[D1 EM] Ch-ch-changes(, Book of)

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

Myo-en's breath steams in the chill predawn air of the garden, where a smooth-swept patch of ground marks the Lion duelists' usual practice spot--now the site of a solitary Dragon's morning warm-up. She flows through the forms until her skin steams faintly, too, though as the sun finally begins to peek above the garden walls the wisps of vapor become harder to see.

Eventually, satisfied with her progress for now, Myo-en shrugs on her quilted jacket and retires to sit crosslegged in one of the open pavilions. The three old coins from her inner sash pocket are warm from body-heat when she fishes them out and shakes them between her hands, contemplating their smooth weight before making the first toss of six.

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D1 EM--General morning "what does the future hold?" divination from an unsuspecting Dragon. Divination(kawaru)/int, 1 raise for more diveney, TN 20: 5d10o10k3 30

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

There was nothing like running in the crisp cold of the morning to get your blood pumping. One of the Shiba in court had told her a story about the Kenku while they were sat being good little yojimbo. She had politely smiled and suggested that she would let the man know if she spied one. Crows were good luck, so how many regular crows was a Kenku worth? Did one go by weight or volume? Was one Kenji basically a flock of crows? And what were the units of luck anyway?

She laughed as she ran. It was amazing what sort of nonsense crept into one's head when running. And so she almost ran right into the Dragon but was nimble enough to shift her direction at the last moment. A slightly bemused expression affixed itself to her lips as she slowed her breathing and turned back to the woman who had been sat as still as a statue.

"My apologies Dragon-sama. My thoughts were running in a different direction to my feet. I hope I did not disturb your meditations?"

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

Myo-en looks up from the marks she has been scratching in the thin blown snow frozen to the pavilion railing:

䷑

The Dragon's intent black eyes shift their focus to register Tetsuko's presence. "Good morning, Crane-sama. No fear. It was the right time for me to be disturbed, I think." She glances back down at the scratched lines, then back up at Tetsuko with a thoughtful expression.

As if Tetsuko's fantasies about flocks of crows have come to sudden, squawking life, a particularly large and shiny-feathered example of the species descends from the pavilion roof with a harsh caw, landing showily on the railing next to the Dragon's drawing. It casts Tetsuko a rather judgemental look.

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

"Ah, well then. Good." She bowed crisply. "This one is Daidoji Tetsuko, yojimbo to the Crane delegation. I see you have a feathered friend." Giving the bird a curious glance she switched to focus on the Dragon. A Togashi most likely, but one could rarely be sure from appearances.

"May I ask what this symbol means?" Her knowledge of divination was near enough zero to be safely rounded down

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

Not far away in the garden, a large snake with the torso of a human-ish woman was coiled nearby, her eyes closed in meditation. She was focused deeply inward, far too much to notice the other two present, focused on the rage-filled madness that hovered too near within the Akasha.

[Spending 1 Void to quiet the Shashakar]

When she finally opened her eyes again there were more people present than when she had dipped into meditation. She simply nodded to them, offering a "good morning" in greeting, and stayed a little way back. The bird likely wouldn't enjoy a massive snake being too near.

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

"Togashi Myo-en is my name, Daidoji-sama. A monk." Myo-en makes her own bow, left hand over right fist. "That one keeps her own counsel about names," she shrugs, opening a hand toward the bird, "which might show her wisdom. And this," the gesture continues until her fingertips brush the scratched symbol before tucking back into her sleeves "is Hexagram Eighteen, Ku."

The soft upward curve at the corners of her mouth flattens a little, her brows drawing together. "Often it means repairing what is broken, ruined, and decayed. It's a sign of positive change... but I don't know what is broken. Specifically."

Once the Naga in the garden began to move about, she's suddenly impossible to miss. The crow mantles a bit but stands her ground; this isn't her first Naga, after all. For her part, Myo-en raises a hand in greeting. After a beat to search her memory, she makes a brief, odd sequence of sounds... "Bright Eye blessings, neighbor person." Her accent is about what you would expect from someone trying to produce Naga speech with squashy human mouth parts and wrong-shaped teeth, after a long time without practicing. But it's intelligible.

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

And then a giant snake had appeared. The Daidoji's face showed not a flicker of emotion. One might think this an everyday occurrence. Apparently the Dragon spoke Naga. This was turning into an odd morning indeed.

"I had been told this garden was visited by Kenku. Perhaps I was misinformed?" She offered a bow to the blue naga before looking back at the hexagram. "A positive change. Well. Good." An emphatic nod was added.

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

There's a slight smile at that. It was rare that humans made the effort to learn and had the confidence to speak up in their language. She uncoiled slightly, just enough to move closer. "The blessings of the Bright Eye be upon you, as well... I heard you say your name was Togashi Myo-en? Pleased to meet you. I don't mean many humans who make the effort to learn anything of our tongue."

She bent at the hips to both of them, an effort at a bow, though it wasn't perfect. Her voice speaking Rokugani was sibilant and heavily accented. "Nice to meet you both. I am The Sayavya."

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

A giant blue talking snake, of course. Tetsuko relaxed into a stance that helped with moving her chi/heat around internally. "And you Naga-san. I will now attempt to do your name justice: Ss-aye-avv-eyah." Victory! Or at least, good enough.

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

"It is good to meet you, Saravya-san," Myo-en seems quite calm, even pleased, about adding a giant snake to the two humans' conversation. She pronounces the name with some difficulty about the -vya sound--a tricky combination for a Rokugani speaker--but probably a bit more accurately than Tetsuko. "I learned some of your speech three years ago, during the war," she explains, for the benefit of both women (womanlike beings?) "But it is a long time since I had any practice." Her slight, rueful shake of the head could be about the rustiness of her language skill or the violent circumstances of its acquisition... or both, really.

"I heard those stories about the kenku, too," she adds, with a glance at Tetsuko. "I don't know if they are true in the material sense, or the story sense. But I am not a duelist," she adds, rolling her shoulders to keep her cooling muscles from stiffening, "so I wouldn't make a likely student for such a teacher."

At some silent signal, she extends a calloused hand toward the watching crow again, palm-up this time. The bird hops aboard and begins clambering deftly up the sleeve of Myo-en's quilted jacket toward her shoulder, where it can keep an eye on the Saravya from behind the partial shelter of Myo-en's head (a move that can never be completely successful for such a large crow, though it used to work at least a little better when Myo-en had hair)

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

"Think of it like a Rokugani word. The last syllable is like the sound a cat makes, but with a 'vvv' sound instead of 'nnn'. Sa-ra-vya," she attempted to explain. Before turning her attention to Myo-en. "I see. Well, there's a few of us around. It's a good time to practice."

"Oh, those birds," she said. "They were around before we went to sleep, but I haven't seen them lately. I seem to recall they're good disguise artists, though, so I guess I wouldn't know if they had."

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

Tetsuko nodded just like a willing student. "I shall practice diligently before we next meet, Naga-san."

Her gaze shifted to the Togashi. "Ah, you fought in the War of Broken Fangs. I recall talk of a Kenku appearing there?" She had not yet completed her gempukku at that time. "In any case I am sure that if a feathered swordmaster were to appear here it would be more interested in my Kakita cousins."

She gave the Togashi's crow a suspicious look, just in case it was a Kenku in disguise.

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

The crow keeps its own counsel, fluffing its feathers as Myo-en reaches up to deliver some gentle chest scritches.

"I didn't see the Kenku who guarded the bridge in the Shinomen, but I heard from others who did," Myo-en confirms. "They say it truly was a giant bird dressed just like a samurai, and that it was ready to face anyone at all who would stand against it... it was my clanmate who won the day, but it's true she was once trained by the Kakita."

Myo-en doesn't name the clanmate in question, since at this early hour she's still blissfully unaware that the same Togashi Iko is on her way to Toshi no Omoidoso with the other refugees from the Emperor's court.

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

The Saravya looked thoughtful. "The Five Races seem to dress similarly to Rokugani... the ones that are still around. I wonder if it's common origin, or they just assimilated the clothing?"

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

Tetsuko nodded when the Dragon mentioned Kakita training. It made sense to her...as much a samurai duelling a bird made any sort of sense. It had to have been Kakita or Mirumoto training.

She did not really have an opinion about clothing. "I find it best to leave questions of dress sense to the Doji. Perhaps they would know about such things Naga-san?"

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

"I know little about fashions in clothing either." Myo-en chuckles to herself. This probably didn't need saying, in fact, considering the way she's dressed. "The Tao only says 'Sages wear coarse cloth, and keep their jade concealed.' But the Nezumi liked to steal human things--" she pauses, reflecting. "Hm. I am not sure they thought about it as stealing. They liked human things, at least. And I have learned that crows like anything that is bright or colorful."

She tickles the crow under its chin; as it stretches out its throat one can see that it has a bright bit of red string looped loosely around its neck, something like the thin cord that is often used to hold prayer tablets in shrines. "Maybe crow-people feel the same way."

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

"It was merely an idle thought. I wouldn't say I'm so interested that I feel inclined to seek out a special expert."

"Yes... The Ratlings live closely with some Rokugani," she said, nodding to herself. "It would make sense. We Naga have some similarities to our smaller cousins, as well, after all."

Daidoji Tetsuko · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:41 am **Posts:** 391

"I see. My apologies minna-sama, I thought the question genuine." No judgement, but she would keep her council to herself in future.

Kenku, Naga, and now Ratlings. This was not the simple morning exercise she had anticipated. Not that it was a bad thing to be surprised from time to time. It kept one on one's toes. She reached up to brush a loose strand of hair from her face.

"Forgive my ignorance, but three races have come up in this conversation. You mentioned Five Races, Naga-san? These are not topics that came up during my training. For the sake of completeness, would you care to describe the remaining two?"

Togashi Myo-en · **Joined:** Mon Apr 06, 2020 4:27 am **Posts:** 418

This is not a question to which Myo-en knows the answer, either, so she casts the Saravya a curious glance, managing to look attentive despite the crow muttering creakily in her other ear.

The Saravya · **Joined:** Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:30 am **Posts:** 99

"It was, just not one I expected an answer to," she replied with a slight shrug. "The Ratlings and Naga do not count among the Five Races. Those five were the Kenku, Zokujin, Ningyo, Kitsu, and Trolls."

[D1 EM] Ch-ch-changes(, Book of)

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