Yuna's contribution to the art show had drawn the eye of fellow delegate Agasha-ke no kashin Agasha Daisuke (Influence 5) (Shugenja), Lady Agasha's distant cousin and potential heir.

He had expressed an interest in the art that expressed clearly her favoritism for Seppun Tomaru-sama. A new patron for her, and one with political connections (and blood connections) to Agasha Akari, who was the Lord over all the Agasha houses, including House Ageki.

This was an important contact for her family. A chance to - hopefully - do some more good for them, before she married out.

And that had led to plans for tea.

She prepared a favorite in the Dragon lands. A green tea variety. Shincha or “new tea” came from the first batch of harvest for the season. It had the distinct scent of new tea leaves, making it a refreshing and invigorating drink. Prepared correctly, shincha has a sweet and full bodied taste with no bitterness or astringency at all.

A proper tea for the start of a relationship that was hoped to be sweet and robust, and not at all bitter.

"What a lovely tea," Daisuke said, having set the cup down. "You have a good sense of such things, Agasha-san, in addition to artistic talent. Those Asako must have taught you well."

"Thank you, Agasha-sama. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to train with the Asako, so I might have the skills I have used to represent the Dragon at this court."

"I hope I have served well, and that my service dutifully honors the Dragon," - not the Asako - "and the Agasha."

She gave a bow to him as the Agasha present, both at this tea and at this court. Agasha Akari's kin and potential heir.

"I am sure your efforts are appreciated by my aunt, though she will be quite sorry to hear that we are to lose you to the Shiba. In a sense, we will have come out well from this battle but lose the larger war, if some hyperbole can be deployed, here."

She nodded and took a sip of tea.

"It is kind of you to suggest the Dragon would have been glad to keep me. The marriage secures 4 units of lumber, 3 units of paper, and a blessing of crops that will make the Dragon rice yield increase next season. All important resources."

"I thought to arrange the blessing for the best rice producing Agasha lands. Not House Ageki's mountain."

"And as the eldest child of the Lord of our House, and born not a shugenja, it was best for me to marry out. My brother Riku-sama is the heir. He is a talented shugenja and able to lead the Ageki great work, and to serve the Agasha family faithfully."

"But I am still at your service until the day of my marriage."

"Tell me about your brother. Would you say that his service to Lady Agasha equals or exceeds your own?"

"Agasha-ke no kashin Ageki Riku is two years younger than me. He has all the qualities sought in the leadership of house Ageki. He is an extremely talented earth shugenja, vowed to the earth. He is a devout Shinseist. He has the traits of earth - patient, careful, enduring, loyal, faithful. He will advance the Ageki great work, which is the research of earth kami and earth shugenjical magic. And that enriches the Agasha. If any land faces troubles like the earthquake here, the Ageki stand ready to assist with records of research since the first century and the original Ageki's work with Togashi the kami."

"Our other roles, as House Ageki, is managing the gold mine, and sharing that resource through the family and clan, and housing Agasha scholars of earth magic. There are usually a dozen or more studying our records and practicing with our House. Riku-sama is committed to that hospitality and support."

"Okay, then. You have read me a litany of his tasks and virtues, all of which, I am sure, are very nice. But who is he? What is he like?"

A fair question.

And one requiring sincerity. Vulnerability.

"He is only two years younger than me. It was not immediately clear that I would not manifest the ability to speak to the kami. He saw how much that mattered to our mother. How much it mattered to her stability, her self-worth. How she became increasingly disappointed in me, increasingly self-blaming. All her focus and pressure on me until the day he gave her the gift that I could not. The day he spoke to the kami. He was only five. I was then seven. I was at the age I might have been sent to Agasha school if I could be. Pressure was at a boiling point."

"And then, he had done it. All would be well. He became heir overnight. The apple of her eye. He perceived that he had saved the family and his mother's well-being. Her very instability made the victory of saving her the sweeter. She doted on him, and he loved it. She still does, and he still loves it."

"He is keenly focused on the study of how to soothe and please the earth kami, and he relishes pursuing the most volatile and mercurial and disturbed and distrusting of them. He has learned much. He knows how important it is, in such relationships to earn trust and re-earn it day after day. Faithful. Careful. Soothing. Drawn by instability."

She did not need to say 'he is shaped by Heaven to want Agasha Akari-sama's love and admiration also, as such chances might occur.' She did not need to say she is another unstable woman whose love and trust is hard to earn. A volatile mercurial maternal figure.

"So he is drawn to instability? Curious. Is his idea, then, to create harmony where there is none, or is it to come to a greater understanding of things as they are?"

Cearnach wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:33 pm

"So he is drawn to instability? Curious. Is his idea, then, to create harmony where there is none, or is it to come to a greater understanding of things as they are?"

"To create harmony. To soothe, please, and appease. To the extent that nature and Heaven seek that. One man does not control the elements. He dances with them. But a patient attentive wise man can find the rhythm and make the dance harmonious. To both see the beauty in the mercurial that is natural - like the rages of a storm, and to seek soothing where there seems to be a disturbance that can be soothed - like earth that only quakes because of an irritant that can be resolved."

"Interesting. Very interesting. I will, I think, need to speak with him directly in the coming weeks. Can I rely on you to ask him to get in touch with me at Kyuden Agasha?"

"Of course, Agasha-sama. It will be his honor. I can write to him today."

She smiled. This was good. Her brother would be delighted. Surely this was good for House Ageki!