[Day 5, Late Evening] The Fortune of Bad Decisions (Expecting)

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"You're right, we don't know each other. I am not trying to determine her fate for her, I never would, nor do I consider myself worthy of the title of suitor in regards to her. But to say that any of our futures are fully our to determine shows a lack of understanding regarding what a Miai is. I don't want to stop her from doing anything, I want to stop you."

His own words shocked him but he had said it now and there was no going back.

"I had hoped that this wouldn't become another Crane versus Lion argument, all of us may be in different clans in the near future so I see no reason to harbor these old grudges but it seems some cannot move beyond them. This is about you and the choices you make, about what kind of future you wish to offer another. Neither of us are worthy of Oubaihime-sama, I don't need to know a thing about you to understand that fact but your blasé attitude here confirms that. I pray daily for the few here that I call friends, that Bai will find someone who deserves her, that Raizo-san isn't punished by Duty, you and I are not friends but I will be adding you to my daily prayers in hope that you find the right path in life."

[Shiba Raizo]

Oh fuck it.

"You do know she's seen me nearly naked, right?"

He motioned for another bottle to follow this apparent non-sequitur as he had a seat.

"Me and just about every man in my unit. We'd gotten into it with some Mantis, and we all had injuries that needed addressing."

He chuckled.

"Including a really GROSS arrow through Tsuru's face. Luckily, the poor bastard was already ugly, so having his cheeks punctured wasn't a major loss. If she could handle our whining, to say nothing of the smell, I think she can handle anything you two jokers combined could throw at her."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

For his part, Moshu gave a nod to Raizo to reassure he had no plans of violence.

He did have some questions for the Asahina and his understanding of the Kitsu, but now was not the time to say anything. Did he think that the Lion would put the Kaito to task on the battlefield, or was there some underlying agenda he hadn't -

Oh fuck it.

"You do know she's seen me nearly naked, right?"

The Kitsu... honestly he was unsure as to how to react.

He first looked like the Phoenix had just dipped his testicles in the poor Crane's tea.

Then he realized he probably had done more than that - the Kobune in Soyokaze's mind had probably set sail, been struck by Osano-wo and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Then there might have been an insult against him at this point but he respected Raizo enough not to take it personally and comparatively, it was minor enough.

He caught himself before laughing like a buffoon.

"Oh my fortunes Shiba-san - I think you killed the poor thing."

[Kitsu Murato]

"Thought experiment. Would you ever tell her that I am not good enough for her? How do you think she would take that? Just because you don't consult with her does not mean you're not disrespecting her right to make her own choices. Do not talk to me about your concerns, talk to her. I don't care if you think I'm not good enough or you're not good enough. I care if she thinks I'm good enough, because she is an amazing woman and I care about her opinion."

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"Stop trying to get Bai-chan to have this argument for you."

Soyokaze took and breath and tried to calm himself, he teetered on blades edge.

"Your noble heritage is something the Lion cannot simply part with, do you think they will let you marry into another clan? An Imperial family certainly, to strengthen an alliance before a war maybe, but not with your enemies closest ally; it gains them nothing, they would not allow it. But these Shika love Love and if they see it in you they may just arrange it so she joins the Lion. And she would do it dutifully, and she would never see her beloved temple again and if the worst did happen her blood would be on your hands because you did nothing when you could. So would I say something to her, yes I would but not now. There is still time enough for both of you to find someone else and I pray that happens for you, but if it doesn't, if you commit to this course of action I will speak my mind to her because she is a friend I have grown to care for deeply and I do not wish to see her hurt. And I believe that as we are friends she would understand that my words come out of care, because even if we are capable of making our own decisions that does not mean those decisions can't be wrong. A true friend is someone who acts when they think someone is headed down a wrong path regardless of how it may impact themselves."

He was calmer now, most of his meager fury turned to reason. He waited for a rebuttal but was also preparing to leave the table.

[Kitsu Murato]

"Then talk to her. And I will be sure to let her know how much you seem to care for her. But it doesn't change the fact that I care for her as well. I don't want her to have an argument on my behalf. I want her to make her own choices. I want her to be herself. And I would be honored to be a part of her family and clan."

"If the Shika decided to marry me to a ronin and I lost my name, place in society, and the respect of those I once cared for I would still be proud to serve my empire however I could. You place much more value on these things than I do apparently. I will live my life according to my values and my honor. And I won't change my path because you think it's a good idea."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Mourner pondered.

"Hold on a second, hold on a second - there's something we need to clarify."

A sip.

"If I may, Asahina-san, what is this 'worst fate' that you suspect Kaito-san would undergo with the Lion? We might be able to clarify for you."

[Shiba Raizo]

Fuck's sake.

Raizo knocked back another cup of sake, and poured himself a refill.

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Soyokaze sighed in frustration as he stood.

"Death Kitsu-sama. Wars are unpredictable, a place that seemed safe one day can become a smoking ruin the next. No one in this room can predict how things will unfold in the future but it seems obvious to me that the safest place for anyone is to not be in a war and when our clans go to war no patch of our lands will be safe. Perhaps you think the Crane are incapable of striking deep into Lion lands but it has happened before. i mention this not as a slight merely to illustrate the uncertainty of war."

[Shiba Raizo]

"Seems to me she could also get killed by bandits on the road home."

Sip.

"Hell, so could I, and I'm a bushi..."