Kyuden Shika

Seated in his room, Matsu Ishioka prepares a simple note to accompany a gift that was sitting beside the paper on his table. The gift is a well-crafted hair pin adorned with a pearl and a ribbon the dark but vibrant blue of river water seen from a distance. The note, in inelegant but carefully legible calligraphy, mentions that while Ishioka knows little of the young Otter Clan, he hopes to have occasion to learn more. He's no master of symbolism, but Ishioka feels pretty sure the words will help make clear why this piece was selected. As he works diligently at his mediocre writing, the Lion has not noticed that his door is only partly closed.