The New Winds

Bayushi Jiro's quiet way took him to the shrine. He had arranged to meet Nobuko, but a quick note had let her know that he would meet her here. He had business to attend to. Hubris had struck him in the Heraldry portion of the tournament. He couldn't afford to be so foolish in the coming days, and if the Fortune of Honest Work was truly displeased with him, the best thing he could possibly do would be to cleanse himself immediately and make an offering at the shrine.

So he found himself kneeling in prayer before the statue of the Kami-as-humble-workman, offering sincere respect for his works and forswearing pride in the coming days.

Nobuko made her way to the shrine after the close of the day's events. She had lingered long enough to watch the other competitors stand before the judge for the Heraldry test, to see how their faces changed as each either identified the mons before them, or failed to do so. She had stayed in particular to see how Hitoshi seemed to do. She had agreed to help him and assessing what kind of help he needed would be better than making assumptions.

Once she was done there, and a note had been delivered by a servant to tell her where Jiro would be, she changed for the evening and made her way to the shrine. Her clothing was still far from humble, but it was not quite as extravagant as she could have easily made herself be. She did, however, maintain her habit of wearing gloves.

When she arrived, she moved to kneel next to Jiro and offer her own prayers to Ebisu. Not so much for her own humility, but that he would see her attempts to compete with honor and help Hitoshi in the coming days and know them to be honest and true.

After their prayers were both over, she stood, gave a bow to the shrine, and moved off so they could speak.

"Tomohiro-kun," she greeted him with a bright, genuine smile that she did not attempt to temper, "I am so happy to see you again. I apologize for being unable to see you before or between todays events. But you made taking part in the sumai competition all the better for me because it was against a friend."

Jiro, having followed her, replied "The feeling is mutual, Nobu-chan. Although I feel I ought to have known better than to plant like a pine tree when I am built like a ginkgo." He smirked at himself. "How have you been?"

"At least you were not planted so firmly that you broke when I uprooted you," she said. "Some of our friends were not so lucky in that regard."

She didn't know if he'd stuck around to witness Kenji and Quing's match. But it had not gone well for Kenji at all.

"But I have been well, for the most part. I have traveled since I last wrote and seen more of the Empire. Mostly what Kokyou showed us of the Isles and the view of the world along the river that took me to Gathering Winds Castle. But that is a long way to travel for me, when most of my world has been up and down the Crane coast and near to the Capital. And you? I have hope that the position you are to have near to Bayushi-dono means you are well."

"Oh, certainly. Well enough, at any rate. The work is more challenging and under greater scrutiny, but Lord Bayushi feels that I have demonstrated my loyalty and my ability, so I am honored to be able to do my best for him." Tomohiro smiled. "Although the change in status has been a little disorienting. Some of the permanent visiting delegations are markedly more cautious around me now. The price of fame, I suppose. How were the Isles? I understand Kokyou planned quite an excursion."

"It was certainly not what I expected," she said, trying to be politely political without sounding critical. There were some actions their tour guide had taken that she was still very unsure of. "But overall quite enjoyable. It seems his idea of tour of the isle are locations not visited often by others. We landed at several coves and uninhabited areas for lunch and swimming and the enjoyment of nature at it's most untamed."

Which meant all the packing she had done was mostly inappropriate to the conditions they had been under for the majority of the trip.

"We did end at a main port before taking boats back to the mainland. And weather held out for us, so that was most pleasing. I also saw several of our friends from Hirosaka. Not as many as I had hoped, but not all of us could find the time to atend."

Nobuko started to walk at a sedate pace to lead them off to a more secluded area of the shrine where they could be comfortable and not in anyone's way, "Those who were not cautious of your position before were unwise to be. Even a child has eyes and ears. Or perhaps they were simply not wise to the way of courts more dangerous than theirs."

Not an insult, really. The Imperial courts simply were far more dangerous and the children of the Otomo learned early on to move through them with caution - even those destined to not be stationed there knew the value of a misplaced word.

Tomohiro tilted his head, a sweet smile playing across his lips. "Perhaps they believed in the nonsense people tell of the innocence of children. More highly-placed people than they have fallen in a similar way. But it seems we lay aside one mask to take on another. Well, many of us. Kokyou seems unchanged, for all his physical growth, and Kakita Kenji is as courteous and simpatico as always."

He paused. "I am not altogether certain that I approve of the changes I have observed in Matsu Qiang, however. In addition to the rather unfortunate statement he made to us all today at the sumai competition, his facial hair is entirely unsuitable."

"I'm rather enjoying his attempt at facial hair!" she laughed before sobering up and frowning, "But his showing today was entirely unlike the boy I remember. I wish I could say that I am certain the honorable samurai-to-be that we knew before is still there, but..."

But his actions at the match were entirely dishonorable. There was no question of it.

"Kenji-san is very lucky to be alive. And that is not something one should have to say at the Topaz Championship."

"Indeed it is not. I wonder what has changed in him, or what he has encountered, that has brought him to this? Certainly it will be interesting to see if he is as aggressive when matched against people from other clans. Perhaps it is a manifestation of the tensions between the Crane and the Lion." Tomohiro's expression turned studiously blank at the mention of the tensions there.

"Certainly the Ikoma I met yesterday emphasized the cultural differences between his people and the Crane. He took great...hits is the only applicable term...of wasabi to drive the smell of the sea out of his nostrils."

"Their history has ever been colored by strife. Both seek to serve as the Hands of the Emperor in the ways they believe is correct and will not budge or even bend to try and understand the other," she sighed. It was a fire that had long been fanned by forces both within and without. "I suppose it could simply be the emnity between them, but if it is not, I fear Matsu-san may suffer great shame. Not doing well enough to pass to the final tournaments because his sportsmanship is so poor would be a very dark mark for himself and his clan."

Jiro smiled. "Perhaps someone will be kind enough to apprise him of that concern, although he did not lose all of his points for nearly killing his opponent. There are several events yet to go, so I am not entirely sure that he is in grave danger. He will certainly earn a reputation that will not be to his liking, though. He did not strike me as one who would lean into a reputation for villainy or dishonor. In fact, I think he might be genuinely upset by it."

"He may, but his actions are his own," she shrugged, sighing again. "I wish there was a simple answer. I do not think there is. Whatever has overcome him to act as he did is his own burden to shoulder."

Then she clapped her hands and shook them, symbolically removing the topic, "Let us speak of something else. Something that brings a smile and the good will of the tiny kami that watch over us. Ah! Your cousin. Kaidan-san. He was playing a game of some sort this morning that I do not understand."

Jiro accepted the shift easily enough. "I did not see him at the opening ceremonies, so I suspected that might be the case. Pray tell, what has he got up to now?"

"I am quite certain he was at the opening ceremony dressed as a girl," she said, giggling. "A very fair Crane girl who, I think, caught the eye of a few."

Nobuko paused, tilting her head, "At least, I think it was him. I did not ask for politeness sake. If he was playing a game with someone and I simply stumbled into it, I would not want to ruin the fun. But I have a good head for faces and though he did well with arranging his hair and clothing, and his makeup was very beautiful, I do remember his."

She chose not to reveal the only reason she remembered his name was because she'd heard it said enough times during Kokyou's trip to actually remember it this time around.

"His sense of humor escapes me as well, but Kaidan-san is one who likes to play with identity. I am sure it is harmless fun."

Bayushi Tomohiro was not sure it was harmless fun.

"I wonder, have you heard anything about any of the newcomers? Bayushi Mei Lin I am distantly familiar with, through my brother, but the others...Kitsu Tsubasa, Shiba Toya, this Mantis, Hitoshi...do you know anything of them?"

While she was not so naieve as to think such actions could only be harmless fun in normal situations, she couldn't fathom what benefits dressing up like a Crane girl - one not even competeing - could possibly have for the boy. Thus, it must be a game. But as Tomohiro didn't seem worried, she didn't put much further thought into it.

"I have heard nothing of your cousin in the Bayushi. Or any of them really save Hitoshi," she said, her brow creasing with poorly-concealed frustration at his name. "The Mantis boy has a disposition that leads him to finding insult where simple mistakes lay. I do not doubt he has drawn the ire of some, however, due to the tendency. Which compounds the problem of seeing intended rudeness in all things. Some of it could be, but equally, some could not."

"Such a one, if he is not willing to moderate his feelings, is doomed." Tomohiro frowned. "You seem to have more than a passing interest in him, however. How has he come to your attention?"

"You have always kept your ears open for the whispers of others. He is the Mantis boy who caused a scene at the Inn yesterday and I the Otomo who solved it."

She knew he had to have heard the rumors.

". . .I was also asked by a superior to keep an eye on him for his own sake. They worry for his chances."

"I wondered if perhaps the former official had spoken to more than just we Scorpion." Jiro's expression did not change. "But I have not yet lit upon the true connection between the man and the child, nor indeed how widespread the request has been."

Nobuko blinked a couple times, the only outward sign of her surprise at the statement before she took a fan out and snapped it open to wave it leisurely and in a way that would hide her face from any passersby should she have further trouble steeling her On while attempting to speak casually of the topic. As if it were nothing more than the usual comings and goings of two courtiers-to-be.

"Our honored superior spoke with Miya-san and myself. I had assumed because we both had encounters related to himself and the Mantis. But now I wonder. Did either yourself or dear Kaidan-san have any run-ins with the two prior to being invited to share tea with him?"