Onmyodo Monogatari (Japanese Heian-era fantasy)

You smile at Tomiko. "One moment!" you say. You know your mother is still getting ready at home, by the other end of the imperial gardens. You hurry in and rush past an annoyed-looking servant, to your mother's room, where she is still behind screens, getting her hair set up.
"Yes?" she asks, from behind the screen. "Kogitsunemaru?" she asks, unsure.
"Yes, mother," you say.
"And why are you here?" she asks, slightly annoyedly.
You gulp.
"I heard you were going to the imperial poetry contest today. I wonder if you would allow me and Tomiko to join you enjoy your great poems"
You hear a rustling noise and a sigh.

"Unfortunately, that's no good," she says. "We can't have children running around at the emperor's poetry competition."
"Bu-" you start, but get cut off.
"HOWever," she says, emphasizing the first syllable. "I believe there is a pavilion next to the gardens, where you could see and hear us. If you promise to be quiet, I can ask Jun-kun to bring you there."
You nod, then remember that she can't see you.
"Of Course! We'll be very quiet! As long as we can watch and hear your poetry!"
"Very well," she says. "And now you will have to excuse me while I finish getting ready.
You nod and smile and thank her and run out again, back to Tomiko with the good news!

The poetry competition isn't near the palace itself, but over water, on boats in a small lake in the gardens near where you first had a moment with Tomiko. You and tomiko sit at a pavilion near the water with Jun-dono, from where you can hear the poetry, but not all the conversation around it. The boats are full of women, the men having a seperate competition elsewhere. Despite that, however, you do spy some aristocrats sitting near the lakeside, enjoying the view and listening in.
You're sitting next to Tomiko, hands folded, and Jun-dono is sitting close to you. Both you and Tomiko are careful not to touch, which would be faar too impropper for such a public setting.

Out on the boats, poetry is being composed back and forth by the women;
In an autumn meadow
I would lodge with
The maidenflowers–
The name is so appealing-
Though I travel not.

You hear one say;
In maiden
Form at Sugata Pond
The lotuses
Cheerfully
Have bloomed!

Another replies; and so it goes, back and forth; Slowly, people begin bowing out. You see your sister among the women there, as a poet, but as others begin bowing out, she does the same. Most of them seem to be focused on two women in particular. Your mother is one of them, and the other sits across from her. They are both fairly old, compared to the others. You don't recognize the other woman, but Tomiko does, and gets very excited!
"Who is it?" you ask.
"It's Shonagon!" she replies.
Your eyes widen, though you should, of course, have guessed. You've heard your mother complain about Shonagon before - apparently appalled by the lady's arrogance, though also at past victories in poetry competitions. At other times, you've seen a smirk on her face after some victory or other at court.

Gesturing vaguely towards the water, you hear Shonagon recite her poem
Even being asked,
Faced with such a lotus –
Dew-dropped – should I abandon it
And once again to the world of pain
Return?
Around her, people clap and cheer at the poem - behind fans, of course. It seems to have found purchase with the audience?

Your mother, who has also prepared a poem simply smiles, and recites hers.
A waterbird
Seems as the water's top
Seen from afar
I, too, drift along
On my way through the world
At that, Sei Shonagon turns towards the water for a moment, then nods, and bows, moving a bit back from the center - ceeding to your mother, clearly, and much of the boat cheers or claps, and you too! Next to you, however, Tomiko pouts.
"Shonagon should've won that one," she says. "Hers was clearly better. Don't you think?"

What do you respond?
[ ]: I agree, and tell her that. They both had a Buddhist theme, but hers was more insightful
[ ]: I don't agree, but I lie because I want to make Tomiko happy!
[ ]: I'm not sure, so I ask her to tell me what she liked about it.
[ ]: If you say so! I respect Tomiko's poetic taste, and change my mind to agree with her!
[ ]: If you say so. I respond noncommittally, because I don't want to make her upset.
[ ]: I agree with her, but I want to protect my mother! I tell her my mother's is best, and explain to her why!
[ ]: I don't agree, and I tell her that! I defend my mother's poem!

"I'm not sure," You say. "What do you like about Shonagon's poetry?"
At this, Tomiko rolls her eyes. Perhaps she expected you to have an opinion yourself?
"It feels much more expressive! You can feel the longing for freedom from pain, and the contrast between the dew-stained lotus and the world around it. Have you never been in a temple, or listening to the sutras, or just been struck by the beauty of something and known you would have to leave it, to return to everything else? I get that feeling from Shonagon's poetry; not from Murasaki no Ue's," she says, using the formal and respectful title for your mother.
You nod. That... makes sense. Though there are many different styles and different techniques and wordplay and such in fashion, and though elegance is highly praised, poetry is also about your emotions.
"Anyway, let's go do something else. I'm not in the mood for this poetry competition anymore. Why don't we go join the one in the imperial gardens?" she asks, but she seems less enthused than she was earlier.

What do you reply?
[ ]: Sure! I am enthusiastic about it, hoping to cheer her up.
[ ]: No way is Shonagon's poetry better! I try to convince her that my Mother's poetry is better! Show her that it's subtler and more beautiful.
[ ]: No way is Shonagon's poetry better! I try to convince her that my Mother's poetry is better! Explain to her how it resonates with me.
[ ]: I suggest we go somewhere else, instead of the poetry competition. Where?
[ ]: I respond with something else! Write-in!

"I see what you mean," you reply, after a moment's silence. "But I don't think the poetry is better on that account! Consider the imagery of the waterbird flowing along, drifting on the water. Do you never feel like that? Like we are simply... floating along? Sure, when you are at the temple or reading the sutras, you can long for enlightenment and fear going back to the world, but... the feeling of just... drifting, floating along while nothing matters, that you can experience at any point. When you see a thing and remember that it is only here for a while, transitory, shallow. Do you not know that feeling?"
You ask Tomiko, and she nods.
"But still," she says, and the two of you argue, though friendly, and she begins walking towards the Imperial Gardens, where you know there's a poetry contest. You argue on the way, and by the time you're at the gardens, your argument is lively, though it remains friendly. You think you've cheered her up? But she is definitely in a mood. She's usually shy, but you feel some amount of... competitiveness from her?
As you arrive in the gardens, you see the kids sitting in two rows, facing each other, girls on one side and boys on the other. Fairly quickly, the contest ends, and the winning side is awarded candies. The gardens are lush and green, and surrounded by lilies and other flowers, as well as trees with leaves in every shade of purple, red, yellow and green. You see a lot of slightly older kids and servants around, looking at the competitions with interest.

"Well!" she says. "Do you want to join the next round?"
You smile, and nod - poetry is, after all, a passion of yours. You report to the judge, an elderly servant - a handmaid of some high-ranking lady, you're sure - and both you and Tomiko get assigned seats, though not opposite of each other. Instead, you're placed across from another girl - perhaps your age, perhaps a year older, like Tomiko? You've seen her before, like all the other kids at the imperial court, but you don't remember her name. Her mother serves the other empress, like Sei Shonagon. She smiles at you.
"Oh, Kogisunemaru is going to make poetry for me? I'm flattered," she says, and smiles sweetly. She has flowers in her hair, and her robes have an intricate flowery pattern. You see Tomiko introduce herself to her partner as well, looking shy and somewhat bashful, as usual.
"Ahem!" the judge says, clearing her throat. "The rules are simple. First, the left side" - that would be you and the other boys - "will compose a love poem to the person in front of them, and read it aloud. Once they have done so, the right side will compose an answer and read it aloud. Afterward, the right side will compose the first poem and read it aloud for their partners, who will compose an answer. These are, of course, conventional, and do not indicate your true feelings" - the girl in front of you blink, and you see Tomiko notice - "The theme is the garden here. I expect the best from you."
Your partner looks at you and smiles, waiting for a poem.

What do you do?
[ ]: Compose a poem! Write in! The format is Waka, that is, 5 syllables, then 7, then 5, then 7 and 7, or 5-7-5-7-7. It must include a reference to the gardens around you and it must be a love poem for the girl in front of you. As usual, the poems are as good as your character is, not as you are, though your theme and general sentiment does matter.

[ ]: Compose a poem! Write in, as above! However, I am deliberately downplaying my abilities, throwing away a chance to show my peers - and the servants of the rest of the court all of whom really care about poetry - my skills, and possibly shaming myself, if anyone notices. I do this so Tomiko sees I'm saving the best, most emotional poems for her.

[ ]: Something else! this is almost certainly highly unusual and might shame me, but I am doing something else anyway!