[Day 6 - Late Afternoon] Have You Heard The Good News?

[Bayushi Hotaru]

As the day's event was over and the afternoon wound down, Hotaru decided to pay a visit to the Administrative Centre to see have a moment of Ide Dabo's time. She entered the building with a bright smile, feeling like it has been forever since she stepped into a place with a solid roof and wooden floors, and made her presence known to the attendants of the building. Her outfit consisted of a traditional miko's garb with white haori over, trimmed with red strings and knots.

"This one wishes to have a moment of Ide Dabo-sama's time, please. Thank you very much!"

[Ide Dabo]

The servants disappear with the message, and a few moments later, Ide Dabo arrives to greet the young Scorpion. "Bayushi-san, good afternoon. How can I be of assistance?"

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Good afternoon, Ide-sama!" She greeted with great enthusiasm as she dipped down to a deep bow to show her great respect. "This one is Bayushi Hotaru, honoured shrine maiden of the Shining Retreat at Tengoku's Path. I'm hoping to get a moment of your value time to discuss some parts of the village."

[Ide Dabo]

"Please, join me." Dabo motions to a pile of pillows near a desk, seating himself only after Hotaru has done so. "Please, speak your mind."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Gladly!" She smiled at the invitation and made her way over to the pillows by his dish. Doing her best to position herself with the pillows around her, she didn't manage to sink down on them like a recliner or a pit of pillows.

"First off, I think it maybe only fair that I offer a token of thanks for your hospitality around here. The way that you've managed to organize everything in such a short notice, provide individual yurts to all guests and host the events themselves is no easy feat! I certainly took notice of it and I'm quite impressed!"

She fished around her satchel and withdrew a wooden netsuke of the Fortune of Contentment, Hotei. "This is something that I've picked up during my visit to Hotei Seido, which my hometown serves as a stop for pious visitors making their pilgrimage there. Almost a decade ago, my parents brought me over to make the pilgrimage itself and I've managed to see the temple for me. It wasn't a grand one but its artistry found there is humble and done with skilled hands. My mother bought this one as a memento. Strange that she now serves there now. Anyway...I wish to make my appreciate known with this little memento, if you would accept it."

Hotaru presented the netsuke with both hands, mildly wondering if the Unicorn would adhere to the game or it was something that was waved during their time abroad.

[Ide Dabo]

Dabo smiles at the offer and raises his hand. "Such a memento is far too valuable to find its way into my hands, Bayushi-san. If it reminds you of your parents and the time you spent together, you should keep it, for one day, those memories will be worth more than anything within or without the Empire."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

She let out a humbled giggle. "I'm honoured that Ide-sama thinks that my early memories will be worth something great one day. However, memories kept to a few are only secrets and will fade over time without further attention, keeping the memory fresh in others. It's my wish to share this memory with you so that this memory may spread. It is perhaps then these memories will find the worth that you speak of, to spread its grandeur."

[Ide Dabo]

"But I have no memory of your parents, Bayushi-san. All this trinket would do is remind me of yourself and this day, and I do not believe that I need such a memento to keep from forgetting a face as bright as your own." He smiles again, seemingly enjoying the back and forth.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru abashedly looked downwards as she did her best to fight off a blush that crept up on her cheeks. "Oh, Ide-sama...you make a very good point, and I find myself at a loss at how I could possibly top myself when it comes to offering you a gift. I am truly honoured that I've made such an impression on you."

"I suppose you don't know my parents, but I have shared the moment when it was gifted to me. I was very eager and full of energy. Bright-eyed, even! It has been the first time ever I've visited the shrine, even after hearing about it from so many others. I suppose I thought it had a lot in common when it came to this place, bestowing me with the same great adventure and wonder that I've enjoyed years ago. I've heard so much about the return of the Unicorn, but here I am, a guest of yours. You are one of the reasons why this was all possible, Ide-sama. For reawakening those sensations in me, I thought it was only fair that I gift a memento where such sensations originated from. That would be a fair trade, would it not?" She looked to him with some anticipation in her eyes.

[Ide Dabo]

Dabo inclines his head in acceptance. "Truly, your words have given substance to the idea they represent, Bayushi-san. It seems like quite the fair trade, and I would be honored, not to take this memento away from you forever, but to hold it for your children, so that when it comes time for them to seek husbands and wives of their own, I can pass it on to them and share my memories of you on this day, much as you have shared your memories of your own parents."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"I would be greatly honoured by your gesture, Ide-sama." She said with a deep bow given to the governor. "Of course, I would be more than willing to send my children here when it is their time to perform their traditional duties."

She smiled eagerly. "It wouldn't be just for their potential marriages, but they could make a pilgrimage to your territory of governance. The Lion Clan have relinquished a rather important piece of history and also a place of great potential. The torii arches of the Shrine of the Emerald Champion stands as a local pillar of spirituality and attracting much positive kami to it."

[Ide Dabo]

"Very true," he agrees. "It is my hope that once the Unicorn have settled in to our new homes, I might be able to requisition the funds necessary to see the shrine expanded. Though the Lion did an admirable job of tending to the shrine, I feel that Kakita might appreciate something a bit more in keeping with his importance to the Empire. What are your thoughts?"

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Oooh," she said at first and showed a small smile, it seemed that this was already on the forefront of Dabo's mind. "I was just thinking the same thing myself. The monks there have been hard at work maintaining it for centuries and have done a very admirable job with what little they have. It would be nice if they perhaps could receive some new lodgings for their effort. Since the Shrine is a powerful monument and a place a great spirituality, I was also thinking that it could potentially be the place a future temple as well. I have spoken to a few of your kin on the matter of spirituality and it seems that being abroad for so long hasn't given you the chance to build a permanent place to prey. Now that you've settled here, such an opportunity exists, ne?"

Her smile grew. "As you know, the miai here has created an environment where good spirits and big hearts are in abundance. You have everyone praying to Benten-no-kami and Musubi-no-kami, the Fortune of Marriage, hoping for their blessings on their future marriages. I feel that perhaps if those sentiments could be channelled toward Shrine, as a place to pray, some visitors here might be more than willing to offer their donations to the monks to get some of those expansions started."

[Ide Dabo]

Dabo laces his fingers and listens as Hotaru speaks, nodding every so often to show his agreement. "That seems like quite a wonderful idea. We do not have the materials for a proper shine at the moment, unfortunately. Would it be inappropriate to set up something temporary, or would that offend the Fortunes?"

[Bayushi Hotaru]

She narrowed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head after some consideration. "I wouldn't think so. From what I've heard from your kin, they've made due by building temporary shrines or areas of devotion wherever you travelled. However, this is done with the promise of more in the future, appeasement of the Fortune with a permanent home. All foundations start off on soft ground but harden over time to create a base that could easily last centuries."

"I suppose it would help to gather some statues to focus to devotions and accept offerings, of course. I have one of Hotei-no-kami, and one of Bayushi-Kami, though He may be more revered by my kin. I'd be willing to donate those if such a project would have both your support and blessings, so to speak," she said with a small chuckle.