(D14, MM) Thank you, Lion

[Soshi Eiji]

After visiting the Phoenix House, Eiji made his way to the Lion house. He didn't have an appointment. Instead, he announced to the receptionist that he wished to offer both his and his delegation's heartfelt thanks to the Lion and to discuss tomorrow's debate. If any could see him, it would be appreciated, if not, he understood and would simply leave his words of thanks.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

The Lion guards seem a little nervous at first, but guide Eiji through the delegation house to the back, where the dividers describe an area almost entirely taken up by Lady Matsu practicing kata.

"Hnn?" she asks, looking over her shoulder. "Ah, a Scorpion." She drops out of her kata and is suddenly looming over Eiji. "What do you know about the fire last night, huh? Spill it!"

[Soshi Eiji]

Well and hello to you too Lady Matsu.

Having spent the season briefing Lady Bayushi, Lady Matsu seemed less Lion, more kitten. Though kittens did still scratch.

He shook his head.

"Clearly less than you, Lady Matsu. Since I no longer wear the colors of the Lion, matters of Lion security are not my buisness. Whether it's fire, earthquakes, embassy breakins or full scale kill teams launching assaults on temples, you have dozens if not hundreds of Lions to attend to such matters. Why should I pay the slightest attention to them?" he asked.

Did all Imperial Winter Courts make the hosts look so bad? This had to be a record.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"Sailing so far above it all didn't stop you from keeping a little list, did it?" She gets right into Eiji's face. "Spitting your bile enough to get it off your chest, or do you wanna name a champion?"

[Soshi Eiji]

It took Eiji a moment to process what the Matsu was saying. She was nearly as nonsensical as Mirumoto Jinkan. Clearly, this was who he should have been romancing.

"Name a...?" he got out.

And then he laughed.

"Akodo be good, Lady Matsu. I came here today to give thanks to the Lion. To praise them for their diplomacy, thank them for their hospitality, to speak well of those Lion I was fortunate enough to spend time with." he said honestly.

He laughed and shook his head at the situation.

"Picking a fight with Lady Matsu is like trying to fistfight a bonfire. I've definitely not the slightest interest in that."

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"Wouldn't have been the first." She steps back. "Well, those people you want to thank seem to be out, so you've got the bonfire instead."

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji shrugged a bit.

"Bonfires are good things too. It's all a matter of what you need them for. Just like it's a bad idea to warm a hut with a bonfire inside, a festival around a single candle would be a bit sad. And Lady Matsu is...well, lady Matsu. Just as important as her fellow daimyo, I'd rather have troops led by Lady Matsu than Lord Kitsu, but any Lion would be good." he offered sincerely.

He paused a moment considering.

"Lady Matsu....I've noticed you've not gotten to speak your mind in court as often as you would like. I'll admit I am curious what your opinion is on the proceedings tommorow." he asked.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"Tomorrow. Well, the way I see things, Soshi-san, is that there's only one heir to demonstrate that she's got power already. That's what we need; someone to whip all this into shape. Once she gets rid of Rumiko and the paperwork on the adoption gets finalized, it's all over and everything can get back to normal."

[Soshi Eiji]

Ah a rare Keihime supporter spotted in the wild. Isn't she a beauty?

"That makes a great deal of sense, Lady Matsu. Thinking about from a military standpoint, when a commander falls in battle it is their closest suborndinate who takes command, not a ronin from the reserves."

Eiji thoughtfully nodded.

"Though I did not realize that the Imperial Chancellor and a matter of paperwork were the obsticles that were hindering a return to normalcy. When the matter of a regent was brought up in court, I was surprised with the ferocity that people rose to strongly object to it. While the reasons they gave varied, my assumption is that many of them were not truly objecting to the need of a regent, but with the assumption that were there a regent, it would be Otomo Keihime." he offered.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"The sheep bleat when they are enclosed, but they are kept safe in spite of it." Lady Matsu shrugged. "The clans would of course prefer a weak Emperor, as they have in the past, with loose rules and a pony for everyone. But a weak Emperor does not reign well, and eventually we'll be right back here when someone or other gets it in their head that power is up for grabs."

[Soshi Eiji]

Keihime's Day One Policy: No ponies for anyone.

Eiji nodded.

"I very much agree Lady Matsu. It takes a great deal of strength to be an effective ruler, let alone ruler of all. While Tatsuya-san might be the model of a noble ronin, it's hard to imagine him commanding the bureaucracy rather than being commanded by it."

"Although, in truth, the display of strength in court I've found most impressive this season was when Doji Noriko stood up for Seppun-sama's honor. Had she merely been thinking about her own politial ambitions, it would have been easily to let the court strip a rival of influence. But she recognized the inherent injustice of it, and though it gained her nothing, she stood against it." he offered.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"And then she knelt and wiped the floor like a servant at Keihime's request. And don't give me that "strength in abjection" crap. One person was standing at the end of that, and the other was on their knees. And that's how this is going to end."

[Soshi Eiji]

Don't quote Leadership at the Lion, Don't quote Leadership at the Lion.

He shook his head.

"Certainly not, Lady Matsu. If I believed in that, I'd support Seppun-sama in his quest to fetch a bucket of water. While he is a kindly old man..he is a kindly old man and it might have been better had he quit the field there."

"But...I am not so certain that it is the victory for Otomo-sama that Lady Matsu believes it to be. Many saw this as Doji-sama respecting the order and decorum of the court rather than rising to a petty taunt. And many thought this was a perfect example of Otomo-sama not being a strong ruler...but a petty one. To continue the military analogy, perhaps Otomo-sama won that battle, but it may have lost her the war."

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"I guess we'll find out. After all, one of those two is going back to her palace at the capital, where the power of the court will come gradually under her control, and the other is going home to Kyuden Doji, where she will be forgotten as just another Crane."

[Soshi Eiji]

Say what you would about Lady Matsu, Eiji did greatly admire her confidence.

"Hmm, I could see that Lady Matsu, but that does strike me as making things more difficult than they need to be." he mused.

"Akodo Sanae-sama COULD, so they so wish, lead the Lion clan alone without the family daimyos. They're certainly strong enough. But Akodo-sama is even stronger because they have the active support of the family daimyos.

Say what you will about the different contendors for the throne, they all have something that puts them above the average. Would it not be better for the victor to find ways to utlize those strengths for their and the Empire's advantage, rather than banishing them to obscurity?" he asked.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"If they could be trusted to serve the victor as they ought, then certainly."

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji tilted his head at that.

"Ah, so Lady Matsu does not trust the other contenders to act as honorable samurai should? How strange. Might I ask what has given rise to such intense distrust for them and such trust in Lady Matsu for Otomo Keihime? We have, after all, only been speaking of power up to this point." he asked.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

"My trust in Otomo Keihime lies in her abilities as Empress. As Empress, she will have my devotion, and my fate will be hers to decide. The others may behave differently. Their characters will be severely tested, and many people fail in less serious circumstances. If they do, they must be corrected."

[Soshi Eiji]

Well that was....concerning.

"Ah, I see your point Lady Matsu, thank you for explaining it to me." he said. "And thank you for accepting my thanks to the Lion as the most generous of hosts. You have been most generous with your time, but I should not ask you to take more time away from your training."

He bowed, hoping that the Lion was also ready to conclude this discussion.

[Matsu Tsuruyo]

She was, Fortunes be praised!

"Your thanks are accepted. Carry the Fortunes."