[D3 LM] A dragon comes calling (open to Phoenix)

[Agasha Yuna]

At the appointed time, Agasha Yuna came to the door of Phoenix House.

She was already dressed for court, looking impeccably polished. This particular kimono was green with golden embroidery in a floral pattern. She wore her distinctive gold headpiece.

She had a scroll case and calligraphy kit with her.

She felt a rush of adrenaline. This was a chance to work out the deal that could include the betrothal!

The Little Teacher said:
“Those with pure purpose have the strength to never fall.” She wanted what was best for both clans, vested in the interest of them both. That was a good pure purpose.

She waited to be invited in. Eager to see Shiba Ryusei and Asako Kenichi, and to meet any other Phoenix who were available.

[Shiba Ryusei]

He tried not appear too eager.

But there was little denying that even his most appropriate On couldn't quite hide the Shiba's happy excitement.

Nor the fact that he made sure to be one of the first on hand to greet the

Woman of my dreams.

Dragon delegate.

He, like Yuna, was dressed for Court- a kimono in Phoenix orange with red embroidery suggesting sea waves around the lower hem- and had taken pains to make sure they had good tea, the room was comfortably appointed, including some quick decorative choices to emphasize unity, and had also set aside something in the hopes of the agreement going through...

"Agasha-sama, good morning! Has Inari-no-Kami blessed you today?"

[Asako Kenichi]

Kenichi smirked st Rxushi's eagerness, but did not tease him.

"Agasha-san, welcome to our humble abode during this winter.

[Agasha Yuna]

She smiled warmly at Shiba-san, gaze ligering for a moment, before remembering to greet Asako-san also with a friendly smile.

She bowed to each of them.

"Thank you for having me. I am glad to have a chance to speak to you both." Very glad. "Shall we begin looking at the options for a deal between our clans?"

"Ah, forgive my eagerness. I am ... excited to see us come to an arrangement. But first, are you waiting for anyone else to join us?"

[Shiba Ryusei]

[OOC: I honestly don't know ]

"I believe it would be impolite to make a guest wait unduly..."


Ryusei glanced at Kenichi for confirmation.

[Agasha Yuna]

"Let's have a seat then and look at what might work best."

"From our conversations so far, I think the most straight forward deal we could make and get approved is for the Phoenix to provide us lumber (4) and paper (3) and your blessing of crops to increase our yield (about 4 more rice). And we could provide to you gold (2), iron (4), silver (4), and stone (3). And our clans could seal the deal by both blessing a proposed marriage between myself and Shiba Ryusei."

"Does that still work for you? Should we re-visit that core portion of the deal before discussing potential additions, that might be nice but are a bit more complicated and could be considered optional."

[Asako Kenichi]

Kenichi nodded along. "As a clarification, our blessing will increase your yields by next Winter."

He nodded along. "Well, I would confirm that Shiba-san has no reservatioms about the marriage?"

He smirked teasingly, before turning serious.

"As an addedndum, we could discuss perhaps additional support in court Agasha-san."

[Shiba Ryusei]

My only reservations about it are that it will not be happening today!

[Agasha Yuna]

She smiled brightly at Shiba-san.

"I do wonder if we are close enough in having this deal arranged that we ought to request to speak to the Nakodo? But perhaps that is something that happens after our clans officially sign-off?" An exciting thought.

"Asako-san, I agree that we could look at how we could support each other in court. Support in court for propositions important to our clans seems like something we could also exchange and codify in a deal. Our daimyo can certainly confirm if that is an agreement listed in the contract or simply a matter of keeping our word to each other."

"I think we could definitely support the Phoenix interest in an imperial library. It is a topic of interest to me, and one that I could speak to."

"I've likewise had a chance to briefly discuss a proposal of interest to the Dragon with Asako-san. In short, a dragon student of economics believes it would be better to move from the rice standard to a gold standard. There are many reasons for this. Shiba-san, you might have insight also as a house with experience in shipping goods. It seems logical that keeping rice locally, and only trading it - as any commodity - to those who need it to feed their hungry, is good for compassion, and does not harm those rich in rice, since there will still be plenty who need it to feed their populaces. But the commodity continually moving up, from local hands to lords, to lord's lords, for taxation purposes would be coin. It takes less space in transport, so the same ship could carry taxes and troops and other goods. It is more easily concealed in transport, for greater security. It does not spoil. It is not subject to flood or other events that can effect rice in the field, or in the warehouse. In the end, more rice would be preserved as food, and costs saved in areas like transport and storage and spoilage would give everyone resources back for other purposes."

[Shiba Ryusei]

To look forward to meeting a nakodo is a new one on me, but there it is.

I suppose it helps to have a match in hand so you're less at their mercy...

Ryusei cocked his head to the side.

"It does make a kind of sense. A ship laden with rice sinking is a total write-off- but divers sometimes can find gold if the wreck is shallow enough. As a foundation for wealth, it isn't susceptible to droughts or rot or being eaten by rats. The overall quantity fluctuates more slowly."

He made a seesaw motion with his hand.

"Conversely, though... to bring up some objections the proposal will no doubt face... it would require accounting for coinage already in circulation to be collected and assessed. It will cause immediate outcry among those whose current wealth owes to their agricultural output- effectively causing a shift in the very nature of the Empire's economy, upending the established basis. Clans with rice stockpiles would find themselves back-footed, and the Imperial offices charged with tallying rice... and of course, you cannot eat gold."

A pause.

"Are the Dragon prepared to answer those objections? Because with or without our support, I think strong resistance is to be expected."

[Agasha Yuna]

She smiled at him. "It is a true ally who speaks honestly about potential concerns so there is the most chance to prepare. As the Little Teacher says: “It takes a wise man to see an obstacle as it truly is and not as it appears to be."

"These are good points. I will need time to research them and consider what the best answer is. I think it is likely a slow transition. If a plan was adopted to be implemented three years hence, no one's rice stockpile lasts more than two years. There would be time to smoothly adjust. No one would be caught back footed with a surplus stored for a reason no longer relevant."

"That definitely refines the concept." All pun intended.

"Does that timing sound right? It is the wisdom of the earth to move slowly and patiently."

"And I should add, it is entirely on the Dragon to get enough support to get the measure passed. All this agreement would be is one person speaking once in its favor, and no one speaking against from your clan, on the day presented. You would have kept good faith if you spoke to the shipping advantages, and nonetheless the measure failed."

"Much as I can speak enthusiastically about a library, but cannot assure its passing. As the Little Teacher says: “Never promise more than you can perform.”

[Shiba Ryusei]

Ryusei, whose own House's resources were almost entirely in hard coin and in shipping ventures, had no personal objection to the idea. True, he wasn't entirely sure what his own daimyo would make of the proposal, but all the same...

"As you say, if we can work out some issues on friendly ground, it should strengthen the final proposal. You won't convince everyone- some will hate it just because it's new- but a strong enough case..."

[Agasha Yuna]

"Our goal this morning is to confirm a set of exchanges to share to our Daimyos. And, of course, we can adjust if they ask us to."

"But it would be great to confirm all the items at least potentially on the table."

"The last one from me is a potential second marriage. I personally am looking for a shugenja husband for my brother. He is the heir. He must marry a skilled shugenja inclined to the earth. I understand that you have a candidate of that kind in your set of possible marriages. I propose that we first offer her six months of study at House Ageki with both the family and the cohort of Agasha studying the earth and the earth kami there. During that time, she can decide if she wants to join the great work, and take the vow unique to the House to practice only earth magic. That is not a vow taken lightly. She would be entirely free to choose to take the vow and become the wife of the heir. Or, choose not to take the vow, and, at that point, another Agasha marriage could be arranged elsewhere in the clan."

"That might also balance the deal, in the sense that the marriage proposed so far is a Dragon into the Phoenix." Her marriage!

"Any questions to take that idea forward? Any other items you'd like me to include in my report to Togashi-ue?"

[Shiba Ryusei]

"I believe we can discuss Isawa-ke no kashin Miwa Akihiro's suitability pretty easily...."

Ryusei glanced at Kenichi for confirmation.

"... but otherwise, as usual, Agasha-sama, you have a firm handle on the situation."

[Agasha Yuna]

"Are we ready to take the deal to our Daimyos? Anything else we should discuss?"

[Shiba Ryusei]

"Nothing of business, I believe..."

[Agasha Yuna]

And so they turned to lighter topics.

Yuna, for her part, told Ryusei several anecdotes from her days at school with Kenichi.

She also expressed an interest in meeting the other Phoenix delegates, as time and schedules permitted, during the days of the court.

And Asako-san - and perhaps Shiba-san himself - could see how her eyes lingered, warm with admiration, on the man she hoped to marry.


*(ooc: Thinking we should wrap this one up since D3. Any other closing thoughts? More of a summary of the chatting after the deal talk...)

[Shiba Ryusei]

[OOC: I'm good to wrap this- even if we goofed on our coordination, so, uh, if Higashime objects to our getting extra iron and stone, we might be back to talk some more ]