L5R - Unity - Chapter 1 - Winter Solstice

[Rain Yupa]

Gendo, you can't get a good look quite yet at Matsu Ami's sword, since it is still sheathed. You can get a good look at Doji Kioko's, however.

She seems to be using a bokken. While a bokken duel would make sense for newbies, bokken versus katana was not quite so fair. The wooden sword was not as aerodynamic, putting Kioko at a disadvantage.

Surprisingly, Ami appeared to be taking it better than you might have assumed - in most cases, you'd probably expect a Matsu to be furious about it.

Soon, their words cease, and they take centered stances. Matsu Ami's hand moves towards the hilt of her blade; Doji Kioko's body turns, her left hand holding the wooden sword tightly, as if gripping her normal saya. Her right hand hovered near the handle, and a hush fell over the crowd.

Seconds would crawl past, both of them shifting ever so slightly, their eyes focused on one another and nothing else. They would tense. They would wait. The entire world itself seemed to fall silent as the cold fog of their breaths disappeared.

Suddenly, steel! The flash of metal, the sound of a weapon leaving its sheath, it- CRACK

There would be an odd whirring sound for a moment, then a broken shaft of wood spiraled down from the sky, implanting itself into sudden stillness as it imbedded itself in a snow bank a few feet away from Kaichiyo. In the cleared area, Matsu Ami collapsed to the ground, while Doji Kioko panted heavily for a few moments.

"............. oh!" Kioko would suddenly look down, dropping the broken half of her bokken and examined her kimono. A slice through the abdomen of the fabric would be apparent as she examined the material..... but there would be no sign of blood. "Ami-san, you almost got me that time. Perhaps I was a little too overconfident with my chances. You've been practicing~" she would comment. She would pout briefly, and say something about her kimono being ruined quietly that only those nearby would catch. She would wave over some people, and some Daidoji would come over. "Be careful, I definitely broke at least one of her ribs," she would instruct. However, the woman was definitely out cold, and put up no fuss to being as gently carried indoors.

Letting out a breath, Kioko would turn to face the spectators. "This is the first duel some of the latest arrivals have seen, so as host, it is my duty to remind all of you: I have clearance to approve any and all duels, at my discretion! However, they may only involve matters of this winter court, and iaijutsu duels must be to first blood only. Otomo Koto-sama," she would say, pausing to gesture to a man in a white noh mask - the one you saw when you first arrived, presumably - before continuing, "... also has the authority to approve duels, but he can permit those to settle grievances that originate outside of this court. No other such duels are permitted, outside of the competitions of this court!"

With that, she would turn and follow after Ami, and Asahina Masanori would step up in her place, and began to announce the dinner plans for the evening.

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

Everyone, this will wrap up 'Day 0'. The actual competitions and such will begin after you wake for the next day. This is your last chance to announce any honor changes in your character, and for anything you might want to accomplish while you can.

No, you don't find the Hare.

Once all of you have announced you are set to move to the next day, we will choose our competition!  

[Plainsfox]

It looked like Naohiko may be in much demand throughout the winter. He was confident of his skills and his training....for the most part. He would follow Kaichiyo around until he was dismissed. At the very least, he would finish mantis-tan and Setsuna-tan. He would keep his eye out for Ms. Usagi, but chances are he's good enough to end this day.

OOC:
Honor Loss:
2 pts breach of etiquette.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Kaichiyo was only half paying attention to the duel by the time the bokken half sliced into the ground near her, snapping her back to attention with a start. Was this what her clan was to be reduced to? Was this their legacy? A broken sword? No! No foe was too great! She would do what only a great hero of legend would even dare to try! She would defeat this foe not with a sword... but with kindness!

"Oh mother. You wouldn't understand. But I'm doing this for you."

And with that her usual cheerfulness returned in full. She retrieved the broken wooden sword and waltzed over to Masanori to return it and arrange to cook for Kioko and whoever else their supplies would feed, with one plate to be saved as a gift to her new Mantis friend.

[Honor Gain - Showing sincere courtesy to enemies or rivals = 2]  

[PupSage]

Shi internally questioned the fairness of this "duel," but said nothing. Shuffling along with the crowd to go to bed. That delightfully soft bed.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Huh, that was slightly unexpected. Seemed the Crane Princess was a duelist of grand skill. Not to mention how much strength she must be hiding in her frame to break a bokken against someone. Welp, he'd just have to try to keep Kaichiyo from testing Kioko-hime's blade. Unless there was a trick...

He'd move to take a look over the broken part of the wooden blade as Kaichiyo returned it, looking to see if it was perhaps hollowed at all to make it lighter, before heading off for the night.

[No change in honor/glory. I didn't do much.]  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kaichiyo - Masanori accepts the broken piece of weapon, but declines on your offer to cook, mainly because the chefs they have are already amidst meal preparation already - you'll have to set up a private meal date with Kioko directly.

@ Gendo - No, the weapon was not hollowed, though it was one of the thinner/lighter bokken varieties, from what you could tell. A little easier to break, but you don't think that's why it was chosen; rather, Kioko wasn't a big person, so it was probably better suited for her build than a sturdier bokken.

@ Honor changes: All approved.  

[Rain Yupa]

Day 1 of 45

Most of you are probably still adjusting to the new setting - this was your first night on stable ground in some time, though your biological clocks are still telling you that it's the middle of the night, despite the fact that the sun has risen.

Everyone, state the time you would normally intend to rise (i.e., "at dawn" "a little before dawn" "midday" etc) and give me a Raw Earth roll of TN 20 to accomplish this. If you fail, you wake up later, due to the time zone change, not that you'd have any idea what that actually was. You can decide when, even if it's minutes or hours. Also, describe to me your morning routine - and how this time difference interferes with it, if it does at all.

You suspect you'll be dealing with this for a few mornings, at least.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Gendo would attempt to get up just before dawn and probably ahve to stop himself from beginning his normal routine of cleaning, eating, and preparing to go to work. So, he'd instead wait a bit and then look for a guard that could direct him to a bath.

Earth Roll- 3k3

11 vs 25  

[Paidi tou Selini]

A fisher's work was never done, and the earlier the rising the better the catch. Kaichiyo would rise by simple habit at first light, before dawn.

...and immediately faceplant on the floor next to her bed. Luckily she didn't fail her earth roll by that much, and so when the rays of full dawn warmed her cheek she finally stirred from her uncomfortable rest and dragged herself off to the baths, kimono hanging precariously from a single shoulder and covering only what was absolutely necessary.

One bath and thorough cleaning later she was finally refreshed and ready to face the day with her usual enthusiasm. Almost forgetting to go eat breakfast until, back in her room, her stomach deigned to remind her.

One breakfast later and she was finally ready to face the day!


[Earth 2k2 = 15]  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would do his best to wake up early. He was aiming for dawn. His first actions would be to spend an hour in a work out routine that would help keep him in shape. He would review the two origami creations he made yesterday and decide to add a third to them, an origami bunny, should he have chance to use it to win affection from the Usagi girl. When that was done, he'd tuck the rabbit and the dog into his obi and then head off to find food.

OOC:
First 3
Raw Earth 2k2 w/ 1 dice for explosion
Result: 4....a Rokugani hour behind
Next 8 Awareness/Artisan: Origami
Raises called: 2 to ensure extra special cuteness
Results: 21-10  

[PupSage]

Raw Earth: 2k2 = Total = 41

Shi always rose early enough to get his morning prayers done before the first beams of light broke through the darkness. In fact he usually didn't stop until then. True to his form he woke up in the dark of morning, grabbed a bit of water to wash his hands and face, and made his way to the nearest courtyard.
"Praises be the the Moon and Sun for without them this world would not exist. Praises be to the Seven Dragons that keep that world in order. Praise be to Benten, fortune of romantic love for giving us something to strive for. Praise be to Bishamon, Fortune of strength, for blessing me with the ability to get up every morning and protect the things that I love. Praise be to Ebisu, Fortune of honest work, for giving us the most rewording payment of all. Praise be to Fukurokujin, Fortune of longevity, for keeping things constant in my life. Praise be to Hotei, Fortune of happiness, for keeping a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. Praise be to Jurojin, Fortune of contentment, for making sure that I always have what I need and never long for more. And praise be to Daikoku, Fortune of wealth, for teaching us that wealth means more than the amount of Zeni one has. Praises to the lesser fortunes, and praise to the clan founders. Praises to my own ancestors, thank you for watching over me and keeping me on the right path. And praise to the Tao, for lighting that path for me." He bowed twice, long and deep, clapped his hand twice, and bowed once. He looked up and smiled as the light beamed in the distance with a faint red glow.  

[PupSage]

OOC: Ermagerd Double explosion!  

[PupSage]

PupSage

OOC: Ermagerd TRIPLE explosion!!!!!!!

 

[Rain Yupa]

In order of wakedness:

Shi wakes long before dawn, and accomplishes that task.
Kaichiyo and Gendo wake up just before dawn, and fail to accomplish that task.
Naohiko wakes at dawn, and fails to accomplish that task.

When rolls are called for the next couple days, those times will be the ones we go by, unless you specifically call the night before you try to wake at a different time.

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

Shi, you wake, and go about your morning tasks, as normal! You're set to go as soon as your prayers finish, and have the whole day in front of you! Since you're up a bit before everyone else, is there anything more you want to do? Everyone has morning tasks already declared, but they'll be a while yet before they're done, those bums. You have free reign to accomplish some personal goals if you'd like.

After this is settled, we'll catch everyone up chronologically.  

[PupSage]

Ooc: so like ... they have to hide the stuff for this scavenger hunt, so I assume that there may be people running around hiding things. If this is the case, or if anyone else is awake in the common areas (not entering living spaces) then Shi would seek out the noise and try to socialize.

If there are no such noises then he would go bathe, shave his head and face, and launder his clothes