The New Winds

It's taken this long to visit, though every day is full of a hundred small rituals to keep the fortunes, and spirits, and one's luck in alignment. Nesrin walks to the shrine, resigned to the mud that will coat sandals and all. Outside the shrine, she leaves her sandals with all the other muddied pairs, careful not to pick up mud on the bottoms of her socks. The splashes staining them can't be helped, but she won't track mud through the shrine.

While she pauses at each of the Seven's shrines with a prayer and bit of incense, it's Fukurukujin's that she remains at, feeling some need for wisdom lately.

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adding a meditation check I wasn't going to do with a phone post earlier.

D6, EA Meditation: 7d10o10k4 14 Orokos says no Void.

Mirai rarely went to shrine's or Temple's to pray. That wasn't to say she didn't or hadn't, merely that at the moment she wasn't. Having used shrines as places of rest plenty of times in her travels, she'd gotten somewhat used to talking with monks.

Of course, this was tended to by Asahina, not monks, and even the help were peasants. Still, she'd found her niche, and was currently talking good naturedly with some of the peasants, who seemed mildly comfortable with the situation.

After her prayers, Nesrin notices the ronin girl and thanks Fukurukujin for not letting her become so lost in her own thoughts that she missed her. She stops at a polite distance to catch Mirai's eye, feeling it would be rude to spook the peasants in such a peaceful place or to interrupt a conversation.

If/when acknowledged, she approaches to bow. "Do you have a few minutes to speak, ronin-san?" She knew her name, everyone's was announced during contests, after all. But there'd never really been an introduction.

Mirai wasn't the sort to miss presences around her, but she seemed quite comfortably wrapped up in her conversation for a moment. When she finally saw the Utaku standing there, she blanched, then flushed, then kow towed, forehead to the floor. The peasants, seeming to instinctively believe they were in the presence of some sort of princess perhaps, followed the ronin's lead, head's to the floor. Mirai's voice came up with some trace of meekness.

"U-Utaku-sama, of course! My time is yours!" it was muffled by the ground, but quite sincere sounding... in a way.

Nesrin blanches a bit herself. "Oh...no need for all that, I'm not even adult yet, all of you. It's well above my station when a bow suffices." She's genuinely a bit embarrassed, and further so at feeling the need to correct, or teach. Is this how their sensei feel when they've been running a bit wild?

"I just...wanted to thank you for the lovely verse and origami, and I guess, see who you were, other than a name. There are so few ronin here, you must have stood out to get here." She tries to draw a bit aside as they talk, once everyone is standing.

The shrine's servants held still a little longer, but seemed to take the cue to murmur apologies about chores and (politely) scuttled off. That left the ronin alone. She too finally sat up, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. With a grunt, she stood, eyes remaining down a moment. When she finally met Nesrin's gaze, her On was quite better, though there was still a pinkness to her cheeks.

"How did you-- no, I suppose I wasn't too horribly subtle with my symbolism, though I did try... I think." For a moment a sheepish smile touched her thin lips before she seemed to return the poise she seemed to take. "I am... glad you received them well. Truth told, I've had little practice in poetry, origami, or hanakatoba, but I tried to put some thought into it."

There was another moments awkwardness before she gave a bow. "Mirai... f-for a formal introduction, Utaku-sama."

A stiffness fades from her own neck as things drift back to something like normal and she returns the bow. "Utaku Nesrin, also formally, at least for the next day." A wry smile lifts her lips. "It wasn't that subtle, no...but I also checked everyone's calligraphy at the competition a few days back to be sure. There's been some odd stuff around, so you never know what tricks might be happening." With a small shrug, she notes, "I guess 'cub' might have made it more likely I'd guess it was from a Lion."

"But they all were really quite nice. I'd love to learn that Ki-rin origami, if you'd be willing to teach sometime, in fact." Her tone is sincere, her hands moving as she speaks in a gesture that vaguely mimes the folding of paper. "If those are representative of your skill without much training, I guess I can see why you were invited.. or sponsored? to the tournament." She's not entirely sure how the bureaucracy of the Tournament operates.

Mirai nodded softly. "I was sponsored with an invitation, so I suppose it's a bit of both. As my tanka eluded to, I don't believe myself so fascinatingly skilled to be of much note, but I've at least performed well enough to pass the gempukku."

"Skilled enough." She'll leave real bragging to the Lion...or Ichiro, the Moto one. "I sort of think that if battles and duels are won, and the warriors are celebrated, with strikes that are good enough, whether or not they are also brilliant or of great note, we can do the same for art and artists."

"A Crane invitation then?" Her curiosity is piqued. "And I guess I've been wondering why me? Utaku Himeko shines at least as bright, I only ride at her tail when the race is on."

Mirai nodded at the question, but she'd talked about all that what felt like millions of times already. Besides, she had her own curiosity. "Ano... you are trained as a Shiotome, hai? There are no battle maiden that don't deserve the accolades they receive."

True admiration crept into her voice at the topic. "And besides, you've shown yourself quite well Utaku-sama, you honor your family just fine!"

"Well I'm not going to say the Shiotome aren't amazing, obviously. I'm very lucky that my temperament matches family and school so well, and pleased to have done well enough to join the ceremony here." She touches a braid that runs behind her ear, "But Himeko-san's still the better of us two. No shame in admitting it. You should have seen her shoot at the Naadam! Her arrows could have hunted the clouds to carry back for rain."

"But that was a long ride off, neh?" Her voice has an apologetic edge. Too much rambling on. "And now we're near the end of our time here. Have you given thought to the name you'll take tomorrow? Since you've done so well here?"

The ronin looked a touch perturbed a moment, then shook her head. "It's... not really something most wolves think about, no. I suppose in a way, the idea of suddenly being an adult doesn't fit when I've had to do everything myself for years.."

She paused, deeply thoughtful. "... Besides, my name is the last thing I have from my parents... my mother. A part of me wonders if I could truly give that up."

Nesrin's lips thin, perturbed with herself for stepping on a rough subject. "Apologies, I didn't mean to bring up memories. It's not easy thing to live clanless, I imagine."

"There is plenty of precedent for keeping a name straight through, in any case. My own mother did. I've been considering honoring her, and the thought she already gave to my naming, by keeping it."

"There's nothing to apologise for Utaku-sama," she said, shaking her head. "I have tougher skin than that, and I won't ignore the only life I've ever known.".

Once again, she shifted topics with a smile. "Your name's real pretty Utaku-sama, so I think keeping it in honor of tradition would be wonderful."

"Thank you. I don't think anyone's ever complemented the name before." She pauses a moment and grins. "but then a complement among my sisters in training is often something like, 'nice shot, if that were dinner we'd almost avoid starving!' so I guess that's not surprising. Mirai is lovely too, by the way." She does consider that there's a bit of a glaring hole in her training regarding accepting compliments without feeling awkward and bemused.

"Honestly, most outside of Unicorn lands seem a bit annoyed trying to pronounce it." She cocks her head, questioningly, "Ah...if this question is prying too much, no need to answer, but were you raised in Unicorn lands then? Though I guess out on the Mantis's islands one runs across less familiar names and such too."

Mirai shook her head slowly. "I've only been north of the Spine once in my life, and that was to receive my invitation here. Most of my life's been spent wandering between the lands of the Scorpion and Crane, and occasionally the Crab."

"Still, I've tried to study a lot, and the lore of the Ki-Rin is rare but not difficult to find. I've never found a book in another language, but I've tried practicing getting all the names right, no matter where they're from." She rubbed the back of her neck out of habit and looked down and to the side. "...Not that I'm certain I could say it out loud correctly. N-not that I'd use other than your honored family besides."

"I guess if you were being really formal, or doing an introduction..." Nesrin tackles the technical element of the admission. "It's pretty rare and admirable to find someone outside of our folk or the Mantis who make much effort with the outlander names. I admit, I still have trouble when I run into one from the Ivory Kingdoms. Iuchi-san has been teaching me Tegensai, and there are a few sounds in there that...well I think I sound a bit like a pony trying to whinny in Rokugani as I attempt them. Getting better though."

"It sounds like you've gotten to see more of the Empire than I have so far." Her own admiration kicks in, born of Unicorn wanderlust.

"There's a bit of choice to it, but some of the wandering is out of necessity," Mirai commented, though catching the tone, she gave a faint smile. "Still, I've heard that the Unicorn lands are the most beautiful in Rokugan. Certainly a lot of my travels in Crane lands have been lovely, but in a more controlled way."

The Battle Maiden grins at that. "Seeing this place, I have to agree. The Crane are masters of the arts, but nature creates truly sacred beauty. I feel like those striving for elegant gardens are maybe reaching for some of that, and they can't help but fall short. I think I'd find that frustrating." With a shake of her head, she adds, "better the more realistic goals of battle for me, I think."

"I've heard that the Phoenix have lands full of that natural beauty as well, but I don't know as I'll ever see for myself."

"I suppose I would have to see a truly beautiful landscape to say, though neither the Daidoji nor the Asahina had any grand public garden's." Again, a shift toward more of Nesrin's other comment. "A goal of battle... I suppose the Shiotome are also named battle maidens. Does that mean you hope to join the ranks of the Unicorn armies when this is done?"