Post by Usagi Izutsu on Dec 1, 2011 7:33:15 GMT -5
The sun rose above the plains surrounding Shiro Usagi, casting a rich golden light over the heimin who were already hard at work gathering the last of the harvests before the chill of winter struck. The halls of the estate itself also had begun to stir; there was much at work in the home of the Hare Clan. The cooks were busy preparing meals, the young bushi were in the yard, hard at work on their morning drills, the courtiers reviewed schedules of the day and prepared missives, and in the distance a patrol could be seen riding hard to the north. And yet, for all this beauty and tranquility, a shadow hung over the lands, an aura of pain and sorrow, a cloud of death...
A knock on the door of his private chambers shook Usagi Izutsu from his reverie; a sharp reminder that another day had begun. He took another sip of his tea before rising to his feet, gazing longingly out over the landscape he could see from his balcony. How he wished for a simpler time, long ago... Izutsu waved such things from his mind. He had a responsibility to his Clan again, one that he could not simply forsake, not now. He called to whoever was at the door to enter, and he sat at his desk, awaiting what it seemed was the first of many meeting of the day.
"Izutsu-sama? A beautiful morning to you, I hope to find you in better health. Might I have a word?" Usagi Yokina, his father's hatamoto, entered the room, bowing graciously as he did so. Izutsu sighed; the aging retainer was very wise, and had guided his father on many occasions, not to mention teaching him and his siblings the finer points of High Rokugani in their youth, but the man was an incessant worrier. "Of course Yokina-san, please come in. I am in as fine health as can be possible, considering the situation." He grimaced a bit as he stretched his aching muscles, though whether that ache was from the wounds he sustained in his last fight or from just world weariness, he could not tell.
The hatamoto smiled slightly as he sat across from the, and nodded his head once more. "That is excellent news; we are going to need our next Champion to be in the best health possible." Izutsu cut him off sharply at those words. "Yokina-san, I will ask you to refrain from saying such things. My father is still alive, and as such I am only a regent until that situation changes; you would do well to remember that." The hatamoto bowed his head apologetically. "Of course sama, no disrespect meant. You know that I am only thinking in the interests of our Clan, though, and as you are the last surviving heir..."
The courtier's words died away at the glare of pure ice that Izutsu shot him, and he quickly moved to change the subject. "Anyway, I come on behalf of the council, as we wish to know what your plans are regarding the upcoming months, for as regent you are expected to attend many events in your father's place." Izutsu nodded his head at Yokina's words; of course, he knew that such things were necessary. Winter was fast approaching, and the presence of the Hare Clan would be expected, both at Winter Court as well as the inevitable meeting of the Minor Clan Alliance.
He took a moment before answering, thoughts churning behind his cold, black eyes. He stood once more, prompting the hatamoto to do the same, and walked to his balcony. In silence he stood, completely still, surveying the lands before him, lost completely, before he replied. "Tell the council they need not worry; regardless of the issue of Champion, they can rely on me as regent to fulfill the duties asked of me. Please prepare our fastest messenger, as quick as possible. This letter must arrive in Toshi Ranbo before I do." Yokina's eyes widened in shock, but before he could open his mouth to question Izutsu's words, the young regent was speaking again. "I will be leaving before the week is out, make sure all the necessary preparations are made."
He dismissed the hatamoto with another gesture, and as he sat at his writing table to prepare his letter, his eyes fell upon the blade hanging on the wall, Reichin's blade, the ancestral blade of the Hare, and sighed at the weight upon his shoulders, a weight he suspected that would only grow heavier...
A knock on the door of his private chambers shook Usagi Izutsu from his reverie; a sharp reminder that another day had begun. He took another sip of his tea before rising to his feet, gazing longingly out over the landscape he could see from his balcony. How he wished for a simpler time, long ago... Izutsu waved such things from his mind. He had a responsibility to his Clan again, one that he could not simply forsake, not now. He called to whoever was at the door to enter, and he sat at his desk, awaiting what it seemed was the first of many meeting of the day.
"Izutsu-sama? A beautiful morning to you, I hope to find you in better health. Might I have a word?" Usagi Yokina, his father's hatamoto, entered the room, bowing graciously as he did so. Izutsu sighed; the aging retainer was very wise, and had guided his father on many occasions, not to mention teaching him and his siblings the finer points of High Rokugani in their youth, but the man was an incessant worrier. "Of course Yokina-san, please come in. I am in as fine health as can be possible, considering the situation." He grimaced a bit as he stretched his aching muscles, though whether that ache was from the wounds he sustained in his last fight or from just world weariness, he could not tell.
The hatamoto smiled slightly as he sat across from the, and nodded his head once more. "That is excellent news; we are going to need our next Champion to be in the best health possible." Izutsu cut him off sharply at those words. "Yokina-san, I will ask you to refrain from saying such things. My father is still alive, and as such I am only a regent until that situation changes; you would do well to remember that." The hatamoto bowed his head apologetically. "Of course sama, no disrespect meant. You know that I am only thinking in the interests of our Clan, though, and as you are the last surviving heir..."
The courtier's words died away at the glare of pure ice that Izutsu shot him, and he quickly moved to change the subject. "Anyway, I come on behalf of the council, as we wish to know what your plans are regarding the upcoming months, for as regent you are expected to attend many events in your father's place." Izutsu nodded his head at Yokina's words; of course, he knew that such things were necessary. Winter was fast approaching, and the presence of the Hare Clan would be expected, both at Winter Court as well as the inevitable meeting of the Minor Clan Alliance.
He took a moment before answering, thoughts churning behind his cold, black eyes. He stood once more, prompting the hatamoto to do the same, and walked to his balcony. In silence he stood, completely still, surveying the lands before him, lost completely, before he replied. "Tell the council they need not worry; regardless of the issue of Champion, they can rely on me as regent to fulfill the duties asked of me. Please prepare our fastest messenger, as quick as possible. This letter must arrive in Toshi Ranbo before I do." Yokina's eyes widened in shock, but before he could open his mouth to question Izutsu's words, the young regent was speaking again. "I will be leaving before the week is out, make sure all the necessary preparations are made."
He dismissed the hatamoto with another gesture, and as he sat at his writing table to prepare his letter, his eyes fell upon the blade hanging on the wall, Reichin's blade, the ancestral blade of the Hare, and sighed at the weight upon his shoulders, a weight he suspected that would only grow heavier...
