A petitioner approaches (Chyril 27 MT)

[Phuong Quang Huu]

The pebbles crunched under his feet as Huu walked the sculpted paths within the red walls of the Cung Cam Long. In days past he would have walked these paths proudly dressed in his finest red silks. Perhaps he would attending a dinner thrown by the Long family or conducting delicate negotiations with perfect politeness. Today, he wore a simple brown robe and hood and his steps took him not towards the gates of the palace but towards the Sojen monastery where it was said the harmony of the Empire was kept. Huu certainly hoped so for he had not found it without.

Huu knew they would be waiting for him. The loud gong that announced all visitors would have seen to that. The last time he came here Huu attended a grand concert dedicated to the winds the blew over the Floating City. He smiled softly and patted the flute that concert inspired him to buy. It was one of the few possessions he brought with him aside from sword and his clothing. His wealth awaited him at home if he chose to take up that burden again. For now, it suited him to have little. He approached the gate slowly seeking one of the Sojen to ask for guidance on his way.

[Maeve]

Huu approached two marks after dawn. Already the sky had lost its redness and instead was a bright blue, such a startling contrast to yesterday's storm. As he had surmised a monk was waiting for him at the gates.

"May Harmony be your path, Oang " the yellow robed monk greeted him, bowing politely, which showed his bald head, without the mark of respect that was the long black braid, so that his rank was probably low. Yet for all his lowly background, here in this monastery, where all were born equal, he was Huu's superior, as all but the tiniest children would be "My name is Nguyen Dranh Phu. How may I help you?"

[Phuong Quang Huu]

Huu bowed to the monk in return. At first it was a shallow bow, one that was a mark of generosity to a lesser. Then it deepened to a bow showing respect for the one before him. "I am Phuong Quang Huu. I have come to leave my former life behind me and seek a new path. I seek to train in the ways of the sojen and bring balance to my mind and my heart."

[Maeve]

"Huu Oang, welcome," Phu greeted him, pretending not to have noticed his momentarily lapse in forgetting his position. It was always difficult when people wanted to become Sojen later in life, so that the equality was not bred into them from their earliest youth. Wisdom started with forgiveness.

"I will bring you to your own room, where you may rest and ponder upon the question what order you want to join. You do not need to decide immediately, for this is a heavy choice. Answer me when you are ready," Phu councilled as he stepped away from the door, allowing Huu to enter. "May I ask what motivated this change in your life?"

[Phuong Quang Huu]

"A battle." Huu answered simply. He was inclined to leave it at that and spend the rest of the walk in silence but those that would teach him deserve to know the truth. Besides, he had been trying to tell this story to family that would not listen. It would be good to have an interested audience.

"I was raised for my entire life to be a leader of men." Huu went on. "My tutors were the finest of retired generals and on the game boards my strategies were unbeatable. Then the day came when I could put my skills to practical use. A border skirmish between my family and our rivals. My tactics led us to a stunning victory. Yet all I saw were the hurt and the injured. It turned my stomach. I had been trained for one task and I found it abhorrent. My family wouldn't listen. They assured me I would get used to it in time." Huu fell silent for a moment. "I came to the decision that I did not wish to become the kind of person that would be used to it. So I came here to find a new path."

[Maeve]

"Ah," Phu said and it spoke volumes of understanding and knowledge in that single syllable. Yes, he did know where Huu was coming from. At a soft, but still rapid pace they were moving over the small pebbles that made up most of the alley's and courtyards of the monastery.

"Here is your room Huu," Phu indicated with a small smile, upon arrival near a humbe abode, the room but separated from the next by rice paper walls. There was a bedroll on the ground. It was for Sojen terms very comfortable.

He turned to Huu, regarding the old soldier turned Sojen "You are very sure of yourself. Perhaps you do not long to reflect upon which path will be of most enlightment. Yet I need to know. What path will you take? Do not answer me right away if you cannot. If you need more time I shall come back later. Such an answer is best not forced. Once you have chosen we will educate you as best as we are able. For a time you will not be allowed to leave, till you have grown enough for free will to be returned to you." It was not unlike the training of soldiers, the method a familiar one.

[Phuong Quang Huu]

Huu sniffed at the plainness of the room. Still, it was more than he expected. Huu was not even sure there would be a bedroll. Idly he wished he'd brought a book or a potted plant but dismissed the thought as unworthy. He was not here for the accommodations.

Huu bristled at the thought of being confined but simply nodded to Phu in understanding. "I do not know how sure I am but it is true that I did not come here without contemplating the path I would fellow. My first impulse was to join the Daeko Dai." Huu smiled softly. "A quiet life tending to the earth and spirits in the deep places of the world sounds wonderful but only as a pleasant fiction. I have been too long among the world of men."

"The Fen Shako is where those that failed the families go." Huu set his jaw firmly. "I have not failed." He insisted. "So there I will not go." He softened a little. "Yet I know that my ties to my family and the world I once lived in will never be fully severed. I freely admit that weakness and seek to turn it into a strength. I choose to seek perfection from the Lain So." Huu concluded. He was sure of his course yet gazed at Phu hoping to find acceptance of his logic there.

[Maeve]

Phu's only indication of surprise was the widening of his eyes. Then he nodded "Yes, you will serve the Kami well as Lain So."

He turned, then in the dooropening turned back just before he left and added "Each day our community greets the sun and the moon. Those ceremonies everybody attends. Your lessons will be in the mornings. The afternoons are your own, within reason."He tilted his head as he observed the former warrior "Sometimes it is well to explore something outside the path set for you. Obedience is not always the recipe for enlightenment." He pursed his lips "report to the pagoda for your first instructions when you are ready."

With a final nod the Sojen left, so light on his feet that even on the pebbles he made nearly no sound.

[Phuong Quang Huu]

"Thank you Phu Oang." Huu bowed to him. "For the welcome and the wisdom." Huu was surprised to find himself alone when he rose from the bow. To move that silently was something to strive for.

Huu was very rarely left to his own devices. He almost went to the pagoda immediately out of a desire to hurry things along. That was surely not the attitude of a proper Sojen. Speed should only when necessary. Huu must learn to slow down. "Obedience is not always the recipe for enlightenment." Huu echoed as he drew forth his flute from his sleeve. "I must think on that." Huu left his rooms and walked the paths of the monastery slowly to learn its layout and find a place to think.

[Maeve]

In the days to come Huu would learn that he was often left to his own devices, his teachers expecting from him an entirely different discipline than was required from a soldier. They were vigilant in learning him to pay attention to detail and ponder the meaning of every little thing. To find balance and understanding. To facilitate this very individualistic learning approach Huu was encouraged to meditate often, using music, yoga or other means.

OOC: Skilled and a little more detail added to help your story along!