Wu Shu and Ninpo sat down for tea one day...

It was a flawless day in the Garden of the Masters. The fragrant cherry blossoms wandered silently between the Sun's warming beams and the barely present breeze to the patient Earth while distant chimes rang, rounding out the final course in this feast for the senses.

Early noon found two quiet individuals slowly and purposefully advancing into a secluded grove. The first wore a quiet calm that spoke of a readiness and confidence that, over the years, had stunned many in presence and awed more in rumor. The second moved with the same grace as the breeze that gently nudged the blossoms from their home, insinuating rather than asserting and leaving the onlooker with a feeling of deep calm and respect.

Each was aware of the presence of the other for some time, for here were the avatars of the arts of Ninpo and Wu Shu, respectively. Each regarded the other as it became clear to both that they were mutually intending to enjoy the placid calm of the grove.

"Old friend, I find joy in your companionship on this flawless day." Wu Shu calmly and almost impartially spoke with a perfectly courteous hint of a smile and a bow that, if advanced, could easily have been the very beginning of a long, flowing motion from which no one could look.

Returning the courteous gesture with a genuine bow of the head and a placid, meditative expression, Ninpo replied, "Yes, for joy shared is joy twice doubled. Will you join me for tea on this truly idyllic day, friend?"

As effortless as their entrance, each produced a thin pillow and took a seat across from one another next to an ancient stone table adorned with the last scant millimeters of timeless symbols nearly lost in the current of countless years.

The Sun meandered across the azure expanse. Each blossom petal fell in perfect syncopation. The conversation between Wu Shu and Ninpo moved much like a ribbon released to a steady draft, each complimenting the others' contribution in turn.

As the shadows' daily march brought their reaches near to the opposing end of the courtyard, another natural process took hold. Just as the elements test one another in their constant posturing to maintain balance, Ninpo and Wu Shu very calmly began to discuss and compare their arts to one another

Ninpo, the consummate master of strategy and preparation, was the initiator of the contest, though unchangingly respectful line of conversation.

"Tell me, Wu Shu, which do you feel is the more valuable trait, calm or preparation?"

"In knowing one the true warrior will know both, Ninpo. Exclusivity breeds imbalance."
While thoughtfully acknowledging Wu Shu's comment, the subtle feline smile of a successfully sprung trap danced upon Ninpo's face.

"Balance is paramount in the practice of any bound for true success, yes, but where have you placed focus, dear friend? Without focus there can be no advancement, as the bird that chases two mice will catch none, and that selfsame bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

Wu Shu, having spent millenia becoming familiar with nothing and thusly being truly ready for all things, gazed placidly at this conversational snare while deftly disarming it. "Your very spirit speaks to the notion of readiness through preparation and forecast, Ninpo. Is it not true that disciples of your art are diligent students of each predictable variable, including even the movement of the moon and stars in order to accurately gauge even the depths of the sea through which they will move in their readiness?"

Ninpo smiled, for this fact spoke very truly of the extent to which the practitioners of Ninpo would go in order to properly assess a situation. Ninpo's students were widely feared by their opponents in battle and the gaming hall alike, leaving each with either an enemy's blood on blade or coins in purse. "This is true, Wu Shu, for without complete knowledge of one's environment how can one act with complete certainty that each action will embody the intention behind it?"

Wu Shu's reply, more even than the fluid grace of speech and gesture, embodied that which Wu Shu represented. "You speak of focus, my fellow avatar. However, who is it that can focus on each and every aspect of each thing? Without the complete knowledge of the path of each atom concerned, how can one possess an absolute certainty through which to act in complete disregard of doubt? It cannot be, for each variable consists of an infinite number of variables, the calculation of which would lead to an eternity spent attempting to realize the path of a single blossom' fall." As if to punctuate the comment and the end of the discussion, a single blossom came to rest in the very center of the table between them, symbolizing both the impossibility of certainty and the importance of awareness of all things.

Again in balance, each having presented through both action and speech the virtues of their arts, Ninpo and Wu Shu stood and, with the love and honor of the masters of any art, bowed and silently left the grove to the blossoms and the shadows.

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