Anthony
The little room at the back of the embassy had been sealed since the last afternoon as the young shugenja Kitsune Meiko prepared it. Now, the door opened again, the insides looked somewhat radical to anyone not used to the ways of the fox. The large hall had most of the expensive Tatami removed and stashed in the hidden cupboards in the walls, leaving only a square of four mats around the irori with a kettle. The heavy smell of sandalwood incense wafted from it, mixed with a little bit of other to create a somewhat earthly and woody aroma in this town with its smells so different.

The dark hardwood floor laid bare shimmered in the light passing through the opened doors to the garden. However, even then, the view into the garden wasn't what it used to be. Green and brown fabric hung from a bar right after the open doors to the garden, at least creating a rough illusion of the light in the castle of the fox, and green one expects when looking out.

And so, Meiko is waiting for her clansmates, wearing a reddish brown furisode bound with a black obi decorated with an embroidery depicting scenes of the play that was named Kuzunoha.

||
Mary
"Well, now ain't this familiar!"

Tsuta announced her presence with the comment, stepping into the tea room and taking a moment to take in the scent of sandalwood. A soft clicking follows her arrival as the familiar white rabbit, Fuji-san, followed in after her. Tsuta was clad in her usual outfit; black hakama, Mantis green haori, and a reddish-brown headband and waistband.

"I mean I was looking forward to tea, especially in your company, Kitsune-san, but having it done up like home? I'm stunned, really." She bowed lowly to her. "If you don't mind my asking, how long did you work on putting this together?"

||
Ryan
"A fair bit, I would wager." _A cultured sultry voice called out from behind Tutsu, walking in behind her a voluptuous woman in a reddish brown kimono with gold trim, her skin pale contrasting her jet black hair done up with a fancy hair piece, on that mimicked the shape of two big fox ears._

"This invite was a surprise to be sure, but not an unwelcome one." _She added taking a moment to enjoy the sandal wood permeating the air as well._

||
Anthony
The youngest of the foxes bowed deep from her position at the little stove, gesturing at the little cushions that marked the better seating positions for her guests. Bowing like this did put the pair of hairpins with their reddish kanzashi on display, keeping the black hair in check. "I hope I did not interrupt any plans of yours with this invite, but I hoped to break the lull of the passing months in this town with too little trees with this."

Waiting for the others to settle in, she did arrange a few bowls and a ladle to prepare tea for a short moment. She clearly didn't plan on a full tea ceremony, but to serve tea nevertheless.

"It really isn't much... And the servants did most of the heavy lifting. But where are my manners. Would you like a tea?" She offered, reaching for the kettle of hot water and raising its lid. From a small bowl, she strew a small hand full of very finely ground tea leaves into it, stirring it with the ladle and letting it sit for a few moments. As she filled the bowls for her guests, the earthy aroma of pan fried tea added to the incense already in the air.

||
Ryan
"Oh, no dear kitsune sister, t'was no inconvenience at all, in truth things have had a... Mmm... 'dull' start for a city with so much interest suffusing it." _The lovely woman said, offering a bow to her most gracious host before sitting down, eagerly watching as she made tea, trained eyes following every movement, the Tea Ceremony was something she knew as intimately as any lover, maybe more so._ ||Emphasis: Tea Ceremony||

"I would love some." She said with a warm smile, accepting cup but taking a moment to draw in the smells as well as let it cool a bit, tea was meant to be savored more then outright drank.

||
Mary
Under normal circumstances, Tsuta would have certainly made a comment on the unfamiliar Kitsune's arrival. Something along the lines of the day being even more blessed, or the usual sort of thing she was wont to say. Circumstances had made that a bit more... Awkward, however. After all, with the work the matchmaker was doing, the last thing she wanted was to put her foot in her mouth, which had become an increasingly common occurrence since arriving at the city.

So, Tsuta instead rested on formality, bowing to the unfamiliar clanmate. "An honor to meet you. I am Kitsune Tsuta. I wasn't aware we'd be having additional company, but it's very nice to know that there's more of us here. At this rate we might even outnumber the Moshi," She joked, before turning her attention back to Meiko.

"No interruption at all. I'm always happy to take a little bit of lesiure time when it comes up." She took a moment to breathe in the scent of the tea, then bowed her head. "Of course. Not much of a tea without tea, is it?"

||
Anthony
"The fault must be entirely on me. I had heard of the arrival of another of our clan and forgot to introduce one another. Let me remedy this." Before bowing to the two, the young shugenja made sure each had a cup of tea. "I, Kitsune Meiko, welcome you two to this gathering. I hope the tea of convenience is to your liking, for I am not the most skilled in tea ceremony and the rigorous rules around it would forbid talking about trivialities or politics, or so I was taught."

Stretching her back again as she sat up, she smiled at the two, picking her own cup. "The method of toasting a bit of tea cake and then grinding it to a very fine powder I was told would enrich the fire and earth tones in the tea, and I must admit the flavor follows decently."

Tsuta's comment about their numbers did cause a curious look from Meiko before she took a tiny sip of the hot tea. "And the Yoritomo, if I am not mistaken. And we might already be more than Tsuruchi."

||
Ryan
_Waiting for the generous young honest to finish and finally actually drinking a sip of tea, it was splendid if unrefined in technique and execution, however with a base founded on passion for the craft the younger Kitsune's talent for art of tea was sure to only grow._

"It seems good tea and better company have stripped me of my common courtesy, my apologies." _She said, gingerly setting down her cup before bowing slightly seated, adding;_

"I am Kitsune Akari, it's a pleasure to meet you both, t'was wonderful to learn I was not the only Kitsune in within the city, though I am only recent in years a member of the Kitsune, adopted to shed the worst of the pall that hangs heavy around the Tsuruchi, my father was Tsuruchi Shun."

||
Mary
"Ah, well, a new member of the family is still a member of the family. Even if we're away from home, then, consider this a welcome," Tsuta began. "So, did you get a chance to spend any time at Kyuden Kitsune before heading here? If I can ask, how long have you been joined with us?"

She didnt' want to press her too hard, but Tsuta had learned that it was best to be asking questions of other people rather than just going on and on about herself. Even if she did think she *Was* Kind of impressive.

"No worries about the tea of convenience, as you say, Kitsune Meiko-san," She quipped, switching to full names to avoid confusion. "Formality's got its place, but something a bit less... Rigid is best for getting us to know each other." She took a sip from her cup then, nodding in approval. "Indeed. I'm started to appreciate a more fiery flavor in my tea since coming here. Lots of tea houses try to do something similar here, but I'd say you do it best, Kitsune Meiko-san."

||
Anthony
"Ah, I hope it is a shared pleasure, Kitsune Akari-sama." Meiko remarked, offering an apologetic smile as she moved to drop the surname after, but using the full name to establish that she thought herself as of lower rank than her. "I have never met Tsurushi Shun, and I sadly don't remember having heard of him. May I learn if his service to the Kitsune lead to your adoption, and if you were chosen to continue a specific line of the family, like I was tasked to, Akari-sama?"

"The Ancestral forests of our family are a pleasure I hope you were allowed to see and witness. Maybe you might even have met one of the few Byakko. A meeting that even I, who grew up learning and serving in the temples and shrines, only had... I guess trice since I was allowed to take the blade of my adoptive father and my adoptive mother's scroll case." ||Adopted, not Born Weakness||

"Indeed, Tsuta-san, formality has its place, but I hope this isn't one of those. The method of roasting the tea before turning it into a powder as fine as that used for the tea ceremony however I can't claim to be the best in. Surely the Phoenix or Dragon must have mastered it far better than me for I was told that the process came from that direction." She bows slowly, taking a sip from her own cup. 

||
Ryan
_Reaching behind her with one hand and into the ornate 'bow' of her obi sash, the lovely eldest of the Kitsune present drew out a sheathed tanto in it's saya, placing it on the table and replied to Tutsa;_ 

"Only briefly for my formal adoption into the clan, I was presented with this as a gift. Sadly I only had a mere week to enjoy the forests there before duty called me elsewhere, I do hope to get the chance to visit again soon."

_The tanto in question was ornate gold with a black saya depicted on it a fox looking wistfully up at a full moon. Her showing this concealed weapon was intended to be a sign of trust to her fellow Kitsune sisters._

"Father was a ronin for a good portion of his life, he fell in with a group that would become the Tsuruchi family, he was one of titular Tsuruchi yojimbo, he died thwarting an attempt on her life, when she reclaimed her family's castle she named it's main gate in my father's honor, the wakizashi you saw me walk in with, now besides me, was once part of his daisho."

_Her words held great sorrow in them, it always pained her to speak of her father's passing, though an honorable death in service to his ladyship it still deprived Akari of a father and her mother a husband, both of whom Shun loved more then anything._ ||Lonely Weakness||

_Talk of tea and the Phoenix and Dragon snapped her back to witful aplomb, remarking playfully;_ "Oh don't ever let my mother hear you say that, my mother would give you a tongue lashing that would make death by a thousand cuts seem quick and painless."

||
Mary
"Well, the Dragon and Phoenix aren't here to correct me in enjoying it, so I think I'll continue enjoying it, Meiko-san." There was a warmth to her smile as she spoke, perhaps feeling as though she could let her guard down amongst clanmates at least a little bit. 

As the topic turned to ancestry and fathers, she maintained composure, even as she lowered her head somewhat, listening to Akari's tale. Picking up on the emotion in her voice, she glanced to her, hoping to offer her some sort of comfort.

"Your father sounds to be a most honorable man. Even though a life given in service of the clan is one to be celebrated... I understand the loss. My own father died in service as well. He protected my mother from a Bakeneko that had wandered to close to the forest. You've my condolences, Akari-san."

She offered a sad smile, nursing her cup of tea as she spoke.

||
Anthony
"That's a good point, Tsuta-san. And even if they were, they'd just tell us how they believe we should do it right I guess." *Chuckling ever so lightly, the young shugenja glanced over to the dagger presented, the head tilting a tiny bit before she nodded.*

"A well made set of fittings. A gift that is quite unlike what most blades of the Kitsune look like, but still carries the distinct style of our family. A fox and a moon, how poetic."

*Gesturing a tiny bit to where she put down her own Wakizashi and scroll case, Meiko nodded.* "These two were given to me after the departure of those that accepted me as their daughter. The scroll case was that of Kitsune Tamako-sama, who went to assist the fight against the Forces of the dreaded Bayushi Shouju but never returned. I received it at my Gempuku. The blade used to belong to Kitsune Masakatsu-sama, who went to the eternal slumber shortly after the Fox joined the Yoritomo while serving on one of their ships, only two years after I had received the case of his wife."

*The blade was resting in its saya and hilt made without decor, and neither Samé nor Ito adorned the grip. If it wasn't a Fox blade, one might assume it was the furnishings for storing an old blade. The scroll case meanwhile was made from an almost grey wood.*

"My heart is weighed by your loss, Akari-sama, especially after you will not pass on the name your father was given on, but I feel honored that you will instead carry on the legacy of one of the Fox, who so gratefully accepted me as one of theirs. If you want to share, would you tell us who took you as their daughter by giving you this Tanto? And... I hope the question is not too indiscreet, but do you have plans for who to wed?"

||
Ryan
"I'm sure your father and mine are became fast friends in the hereafter, Tsuta-sama, father too spoke of the occasion encounter with yokai, he survived an ambush by a Kamaitachi one night on a lonely road, he'd point out the scars and regale any with ears to listen, whether they wanted to or not."

_She giggled, before listening to Meiko-sama praise of her weapon, placing it back in it's hiding place in her obi;_ "I found it so, I commissioned no details about it either, the smith who forged it was 'inspired the moment he saw me', and created it with in it's unique flair without any further input. 'Gon' has been a faithful, if subtle companion ever since, I am rarely if ever without it, nor feel truly alone with it near."

_Both of the other Kitsune would likely know that Gon could translate as 'Little fox', from a folk story of a titular fox character of the same name. T'was a somber tale who's lesson was that everyone had to accept their fate._

_Listening intently as the younger Meiko spoke of her own passed down relics, nodding along to show she understood their significance, when conversation turned to her adoption and choice of life partner, she couldn't help but giggle;_

"My adopted mother is Kitsune Ashiya, she too was adopted at much the same age I was way back when. Every other Kitsune who petitioned to be my adopter saw me for my looks and manners, but she, despite her blindness, saw me for who I was underneath it all, so I accepted her offer and became her daughter."

_She paused for a sip of tea, mulling over her response to the second query, replying to it with;_ "As for suitors? I have many, I daresay I could have anyone I wanted as husband or wife save mayhaps the Divine Emperor himself, but no one truly sees me like mother Ashiya does." ||Weakness(s) Overconfident and Lonely||

||
Mary
"That's a lovely thought. I'll be thinking that myself from now on," She replied, showing a genuine smile to her. Her eyes were drawn to the tanto as well; while the discussion of shared loss had taken her attention before, she was able to take a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship before it was put away. 

"Indeed, it's quite a gift. It speaks to the honor of Kitsune-sama to have prepared something like that for her adopted daughter. Your story only shows that further. It's an unfortunate rarity to be seen as we really are, sometimes."

Turning her attention to Meiko, she listened to the story of he blade and scroll case, making note of the reverence she had for her ancestors. "Speaking of craftsmanship, the quality of what was left to you is evident too, Meiko-san. It's also good to hear of your ancestor's honorable service."

She suddenly felt an urge to share herself. Even as she did not carry her prized possession with her. "As for myself... By bow was given to me by my aunt, Kitsune Yuki-sama. It was my grandmother, Kitsune Haru-sama's, who served until her death as one of our clan's rangers. She taught my aunt all she knew, who in turn taught me all she knew. A yumi is a bit impractical to bring to tea... But if you'd like to see I'd love to bring it around."

She did however, pause a bit at Akari-sama's comment. "Well.. I'm certain you do indeed have many people who would indeed like to know you," She replied.

||