[D5 EA] Firefly, second season

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"So, you have to stay on good terms with them then?" he asked, turning to regard Hotaru once more. "How does that work? You run around, crumble paper and play with your hair to keep them happy or?" the young mystic hard rather mistaken view on the Rokugani spirits. "How does that work with other spirits? You go swimming or... burn things?" As they discussed, the duo and Poppy on their trail slowly reached the hill where they had shared food some time earlier.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Hai, we have to do our best to respect them. We sensitive to their voice and they are willing to aid us when asked properly. It's only fair that such great favours are returned in some way. We don't have to do it often, but it helps to do so once in a while. They are more productive and direct ways to go about it. Sometimes paper or lanterns are hung in an offering. In more often cases, I dedicate a dance to them to give them some entertainment and attention."

She gave a small shrug. "And that would likely go with the same elements too. It's a bit of a strange habit but it comes with the responsibility of being a shugenja. That's a normal relationship with the kami, too. Some shugenja have earned the attention of a specific kami, giving them much responsibilities with the partnership and requiring some truly strange demands. Some shugenja might want the earth to be moved around, taken in batches and transferred to another city. Or requiring sand in their tabi at all times. Some fire kami might want you to feed it with things of value, like books and art. Those are more extreme samples, but there you have it!"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

That sounds all too complicated in comparison to the Iuchi method that did not depend the capricious spirits. "Hee, that sounds rather complex. Our way is much simpler." He didn't even mean to brag. The fact was the their magic was simpler and more reliable. "Does Hotaru-san happen to know who came up with this.. shugendo method?" The Unicorn legends mentioned Isawa, but whether he taught all the priests of the Empire or whether all the clans developed their own magics was not entirely clear.

"You think that the shuganja would be interested in learning our ways?" he asked, half certain that he already knew the answer.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Simpler?" She said questioningly, "Oh, if you say so...I get the feeling that I wouldn't be able to pick up your art without some training, years of training, nevertheless. Our attention and affection to the kami are actually taught to us first before we can bend them to our command. I've had years at a Temple, so such things come natural to me. I focus on such a method, actually. My peers found such thing to be cumbersome and a chore. Needless to say, I excelled on that part of the lesson."

"The Phoenix...or rather, Isawa, was the one who came up with the method. It was said that he might have been from a proud line of existing shugenja, but he was the originator of the method we know today and the best." She nodded admittedly. "From then, his method trickled to others. There might have been others that came up with their own, I think, but they aren't too far from his methods and might have learned from his students or relatives." There were the the Kitsu and the Kuni, who might have claimed differently.

Hotaru smiled faintly. "Maybe! Well...I don't know if that would conflict much with our connection with the kami. Have you ran your experiments yet?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Well no, but anyone could pick up if they wanted." he insisted. "And once you figure it out, it always works, really." Dong-ha run his fingers along his belt, touching each of his charms in turn. "You don't need to placate the spirits either. You can get straight to business, so to speak." Inwardly he was agreeing with the notion of her peers. Doing all those things just to keep the spirits happy seemed rather cumbersome.

"Uh, unfortunately not yet. We are planning to meet tomorrow, however. You might remember Moshi Asakiko-san, she's promised to help settling the question." the young mystic explained, seemingly excited about the fact. "I'll let you know as soon as we have some results."

"I see. Do you know if the methods of the clans vary notably?" Dong-Ha asked as they reached the hilltop.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"I was only trying to give some credit to your ancestral method," she said with a small laugh. "I suppose such extraordinary talents almost become second nature by those who wield them. My talents merely involve co-existing and cooperating with the kami. Even when I don't call for them, they are everywhere and in everything. It's the reason why even some non-shungenja see a reason to revere them for the great potential the exhibit."

"Hai...the Moshi priestess. I did meet her the other day and she had quite a line up for her divination. There's a quite little booth in the village, as I'm sure you've heard about by now. Hopefully, you'll find more about how the kami themselves feel about this method. If they consider it favourable, I think there's maybe some great potential for a partnership between our methods, especially in the situation you find yourself in a more mystically inclined spouse." She gave a few sure nods about that.

She paused on her stroll when the reached the hilltop, clearly needing a small breath for shuffling about. Admittedly, she had the shorter legs here. "They do...but I don't know the specifics of it. Each method is a closely guarded mystery and not something as freely shared as ancestral Clan bushi or courtier techniques. I've heard of tales that the Kuni practically yank the earth kami out of the ground with their will and not appeasement, while Dragon shugenja rely on cooking up medicine or sorts, using the kami that already exists in them." She mentioned as hearsay.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Well... I mean.. it's not like it's easy-easy." Dong-Ha waved his hands a he tried to explain himself. "But once you get hang of it, it is really reliable. You don't need to dance or burn books or anything. The power, Iuchi-shriyo said, is what you think it is." He wasn't going to discuss the matter of spirit worship, merely making a mental note how in Rokugan the religion and power were tied to each other. The shugenja were a literal monopoly of power, privileged by what seemed to be a mere fluke to command respect in others.

"Well, we are more worried that the spirits here." he tapped the ground with his foot. "Might take offense in our magics. That would be... highly unfortunate. So we simply plan to ask them." he explained the rather simple plan. "If they take no offense, or at least are impartial, we can continue using our method without having to worry about upsetting the balance." Dng-Ha walked to the mattress they had left behind, starting to roll it up.

"I see. I guess I'll ask around. Thank you." he offered the smallest of girls a shy smile as he stood up with the wrapped mattress "Pretty and helpful. I wish there were more people like you in the camp."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru would help him if he needed it. It was at the very least, repayment for the lesson and the trouble she caused earlier. "I'm sure that it came really helpful while you were abroad in the lands beyond. That's for sure something I can't begin to think how I'd deal with, if I were in your sandals."

She gave a few nods, perhaps just realizing that she spent a little time chatting with her fellow shugenja here and more time chatting with Unicorn mystics. How would the shugenja marrying into the Unicorn deal with their training and are their plans in place for them to learn this method? Different or not, it was a very useful method.

"Aheh," she said with a giggle and a hapless shrug of her shoulders. "You mean there aren't more people like me? That's too bad, then! I guess I'm just a happy coincidence that you've run into! Lucky you!"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Alas, it seemed like the man needed little help tossing the mattress on Poppy's back before tying it down with accustomed ease. "Well, that's why Iuchi-shiryo invented the whole thing. Or well, picked up. His magic didn't work out there so we needed something else." he patted the mattress into a shape.

"Lucky me indeed." Dong-Ha grinned as he moved to untie the stirrups. "Quite a few us actually believe that you can make your own luck." the young-man stepped on the dangling stirrups, pulling himself to the saddle. "If you know what to do, at least. never gotten into that, myself." the young man admitted, steering Poppy towards the small Scorpion, extending his hand to her. "Shall we?"

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"I'd say that things are working out very well for you at the moment!" She smirked proudly, more indicating that he was spending time with her. "Seeing as how we're proving ourselves in these events and bettering our standings, we are indeed making our own luck when it comes to who we may ultimately end up with. Perhaps less to do with luck but favours, but favours. Luck are just favours from the Fortunes, anyway."

She took the hand readily to get on the horse, hoping to make it less of a struggle this time. The third time was the charm, hopefully? Naturally, she was still next to climbing things that were bigger than her.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I hope so." Dong-Ha smiled in return as he grabbed her hand, pulling her up into his lap, only to grab her waist, turning Hotaru so that she sat against his chest. "Though the Moto say that there are some rituals you need to perform when something auspicious happens to ensure that it happens again." Tilting his head, he learned bit closer to her. "You wouldn't have any such rituals here?"

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Kind of warm... Hotaru couldn't help but blush when Dong-Ha brought her close, for the purposes of safety. Nevertheless, this occasions had her being closer to a man than she had ever been before, despite there being no intimate undertones. She nevertheless didn't freeze or crash from the gesture and placed her hands on his wrist, before carefully slipping away and finding more refuge in his clothed forearms. "Uhm, well...we have some gestures and prayers, to keep away the bad luck. That is, if they are deemed responsible. Ousting ill spirits and bad luck is rather common in our culture and one of my responsibility as a miko. I utilize a wand to ward the bad spirits away...and salt does a good job of cementing blessed ground, too."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Really? Maybe you could show me some the signs. I know most of ours, but more can't hurt, neh." Dong-Ha smirked, easing one of his hands around Hotaru's slim wait as he grabbed the reins with the other. "Hold on..." he warned her as he snapped the reins, sending Poppy into easy canter towards the village.

He couldn't but smile, thinking how small and comfortable she felt against his chest, and how delicate the tough of her hands had been.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"O-okay!" Hotaru blushed further when she felt his hands around her waist, for the purposes of safety. All of this touching was a strange sensation and something she would have to get used to around the Unicorn, if she was going to marry one. She heard about their love of touching, of course, but she thought she would have found this more revolting than curiously appealing...

Nevertheless, that was something she had to file away in her lessons with the Unicorn. She merely smiled shyly at Dong-Ha as they made their way back to the village actual.

/scene