L5R - Unity - Chapter 1 - Winter Solstice

[Paidi tou Selini]

There wasn't a whole lot she could say about that, beyond a sympathetic smile. A sweet, romantic notion gone awry in the hands of a very self-critical girl. She could relate, if perhaps not necessarily on the romantic part, at least the rest of the emotions. But beyond that it was none of her business. Perhaps one day she could write a play of her own that could move hearts this much. Hers would definitely have more singing in it.

"Hm. Seems that way." she responded to Denbe, mirroring the stand and brush, when suddenly that Kuni caught her eye. Partially distracted, she bowed to the romantic pair. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'll be sure to look into how the play should have ended, and this definitely won't be my last theatrical visit while we're here on the mainland. I look forward to our next meeting. Oh, Naohiko. Welcome back. I hope your initiative was productive. Morito-san, Usagi-san, if you’ll pardon me for just one moment, I have a question for our um… impassioned friend over there.”

She gave another bow and skipped away so as not to overly delay the others, approaching the crying Kuni with an inquisitive smile. She bowed with a bit of a flourish, "Pardon the intrusion, but I couldn’t help but notice your passionate response to the performance. I am Himura Kaichiyo, an aspiring writer and singer, and to better produce works of art that may produce such passion myself I was hoping I could ask you what about that, um… adaptation moved you so.”  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Gendo would bow to the departing slightly, offering his farewells, then sigh and follow behind and to the right of Kaichiyo. With Setsuna in his arms, he'd scratch at the dog's ears while waiting for the hime to have her conversation and look around to see what other people were doing and who might be approaching their direction.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

"It seems your hime is otherwise occupied," Kojiro would state, gazing in the direction of Kaichiyo.

"No, I think we need time to... digest... the farce we just saw. It's not so easy on the stomach when actors watch someone butcher their craft."

"Another time, perhaps."

Exeunt, Scorpions

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

@ Er'ryone:

The Crane and Phoenix couple would leave, though not with the haste of the Scorpion. They would carry an air of disappointment about them; Naohiko would not get a chance to interact with them, as they left as he arrived.

Exeunt Phoenix, Crane

"?!" Ichi's attention was quickly drawn to Naohiko when he asked to arrange a spar with her, blinking her big brown eyes several times as if gauging the seriousness of his request. "Wait, you're serious?" Blinking a couple more times, she would then... smile? A little too broad of a smile - if one were paranoid, they might sense a sinister undertone to that smile. "Sure~ Tomorrow okay? That way, I know I'll be fully healed from my injuries."

"Does he know what he's getting into, Gend... oh," Denbe would start to ask, before realizing Gendo had walked off with Kaichiyo. Naohiko, you notice Denbe's dog relax considerably.

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

@ Kaichiyo & Gendo:

"HM??" The Kuni man would say, realizing that he had been approached. Smiling, he would stand. "Good afternoon, Himura Kaichiyo. I am Kuni Sanjiro, It's nice to make your acquaintance." He paused, as if recalling something, or trying to recall something, but after the brief pause, he would bow politely. "Sorry, I bet I look like a mess," he would say, gesturing to his tear-stained kabuki make-up. "I honestly haven't had that good of a laugh for some time now. I don't even know how long it's been."

About that point, the director of the play would step forward, bowing apologetically to the audience that remained.

"I've never seen this play, Season's Dusk. I know that wasn't how it was supposed to go, and I'm sure that Monkey wasn't brought in for his, ah... talents. But Rokugan is an Empire with strong roots in tradition. Sometimes, though, we get blinded by unquestioning devotion to those traditions - and in that state, there are so many opportunities that are missed. Some good, some ill. Maybe it's just the low-brow sense of humor that I, a Crab, was raised around, but I do appreciate a little 'bucking of the trend' to shake things up now and again."

Gesturing with a slight hand motion towards the stage, he'd elaborate further. "Don't get me wrong, that was awful. But in the end, it was unique, and that's what I appreciate. If every painting done, every story retold was nearly identical, they would all quickly lose their charm. But by having the bravery to do something different, even if it was driven by naivete, something special was created. I highly doubt I will ever see something quite like this spectacle again in my lifetime."

With a polite smile and nod of his head, he'd conclude, "And that's why it was worthy of applauds."  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would return Ichi's smile, but not so broadly. "I'll look forward to it!" He would then bow to the pair and follow his princess. While Kaichiyo was talking to the Kuni, Naohiko would lean over to Gendo and ask in a confidential tone, "Do you still have the letters? Perhaps you should show them to Kaichiyo-hime when we return to our rooms."  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"Do you think it wise?" He'd just keep standing there, letting Kaichiyo do her thing... for better or for worse. "That could cause problems on top of whatever else is going on."  

[Plainsfox]

The reddish-brown haired samurai would just rub his forehead. This had not been an easy day. "I don't know if it's wise or not, but it is truth. It's something she should know sooner rather than later, I think. I'll agree with you though. Today was a bit ....much. Maybe tomorrow morning when she can deal with it with a fresh outlook."  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"Agreed then."  

[Rain Yupa]

For the sake of progress, nothing exciting happened for the rest of the day. The rest of the day went on without incident. Don't worry, there's always tomorrow.

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

Day 5 of 45 (Pending)

Rain Yupa

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.

Have any of you adapted to the different time zone yet? Let us find out.

The Raw Earth roll is TN 16. Your prior responses are here.

That day went on for too long. But was it long enough for you to adjust your internal hourglasses?  

[Raganui Minamoto]

It's been five days by now, hopefully things will be different and he'd wake up in time to get his morning routine back into gear for the rest of the stay.

Raw Earth - 3k3 - TN 16
And that's a 17, he's up!

Rising just before dawn, he'd silently congratulate himself before getting ready and starting the day with taking Setsuna out for walkies.  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko would attempt to rise just before dawn, mindful of his meeting with Ichi today. Hopefully the little Hare didn't leave him too sore.

OOC
....4 ><  

[Paidi tou Selini]

OBJECTION! Selini plays Counterspell! Time Warp is negated!

Kaichiyo was truly inspired by the explanation, her face awash with marvel. "By the kami, you're absolutely right! I'm so glad I stopped to ask. I have another pressing issue to address right now, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for you during court so we can talk properly. I quite like you~ Thank you for the insight and goodday." she concluded with a bow, cutting the conversation short for the sake of not upsetting the GM further.

Because more importantly, during the walk back to the castle, she nodded the others on ahead while pulling their new Ox friend aside when she was sure there was no prying ears around. "Denbe-san, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kaichiyo:

"Sure thing, Himura-sama," Denbe would say. He would turn to his pup, telling him, "Izo, heel." The dog would sit beside Denbe's foot as the others continued on.

Once appropriate distance was made, he'd ask Kaichiyo, "What's on your mind?"  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"Mm, well, I thought about your suggestion, and after what happened today I do rather want to be woken up rather than rely on my own devices which have thus far failed me. But, you see, well... to be dangerously honest, after the events of today I have precious little trust in our hosts. I would go to great lengths for civility, but I think I draw that limit at 'threats upon my life'. So I was hoping I could ask you to awaken me when you get up in the morning instead. If it's not too much trouble." she explained, face a mix of serious and embarrassed. She understood it was an unbecoming request upon a samurai, but if a Daidoji guard couldn't be trusted she absolutely couldn't trust a servant. Or anyone loyal to Kioko for that matter.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kaichiyo:

"That is a... rather troubling dilemma you've found yourself in," Denbe would say, his voice dropping a notch in volume as he brought a hand to his chin, looking contemplative. "I can see how the day would have been considered a frightful one for you. Whatever drove the attack on you earlier, perhaps you might want to investigate the matter when things die down? I could help, but that might raise suspicion since I was not directly involved."

A pause.

"It wouldn't be too much trouble for me to make sure you wake early. I'll be up with Izo, for sure. For safety's measure, perhaps you might want to shuffle your rooms around? They'd likely move you to another vacant one, but if you're worried of being attacked again, perhaps leaving one of your yojimbo in your stead might be best, either for safety or for peace of mind?"  

[Paidi tou Selini]

"In hindsight, I regret leaving that maho... creature... alive." she huffed with a heavy sigh, not wanting to reveal the real thing she was worried about but she could at least try to allude to some sort of bigger picture. "If it can claim the face of a Daidoji, it surely could claim the face of anyone, so switching rooms would do me little good. I just have to be... vigilant, which means getting over this sleep issue faster than my body seems to desire. As for investigating it... I intend to. I appreciate the offer of help, but I wouldn't want to put you in any danger. It would be much safer for you to stay as uninvolved as you are, but if there comes a time where my investigation gets beyond my ability to handle I will at least inform you of my discoveries and let you decide for yourself if you wish to take the risk."