^^ Arashi's Porcelain Sample ^^

--- Tama Arashi-Kumo ---

"Young Master! Are you alright?" A loud voice woke me up.

I groaned and cracked my eyes, looking up at Ten-Moro. "What do you want, Ten-Moro?"

"You're on the ground, master, I was worried for your health! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ten-Moro. The bed is too soft, so I sleep on the ground... all is well." I sighed.

He hummed. "I'm unsure as to why you waited so very long to say something, Young Master... I can have a more... militaristic bed brought for you?"

"Much obliged." I nodded, and closed my eyes, then snapped them open when I realized I could see him clearly. "What time is it?" I asked, standing up suddenly.

"I-it is 8 of the clock?" He answered nervously.

I growled and shook Lee-Kahn awake. "Wake up, they let us sleep past dawn!"

He groaned, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs and hangover.

I washed my face and changed into my Sparring gear, and darted down the hall towards Tan's quarters, Lee-Kahn following silently with my robe.

I skidded to a halt in front of Ran's personal Garden, and bowed to Wong, who was sitting and waiting at the entrance. "I am terribly sorry that I am late, Master Wong, I have no excuse!" I bowed again.

"Hmmm... I have delayed my Prince's training for three hours, waiting for you. As such, you will stay an extra three hours, with double the work, as your punishment." He said simply.

I bowed. "As you wish, Master Wong."

I stepped into the garden, and sat next to Tan, who, in the past few years, had grown explosively, and now, at 16 years old, stood almost two full feet over Wong, who was only 4'2". I was only a little shorter than the tall boy, (perhaps an inch, making me 5'11, and him 6' even,) though, even two years younger, which annoyed him.

"Sleeping off all that Sake the emperor was shoving down our throats?" He whispered.

I chuckled. "Absolutely."

"ENOUGH! This is a time of quiet reflection and meditation, not gossip!" Wong snapped.

"We apologize, Master Wong!" We spoke swiftly, and in sync.

"You will apologize with sweat! 12 circuits of the garden!" He snapped, and we darted off around the garden, setting an easy pace along the 1/3mile garden-trail.

When we finished, we were hardly breathing hard, after all the conditioning he'd put us through, so far.

"Ahh, you think you're strong? Not enough strain to make you sweat? I see. Then you will Spar with me until I am satisfied with your progress!" He darted at us, his iron-cored wooden sword swinging like a reed in the wind.

We dodged, and set about trying to survive his training for another day.

---

I dragged myself into my bath, filled with ice-water, and groaned in relief when my muscles loosened finally.

Lee-Kahn laughed softly, and ignored Ten-Moro's frown. The man was incessantly formal, and would not loosen up, no matter what I asked of him.

I let my muscles cool down, then heated the water with magic, one of the only magical things I could do that didn't have anything to do with weather.

Lord Ran was forever disappointed in me, as I was unable to do most of the simplest tasks for a mage. I could enchant items, I could create fire and ice, but Weather Magic was what my natural proclivity was towards.

I stepped out of my bath, drying myself magically, and then dressed in my black robe, which I wore when I went to my calligraphy lessons.

Usually, there was a 3-4 hour period between these classes, but not today, so I set off, and arrived soon at the harem.

The empress was the woman who gave us our lessons in calligraphy, and art, and she did so inside the harem, because she said it might inspire us, surrounded by so much beauty.

Sora appeared, soon after I arrived, and curled himself up around the columns that surrounded the harem's inner courtyard like a streamer, which I found hilarious.

Tan met me inside, and we greeted the Empress respectfully, sitting in front of the large scrolls she'd set out for us.

The other five students, lesser cousins, all, were already present.

"I see Wong-Fei-Quan is teaching you strictly. That is good." She smiled, speaking softly, as always.

"Yes, Empress. We are thankful for his teachings." We said in sync.

I nudged him playfully, and he nudged me back.

She raised a single, thin eyebrow. "Enough." She said softly, but the weight of her charcoal gaze was enough to speak for her.

"Now, today, we have a special guest, the Lady Sei is Gracing us with her presence and her experience." She nodded, and Sora's mother slowly landed in the courtyard, standing tall, regal, and beautiful, as always.

"Empress. Greetings. I hope I am not late, I had to deal with two of my grandsons fighting over your son. Lord Ran is very popular amongst my children." She smiled at the Empress, who bowed her head.

"It is wonderful to hear that they have such good taste." She said mischievously, and sat down at her own scroll.

Lady Sei laughed, and then coiled herself, resting her head and Forepaws near a scroll. "Indeed. Today, I have been asked to speak with you all, and meditate upon the meaning of 'Ocean'." She slowly, carefully dragged her claw through a board full of sand, writing the character for Ocean.

"The emperor has asked me this, in the past. His father, the Late Jade Emperor, was of a mind that the Ocean was the Bounty of Man. You fish in the ocean, you sail on the ocean, you of the Japanese People are of the ocean." She nodded.

"But is not the ocean also dangerous? It brings monsoons, pirates, and even diseases." Tan spoke.

She nodded slowly. "Indeed, my Prince. Every positive in this world has a negative mirror. A sword protects, and it also attacks. Without that balance, the universe would shift, and all hope of order would fall away as Chaos Reigned." She countered his argument.

I bowed my head. "Perhaps the prince only meant that perhaps the ocean is not benevolent, but instead impartial?"

She blinked slowly, and then chuckled. "Do expand upon that, my child?"

"Nature is sentient, or so many scholars believe, but perhaps Nature does not take sides? After all, when you see two ants fighting, do you feel any kinship or pity for them? We, to the Great and Unknowable Mother Nature, are the same as the ants. And so I think she does not take any sides at all." I explained my theory.

She smiled. "A wise, pragmatic view of the question. Yes, many scholars believe as you and the prince do. I myself believe that Nature is less actively intimate with our actions, and more... sleeping. Natural disasters are, in my eyes, the tossing of a sleeping giant."

The Empress sighed softly. "To have so many scholars in my family is a gift, but perhaps you are all very easily distracted?"

Lady Sei laughed. "Indeed, my apologies. We meditate today upon 'Ocean'. Draw your own Kanji, those you believe represent the Ocean."

---

"Hmm... I see what you did here, adding a Tide Hirogana into the Wave Kanji... I approve." Lady Sei nodded, and floated away from our group, settling at the back of the courtyard.

"Wonderful. Now I will leave you to your art instructor, and I hope you all have a wonderful evening." The Empress smiled and left as we all bowed deeply.

A small woman leaning on a jade and silver cane toddled into the courtyard shortly after, and gazed at us. "Sit down." She said simply.

We sat at our tables swiftly.

"Today, you all will learn how to make Porcelain Art. Take a piece of Porcelain, all of you." She sat down on a cushion with a puff of air.

I picked up a piece of Porcelain in the shape of a plate, and sat back down.

"And now get a bottle of ink from your tables. Choose a color." She said simply.

I picked up the dark blue, and set it on my table, while Tan chose Scarlett.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned. "Mother likes red things." He explained.

"Something you'd like to tell me, young man?" The elderly woman snapped.

"I was informing Lord Kumo that my mother, Lady Tama, likes red artworks." He said easily, staring at her.

"Speak only after class is over. I will not waste time speaking about anything that is not Porcelain, again. Understood?" She asked.

He blinked slowly. "... I understand. My apologies."

She nodded. "Now, think of something to draw, I don't care if it's a cat or a mountain, and draw it. But, if you draw a cat, I'd better be able to see each of its whiskers clearly!" She snapped.

I set about drawing a landscape, one I'd seen from the west window of my tower, as a child. (Well, a younger child.)

Nine mountains, spread over the edges of the plate, with the valley in the middle. I started working on details, and she barked. "Stop! Brushes down!"

I blinked, and set aside my brush slowly.

"Now, what you've all just created is called a 'Sample'. It is called this because it is unfinished. I will make you create many more, before I am finished teaching you, and hopefully they get better, every time. Hand them in, and I'll Bake them, and return them to you. Now shoo." She flapped her hands at us dismissively.

I set my plate before her carefully, and then bowed. "You never introduced yourself, Madam." I reminded her.

She blinked. "Yes I did."

"No, madam... you didn't." I shook my head.

"Oh. Hmph. I am Oshinsu-Tama, mother of the emperor. Well-met, grandson." She said simply.

I blinked. "Oh... well met, Lady Tama."

She nodded, and I bowed, stepping away swiftly.

Sora unwound himself from the columns, and picked me up with his tail, setting me on his back. "You promised to take me flying over the City, today! Let's go!" He laughed, and darted into the sky.

I held onto his fur, happy that it was connected to his Scales, not his skin, so it wouldn't hurt him for me to yank on his fur.

He spiraled suddenly into the sky, and I grinned, laughing alongside him as he completed aerial maneuvers most dragons wouldn't dream of.

The winds obeyed my command, and moved around us, allowing only enough air to breath to touch us, so his speed did not knock me from his back.

We reached the city within a minute, even with his excessive aerial fun.

He gazed down at the shops and market, and then hummed. "Isn't that that girl you are trying to court? The blacksmith's daughter?" He asked suddenly.

I looked down, and focused my eyesight. Indeed, there she was, carrying a large bag of metal. She had been receptive to my letters and poems, and I had given her a few pieces of art, but we hadn't seen each other face-to-face in almost a year.

I saw a few men bump her into an alley, and snarled, directing Sora towards the alley.

He dove with the speed of the wind, sensing my emotions, and I leapt off his back as he halted over the alley.

I landed, feet-first, on one of the men's neck, breaking it with a satisfying crunch, then I flipped off of him, drawing my sword in a flash, ending another man's life.

The last two abandoned her, as she tried to gather the bag of metals, and I flipped over them, separating their heads from their bodies easily.

I flicked the sword to get the blood off of it, and then sheathed it. "Are you alright, my Lady Tanjo?"

She hesitantly took my hand, and looked up. "Where did you come from?" She asked.

Sora landed behind her soundlessly, and I smiled. "I rode my dragon." I gestured at him.

He stood up, as tall and regal as he could, as she turned around, and gasped. "He's beautiful!" She breathed, and then stroked his furred neck. "I must alter my dragon drawings... I've gotten their claws and whisker's all wrong..." she murmured to herself.

I smiled wider. "Always the perfectionist, I see? Do you wish an escort home, Lady Tanjo?"

She frowned. "I've asked you to call me Yoko."

"And I respectfully declined, though I am happy you feel I am familiar enough to name you so. I will not impugn your honor by naming you familiarly." I said simply.

She sighed, and then chuckled. "You're very sweet, in your own way, so I will allow it."

"Thank you." I bowed a bit, and then gathered her metals, placing them in the bag. "Are you going home, then, or on more errands?"

"I have a few more metals to retrieve." She nodded.

"Then I will escort you. Sora wished to see the city, and how better to do so?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow, taking her heavy bag of metal easily. "Sora?"

I gestured at the dragon, who flicked her gently with his mustache. "I am Sora. It is good to finally meet you. I wondered about the woman he practices poetry for." He said mischievously.

I tsk'ed at him, and she smirked. "He practices the letters he sends me?"

"Indeed. It was incredibly boring, at first, but he's gotten much better, lately." He gently picked her up with his tail, settling her in my spot on the back of his shoulders.

She gasped and pet his hair gently. "Are you sure it's alright that I ride your back?" She asked, uncertain.

He chuckled. "I should worry more about that than you, hmm? And I'm more worried that my human must walk on the ground, honestly. But he'll be fine." He smirked at me, and slowly lifted off the ground, tucking his legs in.

I chuckled and started walking. "Where are we going?" I asked, stepping over the bodies thoughtlessly.

"Perhaps you should not have killed them? They cannot display their guilt in this state." Sora hummed as we exited the alley.

Several people screamed when we exited the alley, but at my elegant attire and calm movements, they seemed to realize we were not monsters or brigands or whatever idiots believed lurked in the dark, and calmed down, passing us with swift bows.

I looked at Sora. "Perhaps you're correct. I rushed in without thinking, and it's a mistake I will never make again."

He nodded slowly. "Good. I will not have my human dying of stupidity." He chastised me, and Yoko laughed suddenly.