Breaking the Ice (D2, LM, Player Event)

[Akodo Moshi]

"I must correct a misunderstanding. I do not directly interact with the void like a shugenja would the elements, but I learned a thing or two from a monk of the Order of Heroes. This allows me to better connect with the world and they hoped it would assist me in fulfilling my destiny when it is time."

'' Oh, i see. Forgive me for my misinterpretation.'' He offer his apologies for not understanding correctly. Then he wondered. '' I have heard about strange powers that monks and wise sages can achieve through searching for their inner power. I must admit that i do not understand how they are achieved.'' He adds.

'' Although, i barely understand myself so...'' He chuckled.

'' Are these ways capable of being learned by those not directly tied to the order i would assume then?'' He asked.

"I think I could try to teach you sometime, but even I'm only scratching the surface of it myself."

[Saru Yatsufusa]

"I think I could try to teach you sometime, but even I'm only scratching the surface of it myself."

'' Oh, it would be an honor to see a demonstration, Akodo Moshi-san.'' He nods. '' Actually, in a few more days, i think Togashi Satsuki-himesama has planned for an event which would dealt with new theories and other applications of spiritual matters. I'm sure that it will be quite interesting to see those spiritual powers.'' He adds.

[Bayushi Kogi]

He accepted the tea with a grateful smile, and nodded appreciation at the result after taking a sip.

Setting it down gently, careful not to spill any, he answered, "That is true, perhaps. It is easy to forget that there are those who do not wish to do what is needed - either through pride or a feeling that they are too good for it, or seeking personal gain." Offering a small shrug, he quirked his head, and added, "What do you think then, as a historian, I should do for those who do what is needed? How do you suppose I make history aware of them - when what they do is not individually noteworthy?"

Kogi slides the first bowl of frothy whisked tea across the table toward him. "Is that what the records you're keeping are meant for? Rewarding the virtuous? If that's the reason for your chronicle, then just write about those people, I suppose. You have your reason already."

It takes her only half a minute or so to whisk the second bowl of tea for herself. Setting the whisk aside on its stand, she adds, "Do you travel a great deal, then? Or do you mostly stay in the region of the capital?"

[Akodo Moshi]

"I think I could try to teach you sometime, but even I'm only scratching the surface of it myself."

'' Oh, it would be an honor to see a demonstration, Akodo Moshi-san.'' He nods. '' Actually, in a few more days, i think Togashi Satsuki-himesama has planned for an event which would dealt with new theories and other applications of spiritual matters. I'm sure that it will be quite interesting to see those spiritual powers.'' He adds.

"Well, I will have to develop one that grants a more obvious effect than what I have now. The first things you learn tend to be the least flashy when it comes to spiritual matters."

[Ongaku Masanori]

Kogi slides the first bowl of frothy whisked tea across the table toward him. "Is that what the records you're keeping are meant for? Rewarding the virtuous? If that's the reason for your chronicle, then just write about those people, I suppose. You have your reason already."

It takes her only half a minute or so to whisk the second bowl of tea for herself. Setting the whisk aside on its stand, she adds, "Do you travel a great deal, then? Or do you mostly stay in the region of the capital?"

"I would not say they exist to reward the virtuous, not entirely." He steepled his fingers. "I suppose it more likely that they are to form a wider view than a single lifetime might otherwise encompass. Examples of what is noble, of what is ignoble, and perhaps by so doing we can avoid repeating our mistakes, and create, in time, a nobler populace."

A sardonic smile. "That's the idealistic dream, anyway."

Taking another sip, he added, "I spend a majority of my days on the road - I travel to support any Ongaku caravan that is understaffed, and I have more recently been pressed to courier duty more regularly. I have mainly visited eastern clans these past few years, but I expect I may be sent to the western libraries next - I am able to ensure the collections remain somewhat in sync, and thus that has become my primary duty - I travel to each library as the caravan begins their work there, and ensure that nothing selected for distribution has been left out."

[Wu Zhe]

Kyosei nods at this. "Perhaps my trips should include a quick visit to Dragon lands from now on. Not only would it be a useful item for my own travels, but one that could be used for traveling. What is the best way to keep them good longer? Wrap them in damp cloths, and keep them in the dark most of the time?"

He nods appreciatively.

''You would be most welcome for a visit. If you have a place where you return to often we can manage to have larger wheels of cheese delivered. In a controlled environment preservation should not be a problem. For the road, however, waxed parchment is actually the best'' he replied ''Harder cheeses will have little risk moisture-wise but they will dry out eventually. Wrapping them in a lightly waxed parchments will do the trick while on the road.''

[Miyako Masato]

Chizu nodded. "Perhaps another time, then," she agreed. "Shall we talk of something else then? I think the Crane's intent was that we should get to know each other. Could you tell me about yourself, Miyako-san?"

"I look forward to another time, then." He agrees with a simple nod. Masato makes a mental note to send an invitation a few days in the future.

"Hm. About myself... Well, I do enjoy traveling, even if it can be difficult. Because of this, I usually stay in one place for a long time, which gives me a chance to really enjoy the local culture, especially food. I've come to like spiciy dishes."

"And what about you? What would you care to share about yourself, Yoshitsune-san?"

[Isawa Kyosei]

He nods appreciatively.

''You would be most welcome for a visit. If you have a place where you return to often we can manage to have larger wheels of cheese delivered. In a controlled environment preservation should not be a problem. For the road, however, waxed parchment is actually the best'' he replied ''Harder cheeses will have little risk moisture-wise but they will dry out eventually. Wrapping them in a lightly waxed parchments will do the trick while on the road.''

"Well, my home base is the Isawa lands, between the Dragon and Spider lands, near that lake there."

"Waxed parchment? What about a think layer of wax all around? Or cutting it into wedges, and covering those with wax?"

[Bayushi Kogi]

Kogi slides the first bowl of frothy whisked tea across the table toward him. "Is that what the records you're keeping are meant for? Rewarding the virtuous? If that's the reason for your chronicle, then just write about those people, I suppose. You have your reason already."

It takes her only half a minute or so to whisk the second bowl of tea for herself. Setting the whisk aside on its stand, she adds, "Do you travel a great deal, then? Or do you mostly stay in the region of the capital?"

"I would not say they exist to reward the virtuous, not entirely." He steepled his fingers. "I suppose it more likely that they are to form a wider view than a single lifetime might otherwise encompass. Examples of what is noble, of what is ignoble, and perhaps by so doing we can avoid repeating our mistakes, and create, in time, a nobler populace."

A sardonic smile. "That's the idealistic dream, anyway."

Taking another sip, he added, "I spend a majority of my days on the road - I travel to support any Ongaku caravan that is understaffed, and I have more recently been pressed to courier duty more regularly. I have mainly visited eastern clans these past few years, but I expect I may be sent to the western libraries next - I am able to ensure the collections remain somewhat in sync, and thus that has become my primary duty - I travel to each library as the caravan begins their work there, and ensure that nothing selected for distribution has been left out."

Lifting her own tea bowl to sample the aroma of the brew, Kogi shrugs slightly. "Then decide what lesson you want to convey, and select whatever examples suit it, ne? You can't write down everything... and I would guess most people who just do what is needful every day don't aspire to become legends, or have their names and private thoughts written down."

Sipping tea while wearing a long and voluminous veil might not seem intuitive, but Kogi appears very fluent in the procedure. Her left hand lifts the side of the drape up and away little, her right slips underneath holding the tea bowl, and within a few moments she's setting the bowl back on the table, all without having flashed so much as a sliver of extra skin. "This isn't bad, is it? So... do things often get left out of the library projects? Or is that job also more a matter of routine? "

[Anjing Sagara]

"That is true. My sister Agasha can teach those with a gift in the elements. My mother or I can advise anyone who might have other gifts." She nodded as she took another sip. "Clearing some passes would definitely benefit all of us. We can assist with building some fortifications, if needed."

"My brothers in the Kaiu family have proven to be very good architects, and have done well with the materials from the mountains nearby. Nonetheless, we could apply the Agasha knowledge into traps and artefacts for defense and offense. And since our borders are nearby and the Crab protect your northern borders, I would say it is important to maintain well connected roads to warn in case of sudden danger. I would also hope that we could benefit from your extensive knowledge in mystical lore. In any case, we don´t need to talk about politics, Ryoshun Rei-sama. What did you think of the Wedding?"

[Ongaku Masanori]

Lifting her own tea bowl to sample the aroma of the brew, Kogi shrugs slightly. "Then decide what lesson you want to convey, and select whatever examples suit it, ne? You can't write down everything... and I would guess most people who just do what is needful every day don't aspire to become legends, or have their names and private thoughts written down."

Sipping tea while wearing a long and voluminous veil might not seem intuitive, but Kogi appears very fluent in the procedure. Her left hand lifts the side of the drape up and away little, her right slips underneath holding the tea bowl, and within a few moments she's setting the bowl back on the table, all without having flashed so much as a sliver of extra skin. "This isn't bad, is it? So... do things often get left out of the library projects? Or is that job also more a matter of routine? "

"Ah, not entirely routine, but as the collections expand, it becomes harder to ensure nothing is missed."

He shrugged. "I suppose the same could be said about many things, but I feel there is an expectation that we present matters honestly and without error."

The entire process of the veil and drinking was given a calm scrutiny - sufficiently unusual to be noted, but not so bizarre as to provoke anything more than curiosity.

"I am curious - you wear the veil even while eating... is there a spiritual or cultural significance of which I am not aware?"

[Wu Zhe]

"Well, my home base is the Isawa lands, between the Dragon and Spider lands, near that lake there."

"Waxed parchment? What about a think layer of wax all around? Or cutting it into wedges, and covering those with wax?"

Zhe smirked ''We already do something like it for our wheels but when you cut pieces out, wedge or otherwise, you will need the cover the newly exposed surfaces.''

[Ryoshun Rei]

"My brothers in the Kaiu family have proven to be very good architects, and have done well with the materials from the mountains nearby. Nonetheless, we could apply the Agasha knowledge into traps and artefacts for defense and offense. And since our borders are nearby and the Crab protect your northern borders, I would say it is important to maintain well connected roads to warn in case of sudden danger. I would also hope that we could benefit from your extensive knowledge in mystical lore. In any case, we don´t need to talk about politics, Ryoshun Rei-sama. What did you think of the Wedding?"

"I enjoyed it." she smiled. "More than I expected to, to be honest. Having so many gathered from across the Empire has been enjoyable. What did you think?"

[Bayushi Kogi]

Lifting her own tea bowl to sample the aroma of the brew, Kogi shrugs slightly. "Then decide what lesson you want to convey, and select whatever examples suit it, ne? You can't write down everything... and I would guess most people who just do what is needful every day don't aspire to become legends, or have their names and private thoughts written down."

Sipping tea while wearing a long and voluminous veil might not seem intuitive, but Kogi appears very fluent in the procedure. Her left hand lifts the side of the drape up and away little, her right slips underneath holding the tea bowl, and within a few moments she's setting the bowl back on the table, all without having flashed so much as a sliver of extra skin. "This isn't bad, is it? So... do things often get left out of the library projects? Or is that job also more a matter of routine? "

"Ah, not entirely routine, but as the collections expand, it becomes harder to ensure nothing is missed."

He shrugged. "I suppose the same could be said about many things, but I feel there is an expectation that we present matters honestly and without error."

The entire process of the veil and drinking was given a calm scrutiny - sufficiently unusual to be noted, but not so bizarre as to provoke anything more than curiosity.

"I am curious - you wear the veil even while eating... is there a spiritual or cultural significance of which I am not aware?"

"Huh. A book collection can be honest?" The veiled head tilts a little to one side.

Then, rolling the hem of the fine cloth a little with her fingertips, "Oh, this? But I'm sure you know Lord Bayushi wore such a mask at the Tournament of the Kami, twenty years ago--if some of the mortal members of his house presume to imitate him, he indulges us."

[Yoshitsune Chizu]

"Hm. About myself... Well, I do enjoy traveling, even if it can be difficult. Because of this, I usually stay in one place for a long time, which gives me a chance to really enjoy the local culture, especially food. I've come to like spiciy dishes."

"And what about you? What would you care to share about yourself, Yoshitsune-san?"

"This is the farthest I've traveled as an adult," Chizu admitted. "But I am liking it so far. I've met so many new people; we rarely see new people back in Senseki province. Well, except when peddlers or tribesmen come to visit - but it's nothing like the Imperial Court."

"There are so many people of different clans here, both humble and great, all paying attendance to the court. Why, I even spoke to the great lady of the Hantei, yesterday. Her kimono was fabulous!" The Crab woman seemed animated with enthusiasm at the thought. Her own kimono did seem rather plain in comparison to those of the other courtiers. "Perhaps if I'm very lucky I'll be able to bring some of these courtly fashions back home."

"Trying different food in different places sounds like a smart idea," Chizu allowed. "What kind of food do you think is best here in the Imperial Capital? I tried the tea at Camellia house yesterday, and it was pretty good. It was hard to decide which tea to take, though - there were a lot more choices of tea than I had ever seen. But then you must be used to such fine things, since you are so well traveled."

[Isawa Kyosei]

Zhe smirked ''We already do something like it for our wheels but when you cut pieces out, wedge or otherwise, you will need the cover the newly exposed surfaces.''

Kyosei nodded, putting his mind to work harder. "What was it I heard once... oh! Right. Have you considered rubbing the cheese with sake, or pouring sake over it, before waxing it? I heard once that pouring sake on a wound can help it heal, killing the illness that might arise. So, it might help the wheel to last even longer. And, perhaps give it a flavor hint, to help boost sales."

[Ongaku Masanori]

"Huh. A book collection can be honest?" The veiled head tilts a little to one side.

Then, rolling the hem of the fine cloth a little with her fingertips, "Oh, this? But I'm sure you know Lord Bayushi wore such a mask at the Tournament of the Kami, twenty years ago--if some of the mortal members of his house presume to imitate him, he indulges us."

"As honest or dishonest as the ones who create it." There was the implicit awareness of the dangerous power in their work.

"So it is in honor of his choice... though I am curious, does he still wear one himself?"

[Bayushi Kogi]

"As honest or dishonest as the ones who create it." There was the implicit awareness of the dangerous power in their work.

"So it is in honor of his choice... though I am curious, does he still wear one himself?"

"Yes, when it pleases him he does. Or other kinds of masks." She nods.

[Anjing Sagara]

"I enjoyed it." she smiled. "More than I expected to, to be honest. Having so many gathered from across the Empire has been enjoyable. What did you think?"

"It was a lovely, like non I have ever seen before." She added, "in Crab lands our weddings are a bit modest. Of course we rarely even have the visit of the daimyo, little less the head of the Clan, or the Empire."

[Ryoshun Rei]

She nodded. "The Bat have quiet ceremonies. We celebrate each marriage to some extent, but not with so much indulgence. I enjoyed this wedding, but the opportunity to speak with so many representative from the other clans has been the best part of it."