Letters to the Scorpion

[Kitsuki Yuushahime]

Having planned what she wants to write and prepared a suitable desk and writing implements the woman takes her time to carefully and delicately perform each stroke. The inked words slowly form on the scroll and after some time it is finished. She leaves it for some moments before preparing it in a travelling container. She ties a green bow around the holder and seals it with a mark of the Dragon mon. Finally she drips one single drop of perfume onto the message before she summons a capable servant. Addressing him she instructs him to pass on the message to the guard house and as agreed they will arrange a fast travelling messenger to deliver it to Scorpion lands. It is for the eyes of the Scorpion Champion, his daimyos and deputies only.

Later, when it is opened, it reads:

---

To the glorious Bayushi Senshi-sama, Clan Champion of the capable Scorpion and leader of the Bayushi family.

Please accept this message on behalf of the Dragon Clan. One wishes to inform you of the recent appointment of myself, Kitsuki Yushahime, as acting chief ambassador to your Clan. One can only express their surprise at this unexpected appointment of one so unworthy. Howver, one can also express their erstwhile desire to further the positive bonds of friendship and unity our two Clans are blessed to share.

One's hope is that our two great Clans may continue to work together in future for the betterment of the Empire as a whole. Please know that one will do all in one's power to handle any matters the Scorpion wish attended to in regards to the Dragon and to convey messages, make arrangements and otherwise assist you in communication with ourselves.

Please allow one to visit your lands in the near future and offer a gift to yourself and the Scorpion as a whole as a sign of our humility and dedication to continuous harmony between our Clans and to celebrate our shared achievements. In these troubled times the need to work together is great, but so is the need to stay jubilant in the face of adversity. One hopes that this is what we can commerate this meeting to.

One anxiously awaits your response,

Yours sincerely,

- Kitsuki Yushahime

[Bayushi Senshi]

Senshi, sitting in his private chambers, a scorpion mon emblazoned in the head rest of the chair in which he sat, twiddled with the scroll, pondering the contents within. He had been back from the war front for at least a few days now, but already seemed to have grown a taste for warfare, and wished to be away from matters of court all too soon.

"Alana. Please, I need you to send a message to Shosuro Ichiro." Senshi stood then, wondered over to a simple desk of foreign design, and began putting ink to a new scroll. The letter detailed instructions to have Ichiro assign an agent to find out what they can about Kitsuki Yushahime.

A middle aged woman in brown robes with red trim entered, she may have been beautiful once, long ago, but she was out of place considering the quality of women Senshi usually had as servants. But no other woman did Senshi trust more. She had a foriegn birth and upbringing, and did not know how to read rokugani. Another bonus, was that she was mute. Senshi made sure she was well taken care of, but knew she could be trusted with delicate matters implicitly.

He handed her the scroll, "Thank you, Alana." She bowed, and left just as quickly.

Senshi turned, then sat back down in his chair. And began constructing a reply to this letter in his mind. Trying to decide the best way to reply...

(OOC: Before this post gets too long, Senshi does send a reply. I'll let it arrive to you however you feel is best. It details how we are very much looking forward to meeting our new delegate from our esteemed brothers in the dragon clan.)

[Kitsuki Yuushahime]

Yushahime read through the reply and compared it with what she knew so far from the large pile of intelligence messages of her clan that she had perused earlier in the day. The reply had arrived quickly, having been carried by courier. Her return message would be handled the same.

Her reply to Senshi-sama was a simple one. She offered to meet him in the capital as she would be going there first and understood many other leaders were in attendance at that he himself could well be heading there in future. It finished neatly, thanking him for his reply and praising the strength of the Scorpion and how it would be needed in the coming great war.

(ooc: Shall we continue in gathering hosts? it'd make sense!)

[Bayushi Senshi]

(ooc: erhm... I actually had no intention of joining that thread as it seems to be getting a bit full for my tastes. That is the thread you, Kazuma, Tomatsu, etc, etc, were doing about getting ambushed on the way to crane lands right?)

[Kitsuki Yuushahime]

(ooc: nope. The ambush one will happen later. That one will be more meeting one another and then some sudden action. You'd fit right in. It only has 4 at the moment. 5 is do-able!)

[Bayushi Senshi]

(OOC: Actually I think I got this figured out finally, more to come later)

[Bayushi Senshi]

While there is in fact much that needs to be done in the capitol, I doubt I could get there in enough time to see you. My attendants tell me that my injury from battle needs to be tended to delicately, and should not suffer the tension of travel again, so soon after my return from Mountain Watch Keep. The daimyo of the Shosuro family should be there by now, please feel free to familiarize yourself with him.

As ever, I look forward to meeting you Yushahime-san, my apologies that I will not be able to meet you in person quite yet.

Bayushi Senshi