[D7 LM, Scorpion Zone] Tales of our Mothers

[Bayushi Kogi]

"How... strange." Kogi's brows knit together above her veil. "If it's not just a story... if, then it does sound like something that can't be warded against with warriors alone. Something that might need spiritual defenses, like temples."

She seems to be thinking quite intensely. "If it destroyed the Great Snakes, it would be powerful and dangerous enough to threaten the Empire. I wonder... why? Why consume the snake people, and then let human beings alone until now?"

[Ryoshun Rei]

"This was long ago." she shook her head. "Before the tribes. I'm not sure how the story passed into the Seppun, though."

[Bayushi Kogi]

"The Seppun were settled in lands very far from the Shinomen Mori by the time the Kami descended from the heavens, weren't they?" Kogi asks, sounding a bit intrigued. "I wonder if they used to live further west, long ago."

[Ryoshun Rei]

She nodded. "Much closer to the coast, near the large bay. It is certainly possible that they came there from closer to the forest. They might have heard stories from other tribes, too."

[Bayushi Kogi]

Kogi nods thoughtfully, swirling her tea bowl and watching the small amount of remaining liquid dance in the thin winter light. "But then, Ryoshun-sama, you're one of those who wasn't born in a Tribe, aren't you? You've never known anything but a Clan."

[Ryoshun Rei]

She nodded. "I don't know much about them. The Bat are composed of many individuals from many clans, but we don't really identify as any of them."

[Bayushi Kogi]

Having drunk the last of her tea, Kogi straightens her veil and sets the bowl down.

"It must be a very secure way to grow up," she muses. "I've sometimes wondered what that must be like for a child."

[Ryoshun Rei]

"To be honest, I often avoided other people as a child. At most, I would chase after my sister or learn from the craftsmen when I got curious." she explained. "I was happy just exploring the caves and listening to the Void or the spirits."

[Bayushi Kogi]

"Hm. We weren't supposed to wander far from the village. In case the Hikaru raiders came far enough south to reach us, or the other tribes nearby were looking for thralls." The set of Kogi's brows is ironic, but her voice conveys a hint of sadness, not quite covered up. "Rokugan came later to some parts of the land than others, ne?"

[Ryoshun Rei]

"Unfortunately." she nodded. "There are still dangers, of course, but it seems like the clans have made things safer. I am now curious about those giant snakes, though."

[Bayushi Kogi]

"As am I." Kogi says with evident sincerity. "If you are able to discover anything about them once you've returned to the north, Ryoshun-sama, I'd be very grateful to learn it too. Or about anything else to do with the Shinomen Mori. And I'll seek what answers I can in the south, of course."

[Ryoshun Rei]

"I'll ask my mother and my sister and send any information I can find." she promised. "I'm sorry I couldn't provide more myself."