L5R - Unity - Chapter 1 - Winter Solstice

[Plainsfox]

The Kraken samurai would call back to Natsumi as he leaves the room. "Winter is far from over. I'm sure there will be time for everyone to get what they want."


And with that, Naohiko leads Ichi off to the teahouse where the Crane fight against their Mantis rivals. Unless she wants to eat at the Dango stand where the sisters make the confection.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

"..."

"That took a lot of guts," Natsumi would say aloud as the two left the building, her and Shohei standing up. "Letting another clan down just to save your own skin. You'd make a half-decent Yoritomo, Himura-san. The Kraken just might make it after all~"

After a minute of walking before exiting the garden area, Ichi seemed to grow distressed, her fists balling. "I... I think I need to be alone."

Stooping down, she suddenly leapt upward, bounding off of a tree and to the roof. A moment later, she leapt out of sight from the terrestrial Kraken's point of view, leaving him alone in the courtyard.

Scene end~

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

Result of off-day experiences so far:

-Kaichiyo encounters Kitsuki Senzo for the first time, and with tact and grace, she left him with a positive experience of their meeting.
-Gendo encountered the mysterious Emi but kept her at arm's length, leaving her feeling alienated from her fellow Colonials.
-Naohiko ran afowl of some Mantis during his sparring session. He stood his ground against Natsumi's machinations, leaving her feeling begrudgingly respectful towards him.
-Naohiko accomplished this however by endangering his friendship with Ichi. He left her feeling betrayed when he did nothing to try and salvage her sense of honor.

If there's anything further you wish to do during these 5 days off?  

[Paidi tou Selini]

The day was not nearly over yet! Still quite a few things left to do, first of which the post-lunch meeting with Yogo Bakin that she'd promised the messenger to attend.  

[Plainsfox]

The Kraken samurai sighed as the buxom bunny bounced away. One step forward and twenty steps back is all this winter court felt like. Hopefully, little Emi would stop around later that night and cheer him up. It was starting to feel like that kind of day.


In the meanwhile, Naohiko would go back to his room and try to fold something. Nothing was coming and all he was doing was ruining papers. The bushi muttered to himself, "Work is the best thing to do while working through these....moods." and set off to find Morito Denbe. Hopefully, the Ox diplomat would be able to introduce him to the other clan Kaichiyo asked Naohiko to talk to, the Crab.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Heading into the smithworks, Gendo would find the person in charge and speak to them about using the a forge and materials to make a naginata. He would also see if Ryoji and some other assistants were available to help him. He would also see if any samurai wished to work with him, such as Kakita Otsu-san.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Kaichiyo:

Some time passes after your meeting with Senzo. You briefly pass Gendo and Setsuna as they head off to another part of the palace. You hear Naohiko muttering about something as he goes to his room, spends some time there, then leaves. Finally, a servant comes to your room, with instructions that Yogo Bakin is now free to see you.

You are lead to another meeting area, this one closer to the Scorpion's guest wing than the Dragon's where you had met Senzo. Bowing respectfully, the servant would open the door and await your entrance to the room before closing it behind you.

It's a bit brighter in here than that curious little tent you met Bakin in after the scavenger hunt, but the smoke from his pipe has accumulated, creating a gray haze toward the ceiling of the room.

As a reminder, Bakin has a kitsune mask that pretty much covers his whole face. Getting a (slightly) better look at him now, you see that his hands and the edges of his mask reveal skin scarred by past burns.

"Welcome, Himura-sama. I was concerned when I had heard you had followed up on another engagement first, but it pleases me to see that you are in good health. Unless my eyes deceive me, that is..." the man would say. It's hard to gauge by voice alone, but he sounds to be about 10 years your elder, give or take.

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

@ Naohiko:

It takes a little searching, but you do find Denbe eventually. He is in another garden area, talking to some other male samurai. What strikes you as odd is the sheer quantity of canines that also seem to be gathered here. Izo is the only one being proper, sitting respectfully at the Ox's heel; the other assorted doggos are doing a poor job idling, as they are sniffing around, playing with one another, and one other is trying to escape, luckily bound by its master's leash.

What do you do?

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@ Gendo:

You head to the smithworks area, with this nagging feeling that you're needed elsewhere. There is one samurai of the Crane you find after waiting a bit, who you introduce yourself to and address your request for forge use.

"Hello, Himura-san. As you can see, you're spoiled for choice for available forges," the Crane would say, gesturing to the fact that none of them are being used. "You're from the colonies, yes? We don't have any active smiths during the wintertime, generally. Spring is when many begin their own projects, once the thaw sets in and transportation of both individuals and materials becomes easier. You should be free to work on a project if you want - I doubt the Crane would show much concern of your willingness to forge a weapon for our armory."

Gendo, if you're not planning to make the naginata for the Crane, do you want to correct him, or let his assumption fly?

"I'm afraid I don't know who Ryoji is," the Crane would first respond to your second inquiry. Once it is brought up that he was a heimin assistant from the crafting competition, he would explain further. "He was likely a heimin from the city from an independent peasant forge, who likely volunteered to assist for the competition. It will take some time to track him down again. Would you like us to try and find him?"

Currently, there are no other samurai at the smithworks with you. Would you want to leave and try to find one?  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko wandered the castle, his mind set on the little Hare and the ways he could patch things up with her. Maybe he could work through a shipment of amber in exchange for this Ujina cumin he's heard mentioned a few times. Finally, he found the Ox diplomat and the pack of canines he and his friends were tending to. "Ohayo, Morito-san. I did not realize how many people had dogs at this court."  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Kaichiyo occupied her morning in relative relaxation, deep in thought about the myriad issues plaguing them since arriving. Perhaps this was why her mother was so serious. Comparing now to how she felt when she first arrived was... depressing. Still, there were things to do. They day must go on.

She followed the servant to the new room, and gave a bow as she entered, trying to keep her face somewhere between neutral and friendly. "Mm, I appreciate the concern. For a colonial minor clanswoman, I certainly wasn't expecting things to be quite so... eventful. I hope you have had more of an opportunity to relax."


[Vitals
Void Points: 3/3
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Talky Stance, ATN 25]  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"If you wouldn't mind having someone ask about. He did well." He frowns over the cold forges. "I just feel it a waste to not do something to keep my skills from rusting." He scratches his chin, then nods. "I think I'll see if some others would like to join me in this. It would be nice to see what everyone can do before Winter Court ends."  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

The dogs would look to you, some showing moderate interest (which is quickly lost to the overwhelming stimuli) while others are too engrossed in their going-ons to worry about you. Izo casts you a visual check of familiarity before nobly sitting there, gazing forward, waiting patiently.

"Hello, Naohiko-san. These gentlemen aren't long-time dog owners, like myself and Gendo-san. I was giving them some helpful advice about training their pups to be more disciplined. Apparently, they tried to ask Gendo for advise as well the other day, but he... er... fled?" Denbe would look to the other samurai for confirmation before turning back to Naohiko. "I assume he's just nervous speaking to groups. Some people get shaky when it comes to public speaking. In his stead, do you think you could offer any good tips you might have heard Gendo-san share? I think it would be quite interesting to hear the contrast of methodology from those separated by so many leagues."

Naohiko, if you want to give them good dog-mastering advice (completely optional), give me an Intelligence/Animal Handling [Doggo] roll!

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@ Kaichiyo:

"Mm. For what it's worth, I don't think Colonial has anything to do with it. Please, have a seat." Bakin would gesture towards the cushion across the table (which was bare, save for a small bowl partially filled with ashes). "All the Minor Clan samurai always seem to have difficulties in Great Clan courts, except usually those of their parent clans. Where a bushi might be more prone to challenge you to a fight while on the road, this is a courtier's battlefield. It's their opportunity to push around those too weak to do anything about it, even if the individuals guilty of it aren't cognizant of it themselves."

He would bring his kiseru to his mask, which apparently had a slit for the mouth where the end of the pipe could fit. He would inhale thoughtfully, before removing it and blowing a small cloud of thin gray smoke. The fact that it looked like a kitsune exhaling it added to its ominous design a smidge.

"How are you doing, Himura-sama?" he'd ask Kaichiyo. After her response, he'd follow up with another, easier question. "Do you smoke?" he'd ask casually.

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@ Gendo:

"It is very noble that you treat the smith's hammer with as much respect as the bushi his katana. I will try to see about this Ryoji boy, but I don't know how long that will take."

Raganui Minamoto

Raw Awareness cause I am not a courtier and oh god why.

Final Score - A resounding... Ten.

Gendo, before you start, you decide to turn around for a bit and see if any nearby samurai were interested in smithing! They gave you questionable looks at the offer but they politely decline. Between being courtiers or bushi actively yojimboing said courtiers, it didn't seem like there were many smiths chomping at the bit. Oh well.

You head back to the forges and get to work. Setsuna curls up and sleeps nearby, apparently unbothered by the clanging of metal on metal - he certainly seemed used to it by now after years of doing so.

After some time passes, you get the feeling you are being watched.  

[Plainsfox]

Naohiko put his hand to his chin in thought. He hadn't really been around Gendo when he was training Setsuna, nor did the bushi remember the smith being at the kennels when Naohiko's father had Naohiko there to gain some experience with the animals he'd run across in magistrate work. "I know some things of the kennels and the mews. I'd be happy to give advice. Advice is free until it becomes useful." Naohiko said laughingly. Naohiko would then kneel down to offer his hand to Izo to sniff while pondering what he did actually know about dogs. There were big pupperz and smol doggos, for instance.....but that wasn't the speech he was going to go for.

"Training a hound is a long and involved process. It requires great patience. If we're lucky and your dogs are smart, then by the end of winter court they'd be able to show some discipline. I'm probably repeating advice given by Denbe-san, here. Right now, you should be striving for their respect and acknowledgement. For example, whenever you see them, call out to them with their name. It will imprint their name on their mind. Just don't get disheartened with a lack of progress. There will be events that set everything you've done to ruins. Just continue forward."


OOC:
Animal Handling/ Intelligence 4k3 w/ 2 dice to handle explosions.
Raises called: 0
Dice rolled: 6 (4 for skill check, 2 to handle explosions)
Results: 19  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Gendo would begin stoking the fire and getting tools and materials ready. When the feeling of being watched came upon him, he'd semi-ignore it, subtly watching about the area as he worked, wondering what was going on. But best to not let whoever was watching know that he knew it.

(First 10 for first roll, last 4 for 2nd roll)

Intelligence/Weaponsmith - 7k3
22 Weaponsmith

Perception/Investigation - 2k1
9 Investigation  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Kaichiyo nodded and knelt down on the cushion, removing her daisho and setting it down in the same fashion as her last meeting, though less worried that she may have to use it this time and thus politely setting it to her right. Friendly Scorpions and hostile Cranes and Dragons. What a world this was. Though she didn't think for a moment that there wasn't some ulterior motive for all these friendly Scorpions. Even if she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was they wanted.

"Hm, a fair point. I never expected courtier work would be easy. Mother has always warned me of the plights faced by minor clans, and while we have extensive courtly training, we are at heart a bushi aligned community. Which may yet suit us just fine. Like any duelist style our strength is in winning courtly battles not with words, but with the speed of our blades. I've just... yet to create an opportunity to use this strength to my advantage. So I suppose the answer to your question is... it's complicated. But I will manage." she chimed back melodically, trying to be friendly and Honest, but not willing to reveal quite as much as she had been to the Dragons. Perhaps in part because of how poorly Otsune had taken that openness, but certainly in part because she had no way to tell what this man's motivations were yet. She shook her head to the second question. "I dislike feeling... impaired. Is that unusual? Though if you partake often you may enjoy a visit to the colonies. There is a tobacco-like herb that grows exclusively in tropical climates that I'm told produces profoundly relaxing and pleasing effects when smoked. I suspect it may be one of the ingredients behind our affinity with the Akkorokamui, but do keep that part between just us." she concluded with a coy smile and a wink.


[Vitals
Void Points: 3/3
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Talky Stance, ATN 25]  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Naohiko:

That is sufficient to give well-received advice. The gathered samurai would nod in acceptance before parting ways with you and Denbe.

"I'm pleasantly surprised, Naohiko-san. I had taken Gendo to be the animal expert of your group, with how attached Setsuna is to him. That was good advice," Denbe would say approvingly. "I fear that these men aren't planning to make lifelong companions with their dogs; with how Kioko-hime took to Gendo's dog, they're trying to train what dogs they could find - or buy - to give to the princess as gifts. I worry it won't end well for them." He would frown, and shrug slightly. "Though perhaps one or two of them might bond with them and form something lasting. I can hope, anyways."

Turning to face Naohiko directly, Denbe would size him up. "I was about to question whether or not you had your duel with Ichi-san, but judging by the bruises, I can see you likely did. The fact that you're well enough to be out taking a stroll means you won? An impressive feat; Ichi is a very skilled swordswoman."

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@ Gendo:

You begin working on the project, and seem to be making good headway on it. Definitely a long time before it would be completed, of course, but you feel you're off to a good start (no further rolls needed for this "session" of forging).

After a while, the person who was watching you seems to stop, walking past you while your back is turned to start rummaging through various supplies. They aren't really trying to hide themselves, but don't seem intent on interrupting you either.

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@ Kaichiyo:

"This is only tobacco, not anything stronger. But it's not for everyone. Moving about a lot is a bit of a strain for me, and remaining still for long periods is surprisingly exhausting. I've found smoking helps dull the boredom that comes with it. I'll keep your colonial herb in mind if I do visit - or it finds its way up here to Ryoko Owari for trade." He would bring his pipe back to his mouth to inhale and exhale one more time, before tapping out the contents of the pipe into an ashtray in his tabako-bon.

"Well, back to the matter at hand. I had dispatched Shosuro Kyouya to keep half an eye on you, ever since that incident with the Mantis on your first day here - just in case. So, I know about the maho-tsukai attack. Then, two of my fellow Clansmen, Masuyo and Kojiro, indicated to me that your clanmate was trying to get our attention, under the guise of trying to enlist them for plays."

Folding his hands before him, he would lean forward. "I'm not the type to simply idle and have another clan laid low due to inaction. Are you and yours faring well, Himura Kaichiyo? Is there anything you may need that we can provide you?"

Yogo Bakin's voice certainly carries the sound of sincere concern as he poses his question.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

The little princess blinked and tilted her head, at first in surprise, but then in contemplation. Something she had to think about long and hard, so in the meantime she created a bit of noise space so as not to seem suspicious to... outside observers, of which she rather suspected were here. "I admit I'm surprised you would reveal such things. Though I hadn't conferred with Naohiko until after he'd sat with those two at the play so... it's entirely possible he was just eager to get some cultural exchange. His father came to us from the Scorpion, and I've encouraged him to reconnect with his heritage if it please him. Not to mention he knows how much I love a good story, and he believes Masuyo and Kojiro have a good one... behind their namesake? I think? I'm a bit unclear on it."

"In summation I suppose..." she stalled, seeming to come to some sort of internal decision as her face took on a strained, troubled expression and she made no subtlety about looking around at the walls that contrasted with her perfectly even, amicable tone. "I can't think of anything you could provide currently. I'm just used to things operating at a different pace in the colonies, perhaps? The great clans are practically on even footing with the Kraken so I haven't experienced any of this... aspect of the courtier's battlefield before." And finally concluded with waving her hand in front of her neck in a warning gesture while silently mouthing, 'Not here. Daidoji listening.'


[Vitals
Void Points: 3/3
Wounds: 0/10 (Healthy)
Talky Stance, ATN 25]