[D6 EE] These Days [Open]

[Moto Baatar]

"Ask her," Baatar repeated, as if this were a novel idea. "I'll have to try that," he agreed, nodding slowly. It sounded crazy, but it just might work.

"This whole miai thing has been a lot more complicated than I thought," Baatar admitted ruefully. "Thanks for helping out."

[Ide Amaya]

"You're most welcome, Baatar-San. But might I ask who the object of your affections is?"

[Moto Baatar]

"Well, I don't know if you'd know her," Baatar temporized. "But... well, I guess I can tell you. I like Hotaru, the shrine maiden. She's pretty, and has been nice to me."

"I think she likes me, too," the young Moto added, although there was a hint of doubt in his voice. "But it's hard to tell sometimes. Not everyone seems to say what they really mean around here."

[Ide Amaya]

She smiles warmly, "I know her, indeed. We lunched together on the second day of the ma-ai, with her cousin and Dong-Ha-San. She is very lovely and I think she would make you a good wife. She likes to dance, it is her way of honouring the Fortunes. You should ask her if she will teach you a little."

[Moto Baatar]

"Oh really!" Baatar said, perking up at this new information. "I will have to ask her. Dancing sounds like something I could try. Thanks, Ide-san!"

[Ide Amaya]

Bowing her head, "you're very welcome, Baatar-San. I'm only glad I could help. Did you have any further questions for me?"

[Moto Baatar]

"Yeah... there is something I'm worried about," Baatar allowed.

"Is it... is it dumb for me to even pursue a girl like this?" he asked. "I mean... maybe she doesn't really like me, and is just being polite. And even if she does, with the way the miai is set up, we might not get matched at all. I don't want to end up making a fool of myself."

[Ide Amaya]

A solemn look comes across her. "Hotaru-Sama is well placed in the Ide's favour, and it's very likely that she will be able to select whichsoever husband pleases her. I understand that you do not wish to pursue the horse that can't be caught." She thinks carefully, because she must give the young Moto very direct guidance, he did not have her training for shaping words around ideas.

"If it appears that she is enjoying your company, when there is a lull in the conversation, you may ask her what she is seeking in a husband. Do not mention anything about picking! Just ask her the question and pay attention to the answer. This should give you a better idea of how you fit."

[Moto Baatar]

"Hmm. All right," Baatar said, nodding solemnly. "Maybe that would work."

"I guess that's all I wanted to know," he said. "Thanks, Ide-san. Maybe I could bring Satsujin some scraps of food sometime? I still have some of the eggs from the Shinjo egg hunt, I know the weasels liked those."

[Ide Amaya]

"That would be very good of you, thank you. And may the Fortunes smile on your next meeting with Hotaru-Sama."

[Moto Baatar]

Baatar beamed at this sentiment. He stood up and bowed, then turned to mount his horse.

"Thanks again!" the young Moto called with a jaunty wave, then began to ride away.

[Ide Amaya]

Alone once more, Amaya turned back to her attempts at training her pet weasel. The next thing she wanted to try was going to be more difficult, and would likely prove once and for all whether the little creature could, in fact, be trained at all. If anything was going to lose the semi-wild animal's favour, it was this.

She drew a ribbon from her sleeve pocket, and felt Satsujin shift as he caught sight of the object. Ribbon in one hand and a piece of jerky in the other, she jiggled the ribbon tantalisingly. Like a shot, the weasel leapt from her shoulder and pounced on the ribbon, snatching it in his jaws.

Now that he'd been baited, she pulled the ribbon so that he was facing her. Offering him the jerky, "orosu," she said firmly, and moved the treat right to the creature's nose. Black eyes darted back and forth between the food and the woman he'd adopted. "Orosu," she insisted, giving a little tug on the ribbon and waving the jerky in front of his nose.

Satsujin dropped the ribbon and grabbed for the food. "Orosu! Good! Yes, good, good, good," she lavished on the weasel, and scratched behind his ears. Lucky for me he's so motivated by food, she thought, though it will take several days before he really starts to get it.


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Animal Handing, Teach Command: 14 Success

[Ide Amaya]

The pair spent a while on orosu, and every now and then she tapped her shoulder and told him koko, just to keep it fresh in his mind. She had one more exercise in mind, and she wasn't confident in her approach, but she wanted to try. This was the important one.

She offered the ribbon to the weasel again, jiggling it enticingly, and Satsujin pounced on the movement. She played tug-of-war with him, letting him drag on the ribbon before pulling him back in. Suddenly, "uchikiru," and she placed her other hand over the weasel, gently pinning him in place. Alert black eyes glared up at her in confusion and suspicion, but she repeated the command and offered him a treat.

Releasing him, she waited until he was done eating, and tickled his pale belly. She pushed him, and he rolled onto his back, grabbing and kicking at her fingers as scritched his stomach. Satsujin's jaws closed over one finger, but gently, not breaking the skin. After a few moment, Amaya produced another treat and the hand that had been petting him froze, "uchikiru."

Satsujin kicked her again, then realised that the game had stopped. "Uchikiru," she repeated, distracting him with the treat. The weasel tried to jump up and grab at the food, but she restrained him. Only when he was still did she praise him and allow him to eat.

The played a while longer, pausing every few minutes on her command, the supply of treats in the little box rapidly diminishing.


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Animal Handling, Teach Command: 17 Success

[Asako Yuki]

Finishing her ride, and conversation, with Butaj. Yuki was still wandering to Western Fields, thinking intently about what this all meant for the next few days. Spotting a form sitting in the grass, Yuki moved towards it, wondering what was going on. "Ohayo!" She called out, not yet knowing who it was.

[Ide Amaya]

Amaya looks up from the lessons she is teaching and peered at the elegant form approaching, "ohayou! And to whom am I greeting?" She summons the weasel to her shoulder and stands so that she might bow properly.