Mirumoto Kichinitonda, who has been busying himself with all manner of scribal activities, decides in his own stuttering way to contribute. So it is that before all assembled, he writes in an exquisite High Rokugani hand the following: "Glory to the Taoist Swordsman, Agasha-ke no kaishin Nishimura A...

...and from such a lesson may all profit, including the most eminent Agasha-ke no kaishin Nishimura Ayamari.

Kichinitonda's brush stops at last.

With a portable desk and brush in hand, Kichinitonda sets up to witness and record.

He will feel it's not up to standard, of course, but it reads well and clearly, his writing.

"Um, well, er," Kichinitonda stammers, "do you, do you know what Sparrow lands are like?"

"I don't, I don't know," Kichinitonda says. "I feel like, like I'm pulled in multiple, multiple directions."

"That, that will be good, then," Kichinitonda affirms.

"Maybe some kind of, some kind of dance."

"Do we, do we know who, who has us?" Kichinitonda asks.

Kichinitonda nods.

"It is improved," he says.

Then the stammer returns, because the topic shifts.

"I hope that, that people like it."

He sets his brush down.

"The Founder also, also says 'You must practice this diligently.' So that might be the place to start, with practicing the character you want to write again and again until it simply is . And you might do it this way..." Yes, Kichinitonda's speech pattern shifts as he talks about the process of writ...

"I don't, don't think I should," Kichinitonda says. "It's not, it's not good enough. Not until, until it's right."

"I mean, it's not, it's not really that, that good," Kichinitonda says. "But I can, I can try the other thing." And his brush moves again, leaving a better piece of work , yet his brow furrows at it even so. "It's still, still not right." He looks at Yuna. "I'm sor, sorry I can't do, do better than ...

"You mean like, like this?" Kichinitonda asks, and dashes out another demonstration, of similar quality, even if it takes a bit longer because it is more words.

"No, no. That's still not, not right. Not good, good enough."

"Well, um," Kichinitonda begins. "They are the, the Clan of Secrets. Maybe, maybe just, just the kanji for 'secret' might, might work. Like this," and he suddenly takes up a brush, inks it, and dashes out a very good writing of "himitsu."

"No. That's, that's not right. I can, I can do, do better."

"Um, er, you, you wanted to see, to see me?" Kichinitonda stammers as he enters the room.

Then he sees the paraphernalia assembled and smiles.

"I, I think that that was what was, what was going on, yes," Kichinitonda stammers. "And, and that seems to be the, the House opinion, that we will, will have to atone in equal, equal measure for, um, the failings, er, the failure." He gets more ink on the brush and continues writing. "It's more, um...

"Er, um, well, Lor-Lord Togashi," Kichinitonda stammers, "I know that you, you know about my House's difficulties. And I, I had mentioned them to, to Ageki-san, and she, she said that she would, would look into what the library here had on the, the Fortune."

Still, the man's brush keeps up.

"Um, er, um, I, I hadn't, hadn't considered that I would, would, er, be a, well, desirable match," Kichinitonda manages to stammer out. "But if, if that's what we need to, to do, then I'll, I'll do it." Somehow, even as he talks so haltingly, his brush keeps going, not missing a stroke. "I, I will, ...

"That is, um, a lot of veg-vegetabables," comes Kichinitonda's stammer.

His brush, however, does not stop moving.

In keeping with his role as a clerk, Kichinitonda has set up to record events.

It may be presumed that his pen-hand is as fine and regular as usual as he makes prefatory notes with the annotation that "One wonders how it will affect Nishimura Ayamari."

"But, but the prayer was--" Then the actual tremor hits. The Dragon House rattles as the earth moves beneath it, a rumbling rippling through the ground below and receding into the distance. "That, that would be why it, um, felt funny." Kichinitonda looks at his Family-mate. "I don't, er, know about ...