[ We find Our Heroes on the road again! They've been headed for Kenji's home to take care of some business, and Kenji has said that they are fairly close, now. So far, travel has been uneventful. ] [ Tia is currently chasing after some unusual butterflies - they are blue and white, and sometimes drop out of the air and writhe on the ground for no apparent reason. Other than that, not much is happening, just at the moment. ] [ And so it goes. Session Start! ] * Tia occasionally falls behind a bit, studying the butterflies intensely as they drop out of the air. I have been away from home entirely too long. Kenji, what's wrong with these butterflies? Are they sick? Not long enough if you can't stand spicy food. ~_^ Those are Crane butterflies, Tia. ...Crane butterflies? We call them that because they are prone to having seizures... much like the Crane. * HKenji points to one of the butterflies on the ground as it struggles slowly back into the air. * Tia blinks a few times. "Are they all like that?" Yes. Poor butterflies. Don't they get stepped on a lot? Yes. Rather like the Crane. * HKenji isn't concealing his amusement very well. * Patrick snickers. * Takara grins from her position near the front of the party, but she doesn't say anything. * Tia cocks her head to one side (and is probably accidentally squishing butterflies underfoot as she speaks). "Are the Crane very small?" In every way but height, Tia. Ouch, Kenji. But they still get stepped on? Not often enough for my taste. Are they bad people, Kenji? * Alcinoe has been wearing her brown and yellow kimono these days, with that lion mon still on it. She seems quite comfortable with the entire idea at this point. Not bad, Tia. Just... arrogant. Oh...I don't much like arrogant people either. You want me to step on them for you, Kenji? That won't be necessary, Tia. [ As you crest the next hill, you can see the top of a three- story structure with sloping tile roofs and whitewashed walls, surrounded by a steep wall-like edifice. ] Oh, okay. Lemme know if you change your mind! * Takara provides description for absent players! She a pretty woman in her late teens, with pale skin, delicate features, and just looks like she'll break easily. She wears a rich dark purple kimono embroidered with white birds, has dark eyes and black hair swept back, and has been very nice and polite to the lot of you the entire journey. * Tia suddenly wiggles her ears and jumps, pointing excitedly toward the horizon. "Hey, what's that? What's that?" THAT is Shiro Hosokawa. My home. You live there?? * Patrick whistles. "Nice pad." It looks very nice. My entire family does, Tia. Well, except for those who maintain the outlying lands, and those who are on assignment to the rest of the empire. Which, come to think of it, is most of us. * Istvan is less riding his horse than tagging along with a horse that happens to be going in the same direction as everyone else. Despite that, he and the horse appear to have reached a truce of sorts. His new shield is on his back, over his war pick holster. * Alcinoe snickers. "Ah didn't think it was big enough ta hold *all* 'a yer family." [ Istvan's horse is merely biding its time until he can launch Istvan again, naturally. ] * Musa provides some description too! He's a rather plain, but muscular man in his late teens too. He looks strong, but has a simple appearance, and has several animals along with him, including a bunny, cricket, and of course his horse. He's dressed simply in a purple and white kimono and has a practical armory of weapons with him, including a fuckin' huge sword (tm). We -are- a messenger family, after all. At any given time, nine out of ten are out on assignment, collecting entries from the Omoidasu and returning them to the Ikoma Libraries. The Omoidasu? Wow, you have a nice house, Kenji. How many brothers and sisters do you have? The Rememberers, Seylin. Keepers of the Imperial histories. And I have one elder brother, and one... no, two sisters. Wow, Kenji. I wish I had siblings too! Lucky you don't have two older siblings. * Alcinoe grins a little. What's wrong with older siblings, Pat? Siblings ain't always that great, Tia. They're not? * Alcinoe shakes her head. I would be more comfortable if I had another elder sibling. * Patrick grins at Tia. "You'd find out if you ever had them." * Tia nods. "I wish I did! I don't have any brothers or sisters." I'm sure Patrick would be happy to lend you some of his. * Seylin grins. * Patrick snickers. "Yes and no. The house just wouldn't be as crazy if we didn't have the other two." Ooh, can I, Patrick? Can I? [ Little does Tia realize that she has no brothers or sisters due to international arms treaties. ] (XD) * Takara continues to lead the group towards Shiro Hosokawa. Unicorns rule! * Istvan rid- well, is carried along by a horse that has, of its own volition, decided to go in the proper direction. (Go, horse!) [ Soon, you reach the outer gate; there appears to be only one, and it it led up to by a considerable incline. ] [ As they reach the gate, a man in a simple breastplate approaches Kenji, and begins to ask him something; at that moment, however, Istvan's horse wordlessly bucks with tremendous force, launching Istvan over the gatehouse entirely and into the courtyard, where he lands on some samurai who are practicing kata. ] ... ow. * Takara is instantly off her horse and walking over to the samurai, ready to defend the gaijin. * HKenji facepalms. Isty! * Patrick grins. "Smooth." Uh... this ain't gonna end well, is it? * Musa facepalms. [ There's a dead silence for a moment in the courtyard while the young samurai around Istvan try to figure out what the hell to do here. ] [ Meanwhile, the guard at the gate looks back, notices this, then turns to Kenji. "" ] What happened? * HKenji calls out to the practicing samurai, "Don't kill him. Otherwise, do as you will." * Istvan rolls off from on top of the samurai, pauses for a moment, then gets up to a sitting position and just stays there. * HKenji reaches into his sleeve and removes his personal seal. Oh dear. Isty, are you okay? * Istvan looks back. "Ask me that again once the samurai I just landed on get their wits about them." * WillS shakes his head and starts looking through his haversack for the happy wand. * Takara bows to the samurai who got... uh, squished. "He could not manage to keep control of his horse. It was not deliberate by any means, but rather a display of poor horsemanship." * Istvan bows his head in the direction of the samurai he squished. Oh, Istvan. You'd better show more respect. And don't kill anybody, or I'll have to execute you. * Istvan looks back at Kenji, grins, and gives a thumbs up. [ One of the samurai approaches the scene; he is older than the others, and has a few scars on his face. He eyes the thumbs-up gesture. "What does that mean, Unicorn?" ] * HKenji sounds serious about that execution bit. * Takara winces a little and says quietly to Istvan, "Flrouru." * Istvan gets up to one knee, and bows a bit deeper. "Takara, tell them I apologize for not being able to control my horse, and that the thumbs up is just a sign that I agree to what Kenji has told me to do." * Tia paws the ground nervously and clutches at her pigtails. * Istvan glances up to Takara, nods, and bows down so that his forehead touches the floor. * Takara looks at the samurai and says, calmly, "Those from the gaijin lands do not learn how to handle their animals as we do. As such, he has been having a great deal of trouble with one of our more skittish mounts - something I have no doubt any samurai would be able to handle." * HKenji takes care of recording the names of his companions for the castle register. This one apologizes greatly for his offense, and he would like you to know that he has agreed to Hosokawa Kenji's orders. * Alcinoe is registered! Though she seems to be paying attention to Takara and Istvan and the mess over there. * HKenji has to take several moments explaining why exactly there's a gaijin with the Hosokawa name. [ The assembled bushi seem confused about what to do, save the older one; he simply kicks Istvan across the face, once, turns, and begins barking orders at the other trainees. ] * Seylin winces. * Patrick shrugs. * Istvan scowls, but takes it, stands, turns, and walks back to the group, eyeing Kenji. "In someone's home, always show respect. S'a good lesson." *heads to his horse* * Takara did not look down to see the boot connect with Istvan's face, nor does she it inspect it as he rises and leaves. She simply turns and follows him out. * Istvan eyes his horse. "I thought we had an understanding?" * WillS winces also and puts away the wand he was holding. Istvan seems to be ok. Amazing considering he just got launched off a horse and kicked in the face. [ Istvan's horse whinnies in way that sounds suspiciously like laughter. ] * HKenji raises his voice a bit. "Everybody to me, we've an appointment." * Istvan tilts his head. "Credit for distance, but we're gonna hafta get over this if we're gonna work together." * Seylin walks over to Kenji. [ A few people in plain garb come over and take the horses off your hands as you enter the castle grounds. ] * Patrick nods and walks with Kenji. * Istvan walks over, rubbing his jaw. * Takara doesn't bother mounting, seeing to it that her horse is handled and walking to Kenji. She glances at Musa, making sure he's coming with, too. * Patrick nods and walks with Kenji. * Musa goes with Takara. Because he's a yojimbo and does that. * HKenji walks through the gates into the castle and heads straight back, for the main stairs. * Alcinoe climbs off her horse and walks after the others, stretching. The Best Sword Ever is still with her. Black and gold with brown and yellow - it works well. * Seylin follows, walking sedately and trying not to stare at the interesting new place she's found herself in. * WillS dismounts and follows, looking around at the surrounding in curiosity. * Patrick doesn't mind so much. New places are awesome. ^^ * HKenji walks through the amazingly utilitarian main hall and straight up the main stairs without hesitation. Lion castles are built for function, not style, and it shows. * HKenji slows down halfway up the stairs and says back unto the group, "I should warn you in advance, my mother is... extremely forceful." [ The inside, however, is very well kept. The floors are simple wood laid in narrow strips - your steps sound quite loud on it, which makes you think it might be hollow. The walls are primarily of wood- reinforced paper. The wood is simple, but both the walls and floor are well-kept and even polished. ] * Alcinoe nods. "She's gonna be angry." Kenji's mama'll be angry? Why? It's nothing I can't deal with. Well, I don't thik she expected Kenji to gain a new sister in his absence. ...Oh. Yeah, that's going to be a bit of a shocker. * HKenji keeps climbing steadily up to the next floor and heads across. * Alcinoe nods, staying one step behind Kenji. * Tia follows along, her claws clicking audibly against the wood floor. * Patrick stays fairly quiet on the wooden floors despite their construction. Crazy rangers. * Istvan hrms. "Paper walls?" Yes. Don't break them. * WillS thuds his way through the building. Normally he'd be clanking, but he doesn't have his 2" armor on today. I'm sure Takara will be happy to give you a basic etiquette lesson, Istvan. Wasn't planning to. Just curious. Why paper? Money, primarily. It also helps keep the entire castle at an even temperature. * Istvan nods. "Makes sense." [ Soon, Kenji leads you all to a sliding door with two guards standing outside. They seem fairly lacadaisical, compared to the other samurai met so far. ] * Tia waves to the guards. * HKenji bows slightly to the guards and says softly, "Mother and Father are in?" [ The guards don't seem to know how to respond to that. Or to Tia, in general. As most of the others in the area have done, they are clearly trying not to look at her. ] [ One of the guards nods to Kenji. "" ] * HKenji takes this opportunity to send a brief prayer for strength to Kisada, fortune of persistence. * Patrick takes the opportunity to grin at Seylin. [ The guard nods and slides open the door, kneeling at the threshold, bowing, and saying "" ] * Tia attempts waving and smiling at the guards again, since she received no response. * Istvan is strange! [ Damn right you are. ] * Alcinoe is definitely strange, but hey. * Tia is...self-explanatory. * Seylin is strange as well, but she doesn't think it's in a bad way. It's uncertain how Kenji's family will react. * HKenji walks straight in after he's announced. * WillS can't understand what's been said. * Tia follows along, as before. [ Now that the door is open, you can see the occupants of the room beyond. There are two people there, a man and a woman; the man is barely five feet tall, and looks frail and mousey. He is well dressed and has his hair pulled back in a topknot. The woman is perhaps five foot four and radiates an air of power and anger; she is lovely, and wears her kimono and hair in a more haphazard fashion. ] Wow, Kenji! Is that your mom and dad? * HKenji stops and bows deeply, nearly touching his forehead to the floor, but not quite. "Mother, Father." [ The two glance at Tia; the man quirks a smile, while the woman's eyebrows inch towards each other. Then they both look at Alcinoe; the man sees her colors and quickly averts his eyes, while the woman seems to have no reaction other than an artery on her forehead bulge and quiver. ] [ "", says the woman, "" ] * Tia waves and smiles in her usual manner. "Hi!" * HKenji gestures to his guests, each in turn. * Istvan eyes Kenji, shrugs, and does the forehead-to-the-floor bow. Should I do that too, Kenji? Should I? * Alcinoe steps forward, standing beside Kenji. She looks up at the man and woman appraising them, and she doesn't flinch. * Istvan is still bowing, forehead-to-floor. Just in case. * Istvan is, to reiterate, bowing! Really, really bowing. * Alcinoe steps up to stand next to Kenji. She looks up at the man and woman appraising them, and she doesn't flinch. * HKenji gestures to Alcinoe. * Patrick does the bowing thing. 'cuz all the cool people are doin' it, yo. * Alcinoe bows right about now, touching her forehead almost to the floor. * Seylin bows deeply and respectfully and waits for the fireworks to start. [ There is an interminable silence. And then, suddenly and without warning, Kenji is slamming into the back wall of the hallway and his mother is standing near the others, her fist approximately where Kenji was moments before. ] * HKenji falls to the floor and coughs vigorously, trying to catch his breath. [ Kenji's father remains seated, and placidly sips at his tea. ] * Alcinoe has straightened in the silence, and at that, she turns to see Kenji, her eyes wide. * Istvan looks up, grins a bit, and grabs one of Tia's legs lightly. * Seylin blinks several times. * Alcinoe moves her gaze slowly to the woman who just *did* that. * HKenji pushes himself slowly to his feet. * HKenji rubs his jaw. <...either I'm stronger than I used to be, or you're getting soft in your old age, mother.> * WillS is in the middle of bowing when Kenji got knocked back. He looks shocked at what just happened. * Patrick smirks. [ More than seeing her, Alcinoe could swear that she feels intense heat coming from the woman. ] * Tia is frozen in shock. K-Kenji! * Alcinoe just sizes her up. This could end in a fight. [ Kenji's mother approaches him. "" ] * Istvan tightens his hold on Tia's leg, for what little it's worth. *softly* "Family stuff, Tia. Let them do this." * HKenji throws a punch right as his mum's jaw. * Tia gasps loudly and almost moves to help Kenji, but she stops in her tracks when she feels Istvan's hand and whines. * Seylin stands frozen, her eyes wide. [ Kenji's mother catches her son's fist and squeezes; there is a crackling sound. She then reiterates her earlier argument by pummeling Kenji about the face and midsection. ] * HKenji slams his forehead twice right into his mum's nose. [ There's a pop from his mother's nose as his forehead slams into it; at this point, she actually becomes angry. You know this because her reddened hair bristles and she bellows in anger; what she says isn't entirely coherent, but seems to pertain to family values. ] * Tia quivers in place, her hands balled into white-knuckled fists. * Alcinoe looks very nearly horrifed, and her fists clench as she watches. She does *not* interfere, but she's tensing to the point where she just might. * Istvan seems really broken up about this. Really. He is. No, seriously. * Patrick breathes deeply for a moment, then makes sure he's mantaining his smile. Which, after years of practice, he is. ^^ * WillS is frozen in shock. Totally. [ The fisticuffs between Kenji and his mother continue briefly, but end when the Lady Hosokawa drives Kenji into the wall with enough force to shatter the whitewashed wood; after that, he crumples to the floor. Mother turns to Father and says, "" Father nods mutely, and Mother walks down the hall and down the stairs without another glance at any of you. ] (dude) [ Throughout all this, the guards have not moved, nor said a word. ] * Istvan is really shocked and horrified. Why, look at that horrified smirk on his face! * Alcinoe waits for her to go, then she takes the moment to glare at Kenji's father. This is followed by an equally vicious glare to the guards and then Istvan (yeah, like she missed *that* smirk), and she walks over to the hole in the wall. * Istvan lets go of Tia's leg, and then stands up. "Will, fix him up?" * Seylin follows Alcinoe. * Tia glances around nervously and whimpers, chewing on her lip, but she doesn't move. * HKenji is already visibly healing from the beating. It'll be a few minutes before he's conscious again, probably, but he's not dead, or even close. [ Lord Hosokawa sits there, and you can almost see him counting mentally. He has a sip of tea. " [ Lord Hosokawa quirks a smirk at Istvan's statement, but says nothing on it. ] * Tia glomps onto Istvan as soon as he is within arm's reach and whimpers some more. * Patrick whispers to Seylin. * Seylin just nods semi-blankly. * Istvan is crushed a bit, but let's Tia vent a bit on his poor, poor ribs. "He'll be okay in a few minutes, Tia. It's no big deal... think of it like a really intense sparring fight. Which Kenji lost. Badly." [ "" he says, actually managing to pronounce it right on the first try, "" He studies her a bit more. "" ] [ "" ] * Alcinoe nods once, curtly. She looks anything but pleased to make either of their acquaintances. "" Brief pause. "" [ Kenji's father smiles and nods to Alci. ] [ And then the session ended! ] [ Session End. ]