Throwing the (snow) ball... (Open RP)

[Asahina Yukihime]

((OOC: Everyone is welcome to join, but please consider the following: this thread happens 7-10 days after Crane+Lion meeting, which is supposedly to be a kinda brief meeting even if the thread (and now voting) will take for ever. All samurais please be aware of the 'security' of the place and court tradition of not caring blades. Every one that arrives will be assigned a room on the guests hall, bath, and proper holder to leave armors, weapons (besides the daisho/wakisashi) and everything else.

Kyuden Doji is pleased to welcome everyone, but please PM Asahina Yukihime if you have questions, concerns, suggestions or intent to go wild ^_^))

The Esteemed House of the Crane rests by a calm sea shore. A forest of yellow trees surrounds it at distance, many leaves drifts by the already cold winds, falling.
But the palace blue roof is totally clean and seem to merge with the cloudless blue sky above it.

A Daidoji platoon is on duty by the gates and outer walls, but they are, somehow, aware that visitors are expected, as usual at a palace like Kyuden Doji.

The silvered gates are opened allowing the retinue into the internal gardens. Soon the visitors are welcomed with the proper etiquette and protocol. And once they are ready they are invited to proceed into a main chamber.

The place is decorated with the finest ikebanas, and the fresh air inside is at the perfect temperature to make the guests confortable.
Behind a shoji screen the silhouettes of the musicians can be spoted. The music is played perfectly and in low tone, meant not to disturb any conversation, but it was hard to avoid the thrilling merge of shakuhachi, koto, biwa and shamisem sounds, entangled by the clink of wind chimes.

Much was to be decided within Kyuden Doji in the coming weeks. And much is to happen.

[Saiko]

The small company of Dragon bushi and courtiers slowed to a crawl as they approached the walls of Kyuden Doji, the sounds of late morning bright and cheerful, a welcome change for the band that had ridden hard and relentlessly to make it here safe from the Castle of the Swift Sword. Amongst them rode a man a little more war torn then the rest, his head bandaged and his arm in a sling, and if you were to see him walk it would be with a slight limp. His injuries did nothing to hide the fire in his green eyes, though, nor the way he held himself among his fellow Dragons.

The clean, brisk morning air of a land as of yet untouched by the ravages of war did more to mend Mirumoto Saiko's wounds then it seemed the extensive shugenja treatment he had received had, seeming to mend his slightly foul mood. Even as he began to relax and enjoy the beautiful Crane castle, however, he was jarred out of his reverie. "Saiko-sama!" called one of the courtiers leading the party. "We approach the gates of Kyuden Doji. Are you feeling well? Would you like to be taken to the infirmary upon our arrival to continue your rest?" Mirumoto Saiko gave the courtier a look as steely as the katana on his hip. "Kitsuki-san, I am injured, not incapacitated, and I am samurai. Spare me your sympathies, if you would be so kind." He gave a sigh as he looked away. When he had awoken in the shugenja's tent in the Dragon encampment, he was overjoyed, thinking that he would be another day or two and then able to return to battle; however, his superiors had other plans.

And here he was, on his way to this court event, preparing to spend time bandying words about while his Dragon brothers spilled their blood fighting for the Emperor. It was more than slightly annoying, but they had made the decision that he was "not fit for battle", and that "a hero of Toshi Ranbo deserves some relaxation." He shook his head to rid his mind of such thoughts, and he looked back to the Kitsuki courtier who he'd snapped at. "Kitsuki-san, my apologies. Long hours of riding and not much sleep have made me slightly irritable. Please forgive my rudeness." The courtier smiled and nodded and forgave him of course, but Saiko was already lost in his thoughts once more.

They rode up to the open gates, and as the guards came to see who approached, Saiko found his mind wandering to thoughts of an old friend and mentor. I wonder if Sojiro-sama will be here...

[Kakita Sojiro]

Sojiro had returned to Kyuden Doji after his meeting with Alesha and Mitsouko earlier for a few reasons, but he couldn't stay for very long. Abandoning his typical light armor and traveling garb that had become like a second skin for him lately, he was dressed in a simple but elegant black kimono with blue trim and accents, with the Kakita Elite Squadron's mon on the back of it. His hair was done up in a top knot and fastened in place with a jade clasp. It would have looked simple, had the white streak in his otherwise black hair not been elegantly woven through it to look almost like frost. His daisho was attached to his side by a blue obi, but he had left the tanto usually concealed in his sleeve with his traveling garb.

Sojiro had come back to ask his brothers, Hitoshi and Hiroshi, to assist Alesha and Mitsouko at the siege of Seawatch Castle. It wasn't until he arrived that he was made aware of the gathering coming here, and a few words from Yukihime had convinced him to stay, at least for a little while.

The smell of incense filled the chamber he was in as he prepared to be a gracious host. He had not seen Yukihime in several hours, since she had asked him to stay for awhile, and he was beginning to wonder where she had disappeared to. His musings on that topic were interrupted, however, as a lower ranking courtier announced the arrival of group from the Dragon clan... including his long time friend, Mirumoto Saiko, whom Sojiro hadn't seen since the battered war party had walked from Toshi Ranbo to Kyuden Otomo some time ago.

With a smile on his face, he left his chamber and prepared to greet his old friend.

[Asahina Yuuto]

The clash of metal and cracking of bone keep the beat, treble war cries deafening those with ears to hear as moans and groans crescendo the retreat. The methodical and deliberate stride of horse draw closer to the crawl of loaded cart, as Crane makes flight from the city; the intensity of the moment finds their rear, greeted by enemies’ steel.

The surge of smoke from palace distant stokes the air, fire red and obsidian black lacquering human eyes in the night. In streets below, the procession of armored hoof and foot burns against the sky parallel. One turns to face the approaching fight; blue robes flap, white hair entwining with wind, scroll loosens from the curl of confining case. – timidity turns to tempest – chained trinket glaring a faint glitter in alarm; the maw of enraged elements exposing their jagged edge.

”Wake up! I can stand no more of your incessant teeth grinding,” Miga’s words and nudges failing to rouse a response. Her delicate, if audacious, hands soon find courage; casually cajoling closed eyelids to life under listing wagasa canopy. I said WAKE UP sleeping shugenja,” more forcefully shoving his side this time, her hands revealing the tattered lining of his robes, “ooh, you have a few holes in your clothes! WAKE UP! You ill-dressed heathen!”

Sore jaw. Aching muscles. Screaming Miga. Debilitating headache. When does it end? If only I could go home, before it gets too cold.

The loaded cart creaks along to the chilling calls of crane migration southward to warmer nests. Three shugenja flow with the motion, the wheels rocking in the ruts of the road, the browning leaves waiving in tandem with the breeze. Calmness sets in; slowly, Yuuto shakes off his troubled sleep, his hand motioning Miga to silence, as his attention moves towards a well wrapped object nestled in the corner of the wagon. The ritual begins. Binding string is removed, the cloth meticulously unraveled, the final folds carefully lifted -- revealing an unstrung shamisen; Yuuto caressing it to his face, Miga’s eyebrow arching in confusion.

“Of all the things to carry out of Tosh--,” again the girl is waived to silence.

From the discarded wrapping, he produces his chords, wrapping and stringing the bow, his lethargic eyes finally attending to his student’s growing annoyance, “how close are we to Kyuden Doji?”

An apprehensive response, “I.. I can see the castle in the distance. We should be there by midday.” Silence, plucked by the tune of bowstring follows, Miga’s words finding a staccato pitch, “might I ask why, we are wasting time, mingling with courtiers, when you’ve managed to find reason, to avoid their last two meetings?”

Yuuto’s tuning twangs in discord, “because the Lady Asahina wishes our presence,” tenderness finding his face as the string find proper tune, “and I am willing to waste time to hear her wisdom.”

Miga’s eyes roll, “I’d rather we be supporting the Kakita legion in the south.”

"I’ve already sent a company of shugenja under Hatsune-san to support Alesh—“, Miga boiling an interruption in forte, ”Hatsune!? I am more qualified to lead than him! Why must I wither in court while my family finds glory!?”

A stern response, ”Do not become too comfortable with war, Miga-san,” Yuuto resting his chin on clasped hands in momentary contemplation, “Alesha-san died at Toshi Ranbo. I saw it in his eyes the night of the retreat. Hatsune and his men are better prepared for that reality than you or Junko-san,” Yuuto acknowledging his driver, “besides, I need to look presentable if we are to display ourselves in this glass vase to wither, and your tastes are better than any I can find,” Miga quietly nodding in acknowledgement.

Doji Junko chuckles, whipping the reins, “I don’t know about that,”the argument boiling over again as the the Crane migration south continues.

[Saiko]

Despite the injuries, the war-weariness, and the general annoyance of his whole situation, Saiko smiled. A true, genuine smile, for the first time since Toshi Ranbo. He lay back, allowing the steaming waters of the bath provided by the Crane to ease all the pain and stress from his body, at least to a point, and drank deeply from the premium bottle of sake that he had found waiting for him in his chambers. I guess I can allow myself to relax while I'm here, he thought, and took another sip from the bottle, allowing the light, fruity flavor of this particular brew wash over every inch of his pallet, and his appreciation for fine Crane living only increased.

"Saiko-sama," cam a voice from the hall outside his chambers, one of his attendants no doubt. "More delegations are beginning to arrive. Are you ready to be dressed, my lord? Saiko sighed once more, and pushed himself out of the bath. "No, thank you, make sure the rest of our party is ready to mingle. I will dress myself this evening." After drying himself off, re-cleaning and re-bandaging his wounds, and brushing out his long black hair, Saiko donned his finest courtly garb, made for him when he was training here in the Crane lands, years ago. Atop of black underclothes, he wore a fine dark green silk kimono, trimmed with black fabric and threaded with what seemed to be gold, and on the black embroidered in black and gold was the Mirumoto family mon. Strapping his ceremonial family daisho to his waist, and longfully eyeing the bottle of sake by his bed, he walked out into the hallway which was bustling with activity from the various delegations.

A light smell of incense his Saiko as he neared the chamber the courtiers were directing him to, a crisp, fruity aroma that Saiko knew was to relax people, as opposed to the heavy incense used by the Togashi that Saiko was used to, and he could truly say that he felt more at home now than he had since he was last in Shiro Mirumoto, and that was saying something. For the first time since Toshi Ranbo, he did not long for battle, for the blood of his enemies to flow down his sword; he was truly at peace. He smiled again as the courtier announced him, and entered the audience chamber.

[Kakita Sojiro]

Sojiro made his way to where the Dragon entourage would be entering, only to find Crane courtiers bustling about and shoving Dragons off to private rooms for pampering. He grabbed one of them - he hadn't bothered to remember their names, they were all Otomo anyway.

"Excuse me. Can you direct me to Mirumoto Saiko? I saw him approaching with this entourage."

"Saiko-sama is currently being prepared for a bath, Sojiro-sama. I can see to it that he knows you wish to speak to him though, if you would like."

Sojiro grinned, his eyes shining with mirth. "No, that's even better. Don't tell him I was looking for him, let it be a surprise. And also, have a bottle of our finest saki waiting for him in the bath. I know Saiko-san very well - he'll appreciate the saki even more than the bath, unless I miss my mark."

"As you wish, sama."

Sojiro giggled (an odd sound, coming from him) and made himself scarce. There was no point in staying here and risking accidentally being seen by Saiko.
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As soon as Saiko entered the audience chamber, he saw Sojiro standing off to the side, waiting for the formalities to finish up before walking over to him.

"Did you enjoy the saki I sent you?" he asked with a smile, followed shortly with, "By the wind and stars, Saiko-san. What the hells did you do to your arm?"

[Saiko]

A smile split Saiko's face as he saw his old friend and mentor approaching him, and greeted Sojiro with a friendly, yet courteous, bow, still mindful of the fact that they were in court.

"Sojiro-sama, my friend. I had a feeling that was from you; you always did know my tastes. As to this," he motioned to his bandaged arm, "this is nothing. You should see the rest of my injuries. There's a reason that I'm here in court and not in the North fighting the Lion. After I last saw you, my party that left from Kyuden Otomo was attacked by a sizable Lion force, and we were all wiped out, except for me."

A look of deep sadness crosses Saiko's face, but it is gone faster than most would notice.
"Suffice to say, I was badly injured and my superiors have ruled that I would be more of a hindrance than a help in any battle, so here I am."

He gestured to the room around him and gave Sojiro a mischievous grin. "Well my friend, shall we walk and mingle, and perhaps find ourselves a bottle?"

[Kakita Sojiro]

"Or two, even!" Sojiro laughed. He turned back to Saiko. "They really thought you would be of no help? I question the judgement of the Dragon, my friend. Even with one arm, there are few men that I would rather have at my side in a brawl. For now, let us see if we can make the most of these festivities. Hitoshi-san and Hiroshi-san should be around here somewhere, and although I can't stay for very long, I feel a night's worth of reunion won't cause any harm. Oh, and Saiko-san," he paused. "You can drop the 'sama'. You have more than earned the right to refer to me as 'san'.

[Kakita Hitoshi]

Hitoshi smoothed down his kimono as he left his room at Kyuden Doji. Although the war raged on he had been granted some time to recuperate from the wounds he had received during the siege at Toshi Ranbo and had thus returned to Kyuden Doji.

As the Winter court began to gather he knew that an entirely new battleground was opening up, and as the first contingent arrived he made his way down to the gates to see who was going to be in attendance. Although Hitoshi was no courtier himself, he wanted to be prepared nonetheless.

[Kakita Sojiro]

No sooner had Sojiro spoken, than Hitoshi made his appearance in the audience chamber. Sojiro smiled and walked up to his sworn brother.

"Hitoshi-san, it is good to see you again!"

He offered a bow, followed quickly by the bottle that Saiko had found. Sojiro had no idea where exactly the young Dragon had found it, but he didn't ask questions.

(OOC that last bit was just for you, Saiko )

[Saiko]

Sojiro's words brought a grin to Saiko's face, and he took a deep drink from the bottle of sake he produced from his kimono in toast. As he passed the bottle to Sojiro, the herald announced the arrival of a Kakita, and as Sojiro walked towards the bushi, Saiko recognized him as one of the crazy men who he'd fought with at Toshi Ranbo, and subsequently walked to Kyuden Otomo with, all of them torn apart, but alive. He followed Sojiro towards the man, and waited patiently until his sensei was done greeting his old friend.

"Kakita Hitoshi-san, I'm pleased to see you in good health; more so than I, in fact," he said with a small smile and a deep bow.

[Asahina Yukihime]

Posting as Doji Hotaru

Finally Doji Kaori had run out of requests and Doji Hotaru could make herself ready to meet and greet the new guests of Kyuden Doji. It had been a long and almost lonely year as the war kept Kyuden Doji's corridors less busy than usual.

Hotaru was not only a courtier, her steps also had the swiftness and levity of a kakita dancer.
She bowed with courtesy to the each of the samurais gathered by the wide chamber, and waited for an oportunity to join some conversation.

"Greetings samas, I'm Doji Hotaru, student of the renowned Doji Courtier school, assistant to Doji Kaori-sama, and I fancy myself an artisan when time allows me doing so." - she made her introduction brief.

[Kakita Hitoshi]

Hitoshi was both surprised and pleased to see Sojiro and Seiko present.

"Sojiro-san, Seiko-san, it is wonderful to see you both. What brings you to the court?" Accepting the sake bottle from his friend with a smile, he unstoppered it and took a swig before passing it back. "I hope your health has not been too ill Seiko-san?"

As Doji Hotaru entered the room he quietened and paid attention to her words.

[Kakita Sojiro]

"Actually Hitoshi-san, I have a favor to ask of you. A rather large one, at that. It seems that Mitsouko-sama and Alesha-sama are preparing to join the defense of Seawatch castle. They have requested for me to join them, but I have other issues of a pressing nature that I need to attend to. They are the reason for my short stay here."

"Hitoshi-san, I understand if you can not do this for me, but I would very much appreciate it if you could go there with them in my place, at least temporarily. The presence of the Kakita Elite has been requested by those already at Seawatch. I fully intend to join them as soon as I can, but until then... I am fully prepared to give you command of my unit to bolster your own, and I am certain that Hiroshi-san would be willing to give you command of his as well. In essence, you would be leading the entire Kakita Elite unit at Seawatch castle, under the command of either Alesha-sama or Mitsouko-sama. Of course, they will have their forces there as well, including Alesha-sama's Kakita First legion."

"What do you say to this, Hitoshi-san? Can you do this favor for me?"

Before the man could respond, Doji Hotaru entered the room and introduced herself. Sojiro politely listened as the lady spoke.

[Kakita Hitoshi]

When Doji Hotaru had finished her introductions, Hitoshi turned to Sojiro and whispered "Hai, Sojiro-san, of course I will. If you will excuse me I shall go and make preparations at once."

He paused, and then added "Sojiro-san, are you going near Kyuden Otomo at all? Do you know if Doji Mikado-sama is still there? If so I would be most grateful if you could deliver a letter to her for me...?"

Finally he turned and bowed to Saiko. "Iam sorry to not have time to make your acquaintance properly outside of the battlefield Saiko-san, but it is my hope that soon we will be able to take sake together again and for a longer time."