After an interesting conversation with Ryota (and a bit of drinking at a local place) Xander has made his way back to the Tsuguri estate. He's still feeling a bit 'buzzy' from the drinks; Sake has quite the kick as it turns out! He made it back without incident and while currently walking through the gardens of the estate the lapi is approached by one of the servants. Xiao, if he recalls correctly. A solid-black kiriga girl that is likely no older than Umeko is. She bows deeply to the lapi.
"Mage Lightfoot?" she inquires in heavily accented standard, "Lady Tsuguri has requested your presence at your earliest convenience." The tone implies the earlier the better, but it's always a bit hard to tell with Kiriga inflection.
"That's fine, I have something for her," Xander replies, showing the chest.
Xiao looks to the chest. "That is for the Lady of the house?" she inquires, "Or for her daughter?"
The Lapi blinks. "Lady.. Umeko," he says. "Isn't that who you're taking me to?"
"Oh, forgive me, I should have been more clear," Xiao says and bows deep once more, "Lady Umeko's mother has requested your presence."
"Mamma Tsuguri?" Xander squeaks. "I suppose she wants some advice on magic?" he asks, hoping Xiao might know.
"I do not know what she wishes to talk to you about, just that she wishes to see you. If you cannot meet with her I can relay such," Xiao offers.
"Oh, I... so Umeko isn't going to be there?" Xander asks.
"She was not there at the time I was asked to find you," Xiao says.
"You'd better see that Umeko gets this then," Xander notes, setting down the chest. "Where is Lady Tsuguri? I.. don't know her first name.."
"The proper way to address her is Lady Tsuguri," Xiao explains as she collects the chest ad hugs it to her own, "Her full name is Lady Miyuki Tsuguri. She is relaxing in the tea pavilion in the gardens just ahead. If you wish I can escort you."
"Tea? That sounds.. harmless.." Xander mutters, then nods to Xiao. "Please escort me."
"Harmless? Do you feel in danger here?" Xiao inquires as she turns and walks deeper into the gardens, "No one will harm you here unless you endanger the family or their honor, Mage Xander."
"Endanger their honor?" Xander asks as he follows the dark Kiriga. "What.. what does that mean?"
"Do something dishonorable, of course," Xiao explains as if that makes perfect sense. Up ahead must be the pavilion. It is an impressive structure of deep red wood and rice paper walls. The doors are drawn open and inside sits the Lady of the house in a shimmering zolk kimono. The kiriga is a deep burnished copper color, tall, and sinewy and with the same white mane that her daughter Umeko has. She sits perfectly still, the kimono flowing out from her as if almost liquid. With the way she sits, the tilt of her head and the arch of her tail ... it's like looking into some fantastical painting. Her eyes are currently closed and her breaking is slow; perhaps one breath every 30 seconds.
"She looks like she's meditating," Xander whispers. "Do you have any advice for me? Should I not look her in the eyes or.. anything like that?"
"Don't do anything dishonorable," Xiao offers, again. How helpful. "Be polite, answer her questions honestly. There is no need to avert your eyes."
"Questions..." Xander repeats. "Will you tell Umeko that I'm with her mother, just in case she doesn't know?"
"Of course," Xiao says as she bows again, walking backwards at the same time. Sooner than the lapi would probably like, he's alone outside the tea house.
Just in case the woman is meditating, Xander clears his throat slightly before entering the pavilion and sitting down. Or kneeling down. He misses having chairs sometimes..
Lady Tsuguri's eyes open slowly. Xander can literally see the coppery-upon-black iris contract and focus on him. "Ah, Mage Lightfoot," she says in a melodic, if a bit deeper than Umeko's voice. Her right hand flows up from where it was resting upon her thigh and gestures to the other seating-pillow sitting across from her in the pavilion. "Please, enter and have a seat." She speaks standard amazingly well but it is still marked with the accent he has come to know. Her inflection is almost identical to her daughter's.
Xander takes the offered cushion, and spends a moment to smooth out his robes they at least make an attempt to flow elegantly. They don't, but he tried at least.
Lady Tsuguri is silent throughout Xander settling. She does, however, watch him rather intently. Her head tilts and occasionally sways almost like a naga. "How are you finding your time in Jadai, Mage Lightfoot?" she asks once Xander seems done with fidgeting for now.
"It is.. an education, Lady Tsuguri," Xander replies. "I cannot say the common folk have warmed to me."
"Your tone and demeanor imply you are not happy here," Lady Tsuguri says; more of an observation than a question from the tone. "This island does not allow ... visitors outside of designated ports often. Most of the island will not have seen many of your kind before. I am sure they do not know what to make of you."
"It is odd for me," Xander admits. "Lapi are generally liked. I think it may be because I am a Mage, unless it really is simply that I am foreign and.. foreigners have recently been troublesome."
"It is more the latter. The death of the renowned artist, Haku, and the rumors of his involvement with foreigners have been unsettling to the populace," Lady Tsuguro explains. It's amazing how still she is when she speaks. Her jaw moves, and occasionally her head, but nothing else. Her tail hasn't so much as twitched from the arc it has been in. "If you are unhappy, I hope you understand that you may leave any time you wish with our full blessing. Any transport cost would also be covered if that has worried you. You are a guest, not a prisoner."
"So long as Umeko wishes me to remain, I will remain," Xander claims. "I am used to being looked down upon for various reasons."
"You are quite loyal to my daughter," Lady Tsuguri observes. "May I inquire as to what she did to instill such loyalty?"
"Lady Umeko.. embodies true nobility," Xander explains. "When we met, she had given up her name, her title.. everything, in order to seek justice. But she was still noble, and not because of the number of digits on her hands or because of the swords she carried, but in how she treated others. She earned my respect, Lady Tsuguri."
"Tell me of how she behaved, Mage Xander?" Lady Tsuguri asks next. "I have heard stories, something about a speech given before a battle. But ... stories have a way of taking a life of their own. Tell me of her, what you saw and what you heard."
"My Lady," Xander says, bowing his head. "She has always been inspirational, and compassionate about those she leads. Is there some reason that you.. doubt her?"
"I do not doubt her. It is ... there are things that are not often spoken about between family members in Jadai. Surely you have seen the masks of propriety and court often worn here? You see the world without the filters expected of Kiriga. You can be more honest than any Kiriga," Lady Tsuguri explains. "You have ... seen more of her soul than my Husband or I have seen. I understand how terrible that may sound; that we do not know our own child as well as a foreigner may."
"In your land, I have seen that children are expected to become what their parents mold them to be," Xander says cautiously. "So it is not a crime to not see their souls, if they are obedient. You know what they are because you have forged them so. Out there.." Xander gestures towards the sea, and the world beyond, "everyone is expected to forge themselves. Umeko's rebellious streak is what allowed her to survive beyond this garden. It is a fire inside of her, and I know something about fire. There were times when it dimmed, when she felt she must sacrifice herself, that she could not uphold honor without remorse. She spared enemies that asked for death, because... they were just like her. She would have been them, if she had followed the course laid out for her. Tradition and honor are important to her, but.. she can transcend them when she needs to. And when she does, her true nobility comes through, because there's nothing else but that in those times."
"Mm," Lady Tsuguri replies. Another trait she shares well with Umeko is the impassive expression. Outside of knowing she must be thinking, it is hard to say if they are good or bad thoughts. "What were her hardest ... trials beyond these shores?" she now asks. "You say she dimmed, can you explain?"
The Lapi takes a deep breath, before he begins. "Out in the desert.. not just a desert but one warped and corrupted.. we hunted the enemy. We came across their camp, and it was vast. The army of a warlord. But we also encountered the handmaidens of the artist Haku. What he turned them into.. it shook us, and Umeko most of all. They attacked, we knew we had to keep them from reporting back. Despite the elegance of your fighting techniques of sword and fan, it was still brutal. But some of them survived, and were captured. The one we interrogated would not betray her master, who had sewn shut her eyes and made her see only illusions that he wanted her to see, and would not abandon him either, when offered the chance of freedom."
This might be the first time Xander sees parts of Lady Tsuguri's face twitch as the lapi explains the handmaidens. "What happened to those that survived?" she asks. "Tradition would require that they take their own lives or be executed."
"She requested death, as honor demanded," Xander continues, "and Umeko was prepared to deliver it. The rest of us, being uncouth foreigners, where shocked and appalled at the notion of executing a prisoner like that.. or allowing her to commit suicide. Umeko did not want to do it. Not because of us but because.. this was a girl just like her. She'd been corrupted, and didn't deserve her fate. So Umeko knocked her out and we fled, and that night she agonized over it. Even though I'm the one who has killed the most people, often in very terrible ways, she felt herself to be seen as a monster, and thought to go alone so we would not be offended. I tried to help her.. come to terms with the breach of tradition. I told her.. that it was a trap. That it was something, if followed, that would let the enemy predict her every move."
"Were you lying to her, or did you believe that which you told her?" Lady Tsuguri asks. "And how did she respond?"
"I am an outsider, with an outsider's perspective," Xander explains. "Tradition must serve a purpose. With magic, it is through tried, proven and refined methods.. but still, Mages are expected to develop their own styles and methods as well, to expand knowledge. Tradition is a base, upon which to build something new. That is not how I saw your traditions. They seemed only to restrict and control. So I was being quite honest with her, as I am now with you. It was a struggle, but.. she agreed to consider going beyond it, in order to succeed. Saving the world was more important than her honor, and she was brave enough to accept that challenge."
"It is true that Jadai believes in honor and tradition above all else," Lady Tsuguri says in her melodic way of speaking. "But ... what is honor and tradition if it takes away everything dear? When Umeko ... fled these shores, it felt to me as if she had died. I know we do not show it in the ways you may be used to, but we do love our daughter. Even her most rebellious moments, her defiance ... she was still the most cherished treasure we had. We grieved, Xander, because we had lost our daughter and it was our fault. In following our traditions we had chased away the most important thing to us. I cannot say that it did not change us when she left. Even Lord Tsuguri ... wept at times, Mage Lightfoot. That is unheard of in Jadai. When we finally heard she was not only alive ... but well." There she has to pause for a moment to collect herself. "We have all looked at our traditions and values since then. Umeko can choose her own path and ways in life; we will not try to force her to follo
w that which her heart does not desire. We do not wish to lose her again."
"My Lady.. have you told her this?" Xander asks. "All that she has done, in part, has been done to save those she loved. Her family and her nation. What do you want to do, in your heart?"
"I want her to be happy," Lady Tsuguri answers. "Above anything and everything else."
"But.. what about how you feel?" Xander asks. "When you see her, what is your instinct? To bow, serve her tea, follow all the traditional forms of conduct.. or sweep her into your arms and embrace her, let out all of the worry and guilt you have been holding and just... hold her?"
"That is a personal question to ask, Mage Lightfoot," Lady Tsuguri notes. "And one I suspect you know the answer to already. A mother is a mother, whether Lapi or Kiriga. I would not wish to let go."
"Then what is stopping you?" Xander asks. "She is your child, and no matter what her station or accomplishment, being held by her mother will not reduce her dignity one bit. At least, not Umeko. And I imagine Lord Tsuguri would join in as well, would he not?"
"Do you not think that was one of the first things done when Lord Tsuguri spoke with her in the Imperial capital?" Lady Tsuguri asks. "I understand that the Lord can seem impassive, frightening, to others ... But even he hugged her that day."
"That is very good to know," Xander says, letting out a breath. "That makes him.. less a frightening figure to me and more of a man."
"Even a Lord can be called a stubborn idiot by his wife. Just ... not in public," Lady Tsuguri notes. "Now, a question about you. What exactly is your relationship with my daughter? Advisor? Friend? Something else?"
"I suppose friend and.." Xander starts to say, then just smiles. "We keep each other sane, Lady Tsuguri. We don't judge one another, we want the other to be happy. There are not rules or traditions to worry about, no masks that we have to wear. I suppose for you, that would be your husband, or your own mother. Our relationship is deep and not overly complicated."
"Ah! Then perhaps you can explain what possessed her to get two metal bars embedded in her tongue?" Lady Tsuguri asks. "I cannot fathom why she would have willingly done that. Did she explain it to you?"
"We were in Abu-Dhabi.. where my family lives," Xander says. "Umeko wanted to learn some things, like the style of dance. The shiny costumes may have gone to her head a bit. The metal-mage who did the studs wanted to infuse her tongue with silver originally. There are uses for the studs which.. well, you'll have to talk to her about that. Alone. Probably after a few cups of sake."
"If they are from your home surely you can explain it to me?" Lady Tsuguri remarks. "Is it some form of dance involving the tongue?"
Xander bites his lip. "There.. really are some things I don't think I should be telling you about, Lady Tsuguri," he finally admits, folding his ears down to hide any blushing. "I could not even explain this to a Lapi who is... steeped in tradition. Although frankly I'm sure an Amazonian would find it fascinating.."
Lady Tsuguri's head tilts this way and that. "Is it something bad? You look worried," the kiriga notes. "Should I be concerned?"
"It isn't anything dangerous!" Xander is quick to say. "But really.. I think she just liked the look of it?"
"But she cannot see her own tongue," Lady Tsuguri points out. "Is it something common for people in Abu Dhabi to have?"
"Not.. common.. no," Xander admits. "Jewelry that is seen is more popular." The buck stares up at the roof. How did he get into this situation?
Lady Tsuguri looks upward, perhaps wondering what Xander is looking at. "Did you ask her to have it done?" she asks the Lapi.
"Me? No no no," Xander hurries to say, looking back at the Lady of the House again. "I think she is already perfect, so no additional enhancements are necessary."
Xander wonders then if Umeko ever revealed her fangs to her parents. Probably best not to have them wondering too much about her mouth..
"It just seems ... odd and without purpose," the older Kiriga remarks, "But everything should have a purpose. I will have to ask her about it, then."
Change the subject, Xander thinks furiously. "So, Lady Tsuguri.. do you use the same scale rouge as your daughter?" he asks.
"Yes. It is made from red clay," Lady Tsuguri notes. She even nods. "A necessary practice, otherwise Kiriga tend to get rough and leathery as they age. An extreme case of what happens without care would be Master Longtooth."
Xander shudders at that thought. "One of my first duties as her traveling companion was to keep her scales properly polished," he notes. "I find it very rewarding."
"You spend much time with my daughter when she is naked?" Lady Tsuguri asks. Her brow ridge arches in the same sort of way Umeko's does. It either implies curiosity or amusement.
"Well.. out of necessity," Xander notes. "And she was naked when we first met, so ... I didn't think it was.. inappropriate?" His voice does squeak a bit at the brow arching.
"You met my daughter while she was naked?" Lady Tsuguri asks next.
"Yes, and.. she didn't seem to mind.." Xander explains, shrinking a bit. "She was bathing you see, but I didn't know she was there, and I was trying to fix the heating system at the time.."
"Are you feeling unwell, Mage Lightfoot?" Lady Tsuguri asks of the shrinking lap.
"It's.. It's just a bit embarrassing when I say it out loud," Xander admits. "You're all.. very.." He tries to motion with his hands, gives up, and says, "internalized, compared to mammals."
Lady Tsuguri looks ... amused. Umeko's mother she is; she has a similar expression that Umeko often has when Xander gets flustered. "Ah. I understand. Do not worry, I bear you no ill for seeing my daughter naked," she notes. "I am aware that you and she ... experiment from time to time."
"Like I said," the flustered rabbit notes, "we keep each other sane."
"One thing disappoints me about you, Mage Lightfoot," Lady Tsuguri notes.
"My modesty?" Xander suggests.
"That you are not Kiriga," Lady Tsuguri says. "You make Umeko happy. I would have supported the pairing."
"Wouldn't I have to be a noble Kiriga though?" Xander asks.
"A mage is close in status," LAdy Tsuguri points out. "It would be acceptable. Mostly."
The Lapi bows, and says, "The most I can offer is that I will be closely watching any erstwhile suitors that approach her once she takes her position as Governess. I like to think I'm a decent judge of character."
"Of course I like to think a lot of things about myself, but I'm pretty sure of that one," the buck admits with a grin.
"What do you think of Master Longtooth?" Lady Tsuguri asks, "Not as a suitor, but a person." She might be testing his ability to judge...
"He is.. the most insufferable and obstinate being I have ever met," Xander admits. "I trust him implicitly. Except around alcohol. Or things that might be mistaken for alcohol. I would be very reluctant to bury him if I found him dead again."
"He is too stubborn to die," Lady Tsuguri notes, "I highly suspect he will outlive the world ... but be too enveloped in sake to notice."
"I certainly would not question his skill," Xander notes. "Nobody could behave like that and still be tolerated if they were not legendarily good at something."
"I intend to ask him to watch over Umeko in her new home," Lady Tsuguri notes.
"And.. leave his dojo?" Xander asks. "You will ask him politely of course, so that it is clear he has a choice? But.. I want as many people around Umeko as possible that she knows and trusts and who have her bests interests at heart."
"Of course. I assume she also has friends in the lands she chose, otherwise the choice would seem strange," Lady Tsuguri notes. "Am I wrong in this assumption?"
"She has friends there, which will help ensure the peace," Xander notes, "but not those that can really help her politically, or that she can have over for tea or just.. be friendly with. Viper's Hold is likely still filled with corruption and venom over being reclaimed by the Empire and having to actually follow rule of law and all that. I am sure I will be employing my namesake spell often for its original purpose instead of its playful one."
"She cannot have her friends over for tea? Why is that?" Lady Tsuguri asks, sounding possibly concerned.
"Well, many of them belong to the local Savanite tribe," Xander notes. "Important allies, really. The local Naga population sees them as savages though. Something she'll have to work on. I wouldn't trust any of the locals to not have criminal backgrounds though, including all of the former governor's staff."
"My daughter is friends with savanites?" Lady Tsuguri asks. The kiriga honestly looks taken aback by this. "They are uneducated creatures are they not?"
"The Burning Sands tribe is led by a fire mage," Xander notes. "That makes him a relative to the Queen of Xenia. Education doesn't determine character, Lady Tsuguri, and there are many types of knowledge. Knowing what is important for where you live is always valuable."
"And the Savanites know more about that land than any Imperial," the Lapi points out.
"Mm," goes the Kiriga. Her expression is ... mixed. She may not be entirely convinced. "I suppose she has indeed inspired many if they would willingly be friends with her."
"I may have helped a little," Xander admits. "They have a lot of respect for fire magic. It helped get Umeko's foot in the door, so to speak."
"That, and she didn't try to kill them like all the others did.." he adds.
"Mm," the Kiriga goes again. "I will have to think upon this news," Lady Tsuguri says. "And I believe I have taken up too much of your time. Thank you for speaking with me, Mage Lightfoot. We may speak again."
Bowing, Xander asks, "Do you wish me to relay any message to your daughter?"
"There is no need. We have spoken daily since her return," Lady Tsuguri notes. "However, since you have expressed skill in polishing, I may have you perform that duty for me once while you are here so I can confirm that your skill is adequate for her."
It's a good thing Xander is bowing, so that Lady Tsuguri doesn't see his eye twitch. She's so big.. it will take forever, he thinks. And she looks just like Umeko..
"Of course, Lady Tsuguri," Xander says instead. "I'm sure your experienced advice will help me to improve."
"Or perhaps on Lord Tsuguri," Lady Tsuguri muses. She bows while sitting. "May the evenings bring you quiet, peace, and contemplation," she says.
"I could certainly use some," Xander notes. "Thank you, Lady Tsuguri. I hope I have helped you."
"You have. Good evening Mage Lightfoot," she says.
Xander backs out of the pavilion, and then turns and looks for Xiao. It wouldn't be very dignified to get lost in the garden. At least she didn't bite my head off, he thinks. Although he's sure she would have been delicate about it if she had. I need to tease Umeko about something. Anything! At least it wasn't her father this time..