[It's maybe a half hour after Yae declared her second condition. Since then, everyone's scattered to nose around the village, or laze around the village, as Mikoto and John take her out for lunch. Lucky you!] [Lady Yae has led you both into one of the buildings, which is apparently a restaurant of some sort, as you've been escorted into the back room. Where there's mats. And a low table. And tea. The waiter has since hurried off.] [Well, don't just stand there. Get to business!] [Session Start.] * John scratches his head. "Um... do you have chairs or something?" * Yae kneels down on one of the mats and gives John a funny look. "Chairs?" * Mikoto doesn't look too unhappy. "It's been a while since I'm have Shomuran cooking." He kneels down on another mat expertly. "I'm looking forward to it." Yeah, what you sit on- Err, right. I guess I can try that. (Body roll, John. ^^) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for John (2d6) and gets 6. * John tries to kneel down onto the mat like the two people before him. He doesn't *look* very comfortable, which is probably true. [The teacups don't have handles. Aren't the Shomuran quaint?] * Yae sips her tea, then puts her cup down and folds her fingers under her chin. "So, you come from Teck, huh?" * John looks at the tea, and then looks at Mikoto out of the edge of his eye for guidance. * Mikoto chuckles and glances at John. "You get used to it, after a while." He holds his cup with both hands, then takes a sip deliberately. * John nods. I hope so. [The waiter walks in, setting chopsticks next to each of you (on the chopstick holders, natch) and a low basket of damp cloth napkins for you to use. Careful, they're hot. Then he hurries off again.] * Mikoto laughs. "It feels like it's been a long time since I've seen chopsticks." * John blinks. "That's what they're called?" Hopefully you haven't forgotten how to use them? * Mikoto rubs the back of his neck and smiles embarassedly. "Me too." He glances at John. "Well, that's what they called them where I grew up on the border." On the border, huh? Couldn't have been long after the war ended. [One bustling waiter later, and you all have some sort of soup set in front of you. Mikoto and Yae can identify it as miso. John has no idea what the hell it is.] [No, John. No spoons.] (Damn!) * John blinks dumbfounded at the soup. .oO(How *do* these people eat?) * Yae picks the bowl up and eats... or maybe drinks is a better way to put it... her soup. So, how did your group come to be tracking these bandits, again? * John takes off his hat and puts it to the side. "We were hired to do so." And you just happened to end up with one of Takame's sons? * Mikoto blinks at Yae, bowl of soup halfway to his lips. "Takame...?" * Yae sighs. "Don't give me that. You can see the mark on his head. It's obvious." Um, excuse me, but... who is Takame? * Mikoto coughs and sips his soup, then sets it down. "I never looked. But his personality gives him away, that's for certain." * John shrugs. He picks up the soupbowl in his hands and tries to take a sip. [It tastes like miso. I really don't need to describe this.] * Yae takes another sip. "Whatever the reason, he's with you now." ( Yes you do! ;_; ) * Mikoto looks at John embarassedly. "Takame is Suzunosuke's clan. They're... somewhat influential in the Empire." He turns serious for a moment. "But he might have a reason to not share that, so please keep that to yourself." [Oh, fine. It's salty and there's bits of tofu and seaweed. Though John probably can't identify either, since they don't have tofu in Teck and they don't eat their seaweed.] * John puts the bowl down and nods. "I know how important secrets are." They're not going to be influential for long. * Mikoto blinks. "Has something happened?" * Yae blinks right back. "You don't know? Oh wait, of course not. If you did, you wouldn't have brought him here." ... * Mikoto clears his throat. "My business keeps me away from Shomura for months at a time. Please forgive my ignorance." [Right about now the waiter - who's not eavesdropping, honest! - comes in and sets a bowl of rice and a small grilled fish down for each of you. Yes, with the fins and head and skin. They were nice enough to put cuts in ahead of time for easy dissection.] * Yae eats, using chopsticks. After a while, she says, "Iwahara is at war with Takame." * Mikoto blinks at Yae, having just picked up his own chopsticks. "Are you serious? Why?" * John sips the tea, then looks at the fish. He slowly reaches for the sticks. [The fish stares at John. o_o] ( *cracks up* ) (Yes, I am having fun.) * Yae shrugs. "Never did like each other much." * Mikoto sighs and takes a bite of fish. "That's... very much going to complicate our travel through this area, John." * John nods. "That's what it sounds like. Family's a bit more... important here, than it is in Teck, right?" * Mikoto mms faintly. "Think of it this way. Let's say two very, very large Teckian families got in a giant feud with each other... but both families controlled very large areas of land." * Yae frowns. "And recently, Takame's been spreading lies about Iwahara. They're saying Iwahara is no longer faithful to the throne, and they need to punish us as traitors to Shomura. It's all lies, but they don't care. They just want war." * John nods. "They'll fight like they already do. Only with a lot more people." * Mikoto nods again. "Exactly." He looks at Yae and raises an eyebrow. "That's a fairly serious charge... and none of the other heads of clans have spoken up?" Most of them have their own problems. Ki might have helped us, but they're dealing with uprisings at the moment. Fortunately, Takame doesn't have any allies at the moment, either. * Mikoto sighs and shakes his head. "A divded empire only hurts the common people..." He frowns. "I hope my own clan isn't involved with anything unfortunate." * John studies Mikoto's grip, and tries to grip his own chopsticks in the same fashion. "Everyone has something 'unfortunate' they're doing. Even if they aren't, they're still going to be blamed for something." [Body roll - sleight of hand, John.] 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for John (2d6) and gets 7. [John successfully holds his chopsticks!] ( Aww. ) (What can I say? I'm good.) [Mikoto, give me a cultral arts (clans) roll.] 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 0, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "I'm down with that. You know me." (Hoo.) ( Woohoo! I remember information I never knew! ) * John starts to try and eat with his chopsticks. He mumbles to himself: "Forks would make this so much easier..." * Mikoto laughs. "If it makes you feel better, I have seen travellers from the east attempt to eat steak with a spoon." * John chuckles. "I wonder why Suzunosuke or Tairan didn't try that." * Mikoto chews toughtfully on his fish. "You assume they never have." * John makes one trip to his mouth with the fish. "Maybe. I'd still like to see it though." A spoon. I've heard of those. * Mikoto smiles at Yae. "Are travellers from the west common here?" * Yae shakes her head. "We're much too far north. Sometimes they come up through Ki, usually to look at our horses, but... We did take an unusual route. * Mikoto nods, taking another bite of fish. "That's true. It also probably means that our quarry probably took a much slower route through Ki territory, where Westerners aren't so rare." * Mikoto frowns. "If we just knew where they were *going*, and *why*..." He glances at Yae. "I don't suppose that any of the clans have suddenly expressed an interest in ruins, lately?" * Yae tilts her head. "Ruins? I hadn't heard anything about that." * John eats a little more fish, and drinks some soup. "Looks like you haven't." [John manages not to choke on a bone. The fish still stares at him, now missing some meat. o_o] ... * Mikoto sighs. "It was worth asking." He thinks more. "The troubles with the Ki clan... it might be their minor clans rejecting the Ki's adaptation of Western technology and culture. Which means the bandits might have avoided some of the lands near the Salamanders..." He sighs. "It's all conjecture now, though." To be sure, Ki's use of the Western weapons is a little... upsetting, but to think their own troops are rebelling... * John shrugs. "If the troops are unhappy, they'll do that." [The waiter comes in again! He sets small (very small) dishes of thinly-sliced beef in front of each of you, sopping in sauce. Smells delicious. And it has no face.] * Mikoto shakes his head. "It's a little more complicated than that. The Ki clan is a warrior clan. To samurai who follow strict codes of bushido and loyalty, the idea of rebellion against your lord is ridiculous, unless the infraction is fairly severe." * Yae nods. "Precisely." She eats, too. * John hmmms... "If they're assuming some of the western ideas, then perhaps they're getting some of our ideology too." * John eats beef with chopsticks. * Mikoto smiles a little, picking up a piece of beef. "A legion of samurai acting like Millie is certainly an unsettling thought." * John almost spits his food on that, but he keeps it in his mouth. "Ya can't take the good without the bad, right?" He smiles a little. * Mikoto chuckles. "In my opinion, it is possible to mix tradition with diversity." The Ki clan would agree with you. Yes, but who's tradition are you assuming? [The waiter comes in with a fresh pot of tea. He pours it for anyone with a less-than-full glass, then picks up the old pot and your bowls of soup before leaving.] * Mikoto glances at a window. "Does it matter?" He looks back at the table. "The things samurai cherish -- loyalty, honor, sacrifice -- aren't specific to a set of weapons. They're ethical things that anybody can embrace. The daisho are just... a costume, that only someone of a particular quality can wear." * Yae tilts her head at John. "I don't follow. The Ki clan might adapt Western methods, but they haven't forgotten their roots. You'll find that their swordsman divisions are just as effective as their rifle divisions. * John nods. "Perhaps they are. But I'm not talking about the weapons of war. In the west, people are considerably less honorable. Law is almost non-existant in some places... And most successful people get where they are not thru honor or a code, but by siezing an opportunity, no matter how gruesome." * Yae shrugs. "We have out share of bandits here, as well." * Mikoto nods. "The Shomuran tradition is to do all that while maintaining a facade of honor and nobility." He smiles a bit cynically. "In a way, I prefer the Teckian method. At least you know where you stand." * John chuckles. "Thing is, nobody cares where you come from in the west. Just wether you have the power and wealth or not." * Yae scowls. "Iwahara would never act in a manner like that. That behavior is befit of Takame." * Mikoto waves his hands in front of him. "Please, forgive me. That wasn't an accusation." He sighs. "But it might be worth it to remember, that there are Takame-clan samurai saying the same thing about the Iwahara, Lady Yae." I'm sure they are. I'm sure they're spreading as many lies as they can. * John nods. "Not to be offensive, but it is possible your... clan is it? is doing the same." * Mikoto chews on a piece of beef. "There are as many definitions of 'justice' as there are people in the world." Ain't it the truth. ... Do you have any idea who my father is? * John gets another slice of beef. ( That's an excellent question. ) He's none other than Heihachiro Arita himself. He'd never allow anyone in his clan to lie like that. My father is a man of honor. (Makoto, roll cultural arts (clans) again. ^^) * John glares at Yae for a few seconds, then goes back to his food. "I suppose my words won't change your mind then." 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 5. * Mikoto puts his chopsticks down. "But I also know that you're a person of sound judgement and discernment." He glances at Yae. "You could have challenged Suzunosuke to a duel but you didn't. You used us to find out more information first." You're right. What I should have done was challenge him to a duel to the death on the spot. But you didn't. * Yae frowns and takes another bite of her food. "No. I didn't." Your actions and your integrity are more important than your lineage. I am sure you would regret it if you were simply judged as the clean leader's daughter, because it's not all you are. * Yae nods. * Mikoto smiles. "That's a Teckian idea, I picked up as a child. Judging a person on his or her own merits." He glances at John. "It's people like him that taught me that." ( Yes, if GCI didn't prove it, my capacity for hackneyed dialogue is indeed bottomless. ) (You go, Mikoto.) * Yae frowns. "That's not it. It's not that we can't see another person's worth, but... there's just some things that are right and wrong, and then there's gray areas. This is one of them. * John smriks. "You're just going to have to decide then." * Mikoto smiles. "But I think you're the type who would make the right decision." [The waiter comes in, refills tea, grabs any empty plates.] * Yae shrugs. "I don't intend to stop you or Takame. But realize that we might very well be enemies the next time we meet." [He's back shortly with slices of melon, which he sets in the middle of the table, along with a fresh batch of cloth napkins.] * Mikoto nods. "Well, that potential always exists." * Yae eats. * John blinks oddly at the melons. [He also whispers something to Yae before leaving.] * Mikoto passes on the melon, but does take a napkin. He appears to be a light eater. * Yae smiles. "Well, that may or may not be the case in the future, but for now, think of me as a friend." * John nods. * Yae turns her smile into a smirk. "And, as a friend who incidently agreed to take me to lunch... the bll is 70 kanmon." * Mikoto ehehes embarassedly and reaches for his money pouch. "Well worth the price." ( JESUS, what the hell did we eat? ) ( Beef :P ) * John blinks a few times. "Eh heh... I'd pay for it, but all I have are Teckian dollars." * Mikoto shakes his head. "It's fine. I can handle it." He counts out 70, plus an extra 10. * Yae grins. "Thanks." * Mikoto mms. "I have to ask, though... what do you know about the bandits? Clan conflict or not, we can't leave Shomura until we find them." * Yae wags a finger in remonstration. "Not until you've fulfilled the third condition." * John glances over at Yae and smirks. "And here I thought you forgot." * Yae stands up. "It's not like me to forget." * John manages to get up without tipping anything over. He winces once he reaches his full height. "How do you stay kneeling like that for so long?" * Mikoto stands up, stretching, and then rubbing his knees. "Constant practice," he says with a grimace. * Yae blinks. "It's not what I would call difficult." * Mikoto ehes. "Not everyone has the intense physical discipline of the samurai." * John opens his mouth, and closes it once Mikoto comes up with a polite response. * Yae humphs. "Even a pesant knows how to sit. Your country is strange." * John chuckles. "I could say the same of yours, but I won't. We're not strange. We're different." * Yae smirks. "You'd better not say that until you're back in your own country." * Mikoto smiles at John. "Instead you can just say it to yourself with a smug look." What makes you think I haven't? * John smirks. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Indeed." * John picks up his hat and puts it on his head. [And so, food was had, politics were discussed, and Mikoto came out eighty kanmon poorer. But nobody was offended! Too much.] [Session End.]