(D5 EA) What Lovely Hare You Have

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"What about your duties to your clan, Lion sama?" She wondered what would happen if the Lion raged war against the Crane. The Phoenix are allies of the Crane and had to battle off.

[Kitsu Murato]

"My duty to my clan is to perform complex paperwork activities. If they were worried about keeping me within the Lion they would not have put my marriage in the hands of the Shika and would have simply arranged something. They can spare me. And while I may love my clan... if my clan changed I would still love my clan, no matter which one it would be. Duty stems from serving the emperor, and we all align under the son of heaven. We already have that in common Bai-chan, and will continue to even after this miai, we already share a duty of a sort."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

The girl nodded. "Seems you have many papers to push." She placed her hand on her mouth. "I mean no disrespect. My line of work is not quite... It is a war between the life and death. To keep the samurai alive while Emma-O decides if we are keeping the samurai to complete their karmic circle or if their soul will serve better in another part of the circle." She sighed. "Sometimes that war must be lost."

[Kitsu Murato]

"That is quite alright Bai-chan. I often feel the same as you just expressed," he says with a chuckle. "But yes, your duty is very important, and certainly not made easier by the looming wars I imagine. I get to see one of those sides of life and death from time to time though. I occasionally am granted a reprieve from the bureaucracy to assist my cousins with issues related to spirits, given my gifts. If I could choose my duty, that would be what I'd choose. To travel and help the restless and the lost on ningen-do, to help them find peace and know that they no longer suffer. Unfortunately that is not what was chosen for me."

He smiled at her and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. But they could also see the trees clearing a bit up ahead, apparently having not been too far from Mitsuki's clearing shrine.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

She nodded at that. "Hai... It must have been quite confusing for you." She looked at the clearing. "Are we there yet?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"Only a little confusing," he said with a smirk. "But I understand my purpose now."

He nods to the approaching clearing. "Just here."

The ground was a rocky clearing with a column of stones at the center. A scarf was wrapped around it.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

The girl smiled. "Interesting... do you know if it is for those gaijin fortunes or for Rokugani ones?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"It is for the fortunes of the Moto," he says with a nod. "We thanked a Moto ancestor for his guidance and protection on the trip here. He was apparently a spirit set upon his duty and path by Shinjo-kami herself."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Hmmmm..." She sighed. "They are odd people but Moto sama seem nice. I hope this is okay." She took a leaf from one of the bushes and placed it as an offering on it.

[Kitsu Murato]

"I find their ways parallel the Kitsu's in many regards. It is a profound respect for their ancestors. The ritual and method is different, but the faith and respect are the same." He places a small stone on the pile himself.