[D7 EA Court] Madness Is Infectious

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

Jinkan, once the Daidoji had moved close enough, would gesture to the court at large.

"I was wondering if you had anything you were able to share about Lady Doji Noriko, now that we have heard she was attacked. I had meant to ask earlier, but the messy business with the Empress had complicated things. Plus you know, new winds from every corner it seems."

[Daidoji Ryu]

That made Ryu glance towards the newly recovered potential heir. "Indeed." He said dryly.

Then he looked back to Jinkan. "I imagine you know most of her public history. Are you looking for a more personal impression?" Ryu slowly nodded. "She is calm. Reserved. As it turns out, rather quick thinking and alert in a crisis." He pressed his lips together. "That is what I can say for certain. Beyond that, I would say... she has a sort of quiet authority. Blood? Motherhood? I cannot say." Ryu gave a tiny shrug.

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"I can see she is in good health, so the vigilance of the Crane cannot be overstated. Even if such people did somehow manage to get inside the Kyuden, they were repeled with no great damage. I am certain the Lord Ikoma will see to it that nothing like this happens again." Jinkan gave a short gesture toward where the Ikoma daimyo was normally. Normally.

"I was actually trying to piece together if there is any commonality in the various winds we have here at court. Some thread that isn't the obvious one. Have you any suggestions?" He asked having turned back to the Daidoji.

[Daidoji Ryu]

"I can see she is in good health, so the vigilance of the Crane cannot be overstated. Even if such people did somehow manage to get inside the Kyuden, they were repeled with no great damage. I am certain the Lord Ikoma will see to it that nothing like this happens again." Jinkan gave a short gesture toward where the Ikoma daimyo was normally. Normally.

"I was actually trying to piece together if there is any commonality in the various winds we have here at court. Some thread that isn't the obvious one. Have you any suggestions?" He asked having turned back to the Daidoji.

"We have confidence in our Lion hosts." Ryu said, speaking as slowly and carefully as he always did. "What happened was an unfortunate incident, now resolved." He frowned... but of course, that was normal.

He turned that frown on the Mirumoto. "I'm sorry, I don't quite follow. What sort of commonality are you considering?"

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

Snip

"The kind that you might share." Jinkan said with a small laugh. "I very deliberately did not attempt to give a frame to the question that might make your answer something it shouldn't be. What are you thinking right at this moment?"

[Daidoji Ryu]

Snip

"The kind that you might share." Jinkan said with a small laugh. "I very deliberately did not attempt to give a frame to the question that might make your answer something it shouldn't be. What are you thinking right at this moment?"

"I see." Ryu said, frowning. He did not laugh, but, well, he very rarely did.

Whatever he was thinking at the moment would remain unspoken. Instead, he pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "I suppose there's different ways of approaching the question. They all have Hantei blood, of course. That pushes them towards certain commonalities. With one exception, of course." He looked towards the newly recovered wind.

He looked back to Jinkan. "Does that answer satisfy?"

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"Not in the least, Daidoji-san. I was also careful to say 'aside from the obvious' which is their Hantei blood." Jinkan laughed again and moved a little closer, thinking that if he laughed some more the Daidoji might mistake that he was being laughed at.

"But I expect that is as good an answer that I will get out of you." The Mirumoto shrugged to himself.

"Do you have a wind you favor, or is that choice taken by your clan loyalties?"

[Daidoji Ryu]

"Not in the least, Daidoji-san. I was also careful to say 'aside from the obvious' which is their Hantei blood." Jinkan laughed again and moved a little closer, thinking that if he laughed some more the Daidoji might mistake that he was being laughed at.

"But I expect that is as good an answer that I will get out of you." The Mirumoto shrugged to himself.

"Do you have a wind you favor, or is that choice taken by your clan loyalties?"

"Hmmm." Ryu's lips quirked, but he didn't say anything at first. His weight did shift a tiny bit away from the samurai with the disturbing countenance.

Another pause, somehow separate, came at the next question. "In truth, I feel that many of them could do well." Ryu said. "I wish we might have had months to consider, to learn of each of them. It seems it was not meant to be."

He sighed. "Unfortunately, I think..." a brief pause, "-the Empire should not be months without an Emperor. I will support whoever my Champion tells me to support." His grey eyes flickered back to Jinkan. "And you?"

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"Well I would support myself but we are pretty certain of my lineage, and it doesn't have more than a drop of Otomo blood, much less closeness to the throne." The Mirumoto gestured to the throne on display for reference.

"Hard to get support when you aren't the right sort I think. But if I had to pick...I don't know that I would pick. Pretty sure the Emperor is supposed to tell me by the sharp end of a sword I am their subject. That is how Hantei-no-kami did it isn't it?" Jinkan asked giving a smile like a crocodile with his scars standing out further on his face.

[Daidoji Ryu]

"Well I would support myself but we are pretty certain of my lineage, and it doesn't have more than a drop of Otomo blood, much less closeness to the throne." The Mirumoto gestured to the throne on display for reference.

"Hard to get support when you aren't the right sort I think. But if I had to pick...I don't know that I would pick. Pretty sure the Emperor is supposed to tell me by the sharp end of a sword I am their subject. That is how Hantei-no-kami did it isn't it?" Jinkan asked giving a smile like a crocodile with his scars standing out further on his face.

"Oh, well, I didn't know that was an option." Ryu said dryly. "Too bad, you might have had my support."

His eyes narrowed at that smile. "Something like that. But then he and his brothers and sisters set up a system so that they wouldn't need to do that anymore, and we've been revising it ever since." He took a breath, close to a sigh. "But now, here we are. Hopefully it can be resolved smoothly enough, and next time it can be a settled issue."

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

Snip

"I don't know that their purpose was to put an end to the sword pointing. Maybe I missed something but I think everyone but Togashi-no-kami fought for the throne in the beginning." The Mirumoto said, physically backing off as the smile disappeared like rain in summer.

"I expect that we will get more than a little violence in the coming days. Perhaps what happened with Doji-sama was a taste? Perhaps, we might see a war of alliances. One wind and clan against another. It could be like the histories the Ikoma keep of the Great War."

[Daidoji Ryu]

"They dueled." Ryu said. "I feel that is different. Some might disagree." Eyebrows went up in gentle inquiry.

His expression, already frowning, turned more bleak as Jinkan went on. "That exists as a possibility. Hmmm. One might hope that any agreements made here, both before and after the Empress' death, will be followed by the clans that made them. Perhaps that will allow for some hope of peace." Again, Ryu looked at Jinkan.

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"My crystal ball suggests the answer is: no." Jinkan said shaking his head. The slowly darkening expression on the Daidoji was cute to watch though. Maybe he had good bones too.

"I won't be surprised if someone puts their butt on the throne. I will be surprised if everyone else lets them sit comfortably." He looked around and smiled again, wider with more teeth.

"Just look at who is up for the job, after all."

[Daidoji Ryu]

"I see." Ryu said, grey eyes narrowing again. He made a mental note.

He glanced at the throne, currently buttless. "I suppose it depends on the method whereby they take that seat." He said. "A duel again, maybe? Probably not."

His brow creased. "What do you mean?"

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"I don't know that the blessed Empress gave her brother much choice about dueling for the throne. One suspects the circumstances didn't warrant much warning when you are attempting to overthrow something like the Gozoku. No, one doesn't see a duel being accepted again. Though one wonders how much acceptance he actually gave when the alternative was fighting his way out through an army." Jinkan mused aloud in a soft voice. He had moved closer again to speak so softly.

"Which is why I say, look at the winds. Who amongst them would survive a fortnight after the throne is filled and the Empire stablized? No, they must fight if only for their lives. Plus...a few of them might be sore losers." Jinkan laughed again, a nasty high thing.

"Given the choice between dying quietly and living loudly, I suspect the ronin to pick living at least. The advisor, similar thoughts. The lady Doji I might have thought willing to fade into nothingness if not for the existence of her children who carry her blood. One only imagines what our gardener thinks of becoming fertilizer. The less said about Seppun-sama...well you can fill it in."