A Polite Request (D7 - EE - Takeo's Room)

[Kitsune Takeo]

Tea steeped in the pot as Takeo waited for his guest to arrive and Asahi napped quietly in the corner. Takeo was in his own mind, his thoughts whirring as he contemplated how best to approach the topic before settling on, as he always did, honesty.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo comes to the entrance to the yurt, a little confused. "Kitsune-sama? It is Togashi Udo..."

[Kitsune Takeo]

Takeo smiled as he showed Udo into the room - spartan as they were, they were comfortable enough.

"Greetings Togashi-san, I am honored you accepted my invitation. Would you care for some tea?" he offered as he gestured for the monk to take a seat.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo bows low to the man and then takes a seat. "I would love some tea, and thank you for inviting me. New company is always nice, especially at an event such as this."

[Kitsune Takeo]

"In a sense, this is is all new company is it not?" he asked with a slight chuckle as he moved to pour the monk a cup of tea.

"Feather's Fall - I'm told it's a new varietal that has been cultivated near the Valley of the Centipede, though no one is quite sure where the fields are exactly if it's to be believed. Some maps have them in one place and some another - quite astounding that they manage to make it out of the valley at all. It's something of a rarety for that reason," he said pleasantly, "You shall have to give me your opinion on it."

[Togashi Udo]

Udo nods and takes a sip of the tea.

"Hmmmm. I find it to very pleasing. I wonder if perhaps some of that comes from knowing its unique origins? Hm." Udo thinks again. "I met a mapmaker here, Soshi Yuuru. Perhaps they need to send him the next time to solve the mystery."

[Kitsune Takeo]

"I haven't had the chance to meet Soshi-san yet, but perhaps I shall mention it to him if I do," he said as he took a seat himself.

"I should commend you on your performance in the miai thus far Togashi-san. Your skills do your sensei and your ancestors much honor. The Dragon chose very well when they sent you to represent them."

[Togashi Udo]

Udo smiles a bit sheepishly and bows from a seated position. "Thank you, Kitsune-sama. They will be pleased to know I did well, as I was not always the most attentive student."

"Though I must say, doing well presents its own challenges. As they say, the gold mines always seem more productive in your neighbor's mine."

[Kitsune Takeo]

Takeo chuckled - he hadn't heard the expression before.

"We have a dearth of gold mines in the Kitsune Mori unfortunately, though our home provides a bounty of its own, in its own way."

He sipped his own tea for a moment, letting tranquility find a place in the room before he continued, "Do I take it to mean that you are having some difficulty selecting the correct spouse?"

[Togashi Udo]

"That is correct. I... find myself noncommittal, and no one is pursuing me."

Udo found himself enjoying the calming, quiet company of the man, and it relaxed him more than many other high ranking samurai he'd interacted with.

[Kitsune Takeo]

"A monk who is not set in his mind - you break the mold Togashi-san," Takeo said, jesting with the monk.

"Noncommital as you are, do you have a goal that you hope to accomplish with the marriage?"

[Togashi Udo]

Udo smiles at the joke. "Sometimes we best express our individuality by being one of many." He shrugs.

"As the the marriage, I hope to be happy with it, and to make sure my wife is. The Dragon would expect my wife to become a monk, though she wouldn't have to. It might be easier if I marry into the Unicorn... which would mean someone of higher status." He sighs. "If you have any wisdom on the matter, this one would be happy to hear it."

[Kitsune Takeo]

"Less wisdom perhaps and more of a personal request...no perhaps less of a personal request and more of one made on behalf of the Fox, which I will ultimately submit to the wisdom of the Togashi," he replied, "If you will hear it?"

[Togashi Udo]

"Of course, Kitsune-sama." Udo has a curious look on his face, not quite sure what is coming.

[Kitsune Takeo]

"You may have heard earlier today, but I am courting, or attempting to court at least, Otaku Kitakuhime-sama. From the moment I met with her I have impressed with the honor that is apparent in the shiotome, as well as how she has conducted herself during the miai, both in successes and failures. She is the epitome of a proper samurai and I find myself quite taken with her," he said, laying out his personal case.

"I met with Tonbo-sama a few days past and we discussed, among other things, whether she might be willing to assist me in my courting efforts. She politely declined as she was honor bound to assist one of her clansmen in that pursuit," he said, pausing briefly, "She named you as a potential suitor for Otaku-sama."

He picked up his tea and sipped it, allowing another moment of silence to punctuate the exchange. In the corner, Asahi rolled over and snored lightly.

"Were such a marriage for my sole intents and purposes, I think I could handle a possible loss and accept that I had been bested in the competition by a superior competitor, however my pride might be wounded in the aftermath," he smiled to show he bore no ill-will.

"I have done my best to separate myself from the other contenders, but I have fallen short. My failings are, of course, my own and will guide how I seek to improve myself in the future. But as the marriage is of considerable importance to the Kitsune as a whole, I find myself with a need to entreat you for your support in this matter - to find an alternative means of accomplishing my goal, where my own skills have thus far failed me. The Kitsune, as you may know, are descendants of Shinjo-no-kami herself. The return of the Unicorn to the Empire was a time of a great joy for us, and also one of potential change. For assisting in their return, the Dragon have the eternal gratitude of the Fox.

"My own presence at the miai was a gesture of goodwill and welcome to our long-awaited kinsmen. I am, for now, the heir to the Kitsune. A marriage to the heir of the Otaku would do much to cement the friendship and alliance that my clan hopes to forge with the Unicorn, perhaps with an aim of a more permanent arrangement in the future," he finished for the moment, taking a moment to let the Togashi express any thoughts or ask any questions he might have.