[D4 EE] Shelter In Place

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Misborn bastard of a camel and a snake...!" Saksaha pants out one of her grandmother's more colorful Moto curses as she darts into the stable, bouncing off a wooden stall gate in her haste. So much for reading the stars this evening. She'll be lucky if she can make it back to her tent.

It's not the water she's worried about, she tells herself as she brushes at the rivulets running off her woolen clothing--it's that this storm looks like lightning, and that really is something to be feared on an open plain like this one.

[Seppun Hideo]

When you have an umbrella, you can get through the rain easily. Simple, right?

Wrong. Sometimes the rain falls sideways, and the underside of the umbrella is wetter than the outside! Soaked through, Hideo made a beeline for the closest building, or tent, or...something. He didn't even notice the location as he very quickly dived inside and out of the rain, almost crashing into the Unicorn that had done the same thing only a few minutes before, his silk kimono soaked through.

"Ah, my apologies!" He quickly said to the woman.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

...when suddenly, while her back is turned, a speeding bundle of wet silk and pointy-lookin' umbrella crashes into her!

Saksaha doesn't even stumble, seeming rooted as the Earth that is her strongest element. She does grunt a little--"Ah!"--and reacts on instinct, shoving back to pin her attacker against the flexible lattice of the stable-tent's inner wall with all the weight of her compact but sturdy body...

...and then the rest of her brain catches up. Hastily, she bounces away, flushing bright red to the ears.

"No, no, it is I who should apologize." She brushes at the strands of long hair which have come loose from her braid and plastered themselves to her face with rainwater. "I acted without thinking."

[Seppun Hideo]

Hideo finds himself easily pushed against - and pinned against - the inner walls of the stable. He hadn't expected it, and it took him a few moments after she moved away to think through what happened as he turned around.

He looked at the woman. A Unicorn?

After a few moments, he bowed.

"It is...quite alright, Iuchi-san?" He was sure the woman was an Iuchi by mon "it appears the strength of the Unicorn is not to be underestimated even in surprise" he chuckled, hoping to smooth the incident over "I am Seppun Hideo, priest of the Imperial families."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Yes, I am Iuchi--Iuchi Saksaha." Still somewhat mortified, with her mind rapidly rehearsing every bit of Rokugani etiquette she's crammed in recent months, she absolutely does remember to bow. "It is, um, a pleasure to meet you, Seppun-sama. I hope your umbrella is also all right."

Hopefully the sounds she'd heard in the heat of the moment were just the rain and the tent-lattice creaking, and not some damage she'd done to him or his things...

[Seppun Hideo]

Hideo collected his umbrella, soaked as it was, and checked it. It luckily seemed ok though.

"The Umbrella survived, as useful as it has been in this weather" he commented, listening to the storm raging outside "it appears we may be stuck here for a while. The weather really turned, neh? I hope you are well?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Scarcely wet at all," she affirms, semi-truthfully--the first rush rain got to her braided hair pretty well, but her woolen robes shed most it, and her feet in their felt-and-leather boots are safely dry. "And all well otherwise. It is lucky I was walking close by here."

A horse in a nearby stall snorts and paws its bedding as if in agreement, and she cracks a small, surprised smile at this unexpected addition to the conversation.

[Seppun Hideo]

Hideo did take a moment to gaze over the womans attire, and nodded. "It seems the robes of the Unicorn are built to resist surprise rain well. These silks are perhaps less resistant" he held his arms out, showing the kimono looking quite soaked. He looked over at the sound, and finally he worked out where he was.

"Ah...I do hope we won't be causing restlessness among the animals by stealing their home to avoid the rain?" He looked to the Unicorn for guidance on that

[Iuchi Saksaha]

She laughs a little at that. "I think not, Seppun-sama. On the trail, the times are not few that our animals have shared our tents at times of rain or cold. It is only fair if we ask them to return the favor."

Now that she's standing still, and no longer wondering if she's about to be challenged to a duel for assaulting a guest, Saksaha takes a moment to look around her. She doesn't recognize any of the horses stabled in here, but all seem to be calm enough despite the noisy rain, unlikely to give the lie to her reassurance. Unless this Seppun Hideo wants to pass the time by starting a drum circle or juggling fire or something, the livestock will probably remain unbothered by the two humans.

[Seppun Hideo]

"Is that so?"

Hideo turned to the animals, bowing to them and saying "thank you honourable horses for allowing us to shelter in your homes for a time. We promise to not disturb you too much."

He turned back to the woman with a smile but it was clear he did intend to show respect to the horses, not to tease. "How has Iuchi-san found the miai so far?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Saksaha presses her fingers to her mouth to contain her smile as the young man addresses his thanks to their horsey companions with such a serious air.

"The miai? It has been... I do not know what I expected," she admits. "I suppose that even in Rokugan, most people do not attend more than one, and cannot compare them. Is it a usual way to choose one's husband here? Or, um, wife?"

[Seppun Hideo]

"It is very uncommon for a samurai to attend two miais, after all that would imply the first marriage ended" Hideo nodded "and miai are not common either. The usual way for marriages to be arranged is for a Nakodo to arrange it through discussions between the arranging clans. Sometimes the samurai in the marriage wouldn't have met until that moment, but usually they will at least know each other. On rare occasions, the marriages will have the blessings of Benten as well as the clan. What are the usual marriage customs for the Unicorn?" He asked, curious.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"We consult the elders... that is close enough to your nakodo, by the sound." Actually, she's a little unclear, from context alone, about whether this 'nakodo' thing is a person or some kind of ceremony, but either way... close enough?

"Because there were not a great many who left the Empire with Shinjo-no-kami, our ancestors made a rule that no bloodlines may cross too often or too closely among us. So a marriage cannot be made without comparing the lineage of the bride and groom. Beyond this..." she shrugs. "Boy meets girl, and if they like each other well they may wed. Or if you are not quick enough at it, or your lineage is an important one, maybe your family will introduce someone for you."

Finding this standing-around a little awkward, especially if they're going to be stuck here for a while, she takes a few steps over to the corner where the heimin stablemen have stored their tools and locates an empty wooden bucket and a mounting block. She nudges the block further out into the middle of the dirt floor with her foot, sets the bucket upside-down nearby, and with a gesture indicates that as a guest of the clan, Hideo can have first pick of these luxurious accommodations.

[Seppun Hideo]

Hideo manages not to react at the choice of buckets to sit on, but he decides to sit on the block after checking that it was clean enough.

"So the marriage rules for the Unicorn did not differ too much from Rokugan" he commented with a nod "I am glad to hear that traditions had remained from before your kin left. You mentioned marriage within the Unicorn, should I take this to mean you and your kin never married with those you met in the lands beyond Rokugan?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Hmm. Perched on the bucket, Saksaha... processes.

Matsu Yurio's reaction when she'd told him the story of the Moto family cautions Saksaha that there are some pitfalls here. On the other hand, Yurio had seemed fine when she told him the clan had to be careful to avoid too much in-crossing... but wait, crap, what if he actually hadn't understood that? She feels her ears burn just a little with delayed maybe-embarrassment. On the other other hand, though, there is not much point or virtue in concealing history from this Seppun Hideo or anybody else. The Unicorn are what they are, and she knows they have nothing to be ashamed of.

All this takes a few beats to go through Saksaha's mind as the rain picks up its tempo on the tent roof.

"Um, no, Seppun-san," she at last says as politely as she can. "Of course our ancestors did so, at times. All who marry Unicorn swear the oath Shinjo-no-Kami made for the Moto, and become Unicorn. Just as your wife, I suppose, will become Seppun." She inclines her head in a sort of respectful semi-bow.