[D7, MA](Soykaze's Forge) Bend Don't Break [Expecting]

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"You misunderstand Kitsu-sama be calm, such measures are a last resort and I am far from that; at least several days from that. Please, speak your mind." He slowly reached for the tea and refilled their cups.

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu sipped his tea, one last time. He took a breath, adjusted his clothes - let his hand slip from the Wakizashi - and began.

"I hate your clan. I hate them so deeply I cannot describe it. I hate your clan specifically because of what they do to their children like you."

A breath.

"But I do not hate you."

He let the words sit before he continued.

"I do not hate you because you are as much of a victim of the sickness that propagates within your clan as anyone else so fresh from gempuku, and thank the Kami you have not had the chance to spread it. That sickness is the overwhelming devotion to appearances."

He took some papers out of a bag.

"I write obituaries, as I have said. The process involves meeting the families, friends, peers and superiors of the recently fallen to find out exactly what kind of person they were, and how best to honour them. Among the entirety of the records of the fallen, Do you know what we find the most disgusting thing about Crane families?"

"The way they treat their children. It's not just you - in the courtier families, for example, failures can sometimes result in days of ignoring their children. In the Kakita, sometimes it's the most successful child who gets anything, and the lesser becomes a black a sheep as courtesy allows. Not every Lion is a monster - Most Cranes are unkind to their families. How do I know?"

He shuddered.

"In their grief. The parents have a hollow grief, often - it is grieving a failure, not a family member. The brothers and sisters they grieve - but only when they feel society has allowed them to. My few trips have often been extended by days as the family fed me false hospitality and I had to plan secret excursions with individuals to private locations to let them properly work through their grief. But, because everyone is too courteous to bring this up, the problem grows."

"In the next generation, they don't know how else to raise their children - a lucky few swear to never do what their parents did but for most, that's simply how they learned to raise. So they do. And it grows, and it grows, and it spreads."

The venom on that last syllable was almost palpable.

"Everything becomes about what is polite, and what is courteous. Every time, without fail, what is compassionate is the first thing that's discarded. Eroded. Decapitated, burned and buried. You cannot choose both compassion and courtesy over another tenet - one of those two is always the first sacrifice. And for generations, the left hand of the Emperor, those who are supposed to be the great cultural leaders of Rokugan, have chosen wrong. consistently. I hate it. I hate what they do to other people. I hate this pretend compassion they hold when it is the first and most voluntarily thing they discard. The Asahina should be beyond their peers - seeing as compassion was what founded their family - but look at you.
Look at how they've hurt you, and for what."

"Where you are, in all this, is the first time I can, in real time, guarantee that I can save someone from all this. I can finally look at a Crane family tearing its young apart and do something about it. In front of you lays my honour, exposed - a blade which I offered to show I was sincere, and if you required it to cut your hair."

"You can make good on this knowledge as well - from the protection of another clan, or indeed the Imperial house itself, you can help spread awareness of these malpractices and, with the evidence and testimonies in the Library of the Fallen and Asako or... Agasha psychological advances, I forget which, we can definitively prove to the Crane that there is a better way, to help them eliminate this rotten core within them. And maybe, just maybe,"

He smiled.

"Doji-no-kami can look back from the Oceans and smile at us once more."

He took a breath.

"So, in short. I hate your clan for what they did to you. I want to help you because I hate your clan. If you go with my method, your father realizes his mistakes and has no recourse but to regret his decisions."

He looked up, like a great burden had fallen off his shoulders - like he could do anything.

"Any questions?"

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Soyokaze bit his tongue as the Lion spoke but did not interrupt, letting the Kitsu get things off his chest.

"There is truth in your words Kitsu-sama but Your understanding of my clan is obscured by our clans relationship. My father is the exception not the rule, I understand that now, he is so absorbed by duty and tradition that he has lost his way. But the same can be said about the Lion. I hate the Lion, your founder took a necessary evil and elevated it to an artform but since then your clan has become so focused on the art of war that you see it now as a game. Whether you appreciate it or not you live your lives by the philosophy that might makes right and instead of using war as a last result it is often your first, innocent lives be damned. Every slight, every misunderstanding is a cause for violence and even when you don't use force you weald the threat of force as it's own weapon. You bully minor clans and claim every inch of land you can in name of defending the Emperor, as if that is solely your responsibility. Our clans have fought more times than either of us will ever know, both on the battlefield and courts and we each dominate in one. I am an Asahina, I abhor violence, there is nothing that cannot be resolved with words among samurai if we can just put down our swords and talk, save the bloodshed for the horrors of the south. I have no doubt that even if all the other clans stood against you the Lion would still rather charge into enemy lines than admit they may be wrong about something and call it Honor.

So is it any wonder that a grieving family may be hesitant to show weakness to someone who is so often their enemy? I hate the Lion clan, you have no real enemies so you make them out of other clans because you need something to do. But I do not hate you Kitsu-sama, I do not hate Murato-san and I am ashamed of the hate I do carry in me. Not all Crane are monsters Kitsu-sama, most are just trying to do their duty same as any Lion.

Instead of trying to disrupt our alliances why not build your own, because who can you say truly stands with the Lion. The Crane-Phoenix alliance is the strongest in the empire even with the recent unrest and we have forged strong ties with the Unicorn. Who rides to the Lion's aid if you needed it? I don't even mean in war, if a disaster hit your lands who would sacrifice to aid you? I will tell you who, I would, the Asahina would, the Doji would, the Crane would. because despite our mutual hatred you are still children of the kami and while vile individuals will no doubt take advantage the heart of the Crane is pure, at least as pure as the Lion's.

But none of that is why I will refuse your offer, because as I said I do not hate you. I am earnest about my desire to see this through. I am in love Kitsu-sama, this may be a problem for your cousin, it may not be, but I will see this through to the end. I thank for your truly generous offer as I do for your discretion."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu, like the Crane before him, refused to interrupt. But it was clear by the end of the Crane's refusal that the Lion was disappointed in how events had transpired.

Perhaps he thought deeply about the Crane's words. Perhaps he didn't. Now no longer was the time to show it.

"You have spoken well, Asahina-san. It is a tragedy that your clan has forced you from their heart, or they might have been a fine people in a couple of generations. I understand your position, however - in a sense, it is similar to mine. You recognize that there is good in what is before you but what pains you is what they have become in the name of what they stood for."

A sip.

"Perhaps it shows the weakness of my clan that there is some of what you said I cannot truly understand the reasoning for. Your hate for my clan is justified, although I can understand and meet any challenge to our ethos and explain our reasoning. But knowing and living through the problem you know exists, and simply not doing anything about it? Do you intend to do anything about it, even if that doesn't involve me at all?"

The Lion shook his head, continuing onwards.

"We could discuss the finer points of our thoughts another time, perhaps, because there is a lot for both of us to unpack. However we have a miai ahead of us, so I understand if we never do. I will put forward my offer one last time, completing etiquette's rule of three, but it sounds as if your mind is truly made up. Even so, I thank you the time for at least listening to such an offer."

He retrieved and sheathed his wakizashi.

"I will hear your final response to my offer, but otherwise I will disturb you no more unless you have reason for me to stay."

And so, he waited.

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"Mine is an isolated incident, my father is older now and a widow. He has four other children who are perfect, only one of his children failed to be born with the gift, and my older brother is strong politically and well like by his future vassals, he will likely push my father into retirement soon. Importantly he is nothing like our father. My father is an unfortunate stain upon the Asahina history books that few outside the Asahina family will ever know of. That is how I show my trust in you, you could use this information to hurt me, my family but I think my trust in you is well placed. I suspect that had we not been born into the clans were, if we had more than fourteen days and the stress of a Miai we could be good friends. Your offer is genuine, I hope you do not take offense to my refusal." He bowed low to his guest. "Now, you have heard of my tragedy, do you have time and desire to share your own?"

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu nodded.

"I have offered genuinely and been refused genuinely. I can ask for no more than that. Your trust is indeed well placed - I will take what happened to the grave. Even if I think your voice could do some genuine good, I will respect your decision."

At the other offer, however, he stood.

"Forgive me, but there are two reasons I can't share the full extent of my tragedy with you. Firstly,"

He slipped out of the top half of his Yakuta. It revealed a scattered collection of scars - some from katanas, some from peasant weapons, some from... the kami, if one was to guess? It was a courtier's body, certainly, with some good level of fitness... and excessive level of scars.

"I do not want you thinking that all Lion are monsters. And the second is, well..."

He sipped back into his Yakuta, returning a deep bow.

"The short answer is the Crane clan is my tragedy, in addition to what's happened. I believe I have disparaged your clan enough - I thank you for your time, Asahina-san. My door shall remain open for you as you need it."

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Soyokaze rose and bowed. "I understand, perhaps one day. Thank you for this visit Moshumaru-sama, it has been enlightening and you are always welcome here. Fortunes carry you."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu bowed in return.

"May the fortunes carry you to safety before me, Asahina-san. We are both servants of the Emperor, and the Empire has need of you yet."

He retrieved his daisho and bag, leaving behind the gift he had gotten (for obvious reasons). He even went to far as to return his side of the room to as it was, as if he had never appeared in the first place.

And as readily as death approached his door, it followed the... Kitsu out. The wind from outside seemed to howl in fear, as if begging him to never leave the forge. The fire from the back of the forge seemed... colder, somehow. Like some of its essence had been taken. Had it just been time? How long had they talked? The Crows or Ravens or... whatever they were almost seemed to have formed a line for him, pecking at the ground but never daring to interrupt their master.

He looked back one last time at the Asahina, his gaze seeming to pierce through the forge itsef.

"Stay well."

Finally, he left.

Perhaps, now, the Crane can finally sigh in relief.

[/scene?]

[Asahina Soyokaze]

(/scene, thank you very much)

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

(likewise!)