Opening Ceremony (Day 1, Early Afternoon)

[Doji Fukawa]

He nods "there were three in her litter, she is the most well behaved of them though. " he grins "she is actually a bit of asweetheart to tell the truth, except in the mornings" he scratches Kyra's ear " but she can be quite deadly when needs be"

It was a cute gesture. Fukawa was also relatively certain that if she tried to duplicate it, she'd come back minus a hand.


"Has she seen much of the Empire with you?" she asks, keeping the conversation going.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Really? Do you not known anything about the Yogo?...Well, she would not have approached if she knew about us. Yuichi thought.

'' Hmmm, we create magical protection paper wards with the power of the kami, so as to keep 'evil spirits' or 'other' creatures away from our lands, and for general protection as well'' He explained in the simplest way he could.

"Sou desu ka." She placed a hand on her chin, contemplating on it. "Is this similar to meishodo, Yuichi-dono? The shugenja of my Clan use amulets in order to use their spells. I am unsure if these paper wards serve the same function, though."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj notices his emotional topshur strumming draws attention of a small blue maiden and so strums more, with more emotion, while looking at her and smiling! Tones turn joyful and inviting, as does the man's forthcoming expression.

[Moto al-Kalb]

Not much of one for speeches al-Kalb had kept toward the pack and did his best to stifle any yawns as the Ide blathered on. Of course, when one towers over most of the others present, standing at the back is not necessarily sufficient to not be obvious.

That said the big man does perk up at the mention of the meal. Food was always good.

(PM if approaching please)

[Seppun Hitako]

Hitako followed the way of the Seppun. Be silent, be there, be where you can see as much as possible. Pay attention to what is around you.

[Otaku Imane]

"What would you like to know, Otaku-san? The Phoenix are the clan that speaks to the Kami and promote peace in the Empire, often a difficult task," he said with a slight smile.

"I am fascinating by your horses, they are so large and beautiful."

"Ah, peacekeepers! Our Ide are mostly tasked with promoting peace, I am sure you will find much in common with them."

Imane looked over at Almatar with a bright smile. "They are impressive aren't they? I do not understand why the local horses are so small. Perhaps you would you like to see an Otaku war horse up close?"

She stated to move through the crowd toward where the horses were gathered. "You mentioned that the Phoenix speak to the Kami. How does one do this?"

(OOC: Holy exploding thread!)

[Shimizu Ryori]

He nods "there were three in her litter, she is the most well behaved of them though. " he grins "she is actually a bit of asweetheart to tell the truth, except in the mornings" he scratches Kyra's ear " but she can be quite deadly when needs be"

It was a cute gesture. Fukawa was also relatively certain that if she tried to duplicate it, she'd come back minus a hand.


"Has she seen much of the Empire with you?" she asks, keeping the conversation going.

"Mostly just Lion lands " he waves "and former lion lands" he smiles "we went through gempukku just before our champions wedding last year, where honored to stand guard duty during it. Other then that little of note so far I am afraid"

[Shinjo Taichi]

"Indeed Shinjo-san, your people have a way with words. What is more, that you employ such talents to extol the virtues of bushido and understanding gives me great hope that you may bring much to the Empire."
She pauses briefly before speaking again.
"Yet I have forgotten my manners. I am Asako Sauyri, priestess of the Phoenix clan."
She bows slightly lower than she would if she were certain of Unicorn heraldry.

As she rises, Taichi bows to exactly the same depth. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Asako-san. I am Shinjo Taichi, a bushi and traveller." He pauses for a moment, realising that the last part probably can be applied to all the Unicorn.

"I've done my best to see the Empire since our grand homecoming, but regret that I have not had a chance to reach the Phoenix lands as yet."

"Bushido was one of the things that held us - the Unicorn that is - together through our long sojourn. A solid core helping to hold us all together. It... may not always look like it, but my clansmen do hold the tenets in highest regard."

Perking up a little suddenly, he raised his voice a little to help it carry and gestured dramatically to all those gathered; "We are all samurai, neh? We all do our duty. We are not so different, just different faces of the same whole." His smile widened. Perfect.

[Isawa Nonin]

"Ah, peacekeepers! Our Ide are mostly tasked with promoting peace, I am sure you will find much in common with them."

Imane looked over at Almatar with a bright smile. "They are impressive aren't they? I do not understand why the local horses are so small. Perhaps you would you like to see an Otaku war horse up close?"

She stated to move through the crowd toward where the horses were gathered. "You mentioned that the Phoenix speak to the Kami. How does one do this?"

"I was be honored, Otaku-san," said Nonin following along.

"Speaking to the Kami is a rare talent, even among the Phoenix, it is difficult to explain," he says thoughtfully. "Let me think about how best to do so."

(OOC: Holy exploding thread!)

OOC: Indeed!

[Bayushi Suteichi]

Suteichi listened to the back and forth of the Hare and Kogo. He really honed in on the Hare woman's words. His irritation with her did not show and yet the more he heard her talk the more irritable he became. He was also a bit irritated at how Kogo was just giving up of information to someone she just met. Again, he did not display this. It was clear that the Usagi wanted him to talk so he did.

"Downplay... what a most...interesting assessment of me Usagi-san. I notice that each of us gathered here have a pair of ears and one tongue. Two ears are for listening and understanding twice as much as you speak. I was not aware that listening and understanding were aspects of downplay as you so stated. I simply like to speak when it is necessary as opposed to speaking words devoid of understanding. I would not want to be mistaken for being both foolish and contentious."

Suteichi removed his fan from his obi. He spotted some of his fellow Scorpion in the room. "I shall leave you two to talk. Matsu-san, we will speak later." As he prepared to take a step away he popped open his fan. "Usagi...Tomoe-san was it?! Yes. I won't forget you." he gave a polite and proper bow then walked over to the other Scorpion.

[Seppun Hideo]

Hitako followed the way of the Seppun. Be silent, be there, be where you can see as much as possible. Pay attention to what is around you.

Hideo slipped into position next to his kin, giving her a quick bow before speaking quietly behind his fan.

"What do you think of the mans speech, honoured cousin?"

[Matsu Yurio]

"Bare trees... that will take some getting used to. Even seeing trees can be a rare occurance when one spends their time among the Burning Sands." She smiled wistfully as she mulled it over. "Waiting... I can certainly see that. What do you do during winter Matsu-san?"

"Train, Ide-sama. Armies do not move in the Winter and it is the time of the Courts when words are stronger than steel. Train and wait for the warmth of spring to return."

He actually smiled, even if it was a very thin and whimsical one.

[Shiba Kaizen]

Kaizen listened to the speech and milled about briefly. Though having arrived later than most he had much to do and would only delay if someone got his attention.

[Yuzuki]

"Yuzuki-san has seen all of those? Giant serpents, flying fish women and everything." It wasn't as if Dong-Ha did not want to believe, for he certainly did. "Amazing... sea sounds like a wondrous place."

"Well, not *all* of them. I did see an orochi once though, long ago. They're intelligent, you know. Or so I've been told. Not intelligent like a dog or Kon here, I mean. Like, people-level intelligence. Maybe even smarter. But I don't know. I've never talked to one."

[Doji Fukawa]

"Mostly just Lion lands " he waves "and former lion lands" he smiles "we went through gempukku just before our champions wedding last year, where honored to stand guard duty during it. Other then that little of note so far I am afraid"

The Lion's words were like needles, but the Doji did not flinch from them. Were it in her power, she would have gladly made all of the Lion's lands former Lion's lands, but that was not this battle. There was nothing to be gained from fighting over this point now, and so she would not exert herself on it.

"It was a rather long journey to get here." she admits. "Did you find anything interesting along the way? Any impressive shrines, charming tea houses, or relaxing hot springs, for example? The Empire is a big place, and it helps to know of such places for future travels."