Akemi smiled softly as she listened to the youth complain in a most poetic manner about her lack of friends or people to play with. Her gentle eyes watched the young girl, pondering at how someone could manage to not succeed in meeting anyone to play with after studies and chores were completed. Surely there was someone her age that she could be around...All of this, however, was swept to one side in Akemi's tidy mind as she shuffled it away to be examined later, when she was not in the presence of a girl who clearly needed a shoulder to lean on or someone to talk to. Her smile grew warmer as the youth approached, her eyes taking on a more interested and caring look as she listened to the youth's continued problems.
Though she was a trained performer and well skilled at her arts, even all of her training could not help her stifle the smile that grew in her amusement at how the child could not find anyone because they were all too busy doing what they were supposed to be. This made the Shirabyoshi curious - had the little girl even attended her classes yet, for her to have made no friends so far and have such free time?
As the girl spoke, the Shirabyoshi nodded at each complaint, her soft motherly smile showing her care for the youth as she listened. Once the girl was done, Akemi glanced at each of the things the girl had pointed at, starting back where the youth had left off by pointing her hand gracefully towards the pond, "The fish swim because it is what they are born to do, not to ignore you, but because it is what they are made to do." The hand then lifted towards the closed flower buds, "If we have time to rest, the flowers should, too. They have been hard at work all day being gazed upon and now wish some time to rest. Should we deny that to them?" And lastly, Akemi pointed toward the youth in front of her, knowing the girl did not wish to toil away at the game of being a maid, but also knowing that one could not attain the title of Shirabyoshi without the training. "And little girls who desire more than what they are - should they not work for that? If the fish must work in the water, and the flowers must work in the ground, so too should the little girls who wish to become Shirabyoshi work toward their desires."
The Shirabyoshi paused slightly before adding with a knowing smile, "Do you think this Shirabyoshi became a Shirabyoshi by hiding outdoors when there was work to be done or things to be learned? To attain greatness, child, one most work for it. To attain nice things, one must work for them."
