Gin
Sonam knew of Gin before they became friends. They were close acquaintances bordering onto a new friendship. For once, she knew of them without forgetting they existed from time to time.
They’d done group projects together, and even sparred whenever Monk Shorān and Sister Enmyo taught their classes together
He’s good with dao swords, and he’s won tournaments with them. He’s over all just really nice. She enjoyed having him around. Gin evened out the loudness in Jigme which she counted as a plus.
Sonam could admit to Jigme having his moments and those moments included funny jokes and some- some- pranks that she’d laugh at, but nothing more. He’s still really stupid.
She’s been wanting to touch his hair recently though, but that’s just weird. She kept it to herself. He’s also annoying. Like super annoying.
“Why are you frowning?” She yelped and frantically moved away from the windowsill. Gin sat crouched there. Did she get caught thinking about Jigme?! Of all people. Him??
“Huh? What?”
He pouted and hugged his knees. “You were frowning. Why?”
“Um,” what excuse, what excuse-, “oh it’s nothing. Just my resting face. Why are you on the windowsill, anyway?” Most boys in her class weren’t as flexible as him. Gin sometimes joined in on the girls’ tumbling sessions due to how flexible he was.
Something she heard Jigme mope constantly about. Sonam didn’t understand why. Girls tumbling was more difficult for boys because they didn’t have the flexibility like they had.
“Elder Thakpe wants me to have a ‘promotion spar,’” he quoted with his fingers. “So that I can get my own pair of dao swords.” The ones he used were old, and he was only allowed to use them when he was in actual danger, not in spars. “…” Sonam stared at him. “Then why are you here?”
“I want you to spar with me.” He said. “You’re the best with the bokken and therefore a worthy opponent.”
Oh, well, she didn’t think of that. She hadn’t been anyone’s promotion sparring partner before. This was a first.
“Okay, just let me get my things first.”
There’s no winner or loser. Elder Thakpe interrupted before that could be decided.
In her opinion, she had the upper edge right before Elder Thakpe interrupted. A slight upper edge. Gin was good. He deserved to get his own pair of dao swords. Sonam didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten a pair a long time ago.
… Her shoulders and sides hurt. He’d gotten a few good hits in. They’re both panting. Wooden bokken and wooden dao clashed against each other, paused in the moment after Elder Thakpe coughed and raised his hand to stroke his chin.
He eyed the both of them for a long couple of seconds, pulled something from out of his sleeve and handed it to them. She understood why Gin got one, but her? Why did she get one? Elder Thakpe only smiled at her confusion. “I think you’d both benefit from this.”
So, yeah. She got herself a kodachi now. A real one hammered together with tamahagane and scarlet ore. Had she been taller and older than eight, it would have been a katana, but she’s too short and too young. Since Sonam didn’t plan on getting one, she sort of forgot about it and the details got left out of her conversations until Gin asked if she wanted to go through forms together. With their new weapons just to try it. Slowly, of course, and to get a feel for it.
Torma turned to her, occupying the seat Ashina would’ve been in, but she’s back at Kōfuku-ji visiting family and training. (She’s not envious because Ashina already had a katana and trained regularly with it. She’s not. Ashina was a little taller, and that meant she could use one. That’s the issue. She was already training with the naginata as well. Sonam couldn’t yet, because she wasn’t tall enough.)
“You have a kodachi?” He said, and that prompted Mikoto to turn to her as well. “Sonam, you have a kodachi?” The rest of her classmates turned, their eyes inquisitive. Sister Chōrei walked in through the sliding door at that moment.
“Who has a kodachi?”
“Sonam has one.” The class dutifully responded, and Gin had the courage to look apologetic. Sister Chōrei turned to her, not looking impressed. “You do, huh?”
Sonam glared at Gin and looked back at Sister Chōrei helplessly. “I- it’s not like I planned to get one.” She sort of got dragged along. A ripple effect of her being Gin’s promotion sparring partner that day. Sonam didn’t expect anything else. The sheathed kodachi still surprised her whenever she got back to her room.
Mikoto laughed and shook her head. “It’s only you and Ashina who can say that ‘they didn’t plan’ on doing something that sounds so planned.”
“I was his promotion sparring partner!” She pointed at Gin. “Ask Elder Thakpe!”
Sonam ended up throwing the scroll she got from Elder Thakpe at the back of Mikoto’s head, and Gin confirmed it when he showed his own scroll.
“Did you have to go say that out loud in front of everyone?”
“Well, I thought you’d mentioned it since I’ve heard how much you like swords and stuff.” Wow. She’s touched honestly. He paid attention even if they weren’t close before.
It might also be because she could be loud sometimes, but Sonam preferred the first option.
“I’m touched that you’ve paid attention to what I’ve talked about. But if I end up doing something I don’t plan on my brain, I will end up forgetting about it.” She said and crossed her arms. “I still get surprised when I see the kodachi back in my room.”
“How do you just forget something like that?”
“You ask as if I know the answer to that and I don’t!” Sister Chōrei said she had the mind of a lemur on a sugar rush and the body of a bison.
Something about not thinking and only acting, but that she’ll likely shape up when she got older. Sonam didn’t understand her wisdom yet.
It’s summer and the warm wind felt nice against her skin as she flew.
Sonam might’ve gone a bit overboard with this, but she’s following Monk Shinro's stupid rules.
Get your guardian’s signature.
She had many guardians because Sister Chōrei loved multiple people, but Sister Chōrei was her primary guardian. The one that took care of her and made sure she did her homework and took her out on trips. And Sonam would take her glider and fly all the way down to the Western air temple, where Sister Chōrei was currently visiting someone, to get that signature.
Sonam landed on a smaller pagoda and looked around. She wasn't familiar with the temple, only having visited when she was younger, but not in recent years. Where to start? She put her glider in the holster on her back and started looking.
She jumped over to the next pagoda when she didn’t find Sister Chōrei on this one. There were more people there, so a higher chance of finding her.
“Sonam?” She turned at the mention of her name. “Yes?” She frowned when she saw who it was, having not expected him at all. “What are you doing here?” Gin smiled sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Monk Koshū said it’d be good for me to try some of the girls’ classes here, so I come here every other month or so.”
“Are they any different from ours?” He hummed and tilted his head in thought. “More flowy, I guess, and artistic. There are some other minor differences, but nothing massive.”
“Hm, interesting.” Ashina would be interested. “Have you seen Sister Chōrei around here? I need something from her.”
“It must be important enough for you to come flying here.”
“It’s not really.” The signature was for a trip in two weeks, however Monk Shinro said she could get the signature now, and maybe go earlier. “I’m following Monk Shinro’s rules.”
“Oooh,” Yeah, ‘oh.’ Sonam never agreed more. “Well, I know where she is, but…”
“But?”
“She’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.” He looked uncomfortable and kept glancing off to the side, not meeting her eyes.
“…”
“…”
Then it hit her. “Oh, oh, that’s what you meant!” She facepalmed and Gin burst out laughing. “What did you think I meant?”
“I thought you meant, like, actually preoccupied. Like substituting for a class or something like that.” He clutched at his sides as he continued. “I forget that Sister Chōrei has lovers outside of Kushi. I don’t meet them often.” She really didn’t. Sister Chōrei kept those two things separate. Why? She wasn’t sure. She’s only caught glimpses of them back at the temple.
“There you go, forgetting again. Hahaha!”
“I can’t help it, okay?” She exclaimed, face uncomfortably warm. “If it’s not in front of me for at least a day, I will be forgetting about it.”
“So if I show you around the temple, you’ll end up forgetting it?”
“It’s a very nuanced topic!” If she’s actively paying attention, she’s more likely to remember, but if she’s not, she won’t. At all. Sonam was lucky if she even remembered one detail. “If you show me around and sound interesting while doing it, I’m more likely to remember.”
“Great!” He hit his chest and coughed out the last remains of his laughter.
“Great!”
He turned on his feet, a few giggles escaping his lips. “This way!”
It’s a good thing to do in the meanwhile. Sister Chōrei could spend time with her partner- partners? She didn’t know enough about that part of her life- and Sonam could spend time with her friend as a guide around the Western temple.
Their murals were cool, though. Different from the ukiyo-e influenced thangka’s back at Kushi. She might even get herself one.
The statues were beautiful, so unlike those back home. Those back home were large, unapologetic for the presence they took up, and always tinted in gold or bronze.
“What are you doing for obon this year?” Sonam didn’t have any plans other than maybe hanging out with her friends. “I don’t really have any plans.”
“You and your friends can always come and watch my shamisen performance.”
“You play the shamisen?” She turned to him, eyebrows high on her forehead. He didn’t look like the type, but then she didn’t expect Torma to play the shakuhachi either. Instruments didn’t have a type, regardless of what others may think. “Yeah! Oji-san taught me. We’re actually playing together in Akashima.” Oh, she hadn’t visited that village before. It wasn’t so far from Kushi, was it?
Was it close enough where she could fly out and not tell anyone?
She left a note before coming here, though. Notes always worked. It worked most of the time, at least.
“I think Ashina will be back from Kōfuku-ji by then. I know Mikoto and Torma can come and I certainly can, so I’ll be there.” He grinned and put his hands behind his head. “Sweet! Some of my other friends will also be there as well. We could, like, do stuff afterward. There’s much to do in Akashima. Oh! I have to show you the koi fish! They’re so smart! Smarter than any fish ever!”
Smart koi fish? Smart like how the red pandas were?
They sounded cool. She wondered what colours they were. Her favourite, and also one of the rarer types, was the kuro goshiki patterned ones.
Now, Sonam has never seen herself as a cock block of any kind. Adults had lives outside of teaching. Like how Sister Chōrei had lovers and would visit them from time to time, and they would visit her in turn.
You go do your thing and she wouldn’t bother you. Even if she thought kisses and all the mushy stuff were gross, people had different tastes, and she couldn’t be angry at them for being different. (Kisses were gross though. She’d kiss the person who’d convince her otherwise.)
A nun giggled when Sister Chōrei kissed her cheek and nuzzled into her neck. Her arms tightened around her waist, gripping at her belt, and the nuns’ hands moved into Sister Chōrei’s brown hair.
Sonam blinked and stared. Gin stood unmoving to her left.
When had she ever seen Sister Chōrei be so lovey dovey with anyone? She’d only seen the famous ‘glow’ on her after a visit.
Should she say anything? Or leave them alone? The signature was important, but she could wait a bit longer-
Gin leaned close to her and whispered. “Should we- should we say anything?”
“Um, I’m not sure.” He looked just as confused as she was. Confused? No, unsure felt more right. “It can wait, but, uh… I’ve never seen her like that. She’s so happy.” Not that she wasn’t happy in her day-to-day life. Sonam hadn’t seen her like this before. It’s like her eyes were drawn to them. She looked so happy.
Was it an adult thing to keep love and work separate?
The nun moved Sister Chōrei’s head up from her neck, leaned in and-
Okay. Okay.
Sonam grabbed Gin’s hand and walked back in the direction they came. “Have fun! Take your time! I’ll be waiting outside!”
There’s a squeak, two thuds close together and a yell of “Sonam?!”
They burst out laughing, and Gin took the lead as they ran. “Come on! This way!”
Sonam got the signature in the end after about an hour of running around the temple and laughing. Gin’s knowledge of the temple’s short cuts had them always staying ahead.
Sister Chōrei shook her head and smiled when signed her name.
Chime was nice though, pretty too. Sister Chōrei had good taste.
Sonam, with Gin’s help, even got to do the obnoxious nudge- nudge with Sister Chōrei when Chime moved her hair and all her attention fixated on that.
They’re flirting. Blegh. Being all mushy. And there were faint marks on Chime’s neck. Blegh!
She’s balancing on Gin’s shoulders. “Eh, eh?” Sonam nudged her. “She’s pretty, right? Sooo pretty.” Sister Chōrei went red and nudged her, sending them both laughing and tumbling to the ground.
“Did you tell people you left this time?” Sister Chōrei brushed her hair. “I left a note if that counts.”
“… I mean, it’s better than you just leaving and not telling anyone. So I guess it’s okay?” Chime smiled into Sister Chōrei’s shoulder.
“You’ll really take a written note as an improvement?”
“You’ll get daily heart attacks by taking care of this child. She disappears on a daily basis. A note about her whereabouts and if she’s safe is better than nothing.”
Gin chuckled from the other side of the room in a handstand. “Is that you forgetting things again?” Sonam sent a gust his way, and he fell down. “Hush! I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“But isn’t that-,”
“Nope! Absolutely not!” She shook her head and crossed her arms.
“Do you have anything you want to say, Sonam?”
“Nope!” she said, popping the ‘p.’ and glared at Gin, daring him to say anything more. “I have nothing to say at all.”
She’d be in so much trouble if she admitted to everything she’d done without the adults knowing.
She’d take those moments to the grave if she had to.