D7 EN - For the sake of argument (Expecting)

[Yasuki Masaki]

Masaki didn't quite spend the whole evening in the Old Man's Stump. No, she went back to the castle and her quarters in the Crab House. Got changed, put on some more cinnamon scent, got some things ready for the next day.

Some heads still probably turned when she stepped into the bar again after some 4 hours or so, again scanning the crowd, again looking for a place in the counter - but this time choosing a table in the corner instead.

"Oh, no, not yet, I'm waiting for someone, thank you. She'll be here shortly", she said when an attendant asked what she'd like to drink this time.

The servant raised an eyebrow, just slightly, and might have shrugged before nod-bowing and walking away to other patrons.

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

By the grace of the fortunes the one day Sae was invited to seedy watering hole was the one day she'd spent getting ready to wander the Eye inconspicuously.

It seemed a little odd the fortunes should be so pro-drinking but one did not look divine grace in the mouth.

A few minutes after Masaki arrives the Crane arrives dressed in a nondescript kimono with the distinctive hair tucked under a scarf. She was still tall and swordy, but so were many samurai and so Sae arrives at Masaki's table without too much fuss.

"Yasuki-san, good evening. I confess I had thought your message might have provided the wrong address. But on reflection, this might be the perfect spot, I used to raid places all the time like this in my younger days. May I?" She gestures at the seat across from the Crab.

[Yasuki Masaki]

By the grace of the fortunes the one day Sae was invited to seedy watering hole was the one day she'd spent getting ready to wander the Eye inconspicuously.

It seemed a little odd the fortunes should be so pro-drinking but one did not look divine grace in the mouth.

A few minutes after Masaki arrives the Crane arrives dressed in a nondescript kimono with the distinctive hair tucked under a scarf. She was still tall and swordy, but so were many samurai and so Sae arrives at Masaki's table without too much fuss.

"Yasuki-san, good evening. I confess I had thought your message might have provided the wrong address. But on reflection, this might be the perfect spot, I used to raid places all the time like this in my younger days. May I?" She gestures at the seat across from the Crab.

"Good evening, Daidoji-sama! Oh! Did I miswrite?" she asks after a bow to the magistrate - polite, maybe more so than expected here. "I must confess I had originally thought of the Lion's Mane, but I figured a place that stays open late would be more appropriate given the time of this meeting." She beams an apologetic, but warm smile at the Daidoji, then waves a hand at the surroundings.

"As another delegate mentioned at another occasion" - earlier today, in fact, although she doesn't mention that fact - "It is quite reminiscent of some places in the southern lands. I hope it doesn't bring back memories that are... too unsavory?"

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"Not too unsavoury at all, I was only in Ryoko Owario days ago, so this is exactly the right amount of savoury."
With a small smile she seats herself.

"A very fine choice, and please. We are just two samurai enjoying a drink in the...'Old Man's Stump'? Sae is more than sufficient. A better place to drink sake I think than anywhere in the castle. And not a bad place to swap stories while doing it. I trust you have been well? I am afraid I had to be absent for several days."

[Yasuki Masaki]

"Not too unsavoury at all, I was only in Ryoko Owario days ago, so this is exactly the right amount of savoury."
With a small smile she seats herself.

"A very fine choice, and please. We are just two samurai enjoying a drink in the...'Old Man's Stump'? Sae is more than sufficient. A better place to drink sake I think than anywhere in the castle. And not a bad place to swap stories while doing it. I trust you have been well? I am afraid I had to be absent for several days."

"Oh, word in the castle did tell that Sae-sama had been chosen as part of the retrieval team. I imagine that will be a better story to tell than I would, ne? The last days here..."

She doesn't seem to quite know how to finish the sentence. She tilts her head and purses her lips instead. "You know."

Her hands gesture vaguely at the servants then. "Well, shall we order something to start?"

(OOC: Either that or we get the other part of that tea and sake deal from pregame XD)

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

((Well that's good sake! We'll start with the swill and work up from there? XD ))

"I am not sure how interesting it truly was, nobody died, although I suppose a few came close and ultimately the journey was smooth. It was quite interesting to be on the Mantis boat evading customs though, a change of pace.

She nods slightly at the description of the mourning.
"Indeed, dark days, ill omens, trouble on the horizon. Duty calls, but I hope, not until morning."
At the Crab's gesture Sae flags down a server and orders a small bottle of the local specialty, which seemed as good a place as any to start."

"I am sure you can feel the tension in the air too?"

[Yasuki Masaki]

((Well that's good sake! We'll start with the swill and work up from there? XD ))

"I am not sure how interesting it truly was, nobody died, although I suppose a few came close and ultimately the journey was smooth. It was quite interesting to be on the Mantis boat evading customs though, a change of pace.

She nods slightly at the description of the mourning.
"Indeed, dark days, ill omens, trouble on the horizon. Duty calls, but I hope, not until morning."
At the Crab's gesture Sae flags down a server and orders a small bottle of the local specialty, which seemed as good a place as any to start."

"I am sure you can feel the tension in the air too?"

The Daidoji's words lead at the same time to raised eyebrows and a grin. "I didn't expect Sae-sama to find uninteresting stories where nobody dies!", she says, the voice showing some surprise - but quite clearly joking. "I hope we didn't make you completely bored with today's performance! Although surely it isn't so fun as..." another grin "evading customs? And a Mantis boat? Which way did you take to return here?"

She waits for Sae to order before commenting further - and on more serious matters.

"But... yes. It is almost palpable." She nodded, her tone suddenly somber. "The announcement the day before yesterday, too... the looks, the moments before the Imperial Advisor stood up to speak. Before, after... I imagine it must have been hard even to breathe on the dais. And Lord Ikoma..."

She shook her head slightly.

"Sae-sama has seen the efforts we have been taking in court... and now this." She shakes her head again. "We have seen not long ago what a divided Empire can mean. We have seen too much conflict in the south already - and there is one that won't stop with words, as you know..."

She doesn't quite *ask* about her opinion, or position. But the suggestion for cooperation is certainly there.

(OOC: I suppose I'm more of a 'best comes first' type irl XD but let's go with that!)

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

((We can compromise, best in the middle ))

"No, no." Sae chuckles quietly, raising her hands as if in apology. "Somebody does not have to die for the story to be interesting. Indeed, a feel someone passing during the performance would have rather detracted from it. It was a far more elegant and appropriate distraction than evading customs."

She explains how the party had journeyed down the river, although does not actually mention the name of the captain or the ship itself, probably best not to highlight them.

"We returned by the same route, your cousin Yasuk Ryoichi-san commandeered another ship and proved an able sailor."
Her expressions turns more sombre as she listens to the court announcement.

"Yes, Ikoma-sama seems to have taken it hardest of all. He does not seem a bad man, so I worry for him."
The drinks arrive when the two are talking about past conflict and Sae pours two cups and raises her own.

"I am but one samurai, but with you we are two. Let us drink to peace and understanding first, ne?"

[Yasuki Masaki]

((We can compromise, best in the middle ))

"No, no." Sae chuckles quietly, raising her hands as if in apology. "Somebody does not have to die for the story to be interesting. Indeed, a feel someone passing during the performance would have rather detracted from it. It was a far more elegant and appropriate distraction than evading customs."

She explains how the party had journeyed down the river, although does not actually mention the name of the captain or the ship itself, probably best not to highlight them.

"We returned by the same route, your cousin Yasuk Ryoichi-san commandeered another ship and proved an able sailor."
Her expressions turns more sombre as she listens to the court announcement.

"Yes, Ikoma-sama seems to have taken it hardest of all. He does not seem a bad man, so I worry for him."
The drinks arrive when the two are talking about past conflict and Sae pours two cups and raises her own.

"I am but one samurai, but with you we are two. Let us drink to peace and understanding first, ne?"

((Fair XD))

"Oh, I did not know that part of Ryoichi-san's talents. Quite the able and pleasant type, isn't he?" A friendly smile. "Good to know he helped bring everyone back safe!"

"Ikoma-sama... hai. It is worrying - and at this time, too. I cannot start to imagine how heavy the burden on him is... but hopefully he will feel better in the coming days. Perhaps there may be some more detail that can be added to his research to help things through?..."

The words are said with the clear wish to be sincere. But something seemed to be lacking for them to get there. Verisimilitude, perhaps.

"Well... but Sae-sama is right. To peace and understanding! Kanpai", she says, raising her glass.

After the inevitable moment after a first glass is downed faster than it should (but exactly as fast as planned), she places the cup down, her hand moving towards the bottle as if offering to pour again.

"And this Tatsuya-sa..." she seemed to waver a bit on which honorific to use there. In the end she kept it just as 'sa-' instead of committing "I imagine you must have had some chance to get to know a little about what kind of man he is during these days?"

[Daidoji Sae]

snip

"A talented samurai indeed, a courtier a bushi, able with his numbers. It is hard to believe he is still unmarried at his age. Perhaps they are saving the best for last, hmm?"

Sae for her part shotguns her cup, pauses and nods slightly. "Ahh, an interesting taste! Or I suppose, burning sensation. But it has its own particular charms."
She bows her head and holds out her cup when Masaki's hand moves towards the bottle.

"Peace and understanding! Ah, everyone has asked me what I make of the new wind. I can only repeat that I do not know him well, that he is wary (and his son warier still) and he seems to have lived a hard life. Whether he is an honourable man or a good one is harder to say. But he did not seem a bad one."

Arching her eyebrow. "Has Yasuki-san been thinking of winds and the succession then? You and half the Empire it would seem."

[Yasuki Masaki]

"A talented samurai indeed, a courtier a bushi, able with his numbers. It is hard to believe he is still unmarried at his age. Perhaps they are saving the best for last, hmm?"

Sae for her part shotguns her cup, pauses and nods slightly. "Ahh, an interesting taste! Or I suppose, burning sensation. But it has its own particular charms."
She bows her head and holds out her cup when Masaki's hand moves towards the bottle.

"Peace and understanding! Ah, everyone has asked me what I make of the new wind. I can only repeat that I do not know him well, that he is wary (and his son warier still) and he seems to have lived a hard life. Whether he is an honourable man or a good one is harder to say. But he did not seem a bad one."

Arching her eyebrow. "Has Yasuki-san been thinking of winds and the succession then? You and half the Empire it would seem."

She nods as she fills the cup again.

"Well, I suppose one should expect him to be wary, given..." she gestures vaguely. "... well, all this. At any rate, not being a bad man is a good start."

She takes a quick look at the bottle after serving them. "It does burn more than most of ours. I suppose Soshi Eiji-san who I met the other day did mention something of this kind in their latest batches... it's not quite what we do. Perhaps we should diversify?" A gentle chuckle.

"Well, as Sae-sama probably expects, there is not a day when the winds are not part of my thoughts." Another chuckle. "But not winds of this type. On that.... I... I guess I've been thinking more about where each of the winds might lead us. Or be leading us, I suppose. And it's hard not to wonder if it's crosswinds or headwinds laying ahead. Or worse, crossed winds - which might not take long to lead us to a hurricane."

She looks at the cup, an apologetic smile on her face for a moment. "I suppose court today brought some worries top of mind. But I have not lost hope that we can find a steady path. Not yet... Hopefully Sae-sama has been more optimistic?"

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"Yes, after all was it not your proposal that we celebrate unity and diversity? I think Yasuki-san should pick the next bottle."

She settles back, sipping at her own cup a little slower this time.
"I apologise, truly, but I am not optimistic. The omens are dark, there is no clear successor but many competitors and there are strange things happening beyond the castle. I fear for the empire and its people."
Sae's expression darkens further.

"It should not be this way, but it is. We have little time to find a consensus. If no way forward is agreed before the Court concludes..."

[Yasuki Masaki]

"Yes, after all was it not your proposal that we celebrate unity and diversity? I think Yasuki-san should pick the next bottle."

She settles back, sipping at her own cup a little slower this time.
"I apologise, truly, but I am not optimistic. The omens are dark, there is no clear successor but many competitors and there are strange things happening beyond the castle. I fear for the empire and its people."
Sae's expression darkens further.

"It should not be this way, but it is. We have little time to find a consensus. If no way forward is agreed before the Court concludes..."

The smile soon turns to a rueful one - although she still turns back to call the attendant and ask for another bottle. "Something from close by, but different, if you have it".

"Well... I suppose that still leaves me the most optimistic of us two then. In principle, I agree with you, of course..."

She looks back again. The bottle is still not coming. Somehow, it seems to be taking too long, even though she still has sake on her cup and there's still some on their bottle. She takes a sip - not so slow as Sae, perhaps.

"It seems that a way forward is something we really ought to be looking for then, isn't it?" Sheepishly. "Not that it is in any way easy, of course..."

"But... strange things beyond the castle? I did not expect this night to turn into one for sharing ghost stories" - some attempt at humour at least. How successfully is up for debate.

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"It seems whenever I am feeling darkest about something you are the one with more optimism. I hope once again it is that hope which winds the day."
Realising her own cup was not empty the magistrate carefully sets it back down.
"A path may reveal itself if enough samurai show the way. It is certainly not over yet, indeed it has hardly begun."

She straightens her back slightly, returning to her usual calmer demeanour.
"Yes, there is still time."
And then blinks slightly.

"Ghost stories? Ah, maybe. Perhaps just the product of overly taxed minds. There were some incidents in the Eye, but it appears there may not be much to them. Just...oddness. But these are odd times. Still, the Crab are known for their ghost stories?"

[Yasuki Masaki]

"It seems whenever I am feeling darkest about something you are the one with more optimism. I hope once again it is that hope which winds the day."
Realising her own cup was not empty the magistrate carefully sets it back down.
"A path may reveal itself if enough samurai show the way. It is certainly not over yet, indeed it has hardly begun."

She straightens her back slightly, returning to her usual calmer demeanour.
"Yes, there is still time."
And then blinks slightly.

"Ghost stories? Ah, maybe. Perhaps just the product of overly taxed minds. There were some incidents in the Eye, but it appears there may not be much to them. Just...oddness. But these are odd times. Still, the Crab are known for their ghost stories?"

Sae's comments on the possibilities for the future are met with nods; her becoming calmer again with a contained, but warm smile.

"Well, ghost stories, and other stories on spirits of all kinds. Often not of the most benevolent type. You know how it goes - childhood stories are often meant to teach us lessons about our world, it's said. And the Crab's world isn't always a kind one." The smile becomes apologetic as the conversation wanders to topics that may not the most enjoyable.

"I must have had my mind too focused on court and... well, the whole matter at hand, as I don't think I've heard of these odd happenings. Would Sae-sama mind to share the stories? Or... if this related to your work, and therefore classified, I wouldn't want to pry, of course..."

(OOC: Ugh, took me a LONG time to get back to this after the mess that Monday was and then the Art Festival yesterday. Hopefully we can get the conversation to a reasonable conclusion this time!)

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"It is not officially a component of my duties so I can share some details, knowing of course I can rely on you not to share them further."
It sounded like a fairly high measure of trust from the Daidoji.

"There have been some disappearances in the Eye, people who wouldn't be missed, and a fire. On their own they are little things and when I looked into it only very mildly suspicious. At any other time I would be less concerned but...they all occurred when the local Emerald Magistrate was lured away on false pretences. Strange, I think?"

Sipping from her cup again, quiet enjoying the warmth.
"But perhaps merely an overactive sense of duty and imagination."

[Yasuki Masaki]

"It is not officially a component of my duties so I can share some details, knowing of course I can rely on you not to share them further."
It sounded like a fairly high measure of trust from the Daidoji.

"There have been some disappearances in the Eye, people who wouldn't be missed, and a fire. On their own they are little things and when I looked into it only very mildly suspicious. At any other time I would be less concerned but...they all occurred when the local Emerald Magistrate was lured away on false pretences. Strange, I think?"

Sipping from her cup again, quiet enjoying the warmth.
"But perhaps merely an overactive sense of duty and imagination."

"Of course, Sae-sama", a firm nod asserting her silence on the matter.

She listens to the strange facts quietly, her right eyebrow raissing further with each sentence. It takes a while before she responds.

"Coming from the south", she finally starts, "disappearances are something we are told since our early days to always take seriously. Too many cautionary tales, as I'm sure you'd understand."

She turns to some more sake for help with her thoughts.

"The local magistrates have delved deeper into it, I assume? But, given Sae-sama's worries... not much reached in terms of conclusions?"

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"My fellow Emerald Magistrate is suspicious, and she knows the area better than I. But no, there does not appear to be in terms of conclusions."
At the mention of the south she refills both their cups, clearly having had similar concerns.

"But it may well be nothing. We are all rather tense at the moment, are we not? And the spirits are unsettled too. An increase in crime and natural disasters is not necessarily anything more than that. Still, perhaps if there is a need for a more spiritual skillset, I could call on you?"

[Yasuki Masaki]

"My fellow Emerald Magistrate is suspicious, and she knows the area better than I. But no, there does not appear to be in terms of conclusions."
At the mention of the south she refills both their cups, clearly having had similar concerns.

"But it may well be nothing. We are all rather tense at the moment, are we not? And the spirits are unsettled too. An increase in crime and natural disasters is not necessarily anything more than that. Still, perhaps if there is a need for a more spiritual skillset, I could call on you?"

She nods along again, a firmer nod at the end. "Of course, Sae-sama. I'll be glad to assist if I can." She seems slightly worried for a moment, but shakes it off with some more sake and a smile. "Let us hope southern expertise is not needed here, but depending on the exact skillset required, I believe a clansmate with more traditional Crab training could perhaps help as well."

Another sip, the other bottle finally arriving. She gestures towards Sae's cup, as if offering to refill it.

"I understand the need for discretion, Sae-sama, and I won't question it further than this. It also seems unrelated, but..." She hesitates for a moment, which she uses to fill the cups - Sae's only if she accepts. "But, given the circumstances... I assume the Seppun have been informed about these facts?"

[Daidoji Sae]

Snip

"Do you know such a clanmate? I have heard a rumour there is a Kuni about the Kyuden, but I have not seen them myself. But none would know more about such things."
Even if they were a little...eccentric.

Sae holds out her cup with a slight smile, now looking more flushed.

"I have not raised it with Lady Seppun yet. She would ask for testimony which we would be hard pressed to provide. And I worry our hosts would look poorly on such things without at least some support. Still." The Daidoji drums her fingers on the table for a moment. "Perhaps there is a way I can very politely let them know my concerns without it needing to rise to an official level."