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Post by Utaku Hisui on Feb 12, 2018 6:32:06 GMT -5
She nods, listening. Her face is neutral, analytical. But not judgmental. She has seen enough of unusual individuals to learn not to do that. Not when perfectly normal humans could be so much stranger and more disturbing.
At the last, at the description of her appetites, she continues to listen. She remembers a wicked face, a cruel smile. A beast in the form of a beautiful woman.
"Ride the Demon," she says, recalling words she heard long ago. "Do not let it ride you."
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Post by Kakita Uetani on Feb 12, 2018 6:34:51 GMT -5
She moves a little closer, but not intimately so
"Is that what you think, Utaku-sensei? That I should slake my thirst to remain in control?"
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Post by Utaku Hisui on Feb 12, 2018 6:40:42 GMT -5
"Hardly. I suggest…training it, I suppose. As you said, your mentor has found her path. She can control it, keep it in her control, through devotion to the Law," she explains, her smile patient. She does not object to the closeness. "She rides her Demon. To blindly indulge your hungers and appetites is to let it ride you."
She pauses, considers.
"Would you like me to tell you a tale of someone I served with during the war?"
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Post by Kakita Uetani on Feb 12, 2018 6:45:06 GMT -5
"I would be honoured Utaku-sensei"
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Post by Utaku Hisui on Feb 12, 2018 6:55:53 GMT -5
"I served with a man named Togashi Kazuya once. He was very tall, well-built for a man in his 60s. His demeanor was stern and his countenance strict."
"He…assigned himself to the unit I served under, after we assisted him in rescuing some children. He fought like…like he was a demon.."
"But outside of battle, he would be calm. At peace. He would share meals with us, teach us of the Tao. Occasionally, he'd even recite bad poetry. But he would never spar with us."
"One day, we asked him where he got such ferocity. Such fire. And he answered that he was born a demon. That his rage and his appetite for violence ate away at his soul. That he was a child of slaughter, blessed and cursed by Bishamon in equal measure."
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Post by Kakita Uetani on Feb 12, 2018 6:57:43 GMT -5
"Hmmm," she does not interrupt yet, listening for more story
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Post by Utaku Hisui on Feb 12, 2018 7:12:05 GMT -5
"One day, I asked him how he controlled himself if he was so given to rage and battle. He told me that the next time we encounter the enemy, I should count how many times he was struck."
"Within the day, I had my chance. We encountered a scouting party. Myself, another Battle Maiden, an injured Shinjo scout, and the Togashi. Eight men against us."
"I watched as he was struck once. Then twice. I wondered why he didn't fight back. On the third time, his demeanor changed. The demon was let loose."
"After the battle, he explained himself. He knew he could not hold the beast at bay in battle. That he would release it, revel in being the Demon. But he would not be a slave to it."
"He rode it, using reins of Compassion. His foes had two chances to back away. To cease their attacks and let this simple monk be on his way. On the third, he would let the Demon loose. And even then, only for as long as he required it. His appetite for violence was always with him, but he taught it to listen to him, not the other way around."
"Ride the Demon. Do not let it ride you."
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Post by Kakita Uetani on Feb 12, 2018 7:15:55 GMT -5
"Do you have suggestions then, for how to contain passions such as mine, Utaku-sensei. I am all ears"
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Post by Utaku Hisui on Feb 12, 2018 7:22:43 GMT -5
"Discipline will be essential. My own spiritual malaise was lessened by an intense adherence to the routine of a military," she answers. "It is not the same as yours or that of your mentor's, but it is often where the solution begins."
"Beyond that, I imagine Fuyu-chan has more insight into the matter. The best I can offer is to speak of what others I have met with similar situations have done to adapt."
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Post by Kakita Uetani on Feb 12, 2018 7:27:26 GMT -5
"I breathe, I release it, I breathe again" she smiles softly "Fuyuko-sensei is more than an aid in these matters. She is something to admire, something to become"
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