[D1 EE] Tortoise Tea for Two

[Kasuga Yoshi]

To be clear, Yoshi even now wasn't certain about what to expect. Seeing the ronin girl in the market had caused him to act on impulse. This wasn't terribly unusual, but he was surprised when she recommended tea of all things, and that she hoped to meet him again this evening. Yoshi would hardly refuse the offer.

Yoshi shows signs of being out in the sun, and that he has quickly wiped himself down, in general looking as if he had been out and about.

I wasn't exactly thinking this through, but tea would hit the spot right now, and it will help brace me for that play tonight. He gets a booth and waits patiently for Aimi to arrive.

[Aimi]

To be clear, Yoshi even now wasn't certain about what to expect. Seeing the ronin girl in the market had caused him to act on impulse. This wasn't terribly unusual, but he was surprised when she recommended tea of all things, and that she hoped to meet him again this evening. Yoshi would hardly refuse the offer.

Yoshi shows signs of being out in the sun, and that he has quickly wiped himself down, in general looking as if he had been out and about.

I wasn't exactly thinking this through, but tea would hit the spot right now, and it will help brace me for that play tonight. He gets a booth and waits patiently for Aimi to arrive.

It takes him a moment to recognise her, when she does.

Gone is the scruffy ronin woman with her wooden walking stick and cheery grin. In her place stands a samurai fit for any court in the land, resplendent in a kimono of dark red silk and shimmering golden thread, her dark hair pulled back up and pinned in proper style, her movements graceful and elegant as she glides through the door of the teahouse and makes her way over to the small booth.

"Greetings, Kasuga-san. I hope I did not keep you waiting long," she says, and the mischievous twinkle in her eye betrays her identity surer than any heraldic mon.

[Kasuga Yoshi]

Yoshi doesn't exactly do a spit take when he sees her. He had suspected that the girl from marketplace had some hidden depths, but this is a level of surprise that was greater than even he had anticipated and he can't quite keep all the shock off his face. He rises abruptly, jostling the table and forcing him to steady it before he offers a bow.

"There are things in life worth waiting for milady. I would consider this one of them. Would you please join me, I took the liberty of ordering the House blend, but please order anything you wish"

[Aimi]

Smiling in delight - its always nice to know you've made an impression, after all - Aimi nods and settles herself into the seat. "The House blend sounds ideal. When travelling, I have found that while there are certain blends and dishes that can be found far and wide, the local speciality is always worth sampling."

Smiling, she makes a brief fluttering gesture with one hand. "Ah, but there I go speaking of travelling, when I share the company of a Tortoise. If your Clan's reputation is to be believed, you will have ranged further afield than I ever managed, no?"

[Kasuga Yoshi]

"Well I would hate to make assumptions Lady... I should still call you Aimi then?" Yoshi had a pretty good guess about what was happening, even if the girl's true background was still an unknown. "But yes, I do think it is quite possible that I have been further beyond the borders of the Emerald Empire. Funnily enough, I find parts of the Empire more surprising than what is afield. "

Yoshi raises a cup to his lips. " Yourself, case in point, if an appreciated one. "

[Aimi]

"One should always be prepared for surprise, as senseless as it might sound," Aimi says with a soft laugh, "And yes, my name is Aimi. I've told no lies since coming here - is it my fault if others see me, and tell themselves falsehoods as they paint a picture in their mind?"

She smiles, folding her hands on the table between them. "Would you indulge me with a story or two, while we wait for our tea? In my profession, I rarely get to hear of the lands beyond our borders, or indeed of many places within them."

[Kasuga Yoshi]

Yoshi paused, and then laughed. "Pardon me Aimi-san. I had just been preaching the virtues of avoiding assumptions, and it seems that even I fall prey to them. I did not mean to indicate any wrongdoing on your part...simply that there are occasions where one's Duty might include addressing yourself in a different way. I have a few guesses but...I believe we just went over the risk of relying too much on guesswork."

"As for a story, well, I have one. I have heard the tales of far off land, and met the men who claim to be from there." Yoshi sips his tea. "There is a land far to the East and North of the Emerald Empire, a kingdom, a land inherited like an Empire, but without being descended from the kami, called Merenae. We encountered their ship as we travelled, and they knew shared tongues of the Ivory lands. Their ships are sturdy, able to stand in the churning waters of the deep ocean, able to travel past further than all but the bravest captains will dare, with square sails. Their eyes are practically spheres and their skin pale, their hair curling on its own. They knew a shared tongue of another land to the South, which is how we learned of their land, an island filled with other competing gaijin. To the North was a place called Thrane. One of their captains sworn an oath to cross the tip of the island, but was beset by a storm. He staked his souls of himself and his entire crew against the kami of the ocean, stating they they would pass...and then their ship broke. Now, the kami use their ghosts to lure others to a similar fate."

"Now perhaps you can tell one for me. What might your profession be Aimi-san? I would have thought that a ronin would have the opportunity to see the lands of Rokugan far and wide"

[Aimi]

Yoshi paused, and then laughed. "Pardon me Aimi-san. I had just been preaching the virtues of avoiding assumptions, and it seems that even I fall prey to them. I did not mean to indicate any wrongdoing on your part...simply that there are occasions where one's Duty might include addressing yourself in a different way. I have a few guesses but...I believe we just went over the risk of relying too much on guesswork."

"As for a story, well, I have one. I have heard the tales of far off land, and met the men who claim to be from there." Yoshi sips his tea. "There is a land far to the East and North of the Emerald Empire, a kingdom, a land inherited like an Empire, but without being descended from the kami, called Merenae. We encountered their ship as we travelled, and they knew shared tongues of the Ivory lands. Their ships are sturdy, able to stand in the churning waters of the deep ocean, able to travel past further than all but the bravest captains will dare, with square sails. Their eyes are practically spheres and their skin pale, their hair curling on its own. They knew a shared tongue of another land to the South, which is how we learned of their land, an island filled with other competing gaijin. To the North was a place called Thrane. One of their captains sworn an oath to cross the tip of the island, but was beset by a storm. He staked his souls of himself and his entire crew against the kami of the ocean, stating they they would pass...and then their ship broke. Now, the kami use their ghosts to lure others to a similar fate."

"Now perhaps you can tell one for me. What might your profession be Aimi-san? I would have thought that a ronin would have the opportunity to see the lands of Rokugan far and wide"

"Fascinating," Aimi murmurs, almost seeming to drink in the story, hanging on every word. She is, if nothing else, an excellent listener.

"My profession? Oh, yes," she smiles and shakes her head, "I am a shugenja, Kasuga-san, roaming where the spirits bid and intervening whenever man and kami find themselves at odds. It grants me some freedom, but less than the tales would have you suppose. Many is the lord who hears of ronin on their land and assumes it to be a sign of banditry or trespass, dispatching their own samurai to clear the wavemen away before any other consideration. Few would do as much to a priestess... but not all wait to have my identity confirmed before issuing their orders."

She drums her fingers on the table for a moment in thought. "Ah, but what story to share with such a well travelled soul... but of course! I travelled with the caravans of the Ide once, and in their company were men of the Qamari faith, from the land they call the Cradle of the World. They told me many stories of their land, of course, but more fascinating by far was the way they interacted with our own traditions, in all the friction and misunderstandings such things entail."

She chuckles briefly, lifting a hand to hide her mouth in the absence of a fan, "For example, in the Cradle, it gets hot enough during the day that at noon one can scarcely do more than rest in the shade and slumber. So it was that they regarded the most sociable times to call upon their neighbours as being just before the dawn, when Lady Sun has yet to raise her head. The samurai they called upon were only rarely so energetic..."

[Kasuga Yoshi]

Yoshi offers a dark chuckle. "I would think that you would have more luck with our samurai if you stopped by in the pre-dawn hours. I would expect to run into those who are about to take a well deserved rest rather than those just waking. Well, those in Slow Tide Harbor anyway."

The Tortoise lets out a long sigh and a shake of the head. "That attitude seems like a waste of perfectly good talent. I would invite you to visit with us if you care to have your talents appreciated. We don't have a particular talent for communicating with the kami, and it's not as if the Major Clans deign to take a great interest."

Yoshi takes Aimi in. "And I can't imagine anyone would pass up spending time with any lady who looks like that. Which begs the question. Why..." He pauses for the right word. "Why don't you choose to present yourself that way. Especially for a miai"

[Aimi]

Yoshi takes Aimi in. "And I can't imagine anyone would pass up spending time with any lady who looks like that. Which begs the question. Why..." He pauses for the right word. "Why don't you choose to present yourself that way. Especially for a miai"

Aimi raises her eyebrows.

"Why? 'tis hardly a choice, Kasuga-san," she says with a rueful smile, "As I said, I've told no lies. I truly am a ronin, and before your generous gift, I lacked the coin to purchase such tools and garments as to make myself so... presentable. I could perhaps have scrimped and saved and borrowed from generous former patrons to make an impression, but I would still have fallen short of what a Clan samurai can attain with the merest effort, and if there is one thing the courts punish more than anything else, it is overreach."