(D6 LA) Paint Party II (Crane Quarters)

[Kakita Ahiru]

(Note: There are other events in the other areas of the Academy, posted by other Crane PCs, this is not the single party thread).

Parts of the living quarters for the students of the Academy had temporarily been turned into a studio of sorts. Cushions were set out for people to sit down and pick up the various painting implements made available for those who wished to honor Kisshoten with a painting, or just have fun painting for the afternoon.

Servants were nearby as well, serving tea and small mochi in cute shapes of animals.

Kakita Ahiru, the host of the painter's corner, stood and bowed to those who arrived.

"Well met everyone, noble samurai and students of the art. All afternoon and to the first rising of Lord Moon, I am honored to be your host this humble gathering of painters, whether they are experienced or just startng out. For today's theme, the Crane wish to honor Kisshoten-no-Kami, to offer her our prayers for her blessings in these days of our transition from child to adult. Please be at ease and be comfortable, and let yourself have fun in these few hours when the world is not watching us soon-to-be-adults."

With a bow to those gathered, Ahiru slowly sank down into seiza on a cushion, smoothing out the multiple layers of fine silk as she did and picked up her own brush to begin painting. Of course, since it was such a quiet artform, there was plenty of opportunity to talk.


----

Rules: You may make a single Aesthetics (Any) Skill Roll at TN 1 to make a painting with a theme of children. All who participate are awarded two pieces of chrysanthemum monaka. The best painter judged in order of: Most Successes, Most Opportunities, Least Strife, Highest Status, Highest Glory, Highest Honor, First Poster. will receive four pieces of chrysanthemum monaka. This is a informal event, so feel free to chat, comment on stories, and just enjoy yourself.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

tag

So this is Hirame's bride to be...

Yeah, she'd look fine in sea-green.

Kasumi had never tried painting before.

So she rolled up the sleeves of her second-best kimono, had a seat right next to Ahiru, and stared at the blank space in front of her.

"Y'know, I actually don't know much 'bout kids? Stonebound kids, I mean."

She picked up the brush. Pondered making another little nightmare doll.

Wait... got an idea. But not yet.

"Went t'sea when maybe eight."




(Roll for her eventual painting- Painting! | TN: 1 | Success: 4 / Opportunity: 0 / Strife: 3


4 successes. Beginner's luck?)

[Kakita Ahiru]

-

"Stonebound kids?" Ahiru asked at first, seeming to take a moment to grasp what Kasumi was saying. "Oh... you mean those born and raised on land, and not the sea?"

The Kakita herself was working on a painting of little children flying kites, but they were dressed in overly big kimono as if they were pretending to be adults. It was a cute picture, but it seemed Ahiru was keeping her efforts on the subtler side so that she as a host wouldn't overshadow the guests.

"Did you spend a lot of time by the sea then before going on a ship at the young age of eight?"

-------------

D6 LA Paint Party. Aesthetics 1/Water 3. TN1 | TN: 1 | Success: 2 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 2

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Did you spend a lot of time by the sea then before going on a ship at the young age of eight?"

"We all do."

She selected a brush and did a dab of blue near the bottom.

"Never far from th'sea in the Isles, but we got our stonebound too. Some never get far from th'shore."

She paused.

"My Dad's one these days. Harbor pilot. But he had his time on th'sea. But yeah. Anyhow. Sea's never far. S'pose you could go dead inland in th'Isles to try'n pretend, but you'd still see Suitengu's yard all 'round ya."

She started to fill in the ocean at the bottom of her painting. Her technique wasn't the greatest, but her eye was good.

[Kakita Ahiru]

"My Dad's one these days. Harbor pilot. But he had his time on th'sea. But yeah. Anyhow. Sea's never far. S'pose you could go dead inland in th'Isles to try'n pretend, but you'd still see Suitengu's yard all 'round ya."

"I am not sure I see why people would pretend Suitengu's realm does not exist," she murmured thoughtfully, looking to Kasumi's beginning strokes. "... Is there some kind of stigma for the Mantis? To be stonebound as you call it?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I am not sure I see why people would pretend Suitengu's realm does not exist," she murmured thoughtfully, looking to Kasumi's beginning strokes. "... Is there some kind of stigma for the Mantis? To be stonebound as you call it?"

"Nah. Well. Not really? I mean, some end up that way 'cause they get hurt."

Like Dad.

"But, uh... those of us who ride th'sea do kinda.... clan together. S'just a dif'rent life."

She paused. Started touching up some of her waves.

"I mean, we try'n make sure women at least finish out a, ah, chlldbirth on land."

Another pause.

"Mom always hated it, though. Said it kept her from her ship."

[Kakita Ahiru]

Ahiru paled a little at the thought of something as dangerous and difficult as childbirth being... done on a boat??? Already her mind was spinning with thoughts of poor women in labor being washed over by waves in a storm. But even she had to admit that was probably very unlikely to happen.

Probably. Right?

"I didn't know the Mantis were in such dire straits that pregnant women are being assigned to duties aboard ships?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Aw, no, it's just sometimes they get pregnant on ships. Mom's a cap'n, so her 'household's' the Kaga. When Dad married her, he became helmsman, so they were, y'know. Together. Wasn't a home ashore either one was mindin', an' Mom didn't put in until she was well along each time."

She chuckled.

"Mom used t'say that she never saw why she had t'go ashore when she had th' whole aft cabin, but th'shugenja insisted. Still, I was almost born in th'boat takin' her t'shore."

Maybe a green shoreline? Like the Isles...

"So, uh, speaking of the Mantis Clan an' womenfolk associated with it... y'know that, uh... doll Hirame-san made?"

[Kakita Ahiru]

The thought of not having a home, but living on a ship... if Ahiru didn't know any better, she might've thought Kasumi was trying to rile her up and want to do something to call off the marriage.

She shook her head to focus, and to avoid thinking of giving birth on a ship, where she would also live because the Mantis clearly did not believe in houses.

"... Th... oh, that thing? Goodness, that was quite the little 'masterpiece'." Sarcasm was very obvious. "What about it? And womenfolk?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Well, this Mantis womanfolk sorta... picked it up."

She grinned sidelong at the Crane.

"He'd left it in th'common room, an' it was so... awful, I kinda had t'pick it up. I came back out an' he had an oar out like he was gonna bash somethin'. Told me t'look out for it. So."

She turned to add a little yellow for the sand at the water's edge.

"If y'want t'borrow it t'terrify him with, lemme know."

[Kakita Ahiru]

One eyebrow perked up, as she was working through what Kasumi was saying. Why would she have Hirame's ugly little creation?

... And he was terrified of it?

Ahiru looked at Kasumi's painting to pretend to scrutinize the art as she was thinking. "Since both of you share lodgings, perhaps two would work better than one?" she said subtly to the Mantis girl. "... For a little innocent prank, that is? Seeing as it might be our last chance to do something silly and childish?"

The Kakita girl smirked slightly.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I think my talents'd let me make somethin' 'bout as ugly..."

She paused.

"Think he thinks it walked off on its own."

She started painting in the island behind the shore, a volcanic cone rising up.

Still no sign of any children, of course.

"So. Figured I'd offer. Hirame-san's a good man, but once I saw 'im with that oar? I kinda had to."

[Kakita Ahiru]

She covered her mouth as she giggled, picturing Hirame in his night-clothes still brandishing an oar as an impromptu weapon.

"I appriciate the offer, Yukikaze no Kasumi-san. Yes, I think it would be terrible of me to not accept your generous offer." The smirk remained with some girlish glee. "I should be able to make something similar as well..."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Kasumi simply grinned.

"His own fault. He keeps talkin' you up. I figure anyone he likes that must? Gotta have a sense'a humor. Glad t'see he's right."

More progress on the island. Including some trees that Kasumi hoped were happy.

[Kakita Ahiru]

That made her blush a little. "He is talking me up? I... did not know. What has he been saying about me?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Well, let's see... I think th'words 'she's hot' crossed his lips at th' early, talkin' loud'n'sayin' little phase'a that chat. Says y'got courage, an' we'd know that when we see it. Says y'got tenacity, an' we'd know that when we see it too. Expressed some concern fer your safety when certain notions got suggested. An' says y'got too much drive t'ever be happy just bein' some kept woman left ashore like some kinda ornament, an' says he wouldn' like y'so much if y'didn't."

She paused, started doing a few crude buidlings near the shore.

"An' that he'd rather scale a mast ina howlin' gale than screw things up with ya."

[Kakita Ahiru]

Well there was plenty of reason to blush some more. And it was probably a good thing that she didn't perfectly understand all that Kasumi was saying anyway. "I... uh, what kind of notions, exactly? I'm not some helpless damsel if I find myself in trouble."

Even she had to admit to herself that was a bit of bluster, even if she did have some training with weapons. And she had performed well in the archery test.

"And you're absolutely right that I do not particularly fancy a future where I will just be some pretty prize to sit at home with nothing to do with my life."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Oh, there was some talk'a designin' somethin' like sharkskin, but that ya'd like more. An' th'idea of oil-impregnated clothin' came up. He worried about losin' you t'the first open flame in that case."

She started in on the children now, at long last- three of them, down on the beach.

"So, let's say y'lose this bet th'two'a ya got goin'. Just for th'sake of argument. What would you wanna do as a Mantis?"

[Kakita Ahiru]

The thought of sharkskin-kimono was enough to make her cringe a little. It would feel so... terrible against the skin. And why would her clothes need to be impregnated with oil?!

What sort of weird fashions did the Mantis really have??

Kasumi's question at least brought her out of that line of thought. "Hmmm... I... don't really know. The Test of Waves proved plenty to me that I would not do very well on a ship, or anything like that. So, when I think about that possibility, I feel a bit at a loss. If it is my duty to marry into the Mantis, then I would do my best to serve the clan of course, I just don't know how to best serve in a clan like yours, as it is so different from the Crane."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Well. We'd be better off havin' someone like you talkin' for us than me, yeah?"

The first child in the painting appeared to be a girl, judging by the hair.

"Someone who could travel along th'coastlines on her husband's ship, meetin' with coastal clans, givin' it all some polish. Speakin' in ways that're... proper. Knowin' th' ins an' outs'a how t'conduct herself."

She glanced over at the Crane.

"Y'don't mind my sayin' it, I think th'Mantis could use you a hell of a lot more'n th'Crane could use Hirame-san. An' your job wouldn't be so different as y'might think. We got plenty'a riggin'-climbin sailors, no need t'try'n make you one. We're a fair bit lighter on diplomats trained in th'finest courts in th'Empire."