Faye
Magic was in the air.

It always was at that time of day, when the purple of evening had yet to settle and still streaked with the fading crimson sunset. Lord Moon was readying to make his appearance, the brightest evening stars heralding his impending arrival. The lanterns throughout the garden were still in the process of being lighted, though one pavilion was already illuminated by a soft glow, a figure in red and black 

Music too, was in the air, drifting phantom-like through the gloaming darkness. 

Sweet, plaintive notes from a lute floated and flit as the fireflies of summer, ethereal, enchanting, exquisite. Arguably, out of place.

Bayushi Kotori sat alone in one of the open pavilions, her *Pipa* Situated in her lap and a portable writing set and writing book open on the bench at her side. Thin fingers strummed and plucked across the strings with practiced ease, coaxing out a ballad so tender one could scarcely help thinking of lost lovers and whispered vows. Distant, mist-shrouded mountains, secret assignations, the tangling of limbs in the dark, the flashing of steel... One could see it all through the song. Her eyes were closed, brows alternately drawing together an expression of subtle pain and then relaxing again, lips parting ever so slightly in an alluring countenance of pleasure, head rolling and swaying to the underlying rhythm of the song. 

After some time, the song trailed off, incomplete, the last note being carried away by a late spring breeze.

Expression relaxing once the note had faded entirely, Kotori placed her hands across the strings and opened her eyes, gaze distant and dreamy. After a long moment, cricket chirps began to sound; perhaps even the lowly insects has paused to listen. Resting her *Pipa* Across her lap, the Scorpion leaned over and made a notation into the book beside her before replaying the last few bars again, plucking a few notes, making another notation, and then plucking a few more. 


||
Lee
Kiyo always enjoyed nights like tonight. The chill of spring has mostly given way to the warmth of summer nights, but there was always seemingly a threat of the chill returning. Seemed unlikely tonight, but spring was a fickle season, it never gave up without taking something. That something tonight was one of Kiyo's papers, on an unexpected breeze. Served her right for trying to work outside while the weather was pleasant. Picking up her supplies she went to go retrieve it.

She really didn't want many others to get their hands on her work. While she did not care much about the deception her clan perpetuated as its 'duty' to the empire, she didn't really feel compelled to allow others to obtain a half-finished ward. While not meaningful to the average samurai, there is a lot that can be gleaned from analyzing another's technique, and she'd rather hers not be stolen if she could prevent it. Luckily, the breeze didn't intend to take the paper very far.

She would find her lost paper caught nearby the small musician, in one of the nearby bushes. Kiyo hadn't exactly been listening to what was being played beyond that there was music being played. Music really wasn't one of Kiyo's interests, and she tended to tune it out, especially when she had something that demanded her focus. She wasn't sure if she was interrupting, but the musician seemed to have stopped playing a song (at least for now), and she elected to apologize for the intrusion.

She would find a good moment to speak, not really wanting to interrupt... Whatever the musician was doing. Writing a song maybe? It didn't really matter to Kiyo. What did matter was she was interrupting, and likely distracting, people Kiyo's size are terribly hard to miss. "Apologies," She spoke, "I did not mean to interrupt your music playing." She added, "Tansaku Kiyo, I manage the wards in the city. My work got a little away from me here." Gesturing towards the runaway page now trapped.
John
Tomura had been out and about that night, spending some time in the Scorpion Garden. Music was not one of his talents, he did play the flute now and then, but it was amatuer work compared to the star that graced the garden this night. The music however, gave him some inspiration, tangling of limbs, lost lovers, some pain... These where rather some good themes, and it gave him an idea for a story... Of course the limbs would become much more grotesque, as if shambling horrors of mixed bodies, lost lovers cursing the other name to swear murder, pain... Pain that was so intense it was be turned to pleasure when the senses no longer could tell the difference.

He did blink however when the music stopped, suddenly out of his... Visions.
||
Faye
Kotori plucked one of the strings on her lute absently, tapping the loop of her writing brush against her chin as she pondered. 

So very like a blade was music. Sharp and biting, and with a simple turn, suddenly flat. Not necessarily harmless, but less threatening. 

*Sharp-natural... Natural-flat? Flat-natural? Which progression?* 

Choices, choices.

She did not notice Kiyo's approach until the woman announced herself... Apparently from the bushes. 

"Apologies. I did not mean to interrupt your music playing." 

Upon finishing one final notation, Kotori stood to properly address her unexpected audience, juggling writing brush in one hand while holding her lute by the neck with the other. 

"Oh! Did only the one page escape you? Shall I help you look?" Leaning over the balustrade of the pavilion, she peered into the shadows in search of any more errant papers. Upon seeing none, she looked up, and blinked in surprise. She had not expected to be faced with a giantess.

However, the instant of surprise vanished as soon as it appeared, and a friendly smile instead took its place. How serendipitous to meet another clan member!

"I am honored to meet you, Tansaku-san." Her bow, though somewhat awkward with her hands full, was still sincere. She quickly set to packing up her writing set and book, still smiling up Kiyo. "If anything, I should apologize to you if my music interrupted your work. You do have such a tremendously important job. Would you care to join me? I was just finishing up here."

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Lee
"Oh, no, the page is right here." She answers, "There's no need for you to help." She adds moving the page to her scroll case. She suspected her work was probably done. It wasn't so important that she could justifiably use it to avoid conversation. She returns the bow, if a little shallower, "It is a pleasure, Bayushi-san. I suppose I can spare some time for fellow clanmate." 
|| 

Kiyo is used to the surprise, it's not very often (outside of Crab lands of course) anyone sees a woman her size. It's actually quite humorous to her. She has a wry smile as she remarks on the quick look of surprise. "It's often joked about that I must be a Hida who was swapped at birth. It's not far off though, my grandfather on my mother's side was a Hida. She's actually not much smaller than I am." She remarks dryly.

"So what exactly were you doing?" Kiyo asks. "Composing something new?" It's very clear that Kiyo had barely even registered that there was music playing until she had lost her paper.
Faye
"This song I have been working on has been giving me terrible trouble. At moments, I think it is almost completed, and then I discover something that just... Isn't quite right. Do you find that ever happens to you?"

A sudden realization jolted her, and she immediately bowed again—much more deeply—while a flush colored her cheeks. It was one thing to be caught staring, but another entirely to have neglected to introduce herself. 

"How rude of me! I beg your pardon for my lack of manners, Tansaku-san. I am Bayushi Kotori," She straightened, offering a sheepish smile before settling back onto the ledge and resting her instrument across her lap again. 



"It is no excuse for my error, but I confess my mind was still on my music. A thousand apologies. I am yet newly arrived, and am still finding my feet."
Lee
In music? No. Kiyo has never experienced that sort of thing. Her only real experience (if you could call it that) was that one time she broke all the strings on her parent's koto by overzealously using it to make fun twanging noises. She suspects that the question covered a broader subject than just music though.

"It's difficult to compare. Wardmaking is an exact art. There is no real room for variation or a personal touch. You either do it the way you know it works or..." She emphasizes the next few words "You didn't make a ward. I'm very much not skilled enough to advance the art." *Yet*, although that goes unsaid.

"I suppose I'm not very artistically inclined beyond that." Which was a polite way to say she really couldn't stand most types of artistry. Flowers while sometimes pretty, did nothing for her. Poetry likewise seemed a total waste of time. Painting beyond communicating what something looked like had zero purpose in her mind. The less she said about sculptures the better. She had been kind of picking up origami recently, but she doubted any of her experience with it could carry over.

"Oh, what brings you to our fine city? Attempting to make a name for yourself as a performer in the greatest city on this side of the empire? Or are you here on buisiness?" Kiyo hadn't considered that those two questions could be the same question.
Faye
"I see," Kotoro nodded to herself, considering. 

No variation? Only success or only failure? While those concepts made sense to her logically, the artist's blood coursing through her went cold at the very idea. Her tutors had been frustrated by her inability to grasp but the most basic of calculations on an abacus, despite the great effort they spent. 

"How would one go about creating a new ward? I know nothing of such complicated workings, but I imagine just learning the basics must be a trial, with so little room for error and variation." 

Beneath the hem of her kimono, she crossed her ankles to keep from swinging her feet as they dangled off the ground. On evenings like this, when the music was high in her blood, it was hard to contain her energy. However, Kiyo seemed like the serious sort and Kotori did want to improve her esteem in the ward master's eyes, especially after her own earlier faux pas. 

"The clan sent me here to assist Rokugo Yuto. Though," She flashed a tiny grin to Tansaku, "I would not be opposed to achieving some degree of recognition for my talents but I have yet to have the chance to demonstrate them."

"What about yourself, Tansaku-sama? How did you come to be the ward mistress of the city? It must be an exhausting task."

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Lee
"A new ward?" Kiyo pondered out loud, "Well, there's only so many effects that can be put to paper, and while my family hasn't likely tested all of them, some families keep a tight lid on their invented invocations, we're fairly confident in what can and can't be done. Now you just need to give discreet instructions on how to cause those and potential triggers. It actually isn't that complicated if you know what the rules allow and how to do the strokes, but that ward would be blatantly obvious on what it does to anyone with any familiarity to the art." Kiyo is very clearly quite passionate about this topic, as her face shows far more interest and animation than it did previously. If she's not interrupted this could go on for quite a while, but she would speed up her explanation if it looks like it's going way over Kotori's head (this is likely, magic comes from essentially an extra sense that Kotori just doesn't have, it's like explaining the color red to a person who can't see). She would explain the difficulty in warding actually arises when you're trying to do more than one thing at a time as the more effects that get stacked the more circles and lines need to exist and at that point any mistake can ruin the whole thing. "It's why more complicated wards tend to be paper wards. Paper is disposable, but objects are significantly less so."

Ambitious. Kiyo could respect that. She never was one to understand why people were so obsessed with knowing their place, and then never choosing to go beyond it. Her calculus has the reward being worth any risk, but then again, she's not really risking anything if she chooses to go above where she belongs. Still humility got old. "I wish you luck in this endeavor. Rokugo-san and I have discussed quite a few things about the city." And Yuto definitely needed help, that's for sure. "I'm sure you will have time to go after your *Secondary* Project too." The emphasis was intentional, Kiyo knew that duty was only primary because it had to be.

"Ah. Well, why would someone as young as I be in charge?" Kiyo posited a question. She let it hang a few seconds before she would answer it herself. "The reasons are 3. Despite the potential for war, the only major looming need for wards is the Shinomen Mori nearby. There is truly nothing spiritually dangerous held here in need of sealing. Reason 2 and 3 are actually quite related. Maybe even the same. I suppose the reasons are 2 then." She seems to pause for a moment, before catching herself from sinking into a thought tangent. "I needed the practice leading, and I am of the Kuge (higher status, she's essentially saying she's likely to be leading the whole of the Tansaku family eventually). This city is the perfect place for a young samurai-ko to learn to lead, and hone her spiritual techniques, *At least according to my father*." Kiyo doesn't seem to 100% agree with that statement.
Faye
As Kiyo spoke, Kotori listened with rapt attention. She kept her gaze intently focused on her new companion, nodding at the appropriate moments and asking short questions when appropriate for her own clarification. 

It was true, she didn't understand much of what the other woman was saying, but she *Could* Understand the passion there. Kiyo seemed all but sparkling in Kotori's eyes, burning bright now her interest had been kindled. It was one of the reasons the Bayushi took so much effort to show she was engaged in listening. She knew well what it was like to see a polite interest fade to apathy and then to boredom and finally impatience... And she knew how disappointing it was to be on the receiving end of that. 

Then again, Tansaku was self-possessed and composed. Maybe she was immune to such things. She was a *Kuge*, so maybe she had been raised to disregard the opinions of others. Maybe others would never dare to show such coarse personal opinions on their faces in her presence. Maybe...

Maybe. Possibly. Could be. Potentially. 

These were words that had been drilled into Kotori. Never commit outright. Never make promises. 

Sometimes, she hated those words. The way they stuck in her mind, repeating and droning and chasing away certainty. 

Her hair ornaments chimed softly as she tipped her head, driving those thoughts away. She offered up a bright smile, full of open admiration, looking up (literally and figuratively) at the much taller Kiyo. She did not know many people on a personal level, and was hungry for connections. She did, however, do her best to keep that desire tempered and appropriate. 

"Thank you very much for educating me on these matters, Tansaku-sama. If I may ever be able to assist you in any way, I hope that you will allow me to do so."

*Clan mates or not, I would like to be your friend.*

Kotori did not say the last part aloud, however true it may have been. 

|| Kiyo sauce is the boss and I love it.
Lee
Kiyo found it slightly surprising that Kotori humored her throughout the whole ward summation. She's knows full well that she wouldn't have done the same, at least if she wasn't interested in some way and she was rarely interested. She wasn't even all that good about being polite about it, she didn't wear a mask in more ways than one, and without conscious effort she did let things show on her face. Her disinterest in others was a known flaw to her, one that she hadn't worked on and while she knew she knew that she had to, she really wasn't looking forward to working on it.

What she did appreciate was the offer to assist. You never know when someone could be useful for helping you out of a jam. She would say helping her with her goals, but she's not even sure what those are for her. She assumed that she would have figured something out with the two years she's been here, but really all she's figured out is she enjoys fried food and sake, and she's pretty sure she already knew that. Having those frequently is hardly a goal anyway.

"I'll take you up on that," Kiyo isn't sure how often she'd need a courtier and a musician, but an offer to help is an offer to help. She doesn't realize the inner conflict within the other samurai-ko entirely.
Faye
"I would be honored if you do." She offered one last smile before standing back up, offering another deep and respectful bow to Kiyo. 

She may have had very little in common with the other woman, but to Kotori, that did not matter. At least, not yet. Meeting new people was thrilling, and seeing their faces light with excitement delighted her. 

"I should be going now that the sun has set, but I hope that we may meet again. Perhaps you might join me for tea." 

Even if friendship were an impossibility, she would at the very least do her duty by her clan and be useful. 

Packing her writing set and book into a furoshiki and cradling her pipa in her arms, she would wait for Kiyo to depart before leaving herself, returning to the Shosuro Palace.
Lee
Kiyo bows a goodbye to the musician, and makes a note of her. She didn't love many of her clan mates, they often decide to lean too far into the over-the-top stage villain persona, so it was always pleasant to meet one who wasn't actively trying to make a simple conversation into a court intrigue.

"Yes, I have dinner plans waiting for me," She says in response to the invitation, "But tea another time could be lovely." Kiyo wasn't above a little white lie, she didn't really get what made tea so great, it's just water that tastes of leaf. Why not cut out the middle man and eat the leaves and just drink water?

She departs the garden and heads to the merchants quarter, stopping at one of her usual haunts.