Eleanor
Following Kita's arrival to the embassy and the assignment of her duties, it fell upon the Karo to brief her on some of the particulars. Given that they had just finished partaking in a meeting with tea at hand, Sanumo made the conscious choice not to order more as he walked the new courtier to his office for further discussion.

« I am sure you have many questions. Please allow me to lay out a general overview of the project's scope before we delve into the minutiae. »

Arriving at his office, he opened the door and gestured her inside. Despite his station and the duration of his stay, the Karo's space was a rather dull affair. Shelves lined either side of the room that, though they contained a smattering of texts, were about half empty - potential left unrealized. His desk had only a few objects upon it (writing utensils and the like), but everything had a designated place. It was orderly and bland, save for the Asako mon branded into the front face of the dark wood.

He sat behind the desk and waited for her to seat herself at a chair on the other side before continuing.

« If the Steel Talons project meets with full success, it will be a Phoenix-led dueling organization. There will be five non-administration members whom are duelists of the highest quality that the city has to offer. Periodically, challengers will attempt to duel an existing member to claim their place among the ranks of the titular Steel Talons and the prestige associated with such. »

He rattled off the information as though reading from a textbook, this portion of the explanation clearly not all that engrossing to him. However, he went quiet at this point and gestured for Kita to speak.

*I've given her very little to go on so far. How she goes about prying for information and tackling this will reveal wonders about the quality of her work and how we might better use her talents going forward.*

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Robert
Asako Kita followed Asako Sanumo to his office for the additional briefing. She worked to wrap her mind around how quickly things had looked different for her from her home. She was determined to do well by the tasks assigned as to reflect well on her lord and her family. 
Having entered the office behind Sanumo, Kita had taken in the functional layout of the office with an appreciative glance. She took a seat in the offered chair and listened attentively to the initial explanation provided. Outside of the initial meeting room, her demeanor had become much more business-like.
After what she had believed to be Sanumo's enthusiasm for the project when he first broached the subject to the ambassador, this dispassionate recitation of facts was slightly disconcerting to her. But again, she did not yet know the man well enough to make any determination. Many thoughts that had whirled in her head about the Karo's manner, and the facets of such an undertaking as the Steel Talons would present.
The silence while she collected these thoughts stretched almost to the point of discomfort. Sanumo may have wondered if she understood that he had expected her to inquire further.

"A Phoenix-led dueling organization..."
Her thoughts organized, she broke the silence and launched into a series of questions in response.
"I am not familiar with 'Steel Talons'. Is this a new designation for this project here in Ryoko Owari Toshi specifically? 
Are there many duelists here? Or something we, I mean you,"
She paused and inclined her head as if to acknowledge whatever planning had gone into the project previously,
"Were looking to encourage the development of? 
"Does this type of ranked dueling society exist in other cities, or among other clans are there similar programs in place this would be mimicking?
What is the current status of the project? What, if any, steps have been enacted as of yet, or is it still in planning stages?"
As she spoke her fingers twitched, rubbing the dark stains on her fingers, and looked as if they were moving along with mental notes she took.

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Eleanor
As his fellow courtier sat in silence, Sanumo did not press her to continue. He quietly unfurled his fan and used it to hide the slight mirth beginning to suffuse his expression.

*Too often samurai are keen to rush in without contemplation. That she knows enough to consider beforehand is already a good sign.*

When she spoke, it was like a damn bursting. Question after question flowed as if second nature. He tallied them on his fingers as she went. Once it was clear that there was a suitable opening for him to speak, he replied and lowered each of his fingers as questions were answered.

« Steel Talons is merely a fanciful name that I gave the proposal when I put it before Shiba-sama. It only remains as the name because he approves of it. This is a new endeavor and would only be applicable on the local stage. »

« Ryoko Owari Toshi is home to a sizable number of duelists of varying levels of competency. As one of the largest cities in Rokugan, it makes sense that they would be drawn here for one reason or another. »

« Other organizations of this sort absolutely exist in other cities. I have not yet done any research into their histories so that we may learn from them. »

« No moves have yet been made to turn this from an idea into a reality. It was only recently that I received approval for the project, so there has not been much time to proceed from there. »

Whereas the summary of the project had been delivered in a rather lifeless manner, the more that discussion went deeper than the superficial, the more invested and animated the Karo appeared to get.

Much of her inquiries were seeking the *What* Of the matter and he was growing ever more eager to get into the *Why* And *How*.

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Robert
Asako Kita nodded thoughtfully at the answer to each question, considering the responses as Sanumo provided them
In turn. 
"It is a good name; Steel Talons." She announced the name again, testing it. She continued thoughtfully, "There are is power in the name of a thing. Done correctly such a title could be quite well respected. What do you see such an organization doing for the Phoenix? Dueling is not our typical prevue. With Shiba-sama's approval of the proposal, he appears to see value in it as you presented it to him."

Additional questions welled up inside Kita, including some curiosity if Sanumo had some additional personal interest in this project, but she sat patiently, waiting for him to share more details. 

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Eleanor
« Thank you, Asako-san. Between a courtier's penchant for words and my family's history with the arts, I like to think myself well-equipped to name such things. »

Stroking his own ego aside, he lowered the fan. « You are surely correct that this is beyond our usual interests. A wise observation. Allow me to give you the same justification as I did our Ambassador. »

There was a light to his eyes as he continued, his ownership of this idea bringing him pride. « Recently, the Phoenix suffered a great loss in a private duel against the Unicorn. Specifically, Shiba-sama was bested by a ronin duelist that the Unicorn brought forward. You can imagine how large of a blow that was...**Is** For us and why we refrain from speaking of it in public. »

« It is a fool who tries the same thing over and over, yet expects different results. This organization is meant to make us more aware of duelists in the city, allow us to study their styles and how to counter them, and give our own duelists something to sharpen themselves against. Beyond that, my hope is that the presence of the Talons will help incentivize duels to be used in place of grander conflict. »

He steepled his fingers and leaned forward, « With this is place, we will be stronger when next we are tested; in mind, spirit, and body. »

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Robert
At Sanumo's explanation of the lost duel by Shiba-sama, Kita reached for her own fan and snapped it open, having momentarily forgotten that it had been broken along her journey. The ripped paper and cracked fins flopped lifeless in her grasp. She looked down in momentary surprise, then remembrance, and had murmured something about needing to shop for a replacement once she got settled. 
The brief distraction though was enough to cover her reaction to hearing the true depth of the reasoning behind the Steel Talons project. She listened carefully to the rest of his description.
"I... See... Yes, improving ourselves on whatever level is a noble effort." She replied in measured tones, falling silent again for a time.
"So we would stand to gain on multiple fronts. How do you propose to make such an endeavor a reality? 
Will we start the work with those inside the clan, and build it up from there or do you envision a 'grand opening' of sorts; an open challenge for duelists of the city? Or at least those of clans with aligned interests? How do you plan to get the buy-in of those you want to gather information on? Do you believe it is a 'build it and they will come' situation?"
Her questions again spilled out in a flurry before she sat quietly once more.

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Eleanor
Sanumo couldn't help but bark a quick laugh, the look on Kita's face regarding her fan having caught him well and truly off-guard.

"My apologies, Asako-san." He said, marshaling his expression again, "I promise that I am taking you seriously. That was just very... Novel."

He waited as she made her inquiries clear, then answered.

"Well, to get this off of the ground, we will need initial members to fill the ranks. Shiba-sama has requested that we contact the Crane regarding this. They recently held an Iaijutsu tournament as part of the Spring festival and would surely not object to us saying that those who placed highest are the city's best. That would fill four of the five slots we're hoping to have and then we could request the Crane put forward their own best duelist as a show of good faith on our part. "

"At every turn, these actions should mollify any concerns the Crane might have by appealing to their authority regarding the art of the duel. Not to mention the practical considerations in that this saves us time in sourcing candidates."

His face took on a more serious cast. "The city is in a particularly tumultuous time at present. Many clans are seeking every advantage they can get to seem greater than their fellows. If that alone does not draw duelists to prove themselves, I trust you will work to cultivate interest. I would, of course, supply you with what resources I can towards this; you need only ask."

"However, before any of that occurs, we need to verify the laws that pertain to such things. While I am certain that something like this is permissible, we may have to adjust somewhat to meet regulations."

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Robert
Asako Kita had allowed herself a small smile at the Karo's laugh at her own expense, assuring him no offense was taken. 

"Tumultuous indeed... But you have actually answered what my next question would have been-to try to start something of this nature without consulting the Crane seems unwise, stepping on toes and whatnot. Recognizing the winners of their tournament both shows good faith, as you say, in what exists now and saves some initial work."
She continued to speak, having appeared now to almost be thinking aloud rather than speaking to the conversation.
"I would need the list of those tournament finalists, who to speak with from the Crane about filling the remaining slot, and eventually speak to the finalists themselves. Maybe an exhibition- a demonstration of different techniques, and perhaps an announcement when the opportunity to challenge them will take place; encourage those possible challengers to sharpen themselves in the meantime... "

Realizing she had been rambling out loud this time as he sat quietly watching her, she paused, and looked at Sanumo with an apologetic grin. 
"My apologies Asako-sama. As you say-step one will be to verify applicable regulations-how will I need to check on this?"

|| I think I'm keeping up so far. Question though-would it be kosher to provide those recognized as Talons with some mark of the title, a medal or badge of sorts they could wear? Not sure how that would be viewed carrying something of a status from outside of clan/family. If so, would see about commissioning something for that as well.
Eleanor
"You need not apologize, Asako-san. Your eagerness does you credit." It was a relief to have another courtier around that seemed to genuinely take well to the work at hand.

"My recommendation is to visit city hall, either independently or with an appointment made in advance. I would recommend Seppun Arata, the Secretary of City Records under the Imperial Ministry of Territories, if you choose to make an appointment; he recently helped me look into another legal matter. Do be mindful of his... Eccentricities though."

He refused to elaborate on that point.

"If you cannot acquire the list of finalists while at city hall, you ought to be able to receive them directly from the Crane. Asahina Tadayasu should be a good person to contact; they can always redirect you from there, if need be."

Pausing, he leaned back in his seat and assumed a more neutral, serious expression. "Ultimately, I am content to let you chart your own path with this as long as you deliver suitable results. Whether you do as I suggest or not is largely irrelevant to me. If you need resources or advice, you can always contact me and I'll make myself available within reason." He wanted to impress upon the new arrival that he was not here to babysit, but to support her efforts.

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Robert
Asako Kita gave Asako Sanumo a reassuring nod, her expression calm and confident, "Of course, Asako-sama. I believe I have the answers to my questions, and certainly enough information to get started. I will report back with updates once there is measurable progress. May the Fortunes see our endeavors to success. Thank you again for the welcome and confidence to see this on from here. Any other instructions before I go settle in and see about making the initial appointments?"

Kita turned her attention for a brief moment to folding and tucking the offending fan back into her sash, then focused back to Sanumo to await any other further details he felt necessary to provide.

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Eleanor
"You are very welcome, Asako-san. Let it never be said that I do not give my kinsmen the opportunity to prove themselves. I have nothing more to share at this time."

*Maybe if it becomes pertinent later on...*

He couldn't help but swell with anticipation as he echoed her words: "May the Fortunes see our endeavors to success, indeed."

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