Ikoma Itarabi
Kyuden Ikoma
As Itarabi prepares himself for his meeting with his father, Shinoba quietly excuses himself to attend to his other duties; though as he took his leave, he did cast a worried glance back at Itarabi.
At last, the hour of Bayushi drew near, and Itarabi went to locate his father. It was nearly time for the evening meal, and the Ikoma were expecting guests, so the servants would be busy preparing the primary audience chamber for the welcoming feast. More than likely, he would be in a smaller audience chamber.
As Itarabi made his way to the audience chamber, he noticed a number of Mantis samurai making their way through the hallways. Clearly, their guests had arrived.
Togashi Cho
Shiro Togashi
“Hai, Togashi-sama,” the servant replies respectfully. He quickly gets to his feet, and bows deeply, before hurrying off to give the message to Tamori Tadao.
After a quick bath and a change of clothes, Cho makes his way to the guest chambers where Tadao was staying. A servant slid open the screen, allowing Cho to enter. The room was spacious and comfortable, as befit a guest of high station. All of the windows had been opened, allowing the chill autumn air into the room. Tamori Tadao sat at a small table near the window, practicing calligraphy with a precise hand. He was a small, wiry man, with strands of silver beginning to show in his long black hair. He looked up as Cho entered the room, and gave him a thin-lipped smile. “Ah, Togashi Cho-san.”
Shosuro Reiko
Ryoko Owari
The House of the White Orchid was one of the smaller geisha houses of Ryoko Owari. However, it enjoyed a considerable amount of success, as the girls there were known to be quite skilled at listening as well as the other arts of the geisha.
Reiko was greeted at the door by one of the house guards, a silent, glowering behemoth of a man. Fully six feet tall, the man well muscled and clearly well suited to the job of escorting unruly patrons from the premises. He lead Reiko into the sitting room, where the Okasan waited. She was an overweight woman with graying hair and a beautifully cut kimono. “Welcome! Welcome to my humble house, honored guest,”she said, bowing deeply.
Kakita Ai
Kyuden Kakita
“I certainly hope that you are right, Ai-chan,” Kaitsu replied with a slight frown. He then smiles as he says, “I have heard from Ide Kamori that she has a voice like a nightengale and a face like the morning sun.” As Ai waits patiently, Kaitsu spends the next several minutes telling her all of the rumors that he had heard about his future bride, Utaku Sayaka.
At last, he pauses to catch his breath, and a wide eyed look crosses his face. “Oh! Sumimasen, Ai-chan, I nearly forgot. Mother and father wished to see you!”
Hyota
Kitsune Mori
Slowly he made his way toward the light of the campfire, he noticed a small cart partially hidden in the undergrowth near the path. It appeared to be quite old, patched often, and had a broken wheel. As he drew nearer, he saw that there were two figures kneeling near the fire. One was an elderly man, who rested with his hands upon his lap, staring into the fire thoughtfully. The other was a girl, perhaps eighteen summers old, who worked on adding plants to a pot that was positioned over the fire. Both wore kimonos that were well worn.
Isawa Renshi
Shiro Isawa
The sensei knelt beneath the tree, his head bowed in meditation. He glanced up as Renshi approached, and nodded his head in greeting. After Renshi had seated himself, Boten spoke. “Hai, Renshi-san. Tell me, how go your studies?”