[Day 10 - Late Afternoon] The Stars Are Right!

[Bayushi Hotaru]

After her participation at the Iuchi contest, Hotaru made a point to pay Tomoe a visit. She walked a rather brisk pace with some urgency in her steps, Mamoru padded after his owner. She got to her yurt and gave a few quick raps against the frame of the tent. It sounded (maybe) like she was distressed and had some important matter that she needed to bring up. "Usagi-san! Usagi-san! I want to speak to you! Do you have a moment, please?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe had begun doing some of her packing after she was done with the last test of the miai, so when she suddenly heard something that sounded like... a little overacted distress, the Hare peeked her head out to see what all the fuss was about.

"Ah, Bayushi-sama? Is... is something wrong? Please, do come in," the Hare opened up the entry further to allow Hotaru to step inside if she wanted to.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Am I huffing too much? Or do I not sound winded enough? Hotaru though to herself before she mustered a small apologetic smile at Tomoe, dipping in a quick bow of apology. "My apologies for the sudden appearance but I thought this was rather important and needed to be talked about soon..."

She walked into Tomoe's yurt, placing a hand on her chest as she caught a few breaths in her hurried haste, trying to find where to start with her rather overacted dramatic news. "...Thank you for letting me in. This is something that does need to be talked in private. I suppose you do recall that I did mention that I don't usually consult the oracle regarding my own fate and allowing everything to be a surprise?"

Her eyes closed and she let out a deep sigh, unloading the burden of the truth. A version of the truth. "...I suppose with the date of choices looming over us, I couldn't help but satisfy my curiosity on such matters and decided that it was perhaps best to seek out their advance to that I'm better prepared. It is something so simple that hasn't occurred to me until I felt some anxiety in my intuition and wanted advice. I mentioned that I might be rather spoiled for choice...What the oracle has suggested was that I perhaps seek out a pairing like myself when it comes to abilities and skills. A practical pair for a marriage that is destined to be more than just that."

"It was a puzzling result and something I've dwelled on hours, over a few pots of tea." She looked to Tomoe with seriousness in her eyes, closing the collar of her haori with one hand. "You don't suppose that the Fortunes suggest that I seek Iuchi Dong-Ha as a match?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe thought something perhaps sounded a bit off when Hotaru first came running, but she let the woman into her yurt. Allowing the Bayushi maiden to catch her breath, she moved the tortoise out of the way as she found a cup to offer some water to the supposedly winded girl. "Yes... I remember you said that," she nodded, offering a cup of water to Hotaru.

As Hotaru dromped the bomb, so to speak, the Hare's On noticeably slipped; it was obvious the Scorpion's words hit her with quite the amount of surprise. She took a moment to glance off to the side and pick up the tortoise that had been momentarily misplaced. "... I admit, I wouldn't know, Bayushi-sama," she managed to press her On back into place with a neutral expression, perhaps finding some strength from the very stoic creature in her hands.

"I am no diviner, but... it is certainly possible, I guess..." her voice peaked slightly, making it almost sound like a question, but there was a worried crease on her brow.


---

D10 LA Untrained Investigation/Per. TN 13?: 2d10 15 (forgot to include this one earlier)

D10 LA You wouldn't lie, right?! Untrained Investigation/Per. TN 13: 2d10 9

D10 LA Keeping our On. No, no, we're not a little shocked or worried at all! Etiquette/Awa: 4d10o10k3 11

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru quietly took a gulp from the offered cup of water, though her eyes did sneak a few glances upward to get a read of Tomoe's reaction. She did her best to place a foot in front of Mamoru, so that he wouldn't go around sniffing and barking once he caught the sight that there was another animal around here.

She lowered the cup of water and gave a few heavy nods at this news. "I have to admit that this reading comes as a large shock to me as well! Kami...Dongu-Ha is a good friend I've made during my stay here, he's been considerate, sweet and understanding...it would seem bold even of the Fortunes to say that I should go ahead and marry such a person, especially when he's so fond of you. And you, of him. It makes things very awkward, to say the least." She said before taking another sip from the cup, her eyes downcast this time once she already got an eyeful of Tomoe's acceptance of her news.

"Just as I tell everyone that the fates are important and to be valued, I don't consider myself an exception to this rule. I do think I should heed their advice. At the same time, it would be rather lousy of me to merely go about what I need to do without knowing what others wish to do. I'm not the only one with a red string of fate of here." She said as she closed her eyes, not looking at her as she asked her. "What would you rather happen?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Normally, a cute fuzzy little puppy would have all of Tomoe's attention, but Mamoru was only given a brief glance and a brief smile as she took notice of him behind Hotaru's foot. Ganko on the other hand only stared disapprovingly at the furry creature who didn't even have a shell. Just another unarmored fleshling in this dangerous world.

"Awkward is certainly one way to describe it," the rabbit nodded, masking her slightly pained expression behind a somewhat neutral facade. Or painful... Did you just play a trick on me, Fortunes? Her unusual eyes were downcast as well.

As if in some kharmic response to Hotaru closing her eyes, Tomoe looked up at her as she heard her question. "I..." she began hesitantly. What could she possibly say? Is this what I have been reduced to in my attempt at happiness? Her thoughts echoed her frustration over how difficult this was for her. A part of her was trying to say that she should just acknowledge the will of the Fortunes that Hotaru had gleaned in her divinations, but there were louder voices that were protesting.

"I admit, it is a difficult question," she chuckled dryly, even if her eyes felt like they might begin to water. "The words of the Fortunes are... difficult to ignore, I know, but when you ask me what I would want... I guess I have to say I must be a selfish woman for wanting to be happy with him, even knowing that my own wishes can do little."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"It wouldn't be right to say that you would think of yourself as selfish of wanting otherwise..." She said before she opened her eyes again, seemingly awoken after some quick contemplation. "Ultimately, these are the results of my personal divination and readings can seem so contradictive that they could say that they are two truths in a situation with only one answer. There's a possibility that they may wish for you to be with Dongu-Ha-san to find your happiness, while also true that I must be with him so that the fates are appeased. Sensical mortal vassals are a little troublesome in that regard when it comes to their comprehension, I suspect sometimes."

"What you and he feel can't be proven false, especially if they've become a part of your memories and beings by now. That's something the fates can't take away from the past." She said as her fingers tighten around the cup itself in a sure grip, ousting some strain in her body. "While I'm a diviner, I also do my best to serve the will of Hotei-no-kami whenever possible. What is happiness to you, now? What is happiness to him?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

That the Fortunes would want for both her and Dong-Ha to find happiness together, but also would want Dong-Ha and Hotaru to be together... it sounded really weird for Tomoe. Not that she had never heard of odd relationships before, but to hear something like it spelled out by priestess, claiming it was the word of the Fortunes, almost made her want to drop her jaw open.

"..." While she had Ganko in her left hand, her right did briefly touch the fan in her sash as she seemed to contemplate her answer. "My happines, his happiness... it might sound childish, that we've talked about it as we've gotten to know eachother, speaking of the future we'd like and we've both seemed to want for many of the same things; being together, a big family, seeing new places, teaching and learning..." her voice trailed off, as it was hard to put exactly into words all the things she had shared with Dong-Ha.

"Why are you telling me this, Bayushi-sama?" Tomoe's violet eyes looked at Hotaru, trying to meet the other woman's gaze.

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru found herself taking a step back and her eyes didn't meet with Tomoe's own for long. She set down her cup and closed the front of her haori, as if suddenly feeling a chill in the room that she needed to protect herself from. "...I thought it was something important that you wanted to know. It seems that it will concern you far more than it would him, despite him being central to all of this. I just wanted to know..."

She found herself at a loss for words for a moment and stammered out her response, "...I-I wanted to know if you two were happy together. I know that you've told me this already but I wanted to be sure, sure before I know what to do here. This is real now. You've done well in the contest, but the burden of choice in on my shoulders, as I'm sure you know. Your happiness, my happiness. They cannot be true at the same time, no matter how we wish to slice it to appease these cryptic demands. I suppose, there is at least one real truth possible in all of this, at least."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Seeing how it seemed difficult for Hotaru too, Tomoe took a step back as well, her eyes cast down as she thought perhaps she had been too forceful in her questioning. "Sumimasen, Bayushi-sama... I didn't... I didn't mean to be rude," she murmured, her courtly facade dropping once more as she was clearly confused over the situation.

It's not her fault. She assured me yesterday they were only friends. This must be difficult for her too.

"I've done well, yes, but... as you say, the choice lies with you. If," the Hare took a deep breath, "if you were to choose him, it would break my heart, but I could not hate you for it, Bayushi-sama. He's a good man, I can see why you would choose him, for I would choose him if the opportunity is given to me." She managed a brave smile. "I can't say what will make you happy... I just know that apart from him, none of the Unicorn men here seemed to be that interested in me, and I'd hate myself for breaking up someone else's happiness." No, it would probably maybe be better then to just not choose anyone at all?

Tomoe raised her gaze again, still keeping her smile as it seemed to be the only thing helping her maintaining her On for now. "If Bayushi-sama does not choose Dong-Ha... I do not know how I could return that gesture of kindness shown to me."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

"It's fine," She said with a strained weak smile at her apology. A part of her was relieved that she evidently hadn't seen through her lies. It was lies that started all of this in the first place, she failed to remember at times.

"He is indeed a good man and someone I'm happy to have befriended..." She sighed softly at her words, realizing that's perhaps as far as she'll go with him, considering how he probably felt about her and this stupid facade she concocted. "He is a friend and I do want what's best for him and you, by association."

"If...If, I choose to go against what the oracle has told me, it will be a great burden on my part. Such audacity is sometimes, sometimes, repaid in misfortune. I want you to know this, Usagi-san." She found the courage to look at her once more, her eyes have a slight glint of purpose behind them. "It would be nice to have some allies by my side if that would be the case. I hope that such a gesture would not go forgotten."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Of course it wouldn't be forgotten," she was quick to say. "... I mean, it would be mean much to me. Dong-Ha too. I don't know what I could do in return, but you would find an ally in me, Bayushi-sama."

Tomoe looked down at the tortoise in her hand for a moment, before looking back up. "I can't speak for Dong-Ha, if you were to do this, but if I told him, I'm sure he'd feel the same way. Unless, you want to tell him, that is..."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru restrained a sigh and glanced down to the ground in thought. At this point, she felt like she was grasping at a number of things for a consolation. It was likely that a more politically-inclined Scorpion would have known what to do at this point but she found it hard to properly do so when it was her own emotions that were being thrown under a wagon in all of this. She didn't have what Tomoe and Dong-Ha had but that didn't change the fact that she actually liked him, despite all the blunders she had to side-step with him. Would they have ended up in the same way? She would never know beyond this stunted potential in her heart.

"Oh, no!" She blurted out quickly. "I think this is better between you and I. There's no reasons why he should know about this. I'm sure you two have already settled things together and there's no need to make it complicated than it already is. I just wanted to make clear that this won't come easy for me, Usagi-san."

She gave her a prolonged blink, clearly wrestling with something. "...it's not like me to go against the demands of fate, but I'll do it for the both of you."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe's own heart ached on behalf of Hotaru's choice... she understood how difficult it must be, as the other men this miai had shot down her attempts or others have liked them, and she had stepped aside to respect that. And then she had met Dong-Ha, who over the days had expressed more and more interest in being with her.

"I understand, Bayushi-sama..." she gave Hotaru a solemn nod. "... Thank you. I can't express in words how much this means to me... that you're willing to do this for us."

[Bayushi Hotaru]

Hotaru gave a roll of her eyes and let out a low chuckle to break the mood of the meeting. She might have risked getting misty if she hadn't done anything to relieve her tension. "Ah, well...I'm happy that it means a lot to you. You know, you could always consider donating a little more to the shrine if you ever pay a visit. The monks there could really use our help. The Unicorn have finally a place to pray in...a long while...it'll be really amazing to contribute to its foundation! Haha..."