Legend of the Five Rings: Winds of Winter

[Quiver]

By the standards of other Clan holdings, Kyuden Miya is a relatively modest affair. This is not to suggest it doesn't fill it's guests or inhabitants with a sense of awe; banners depicting the seven-pointed star of the Miya family stream from balconies and overlook the courtyard, as fine as any of the 'great' clans even when beaten by snow.

But the rooms are also smaller than than may be expected from one of the larger holdings, and closer together. Not so much as to create an aura of poverty, but rather of intimacy. Perhaps that was why this where the Four Winds were attending. Perhaps they had hoped that such an atmosphere would remind one another of fillial bonds and enable them to come to a consensus.

However, having been at the Kyuden a few weeks, it seems to be having the opposite effect. There is a tension in the air, though of course no one would be so crass as to actually say such a thing. More bushi than usual have accompanied their clan courtiers, and the roads to the castle seemed to have more frequent patrols and guards.

Some of that tension was alleviated a week ago, when Tsuado and Sazeru, the eldest of the Toturi family, arrived, their servants and retainers in tow.
Naseru arrived the day before yesterday, and while the youngest Toturi's reputation means no one is relaxed per se, the presence of the heirs have invigorated the courtiers, and given some semblance of normalcy to the proceedings.

Kaneka arrived this morning, and as if the gods favored the Four Winds convening, the weather has taken a turn for the better. The sun is shining in the sky, weak and pale, but warm enough to warrant a change in the days activities. The serving staff have spent the morning moving snow from drifts in the courtyard and stoking small fires, while artists are in the process of setting up an open-air gallery of paintings.

Snow still falls, but lightly, like a scene from a romance rather than with the ferocity of Winter. Perhaps it is a sign that these storms will soon be settled...

I hope that this opening post wasn't too rough, which frankly is proof that hope springs eternal.

So, your characters have all been at Kyuden Miya for a little while now. You may have noticed one another, but you haven't had any major interactions as of yet.

I'm leaving first posts pretty open; as the above says, a group of artists are setting p a gallery in the courtyard, but if that's not something you want to attend, feel free to post something else. I'll actually reply with something more relevant to your specific character; this is mostly just a case of me trying to get a generic "starting post" up.

[Kwaj]

Mirumoto Masaru wanders the artists' gallery, stepping gingerly between the servants as they erect their stalls. The light snowfall is pleasant compared to the bitter winters of the mountains, but he pulls his outer kimono tightly about him all the same.

Art was a frivolity seldom seen in the rugged dojo where Masaru was trained, so he is entranced by the pieces on display. He is particularly fascinated by th landscapes, intrigued by their depiction of far-off oceans, plains, and forests, places he has never seen before.

[spinningdice]

Kitsune Misako's skin crawls, she's tried her best to be the model of formality and good behaviour... but it had been weeks. She wanted to hunt something, or make a joke, or... something. The atmosphere didn't help, it felt like dry kindling, ready to burst into flame with the slightest of friction. Looking for any distraction she finds herself wandering the gallery, hardly a fan of art, she can still admire the artistry behind it.

[Harmony]

Bayushi Saori

Not entirely sure why she had been sent down here already, Saori would not complain about it. There would probably be inquires about the art, she suspected, not the samurai present. She moved between the paintings, taking them in one by one. She thought them good, but not amazing. It seemed more to her as this being something of a distraction. Then again, she didn't know that much about art, so she pushed the thought away. Assumptions were lethal in a place such as this. Regardless, the snow made the day seem perfect, and if it was just the eye of the storm, she would make sure to enjoy it, distraction or not.

She finally stopped in front of the last painting and took it in. She ignored the motif and looked for the brushstrokes, trying to understand the artist. Not before long though, she found herself loosing both interest and concentration. It didn't matter, it struck her, nothing on display here really did. They were pieces crafted in safety, away from observing eyes, and in comfort of the knowledge that only those of quality would be presented or displayed like this. It wasn't poetry, dance or swordplay, or any other art was alive. She would never see the failed strokes that surely made up some of them, nor would she ever see the triumph of conquering them. They were just an illusion.

"It's wonderful." she said softly, to no one in particular.

[JustPlayItLoud]

Yasuki Tsubohachi milled about the courtyard, lazily keeping an eye on the other Crab delegates. He sincerely doubted the first reasonably warm day in a week would give cause for concern. And besides, that duty ultimately fell to the delegation yojimbo anyhow. The karo of the Crab delegation was predisposed for a time with seemingly endless bureaucratic formalities, and most of the remaining delegates and their yojimbo had decided to take in the soon-to-be art exhibit.

The sun felt good on his shoulders. He had taken to wearing a sugegasa as favored by the Yasuki, but the absence of rain or snow left him free to wear his hair long and loose, as was the style among the Kakita. As a sudden wind gust broke the warmth Tsubohachi pulled his kimono, a simple deep blue and thicker than normal, tighter around him. He would have to send Yasuki Kano a letter thanking him for suggesting so strongly he acquire a heavier kimono for the trip. The winters in Kyuden Miya were a fair bit colder than anything he'd experienced in Yasuki Yashiki or Shiro sano Kakita.

He walked by a group of Crane delegates having a quiet conversation. He could not make our their words, but he could hear them cease as they caught sight of him. He felt their gaze upon his back as he passed. It had not taken much time at all for him to be identified. He was the Crab that had just recently finished his training at the Kakita Dueling Academy, and now the Crane and Crab had began anew a war that had long lay dormant. He founds his mind conflicted as the clan of his birth and the clan of his sensei spilled each others blood over the lands where he had been born and raised.

He hoped to ingratiate himself to the Crane beyond those he had trained with, but feared it may be a lost cause. He was not even entirely sure why he had been assigned to a Winter Court delegation, given his history and the current situation between the Crab and Crane. As a matter of fact, he was not even sure what his job with the delegation was supposed to be! He lacked the courtly skills of the Yasuki courtiers, and was not named a yojimbo either. Was he neither? Both? Was he his own yojimbo? To date he had followed whoever he had been assigned to follow. He had kept quiet and mostly just been asked to assist in mundane tasks of court.

He tried to shake the doubts from his mind and shake off the gaze of the Crane delegates. Hopefully in the casual environment he would at least be able to overheard some juicy court gossip. He had been mostly behind closed doors around cramped tables and missed all the interesting events so far. Rumors of bad blood, embarrassing insults, and ulterior motives had been the only thing keeping him sane thus far.

[Quiver]

Even since the Dragon delegates arrived in Kyuden Miya, Masaru has found himself buffeted from one conversation to another. Actually contributing or engaging in those conversations was more or less optional; his presence was all that the Dragon Courtiers seemed to require.

Those conversations have often been tense, but respectful, particularly towards Masaru. There are advantages to being the son of a famed general, after all. Whatever people may think of the Dragon Clans actions -and Masaru has seen enough dark glances to know most don't look favorably upon them- the prestige of Masaru's father and his family cannot go entirely ignored.

Even by enemies. Unsurprisingly, the Phoenix and Lion have avoided the Dragon for the most part, but on those occasions when interacting with them is unavoidable, they have retained the composure and dignity one would expect of a samurai.

Just as Masaru is admiring the artwork, a voice whispers in his ear. "Lord Mirumoto." A bald servant in Dragon green bows low with respect. "Kitsuki Ayako requests your presence, sir." The servant gestures slightly as he speaks, towards a group of Dragon delegates engaged in conversation with a group wearing the robes and dyed hair of the Crane clan.


The mood in the Kyuden Miya courtyard may be tense, but at least it hasn't been directed towards the Fox clan. The courtiers of the Clan have borne the brunt of it, of course. With the looming conflicts between the Crab and the Crane, and the Dragon-Phoenix-Lion, it seems as though everyone is vying, one way or another, for support. The head of the delegation -Yoritomo Iwao- has spent the past week sending letters from one courtier to another.

The shugenja in the delegation have, by comparison, largely gone unnoticed. Misako has been treated with the respect due to one who one of her social status and powers, of course, but most of the focus of the court has been upon the courtiers and their machinations.

Most- though not all. A number of Shugenja have taken a curious shine to Misako. The Fox Clan's reputation at work, no doubt. As she wanders through the open-air gallery, one such person fell into quick step with her.

"Kitsune! An interesting show, isn't it?" Togashi Sachiko was an obnoxiously bright person. Perhaps that was simply part of the famed Dracgon eccentricity, much like the tattoo's she (claimed) to have beneath her green and gold robes. She was hardly the only shujenga to take an interest in the Kitsune -and express a not-so subtle curiosity about the clan's magic- but unlike Isawa Mahiro or Iuchi Yurina, Sachiko was persistent.

Soft as she spoke, the Scorpion's words did not go unnoticed.
"Your praise does the artist credit."

Another samurai might not notice the surreptitious glances they received, half-hidden as they were behind hands and fans. But of course, Scorpions are trained to notice such things, and Saori has no doubt seen the looks her crane-white hair attracted since her arrival... and the way that they quickly looked away when they noticed the woman was a Scorpion.

The Crane who spoke at the moment, however, did not. He looked down at the woman for a moment, then returned his gaze to the painting.
"Are you familiar with the works of Master Kakita?"

The mood in the courtyard was curiously restrained. Their hosts absence may have accounted for some of that. Neither the Winds, nor Daiymyo Miya, had arrived at the gallery, and the absence could not go unremarked upon.

Besides that, however, were the tensions of recent events. Members of the Dragon clan had spread throughout the courtyard, seeming to talk to members from almost every clan, including the Crab. The only ones they avoided were those from the Lion and the Phoenix, who seemed to return the feeling, the members of the two factions seeming to do their best to avoid one another.

"-pion?" A group of Crane woman were speaking quietly to one another, their attention focused on an older Crane speaking to a woman with white hair. "What would his wife-"
The speaker cut herself short, as if fearful of being overheard, and they changed topics to something more innocent and inane.

Apart from the woman with the white hair and the mask, there weren't many Scorpions in attendance. Then again, they would probably be doing most of their work where no one could see them. Oddly enough, there were fewer Unicorn than one might have expected, considering Kyuden Miya's closeness to the Unicorn clan holdings.

The difference was made up, however, the Wavemen.
The Ronin had arrived that morning with Kaneka. Their lord might not have made an appearance yet, but his loyal band had, taking a position in the courtyard. They had kept mostly to themselves, and neither they nor the Clans appeared quite sure how to deal with one another; Kaneka was an acknowledged heir, of course, and these were his men. To say nothing of Emperor Toturi's own band of Ronin in his youth...

Still, they sat uneasy in the court, eyeying the other factions milling about with the same kind of suspicion and coarse attitude that one might expect from a Crab.

[Kwaj]

Masaru nods to the servant and warily approaches the group of Dragon and Crane. He brushes snow absently from his hair; after his exposure to the fierce conditions of the Dragon mountains, he sees little point in wearing a hat for light snowfalls like this one.

The splendor of the Crane diplomats' attire gives him pause, and he tries not to stare. Masaru is no stranger to wealth, due in no small part to his father's status, but even in the halls of the greatest Mirumoto lords he has never seen such finery as that which the Crane courtiers wear with casual elegance.

He bows low to Kitsuki Ayako, and waits to be introduced.

[Harmony]

Bayushi Saori

Saori continues watching the painting as the Crane speaks. "I's the artist who has graced us with their work that deserves the credit." she replies sincerely. Slowly, it dawned on her that she had started to dislike the painting more and more, but she pushed it aside, she could loathe it later. She threw a glance at her company, giving him a quick but noticeable smile.
"No." she replies "It is the first time I have the pleasure to observe his works. Perhaps you could indulge me?"

[JustPlayItLoud]

Though the setting for today was an art gallery, the real show for Tsubohachi was the other courtiers. Unfortunately they had failed to entertain for the time being.

He had recently begun to feel a slight sympathy for the fine line between samurai and pauper that ronin often walked. Tsubohachi was a nobody samurai whose clan was at war with the clan of his sensei. He often jokes to himself that he was but a badly stifled sneeze away from being named ronin.

Tsubohachi walked over to the group of ronin, singling out a couple of fresh-faced wavemen he judged to be no more experienced than he. "Everyone gets a rise out of scandalous conversations at court... Tsubohachi gestures toward the Crane and Scorpion his attention was drawn to earlier "...but there can be no denying that the greatest show in Rokugan is to watch those who are watching them. Their clan and mine are in open war, our Emperor has been murdered, oni grow ever more numerous along the Kaiu wall, but they feign genuine concern over the feelings of that Crane's wife. Good morning, I am Yasuki Tsubohachi of the Crab delegation. You serve Akodo Kaneka-sama correct? What is it like to serve the 'dark horse' Wind? I hear his skill with a blade rivals even the Crane kenshinzen. He must have rigorous standards for the ronin in his service"

[spinningdice]

Misako dislikes the attention, her prayers have never seemed more inspring than the works of other clan shugenja, she felt she was constantly fighting the urge to retreat back to the safe and familiar.

She bows respectfully to the Dragon as she approaches, in part to cover the deep breath she takes before engaging in conversation. "Sachiko, a pleasure as always. I can admire the art, but I have always preferred more tactile artistry." she catches herself before talking of the woodcarvings from home she loved as a young girl, now is not the time for getting too personal.
"Is there something I can help you with, surely you have greater concerns than my entertainment?", she inwardly cringes, hoping she doesn't perceive any offence by being second guessed.