This is a circle, it seems. [D1, LA]

[Shinjo Akil]

Akil considered. "There is merit to her words. The Son of Heaven's word is absolute, after all. And it sounds as if they took a bold gambit, one that through misfortune, not weakness, did not pay off. This one has nothing to say against one willing to serve after difficulties."

[Moto Khulun]

“A Moto without a name is no Moto at all,” she says in reply.

[Shinjo Akil]

"Certainly, but their circumstance is not exactly one that we have ever seen or faced," he shook his head, "and certainly we have never heard of a minor clan before we returned home."

[Yuzuki]

"Well..."

She looked at Khulun and blinked in confusion.

"...obviously?"

She looked between the two.

Maybe it's a language thing.

"I guess they'd be ronin in those circumstances." She shrugged. "Doesn't mean they couldn't be strong."

[Moto Khulun]

“Strength comes from family, one horse does not make a stampede,” she replies.

[Shinjo Akil]

"Well, to be fair," Akil noted, "we had faced many strong enemies who were not tied by family. It is not the only possible tie, after all. Indeed, our families are different, and we are united and strong under the same banner."

[Yuzuki]

"No, strength comes from muscle and steel. And just because we don't have a name, doesn't mean the Mantis isn't family."

[Moto Khulun]

“You challenging me, no-name?” she says with a feral smile.

[Shinjo Akil]

"..." Akil placed his face firmly in his palm. "We're supposed to be making friends..."

[Yuzuki]

"Challenging you... to what exactly? I'm not really here to start any duels or anything."

She's very... something.

Yuzuki seemed unimpressed by the feral smile or implied threat. She just seemed baffled, mostly. But that's what she generally looked like.

[Moto Khulun]

"Challenging you... to what exactly? I'm not really here to start any duels or anything."

She's very... something.

Yuzuki seemed unimpressed by the feral smile or implied threat. She just seemed baffled, mostly. But that's what she generally looked like.

"I suppose if the Emperor has not had your kin cut down then I have no quarrels with you and yours. So what makes the Mantis a Mantis?" She asks.

[Yuzuki]

"Uh..."

She had been expecting the woman to keep trying to pick a fight, but now it seemed she wanted to know about the clan. This was certainly an interesting conversation with lots of twists and turns.

"...well, we were founded by Kaimetsu-Uo, son of the Fortune of Thunder, Osano-Wo, who was once the Crab Champion. Kaimetsu-Uo and his followers headed east, across the sea, to the islands of Spice and Silk. They are harsh jungle islands, but he conquered them and built the City of Lightning, where I'm from. We are called Mantis, because the Mantis is not afraid of foes bigger than itself. Because while the Mantis is small now, prophecy says we will rival the Great clans one day."

She paused a moment.

"Because we live on the islands, we are the masters of the sea. And our islands make us rich with their goods."

[Moto Khulun]

“The sea is a dark place, my uncle once said that the in the old ways the endless rains would bring the end of the world,” she says with a nod.

“Have you seen the other side of the seas?”

[Yuzuki]

"No. We... had visitors from there once long ago. But gaijin influences aren't really accepted by the empire, so we don't sail there. Though some of our enemies have used treacherous explosive weapons from across the sea."

She scratched her cheek absent mindedly.

"But the sea isn't really dark a lot of the time. The water is the lightest color of blue around some of our beaches. Very beautiful."

[Moto Khulun]

"I don't understand, what are gaiji influences?" She asks.