Is Too Much Pride a Problem [Kyo, Nao]

Having been chided briefly by Lord Sawachika for using the estate grounds so haphazardly as training grounds, Kyo had naturally done the only sensible thing and begun constructing a proper training area in his section of the estate. He could have simply had it built by the family servants, but it would have been a cheap path to take if he did that. Even compared to the typical antics that the family had come to expect of him, this was something of an extreme task he'd undertaken.

Still, he didn't waver in this undertaking, didn't falter for even a moment. He'd built a proper ring, constructed targets that could hold up to at least a relatively decent beating, and was now attempting to discern the best way to approach something that could stand up to repeated kido usage. Well, he could think on that while he took a brief rest. For now, he sat with a cup of chilled barley tea and ruminated. Not only on his construction efforts, but the whole situation.

Kyo smiled to himself at the surprise appearance of his elder sister. He had a long way to go, he supposed, if he still couldn't detect someone as loud as she was. But he already knew that, didn't he?

"Would you expect anything less from the Big Bowl of Sawachika himself?"

But despite his words, Kyo's tone didn't quite have the same bravado that it usually did. It was a little more reserved, more aware, but no less confident than he always was. He didn't say anything as Nao helped herself to tea, but he never would have either way.

"The spirit's all out there."

Kyo nodded toward the fruits of his labor, but admittedly, it wasn't as if that were entirely the case. His effort to build himself up into something greater were slower than he might have liked, but that was probably inevitable. He wasn't exactly some prodigy like a lot of others were.

"Besides, a man knows when to rein it in. This isn't quite the time for the usual attitude."

That was all there was to it, really. He was taking this seriously, and he couldn't afford to simply barrel through it all with his usual gusto. He, for once, had to exercise caution, restraint.

Nao's jab certainly wasn't something he was necessarily prepared for, at least physically. She was far stronger than he was, but he stood up regardless, stretching out as he looked to the training ground he'd built.

"Might as well, sure. I'd need to test it anyway, make sure it can stand up to a beating. You're plenty capable of that, right?"

The words may have sounded like a compliment, but there was an undeniable edge of challenge to them. He wasn't just stating that she was capable of it, he was asking if she was, seeing if it was true. Kyo knew his sister well enough to know she'd take that bait, probably more than anyone else in their household.

Ah, that was Nao, alright. In many ways, Kyo felt he had a certain connection to Nao that he lacked with their other sisters. Perhaps it was simply that she alone seemed to have taken after their father as he had, but even so, her spirit was faintly reinvigorating. He followed after her into the ring, and while he thought to grab his spear, he wasn't going to meet her on uneven terms.

Well, the terms were already uneven. He doubted that he had any chance at besting her, but he would still try. He took up a ready stance, eyes tracking his sister as his hands focused on defending himself. After all, he doubted that she'd wait for him to throw the first blow.