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Reality Fault

Realms: Tamashii Logs

Settling In One - Kamui & Njozi'joshi

    The DNAnimals Commons Area
    This is a room with smooth walls in light colors, containing a largish, round table near a small kitchenette of sorts off to one side. To the other side there is a large open area with a variety of patterned markings on the floor; obviously demarcations for various sports. Several doors open off of this area; sleeping quarters, it would appear.

Njozi'joshi eventually comes out of the meeting room and sees, as does everyone else, that there are single-person sleeping quarters off of the Commons Area where everyone met. She gets a faintly dissatisfied tilt to her whiskers, but simply paces quietly from room to room, inspecting them. Finally she chooses one, and gently shoos out anyone in it.

Njozi'joshi will examine the door of the room thoughtfully -- then carefully and neatly take the hinges apart so she can remove the door. She'll set the door and its tackle aside, where it can be taken away the next day, and returns to her room. Then she takes some time to wander through the room, taking her time and thoughtfully touching, sniffing, and checking everything. Last but not least, she runs her hands along the doorjamb, even rubbing her chin along parts of the uprights. She turns, hands on her hips, and surveys the room slowly, her whiskers quivering a bit as she sniffs carefully... then nods once in satisfaction to herself.

    Njozi'joshi is a lioness, powerfully muscled and sturdily built, with a calm and thoughtfully observant demeanor. She stands about 7', including her round, furred ears; her lithe, graceful humanoid body is thickly furred a rich, velvety tawny-gold. Slitted topaz eyes study the world with perceptive vigilance, while her black-tufted tail sways occasionally behind her. Her dexterous fingers and strong feet are tipped with gleaming ebony claws, razor sharp and neatly retracted. Sensible and pragmatic, her khaki clothing is replete with pockets and useful equipment -- as matter-of-factly utilitarian as she.

Kamui also spends the remainder of the evening staking out a quarters for himself. He frowns, surveying the small bunk, and wonders to himself if it's possible for him to requisition a hammock instead. Or fashion one out of available materials, if not. Human beds seem to disagree with his spine. He shrugs and sits down on it regardless... You can endure a single night. He peels off his tank top and his shoes, setting the former to the side and the latter near the door. Everything in its place, yes. He checks the time by the wall clock, carefully removing his gloves. Growing late... a few hours to practice before sleeping. And then...

    Standing tall for a ferret at five feet, five inches, Mizuho Kamui carries himself with none of the uncontrolled energy or random curiosity his kind are known for. His bearing is silent and still, careful not to waste any movement. Lacking a thick layer of fat, his frame is mostly spare, smooth musculature under plain white fur, broken by a sharp spray of black fur, an angular mask around black eyes. His clothing is simple and unrestrictive: a plain white tank top and oversize, baggy black shorts trimmed with red. Black suede sneakers cover his feet, and black-and-yellow gloves his hands. A simple silver charm, an X or cross, dangles from a small chain at the left wristband, and a chain of tiny ball-bearings loops around his neck, suspending a small laminate card or tag.

Kamui inhales deeply, filling his lungs from the bottom, and sets about a brief regimen of stretching, a process that, with his tail, ends up taking up a large portion of the length of the room. He uses this time to quiet his thoughts, calm his body... or at least, he usually does. His meditation is interrupted by a dull thump on the wall of his quarters. He sighs inwardly. Rodents... He sits up suddenly. No. The commander is on that side. What is... He stands and pads out of the room, still wearing just his baggy boxers, and rounds the corner... to be faced with an empty doorjamb.

Kamui pauses, not yet sure what he should make of this. Njozi'joshi looks up from inside the room, having apparently just shifted the bed's mattress to the floor, and rumbles quietly, "Sorry about that... it slipped out of my hands and I didn't want to claw it up accidentally." She kneels down next to the bed frame and starts unscrewing it as she rumbles quietly again, "Can I help you, Kamui?"

Kamui pauses just around the corner from the actual doorjamb, and leans around, curling most of his long torso into view in the empty door frame. He glances at the room inside with obvious puzzlement, "Ah... er... are your quarters damaged, shousei?"

Njozi'joshi smiles, sitting back on her heels and looking up at the ferret athletically curled around the corner of the doorjamb. "No. But they are not yet to my satisfaction." She looks down at the (relatively) tiny screwdriver in her large hands, then simply sets it aside. She rises, easily picking up the bed frame, "Be cautious... I do not want to accidentally hit you," and moves towards the door.

Kamui blinks and hops back a few feet from the door frame. "Ah... I see." He leans forward again, "Ah... if you will excuse my presumption, what is it that offends you about..." He pauses, trying to think of a polite phrasing, and then fails, "...about... doors?"

Njozi'joshi neatly and carefully leans the intact bed frame against the discarded door, then pads silently back into her room. A few seconds later she's shoved her mattress tidily into a corner, and pushed all the other furniture back against the opposite wall. She looks around, then nods to herself, and steps neatly onto the mattress, circling once before settling cross-legged on it with a small sigh of satisfaction. Then she smiles at Kamui, "I am not offended. I just don't want one. If there is an emergency, I don't want to accidentally break down another door trying to go through it too fast."

Kamui says, "Another...? I... see."

Njozi'joshi frowns, adding, "Why the humans think we'd want to live in little boxes, I do not know."

Kamui smiles mirthlessly. "Perhaps our intelligence unit was provided with a wheel."

Njozi'joshi tilts her head inquiringly at the ferret... then adds, "You may enter, if you wish."

Kamui ahs, and straightens up quickly before bowing. "Ah... perhaps after a few moments, shousei... it is time I practiced this evening. The wait, earlier, has thrown the regiment of my day somewhat."

Njozi'joshi nods calmly, "Take your time. Maintenance of skills is important."

Kamui bows again. "I must agree with you. Thank you." He pads away quickly, making little sound as he crosses to the marked-out practice area. He circles it a few times before he is able to discern what he thinks is the "ring" demarcation, in the chaos of overlapping patterns. He bows, fist to palm, before stepping over and taking his place at one of the ready lines.

Kamui's body seems to relax as he lowers his stance, arms outstretched. He takes a slow, deliberate step to the side, and another, his arms describing long arcs, fingers curled back into claws. He seems focused on some point floating just at the level of his eye, several feet away, his movement fluid and soft... and then his body snaps forward, a burst of movement, a rhythmic hiss of air, one-two-three-four-five, as he releases a series of quick strikes at his intangible sparring partner. With the momentum of his final swing he turns himself, letting the force carry him as he swings the weight of his body forward, then plants his weight, driving his shoulder into the target, then strikes them a final time, pausing there, palm open and arm outstretched, punctuating his attack with a clear, sharp, "SEH!"

From the doorjamb of her room Njozi'joshi watches, sitting silently cross-legged and quietly taking apart and cleaning her gyropistol. Her eyes narrow slightly and she pauses as the ferret goes still for several seconds -- then nods almost imperceptibly to herself as he finishes the kata.

Kamui spends the next half-hour or so working his way through a series of routines, most simple, a few complex, spending a little time concentrating on each of the styles he knows. He's just maintaining old skills, and keeping the new ones keen. Finished, he turns and bows to the ring again, stepping clear, and pads back toward the empty doorjamb. The scent of gun oil there is strong (to a DNAnimal), but the ventilation system is rapidly clearing it away. The lioness is sitting cross-legged on her bed again, apparently simply meditating. As Kamui looks carefully into the room, one round ear tilts towards him... she doesn't move otherwise.

Kamui pauses just outside the door frame, and takes a deep breath. The lioness can easily scent perspiration on him, and can hear his attempts to slow his breathing again. "Shousei...."

Njozi'joshi inhales, next exhales slowly... then opens her eyes and turns her head to look calmly at the ferret, "Kamui. You are still welcome to enter if you wish."

Kamui nods once, and steps quietly across the threshold, kneeling before the edge of the mattress on the floor. Left knee down, right knee down, hands on his thighs, just as before. "Thank you. Shousei... before we receive our first mission, there is something that I must ask you." Njozi'joshi nods once and waits for Kamui to continue once he's caught his breath. Her ears tilt forward in obvious interest.

Kamui clears his throat softly. "Shousei, it is written that there are five faults that can exist in generals. Those who are ready to die will be killed. Those who are determined to live will be captured. The angry can be shamed, the puritanical can be disgraced, and those who love the people too much... they can be troubled." He pauses, then adds, "Do you know this saying?"

Njozi'joshi raises an eyebrow at the subject matter... then nods quietly, "Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War.' I chipped the Cleary translation."

Kamui nods. "Ah. Then you know that it is also written that assessment is one of the keys to victory." He pauses for a long moment. "Shousei, I must be frank here, and if you are offended by my presumption... I will accept the way in which you respond. But I have made my assessment. And now I must ask for yours. Which of these faults are yours?"

Njozi'joshi goes silent for a long moment, considering thoughtfully as she self-examines. Finally she rumbles slowly, "Truthfully, Kamui, I am not sure. I am, after all, a very new and as-yet unproven 'general.' If I had to pick one to which I might be most prone... I would select over-solicitude for my people." She pauses, considering, then smiles slowly, "One would, of course, desire not to be prone to faults."

Kamui nods thoughtfully. "Indeed. If you are willing to hear it, after such a rude demand, I have some small word of advice."

Njozi'joshi's head tilts a bit so she can look more easily down at the ferret before her. She's still smiling quietly as she replies, "I would like to hear your advice, why you chose to ask such a question, and your own assessment. Knowledge is always useful."

Kamui takes another deep breath before nodding again. "I will tell you everything you wish to know. But... first things first, ne? It was written that 'the Sage treats all men as straw-dogs.' Do you know the meaning of this?"

Njozi'joshi's head rises a little again as she considers... then she shakes her head once and rumbles quietly, "I... do not think that is in the 'Art of War'? I am afraid I do not know. Enlighten me, please?"

Kamui shakes his head slightly, "No, it is the 'Tao Te Ching' of Lao Tzu... one of the regrettably small selection of books I have been given access to. I have not been allowed to profess a religious affinity, but I know that this book forms the basis of Taoism. Its author... I have great respect for him. Ah. But that is irrelevant. Perhaps the passage is better explained by comparison." Njozi'joshi nods once, still listening intently.

Kamui says, "It can be said that the man of violence, who professes ruthlessness, is himself an emotionalist, being ruled by anger or a desire to assert himself. The man of violence is slain then by real ruthlessness. It is this ruthlessness that is called objectivity... the assessment of things as they really are. The sage is called ruthless, because he deals with people objectively; this includes himself. That is real ruthlessness."

Njozi'joshi nods again, then murmurs, "To view all things objectively... is to view them as 'straw-dogs'?"

Kamui nods, "Yes... because it is often seen as cruelty when one deals only in truth. You have heard the phrase, 'the ugly truth' or 'the hard truth' or 'the cold truth,' ne?"

Njozi'joshi nods slowly once again, murmuring under her breath, "Oh, yes..." Her clear topaz eyes regard the ferret with fascinated intensity, although she's yet to move from her seated meditative position.

Kamui nods, keeping his eyes respectfully lowered. "I see that you understand. Let me give you this advice, shousei. You know that the general knows his enemy, as well as himself. When your enemy... our enemy... knows you, and knows the flaw that you may possess, it will be seen for the weakness it represents. It will be used against you. If, and when, that time comes... then I can only advise you to view that situation as the Sage would.

"Objectively."

Njozi'joshi is silent for a long, almost palpably unhappy moment... then finally sighs softly once again and murmurs pragmatically, "I... may not like it... but yes, while my training has emphatically been to rescue those of my team that need rescuing... I will not sacrifice the many for the one." She smiles slowly at a thought, although it merely bares her fangs and does not reach her quiet eyes, "On the other hand, if Sun Tzu's tactics can be applied to give the enemy a false sense of confidence due to having captured a teammate... then I'll gladly crush them ruthlessly in regaining my entire team."

Kamui allows himself a small smile at that. "I would expect nothing less from you, shousei." He sighs quietly. "May I speak freely for a moment... a word, just between you and I?"

Njozi'joshi says, "Yes, Kamui, of course... although I will remind you there are no barriers to sound here, if you truly wish to speak privately."

Kamui shakes his head, "That is of little concern." He raises his eyes then, to meet the lioness'. His own are very dark, black surrounded by the black of his angular mask. "Shousei... I have been called efficient. And there are those in this company who call me heartless. I hope you will understand that I only offer you the advice that I myself have found to be sound." Kamui bows his head again. "As to my heartlessness... I leave that to yourself to determine."

Njozi'joshi's smile returns, although this time it is genuine, and warms her eyes as well. She rumbles quietly, "You are objective." Kamui raises his head a bit and watches the eyes of the lioness. He hadn't expected to hear that. Njozi'joshi finally moves, flicking her black-tufted tail out of her lap where it had been neatly curled all this time, and raises one large hand. She reaches out for the ferret, slowly and deliberately so he can move away if he wishes. Kamui sits up a bit straighter. He doesn't move away, just yet, but his expression reads his puzzlement clearly.

Njozi'joshi gently curls her arm around him to draw him in closer, up near to her. She tilts her head, rubbing her cheek with a long, firm movement against his much smaller head on first one side, then the other. Once she's done she leans back enough that she can look easily down at the ferret, and rumbles, "This is good. You may stay if you wish."

Kamui doesn't tense up, exactly, he just lets himself go with the momentum, the way one would handle being thrown or falling. He tilts his head slightly, "You... wish me to stay here, with you?" He hesitates a long, long moment; this is definitely out of the bounds of superior and subordinate that he knows... but then, he broke those by facing her with this question at the start... and at the back of his mind there's an instinctual reaction that says, Yes. This is good. Stay. He nods, slowly at first, then again more firmly. "Yes... I would be honored to remain here."

Njozi'joshi will, after undressing for sleep, contentedly curl up around the ferret. Finally... a nice, calm, proper way to sleep... with one's pride. Kamui undresses quickly, and also curls up close with the lioness, the tip of his tail wrapped gently over her calf. After some moments, he opens his eyes again, a final thought still insistent in his mind. He raises his head a bit, whispering, "Shousei... it is likely that the handlers are watching us, even now."

Njozi'joshi doesn't even open her eyes as she purrs lazily, "Good. They should take notes on the proper way we should be handled."

Kamui allows himself one last smile at that, closing his eyes again. "Perhaps so... perhaps I might learn something as well."

Njozi'joshi chuckles quietly, raising her head only enough to give a couple of disciplining swipes with her tongue across the thick ferret fur next to her face... then she contentedly curls up, relaxes, and goes to sleep.

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Last modified: 2001-Jul-11 00:44:04

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