Touka sat down too, somewhat warily. Takeshi was younger than she'd expected - not that anyone had told her how old he was or what he looked like. He had the same handsome build as his nephew, but his face was much more worn - and not just because he was older. He had a bit more... depth to his eyes, she thought. "So your brother did come to visit us," she said, looking out over the garden. "Something tells me your nephew would never make the effort to do the same." She patted the sword next to her. "I was supposed to give this to him as a sign of our loyalty - it's one of our blades. But I can't trust him with it. My family can be a blade for the Mitsumine, but only an idiot gives a weapon to a child who won't take care of it." She spat the last with some force.

Heyitsjiwon said
Ryuunosuke shook his head at Kanaka and said “There is nothing that you should be apologetic of. After all, a negotiation implies that both parties were trying to come to a compromise of some sort. What was happening here was not a negotiation. You are free to go, Kanaka, if you wish, but once again. There is nothing for you to be sorry about. Just please, next time, have the maid interrupt if there is something important that you wish to talk about rather than just sit right outside the room.”

"I understand, Ryuunosuke-oniisama," Kanaka replied and left the room. She clutched the silk to her chest and breathed out slowly, trying to calm herself. Of course Ryuunosuke had forgiven her, he had always been kind and magnanimous. She had come to protect him, to make sure things went smoothly for him, instead, she had caused him to lose face with what turned out to be the clans spiritual ally. Turns out dealing with spirits was just as difficult as dealing with people, if not more so. Afraid of the world of politics, Kanaka had avoided it all her life, but now felt ashamed of it and vowed she would be there to support her brother through it. And she had already blundered. And this was her brother's first meeting, making this an ill omen for the meetings to come.

Kanaka took another deep breath and was planning to head back to the shrine to purify herself when she happened to look up and noticed a strange, flaming wisp suspended in midair. Her first thought was that the wolf spirit was playing tricks on her, but then she noticed that there were more that seemed to form a trail out of the building. Perhaps Touka wished to lead her to something, though it seemed unlikely given she was currently speaking with Takeshi. Kanaka remembered suddenly the other presence that had been here. The presence had given off a message, and now a trail. It definitely wished to meet her, and as if possessed, Kanaka followed the trail of wisps unti lthey led her to a man.

"Kishi-san?" Kanaka asked, recognizing the man as someone who played shogi with her uncle, and calling him by such.

Hana let out a curt smile. This lord cared for numbers and did not gloss over little details, that was something worth reporting and appreciated. Few lords designed to think about their clan's finances themselves. "Your latter question first my lord: it is true I was sent here on the basis of Tenzen-sama's order to greet and inform the new heir to the Mitsumine, as well as educate you on the finer affairs of governance and the ways of the capital court if necessary, but I had few qualms of following such an order. It is an honor to be in your family's service and meet you. And I welcomed the opportunity when Master Tenzen bid me to travel here."

"As to what and how I have learned....I must note this is hardly the time nor place to speak openly about the matters of the family records or the inner matters of the capital family." Hana gestured around to call attention to the murmuring of the other envoys in the other rooms nearby. "But I would be happy to give you a lesson in a more private location my lord. Although there is barely a story to tell, especially in comparison to the story fate has begun to weave for your own life. As for what is to be of me, I am your loyal servant. As indicated in my master's letter, I am to be put to your direct service to free you from the early burdens of bookkeeping so you may focus more upon the larger affairs. Such as that of the young heir to the Boar clan here to greet you, but does not seem to be a warrior. Would you accept my service in your council my lord?"

Kanaka arrived to find Junkojuro gently rearranging the branches of a bush with a few light pokes and prods; he avoided cutting the foliage whenever possible, and even then did so sparingly. He turned and smiled at the curious greeting, and noted the air of uncertainty in her voice. Good, that meant that she had not been suspicious of him up until this point. "People on this estate typically call me Kojuro-san. I would appreciate it if you called me such in the presence of others, but for now you may call me by my true name: Junkojuro." The fox spirit's voice was smooth and tranquil, matching the calm and welcoming expression on his face. "Am I correct in assuming that you are Mitsumine-sama's sister, Kanaka-san was it?"

The priestess that stood before him was young indeed; the spirits that wandered the woods would get an unpleasant surprise if the judged her by her looks alone. The level of control that she exhibited in her message was well beyond what most mortals her age could achieve, and there was not the slightest flicker of fear emanating from her despite knowing the Hakuro girl's identity and now standing before an old fox. Judging by the amount of spiritual wards that protected shrines from Youkai, he had expected at least some degree of apprehension from the girl, but he detected none. Was she hiding it? Was she confident that she could exorcise him if she needed to? Or was she genuinely at ease around him. "Well, I don't suppose we'll be needing these anymore," he said, and with a wave of his hand the wisps vanished. "Now, if you'll pardon the strangeness of my question, would you be so kind as to tell me what you see standing before you?" Just how good was her sight? Would she only be able to discern that he was a fox and little else, or would she truly be able to see just how long he had walked the earth?

Ryuunosuke was nodding at Hana, but there was an internal debate brewing within himself. On one side, he just could not believe that such a woman would waltz into his court and offer her expertise so easily. The fact that she comes from the Capital did not comfort him at all either. However, the knowledge and skills she appeared to have would be indispensable to the clan. Someone who can actively manipulate numbers to make sound forecasts and prediction was worth more than a mountain of gold because this person could essentially manipulate the entire market. Thus, Ryuu found himself at an impasse. Would be believe that this young woman was here in goodwill and actually wanted to help him, or would he believe that she was just a trap set by the branch family for them to consolidate their power even more?

Ryuu thought in silence for several seconds until he finally said “Although I am impressed with what I have seen, I cannot grant you immediate access to the family’s funds and records. I would first like to see you at work and see if you fit in our work culture and environment. I am sure that you realize that I have to be reasonable and cannot outright give you access to everything. Still, I will gladly provide housing so you may stay if you desire, and work as a retainer of the Mitsumine main family for now to show us your abilities. I know that this is quite a few steps down in terms of your current position under Tenzen-san, but once again. I hope you understand that I must be rational in my decision to accept your generous offer. I must express the fact that I do hope you do take the offer.”

"Of course my lord." Hana replied happily, "I accept your offer of retainership, and respect your earnest honesty, and I will prove that I am worth your trust through deeds and action, not empty promises. In fact, let me repay your truth with one of my own-"

Hana shuffled closer to Ryuu and leaned forward conspiratorially, in the process letting her kimono slide a little apart to reveal some of the bounty confined within the thick folds. While she was quick to raise a hand to recover her modesty whilst coming close to Ryuu, there was no denying there was a beauty beneath the fabric. "Master Tenzen barely trusted me more than you do because of some of the secrets I hold and refuse to share. I lose little in entering your service, which is what he commanded of me, for reasons I do not know myself. Perhaps there is something going on in the capital he did not wish me to notice? Tis something to consider."

Pulling back and returning to her formal posture, Hana returned to her original calm serenity. "Do you wish me to sit with you during the rest of your meetings sire, or would you wish me to settle in and await your commands as a retainer in your service?"

"My, it must have been quite a meeting for him to have given you such a great impression, young lady" says Takeshi with a bit of humor in his tone at Touka's powerful tone "Though he may surprise you yet. He's surprisingly spiritual, giving much thought to our ancestors and the Kami of the land. If I had not retained him here all these years, I'm sure he would have loved to make a pilgrimage to the old lands"

Then Takeshi slowly extended his hand, looking at the blade the young woman held "May I take a look at it? The blades of the Hakurou are always a treasure to hold in ones hands and to delight the gaze upon"

Touka folded her hands in her lap, leaving her teacup where it sat. "Humans only pray to the gods when they need help, or when they want us to do something for them. That's all it ever was at home - an endless stream of peasants asking us to curse their neighbors or heal their cattle or make the grass grow faster. Even things they could do themselves, like making sure their traps didn't break." She shook her head. "He's not worthy of the respect my family shows him simply on the memory of a man long dead."

At Takeshi's request, she blinked. "Do not draw it from its sheath," she warned him warily, handing him the blade. Straight-edged and surprisingly light in the master swordsman's hands, the sheath and hilt were made of the same dark wood, lacquered such that it was difficult to tell which end the hilt was on.

Ryuunosuke was a bit flustered by Hana. He was not expecting her to come so close to him. To be quite fair, Ryuunosuke never really had much experience interacting with the other sex who were around his age. So, he was a bit uncomfortable when Hana had come closer to him. In fact, he couldn't help but shuffle a bit on his cushion. However, what she told him also made him uncomfortable as well. How did she know that Ryuunosuke was concerned about the activities of the branch family and was thinking about it at this moment? His suspicions were not eased one bit by her comment. Still, there was no evidence to prove anything, so he could not be hasty in his decisions to judge her as friend or foe. For now, he would have to continue to monitor her with a close eye.

Ryuu responded to Hana's question by saying "That decision will be up to you. If you wish, you may stay and advise me while I meet other visitors and dignitaries. However, I understand that you are likely wary and tired from your travels. You may excuse yourself and rest or maybe explore the grounds of your new residence. I will leave the choice to you. Now, I don't want to keep the other guest waiting too long." He then got up and walked to the door. He slid it open to address the attending servant and said "I am now ready to address the next visitor. Will you please bring him here?" Ryuu then returned to his spot and sat back down in seiza.

"Wow, wow, slow there young lady... seems like you've had some harsh experiences acting as intermediary between humanity and the Kami" says Takeshi "I imagine that sort of stuff happens a lot in such an important center of worship. Did Ryuu ask you to intervene in his behalf to the Kami in a rude way, young lady?" asks the uncle as he reaches over carefully for the blade.

As she bids, he does not take it out of its sheath... but still, it's balance could be felt as exquisite as was the woodwork to make sheath and hilt resemble a single long piece of dark wood. Truly the work of a master. With a contented nod, he returns the blade to Touka.

"Y-yes." Kanaka replied, "My name is Mitsumine Kanaka, Junkojuro-sama." If Junkojuro saw no fear in her, it was for several reasons. The first of which was the signal he had sent earlier, which was one of peace. The second reason was that Kanaka was someone who had so embraced her fear of the world that instead of being an inhibitory force, it had become her driving force, so much a part of her that her fear became her courage, the reason she confronted things for fear of losing that which she cannot stand to lose.

In response to his question she looked intently at him. Much of her magical training had been entirely theoretical and putting it into practice was something else entirely. "S-sanbi...Oinari-sama..." Kanaka said slowly, discerning him as a three-tailed fox kami, though she wasn't entirely certain whether he was kami, youkai, or ayakashi, or even what the nuanced differences were supposed to be between the three. If the legends were true, Junkojuro had lived over 200 years, 100 years for each extra tail. She wondered how much of that was spent on Mitsumine lands, and how long he had been here as a 'lowly gardener'. At any rate, he had been here for a while if his presence had remained hidden to her up to this point, why had he chosen to reveal himself to her now? Why had he invited her to him? Was it because she had projected her own presence?

"W-why..." Kanaka hesitated for a split-second, "Why have you called me to you?"

"...no, he barely spoke to me," Touka replied, having the grace to look down at her knees as she answered. "Just as we were about to begin talking, I was hit with two spiritual forces from outside the room. One I still don't know the source of, but the other was, I believe, your niece." She took the sword back with a grateful nod, setting it back down at her side. "She was eavesdropping on our conversation, or was planning to, and made threats to me when she was discovered. I actually quite liked her fire," she added thoughtfully. "If she had been made clan head, then at least I could believe that there was merit in the trip I made." She glanced over at Takeshi. "Did my grandmother's letter explain the reason for my coming?"

Junkojuro chuckled softly when Kanaka addressed him with such a formal honorific. "You may be at ease around me and reserve the 'sama' for dignitaries like your brother. You are quite perceptive, though. Indeed I am a sanbi and an adherent of Oinari-sama." He noticed that her sight, though acute for a mortal, was somewhat strained. Perhaps he could help her with that one day. "As for why I invited you here, I'm not entirely sure. For the past decade or so, my presence has been unknown, so perhaps the prospect of being able to speak openly with at least one other person was alluring. Or perhaps I did not want to wake up one day to find a talisman on my head. Either way, you must admit it is much simpler this way. With your sight you would have found me eventually. At least this way you can be at ease knowing that the youkai lurking in your home means you no harm, and I can be at ease knowing that my gardening won't be upset by a need to hide from you. What a shame it would be if I neglected a flower simply because you were standing near it!" He gave another soft laugh as he gently stroked a bud, as if coaxing it to bloom.

"Ah, but that is only my side of the story. Surely you have one of your own. You came to me of your own free will, and quite off-guard. Was there something that you wished to achieve in speaking with me, or was it simply a whim like mine?"

Kitsune stood outside with his retainers who were getting tired of the heir's timid and shy attitude. If this keeps up, the people of the Mitsumine will think that the Boar was fragile and weak! The heir avoided the deathly stares of his retainers; even Shigeige Shibata, his closest retainer, was getting fed up with Kitsune being pushed around, or rather, allowing himself to be pushed around. For Kitsune, it seemed like an eternity of waiting as he kept adoring the Mitsumine land. Knowing his destiny to lead the Boar, Kitsune wanted a land which does not only house battle-hardened warriors, but also a clan which is a haven of sanctuary and peace. The young heir was baffled with his father's zeal for battle; as if their clan was always expecting more wars to come. For the heir, as long as war is on the minds of people, then war will happen; of course, he didn't want that.

Suddenly, Kitsune was snapped out of his thoughts by Shibata who was vigorously shaking his shoulder. It seemed that Mitsumine was ready to see him. His retainers offered to accompany him inside, but the heir said otherwise. It would only show disrespect and distrust in Mitsumine's honor and moralities. Kitsune nodded to the servant who approached him, and straightened his kimono. With a slow stride, Kitsune entered the room. His eye immediately caught Mitsumine Ryuunosuke, who was sitting already. Kitsune pulled out his fan as he took a deep bow towards Ryuunosuke.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Mitsumine Ryuunosuke-dono. I heard a lot from my father of your upcoming ascension to the position of head. I do hope you don't mind my attire..." Kitsune pointed to his blue kimono which had tatters on it. "Not really dressed for such an occasion." Kitsune smiled as he sat in seiza. His eye also caught the sight of Hana, whom he had met at the gate.

"I'm sorry for adding to your burdens, when you could have met more powerful individuals." Kitsune chuckled as he pulled out two small chests from the pouch he was carrying... Well, Shibata was carrying it before. "But I guess, I can't waste anymore of your time; so allow me to get straight to the point." the heir switched to a serious tone as he laid out the chests in front of him.

"I've come from the Boar Clan upon my father's urging. I think that it has reached the ears of your honorable clan that the heir of the Boar is useless in battle. Well, I can honestly say it is true, Mitsumine-dono." Kitsune bowed his head as he continued speaking. "From the very beginning, I never shared my father's or my clan's zeal for war, and I thought I could escape my destiny. However, it seems I cannot. My father refuses to see me back at the clan if I did not learn how to fight. So, my purpose for this visit is to ask you, Mitsumine-dono, and your clan to allow me to train here, in the Mitsumine, until such time that I am competent enough to return home." Kitsune laid out the truth as he cast aside any pride that remained. He then opened the chests, which did not contain gold nor lumber; but flasks upon flasks.

"I refused my father's gift of lumber, because I wanted this to be my own effort. Here, I present to you, a specially made medicine from natural herbs within our forests. However, I do pray that the day you have to use these medicines may never come." Kitsune bowed again as he raised his head. "My uncle has come to present my father's gift in the first place. I think, Mitsumine-dono, you will be meeting him soon."

Kitsune raised his head as he looked at Ryuunosuke with full determination.

"I do hope of your favorable decision, Mitsumine-dono. It will mean so much to our humble clan."

Heyitsjiwon said
Ryuunosuke was a bit flustered by Hana. He was not expecting her to come so close to him. To be quite fair, Ryuunosuke never really had much experience interacting with the other sex who were around his age. So, he was a bit uncomfortable when Hana had come closer to him. In fact, he couldn't help but shuffle a bit on his cushion. However, what she told him also made him uncomfortable as well. How did she know that Ryuunosuke was concerned about the activities of the branch family and was thinking about it at this moment? His suspicions were not eased one bit by her comment. Still, there was no evidence to prove anything, so he could not be hasty in his decisions to judge her as friend or foe. For now, he would have to continue to monitor her with a close eye. Ryuu responded to Hana's question by saying "That decision will be up to you. If you wish, you may stay and advise me while I meet other visitors and dignitaries. However, I understand that you are likely wary and tired from your travels. You may excuse yourself and rest or maybe explore the grounds of your new residence. I will leave the choice to you. Now, I don't want to keep the other guest waiting too long." He then got up and walked to the door. He slid it open to address the attending servant and said "I am now ready to address the next visitor. Will you please bring him here?" Ryuu then returned to his spot and sat back down in seiza.

"I would wish to remain by your side my lord. I am rested enough to serve." Said Hana as she shifted her position to Kyuu's side. Apart enough to retain due formality without being mistaken as a consort, but positioned so that she could watch both her lord and whom he was speaking with. Placing her ink and turning her book to a blank page, she bid a maid to provide a sitting table to work upon. She would record these sessions for her master's convenience, and to show a little of her writing skill.

Watching Ryuu greet the heir to the Boar clan and begin to converse with him, Hana jotted down notes with rapid precision, including an account regarding the gift of medicine, which she kept to a mere single-entry and estimate of its value while mentally logging the appropriate double-entry to enter into her red book later. For now, she was a silent servant. It was not her place to speak here, only to serve.

“Hatamoto-san. I hope you do not take offense to what I am about to say. However, I believe that you and your father have an inherent misconception about strength. Strength is not determined by how one wields his sword. Rather, strength is the ability to stand up against what seems to be an immense challenge. I know that the Boar clan has historically been plagued with conflict had wars, but wars are not fought with swords. Wars are fought with the mind.” Ryuu said as he then let a few seconds of silence to allow his words to settle in before he continued.

“You come to me to help you learn how to fight? I must confess that I have yet to see a battle with my own eyes. Yes, I have been in some spars and faced a few challenges in regards to conflict. However, I believe that the greatest challenge that any leader can face is the challenge to prevent wars from starting. Contrary to what people think, there are no winners in a war, only degrees of losers. In fact, the only person who can claim to have won a war is the one who has lost the least. Therefore, a victory in preventing a war is much sweeter than a victory in winning a battle because you have prevented unnecessary suffering and loss.”

Ryuunosuke took a second to clear his throat, and then continued with his little speech. “Therefore, Hatamoto-san. I believe that you are stronger than you think that you are. Please, have some faith in yourself. Otherwise, how do you expect your people to have faith in you?” He then changed the topic and said “I thank you for your gifts, but I do not believe that I can teach you much. Rather you must discover for yourself what strength is and go forth from there. I can provide you shelter here if you desire. However, I must warn that there may be moments where I, the leader of the Wolf Clan, may come into a conflict of interest with the Boar clan. Therefore, if you are able to respect my desires to help my people, then I welcome you.”

Kitsune focused intently on Ryuunosuke while he was speaking; taking seriously that the man was telling him. As Ryuunosuke finished his words, Kitsune bowed and raised his head again. "I thank you for your kind words, Mitsumine-dono. Of course, I also thank you for acknowledging my request." Kitsune grinned as he pulled out his fan, and began to fan himself gently.

"I also believe that strength isn't merely with the blade, but with the mind as well. I have been living with that idea for a while now. I studied parchment after parchment given to me by an ostracized medicine man. However, to be an.." Kitsune stammered as he had to speak a word which he never liked. "To be an heir of the Boar, one must not only be talented in strategies or decisions, but with the way of the sword as well. Mitsumine-dono, we can always say that the mind conquers the sword, but when push comes to shove, the sword will always be used." Kitsune exhaled as he began once more.

"My clan has always believed in strength with the blade, and as such, will always prefer a strong person over a weak one. Our clan has been plagued with conflict, and due to this, the people has lost faith over diplomacy, and mercy has been seen as weakness. I think it was because of the strength of your clan that my father allied himself to you." Kitsune smiled as he shook his head. "I know that the ways of my clan is wrong, and once I take my father's place, I will better the clan. However, before my clan respects my vision, they must first respect my strength; as is the tradition." Kitsune sighed and cleared his throat.

"Mitsumine-dono. Once again, thank you for your hospitality. Treat me as you would treat your guests. I shall carry my own weight, and I have given instructions to my retainers to undertake any task you might assign them to." Kitsune bowed as he stood up. "I hope to see your ascendance, Mitsumine-dono. You might be the one who can change this country."

Kitsune smiled as he left the room where his retainers were waiting for him.

"WHY ARE YOU SO WEAK?!" Akechi, one of his retainers, spoke in an angry whisper. "You never even told that Mitsumine that you are talented, and deadly. Medicines? Poisons? You're already an assassin, Hatamoto-san!" the retainer was pissed off.

"You refused to raise your head in that conversation, Hatamoto-dono. At least show our pride as the Boar." Shibata added.

"There is no need to brag of our abilities, Akechi-san, and Shibata-san. We are here as guests... Not as braggers. Come, we'll take a tour around the place before our work begins." Kitsune smiled gently as his retainers rolled their eyes in disappointment.

"Hmm, then you may be quick to make up your impressions... or simply one to trust your instincts. Still, I hope you may stay long enough to change your mind. It is not often that we get a chance to host one of the Hakurou" says Takeshi before he smiles and then lets out a small laugh at the tale of the spiritual class "That is Kanaka for you. She's a polite and good girl, but she's always looking out for her big brother. That is when she more keenly shows her inner fire"

"And yes, I know the reason for your visit, Miss Hakurou"

Touka shrugged noncommittally, finally picking up her teacup and taking a sip of the bitter green tea. "I would call it trusting my instincts," she agreed, nodding. "I don't have any real intention to stay, though. I will rest on your hospitality for tonight, if I may, but I really must get back to my family soon. To return the blade, and make it clear to my family my opinion on the boy." She took another, long drink of tea. "If they will even believe me..."

Mitsumine Ryuunosuke could not help but frown slightly as Kitsune left the room. Once Kitsune left, Ryuunosuke muttered "I hope you can discover your own strength in these troubling times." He then turned to a servant who was waiting upon him and said "It appears that it is time to begin to address the foreign dignitaries who have arrived. Will you please allow them into the manor and place them in their each respective waiting room. I must figure out who has arrived first and then proceed from there. Also, will you please inform my uncle that I am now about to meet the foreign dignitaries? If I remember correctly, he should be talking with that pugnacious woman from the Hakurou Clan. Touka, I believe, was her name."

Ryuu then turned to Hana and said "Well, both of our jobs are now really about to start. Tell me while we wait for the dignitaries and diplomats to arrive. What did you think about the heir to the Boar Clan?" Although it seems like it, Ryuu was not just spending this moment to simply create conversation. This was the first of Hana's tests. Ryuu was a person who could not trust someone until he learned about how a person thinks or usually acts. Therefore, Ryuu was going to pay close attention to how Hana was going to answer to this seemingly casual question.