The Wrong Road Part 1 Through 16

The Wrong Road Taken Part 8

Luke There are a few practitioners who have banded together to undertake research into the arts.
While there has been some headway into their studies, for the most part they have been stymied by the lack of testable theories.
Oh, they have been able to put forth any number of ideas, it's just testing; any of them has proven most difficult."

"Asahi, I have a million questions I would love to have the answers to, one of which is, What is the "Water" that inhabits the bodies of those of us who practice the arts?
Why is it attracted to one person and not another? Does it enhance whatever basic aptitude a person might have, or is it the source of those abilities?
Another thing, how does the "water" confer a long lifespan to a person?
Asahi, if I may ask, how old are you?
Keiko was unable to answer this the one time I asked her, she alluded that there was a quiet debate within the community where you were her tutor."

"Luke I was born near the state of Chu in what is now China around 600 BC; at that time my parents named me Lao Tzu, although over the years I have had any number of names.
In addition, I was forced by my nature to move around quite a bit, it didn't seem wise for me to be seen as a person who never grew old.
So to that end I needed to reinvent my life a hundred times over the century's.
Luke aging slowly has it's rewards, as well as its pitfalls.
I have been married dozens of times, and each time I needed to change my body to look aged while I watched those that I loved grow old and die.

I am the father of a hundred children, all of whom I have outlived.
I have cried over the passing of loved ones so often that I am almost immune to sorrow.
Yet I still find myself loving those that I know will pass and be no more.
Every now and then I fall in love again, only to repeat the same old story.
Luke, I think this is at the root of why so many practitioners last only so long before they cast themselves into the wind, seeking nonexistence.
Luke, would you consent to try something for me?
Would you possibly recreate the rainstorm that doused the fire that brought about this gathering?"

"Asahi I don't know if I can, when I did that, it was without thought.
I never set out to create that storm, I just knew that the fire had to be gotten under control, or there would be dire consequences for the forest and, more importantly, for Lucretia."
In an effort to goad me on, Asahi created a basketball-sized fire hovering in the air above his outstretched hand.
Concentrating on the fire, I tried my best to recreate how I was feeling and thinking when I doused the forest fire the first time.
Yet, nothing was happening.
Felling frustrated by my lack of control, I grew angry at myself for letting Asahi down.
It was at that moment that a sudden downpour fell from the sky.
Lasting only a few seconds, the rain fell in a radius of only a few feet in diameter, soaking Asahi to the core.

"Oh shit, Asahi. I'm so sorry, I only meant to extinguish the fireball you created, not you!"
Standing in front of me was one very, very wet figure of a man, his clothes hung from his thin frame, dripping water like a dishrag that had just dried a hundred dishes.
Sputtering water as he tried to speak, Asahi drew his hand downward from his head to his toes.
As his hand passed over an area, he and his clothing dried themselves as if the rain never happened.

Standing there frozen in my track, I waited for Asahi to deliver a bit of payback for my failed stunt.
What I got in return was finding myself drenched in a similar fashion, with Asahi laughing at the little joke he repaid me with.
In an instant, both Asahi and I were bone dry as the water flew outward and away from our bodies.
Shaking the last drops of water from my hair, I looked over at Asahi and began laughing myself.

"Asahi, I need to tell you that I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to be judged by all those present at this gathering.
Keiko explained to me what could happen if I was found to be lacking in moral and ethical demeanor.
It's just that I have become so intrigued by all that has happened lately that I would not wish to ruin this opportunity to learn and grow as an individual as well as a practitioner of the arts.
In the beginning, my only exposure to this world has been through Lucretia and later Keiko.
That being said, after meeting this amazing collection of eclectic personalities this weekend, I can only say it has been an eye-opening moment in my life.
When one is surrounded by a bunch of Wall Street suits and financially driven business people, this group of folks is an experience.
It would be hard for me to return to my past mundane existence."