Of Sympathy and Scandals (D6, Late Eve, CLOSED)

[Asako Hirase]

"Yes, that." Hirase was quick to nod. "Yuki...well. I'm not certain she knows the act is often painful the first time. I'm not even sure if it would be wise to tell her to expect pain so much as possible discomfort. My wife told me that many women who are warriors and ride don't have as much trouble, and Yuki's been riding the horses her family breeds for years. I don't want her to fear unnecessarily...it only makes it harder."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj nods in full understanding, clicking his tongue. "Then Butaj will know what to do. Butaj's tongue is good not just for singing and his fingers not just for strings. Butaj will know what to do if it is his joy to be her first man..." Then he perks up, his eyes getting lit as Hirase gets his full attention. "Her family breeds horses?"

[Asako Hirase]

"Well...to you they might be ponies....but I know she said that they had them and she rode as a child. It might not be breeding on your scale, but it's certainly notable; Phoenix are not generally known as horsemen." He chuckled. "If we need to be somewhere quickly, we either sail or one of our water tensai simply asks the kami to make a portal."

[Moto Butaj]

Portal are strange stuff that goes over Butaj's head especially that his thoughts are on a different track. "In Phoenix lands, do you have plains? Where horses can run and graze."

[Asako Hirase]

"We are blessed with a vast variety of terrain." Hirase often thought that, of all the lands the Kami could have chosen, Shiba's choice was clearly best...which, really, meant Isawa's had been, since that proud Ancestor had refused to move, just as he had refused to kneel. "For horses, we have some plains toward our southern border, and we also have wide stretches of beach on the east as well." His head tilted, curious. "Do horses swim? Could they run there?"

[Moto Butaj]

"They could in the surf or other shallow water, it's just not good for the hooves if it is too often." He clicks his tongue. "So you have plains and horses. Butaj is liking the idea of becoming a Phoenix more and more."

[Asako Hirase]

"We also have forests and mountains. Our forest is the second-largest in the Empire, in fact." He'd grown up near the southern edge and had fond memories he was happy to share. "Not so good for riding, but it is beautiful and full of mysteries. There are any number of plays about things that happen inside the Isawa Mori. Songs, too, that you might enjoy learning."

[Moto Butaj]

"Butaj is sure you have a nice sylvan culture." He nods. "But Butaj is likely to remain a creature of the open plain and the endless sky. As your Clan has those, Butaj is sure he will fit."

[Asako Hirase]

"I think, my friend, that you could find joy anywhere." Surely the man had adapted well to everything thown his way so far, beginning with his own Family all but disowning him. "But I am certain you and Yuki could find a posting in our southern lands where it is open field and rolling grain. It is where our front line is most likely to be, should war come to us again, so it is a fine place for a bushi to find a posting."

[Moto Butaj]

"Being a defender appeals to Butaj. Being a raider is nice and adventurous but fighting for something that has meaning and not let it be taken away feels right for Butaj. Especially that Butaj will have a family and children soon enough. When Butaj was small and picked on he wanted someone to stand for him but rarely anyone did. Butaj never turned sad for long and always looked for good sides of things, but maybe he would be a better man if he had more support. Butaj doesn't read or write well and it soon may be a big problem for Butaj, he knows that. Butaj would like for his children to grow up with less fear and more time to study important things." The man speaks matter-of-factly, without self-pity.

[Asako Hirase]

"You will adapt to more standard Rokugani terms and phrases soon enough." Even in this short time, from the beginning of the miai to now, Hirase had noted an evolution in his friend's speech patterns. Small, but promising. "As for reading? Well...you can learn along with a child if it comes to that. The books for little ones are meant to help them read, after all, and the kanji are simple and paired with pictures. Your child, or children, would enjoy the time of bonding and it would help you improve, if that was what you wanted."

[Moto Butaj]

"This is a good idea." Butaj agrees. "But Butaj thinks he would have to improve much faster so as to not offend Yuki's mother. Yuki has promised Butaj lessons together. Butaj thinks it can be nicely bonding too for husband and wife, amid all the brushing and stroking and giving hands careful direction." He smirks.

[Asako Hirase]

"Also a good idea." Hirase frowned some. "Better wait until it's official, the engagement at least. That sort of close contact for too long might be too much to resist and there's no sense in tempting yourself, or Yuki for that matter." Hirase smiled. "If you need a chaperone, I'm happy to assist again. Or you can borrow Ichiro." The man's grin begin impish. "The very visible and chatty reminder of the outcome of such actions can do much to make a man responsible about the whole lust thing."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj smirks as if Hirase didn't say anything that wouldn't be already in his head. "It's just a few days until everything is clear, and Butaj does not want her to lose points because of rumormongers. Butaj thinks we'll be able to hold back until we learn if we are meant to be. However it ends, Butaj wants only the best for Yuki, and no regrets."

[Asako Hirase]

That was all anyone could ask for and Hirase, smiling, clapped his friend on the shoulder again before pushing to his feet to bow.

"I'm glad we had the chance to talk this over, Butaj-san. I should get going, though. Tomorrow comes all too soon and I'm not going to secure a place here if I'm too tired to focus. Rest well, my friend, until next time."

Then, a bit unsteadily, the Asako made his way out into the night.

/exit