(D6, ME) D6: Ichiro by Kakita Takeo

[Susaki Tanabe]

As Emiko was at most plays Tanabe was as well. The yojimbo did as he was trained to watching all interactions and the play itself. A bit more romance than he was usually a fan of, but something about this week (well rather someone) had him enjoying the romantic tale with happy ending more than he usually would. He say the Unicorn trip near Emiko and looked to make move toward them but it seemed to work itself out quickly.

For now Tanabe leaned against a support in the back and simply observed.

[Shika Nesshin]

Ishioka gives a little smile - which is fairly expressive by his standards - and says, "I don't know about tied with strings of any color, but I feel positively about what your noble clan has done here so far. I am very fortunate to have had the showings that I did in the challenges, but also to have met some very fine samurai-ko who I would be happy to be matched with. But I do not think this is the case for all of your guests. It seems to me that my Kitsu cousins, especially Kitsu Tsugumasa, who is a distinguished shugenja, do not have so many suitable options for a match as their family may have anticipated. It is still early, of course, so perhaps just a matter of encouraging things to come together," the Lion asks with the tiniest hint of suggestiveness.

"I have faith in Pei-Pei-sama," Nesshin replies. "She knows what she is about, and there are many, many people here for the event. It's actually one of the better-attended that I recall; I've not been in one before, as might be thought, but I've worked on a number of them in the past.

"And it is the case that there tends to be at least one of us in each of these miai. After all, if we don't trust our work for ourselves, how can we hope others will do so? But I am glad to hear from you that you have been doing well so far; I hope that it will continue--if perhaps not as well as for me!"

Nesshin laughs again. "But a worthy opponent is always good to have, and there is no shame in being beaten by one's betters, so long as one does all that can be done."

[Usogawa Emiko]

She rose , and rose and rose up. "I am, " she answered before she bowed. "I hope that this one did not harm you with her action there?"

"I'm fine" Emiko said with a smile and giving the woman a bow now she was standing "but thank you for your concern. Were you leaving? The play is over although I think I was going to take a little time to think about what went..." she paused for a moment before adding "different to expected."

[Matsu Ishioka]

"I have faith in Pei-Pei-sama," Nesshin replies. "She knows what she is about, and there are many, many people here for the event. It's actually one of the better-attended that I recall; I've not been in one before, as might be thought, but I've worked on a number of them in the past.

"And it is the case that there tends to be at least one of us in each of these miai. After all, if we don't trust our work for ourselves, how can we hope others will do so? But I am glad to hear from you that you have been doing well so far; I hope that it will continue--if perhaps not as well as for me!"

Nesshin laughs again. "But a worthy opponent is always good to have, and there is no shame in being beaten by one's betters, so long as one does all that can be done."

Ishioka smiles. "It is a strange form of competition, isn't it? We may 'compete' in the same events, and yet not be competing for the same prizes. The path to 'victory' may not be very direct at all." Ishioka huffs a little bit. "It is a strange environment for a Matsu, I will admit, regardless of your clan's efforts to make one feel comfortable."

[Shika Nesshin]

Ishioka smiles. "It is a strange form of competition, isn't it? We may 'compete' in the same events, and yet not be competing for the same prizes. The path to 'victory' may not be very direct at all." Ishioka huffs a little bit. "It is a strange environment for a Matsu, I will admit, regardless of your clan's efforts to make one feel comfortable."

"I've no doubt Matsu-san will acquit himself well," Nesshin says. "Flow as water, adapt to the terrain, and sweep over it in a flood, right?"

Nesshin's ready smile flashes again. "And we could hardly work to make guests uncomfortable and do our duty to the Empire, could we? Though if you'd like something more reminiscent of your regular duty-station, I'm sure we can accommodate. As you care to have it, and to the extent of our ability."

[Utaku Kheree]

She rose , and rose and rose up. "I am, " she answered before she bowed. "I hope that this one did not harm you with her action there?"

"I'm fine" Emiko said with a smile and giving the woman a bow now she was standing "but thank you for your concern. Were you leaving? The play is over although I think I was going to take a little time to think about what went..." she paused for a moment before adding "different to expected."

"No, I was just , thinking about something, and the theme of the play had added to my thoughts there and so I was amiss in my vigilance leading to a lack of care for others." She says earnest brow beating herself a bit.

[Suzume Senseki]

Yasu offers a bit of a seated bow. "Suzume-san! It has definitely been a damp day. My archery was definitely soggy to start things off, but there's a bit of competition to be found after this, so I think the day will end on a good note."

She looks to the stage. "Hmm, I think the Scorpion probably has at least one more agenda we don't see, or he wouldn't be working for an Otomo lord in the first place. Maybe there will be sequels where we see why he wanted to be so close to an Otomo kid." There's a shrug. "Maybe I'm just suspicious." With a quizzical tilt to her head she asks, "But what Ichiro were you expecting?"

The Suzume nods to her with a friendly smile before looking at the stage thoughtfully. "Un... that would make sense! Although... would the Otomo be played so easily, I wonder?"

A long silence. "Well... that Otomo has been played, it seems. Ne?", he adds with a grin as he looks at her again, letting the question itself drop as the words were, well, dropped onto her.

"But then! I had been hoping for the Ichiro that gave origin to the Badger Clan. Perhaps a mistake - or, well, it was a mistake, clearly. But... well, I had hoped we would see some representation of the Minor Clans. It could be interesting to see how a playwright from the Great Clans would represent the place and world of one of us, ne?"

He goes on to add a short story of how a Suzume child that loved plays and music had frequent problems fitting in as they wanted to and tried to emulate Crane manners in their speech, how they dressed and what they ate... until she finally watched a simple play in which a Suzume hero saved a village from bandits. The simple fact of watching one of their own people represented in a play - even if much simpler than others they had watched - gave her a role model much closer to home - one she found themselves much more comfortable with and could strive to be much more easily.

A slight shrug and a soft smile, then. "Although of course... depending on which stereotypes would be played with, perhaps it's best that it was the Imperial instead?"

OOC:
Plugging in a story for an Agenda roll I had reserved for this conversation if there were a place for it D6 was a bit Agenda-ful!

[Usogawa Emiko]

"No, I was just , thinking about something, and the theme of the play had added to my thoughts there and so I was amiss in my vigilance leading to a lack of care for others." She says earnest brow beating herself a bit.

"Oh. Well, my father used to say a problem shared is a problem solved quicker. It would usually follow with a lecture but I was young and it dragged on a bit" Emiko said with a chuckle "perhaps I can help?"

[Kuni Yasu]

The Suzume nods to her with a friendly smile before looking at the stage thoughtfully. "Un... that would make sense! Although... would the Otomo be played so easily, I wonder?"

A long silence. "Well... that Otomo has been played, it seems. Ne?", he adds with a grin as he looks at her again, letting the question itself drop as the words were, well, dropped onto her.

"But then! I had been hoping for the Ichiro that gave origin to the Badger Clan. Perhaps a mistake - or, well, it was a mistake, clearly. But... well, I had hoped we would see some representation of the Minor Clans. It could be interesting to see how a playwright from the Great Clans would represent the place and world of one of us, ne?"

He goes on to add a short story of how a Suzume child that loved plays and music had frequent problems fitting in as they wanted to and tried to emulate Crane manners in their speech, how they dressed and what they ate... until she finally watched a simple play in which a Suzume hero saved a village from bandits. The simple fact of watching one of their own people represented in a play - even if much simpler than others they had watched - gave her a role model much closer to home - one she found themselves much more comfortable with and could strive to be much more easily.

A slight shrug and a soft smile, then. "Although of course... depending on which stereotypes would be played with, perhaps it's best that it was the Imperial instead?"

There's a bit of a grin. "That one certainly has, even if their Scorpion lover actually cares for them. But their blackmail at the end means it doesn't bother me much."

Yasu listens to the story with no sign of boredom or inattention. Considering her ire at improper representation of the Kuni, she can well imagine the converse.

"I think I might have enjoyed a play about that Ichiro more, honestly. Kind of obvious they have a theme going though. Are there any epic tales how how Ichiro found a spouse going around?"

[Kitsuki Hajime]

"I suspect my father wrote a mostly sterile and unexciting report, and simply included copies of his and my mother's family lines. The family ones being a significantly longer read. But if you got your poets soul from him I imagine that puts you on great footing.". He smiled at that.

Hajime blushed a mite. "I hope so. As I say, I have not had much interest. I am about ready to throw myself on Shika Pei-Pei's tender mercies and see if she has any suggestions."