[D1 LM] Family Matters

[Iuchi Batul]

Batul nodded at Saksaha, as it seemed that the samurai-ko understood what she had meant. It was time for the Iuchi to regain the long lost power of the Kami. "It is our duty to Unicorn to recover this bower. We have Meishodo, but like Dong-Ha-san said, this bower can be used by anyone that know how to use amulets. In our blood is the ability to sbeak to the kami, the cabacity of call to them in ways only dreamed. Not only should be gain this talent back, but enhance it."

She looked towards Yukarin who had asked her moments earlier about the contemplative and conservative nature. "I feel Dong-Ha-san needs to come out of his shell sbecially now that it is our duty to show the true nature of the Unicorn." She added with pride.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Eh, in that case you two ought to seek out priestly husbands as well. Assuming they've sent any here." Dong-Ha huffed, feeling less than excited about being considered as breeding fodder. What was wrong with these women anyway, they were talking about their honored guests like some of the Otaku talked about their mares. "Dunno, me might have also lost the power for good. You'd think our betters would have given us some instructions if they thought we'd do something about that." Selective breeding or not.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Well... how do they figure such things out here? If there is some sort of test or sense for such things, maybe we should ask if there is any way those here could arrange to have our priests looked at, to make sure the capability is still there."

[Iuchi Batul]

(Would an appropriate level of Spellcraft know how to answer this?)

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"We are the bloodline of Iuchi. Of course it is still there," Saksaha says with confidence. "It must be a matter of time and learning, that is all. And if the husband who suits me best has some such knowledge in his family, it will be so much the better." Then the confidence shows a thin spot for a moment, and she looks like a teenager again. "If I can convince such a man to choose me, at least."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Dong-Ha didn't see how Saksaha could not persuade someone to marry her, comely as she was. "Well, if there are priests here... you'd think they would chose of you... or perhaps one of the Ide" he tried to sound reassuring. "Well, unless they all fall in love with the Moto... or the Otaku."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"I had always read that priests here in our homeland were more conservative and such; It seems unlikely such people would go for our more unconventional cousins in the Moto..."

Yukarin gives a small shrug, "But I suppose that is not very helpful and just supposition."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"If the stories do justice, those Crab Clan folk might be impressed with our Moto, whether they are priests or not," Saksaha puts in, moved to defend the other side of her lineage a bit.

Then she looks down, a little color coming to her cheeks as she swirls the cooling milk tea in her bowl, caught in an awkward hesitation before she reluctantly admits, "I think this may all be easier for the three of you than me. When I was small and first grew into magic... sometimes it came on as the falling sickness. It happens very rarely now. Almost never since I finished my schooling! But of course the Ide know, and I suppose they will not rate me very highly because of it."

She sighs. "I only confess this because you are all Iuchi, and will understand better." I hope.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Well, if the stories do justice you probably don't want to marry Crab yourself. Dong-Ha mused, thought he kept his thoughts to himself. Crabs of the stories were brutish men with little appreciation for the mysteries of the world.

"The Fortunes are fickle, it is known." Dong-Ha nodded at Saksaha. Ailments such as hers were known to be caused by being channel for divine influence and that would cause people shy away from them. "Though, the locals outnumber us by quite an amount. I am sure someone is going to be left for you." He tried to encourage her with the best of his abilities, which was to say that he was likely doing more harm than any good.

[Iuchi Batul]

"Some among us already say to hear the voice of the kami, so maybe it is something that still lingers among us." Added the priestess as she recalled what she had heard among the other Iuchi. "It is most brobable that if we marry to others who wield the voice of the kami, that this ability will come back to those of us who do not hear the kami."

Batul got comfortable in her place with the pillows, covered in the furs, as she watched the rest finish their dishes. "I see nothing wrong with Saksaha-sama, she is as beautiful and unique as a desert flower. And also intelligent and attentive. If these cannot see that, then they don't deserve your time and attention." She added to cheer the samurai-ko.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin had the feeling Saksaha wasn't being self-effacing to garner compliments... but it wasn't as if it seemed like Batul thought otherwise anyways. Either way Yukarin wasn't sure what to say about the matter. So instead she briefly worked on her food bowl that she hadn't touched yet, looking at her three companions as she ate.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Indeed, Saksaha only flushes a bit darker and glares into her tea. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Only it might come out anyway, and she wouldn't have felt right concealing it from family...

"It is not a matter of deserving," she says, her normally lightly husky voice shading an extra few degrees toward 'gruff.' "I only mean, if anyone is to invite a priest of the other clans to marry in, better luck lies with you three."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Uh..." He wasn't entirely sure about that. "Ehh... why would you say that?" Dong-Ha wasn't expert politician but he figured that people did not want to marry in cursed people. In reverse, they'd rather have the cursed people stay in their clans.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Is it not so? That whomever the Ide rank most highly at the end of the miai will have first choice, and the one they choose will marry into their clan?" Saksaha swirls her tea again, seeming to find something of interest in the moving liquid. Or maybe just not wanting to make eye contact. "Unless that one is of some high station, which none of us have."

((That is, I'm assuming the ground rules of the miai are at least sort of known to us, in whatever abstract in-character form. And one of those rules is "Those marrying characters of higher Status will be assumed to be marrying into the Clan of the higher Status individual. Should the Status of two characters be equal, the character with the lower number of Courtship Points will marry into the Clan of their spouse." It seems like we'd have some sense of this coming in, right?))

[Iuchi Batul]

Cursed, shmurshed... She thought to herself. "Well if it's marrying out to a clan, then what we must find for Saksaha-san is the obbosite, marry someone into the clan. This maybe some will be willing or looking forward to." She thought deeply about what she knew about the clans of the Empire, most of them were full of pride to their duty, or to their own selves. If she were to marry an imperial, of course she would have to go to their family, if to a great clan, it would depend on the status of each one... "Saksaha-san could marry to one of the minor clan samurai, in this case they would marry into your family. Could be that he does not have the gift, but at least will serve the duty set ubon us by the clan, to marry."