[D11 ME] Tea-mergency

[Doji Shinnosuke]

Shinnosuke settles comfortably in a nest of cushions arranged around a tea table in the Crane common room, a space decorated with works of art in various media. One part of the space is set off for two temporary shrines dedicated to Benten and (perhaps more curiously) Emma-o. A few oil lamps backed with bronze mirrors cast warm light around the room, glimmering off the oil-speckle glaze spots on the tenmoku tea bowl and the patinated copper kettle warming on a brazier.

---
Expecting! Here's the roll ahead of time for everyone's bookkeeping.
D11 ME--Tea Ceremony for Shiori | 5k3 ⇒ 18 (TN: 15)

[Kuni Shiori]

Shiori had heard about the shrine of Benten being set up in the Crane residence, Daidoji Ryu had informed her that much and how it coincided with Daidoji Sae's marriage arrangements. She didn't exact herself to be arranged in a marriage this season but it seemed that the spouse distribution system in political trades was working as intended and she suddenly found herself in the same situation as Sae. Visiting the shrine was one of those things that was on her ever-growing list this season.

There was also Doji Shinnosuke too, who had personally offered her a part in his play this season. Her performance wasn't perfect, that was clear, but it wasn't disaster enough to keep her away from the stage. Maybe she could consider some pointers?

The attendants of the residence would usher her in and she bowed to greet her waiting host. "Good evening, Doji-san. Thank you for having me over for tea tonight. It's been a busy week and I didn't want to leave another meeting to chance. I hope you're doing well?"

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"I am, thank you," Shinnosuke says cheerfully, rising to return Shiori's bow. "And you, Kuni-san? I am sure you must be very busy, what with treaties and the court and... ah, some things I know Asahina Hoshiko-san meant to talk to you about. I hope you are not run too ragged, and quite glad you have time for me."

[Kuni Shiori]

"Good to hear," she said with a bob of her head before offering a small smile, approaching so that she could join him at the cushions. Her gaze did go monetarily to the shrine in question, the one in her thoughts before her arrival, before ending at the tea arrangements that were set up. It was a bit more formal than what she would do as a host in turn but she wasn't going to question Crane's hospitality.

"I wish I could take some credit for my delegation's efforts in court but I have been quiet. What they have done is indeed their hard work and they are fully deserving of their credit. I suppose I have been doing my best to take notes." She said before recalling the mention of Hoshiko, finding herself considering the things that she had truly been working on. "Ah...well, I try to keep running on those thoughts, in a way. But I also know the value of reprieve as well. I do find myself looking back at my performance and I think I'll be sharing that one with my House once I get home." Ad-lib lines and all, I suppose.

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"I was so happy to have you involved, Kuni-san." Shinnosuke says with a smile. He'd been busy changing from his Noblewoman costume to the Demon one while Shiori delivered her monologue in the play, so he hadn't actually seen it, but he had heard it was a very original take on the character--as expected when one had the fortuitous opportunity to cast a real Earth Priestess, right? (As usual for him, he assumes the best.)

"I'm glad you found it worth your while. It is so true, recreation is an important part of the court season as well. Who knows how many subtle negotiations or future betrothals might be nudged along by a performance or an art show, right?"

When Shiori joins him at the table, Shin will stir up the coals under the kettle to get it simmering properly.

[Kuni Shiori]

Shiori settled down on a cushion in a seiza. "I know I was reluctant about it at first but after thinking about it and discussing it with my delegation, I've come to see it as an opportunity. It was kind of you to open up the stage, so to speak, and the circumstances have been pretty fortuitous. I'm sure if you've had perhaps a whole year to prepare, the final product and the players involved would have been very different."

"I know that a few have taken rather heavy workloads this season and found themselves bouncing between meetings, so such moments are probably much more appreciated when it comes to the spirit. At least, I hope so when it comes to Yasuki Masaki, she's been working too hard this season already. That said, I know my betrothals had been secured not too long after the play. I'm not sure if my performance in the play had anything to do with it but since you've mentioned it, I'm more than willing to accredit that to your efforts, Doji-san," she said with a small smile, a slight bit of half-seriousness there.

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"Your betrothal? Congratulations, Kuni-san!" Shinnosuke says, with warmth. "I'm sure it can't have hurt. Adaptability, grace, a little courage--an amateur stage debut shows all those things. Who is the lucky bridegroom or bride?" As he speaks, his elegant hands are busy arranging the tea things, measuring out the tea.

"A year would be too long to prepare one performance, really. Everyone and everything would be quite stale by then. We might have used another week, but I think we did rather well, on the whole. As you say, everyone is terribly busy. Some, like Yasuki-san and Asahina-san and Daidoji-san, might not have been able to spare so much more time anyway."

[Kuni Shiori]

Shiori smiled softly at the congratulations and gave a few small nods, before ultimately following it with a bow of thanks. Admittedly, she was still working on her betrothal reactions and this was good practice, even if she felt awkward about it. At the very least, she felt she should be just as happy or enthused as the person congratulating her. "...Thank you, Doji-san. Now that you've mentioned it, even practicing those traits might have garnered me some attention. It almost makes me wonder if the nakodo should consider roping your idea with each winter court."

She seemed to be careful with her next few words as she gaged Shinnosuke's status, in case he had been wed without her knowing. "Of course, I hope you've managed to get your share of attention too."

Her gaze went to her hands resting on her lap. "...it's still a bit light on details and I haven't gotten everything but I am told that it is a gentleman from the Centipede Clan, who will be joining House Kuroyama and the Crab. On paper, the match seems natural, going from a Clan of pious spirituality and occasional facepaint to a Family of occasional spirituality and pious facepaint."

"Yes, I think we did pretty well," she nodded in agreement at that. "To clarify, I was speaking more on what would be involved with a trope involved, rather than the fine volunteers that you've recruited. I confess I don't too much about the process where a play goes from the brush to the stage. I imagine good tropes are usually more malleable for the most part?"

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"So you'll have grown your House without leaving it. I've come to understand this winter that's something quite important to many Crab." He nods as he taps the sifted tea powder into the bowl. "I don't know many Centipede, but they have a reputation for honor and refinement, so I have no doubt your bridegroom is a gentleman indeed." He smiles slightly, "As for me, I've been charged of disposing of an older cousin this winter--the good kind of disposing, of course!--so I have been rather preoccupied with finding a match for her and other eligible Crane. But I suppose it's quite possible Musubi-no-kami is lying in ambush for me as well." There's laughter in his voice at that last.

"Ah, with experienced actors it is different, yes. Trained performers already know the conventions. If you already know how a warrior moves or a demon speaks, it's shorter work to apply that to a new script. Of course practice and detail is important, but an experienced troupe doesn't start at the very ground floor of the tower, if you see what I mean."

[Kuni Shiori]

She would nod twice regarding the art of performance, her gaze looking to the powder he had put into the bowl. Tea ceremony was a skill that seemed to go a long way when it came to playing host and maintaining social networks, she thought to herself. She supposed the same could be said about a pet, too, even one that didn't follow orders.

"Perhaps not dispose but gift would be the better approach here?" She smiled softly on the matter of the cousin, although a part of her wondered if there was some actual disposing going around here. Surely, a polite joke here rather than Shinnosuke sharing the details of an unwanted cousin with an acquaintance! "I guess I should consider myself thankful to be staying in my House with my arrangements as I haven't thought twice about life in another Clan, let alone find myself arranged this season. It seems to that come suddenly it seems, I'd consider this a warning to an unwed samurai such as yourself. I kind of find it surprising...but perhaps the trick is to busy others with the negotiation of others. I would hope that delegation members such as Daidoji Ryu and Asahina Hoshiko are also aiding in those negotiations too? If that's where they want to be."

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"Oh, yes, Asahina-san in particular has been very busy," Shin agrees, beginning to add the hot water to the bowl and start whisking the tea. "So busy that I feel rather selfishly reassured about my own efforts to find a match for my illustrious cousin that will suit her tastes and disposition, and not just pure politics." Which might at least partially answer the question about his choice of that word disposing.

"As for me, well, a Doji who is a younger cousin must always grow up prepared to be packed off to parts unknown dragging a marriage trousseau, right?" He grins rakishly, then looks down to check the consistency of the tea froth forming under his whisk--with the incidental result that Shiori can see his smile, but not so much his eyes.

[Kuni Shiori]

Shiori raised her brows for a moment when he explained his cousin's situation. It was a bit strange that any Crane marriage wouldn't be about pure politics involved but she gathered enough of a hint about the situation. "Well, I do hope all the best regarding your cousin's situation. She should find herself lucky that you're offering enough consideration in the match that there will be some harmony."

She allowed the topic of Shinnosuke's own arrangements to drop. It wasn't like she had her own potential match proposal lined up, this wasn't a negotiation, and she didn't know how he truly felt about marriage. With her obligatory duty of encouraging others into marriage completed, she moved to another topic. "How has Doji-san found the court so far? I could only imagine that you've been keeping in touch with the Winds, even if by rumours."

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"We do have one Wind living right here in the Crane residence," he says, lips quirking. "And I have personally helped to pick up broken crockery another Wind wished to see broken, so that's something. How about you, Kuni-san?"

And at this moment he finished whisking the tea, carefully lifting the chashaku away so as not to mar the froth and setting it to one side. "Ah, but first, do have some tea, please." And he lifts the bowl in both hands to pass it to Shiori.

[Kuni Shiori]

Her eyes went to Shinnosuke's hands as he finished whisking the tea, the sound cue immediately telling her that he had done preparing the tea. She would give him a quick bow of thanks for the gesture and carefully pick it up with her right hand, placing it on her left. Carefully turning the bowl with the prerequisite degrees, she would take a few sips from it. It did feel like a refreshing treat, considering everyone's busy schedules in winter court. Even casual tea-making was a bit of a rarity with servants at the ready in the Kyuden. She would set the bowl down and bow deeply to show her gratitude. "This is wonderful. Thank you, Doji-san."

She frowned as she delved deep into her bag of opinions and failed to find anything. "...As for the Winds, I can't say that I've found myself in a situation where I spoke to them at length. This is mostly my fault, of course. I do understand that one of them isn't particularly fond of a Clan and made no secret of that. Of course, I am also told that she is the most qualified. If Doji-san wished to share an opinion, I'll likely be a receptive vessel at the moment."

[Doji Shinnosuke]

Shinnosuke nods politely, a smile flashing out, when Shiori compliments the tea. "Of course! My pleasure, Kuni-san." He really seems to mean that. Making someone else a little more happy and comfortable is a pleasant thing, after all.

"Really? So many people seem to have made their minds up quickly." Talk of the succession sobers him a bit more again. "I admit, I hardly feel myself qualified to judge such a question myself. We are all rather being asked to leap from thinking of this as a choice given only to the Heavens and the Child of Heaven, to a matter on which we're entitled to form some opinion of our own--have to, really, I suppose." He sighs. "If I say that I have a very high opinion of Doji Noriko-sama, I suppose you'll think me a raw partisan. All I can tell you is that I have seen more of her than the others, and I've found her a kind, intelligent woman who is stronger than she might look. Then of course, the front-runner has, ah, not impressed me with great subtlety or diplomacy, though perhaps she doesn't need to. I haven't spoken to the others, or really seen them speak much."

After a moment's thought, he adds judiciously, "I did think Seppun Tomaru-sama a much finer poet than I really expected. His wasn't as memorable as Heichi Batsuda-sama's verses, of course"--a rakish smile at that--"but it did make an impression."

[Kuni Shiori]

"I'm sure that my delegation kinsmen likely have strong opinions than I do on the matter. It may make sense to ask them but they have been admittedly busy. I am thankful that you've shared your opinions with me, even with some biases, that is most appreciated," she gave him a quick bow with a small smile.

"Seppun Tomaru-sama is one that I've heard mentioned in passing. It's hard to deny his character and experience. There is much, that 's obvious," perhaps to say that he is of a certain elder age. The memory of the late Empress was still too fresh to suggest the mortality of another would be ruler. "He does seem like the most neutral choice on paper, in my passing estimation. No doubt, Doji Noriko-sama shows many qualifications and likely one who will also continue the late Empress's legacy with a gentle hand. As a trade of opinions, I have to admit that I have sensed some apprehension in my delegation that Doi Noriko-sama might be too comfortable with her residences in the Crane."

There were others, weren't there? "Do you have any thoughts of Otomo Gorobei-sama and Tatsuya-sama?"

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"Alas, I have not spoken with Otomo-sama or Tatsuya-sama." Shinnosuke bites his lower lip for a moment, considering his words. "Otomo-sama has made a few presentations in Court, but I can't say they were very memorable. Tatsuya-sama... that his mother is the Fortune, that's terribly romantic. I know little of him beyond that, though." His brows draw together. Talking so directly about the succession feels a bit like wearing the wrong size tabi--vaguely uncomfortable, and giving him the sense he might trip at any moment. Still, his guest had broached the subject, and an honest response is the demand of Courtesy.

"As for which is the neutral choice... when I try to think about it in that way, I can only conclude that the impartial choice must be to follow the line of descent without consideration for one's own interests. Trying to decide for ourselves which Wind is the most 'neutral' based on their character or their preferences can only ever be partial, really, can't it? Since it depends on our own judgement and preferences."

He sighs uneasily, glancing at Shiori for her reaction.

"The closest blood successor is the child of the Former Empress's aunt, whom the Former Empress's mother personally declared should remain in the succession. That is rather simple. But then, would I be satisfied with the impartial logic of bloodline if Noriko-sama were a much less virtuous person? I'm not sure," he admits. "For what my opinion is worth, I don't suppose her to be the sort of person who would favor our clan too much. She isn't proud in that way, I think."

[Kuni Shiori]

Shiori offered a momentary frown at the lack of opinions regarding the other two Winds. "I trust that you've got your ear closer to the ground than I do, Doji-san. Admittedly, Tatsuya-sama's peculiar situation puts him at a disadvantage. He was discovered relatively late and brought in after the Empress had passed. There is also his obvious standing too but that might have been alleviated if he had some existing renown to speak of his character. Otomo-sama kind of hails from different circumstances but he also hasn't been on the forefront until around the same time Tatsuya-sama was introduced. Obscurity can be such a damper on momentum, it seems. Very unfortunate for them, if that is indeed the case."

She nodded soundly on his point. "Those are good points, Doji-san. I'll admit that the suggestion of Seppun isn't a wholly neutral choice, merely based on what my kinsman have told me. Unlike you, we didn't have an easy choice at the start of the season. Characters and opinions can always change too, rulership of the Empire isn't something easy to shoulder for anyone. So much so that the responsibility can only go to someone with a divine mandate. Much like the path ahead is so much more different when you can see what lies past the bend."

"It's hard to overlook that some might think there is an opportunity to be had here," she said as she glanced up at him. "I trust that was always on the agenda for all delegations even before the sudden loss of the Empress. It was a bit foolish of me to assume that there is much of a neutral choice on the matter."

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"Alas, while we live in this vale of tears as mere mortals, we can never be truly impartial." Shinnosuke delivers this line with deliberate, not to say exaggerated, theatricality. In a less declamatory and more natural tone, he adds, "To tell you the truth, that above all is the reason I'd rather support Noriko-sama, if I must support anyone. If I can't interpret the will of Heaven or know the living wishes of the Former Empress--and I really can't, I'm no priest or prophet," he shrugs, "the next best I can do is the decree of Empress Yugozohime, who was the Former Empress's mother. At least this way I don't feel like I'm pretending to know better than the Heavens themselves."

He really sounds like he's thought about this, despite his usual rather air-headed affect.

[Kuni Shiori]

"It's fine to have an opinion. I think our lords have sent us here to give our opinion on the matter. If it was solely up to an impartial choice, I don't think we would be needed so much and the Imperial families would likely make their own minds on the matter. At the moment, I can only assume they're moving precariously, trying to gather enough favour before sure footing could be found to be walking toward the Throne. Likely, there is some tug and pull that's happening in the background, it might be too subtle for my notice," she said with a small smile to indicate a half-joke there.

She glanced off for a moment, turning the conversation to a less politically inclined topic. "...How did you choose Haku as your companion?"