Poorly Prancing Pony [Moon 10, Aftdeck, Evening] - Open

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Once the sun has set, Rinzuki makes her way out onto the aftdeck of the ship with a purple courtier's fan. She takes a position with one foot planted in front of the other and holds it there for a moment, the hem of her sleeveless white kimono blowing gently in the wind.

After a moment, she takes a step forward and twirls to the side, the opening steps for a beautiful dance that had been popular in the courts over the course of this last winter. Unfortunately, the woman performing the dance was clearly untrained in its execution, for while her performance was pleasant enough, she was still missing steps here and there, and seemed to only remember the motions of her fan as an afterthought.

With each failure, Rinzuki takes a deep breath, mumbles something to herself, and then begins the entire process anew.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

While doing his nightly tour of the rails, offering frequent prayers and the occasional offering of rice to Suitengu, Choukichi can't help but notice Rinzuki's dance. It's not that he's never seen someone dance on the deck, especially someone who seems so bad at it. He stops to watch her for a bit, more out of worry that she might soon take a tumble due to the swaying deck than anything else.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki does another awkward twirl before catching sight of Choukichi and quickly abandoning her practice with a half-hearted laugh.

"Ah...my apologies, Yoritomo-sama...? I didn't think there would be many others out here on deck just now."

[Ikoma Hikaru]

A few seconds later Hikaru appears on the deck his prayer beads in hand. He frowns slightly as he sees Rinzuki but there was nothing to be done about it now. There was no way Mantis and the Unicorn did not see him and like it or not he was raised with better manners.

Hikaru nods slightly in greetings.

"Excuse me Iuchi-san, Yoritomo-san I did not mean to intrude."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

At the arrival of the Lion, Rinzuki turns and gives him a respectful bow. "Good evening, Ikoma-sama. Rather lovely weather tonight, don't you think?"

She smiles warmly from behind a slowly beating fan.

[Ikoma Hikaru]

"Much better than the previous evening." Hikaru replied. He pauses for a moment then adds. "Please forgive this one. We have not been properly intoduced. I am Ikoma Hikaru of Kyuden Ikoma. Cousin of Ikoma Haigo, damiyo of the Ikoma. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

Hikaru bows every so slightly.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Choukichi chuckles a bit and smiles pleasantly

"I doubt you will ever find yourself out here alone Iuchi-san, the ship always needs minding... Yoritomo Choukichi, I can honestly say that was the best dance I have ever seen a woman perform on the deck of a ship."

When the Ikoma arrives, Choukichi offers him a polite bow.

"No interuption at all Ikoma-san, I am Yoritomo Choukichi, it is an honor to meet you."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," she says, nodding from one to the other, "though Yoritomo-sama is clearly in the habit of calling of a hovel a castle if he thinks my dancing was anything worthy of praise." She flashes him a quick smile before pressing the fan against her chest.

"This one is Iuchi Rinzuki, of the Baraunghar. I was unaware that we would be graced with such a noble personage such as yourself, Ikoma-sama, or I would have prepared some manner of gift for you." She glances down at the deck for a moment, a frown on her lips, before allowing her eyes to flutter back up to him. "Perhaps you would accept a poorly executed dance from the hands of a clumsy girl?"

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru sighs to himself. It wouldn't due to start a diplomatic incident with the Iuchi, even though she WAS part of the one of the armies directly responsible for the destruction of his home.

Hikaru nods and responds with the traditional refusal "I am of little consequence Iuchi-san and not deserving of such a fine and well though of gift."


Hikaru's grip on his beads tightly slightly. Give me the strength to deal with this Karou-kun.....

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"It is honestly a rather poor and spontaneous gift, Ikoma-sama." She smiles sadly as she watches him. "But even if my dance brings little more than laughter to your lips over how poorly the Iuchi can dance, then surely I can at least offer Ikoma-sama that moment, neh?"

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Sure that telling her that the only reason it was the best dance he's seen a woman perform on deck, is because he has never seen a woman strange enough to do so is bound to bring him all sorts of misfortune, Choukichi keeps his mouth shut, and watches to see how the Kuge responds to being offered the gift of a terrible dance, even if by a very pretty woman.

[Ikoma Hikaru]

"The skill and dedication it would take to perform such on the deck would require the skill of a master indeed. This one is not deserving such a fine gift." Hikaru says for his second refusal.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Then perhaps Ikoma-sama would consider accepting for the sake of Yoritomo-sama?" Her lips purse together in a soft pout. "It really would not do for him to think of me as any sort of skilled dancer."

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru really had no desire to see this woman dance or do anything else for that matter.....

"How could I refuse so a thoughtful and earnest gift. That and I could not deny Yoritomo-san it either. I am pleased to accept this gift in the spirit that it was given."

Hikaru gives a shallow bow. After he rises he looks at the Mantis as if to say....Sorry dude.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Yoritomo smiles politely, and sighs on the inside, watching her fall on her ass could be amusing enough at least, and the weather seems calm enough to jump in after her if she stumbles badly enough to go over the rail.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki gives Hikaru a quick bow, and another to Choukichi as well, before she takes a deep breath and lifts the fan above her head. "This is something I saw a Moto girl do a few times..."

She looks between the two men one more time before throwing herself into a startlingly good rendition of a distinctly gaijin dance. Unlike the graceful movements of a typical Rokugani dance, Rinzuki's dance mostly consisted of shimmering vibrations of her hips and undulations of her chest and pelvis. (example!)

By the time she finishes, even Rinzuki seems surprised at how well she has done. She raises a hand to wipe away some of the sweat on her brow, and then looks back to Choukichi and Hikaru in hopefuly expectation. "...and that's it...?"

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru is silent for a moment as he looks at the Iuchi with a neutral face.

"That was most.....interesting Iuchi-san. Thank you for honoring us with a show of the customs of your clan."

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

With great effort, Choukichi manages to keep a neutral face for the sake of his more civilized company, and only nods his head in approval.

"An interesting performance, I have never seen a dance like that before."

Not in public anyway, or performed by anyone he would consider civilized.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Thank you," the exhausted shugenja says, with an embarrassed bow to each of them. "...didn't know I had it in me."

[Ikoma Hikaru]

Hikaru nods and says flatly,

"Hai....it is interesting to see what some are capable of."

For example it it seems some have a talent for making themselves look like a harlot