The Kitteh Clan Proudly Invites You To PARTY! (D10, EN,Open)

[Asako Yuki]

Yuki sighed a little. "That's... unfortunate. Hai, he already left." Yuki wasn't sure what else there was to say. "I'm not sure why he didn't invite you to it, if he went and gave you his will."

[Asako Hirase]

It was clear the older Phoenix was distressed, though only to those who knew him well...which, of course, meant Yuki and Butaj. If he didn't have a chaperone's duty, he clearly would be stomping off in high dudgeon about now.

"Then I shall burn the letters unopened, as is proper."

[Shinjo Hanashi]

A soft smile and a chuckle. "No, though I'm told my description of our training sounds a bit like a bushi. I'm an artisan. I made the sugar sculptures on the table over there," she said, nodding to the table.

Hanashi nods a bit, looking over to the sculpture.

His eye closes a moment.

It opens again, and he stands.

Turning to the room, he claps his hands together. "Friends! Samurai! I have been given reason to share a tale." His voice rings sweet and mellowed by the alcohol. Bowing to the room, he straightens, "I hope you allow, and do not think it over presumptuous of me to share it. It not being one of my own, I hope you forgive that it is not in the the traditional renga form; but it is one said to have once been shared with Lady Shinjo; a tale she never got to tell to Lady Doji before the shattering of the mirror."

"What is a warrior?" A pause as he lets the question resonate with each soul present. "It cannot simply be a samurai, for else why would we need separate words. Though samurai are warriors, one and all."

He smiles a bit, holding up his hands to ask for patience. "Warriors go to war. They live and train and practice for the time that they will be upon the battlefield. Though what form the battlefield will take is often assumed and often misunderstood, as my tale will show you."

Somehow becoming slightly straighter, his voice reverberates slightly as the tale begins. "Many centuries ago there was among the Unicorn an old and weather worn samurai named Ide Ruet who thought their life was near its end, so grey and white her hair, so wrinkled their form and bent their back. Years of bringing peace between those much younger, much more hotheaded and impatient, had garnered Ruet respect from many, if not most, and sadly not all."

His eye twinkles a bit as he looks about the crowd, "The clever of you might recognize that such sadness in the tale means the antagonist approaches, to be revealed. But such is the nature of the tale that the antagonist cannot be named, for reasons that will be revealed shortly. Suffice it to say, Ide Ruet gave some of his little remaining time for talking with a young, impatient samurai who had proclaimed themselves the best warrior anyone would ever meet or see; a conqueror of every battlefield, vanquisher of any foe, however strong or smart, however lucky or determined."

"Now, Ide Ruet had within his yurt a small bonsai, it was something the Ruet was perhaps quite proud of, for it had been passed down within his family since the Unicorn were Ki-Rin, and since the Ki-Rin had been within the fields of the Emerald Empire. It is rumored that this small bonsai was grown from a pinecone that Shinsei's Crow knocked from a tree. What is known is that it was perfect. Twice, Ruet had shown it to the tribes the Unicorn had met in our journeys, and both times those tribes had gasped and wept at its beauty, for they had never seen its like. Those of you with wit and imagination might think upon its fate; but as I have little of either I must wait to tell you of its fate until the proper time, leaving this bit of foreshadowing for you to contemplate upon." He smiled a bit at that, then scooped up a drink and took a great gulp of it, to wet his throat.

"Our unnamed, impatient, all too eager to prove himself young samurai had heard that Ruet could bring peace between anyone; and had thought to himself, 'Self, if old man Ruet brings so much peace, no one will see my glory. You must prove yourself his better; so all the world will ever know your name.'" There's a smirk on Hanashi's face at that, as he gives the audience another glance or three.

"So the young samurai knocked on Ruet's yurt quite early one morning. It took; well the amount of time necessary for a man of Ruet's age and vigor to answer the knock; but this amount of time was too much for the impatient samurai, who kept knocking, louder and louder, finally yelling for Ruet to come out and face him."

Hanashi bent over a bit, as if with the weight of decades of age and travel. "'Y..yes?' asked Ide Ruet, finally leaving his yurt. 'How might I--' and the vigorous samurai interrupted; "'Ide Ruet-sama! I am the ultimate warrior, and yet you speak words of peace. How dare you keep my glory from being recognized for its worth! With one such as I among the clan, there is no need for such words, for victory will come to us! Retire old man, and leave the wars for young men like me!"

Hanashi, still bent over, returns to the voice of old Ruet, "Well, samurai-san; you seek glory then, yes? But we Ide bring peace and so you cannot find it. Are you certain you've tried every battlefield?" Straightening and taking on the voice of the young man: "I have! Though if you speak of one I have not yet conquered, then tell me of it at once!"

Hanashi returns to Ruet's voice, the transition smooth and clear, "Samurai-san, have you waged war on the battlefield of the soul?" Straightening, the voice of the narrator returns, "And this stumped the young man. Which angered him, but Ruet patiently explained, seeing the confusion. 'Samurai-san, the battlefield of the soul is one of eternal glory; how can you call yourself the ultimate warrior, if you have not won such a battle?"

He looks then to the crowd, and explains, "Now, Ruet was not tricking the young samurai in this. Nor do I wish to trick you, my patient and loyal audience. There are many battlefields for a soul; Ruet did not speak of those mystical or spiritual, but a different arena. One many might recognize as inspiration; in how beauty can allow a soul to grow, greater then it was before. It was this battlefield that Ruet spoke of; and this was explained to the young samurai as well, in quite a few more words, more persuasive and pure then my own; I am no Ide, let alone an Ide Ruet."

Another drink to clear his throat; "The young man nodded, 'Ah, yes, it is a battlefield I have not explored. But I am the ultimate warrior, and so I will defeat any who would face me on such an arena, for the good of the clan!' And so Ruet bowed, 'Very well; let us wage our war to decide in what direction the soul our clan will grow in; to what will they seek inspiration.' And then Ruet returned to his yurt; a shortwhile later returning. 'Samurai-san, I have cared for this bonsai all my life, as I have cared for our clan. It is a symbol of all my work; all that I have done. Its beauty is unsurpassed; warriors twice your age have wept at seeing it.'"

Hanashi smiles, straightening. "The young samurai laughed, drew his sword and cut the bonsai in half with one perfect, beautiful and terrible swing. 'And now I have destroyed it, with great ease. How weak your art, your symbol. While the art of my skill will inspire our clan to battle and glory, allowing us to become conquerors!"

A deep frown upon Hanashi grows, "Ruet of course was quite hurt by this. Something irreplaceable had been destroyed. But he simply smiled and said, 'But you and I were the only ones to see the art of your skill in this, while hundreds have seen my bonsai over the years. Memory of it will grow and grow, inspiring all who hear of it. While memory of your skill with the sword in this moment will not. For none will hear from it but from your lips; and so they will not believe you. What they will hear is that you chose to destroy something beautiful, because you were not its equal. You cannot destroy art and call it art; you must create and thereby in such creation, you will be a warrior of the soul."

"The young man would hear none of it, for of course he was foolish. He spent weeks attempting to inspire others with the tale of his skill with the blade, seeking to insure the Unicorn would go to war. But Ruet told the story but once before dying, of age or a broken heart it is difficult to know, of how the last bit of tree the Unicorn had that connected them to Rokugan had been destroyed in an effort to bring the clan to war. And that tale is the one that was listened to; for those who listened recognized what great losses would occur when war came; and what great things could occur with peace. And so they struck the samurai's names from their minds and stories; so that he would gain no benefit from having destroyed something rare and precious."

Hanashi pauses. "I ramble some; but I hope you hear the tale and learn it. And if you have suffered some pain from the loss of the bonsai tree upon now hearing that it once existed, I hope you recognize us poor artisans as warriors alongside you; for it was artistry that grew and created it, and it is artistry now that tells you of it. And if this humble warrior artist can inspire you to think of the losses brought by brash action and war and cause fewer to suffer by them; then perhaps the loss of a perfect bonsai can still be outweighed by the tale of its loss and how our souls grow by such inspiration."

He bows then at that, and retakes his seat.

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo, from her seat off to the side with Usagi-san, turns her ears when she hears Hanashi's voice. She knows his skill at story telling and suspects something excellent is in the offing. She listens intently to the story and finds herself thinking on it deeply. She applauds at its end, though her attention is on her thoughts. They are simple and they are complex, focused on a single phrase. What would my clan think of such a story? What lesson would they learn? Is it what I hear or something else?

[Doji Ameka]

Ameka had to raise her fan during the story to maintain her On. For obvious reasons, it spoke to her on a deep level, and she has to remain silent, looking at her face for a few moments in great concentration before she can speak, lest her voice crack. Finally, she's able to say, "Shinjo-sama, that story... thank you."

[Shinjo Hanashi]

He bows, and with a warm smile, "Though you may not lift a blade, you are yet a warrior, Doji-sama. Do not let anyone. let alone yourself, tell you otherwise."

[Doji Ameka]

She blinks quickly a few times. Her eyes were a little red. The alcohol made it a little more difficult than usual to hold in her emotions. She was trying, and doing a reasonably good job. She smiled toward him, still. "Hai... I'd have to say, as well, after that, that you are truly a giant in that battlefield."

[Shinjo Hanashi]

"I stand on the shoulders of giants, for I share stories they first told." A small shrug, "But thank you."

[Doji Ameka]

"Don't we all, though? I learned my own art through researching history," she said with a smile. "It was still excellent, and I truly appreciate you sharing both the story and your skills."

[Yogo Mizuki]

"Oh." Saksaha raises an eyebrow at the mention of 'Ikoma parties.' "That is interesting. Here I have met no Ikoma, so I do not know what to expect from--"

And then a puppy appears. Puppy! Saksaha is not especially a dog person, but this one looks especially intelligent and charming. And also familiar... "Ah! Hello. You kept him, Yogo-sama?"

"The Ikoma are the Family dedicated to protecting the Lion's interests in the Court. They are as honorable as you would expect, but they are also the most passionate of the Lion Families."

Mizuki pets Zip. "Hai. The kennel master said I impressed him with the training." Mizuki takes a drink. "And that I ruined him. Apparently, dancing is not a skill war dogs usually have."

[Shinjo Hanashi]

"Don't we all, though? I learned my own art through researching history," she said with a smile. "It was still excellent, and I truly appreciate you sharing both the story and your skills."

A simple bow. "Thank you."

[Asako Yuki]

It was clear the older Phoenix was distressed, though only to those who knew him well...which, of course, meant Yuki and Butaj. If he didn't have a chaperone's duty, he clearly would be stomping off in high dudgeon about now.

"Then I shall burn the letters unopened, as is proper."

Yuki nodded a little at the statement and sighed. It was all a mess after that. She wanted some happier news, so she turned back to Butaj. Though the storytelling style was a bit unorthodox, she smiled none the less, greatly enjoying the story of peace winning out over war. "Butaj-san, Hirase-san. That was a wonderful piece, was it not?" She looked between the two men.

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj nods thoughtfully. "Hanashi told a wise tale and Butaj is pondering it right now to get the meaning right." He strokes his beard in doing so. "Butaj is not a deeply spiritual man but the tale says it may be a mistake. Butaj wouldn't cleave the little tree though, so maybe he understands things of the soul with his heart rather than his mind."

[Asako Hirase]

"An odd cadence." Hirase, a storyteller himself, had been well and truly distracted by it, a good thing, and was now thoughtful. "But a good moral. Though it does a fine job of emphasizing the power of the martyr. That which dies, beloved, endures...that which seeks to force it's path, well beyond it's time, becomes despised."

[Asako Yuki]

Yuki nodded and looked to Butaj. "You're going to run into that ideology a lot among the Phoenix, Butaj-san. The ideals of pacifism run strong in the families... Though I suppose recent events have made some doubt it." She frowned a little.