[D3 EE Hotaru's yurt] Shochu, sweets and soothsaying

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

On the agreed hour Dong-Ha left his yurt carrying a small packet wrapped in cloth in his arms. He had donned the same grey-purple wool robe had worn the previous days, though some effort had been made to brush of the worst dust and dirt of the hem. The myriad charms dangling from his belt jingled and chimed as they stuck each other as he made his way towards the northern part of the camp, hoping to seek out a particular yurt. The tent city was bustling with activity, with samurai of various clans chitchatting with each other around campfires and in front of their tents. The sight gave Dong-Ha some hope of a more unified, peaceful Empire.

"Good evening." He called, having reached the tent he has sought. "It's Iuchi Dong-Ha."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Hai! I was expecting you!" An enthusiastic voice called out from the yurt before Hotaru made an appearance, emerging from the entrance so that she could hold the flaps open to allow her guest in. Like most of the day, she was dressed in her traditional miko ensemble of white robes and red hakama, ditching the ornate white haori as the day had gotten too hot. Her hair was tied into a maiden's horse tail.

She bowed deeply and gestured inside, "Welcome, Iuchi-san, please come in and have a seat. I have some tea ready."

Her yurt was rather simple when it came to furnishings, merely going with what the Unicorn had provided her when it comes to her accommodations. She eschewed the fur coverings, however, seeing as what she was typically used to and the hot days meant she had no use for such things. Her space was open in the middle, providing more sitting space. She had a good variety of outfits, which were arranged meticulously. Standing side by side together were the golden statues of Hotei and Bayushi.

Once he was in, she moved to pour some tea for her guest, which seemed like a common blend of green tea that was readily available in the northern camp.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Thank you!" Hotaru's visitor quipped as he returned her bow, smiling shyly as he did so. Dong-Ha followed her invitation, stepping inside the tent. He sought out a pillow and sat down, crossing his legs before him to make himself comfortable. The small packet he had carried was placed on the ground right of him. Before he took a stock of the situation, letting his eyes scan the room. [i]All the clothing... she wasn't beating a small drum when she said her family is doing well." This morsel of knowledge was stored in a corner of his mind. While it was unlikely that he would get to chose his future spouse, his parents would certainly appreciate a wealthy daughter in law.

"Thank you." Dong-Ha bobbed his head as Hotaru poured the the, accepting the offered cup with both of his hands. "I hope the day has treated Bayushi-san well?" The same shy smile still lingered on his lips.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

She set down the pot of tea and folded her fingers together on her lap, letting out a content sigh. "Very well, actually! I mean, today is the Setsuban festival, after all! It's a time for renewal, good luck and optimism. How could I feel anything less than happy? I think I've done my best to spread awareness throughout the day, informing others however I can and helping them send off their good wishes. Even though it's not exactly my home or shrine, I still feel pleased performing such duties."

Reaching for the pot again, she poured herself a cup of tea. She gave a few small blows before taking a sip. It was still hotter to her liking but sometimes people felt more content when the Scorpion takes the first sip of the offered hospitality, not that she assumed Dong-Ha was suspicious of her. "And how was your day? Hope you've found it equally optimistic and blessed?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Is it? I have to admit that we haven't really kept track of the festivals. The Dark Ride... our ride to Rokuga and the hardships on the way gave little reason.. or time for celebrations." his tone was sober as he recalled all those who had lost their lives during this time. "Unicorn were split for a long time during our journeys and each group developed their own customs... I am not sure we have a Setsuban celebrations everyone can agree with." Nomads had fewer reasons to celebrate spring than samurai that depended on agrarian society.

"I have something to go with the tea.." Dong-Ha began unraveling the packet he had brought with him, revealing a small clay bottle and a smaller package wrapped in leaves. He took the latter item and moved carefully it between the samurai, undoing the this hemp string that kept the leaves together, revealing four rectangular pieces of dark red yokan. "..as promised." An upturned palm invited Hotaru to take a piece for herself. "Though, I am afraid it's nothing special."

Dong-Ha couldn't have brought himself to suspect her for two reasons. Firstly, no samurai had ever deceived him, and secondly, the idea of something so small and cute being dangerous was borderline ludicrous. So the man sipped his tea without a hint of worries. "Quite interesting... I met an Isawa by the name.. Nin... Nin..something." He waved his hand as if to dismiss the name as something not important. "Either way, Isawa-san suggested an experiment to determine the duality of elements and the kami. We are planning to use my amulets to manipulate the elements... and then his skills to see how the spirits see this... interaction. He seemed to be worried that our foreign magics would offend the local spirits." Dong-Ha clearly found the notion implausible.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Well, that would explain the lack of celebrations happening around here. And I thought everyone here was too busy to give the festival the proper time of day with the miai going on. She bobbed her head in agreement. "Of course, and it's also your first year back in Rokugan too! I could only imagine that in the future, now that we're all together, we might see a renewed celebration of such festivals? We would be more than happy to reintroduce them to your kin and include you in the celebration."

She smiled softly at the show of bean treats and she nodded in approval. "Hardly anything not special, Iuchi-san. I think it's been a while since I've been yokan around here and I appreciate you sharing them with me. I'm delighted by your offering, thank you! In a small way, it's sort of fitting for the Setsuban too." Well, soy bean, not adzuki bean...almost close enough?

"Ahh..." She nodded at the proposed experiment, which seemed like a more functional means to treat the kami than she's typically used to. "It sounds like Isawa is trying to reconcile your talent as opposed to those of his Family. As I mentioned in our previous meeting some time ago, his Family did admittedly standardize our practice of communing with the element in the Empire. To find another means must be an endless source of fascination to them. Beyond the talk, I hope he was good company?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"As soon as we agree on how... and when to celebrate them." he chuckled. "As much as we are willing to learn your ways, I think we cannot forget what we have become. I am sue my kith and kin will roam the Empire, observe and return with their stories." the thought pleased him. "And I am equally sure that some of you... joining us, will teach us the ways of the Empire."

"I am glad you are glad. Perhaps Bayushi-san can think them as an [url0https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%81%A9%E8%BF%94%E3%81%97]ongaeshi[/url]? You promised to show me how you read the strands of fate after all." His tone was hopeful, betraying Mich of his curiosity. The fact that the treat could somehow fit the festival had not occurred to him. "Please, feel free to take some." he followed his own instructions, grabbing a piece between his fingers.

"That is likely, though he seemed really curious about our magic." Dong-Ha's smile widened into a grin as he recalled proving her the potency of the Iuchi magics. "But yes, that could be it. Either way, I am curious to see how things turn out." He was quite sure he wasn't offending the spirits, but it never hurt to check. "He even invited an another shugenja to join us so that we can repeat the experiment if needed."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Oh, of course! I'm sure that's part of the reason why this miai was held for you, to aid the Unicorn and the rest of the Empire reconcile together. Marriage is a powerful bonding tradition, bringing both people and families together. In a way, I'd think that process has already started," she chuckled.

"If you wish to pay a favour to me with these treats, I'd be more than happy to accept, but it's not something you should do out of obligation. Reading the fates is something that I do and you're giving me the opportunity to put my learned skills and talents into use. You're also entrusting me with what I may learn abpit, which is not an easy thing to bestow to just anyone. It's a responsibility that can't be accepted by just anyone on the street reading your fortune! In a sense, I think the exchange has already been completed," she smiled warmly at that thought.

Her eyes went to his fingers for a moment, recalling the last time they had dumplings together and reapplied her smile again as she picked off where they left. "Oooh, he seems to be rather fascinating company! I hope you're able to learn much from your experiment. I suppose would be good to gather some of their opinions, the kami, I mean. I would be interested in learning more about your findings, maybe I should speak to Isawa-san? At the very least, I have a Yogo kin who might be more fascinated with such things. The...scholarly shugenja, I mentioned in passing. Yogo Yuichi, if you haven't met him yet."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Dong-Ha only smiled shyly when the topic of marriage came up, not feeling comfortable of discuss implications of such an unions with someone who was high enough in standings to potentially pick him. Not that he could see why she would chose him, seeing how there were others, more handsome and wealthier men around.

"If you say so, Bayushi-san." he returned to her smile with one of his, wondering why she bothered hiding her features with the small mask of hers. Surely someone as kind as her did not need to remind others that she might have ulterior motives. And besides, the patch covered some of her features, some of which he would have wanted to see more of. "Feel free to ask if anything comes your mind, and I'll try to answer."

"He was, he was. Isawa-san was most helpful with my questions." Dong-Ha admitted. "I guess it wouldn't hurt talking with him. Or then you could come to see our experiment, tomorrow morning." an invitation was granted. "I'm sure the others would have nothing against that." Isawa had insisted on inviting the Moshi, after all.

As Dong-Ha waited for her response, he took a bite of his yokan, happily chewing the treat. "Does Bayushi-san like sweets?"

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OOC: It's LM. It's ok if you don't want to be in an another 4 player thread.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"I don't have too many questions at the moment. If anything, I've found that I learn about things I've been curious about and things I've never thought about just spending time with your people! I think I just need to spend more time among the Unicorn. A few of your kin dropped by the shrine today, which was lucky of me! Perhaps if there were something like the picnic yesterday." Her smile turned faint, as if showing annoyance that was barely covered "...Except with some more cross interaction among each other...but maybe my cousin and your kin were lucky enough to find Benten's blessing in each other. Such lucky samurai!"

She considered the invitations with a few beats of silence. "Maybe I'll be available. I'd like to start my mornings at the shrine to meet morning worshipers. It doesn't help that the shrine isn't much of a temple, but it's still a place to pray. Ancestors are only one of the conduits of the Heavens, as they are greater than us and watch our steps, in a sense. Do you know who else will be partaking in this experiment?"

Hotaru helped herself to a morsel of dessert finally, thankfully to have something that was familiar and sweet. It was also most importantly not laced with milk. She imagined that the next banquet with them was going to be a deadly game, but hopefully would have secured an understanding Unicorn husband by then. "I do! I don't try to eat too much of it, however. We don't get too many sweets at the temple...or the town, even. That'll be getting too used to a good thing, but that makes such occassions only more treasurable. Mm, my thanks, Iuchi-san!"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Oh is that so? That's good then." Dong-Ha tried to cover his disappointment. He had hoped she would have had more questions. "Oh yes, they seemed... erm... get well along." a slight blush crept on his face as he realized the implications of such a blessing. "I cannot see why Bayushi-san could not find similar luck herself. She is held in high esteem by the Ide and... she is very pretty." he almost swallowed the last words.

"Ah, I think that we might actually be at the shrine. Isawa-san seemed to think it would make a good location for such an experiment." his fingers scratched the thin stubble growing on his chin. "Well, as far I I know it's me, Isawa-san and Moshi-san. I guess Isawa-san might being others, but I also think that he wants to be the one to solve the matter." a soft chuckle followed. The Phoenix priest had seemed rather interested in the topic.

"Can't say I'd eat them often either. Sometimes we get honey... a treat!" he seemed rather excited about that. "And sometimes we have sweetbread. Beans..." he pointed at the yokan. "Are more rare. We don't exactly grow things, yet." Some of the heimin had been entertaining the idea of growing their food now that the clan had settled. The idea seemed revolutionary. "That too, seems to be changing. Maybe in the future yokan will be a commonplace among the Unicorn."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru giggled at the compliment paid to her with a tinge of colour on her cheeks. Her hand went to her hair, which would have been usually worn down, but she didn't find it in the usual place when reached for it. Dropping her hand, she returned it to her lap and dipped her head in small thanks. "...Thank you, Iuchi-san. I'm pleased that you think so! It's not something most people bring up..." Especially when she was standing alongside her sisters. "If they appreciate me, they only need to talk to me, which many haven't yet!"

"Perhaps, if I were to hold an event of my own?" She mused to herself for a moment before going to the topic of the experiment. "Oh, just Isawa-san and Moshi-san? If you're going to be by the shrine, I can drop by effortlessly then! Perhaps I will be there after all. Seeing as I'll be in the company of shugenja and those with capable talents, maybe we could consider talking about theology right after? Not to overshadow Isawa-san's event, so only after everything is done."

She took a moment to have some more sweets, assuming the following game event was probably going to have its share of Unicorn food to appease them. It was better to get your fill now than later. She moved to refill their cup of tea if Dong-Ha wished for a refill. "Unicorn yokan? That's something to consider in the future then. Those are just one of the advantages of having land of your own, ne? I'm sure sweets are just the beginning of it, too. Have you ever dreamed of having a home to yourself, and not just a yurt? Or maybe even a business of your own?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I am." he added, somewhat flustered, only to wave his hand in the air as if to dispel the awkward situation as his gaze dropped to the ground. Even if the purpose of the miai was to find someone you thought was a good match, discussing the matter wasn't exactly easy. "Sorry..." he muttered quietly. "Just that... nevermind." Perhaps she would drop the topic and spare him from further embarrassment?

"Well, if that is the case, we'll see tomorrow." Dong-ha smiled, seemingly pleased by the turn of events. "I am sure that Isawa-san and Moshi-san will let you join. You are all priests after all." Also, as far as he knew, there was no bad blood between the clans in question. "What... Bayushi-san would mean by theology? I know the word, but..." Did the priests here compare notes on which Fortune was the most generous?

"Well, we'd need to grow beans first, though I think some of the heimin are considering that. Well, as soon as they figure out what we can grow there." The Lion had been kind enough to harvest everything before Unicorn's arrival so there was only so much they could do. "I expect the other heimin follow the example, eventually. We cannot feed our people by hunting and raiding anymore." At least, Unicorn's neighbors probably would not have appreciated raiding parties.

He took the offered refill with muttered apologies. "Home... yes. Having to set up a tent day after day gets rather repetitive." Dong-ha chuckled softly and then exhaled as if he was dispelling a particularly unpleasant memory. "Business... I don't know. I mean, I am still very much a student. I guess in the future I could become a healer like my mother, but I think my father wants me to follow his footsteps... meaning that I'd become a sensei." Of course being a sensei of the family school ensured steady influx of income from both the clan and the students.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru spoke no more about the topic of her appearance or looks, to prevent their meeting from getting awkward. She still had to read his fortune eventually and they haven't gotten to that. There was, however, a small smirk in the corner of her lips as the complement still remained in her thoughts. It's not something she gotten often from samurai, seeing as there were few in her town to begin with. Pleasants, sure, but they were on a lower level when it came to the meaning of words.

"Ooooh, it would be good to speak to others when it comes to how they see their devotion to the kami and the Fortunes. Despite knowing the Phoenix and Moshi for years, the Empire as a whole I mean, I personally haven't spoken to many priests outside of my Clan. I know the Phoenix and Moshi are famed for their devoutness, so I figured it would it would a common topic and get a chance to know each other better." Scorpion priests weren't normally as devout as her, but she did see it as an opportunity to compare notes.

"Hunting and raiding?" She questioned with a tilt of her head, wondering if she had stumbled on some darker side of the Unicorn. "I know that Iuchi Sakusaha-san milked goats with her own hands and apparently the Unicorn are sometimes in charge of finding food for themselves. Have you usually gone on these excursions of your own? What were you expected to pick or...milk, prior to your arrival?"

She refilled his cup and replaced the pot of tea on the tray. "Okay! Not a business then, a school is a rewarding venture that anyone would be proud of. I think you would take a good number of students with your special skills, both from the future generations of Unicorn and those who are curious enough to learn from you! I know that your talent works wonders! There's a lot of honour in that, isn't that right?" Money, too.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I see, I see, such a gathering would be then an opportunity for Bayushi-san as well." Dong-Ha nodded slowly, his tone approving of her apparent motivations. "I take that you haven't had that many chances to venture outside the lands of your clan then?" Seeing how her duties seemed to be bound to a location, that seemed rather likely. As he waited for her response, he took a sip of his tea, gently swirling the liquid in the cup.

"Sometimes..." he chuckled. "Not all the tribes we've come across were friendly, and some tried to take advantage of our plight. Sometimes, the Moto would return the favor. Not that it was commonplace, but still..." To be a samurai was to serve, and if your lord required you to procure foodstuffs from others... you did that without asking questions. "...sometimes it was necessary." There was a hint of grim determination in his voice, even if he had been too young to take part to such. "As for me.. I was young back then... so I only helped the others to gather food. Berries, fruits..."

Hearing Hotaru mention milking he chuckled. "Everyone's expected to milk the animals when necessary, though. There are only so many heimin." The surviving Unicorn almost outnumbered their peasants... and during the journey the line between ruling nobility and their farmhands had become blurred.

As the topic of his school came up, his eyes brightened. "Yes, I don't remember if I mentioned this, but my father's sensei could draw lineage from Iuchi Nobane-shiryo, one of the finest students of Iuchi-shiryo himself. It is said that Iuchi Nobane-shiryo was the one who perfected Iuchi-shiryo's work on the amulets... and thus, my father is held in high esteem among my kin." Dong-Ha might have been somewhat shy young man, but he was still fiercely proud of his spiritual lineage. And when Dong-Ha's father would retire, he or one of his sisters would inherit the mantle.

"Pray tell me, has Bayushi-san ever ridden a horse?" He hoped she wasn't afraid of the large animals, small as she was.