[EE9] - The Feast of Thanks

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Fuck all of this and fuck all of you.

Kasumi's initial thoughts at being invited to the Topaz Tournament had been a species of excited bafflement- why her, in particular?

But now she had it figured out.

The Crane wanted revenge, and since they were too fucking weak to do anything about the Mantis raids on their coasts, they'd settle for passive-aggressive humiliation of Mantis who weren't yet samurai and therefore couldn't do anything about it.

Her expression was stony as she offered up the gift the Mantis had sent with her.

Some fucking scroll of poetry about the beauty of the sea and the fucking coast of the fucking Crane lands, composed by some artsy fucker two fucking centuries prior who'd been born a Mantis and married into the fucking Crane.

At least it adequately expressed her fucking sincere thanks to these self-satisfied fucks. Which was to say, she wouldn't have used it to wipe her ass.

"Hope it brings you th'same pleasure I've gotten out of my time in Tsuma."

I hope the Lion hire us to sail upstream and torch this place.

[Akodo Michi]

Michi entered and offered a gift of an old book to Toshimoko. A collection of observations about nature and bladework in the forum of koans and poetry, contributed to by many Lion of the line she claims.

It was a proper gift, and representative of the Lion's ways, she felt confident giving it away in thanks for her opportunity to take part in the tests.

Though a small, very vile part of her thought about asking for her castle back in exchange, she did not voice such.

Afterward she found herself at a table, eating calmly and slowly, unbothered by the noise and merrymaking around her.

[Asahina Sakura]

When it was Sakura's turn, she gave a deep bow to the judges, thanking them awkwardly for allowing her the privilege of attending the Championship.
Dressed in her finest kimono, a white number with simple branches and blossoms stitched in deep blue. A matching blue ribbon weaved through her white hair, pinned back tightly.

"I am called Asahina Sakura; daughter of Asahina Sayuri, darling of the Winter Court and former Topaz Champion; sister of Asahina Tenshin, Emerald Magistrate. I present this gift, and hope beyond hope for the continued close relationship my family has enjoyed with the Kakita Dueling Academy for further generations."

She presents an immaculately kept bonsai, situated in a white ceramic pot, along the sides depicting a serene visage of two cranes.

Bowing again respectfully, she moves to take a seat next to Urusai (though further from the head of the table), nodding demurely to him, a hint of a smile and colour on her cheeks.

[Suzume Rin]

When it's Rin's turn she approaches deeply and bows on her knees until her forehead thunks against the floor

"Thanks to you Kakita-sama and your Clan for the Honour of lettin' me participate in the tournament. I uhh, made a suitable gift, I hope."

Day 5 EM - To Get the Perfect Gift

Earth/Labour to gather bark from a mulberry bush to procure the supplies TN 2 | TN: 2 | Success: 4 / Opportunity: 0 / Strife: 3


Day 5 EE, To Get the Perfect Gift

Void/Aesthetics, TN 2, skilled assist from Shiba Jiro | TN: 2 | Success: 3 / Opportunity: 2 / Strife: 2


"It's a complete ancestry of Governor Kakita Josuke-sama. One of his ancestors joined the Sparrow so I included the whole story about it in the back."

Rin bows again and then departs.

[Seppun Urusai]

"I am pleased to have you with me," Urusai says quietly as Sakura takes her seat. "And I eagerly anticipate having you with me more in the coming months and years."

He smiles.

"You did well this morning. It was good to see."

[Asahina Sakura]

"Nothing would make me happier?" she tilted her head towards him. "You did well, um, as well? I was happy to watch you, also."

[Seppun Urusai]

"I performed adequately at best today," Urusai replies. "But, as others have noted, it is adequately here, which would be far more than that elsewhere. And as I have noted to others, I've done quite well in other ways."

He smiles slightly. "Some have been more personal than others, to be sure, but that does not mean they have been unwelcome. Pretty much the opposite of that, really."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame presented himself, the very picture of a respectable samurai. Well, except for the tan. And he was probably still a little bit too animated. Still, he was doing his best to be reserved and proper in his fine new kimono as he presented his gift, a woodcarving done by a Mantis artisan.

Still respectful, he bowed, returning to the crowd, managing a mostly serene smile.

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru arrived in his best kimono bowing to the judges and fellow competitors and approaching their host presenting then with a history of their family written by the Ikoma.

He bowed and motioned and the servants brought forth an excellently made koto "I have adapted the story of Kakita Hiroko into a short song." He said as he began to play, the sounds of the koto flowing through the room as his voice sang the tale of honor and sacrifice. The story was well adapted, the song paying honor to the Kakita's ancestor and displaying the soul of the samurai in an uplifting way.

As he finished the koto was taken away and he bowed again "The histories is from my School, the song was from myself Kakita-sama. I hope the tale is an inspiration to not only yourself but all the young samurai to be as we go into the tournament tomorrow and pass into adulthood." He bowed once more and moved away to join and mingle with the others there.

(Open to talk, please tag or pm)

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Feast gift performance/water fluff | TN: 1 | Success: 4 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 2

Opp spent to reduce Strife by 2
3/10 Strife

[Nekoma Seto]

The Cat were a fairly rich clan, for a Minor Clan anyway, so Seto had a very good 'best' kimono with a full set of accompaniments. He also had a good gift, agreed upon by the clan before his journey here. A performance by one of the best Nekoma entertainment troupes, that just so happened to be the one Seto was attached to. At a time and place of Toshimoko's choosing. The Cat looked forward to how that would result.

So now he had the feast itself to negotiate.

Oh Fortunes . . . please don't let me break something else. There can't be anything else left to break now, right?

[Kaiu Taura]

Taura appeared in her best kimono, which was not all that fancy but exceedingly durable, the gift she presented was a Kaiu made jitte, the symbol of a magistrate. She presented it with obvious pride, having watched it be crafted by her Uncle and her Grandmother. She managed the gifting etiquette with a minimum of embarrassment.

After the acceptance of the gift, she bowed deeply and withdraw.

Taura drifted around looking for someone to talk to.

[Isawa Natsuko]

The slight priestess wore her finery for the evening. The hanfu of orange-silk embroidered with flowers, and the transluscent gold overlayer with phoenix and a few smaller birds to shift and fold as she moved, giving the illusion of flickering movement across the fabric. Her courtesy was stiff but intact, the gift offered by the Phoenix? ...suitably religious to be both entirely appropriate, and unlikely to be of interest to the Lord Toshimoko.

The refusals offered his disinterested courtesy, and her careful, but un-courtly replies. Nothing to silence a room in gasps and the flutter of fans, but enough to perhaps embolden those with more interesting offerings.

She settled to her seat with her usual sudden drop to a cushion, accompanied by the gentle rattle of her satchel, to partake of the feast and observe the celebrations.

(pm to interact, thanks)

[Shiba Jiro]

Jiro entered carrying the decently sized carving that he had created with the assistance of Suzume Rin. It depicted a phoenix and crane swirling around each other, rising from a base that was only an inch or two in diameter, the wider statue being balanced perfectly over that center.

He performs the ceremony with Toshimoko with practiced familiarity and propriety. When accepted, the carved statue is given over.

He then finds his way to a seat, and enjoys the evening as best he can while awaiting any visitors that might join him in his meal.

D5 LE, collecting crafting materials | TN: 2 | Success: 3 / Opportunity: 2 / Strife: 1


D7 EA, Crafting host gift, going for Resplendent, Assistance from Suzume Rin, VP | TN: 3 | Success: 4 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 3


(PM if approached)

[Ikoma Aya]

Aya enters the room in the same kimono in yellow and earth tones she wore during the feast that marked the start of the Tournament - finely made, but otherwise simple. She walks with the same confident gait and fiery eyes she had that day, as well - but this time, the confidence doesn't waver the same way it did when she first came to Tsuma.

When her time to present her gift came, her eyes did shift to the ground again, and her steps were not quite as confident as before - old habits die hard, after all. But step forward she did, and her voice did not waver as she offered her gift.

As revealed during the back and forth of the gift-giving ceremony, the scroll had annotations on some of the Empire's most important works - mostly on Kakita's Sword and Akodo's Leadership, but also some notes on Mirumoto's Niten - made by a number of Aya's ancestors since 6 generations ago, starting with one known as Ikoma Yuuichirou. Intertwined with the annotations, the scroll included a collection of stories in the form of Waka poems and comments, gathered by the various authors, on episodes where the lessons and insights of the three different Tomes played a role. The poems and stories dealt with serious matters, but did so in a playful, lighthearted style.

"I hope you may find some enjoyment in this humble gift, Kakita-sama, and I thank you and the Crane kindly for the warm hospitality during our time in Tsuma".

Stepping back, she takes a place in the table and keeps, for now, quiet and apparently thoughtful.

(Please PM if approached, you know the drill!)

[Asahina Sakura]

Pretty much the opposite of that, really."

Sakura smiled back, though she tried to keep it demure. It was a challenge but here above anywhere else they should be proper.
"Um. I'm glad, to hear it?" It wasn't a question so much as an affirmation and confirmation. "The feeling is mutual. I'm um, humbled to have been chosen... both to attend, and chosen by Seppun-sama?"

[Kuni Mitsuko]

When it's Rin's turn she approaches deeply and bows on her knees until her forehead thunks against the floor

"Thanks to you Kakita-sama and your Clan for the Honour of lettin' me participate in the tournament. I uhh, made a suitable gift, I hope."

"It's a complete ancestry of Governor Kakita Josuke-sama. One of his ancestors joined the Sparrow so I included the whole story about it in the back."

Rin bows again and then departs.

Awaiting her turn to present, the skinny Kuni girl looks on with pride as the Sparrow presents her gift. There's a noticeable smile at mention of a complete ancestry, the sort of gift the young Crab herself would enjoy greatly. She gives the slightest nod of approval to Rin as the Sparrow steps away, not wanting to hide her approving smile.

Mitsuko patiently awaits her turn to present, and when it arrives she steps forward crisply and with purpose. It is etiquette by the book, with a military precision that is both out of place and still appropriate.

The Crab barely remembers what she's said as soon as she's done playing the game of refusals, but a bundle of three scrolls - a combined gift of the Kuni family, Hida academy, and Mitsuko herself, discussing the balance of exceptionalism and humility in samurai - is soon placed with the other gifts. After her final bow, the Crab strides away in her fancy, sapphire blue kimono trimmed in white, searching for Suzume Rin.

[Shosuro Kaoru]

Kaoru was in attendance, wearing proper ceremonial clothes, with proper court makeup. Her gift was likewise very traditional, a high end Noh mask the like of the Shosuro were reputed to make, and offered following all the social codes.

It was everything that was expected of a Shosuro courtier. And therefore perfectly unmemorable in its lack of originality. The purest example of a safe move if there was any.

[Seppun Urusai]

Urusai raises an eyebrow slightly.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't have a line of suitors a mile long. Or do you, and I will have to fight for your hand?"

He grins, wiggles his eyebrows slightly. "I will, of course, if it must be."

[Asahina Sakura]

She nearly coughed on her soup. "What! No. Um. Me? No. That's not me. That's another girl."

[Ender]

As the contestants move through the ceremony of giving their gifts during the feast of thanks, something is afoot. It starts as the doors slide open, and a young woman, dressed in the powder blue of the Crane walks with purpose and intensity down the side of the room. Almost scurrying up the dais, she immediately approaches Kakita Toshimoko, bowing deeply, then bringing her fan up, covers her mouth as she says something to the Grey Crane.

His head turns to face the woman directly, the color flushing from his face, eyes wide. If you can read lips, you clearly see him mouth the words Are you certain!?

She nods, and prostrates herself before him. The Grey Crane stands at that moment, but before he speaks, another person walks in to the great feast hall.

The Mon of the Miya on their resplendent clothing, a hat of power properly worn. Their eyes are focused on the Grey Crane, before looking at all the contestants.

The Grey Crane shoots a look to one of the servants, and wordlessly, they begin to hurriedly tidy and organize.

"Sumimasen, minna-san!" The Miya speaks, their voice overpowering every one in the room, commanding in tone. "A great honor to all potentials for the Topaz Championship! Presenting, his divine majesty, the Son of Heaven, the Emperor!" The Miya steps to the side, bowing deeply, as a pair of Seppun miharu walk in.

Behind them, an older man, long beard groomd expertly. His kimono intricate and heavy. His hands folded into the sleeves of his robe. Behind him, two men enter. One bearing the mon of the Akodo, the recently crowned Emerald Champion, Akodo Toturi. To the left of him, a pair dressed in crimson and gold.

The Royal Advisor, Bayushi Kachiko, and standing with her, looking over the room, the Chancellor Bayushi Shoju.

More Seppun Miharu enter with them as they move down the main path of the room. Four children, maybe a year or two younger than most of the competitors. The two sons of the Emperor, Daisetsu and Sotori. At the right of Sotori, is Yoritomo's niece, Mebuki.

Just behind Daisetsu, a young woman dressed in the purple of the Unicorn, bearing the mon of the Iuchi, the guest of the Seppun, Shahai.

The retinue moves wordlessly to the dais, and Toshimoko himself bows deeply to his old friend.

Sixth Sense Advantage Owners: There is another figure, slightly behind Sotori. Long, skeletal fingers placed tenderly on either shoulder, with pointed, talon like nails. Only for the briefest moment, appearing dressed all in white, before flashing away quickly.

OOC: If you haven't arrived yet, you can still post in. Just that maybe your turn in the gifting ceremony hasn't come up yet.