[D6 MA, Expecting] The hunt dot dot dot

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu nodded in understanding, taking a seat himself.

"None taken from you - I'm pretty sure if I did, the other three Lion would be at my throats in an instance." He joked, before turning serious.

"Can we start with what you expect from beginning? From there, I can help try and explain what would actually happen."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"To be honest more anger and not so friendly people." She shrugged. "People had story of the lion being short tempered specially the Matsu." She looked at her knees "I mean no offense Kitsu sama."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

"None is taken - an honest misunderstanding can only be solved with honest dialogue. Though if I may, 'people'?"

The Kitsu continued after her answer, if any.

"The Lion are passionate in everything they do, striving to do whatever they think is right with the utmost seriousness. That means yes, there is stronger anger, but there is stronger compassion, camaraderie and friendliness than anywhere else the Empire can show, except maybe in the Sparrow lands after harvest. If I speak on each family individually, that might help explain where some misconceptions come from."

"The Akodo are calm, collected, and may at times seem cold to others. They are calculating every move, because they believe their ancestors watch their every move. Once your friend, an Akodo will always consider you when relevant, and never let you simply blow by the wayside uncared for. If you want a friend you can trust to do the honourable thing, there is none finer than an Akodo. They even warm up to you once they consider you a friend."

Between each family, he gave room for questions.

"If the Akodo live by Honour, the Ikoma live by a deep care for their people. They do their best to remember everything, hence not just the grand Ikoma libraries, but in the way we are trained to exalt our comrades. We smile at their successes, woe at their failures and grieve for their losses as if they were our own. That said, the Ikoma are no scorpion, but aren't held back by social traps of courtesy the same way the Crane are. We live and love earnestly."

"Speaking of earnest, the Kitsu. We struggle to lie, as we have said in the past, but owe our lineage to the mercy and wisdom of Akodo-no-Kami. We have the unique ability to communicate with our ancestors, and so we are the bridge between who the Lion are to who they should be... the ones the kami listen to, anyway. Even so, we remain the spiritual guides of the clan, keeping our lore, mythos and spirit of our ancestors alive. More than our duties, we care deeply and live honestly, firend or foe."

"The Matsu... the Matsu are an unique case, usually. If every clan is a bridge and every family a lantern, then at night the Lion's bridge is as the day thanks to one family - the Lion. They have the shortest tempers, true, but they have the most heart of anyone or anything in the Empire. This means, once you have befriended the traditional Matsu, you are effectively blood siblings. They will face entire armies, shout down entire courts, or petition entire Imperial families if they believe you have been wronged enough, without a second of hesitation.

"But above and beneath the families, there are two things.
"The first, is the Pride. It is a Lion collective understanding that, the person you go to school could be standing next to you rank and file the next day. This doesn't apply to people who marry into the clan or people in certain roles, but the entire clan is effectively one large organisation. The Crane have their petty rivalries, the Dragon have their individual spirit, but the Crab and us are a Clan. Each samurai a brother, each peasant a sister, even the eta are to be motivated to reach a better station in life. A Lion who betrays one betrays them all.
"The second, is the underlying humanity in each Rokugani. We have dreams, aspirations, ambitions and envies like any other samurai. We enjoy mochi in the morning and sake in the evening, we love, we laugh, we die."

He paused.

"That may be a lot to take in, but understand I am here to answer your questions."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"I see..." It was a lot to take in but it cleared the mind of the Kaito. "Thank you Kitsu sama." Oubaihime smiled. "What do the Lion lands look like? I have never been there and would like to know more."

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

This one was harder to answer.

"I find that, when I walk the Lion lands in between work, everything feels like it has a place. From the crooked tree to the tallest castle, each place feels like it was designed to interlock with the others. Beyond that? It is like most other places in Rokugan, I suppose, besides the Dragon mountains; lots of plains and fields, ideal for military practice, but otherwise pretty Rokugani. If I may, how would you describe the Phoenix lands?"

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Ah... well i would say that it is a mixture of mysticism... I... I don't know how to explain it. I mean... the air is filled with wonder. The land filled with greenery. The forest makes one be at peace..." She sighed.

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

The Kitsu nodded.

"It's hard to explain somewhere you've lived your entire life. The only way you can truly know a place is to go there, no?"

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Ah... hai..." The girl grew quiet.

[Kitsu Moshumaru]

"I don't think there's an easy way to say this." Moshumaru begins.

"But no amount of description, survey or literature will every truly prepare you for life in another clan's territory. They don't tell you the Sparrow sometimes have so little their guards fast to accommodate you. They don't tell you that in the Crane lands, they treat you as a second-class citizen, even as a samurai, behind your back until you earn their respect. They certainly don't tell you in the Lion lands that you never disrespect a shrine maiden or the local temple, lest your own mother beats you with a tabi until you spend the next month apologizing."

He rubbed his cheek.

"...Taught that one the hard way. Moving somewhere new, even for someone like me, is scary."

"That said, the Lion lands are some of the safest to be in. Here's why..."

--
D6 MA - Agenda Earth/Tactics | TN: 2 | Success: 2 / Opportunity: 0 / Strife: 1

[Kaito Oubaihime]

She nodded. "I understand... each have an view different from a broader spectrum." She again she nodded.