[D1: LM:Open] A Painting of Some Moderate Horror

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi escaped the gift giving ceremony eventually much to her own happiness, too many people. She did not enjoy the idea of people whispering and gossiping about her when all she wanted to do was be alone with a partner sleeping late into the day entangled in bedsheets and arms.

She inspected the paintings carefully, her eyes scanning over the piece with curiousity as this was the place Ojiisan mentioned to have caused him to not enjoy the presence of.

Through the corner of her eye she noticed the guards in place in the hall, each near the paints seem to be curious about Koi's reaction to the paintings and in which she rewarded them with mild curiosity but no extreme emotions.

Though she did find the paintings origins to be a very interesting. Flicking her fan to life the young shugenja lightly fanned at her throat, the heat really was not something that Koi enjoyed.

Once completed she approached on the bushi within the hall way. "Excuse me, Shika-sama this one is Kaikoga Koi. I have a small couple of questions to ask, if that would be okay? I will not take much of your time." The beautiful Moth said delicately, her vocal cadence lower to give her a more alluring appearance.

[Saibankan]

Koi escaped the gift giving ceremony eventually much to her own happiness, too many people. She did not enjoy the idea of people whispering and gossiping about her when all she wanted to do was be alone with a partner sleeping late into the day entangled in bedsheets and arms.

She inspected the paintings carefully, her eyes scanning over the piece with curiousity as this was the place Ojiisan mentioned to have caused him to not enjoy the presence of.

Through the corner of her eye she noticed the guards in place in the hall, each near the paints seem to be curious about Koi's reaction to the paintings and in which she rewarded them with mild curiosity but no extreme emotions.

Though she did find the paintings origins to be a very interesting. Flicking her fan to life the young shugenja lightly fanned at her throat, the heat really was not something that Koi enjoyed.

Once completed she approached on the bushi within the hall way. "Excuse me, Shika-sama this one is Kaikoga Koi. I have a small couple of questions to ask, if that would be okay? I will not take much of your time." The beautiful Moth said delicately, her vocal cadence lower to give her a more alluring appearance.

The guard turns to address the Moth...and quite possibly to the Moth's dawning horror....it's the guard she ran into yesterday!

"Oh, um sure...Kaikoga-san......" he says, placing extra emphasis on her name. "How can I help you?"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koe froze for a moment as the wheels in her head turned, and spun into life as the back of her mind began to scream in shades of very angry colours.

Oh Mother fucking.. She thought furiously with the willpower of a mountain she attempted to not roll her eyes in frustration.

Giving the bushi a bow of respect the bushi deserved, and allowed the moment of frustration to pass. "Ah Shika-san, I see that you have been relocated from your position at the front gate. I am glad that your skills have been acknowledged to have you in a place where your talents can shine." She said calmly, biting the tip of her tongue reframing from saying something considerably bitchy.

Without batting an eye she turned to face the paintings, and motioned generally to them.

"I am enjoying the art within Kyuden Shika today but I have some specific questions about these artworks, would you be able to advice who I could speak to regarding these pieces?" She asked lightly.

By the Kami, please let him do this simple task without putting me coals over 30 hours. She thought.

[Saibankan]

Koe froze for a moment as the wheels in her head turned, and spun into life as the back of her mind began to scream in shades of very angry colours.

Oh Mother fucking.. She thought furiously with the willpower of a mountain she attempted to not roll her eyes in frustration.

Giving the bushi a bow of respect the bushi deserved, and allowed the moment of frustration to pass. "Ah Shika-san, I see that you have been relocated from your position at the front gate. I am glad that your skills have been acknowledged to have you in a place where your talents can shine." She said calmly, biting the tip of her tongue reframing from saying something considerably bitchy.

Without batting an eye she turned to face the paintings, and motioned generally to them.

"I am enjoying the art within Kyuden Shika today but I have some specific questions about these artworks, would you be able to advice who I could speak to regarding these pieces?" She asked lightly.

By the Kami, please let him do this simple task without putting me coals over 30 hours. She thought.

There was a blink and a bow.

"Huh? Oh. No, nothing so grandiose as all that....Kaikoga-san...." the guard replied. "It's just good practice to change up guard postings ya know? You stand in one place too long, and you start paying less attention to your surroundings. You don't want that kind of sloppiness in a guard, you want people who are constantly checking the surroundings. Oh and of course, there's corruption. Not here, mind, but if you've always got the same person guarding a given gate, then if you were looking to bribe your way into a certain place, it'd be a lot easier if it was always the same person there, right?"

This guard may have been alone on guard detail a bit too long, and with too much focus on what guarding was all about. But eventually he got to the Moth's question.

"Oh, Shika Pei Pei-sama recommended those paintings. Not something I really care for, but you see all kinds of things depending on what post your guarding......"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi stared blankly at the guard with the interest of a Fish trying to persuade a bear not to eat it.

"Ah, I see." She said feigning interest, and motioned towards a heimin with a fluid gesture.

"Please, can you seek out Pei-Pei-sama and see if she would be willing to discuss the artwork with Kaikoga Koi of Clan Moth as her expertise of the art pieces would be just wonderful at the moment?" She instructed politely, and turned to face the guard.

"Ah I see." She said again. "Gomen, I do not believe you mentioned your name Shika-sama?" She feigned interest, and flicked her fan lightly. "Shika-sama, have you ever noticed or heard stories that might have ties to Yume-do or Baku spirits within Kyuden Shika?"

[Shika Pei Pei]

"Ah, apologies....Kaikoga-san.....this one is Shika Genkai." he offered with a quick bow.

"Dreams....Kaikoga-san....? I've always been told to be wary of them. You don't want to be slipping off into Yume-do thinking about a pretty girl's smile when you're supposed to be watching for intruders. Not to mention all the stories about people being warned in a dream of some disaster or another. And then you eat pickled plums right before bed and your dreams get really weird right? Like there was this time where I dreamed my hand wasn't my hand but....."



Fortunately for the Moth's' slowly unraveling sanity, Shika Pei Pei was not too far away, and had the time to interrupt the guard's raving about pickled plum dreams before the Moth lost all hope.

"Kaikoga-san," she said, with a bow, her attitude not unfriendly, but formal but stern. "I am given to understand you wished to discuss the hallway paintings?"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi listened patiently, allowing the air Kami to sturdy her mind from the rambling of this baffling, bumbling idiot baffoon. She prayed the partner to Shika Genkai for the strength to exist with this man.

She allowed him to ramble, and just as the sound of footsteps filled the hall Koi felt the back of her mind to flop boneless in the back of her mind to the ground.

She gave the Shika guard a bow, and prayed that to all the fortunes in heaven that she never had the displeasure of meeting this bushi again.

"Ah, Shika-sama it is an honour to have the pleasure to formally meet finally." She bowed, low respectfully. "Yes, I was inspecting these pieces and it got me wondering. They have such interesting meaning behind them, and the story of the individual is curious. Normally, I would pass these along but the fact the guards stationed in the hallway were so keen to watch my facial expressions it might be worth discussing with you - if you would be so kind." She bowed respectfully.

[Shika Pei Pei]

Pei-Pei nodded.

"Indeed, Kaikoga-san," she said, with absolutely no extra effort needed to correctly pronounce her name. "They are meant to serve as a warning."

She moves over to the painting to be able to better point out details in it.

"Many a samurai comes to Kyuden Shika with Benten on their mind, not Musubi. And 'Benten' is perhaps a polite may of putting that, but I have no words better for it, as such words would rest firmly within the seedier locations of Ryoko Owari Toshi."

She clucked her tongue at the thought of that.

"It is a wonderful thing when Benten and Musubi are in harmony. Truly, a lifetime of wedded bliss to the one your heart desires is amazing. However, dishonoring Musubi to chase after 'Benten' is a foolish foolish thing indeed. Each of Shosuro Yoriko's victims learned what folly that truly was, at the cost of their own lives. And so, as you walk through the castle halls, my hope is that she reminds you that it is Musubi to whom your devotion should be paid, not Benten." she offered, her tone a very serious one indeed.

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi listened, and learnt. She took it all in with the elogance of a student learning from a Sensi who has mastered their technique. "I shall remember going forward through the events of the Miai that, thank you for such advice. A warning, I hope those more fortunate than I remember as well."

She mused for a moment as she glanced at the paintings. "I was wondering if I could gain some insight if you would Shika-sama. I interviewed an older resident yesterday that mentioned these paintings in relation to the potential realm of Yume-do and its many changes that come with it. I would expect this city insights dreams of hope, love and other such mysteries. Would you be able to offer me any stories as the most experienced, I am hoping to gain permission to investigate the forest and want to build a solid image of Kyuden Shika." She asked delicately, and politely with a calm demeanour. "My duties of my Clan are important to me."

[Shika Pei Pei]

Koi listened, and learnt. She took it all in with the elogance of a student learning from a Sensi who has mastered their technique. "I shall remember going forward through the events of the Miai that, thank you for such advice. A warning, I hope those more fortunate than I remember as well."

She mused for a moment as she glanced at the paintings. "I was wondering if I could gain some insight if you would Shika-sama. I interviewed an older resident yesterday that mentioned these paintings in relation to the potential realm of Yume-do and its many changes that come with it. I would expect this city insights dreams of hope, love and other such mysteries. Would you be able to offer me any stories as the most experienced, I am hoping to gain permission to investigate the forest and want to build a solid image of Kyuden Shika." She asked delicately, and politely with a calm demeanour. "My duties of my Clan are important to me."

Pei Pei considered the request.

"While I do know a fair number of stories about Kyuden Shika, your own clan's story is not nearly so well known to me Kaikoga-san. I would be happy to assist you with your duties, but I would need you to provide me a greater understanding of what they are first. I wouldn't want to waste your time with the irrelevant after all." she said, with a small side glance at the guard who was doing his level best not to watch the two.