Jade Legacy [L5R 3eR] - Act 1: Atsumari/Gathering

[Mongooseh]

@Tournaments end:

"What a waste of effort this has been" murmured Kagae before walking off towards the crab tent to begin packing his things. Unless of course he is stopped before that.  

[Rain Yupa]

Seppun Benjiro would return the bow to Kan, before continuing. "As it was, the initial intended prize for the winner was to be consideration by either the Jade or Emerald champion for magistrate status. But... I'm not sure if a monk would be suitable for such a role." Benjiro seemed legitimately concerned, looking thoughtfully upon the older monk.

"I appreciate the generous and kind offer, Benjiro-san. But as you said, I would not be able to accept the offer - however, for different reasons entirely." After a brief pause, he would give a slight nod, though to no one in particular. "If I may, I'd wish to speak with you in private."

Benjiro's confusion did not wane, but nodded in acknowledgment. "Everyone, the tournament is over. I thank you all for competing, and you've all put up a formidable effort to win. The Daidoji army will be returning tomorrow morning, so please take the rest of the afternoon to pack up your things. You are still welcome to stay overnight, but you must leave first thing in the morning." And abruptly, just like that, Benjiro would leave, walking beside Kan.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@Crane Shenanigans

Zanzen would head to find Sozen, walking beside him if the man was heading for his tent. "I believe I owe you a drink."  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Crane Shenanigans:

As Zanzen rushed up to Sozen, he looked like he was about to leave, presumably to the Dragon tent. "I think you believe incorrectly, Zanzen-san. I think I know why Kan did what he did, and if I'm right, then he did it for the correct reasons." He wouldn't show any signs of happiness about it, and would turn his head away, looking towards the distant sky.

"I already have most of my belongings on my person. I was going to help Makoto-san pack up his tent, but we can still duel if you'd like. That, I wouldn't mind."

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@ Lioness Shenanigans:

"So, Sayoko killed Koan..." Ide Jiro would say to Kyumi as samurai dispersed. "I can't say I'm really surprised. But how... are you taking it, Kyumi-san?" he would ask the Kitsu woman.

In addition to this, Kyumi, give me a TN 15 Perception/Investigation (Notice) check.

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@ Crab Shenanigans:

"A waste of effort, Kagae-san?" Hogai would say, hurrying to catch up with the fellow Crab. "As far as I reckon, you came in third place out of 24 competitors. That says a lot in of itself, I'd think."

Offering a slight smile, he would continue to try to make Kagae feel better. "On the wall, even though we keep score for fun, it's really not about who kills the most monsters. It's who is in the upper percentile that make it through the night alive, and possibly make it through unhurt. If this was mere battle, you'd be blessed to come out with only a sliced palm. I can't quite claim I have that same luxury, y'know?"

Hogai's Etiquette roll: -2.

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@ Hare Shenanigans:

"Denbe-saaaan!" Wazuka would call out as she rushed up to the Hare. Makoto would cross his arms over his chest, smirking as he oversaw the exchange from a safe distance.

"Denbe-san, you did well! Sorry you didn't win." She would fold her hands behind her back, looking up at the Hare's face intently. "You were really good with a sword. I didn't get to see you fight on the first day, because I got knocked out by Sayoko pretty early on." She smirked, and lifted her hands before her, tiny hands balled into fists, as if she was about to throw some punches at him.

"Not as good as Sozen-san, though! He almost won the whole thing, even if as someone else's second! I think a better final match would have been you versus him. It's a shame it didn't work out that way."

With her hands on her hips, she would beam. "It's probably for the best though. No one would have beaten Sozen-san. If you dueled him, I'd be a fool to not cheer for him, despite how..."

Her hand would travel up to her lips, fingers shielding her mouth, as if she barely prevented herself from letting slip some terrible secret or embarrassing faux pas, and she seemed a bit miffed because of it.

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@ Mantis Shenanigans:

"Hisashi-san..." Gemmei would say to him as she returned to him, soundly a bit more defeated now than before. "I shouldn't have waited so long to act. A good samurai is dead, and it may be my fault. Still..."

She would look off in the distance that Sayoko had been led off. "Why didn't she try to hide the fact? She seemed to really think she did the right thing. No... no, she knew she did a wrong thing, but for the right reasons. Was she right?"

Shinjo Gemmei seemed to be more at a loss than everyone else, the cumulation of the tournament's drama leaving her with more questions than answers.

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@ Scorpion Tent:

"The... monk won..." Naizen would say as he suddenly stepped through the tent's entrance, his entire midsection bandaged heavily. He seemed to have trouble walking, but was stoically attempting to do so on his own anyways.

"I can't believe that peasant... thought I was you. We look nothing alike," Naizen would comment aside, letting out a single low chuckle, before easing himself onto his bed.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

@Crane Shenanigans:

"I am willing to take you up on that offer. If I had not spoken when I did, I believe Kan would have kept you in for the final match. Besides, I seem to remember taking your chance to defeat Sayoko twice now for Wazuka. I hope you'll think of my blow as being for you. Either way, you did want another chance to get defeated by me after the Martial Duel." He smirked with the last line.  

[Plainsfox]

@The Scorpion Tent

Kojiro slowly swung up to a sitting position and looked blankly at Naizen until the shinobi scout finished speaking. Then he would just look blankly forward.  

[Mongooseh]

@Crab shenanigans:

"Hogai-san, as much as I appreciate that you're trying to cheer me up... Your words are misfitting because we both know how many people die on the wall and to compare it to a competition like this... It's near enough unforgivable... A beaten body and a speech from my daimyo is all I obtained from this tournament Hogai-san... If my parents weren't so insistent on me coming here I would of stayed at home being productive rather than wasting a week here... What have I done while I was here productive Hogai-san? I couldn't even win it for the crab." Kagae would let his hair loose as he carried on walking, "Come on, lets go pack and return to our homeland..."  

[Sutiiven]

Rain Yupa

@ Mantis Shenanigans:

"Hisashi-san..." Gemmei would say to him as she returned to him, soundly a bit more defeated now than before. "I shouldn't have waited so long to act. A good samurai is dead, and it may be my fault. Still..."

She would look off in the distance that Sayoko had been led off. "Why didn't she try to hide the fact? She seemed to really think she did the right thing. No... no, she knew she did a wrong thing, but for the right reasons. Was she right?"

Shinjo Gemmei seemed to be more at a loss than everyone else, the cumulation of the tournament's drama leaving her with more questions than answers.

Hisashi would look at Gemmei, for the first time accepting that perhaps she was indeed being genuine in her words. It was kind of a relief that he could do that after all the mayhem in this so called "organized event", but no matter.

"We cannot forsee the future, Gemmei-san. We can only act as best we can with the knowledge we posses. We make mistakes, some worse than others, but as long as we breathe in this world we must continue to learn from our experiences."

He would look about the tournament grounds as everyone went their separate ways.

"There are things that have been said and done that I myself am not proud of over the duration of this tournament. I have also learned great lessons about myself and my choice of profession. For this I strive to become a better samurai, taking my new-found wisdom to expand myself in the journey of life. That is all that any of us can really ask as human beings."

He would return his gaze to Gemmei. "You did your best. Do not brood on what might have been. What will be will be. Take with you the knowledge of this day and use it well, for it will shape future decisions and actions. Otherwise you are hindering none but yourself."

With that he would bow. "If you will excuse me, there some matters I need to attend to before the evening is through. Perhaps we shall meet again under better circumstances."  

[Agent Sinistra]

@ Lioness Shenanigans

Kyumi would look as if she was considering saying something, only to change her mind and say something else.

"It's a shame that he was killed before actual justice was served to him." She'd quietly answer before trying to change the topic.

"It was interesting to see how the duels turned out. I certainly didn't expect it to turn out quite like this. It's a shame that Matsu-san didn't make it further, but still... He did better than I would have!" Kyumi would smile and let out a quiet laugh, as if to further assure Jiro that she was all right.

((Rolling Perception 5k3 = 18; Also rolling etiquette to be polite while changing the subject; 5k3 = 13))  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

@ Lion Tent:

Seichiro walked back to the tent, not quite content with the results of the duel. He was sure he'd place at least second place, but it was not to be. He walked to his side of the tent, packing his things slowly, at his own pace. Then again, he didn't have much to pack. Of course, he walked past Kyumi and Ide Jiro, not saying a word. It would be safe to assume he was deep in thought, contemplating something. He packed everything but his tea kit, which he decided to use, before packing it with the rest of his belongings.  

[Plainsfox]

@The Scorpion Tent

Kojiro would sigh deeply. Naizen was hurt worse than he, and bearing it better. Besides, Kojiro couldn't fail worse, could he? "Well, if you're in a mood for humor, Naizen-san....did you manage to speak with the Ide about his observations of the Lioness's maid?"  

[Psychofish]

Denbe was in shock almost. Murders, twice, and both came out right in the midst of the duels, one samurai dead and another nearly so. Was it always so dramatic when the major clans gathered? No, no, he certainly hoped not. They at least seemed as thrown off by how much had gone on as he had. He held his piece as she confessed however, suddenly unsure of exactly what to make of it.

The more her heard her arguments, the more he was tempted to agree that the man had been well deserving of punishment... but it was not treason. Not Maho. Surely, if he had been exposed, then he was no danger to anyone in the time it would have taken to root out the truth of the Crane's actions and see him put to justice. For as mad as she normally seemed...

It almost worried Denbe that the woman seemed so reasonable at the moment.

The Hare tenderly rubbed at the wound, leaving a bit of blood on his fingers, as he watched it come quietly, save for Kan, to it's conclusion. Sozen was a remarkable duelist- and while Denbe was nearly as disappointed to see him pulled from the finals as to not have had a chance to duel him himself, if there was a right way for this it was this way. One of the Crane was slain, let one of them stand in contest to the killer before the kami.

And in the end, he solemnly reflected that perhaps she had not acted justly after all.

At least there was a bit of wry amusement- it was not a major clansmen at all that had won the contest. Nor even himself. A monk. If that did not make being a small man in a large world more comfortable, he wasn't sure what did. The Hare started to turn to go and-

"Denbe-saaaan!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked up, and then reminded himself, as before, not to take any risks. It had gone badly for him TWICE now, even when he'd intentionally been very round about and polite. He felt a bit bitter at first, but... as she went on... there was something rather adorable and endearing about Wazuka-san. Even if she was rather eccentric at times.

"Thank you, Wazuka-san," he said, but shook his head "I was satisfied with my performance, but I can do better yet. I would have liked to see Sozen-san at the finish as well... but I watched his other duels. I have no doubt he would have beaten me soundly. He is remarkable with his swords."

He was tempted to ask after what she'd been about to say, but she was at least obviously unhappy enough about it that after two good hits, he didn't intend to ask.

"All the same, I am greatly appreciative of your support, Wazuka-san. It means a great deal to find friends, even so far from home."

[5k3 Awareness/Investigate: 31 to guess what she's not saying, with one raise]
[4k3 Awareness/Etiquette: 23 with two raises to not offend or discomfort her, since Wazuka's NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, DENBE-SAN]  

[Psychofish]

[Explodan': 18]  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Crane Shenanigans:

Sozen would return the smirk, before waving off the Crane. "Regardless, I need to help my clanmates pack up. We are under a limited time frame, and I'll be better suited to aid without wounds slowing me down. You understand, Zanzen-san. We can polish out the details later." Unless Zanzen had any direct complaints, Sozen would head off for now.

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@ Crab Shenanigans:

Hogai would rub the back of his head with his left hand, practically sweatdropping in embarrassment. "No, I suppose it wasn't the best metephor." He would openly gesture with his right arm, offering a more courteous smile.

"Remember, our daimyos sent us here. It wasn't so much our choice, as our orders. The Kuni Daimyo obviously thought your talents were better suited here, so I say appreciate the time you spent here, and try to take back with you, what your lord wanted you to get out of all of this."

As the two would look approach the Crab tent, Hogai would look up at the conjoined tent structure. "Sooooo... what are we going to do about this?" He offered a concerned look to Kagae, curious on the smarter Crab's input.

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@ Mantis Shenanigans:

Shinjo Gemmei would clutch her hands before her and how to Hisashi. "For what it's worth, I did not wish for you to get so involved in this mess. Please don't think ill of us Unicorns because of it." With a polite smile, she would turn to move away. "Thank you for your support though. It will not be forgotten. Good luck on the tasks that now lay before you."

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@ Lioness Shenanigans:

Ide Jiro would fail to notice Asahina Kenichi approaching, and would oblige Kyumi on her subject change. "Yes, I really did expect Seichiro-san to make it all the way to the finals, at least. No offense to him, however, but he is of Matsu heritage; perhaps his method of combat is better suited in an aggressive style, rather than a passive one."

He would place his hands at his sides, arms crooked, shaking his head at Kyumi. "And what's that talk of how well you'd do? You won the Shugenja duel. With so much potential, I'm sure you would have at least made it to the semi-finals!"

Kyumi, anything you want to say or do before Kenichi makes it to your position?

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@ Scorpion Shenanigans:

Naizen would sigh and roll over onto his cot, his back to Kojiro. "Why does it matter? All the plotting ends today. I doubt we'll see any of these people again. Just let it go."

"That's not a very Scorpion attitude, Naizen-san." Soshi Maru would enter the tent, albeit a bit more meekly than normal, as if she was a guest this time. "We'll never know what the kami have in store for us. We've seen what damage a single woman can do; who knows how critical knowing one's weaknesses, and how they might change the flow of fate."

The Soshi would turn to Kojiro this time, wanting to say something... but the words seemed to escape her.

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@ Hare Shenanigans:

Denbe seemed to hang on her words a little too long before speaking, and Wazuka seemed to flush somewhat because of it. Even as he tried to redirect the guilt away from him, the moment of uncomfortableness stayed with her. What was it, talking with him, that made her so uncomfortable all of a sudden? Did she... like...

"Denbe-san! Stop looking at me like that, you... you pig!" she would yell at him accusingly, kicking him square in the shin. "Why would I want to be friends with someone like you?!"

She began to storm off, though stopped after two paces, as if she was going to come back with one last fierce rebuttal. She would turn around, and

chu~

With a quick press of her lips to his cheek, she would turn beet red and hurry off, running past Tamori Makoto towards the Dragon tent. The Dragon 'game master' would smile to the Hare, giving him a thumbs up, before turning and walking ever so casually after his clansmate.  

[Plainsfox]

@The Scorpion Tent

Kojiro muttered to himself as he heard Naizen's response. However, Maru had spoken up before he had the chance to vocalize anything. "I suppose the Magistrates want us out of here soon. Have they indicated their wish on when we should leave?" Kojiro began searching for wherever his mask had gotten off to. "Just think a week or so of travel and we will be in Scorpion lands. Another week from there and I will be home. I admit, I do not think I look forward to speaking with our Daimyo about the events of this tournament, but much of that can be weathered.... I hope. Two weeks and I will meet my son for the first time! "

OOC:
Awareness/Etiquette (Conversation) (Kojiro wishes to keep it on pleasant conversation)
TN Penalty: +3
Results: 46