L5R - Unity - Chapter 1 - Winter Solstice

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kyouya:

Sawao would tilt her head somewhat in confusion. "No, you're not even near the guest-

The guards would then round the corner, brandishing their naginata. "Shosuro-san! You were asked kindly to return to your room. Now, we're going to have to bring you there ourselves, if you are having difficulty in doing so under your own power," one guard would say, growling angrily.

Sawao would look back and forth, and, being the sensible Int 3 girl that she was, seemed to figure out the situation pretty quickly.

"She wishes to make a brief stop somewhere first before she complies. She was just filling me on her very implicit instructions to do so," she would state to the guards, that tensed then eased up in confusion.

"But our orders state-

"Chikuma can come take it out on me later. Here, I'll even escort her myself to her destination and back again. We should be done before your sweep is complete, even. Unless you want me to go to Kioko about it and ask her myself?"

Sensing something in their uncomfortable fidgeting, she would follow-up with an observation. "Oh, Kioko-sama doesn't know yet, I see. All the more reason why you should relent now. You're wasting time, you know."

Gritting their teeth, the vocal guard would respond once more. "I will be telling Chikuma about this." And the guards would head off.

Turning to Kyouya and clapping her hands together, she would smile brightly at Kyouya. "I've always wanted a Scorpion to owe me a favor before. Shall we be off?"

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@ Gendo:

"Hm? What man was this? I thought you were the only samurai to work on your project..." Akira would start.

Suddenly, there was a knock upon the doorframe, and a voice would speak up. "Excuse me, Akira-san. May we enter?"

"What? Fine, fine, what do you want?" he would respond, annoyance in his voice. The door would slide open, and two Daidoji guards, both female, would quickly scan the room.

"Excuse us for the interruption. We're running a sweep to try and find an individual. All seems well here, so pardon us for our interruption." Bowing their heads, they would shut the door and walk off just as quickly as they came.

"That's peculiar. I wonder if there's trouble..." he would muse aloud.

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@ Naohiko:

@ recollection roll: Emi! That was her name! It quickly dawned on you where you new her from! She was a servant girl back in the colonies from the Second City you had a tryst with about two autumns ago! You didn't recognize her at first because she filled out a bit more (pleasantly) since you saw her back then. You always wondered what had happened to her...

Talk about blast from the past, m i rite?

@ courtier roll:

Trying to verbally subterfuge would typically be Sincerity [Deceit]. Regardless...

"MI-KUN!" Ruri would chastise towards the invisible being in the room, turning to her side to do so, while Setsuna continued to bark. "You didn't tell me she was a servant."

She would then look at you out of the corner of her eye, and grin mischievously. "That's fine, Naohiko-san. I'm sure the Crane wouldn't mind answering any questions I might have about her. I'm sure they wouldn't be the least bit worried when I start asking them about one of their servants." Turning back towards Naohiko, she would interlace her fingers and rest her chin atop of them. "As for why... this is court, Naohiko-san. And gossip is legal tender here. I'm merely interested in making this a profitable endeavor for all parties concerned. I didn't need to consult with you first, you know..."

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@ Kaichiyo:

ROUND 2

39 - Kaichiyo, Defense Stance (Armor TN: 27)
14 - MG, Attack Stance (Armor TN: Unknown)

The Daidoji woman would try to plunge her blade into Kaichiyo's midsection, though the princess was able to deflect the blow, luckily because she was on the defensive.

However, she has the opportunity to strike back now, as the two women are toe-to-toe!  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would keep trying to calm Setsuna. "I recall you expressing an interest towards the tale of my friend's missing eye. I'm sure I could tell it to you. Sir Setsuna-chan is the hero of it." while waiting for her response, Naohiko would add, "If you don't mind, could you send....Mi-kun elsewhere? He disturbs Setsuna-chan."

the Kraken would wait for Ruri's response, again doing the best to keep the dog calm.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"Very peculiar." He shook his head. "I was the only samurai on my project. I had a heimin assistant provided to me who was very adept at precisely following the orders I issued and knew the handling of a forge." He looks thoughtful. "There was one Kakita Otsu who holds interest in the craft. I was caught up in my own work, I did not have time to evaluate her own. But what I overheard was words of one who could acknowledge mistakes they made and work to improve themselves past that. I would not mind working with someone of that mindset. They can make the best of their chosen focus."

Standing, he'd bow to the man. "Please excuse me then. I need to speak with Himura-hime about your offer and my wish for her to accept. I also feel I must relieve Naohiko-san from the burden I left with him after that."

He'd leave to head back to the Kraken rooms if dismissed. Otherwise, he'd wait to hear whatever the man may have else to talk about.

Etiquette/Awareness - 4k3 - Trying to avoid making it seem like an attempt to hurry the meeting to an end.
TN ?? vs Roll 22  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Fluid motion marked the deft parry, sending the harsh sound of metal on metal though the halls, followed by another clatter as her wakizashi hit the ground. Much as it was great for defense, she was not actually practiced in the Mirumoto style and dual wielding would not be wise when she had to strike fast and hard. With her heart racing and mind blanking on rational thought, she fell back to her training, both martial and vocal, the song already leaving her lips as she lashed out at her attacker, her natural connection to the Void filling her strike with surety.

"On a cold winter morning~ ♫
In the time before the light~ ♪
In flames of death's eternal reign,
We ride towards the fight! ♪

When the darkness has fallen down~ ♫
and the times are tough alright~ ♫
The sound of evil laughter falls,
around the world tonight~ ♪"


[Agility/Kenjustsu (Katana) w/ 1 void spent for +1k1 = 4k3
Roll (first 6): 10 + 6, 8, 1, 10 + 8 = 42
Damage = 5k2
Roll (last 7): 4, 9, 8, 5, 7 = 17]  

[Glory Sieg]

It was a lot to keep Kyouya hands still at the smugness of the Crane. To be fair, she couldn't fault the attitude of being owed, as Kyouya would react the same way, probably worse. The mask kept her own surprise off her face as it was made clear that the Princess wasn't aware of the situation.

Then there was that internal berating of herself for not noticing herself first.

Sawao 2, Kyouya 1 was the score in the courtier's mind as she followed after her guide.

She was not saying thank you for this, either.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kyouya:

"Alright everyone, I want you to stay here until I return. And Mei, please, get this cleaned up before then," Sawao would say to her aides, who would bow loyally before Sawao closed the door behind her.

After a brief bit of walking, Sawao would look over her shoulder to check for something, before addressing Kyouya. "Okay, Shosuro-san. Since I lied to my own clan that you had orders, could I trouble you to fill me in a bit? You seem to have a lot of stake in the Kraken, for someone who's just met them."

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@ Gendo:

Akira would shake his head, while not hiding a bit of a grimace. "Otsu-san is a... unique individual. If it weren't proven she had not a single drop of Crab in her from at least the past one-hundred years, I'd swear to the kami themselves that she was one of them. The sooner we can marry her off, the better off we'll be for it," the magistrate would say, not bothering to mask his disapproval of the woman.

Waving off the topic, the magistrate would frown as Gendo moved to leave. "For matters that won't come to fruition until next season, I don't see why you are in such a hurry to depart. Plus, the Daidoji are at work, and I brought fairly hard-to-obtain tea. Please, sit."

25 Courtier vs Gendo's 22 Etiquette to convince him to stay.

Staying is not forced, but there will now be a penalty (honor loss, as well as opportunity loss) if you walk out now.

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@ Naohiko:

Frowning, Ruri would nod slightly. "Go ahead, Mi-kun, go play," she would say to the side, moving one hand to gesture in a shooing motion. After a few moments, Setsuna would calm his barking, and once more proceed try to wriggle free of Naohiko.

"Now that's peculiar. Most animals only tend to notice the kami when they're extremely active or plentiful. Setsuna shouldn't have even known Mi-kun was in the room with us." Ignoring Naohiko for a moment, she would reach over the table, scritching Setsuna's head. He didn't seem to notice.

And no, Naohiko, she's not wearing anything revealing. It's winter. Nothing to see.

Sitting back down, she would not address Naohiko. "I did at first, but Mi-kun's discovery is a bit more... exciting, don't you think?" Smirking, she would study Naohiko for a few moments, then sigh and lean back, propping herself up with her hands.

"But you seem intent on changing the subject, even willing to throw your own clanmate under the wagon. I figure it was easier to get the answers straight from you, but I'll have to go through my regular channels, it seems. Oh well." Rolling her shoulders to shrug, she would then bow her head ever so slightly. "Sorry to take up so much of your time, Naohiko-san."

Naohiko, it sounds like Ruri's dismissing you, if you wanted to leave.

--------------------

ROUND 3

39 - Kaichiyo, Attack Stance (Armor TN: 21), +15 TN penalty with katana
14 - MG, Attack Stance (Armor TN: Unknown), 16 damage, Grazed

The woman would get slashed by Kaichiyo's blade, stumbling back a step from the blow. Kaichiyo's blade cut through the chest plates of her armor and had actually nicked part of her face.

It would appear... odd. Kaichiyo, your eyes would begin to lose focus a bit... wait, no, it appeared like the woman herself seemed to be losing focus. You can see her face... kind of hanging there, like it was now only partially connected to her head. It seemed fake, like a mask, yet still real. Blood begins to eke out from beneath the damaged face, down her neck.

"Damned woman..." the woman would say, but no longer in her own voice. A voice you've never heard before, something gravely, neither male nor female, but it still carried an air of bitterness and malevolence about it.

Clutching at her(?) chest wound, she would then thrust her hand forward. Little globules of her blood would fly through the air as she muttered something, and immediately, they would become shadowy and whispy, like darkness made manifest. They would then fly forward like darts, impaling your right arm.

The pain would be excruciating, like your arm was immediately burning up from the inside. If you couldn't see your arm yourself, you'd swear your very flesh was boiling. It would take every last bit of willpower to maintain hold on your weapon.

Disrupt the Limb: All rolls for physical actions taken with that limb for the duration of the spell suffers a +15 TN penalty.

"Your school isn't one of Niten, you stupid b***h. Learn your place," she(?) would say, adjusting her stance to stand upright fully once more.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

He looks at the man with his one good eye before taking a seat again. "If you insist, I'll stick around a little longer. I'm certain Naohiko-san can continue handling things for now."

Settling his frame carefully, he'd nod to the man. "As for Otsu-san, she seems like a very honest and earnest individual."  

[Plainsfox]

The Kraken samurai sighed to himself and took a second to make sure whatever he said in response did not reflect his inner frustration. "My apologies. Ruri-san. I didn't realize I was putting you off. I thought I was merely offering you currency in the form of a valued commodity. Gendo's friend is quite the darling at this court. There are audiences who would love to hear tales about him." The bushi said as he bowed to the priestess and then petted Setsuna."I am at your service if you should have need of me." Naohiko would then open the door. If he is not stopped, he will return to his room.

OOC: Awareness/ettiquette roll (Done in OOC) made to smooth over any faux pas he made with Ruri.
Results: 33  

[Paidi tou Selini]

It was a solid hit. Only a start, but a good one, as starts go. Or so it seemed. Until her suspicions were confirmed as the impostor began to shimmer with profane magic. And to make matters worse, quickly threw the horrid stuff at her. She solemnly swore that if this cur got her tainted she would find a way to bring her... his... its soul back and kill it twice-

"AAAGH!" was all she could say in response at first, her scream piercing the thin paper walls through the entire wing with the strength of a very well developed voice. Her arm clenched tight, and she did indeed have to look at it to confirm that it wasn't actually melting. She had been stung by enough jellyfish to not be completely disabled by the pain, but hitting her attacker just became exponentially harder.

"You're one to talk..." she hissed in no small amount of strain, her idealism overcoming the bardic compulsion if only for long enough to admonish the horrid creature. "Attacking while my back was turned... hnn... impersonating a Daidoji... using cheap tricks.. because you know you are too weak and cowardly to beat me... hahh... on your own. Livestock has a higher place than you!"

She felt a little confident that this was indeed the errant monk that had caused her so much grief, though why he cared if she used a Dragon style she could not fathom. But it didn't matter. For now, with her mind cleared of its need to point out the creature's failures, she could fall back to her instinctive tune, and let the spirit of the void wash over her. The well-practiced powers of mind over body to help her ignore the pain and defeat her foe in spite of it. Though her sword was still extended to protect herself, her body grew into the practiced, tense calm of a duelist, assessing and preparing for the perfect time and momentum to strike. Her eyes bore down on the pathetic thing with self-assured intensity, and her voice came out strained but true.

"Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel~ ♪
Through the wastelands evermooore~ ♫
The scattered souls will feel Jigoku,
bodies wasted on the shore! ♪"


[Center Stance, ATN unchanged]  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

As you are about to leave, opening the door, two Daidoji guards are about to reach for it themselves, and seem taken aback by your sudden opening of it.

"Excuse us," the woman of the pair would say, quickly scanning the room. "We're doing a sweep to find a particular individual."

"I'm going to have to request that you remain in this chamber for a few more minutes, Moshi-san..." the man of the pair would say, pausing to squint at Naohiko. "... Minor Clan-san."

"He's part of the Kraken clan," his partner would quickly correct. "Apologies, Himura-san."

Assuming Naohiko does not force his way out anyways (and let me know if he does), Setsuna would begin to bark again. Suddenly, Ruri's gaze follows something unseen before turning back to the table. "Mi-kun? What is it?"

The sands would begin to shift once more...

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@ Kaichiyo:

ROUND 4

39 - Kaichiyo, Center Stance (Armor TN: 21), +15 TN penalty with katana
14 - MG, Attack Stance (Armor TN: Unknown), 16 damage, Grazed

It would seem that no one was within immediate vicinity - part of the downside of getting a later start than everyone else, since it seems all the minor clansmen that would have been within earshot were doing court stuff in the castle. There was no vocal response to Kaichiyo's scream.

"You... you have no idea why I'm here, do you? Or who I am. You think this is about you!" She(?) would give a wheezing laugh. "I've put up with you for the past year, I'm shocked I did not see this coming."

That statement would ring odd to Kaichiyo - the monk Shi, she had known for far longer than a year. Didn't she? Was this not Shi after all? If not, who was she? No one would come to mind that she'd have only known for the course of a single year.

"It was foolish for the Crane not to give you any warning as to who I am. Your blood will be..."

Rather than cast again, she(?) would rush forward with her(?) knife, once more aiming to plunge it into Kaichiyo's abdomen.

Quote:

Attack roll of 12, 7 after wound penalties.

"On their..." she(?) would continue, as the knife cut through cloth and cloth alone, failing to draw a wound on Kaichiyo. "... hands? ********>  

[Plainsfox]

The Kraken bushi was about to push the issue. He certainly was tired of carrying around Setsuna. He chose to relent though. His guts told him that there were worse things than being stuck with a pretty priestess for a few minutes. Naohiko nodded in deference to the guard who offered her apologies and went to sit back down....until Mi-kun made his appearance again.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

A quirked brow was all the maho tsukai would get to that odd tangent, her face and body language asking the question her voice could not: 'Why should I care?' Emphasizes by how easily she deflected the attack away, her author not allowing clothing damage on a 7. To claim this wasn't about her while deliberately coming to her door and attacking her, and pointedly talk about being with her for a year... well, this assassin was either mad or stupid. Or both. She really didn't know what the taint did to a person. But it didn't matter. If the creature survived her wrath, she would get answers from the Crane's interrogation.

"On the blackest plains,
In Jigoku's domain~ ♪
We watch them as they gooo~ ♫
Through fire and pain now once again we knooooow! ♪"

An attitude of dismissal that belied the raw fury with which she unleashed her building storm. The young swordswoman shifted her stance down to her left side, elected to let go with her main hand and leave it clenching and nearly drawing blood on her palm at her side so she could put all her focus into her off hand and, with a mighty, "So now we fly ever free! ♪" unleash a swift, deadly slash from hip to opposite shoulder, forgetting all thoughts of defense in an effort to end this swiftly.

"..we're free before the thunderstorm~ ♫
On towards the wilderness,
Our quest carries on~ ♪"


[Full Attack Stance, Adjusted ATN = 10]
[Agility/Kenjutsu (Katana) w/ void for +1k1 = 7k5+3 vs. TN?
Roll (first 12): 9, 5, 7, 6, 9, 9, 3 = 40 + 3 - 10 = 33
Damage = 5k2
Roll (last 7): 6, 10+7, 3, 2, 10+5 = 32]  

[Glory Sieg]

Kyouya stayed quiet for a bit, more pressed on getting to their location.

"You could trouble me, yes," she replied shortly. There wasn't much moving behind her mask, until she let out a small sigh. "I simply wanted to know if the Princess knew that one of her yojimbo was having meetings with one Moshi Ruri. Given their issues with the Mantis, I would say it is a bit alarming at best. At worse... well, I find it odd that only Kaichiyo has trouble with the Mantis."

While it wasn't her main reason... or even a primary reason, hopefully it would be believable enough to tide Sawao over.

Sincerity (Awa) - [Deceit] 6 k 4 (3 Dice for Explodeys)

9 + 9 + 9 + 13= 40!  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

The guards would bow to the occupants of the room before closing the door.

"... the jigoku?" Ruri would say as the sand began to shift and form a personage that both she and Naohiko was familiar with.

Someone brandishing a katana.

Daigotsu Shoichi was displayed in the sand, standing as if he was sneaking along a wall to avoid detection, currently clutching a katana in one hand.

But why would they be shown him, of all people, at a time like this?

--------------------

@ Gendo:

Feel free to give me a Raw Perception roll to hear Setsuna barking. You're not right next to Naohiko's location, so it's not automatically a given, but possibly within earshot.

--------------------

@ Kyouya:

"... I see." Sawao sounded like she didn't fully believe Kyouya, but couldn't find flaw in her justification. Sawao seemed to take it at face value.

As the pair neared where the minor clans were quartered, she would hear singing that sounded like Kaichiyo's voice, that grew louder as the distance closed.

"On the blackest plains,
In Jigoku's domain~ ♪
We watch them as they gooo~ ♫
Through fire and pain now once again we knooooow! ♪"

"..we're free before the thunderstorm~ ♫
On towards the wilderness,
Our quest carries on~ ♪"

Though, as Kyouya rounded one of the final corners, she would see an interesting sight at the last turn...

Paidi tou Selini

Pfft, you guys are having so much fun. And I didn't attract so much as an admirer. =(

The result of every Performance so far has been horribly disappointing...

There were not two, but four Daidoji guards, probably 40 feet from Kaichiyo's door, standing around. They seemed to be listening to the singing, enjoying the performance.

All four seemed to be very young men, probably fresh out of Gempukku, and when one of them saw Kyouya and Sawao, he would raise a finger to his lips to caution silence.

"Don't ruin it; she's a really good singer."
"The lyrics are pretty hardcore."
"I'm not a fan of the screamo-metal parts though."
"I wish I had my samisen with me. This sounds like a good song for an epic samisen solo."

--------------------

@ Kaichiyo:

Perhaps it was practice, perhaps it was luck, but the attacker turned at the last second just barely enough to not get bisected at the waist... though Kaichiyo's blade still cut deeply into the individual, who clumped down onto the floor. She(?) would be face down, her(?) face hidden from view. The knife dropped.

Floating in the air was, horrifyingly, a skinned face, floating in the air for a few moments like parchment, before graying and turning to ash, disintegrating completely as it hit the floor.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Gendo:

Raganui Minamoto

Raw Perception - 2k2
21

You do, indeed, hear distant barking. Sounds like Setsuna! Did Naohiko let him run loose, or did he bring him all this way? Or is it just another spitz? You think you saw one or two in the angry mob yesterday.

Weird though, you normally don't ever hear Setsuna getting worked up like this. Ever. He's more of a whiner than a barker.

"Have you brought any other samples of your work with you, perchance?" Akira would ask, either oblivious or indifferent to the distant barks.