Breakfast For Bastards (D5 Late Morning) [Mizuki's Room]

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj ponders the matter genuinely with a slight frown. He stops eating, doing so without a fork is arduous anyway. "If betrayal is just once and is not something you could do anything about, Butaj has a heart big enough to forgive and trust again. Life is only as kind to us as we make it, and too short to give in to grudging and blaming. With Butaj being who he is, it should not surprise Yogo Mizuki that Butaj believes in sunshine after storm, in second chances. Hopefully not fourth or fifth chances though, that might be too much even for Butaj." Perhaps Butaj does not fully realise the gravity of the Yogo Curse, or just can't imagine possible consequences of betrayal, but he clearly sees it more as an inconvenience that a deal-breaker. He looks at Mizuki with curiosity. The woman clearly does not beat around the bush and he wonders if he could have feelings for her.

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki smiles but is conflicted. Maybe I could love him. But that would be cruel.

"No. It is only once. Sometimes, it isn't the worse thing in the world such as my mother giving birth to me. Sometimes, it is much worse. I have an uncle who helped a Kuni Witch Hunter. They found a cult of maho-tsukai." Mizuki wasn't sure what he knew of magic, so she added, "Magic users who have sold their soul to the Dark One for power. Together they destroyed them. They had a child there. The Kuni wanted to kill him. My uncle argued that he was just a boy. He shouldn't be punished for what his parents did. It was about a decade later when that boy became a man and killed my uncle's family." Why am I pushing him away? Isn't this what I want? Someone who can live with the burden of a Yogo's love?

"Most of the time, it is not so dramatic. Otherwise, how would we have survived? Most of the time, it is something that we can live with."

Mizuki takes a sip of tea. "I'm sorry for such unpleasantness. But the Unicorn have been away for a long time. It would be wrong to not let you know what any non-Unicorn would know. But yes. It is only once."

Mizuki puts her tea down and takes a bite of rice while Butaj absorbs the information.

[Moto Butaj]

Ever Butaj, Butaj looks for positives. Even the tale of maho-tsukai does not click with his alertness for he lacks a frame of reference. Besides, the Dark Ride has dulled his sense of being aghast by foul forces by a wide margin. "Misfortunes like that or similar happen even without terrible curses. Butaj has no curse he knows of and yet he lost his parents during the Return. Butaj does not understand why people abandon good things in life just because bad things have happened or may happen to them. Butaj thinks you can't overcome suffering with more suffering, but with joy." He rubs his stubble. "Honestly, Butaj believes we are all better than our worst moments, and so there is no point in obsessing about this one-time hiccup, especially if it is known it will happen and you can prepare a relationship for it. If Butaj were to marry Mizuki he would have more serious problems of how he can fit into the Scorpion Clan. Also, while Butaj would be blind not to notice how comely Mizuki is, things may just not click. Butaj would be very sad to be locked in an affectionless marriage. After listening to Mizuki Butaj would now be more wary of a Yogo spouse who obsesses so much about that curse that she refuses to love Butaj altogether." He looks at Mizuki inquisitively wondering if this is her secret plan.

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki for her part, isn't sure what her plan is. "That's not who I want to be. But sometimes..." Mizuki shakes her head. "I want to live my life regardless of the Curse. Thank you Butaj-san for reminding me of that." Maybe I could love him. Poor bastard. She tried not to think about Sutiechi. After all, she's marrying an Unicorn.

"And fitting into the Scorpion Clan... I will not lie to you. There will be difficulties. As one of the courtly Clans, many are interested in schemes and appearances. Few are as direct as me. But that is not to say you could not have a place."

Mizuki puts down her tea cup. "Almost a decade ago, a powerful tsukai named Iuchiban rose up against the Empire. He raised an army of the undead and marched them against the throne. My Clan held Beiden's Pass. We lost many, many samurai. But we prevented Iuchiban's army from breaking through and harming the rest of the Empire. We are just now recovering. Then, at a recent Winter Court, we received more land. Frankly, the amount of land we have stretches us thin. A man capable on a horse such as the Unicorn are would be valuable. Maybe even teach others in my Clan a thing or two. Not that some of the more traditional ones would want to learn, but I have seen a little of the Unicorn. It would be valuable for my Clan to learn some of your ways with your horses. I'm not saying it would be perfect. I'm not saying it would be easy. But you could find a place there."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj nods. He has heard a bit of Iuchiban already. "Butaj thinks it is something he could not work with. The Moto haven't given him an easy time for being illegitimate, so Butaj has some tough skin on his back and the strength to seek a way forward despite difficulty. Butaj is more worried that duplicity would get on his nerves too much when dealing with those who like schemes and appearances. If Mizuki is in minority of the Scorpion in being honest, Butaj would rely on you even more because Butaj gets angry if he's lied to too much for someone's convenience. Butaj is forthcoming without being manipulated to help, so he has no respect for people who try tricks on Butaj anyway. I think it is only fair to say this to Mizuki because Butaj thinks it might cause her problems within her Clan to have a husband like Butaj. On the other hand, Butaj gets along well with Soshi Taira and Soshi Yuuru, and Bayushi Hotaru, so maybe it's not that big a thing after all."

Butaj observes her hands before seeking her eyes again.

"Butaj must also be honest on one other thing. While Mizuki is beautiful, kind and honest, Butaj has only just met you. There are two other women in this pairing kurultai that have been very good to Butaj and Butaj feels fondly about them, and would not be unhappy if either became his wife. While in the end Butaj will do what is best for the Unicorn, Mizuki may be off to a bumpy start with Butaj if she picks him without appealing to his heart before that."

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki didn't like hearing that. But she wasn't really bothered. Just another hypocrisy from the other Clans. Accusing the Scorpion of being sinful, but they did the same things. It was annoying. "I promise you. We are among the most honest of Clans. The other Clans can be just as duplicitous as us. We just admit it. I understand your concern, but know that few Clans would be any easier."

The second bit was a bit trickier. "I do not begrudge you for your feelings. If I am to be entirely honest, there is a man I care for, but he is not Unicorn, so it does not matter. I would not want to stand in your way. But I must admit, I'm not sure how to appeal to your heart. Winning over hearts is not something I have much experience with. Usually, the name Yogo stops that."

She looks at her rice, thinking of what to say next. "I would like for us to get to know each other better. Maybe you can have a better opinion afterwards. And if at the end of this miai you don't have the feelings for me as you do those other women, just tell me. I will take you off of my list of considerations." Mizuki smiles. "Even if we are not to be husband and wife, I would like us to leave here as friends."

[Moto Butaj]

"Butaj chooses to believe you the the Scorpion are honest, or at least no more dishonest than other easterners. So far the only person Butaj has found dishonest is one of the Rabbit Clan." He takes a sip of tea. "Butaj respects Mizuki for the fairness you have treated him with, and your reluctance in making Butaj unhappy by a loveless pick. It is certainly a good start." He smiles. "Butaj also thinks that it is important for husband and wife to be good friends too, so building friendship won't hurt either. Perhaps Butaj and Mizuki can share some things they consider important to who they are, and see if we can appeal to each other with them? Butaj would like to sing and play music for Mizuki."

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki smiles. "I would like that."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj's words and deeds were not far in between. He smiles brightly and takes off morin khur, his horsehead fiddle, from his back to play for her. He chooses a delicate, atmospheric composition that he thinks could go well with her tea drinking experience.

(Song!)

Day 5 - LM - Playing and Singing for Mizuki - Ag/Fiddle, Awa/Song (Sensation, Voice) - Both 1R (more charm): 2#5d10e10k4 24 35

His play is more than adequate but what truly appeals is his scale-hopping voice that draws her thoughts away from confined places, into the freedom of the open steppe where summer wind caresses her skin.

[Yogo Mizuki]

After he was done, Mizuki says, "That was wonderful. You are truly a talented man." She's smiling.

Mizuki gives a bit of thought. "I do a bit of acting. I am not as good at as you are with..." What is that thing called? "your instrument or your singing. But I can perform a piece for you if you like."

[Moto Butaj]

"Butaj would like to see Mizuki perform." He nods. "And it's morin khur." He puts the instrument perpendicularly to himself, along the side of the table, box toward her, so she could inspect it later.

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki nods. "This is a monologue from Kakita Ai's Sisters. It's the story of Shinjo and Doji. This monologue is the final one from Doji as Shinjo leaves on her journey."

The monologue is about bittersweet loss. It ends on a positive note with a promise see each other again when Shinjo comes hope. She does a pretty good job.

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj nods appreciatively as he contemplates the performance. He is impressed. "Very interesting. So is this what theatre is about? Acting as legendary gods and heroes saying lines written by someone who imagined how it could have looked like?"

[Yogo Mizuki]

Mizuki nods. "Yes. But there's often deeper meaning. Kakita Ai had lost her sister in a war with the Crab before she wrote this. The monologue I gave wasn't just about Shinjo and Doji. But about Ai and how she would see her sister again in the next life. That's what I like about the theater. If you want to know what the heroes did, you can go read the histories. The theater - good theater - is about how we see them and how they help guide us. The story of Shinjo and Doji helped Kakita Ai grieve for her sister and turn it into something beautiful."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj taps his chin. "Butaj thinks he understands. Are there theatre stories which help Mizuki the way they helped Kakita Ai?"