Cousin Council [D4 EA - S's Yurt, Closed]

[Iuchi Batul]

"This, too, gives me bad feeling, cousins." Batul was serious and somber, like she had not been before since the Dark Ride. But back then she was a child seeing her fellows being lost in the darkness, and now she was an adult and her duty was to act and speak out. "How sure are we, even, of a darkness, of a danger coming to the Unicorn? And how much aid do we need from this dark ally when we have brothers and sisters samurai in the Embire who would aid us willingly?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Your words are like my own thoughts, cousins," Saksaha says slowly. "It is hard to see how any good should come from this. I cast the stones about it, early this morning, and the omens were also not good, though I could not see very clearly. I read only a great sense of foreboding."

She snags a fried dumpling and breaks it in half, but then sets it in her empty bowl, unable to summon very much enthusiasm for food after repeating the whole tale. "Moto-san believes that because this touches Shinjo-no-Kami, she must go. Shinjo Monkhbataar says he will go with her. I think it likely they are too trusting. This one who calls to them serves a power that will tell any lie, bend any oath, and that tried to harm our Lady once when she went to it with love in her heart. Surely nothing it wants can be good for us, or her. But..." she frowns.

"If it truly knows something about our Lady, or if it holds her prisoner or threatens her, can we turn away from this knowledge? This is what troubles me. I too fear great ill will come to the Iuchi if any of us bargains with this Onyx Champion. Will worse ill come if Moto-san and Shinjo-san go alone, and put bravery before cleverness?"

Tell me you can think of some way to save everyone, cousins. Somehow. Because sure, that's likely.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Can we not leave the gathering of facts to our more martial cousins? Or if not them, then the Ide would be in a better position than the Iuchi for such things at the least, in both keeping records and calming the sometimes fiery spirits of the Moto and Shinjo. Not that I've heard about the Ide plans in regards to the request so far, correct?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I think that... you ought to cast a stone at Moto-san's head. Maybe that would let her see things clearly." Dong-Ha jested. "A stone big enough." he squeezed his hand into a fist indicating the size he deemed appropriate. Let her who knows the best cast the first stone, as Dong-Ha's mother had put it.

"Moto-san doesn't know muzzle from tail. I think she is simply acting out of desire to act." he huffed. "it's matter of the Shinjo, not matter of the Moto, no? If the Shinjo-san wants to reason with the.. enemy, that is in his blood." Shinjo-kami herself was known for her compassion. "And if they put bravery before cleverness... we read prayers over their dead bodies." he added dourly.

"Even if it does? Saksaha-san, how could we trust it? It's a thing that would twist words and minds for its own purposes. As troubling the idea is... I don't know how we could bring ourselves to act on whatever it tells. Without consulting our elders, at least."

"Can we not leave the gathering of facts to our more martial cousins? Or if not them, then the Ide would be in a better position than the Iuchi for such things at the least, in both keeping records and calming the sometimes fiery spirits of the Moto and Shinjo. Not that I've heard about the Ide plans in regards to the request so far, correct?"

"I support this." the young mystic raised his hand. "Let us not march sheep into to the wolf den."

[Iuchi Batul]

"But all this... would it be safe for them? I worry that if they are to abbear before the Onyx one, then he will take aggressive methods against them for abbearing without a member of each family. And if this dark one serves the ninth kami, then do not they also serve the dark powers that Fairuz-sama sboke about? They have already attacked the Unicorn, so this would only give them more bower."

Butal was trying to recall all that the Fairuz had spoken about, something about dark magic, about the practitioner ending up in bones and ashes, if they were to ally themselves to the Onyx Champion, they too would most probably end up in this same way.

"I believe this all to be just a trab to get to us. If we are to save Shinjo-sama, it should be done in another way."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Saksaha nods. "Moto-san has nearly said as much, that action to her is worth more than waiting. I think this risks foolishness. She knows it must be some kind of trap, but believes she can cut her way out of anything that comes, I think. So I fear what hints and dangers she and Shinjo-san may miss--what they may commit themselves to in their Families' names--since it seems to me both favor haste over cunning."

She sighs. "But perhaps you are all right, and there will be little help even if an Iuchi stands with them. If Iuchi warnings did not move them yesterday, why should I hope they will take Iuchi advice at the critical moment?"

Turning to Yukarin, she answers her courtier kinswoman's earlier question. "I do not know what the Ide will do. Ide Amaya-san was there, and seemed very shaken. I do not know her well, but I think she is..." Saksaha searches for a nicer way to express what she's thinking, "...soft-hearted. So it may be she will think of the consequences and refuse, or it may be Moto-san will bear her over by force of will. I can't say."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin nodded, "I only know Ide Amaya-sama as an acquaintance, and have not spoken to her since the start of the miai about Family matters. I may not be an Ide by blood, but perhaps something could be arranged..."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"But all this... would it be safe for them? I worry that if they are to abbear before the Onyx one, then he will take aggressive methods against them for abbearing without a member of each family. And if this dark one serves the ninth kami, then do not they also serve the dark powers that Fairuz-sama sboke about? They have already attacked the Unicorn, so this would only give them more bower."

"I think that... one of us being there, if that happens, would us require to build just one more funeral pyre..." Dong-Ha noted dryly. "No, I don't think we should send anyone. We can ask Moto-san to convey our regards." Dong-Ha flipped his fingers into an obscene sign. He had chosen his ground, and that was one of flipping the bird at this so called champion. "I would rather not perform the final rites for any of you."

Saksaha nods. "Moto-san has nearly said as much, that action to her is worth more than waiting. I think this risks foolishness. She knows it must be some kind of trap, but believes she can cut her way out of anything that comes, I think. So I fear what hints and dangers she and Shinjo-san may miss--what they may commit themselves to in their Families' names--since it seems to me both favor haste over cunning."

She sighs. "But perhaps you are all right, and there will be little help even if an Iuchi stands with them. If Iuchi warnings did not move them yesterday, why should I hope they will take Iuchi advice at the critical moment?"

"Moto-san is fool." Dong-Ha spat. "It's unfortunate that they feel they have something to gain by meeting this... person." there was precious little the Iuchi could do, magic or no magic. "I wonder... if an evil eye rests on her, forcing her to act like this?" He added carefully, almost as if seeking for an explanation to Khulun's madness. They had already established that she carried a foul artifact after all.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Yukarin nodded, "I only know Ide Amaya-sama as an acquaintance, and have not spoken to her since the start of the miai about Family matters. I may not be an Ide by blood, but perhaps something could be arranged..."

"What thing are you thinking of?" Saksaha asks. "I will speak to the others about this tomorrow. Ide-san has said she will be there also..." she trails off expectantly.

"I think that... one of us being there, if that happens, would us require to build just one more funeral pyre..." Dong-Ha noted dryly. "No, I don't think we should send anyone. We can ask Moto-san to convey our regards." Dong-Ha flipped his fingers into an obscene sign. He had chosen his ground, and that was one of flipping the bird at this so called champion. "I would rather not perform the final rites for any of you."
[...]
"Moto-san is fool." Dong-Ha spat. "It's unfortunate that they feel they have something to gain by meeting this... person." there was precious little the Iuchi could do, magic or no magic. "I wonder... if an evil eye rests on her, forcing her to act like this?" He added carefully, almost as if seeking for an explanation to Khulun's madness. They had already established that she carried a foul artifact after all.

Saksaha seems reassured by the more-or-less unified front presented by her kin, something about the set of her shoulders and the small muscles around her eyes and mouth slowly relaxing a little as the talk goes on. If the Moto blood in her veins has been telling her that her instinctive resistance to Khulun's plan might be mere cowardice, the appalled reactions of the other Iuchi remind her that it's also good sense in many, many ways.

"So... you all agree, is this true? The Iuchi will not speak to this Onyx Champion?" She looks around the small circle, wanting to be sure she's not projecting her own opinion on to anyone. "Then we must make our own plans. Moto-san might still be dissuaded, but I do not think it very likely. I have given her a charm against the eyes of evil, but... who knows if her own fate is stronger. I did warn her about the sword, and about the voices of dark spirits," she adds, for Dong-Ha's benefit.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Aye, we agree." Dong-Ha muttered dourly, his opinion clear as the heaven's stars. "Plans for what, cousin? I am no soothsayer, but I don't think anyone can predict how things will turn out. Moto-san will meet this so called champion... and then, something happens. Either she brings a message and we convene again, or we start building pyres for her burial."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"And does the Iuchi not speaking to this Champion include myself, if our other Ide decide I would be needed for one reason or another?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"However he got it, this Champion's creatures had a token that belonged to Lady Shinjo," Saksaha reminds Dong-Ha. "If we can't trust him to speak true of how he came by it--and I do not--then must we not try to find this out ourselves?"

To Yukarin, she says, "If you speak, you speak for the Iuchi, not the Ide. Or that is how it sounds to me. I do not think this power cares who had the schooling of you, only whose name you carry." After all, Iuchi, of all the Unicorn, understand something about the power in names. "Do you wish to speak as Iuchi?"

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Perhaps... I am not downplaying the risk or my ill feeling about this. But if my being there has a possibility of helping even heads prevail and some moderation in viewpoint... But I ask because it is somewhat dependent on the Ide stance; If they are sending a mediator, I would not need to go I think."

[Iuchi Batul]

"We are all agree on it, the Iuchi family will not be bresent in such foul meeting. Going will only bring disaster, and I will bray to the Fortunes that those who go come back alive." There was still pressure on Batul, who would wish there was something that they could do, but in this moment the Unicorn was vulnerable not knowing what could come from the Ninth. The minions of the Dark Brother had continued their taint of the Empire, and the Empire had learned to see their attacks while the Unicorn had been away. Was there any hope on saving Shinjo no kami if the family representatives went? Batul didn't think so.

"Is there no way to bind this creature?" She thought out loud as they mentioned the one that had information on the Kami of the Unicorn. "A way to imbrison it?? I don't think there would be any other way to have mediation with the creature."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Perhaps... I am not downplaying the risk or my ill feeling about this. But if my being there has a possibility of helping even heads prevail and some moderation in viewpoint... But I ask because it is somewhat dependent on the Ide stance; If they are sending a mediator, I would not need to go I think."

"If you wish to go... who I am to say no, but I strongly advise against it. Nothing good will come from such folly." Dong-Ha shook his head. "At least make sure to stand behind the two braves."

"Is there no way to bind this creature?" She thought out loud as they mentioned the one that had information on the Kami of the Unicorn. "A way to imbrison it?? I don't think there would be any other way to have mediation with the creature."

"There are some magics that work like that, though I do not posses any of them..." the young mystic noted. "Someone else might have, but... I think if Saksaha-san had something in her sleeve, she would have spoken by now."