<strong>Isawa Mizuki</strong>(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F7bHk3XpTS6wkJDGD-1wq2GH6nWhNVuqo6iGO48cCeg/edit)<br/>Mizuki was extremely excited to receive the message.   She excused herself from the transcription work she'd been doing since returning from winter court and made her way to her chambers.  Packing her things, she noted her silk bag of divination coins.<br/><br/>Eyes dancing, the young shugenja cast the coins to see if the spirits had some advise or hints as to what would come of her journey.<br/><br/>*   *   *<br/><br/>The dropping of the stones told you of a choice you would make.  One path was safe, but lead to a dim star, your life fading away unnoticed. The other lead to the darkest, most terrible omens you could forsee... but there were hints that could this adversity be overcome, great  would be the outcome.<br/><br/>*   *   *<br/><br/>The slender shugneja chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully, now as frightened as she was excited.  After a long moment, she scooped up the coins and finished packing.  By the next day she'd reached her daimyo and gotten his approval to perform the mission, and was on the road again before sunset.<br/><br/>She reached the monastery a day early, finding time to pay her respects to the Fortune Sadahako, bathe, and get a good rest.  She wore her court kimono to the meeting.  It hugged her slender torso nicely.  The wide obi emphasized her tiny waist.  (Her everyday kimono had a thinner obi through which she could tuck her katana.)<br/><br/>Mizuki didn't try to speak up through the tea, or the speech.  Her eyes followed the other four girls curiously.  Hearing a description of their objective, a chill thrill shot down her spine.  She steepled her fingers thoughtfully, considering the best questions to ask..<br/><br/>It was only the description of the way the scorpion she'd killed had been found that fear enough to break her composure shot down her spine, making her jerk in her seat.<br/><br/>The young shugenja's eyes went wide at the imperial indulgence.<em>The emperor has sanctioned me to fight a Maho Tsukai</em>even her inner voice was more than a little stiff with fear.<em>Obaa-san will be thrilled.</em>She glanced at her fellows, and their mons.<em>And with a Kuni, too.  And what's with that Usagi girl?  Why isn't she in full clan colors?  </em><br/><br/>She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing regularly to control the impulse to chew on her lower lip out of nerves.  She thought she'd broken that unsightly habit before her gempuku.<br/><br/>“I'm prepared, Shosuro-sama.”