Formal letter from Asahina Hoshiko to Ikoma Shintaro

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Heavy paper of palest cream, tied with a ribbon of white silk with a river of blue painted along its length, addressed to Kitsu Shintaro (after layering through several of his titles as they would be known outside of his Family and Clan)

Esteemed Kitsu-sama,

I apologize for intruding upon your time, and I will keep such intrusion as slight as I may.

A somewhat mysterious message has floated my way, indicating that I should contact you. As we are to share the upcoming Imperial Winter Court, it seems that opportunity matches direction, and to be frank, desire. I hope you may find a few moments to meet during the winter, and share my curiosity at this message.

Fortunes' favor find you,

Hoshiko of House Yamata of the Asahina
<stamped with chop of same>

[Kitsu Shintaro]

A formal letter on heavy paper (official watermark and all), but written in a slightly sloppy style of tight characters inked at high speed.

Asahina-san,

How intriguing! I was interested to see you on the final delegation rosters, in any case. Word of your talents does precede you, you know! But now that you tell me about mysterious messages and what I can only assume is intrigue (a curious sensation as I think on that word, once so unwelcome, but now so delicious!), I cannot help but express my eagerness at learning more. My schedule is fearsome bore, as usual, but I shall move heaven and earth to make some time for this exquisite little puzzle.

Unless, of course, you'd like to tell me more? Not everything, of course! Never that; it would spoil the anticipation! But just a little something to tide me over would be very nice.

Thank you for this gift,
Kitsu Shintaro
Daimyo of the Kitsu

[Asahina Hoshiko]

snip

Similar paper of a warmer cream, addressed with rather lovely, ornamented calligraphy, and bound with another length of the same ribbon but more tightly so the river of blue can continue onto the folded paper as a more obvious river, with rough hills clumsily painted along its banks.

The body of the letter is written in tidy script. Someone with a good eye for calligraphy might identify the same hand in this and the highly ornamented calligraphy of the address.

Kitsu-sama,

I am deeply honored to hear of your interest. I truly had not expected word of my talents to run so high this early in my career! I do hope that, as momentous as this year's court seems fated to be, a meeting may be still fit in with less trouble than rearranging the realm itself, though I am very grateful to benefit from howsoever small or great an effort it requires.

I believe you will understand much more when you are able to hold this message yourself. I think it clearly bears some spiritual touch, as does its unnamed source. Both, perhaps, pertain to elements you have far greater insight into than I, for I doubt the air-aligned would leave so solid a message for us.

Autumn moon watches
A mystery of water
Flowing through the world

The kanji for water copies the style and strokes of the signature on the mysterious note as closely as can be done

Hoshiko of House Yamata of the Asahina
<stamped with chop of same>

[Kitsu Shintaro]

If anything, the second reply's writing is more cramped and speedily written than the first.

How intriguing! That kanji is revealing enough, I think, but one mystery leads inexorably to another--begging another water metaphor, I suppose. So fear not! Our meeting is still on! Anyway, I suppose I will know all when you deliver the message---or perhaps not! In the meantime, I shall wrestle with the question of motive until it reveals itself to me.

I am very much looking forward to our meeting!

Kitsu Shintaro
Daimyo of the Kitsu
Plumber of Mysteries