But what it also said about Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo was that they were also quite able men. Just in the game of shogi, having brains and strategic ability was important, and they were adept at both. With the bulkier man's desire for self indulgence and the master of the house having little control of his emotions, one could have been forgiven for thinking them to be fools to be dismissed. The truth was though that they were skilled martial arts masters with the skills to take on mobs of enemies or fighters of great power.
"Ah, your store of sake is quite wonderful, Tendo," Genma murmured with a smile.
Pleased, Soun nodded slightly and took a sniff from his own drinking dish. "I've always thought it best to keep some of the good stuff for just such an occasion."
They just weren't acting all that impressive anytime recently.
"You know, my daughters are at that age when they would be giving me those disapproving looks at my drinking," the Tendo patriarch sighed.
"True enough," his friend agreed... and then looked thoughtful. "But wasn't your daughter the one who came out to serve us?"
"Ah, yes. Well, Kasumi has always been a dutiful child. Never has given me a single moment of grief."
"Sounds quite excellent, old friend. You seem to have done an excellent job raising your girls."
"Why, thank you, Saotome. They are my pride and joy," Soun gushed.
"I can see why. Your eldest is certainly a proper young lady."
"And my Akane is quite dedicated to the family school."
Genma nodded, and then tossed a shot of sake into his throat before grinning broadly. "They are both quite excellent daughters. However, that Nabiki of yours.... She is turning out to be quite the blessing for us."
"Yes. Though that is a surprise. Until now, I would have thought that she would have been too modern for such things."
"So what? She's exactly what we need to get the promise completed."
"At least Nabiki is good at organizing. With her so active in this, we can be sure that it will be well planned," the mustached man allowed.
"Perhaps...."
"What? You don't trust her?"
"It's not that," Genma replied, giving a small shrug as he reached to move a piece on the board. "I just don't want to have them doing it all."
"I thought that we weren't going to pressure them."
"That's exactly what I mean. Why should the youngsters be burdened with something as important as this? The last thing that we want is for their inexperience to make them bungle up such an important event."
Soun frowned. "Such a thing would be a big worry...."
"So why don't we, who have so much more wisdom and experience than they have, take charge of the actual ceremony. I know that the legal requirements are simple enough, but we can have a ceremony to mark the occasion."
"I have wondered if my girls would want to wear a kimono or a gown to their weddings."
"Now you'll get to see. We can wait a couple of days to make sure that the legal bits are taken care of. After that...." trailed off Genma with a smirk.
"Our families will be joined, and our children settled."
"Nothing can go wrong with it!"
"It's Soun...." the long haired man began.
"And Genma's...."
"'Secure the future' Plan!" the pair chorused, tapping their cups together.
By Tatewaki Kuno's discerning eye, his brushstrokes were full of power and vigor, likely to impress all that saw them. Calligraphy had long been an art that called to the samurai, and he saw no reason to be different. In fact, such a glorious and time honored tradition was the only way to truly record his writings. And to create the great masterworks that would be on the large papers that were for display, he put all his skill and concentration into it.
That did make for a wonderful bit of meditation, and it helped him clear his thoughts. As much as he knew that he had many responsibilities in and among his people, the case of young Ranma Saotome called to him. Being his elder meant that it was up to him to guide the pigtailed boy to the right path, and it was the duty of a samurai to defend the good folk.
Yet it had been clear that a simple fight against the boy would simply not do. Although it did seem that the youth would be able to take having sense being beaten into him, it just didn't seem to be all that feasible. It was just the machinations of the greedy wench, Nabiki Tendo, that were blinding the poor boy's apparently pure senses.
Unfortunately, even those true of heart could suffer under the sway of a manipulator such as that woman. It would be bad enough if she were merely petty and mean, but she tended to use people like others did tissues. Once she got a chance to get something from someone, she took advantage of it, no matter the results. Sometimes, she even reveled in the chaos!
She was not a fighter though, so mere war making would not suffice. For someone who would agree to go out on a date with an admirer, only to dump him once he paid for everything that she wanted, special methods would be needed. It meant that he would have to be ready to step in to cut down her schemes before she could implement them. Provided that he could cut down her attempts at manipulation before they came to fruition, he could dull her power at influencing others. Then maybe she would be forced to free that boy from her clutches.
After all, it was inconceivable that she would fall into romantic feminine feelings and truly desire to wed out of love.
Satisfied at having a plan to work with, he felt ready to deal with the mercenary woman... and knew that he'd have to watch out for his dear sister, while:
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(Posted Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:19)
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