We got the moves [Hime/Hanako]

"One can never have enough tea, I suppose," Hime replied, a tinge of humor evident in her voice. Hime was always fond of a nice cup of tea and loved the versatility in flavor it offered. The better the preparation, the finer the taste.

Perhaps, apart from today, she would treat the woman to an event wherein they could enjoy a variety of flavors and a sweet or dessert of some kind. Walking along the compound of the division, Hime could not help but find herself impressed by the way the combat division carried themselves, especially in the wake of their captain's death.

As Hanako did her due diligence to make sure everything was up to par and none of the division members were slacking off, Hime could not help but smile, proud to see the progress this division had made and the impact Hanako and Yoshitsune left on this division. She hoped Hanako would continue to keep up this amazing progress as the two went ahead. Reaching one of the buildings near the open training courts, Hime would follow Hanako through a short corridor until they reached their location. A neatly decorated tatami affair outfitted with training weapons, Hime found the room suitable enough for what Hanako desired Hime to assist her in... dancing.

"Indeed. This should work just fine, Hanako. Now... how should we begin?"

Hanako nodded, left her shoes at the entrance and stepped on the tatami. She liked the feeling of tatami on her naked feet. It was maybe archaic and a bit outdated, given what kind of modern materials the world offered, but it had…atmosphere. It reminded her of the small house on the clearing, that was the centre point of her inner world. A place where she always felt safe.

She took a look around and was pleased with what she saw. The room was spotless. She had to use a considerable portion of the division’s budget to keep the training facilities top notch like this, but in her mind especially the combat division should suffer no shortage in this department. After all, staying in their best shape and being combat ready at all times was their job, even in peace times.

The first thing she did after entering the room was sliding her sword from her obi and respectfully placing it in an empty rack, where a training weapon was missing. The room was small enough that, should an emergency arise, she could reach it with a flash step in a fraction of a second. She also felt as if handling her sword with respect was the least she could do. Bakumusha had done so much for her, given and taught her so much and his manners were always flawless. He alway treated her with respect and she took it as an example she tried to follow. Even if she was, basically, treating herself with respect, when she was interacting with Bakumusha…but who said that was a bad thing to do?

She went over to one of the cabinets and opened it. A small black block that had a metallic sheen to it, was sitting on the top shelf. It was a little compact stereo, nothing fancy and rather on the cheap side, after all Hanako couldn’t just throw all of her budget at the training facilities. However, it was more than enough for this room.

“I’m not sure how to begin. I hoped you would know.” Hanako said.

“I know the moves the instructors at the academy taught me and later Bakumusha. There’s also the additional Aikido classes I took back at the academy. Most of it distils down to small, precise movements. That’s not bad. It’s efficient.”

She made a few movements, sliding steps with which she moved to the side and turned her whole body around to face the other direction. They were called tai sabaki and meant to evade and change position, all the while the hands stayed in front of the body and its centre of mass. The movement had flow, but no grace.

“What brought me this idea is that efficiency is maybe not always the best solution. I mean, look at me. A few years ago I would have never dreamt of going through the trouble of making an elaborate curry meal, just for myself or…or buying a flowery summer dress. I would have thought of it as unnecessary and an indulgence. But I changed my mind and…I am happier now. I thought that a similar logic could maybe apply to fighting. Efficient and small movements are one thing, but if I could…I don’t know…kind of gracefully flow through the movements in a way that lets me take all the energy of one movement, change its direction and force it into the next, without losing any… Maybe it's not as efficient, but maybe it could help bring everything more together.”

While she talked, she made a few movements as if she was directing Bakumusha’s chain in Shikai. Now she stopped and looked at Hime.