Tale in Paper

[Otomo Nobuko]

"I hardly thing Ginkarasku-kun is unlucky," she answered with pout, knowing that he was, indeed marked as such, but had shown great fortune during his time at the dojo. "He's a very kind soul and fate... or the fortunes... seem to have rewarded him for it."

Nobuko turned to Nesrin, "Utaku-san, please walk at my side? We can follow Kaiu-san back so that he may present the gift to the shrine as a triumphant return after blessing the rest of the dojo with it's walk."

She was assuming his search for her meant the frog had traveled quite a bit around the dojo already.

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Yasuki Ginkarasu-san found my lucky cricket when he'd escaped, so I don't think he's all that unlucky, is he?"

Nesrin nods and falls in beside the Otomo girl. "Blessing the compound is a nice idea. Such a well-traveled little frog."

"It's really well-made too, Otomo-sama. I mean, I've no skill with origami, but it's amazing how lifelike it looks when it's just paper."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"It is good to hear you think of him this way. The marks on his face marks his misfortune. He seemingly has had a hard life because of it. People wouldn't want to befriend or even get favors from him as they believed it would bring misfortune to their lives. A shame, because he is a great friend." He says on a most grave and low tone from usual, looking around, resuming his usual voice right after. "Please lead the way, Otomo-domo."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"It jumps, too!" she said, clearly delighted with her ability to make it do so. "You set it down and sqeeze the back legs, and when you release, it leaps forward like a proper little frog!"

Aiichiro's words drew her attention away from the side conversation and nodded to acknowledge that she knew the truth of his words. She did, but she also didn't care since she had seen how kind and earnest a heart he had.

She began walking at a sedate pace before speaking again, "I am glad you recieved my invitation, Utaku-san. I had told the servants to send them next hour, but I suppose they were over-eager to ensure they did not forget whom to deliver them to. You were not the only one I sent one such to, of course. There are several here that I am certain my family would find acceptable matches for my marriage."

Nobuko raised her voice slightly, "Ginkarasu-kun is among them. As is Moto Ichirio-san and a few others."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

He smiles genuinely at the frog, the company of Nobuko slowly melting whatever he got against her in the first place. "Ingenious! I didn't knew you could do jumping things with paper. Only with wood. It sure reminds me of home. If it didn't occupy your time, Otomo-domo, could you please teach me the technique tomorrow?"
Marriage subject, right.
"Marriage is quite always a complicated thing, isn't it?" He sighed, thinking what to say next. "When a Phoenix and a Scorpion are discussing over me, and none of them are potential matches, things get... Unfriendly.... Quickly. But thanks whoever gave me a Bayushi nakodo. That was the best thing that could have happened on this situation. He is, I believe, more strongly inclined to listen to my daimyo and my wishes, and being a great clanner and all my father can't pull rank over him. My father really wants to marry me inside the Phoenix, and my nakodo is holding the tips together whilst consulting higher ranked Kaiu all the time. And me sometimes."

[Utaku Nesrin]

(whoops, I remembered 'morning' and not the hour.)

Nesrin is delighted at the jumping frog, laughing quite openly at the demonstration. "I hadn't realized you could do that with paper either. I should certainly try to study a bit more."

She nods once at Nobuko's pronouncement. The wording had definitely not sounded exclusive. "It's really an honor to be considered, after all, and I appreciate it, Otomo-sama. I will certainly present it to my family for a proper response." Responding to her and to Aiichiro's description of how complicated it all is, adds her own experince. "There is always so much that the nakodo have to determine before before even deciding a match will be a good one. Lineage and astrology review take a while. That sounds kind of confusing, Kaiu-san. I hope it all settles out well for you and your family."

Looking from one to the other, she asks, "is there a match that either of you have hopes for among the choices? I know that's only a small part of the process."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"There is one," she confirmed, though she left it at that before giggling, "I'm glad the nakodo handling your marriage is one with the inclination to understand your needs as much as your family's wants. That can always be a tricky thing. Mine is of the Shika, of course. And she has been very kind to allow me the chance to name potential candidates myself for their families to meet mine and go from there. I am most eager to ensure my marriage is successful."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I only hope on the state things are now that I will get engaged to a Crab. I don't even care about changing surname anymore. It is just that... Maybe it would be an insult to my ancestors if I was thrown outside it, and too my entire life I was trained to face the enemies of the Crab."
He looks to the sky for a bit. Climate was nice today.
"I can understand my father, I understand if he is doing that for his Clan thinking I would be an addition to it though.
"What about you, Utaku-san? Do the battlemaidens treat his differently?"

[Utaku Nesrin]

She grins at Nobuku, thinking she might have a guess given what most could see of the various couples pairing up over the past week and a bit. She nods a bit in understanding at Aiichiro's musings. "If it's any comfort, I know most marry within their own clan. It makes things more harmonious, I'd think." She hated the idea of marrying out of the Utaku when the sisterhood of her fellow Battle Maidens meant so much.

"We're quite different from that Ithink," she answers Aiichiro, "Battle Maidens almost never marry out, so that makes things a bit complicated sometimes. Utaku women in general, actually. So my cousin who trained with the Iuchi will have that same restriction. And Unicorn are really careful not to marry within a family line, so the nakodo need to be good at finding or knowing the genealogies. If I met another Utaku and wanted to suggest them to the nakodo we'd probably first compare some of our oldest ancestors. So if someone said there were of the line of Aalhya, I'd know it was doomed from the start."

To Nobuko, she adds, "The Shika are really good, I hear. But my family ends up mostly using Utaku nakodo for the genealogy thing alone, before you get to anything else."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"The Unicorn family lines must be very detailed. Do you know if they have been shared with the Otomo and Ikoma Libraries? Records of all marriages, births, and deaths are kept at both to ensure they are preserved." She paused, "From before the Return, I mean. After the Return, all that were reported are sure to be there already."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"Engineers too usually don't marry out, but mostly for practicity. We would have way less use on another clan. If the Ikoma also register ancestry in great care, and the Matsu are also a family regarded as... Hmmm..." Maybe the word he thought of would offend them. Uh oh. "Ah. You know. Anyway, does it means that marriage between them are common?" He asked.

[Otomo Nobuko]

"Between the Matsu and the Ikoma?" Nobuko asked, looking completely innocent to what he had almost implied. It was a well practiced look. "They are both Lion, Kaiu-san. I'm certain there is probably quite a bit of marriage between the families, as with any Clan."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"The Unicorn family lines must be very detailed. Do you know if they have been shared with the Otomo and Ikoma Libraries? Records of all marriages, births, and deaths are kept at both to ensure they are preserved." She paused, "From before the Return, I mean. After the Return, all that were reported are sure to be there already."

Nesrin frowns, thinking back to if she's ever heard anything mentioned. "I don't really know. It's not written down among us though, so maybe not? It's all memory passed down through the centuries. Most of us only remember our immediate ancestors back several generations, and the important lines they come from. The nakodo have to remember so much more. But I don't know if they ever put it all down or recited it to the libraries or anything." Curious, she asks, "do the Otomo review all of that when setting up matches?"

"Engineers too usually don't marry out, but mostly for practicity. We would have way less use on another clan. If the Ikoma also register ancestry in great care, and the Matsu are also a family regarded as... Hmmm..." Maybe the word he thought of would offend them. Uh oh. "Ah. You know. Anyway, does it means that marriage between them are common?" He asked.

She laughed a bit at that. "Things between Lion and Unicorn have never been so close that there are many matches between us of any families. I think the Matsu seldom marry out for some of the same desire to keep a really strong, and known, family line. You have to keep your sisters close for that. Like... with horses, you can keep track of a line from mare to mare very easily. But stallions? Sometimes things get a bit mixed up." It was so much easier to talk about horses for that topic. "I don't know why engineers would be in more demand elsewhere. Maybe not with the more nomadic parts of my clan, but everywhere else. Probably makes sense to keep them with your clan though, then they can offer your work in trade."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

The comparison with horses let him quite uncomfortable... How would one describe? Was the Utaku comparing him to a stallion? Insinuating that men from her own family were often unloyal? At least he was good enough in etiquette to hide it, or so he thought.
Day 9 Tiger Tale in Paper - Etiquette/Awareness: 3d10o10k2 18

[Otomo Nobuko]

Nobuko wasn't sure she was happy with people being compared to horses either, though she didn't think Nesrin was purposely trying to be insulting with her words. Still, furthering that topic along those lines could lead to some awkwardness best avoided. Better to focus on the more proper part of marriage discussions.

"Of course lineages are considered. Particularly within the Imperial families," she replied to the question about genealogy. "Our families are very well documented to ensure the purity of all lines remains exactly what it should be."

And in the case of some lines, diluted as fast as possible.

"But enough about marriage for now," a difficult thing for her to say when most of what she cared about revolved around marriage in the first place! "we are almost to the shrine. From here out, Kaiu-san should lead us so that he might present the frog as he was the one to take it."

[Utaku Nesrin]

Nesrin nods in agreement that it's Aiichiro's lead to take.

She remained blithely unaware of the consternation using Shinjo's other children as examples caused.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

He nods and continues silently to the shrine, putting it where it was before and trying to make it face the same direction, too.

[Otomo Nobuko]

Nobuko followed Aiichiro to the shrine, bowing deeply to it and murmuring a prayer to Hotei, thanking the Fortune for allowing Aiichiro to share in the happiness of the offering. And also that she would attempt to make it up to the Kaiu who was clearly in need of cheer if he mistaked the gift to the Fortune as a gift to himself. She would do her best to honor the Fortune and his kindess.

After she had prayed, she bowed again and backed away from the shrine.

[Utaku Nesrin]

Nesrin waits and offers her own prayer, setting a zeni down as an offering, since that is what she has available. Hopefully she and her fellow students would find contentment in their choices and lives ahead.