The stories told at Kyuden Suzume

[Mirumoto Machu]

OOC:
While Satoru told a story that was an important part of the ongoing narrative of First/Last flight I wanted to make a thread for the many other stories told that day with out clogging up the RP between the Sparrow, kitsune, and Reluctant Dragon.

Of course even if you do not have a character there feel free to add your own story someone else there can be the teller.

[Mirumoto Machu]

OOC:
This is one of my favourite folk tale so please excuse me for not translateing it into samurai images.

There was once a humble farmer who found a deer cought in a snare on his land. The deer spoke and said that if the farmer let him go the deer would grant the farmer any one wish on the next night. The farmer freed the deer and returned to his familly to tell them the news.
The farmer's father said that he should wish for wealth.
The farmer's wife said that since they were with out children that he should for a child.
The farmer's mother was sick and her eyes were failing and she wanted her son to wish to heal her sight.
The next night the farmer found the magic deer waiting to grant his wish.

"I wish that my mother could see my son resting in a crib made of solid gold"

[Suzume Satoru]

((OOC: I approve of this thread, and will be adding some of my own, editing this post once I do. Awesome idea, Machu.))

[Mirumoto Machu]

The testimony of an ant.

Long ago in a large field where many farmers were working amongst the tall grain a man was killed by another farmer's scythe. No man claimed to have seen or heard anything. The murderer had wiped his blade clean on his victim's coat so no man among them could tell who was the criminal.

When the magistrate arrived and heard all that was known he had the men stand in a line with their scythes stuck in the dirt infront of them. After a breif time one man's blade was swarming with ants. No man could find any blood on his blade but the ants and beatles in the dirt could.

OOC
I read about this one as one of the earliest examples of forensics and the sub feild of etemological forensics.
Early bronze age possiblly Babalon.

[Zeure]

Suzume Hiroshi, an elderly gentleman of much reknown who was on leave from the Emerald Magistrates to rejoin his kin, stood and took the floor after another masterful performance by another samurai.

"We sparrow are a simple folk; and we have never claimed to be anything else, but we must always remember to sharpen our minds as we sharpen our swords and stories. I will now impart to you one of the many tales that surround Agasha Kitsuki, who, as you all know, was the founder of the Kitsuki family. I'm sure many of you have heard of some of his exploits due to the play developed by Doji Yosei, but that is not the story I am going to tell."

Suzume Hiroshi takes a moment to drink some water and clear his throat.

"Long ago, Agasha Kitsuki was traveling in the lands of the Crab and he came across a crab and a scorpion having an argument about bushido virtues. They were watching a small puddle which had on the one side, an anthill, and on the other side a small bit of food that one of them had dropped. The ants were moving across the liquid towards the food and the ants were dying because they did not know how to swim. As each of the ants died, the next ant in line could make it a bit further across the puddle, seemingly forming a bridge. The Crab Said, See how they can not accomplish this task alone, but they accomplish it together. That is a true showing of a Samurai's duty. The Scorpion said, I think that you are wrong, Crab-San. I think that it is only because of their queen that they do this, so they are performing loyalty rather than duty. They both turned to the Agasha Kitsuki and asked him what he thought. He patiently studied the ants for a few minutes trying to judge for himself."

Suzume Hiroshi paused for another drink, obviously trying to build up suspense for his conclusion.

"Agasha Kitsuki turned to face them both and he said, Have you considered that while they may be showing either or both of the virtues that you say, that they may just be dumb ants killing themselves needlessly when they could find a better way by going around the puddle rather than through it?

"Thus do we see that while we must serve the empire and we must follow Bushido, that we do not need to throw our lives away building a bridge. There must surely be a better way around our predicaments."

Suzume Hiroshi bows to Suzume Satoru and to the assembled personages and retakes his seat at the table, picking up his water glass and draining it.

[Mirumoto Machu]

While acting as a yojimbo I found my self in the City of Lies at a specific house I heard this story from the Ivory Kingdoms.

note that the lady telling the story changed some things so as not to insult her clients and Machu was not fully paying attention as he was listening for a bar fight so some elements may be off.

There was once a man of great wisdom and insight who could see the Fortunes as they moved about the world. One day he came upon the Fortune who decides the fates of men and their roles in life. As the wise man had not seen his own son in many years he asked the fortune what his son's destiny was. "Your son is and shall be a humble man owning only a single cow and one bag of rice" said the Fortune. This brought sadness to the wise man for every father wishes great things for his children. So the wise man went to find his son and it was as the Fortune had said, his son lay resting under a tree his head on a bag of rice with a single cow tied to a low branch. The wise man told his son how sad he was that his son was so poor and explained what the Fortune had told him. "Do not be sad father, we must each live the lives made for us" said the young man. That night the young man went into the city and sold his cow and bag of rice and used the money to hold a great celebration for all his friends with any money or food left over given to the poor. At the end of the night the young man returned to the tree where his father had found him and went to sleep. The next day when he awoke there was a bag of rice and a cow by the tree just as there had been in the days before his father found him. That day he sold the cow and rice eating well and sharing his good luck until he had spent all he had and returned to the tree where the next morning he found yet more rice and another cow. By the third night the wise man had heard of his sons strange luck and became curious as to what was happening. The wise man stood by tree as his son slept. As the dawn came up the wise man could see a figure moving to the tree leading a cow and carrying a bag of rice. It was the Fortune who decides the fates of men and their roles in life. "Why dose your son do this to me? Forcing me to each day bring him another cow and more rice" the Fortune asked the wise man. "But it was you lord who decided his fate. Perhaps if his fate was better you could rest" the wise man replied. And so it was the young man's fate was changed he became a man of wealth and station his children's children are nobility in the ivory kingdoms to this day.