[D1, EN, Open] The Right Hand's Reception: Roleplay

[Akodo Sanae]

Winter Court is not merely a series of negotiations culminating in courtly debate. It is also a series of parties and receptions--indispensable venues for making connections. It is customary for the host of Winter Court to throw a reception to mark the opening of Winter Court, but as the Empress is not in the mood for entertaining, that role has eagerly been taken up by Akodo Sanae.

The woman herself, flanked by her honor guard, is dressed in a many-layered kimono, her diminutive height crowned by a tasteful comb in her hair. Scanning the room, she sees that the refreshments, sweets and rice wine, have been laid out attractively on long tables. She sees that her karo waits at the entrance of the room to announce guests as they arrive. She sees that her musicians are ready to strike up the band.

And she is content.

This is the roleplay thread for Akodo Sanae's Reception. You should indicate how your character is announced by Akodo Sanae's karo as they enter, and you may then do as you wish. Enjoy!

[Asako Kenichi]

"Asako Kenichi, honored long-term diplomat of the Phoenix residing in Kyuden Ikoma, and student of the Omoidasu."

Kenichi entered in his finery, and bowed deeply towards the Lion Champion, and then started mingling, leaning towards the Chancellor.

OOC:
Pls pm me

[Ikoma Honoka]

The Karo looked at the young Ikoma who had entered for a moment before a small bow and a smile.

"Please welcome the honourable Ikoma Honoka, diplomat of the Lion!"

Honoka bowed deeply to the Karo, thankful he hadn't used her 'nickname', then bowed to others as she entered and moved towards one of the sides to observe for the moment.

(ooc - pm to approach, large threads can be hard to track)

[Mirumoto Kichinitonda]

"Mirumoto-ke no kaishin Ozawa Kichinitonda, Scribe to the Delegation of the Great Clan of the Dragon!" rings out across the chamber, the karo evidently having found his voice again, and the man himself, pale skinned and visibly blushing--maybe that was the reason for the fulsome announcement--bows stammeringly as he makes his way over to the refreshments, snags a sake, and looks somewhat nervously about.

(PM GM Fukurokujin to talk to the guy.)

[Shiba Ryusei]

"Shiba-ke no kaishin Shigi Ryusei, bushi of the Phoenix Clan."

Ryusei glided into the reception with absolutely no sign that he didn't attend this sort of gathering every day, and surveyed the room.

[Quoting works about as well as PMing, but yeah, these things can blow up in a BIG way, so tag me somehow if you approach.]

[Doji Shinnosuke]

As a figure in pale but luxurious silks sweeps into the room, the karo announces "Doji-ke no kashin Tanaka Shinnosuke, student of the Kakita Academy, lately of the Golden Spring Noh Troupe."

Shinnosuke's half-opened fan hides his brief giddy smile, but not the sparkle in his gray-blue eyes. Now he's really arrived at Winter Court! What a party!

---
I'm goin' to sleep, quote or PM if engaging--or I'll poke someone tomorrow!

[Hiruma Daichi]

"Hiruma-ke no kaishin Tetsumura Daichi." The Karo announces as Daichi enters the reception hall. to be honest this was a little late for the Crab to be staying up. He was pretty sure you didn't skip these things though. Especially on the first day of court.

It was probably a rule somewhere that no one had ever really bothered to right down. He could hear it in his head. Oh darling, you just can't miss the first reception of winter court. You would never recover from it socially. So just put on your big boy hakama and get to business.

He wasn't sure who would say such a thing, maybe his aunt? Certainly not his mother. Nyoko probably, if she could talk, she seemed more suited to this kind of thing then he after all. A slow breath banished the stray thoughts from Daichi's head as his eyes flicked around the room. He should probably talk to someone. He just wasn't sure who.

((pm if approaching))

[Asako Kenichi]

"Hiruma-ke no kaishin Tetsumura Daichi." The Karo announces as Daichi enters the reception hall. to be honest this was a little late for the Crab to be staying up. He was pretty sure you didn't skip these things though. Especially on the first day of court.

It was probably a rule somewhere that no one had ever really bothered to right down. He could hear it in his head. Oh darling, you just can't miss the first reception of winter court. You would never recover from it socially. So just put on your big boy hakama and get to business.

He wasn't sure who would say such a thing, maybe his aunt? Certainly not his mother. Nyoko probably, if she could talk, she seemed more suited to this kind of thing then he after all. A slow breath banished the stray thoughts from Daichi's head as his eyes flicked around the room. He should probably talk to someone. He just wasn't sure who.

((pm if approaching))

Approaching the Crab, Kenichi circled slowly and then bowed. "Hiruma-gunso, I hope I do not dosturb you?" He pondered how to continue. "It is not often I get to speak with esteemef guests from thr Crab lands you see."

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

snip

The Dragon whispered to the karo for a couple of seconds. He had not considered that he could make up his own titles before this moment but something stayed his hand from being himself. He suppressed a yawn at the karo's announcement.

"Please welcome the esteemed Mirumoto Jinkan, of the Dragon delegation!"

And quickly tried to head for one of the side tables to avoid the temptation for mischief. His eyes were moving to something to his right when he brushed too close to someone on his left. Jinkan closed his eyes for a long second before turning and offering a bow to the person he had inadvertently touched with his shoulder.

"A hundred pardons...Lion-san. Please accept my apology." He hoped she was a Lion, or he was going blind. He was dressed in green, with the Mirumoto mon readily available.

[Ikoma Honoka]

snip

There was a quick turn at the brush, the smaller Ikoma looking up at the taller Dragon for a moment before a smile crossed her pretty face and she gave him a bow. The girl had a clear Ikoma mon and Lion mon on her yellow kimono, a simple outfit that wasn't adored with anything else.

"No apology needed Mirumoto-san, there is only so much wall ne?" there was a polite laugh "welcome Mirumoto-san, I am Ikoma Honoka. Can I interest you in some sake from the table here?"

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"Mirumoto Jinkan." He gave his name with an unpleasant smile in return.

"Some sake would be lovely, it would provide an excuse for any further bumps at least." This last part he said to the air next to him in a low tone.

"So...uh...come here often?" Jinkan asked after turning to stare her directly in the eyes.

[Ikoma Honoka]

nap

"That may depend on the amount of sake one chooses to enjoy, ne?" Honoka offered with a polite laugh, picking up one of the sake bottles on the nearby table and pouring two cups, offering one to the man first before taking hers.

"To Kyuden Ikoma? I've been here many times. Court, gempukku, training. There is plenty of history in these walls. What of Mirumoto-san? First time to Kyuden Ikoma? "

[Doji Arai]

Doji Arai arrives and is announced by the karo.

"Please welcome, Doji Arai, delegate of the Crane clan."

Not much more to say. Any accomplishments are for the future.

The young bushi enters and looks around her as she takes her time to assess her surroundings and get comfortable.

(please pm me if anyone approaches)

[Hiruma Daichi]

Approaching the Crab, Kenichi circled slowly and then bowed. "Hiruma-gunso, I hope I do not dosturb you?" He pondered how to continue. "It is not often I get to speak with esteemef guests from thr Crab lands you see."

Daichi spotted the man as he slowly circled forward in his approach. Is that how it's done then? Do you circle your prey like some sort of predator ready to pounce? That didn't seem correct. Maybe you were giving the person a chance to move out of the way before you arrived? Or maybe the man was just bored and having trouble making his way to the sake station, it would need further study to be certain.

"Not at all." People tended to be some of the least disturbing things he came across after all. It's not often my clan comes so far north after all." He looked over the phoenix for a moment. Small talk? Or straight to business. "In that vein I don't believe I've ever had the chance to speak with a member of the Phoenix."

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"Hai, this is my first time setting foot beneath the mists of the mountains. My home is built into a mountain, my dojo was on a mountain peak." The Dragon replies with a shrug as if that explained his whole life. He began sipping the sake with enough decorum.

"It is nice to see so many different flowers. And the wildlife is different too. But, you said you studied here? What was that like?" Jinkan said after a couple of sips to find small talk.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

The darkly-dressed Crane pauses to be announced. "Asahina Hoshiko heir to house Yamada and priestess of the Crane."

Pausing only an appropriate moment more to allow those keeping track to look up and put a face to the name, Hoshiko then moves into the crowd with a swish of midnight blue silk and waft of bone dry sandalwood.

After her far less than successful chat with the Miya daimyo, she retrieves a small cup of rice wine and plate of sweets, using them as an excuse to keep her gaze down while she recovers her face. The only way that could have gone worse would have been tripping into that vase while she tried to sequester Hachi. She offered thanks to the Fortunes of small misfortune for overlooking her tonight.

(pm if approaching. I'm in and out with weekend tasks)

[Ikoma Honoka]

snip

"Oh is that so? I would be curious how you find Kyuden Ikoma. I can't imagine living in a mountain and training in a dojo at the peak of a mountain. Closest I've gotten was the summit of the mountains."

She took a sip of her drink before answering.

"Mirumoto-san trying to discover the secretive training of the Ikoma?" There was a small teasing look at the man "I'm certain it would be no different to any other courtly school. Learning the word, and the blade as well as is often the case. Testing ones skills against each other, or against the senseis. Kyuden Ikoma is quite big, so one learns to move quickly in order to always be punctual. No getting lost down in Ikoma's Eye for example, the market can be a maze to a small student after all."

[Mirumoto Jinkan]

"I don't know what courtiers train in, to be honest. I spent 8 years learning things like how to disarm an opponent without literally disarming them, or how to climb a cliff." Jinkan replied after a thoughtful silence.

"I had not ever considered it before you mentioned it. How do courtiers test skills against each other? Debate? Dance off?" The Dragon's face was cast in a curious energy as he moved closer to hear her words better.

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"Shiba-ke no kaishin Shigi Ryusei, bushi of the Phoenix Clan."

Ryusei glided into the reception with absolutely no sign that he didn't attend this sort of gathering every day, and surveyed the room.

[Quoting works about as well as PMing, but yeah, these things can blow up in a BIG way, so tag me somehow if you approach.]

The name Shigi catches in Shinnosuke's ear and rattles around the back shelves of his mind for the course of a few light conversations with strangers before, at length, coming to rest. That's right! That play about a drowned sailor in the war, that's where he's heard the name before. So many of those old names are no longer current in this latter age that this surprises him at least a little. The same one, or just a coincidence?

At length, with the excuse of grabbing a fresh drink and the casual air of a housecat ever so noncommittally checking whether that dish was left uncovered, Shinnosuke appears in Shiba Ryusei's conversational grouping. "Your pardon if it's importunate, Shiba-san, but I'm curious--House Shigi? Can that be the same as the Shigi that sailed for Shiba and Hantei in the First War?"

--
D1 EN--fluff Lore: History "I think I remember that name from a play?" Maybe TN 15 or 20 | 4k3 ⇒ 20
Hey, well, okay.

[Shiba Ryusei]

At length, with the excuse of grabbing a fresh drink and the casual air of a housecat ever so noncommittally checking whether that dish was left uncovered, Shinnosuke appears in Shiba Ryusei's conversational grouping. "Your pardon if it's importunate, Shiba-san, but I'm curious--House Shigi? Can that be the same as the Shigi that sailed for Shiba and Hantei in the First War?"

Ryusei blinked in what might be called baffled pleasure.

"The very same, Doji-san."

How he wished his House had done anything but flounder towards the grave at any point since the defeat of Fu Leng! He'd have more to offer as a rejoinder.

"We're not up to anything quite so heroic these days, but that history is ours."