Opening Ceremony (Day 1, Early Afternoon)

[Mirumoto Chou]

"Well, he sounds like a generous and easily entertained fellow. And I'm glad that Saku seems to have a positive opinion so far. As for my plans for Rokugan... I think I'm really just dreaming of getting the opportunity to travel the lands. To visit everywhere I can before my time in this world is up. And it'd be nice to have someone interested in doing so with me by my side. But I suspect that's a dream of more than a few Unicorn and they can't just let us all go do that."

"There are some duties that allow for that. Cartography. Couriers. Acting. Of course, you could always declare yourself ronin and do whatever, go wherever you want before you starve."

This was accompanied by wry smile and twinkling eye.

"Of course, that would make you a bad samurai, and we must be good samurai."

[Yogo Yuichi]

Unlike the others, Shinjo Liu Yue made no effort to ignore him. After all, she too was a bit of a pariah. She stood taller than most, had her obvious injuries, and wore the clothing of the Unicorn.

She walked up to the man with a smile on her face. She gave him a deep bow, perhaps too deep, as she was unsure of his station. "Konnichiwa, Yogo-dono" she started, her speech slow and deliberate due to lack of experience, "Watakushi wa Shinjo Liu Yue desu. It is a pleasure to meet you." She continued to smile, though she was unsure how to gauge the man's responses due to the mask. Her use of "dono" had been, perhaps, too much but she meant it with utmost sincerity and respect.

The masked scorpion turn to look towards this tall Unicorn girl. Her missing arm and burned face were, obviously, noticed immediately by Yuichi. He did not made any comment about it.

'' Konnichiwa, Shinjo Li...Yee-san'' The Scorpion replied with a slight bow. '' Has Inari-no-kami blessed you today?'' He replied with a neutral tone. Yuichi's disturbing white eye was fixed upon her.

Li Yue? Lu Yu? By the kami these gaijin have difficult names... Yuichi thought.

[Iuchi Batul]

Yuuru nodded as he listened to the announcement from the governor and nodded deferentially as he finished speaking. He looked up to the hot sun with squinting eyes for a moment before turning his gaze back to those who were present.

An interesting lot...

Red she saw, and was attracted to the strong color among the mellow colors of the other kimonos. What was red? She thought to herself as she tried to remember the heraldry clases of master Ide. Look for the mon she recalled him saying, and there it was. And it was a...

"Good afternoon, Scorbion-sama." She struggled to say as some letters still seemed new to her. "I hobe you have had your raise today."

[Soshi Yuuru]

Yuuru nodded politely and smiled slightly, "I have, that's most kind of you to ask fair lady of the Unicorn. I hope you have as well?"

He then bowed politely and introduced himself, "I am Soshi Yuuru. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[Asako Hirase]

"I admire your desire to learn an artisan skill. Your words paint a picture well too however. I myself have not found the time to learn something like that. Perhaps someday."

Chi-Pu shifts again, squeezing her thighs a little as Tianma begins to move, stopping the horse.

"The Great Wall? I have not heard of it. I heard some speak of the Carpenter Wall, though I know little about that either. Is it the same?"

"For artistic pursuits, I tell stories." This made another small smile appear. "I am no Ikoma, mind, but I am at least able to keep most entertained. I can share some with you later, if you wished. As for walls..."

He glanced around a bit, almost expecting to see a Crab barreling over to tell the woman all about it. Seeing none, he smiled a bit more and went on.

"The Great Wall of the North is a rather fanciful name for the mountain range that separates Rokugan from the lands of the Yobanjin to the north. The Carpenter Wall, on the other hand, is the work of men. It separates the Empire from other enemies. The Crab are the best to tell you more, if you are curious, since it is their accomplishment and its maintenance and manning is their responsibility. I have not seen it, but I have heard that it is a masterwork of engineering."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I'm not really very versed in stories or history, I'm afraid. I know you left the Empire a few decades before the Mantis was founded."

"Uhh... I suppose I've heard a few people talk about how you can shape-shift? Is that true?"

Dong-Ha chuckled softly. "That would be a legend... but a legend with a seed of truth. The children of Shinjo-kami, that is... her actually blood, were shape-sifters. Though they all eventually chose a form, all becoming horses, except Shinjo Martera-shiryo who became a human. There have been stories of... other being capable of that ever since but, I cannot say I've seen anyone become a horse all of a sudden." Another chuckle followed. "That'd be quite a sight, eh. A horse riding an another one."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat to protect her pale skin from the sun, the Hare maiden looked on curiously as the mingling began. The Governor had seemed, to her, very kind and welcoming and she had high hopes that this would be an absolute amazing experience!

The rabbit looked around, with a tortoise in one hand, as she considered who to first approach in this large gathering.


(PM if approached please as I try to get caught up on this thread )

[Yuzuki]

Dong-Ha chuckled softly. "That would be a legend... but a legend with a seed of truth. The children of Shinjo-kami, that is... her actually blood, were shape-sifters. Though they all eventually chose a form, all becoming horses, except Shinjo Martera-shiryo who became a human. There have been stories of... other being capable of that ever since but, I cannot say I've seen anyone become a horse all of a sudden." Another chuckle followed. "That'd be quite a sight, eh. A horse riding an another one."

"Yes," she said with the expression of someone who had apparently already heard that joke at one point or another. "Quite something."

See? Told you it'd be a hit.

Yes yes yes.

I want to eat a pear.

"Hmm... so, it's not something Unicorn Shugenja can do then."

She blinked.

"You are a shugenja, yes? Or maybe you speak in the courts?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

The masked scorpion turn to look towards this tall Unicorn girl. Her missing arm and burned face were, obviously, noticed immediately by Yuichi. He did not made any comment about it.

'' Konnichiwa, Shinjo Li...Yee-san'' The Scorpion replied with a slight bow. '' Has Inari-no-kami blessed you today?'' He replied with a neutral tone. Yuichi's disturbing white eye was fixed upon her.

Li Yue? Lu Yu? By the kami these gaijin have difficult names... Yuichi thought.

"Liu Yue," she repeated, more slowly but without any offense intended. As for the man's discolored eye, she was not disturbed by it in the least. He must have suffered an injury as well.

The question, though, caught her off-guard. She shook her head, not fully grasping the question. "I do not believe so, Yogo-dono."

Still no given name, huh? These masks make it so hard to read them...

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

"For artistic pursuits, I tell stories." This made another small smile appear. "I am no Ikoma, mind, but I am at least able to keep most entertained. I can share some with you later, if you wished. As for walls..."

He glanced around a bit, almost expecting to see a Crab barreling over to tell the woman all about it. Seeing none, he smiled a bit more and went on.

"The Great Wall of the North is a rather fanciful name for the mountain range that separates Rokugan from the lands of the Yobanjin to the north. The Carpenter Wall, on the other hand, is the work of men. It separates the Empire from other enemies. The Crab are the best to tell you more, if you are curious, since it is their accomplishment and its maintenance and manning is their responsibility. I have not seen it, but I have heard that it is a masterwork of engineering."

"Stories are wonderful! Most of my clan share stories. It is how we tell our history. Plus, being able to speak well means when it matters the most, such as during the heat of battle, you will not trip over words needing to be stated."

Seeing the Phoenix look around, Chi-Pu does the same, scanning the crowd once again before returning her gaze to the man.

"Thank you for the lesson! I will need to remember that in case I come across any of the Crab. So, tell me, what have your people heard of mine now that we have returned to the Empire?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Yes," she said with the expression of someone who had apparently already heard that joke at one point or another. "Quite something."

See? Told you it'd be a hit.

Yes yes yes.

I want to eat a pear.

"Hmm... so, it's not something Unicorn Shugenja can do then."

She blinked.

"You are a shugenja, yes? Or maybe you speak in the courts?"

"Not really no, and yes, in a way." the man replied with a careful nod, fully aware that the topic was fraught with misunderstandings. "I am student of meishodo, the way of true names." Dong-Ha tried to explain, carefully. "We serve a role similar to the shugenja of the clans."

[Iuchi Batul]

Yuuru nodded politely and smiled slightly, "I have, that's most kind of you to ask fair lady of the Unicorn. I hope you have as well?"

He then bowed politely and introduced himself, "I am Soshi Yuuru. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The bleasure is mine as well, Yuuru-sama." She bowed back at him holding the wings of her furosode as she bent so that they would not sweep the ground, and as she folded her hair cascaded forward along her shoulders, long till they too almost reached the ground. "I am Iuchi Batul, briestess of the Unicorn clan." She gained her posture back as she finished her introduction, releasing the hold on her kimono, and moving the hair behind to her back with a gentle movement of her head.

(Is Yuuru wearing any mask?)

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"There are some duties that allow for that. Cartography. Couriers. Acting. Of course, you could always declare yourself ronin and do whatever, go wherever you want before you starve."

This was accompanied by wry smile and twinkling eye.

"Of course, that would make you a bad samurai, and we must be good samurai."

"Declare myself ronin?" Apparently the concept was as foreign to him as declaring himself emperor.

"Well, cartography wouldn't be bad... but I'd have to be trained in cartography first." He chuckles at that. "But then again, maybe my spouse will have one of those roles and I can just accompany her, keep her safe and support her in her endeavors."

His voice sounds like that would be happily accepted, being in a supportive role for whoever he ended up with.

[Yuzuki]

"Hmmm? Well, speaking to the Kami has never been something I've really understood anyway."

But that's rude, Yuzuki! You speak to us all the time!

We could be kami.

[Soshi Yuuru]

Yuuru's mask was attached to his waist and bobbed as he had bowed. He shook his head deferentially at her kind address, "I am not of any particular high birth Iuchi-san your courtesy is most appreciated, but I assure you I am not anything to be called 'sama' at this point."

He smirked handsomely as he politely turned her kindness back on the priestess, "A priestess you say? That is a far more remarkable and special calling than I bear. You must be a great asset to your people. You are here for the miai then? "