Way of the Warrior (Open)

"Perhaps it's too optimistic to think she'll grow out of it. But she's young. Perhaps someone will manage to convince her that other things are worthwhile too." He certainly hoped so but his daughter had been this way for a long time. And she was far too obsessed with a noble death for her own good. Someone needed to help screw her head on straight. Unfortunately, Hiroshi couldn't be that person.

She narrowed down the tea sets to amber, blue, and red. But Sayuri was having a very difficult time deciding between them. She didn't know what colors Kiriha would find pleasing.

Hiroshi smiled, please Kiriha shared his viewpoint. "I'm glad you think that way. A warrior should have multiple faces not all of which belong to combat. What about you? What are your other driving forces?"

Hmmm...Maybe the amber. But then...maybe the blue. Then again maybe the red. Sayuri looked over at the tea but it was still too soon to say whether or not this batch would be acceptable.

"A very admirable goal," Hiroshi said with approval. And a very stable field too. "So you enjoy your work?" he asked him.

The third batch of tea still wasn't good enough. But that was fine. She had time and she should only treat her guest to the best. She set the water to boil again. The spices should be less strong this time. Tea shouldn't overwhelm the senses.

"Where do you work?" Hiroshi asked politely.

Okay! Amber! It was definitely going to be the amber tea set. Sayuri carefully picked up the cups, one by one, turning them over in her hand, making sure there were no imperfections. Once satisfied that the cups were in pristine condition she inspected the tea pot. Believing it to be a little dirty, she began to clean it while she waited for the water to boil.

(I was just trying to figure out if it was close. I'll assume it is.)

"One of Sayuri's students is staying there, Kawashi Mariko. Iron Deficiency Anemia. From what I understand her treatment is going well and she should be released soon."

There was this one spec of dirt that just wasn't coming off. Sayuri continued to scrub it. The tea set had to be pleasing to the eye. She checked on the water but it still wasn't done boiling.

"Yes, it's very fortunate. Sayuri was planning to take the class to visit Mariko when she was a bit more rested. You know how exhausted patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia can be."

The tea was done and Sayuri inspected it. Surprisingly it seemed good enough to hold up to the guest's scrutiny. She set aside three cups and returned to the living room, smiling brightly, placing a cup first in front of their guest, then in front of her father, and finally in front of her seat. She poured tea for everyone.

"I hope you two have been getting along well."