Kyuden Shika

It was suggestive, but he had actually hoped she might share a bit about her life or interests. He gave a half smile and sighed in his mind.

"Yes, we are not close as far as Lion can be, but we do talk and share," he says with a nod. "He's a good man. Kinder than his demeanor might suggest. But very much more straightforward and less concerned with being clever than the two Omoidasu here."

"But I was actually interested in learning more about you," he said clarifying his earlier innuendo.

Oh, if you insist, though what is there to tell?" Shizuka gave a stock answer, besotted with expected, false, modesty.

"My family are the inheritors of a shrine of some note along the main pilgrimage road to Amaterasu Seido. As their eldest, I suppose one day I may likely be chosen to carry on the tradition of the shrine. Though, that may well change depending on what the Shika have to say."

He nods at that. "An important duty that I imagine you are more than qualified to fulfill. And the Shika will make an appropriate decision for you I am sure. Is your family shrine also dedicated to Amaterasu-no-kami?"

"No, but many people do think that." Shizuka's playfulness seems to vanish as talk turns to theological matters. "While there are shrines dedicated to Our Lady along the route, there are many more to local spirits and other major Fortunes - or even both, like my family's shrine."

She seemed quite proud of that fact.

Murato seems well and truly interested in the topic, an expression of pleasant curiosity becoming readily apparent. He motions to a small bench alongside the wall in the dojo. "Please, sit with me." He wanted the long explanation apparently, and was excited for it, as he moved to sit.

"I would love to hear more about your family shrine."

An invitation to sit? Well, why not? Shizuka joined the Lion in a sitting, though perhaps hardly what dojo were for.

"Now what else would a Lion like to know about my family's shrine, hmm?" She asked airily.

"It's...well...defensible, as shrines go." Shizuka joked lightly about the Lion predilection for military affairs and viewpoints. "As you know, Amaterasu Seido sits atop the Mountain of the Sun Goddess. Where there are mountains, there are foothills, and so my family shrine sits atop one of those. Should we be besieged, there is a source of water flowing near the shrine from the living stone of the mountain itself - the water is cool at all times of the year and clear."

"It sounds like an idyllic site," he says with a smile. "I am curious about which spirits inhabit it and which fortunes are honored there. And about your family's ritual traditions," he replied. Certainly he understood all the military tactical concerns and it sounded defensible... but he clearly has more of a passion for theology. "I've enjoyed coming to understand the small differences in ritual between families and clans."

"Kitsu-san, please." Shizuka feigned offense. "This is hardly the time or the place for an extensive discussion on my home shrine and what we do there, neh? Besides, for a conversation, this has been quite one-sided."

A pause. A smoldering glance. Half-lidded eyes shadowed in red against chalk white makeup.

"I have needs too, you know." She reminded him, her tone low. Then, as if remembering herself, her voice returned to normal pitch. "For instance, I am curious how an omoidasu came to be in such company as you find yourself in, by which I mean the honorable ancestor, of course."

"We'll have to see to those needs then. It would be rude of me not to reciprocate when you have been so generous," he replied.

"I met Taiko-san about a week after my gempukku. He was sulking about not having any descendants to watch over, and I asked about his story. He told me about his sacrifice and led me to his resting place in the middle of nowhere, I had him sent off properly, he asked me to carry his family blade, I agreed and now I have a hundred year old mentor. Just your run-of-the-mill friendly ghost story."

Throughout the telling it's clear that he appreciates Taiko, but also treats him more like a close friend than an honored ancestor. And seems quite happy to do so with a warm smile on his face.

"Truly?" Shizuka sounded quite impressed, especially given that Murato was recounting the tale to a woman who could, were she so inclined to, shoot fire out of her hands. So really, the limits of what would be considered credible were a little stretched in this company.

"And as a trained bard, I take it this tale of yours will be heard long after you and I have passed? It certainly sounds like a tale worthy of such."