Susan
How many battlefields had he conquered, in the years since he set aside the bridle and picked up the spear? How many foes, ferocious and valorous though they were, fell by the tip of that spear? Perhaps too many to truly count. It felt like a lifetime ago that Utaku Masanori left his mother's side and set off from Shiro Utaku Shojo with determination in his eyes. Yet all the same, he felt so much like a child in the face of what was to come. Fear was something all bushi conquered early in their training. Fear of injury, fear of the enemy, fear of death. A samurai had no fear for what followed such things, as a virtuous life was sure to be rewarded once they stood before Emma-ō. In casting off fear and accepting the inevitably of their demise in service to their lord, a samurai could dispatch their duty without regret.

But it was not death he found himself fearing. It was not the fate which awaited him in the realm of Meido. It was a fear of things to come in life. A fear not for himself, but for another whom he held even more dearly, and for a life not yet fully realized. Would that his sensei had taught him to swallow such fear with the same boldness.

Inaction was worse than fear, however. To delay was to give in to that fear, and such a thing was not acceptable for a scion of the Utaku. Masanori knew well what needed to be done. Better to face it headlong and dispel the noxious feelings that vexed him so. Lady Sun had long since begun her retreat across the horizon, though Lord Moon had yet to fill the skies with his light. Kazuko would likely be finishing her duties and retiring to her quarters, either to continue those duties in spite of Fuyuko's protests, or perhaps busy herself with some sort of training. The role of ambassador surely cut into one's conditioning, after all.

Perhaps the discussion to be had would offer a welcome distraction from such things. The strange, almost clear bottle of amber liquid in his palm surely would, even if his words were like to sober her from its cloying grasp long after they partook. Long strides under the cover of dusk led the lieutenant toward the main building that once served as the Ide family's private residence. His sister was inside, somewhere. He needed only find her.

Or, perhaps more accurately, find her voice—wherever his sister was like to be, Fuyuko would not be far behind, and it had not been too long beforehand that she asked he offer her the mercy of forewarning before divulging his ill-kept secret to her mistress. He could at least offer her that much, if not on the scale that she likely wished. The doors to the residence peeled open, held aloft by a kindly servant, and Masanori nodded his gratitude however briefly before continuing inside. The sight that greeted him was a more welcome one than expected.

"Hisa-chan," His words were gentle, if only by instinct, for it was his way to carry a severe mien even in the calmest of times, let alone when weighed down by such heavy thoughts, "What are you doing by the entrance at this time of day?"

It was perhaps a sad thing that he was not half so familiar with the little girl as his sister. Expected, of course; Fuyuko was more his sister's sister than his own. But he still remembered returning home from Khanbulak, barely a man grown, and finding the woman who had supposedly swaddled him as an infant holding little Hisa. Whatever her answer, her presence was a boon. Surely her mother would not be too far.

"I need to speak with your mother. Could you fetch her for me? Tell her it is a... Sensitive matter, that we have discussed previous."

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Mimi
"Utaku-sama!" The little girl jumped, dressed in a slightly too big jinbei and a decently sized furoshiki of khailmag none-too-well concealed. Her stealthy return after raiding the pantry for the sweet delicacy interrupted, she quickly put the cloth wrapped goods behind her back. "N-nothing! I was just—um—going to the bathroom?"

Her face fell. Lying was clearly not the girl's strong suit. "Please don't tell mom?"

"Hai! I'll go find her." At his request, she nodded, then dashed off into the residence (not before dropping the bundle of ill-gotten candies in a nearby vase if she was let do so). The pattering of feet receded into the hallways, leaving silence for a moment before two sets could be heard returning.

Fuyuko approached with the girl, her visage calm and as always tired, but serious. Reaching the bushi, she bowed deeply. "Masanori-sama, it is good to see you. Kazuko-sama is dining with Iuchi-sama this evening and will likely be indisposed for the night. Still, it would probably be best we go somewhere more private to discuss matters."

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Susan
Masanori quirked his brow ever so slightly at the girl's antics. He supposed that children of all ages were liable to behave in such a way: not even he was immune to such frivolities when he was still just a boy. Perhaps there was some value in scolding her for such behavior, but given the circumstances... He felt content enough to allow the girl her sweets. The knowledge that he was like to have a child of such an age almost certainly contributed to that decision. He only needed to ensure that he would have the opportunity to scold them when they inevitably snuck off for some after-dinner sweets. 

The lieutenant waited stoically as the small girl sprinted off, his eyes wandering the Ide residence's decor as he waited for her mother to arrive. It was a preferable alternative to continuing to ruminate on his thoughts and all the many possibilities that lay ahead of his discussion with Kazuko. Accepting defeat before the first arrow had even been loosed was a sure way to make that defeat a reality. He needed to be positive in his outlook.

Fuyuko's timely arrival made his thoughts an easier thing to wrangle, even if the news she bore was not particularly kind to his plans. Masanori shook his head in response to the declaration that his sister would be indisposed for the evening. Though he knew she had precious few moments to spend with her fiancé—if she even truly wished to spend any with them, to begin with—some things needed to be said swiftly.

"Her meal will have to wait. The matter I wish to discuss with her is urgent, and I cannot put it off any longer."

How much that urgency clued Fuyuko into just what it was he wished to reveal, he could not say. But she would not need to wait particularly long to find out. With a hand, he gestured for her to begin walking.

"Lead us to wherever you see fit. It will not take long."

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Mimi
Utaku Kazuko joined Fuyuko, who led her to the living quarters. She wondered idly what Masanori wanted. It must have been important if Fuyuko had decided to bother her meal. Still, the Ambassador found herself in a rare good mood. She was sure whatever it was could be simply handled and then she could return to her evening activities with her fiancé. "Masanori-san, is everything alright? If this is about the promotion, the letters are already on their way home for cataloguing and officiation."

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Susan
Fuyuko's humor—if it was an attempt at such—was met with a short shake of Masanori's head. 

"The thought is appreciated," The lieutenant raised the small bottle of amber liquid in his hand, "But I have done what I can to lessen the blow. It should be enough."

It was not often that he found himself in the personal quarters of the house's lord. Indeed, even when he briefly sat as the ambassador to the city, he preferred the familiar comforts of his yurt to the Ide's more ostentatious tastes. Kazuko must have been comfortable enough with it to make it her own home, though whether out of preference for a more permanent dwelling or simply a matter of cementing the permanency of her status, he could not say. While Fuyuko went off to fetch his sister, the Utaku looked about the handsome sitting room to find a pair of dishes to which he could pour the exotic liquor that sloshed about in his palm. He managed to find some decorative drinking bowls not so long before his generous hosts returned to him.

"I am not here on matters of business or rank," Though he had fought the lingering shadow of fear on his march over, it seemed to melt away in the moment, leaving him feeling all the assured confidence of a man dressed for battle, "It is a family matter that brings me here."

With the bowls in hand, he made way for the low table for seating guests, and settled himself down before it, hulking though he was. The soft clatter of ceramic on lacquered wood rang out as he set a bowl down before himself and then another across from him, and the third to the side of the second. Whether Fuyuko would indulge him, he could not say, but he was sure the heimin woman would desire a stiff drink if things were to get as difficult as she predicted. With the bowls in place, he brought the bottle to bear and gripped the cork in its mouth tightly.

"Do you remember the first time father brewed mead? I never much liked it. Too sweet. But he was proud of it all the same, once he figured out how to ferment it without shattering these finicky bottles," With a steady hand, he poured a bowl worth for his sister, then himself, and then Fuyuko, gesturing for them to join him, "If it was hard to procure at Shiro Utaku Shojo, you can imagine the difficulties in having some brought here. But it seemed a fitting drink, given the subject. It has been a long while since I last saw father."

With the duty of pouring done, he rested the bottle between the two of them and reached to lift his bowl off the tabletop.

"What I mean to speak to you of is not an easy thing, but it is not our way to meander around the point. Still, I ask you all the same, would you rather I come out and say it, or offer you a preamble of justification first?"

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Mimi
The more Masanori spoke, the more concerned Kazuko became. Her brother was not one to wax poetic, nor was she. The strain on their relationship over the years left such social niceties often forgotten, so to begin this meeting with a familial preamble was unusual. Concerning even.

"I never saw much of father's brewing efforts. By the time he expanded to more unique beverages my days were already being spent training and studying." Utaku Reika made sure that her firstborn daughter received the finest training as soon as possible. Her young life was shorter still than even her siblings, with the intensive preparations to become a soldier thrust to her younger than most. "But I do remember him speak of it when he finally succeeded. Rather the fact he would not stop speaking of it for the next week."

And then here it came. A request to her that Masanori did not consider easy. Clearly if it brought her own brother such distress it must be serious. Did he foresee a threat to their family in the wake of the raid, something which would require drastic action? Whatever it was, if it was bringing him here it was serious. "Speak plainly then, Masanori-san. What is it that troubles you?"

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Susan
The look of concern on Kazuko's face was plain as day to see. A funny thing, before his posting in Ryoko Owari Toshi, Masanori had never been one to search the faces of those he spoke to for their thoughts. If it was a matter that needed to be spoken, then he would wait for them to speak. If they felt so strongly that they needed to make him aware of their feelings, then they would inevitably broach the topic themselves. But the den of vipers that was the City of Stories had forced him to become more adept at reading people. More adept at reading his foes. For they could lurk in every corner, waiting for his weakness.

And those very same searching eyes seemed to instinctively hone in on his own sister's discomfort. As if she were some sort of enemy he needed to prepare for a careful riposte from. His brows furrowed as he considered that. How had things gotten so far? It was as if he had lost sight of the fundamental principle that led their clan across treacherous mountains and burning sands alike. The herd must be as one.

"What troubles me is that you are to become an aunt," The words left his lips almost reflexively, as if desperate to be free of the secrecy that had veiled his actions for so long, "And I, a father."

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Mimi
" . . . What?" The Battle Maiden blinked as her brother's words sunk in. Had she misheard, was all the time spent listening to bureaucrats rattling on finally damaging her ears? No, no, he said that. Her brother, a father. He was certain of it too. From confusion, to concern, to shock, she could not even consider hiding the range of emotions thrust upon her with but a few words. *"What?!*

"Why didn't you say so!" The shock faded into what may have been the first genuine smile that had crossed the Battle Maiden's face in years. "We should start celebratory preparations right away. There is a wedding to plan, marriage agreements between ours and theirs—the negotiations for who will marry into whose clan and all that. Of course, I'll need to meet her first—mother's stipulation."

Her brother, finding himself a good and honorable wife. She never thought she would see the day. Masanori never seemed the type who looked to settle down with a family, and she felt it far more likely he would end up used as a political pawn, stripped of freedom and agency yet again. "To what family does she belong? I'll start drafting a letter to meet with their Ambassador as soon as tomorrow."

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Susan
The emotions seemed to race across Kazuko's face like so many horses across the plains. It stood to reason such a thing would shock her. Their little family had gone years without an expansion, even though the children of Utaku Reika had long since reached marriageable age. And when the shock wore off, the pragmatism of the affair would surely settle in. The lieutenant braced himself for that much. He needed to make a strong case for the benefits of his child's presence. No matter the circumstances of their birth, they would be a boon to the family. A future soldier for their armies. A future leader for their people. 

Masanori was so set in his defensive posture that he almost missed his sister's sudden, raspy exclamation. And the smile that accompanied it only served to make him question what his ears had heard all the harder once he had managed to properly parse it. And when he finally did parse it, she continued still, speaking of marriage and matchmaking and nuptial agreements. It was not what he had expected to come. He was not prepared for such an eventuality. 

With swiftness, he pressed the edge of the bowl in his hand to his lips, threw his head back, and drained the entire cup in a single go. Whatever madness had possessed his sister, the drink would help him better deal with it, but only if he drank quickly. As he pressed the bowl back against the table and reached to pour himself another, he formulated his words through the sickly sweetness of foreign liquor.

"You are... Taking this news better than I anticipated," He confessed, setting down the bottle and lifting his second cup, "I had expected pushback. A scolding, perhaps. Not... This."

His sister's eagerness was almost off-putting, which was a terrible thing to think, given how rare such things were. Had she been from the crueler sort of family, he would almost imagine her to be baiting him. But he did not think Kazuko capable of such cruelty. At least, not to those she did not consider her enemy. But even for all her eagerness, even for her sudden acceptance that he would wish to marry the woman with whom he had sired a child, there was still some issue to broach. The matter of family.

"I cannot direct you to a family with which to negotiate, for she has no family name to speak of. I suppose you would need to speak to the woman herself—perhaps the family she serves—before arrangements could be made."

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Mimi
"Ah, I see. You wish to have her as a concubine then." It was odd, to seek a concubine before an auspicious match was chosen. Still, it would make future arrangements easier and broader: so long as he had this woman to produce heirs a marriage to a man—or a woman who could not bear children—was possible now. And it was not as if Khan Chagatai did not have his fair share of spoils from raids or other men and women who caught his attention. "So long as she is not incredibly expensive we can likely buy her off her employer. After that we will have to accelerate the process of finding a proper spouse for you, of course."

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Susan
Masanori's mouth hung open for a few long seconds when he heard Kazuko's retort. It was about all he could do, aside from silently thank himself for insisting that Chiyoko not accompany him to the negotiation with his sister. She might have been forgiven for her words: it was clear enough that she had taken his words to mean that he had laid with a commoner. If that were the case, it would even have been a harmonious solution. But the woman that he had found such comfort in was not one of such humble stock. And he could only imagine the indignation that his beloved would feel if he were to return to her with an offer of *Concubinage*, even before the pregnancy set her emotions to frenzy. *Especially* Before the pregnancy set her emotions to frenzy.

"You misunderstand me, nee-san. This woman... She is still of the samurai caste. She simply has no family to call her own. A wanderer."

He had told himself that he would not divulge Chiyoko's identity until he was sure Kazuko would not act against the woman. It was true that his sister had, so far, been incredibly receptive to the notion. Still, he could not help but wonder how that acceptance would change at the notion that the woman who she had quarreled with, no matter how briefly, had been the one to lay with her brother. Better to keep things vague. Ryoko Owari Toshi was a city rife with wave-men and women, after all. 

"Therefore, I do not believe concubinage is an acceptable solution for either of us."

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Mimi
"Now you are speaking in riddles, Nori-kun." The exciting news of a family addition meant Kazuko was not yet spiraling into aggravation, but confusion was taking hold. There must be a failure to communicate somewhere between the two.

"So she is ronin." Fuyuko held a brief hand up and took a **Large** Drink of the honeyed wine before she continued to speak her lady's words. "As a concubine she would be given privileges and status she could not hope to achieve in this life, provided and cared for as a member of our household. The children would inherit your name and station.

"Of course we cannot approve of a marriage with a chasm so vast, yet deny the logical alternative?" She grew serious. "I will not steal this child away from its mother, if that is what you suggest by this."

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Susan
"She also has it in her mind that if she can win back her family name—if she can win *You* Over—that she might become an acceptable bride for me."

There it was. The true struggle at hand. Perhaps it was foolish for him to expect Kazuko to be upset with the presence of a child. Even Shinjo Yasamura, the man to whom both of their fealty was expected, had been born out of wedlock. If his child was to be born to two parents who were not joined in a political union, it was unlikely that they would be faced with the same kind of scorn leveled upon them in other, more orthodox clans. But that was not the primary issue at hand. A child of his blood would never be refused at Shiro Utaku Shojo for as long as he still drew breath. The battle was to see Chiyoko accepted as more than a pleasant distraction for when his lawful wife did not satisfy him.

"You do not need to tell me how foolish the notion is. Life as a concubine at my side would be a marked improvement to her current circumstances, and I do not believe you would deprive my child of their mother. But taking her on as a concubine would mean an acceptance that she is nothing more than a mother to my children. A mother among many, eventually."

It was not lost upon him that many young warriors would kill for his situation. The opportunity to marry a woman of high birth while maintaining a lover on the side. No worry for matters of inheritance or birth order among his children. It was as convenient a situation as one could expect to have. Which made his protests all the more illogical.

"I do not know if I can bring myself to do that to her. To crush her hopes. To tell her that she is deserving of my seed, but *Unworthy* Of standing beside me in matrimony. She is more worthy than most every haughty Crane or proud Lion I have ever met."

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