07-31-2019
Meeting room
Kiku was definitely caught by surprise, it was something that doesn't happen that often. She bowed her head again, a kind smile had appeared on her face. She took a deep breath as she gained more confidence once again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Aya of house Ishikawa. May I call you like that?" Kiku asked this question with a rather silent tone, hoping she hasn't just insulted highest of the sisterhood. She bowed down as soon as tea was being poured into their cups. "Arigatou... Your admiration is taken into account. People believe because they want to believe, because they are in danger, they seek wisdom, knowledge, safety, insurance, confidence. I am just standing in the middle, helping people to get in touch with Goddess and destiny of Yuyu Matsuda...
I believe this is my destiny, helping others around, while my sister takes care of a bit more radical and nasty things." Kiku couldn't help herself, chuckled at the last sentence she said.
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Megaera - 07-31-2019
"Ofcourse you may, You are a sister of mine, not an outsider"
She took up her own cup and took a small sip from it. Wisely spoken. It also forms bonds between people, it soothes them, and it gives them purpose. In the last case, the line between faith and vision grows thin. Lady Matsuda had a vision. We turned that vision into a faith. But at the same time it is also our vision aswell ne?
Aya looked the steaming green tea in her cup We all walk our own paths. Each step we take, make the road behind us crumble. We only move forwards, but I believe we are still the architects of the path ahead of us.
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Shinju - 07-31-2019
Meeting room
Kiku just silently nodded searched something in her bag, few seconds later she took out a small candle and moved her bag aside.
"Let me change your statement about the path." Kiku smiled and lighted up the candle. "As you see I've decided to light up the candle, it may symbolise a critical decision, education, family, relationship. However what if I am wrong." Kiku said and tipped fire of the candle, extinguishing it. "It's up to other architects if they help you to return back slightly, or if they will dump you." And with these words Kiku moved candle and lighter closer to Matriarch. "We are humans, we are able to decide not only our fate and destiny, we can also affect others. We are social creatures, we aren't supposed to live alone and we cannot accomplish anything on our own, but with help of others, miracles happen. I believe it's one if many things Lady Matsuda wanted to say through her poems, she sacrificed herself and united us under single banner, because together we can achieve it, we can fulfill her vision. All we need is faith and a strong will."
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Megaera - 07-31-2019
"I do not disagree with you there. However, even though we strenghten eachother, we each have our beginning and end. This is what I mean with path. They meet and move apart. And sometimes paths fuse together. The path of Matsuda is guided by her golden light. In this we are blessed to follow in her footsteps. Take a look at this candle."
She picked up the lighter and lit the candle again. "This is a Golden Chrysanthemum Sister. Her fire burns brightly and she affects the world around her. Put more candles together and they will light up the room. She then picked up the yellow silk fabric from under the mask and placed the mask aside. She held it in the fire and it started burning fiercely.
This is the Sisterhood if we do not cultivate individual talents. Countless small fibers. It will burn violently, but extinquish quickly, long before the candle does. She dropped the burning silk in her cup of cha before it burned her fingers, extinquishing the fire with a hissing noise.
Unity is a virtue, but we should never lose track of the individual. In this I agree with you.
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Shinju - 07-31-2019
Meeting room
Kiku was listening carefully while in her head she was trying to put the puzzle of this conversation together.
"I would love to oppose you a little, once again." Kiku bowed her head down again. "Carefulness however should be taken in account if you try to cultivate talents of individuals. Only the ones dedicated to and eagerly trying to achieve their goals should undergo the process of improvement. People may be and are spoiled and improvement, power may seed evil spirits. Kiku said and her scanned Aya for any mimics. "However one question remains unanswered in my head. Would you recognise a spoiled person or those in possession of evil spirits? Would you compare these people based on their actions? Past or present?."
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Megaera - 07-31-2019
While Aya spoke, the woman in the grey kimono took the spoiled cha away and later came back with a new cup.
"Improvement is not the only way to cultivate the abilities of people. It can also be done by knowing the place where their harmony, their wa, is best achieved. Without harmony, people stagnate. Some are born leaders, others are artists, others are warriors. Its like weaving a tapestry. Without harmony, the picture will get distorted ne?"
She paused a moment to think on Kiku's question. "One can never look into the minds of people. We deal with corrupted corporate puppets on a daily basis and some of them are shrewd enemies. What I can judge people on are their actions. I am not afraid to enforce Matsuda's will to restore peace in the Sisterhood when needed."
RE: Amaterasu's flowers - Shinju - 08-01-2019
Meeting room
Kiku smiled. She knew this conversation may last to eternity and beyond, with them correcting each other a little. But she didn't mind as long as Aya wasn't mad.
"Effect of the actions may vary, Lady." Kiku pointed at the door from which she walked into the room. "Behind these door is standing a murderer, radical warrior, terrorist and warrior in one person.
In front of you is sitting kind, helping, wise and young woman. From your point of you and my brief description you may say the woman behind the door is evil because of her actions. I on the other hand may look like a good person. However your view would change if you found out the woman behind the door is a Chrysanthemum who is willing to sacrifice her life for others, for the greater good, like her father did. But for a regular civilian on Honshu, she is the worst and her actions only prove it. Who is right then? Who decides if action of one woman will have positive and negative reaction?" Kiku was curious if Aya would come up with reasonable answer, thinking of another counterpart in the conversation.