[D6, ME: Stables] Yes, I Know, You're Lonely (Open)

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"I recently gained the honor of a promotion to nikutai of the Red Wind, a mounted scouting company of the Crimson Legion, we mostly operate south these days, though we're based out of Nihai Tower", he said.

Yes, the promotion you only nearly died twice for.

"So what does a glorious blade of the Khan seek in marriage among the southerners?" he asked.


"

[Moto Mitsuki]

"A bridge between the west and the east.

There's a Ujik joke that says than you can only get the best sleep in an encampment where there is someone you can call uncle, or aunt, or cousin. However, the number of people we can call family, even distant, in-law, one, dries up considerably as the weather becomes rainier.

Nothing a good wedding cannot help fix, and that's exactly why I'm there.

And now, I guess it's your turn to tell me why you did the, admittedly less long and impressive, trip through Beiden pass to come here."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He shrugged. "Shiro Matsu may not be as far as the desert, but crossing it is just as dangerous", Hikimasu offered. "A certain samurai lost part of his face there. Many other guests much more."

He chuckled slightly. "Though going through crane lands is a bigger issue to me usually, my clan has been dealing with a certain daidoji officer's ambition of getting promoted before their war with the lion by testing our borders. Something my unit has to contend with."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Is the Lion at war with the Scorpion now? Well, I guess at this point one more open front won't change much."

Hard to say from her tone if Mitsuki was serious or not.

"Which kind of testing? Sending scouts and see how far they can go before being caught? Willingly pushing bandits and other unwelcome fellows to the other side of the border? Paying mercenaries to launch raids?

There are many kinds of harassment tactics, and each call for a different type of answer, quick horses, and even quicker thinking."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Conscripting people from border villages, for one", he said. "People who live on a clan's border, along with those living in the neutral territory between are often targeted by both sides of a conflict as conscripts." He shook his head. "They had been pressing scouts in as well, we came to chase them out and they decided to ambush us instead of withdrawing." He leaned against the stablepost, interestingly this was the second time he'd spoken about it, both with Unicorn. "But the Scorpion I don't think seek a fight with the Lion, why do it? Yet what you say is true, they might seek a fight with us if honor demands it, that's simply how they are, and it's happened in the past, many times."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Forced recruitment is not the cleanest of tactics, but it's efficient, especially as its default counter is to do the same and try to outpace the aggressor. And forcing your opponent's move in a certain way is often a good opening.

Could you remind me of the geography at this section of the Crane/Scorpion border? How good ambushes are is very dependent of the terrain, so I'm having a bit of trouble getting the picture without that piece of data."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He smirked under his mask. "Maybe you'll have to come visit it sometime", he said. "Though I can tell you it's not as open wide as what you're used to. Lots of rocks and trees."

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Are you inviting me Shosuro-sama? Inviting someone without meaning it is one of the simplest form of self-curses, an efficient way to ensure the universe will conspire to make your ironic invitation a real one, and twist it in the way that will bite you in the ass the hardest.

Ask the brahmin who spent one hundred days and one hundred nights in prayers to build an impenetrable spiritual barrier around their home, only to die a few weeks later after the spirits interpreted a bad taunt of them as an open invitation for their enemies."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Take it as you like", he offered with a bow. "I would never turn away an honored guest, but those lands aren't my lands, I come from further north and live outside the forest, near the river of gold. A lot of room for a horse to run around there."

Yudaina made a noise, possibly agreement, or maybe he's just a horse.

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Does the Otter travel that river too? If this clan is as numerous in the Empire than it is at this miai, there must have at least one boat in every river of importance at any given time."