bearestofthemall | IC INBOX FOR EMPATHEIAS

Lady Kai,

Greetings. I had been meaning to have a word with you after the excursion last week, but I thought to give you some time to rest before I send this letter to you. I hope you've recovered from our expedition to subdue The Temptress; it was a difficult fight, especially when the beast robbed Lady Jacqli of her control on her metal guardian. Your assistance proved most invaluable though I would caution against such rash tactics in future. You could' have been gravely injured, or perhaps even have lost your life. Thankfully none of that came to pass, but such reckless behaviour may come to endanger both you and your allies if you do not keep it in check.

I do commend your control and use of your whipsword, as well as your bravery and determination. But great strength and courage must be matched with careful planning and patience; only then can a general truly shine in combat and lead her men to victory. I sincerely suggest that you consider my advice in your future skirmishes, for the benefit of yourself and those that you will fight alongside with.

Yours truly,
Lu Meng.

[GODDAMMIT OKAY OKAY UM

She takes the better part of the day to painstakingly draft out a reply with the help of Takakage, and quite a bit longer to write a legible reply on her own. (There is no way in hell Kai is going to let Takakage hold her hand and help her write, or... something.) Modern writing utensils make the job a bit easier and yet a bit harder, but in the end, the reply is...

It's understandable, at least.]

Master Lu Meng,

Don't worry about me, I know what went wrong. [SHE DIDN'T MEAN TO SOUND ARROGANT, IT JUST CAME OUT THAT WAY. Also, she's ticked that she needed Takakage's help to read the letter when it was obviously a personal one...] The Temptress hit my head [???] and so I wasn't thinking objectively.

I'm not looking for excuses, though, so it will not happen again! Since you're a ~~planner~~ strategist for the Wu Kingdom, I'll be trusting that your plans carry us. [Carry us through, she means.] You didn't fight too bad yourself, thanks.

--Kaihime

[SHE TRIED]

[GOLD STAR FOR YOU KAI.

The next morning there'll be a few knocks on the door. It doesn't seem like Takakage or Motonari are around though; is there anyone else at home who can answer the door?]

[...

FINE OKAY

She opens the door without much hesitation--] Hello? Takakage and Motonari aren't here.

[THEY'RE, LIKE, CRYSTALLIZED]

Lady Kai?

[Now this is a surprise. Lu Meng brings his hands together and salutes her.]

Good day to you. Are you here to speak with Master Takakage and his father as well? I hope I'm not intruding on anything.

[They are all from the same land. It would make sense for them to seek each other out.]

[Saluting her, wow-- but in any case, Kai shakes her head.] I'm staying with them. They haven't come back since yesterday, though. I've been planning on going to find them.

[takakage's literally crystallized and motonari's gone oops]

Oh, but I could take down your message for them! [And all of the sudden, she seems excited by that prospect.

Huh...]

[O...k...well, so long as there's an adult chaperone things should be fine, right?]

I would be grateful. Just let them know that I had paid a visit? I wish to apologize that it's taken so long for me to get my bearings of this place, and that if they are still agreeable then I'd like to meet them.

Oh, is that it?

[...To be completely honest, she's been practicing writing the whole day, making use of the time when Motonari and Takakage were missing. Hey, it's embarrassing to practice in front of them!]

I'll tell them that, then. Oh-- and you got my letter, right?

[That's strange. Did he say anything wrong?]

Yes I did. I don't mean to scold you, but that had been a dangerous situation and as a strategist, it is my duty to let you know that you must be more careful in the future. We're all counting on you to carry us through the battle too.

[Well... kind of...]

You really do sound like someone I know. [Except Lord Ujiyasu would've flicked her in the forehead before telling her off a lot more rudely, or something. Still, the only person allowed to tell her off is Ujiyasu, and apparently Lu Meng as well.]

Don't worry, though! I always learn from my mistakes. I absolutely won't rush in that quickly again!

[She just really wanted a distraction from the fact that she wasn't back home, that's all. ;;]

...is that a good thing...never mind. That's the correct attitude to have. Keep that up and you'll go far.

[He doesn't really know why she had looked so down; had he been a little too harsh? But she seems like a tough one, and he hadn't been particularly tough on her...

Well if he can't figure out what went wrong just yet, maybe he could offer her something else to cheer her up.]

If you'd like, I could teach you a thing or two about strategy. You might find it useful in your next fight.

Edited 2014-10-23 11:02 (UTC)

[Oh, that definitely cheers her up. Because as much as she's been extensively taught and trained in the field of combat, tactics are something that she follows, not comes up with. Sure, she knows the basics: seize their strategic points, cut off supplies, lower morale, exploit old friendships (but she would never!), etc.

But never the specifics. She wouldn't know where to place an ambush, or when to stop fighting. So the thought of having one of the more famous strategists of history teach her a thing or two personally is...!]

Did you really say that?! Yes! I'd definitely want to learn!

[bear in mind she probably hasn't learnt much for a reason

it is good that you are a man of boundless patience, lu meng. no really, even in wo3 it's probably shang xiang that does all the thinking]

[Kai's enthusiastic response puts a bigger smile on Lu Meng's face. As a man who has dedicated his life to mentoring those under his care, nothing inspires him and keeps his hopes up like seeing the younger generation willing and ready to learn.

If Kai's cheered up, then Lu Meng's nearly glowing. Perhaps it's just the effects of the lights nearby though; despite it being morning time, they're shining brightly as the sun itself.]

Very well then Lady Kai! I will do my best to teach you everything I know; I will not disappoint you!

[Well, no one can say Kai isn't ever enthusiastic. That's one of her... outstanding traits. As said by Ujiyasu, "Of course, there's still people like her."]

Perfect! I'll become a beauty with both brawns and brains... no one will be able to stand a chance!

[O-of course, that's not the only reason she wants to learn.] So, when should we start?

Edited 2014-10-24 08:38 (UTC)

[When to start...Lu Meng rubs his chin with one hand.]

I'm currently tasked with sending supplies up to the Northern Villages so I'll be away from Verens till...Pempte.

[The name of the days are still a little confusing to him.]

How about the day after then? Ecte.

[At least they still have 12 months a year and 7 days a week... it'd be a lot harder to follow if their had different numbers for that shit.]

...Er. [Count...ing...] I've got to work on Ecte, too... two days after Pempte, then! Or, we could practice some tactics on any bandits planning to raid the crops.

[oh god]

It could be more effective for your studies if you were able to witness these tactics firsthand...very well then. I'll see you on Ecte then. We shall meet at the clocktower at dawn; I'll give you some pointers on how to read the enemy movement, and then you can apply what you learn when we take to the fields later in the day.

IC INBOX FOR EMPATHEIAS

You've got mail~ 19 Oct

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