[D2LA] Bonsai Bonanza (PLAYER EVENT)

[Makime Ayano]

Finishing her staring contest with the Wily Old Fox, who had moved on to younger prey (but perhaps even more formidable), Satsuki turned and noticed the Lion.

"Hey," she raised a hand and waved, offering a smile.

Ayano was distracted by the fox, and a bit surprised when the Dragon spoke. "Good afternoon." She canted her head up to look the Dragon in the eye, suddenly feeling shorter then she actually was.

"Sorry if I had bothered you, it is not often one sees a fox just standing around unconcerned. Most I have seen in the wild tend to be more...skittish." She smiled back, "Lady Satsuki, I believe? I'm Ayano of the Makime, the senior Lion Envoy."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Ayano was distracted by the fox, and a bit surprised when the Dragon spoke. "Good afternoon." She canted her head up to look the Dragon in the eye, suddenly feeling shorter then she actually was.

"Sorry if I had bothered you, it is not often one sees a fox just standing around unconcerned. Most I have seen in the wild tend to be more...skittish." She smiled back, "Lady Satsuki, I believe? I'm Ayano of the Makime, the senior Lion Envoy."

"Foxes are good companions of uncle Yuzuru. Mother tells me they've protected him for a long long long time. Like... before I was even born-long-time. They're fearless and brave and well-behaved." Somehow she managed to both flatter and insult the old fox in one breath.

"Yeah that's me," she breathed in to do the proper introduction she'd been taught. "I'm Togashi Satsuki, daughter of Lord Togashi of the Dragon Clan, and Lady Togashi Saruko of the Saru. A pleasure to meet you---hey, you did a good job with that bonsai!"

[Makime Ayano]

"Foxes are good companions of uncle Yuzuru. Mother tells me they've protected him for a long long long time. Like... before I was even born-long-time. They're fearless and brave and well-behaved." Somehow she managed to both flatter and insult the old fox in one breath.

"Yeah that's me," she breathed in to do the proper introduction she'd been taught. "I'm Togashi Satsuki, daughter of Lord Togashi of the Dragon Clan, and Lady Togashi Saruko of the Saru. A pleasure to meet you---hey, you did a good job with that bonsai!"

"Ah...yes I had assumed it was the Lord Consort's fox." Ayano smiled, "But it still is an unusual sight for me."

The Lioness blinked at the full introduction, idly wondering if she should amend her own. "Thank you...it seemed the correct way to do what was asked at the time. I see others have taken to it with even more skill however." She motions to some of the other displays, "Yours is quite lovely too, it is a strange art form to be asked to improvise on the spot."

[Jiyo Sora]

Meanwhile, the wily old fox flicked his tail in Phi's direction. He was working now and had no intention of ending up a tea party guest . . . even if they did have the chicken dumplings today.

Making a scene by lunging for the old beast would be Bad.

So Phi sidled closer. It would have been easier if she'd had a conversational partner in on it to mask the intent of her move, but her father had been one of the sneakiest men of his generation, so Phi was confident that she could close the distance with ease.

Maybe I'll just tag him... to let him know I can...

[Yuzuru]

Yuzuru turned to listen to someone else talk about their bonsai. It might have been Satsuki, but it was always harder to figure out who Yuzuru was listening to than a sighted person would be looking at.

Hsieh-Hsieh followed and sat by his master, swiping his tail back and forward in Phi's general direction.

[Doji Hikaru]

Yuzuru turned to listen to someone else talk about their bonsai. It might have been Satsuki, but it was always harder to figure out who Yuzuru was listening to than a sighted person would be looking at.

Hsieh-Hsieh followed and sat by his master, swiping his tail back and forward in Phi's general direction.

"Would you like to give it a try, Yuzuru-sama?" Hikaru asked, his tone ever so respectful.

[Yuzuru]

"Ah but my eyes are with my fuzzy companion here and I think he lacks the skill or patience to artfully clip a small tree. However, if you were to throw it for him I'm sure he'd go get it and return it."

There was a thump of a possibly wagging tail.

"Eventually."

[Jiyo Sora]

Hsieh-Hsieh followed and sat by his master, swiping his tail back and forward in Phi's general direction.

Yes, yes, you know I'm here, and I know you know, but neither of us can bolt and run like our instincts tell us to. Not without causing a scene- and in your case, not without putting Yuzuru on the spot...

Phi sidled closer. She was just watching the host of the event, after all, in his dealings with a revered member of her... well, the Imperial Families weren't a Clan, except when they were, but anyway...

[Doji Hikaru]

Blinking, Hikaru looked at Hsieh-Hseih. And then, still blinking, he looked at the girl sidling closer. Unfamiliar with the ways of children and foxes, though, he did not make the connection.

"Very well..." Hikaru hesitated. "Perhaps I will select a better stick. Bonsai are not made for throwing." A bit of casting about in the snow, and Hikaru found a reasonable stick, free of needles, if a little small.

Turning, he stepped to the edge of the group, casting it a modest distance away. Task done, he looked back at fox and girl.

[Jiyo Sora]

Aha. Let us see, old fox, if the stick draws your eye more than I do...

[Chai Kotsume]

Being stuck in the castle for the day was probably annoying for many, but for a river tribe girl used to sailing and running around and dealing with nature on a daily basis, who was later trained as a guardian who was often mounted on a horse, it bordered on maddening.

On the good side, though, not being able to roam the countryside was a very convincing argument to try different things. And going outside for even a short time to search for a suitable sprout or small tree to make into.... a small tree? It sounded odd, but was compelling giving the circumstances.

Once outside with her wild siblings and after taking a deep, reinvigorating breath, she knelt down, getting some twigs from what looked like an evergreen of some sort, showing them to Uen and Saen while she caressed Chuuen. After some kind words to the more experienced otters, she sent them along with a pat on each of their butts, following them closely.

It takes a while, but the otters finally stop at an almost fully snow-covered nook behind some stones, close to the pond, where there is a small, but beautiful juniper of sorts growing among the rocks. "Oh, wow, Uen, Saen! That's a nice find!" she says as she takes some pieces of dried fish from a small sack in her obi and hands them to the wild couple, which munchs on them happily even though they probably expected something juicier. "It almost looks like... what they're looking for already!"

Coming back to where the competitors are tending to their plants... she looks at the others carefully and tries to emulate them. She's quite convinced Uen and Saen did most of the work already, so she just does a few adjustments here and there before she's convinced the miniature Juniper looks as much as it can like... a miniature Juniper.

Ok, a good-looking miniature Juniper.

She's not so sure she sees the point, but she does enjoy working with the plant, so it's all in all an enjoyable experience!

OOC:
PM if approached, please! I'll be a bit slow but promise to answer

Step 1 - Finding the Perfect Branch - Rolling Animal Handling
D2 LA - Bonsai Bonanza - Animal Handling/ Awa, 3 Raises called, TN 30. VP spent, Tawagoto's: 10d10o10k5+4 35 -> Passed with 3 CR; 5 points

Step 2 - The First Cut is the Deepest
D2 LA - Bonsai Bonanza - Bonsai/ Awa, VP for Phantom Rank. 1 Raise, TN 15: 4d10o10k3 15 -> Ooook then! Phew! Passed with 1 Raise, 2 points.

Total 7 Bonsai points.
For Tie-breaking:

• 1 Roll on Step Two (yay!)
• 1 Raise on Step Two
• Rolled a 15 on Step Two
• Rolled a 35 on Step One

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Ah...yes I had assumed it was the Lord Consort's fox." Ayano smiled, "But it still is an unusual sight for me."

The Lioness blinked at the full introduction, idly wondering if she should amend her own. "Thank you...it seemed the correct way to do what was asked at the time. I see others have taken to it with even more skill however." She motions to some of the other displays, "Yours is quite lovely too, it is a strange art form to be asked to improvise on the spot."

"Thank you... it's not one I've tried before, but some of my mother's students they sometimes find struggling saplings or dying trees outside and they try to salvage them by making them into these miniature trees. When you spend a lot of time indoors in the winter months, it's good to see and to tend to nature. Mother says it reminds us of our connection to the world around us."

[Makime Ayano]

"Thank you... it's not one I've tried before, but some of my mother's students they sometimes find struggling saplings or dying trees outside and they try to salvage them by making them into these miniature trees. When you spend a lot of time indoors in the winter months, it's good to see and to tend to nature. Mother says it reminds us of our connection to the world around us."

"Ah, yes I have seen the works of your mother's students. I travelled to your lands briefly with my grandfather, brought some of the Makime's silk for trade. A pity I was not there long enough to see what became of it." Ayano smiled at that, looking a bit distant. It didn't last long. "Hmm, the way you describe makes sense as how such might have began. I wonder if it was similar in the Crane and they just discovered an enjoyment out of it that prompted them to begin pruning healthy trees."

[Yuzuru]

Blinking, Hikaru looked at Hsieh-Hseih. And then, still blinking, he looked at the girl sidling closer. Unfamiliar with the ways of children and foxes, though, he did not make the connection.

"Very well..." Hikaru hesitated. "Perhaps I will select a better stick. Bonsai are not made for throwing." A bit of casting about in the snow, and Hikaru found a reasonable stick, free of needles, if a little small.

Turning, he stepped to the edge of the group, casting it a modest distance away. Task done, he looked back at fox and girl.

Aha. Let us see, old fox, if the stick draws your eye more than I do...

An orange bullet shot off and grabbed the stick. It returned at a much slower pace, half running, half jumping through the snow, and stopped a good five feet away from Hikaru. The stick was carefully dropped between paws, and a grizzled old muzzle quite clearly says . . . . 'go on then . . . . take it . . . . '

[Jiyo Sora]

An orange bullet shot off and grabbed the stick. It returned at a much slower pace, half running, half jumping through the snow, and stopped a good five feet away from Hikaru. The stick was carefully dropped between paws, and a grizzled old muzzle quite clearly says . . . . 'go on then . . . . take it . . . . '

Phi moved to intercept the potential routes of escape...

[Doji Hikaru]

Unaware of either support, or the trouble he was about to be engaged in, Hikaru stepped forward, reaching out for the stick...

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Ah, yes I have seen the works of your mother's students. I travelled to your lands briefly with my grandfather, brought some of the Makime's silk for trade. A pity I was not there long enough to see what became of it." Ayano smiled at that, looking a bit distant. It didn't last long. "Hmm, the way you describe makes sense as how such might have began. I wonder if it was similar in the Crane and they just discovered an enjoyment out of it that prompted them to begin pruning healthy trees."

"I don't know if it's very different for the Crane, but I often get the idea that they approach it more out of a sense of things looking pretty rather than harmony."

Satsuki shrugged. "So you've been to Great Falls then, neh? The place keeps changing so much every time I'm there myself! I always love being there though. The waterfall over the valley is so pretty and calming to look at, and there's so much to read, interesting people to talk to... and so many things being done. I've seen some of the works created from the silk that is brought in there. Like my clothes!"

She held up her arms to let Makime take a closer look at the robes. Her winter-cloak and scarf did keep her a bit more covered up, given the task of being outdoors in the garden for the artistic-event.

[Makime Ayano]

"I don't know if it's very different for the Crane, but I often get the idea that they approach it more out of a sense of things looking pretty rather than harmony."

Satsuki shrugged. "So you've been to Great Falls then, neh? The place keeps changing so much every time I'm there myself! I always love being there though. The waterfall over the valley is so pretty and calming to look at, and there's so much to read, interesting people to talk to... and so many things being done. I've seen some of the works created from the silk that is brought in there. Like my clothes!"

She held up her arms to let Makime take a closer look at the robes. Her winter-cloak and scarf did keep her a bit more covered up, given the task of being outdoors in the garden for the artistic-event.

Ayano leaned a little closer to inspect the cloth, "It is likely from my homeland...if it was destined for Togashi-sama then mother would have selected something from her best weavers. We have been working to perfect the process of making it, both in terms of quality and quantity."

Straightening she smiles a bit more sardonically, "I was there when I was fifteen...three years ago. It could have been from the stocks grandfather brought but more likely something sent later."

"But your artisans did not disappoint." Her smile widens a fraction, "It looks lovely on you Togashi-sama." She holds up her own sleeve, well tailored and beautiful in its own right...but clearly from a lesser tailor. The fabric, however, was exquisite. "Perhaps someday I can witness the work first hand. I have seen some of the best of mother's tailors do amazing things but...mother is often more concerned with comfort and ruggedness then beauty."

[Yuzuru]

Unaware of either support, or the trouble he was about to be engaged in, Hikaru stepped forward, reaching out for the stick...

. . . and just before he could reach it the fox grabbed it and danced a couple of feet further away. Then he dropped it between his paws again.

"If he's doing what I think he's doing, I'd just give up now. He has no intention of letting you have it back. He'll probably be carrying it around for a few days now until we find it buried under a cushion somewhere in the Imperial rooms."

Yuzuru made a clicking noise, which Hsieh-Hsieh pretended not to hear.

[Jiyo Sora]

. . . and just before he could reach it the fox grabbed it and danced a couple of feet further away. Then he dropped it between his paws again.

"If he's doing what I think he's doing, I'd just give up now. He has no intention of letting you have it back. He'll probably be carrying it around for a few days now until we find it buried under a cushion somewhere in the Imperial rooms."

Yuzuru made a clicking noise, which Hsieh-Hsieh pretended not to hear.

Aha!

Phi made her move, a diving toward the distracted fox, her right hand outstretched.