Larry
After what felt like months, the deed had finally been accomplished. The debt accrued in winter had been repaid with fire and blood alike, and the Scorpion cartels were struck a heavy blow. There was little doubt in his mind they would be back, of course—the Scorpion were unlikely to learn a lesson taught to them by the children of Shinjo—but it would take time for them to rebuild. Time which would hopefully grow all the longer by the diligence of the Imperial governorship. The dead were honored, the injured tended, and all necessary reprimands to maintain impartiality were handed out. All that remained of the affair was to celebrate a great victory.

Even from inside the comfort of his yurt, Masanori could smell the great fire beginning to burn. With Lady Sun retreating over the horizon, the bonfire would serve to illuminate the night of feasting and camaraderie. Mixed with the smell of fragrant wood smoke was the food being prepared in the kitchens of the Ide's opulent mansion. Catering a meal for dozens of hungry Unicorn soldiers was a difficult task all by itself. Adding the ranks of the Crane and Lion made it all the more so. But a few wagons sent down to the Crab Caves earlier in the day saw that the dietary needs of all those present would be tended to. For as high-minded as the Crane samurai were, few heimin would turn down the opportunity to feast on fresh fish, rice, and sake. 

"Utaku-sama, they've finished the seating arrangements."

The soft voice of his manservant shook the lieutenant from his reverie, and he nodded his understanding toward the opened flap of his home. The Ide residence, large though it was, played host to a larger estate complex. Much of that estate, previously left for aesthetic purposes, became dotted with the temporary shelters of the soldiers and diplomats who flocked to the city to prepare it for Unicorn annexation. Ponderous though the property may have been, the value of that land was quite apparent in the face of such sudden affairs. It took only a day or two to clear out an assembly ground for the ashigaru and their steeds. Another day to clean it thoroughly, and it was the perfect feasting ground. 

Stepping out into the evening light, Masanori could see from his yurt the place where his kin would soon sup with both the Emperor's Hands. Huge, round platforms of wood, in the Moto style, had been brought out and laid out around the bonfire. It was a tradition among the Ujik lords of old to place them across the chests of captured foes, such that the victors might indulge in food and drink atop their conquered enemies. Some more traditionalist Moto were still said to engage in the activity, though, given the circumstances, it was perhaps best to leave the more brutal customs to lay where prying eyes could not see them. The Otomo had not given them custody of enough prisoners to properly use anyway.

Handsome rugs were being laid upon the platforms, and low tables atop those for the men and women to sit at while they were served. Three of the largest were set aside for the officers of each clan, closest to the fire, while several smaller were arrayed nearby for the foot soldiers to sit and feast. Some of the Unicorn ashigaru already gathered around, waiting for the go-ahead to find their seats and rest their weary legs. They would not need to wait for long. Soon, their guests would be arriving. Soon they could finally find some semblance of peace.
Lucinda
Miho was perhaps one of the few soldiers that didn't look forward to the celebrations that followed a successful battle. While others toasted to the victory, the spoils and (perhaps most importantly) to being still alive, she could only think at what she could have done better, the mistakes she had made, the failings in her troops' training. Had she truly put her arrows to use? Had her lord been exposed to unnecessary risks? Had the Lion shone as much as the Unicorn in the procession?

Still, she filed away these thoughts. Now she had to prepare herself to look, if not joyful, at least satisfied. Strict dicipline was good, but to be harsh to the soldiers even in their moments of celebration meant spoiling their morale, and if she was too grim it could have passed as an insult to the Unicorn. Walking just behind her Taisa, she observed neutrally the rapidly approaching Unicorn complex: Any other year, and that would have been the home of the enemy, to be assaulted just as they were resting. A poetic soul could have drawn a conclusion on the impermanence of the status quo from this. Miho didn't.

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Ernest
For one glorious day, the grounds of the Ide Residence felt more like Shiro Utaku than ever before. The servants cleared and cleaned the whole of the Embassy grounds in preparation for today. The feast's particulars were carefully selected to find the blend of home and tradition that the invited guests would find pleasant yet stimulating. It was a grand day for celebration.

As the Ambassador sat at her desk, dark eyes staring at yet another mountain of paperwork in the wake of their glorious victory, she felt little of the joys the samurai would share. Hidden away behind the straightforward actions taken was a mire of horseshit called bureaucracy. Every action taken that night had to be documented in triplicate, reordered by status and timeframe, then submitted into record. Then there was payments to be approved, work to be approved, the list went on. That was not counting her plans for the future, equally important to be recorded lest the mass of work thrust upon the Ambassadorial team cause her to forget.

"Kazuko-sama, you cannot be late to your own party." The words of her servant and confidant reminded her of the time. Had she truly let the day get this far away from her? "Of course, Fuyuko-san. I suppose this can wait until tomorrow."

She emerged from the Ide Residence's main hall and walked slowly through the preparations, nodding in approval at the work that was done. Eventually she found herself alongside her other officers and fellow warriors for the night's festivities.

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Carin
It had been some time since Koharu made a public appearance before the other clans. She had spent that time assembling a detailed record of the losses and damages suffered by the Crane forces that night. It was a lengthy task. The paperwork helped her put away those dark recollections of the fierce and bloody conflict, and page by page her hand regained its steadiness. Though a commander was not meant to directly mourn the passing of their soldiers, Koharu figured she could memorialize them in this small way at least. 

In truth, the casualties were only moderate. The troops had fought exceptionally well for a group so freshly recruited, on an urban battleground tantamount to a trap. And to think that such a deep-rooted cartel in the City of Lies could be swept away by a mere handful of warriors and ashigaru ... Koharu would have to laud the Unicorn for their guidance in this act.

When the evening of celebration finally came, Koharu had nursed herself back to full composure. She bore the countenance of a morning after a perilous storm - her face was calm and cleansed of fatigue, and she wore a clean set of blue-grey garments patterned with misty clouds. Though tempered by warrior's decorum as before, the ease Koharu felt in her heart was genuine as she entered the Residence grounds.

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Patricia
Temujin arrived in full Unicorn garb, enjoying the flexible comfort of his pants and tunic. He had just finished checking on the other Clanmates involved and making sure they were mostly healed.

He felt a mix of feelings. Obviously, he was triumphant: The Clan had struck a crippling blow against the wicked who strangled the city. And there was a selfish personal relief, knowing his early reconnaissance wasn't completely successful. There was pride in his Clanmates and allies, of course.

But having spent time growing familiar with the city on the ground, there was also a sense of consternation. He was no Ide, and he had taken care to avoid studying the Cartels too closely... But he knew that they were deeply rooted. And while the removal of their oppression was a clear victory, he also anticipated that their roots could not be cut out cleanly. Change was on the horizon, and his gut told him not all of it would be good. And that wasn't even accounting for the Scorpion response.

They had won the battle. Now they had to fight for the peace.


But that was a problem for the next sunrise. For tonight, they were celebrating with good cause: Evil had been vanquished, and their Clan had proven their mettle in the process. And they had even done so alongside allies, one trusted, and another unexpected.

So, pushing aside his doubts, he allowed a smile to return to his lips.

"We've earned this tonight..."

And so, Temujin joined his Clanmates as they prepared to gather their nourishment for the evening. Though his sharp eyes also scanned the area for familiar faces.

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Christina
The Harrier was surprised when he received invitation to the official celebration of their recent victories against the Cartels. Sure, he was one of the samurai present on it, but he neither distinguished himself in the battle - not at least in a way he could openly boast about -, nor he had a high status meriting an honour like this, being from a vassal house. Well, the Unicorn *Did* Had the fame of doing things differently from most of the clans, and with the Crane being staunch traditionalists, the differences were even more noticeable.

He followed Koharu's retinue and did what he did best: observe. First the curious customs of the Unicorn, heritage of their long exile in barbarian lands. He heard a lot about them, but seeing them firsthand was definitely an experience: the décor, the attires, the food, the smells, even the rituals of celebration. They were alien to him, for sure... But with a subjacent familiarity nevertheless. The Kirin didn't *Became* Barbarians, they integrated their foreign customs into the Rokugani, making an hybrid of sorts. 

Interesting, no doubt, but best left for the scholars. What *Was* Interesting for Saizou, though, was the presence of the Lion in the celebrations. He heard a bit about a separate assault in one of the villages surrounding the city. Still, having the Right Hand celebrating with two of their most common rivals, under the roof of the Unicorn no less, was of note. 

Beside Masanori and almost as tall as the Unicorn's commander, leading the host's delegation was a stern woman he haven't seen before but heard about: the Unicorn leader in the city, Ambassador Utaku Kazuko. More than an ambassador, though, she looked every part a warrior. She was, in fact, one of the famed Utaku *Shiotome*. Placing a martially minded leader in a recently annexed city wasn't an unusual move. 

While all of these was crossing his mind, he took respectful seat on his place, waiting for their hosts to speak.

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Deborah
Kiyoko, too, had not been expecting an invitation to a banquet—victory feast?—in honor of the Cartels' defeat. Though she had fought in many duels, that was perhaps the largest skirmish that she had been involved in. Such was the life of a *Shugyosha* Who had only recently returned to her Clan.

Still, she had prior history with the Unicorn way of life, for the same reason, and so she could reassure herself that she would be more comfortable with the proceedings than many of her fellow Crane samurai would be in similar circumstances. Attired in a black formal kimono embroidered with pale blue sakura blossoms under a Kakita-*Mon* Haori, the duelist entered the Ide Residence with Koharu, staying a step behind the guard captain. 

Kiyoko could not recall having visited the Unicorn clan's embassy in Ryoko Owari before, and so she found her gaze wandering and taking in the sights. In particular, she noted the presence (and absence) of Unicorn bushi and ashigaru whom she had fought alongside not so long ago—and of course, a few of the more notable Unicorn, like the rakish Utaku Takeda, and their imposing host, Utaku Masanori. The woman at Masanori's side was unknown to her, though her bearing somehow seemed even more imposing than the Utaku bushi. It might have been more appropriate to say that Masanori was at the woman's side than vice versa. Absently, she registered the presence of samurai from the Lion clan, though she paid their presence little mind. Traditionally the Crane clan's fiercest rivals, she was not particularly antagonized by their presence—and even if she were a more belligerent soul, it would not do to cause their hosts trouble.

Making sure to follow proper protocol and etiquette now that she was back in service of her Clan, Kiyoko dutifully followed Koharu and took a seat adjacent to the Crane embassy's guard captain only after the woman herself had done so. 

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Samuel
Himiko walked on her own. She had a skirmish with the Unicorn ambassador earlier about her actions. Both left like nothing happened but if one would ask she could not mask anything. Greeting everyone properly as she took a seat when she had been permitted. Scanning the room for faces familiar. Many crane. Too many of them. 

The young Kitsu was dressed properly for once. Her hair was done properly for once. She actually acted her part, for once. 

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Larry
It didn't take long for familiar faces to begin showing themselves. The Unicorn officers were first, of course, and then the Lion began to filter in with the Crane shortly behind them. As Masanori scanned the crowd for those he knew, his sister appeared, apparently having been convinced to set aside their Imperial-induced nightmare of bureaucracy to preside over the feast. How much joy she would derive from the matter, he could not say, but at least she was present. That would be as good for morale as it was for diplomacy. 

"The Lion and the Crane are far enough apart that I do not foresee conflict," The lieutenant began, gesturing towards the respective parties as they were directed to their seats by the busy servants of the residence, "But they will need to be welcomed all the same. Do you wish to take the Lion while I take the Crane? Or would you rather we exchange sides?"

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