[D5, EA] Not really lost

[Kitsu Takashi]

Amid the sea of tents, with some doors and flags flapping gently in the days breeze, Takashi is strolling and adding notes to a parchment at the same time. Not having really tracked his movements, the athletic Lion finds, when he's done with his notes, that he's not entirely sure where he is.

Hmm. Being lost would be terribly unbecoming. And I can't be too far from my tent...

His eyes continue to dart around the tents and people nearby. But, try as he might, the usually smiling Lion isn't doing as well as he thinks at appearing like everything is fine.

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe felt... a little at loss about what to do with her day. With Chi-Pu's death, she had more or less thrown out her notes on the war against the Naga when she heard the Battlemaiden had died against a giant serpent-creature.

So the Hare decided to 'walk the tortoise', so to speak. Which meant she carried the tortoise around with her as she went for a stroll.

Spotting the familiar Lion, she changed her course to meet with him. "Kitsu-sama?" the Hare said, noting that he seemed... a little lost, perhaps?

[Kitsu Takashi]

Takashi turns toward the voice, looking confused for only a heartbeat before showing an easy smile at the familiar face. "Oh, Usagi-san, good day. How nice to see you," he adds with apparent relief. "And your..." he pauses, seeming to look for a more creative description than where he lands: "companion. Who is an interesting choice for a Hare samurai, no?" His tone and manner seem a touch warmer than expected, perhaps covering the last traces of his prior confusion.

As he chats, the Lion meticulously returns his parchment and charcoal to his kimono, careful to avoid smudging as much as he can.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Ah, this is Ganko-chan," she held up the tiny tortoise that even fit into her hands with ease. "She was a gift from my sensei."

"... Is there anything I can help you with, Kitsu-sama?" she asked, giving a curious look to the parchment he was tucking away.

[Kitsu Takashi]

"Ah, Ganko-chan, pleased to meet you," he says warmly to the small creature. Who's probably wholely unimpressed.

"And no, Usagi-san, no, all is well. I was just..." He waves a hand vaguely. "Just adding to my notes. There is so much to observe, so much to learn. To try to keep track, I must have notes." He looks at her thoughtfully for a moment, recalling that their previous meeting was an occasion when he hadn't been taking notes. "I am a scribe," he says, to help explain his behavior. "One of my first instincts when I learn something is to write it down so it can be shared with my kin."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"A scribe? I had the impression you were one of the omoidasu or perhaps a historian?" The Hare said with curiosity.

The tortoise was indeed unimpressed. Pfft. Lions.

[Kitsu Takashi]

Takashi chuckles a little. "Usagi-san flatters a bit, or perhaps I undervalue my contributions."

"Usagi-san is correct that training with the Ikoma is often a path to join the historians and the omoidasu in their revered roles. However, many Ikoma must serve as diplomats, as advisors to officials or officials themselves, and so on. It might be confusing to introduce oneself as 'a historian, now let's talk about this trade agreement.' As a scribe in the court of Shiranai Toshi, it would be confusing, and could even show arrogance, if I introduced myself as an omoidasu. Perhaps someday I shall, but not yet."

"What do you do, Usagi-san? Besides providing Ganko-chan such a lovely system of transportation, of course."

[Usagi Tomoe]

She smiled at his good humor.

"I'm a historian for the Hare, trained by the Asako loremasters... but like yourself, I serve in other capacities too: as a scribe, and I have training in medicine as well. I don't have the experience yet to be a diplomat."

[Kitsu Takashi]

"Very respectable roles," he nods. "And training with the Phoenix is a prestigious thing. Not many from a minor clan would be recognized with such distinction. Usagi-san is perhaps a great talent in our shared field?" He asks kindly.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I wouldn't be so bold as to make a claim like that," she smirked. "My mother was a Phoenix before her marriage to my father, and it was arranged for me to train with her birth-clan. Not that I'm very suited for the duties of a bushi, and I have no talent with the kami."

"I do like to think I can be pretty smart sometimes," Tomoe said with a playful grin, confidently poking a little fun at herself.

[Kitsu Takashi]

"And you tell an excellent story," Takashi says, recalling their last meeting. He smiles at that thought. "Historians who can tell a good story--who can connect the past that we know with the current we are trying to address--sometimes make the best diplomats."

He looks at Tomoe thoughtfully. "Is diplomacy the future you would choose, if it were up to you?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"You're kind to say so, Kitsu-sama, but I think I might stick to non-fiction in the future... it seems the telling of my favorite childhood fairytale didn't go over so well for some," she smiled a little bitterly as she still remembered the rumors.

"Hm... maybe? I mean, I believe I could certainly do it, with a little bit more experience and pointers from a more experienced diplomat. And if I marry in the Unicorn, I'd be happy to serve in that capacity, seeing as I'm already familiar with how the Empire functions."

[Kitsu Takashi]

The Kitsu shakes his head at mention of the story's imperfect reception. "I have seen and heard how in courtly settings, a storyteller is wise to 'consider the audience,' because some audiences can better appreciate certain stories. But, at least among many omoidasu, there seems a stronger conviction to 'tell the story that needs telling.' Of course, the Usagi and the Asako may have specific ideas about how much an audience can be 'pushed' to think."

At her mention of marriage, Takashi turns more solemn. He speaks candidly, voice a bit lower than it has been: "I have probably not thought enough about what marriage could mean. To leave my clan... I think it would be a hard duty to perform."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe nodded as he shared his opinion on storytelling, but the more pressing matter seemed to be the impending marriage.

"A hard duty to perform? How so? Do you mean finding your place among them?"