Though the negotiations with the Crane are still incomplete, the Mantis still have much to do if they intend to keep their end of the agreement--assuming all goes well with the Crane--namely, arranging for the Minor Clans to support the Crane in their time of need.  Because of the Wasp's close relationship with the Fox during the Three Man alliance (and their relative proximity to Toshi Ranbo) you have been sent to open negotiations with Kitsune Tadashi--the Fox representative at this court.  To your surprise, Tsuruchi Koizume--a Wasp loyalist and Bounty Hunter of some reknown--0is already there.

"Tsuruchi Hidemoto-san," Kitsune Tadashi nods as you enter--while Tsuruchi Koizume glares but remains silent, "how may I help you?"

"Kitsune Tadashi-san, Koizume-san," he returns Koizume's look but keeps his face free of expression. That Koizume was here could prove troublesome, especially because of the two swords Hidemoto now carried, although with the bearing of a man completely unused to them.

"I am here to discuss a problem of the Crane..."



OOC: Copy/Paste? The tabletop group of roleplayers I play with usually use copy/paste as a way of saving time and repeating things unnecessarily when the group already knows the information. All it means is that instead of repeating the entire plot exposition to an NPC they say "Copy/Paste" and the NPC is assumed to know all the details. Can I Copy/Paste here or would you like me to retype the information the Crane gave?

OOC:  well, how you present it could be important, but we'll leave that aside for the moment.

"So the Crane treat the Mantis like the mercenaries they are," Koizume sneers, "and the Wasp are the ones who must go begging for aid.  Typical."

"Leaving the Crane aside," Tadashi says, looking sidelong at Koizume, "but we certainly will return to them later.  What are the Mantis offering for our aid?"

"Mercenary work, Koizume-san, isn't that much different from bounty hunting."

Facing Tadashi, "The Crane will, probably, cede its position as the voice of the minor clans to the Mantis. We will push harder for the Fox's interests but that we will do regardless of whether your aid us in aiding the Crane."

He pauses for a second before continuing, "But you know what the Fox wants better than I do, Kitsune-sama. You need only speak."

After the interruption and announcement, Kaito returns. He goes through the polite formalities of greeting the Fox and returns to the negotiations.

"There are other advantages that we can also offer, Kitsune-sama. It goes without saying that the Mantis possess a great advantage on the seas and our fleets dominate trade their trade. We can offer a significant discount for our services their for members of your clan. We can also offer greater opportunities for trade for your clan and beneficial agreements that will see to it that it is well supplied.

"What is more significant is that we can offer some military protection. Just as you aid us, so will we aid you when you need it. And if it is known you have the promise of your aid it might even need to be fulfilled: it would be more trouble than it is worth then to try to interfere with the Fox or annex its lands.*

"Remember Yoritomo's Alliance. We all stood together for a reason. Though dissolved now let us not forget what it was and and what we achieved together. Let us stand together again as friends and see what more we can do."

OOC *As a side note, that was a reference to before the Fox as a clan was founded when the Lion kicked them out of the Ki-Rin's lands they were meant to protect.

I'm not much of a speech giver and I think my character might be slightly better. Can I make a check to see how persuasive Hidemoto is when delivering this speech? To save time, I'll make a Courtier/Awareness check for now for in case you approve. Just please tell me if I should roll something else :)
22:49, Today: Tsuruchi Hidemoto rolled 20 using 7d10, dropping the 3 lowest rolls, rerolling max. Awareness/Courtier for speech.