Tournament talk
The sun is beginning to set on Godbird Isle. The student monks in Empycchu are putting their farming tools away and finishing their sparring sessions before evening devotion rituals. Their masters are finishing their meetings and planning sessions for the following day. One such student is Yasuhiro, who had just finished reporting what he saw while examining the mashua plants. He was starting his jog home when a brown hawk landed near him. The monk held his hand out and the bird fluttered onto it.
"Gojoshar my flying friend. I'm guessing Motoko wants to talk to me about the tournament?" He pets the hawk's head. The bird raises his wing to reveal a small piece of paper tied to his leg. The monk chuckled. "Looks like I'm adding another few miles to my running for the day." Yasuhiro takes the paper and nods to the hawk. She flies away soon, heading back toward Godbird's Eyrie. The monk briefly stretches his legs before following the bird.
Approximately 30 minutes later, Yasuhiro arrived at the gates of Godbird's Eyrie. A young ninja looked at him with a smile. "Gojoshar Yasuhiro. You almost beat the hawk here. He just flew by a couple minutes ago. Lady Motoko is expecting you." Yasuhiro was somewhat winded. He straightened his posture before catching his breath. "I didn't feel like using ki. May the Godbird keep watch over our land and our lives." The ninja bowed to the monk, and he returned the bow before entering the village. He walked straight to the compound that housed the chief and his adopted daughter. As he approaches the bridge leading into the gardens, Yasuhiro sees woman was feeding the hawk from her metal hand while he sits on her other.
"Good job Kubota. You brought him right to me."
Yasuhiro looks at the bird happily tearing at the meat. "It must be important if you sent the chief's favorite to get me." He crouches down to one knee and bows his head to the woman. "What is it you need of me Lady Motoko" He says with an audible smirk. The woman sighs.
"Did the one guarding the gate call me that again? I don't know why so many of the students insist on calling me that. It makes me sound like some haughty Argonian noble; too concerned with land ownership and jewelry to see the suffering of people in front of her." She looked to Yasuhiro. "Don't bow to me you idiot. You're making it worse." She says with a laugh. The monk returns the laugh and stands up.
"Sorry Motoko, I couldn't resist. So what do you need to talk to me about?" He rests his hands behind his head. "The teams I've seen have been training hard. They probably won't be a match for us, but we have more experience fighting together than almost anyone on the island."
Motoko raises her arm and the hawk flies away. "That's what the masters think too. They don't want us fighting the students. We're being put in the master's tournament. I was just told this an hour ago." The monk's arms dropped as the statement sunk in.
"It makes sense, but it's still shocking. Does that mean the we'll be facing the chief?" Motoko nodded. The monk leaned against the railing of the bridge. "Has he said who he's pairing up with? Are you sure you want to fight your father?" Motoko moved next to Yasuhiro and leaned against the rail.
"If there were a situation where I needed to, I'm happy it's something like this rather than actual combat. If we had to really fight against each other... I'm not sure I could do it. The man has shown me nothing but love, even if I'm not his actual daughter. As for his partner, it's either Aoi or Proto. He wants one monk and one ninja on each team, but also doesn't want a new father getting injured in front of his kid. He's also hesitant to break up a couple just to have us face our both our masters at once. Have you spoken to Master Eiko recently? I would've thought her and Aoi would be teaming up, but I understand if one of them sits out to watch Midori." Yasuhiro took his sandals off.
"It's been a few days, but when I last spoke to her she said she wanted to take part in it. She wanted to show the other masters that having a kid didn't take away her ability to fight. Something about the Chocobo style master running his mouth. He apologized the day after, but Aoi is still mad at him. It's gotten to the point where the chocobo students get nervous when he walks by during spars with the kestrel students." Motoko sighed and crossed her arms.
"That man is brash to say the least. Great fighter, very helpful on the farm, but it's like meetings drive him mad. If it isn't settled in the next few days, tell the chief. We can't have this affecting the tournament." Yasuhiro sighs and looks to the sky.
"I really hope it doesn't come to that, but I will if it does. Petty squabbles like this have no place in Empyrea's flock."
The monk's stomach growled loudly. "Huh, I guess it has been a few hours since I last ate. The running probably didn't help." He places his fist to his flattened palm and bowed his head. "May this humble monk trouble his friend for a meal?" Motoko stood up from the railing and chuckled.
"I had a seat prepared for you as soon as I sent the hawk out. You never need to ask to join our meals Yasuhiro." She turned toward the entrance of her home. "Come, the mushrooms are getting cold."
kefkadragon Community Member 
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