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 Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:12 pm
Day 1Dance: Performing Arts After an eternity of pondering, Ouranos selected a draping Han robe, delicately embroidered with dragons and vines. He had taken his time with the costumes offered, touching the silks one by one, finally stopping at this particular robe.
He stepped into the garment. The fabric whispered as he moved, fluid as water. Stretching his arms, letting the oversized sleeves dangle, Oura suppressed a faint smile. What was this that he was feeling? Oh yes. It seemed to be embarrassment.
Nevertheless, he was here to learn. He was here to dance...?
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Stratham rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:02 pm
Ouranos stared blankly into the proffered box. Within lay mysterious items of use...
At the servant's encouragement, the boil pushed up his draping sleeve, aimlessly fishing around in the box. He fished, and he fished. He fished absently for about ten minutes before the servant, mouth set in a taut line, took the box away.
Ouranos stood meekly before the Horsewomen, swathed in silk, armed with nothing.
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Stratham rolled 1 20-sided dice:
18
Total: 18 (1-20)
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:15 pm
He had no idea in the slightest how to dance, or how Professor Zhang's student went about it so sublimely. All he could do was move-- move as he usually did, light and drifting, as if walking through a dream.
Somehow... it seemed to work. He listened to the Guzheng and the Pipa and floated along, his feet rotating without direction, his arms much the same. The rustle of blue fabric filled his ears, swaying and dancing alongside him. In the end, breathless and abashed, Ouranos felt it was his majestic costume that had won him his passing-- and an unexpected smile from the Horsewomen.
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
6, 1, 1, 4, 2
Total: 14 (5-30)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:32 pm
Day 2KumikoWhat a peculiar little exercise. Intrigued, Ouranos lifted the squares of incense, breathing headily from each. Some were musky, some were sweet. Some were spicy, some were cool. After hearing each scent, and after some quiet consideration, Oura made his guess.(( 6 is a wildcard, which I change to 4. The result is 4, 1, 1, 4, 2 ))  Ouranos stacks his blocks in the pattern of Shii-ga-moto (Beneath the Oak)!
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
2, 5, 5, 2, 1
Total: 15 (5-30)
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:40 pm
The Horseman nods curtly, then reveals the matching incenses. Ouranos' guess was correct! A vague look of wonder crosses his face. After that regretful class today, it seems his nose now knows incense quite intimately...(( Please let me know if I did this incorrectly!! ))
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
4, 6, 1, 4, 5
Total: 20 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:20 pm
Day 3KumikoOuranos was feeling confident in his incense-identifying abilities. For one more day, he decided to test his luck at Kumiko. Bringing the smoky scents to his nose one by one, the boil let them register in his mind, before making his guess. He felt that two pairs of incenses smelled similar, while one smelled curiously different...(( 6 is a wildcard, which I change to 5. The result is 4, 5, 1, 4, 5 ))  Ouranos stacks his blocks in the pattern of Minori (The Rites)!
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
6, 6, 6, 4, 6
Total: 28 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:22 pm
(( 6 is a wildcard; I swap the first 6 for a 4, and third for a 1. The result: 4, 6, 1, 4, 6 )) The horseman raises an eyebrow, and reveals the correct result: Ouranos' guess was right, once again. The horseman's eyebrows are still raised; Oura feels vaguely guilty. He'd done nothing wrong! ...Just had a lot of practice inhaling smoke in Invictus' class, that's all!
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Stratham rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:04 pm
Day 4
Etiquette
Ouranos had never been good with animals. Floaty, distant, and creepy were not attributes that sat well with others, much less animals. So, when Oura approached the Adara and offered the faintest sketch of a bow, it was no surprise that the bird shrieked in terror and lunged away. Of course, lacking any sort of quick-reflexed bone in his body, Ouranos was knocked to the grass. He patted his butt, and winced. (( FAIL ))
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Stratham rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:48 pm
Day 5
Etiquette
Ouranos stood in the lush green field, bare feet planted firmly in the grass. He was determined. He was back.
The boil drifted up the closest adara, and without giving it time to react, swept a low, dramatic bow-- as dramatic as Oura could get, at least. The bird seemed too shocked to run away (excellent, just as planned), and instead dipped its head shakily. Ouranos was able to retrieve a feather!
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Stratham rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:49 pm
Water and salted crackers. Water and salted crackers. Ouranos tried very hard to keep the instructions in his mind as he headed to the supply stack. He was terrible with memory. He was terrible with lists. Even lists that consisted of a paltry two items.
Water and salted crackers...
He made it to the supplies, and after a brief moment of faltering, picked up the water and salted crackers. He had done it! He had remembered. Ouranos turned around, feeling good about himself-- and promptly dropped everything. The cold water splashed across his feet. An adara came running by, smashing the crackers into crumbs. Ouranos stood there for awhile, his face purely blank. (( FAIL ))
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
6, 3, 3, 4, 4
Total: 20 (5-30)
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:32 pm
Day 6KumikoOuranos was thoroughly tired of pleasing fickle birds. Kumiko was calming, and he could sit down, and there were no crazy adaras snapping at his crackers or knocking him over. He nodded to himself assuringly, eyes closed. Yes, Kumiko was the only way to do it.
Oura inhaled, long and slow, and began to hear the scents of each incense. His mind was a little distracted, reliving the bird-related trauma he'd suffered the past few days... so when it came time to guess, Oura realized he wasn't too confident in what he'd just smelled.(( 6 is a wildcard, which I change to 3. The result is 3, 3, 3, 4, 4 )) Ouranos stacks his blocks in the pattern of Sakaki (Sacred Tree)!
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Stratham rolled 5 6-sided dice:
2, 6, 2, 5, 2
Total: 17 (5-30)
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:33 pm
(( 6 is a wildcard, which I change to 2. The result is 2, 2, 2, 5, 2. )) The Horseman looks strangely gleeful, and reveals the correct matches: It's Umegae (Plum Branch)! Looks like Oura's mind was too far away, still being harassed by adaras. He'd mistakenly matched the final scent with the one right before it... when in reality, it was the same scent as the first three. Well, at least he'd only been one block off.
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Stratham rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 3:32 pm
Day 7Dance: Performing ArtsIt was Ouranos' last day of training in Conquest. What better way to leave this cultured land than the same way he had started... with a dance?
Once again, the boil ruffled slowly through the provided costumes. He settled on a more casual robe, made of soft cotton and wool-- no whispering silks and embroidered dragons this time around. He donned the outfit piece by piece (it was considerably more complicated than the previous one). First the under-robe and loose pants, almost like a dress; then, a blue patterned vest over his shoulders. Next came a braided brown belt, which he fastened around his waist. He slid his feet into soft leather boots. Finally, he draped on the long over-robe, which was almost like a cape. Done dressing, Oura stood up awkwardly.
It was definitely heavier than the silks, and a bit scratchy on his skin. But the style suited his tastes-- loose, flowing, with long tails that flapped around him as he moved. Ouranos looked at himself in the elegantly carved mirror. He could very much get used to clothing here in the land of Conquest...
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Stratham rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 3:35 pm
This time, when the servant approached with the nondescript box, Ouranos was ready. He was determined not to come up with nothing again, like last time. Oura shook back a sleeve, and put his arm in... he felt the strange shapes of the unknown objects... he fished around, his mind beginning to wander...
No! Wake up!! Ouranos forced himself back to reality, then decisively closed his fingers around an object. The servant seemed to sigh in relief, before bowing and backing out of the room. Well, at least he'd managed to get something this time... Ouranos looked down at the curious objects he held. They were long, fluttering streamers, attached to two sticks; the colors were blue and white, which matched his costume at the least. He assumed he'd have to wave them around as he danced.
Ouranos grasped one streamer in each hand, his dreamy eyes determined. He went forth to face the Horsewoman and her musicians.
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Stratham rolled 1 20-sided dice:
16
Total: 16 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 3:35 pm
The professor and accompanying Horsewomen seemed to recognize him from last time. Their gazes were stern, and expectant... it seemed he would have to live up to his previous dance. Ouranos gulped and took a deep, shaky breath.
The Guzheng and Pipa began to play, striking up a quick, lively tune. This was definitely much faster than last time!! Ouranos stepped from one side to another, spinning so that his cloak would billow and fan out. He tried not to trip over his own feet, though the leather boots were quite slippery... and at the same time, he had to coordinate the streamers in each hand. It was tough, much tougher than the last dance...
Ouranos cleared his head as he moved, trying to think of the graceful, forceful movements of a swordsman. He moved rapidly, whipping his streamers around his body as if they were swords; he stepped and gave an experimental leap, praying that he wouldn't fall on his butt. But the boil landed gracefully after his jump, and ended the dance with a slash of his streamers, as if he'd just cut down a mighty enemy.
Distantly, through deep breaths, he could hear clapping... had he managed to do alright? He raised his head and saw the Horsewomen smiling, putting their hands together graciously for him. Professor Zhang gave him a curt nod. Ouranos stood up straight, his chest still heaving, and felt like he could walk on air. He'd managed to succeed in his last dance!
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