L5R - Unity - Chapter 1 - Winter Solstice

[Raganui Minamoto]

And with that, Gendo heads to bed. He had to get some sleep before he was to awaken and deal with doggie walking.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Kaichiyo followed along silently, her look one of pure contemplation as she tried to work out how this would go. As expected from a Doji courtier, Kioko was hard to read (though Sawao really... wasn't... so perhaps it wasn't a universal trait). She still held a great deal of mistrust for the Crane princess, despite the interest. Though what came next was almost unexpected. Almost.

The little princess couldn't restrain quirking a slightly indignant brow at the initial assumption Kioko came out with. She would have assumed it was in jest if not for the irritation saturating through the question. But they got to the heart of the matter soon enough. Strange as it was, her mother had prepared her well enough to stay calm under these sorts of situations; at the very least she wasn't surprised to hear that Kioko knew. Satoko wasn't exactly subtle about it.

"Mm. As we saw today, her antics are going to be a major inconvenience for me and my clan." she responded lightly but seriously, "But I've never been one to back away from a challenge. No, I do not believe we are in any real danger inside these walls. In the city? I'm not so sure. I shall endeavor to avoid inciting her further but considering her personality that may just happen regardless."  

[Glory Sieg]

Words were just flying past Kyouya's green eyes behind her cat-like mask. She was glad it covered her mouth, as the smile wouldn't have been able to be contained as she heard the interaction. She stayed silent, not in her place to intervene on any of the three parties' behalf.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

The older woman would make a face when asked about the event. She, along with several of her peasant peers, were currently on their knees scrubbing the floor of spilled food.

"It was... lively, I hear, samurai-sama," she would say plainly to him. If not addressed further, she would go back to trying to clean the floor.

Congratulations, you can has food! After helping yourself to a variety of free samples and finger food, what do you do?

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@ Gendo:

You turn in without interruption.

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@ Kaichiyo & Kyouya:

"And there you have it," Kioko would say to Sawao, clapping her hands together. "Sawao-san, if Kaichiyo felt that this was beyond the scope of her abilities to handle, she would have approached me, rather than you on her behalf," she would say, paraphrasing Kaichiyo. "I knew you were someone I could have faith in, Kaichiyo-san," she would then say, smiling warmly at her fellow princess.

"In addition, I'm sure Kaichiyo-san is aware that she can be personally escorted by a Daidoji yojimbo while she's on Crane lands if she feels the need, if she felt the need, and without concern of political backlash for making such a request. It's an understanding we have, one princess to another. Isn't that right?" Before Kaichiyo could respond, Kioko would add, "Unless she would be more comfortable with the presence of another Great Clan instead; that is equally fine, since her comfort and peace of mind is top priority for the Crane." Kioko would look past Kaichiyo to Kyouya, saying this last part.

"I..." Sawao would start. It seemed for a moment embarrassment would take her, but she composed herself quickly. "... understand that you have it all in hand, Kioko-hime. I'm sorry for both doubting you, and intruding on you so." And she would bow deeply.

"It is fine, Sawao-san. I know your heart was in the right place," Kioko would respond. "It speaks highly of your own Daidoji lineage, and maintains the honorable example we Crane try to set."

Kaichiyo, Kyouya, is there anything you two want to add or interject with up to this point?  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would give up on trying to find Kaichiyo. He would instead go to his room and prepare a letter to Himura Haruka.

It would read....

Dear Himura-no-kimi,
We have arrived at Kyuden Doji and are settling in nicely. The Crane clan's hospitality has been unmatched and we have already met several potential contacts among various clans. That is not the reason I am writing this message.

I encountered a shugenja today who seemed to be deep in trance. He then said the following to me. "As the head lay to rest, and the left hand and right hand grasp at their surroundings, the true face appears, driven off only by falsehood." I do not know what to make of it. At first, I thought it might have a meaning limited to the surroundings.....with Kaichiyo-hime as the head and Himura Gendo-san and myself as the left and right hand respectively.

It occurs to me that this may not be the case. The Lion and the Crane are both often called the Right and Left hands of the emperor, are they not? If that is the case, then this prophecy would be best relayed to you so that you may make use of it as you will, my Lady. I beg you to forgive my foolishness in case this turns to be little more than the words of an addled Asahina, however it is my duty to send this to you. If you forgive me, my Lady, I do hope that this turns out to have little use to you and I am wasting my time writing this letter. May your time at Kyuden Otomo be pleasant and worry free.


Your servant
Himura Naohiko

After he would write that to the best of his ability, Naohiko would fold it, set it aside, and wait for Kaichiyo-chan.

OOC:

Intelligence/Calligraphy (Using one void point for one rank of skill) 4k3 w/ 2 dice to handle explosions
Raises called: 1 to impress that he did see something very supernatural going on.
Result: 8-5=3



.  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would decide to curl up in his bed as he waited for Chiyo-chan. If she wished to speak to him. However, he would not go asleep, lest whatever enemy prophesied decided to strike at Chiyo-chan tonight.


OOC:
I'm assuming the GM will ask for a Stamina roll for this so....
stamina roll for staying awake 2k2 w/2 dice to handle explosions
Results: 10  

[Paidi tou Selini]

The little Kraken Princess quirked a curious brow at Kioko's handling of the situation. Or... dismissal of it, as the case may be. Was this what it was like to lead a Great Clan? Or was this just the typical minor clan neglect? She was starting to understand and empathize with why the Mantis was formed.

She had nothing to add, making the appropriate nods and gestures and saying goodnight when they reached that point. She would need to find a time to properly ask for help against this threat, but now was not that time.

"I appreciate your concern, Sawao-san." she began when they had departed from Kioko's company. "I can't say I'm surprised by her response, but it was valuable to hear it. I hope we can continue to build a positive relationship. And next time we cook together I'll be sure to give you a run for your money~"

Once they reached a less "official" part of the castle she said her goodbyes and parted ways, addressing the final piece of the puzzle. "Well Shosuro-san. What do you think? You've been strikingly silent in all this. I would say I don't blame you for not wanting to get involved, but... well, you seem rather interested in getting involved."  

[Glory Sieg]

Kyouya tipped her head in agreement with the Crane Princess' comment. The eyes did tell much, but the translation was never truly known. What did Kioko-hime expect or assume from the Scorpion in regards to her presence around the Kraken?

"I would only seek to impart upon the Kraken simply the grace you've offered me, Kioko-hime. I'm only glad that she's just as kind to allow me to do so." She would bow in kind to both Princesses before they parted ways.

Kyouya waited until they were away from the princess before remarking on Kaichiyo's words. "I think I'm disappointed no one tried to make any sweets during the cooking performance."  

[Paidi tou Selini]

A look mixed with surprise, confusion, and hurt crossed her features. Grace indeed. Let a Scorpion come along to a private meeting and get not even a lick of insight for it. Though a moment later her look softened to one of self-admonishment. Right. Scorpion. She was letting her infatuation for the woman cloud her judgment. Playing right into her hands. While Kioko's game was careful neglect, Kyouya's would clearly be the opposite, one of neglectful care. Focused only on gathering information and exploiting it. Friendly, in both cases, did not mean friend. Court was a far harsher world than she'd expected, and it hit rather hard to realize that her closest ally in all this was a Spider. And perhaps a daredevil Dragon, but that was yet to be confirmed.

"Not typically something that shows up in cooking contests. But if events tomorrow don't leave me too busy I'll be sure to make some dragon's beard candy and red bean buns to make up for it. Nothing says we have to wait for a competition to use the kitchens." she responded with a soft sigh, the events of the day atop this final disappointment having clearly drained her of her usual energy. Though she certainly wasn't being sarcastic about the offer. There was always a chance of meeting more amenable - or at the very least less manipulative - people by offering sweets. Thus it was that she concluded with a weak smile. "But for now I must bid you goodnight. It's been a long day"

After saying her goodnights, she finally made her way back to their wing, and designated rooms. Though before going in to finally meet the sweet embrace of sleep, there was one final thing to take care of. "Naohiko-, Gendo-san, are you still awake? Come to my room, it's meeting time."  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko slowly rose to his feet and got the letter he had composed. He then went to his friend's room and bowed deeply. "You were especially hard to catch up to today, Chiyo-chan." the subordinate said. He would report how the paper making went and how he went down to the docks and the fact he finally got to the cooking competition area only when the servants came to take the food away. (carefully omitting the time he was waylaid) He would close his report with the following. "During the papermaking competition, there was a fire elsewhere in the castle. When moving to aid with it, I met a shugenja who left me with a prophecy. I've wrote a letter to your mother informing her of such, should it be of use to her. Would you honor me by reviewing it?"  

[Paidi tou Selini]

The tired princess made her way to her bed as she waited, a bit disappointed when only Naohiko showed up but perhaps it had been a long day for everyone. She nodded to his reports, giving a helpless shrug.

"Today was an adventure, for sure. Saved someone from drowning, and might have provoked Satoko further. Be careful. She's dangerous, and I don't think she'll care that we're in a Crane castle to strike against us. Atop all the other subtle ways she'll be trying to sabotage our time here. The Scorpion have clearly taken an interest in this conflict, but don't appear to want to act. I suppose we should be grateful they're taking no sides rather than standing with a fellow Great Clan samurai. Fortunately not even all the Mantis are taking her side. Ugh. If only we could just settle this with a duel as our ancestors did. But she's so dishonorable there's little chance she would accept the outcome." she ranted, getting it all off her chest to the one she always did. Before giving a final sigh and holding out her hand. "Alright. Let's see it."

She winced almost immediately, looking up at Naohiko with a slightly worried expression before looking back down to actually read it, rather than cringe at its penmanship. "Mm, that's the problem with prophecies. They're so vague as to be completely useless until it's too late. I can't see as this would be the worst information to give mother, but... um... were you experiencing hand tremors while writing it? This is... not your best work."  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko nodded. "I plan on visiting Moshi-san soon to see if I can further befriend her, if that is your wish." Something seemed to go out of his chest when he heard the remainder of Kaichiyo's comments. "Chiyo-chan....please remember that Gendo-san and I are here as your yojimbo. We have been acting rather loosely, but if it is your command, then we will do as you order. You are our princess."

The Kraken bushi would look at the missive again and squint. "Huh. I must have had one of your sea shanties on my mind when I wrote this. Ah well. I shall try again tomorrow...and if I fail, I'll hire a scribe. If I didn't feel it was that important, I wouldn't send it. I'm not as superstitious as my father. I would not send your mother vague reports regarding the contents of my teacup." Naohiko then closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "By the way, what happened this morning? Usagi-san all but accused us of maho."  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"You're welcome to, with the usual 'Be very careful' caveat. Our showing in these first few days has not been stellar." she responded with a nod, though quirking a brow at what came next. "I'm ordering you to be careful. That's all. At least until we know more. Which in Satoko's case is unlikely unless we can get those Scorpions to talk. Hm... perhaps the baking sweets idea is a better one than I thought. Not that I expect they can be so easily bribed but still... not losing anything."

She nodded again to the rest, letting out a melodic little laugh at the tea comment. She could easily imagine Miroku doing that. Perhaps the natural Scorpion superstition was another thing they could use, though she didn't yet know how. At the last bit, however, she flinched again. Right. She had completely forgotten to tell them about the events of the second day. "Ahm. Right. Well, you see, when that errant monk and our harried Usagi went off privately with the Daidoji, things went far worse than expected. From what little I understand of it, Shi used maho against her when they were in private. Something it seems the Usagi took exception to, and blames us for. The Spider have claimed to have put the cursed monk in our midst, but... that was clearly just Shoichi trying to help me. There's no guarantee his superiors will support his claim anyway, but... well I never got to know that awful man, never learned his reason for joining us on Megumi Tenpi. Dearly wish I had, perhaps this could have all been avoided. He was an unsavory character to begin with. Perhaps if we had paid closer attention we could have seen the signs of his corruption. Not that I even know what to look for... Either way I think he's disconnected enough from us that there won't be any fallback beyond answering some questions and perhaps submitting ourselves to a jade test. Both I am more than happy to do if it helps discover his true motives. As will you and Gendo." the last sentence was clearly a command. "If they ask for it. I'm a bit worried that I've heard nothing about it for two days now. I think I'll find Chikuma tomorrow and offer just in case."  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko bit back a string of curses after learning what the damned monk had done. After Kaichiyo had finished relaying information and commands, her subordinate bowed and uttered "Hai, Kaichiyo-hime. With your leave, I shall begin preparations for tomorrow."  

[Paidi tou Selini]

The Kraken princess shrugged and nodded. "You're dismissed." though sounding a few parts disappointed. It seemed nobody would be forthcoming in feedback. Not even her own clanmates. "But have a guard fetch me a servant before you settle in."

With that she began setting up her writing set on the desk, preparing to write a letter along much the same lines as she had just explained to Naohiko, describing the events so far and she's arrest, not leaving out Shoichi's involvement.

To the servant, she commanded to bring her a meal, deciding to have dinner in her room tonight, giving the letter to the servant upon delivery of the meal to be delivered post-haste (har har). When all was said and nommed she was interested in little more than passing out.


[Calligraphy/Intelligence 3k3 untrained = 20]