Kyuden Shika

...Huh.

He didn't realize there was a geisha house here.

He should have, he remembers being briefed on one here - he remembers being here the last time he was here, but it never truly clicked that hey, there was a geisha house here.

He decided to indulge in a past time of his. It was one he picked up in the Phoenix lands of all places, from a desperate shugenja looking for a hookup. See, there were some samurai who needed the shelter to unmask a geisha house provide, but have a stigma against actual geisha for some reason.

Sometimes, they just wanted someone they could call a peer and not be judged by.

And at a Miai like this? Who knows what could happen.

Booking a private room, instead of taking the 'reserved' symbol he passed it back to the front desk.

"If there's a samurai of sorts who needs a nakama, my room is available for such purposes."

A nakama, they say. Heh.

Eventually a confused looking Mantis was shown into the room.

"Uhh, the mama-san said I'd find what I need in here?" Hiroto said, not a huge frequenter of geisha houses.

Well now.

Hiroto wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:12 pm

Eventually a confused looking Mantis was shown into the room.

"Uhh, the mama-san said I'd find what I need in here?" Hiroto said, not a huge frequenter of geisha houses.

The Kitsu stood and bowed.

"Ah, welcome. I am Kitsu Moshumaru, a candidate at this here miai. If you've been sent here, it's likely that you're more in need of an open ear than anything else - care for some tea?"

Hiroto wasnt' sure what to make of that, but it did seem rude to refuse the offer.

"Hiroto of the Golden Mirror." he said, with the traditional Mantis greeting. "Uh, sure...whatever blend you prefer."

Hiroto wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:38 pm

Hiroto wasnt' sure what to make of that, but it did seem rude to refuse the offer.

"Hiroto of the Golden Mirror." he said, with the traditional Mantis greeting. "Uh, sure...whatever blend you prefer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hiroto-san; please, have a seat."

As the Mantis was seated, Moshu ordered for the house special tea for them - he knew the tea house's selection, but not this one's. Usually, they had a "special" tea which went down easily enough, often accompanied by a few small snacks.

"Has Inari-no-kami been treating you well, these past few days?"

A nice, open question - one which let Hiroto ultimately set the pace.

Hiroto exhaled a bit.

"I can't really claim otherwise. Our hosts are making sure that their guests are fed. And yourself, Kitsu-san?" he offered as...less than stunning praise of the hosts.

The tiniest praise can speak the largest volumes. He really did need to relax.

The best way, he thought, was to show Hiroto that he was on his side, so to speak.

"Alright myself, but when one of my kin had their rooms broken into, I had to nearly knock some heads to find out anything. How messed is it that a go tournament has better security than guest accommodation?"

Hiroto shook his head.

"Probably too busy tending to their Crane guests to properly guard the rooms of the Lion. Must be nice to be so readily attended." he replied back, clearly no friend of the Crane.

Hiroto wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:34 pm

Hiroto shook his head.

"Probably too busy tending to their Crane guests to properly guard the rooms of the Lion. Must be nice to be so readily attended." he replied back, clearly no friend of the Crane.

Oh? No friend of the Crane, you say.

"I know, right? 'My gracious hosts, please make sure my thirteen perfurmes are well protected tonight, for I need them for my manicure tomorrow. Your guards sleeping in the cold rain are a worthy sacrifice.' "

He mimicked a certain Crane's voice as best he could in his obvious mockery.

Hiroto laughed at that.

"Fortunes, if only that were the worst of it. For supposed paragons of honor, they sure suck at courtesy." he said, his language a bit rougher than should be, but it was a geisha house. "I know that the Mantis aren't a Great clan in the grand scheme of things, but is that any reason to treat them as any less?"