D4LE, Stag Rooms: Sumai After-party (Open!)

[Jiyo Sora]

"In truth," Gusai answers, "I'm not sure what all I expected. I did want to pay my respects, of course, but I'm not a priest--or a Seppun, all of whom seem to lean that way to some degree or another. But," and he shrugs.

"Anymore, access to Seppun Hill is...restricted. The Stag do not control what was the Seppun home; that has been given to others, and propriety can be a curious thing. Sorry I can't offer you a perspective on it."

"Oh, you've offered me plenty of perspective, Otomo-san."

Sip.

"I always appreciate it when people are as forthcoming as they're able."

Such as the Crane trying to convince me of their plan's harmlessness. Some sort of game, or just a hubristic belief that they're that convincing?

"A holdover from my days looking after the Emperor's daughters. Children are candid. And strangely, those who try to kill or kidnap them are often the same once their intentions are known."

[Otomo Gusai]

"Oh, you've offered me plenty of perspective, Otomo-san."

Sip.

"I always appreciate it when people are as forthcoming as they're able."

Such as the Crane trying to convince me of their plan's harmlessness. Some sort of game, or just a hubristic belief that they're that convincing?

"A holdover from my days looking after the Emperor's daughters. Children are candid. And strangely, those who try to kill or kidnap them are often the same once their intentions are known."

"I expect you're right," Gusai says. "About the last. I knew about the kids part.

"Speaking of, yours are quite the examples of it. I know there's only so much you can say while they're there--I'm not a father that I know of, but I've been around a lot of them--but, truly, what do you see for them?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"I expect you're right," Gusai says. "About the last. I knew about the kids part.

"Speaking of, yours are quite the examples of it. I know there's only so much you can say while they're there--I'm not a father that I know of, but I've been around a lot of them--but, truly, what do you see for them?"

"You mean in terms of marriage, or at least making me a grandfather? In terms of future duties? It's..."

He chuckled.

"It's a little bit like when I looked at the Kami before the tournament. So many possible futures crowding each other, it can be... a bit much to focus on. I know that Phi is intensely interested in the business of court. I think between her visit to the Scorpion lands and working with her mother, she's interested in the power of words- and ideas. Ina weird way, sometimes she feels like she's trying to inherit my duties. Shirayuki... she's a fair bit more physically inclined- you should see her chasing Hsieh-Hsieh when she gets the chance!- but she's also... more thoughtful than I ever was. In her way. Fox-chasing with a strong sideline in meditation."

Sip.

"And then there's Soryu. Boy's burdened with an eye like mine, although thankfully, it's not the curse here that it was in the Hikaru tribe. He's so young that all I can really say for sure is that he likes animals, and he has informed me that he really would like to marry 'the pretty lady with the otters.'"

Sip.

"So I suppose I need to track down Chai Kotsume-san to press his suit."

This last was clearly a bit of a joke.

[Otomo Gusai]

snip

"Maybe she's got a younger sister?" Gusai offers wryly.

"But, yeah, that makes a lot of sense, all 'round." He re-seats his eyepatch. "Though if you did have thoughts about grandchildren and the like..."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Maybe she's got a younger sister?" Gusai offers wryly.

"But, yeah, that makes a lot of sense, all 'round." He re-seats his eyepatch. "Though if you did have thoughts about grandchildren and the like..."

"Going somewhere specific with this, Otomo-sama?"

[Otomo Gusai]

"But, yeah, that makes a lot of sense, all 'round." He re-seats his eyepatch. "Though if you did have thoughts about grandchildren and the like..."

"Going somewhere specific with this, Otomo-sama?"
[/quote]

"'Sama' is too high an honor, Jiyo-sama," Gusai replies, almost reflexively. "At least when we're ashore."

He pauses, then, having had some thought, but seeming to have lost it.

And he says as much. "That thread seems to have slipped me. Apologies."

[Jiyo Sora]

And he says as much. "That thread seems to have slipped me. Apologies."

"Well, time enough to find it again. All winter, it seems..."

[Otomo Gusai]

"Well, time enough to find it again. All winter, it seems..."

"Not what was expected," Gusai replies. "Are there enough provisions laid in for a crew of this size on a voyage of this length?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Not what was expected," Gusai replies. "Are there enough provisions laid in for a crew of this size on a voyage of this length?"

"Oh yes."

Sora chuckled.

"His wife may irritate the ever-loving hell out of me, but Tsubo's set a good example for preparedness. The Ayakashi knew a lot about getting through a winter."

[Otomo Gusai]

"Oh yes."

Sora chuckled.

"His wife may irritate the ever-loving hell out of me, but Tsubo's set a good example for preparedness. The Ayakashi knew a lot about getting through a winter."

"That's good, then," Gusai replies. "I've been on short rations--short enough that they weren't there anymore. It's...unpleasant."

[Jiyo Sora]

"That's good, then," Gusai replies. "I've been on short rations--short enough that they weren't there anymore. It's...unpleasant."

Sora thought about his childhood among the Hikaru.

And, to be fair, his young adulthood among the Hikaru.

"It's absolutely trash, I agree. And it can lead to some.... unpleasant choices."

[Otomo Gusai]

Sora thought about his childhood among the Hikaru.

And, to be fair, his young adulthood among the Hikaru.

"It's absolutely trash, I agree. And it can lead to some.... unpleasant choices."

"May our children be spared such choices," Gusai says, perhaps more emphatically than he realizes.

[Jiyo Sora]

"May our children be spared such choices," Gusai says, perhaps more emphatically than he realizes.

"We all try, in our way. It's been.... interesting seeing the first generation to only know the Empire come of age. The tribes are... fading away."

He shrugged.

"And whatever my personal misgivings based upon what I knew, an old man's clinging to old ways, things thus far are mostly a categorical improvement. Well. Broadly speaking."

[Otomo Gusai]

"We all try, in our way. It's been.... interesting seeing the first generation to only know the Empire come of age. The tribes are... fading away."

He shrugged.

"And whatever my personal misgivings based upon what I knew, an old man's clinging to old ways, things thus far are mostly a categorical improvement. Well. Broadly speaking."

"It's not even necessarily just the young," Gusai replies. "I have some few memories of the time before. Not many, though, not really. But the Otomo were more fortunate than many, I think; we could always withdraw on the ships, at need, and few attackers could follow."

He shrugs. "But, again, I remember little of then. And I have to wonder, now, what will it be like for those who look on us in that way?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"It's not even necessarily just the young," Gusai replies. "I have some few memories of the time before. Not many, though, not really. But the Otomo were more fortunate than many, I think; we could always withdraw on the ships, at need, and few attackers could follow."

He shrugs. "But, again, I remember little of then. And I have to wonder, now, what will it be like for those who look on us in that way?"

"Oh, take it from someone who ended up part of a legend... they'll get it wrong unless they go looking into the actual histories. All of it."

He polished off the last of his cup, and then, following the Otomo's sterling example, reached for water.

"Depending on who's telling the stories, I'll either be a nameless functionary, present in the background of their own clan's glory, or I'll be twelve feet tall and capable of vaporizing monsters with bolts of fire from my eye. I mean, the Libraries will contain as detailed and accurate an account as possible, but... stories have a way of getting away from us. And even now, the way people speak to me? It's largely because they don't know the frustrated, confused, and incredibly angry man who journeyed to see the Kami before the Tournament. Does it make my life easier? Sometimes. But it also glosses over the very real difficulties that young hothead created that still have their ripples in the wider society."

[Otomo Gusai]

"Oh, take it from someone who ended up part of a legend... they'll get it wrong unless they go looking into the actual histories. All of it."

He polished off the last of his cup, and then, following the Otomo's sterling example, reached for water.

"Depending on who's telling the stories, I'll either be a nameless functionary, present in the background of their own clan's glory, or I'll be twelve feet tall and capable of vaporizing monsters with bolts of fire from my eye. I mean, the Libraries will contain as detailed and accurate an account as possible, but... stories have a way of getting away from us. And even now, the way people speak to me? It's largely because they don't know the frustrated, confused, and incredibly angry man who journeyed to see the Kami before the Tournament. Does it make my life easier? Sometimes. But it also glosses over the very real difficulties that young hothead created that still have their ripples in the wider society."

Gusai attends carefully to the man's words, drinking more water, as well, and snagging a small dumpling--not the equal of the earlier display, certainly, but still good--and chewing it as he thinks over what Sora says.

"I'm curious about the last bit," he says, "if it's not unacceptably impertinent to ask. What such ripples still disturb the largely placid world in which we live?"

He grins. "Unless there's a thought that a large rock's about to fall into the pond?"

[Jiyo Sora]

Gusai attends carefully to the man's words, drinking more water, as well, and snagging a small dumpling--not the equal of the earlier display, certainly, but still good--and chewing it as he thinks over what Sora says.

"I'm curious about the last bit," he says, "if it's not unacceptably impertinent to ask. What such ripples still disturb the largely placid world in which we live?"

He grins. "Unless there's a thought that a large rock's about to fall into the pond?"

He chuckled. "Well, for starters, Lady Hantei and I might be better friends if Young Sora had been capable of opening his mouth without insulting someone's motives. Lady Doji and I might have understood one another better if I'd had the words, the knowledge, to articulate what I meant when I met her. Little things,you would think. But those simple failures of understanding have consequences, and when one is operating within an empire reshaping our part of the world? Those consequences endure."

[Otomo Gusai]

He chuckled. "Well, for starters, Lady Hantei and I might be better friends if Young Sora had been capable of opening his mouth without insulting someone's motives. Lady Doji and I might have understood one another better if I'd had the words, the knowledge, to articulate what I meant when I met her. Little things,you would think. But those simple failures of understanding have consequences, and when one is operating within an empire reshaping our part of the world? Those consequences endure."

"Small scars," Gusai says, "never going away, not keeping the hand from doing what it needs to do, but maybe making the finger stiff when it didn't need to be. That kind of thing upon the body politic?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Small scars," Gusai says, "never going away, not keeping the hand from doing what it needs to do, but maybe making the finger stiff when it didn't need to be. That kind of thing upon the body politic?"

"Very much so. Sources of friction that didn't need to be there."

[Otomo Gusai]

"Very much so. Sources of friction that didn't need to be there."

"And calluses might build up, but they blunt feeling."

Another nod.

"It makes sense, really. But there's no way to live without collecting such scars. At least, not and do anything. And there's a lot as needs doing, even without," he gestures around.