[Graded]What it Means to be a Warrior

[Nick]

In the southern part of Gold Country, in what used to be known as the Land of Plains and Sea, the Shogun travelled alone. These days he tended to have a cadre of people with him, from his courteous and knowledgeable aide to his younger hanger-on, but this was a mission for the Shogun alone.

Gold Country had been run by Aimi, but his death at the hands of Kasai had not yet spread, in fact, the only reason that Fuhen learned of it was because the man who killed him came to gloat about it in his face. This left Gold without a leader, in a position that was quite dangerous in the roiling political climate of new villages being founded, Iwa's expansionism, and the possible worldwide backlash of Kiri's leader being killed by the sovereign leader of a rival nation.

More than that, when Fuhen killed Kasai, he felt Aimi. The same presence he felt when he looked in the man's eyes, except now it was in him, in the back of his mind, his warrior spirit that had led to the two being such close friends was now a part of him. He felt some of Aimi's strength surge through him whenever he lifted his swords now, and while this didn't entitle the Shogun to rule Gold, he saw it as a point of pride to take care of the thing that Aimi had spent his life building.

Fuhen had never been in Gold Country as it was today, even if he had visited all the components of it that used to be seperate. Now in what used to be the Land of Plains and Sea, he headed first to the capital.

The people of these countries, and Aimi himself, had long since developed a culture of strength and loyalty, and Fuhen doubted the people would simply bow down to his presence and accept their movement into the Heart Empire so easily.

[Kanade]

The ruined capitol of Ōnamazu welcomed Fuhen, being the capitol after the great war razed the city and citizenry of Okhazaki. The peoples had mingled together in Ōnamazu and had found a tenuous peace amongst themselves. The city, being an oasis and part of the desert reclamation project that Aimi had started was brimming with people, and there were plentiful fruits, wares, and vegetables being sold through the marketplace. The entourage that had arrived to greet Fuhen made up for his lack of an escort, as the word of him coming had made it to all of the heads of gold country.

A representative with gold threaded trim on a white cotton robe came before Fuhen and bowed a sincere and low deferential bow, "I apologize for the lack of an escort through our country oh great Shogun Fuhen, I hope that you might overlook the lack of an escort and may make yourself welcome in the guest room at the palace which we are rebuilding." He kept his head lowered and waited for Fuhen to answer in any sort of way. It was custom in their culture to wait for the guest to announce why they were there before being escorted into the village, for they were a rather scarred country and a scarred people from the great war, and they knew that they were vulnerable to attack since Aimi had left the country.

"I am afraid that you find us rather unaccommodating in the fact that our lord Aimi is now away on errand. We have assembled a gathering of the joint heads of the country in anticipation for your arrival which will be able to speak with one voice on matters while the lord is away. We have appointed a reagent in his absence, but you may stay as long as it takes our lord to arrive back from his duties abroad." All of this was said towards Fuhen's feet, as was the gaze from the bowed man directed at the man's feet. The entourage did not bow yet, but shifted uneasily from side to side, eyeing up Fuhen. The looks on their faces plainly read that they had not expected the shogun of a neighboring territory to come to the capitol in their lords' absence.

The man continued on with listing the names of the dignitaries which were awaiting his arrival:

High Ezhuahuacatl: Daihani Faltuani of the South country, Hirachi to Umi no Kuni. The current land that they were in.

Abe Chief Warrior: Shindune Avaraldi belonging to the land of Nibun of the Steppe country

Kujo High seat: Miyashiro Fumiko belonging to the land of Nibun of the Steppe country

Ito Chief Pathfinder: Hirayama Tomoko belonging to the land of Nibun of the Steppe country

Northern Beast country Chief: Nagamine Sho

Southern Beast country Chief: Kuba Tatsuya

Ohkazaki emperor regeant: Tamura Fumio

Ōnamazu high counsel: Date Susumu



Along with their attendants and entourages.

[Nick]

The Shogun made a face. He should have brought his aide after all, he thought, as navigating the political climate of a country that was so freshly formed was fearfully folly in the face of his samurai fellows. All the same, he was the shogun, and his aide had been teaching him how to handle himself, and yet he stopped and did something that no leader of a country was likely to do in the face of an envoy... And he bowed deeply. "I did not give a customary amount of time to show for my visit, but the news I found the news I bear on my shoulders to be both in need of expediency and, err..." He'd done so well, not even a hint of his accent showing through his voice as he remained bowed, only straightening back up as he stumbled on the right words. "Well, s'best said in person, ya ken?" Ah, there he was.

"Ah'm glad ye've assembled those that matter." He said with a nod, stepping forwards and casually clapping a hand on the man's shoulder, far too familiar with him. "I'll be needin' tae speak with 'em soon as ye can get them in the same room, and the eh... reagent, too, most likely." He smiled at the man in a sad way, and he seemed to find his verbal footing once more, that accent disappearing for a moment as he spoke plainly. "I'll appreciate your service and assistance."

He nodded to himself, thinking he'd done a good job, and then... "Och, I'll hope ye'll forgive me, I dinnae ken if the customs in Gold are much different."

[Kanade]

The representative just nodded along with what the shogun was saying, and bowed once more when he had made reference to the representative's service and assistance.

"If you'll please follow me then, I will tell everyone that you are arrived in the city and that you will be expecting an audience post-haste." He clapped his hands three times and the people that were part of the escort surrounded him on either side and turned their gazes away from him. "We'll escort you to the palace if you'll come with us." With that the entourage would move methodically and slowly, rather like a parade through the streets. There were new buildings being erected everywhere as people had started to make room for more people that were pouring into the now bustling capitol, or at least it was bustling to these people.

Snaking their way through streets that didn't make much sense but followed the sway and sighs of the land they approached the centre building in the city, the palace. Trying to restore their former glory, their palace was more than half built, with a working side to it facing south, and the side which was still under construction to the north with bamboo shoots and supports to help heave up the gold, stone, and other necessary materials for the workers who were working at a rather relaxed pace.

They passed by a tent with some people in it, a rather fat man that had his feet propped up on a desk that looked rather out of place who was rolling his rather large head back and forth on the neck that he lacked to the monotoned updates on the progress. He was apparently the engineer and architect behind the palace and was receiving regular reports from the head builders on the overall state of the building.

As the entourage entered the palace the guide spoke in a hushed tone to one of the guards and as the entourage entered the palace the guards who were both dressed in ceremonial armor and carrying spears crossed them, effectively barring access to the palace from outsiders.

The din of hammers and planes was soft in this part of the palace and the stonework afforded shade and a pleasant cool atmosphere, where the jade and emerald inlay on the stones cast everything in a brilliant verdant light.

Soon they came to a guest room and the escort halted, having the representative hold up a hand and then beckoned the shogun into the room, "We hope that you'll find your accommodations up to standard and-" He snapped and a small girl came running up to him, panting and breathing rather raggedly, she must have been nearby but the trepedation in her gaze as she looked him over with awe and then the shame and deference setting in as she cast her eyes downwards denoted her inexperience with the world politic, "This girl is assigned to be your servant for the duration of your stay. She will be at your beck and call for the entirety of your stay and will fetch you whatever is in Gold Country's power to obtain." He gave a sideways glance to her which was part disdain and part warning.

"Should you find anything unsatisfactory she will report it to me and it shall be corrected post-haste." He continued scooting her out of the way with his foot like one does to a dog as she tried a clumsy curtsey, "She shall also alert you when an hour and a half has passed so that she may guide you to the war-room, where you can hold your meeting with the joint heads of Gold country for your announcement." He seemed to wait to be dismissed to carry on with the rest of the preparations for assembling the joint heads of the country.

[Nick]

Fuhen followed the man and the entourage through the city, a little uncomfortable being surrounded by the guards like this. He had a single bodyguard who was not always with him, as today was evident, and even then he often felt silly being escorted by the man. But such was the expectation to treat a leader of a foreign country, and the expectation was that he would accept it with style and grace, he thought.

He waved and smiled at the people working in the streets all the same, many of whom stopped and stared, and others who hurried along to get out of their way, but he couldn't help but be friendly. These were to be his people before too long, people deserving of his care and respect, if not for his own purposes, then at least to honor what Aimi had built. They would have their own unique needs and desires that he would have to find someone to represent for, while making sure they respected the ideals of the Heart Empire.

Something was starting to feel wrong, though.

Especially at the introduction of this little girl to serve him, and more importantly the way he introduced her, and looked upon her. He nodded his understanding to the man, and when he didn't leave, Fuhen stared at him deeply, and quirked a brow, waiting an uncomfortably long time before speaking. "Aye, out an' away with ye." And when he was gone, leaving him alone in his quarters with the serving girl, he looked down at her, and then returned her previous curtsy with a bow of his own, before settling down on his haunches to get closer to eye level with her, especially necessary given his height.

"Nice'n tae meetcha!" An overwide grin on his face as he spoke to the girl, quite pleased to hang around with children, reminded of all his little brothers and sisters, and it showed in his demeanor as he stuck out his hand to shake. "Feel free tae call me Fuhen while we're behind closed doors, aye? Never was much one for titles an' all."

He brought his hand up to his chin and stroked at it thoughtfully for a moment. "Hour an' a 'alf, aye... D'ye know much about yer employers? Ah'm afraid Aimi never had time to brief me about what I'd be walking in to. Didja ever meet Aimi? Bright man, that."

[Kanade]

The man nodded, seeming rather pleased to have someone to order him about and was quite taken with Fuhen the warrior. Fuhen could see a cold satisfaction play at the back of his gaze as he looked between the two of them once more and then moved rather smoothly out of view around a corner, probably to gather the rest of the guests.

She looked up at him and hastily bowed again and looked at the floor, then looked at his hand that was proffered for a shake. She rummaged around in the front of her dress, which was for all intents and purposes, a working dress which had multitudinous pockets which were stuffed with various rags, cleaning supplies, glasses, and other oddments.

She took Fuhen’s hand in her own, dipping her head below his once more, she couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8. “Ah’m Tillie Milaird.” She said with a rather thick accent. It was hard to pin down where her syllables were coming from, but the almond colour of her skin and her golden eyes looked at his hand as she rubbed the dirt and grime away from it rather like she was polishing his hand and then glanced once more up into his eyes, and took another look at his hands, “Yer hands ahre heeyuuge!” She squeaked rather loudly and then looked around, wincing rather like someone was going to come around the corner and beat her. She released his hand and as he brought it up to his chin.

She curtseyed and nodded, her eyes falling to his feet once more, “Ah know about them quite well’n if ya catch mah meanin’ sir.” Then she shook her head sadly, “Ah nevea got tae meet him teh be tellin’ you the truth, he were a better sortah man, all kind’n all, the girls weren’t afraid o’ him n’all.”

“I ain’t never heard o’ him bein’ bright, but I suppaese that’ll be becuz he were a sent from the sun n’ all.” She said, rather matter of factly. She nodded three times and took the larger man into the room and closed the door behind him before standing in the middle of the room, her hands twined about eachother before she hopped up onto the bed and looked around, her eyes full of wonder, mystique, and she grinned despite herself, “Ah ain’t never been a consort a’fore, I hur that you get all saerts ah jewels n’ stuff fraem noblepeople if you werk fer them.” She nodded three times and beamed at him, “Raendar, tha noble thaet intraducen me en the hallwhey’ll be wanten’ me tae scrub yer floors n’ staef, but ye seem laek a good sortae fellow.”

She crossed her hands in her lap and looked around, “It’s spo’less, so what’ll ye hae me do first?”

[Nick]

"Sent from the sun, eh?" The Frog beamed and did his best to not burst out in laughter. What had Aimi been getting up to? Fuhen realized, that despite Aimi being one of his oldest friends, they didn't ever talk shop, and in fact, he only ever found out that Aimi was a missing ninja from Kirigakure from a third party. He had decided long ago that the man's mysteries were his own, though -- He had peered deep into the man's soul and saw good, but then again, perhaps his road to hell was paved with good intentions.

With a snap of his fingers, the emperor's crown appeared on his head and he looked over at the girl, seeing if he could use it to confirm a few of his suspicions about the noble that had dropped her off at his doorstep. "Och, scrubbin' floors and whatnae can be important! But..." He looked around at the very clean room, and then stomped a few times with both feet, before looking at the bottom of his sandals. "I didnae come covered in mud, so I dinnae think ah could manage tae dirty it so much just by meself!" He did laugh this time, throwing his head back and laughing loudly. He didn't get to have much fun like this these days, his responsibilities as Shogun took a lot out of him. He missed this.

As he calmed himself, he found a chair and pulled it up to sit opposite the bed so they were face to face, his long legs splayed out and tucked under the bed a bit. "Hmm, 'fraid a'hm nae much one for jewels and the like, 'cept this 'ere gaudy piece..." He tapped his temple several times to indicate the crown, and with each tap, one of his weapons would appear, floating above his head as if by magic, only to be replaced by another, each shiny in their own right, but no gems by any means. "Ye seem like a brave and bright girl yerself, though! Tell ye what..." His smile turned to one almost wolfish, as if he was on the hunt for something. "Why don't ye tell me... a story."

He paused for a moment, and leaned forwards in his chair. "Tell me about the scariest thing ye've come across, and how you, a brave lil' samurai girl handled it, aye? Tell me the story, and I'll grant... One wish, aye?" He gave her a wink. "I may not come from the sun like good 'ol Aimi, but ah've got a wee bit o' magic in these old bones."

[Kanade]

She nodded to the question about being from the sun, it was a well known fact she knew. Looking at the crown that appeared on his head she gasped and her eyes went wide. She seemed to be captivated by the bauble, even if it did look a bit garish, her girlish and childish joy and wonder leaked through her rather work-worn appearance. “Mmmm, I bae suppozen yer right.” She placed her hands tentatively and protectively at the front of her dress and looked everywhere but his eyes. Deciding that he was rather too high-born for her to look at

She heard the laugh and flinched, expecting something expecting something monstrous. One face flashed in her mind, Raendar, a ghoulish grin on his face as he held a whip and her body was sore, burned from the taste of the lashes. It wasn’t enough for her to bleed, she was too valuable, but it was enough for her to scream, and cry, and no one, not even the nice ladies that came to tend to her afterward cared, or at least they didn’t pretend to care as she felt the stings of imaginary lashes.

She cleared her throat and looked at his sandals, looked at his hands on his knees and then looked at the weapons appearing and then reappearing, and then reappearing as different weapons, it was a sort of magic trick, “Yer one o’ dem magical men?” She tipped her head to the side before she remembered herself. She had no idea why she was here. Surely it was for something. She remembered the screams of the other servants when they had been summoned to the clean bedchambers of Raendar. They didn’t sound pleasant at all and she fought hard to resist the urge to put her hands over her ears, instead clenching her dress tighter.

“I uh-” She blanched and was hesitant until he mentioned the wish. With the appearance of the crown and the weapons, perhaps he could grant the wish, “I was called and told tae scrub thae floors for a ladie, and I faend blood all o’er. Raendar were in that room tae. Both o’ em were naet proper if’n ya get mah meanin?” She clearly saw that Raendar and this lady were in robes, barely covering their nudity, but not exposing themselves by a longshot. “Ah faend anaether servant’s hand and paet it in a bucket.” She nodded, “And ah were given a gold Taevan tae keep mah mooth shut an’ mah haed down.” That wasn’t all, her mind raced. She saw entrails, the lower torso of a woman torn to bits, saw the gore dripping down Raendar’s hand as he gave her the gem with a cold look. Pressed the hand to his lips with a too-sweet smile.

“Ah’ve kept mah head daen ever sense.” She shuddered, the only way that she was able to get out of it was to pretend it didn't happen. She bought herself a new dress with that gem, but it was stolen by one of the older girls who 'needed it for a client' and thought it was too pretty for a young girl like her to wear. She found it incredibly unfair and she sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes from remembering how the dress didn't even fit that well on the girl, and how she had found it, torn and ruined in the trash not a week later. She had kept some of the lace from the dress, it still was in her pocket of her dress she wore now.

“Mah wish is tae be free ah mah servashun.” Her mind raced. To be free of Raendar, to be free of her servitude. To be free of the beatings and the hosings down when she was dirty. She looked up at him, “Tae be a roight proper laedee an’ be master ahv mah own makin’ like them samurai ladies outta the gate there.” She pointed in the general vicinity of the entrance to the palace.

[Nick]

Fuhen's blood boiled, almost literally. His skin got noticeably red as the girl spoke, and a bit of steam released itself off of his body, his body temperature so hot that even the moisture in the air around him started to evaporate. His fingers twitched and his knuckles popped as he formed his hands into fists, but... He held a smile on his face all the same. "Och, Tillie, ah'm here as a favor to Aimi, one o' my best friends, ya ken?" His smile didn't falter even as his skin threatened to melt from the heat burning inside of him. "I dinnae think he'd much approve o'er how ye and yer servitude."

He took a big breath in through his nose, and didn't seem to exhale. "We met o'er a righteous cause, freein' slaves on a ship bound for Water Country..." He managed a friendly laugh, looking every bit the part of the benevolent brother who maybe ordered his food a little too spicy. "So, for Aimi's honor, I willnae just grant yer wish, but ah'll make sure the same goes for all the servin' folk here, aye?" He gave her a wink, and his eyes turned up to the crown. He wanted to take it off, but he felt like he owed it to share in some of this suffering. "I dinnae suppose ye've got parents tae return to, aye? Any of ye that dinnae have somewhere else tae be, ah'll make sure ye've got a proper home at Doushikai academy, if'n ye so wish."

The Shogun stood up from his seated position, and as if blown over by a cool breeze, his skin slowly returned to normal, and his hands unclenched from fists. "Why don't ye go on an' grab all yer fellow servants who'll wannae come along, and tell them to stay away from the war room, aye? And if'n any o' the bosses gives you trouble over it, tell 'em the Shogun requested it, aye?" The frog reached out a hand and patted her on the head. "Aye, and afore ye go, mind pointin' me to that there war room? Thanks kindly, Little Samurai Tillie."

[Kanade]

The small girl nodded and bowed her small head at his request, after leading him to the room’s expansive, jade-encrusted double doors, she couldn’t help herself but skip off towards the servant’s quarters. She almost rounded the corner and beamed at him, waving her little hand in the air fervently before bounding off around the corner. The “little Samurai Tillie” had really lifted her spirits.

Upon entering the room the shogun would be surrounded by the people that led that part of the country. At the head of the table sat the reigning emperor-reagant of Ohkazaki: Tamura Fumio. A fiery lass with bright red hair and a golden complexion, she had tiger-green slitted eyes and sat with her calloused bare feet on the table, waving away a servant in irritation. Her thoughts were on the others, and how she had to corral them every time that something big was going down. She had served under Aimi in the past, but only as a second colonel. Found in the predicament of having the gold empire backing her regeancy, she looked the most out of place of the lot of them. She had a military skirt on which had ridden up to dangerous heights, but she didn’t pay any mind to them, as she slouched in the armed chair at the head of the table. Her dark thoughts were on how bureaucratic all of this was, an how unnecessary. She had been cranky having to call this session into being and hoped that Aimi might be coming back to alleviate the stress of being the reagent again. She readjusted her skirt a bit as the shogun strolled into the room and gave him a rather unimpressed look, raising one eyebrow at the crown before hammering a fist onto the table in a well-worn place. Apparently she had trouble retaining order in the war room.

Her counterpart, dressed in fine sky-blue robes and sporting a colourful plumage of birds of paradise atop each shoulder was the Ōnamazu high counsel: Date Susumu. He seemed to be nodding along with the Kujo High seat to his left and had a foxish grin on his face. His gaze lingered too long on the servants and his lasciviousness was painted on his face each time that he had a servant pass by. He grabbed one by the waist of her skirt and pulled her in with a lazy finger. Whispering something in her ear she immediately reddened, dipped her head and served him some more wine in his already half-full cup. He smiled an ingratiatingly false smile and his thoughts were on just how long this meeting was going to take before he was able to select from the servants that had been promised to him by Raendar for his ‘other pleasures’. He had a couple of quick flashes about perhaps using a whip or maybe a pair of spurs for the next bit of pleasure and licked his lips as he brought the wine to his mouth and drained it half-empty with one slovenly gulp. His robes barely covered his well-worn body, and he obviously used to be a fighter, but that was in another lifetime, as he had grown soft and plump, as was belied by his thick neck and bubbled words to the Kujo High seat.

The Kujo high seat: Miyashiro Fumiko of the Nibun steppe country was a small man, about age 16 with dark chocolate skin and red eyes who seemed to be out of his depth and didn’t quite enjoy the time sitting next to the second most powerful person in the room. The table’s length didn’t seem to be enough room, but he cordially answered each question as he sat there, rigid as a board and thought about how his father would have been a better seat if he hadn’t been poisoned by the servants. He declined every serving and drank from a goat’s horn, capped with a cork every couple of seconds. The contents seemed to be non-alcoholic, but his eyes belied that he felt like he was in over his head.

To his left was the High Ezhuahuacatl: Daihani Faltuani of the south country in Hirachi to umi no kuni, who was dressed in a white leopards’ hide and drummed the table with her strong fingers, her other hand clenched to a fist with her jaw resting on it rather unrestfully. She eyed the man to her left, the Ito Chief Pathfinder, with barely veiled hatred as he prattled on about making more maps of Gold country and taking a stroll through her jurisdiction. Her sole thoughts were how she would love to wring his scrawny little neck with her sun-reddened hands and see the life sink slowly out of them. She knew that he was only a figurehead though, and that the power didn’t rest with him so she bided her time, waiting for him to slip up and tell her who was really in charge. Her electric yellow eyes acknowledged the Shogun as he entered the room and she nodded a barely-perceptible nod of courtesy before continuing to listen to the man as his voice continued to rise above the banging at the head of the table.

The ito chief pathfinder was a rather large man and seemed to have a hard time sitting in his chair. His tinny voice rose highest among those gathered, and the timbre of his voice was like a squawking goose, always cracking and squeaking at the most inopportune times. He seemed to be rather invested in making maps, and shooed away the servants as they offered him more wine, btu always took second helpings on any sweet-cakes they had.

Across from him, leaving the seat open for the shogun at the ‘other’ head of the table, was Abe chief warrior, Shindune Avaraldi. She spoke in quiet tones with the two Beast country chiefs, who seemed to be body-doubles, except their skin colour, Nagamine Sho of Norhtern Beast country having light almost ashen grey skin, while Southern Beast country seemed to have a reddish gold colored skin. Their faces could have been an exact match though, as well as their dress and their demeanour. They nodded to the same things, and had the exact same dishes in front of them. Both had seemed to opt for a clear liquid, though it was hard to tell whether it was alcoholic or not.

Shindune was discussing, rather softly but keeping her thoughts elsewhere, the plans to make sure that the borders stayed shut to outsiders, and she was vetting that she wanted to make sure that no one else just wandered in and took over the place without a proper trial by combat. She wasn’t going to bow to some weakling. She also hadn’t noticed the Shogun walk in, with her back to him, he was only able to perceived the brunette braids that were the bulk of her hair, tied back in a knot.

The ‘twins’ Nagamine Sho of northern Beast country, and Kuba Tatsuya of Southern Beast country couldn’t keep their minds from wandering. Their eyes strayed to the same servants and their thoughts were drifting from what Shindune was saying, to what they were going to be able to experience tonight. Though Raendar enjoyed his fruit- less ripe- they enjoyed the bribes that he gave to them in slaves to the fullest, each having at least 40 children among the exotic new women that he had managed to capture and ‘tame’ to their service. He was invaluable to them, and once they were done with the women, they left it to their harem of specially chosen wives and wet-nurses to raise them and killed off the mothers, claiming that their wives were the most fertile women in the world. This is what their thoughts lingered on besides pretending to listen to the prattle of Shindune.

Finally, at the right hand of Tamura was Kinoko, Hachiraima, the representative of the Kinoko clan. It was hard to tell from the billowing robes that the person wore, the shoulder length hair, and the colourless eyes whether Hachiraima was either male or female but seemed to look at the shogun with deadened eyes. They nodded in respect to him and wove their hand up and then back down in a graceful motion as the pounding wasn’t seeming to make a difference.

The spores were visible, but seemed to quiet the room as they all blinked, a couple of the people sneezed and then everyone got up, except the Kinoko clan representative who stayed seated, bowed to the Shogun and said in unison, “Shogun-sama, we greet you,” before sitting back down and shaking their collective heads and murmuring around them before stopping talking altogether to stare collectively at the Shogun. The kinoko clan representative smiled a very tired and lazy smile, their face almost covered in lichen as they motioned for fuhen to take a seat at the ‘other’ head of the table with his back facing the door.

“Roigh’ this council will come tae order.” Tamura growled as the murmuring started to creep back up again, “An’ if I hae to tell ye again, Ye’ll be tossed out ahn yer ear.” The tiger-green eyes bored into each representative as she nodded once more, “Shogun Fuhen, pardaen the rudeness of the guests naet settlin’ down afore yer presence.” She took her feet off of the table and placed both elbows there instead, leaning heavily on them while lacing her fingers on front of her mouth and waited for him to proceed with the council.



Kinoko, Hachiraima clan head of the Kinoko clan.

[Nick]

Fuhen looked quite grim as he opened up the doors, but his expression brightened as the lights of the room hit his face and he glanced at everyone in the room, taking in their faces, peering into their very beings all with that damned smile on his face, bright and cheerful like someone who's girl just accepted a marriage proposal. For not the first time, he did something somewhat unbecoming of his station, and bowed to all present, deeply, as if he was at their service. But as he rose up, and even as he was called upon and introduced, he did not sit.

He took a moment to slowly look over each and every member seated before him, taking the time to make eye contact so they'd be sure to glance upon the crown and give him a moment to catch their thoughts. He leaned over the chair provided for him, hands on the back of the headrest as the smile slowly faded off his face. "It's good to meet all of you, but I'm afraid I come bearing rather grim news." He nodded, seemingly entrenched in his diplomatic training once more, that familiar accent all but gone from his voice. "Aimi, a dear friend o' mine, has perished in combat with the Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato." He let the first bomb drop. He still did not sit.

He did not give them much room to reach out or speak up either. "I only discovered this when the Mizukage paid a personal visit to Heart Country in what I can only assume was an attempt to assassinate me as well." Of course, Fuhen didn't know the whole story with Aimi, that he had gone back to Kirigakure because Kasai was publicly torturing his mother to lure him back. A very sad tale. A small smile appeared on Fuhen's face as he leaned back onto his feet, gesturing around him a moment. "It did not work, if'n ye were curious. Mizukage Kasai has perished at my hands, and Aimi's warrior spirit chose to reside within me in due order."

The smile faded, and he still did not sit. He held his hands out at his sides, and his right hand calmly started to encircle with his own pink chakra, flower petals, and beauty, while his left hand almost seemed to vibrate, and glow with something they'd all likely be familiar with, Aimi's golden chakra. He looked up at the people gathered once more, looking quite sad. "He'll be missed something fierce, never could ask for a better friend with a more righteous soul." He nodded. He waited for their reactions for a moment, not knowing any of their names unless the crown had aided him in that matter, but their actions and thoughts spoke more about them than their names ever would. Most of them would not remain in their seats for very long, he thought.

He still remained standing, and he once more made eye contact with as many of them as possible, he was trying to read the room and gauge their reactions and thoughts, not just with the crown, but with his eyes as well.

JutsuShow

Convincing Demeanor
B-Rank Renjutsu Discipline
A foundational technique for the rest of Fuhen's Reichou Renjutsu, this discipline means that while addressing a crowd, even if they are against him or his goal, in the beginning, he can read the room and approach them in a way to draw them to his side. This can be done in many ways, such as by picking out individual members to bring over, creating a domino effect, or making appeals to logic or emotion.

[Kanade]

The people that he had pried his mind into didn’t seem to notice, but there were a smattering of return smiles, genuine and forced, along with some scrutinizing eye-narrowing by the crowd. The reagent nodded to the man, not smiling, but not frowning either, she was watching him as one would another predator, knowing him to be of a caliber above her own, but she had her composure to maintain, her station to fill until Aimi got back and took the seat back from her.

Then he bowed, and all of the room began to hum with murmur before the reagent banged her fist on the table once more for order. They quieted down just as he began to speak, some occasional glances at his unusual headwear punctuated his speech. At the mention of Aimi’s death the reagent gave a resigned sigh, there were some tsks, and more than a couple of them had barely suppressed giddiness. The thoughts of the twins turned to even more depraved thoughts as they thought of the openness that they could have with their lasciviousness when the shogun eventually went home.

The only discernible difference in Hachiraima, the head of the Kinoko clan was that the creases in her face deepened and her pupil-less eyes were became even more veiled than they had been.

Shindune, the Abe chief warrior’s eyes narrowed in disbelief and violent thoughts stormed about, prowling like a wild cat. She thought of outsiders, about being invaded again, about bowing to a foreign diplomat again. Her teeth almost audibly ground in her head.

As he went on to explain that the Mizukage tried to assassinate him, the youngest member blanched and swayed in his seat before righting himself with over-extended elbows. Apparently his parentage, his nobility, and his lack of worldly experience meant that he was more susceptible to even stories of violence, betrayal, and savagery.

There was a chuckle at the ‘it didn’t work’ joke from a couple of people, the reagent and the Ito chief pathfinder finding the dry humor to their liking. At the mentioning of that he would be missed, the congregation bowed their collective heads, but some had a split second of hesitation, performing the task more out of ceremony than out of any real sadness for the loss of their head of state. The revealing of the golden chakra elicited a murmur through the room, some of them were nervous, but most were approving and awe-struck.

The reagent spoke first, “Round robin questionin’ will naw commence.” She nodded to the shogun, “Would ya praefer it ef we questchun ya all at once with a battery o’ questchuns ar ask them an’ then gi’e ya a chance tae answer each separatelay?” Her accent was thick, but she knew the proceedings for questioning a death, especially the death of a diplomat, the death of a leader, the death for many of them including herself, of a friend.

[Nick]

The Shogun's skin prickled and his blood boiled once more, and while that same soft smile remained on his face, his skin started to redden just like when he spoke with Tillie. Some of their thoughts were disturbing, to say the least. His hand twitched, and a bit of his pink chakra floated around his fingers, eager to take some of the evil out of the world right here and now, but that would ruin this endeavor he was forcing himself into. He didn't have the whole picture yet, he didn't yet have a feel for all of their warrior's spirits and why they were here. Except the young one. He was pretty sure he wasn't a warrior at all. That didn't make him useless, though.

It still was not time to sit, though. He eyed the chair before him, and held back a sneer only barely, before looking back up to address the regent. He held up a single finger in response. "All the time for questionin' ye could ask for, but one last important note 'afore ya do." He nodded and inhaled deeply through his nose, exhaling, and his pressure would suddenly become immense -- Not a veiled threat, but an aura that barked no room for confusion in the matter at hand. "In the honor of maintaining a vision that Aimi and I shared, effective immediately... Gold Country will become one with the Heart Empire."

He let it sink in for a moment, but before any objections could be raised, he opened his mouth once more. "I suspect you all have your concerns about this turn of events, and they shall be heard in due order, but one at a time, now. Ask all ye like about Aimi, and ask yer most important question about this advancement. Make yer requests, state yer cases." That damned smile remained, and still he stood strong for this. Of course, this was a political trap that his aide had taught him -- Dropping a bomb like this and forcing people to give their most important thoughts would reveal what was truly important to them, where their loyalties lay, and in this instance, if they deserved to stay as local leaders.

The Heart Empire elected its local leaders from those who showed great care for their people. Being a shichou meant that your own ends did not come first, it meant caring about their families and their communities. Not all of them would survive the encounter, though some of them would simply be replaced rather than killed. Fuhen never did like killing people, but it was part of being the Shogun, meting out justice.

[Kanade]

The room erupted into barely managed chaos as most of the gathered assemblage of representatives caused an uproar trying to ask the first question. The Kinoko representative sighed and waved her hand once more and the people gathered quieted down. The din of their thoughts were still deafening before the reagent spoke first.

“I, Tamura, am gaenna ask tha first question, bein' that I haeld the title regeant in Aimi's absence.” She took out a piece of paper and scrawled a couple of notes on it, “Faerst, what advantages ahr we tae be havin’ by bein’ assimilated intae heart empire?” She leveled a look at him, then went on to read the other two questions she had, “Saecond, what praetections can ye affaerd the people of this land?” Then the third question through slitted eyes, “And thaerd, what dae ye intend tae do about the praeblems in this city?” Her thoughts were full of fire, full of malice, and she shot a hated look to the twins who rose and drew their swords without a moment’s hesitation.

The next events happened in the blink of an eye.

The youth quailed and dove under the table as Tamura stood up and formed two hand seals, her fists becoming coated up to the elbows with Doton, “Braeng it if ya believe it bae worth yer time!” She gave a too wide smile, her look was all daggers at the twins who leapt at her.

The High Ezhuahuacatl: Daihani Faltuani roared a battle cry as she threw off her leopard skin, revealing a huge two handed club, which she promptly bashed the face of the chief pathfinder in with, Her eyes glowed with malice and bloodlust as her mace retreated from the front of his crushed face.

The Ōnamazu high counsel, Date Susumu grabbed one of the serving girls, not more than nine and pulled out a long dagger, licking her neck and using her as a shield in front of him, pulling the knife close to her skin and clung to her hair at the back of her head. She went as limp as a kitten who had been scruffed, and she had fear and resignation in her eyes.

The Abe chief drew a handaxe from her belt and threw it at the back of the darker of the twins, drawing her cloak back to reveal a belt that had seven more axes hanging from loops on it. The axe was parried away by the twin who hadn’t had the axe thrown at them.

The Kinoko representative stood up imperceptably quickly, or at least the others thought so, and backed up to a wall, a look of calm on her face as she drew a kunai in a defensive position and scooted into the corner.

The tensions that the Shogun had felt when entering the room had finally come to a bloody fruition.

[Nick]

As the battle erupted, Fuhen's eyes travelled all across the room in an instant, taking in everything made available to him, and he... sighed. He would not stand for this.

Finally, he pulled his chair out and sat down.

He reached one hand into the sky, and snapped his fingers, a noise that resonated throughout the din of the yelling and sounds of weapons being drawn, and with that snap of his fingers came... The Shogun's blades. Impossible in their speed and strength, they seemed to fill the room in an instant.

One would pierce through the club of Daihani, ripping it from her grasp and pinning it to the ceiling. She would live.

Two more would track to Date Susumu, wasting zero time in swiping through with an unmistakable precision, lopping off first his dagger-bearing hand, and then his other holding onto her hair. He may well bleed out.

The twins, whose actions had led to this series of unfortunate events, would find two blades each crossing at their necks, only giving them enough time to make one last look to one another before their heads would be lopped clean off, cuts so fine that they did not begin to bleed for several moments.

The remainder of the blades hovered menacingly around the room, and Fuhen's face was finally one of grim seriousness as he folded his hands in front of his face, looking to Tamura, who had asked the first questions. "Good questions, all." He stated coldly, continuing about as if blood wasn't starting to pool under the table where the young noble had fled. "Heart Empire's primary goals are, and will always be removing tyrants and those that would take advantage of the little people. As members of the Heart Empire you'll be able to enjoy the conveniences of our steam technology, and your people will be have full access to academies we will help place. The children will flourish, and nobody will be forced into servitude ever again, truly a blessing made possible to the steam technology, workloads will be lighter."

He quirked a brow and unfolded his hands, placing them flat on the tabletop. "If Aimi entrusted regency of this place to you, then I assume you know the problems of this city than any other. You'll have the resources of the Heart Empire at your disposal to help fix those problems. It is not the Heart Empire's goal to oversee every aspect of your lives, only to make the best options possible available to you. These are not just my decisions to make. Those of you that know your people well will have more support than ever to make your communities better than ever."

The Frog drummed his fingers across the table, filling some of the silence. "Protections are the same. Steam technology is a great boon to fill in the spaces of Shinobi, and the advent of our academies means that everyone will have some self defense training. Gold will be part and parcel with Heart, and our militaries will join as well, a force to rival that of the shinobi nations. The great war will not repeat itself here." His hands slid off the table, and his face remained the grim visage of the shogun. "Next questions."

[Kanade]

Daihani growled and glared at Fuhen before she saw the other blades, which quickly made her rethink her current position, and her current vulnerability. She gathered her pelt and sat down calmly, thinking about how she would probably just kill the map freak if he ever entered her lands, since she tired of his banter, and the fact that he did unspeakable things to women who he considered to be below him.

The small child with the dagger at her throat ran out of the room, hair trailing behind her as she ran and the strands all left their tight-woven bun that she had placed her hair into. She squealed and gave Fuhen a wide berth before running towards the direction of where Tillie had been when she disappeared down the hall.

With the threat of the blades, the room was restored to calm, the reagent, Tamura, dropping her jutsu, the gloves falling off of her hands as she put her feet lazily back up on the table. She was the only one who didn’t seem to have any fear towards the blades. She was ready to die for her people, and the conviction in her gaze as she sat cooly down at the table once more meant that she was ready to negotiate terms.

The young noble emerged from the table, readjusting his headress and nodding “We do not suffer tyrants here either, when Aimi left, he left the reagent in charge and we had self-governance for the most part.” He gulped, trying to keep it cordial.

Tamura nodded at the mentioning that she knew the problems better than any of the gathered representatives of the whole of Gold Country. “Ya can say dat.” She gave her assent to that information, “Ah’ll always help mah people bafore anyone else, which is why I wanted ta know where yar loyalties staed. Ah’ll bae needin’ ‘bout faefty o’ yer samurai tae restore tha righ’ an’ proper ahrder.”

The other delegates just nodded their collective heads, all excepting the woman with the axe belt, “We don’t want outsiders ruling this territory, it almost led to civil war last time that we had one in my district. Is there a way that you could make an entrance there and show everyone your ah-” She looked up nervously at the swords, “Charisma, let’s call it? I’d rather have them see what kind of leader that you are, and a visit to steppe country would help.”

A couple moments went by when Raendar burst through the, now closed, doors behind Fuhen and shouted, “What in all the hells is this? Did you not find the slave to your satisfaction? There was no need for bloodshed!”

The reagent narrowed her eyes at him, clearly thinking of all of the deeds that he had done, and to children no less. She raised her eyebrows to Fuhen, gauging how he would handle this interruption to the ceremony. In fact, all of the seated leaders waited to see how he would handle himself. The young delegate blanched to see Raendar enter the room, thinking back to when he was still under his father’s care. His father never believed the stories. He visibly shuddered when Raendar entered the room.

[Nick]

Fuhen gave them time to speak, and made it clear he was listening with intent. This was no mere ploy for loyalty, his true strength as a leader was showing, his actual charisma, rather than the blades hovering in the air, and his willingness to heed the words of those around him. Turning to face the larger man, he quirked a brow. "Ah'm afraid I must disagree." He said calmly, gesturing gently to those whose blood had been spilled. "These are not lives I took lightly, their warrior spirits were rotten to the core, and what is a tyrant if not one who abuses their power to take advantage of those below them?" He looked awfully grim, remembering back to his time in the Holy City of Towers. "I know Aimi was not omniscient, but I cannae see that he would have suffered them for long."

Turning back to Tamura, he met her gaze and stared deeply into her soul. "If a problem requires fifty samurai, it will need a cool head at the helm of them. We have a police force for exactly this sort of situation, to end problems with minimal bloodshed. Captain Yohei will lead them personally, they can be here within the week." He smiled. "Yohei suffers no tyrants or fools. I think you'll get along."

He looked to Shindune, and thought for a moment, thinking how to answer, when the door burst open suddenly. He did not turn to face the man, he recognized the voice, and knew in an instant what he must do. He raised his hand high again, and in a burst of his pink chakra all the blades disappeared. In their place, a long length of braided and patterned rope shot through the air, wrapping around Raendar, covering his body almost completely in a cocoon of knots, the 50 strength rope holding him uncomfortably tight, lifting him up, and suspending him over the table.

"This man is to be publicly executed for his crimes. Make sure the world knows what he is being punished for and that a similar fate awaits any who would repeat his actions. No more tyrants, indeed." He nodded, one last length of rope covering his mouth to silence any of his cries while they continued their diplomatic work. "O Lady of the steppes, they will not be ruled by some foreigner. Their leader will be one of their own, as will every country. I've spent time in Steppe country, though it has been many years. If'n they demand trial by combat as was custom when I passed through last, then they shall have it. I intend to visit every one of your home countries, whether personally or via a trusted warrior who can better assess the needs and strengths that can be traded for amongst the others."

"It is nae my intention nor desire to rule with an iron fist. Your peoples cultures will be respected as far as can rightly be said is good. One of my aides will be able to deal with any questions of actual numbers, but no tax will be great enough to leave the people hurting, nor will the tax go to anything that willnae benefit your peoples. Aimi often called Gold a country rich in money, but poor in resources. Our mutual aid of each other will lead to both prospering."

[Kanade]

Tamura gave a predatory cat-like grin to Fuhen, and actually gave him applause for his capture of Raendar. "I knew that if ya were tha sorta man ah'd like ya wouldna put ap with his shenanigans." She whistled, a shrill noise that permeated the area and a couple of guards with poleaxes came running into the room, "Take Raendar tae a cell, hae's to be executed ahn the morning's first light." The guards bowed and gave Fuhen a couple of tentative looks as they bundled the man out of the room clumsily, and shut the door behind them.

With that out of the way, the steppe country head of state nodded, "A trial by combat is necessary, but does not result in death, and is mostly ceremonial. I have seen much here that I approve of." She gave a sideways glance to where Raendar had exited forcefully by way of the guards and thought about how much justice she would have enacted upon the man before putting him to death for his crimes, and those were only the ones that she knew about. The man responsible for Raendar was dead, having bled out from the wounds to his lower arms, so there wasn't anything for that.

The younger diplomat just sat there, apparently not wanting to move for fear of making himself a target for any of the rather abrupt and violent antics of his fellow countryfolk.

Tamura looked around and waited for a couple of breaths before speaking, "Then ah suppose that's that. Gold country is assimilated and gives her full saepport tae Fuhen, the Shogun o' Heart country." She placed both hands on the table, got up and clapped rather loudly. Servants came in and bowed to the woman, "Yer set free if'n ya should want it." She waved her hand to Fuhen, "But we'll bae offerin' ya the same wages that ya wouldae had in my country fra now on." She pointed to the corpses, "If ya stay on, please take care of those." Then she blew out of the room like a hurricane wind. The other diplomats waited in their seats for Fuhen, but seemed rather relieved that the meeting was adjourned.

[Nick]

Fuhen smiled at Tamura and the remaining nobles, as a pair of servants who intended to stay with promises of being cared for properly expressed a bit of disdain over the first task of their new lives being something quite gross. Some day, with the aid of the schooling provided by the Heart Empire, those relegated to servitude could learn to read, as he had, could learn to lead, as he had, and could have all kinds of opportunities presented to them that he had to carve out himself from stone.

Briefly his mind went to a cycle his father had spoken of before his death. Hard times lead to hard men, hard men lead to easy times, which leads to soft men. Fuhen's vision was to end the cycle, with the power of Steam and universal chakra, could he really succeed? Or would the cycle continue, and his dreams all fall apart. Could humanity be saved? Was he wasting his time by even trying? He hurt internally. These were his people. So long as he drew breath they would exist outside of the cycle, in comforts and free times meant to strengthen them for hard times.

He strengthened his resolve. Aimi's warrior spirit inside of him swelled. Their goals may not have been exactly the same, but Fuhen felt that Aimi would be proud of what the Frog was accomplishing regardless, even if others might not respect the work that had been done (Looking at you, Richard.)

[Kanade]

As the events of the palace spread over the whole of the small city, people started to bow their heads or avert their gaze from Fuhen in deference to his show of power to the diplomats. It was widely known that he was now the ruler of Gold country, and was welcome to stay in the palace which was still under construction for as long as he wanted.

A couple days after the bloody baptism of the new ruler of the land, a missive, arriving in the hands of another girl, about the age of sixteen was sent to Fuhen's quarters, which had been kept clean by Tilly, not because she was forced to, but because of her respect for the man that had set her free from the tyrannical clutches of the fat bastard and Raendar under him. She had adopted carrying around a small blade, naught but a long dagger in Fuhen's large hands, but a good sword for her on her hip, though she lacked the skill to use it.

She kept, when asked, saying that she would leave with the Shogun if he allowed her to when he left, feeling like she owed him her life, and every time that Fuhen would catch her, she would be staring at him like most children stared at their parents, like he was an invincible super-human, capable of tackling any problem.

The missive, which had been delivered by the girl was written out by Tamura, the former Reagent of the neighboring city.

"Dear Shogun,

If it should please you, I request your audience in my private chambers before your departure from the land of Gold. I believe that it will be to our mutual benefit should this happen before your departure, but should you find yourself too busy, I would ask that you return to this palace with all haste upon completion of your other tasks to discuss the matter that I need to broach with you.

Yours,

Tamura, Former Reagent of Aimi, suntouched."

[Nick]

Fuhen had just been getting ready to leave. He packed lightly, his warrior skill and basic knowledge of housekeeping him meaning that he didn't need to carry rations, and could rather hunt what was necessary on a long trip and cook it up simply. It was something he'd gotten used to since his travels as a child, working as a bounty hunter to money for his family to pay for the excessive taxes provided by the nobles of Old River Country.

Tillie would have caught him just as he was planning his route, getting ready to head to Steppe country and perform the ceremonial trial by combat. He thanked her for the letter with a pat on the head and opened it up to read. Slowly. Very slowly. He stared at that short note for a very long time. She was using long words like "broach" and "departure" which were kinda hard to read, but he was getting there, using context clues. He made a mental note of how to spell some of the words, before folding it up, where it would disappear in a flash of his pink chakra. "Aye Tillie, back in a flash."

He said with a laugh, and as fast as she could blink, he was gone, up and off to Tamura's quarters, and he'd give the courtesy of knocking and waiting to be called in. As the Shogun, he certainly didn't need to, but what kind of ruler would he be if he didn't respect his reagents?

[Kanade]

"Woah!" Was all that Fuhen could catch as Tillie shouted it at the top of her lungs. He might as well have moved a mountain in front of her for the reaction that he had received.

Tamura opened the door to her chamber herself, she was dressed down in a light silk that hung loose on her body in a two piece top and bottom. It was a rather hot region, and she glistened with the beginning of beads of sweat as she brought him into the room before going to retrieve something in the corner of it.

"Playse have a sit daehn". Her rough words were almost the opposite of her writing skills. She had received a great education, but had spoken another dialect and felt like speaking 'proper' was rather too much for her to give up of her culture. She indicated a seat anywhere in her small room, there was a bed, big enough for only her, and two wooden chairs crowded around the fireplace, the desk was squished up against a wall and there was a small package that was tucked away back there which she had gone to retrieve between the desk and the wall. A small writing desk, it seemed, and not much more than that. She lived a rather spartan life, and she didn't have much use for ornamental 'things' unless they served a purpose.

The only reason that she wore silks now was to be decent for the Shogun, as she felt rather muggy and irritated with the heat this particular season.

The case was wrought from gold, and had jade inlay, almost like the palace, and the Reagent seemed to be rather irritated by the box itself but walked up and bent the knee bowing her head and closing her eyes as she opened the case. In it resided a very simple hand-axe, seemingly rather worn with use, and rather ordinary in shape and appearance.

"Gold country waed like ta give ya tha waepon o' luck." She kept her head dipped, her eyes closed, "Hihz name is, 'Hideyoshi' tha soldier a fortune." She swallowed hard, and bit back a sob, gritting her teeth and turning away from Fuhen in a rather startling display of emotion, "Ahf Aimi wouldae had 'im with 'im at 'is hour o' need, Hae woulda found luck on haes side."

[Nick]

Fuhen smiled at Tamura as she opened the door, and quirked a brow. She was quite the attractive figure, and her willingness to throw down shown in the meeting days before made her closer to his type than most other noble women. Of course, that was how he'd ended up with Oban as his partner, even if her people didn't believe in marriage. That did mean he was technically still available, though the expression on her face turned him to believe it was NOT that kind of visit.

He took a seat at the closest available spot, and blinked, staring at the incredibly ornate case, and as she opened it, he... blanked at the visage of this very plain looking handaxe. There was nothing wrong with that, of course, most of his katana were very simply forged, brought to masterwork in the forge of his soul, but otherwise unspectacular, and yet the ornate case clashed so heavily with the simple axe, he thought it must be a joke. He almost started laughing.

But then he reached his hand out towards the axe, his perception drawing him in, and as soon as he touched a finger to the handle... He felt Hideyoshi. As if he stared deep into the soul of a fellow warrior, he felt their laughter and their tears. He felt their hopes and dreams, and their fears and faults. Hideyoshi was just an ordinary man as Fuhen had once been, and yet now, before him, in raw spiritual energy, Hideyoshi was more. A warrior spirit.

"Hideyoshi..." He intoned aloud, pulling his hand back from the case, he would not be the one to wield this weapon. "The Heart Empire... No, I thank you. He will be a savior of our combined peoples in the hands of someone promising, the next generation, ye have my word."