D0LM, Refreshments

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Blessed by... who? I don't remember any famous explorer going by the name of Natsu."

She took an instant to ponder the question.
"According to the Ujik diviners, my soul animal is the ᠭᠡ᠊ᠢ᠊᠊ᠢ᠊᠊ᠮᠣ᠊᠊ᠷ᠊ᠢ."

That one was almost pronounceable. Something like "Kiimori".

"It can be translated as wind horse. It's a horse. That flies.

Since the diviners are also interpreters of dreams, I guess that would make it the the same thing as my baku? They don't call it like that, but, well, they usually don't speak a word of Rokugani, and certainly wouldn't know such specialized vocabulary.

There are family legends about my great-great, and a few more great, grand-mother riding such a creature actually. One of the tamest stories about her really.

During one of her travels, she had found a secret cavern in a rock formation, only accessible through a path barely large enough for a crawling human. It sheltered a open-sky pond surrounded by luxurious vegetation. She noticed there were fresh horse footprints on the ground, while there was no path big enough for a horse to come there. Unless the horse was flying of course.

So she hid under a bush and waited patiently. And eventually, a horse did come from the sky! She waited a bit more, until they were busy drinking from the pond, and she jumped on their back by surprise. The wind horse took fly, and tried many times to unseat her, going up and down in the sky with sudden bursts of speed and stops. But to no avail. So in the end, the magical creature agreed to carry my ancestor wherever she wanted one single time if she agreed to let them go afterward.

My ancestor accepted these terms with the extra condition that the wind beast also had to promise to bring her back before departing... And them the stories diverge on where she went exactly.

Maybe at the top of the tallest mountain for some. Maybe on a mysterious island surrounded by impassable reefs for others. Maybe at the undefended heart of her worst enemy's fortress. Only her knows really."

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi practically was bouncing but resisted the urge to just unload her growing excitement and wonder upon the Unicorn in fear that it would scare her away. "Natsu Togamaru, it is a minor fortune that my family honours. It is the fortune of travel and experiences." She explained and the was just stunned.

What an amazing story like straight from a folklore tale but was incredibly more interesting because it was based on someone that actually existed.

Well within reason.. The skeptical Koi slipped into the forefront of her mind before being throughly smothered by Koi's imagination. None of that thank you!

Koi sipped her tea she didnt try to pronounce the word this time but solely because she was thinking. In her mind palace she was going through libraries of information dumps she had about baku spirits, and the realm of Yume-do.

"Where the child in me wants to throw caution to the wind and tell you for sure that yes what your ancestor rode upon was a Baku spirit it does fall in some places of possibility but also fantastically into stories that found Great Clans such as your one that you come from." She said with some hesitation not wanting to offend.

She smiled. "Its possible it was a baku but they rarely survive the waking from dreams let alone come into this realm. I, myself, have not heard of many tales of them slipping into our world except in some very specific locations and under very specific conditions...Its incredibly rare." She pondered, and really wish she had brought her scroll case with her. "But your clan has traversed far from Rokugan and have seen sights my ancestors would never see so I am not declining it as a possibility because that would be inappropriate."

The Moth was caught in thought for a moment, as she looking into her tea cup. "Such wonder your Clan has seen throughout their time within the Burning sands, I wish I could have seen the wonders they have experienced." It was perhaps more obvious to Moto than others that Koi's spirit was something more attuned to a moth trapped by a lantern never being able to break free of Rokugan glow. "Are you participating in the Miai, Moto-san?'

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Unless you've got a way to summon the beast itself, it's likely that we will never know what exactly Sarangerel – that's the name we know her under today though it's unlikely to be the name she wore back them – what she encountered that day. Even if her spirit was to visit us, there's little chance she knew about its nature herself. She was many things, but neither a priest or a sage. She simply seized the opportunity when it presented itself."

Mitsuki chose her words carefully to answer the last question, having just arrived in town and so keeping her cards close to her chest for now:

"I came here directly from the Burning Sands for the miai indeed. It had been a long trip. My family has few ties with eastern Rokugan, and my parents, well, seized that opportunity for me to build some.

I guess you too are here for wedding purpose?"

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi's jade eyes watched the Unicorn with intensity of a Moth trapped within the lantern's glow. "Yes that is entirely reasonable, but thank you for sharing a story with me like that, I appreciate the gesture and openness." She said, placing her tea cup down and indicated a refill to a nearby servant. "Such a beautiful name for a creature." She mused. "And to your ancestor, all the best heroes and stories in legends are those that take opportunity when it comes to them, to live ones life by the experiences of the world is something to idolise and take as inspiration on how live. Seize the moment, take chance - sometimes it is better to live instead of just thinking about how to live."

She sipped her cup, memories of that night she climbed from her window with her bag and all her personal possessions that meant anything to her descending the mountain and into the Ronin troupe that had visited that night desperate to just to feel alive once, for one moment. "I expect, that is what it feels like to be nomadic, and to ride such beautiful animals - winged or not."

I miss you June. She thought, sipping the drink that just was delivered. "Hai, I did some work with an acting troop for four years and was summoned home by the Lord and sent here. I travelled far from the Dragon Mountains on foot, with the intention to find a partner that would look after myself and I look after them." She said this calmly, her face expression shared a warm smile as she enjoyed the tea.

"I wish you luck in the events to come, Moto-san." She said finally after a moment of silence. "May the Kami of air grant you peace from their trickery and playfulness of our affairs as such events."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"It is a Deer custom to unleash trickster spirits at prospective spouses? It wouldn't be the weirdest wedding custom I've witnessed, and at least this one does not involve way too much spirits of the alcoholic variety, but that still seems quite strange to me. Magic acts in western courtships are usually limited to a bit of divination and maybe a show as part of the wedding ceremony.

Well, whatever they throw at me, I'll just have to withstand it and I'll be fine.

And of course, good luck yourself Kaiko-san."

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi glanced at the Moto for a moment confused, and really found herself a bit alienated by this fact, she has never met anyone that didnt understand the Kami fluently - like she comes from a family of shugenjas most of Rokugan know about the kami and the shenanigans of Air. "Gomen - " She bowed her head slightly in apology. The young shugenja looked at the Moto calmly, and raised a hand. "I am a shugenja, I have the ability to commune and see the Kami much like several other families within the Emerald Empire."

"Kami are spirits, they are in everything we do and see. They have their own temperaments and quirks much like a horse might have their own personality, they are equally attracted to such things that suit their nature. The air kami are here in Kyuden Shika but it's in their nature to be here, where emotions are high, playing tricks and being mysterious." She explained softly, with a small fondness. "On that note, I am quite skilled at divination myself."

Koi accepted the compliment with a bow of her head. "I have no doubt your fortitude will keep you true and strong in the events to come, you are a mighty bushi of a Great and gallant Clan. You should not to be underestimated and they would be foolish to do so."

Koi gave a sheepish smile. "Oh, I doubt I will rise anywhere the glory of some of the clans within this city for the Miai. I will likely fade into the backdrop of the events that are about to unfold, I am not much." She said softly, and sipped her tea. "But thank you."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Oh, I know what a shugenja is. We do have them in the Unicorn too. They're instrumental in making the trips through the most desolated places go well. I've met many, and of all sorts actually. All powerful in their own right but with ways of unleashing their magic so different they don't always understand each other when put in the same group. Some believe only on pure prayer, some craft talismans, some carry strange artifacts, some dance…

Well, as long as it works, good for them and for us. My misunderstanding came more from a… lost in translation issue? The way you've formulated your prayer might be common here but it's not idiomatic in the west. So it felt like if you were wishing me luck against something very concrete and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

To say it differently, when you offered to knock on wood, I looked for the plank."

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi listened and nodded, and sipped her tip. "Ah, yes that is fair. Apologies if that sounded patronising then Moto-san, it was not my intention."

She paused for a while before placing her tea down with one hand. "Do you have any hobbies you enjoy?"

[Moto Mitsuki]

"That's often the kind of question someone asks when they want to talk about their own hobbies, so I'm all ears if such was indeed your intention.

As for myself, I don't really have what could be called a pastime, like knitting or composing poetry. My days are already filled to the brim, in-between martial training, whatever my lord requires of me that day, farsight training, time on the roads and sleep.

Does tourism count? I try to always make room in my schedule to visit more in-depth the places I'm currently at. Would be a wasted opportunity if I don't, and we already talked about the family tradition regarding catching opportunities as they present themselves."

[Kaikoga Koi]

Koi did not react at the comment about the hobby, but she did find that particular rude. That was unnecessarily rude.

Koi tapped her finger slightly into her palm as she resisted speaking, and bowed her head. "No, I did not have any real hobbies to speak of, Moto-san. My task within the clan plus my training as a shugenja and an actress keeps me largely busy," She lied, calmly as she sipped at her tea listening.

"You do sound like you lead a particularly busy life, and training as a bushi must be very taxing on your stamina in the long term. Enjoy any rest you can get when you do." She said lightly, turning the cup in her hands as she glanced at Mitsuki. "Ah, I think that would consider as a hobby as it's learning about something new, out of normal. You could always bypass it and never learn about it, and does it bring you any enjoyment?"