[D6 LA] Fair Trade

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga chuckled at the little joke, their proximity making it easily heard, his chest vibrating.

The sensation of her hair brushing against him made Tomonaga shiver ever so slightly. With her head turned, her face was not far from his. This ride... is going to be very interesting. "Okay." He said, his voice soft. His hands came up to gently grip her waist, just above her hips, his fingers digging in only very lightly.

"Yes, let's." He said. "Hmmm. Actually, this works great. You set the speed, and I can tell you the story I promised."

[Ide Samai]

His shiver set off another shiver through her as well, her hair further brushing him after the shiver.

And then his hands settled on her... she almost leaned back. It was so tempting... but no, she will not lead to rumors. She will be strong! Yes! Strong! And gentle. But mostly strong.

"I will do that then.." She started a slow canter for now, nothing too fast. "So, what is this mysterious story?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

For his part, Tomonaga had to resist the urge to wrap his arms entirely around her narrow waist, and hold her to him. But they were not so far away from the village yet, and eyes could be on them.

"Ah, the story." With his mouth close to her ear, it was easy to hear him, even as he spoke conversationally. "This is the story of Hida Kagenaga, one of the great mythic heroes of the Crab." He chuckled. "Well, we're pretty sure he was a real samurai, but his exploits are mythical.

He paused a moment, listening to the sound of Scirocco's hoofbeats, enjoying Samai's closeness. "Hida Kagenaga was a mighty warrior, among the greatest the Crab had ever seen." His voice took on a storytelling cadence. "Even before his gempukku, it was said that he could fight a dozen of his fellows and emerge victorious. He was tall and strong, standing almost seven feet tall, and a swing of his tetsubo would scatter lesser men aside."

"For all that he was a mighty warrior, Kagenaga was also very emotional. When his parents died, he wept bitter tears, as he did when he lost a friend. At the same time, he was also prone to great rages, lashing out furiously, although never at his comrades. And, even worse, dark depressions, that left him unresponsive to the pleas of his friends."

"This was before the wall, of course, when were it not for the patrols of the Crab, the dark things in the south could come and go as they pleased. When he came of age, Kagenaga was stationed at the keep that is now the ninth tower, where need for his strength was great. It was there that he first met his lord, Lord Masakage." A significant pause. "And his lord's daughter, Fumiko-hime."

[Ide Samai]

"Ooooooh, those are the best kind of stories." She listened excitedly. "Oooooh, sounds good so far!" While exclaiming, se was leading her horse around some holes in the ground. It wouldn't do good to have a broken leg.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga grinned at his audience's apparent enjoyment of the story. "Guess I should keep going, then." He murmured, his breath brushing her ear.

Sitting back up, he continued. "Lord Masakage's keep was often under assault by the dark forces. There were rarely enough men to make full patrols. Sometimes there were scarcely enough to man the walls. The situation was dire indeed, and Lord Masakage despaired."

"This all changed when Kagenaga arrived, though. He could hold a section of the keep's wall by himself, each swing of his tetsubo smashing down an invader, no matter how fearsome. And when he went out on patrol, they crushed whatever forces of the enemy they found, Kagenaga's strength leading the way, and leading every one of his fellows home safe. He was beloved by the other soldiers as their savior, and the mightiest warrior of the keep. Lord Masakage was pleased."

"He was less pleased by other developments. Kagenaga and Fumiko-hime had begun spending time together. For while he was a mighty warrior, he was also capable of great gentleness, and this drew the princess to him as much as his strength. He would often come and visit her in her garden, which she loved. And soon she came to love him, as well."

"But Kagenaga was not of high birth. Lord Masakage had great hopes for her marriage, hoping to bring himself greater stature and wealth by marrying her to another great lord. And so, when Kagenaga, fresh from a great battle, and covered with glory, came to him and asked for Fumiko-hime's hand in marriage, he refused."

[Ide Samai]

"Oooooh, wow. Sounds like a proper Dahabi merchant. Money, status, not caring one bit how to help others." Her voice was quite rueful... she wasn't the biggest fan of those guys. "Besides, refusing your greatest warrior... I've seen angry Moto. Not a nice view."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Dahabi? Sounds like there may be a story there, too." Tomonaga said.

"And yeah, you've got pretty much the right idea. Kagenaga was furious. He gripped the conference table so hard that it snapped in half, and he shouted bitter words at his lord. Lord Masakage ordered him to return to his room, and to remain there until told otherwise."

"The timing was very poor. The battle they had just won drew the attention of... a powerful dark General." He carefully avoided saying the creature's name, or even mentioning the Shadowlands. "It had been the vanguard of his forces, and he led the rest of his foul troops to Lord Masakage's keep. Within a day, the keep was under siege."

"Kagenaga's friends went to him, begging him to come and join the fight. He refused. He even refused when Fumiko-hime begged him, though it broke his heart. He said the only one who could get him to leave his room was Lord Masakage, and he would not do so."

"Much to his folly. On the third day, Lord Masakage and the Dark General met in combat. Lord Masakage was a fine warrior himself, but he was no match for the Dark General's powers. He was struck down."

[Ide Samai]

"Oooh..." she sighed sadly. Meanwhile Scirocco was trotting contently. "One must serve one's lord, but what if the lord is unworthy? A difficult position." She turned back towards him to smile, her hair brushing him again. This time though, she turned her body a bit as well, to see him better.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"It certainly would be." Tomonaga agreed. Again, her hair brushed against him, as she turned to smile at him. His hands on her hips tightened just a little in automatic response; not at all painful, but certainly more tangible. Oh my.

Clearing his throat, he continued. "Fumiko-hime went to Kagenaga once more, this time as Lady Fumiko. And this time, when she ordered him to leave and join the battle, he did, because she spoke not just as his love, but as his lord."

"Kagenaga went out alone to face the Dark General and his army. He challenged the Dark General to single combat, and the Dark General, a supernaturally fearsome warrior, accepted. Their battle is said to have raged for three days and three nights. Both armies had to withdraw, the force of the blows from the two champions, dangerous to those nearby, and the heat of the battle is said to have turned the ground into glass. In the end, Kagenaga struck down the Dark General, and returned with Lord Masakage's body."

"Kagenaga was victorious, and yet not, because his lord had been slain. It was Masakage's own foolishness, but Kagenaga felt his own role in the tragedy. And so, he resolved to... to go south one last time."

Tomonaga leaned forward ever so slightly, leaving just a hair's breadth of space between him and Tamai, the warmth of him tangible. "Some say that, on his last night in the keep, Kagenaga and Fumiko met in the garden, and made love." He paused a moment. "But they all agree that the next morning, he left, never to be seen again."

[Ide Samai]

She felt his hand tighten, a battle of feelings raging inside her. She decided to not make a fuss of it, lest they fall off. Scirocco was a bit on the tall side.

She listened to the story, and shivered at the end. "A tragic tale... yet, a tale of heroism. Does that describe the soul of the Crab then, Yasuki-san?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga shrugged, the motion translated down through his hands as they rested on Samai's hips. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to make of it myself. Kagenaga's clearly supposed to be an admirable figure... but all parts of him? Maybe if he'd done things a little differently, Masakage wouldn't have died. But maybe that wouldn't have worked out better. I don't know."

He leaned a little to the side, turning so that he could smile at her. "But... yeah. I think that does describe the Crab. We hurt, and we feel, and maybe we even fail sometimes. But ultimately, we're there when we're needed. And we play our part."

He sat back, sighing. "Anyway. That's the story I promised you. I hope you liked it; I'm not as good at telling stories as I am at selling sake."

[Ide Samai]

"It was a good tale, well told. I am glad that you told it, Yasuki-san." She leaned back and looked at him. "You are certainly there when I need you..." She blushed and turned away quickly, looking at the ground to make sure where they were going. With great interest.

"The Crab sound fascinating... and truthfully, everyone does. What we knew of you was a thousand years out of date. It is exciting to learn all the new things."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Seeing her reaction, and hearing her words, Tomonaga reddened a little himself. Again, he resisted the urge to hold her more closely, but it was a near thing, his body weight shifting briefly.

"Believe me, that goes both ways." He said. "Everyone wanted to know what the Unicorn would be like after so much time apart. Everything that you've brought back, all the places you've been... how much you have, or haven't changed. I think it was going to be a surprise no matter what. Speaking for myself, I've found it to be a pleasant one. Like kumis." He chuckled.

"Oh, ummm... I don't want to presume, but I think we know each other a little now. And we've shared my sake, that's always important. If you like, you could call me by my given name."

[Ide Samai]

"Well, I am glad I am as interesting as kumis." She giggled at the weak joke, but looked back. "I.... thank you for the honor Tomonaga-ku-san. Tomonaga-san." Oops.

"Please, feel free to call upon me by my chosen name as well. I would be honored." She turned back reluctantly. They still shouldn't fall down.

"It is an experience for everyone, that is for sure... though I am looking forward to learning more about everyone." She couldn't resist, and let go of the reigns with her right hand to briefly touch his right hand. She returned to her previous pose quickly.

"Especially the Crab. I have heard that your family was among the Crane in the past?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga grinned. "And thank you for the honor, Samai-cha-san." He teased gently, imitating her little mixup. His brown eyes were warm as he met her gaze.

He closed his eyes as he felt her hand against his. His palms flattened out against her, less of a grip, closer to a gentle hold, more of his hands in contact with her.

"Yeah, that's right. A long time ago. Ummm..." He paused, dredging up the distant lessons. "Well, ties between the Yasuki and the Crab were already good. Our lands are as far south as Crane lands get, which means we owed a lot to the Crab. So, when a conflict broke out, we were hesitant to take part. The Crane daimyo, can't remember his name... anyway, he banished us, and the Crab were all too happy to take us in."

He shrugged again. "It's better this way. The Crab are a better fit. The Crane can be sticklers for etiquette sometimes, and talking about mercantile matters is often considered rude." He sighed. "I don't know how other clans do it. I mean, trade is important, something the leaders should know about. How do they not talk about it, at least sometimes?"