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DM, Megumi, Nagatsuna and Daichi
Spoiler: Yukari had remained silent for a while as Nagatsuna and Megumi talked, a little frustrated with herself that they had seemingly managed to allow the other 'Kakita' to escape. As a decision was made to meet up with the others, the Unicorn nods somewhat curtly and signals Arashi to move out again.
GM, Megumi, Daichi, Nagatsuna
Spoiler: Spotting her companions, Yukari sets a brisk pace across the remaining ground before halting Arashi a few paces away from them. Glancing back to make sure Nagatsuna is close, Yukari then turns to address the others. "We were able to follow Umasu's trail to the river, where he seemed to disappear. We then found the clothes he was wearing discarded on the river bank.. Kuni-san and Matsu-san are continuing the search at the river. We thought we should return to warn you in case he doubled back again to find you - so far his actions have seemed strange enough that we should be cautious." The Unicorn then looks to Nagatsuna, as if waiting to see if he has more to add.
Spoiler: Yukari nods to Nagatsuna and Ume before urging Arashi forwards to a fast pace. She was all too aware that time was marching on.
Spoiler: Awareness/Courtier: 3k2 = 10 Yukari nods to Nagatsuna and heads back to where Arashi is waiting. Deftly mounting back up again, the Unicorn looks to the Crab as the horse prances forward eagerly. "Arashi can make the fastest pace of us all. If you wish to stay here, I can return to the others as fast as possible? Or do you feel it best for us to remain in groups?"
Spoiler: Giving Arashi a pat and asking him to stay where he is for now, Yukari motions the others over to the trail down to the river side. Carefully, she follows the path down, searching for any further signs of the Kakita.
Spoiler: Yukari pauses as she sees Umasu's mount left in the clearing. There had to be some sign of where the Crane had passed.. The Unicorn smoothly dismounts from Arashi, landing down beside him. If there was anything to find, it would be easier to see if she was closer to the ground.
Yukari nods to Nagatsuna before moving to follow the other hoofprints. Every moment they delayed, the Crane would get further away.
Yukari falls quiet for a few moments, her brow furrowing in concentration as she looks around the bridge for any hints as to what happened to the Kakita. At the edge of the bridge, a set of hoof prints caught her attention. Arashi was the only horse on the bridge earlier, but there were new hoofprints that she knew weren't his. "Look. There are fresh hoofprints here, and I know they don't belong to Arashi," the Utaku points out to her companions before beginning to follow the trail.
Yukari frowns as she wheels Arashi around, concerned for where the Kakita might have gone. With the day that they had experienced so far, the battle maiden did not think that the disappearance of Umasu boded well. She kept her blade drawn for now, uncertain of whether the danger had passed. "Now isn't a good time to argue. We need to find him in both cases anyway," she says with a slight hint of exasperation. She then moves a few steps down the bridge, searching for any signs of what happened. Percepton/Investigation: 5k3 = 44
Edonichi and Heihachi:
Spoiler: Yukari braces herself as Arashi abruptly balks on leaving the mist, narrowly managing to keep her seat. She shared her mount's horror at the scene unfolding before her. What kind of monster was this?
But, there was no time to stare - she had to act and help the Kuni. That ..thing had to be destroyed before it hurt anybody else. She forced down her feelings of revulsion and urged Arashi forwards to a canter. As Yukari bore down upon the monstrosity, she angled her blade down and outwards, hoping her aim was true.
"Kuni-san! Are you hurt!?" the battle maiden shouts back over the fog. Spoiler: As the Dragon shugenja crashes down to the ground, the group only have a few moments of respite before another threat seems to present itself. With the scream and Heihachi's shout, Yukari calls out to the Crab before urging Arashi back down to the start of the bridge. While anxious to reach Heihachi as soon as possible, the Unicorn is still all too aware of the fact that if she pushes Arashi too hard, they may find themselves running off the side of the bridge before they realise what they have done.
Yukari's voice rose over the fog again. "You *will* unhand her!" the battle maiden exclaimed, the noise of her horse's hooves clattering on the wooden bridge accompanying her words. Everyone except Heichachi:
Spoiler: It quickly became clear to Yukari that the Tonbo would not listen to the group. Talking was no use - they would have to use force. Guiding Arashi with her knees, the Unicorn attempts to manoeuver around into a position where she can act. Sliding her katana free, she strikes at the flying shugenja.
"What are you doing!? This is madness, Tonbo!" Yukari shouts back at the Dragon. Nagatsuna, Megumi, Shisumo
Spoiler: Yukari's hand is on her blade as she realises that the shugenja is trying to pull Ryoko away from Nagatsuna. Arashi's hooves clatter on the wooden boards of the bridge as the Unicorn tries to direct him into a better position. With so many people so close, the battle maiden realises that attacking may be too risky to Nagatsuna or Ryoko - there is little she can do unless the shugenja manages to wrest the unconscious Phoenix away from the Hida (and she would guess that Nagatsuna probably had the advantage here..). Therefore, the battle maiden readies herself to strike should Ukiya manage to succeed in his attempt.
Shisumo, Megumi, Nagatsuna: Spoiler:
Yukari nods in agreement with Nagatsuna and Megumi just as Ryoko falls unconscious. "Asako-san??" the Unicorn asks urgently. "Megumi-san, is she alright?" With Nagatsuna's slow, tired-sounding response, Yukari realises that the shugenja has not just struck at one, but at two people. These tactics were certainly not honourable - it was a despicable way to attack. "Yes, we need to get out of this now - go back the way we came" Yukari replies, the urgent note still in her voice. They couldn't safely go forward - at least going back they knew the way to go. And they had to get Ryoko out of there too.
Spoiler:
"I'm fine, but I didn't see what happened!" Yukari calls back in response to Megumi. Spoiler:
Yukari turns Arashi and makes her way carefully back the way she came, hoping that the others have not strayed far from where she saw them last. After retracing a few of her steps, the Unicorn can just make out Ryoko through the thick fog. Both thankful that she has not completely lost the others and worried about what is going on, Yukari keeps her blade ready. "Are you alright, Asako-san?" she asks Ryoko, before slipping back into a wary, defensive posture once again.
Spoiler: As the mist rolls over the bridge thick and heavy, Arashi takes a few steps back, shaking his head uncertainly and snorting. Yukari looks around warily as Heihachi shouts his warning about the magical attack. The young samurai draws her katana, peering into the mist as best she can. Unfortunately, the fog is so thick that she can see no sign of her companions. Quietly, she whispers a few words of encouragement to Arashi, trying to reassure him as they turn around in a tight circle. The Unicorn tries to prepare herself for anything that might come their way. She had never had magic used against her in such a way before, and wasn't quite sure what to expect now.
As the ever-increasing group set off the next day, Yukari wonders a little at just how many people seem to be travelling along the path of Changing Hands. Having a large group was not a bad thing in itself - there was always safety in numbers, afterall - but she hadn't expected quite so many new faces to be joining them. The Kami clearly had plans of some nature. As they make their way along the road, the Unicorn watches their surroundings with some interest, particularly when the couriers gallop past. Their horses weren't as fine as those the Unicorn bred, of course (and they certainly didn't have the breeding of Arashi), but they were beautiful creatures nonetheless. Upon reaching the bridge, Yukari begins to make her way across, Arashi's hooves clattering noisily on the wooden planks. As she realises that some of the group have paused at the river bank, she stops to wait for them to catch up. As she waits, the battle maiden's gaze moves to the river, and she watches the ship make its steady way upriver. Not the way she would choose to travel, but she had to admit there was a certain air of calmness and relaxation about it.
Yukari had remained quiet during the Tonbo's ill-conceived attempt to convince Ryuko, sipping her tea in silence. She wasn't particularly well-versed in these situations, and her companions seemed to have it well in hand in any case. As Ukiya stormed out, Yukari wondered briefly to herself just where the Dragon was going to go in this storm. It did not seem like a good night to be travelling, but it looked like emotion might have clouded the Tonbo's judgement. "Probably not a wise move to brave that storm..." the Unicorn comments quietly.
Yukari frowns at Megumi's comment about Miya Shikan's peace. It benefitted some clans.. but for others, it held them back.. "War between clans is sometimes necessary. Unpleasant perhaps, but necessary. There are some issues that, once gone far enough, can only be resolved on the battlefield," the battle maiden replies. The conversation moves on swiftly afterwards however, and the Unicorn falls quiet for a time. At the Tonbo enters the room in a rather colourful display, Yukari turns to glance at the Dragon. Was this yet another chance meeting, or was he following Ryoko..?
Yukari offers a polite greeting in return to the new Crane. However, it quickly became clear that Umasu was unlikely to share much, if anything, in common with the battle maiden. It was fortunate for the artisan that he was not a Unicorn - she suspected he wouldn't hold up well to the almost-nomadic nature of her clan. Nor had she ever had much interest in the details of ikebana - such crafts looked pretty enough to her, but, as with other artistic pursuits like poetry or calligraphy, she had never been particularly good at it. Ume's scathing reply to the man was not much of a surprise to Yukari, given the Lion clan's skills lay in war mostly. She could sympathise with the Matsu though, sharing at least some of the same opinions. At Megumi's response, Yukari furrows her brow slightly, obviously disagreeing with this statement.
Perception/Investigation: 5k3 = 17 Yukari is too caught up with her tea and the conversation at the table to pay much mind to the Crane samurai entering the room. She passes a cursory glance over her shoulder on hearing the door open, but little more than that before turning back to the table. Taking a sip from her cup, the Unicorn turns to Ryoko. "So what are the lands of the Phoenix like, Asako-san? I must confess, I have never seen them before," she asks with interest. "Nor the Dragon lands for that matter," she adds, looking at Daichi and Fuguki.
With the Hitomi seeming to calm down as the day goes on, the journey does seem to become much more peaceful again to Yukari. For the most part, the battle maiden is again content to enjoy the scenery and talk to her companions. At the conversation about Pale Oak castle, Yukari finds herself drawn into it, curious about Ryoko's destination. It sounded like the castle, and the tree itself, would certainly be a sight to see. She wondered if they would actually see it, or if they would be parting company with Ryoko before then. The talk about the Bloodspeakers is a little less pleasant, however. "It sounds like there is a strong defence against and pursuit of these terrible people though - for which I'm glad of," the Unicorn adds to the conversation.
Heihachi certainly seemed to be correct as the Hitomi's behaviour and emotions seemed to swing wildly from one extreme to another. The omens that he and Daichi had mentioned did indeed seem to be pointing to this event, and indeed her companions were moving off after the man. Her anger at being brushed off subsided a little and gave way, once again, to confusion at Fuguki's behaviour. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Had it been somebody else, she would still have been furious at his insult rather than just now being mildly irked. But he seemed to abruptly change what he was doing from one moment to another and was like a different person in each of those moments. When he runs into the tree, the battle maiden's eyes widen slightly. Even with everything that had happened so far, she still hadn't expected him to do that. As her companions follow after Fuguki, the unicorn sighs faintly and lightly mounts up onto Arashi before following in turn. When she had thought yesterday about the journey becoming interesting, she couldn't have possibly seen it as being this interesting.
"Who asked you?" he snaps, a little peevishly, at Yukari, before turning to Ume again, his expression softening, as though abashed. "I'm sorry," he says, "which of us is me again? I won't forget, this time, I promise."
Yukari pauses for a moment, somewhat taken aback by the Dragon's rudeness. Courtesy dictated that she introduce herself politely, and the monk had thrown that back in her face. The battle maiden's face darkens as she frowns at him. And the other clans thought the Unicorn were 'uncultured'! Fine. He obviously didn't want to acknowledge her, so why should she waste her time? She moves over to Heihachi, muttering quietly to him, "I hope those omens aren't referring to this meeting." It's clear that the Unicorn isn't particularly happy with this turn of events.
Yukari returns the bow to the tattooed man. "I am Utaku Yukari," she says, introducing herself in return. This Dragon seemed like a very strange man indeed to the Unicorn. Absently giving Arashi's nose an affectionate rub as the horse nudges at her arm, the battle maiden watches the exchanges between her companions and Fuguki curiously. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet - he didn't seem quite.. sane to her.
Yukari is only too happy to enthuse to Megumi about Arashi, and the subject of horses in general. On the subject of homelands, the Unicorn is curious about the Crane lands in general, having seen but a small part of them last year. She is happy to talk about her own clan's lands in return also. As some of the group begin to talk about omens, Yukari will glance around herself curiously. She couldn't see anything particularly special, but she was hardly an expert in the way of these matters. "Another companion? This trip is turning out to be rather interesting," the Unicorn muses thoughtfully. She had no objections to another companion - they already had a couple of additions, and the group was still much smaller than it had been when they were travelling with Nimoro, after all.
As they set out on the road again, Yukari is fairly cheerful and upbeat - it is clear that this way of life appeals to her. The Unicorn will chat with anyone who seems willing to talk, sometimes riding and other times leading Arashi on foot so as to more easily hold a conversation with her companions. As they travel, the battle maiden will also watch her surroundings with interest, once again taking in the sights and sounds of the Lion lands. When they pause to make camp for the night, the Unicorn will see to her horse's needs before her own, ensuring that he is fed, watered and comfortable before she will stop to rest herself.
Yukari nods in agreement with Megumi as the Crane replies to the Dragon. Rising to her feet, the Unicorn returns the bow to the Mirumoto. "I would certainly have no objections to more company on the road," the battle maiden says as she straightens up again. "Please allow me to introduce myself - I am Utaku Yukari." As she seats herself again, the Unicorn take a sip of the tea that had been poured for her. The taste was much stronger and sharper than that of the Crane teas, but she rather liked it. It reminded her more of her own Clan's tea than the Crane flavour did.
"I had no idea there was such a grave threat in our midst, Asako-san," Yukari adds, frowning thoughtfully. With such a danger around, they would have to be sure to keep a watchful eye out as they travelled. She took a shallow breath, trying to find the right words. "All the more reason to accompany you. While I think you should not need an escort, if the enemy puts itself into plain view, all the better." She wasn't a politician, but she knew enough (or little enough) to think that any amount of covering up would just damage Lion honor and standing worse than exposing the vileness. Yukari nodded in agreement with Ume and Nagatsuna before adding, "I would be honoured to accompany you also, and assist where I can." At Megumi's suggestion of tea, the battle maiden nods again. "That sounds like an excellent plan, Kakita-san."
Yukari bows to both of the Phoenix, smiling as she returns the greeting. She wasn't entirely sure of what was going on here yet, having missed the previous conversation. From what she could tell, it would seem that they would have some additional company on the road once they left the village. At Kato's remark about it being inappropriate for a samurai-ko to travel alone, Yukari involuntarily frowns before unsuccessfully trying to neutralise her expression. She had never been very good at such things. She had no qualms about travelling unescorted - indeed, she had travelled by herself halfway across Rokugan to reach the Topaz Championship a year previously. She couldn't imagine any of the battle sisters requiring an escort as a matter of ettiquette, although travelling in groups because of danger from bandits, or 'cultists' as Kato had mentioned was simple common sense. Perhaps it was yet something else that the other clans did differently to the Unicorn (although she couldn't imagine Ume being happy about an escort for the sake of appropriateness either). She had to admit, she couldn't blame the Phoenix samurai-ko for the glare..
Yukari enters the inn a few moments after the others, having taking a little time to see to Arashi and make sure that he was comfortably stabled first. The Unicorn pauses just after she makes her way through the door, taking a moment to get a measure of the room and its occupants. It would seem that all of her companions were already here, along with the Dragon and Crane they had seen at the shrine, and many others. Intelligence (unskilled) (2d10 = 10) Awareness/Investigation (4d10.open(10).takeHighest(2)=16) The dragon shugenja catches her attention for a brief moment, before she makes her way over towards Nagatsuna, Megumi and Ume.
Finishing her prayers, Yukari rises to her feet and moves outside to rejoin her companions. With Nimoro's farewell, Yukari returns the deep bow to the Lion Champion. She had enjoyed the journey so far, but now it seemed their travels would take a different path. Hopefully, it would be as interesting as it had been so far.
Yukari then heads over to her remaining companions. "I apologise if I have kept you all waiting. Are we staying in this village for the evening, or journeying on immediately?"
Yukari casts a glance at the arguing Phoenix, frowning a little as she too kneels before the shrine. It did not seem right to be arguing in such a place, even if they were keeping their voices down. It seemed disrespectful. Trying her best to ignore the argument, the Unicorn lights her incense, before sitting in quiet contemplation. She wanted to offer her own respects to the Shrine.
Yukari's return to Tsuma brought back many memories from the previous year, some of them pleasant and others not so much so. It seemed an age since she herself had stood before the crowds facing an opponent. At Nimoro's request, Yukari accepts without question. The young Lion was a Clan Champion now, afterall, and it would have been unfathomably rude to decline - not that she would have in any case. During the Topaz Championship last year, she had faced off against Nimoro in one of the events, but she hadn't spoken with him as much as she had with some others, such as the other Matsu, Ume, or with Utsuro,Tsuto and Tenmaku. However, all of the competitors had been bound by what had happened the year before. The horrific memories of the dinner evening had probably bound them in a way that a quiet, uneventful tournament would never have. The Unicorn travels through the Lion lands with the rest of the group, accompanied as always with her large white steed Arashi. The stallion's bridle is now adorned with a pointed, spiralling horn attached to the browband, the mark of a full-fledged battle maiden's horse. For most of the journey, Yukari is content to enjoy the journey, taking in the sights and sounds of the Lion lands with interest. The Unicorn themselves were a mostly nomadic clan - as such, the thought of so much time spent travelling didn't faze Yukari. It was an opportunity to see places that she would most likely never see otherwise. Finally, as the journey winds to an end at Mura Sano Eiyu ni Suru, the battle maiden listens to the story of the disgraced ronin with some interest. She would be sure to pay her respects at the Shrine - Duty was indeed a virtue the battle maiden considered was of utmost importance to a samurai.
Ok, I've put a point each into Athletics, Etiquette, Courtier and Hunting. I don't think I'll be going for the two-dozen 1-point skills :D. I just felt that Yukari should be a little more rounded in the skills department after how she turned out to be in play. :) She did pretty well in each of those rounds in the tournament too, so she has had some practice in each one that hopefully justifies them. Think Yukari's ready to continue now. :)
As those who have earned their gempukku are lined up before the Emperor, Yukari can't help but feel a strange mixture of nervousness, delight and pride in being given such an honour. The Emperor's bow to the group completely catches her offguard, and she is as shocked as the rest of the crowd at such a gesture. As she has been taught, she offers her fealty, almost in a daze at the thought of finally earning her daisho, and in such a fashion, too! After the tournament's closure and everything had returned to (almost) normality, Yukari prepared to leave for the long journey back to Unicorn lands.
Spoiler:
On seeing her ancestor, a brief glimmer of hope flickers through Yukari. She hadn't disgraced the clan - perhaps her grandmother would be less critical of her this time. But, no, the areas in which she hadn't excelled were quickly brought to the fore by her ancestor's razor-sharp tongue. Bowing deferentially to her elder, Yukari answers quietly "Yes, Utaku-sama," as she has many times before. The ancestor's final words brought back visions from the troubling dream she had had the night before the Iaijutsu tournament. Utaku Sakura definitely seemed to be warning her of something terrible to come in future, in between the barbs and criticisms.
Troubled by this thought, Yukari calls softly to Arashi, wanting to be on her way again.
Yukari watches the rest of the matches with interest. She was a little disappointed about going out so early in the first round, but it was unsurprising considering her opponent. Megumi's defeat of Toru was somewhat shocking in its violence - it seemed that all of the Crane were striking hard in their duels. From the samurai-ko's expression afterwards, however, it seemed that she certainly hadn't intended to strike her clansman with such force. Yukari had to admit, she was glad it wasn't her on the receiving end of that strike. Had she beaten Toru in the first round, it could well have been her, afterall. As Megumi's victory is finally announced over Ryuko, Yukari followed the crowd in applauding the winner. The battle maiden might have failed in the iaijutsu tournament, but at least she had enough points to earn her gempukku, and she was in a comfortable position in the listings. Nobody could accuse her of disgracing herself or her clan, at least.
Yukari's still in, if you'll have her ;) I'll have a post up on the main thread in a little while. As far as character changing goes, there are a few things that I was thinking should perhaps be tweaked, mostly to make the character sheet match up with how she turned out as a character. Spoiler: I was thinking that Yukari should perhaps have a couple of skills that aren't related to combat, particularly given the way I've ended up playing her. Perhaps switching the 'irreproachable' advantage for 1 point in etiquette, and 1 point in something else more social-related. I'm also a little concerned that I'm not playing her Brash disadvantage properly. The only time she got riled was the encounter with Chigitsu, and I'm wondering if she should probably have drawn on him with that disadvantage. Can I ask for your opinion on whether I need to fix this, or if it was ok during the first mod? If it's something that should be fixed, then my options are to try and make her more hot-headed in future or to remove the disadvantage and either cut the points from somewhere or take a different disad.
It's a shame to see Ume go out like that - so close to the final too! Good luck to Megumi - really hope you beat Ryuko! :)
After a few moments, Yukari accidentally allows her attention to slip a fraction, giving Toru the opportunity to strike. Yukari gives a sharp grunt of pain as the wooden bokken slams into her wrist, unable to hold onto her own weapon as her fingers lose feeling momentarily. The wooden sword clatters to the ground as she is knocked to the side. Regaining her footing agin, the battle maiden bites her lip as a sharp spasm of pain runs through her arm. She couldn't fault the Kakita's execution, and it had been her lapse in concentration that had given him the opportunity. But his strike was almost brutal in its force - more than she had intended to do had she gotten the first strike. An accident, or deliberate? As the shugenja start heading over, Yukari bows to Toru, holding her wrist. "..Your technique is great, Kakita-san. I did not expect to win against a Crane." Her tone is somewhat more formal and cool than it was when congratulating her previous opponents after matches. She wasn't sure what Toru had hoped to achieve by such a violent strike, when the match was only to first blood. After the shugenja had seen to her injury, the Unicorn returns to the sidelines to watch the remainder of the matches.
After a few moments, Yukari accidentally allows her attention to slip a fraction, giving Toru the opportunity to strike.
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