Re: Mission 0: The Emperor's Winter Court
Inwardly Shosuro Yumiko sighed. This was one of the problems with being intermittently absent from the court and also cut off from the typical Scorpion lines of communication. There simply wasn't time to brief everyone about the conflicts that would inevitably crop up.
Matsu Ichiro was clearly anxious to clear his sister's name by demonstrating that the Scorpion who had found her guilty was the honorless dog all Scorpion were known to be. Then to be goaded by a Kitsu, who was the source of his family's misfortunes--perhaps not this Kitsu, but a Kitsu--in the mind of the Matsu, it was not to be borne. Not that Kitsu Akio would necessarily know about all this since Yumiko hadn't known enough (or had the time) to brief him.
It was a damned mess, was what it was. And bloody Yoshiyuki was fanning the flames for his own amusement. Well, Yumiko wasn't about to let him have his way.
"Matsu Ichiro-san, it seems to me that your challenge of Soshi Eiichiro may be a bit premature," Yumiko nodded politely, changing tactics--never try to stop a charging Matsu when a well timed deflection would do, "he is, after all, a Scorpion and not to be trusted, which is the natural order of things. But he is also a Magistrate and could not have acted for or against any Matsu without sworn testimony from inside your own Clan. In fact, he would have required more testimony, for who would accept the word of a Scorpion in matters of honor against that of a Lion. Before you challenge him, you should interview those whose testimony he collected, then none could question the justice of your challenge. But if you challenge him now, well, there will always be the question of whether it was justice being served or just the hot-headedness of a Matsu."
19:08, Today: Shosuro Yumiko rolled 36 using 8d10, dropping the 3 lowest rolls, rerolling max with rolls of 9,6,8,3,4,3,9,1. Awareness/Courtier (contested vs. Matsu Ichiro?). + however many free raises I get from Weakness is My Strength
Next time, I need to remember to take the time to actually use the other techniques.