Morning [Training, Solo]

[Ito Aki]

Standing still with her legs shoulder width apart and arms upraised Aki felt warm and comfortable in her family’s garden as she started a gentle lung. With their respective morning routines finished it was time for tai-chi. It was a family ritual that preceded breakfast and the more chaotic portions of the day. Her younger sister and brother followed along with her mother’s example but their sluggish movements were fidgety in a the unique way of children who had recently gotten up and wanted to be doing something else.

Flowing into the next stance she remembered when she had been their age with a bit of a smile. She’d already dreamed of becoming a shinobi long before and had gone about every little motion with the utmost seriousness. Something which had brought the family no end of amusement as her mother would strike comical posses on occasion to make sure they were paying attention and she would diligently copy it without realizing why everyone was laughing until it was too late. She’d loosened up considerably since then though and it was reflected in her more fluid movement.

“Mom!” her youngest brother called plaintively as they continued through the familiar patterns. He’d had enough but didn’t stop nor would he permitted it. He was little and still unfocused when it came to most things but he was well disciplined for the most part. After several more forms her mother excused the younger children who went inside to enjoy a few moments of free time. Breakfast itself would not be served until everyone was at the table though. It was a rule and the only acceptation was if someone were away on a mission or other excusable circumstances.

Finishing the full routine Aki bowed to her mother at the end along with her remaining siblings before heading in. The smell of food had been wafting into the garden for sometime and her stomach was becoming plaintive about being denied for so long. One leg extending abruptly to the left she tripped her brother as he started to make a run for the door before darting forward herself, having to dodge a hip check in the process from her sister. Their mother looked on in amusement as they battled to reach the door first for nothing more then pride points.

[Ito Aki]

Once breakfast was over with Aki had the day to herself as she was no longer beholden to the academy but as of yet still without a team. That meant she could do as she liked. Or mostly anyway, her mother had forbid her from training without permission. A blade only benefited from so much sharpening had been her words on the matter and Aki understood but still felt reluctant. She wasn’t used to having so much free time. Walking down the stairs that lead from her rooftop home to the lower level where her families school was she scratched at her un-gelled hair and wondered what she would do.

Passing through the back hall and into the main she listened to the sounds of training around her and felt a bit wistful. High ceilinged with decretive carvings on the stone support columns she walked through what had been at one time a small palace that would have been surrounded by gardens. A symbol of the family’s power. It had become a prep school for the wealthy and the gift it was rarely silent and she had grown up surrounded by the sounds of exertion. Her mother had crafted it through connection, cunning and force of personality with the dregs of the clan’s wealth. Her mother Soyokaze and Aki herself were not proper blood descendant of the Ito clan.

Soyokaze had been adopted into it when the previous generation had failed to produce a worthwhile heir but it had mattered little at the time. The clan had been in decline both in power and wealth for generations and while still technically noble held little but the title and the small bit of ground the house stood on. Aki loved the building and the school but it was her abiding wish to be able to lower the tuition. A wish thwarted by the debts still outstanding on the clan name. Though in decline her adoptive ancestors had spent like they were still at the peak of their power and wealth until the end and three generations later the family was still paying for it.

[Ito Aki]

Out on the street after passing through the main entrance to the school Aki stretched a bit. In the sun light before continuing on her way, her allowance jingling in her pocket as she played with the coins a bit. Allowance was a bit of a misnomer as she worked for it in the school by assisting the teachers, most often as a living technique dummy, but she would have done it anyway even if she were not paid so maybe it was something of a gift. Either way she stopped by one of the smaller shops on her way to the library and spent a bit on oranges. She’d eaten recently but saved some room for her favorite food and in her mind the best part of her walk. The rest of the bag she dropped off on the way on a doorstep of one of the younger students from the school. Even before things had gone to hell the kids family hadn’t been too well and she’d noticed of late that the boy wasn’t eating particularly well so she made a point of leaving some things for the family. It was probably difficult enough for them to get by and ramen wouldn’t kill him but having had nutrition pounded into her since she was little Aki recoiled at the thought of most common cheap foods.

Her family was in debt but they had it worked out with their creditors and managed it without having to give up most comforts let alone necessities. The boy’s family on the other hand simply didn’t make enough in the first place. If it hadn’t been for him showing promise and her mother choosing to let him attend for free they couldn’t have afford extra lessons for him and it seemed like they were banking on him becoming a shinobi in order for him to afford a better life. Aki shivered and her steps became a bit faster at the thought. What she’d done was little more than a gesture and she knew it wouldn’t do much to help.

Once at the library though she put the thoughts of the boy from her mind. It wouldn’t help a thing for her to worry when she could do nothing more. A better use of her time was study and as she passed by the circulation desk she placed a single orange that she had reserved for the purpose on it. It was a rare event for her to pass more than a few words with the librarian but she’d helped Aki find things when she was still learning the filing system and though a bit awkward about it Aki had appreciated the help and the fact the woman gave her space the rest of the time. She didn’t like to be hovered over.

Heading to the medical section she took out an anatomy text and another on medicinal plants and carried them to a study desk. She couldn’t do anything much as she was but if she became a doctor she’d be able to help more. Setting them down she went to the small used book section which also sold a few basic stationary supplies in addition to texts removed from the library’s collection as they became too battered to survive general circulation or replaced when outdated. Placing enough money for the pen and notebook she selected on the circulation desk as she passed by once more and nodded to the librarian who returned the gesture without looking up from the orange as she peeled it.

[Ito Aki]

The rest of the day passed in companionable silence as Aki studied the books in turn, alternating ever few chapters to keep her interest up. The slim note book had wide lines in it that filled quickly with her blocky writing as she wrote down words and concepts she didn’t understood and the odd observation as they occurred to her. It was not her preferred way of study but she knew how to go about it and was diligent. Her mentor Karasu was a wanderer from another village and it was a peculiar privilege of the woman’s relationship with her mother that granted her the honor of training under her when she had time. It did not entitle Aki to set the schedule of it though and with things the way they were it would likely be a long time before she visited the Iwa again. Though she still wore the symbol of her village Karasu was a healer who did not recognize boundaries or politics as a deterrent to practice medicine where it was most needed and there were nations that were in much more dire straits.

In the afternoon Aki left the library briefly, replacing the books after jotting down her pages and taking the notebook and pen with her. Stretching a bit she walked down to the shop where she’d bought the oranges and bough water and sandwiches, eating her own on the way and leaving the second in the bag for the librarian. She passed by the boy whose home she’d left the oranges at and was gratified to see him eating one as he passed by her in a hurry to get to his afternoon lessons. The academy had let out and he gave her a distracted nod of recognition as he passed by her. Most of the students knew her by site though she’d rarely spoken to any of them and gave her a certain amount of respect as the daughter of the owner.

Leaving the sandwich on the circulation desk much as she had the orange Aki went back to her studies and didn’t leave the library again until it was time for it to close.

[Axcel]

+26 exp