The Welcome Dinner (Post-Event Thread) [D1, Early Evening]

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj's senses of wool-over-eyes are tingling, but he decides to indulge her a bit.

"Which ones? There were many peoples, from all across the Burning Sands, the Ivory Kingdoms and farther west, until a great western ocean."

[Doji Fukawa]

Butaj's senses of wool-over-eyes are tingling, but he decides to indulge her a bit.

"Which ones? There were many peoples, from all across the Burning Sands, the Ivory Kingdoms and farther west, until a great western ocean."

Fukawa nods.


"Did they all get along with each other and with you?" she prods.

[Moto Butaj]

"In most cases not before beating them into submission. But then it was fine either way. Like with Butaj's ancestors of the Ujik-hai tribes. Lady Shinjo had to defeat them in battle to earn their respect and fealty."

Butaj replies honestly.

[Ide Samai]

"Hmmm," he considered, "maybe... her?" His hand motioned towards Doji Ameka calmly. "Or... hmmmm... what about her?" His hand then motioned towards Shosuro Chieri. And then his face reddened deeply. "This feels a bit weird."

Samai giggled behind her fan. "Such is the way of Ide. Politely pointing at people and hoping we understand each other." Her eyes followed his pointers. "Have you talked to them?"

[Doji Fukawa]

"In most cases not before beating them into submission. But then it was fine either way. Like with Butaj's ancestors of the Ujik-hai tribes. Lady Shinjo had to defeat them in battle to earn their respect and fealty."

Butaj replies honestly.

Fukawa nods, the extra seconds giving her the chance to reformat things to make the Empire not sound like a horrible place to be.


"There are a lot of conflicts between the Great Clans." she offers, also honestly. "Some recent, some as old as the Empire itself. Sometimes they can be settled with words, sometimes they must be settled with steel. Even at a peaceful miai such as this, there's still potential conflicts, stemming from other conflicts."

[Shinjo Akil]

"Not a word," he shook his head, "I honestly was just trying to pick people who looked interesting based on my very stringent requirements of 'might be artistic.'"

[Ide Samai]

"Not a word," he shook his head, "I honestly was just trying to pick people who looked interesting based on my very stringent requirements of 'might be artistic.'"

"Trust in the Fortunes is a virtue, my grandfather told me." Her eyes twinkled with humor as she replied. "We will have to see then, whether they meet your stringent requirements Shinjo-san." Her eyes softened. "Anything I can to help you."

[Shinjo Akil]

"You have a generous spirit, Ide-sama," Akil said with a smile, "but do not let regard for me take away from your own duties. If I am able to help you in the same regard, I must insist you allow me to."

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj waits for a moment for her to arrive at a clearer point but since it doesn't happen he decides to nudge things toward something more tangible.

"So Butaj gets you don't really know who are your enemies but you assume some are in this room? Or is it that you know but you don't want to tell Butaj?"

[Iuchi Batul]

Hiroji nods. "You have Tomonaga-sama. It was very good."

Tomonaga acknowledges this with a grin.

"Traveling together, sharing a yurt together, fighting together... these always unite beoble. I think this is why we also have close relation with our heimin. When you struggle together, you come close. Even if few words are said." She added to help out the Kaiu.

Tomonaga's eyebrows go up. "Huh, I hadn't heard that the Unicorn and their heimin are so close." He swirls the sake in his cup for a few moments, considering. "My family... well, I think that's a good thing, being close with heimin. I mean, even just looking at it practically, everyone drinks sake, right? We hope they want to drink Golden Carp, too."

He looks more directly at Batul. "So, is there a place where Unicorn go to drink? Crab have sake halls; you can tell them by the singing coming from them. Do Unicorn have anything like that, or do you just go to each others' yurts?"

"Drinking blace? Other than home?" She thought hard, it didn't sound like they did, that she could recall. "Other than meeting blace for the clan, we do not have drinking blace before. We are nomads, so we do not make building blaces for drinking."

[Doji Fukawa]

Butaj waits for a moment for her to arrive at a clearer point but since it doesn't happen he decides to nudge things toward something more tangible.

"So Butaj gets you don't really know who are your enemies but you assume some are in this room? Or is it that you know but you don't want to tell Butaj?"

Fukawa frowned a bit behind the fan.

"Enemies is a strong word, Moto-san. Rivals would be more accurate." she suggests.

[Otaku Imane]

"Otaku-san is the second person that says that." he admitted and continued in a neutral tone "Earlier I met one of your clanmates, Shinjo Akil, and he hinted that I would be a good match for an Otaku."

"Well considering this miai will end seeing me marrying a member of the Unicorn I'd say I will have plenty of time to sample those dishes." he continued, his tone noting that he had truthfully liked the Unicorn dishes "How about you Otaku-san? How are you finding our cuisine?"

"..." Imane was about to say something but thought better of it. She could see the other Matsu was a little confused as well.

"That. Is...nice. Matsu-san."

She sipped some water and looked around at the dishes. "I like that one a lot." She pointed at the red tuna and tuna belly sashimi. "It's like meat with butter, but it's fish!" There was a hint of surprise in her voice, as if that was mad.

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj does not insist on semantics, but he is interested in driving the point home. This conversation starts to resemble the one he had with the Usagi and it does not bring him anywhere near jolly. Butaj does not like to be stonewalled or played with quarter-truths.

"Rivals then, but what over? Butaj still wonders if you don't really know your rivals or just don't want to confide in Butaj. After Lady Shinjo's example, honesty is very important to the Unicorn. And it is so to Butaj."

Butaj does not have a fan so he starts to pull on his beard.

[Matsu Nintoku]

]
"..." Imane was about to say something but thought better of it. She could see the other Matsu was a little confused as well.

"That. Is...nice. Matsu-san."

She sipped some water and looked around at the dishes. "I like that one a lot." She pointed at the red tuna and tuna belly sashimi. "It's like meat with butter, but it's fish!" There was a hint of surprise in her voice, as if that was mad.

If the Otaku's confusion was noticed by the Matsu he did not show it.

"Ahh yes the red meat." he nodded "I also noticed the similarity between the two. I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit even though it is unlikely that I will ever eat it again."

[Kaiu Hiroji]

"Drinking blace? Other than home?" She thought hard, it didn't sound like they did, that she could recall. "Other than meeting blace for the clan, we do not have drinking blace before. We are nomads, so we do not make building blaces for drinking."

Hiroji nods. "True. It is rarely that a place matters when one drinks."