D5 [LE] Hail! Hail! Rock N Roll! (OPEN)

[Matsu Yurio]

"Ah, so it's that. It doesn't feel bad. Butaj is quite certain to be marrying out, so what the change of Clan means is quite interesting to Butaj."

"You will be expected to become part of that Clan truly. In mind, in spirit and in action. You'll take your skills with you, but the Crane would expect you learn duelling and poetry or something. The Dragon would expect you to meditate and you'd probably end up teaching them wrestling. The Phoenix . . . . I really don't know what they expect of their bushi, except to do what the shugenja tell them to. The Scorpion are desperate for bushi of any kind to keep order in their lands. They lost a lot in the wars. The Crab would just give you the biggest club they can find and expect you to smash their enemies."

He smiled.

"The Lion would make a soldier of you. With honour and a chance of glory in our armies."

[Matsu Kogo]

"Such is the way of things. You can only know what you know." In his head, he was in a wise looking contemplative pose, with her gazing upon his wise-ness with adoration. So wise.

"That's why I have made it my mission to spread the knowledge of these things to both my clan and those that deal with it. It will perhaps take time, perhaps generations, but all the truly valuable things do."

He pauses for a moment. "It is always pleasant to talk to you, Matsu-san."

She sees none of this vain glory in his head or she would likely laugh. " It is a valuable and honorable task. Do you think you will seek to be a diplomat after the miai?" She smiles at him. "As it is with you. I am never bored speaking to you Shinjo-san."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"Maybe that is why five days seems so long already. Great meaning, after great meaning, too close together?" Saksaha guesses with a small smile.

"You are right, Dong-Ha-san is also likeable as kin. When many new things are happening, it is good to have others who see these things in a similar way to talk with. I hope Bayushi-san may also have such friends. But maybe you are more used to these 'age-old traditions.' Not that one person would go to more than one miai," she adds hastily, "but to you I guess that it is a more familiar idea."

Hotaru giggled on the mention of people getting too close together. Yeah, there's bound to be some heated hanky-panky in there too. "Well, emotions do run hot in some people..."

She held up a finger as she explained her point further. "Well! It's something I've only heard from my older siblings, elder kin and what I've read from a few old pillow books. It's just a phenomenon that's pervasive when you have this many samurai brought over to a large gathering like this miai, and they are so far from home. Each moment themselves are compacted with more meaning, while time made valuable." Explains why people do crazy things. "The flames burn brightly."

"The Bayushi lack shugenja like myself, admittedly," she said with a small smile. "There was one point in my schooling when I was surrounded by other Scorpions with similar talent but it's something that's a rarity among my Family."

[Shinjo Taichi]

She sees none of this vain glory in his head or she would likely laugh. " It is a valuable and honorable task. Do you think you will seek to be a diplomat after the miai?" She smiles at him. "As it is with you. I am never bored speaking to you Shinjo-san."

"A diplomat, a tutor to the other Unicorn, or a guard to one of those; they all hold appeal. The Emerald Magistrates that Usagi-san was talking about the other day also sound appealing." He shrugged "The final decision will rest with my lord though, whoever that might be at the end of this miai."

Other than that he just smiled, warm and fuzzy from more than just the alcohol.

[Matsu Kogo]

She smiles back at him. "I could see you having a great number of things to offer as a diplomat. I have also thought of being a guard to the Emerald Magistrates as well." She perks at the thought. "Perhaps one day, regardless of what else occurs, we will be working together."

[Shinjo Taichi]

A pleasant thought for him as well "That would be very nice. Even if this were not to happen, I'd still like to stay in contact with you." A small pause "From the way that Usagi-san was talking however, it seems as though skill at iaijutsu is very highly valued by the Magistrates. That is one skill that I definitely am not able to count as one of my strengths." It was pretty obvious that he had a low opinion of iaijutsu.

[Matsu Kogo]

She nods. "It is crucial for the task. It is part of why I suggested the position of magistrate to your kinsman, Shinjo Akil. With his injury, it might be ideal." She looks at him. "I suppose it could look like an odd sort of fight when one is not used to it. But it is a form that requires much skill. Shinjo-san should see if he watch a duel sometime."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj listens intently, but then frowns slightly. "Butaj is a warrior. Do the Lion, or any other Clan, have cavalry?"

[Otaku Imane]

"I thank you Otaku-sama. You are most kind. Is everything going well for you?"

She nodded and replaced the flute in her belt. "It is thank you Bayushi-san, although I would have liked to see a horse riding event today."

She smiled and wondered if the rainbow fan would need to meet with an accident. "I am enjoying meeting the samurai of the Empire. And you? I hope you are finding the miai a pleasant experience? I see you have taken a liking to kumis!"

[Bayushi Suteichi]

"Yes... it is a taste that I am slowly growing accustomed to. Slowly. I never properly thanked you for your time the other day. You are indeed a credit to your sisterhood and an example of a proper samurai."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Maybe that is why five days seems so long already. Great meaning, after great meaning, too close together?" Saksaha guesses with a small smile.

"You are right, Dong-Ha-san is also likeable as kin. When many new things are happening, it is good to have others who see these things in a similar way to talk with. I hope Bayushi-san may also have such friends. But maybe you are more used to these 'age-old traditions.' Not that one person would go to more than one miai," she adds hastily, "but to you I guess that it is a more familiar idea."

Hotaru giggled on the mention of people getting too close together. Yeah, there's bound to be some heated hanky-panky in there too. "Well, emotions do run hot in some people..."

She held up a finger as she explained her point further. "Well! It's something I've only heard from my older siblings, elder kin and what I've read from a few old pillow books. It's just a phenomenon that's pervasive when you have this many samurai brought over to a large gathering like this miai, and they are so far from home. Each moment themselves are compacted with more meaning, while time made valuable." Explains why people do crazy things. "The flames burn brightly."

"The Bayushi lack shugenja like myself, admittedly," she said with a small smile. "There was one point in my schooling when I was surrounded by other Scorpions with similar talent but it's something that's a rarity among my Family."

"Is this so? Luckily I have not heard of too many emotions burning so hot," Saksaha says, blissfully unaware that tomorrow's spiciest rumors are already in the making at this very moment.

"Oh, I remember this. Soshi Yuuru-san said that his Family are often shugenja, so maybe I should have guessed the Bayushi are not. But among those here there are both other Bayushi and other shugenja, I think?"

[Matsu Yurio]

Butaj listens intently, but then frowns slightly. "Butaj is a warrior. Do the Lion, or any other Clan, have cavalry?"

Yurio nodded.

"Not as you know it though. You've seen our horses, yes? We ride them to battle, not into it. Or rather our cavalry units do, or use bows. Not my specialty."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru giggled with a small shrug of her shoulder. "Well, I guess I haven't seen or heard about such emotions yet around here. I'm sure my more travelled kin could share their opinion or verify the tales I've read in pillow books!"

"Do you mean among my kin? My cousin on stage would be the other Bayushi in attendance and I do believe that Yogo Yuichi is a shugenja himself, though he likely trained at another school. The Yogo have an exclusive technique that they typically keep to their Family. I have little idea of what they do specifically, beyond that." We tend to keep them away from religious ceremonies.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Yes, I met this Yuichi earlier today. He was... um." Saksaha flips a strand of beads back behind her shoulder. "Capable, but not too mannerly. Truthfully, Bayushi-san, it is hard to imagine the two of you having the same training, so what you say illuminates much," Saksaha says with a small smile. "Of course, there are many differences between Dong-Ha-san and me, or between me and little Batul-san, but maybe we also share certain habits in common, because we learned in the same ways."

[Shinjo Taichi]

She nods. "It is crucial for the task. It is part of why I suggested the position of magistrate to your kinsman, Shinjo Akil. With his injury, it might be ideal." She looks at him. "I suppose it could look like an odd sort of fight when one is not used to it. But it is a form that requires much skill. Shinjo-san should see if he watch a duel sometime."

"I've seen it before, but very infrequently. Shinjo-kami's Law prevents any member of my clan from drawing the blood of another, but duels with shinai do take place on rare occasions." He sighs "It just doesn't make sense to me - a fighting style that is next to useless in a true fight? Surely there are better uses for one's time."