[Day 4, Late afternoon] Taking pictures (open)

[Shiba Naomi]

Knowing Junpei was safe in the embassy for now, Naomi took a brief trip out from the safe confines of the Rokugani walls to see more of Lanka.
The Captain had wanted them to keep eyes and ears open, and she could do no less. She hoped she'd have the chance to at least sketch some quick images of this foreign place, and the area that seemed to be the spiritual center of the place was a good place to start.

Naomi glanced about as she approached, hoping she could find a bench or somewhere to sit.

[Rixy]

Trailing behind Naomi was a young woman, Yuo, just entering the cusp of maidenhood. She, too, looked around with keen interest, though her focus appeared to be for all the shirtless Defenders more than anything else.

Happily, there were benches in many Temple courtyards, some of them finer than others.

[Shiba Naomi]

"It's more spectacular than I thought it would be..." she commented softly.

The one that looked fanciest was probably the most important one, Naomi reasoned, and walked at a calm pace to one of the benches near that.

[Rixy]

It was not a matter of which was finest...it was a matter of what style the ornateness took. Some had finer materials but less adornment while others had more mundane materials but incredible amounts of detail work. This particular one was one of the former, it's minaret gilded and it's sides tiled with what looked like precious stones. The monks, if that was what they were, wore rich blue silks that any Crane would wear with pride. Strangely, they did no actual temple tasks as Naomi knew them...those tasks were being done by poorly-dressed people who never dared rise above their knees when one of the robed figures walked by.

[Shiba Naomi]

"Yuo-san, was it?" She asked in a low voice to the young maiden.

"What can you tell me of the priests, and those who seem to serve them?" Naomi asked as she quickly sketched them.

[Rixy]

"The priests are called brahmin. They are like shugenja only more so." Yuo's pretty face crinkled at the brow as she tried to figure out how best to explain it. "At home, the term 'samurai' covers a wide rang of professions. Here, they have two castes...the kshatriya, which are the warriors and the courtiers, and the brahmin, who are like the shugenja...only higher. They are viewed as the mouths of the gods themselves and are held above all others, except for their maharaja, who is like our Empress. They do not do low tasks because there are people they call 'untouchable', like our eta, to do it for them. The brahmin are scholars and priests and even sometimes artisans...though some of them can't actually use magic. Those are the ones that become the guards that you see here and there. They are still brahmin by birth and so still must serve a holy function, so they act like yojimbo to the casters."

[Shiba Naomi]

"I see," she nodded thoughtfully, and lapsed into silence as she captured some details in the sketch, as well as adding notes of what Yuo had told her.

"But... what is that jet black thing I saw over there?" she didn't point or give any hint of direction, considering it wouldn't be difficult to guess what she meant.

[Rixy]

"It's a Temple...probably to one of those gods like the Fortunes you pray to placate instead of to invite blessings from back home." The girl warded herself instinctively. "Like Ekibyogami."

[Shiba Naomi]

"That's all you know? It did seem that the others were trying distinctively to avoid it... it doesn't strike me as the small shrines to Ekibyogami that one might see..."
Naomi noted it down anyways.

[Rixy]

"Just because I speak the language doesn't mean I understand what heathen gods they worship, Shiba-sama." The girl wore her injured pride like a badge of honor. "I've never so much as gone into one of their temples. I just have to go and barter for supplies now and then, that's bad enough."

[Shiba Naomi]

"They don't talk about it to you when you are meeting with them?" Naomi asked curiously and looked up from her doodlings.

[Rixy]

"No, not really. They don't call on their gods in normal conversation the way we praise the Fortunes, Shiba-sama, except occassionally if a deal goes particularly well they call on someone called 'Ganesh'. Personally, I go out of my way not to ask questions, it's perilously close to blasphemy by my thinking to be too interested in heathen demons."

[Shiba Naomi]

"Oh, I'm by no means interested in things that way!" Naomi exclaimed softly, perhaps slightly on the defense.

"I merely wish to understand what might cause such a... gloom mood over the entire place, perhaps one of spiritual nature..."

[Rixy]

"Oh."

The girl cocked her head, considering the matter. "I'd say we need to ask inside the temples, then." She pointed to one of the largest, who's priests wore robes of soft yellow. "I think that one there's supposed to be one of the nice ones from what I remember some of the guards saying. Would you like to see if we can get a friendly brahmin to chat?"

[Shiba Naomi]

"If they're not unfriendly to outsiders, I would like that."
As much as I despise these gaijin, but orders are orders...

[Rixy]

The young woman nodded and then her face underwent one of the transformations that one often saw in courtiers preparing to treat with those they hated, bright shiny agreeableness to cover contempt settling easily over the girl's features. Moving off into the Temple, she offered a namaste to the locals, moving from one to another until she found one of the robed ones who would deign to speak to a foreigner. After several minutes of talk with the priest, a woman near Naomi's own age, the girl returned to Naomi.

"The brahmin will speak to you, if you will come inside."

[Shiba Naomi]

"Arigato," she gave a bow.

"Uhm, are there anything I should do before entering the temple? I would not wish to offend them..."

[Rixy]

"From what I've heard Yoritomo-samas say, it's not that different from home...bow with your hands like this..." The girl demonstrated, her hands pressed together over her heart, "..and say 'namaste' to anyone who wears one of the blades with a fancy handle or anyone in robes. Those are their version of samurai and you don't want to offend."

[Shiba Naomi]

Another nod, and Naomi removed her sandals before entering. Not planning on leaving them behind, she wrapped them in a piece of cloth and tucked them into her obi.

Following the girl to the priest, she formed her hands as she had been instructed. "Namasete," she gave in a rather shy greeting.

[Rixy]

The young priestess smiled and returned the ritual of greeting. The ivory pendant of a lotus at her throat slid free of her robes for a moment as she bowed, glimmering softly as she said, in perfect Rokugani, "Your vaisha, your servant, says you seek council, daughter of Rokugan. We honor those with the wisdom to see they know nothing, for only in knowing how little you know will you truly begin to learn. I am Sabera Kalsekeron, of House Kosala. I welcome you to the house of Saraswati, she who gives the world knowledge and art."