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The Needs of the Few [Open to Neighpon Characters]


Zeig

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The carefully cultivated and enhanced beauty of the inner gardens were a sight that, on any other given day, would have given the Shogun of Neighpon minuscule pause, in order to revel in their perfection.

 

Such was not the case today. 

 

The gardens provided a beautiful backdrop, however, the lingering cherry blossom trees scattering pink against the vibrant greens that otherwise dominated the landscaping. One particular tree stood near center of the asymmetrical window Ryuichi was currently facing. It commanded nearly the entire space from where he was seated, framed against a crystalline blue sky and rising high against the stonework and woven pathways underneath. It was, in fact, a favored resting place for several of the Castle staff - if he were to slide open the window, he undoubtedly would have become privy to some conversation occurring directly below. 

 

Ryuichi wasn't so inclined to bask in the beauty of the inner gardens, however, despite the gorgeous weather accompanying them. No, instead, the Ryuma continued to stare at the round object laid delicately on top of an elaborately designed cushion, and despite its plainness, it clearly stood out against the room. Wide and spacious, yet consciously empty save for a few choice pieces of furniture and decoration, the room seemed to almost be a spare, one added to the Castle for some reason or other, than abandoned later on. A small writing desk occupied by a single stack of blank missives, ink and quill, teapot and teacup, and the cushion he himself was seated upon - all settled out on the middle of the floor atop a rich, tatami mat. 

 

And the orb.

 

That was it. 

 

Historically, the room had been designed as a place of meditation and introspection. Extravagant windows to showcase the splendor of the inner gardens, combined with a conspicuous absence of objects and distractions inside the room itself, had all lent themselves to an area of peace and seclusion, a way to center oneself. Nowadays, with dwindling interest in the Paths as an actual way of life, such rooms were not in such high demand...which had proven ideal for his purposes today.

 

The young Shogun continued to eye the Pearl in front of him, as if it might suddenly rise from its platform and perform some great magic. Which...in all honesty, wasn't too far from the truth. But for its actual function, well...Ryuichi could admit he had been...skeptical, when he had first received it. Honored beyond all measure, of course, but still...bemused, when he had learned of its powers. The concerns and well-being of a singular, particular individual were the very essence of what a leader couldn't concern himself with, why the nation had its police forces and charities and ministers to handle those complaints. Such were beneath the notice of a Shogun. 

 

Individuals had no perspective, no bigger picture, no grand scheme of the entirety of the nation - their concerns and desires focused on themselves, not on everyone else in their entirety. A Shogun who concerned himself with the problems of singular individuals could not effectively rule the larger whole.

 

...And yet, so sat the Pearl that had been specifically forged for his use and purposes. The Long had to have had reason for it - Pearls were not gifted by the Long without express reason.

 

And Ryuichi was not so proud yet to simply ignore a gift from the Long.

 

It took a moment - Breathing lessons half-remembered from foalhood and never seriously studied in the long list of topics to study - but the Ryuma let out a breath, before closing his eyes, expression relaxing into one of peace and serenity. The sound of deep breathing, a flow of air into and out of his body, was the only sound to punctuate the otherwise still room...and, very carefully, Ryuichi Breathed out and onto the Pearl. In an instant, the Pearl was active, glowing a pale, shimmering blue in color as it serenely floated off of the cushion to eye level, and Ryuichi breathed inward once more before he opened his eyes, golden gaze fixed intently on the floating orb.

 

"Let us see..." 

 

Spoiler

 

OOC : Now what in the world is this thread all about?

 

Ryuichi holds a Long Pearl that allows him privy to the concerns and problems of citizens of Neighpon, on an individual and specific basis. The Pearl can show him a single individual and give him some insight into their troubles, which in turn allows him to both help them with it and keeps him connected to the idea of individuality, contrasting his tendency to look only at the bigger picture of things. 

 

So what does this mean for you? This thread is intended to run similarly to "Dear Princess Celestia" threads. However, your character won't be writing a letter to Ryuichi - instead, they'll just be going on their normal life, but be thinking/reacting to problems and concerns they're having. Ryuichi will see a glimpse of it in his Pearl, and will respond accordingly. 

 

Rules:

 

1) You make a post with your character thinking or talking about some sort of problem or concern in their lives. I make a post with Ryuichi responding to what the Pearl is showing him and how he handles it. Then you make a last post with your character, showing their reaction to Ryuichi's response. For example, Dumplings is worried about his restaurant because its not getting enough business. Ryuichi sees this and decides to have the cooking staff order a large catering meal. Dumplings' next post has him receiving a message from the Palace Castle about a catering order. Simple!

 

2) Neighponese citizens only, sorry! However, this can also mean characters that aren't officially recognized as citizens (such as Yokai who are in hiding) but they still identify themselves as Neighponese. 

 

3) Characters can be wherever you want and doing whatever you want. Remember, the Pearl is just going to be picking up on your character's problems and concerns, so it doesn't matter where they are, location wise. Your character doesn't even need to speak out loud if you choose not too - the Pearl hones in on thoughts too, so so long as your character is thinking about their problem or the trouble they're having, the Pearl will be able to pick up on it.

 

4) Several characters can post at the same time, there is no posting or waiting order. Ryuichi will respond to each individual concern one at a time. 

 

5) Ryuichi wants to be helpful, but he's still realistic! If your character's problems are really grand and enormous, the chances of Ryuichi being able to provide support are slim.

 

6) Unless specifically stated, characters shouldn't know that it's Ryuichi, specifically, who's trying to help them out. They might get messages from the Palace Castle or from the Vanguard or from Castle staff and things like that, but unless noted, Ryuichi's not going to be putting his seal on anything to say "yeah, I'm the Shogun and I'm the one helping you out!" Probably, most solutions are just going to appear to be very good fortune or luck. 

 

7) Confused? Have questions? Send me a message or ask in the Shogun recruitment thread!

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

A lone kunoichi lay in a niche at the base of the ornamental Long atop the Huangjing Palace. She was dressed in loose fitting clothes secured at fetlock, gaskin, and hock with straps holding all kinds of interesting toys, and a mask lay beside her on the roof bearing the mark that those familiar would identify as belonging to the Chiyo clan. She was staring up at the kite traditionally flying in the breeze from one of the Long's horns, a vaguely disquieted expression on her muzzle. 

 

-Lian will be growing bored soon. Once he catches up on palace gossip and gets tired of verbal spars with his siblings. He'll get restless then. Can I keep him safe? If they find out who I am can I still protect him? Will I be allowed to stay? I can't leave him. I can't disobey an order to withdraw. I'm technically following the contract since Yu Yue asked me to watch Lian. The Elders won't see it that way, the contract was to protect her not obey her. Ancestors take the contract! Without it you'd never have met...- Around and around her thoughts went, while her hooves alternated between plucking the kite string and moving the mask. She shakes her head after a few moments. 

 

-Baka! Laying here moping accomplishes nothing. You'll just need to find something to keep him busy, that's all.- She thinks as she pulls the mask back on and covers its top edge with the hood she was resting on. Then she leaps off the roof and uses a rope to swing down and into the attic rafters, where she could make her way to the Palace proper.

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With the nature of his meditation fixated on the entirety of every last individual of Neighpon, it was of absolutely no surprise to find himself looking at an unfamiliar face that swirled to life, reflected on the surface of the Pearl. He was actually anticipating not recognizing the ponies that the Pearl picked up, thousands upon hundreds of thousands of citizens milling about their daily lives in Neighpon. 

 

Which was why it was entirely surprising to - somewhat - recognize the name that whispered into his mind, a moment later.

 

"Sī jīn..." the Ryuma mused silently, golden eyes trailing over the kunoichi mask laying beside the morose looking Kirin. The symbol of the Chiyo clan was familiar enough for him to recognize it, but even then the answer remained tantalizingly out of his reach, that faint itch of, I should know this why don't I know this. The Pearl didn't exactly offer much help either, as a faint breeze seemed to swirl around the room, carrying with it the faint whispers of hopes and dreams and regrets. 

 

I can't disobey an order to withdraw...Ancestors take the contract!...I can't leave him...

 

Ultimately, Ryuichi took to grasping the magic crystal from underneath his robes, Breathing on it to summon the servant standing at attention outside the meditation rooms. "Get me any and all documents related to contracts the Shogunate has taken with the Chiyo clan," the Shogun instructed, "and be careful - some of them may be quite old." The familiar dance of bowing and backing out of the room followed, and Ryuichi turned his gaze back onto the pink Kirin, her image frozen on the surface of the Long Pearl, until the servant was back with the requested documents.

 

Turned out, the most relevant one was almost directly on top, and proved exactly the information he needed. 

 

A young filly, briefly met and introduced when he too was young...and a quick and precise briefing on her status as Yuè's new hoof maiden years later, a mere speck of information hurriedly passed on to him in the chaos of his mother's passing, before he'd been moved onto bigger and more important things and promptly forgotten all about it. A mere hoofnote in the wealth of information he was privy to on a daily basis, but a decision that had probably changed that young filly's life forever.

 

Si Jin, it turned out, was the fulfillment of a contract the Shogunate had taken to send its own brand of protection for the potential future bride of the Shogun-to-be...a goodwill gesture of Neighpon's willingness to ensure her safety, treat a daughter of Long Guo as one of Neighpon's own. Yes, a deadly assassin was always a thoughtful courting gift, Ryuichi thought a bit wryly. Although, said contract had been implemented before Yuè's crowning. She was no longer a royal spare to be used to secure foreign alliances, which should have ended the contract, as it very clearly stated that the Kirin was to return home should the Empress cease to require her protection...yet this Sī jīn was, according to the paperwork, still carrying out her obligations in Long Guo.

 

Which was...odd, to say the least. For a bodyguard of the highest caliber, Ryuichi could never remember seeing her around Yuè during his visits to the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Watch seemed to take care of all the Empress' bodyguard needs...so where was Sī jīn? Had she been assigned by the Empress to guard someone else? This mysterious "he" that kept floating around on the wind, that Sī jīn seemed so desperate to protect? If not Yuè, who was she protecting?

 

And why?

 

...

 

With quick and deft movements of his hoof, Ryuichi pulled a sheet of papers towards himself and began writing. The tone of the missive was ever practical as he arranged for the Karasu's informants to figure out who Sī jīn was currently in charge of protecting, and the circumstances behind this seeming transfer of duty - palace staff would gossip, the information wouldn't be difficult to figure out. Soon, the scroll was in the hooves of the servant and being carted away, as Ryuichi pulled a second sheet and began to write on it.

 

He hadn't gotten halfway through, however, when the servant was back, much to Ryuichi's surprise, and he opened up the returned letter to see that the Karasu had been one step ahead of him - which, in turn, wasn't much of a surprise. Apparently, rumors of a highly ambitious and covetous mare who'd buttered her way to Prince Lián's side had sparked the interest of one of Iseiaisha's informants and, with a little bit of digging, it hadn't taken his Karasu much effort to put together the pieces and file the finished picture away as background information. 

 

So Sī jīn, at some point, had been transferred to guard Prince Lián after Empress Yu Yuè no longer required her services..and was now worried that her clan would pull her back to Neighpon due to the fullfilment of her contractual obligations. Ryuichi took a deep breath, eyes fixed back on the Pearl, and focused.

 

I don't want to leave him...

 

Well. He hadn't expected his first session of Long Pearl'ing to include rational deduction and not a small bit of good luck, but he was fairly satisfied with his conclusion.

 

With the information in hoof and the red wax fully melted, Ryuichi readied the seal on his left and pressed it directly onto the paper, signaling its contents as void and useless. He started over on a new sheet, this time with the more definitive request to renounce Sī jīn's contract of protection for Yu Yuè and instead redirect it for Lián instead. The clan would lose nothing in the transfer - and in fact, probably stood to regain some lost profit, considering that the contract had been paid with the intention of Sī jīn guarding a royal spare, not the Empress of Long Guo. Much less cost involved in equipping a guard to defend a royal son than the leader of an entire nation. Still, if the clan wished a full renegotiation of the contract, Ryuichi was willing to comply, and wrote a quick and much more concise note to send to the Karasu, to inform her to watch out for potential contact from the Chiyo clan.

 

Letters taken care of, the Shogun of Neighpon careful rolled up the first and sealed it with his royal seal and the golden wax, before sending both with the servant to their respective destinations. It wasn't until he was alone once more than Ryuichi allowed himself to sigh, eyes inevitably trailing back to the face shimmering on the surface of the Long Pearl. It was still a novel concept to him, this...focus on an individual Kirin and her individual problem that, had it not been solved, would have had absolutely zero impact on Neighpon.

 

But still...as Ryuichi gazed at the worried face reflected back at him through the Pearl, the Ryuma couldn't help but smile a little.

 

"Rest easy, Sī jīn," the Shogun said to the empty room, and listened to the rustle of the wind outside. If the new contract with the Chiyo clan worked out, the faraway Kirin would, hopefully, be able to rest easy. But that was out of his hooves for now, and with a deep Breath, Ryuichi once again Breathed upon the Pearl, ready to see the next son or daughter of Neighpon.

 

 

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The day had started so well. Sī Jīn had risen and gotten dresssed, straightened out her chambers, then picked up breakfast for prince Liàn. She lay it on the nightstand next to his bed and was walking over to the curtain to let the light in when she caught the sudden and distinct scent of the ocean. In a swirl of cherry-coloured petals a scroll appears and clatters onto Liàn's tray. 

 

Red wax seal, one she recognizes as belonging to her cover identity's home village, and a whiff of chrysanthemums. A change in contract? Why? She stares at the scroll, one hoof holding the curtain and both ears straining to make sure the prince was still asleep. Were they recalling her? Surely not, the perfume would be roses. A rebuke? That would have been her father's black wax, not the red. Hesitantly, she creeps over and breaks the seal to unroll the missive.

 

Spoiler

Oh bloom of a thousand generation history of beauty, the pain of witholding your felicitous voice in thy five year journey is unbearable. Forced to abandon my jaded moon, I must follow the practiced star that is the lesser light. Cleave to that star, pearl of my heart, that we might meet again in ten years and quell the ancestral storm. Yours eternally, Crimson Light.

 

The hoofmaid blinks and rereads it.  -When did they find out? It doesn't matter. How did they learn? It's not important. What does this mean? It means they know and approve, baka.- Thoughts chased each other like a dragon eating its tail. One thing was certain though. Things had changed, and in a way that Chiyo Hitomi found almost liberating.

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