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In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest)

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Given that whole situation where Naoto accepted the Matsu challenge out in the middle of street, then staggered back to the castle with a sucking chest wound in full view of everybody after Brokita the Fortune of Wingmen stepped in to make sure we would live to flirt another day...I mean, none of this is secret information that's hard to find out if the Phoenix girl has any points in Courtier, hell, if she spent a Void Point she could probably get enough sordid info to conclude that Naoto was at least trying to act like whatever he had with Mariko was more than a little flirting.
 
A Nation's Virtue said:
Love isn't shameful in Rokugan; not only is one of the seven major Fortunes the Fortune of Love, but you gain Honor/Glory for declaring love for someone (so long as you do not identify them). It is only shameful if you let it come between you and your Duty.
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Okay, not entirely shameful, or maybe shameful isn't the right word, but it is at least taboo. True Love is a disadvantage, after all.

Dirtnap said:
You bring up good points, they're well reasoned and everything. I'm just stubborn and not willing to risk giving her a bad opinon of us. Love might be a 'bad' thing but it quite clearly didn't interfere with our Duty else we would've been the one chopped in half on the dueling ring.
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Hey that's fine! I'm not going to be super upset if we take the more cautious approach. I just want to make sure that we are thinking about things from the perspective of how best to do our duty, rather than following our emotions.
 
Wade Garrett said:
Given that whole situation where Naoto accepted the Matsu challenge out in the middle of street, then staggered back to the castle with a sucking chest wound in full view of everybody after Brokita the Fortune of Wingmen stepped in to make sure we would live to flirt another day...I mean, none of this is secret information that's hard to find out if the Phoenix girl has any points in Courtier, hell, if she spent a Void Point she could probably get enough sordid info to conclude that Naoto was at least trying to act like whatever he had with Mariko was more than a little flirting.
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*reads Brokita the Fortune of Wingmen*
*dies*
 
storybookknight said:
Okay, not entirely shameful, or maybe shameful isn't the right word, but it is at least taboo. True Love is a disadvantage, after all.
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It still doesn't really fall under that. Love itself isn't taboo, acting on it in dishonorable ways is.

Also, just because it's a Disadvantage doesn't necessarily mean it's taboo in setting. Paragon of Shourido is an Advantage, as is Forbidden Knowledgr, but those aren't exactly looked upon favorably.
 
[X] Can we get an Investigation roll, just to see if she's sincere? Don't want to screw this up.
 
[X] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
-[X] Spend a void point.

Timing.
 
@Maugan Ra : Seems to me like the big question here is one of what is polite. How long is the appropriate grieving perioud for someone we flirted with and went on a couple of dates with? Someone we met less then 3 weeks ago? Someone we were using and who was using us? Can we get an Etiquette check to see if still grieving would be appropriate?

@storybookknight covered the Duty aspect.But here is the thing, Mariko was a Crane. She was actively seducing us. As a part of her plan to get the Scorpion to get her out of the trap she was in. She was using us. We were using her as well. Yes she was pretty. Yes she was plesant. Yes we will murderize the Fuck out of whoever was behind that if we can find them. But do not make a mountain out of a molehill. I do not think that just flirting back is some kind of horrible mistake. Or a breach of polite behaviour. I trust Naoto to know what he is doing when he flirts back. To not push it too much. That said, the current votes for flirting are kind of bad.

[ ] Flirt back. Why not?
Problem: Makes light of Marikos death. The "Why not" makes it seem like Naoto will approach it in a blithe manner. It is somewhat insensitive and thus not an optimal headspace for flirting back. I think it is also not representative of Naotos character.
[ ] Flirt back. It's our duty.
Problem: Closer to something Naoto might do in character and a perfectly valid choice, but hardly an optimal one. Flirting back because it is our duty is a valid rational argument, but it is also a cold and calculating one. I think we can do better.

[X] Flirt back, but be gentle. You are surrounded by the beauty of nature and before you is a bright Lady who you find both engaging and pleasant to spend time with. She is beautiful within and without. Did not the Tao say: "Appreciation of beauty is the beginning of wisdom?"
-[X] Mariko was a Crane. She would not have wanted us to mope about and miss out on Life in her memory. If her Spirit was watching this she would likely encourage you, much like Bayushi-sama did. Then laugh as we bumbled our way through our inexperience. Mariko tought us much on this subject, we should honor her teachings.
--[X] It is also our Duty to try, even if we may not be quite ready to dive back in.

Assuming the etiquette roll does not tell us that it would be improper to flirt back so soon, I think this is a reasonable and in character response. We are young. We develop interests quickly, and those are not shallow, but we also bounce back quicker then more elderly souls. I think it fits Naoto. And it is certanly better than just "Why not", or "Because Duty".

EDIT: Not quite sure what the tagging rules are. I've seen what storybookknight did with @-ing a bunch of people, but I am not sure how appropriate it would be to keep pinging people just to read my opinion.

EDIT2: Reformed the vote a bit when storybookknight pointed out it came accross as lighthearted. Should fit the tone I was going for a bit better now.
 
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primemountain said:
@Maugan Ra : Seems to me like the big question here is one of what is polite. How long is the appropriate grieving perioud for someone we flirted with and went on a couple of dates with? Someone we met less then 3 weeks ago? Someone we were using and who was using us? Can we get an Etiquette check to see if still grieving would be appropriate?

@storybookknight covered the Duty aspect.But here is the thing, Mariko was a Crane. She was actively seducing us. As a part of her plan to get the Scorpion to get her out of the trap she was in. She was using us. We were using her as well. Yes she was pretty. Yes she was plesant. Yes we will murderize the Fuck out of whoever was behind that if we can find them. But do not make a mountain out of a molehill. I do not think that just flirting back is some kind of horrible mistake. Or a breach of polite behaviour. I trust Naoto to know what he is doing when he flirts back. To not push it too much. That said, the current votes for flirting are kind of bad.

[ ] Flirt back. Why not?
Problem: Makes light of Marikos death. The "Why not" makes it seem like Naoto will approach it in a blithe manner. It is somewhat insensitive and thus not an optimal headspace for flirting back. I think it is also not representative of Naotos character.
[ ] Flirt back. It's our duty.
Problem: Closer to something Naoto might do in character and a perfectly valid choice, but hardly an optimal one. Flirting back because it is our duty is a valid rational argument, but it is also a cold and calculating one. I think we can do better.

[X] Flirt back, but be gentle. You are surrounded by the beauty of nature and before you is a bright Lady who you find both engaging and pleasant to spend time with. She is beautiful within and without. Did not the Tao say: "Appreciation of beauty is the beginning of wisdom?"
-[X] Mariko was a Crane. She would not have wanted us to mope about and miss out on Life in her memory. If her Spirit was watching this she would likely encourage you, much like Bayushi-sama did. And laugh as we bumbled our way through our inexperience. That it is even your Duty to flirt with someone as wonderful as Asako Tani is only a plus.

Assuming the etiquette roll does not tell us that it would be improper to flirt back so soon, I think this is a reasonable and in character response. We are young. We develop interests quickly, and those are not shallow, but we also bounce back quicker then more elderly souls. I think it fits Naoto. And it is certanly better than just "Why not", or "Because Duty".
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I think the general consensus about Naoto's emotions appears to be that he is a bit too emotionally invested in Mariko's death and the fallout of those events to be quite so lighthearted as this. I agree that if we could approach the flirtations with such an attitude, that'd be a good way to go about it, but I'm not certain that maintaining such an attitude would be realistic given how recent it was.

I do agree, though, that my write in suggestion is stone cold. It is manipulative, it's cynical, it's frankly a bit ugly.

On the other hand, I think it's what duty demands of us.
 
storybookknight said:
I think the general consensus about Naoto's emotions appears to be that he is a bit too emotionally invested in Mariko's death and the fallout of those events to be quite so lighthearted as this. I agree that if we could approach the flirtations with such an attitude, that'd be a good way to go about it, but I'm not certain that maintaining such an attitude would be realistic given how recent it was.

I do agree, though, that my write in suggestion is stone cold. It is manipulative, it's cynical, it's frankly a bit ugly.

On the other hand, I think it's what duty demands of us.
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I do not see it as light hearted and I am sorry if it comes across as that. It is difficult to covay tone with words alone. Instead of a lighthearted tone, read the vote in terms of a bittersweet one. More in line with, yes we are still hurting, but that is not what she would have wanted for us. So even if we do not really feel fully up to it, we should make the attempt, but keep it light, gentle. Something we can handle at this point in time. Start the healing process, so to speak.

EDIT: @storybookknight :Adapted the vote a bit, to help tone bittersweet tone come through.
 
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[X] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
-[X] Spend a void point.


Less what is polite and more what she's going to see, not a week after our last love interest died, already full speed flowers and hearts. That's not a good presentation to your next lover.
 
Vote Called

Would someone mind double-checking my math as to the winning vote, since there was a fair amount of debate and a number of folks changed their minds partway through?
 
Well, since I'm too lazy to do math, I can use a tally program.
Vote Tally : In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest) | Page 155 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.5.12
[X] Deflect her.
No. of Votes: 13
Equable
A Nation's Virtue
Bommelom
Broken25
Dirtnap
Felius
Hydroplatypus
Kelenas
Nix's Warden
The king Chad
The Laurent
veekie
Wade Garrett
[X] Flirt back. Why not?
No. of Votes: 8
SMuha
Bastur2
Deadly Snark
EtchedSteel
primemountain
Seventeen
storybookknight
Vanguard_D
[X] Over complicated write in answer.
No. of Votes: 1
Dark as Silver
[X] Can we get an Investigation roll, just to see if she's sincere? Don't want to screw this up.
No. of Votes: 1
Dovahsith
Total No. of Voters: 23
Vote Tally : In Thunder's Echo (Legend of the Five Rings Quest) | Page 155 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.5.12
[x] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
-[X] Spend a void point.
No. of Votes: 6
Kelenas
Bommelom
Dirtnap
Felius
The Laurent
veekie
[x] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
No. of Votes: 4
Equable
A Nation's Virtue
Hydroplatypus
Nix's Warden
[X] Flirt back. It's our duty.
No. of Votes: 3
storybookknight
Bastur2
Deadly Snark
[X] Flirt back, but be gentle. You are surrounded by the beauty of nature and before you is a bright Lady who you find both engaging and pleasant to spend time with. She is beautiful within and without. Did not the Tao say: "Appreciation of beauty is the beginning of wisdom?"
-[X] Mariko was a Crane. She would not have wanted us to mope about and miss out on Life in her memory. If her Spirit was watching this she would likely encourage you, much like Bayushi-sama did. Then laugh as we bumbled our way through our inexperience. Mariko tought us much on this subject, we should honor her teachings.
--[X] It is also our Duty to try, even if we may not be quite ready to dive back in.
No. of Votes: 3
primemountain
EtchedSteel
Seventeen
[X] Flirt back. Why not?
No. of Votes: 2
SMuha
Vanguard_D
[X] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
-[X] Spend a void point to reduce damage.
No. of Votes: 1
Broken25
[x] Deflect her. The last woman you flirted with committed suicide barely more than a week ago, after all.
-[X] Spend a void point to avoid a breach of etiquette
No. of Votes: 1
The king Chad
[X] Deflect her.
No. of Votes: 1
Wade Garrett
[X] Can we get an Investigation roll, just to see if she's sincere? Don't want to screw this up.
No. of Votes: 1
Dovahsith
[X] Over complicated write in answer.
No. of Votes: 1
Dark as Silver
Total No. of Voters: 23

So.
Deflecting her advances wins over flirting back, and deflecting her and spending a void point is the specific vote that gets most votes.
 
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6.01 - A ride through the woods
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    • Well. You can't deny that it is rather flattering to have a beautiful and educated woman express an interest in you like that, but...

    A warm body pressed against your side. Faces turned to the night sky. The crunch of snow beneath your feet.

    The look on Mariko's face as her champion falls.

    You must have paused for slightly too long, as Tani's face loses some of its teasing amusement and shifts towards concern. "Soshi-san? Is something wrong?"

    Etiquette/Awareness 7k4 = 25

    "My apologies, Asako-sama. I allowed my memories to distract me from the here and now." You say politely, putting just enough emphasis on the right words to communicate your intent.

    "Ah. No apologies are necessary, Soshi-san." The Loremaster replies softly, a hint of compassion in her tone. "We rely on the past to prepare us for the future. Neglecting lessons learned only leads to fresh errors."

    There is a slightly awkward pause for a moment, the two of you not quite sure what to say. Fortunately, Rokugani etiquette expends a considerable degree of effort in providing safe topics for just about any conceivable situation, and Tani takes one by gesturing to the small copse of trees you are riding through.

    "I am always impressed by the ability of nature to survive even in such inhospitable environs." She comments. "It is good to be reminded that we are not the only ones capable of surviving in adversity."

    "There is much to be said for perseverance in the face of hostility." You agree. "Of course, I imagine it is somewhat easier when you need only light and water to survive."

    "I have often wondered what it might be like to walk in Chikushudo, and see a realm of nature untouched by man." The Phoenix muses. "We see hints of it in the wild places and the forests, but a true wilderness... hmm. Have you ever seen the Shinamon Mori, Soshi-san?"

    "Once, Asako-sama, from a distance." You reply, remembering your first sight of that place. The Shinamon technically lies at least partially within the lands of your Clan, but after the first village vanished entirely beneath it's shadowy canopy the Scorpion stopped trying to lay claim to it in anything more than name. "It is not a place that I would care to visit for long."

    "I wonder... would it have become more or less welcoming once the Naga awoke?" Tani muses idly, and you realize you cannot say for certain. The strange snake-men of the forest aided your people on the Second Day of Thunder, but that does not mean they are any easier to understand... or any more forgiving of trespassers.

    The conversation continues in that vein for some time, touching upon a number of the more mysterious elements of Rokugan's landscape and the myths and legends that have grown up around them. It is an interesting talk, and quite engrossing... so much so that it takes you some time to realize that something is wrong.

    "Forgiveness, Asako-sama, but I would have thought we would be there by now." You say politely to your companion. "You did say only an hour, yes?"

    "It is a bit further than I would have thought from the maps, Soshi-san." Tani nods in agreement. "Still, we will get there eventually, so long as we stay on the..."

    The Phoenix's voice trails off in confusion, and that prompts you to give your surroundings a closer look. There are trees all around you, their dark green and brown shapes hidden beneath a layer of brilliant white, and... you cannot see the path. Nor, thinking back, can you remember when you last saw it.

    "Asako-sama?" You say cautiously, one hand straying to the hilt of your sword out of a sense of general caution.

    The Phoenix samurai-ko looks around, her face twisted in confusion and growing concern. "I don't understand, we were riding along it just a moment ago. What..."

    It is snowing quite heavily now. And... is that the wind? Or laughter? Which way is Shiro Matsu?

    With a sinking feeling, you realize that you do not know.

    What do you do?
    [ ] Write in
     
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