Daily History Lessons II (Day 2, Late Morning)

[Usagi Tomoe]

"She sounds like a remarkably lady," she said with some admiration. "Though I am curious what sort of tales the children of Shinjo have heard about the other Kami in their travels. Surely the tale of the Day of Thunder was one that stayed with you, along with the historical events at the dawn of the Empire?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"The day of thunder, yes. The tournament as well. Shinsei's visits to the Kami. And the battle of Four Winds," he replies. "Those that keep the histories would probably be able to give more stories that are less specific to the Empire as a whole and focus more on the individual clans, but I'm fresh from my gempukku and haven't studied history so my knowledge is mostly on those events and the major Unicorn events such as the acceptance of the Moto and the major battles we fought outside the borders of the Empire."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe nodded. "... The Moto, I have yet to hear the story how they became part of the Unicorn. None of the ones I spoke with yesterday brought it up, but they spoke well of their courage and the enemies they have defeated. Would you mind sharing the story of their 'acceptance', as you put it?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

He nodded. "When the Unicorn left the Empire one of the first groups of gaijin that we came across were the Ujik-hai. The Ujik-hai tribes banded together to attack the clan but the battle ended in their defeat. Shinjo was impressed with their strength and prowess and the Ujik-hai reciprocated. Many of their tribes found Shinjo to be a strong warrior worthy to be followed. The first among them to offer to follow her was given the name Moto. Many other members of their tribes followed him in pledging themselves to follow Shinjo and the family was formed under the leadership of Moto-no-shiryo."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Well, it was a rather simple story, she thought... but he had admitted to not being a storyteller or student of history, so she couldn't fault him for keeping it short and to the point.

"I see, that is quite interesting," she nodded, making a mental note of writing that down later. "You must have encountered other tribes and cultures too in your travels? None were as worthy as the Moto to join the Unicorn as their own Family, or did not share the same interest to join Lady Shinjo and her followers?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"More the latter. On occasion there would be political and trade relations and there would be marriages. But many of those cultures had been living their way of life for centuries. It helped with the Moto that they were already nomadic tribes that would be joining a nomadic clan," he offers. "Though they were nomadic far before the Unicorn. It will be more difficult for them to settle in here I imagine. For us it is returning to the lands of our ancestors. For them it is settling down in a land their ancestors never visited."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She actually felt a bit of pity for Khulun and Butaj as she considered that.

"I admit I hadn't thought of it like that before... I suppose that does shed some more light on the Moto. From what it seems though, you have brought with you very fierce and brave warriors in your return, and I'm sure that with time, they too will think of Rokugan as their home, as you do," she said with a small nod.

"Is the Empire as you imagined it to be, when you heard stories of it growing up?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I do not really know. I suppose that descriptions of the vast plains of the Shinjo's lands are what I expected, but I've had limited interaction with the rest of the people of the empire thus far and haven't seen the lands beyond either. The Crane's coastal lands from the Battle of the Four Winds, or the lands the Thunders traveled through. It's all a new experience for me and haven't really experienced as much of it that I imagined previously to know where it stands against those imaginings. But the food of the empire last night was amazing, I can say that much at least. I didn't really know what to expect. In you're opinion were the Rokugani dishes properly representative?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"From all I could see, they were well-represented and accurately so," she chuckled softly, "but I admit I had much more interest in seeing what the Unicorn had brought to the feast, and sampling all these new and exciting dishes. There was this really sweet one... baku-raba (baklava)? It was quite the treat, I think I want a recipe to bring back home. And the kuu-misu (kumis) was actually quite fine too. I... I had heard before coming here that many found it rather unpleasant, but I quite disagree with that assesement now that I have tried it myself."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed some of our foods," he says with a smile. "I myself have nearly a dozen skins of kumis in my yurt. I love the stuff and enjoy sharing it with others, so you can feel free to come by anytime for a drink. I have friends that come by frequently to do so and I'd be glad to count you among them."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe gently fanned herself with her fan, smiling pleasantly. My, so forward! He is rather dashing, though!

"I... shall certainly have to keep that invitation in mind, Shinjo-sama. And I'm honored you are willing to consider me a friend. Thank you. It is very kind of you."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Life's too short to not enjoy the company of friends as often as you can," he replies. "We should always make the most of the opportunities we have to do so."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She grinned. "That sounds very much like what the Kakita of the Crane Clan say when they compare a samurai's life to that of the cherry blossoms - bloom briefly, beautifully, and fall in the peak of their beauty."

"You see, cherry blossoms fall from the trees while they are still in bloom, so many samurai call this the lesson of the cherry blossom. Living life to the fullest in the momet, for it is over too soon."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I was having a conversation about this yesterday afternoon," he says with a nod. "Not specifically about the lesson of the cherry blossoms, but about meshing together the idea of living in the moment and looking to the future. So far in my life I've really only been focused on the former, but here at the miai and once it is complete I will definitely have to become acquainted with the latter."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Looking to the future?" she chuckled warmly.

"Well, I would certainly hope Shinjo-sama is considering it more these days; he will probably leave this miai with a good wife, I wager! Can't let your poor wife do all the thinking of the future, you know." The rabbit teased him in good humor, clearly meaning it all in harmless jest.