The New Winds

Nobuko prepared herself for the visit to the governor's estate. She had requested Erina's services with her hair the day before and the girl had done an admirable job of maintaining the braids and buns needed to keep her hair under control during the matches. The girl was also quite nice and energetic. And eagerly chatted once coaxed into doing so while the two were alone. Which was a nice change of pace from the group of servants who used to come and help Nobuko prepare for the day while she was still an active student. They had so many they had to see that it was all done as quickly as possible. No room for anything even remotely engaging. Something she had more desire to have at hand in the last year than she had before...

She didn't think too much on it, only that she wished to request the girl be allowed to continue her service to her once the tournament was over.

As such, she dressed in her best clothing and had made sure she was as presentable as possible before announcing herself at the gates of the Estate with a request to discuss the matter of one of the heimin in service to the Crane, being sure to make it clear that this was not a dire matter of some insult having been given, but rather one of having been impressed. She also was sure to arrive after sunrise and the general time when most samurai took their morning meal so as not to interrupt that.

Nobuko was lead into the court at the estate to wait for Toshikomo. It did not take long before he arrived, dressed in his best robes to receive a guest.

"Good morning, Otomo-san. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Nobuko bowed to Toshimoko the correct amount for a man of his station and began speaking rather formally as required for such a matter as this, "Good morning, Kakita-sama. This one wished to request a favor of yourself as the leader of Tsuma. This one has taken notice of a servant of the Crane and wishes to have her be released from her service to the Clan and into this one's personal service."



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OOC
D3; EM; Etiquette (bureaucracy)/Aware: 10d10o10k5 38 - basic check to remember formalities required for requesting the transfer of a minor heimin into personal service. To be used for the whole of the thread unless told otherwise.

"Oh, and which servant is this Otomo-san? It is not often a lord lets go of their people. I need to know who they are and why I should give them to you. If they are so beneficial, would they not be best to stay in my service?"

"The girl is a weaver's apprentice whose masters in the art - her parents - have passed on from this world. She, of course, continues to provide what benefits she can, which are entirely adequate to her place. However, without a master of the craft to agree to continue her training, she will not go further."

Basic outline of what service the heimin currently provides? Check.

"With herself having been unfettered from a master in the arts by circumstances, she has passed into this one's notice by the talent she has shown in braiding and the politeness she has shown in her approach to those above her station. This one will soon give her adult name and will have need of a personal servant who can be taught to dress her hair and act appropriately with little effort. As a servant of the Crane, this girl is, of course, nearly perfect for such a role."

She paused, then tilted her head and added with a soft smile, "And if this one may be open about it, this one would prefer a servant trained by the Crane. This one has lived half her life in Tsuma, as a student of the Academy. This one's mother was Kakita, as was her grandmother, and her great grandmother, going back many generations. To have a servant who is a pleasant reminder of her heritage as she leaves her student life behind and enters the life of a proper adult, far from the city she holds as home in her heart... would be a blessing she would not forget."

Toshimoko considers the proposal for a few moments before speaking.

"You have certainly brought great pride to the Academy through your time here, and it would do well for us to recognize that. However, it could be seen as too great a favor, and implicate the Crane in trying to gain Imperial favors..."

((Please roll Courtier/Awareness to convince him!))

"This one understands the concern, Kakita-sama. But the service of a servant, who must undergo retraining, being given to a child in recognition of her accomplishments is nothing... in the face of the prestige and glory that student will bring to the school once she has become an adult. And as those seeds were sown years ago, when I first entered the school, none could find fault in reaping the harvest when it comes. Nor find their root in the indulgence of a child's whim."


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OOC
D3; EM; Courtier/Awa: 10d10o10k5 48

"Very well, Otomo-san. I release the girl to your care. Treat her well, I would not expect to hear anything less than her being envied as one of the most desired handmaidens in the Imperial Palace."

She bowed again, "Thank you, Kakita-sama. You are most generous in your governance of Tsuma and it's people."

Once dismissed, she would head immediately for the city's census and taxation office to have Erina's new position and transfer filed, complete with the travel papers to make it official that she could travel safely with Nobuko. But that was something Toshimoko didn't need to deal with. Tedious paperwork, that.