Suwako's Diplomacy

21:09   Moriya_Suwako   Resolved, Tenma-sama? Are you sure about that? I'd say we still have some unfinished business to take care of, wouldn't you~?
21:10   Lord_Tenma      Tenma turned to the new voice, a guard lighting a new stick of incense now that Kanako left, another fixing the door. Each guard went on the offensive, drawing their weapons. Tenma raised her hand. "Enough! Good day to you Moriyamegami-sama."
21:11   Lord_Tenma      ((You're late! Your husband broke my doors and knocked out my guards in a fit of drunken rage))
21:11           Moriya_Suwako is frog-squatting on a stone lantern, smirking
21:11   Moriya_Suwako   Yep, the weather's great! Even though the weather kami is all in a huff.
21:12   Lord_Tenma      "I'm afraid Yasaka-sama just left, but if I can be of assistance I will do all I can."
21:12   Moriya_Suwako   So, Tenma. We have unfinished business. I'm afraid we kami are the old-fashioned type.
21:12   Moriya_Suwako   Do you know what still needs to be done?
21:15   Lord_Tenma      Tenma shifted slightly, the soft rustling of feathers sliding over cloth drifting through the air. "I'm afraid if there is some sort of formality I must perform I am not aware of what it is."
21:16   Moriya_Suwako   Well, so far, you've given us... *she expands her fingers, and a black ball expands into her hand*
21:17   Moriya_Suwako   Repentance. *she tosses it up and catches it*
21:18   Moriya_Suwako   *with her other hand, she creates a crimson sphere* ...and Retribution. *she starts juggling the two balls*
21:18   Moriya_Suwako   But I'm afraid we kami aren't impressed by just two. You've got to make it a better show!
21:19   Moriya_Suwako   And for that, you need... *she catches the two balls in one hand, and creates a golden orb in her other*
21:19   Moriya_Suwako   ...Recompense. *she starts juggling the three*
21:19   Moriya_Suwako   Do you see what I'm getting at, Tenma-sama? *looking at her through the circling balls*
21:30   Lord_Tenma      "I have done my part in this, Moriya-sama. You know I have the utmost respect for the shrine and my eternal gratitude for what you have done for us." Tenma bowed slightly, straightening up. "With how this was handled, however, recompense is not mine to give. It must come from Masaaki by his own will or it will never satisfy what you are asking.
21:30   Lord_Tenma      It is why I left the path to the shrine open for him."
21:32   Moriya_Suwako   Sorry, Tenma-chan, but that won't do this time. *she casually adds a pulsating purple ball and a menacing, smoky black orb to her juggling, and continues*
21:33   Moriya_Suwako   When you allowed the incident to be brought under your supervision and apologized to us, you took responsibility. We allowed you to hand down the punishment-- even if it ended up coming from us in the end. To show that you are truly sorry for what happened, it has to sting you.
21:34   Moriya_Suwako   We're long past the days of slitting the neck of a goat in our honor, but you still have to give up something precious, something that hurts you, even if only a little. An offering. A... *she smirks darkly* ...sacrifice.
21:35   Moriya_Suwako   Besides, don't you think it's about time the tengu showed proper respect to the shrine? When is the last time you made an offering, exactly? *she brightens up again, but her face still holds a trace of menace*
21:37   Moriya_Suwako   *she continues to juggle in ornate and complex patterns, the black orb leaving a trail of ominous smoke, the purple orb beginning to drip red; she pretends not to notice*
21:44   Lord_Tenma      "...A harshness I am not used to coming from you Moriya-sama. Threats are not necessary. I am quite aware of your power and how terrible your wrath can be. Very well, I will concede to you. Though a blood sacrifice, while dramatic, would do little but dirty your shrine. You want us to give up something we value, and yet material things would be of
21:44   Lord_Tenma      such little benefit to you. We do not have much in this regard to offer short of our pride, and that would certainly be painful to cut into. Will this appease you Moriya-sama?" A pause. "Mayhaps you have a task that needs to be done. One of filth and mediocrity. Something you have been unable to accomplish with your followers, perhaps?"
21:46   Moriya_Suwako   "A task?" She pauses, the balls all disappearing when they hit her left hand. "Well done. I was going to ask for ten tons of gold, or something. A task..." She pauses again, and her eyes seem to be flashing internally, as though a pool is reflecting off of their lenses.
21:47   Moriya_Suwako   "The way I see it... you have a few options."
21:48   Moriya_Suwako   "First: Build us a path. Decorated, with handrails and murals. Straight up to the shrine. You can guard it all you want."
21:48   Moriya_Suwako   "Second: Build us a shrine in the human village. It must be sufficiently grand. I know that tengu are great architects, planners, calligraphers and artists."
21:49   Moriya_Suwako   "Finally, third..."
21:50   Moriya_Suwako   She pauses again, a sake dish appearing in her hand, and she sips it down thoughtfully. It disappears after she finishes.
21:53   Moriya_Suwako   "...a grand bath-house. I'll provide the hot springs. Something on a scale unseen before in Gensokyo, with a restaurant, a parlor for mahjong, shogi, Go and other games, an inn, and a small shrine nearby. I want it to be manned by tengu. I'll pay them."
21:53   Moriya_Suwako   "It should be open to man and youkai alike. I think it would help improve human-tengu relations, and it would certainly improve Moriya-Tenma relations."
21:54   Moriya_Suwako   "You may have noticed that these options are tiered. It would be rather simple to build a path, and rather expensive to build a bath-house. It's up to you to decide which I deserve."
21:54   Moriya_Suwako   The malice has left her face, and she watches Tenma with interest.
22:15   Lord_Tenma      Tenma sat unmoving through most of Suwako's speech but... The bath house surprised her. She lowered her head a small fraction, deep in thought as she weighed her options. "It's true. I have not paid more than faith in a long time. I will sacrifice pride, Moriya-sama, but not the peace of mind of my people. I cannot build a path. I've heard tell of your
22:15   Lord_Tenma      attempts to build a shrine. Such a place would be more convenient for your worshipers down at the village. A building to shine and attract the attention of all those who lay eyes upon it. That would be a valued resource for you indeed. A bathhouse is another matter entirely, though. As a whole we do not currently have the resources to properly build one of
22:15   Lord_Tenma      the magnitude you are asking. We will build your shrine, but I will not neglect the concept of this bath house. Mayhaps as this new shrine brings in resources for you, we may build the bathhouse as well as a collaborative effort when the tension between us has dissolved somewhat. A joyous event would no doubt be better for relations than one spawned of fear."
22:17   Moriya_Suwako   "What resources do you need, Tenma-sama?"
22:19   Moriya_Suwako   "Do you need wood? I can give you wood. Do you need dyes and paints? I can grow you those. I'm willing to collaborate with you, if you're willing to sacrifice your time, effort and employees."
15:25 Lord_Tenma "It's not that, Moriya-sama. while we will need those things, what we need first is gold. We need glass. Refined things not normally found in nature. We need money to obtain the items we cannot craft. Dyes and paints and wood are simple enough for a goddess of your magnitude to create, but I'm afraid its not as simple as it sounds in regard to everything else.
15:25 Lord_Tenma This is not a project I would want to start without full confidence in my ability to obtain the more unusual resources without running short."
15:28 Moriya_Suwako "Is that so?" She remains silent for a long moment, seeming to cool off. "Then I want two things from you, if this sentiment is truthful."
15:29 Moriya_Suwako "First, I want you to put down in writing that you will build the bathhouse within... at most, a year. Masaaki can go visit when he's done being exiled, eh?"
15:30 Moriya_Suwako "As silly as it is, I want your thumbprint on that contract to be stamped in blood. I'm sentimental, it's just a little artifact of the past..."
15:30 Moriya_Suwako "I also want that contract to stipulate that we will henceforth meet on at least a monthly basis to discuss matters. I don't think that's too much to ask."
15:31 Moriya_Suwako "Second, just so I can get a feel for your sentiments, I'd like you to describe to me the kind of shrine you plan on building, and what will be included in it. Pretty simple requests."
15:32 Moriya_Suwako She conjures a long, thin pipe, and takes a soft drag, blowing a ring of purple smoke. She looks expectantly at Tenma through it.
15:52 Lord_Tenma "After all the promises I've followed through with you, I'm surprised such extreme measures are being requested. I want you to feel like you can trust me. As for the construction itself, we may be hard pressed to obtain everything within a year, though with good fortune, it's possible. With poor fortune it may not be completed by that time,
15:53 Lord_Tenma though much of it will certainly be finished. As for meeting you on a monthly basis, that is more than acceptable." She closed her eyes. "As for the bath house, I picture this. A several story building accented with red, the wood carefully covered in carved designs. A garden and stone path in front. Slabs of slate surrounded by chips of a light shale.
15:53 Lord_Tenma Several large pools in back, also lined in stone and separated by bound bamboo, surrounded by another garden. There will be several small donation boxes both outside and in, a more formal shrine off to one side in the back near the main pools at the heart of the garden. Inside we'll go with a traditional layout, with more woodwork,
15:54 Lord_Tenma much of this inlaid with small ribbons of gold and other metals. Walls will be carefully painted and gold will be hammered into wafer thin strips and pressed into the ceiling depicting various designs of your choice. The interior baths will be large and circular, cut from granite and polished smooth, separated by paper dividers
15:54 Lord_Tenma where patrons can enjoy herbal soaks. Anyone can go to a hot spring, but rich water like this is coveted. I believe this will be what helps the hot spring stand out."
15:59 Moriya_Suwako "And of course, a gaming parlor, a restaurant and an inn." She seems quite insistent on the gaming.
16:06 Lord_Tenma "Of course. That is why it must have several tiers. The shrine will get a similar treatment as far as design goes, but far less gold. As nice as gold would be I don't trust the humans not to pick at it. The shrine depends entirely upon the size of the space you would like us to build it in, but we will do all we can with whatever we're given.
16:06 Lord_Tenma We will use a hard, dense wood, light in color. I would rather not use paint here. Again, this is a place that will not be managed on a constant basis and paint can be damaged. I would rather dye slivers of wood and inlay them to make lovely designs flush and aligned with the grain of the wood. They are not as intricate as paint,
16:06 Lord_Tenma but they are far more impressive. It will be as if the wood itself sported the lavish designs and we simply cut sheets from it. We will encase a place to burn incense beneath the donation box and fashion the slats on the roof to vent heat and allow a breeze to blow through so the shrine chimes in the wind with no visible source."
16:09 Moriya_Suwako She waits for Tenma to finish, taking another drag and blowing wispy purple smoke across the room in her direction, then looks satisfied.
16:10 Moriya_Suwako "Tenma-chan... you build me those two things, and we're going to have just about the best relationship you could ever hope for. I'll be the one giving YOU gifts."
16:11 Moriya_Suwako "That bath-house sounds great. I want to hear about what you have in mind for the gaming parlor, the inn and the restaurant, and then I'll make a concession to you."
16:11 Moriya_Suwako "The contract will now specify that she bath-house must be BEGUN within one year, and COMPLETED within two. Is that enough time?"
16:17 Lord_Tenma "That is my hope Moriya-sama. And as for the bath house, two years should be more than enough, barring some sort of natural disaster. Hopefully next we discuss it it will be over a bottle of sake and some ink and paper. The sooner the plans are done the sooner I will know what resources to hunt for."
16:19 Moriya_Suwako "That's ONLY if you tell me about those three things, though, Tenma-chan. You've got a way with words. Even an old kami like me is wowed."
16:42 Lord_Tenma Tenma couldn't help but smile a little. "Games will be held in a variety of places. Casual and informal games will be scattered about, both indoors and in the gardens. A more formal game room will be present on the second floor, next to the restaurant. I would imagine warmer tones up here. Shapes cut from wood rather than paintings.
16:42 Lord_Tenma Deep red designs set into light off white or yellow backings and outlined in a polished dark metal and accented with glass stained with reds, golds, and purples with a small section behind where a light source can be added to give the room a perpetual colored glow. Tables will be made of a hard, light wood and stained dark and light.
16:42 Lord_Tenma The tables themselves will be the game boards. The ones outside will have more western looking seats, held up off the ground, while the ones inside will sport cushions. Each table will have a bit of room to spare should the patrons wish to purchase something to drink. The restauraunt will serve a wide variety of food and drink to cater to any taste.
16:42 Lord_Tenma The restaurant will sport larger tables and give the patrons a measure of privacy with paper doors. The tables themselves will be ornately designed using the same technique with dying wood. Each table will be fitted with a glass cover shaped to settle perfectly on top of it, preserving the delicate design and ensuring the tables can be kept clean.
16:43 Lord_Tenma Food will likely start traditional and shift with whatever taste the patrons have at the time. The inn will be the next floor and sport a good number of rooms of various size and quality. The colors in here should still be warm and inviting, but far cooler than in the game room; Whites with yellows and greens and blues with burgundy accents.
16:43 Lord_Tenma The largest I would suggest using a slightly more western design in terms of the bed itself which will add to the elevated look of the room. Fabrics will be the best we can find. Something soft and lovely and woven together with the greatest care and design. The walls must be painted. As to what appears on them is your choice Moriya-sama.
16:43 Lord_Tenma I trust your judgement to pick the right scene for the right room."
16:47 Moriya_Suwako "Tenma-chan..." She seems to have been greatly moved, and her expression has warmed considerably. "If I was wearing a monocle, it would've popped off."
16:48 Moriya_Suwako "That sounds absolutely wonderful. I can't even express how elated I would be to see something like that built in my name. I think the paintings should honor the tengu as well as the kami, and that whatever newspapers you deem appropriate should be provided to all the guests in their rooms."
16:48 Moriya_Suwako "Let's make this a joint effort. A show of friendship between Moriya and tengu. I'm sure fair weather and favorable earth will bless you for many years to come."
16:49 Moriya_Suwako "I'll sign the contract, as well, and include my blood in the thumbprint."
16:50 Moriya_Suwako takes another pull, reflectively, and blows it out, seeming to be very pleased.
16:51 Lord_Tenma "Did you really expect anything less from me? Think of it as an apology. You were right in saying we have payed insufficient tribute and that is entirely my fault. It does bring me great joy to hear that Moriya-sama. And thank you. I will begin gathering resources. Mayhaps I could enlist some help from the underground. If anyone would know where to find
16:53 Lord_Tenma the mineral based resources it would be them. I've heard tell the mansion on the edge of the lake hordes an abundance of silver. I will also see if I can get them to part with some."
16:57 Moriya_Suwako "So, then, all that's left is to sign the contract! Both of us."
17:02 Moriya_Suwako claps her hands, and when she pulls them away, a sheet of glimmering paper is formed between them.
17:03 Moriya_Suwako takes the paper, hovers her hand over it, and it glows brightly as symbols arrange themselves, finally settling into faintly pulsating gold lettering.
17:04 Moriya_Suwako creates two lines underneath the contract, and, summoning an ink brush to be polite, she signs her name with beautiful calligraphy, the ink seeming to flare up and smolder gently just as she finishes.
17:05 Moriya_Suwako then grows a rose out of her left hand, and sticks her thumb on one of its thorns; her blood seems more like springwater, a thick, shimmering, rainbow-tinged substance that swirls mesmerizingly.
17:07 Moriya_Suwako stamps her thumbprint on the paper, where it gently hums with a sound like a crisp spring morning, shimmering and swirling with the colors of the rainbow and more.
17:07 Moriya_Suwako looks satisfied, and floats the now incredibly sacred document, charged with an incredible amount of divine energy, over to Tenma.
17:09 Lord_Tenma Tenma simply holds up her hand, a guard moving away quickly and returning with an ornate bamboo dipping pen and a bottle of ink. With a quick dip and a fluid movement, Tenma wrote her name beneath Suwako's using the sharpened tip of the nib to prick her thumb and press it next to her signature.
17:11 Moriya_Suwako "Pretty slick. I've always been impressed by the way tengu sign their name."
17:22 Lord_Tenma "Well I lack the ability to call forth my pen from the aether, so I must compensate in other ways." Tenma allowed herself to smile a little, handing the pen back to the guard. "I'm glad this is settled and that some good came of it."
17:24 Moriya_Suwako "I'll entrust you with the contract. You can't destroy it, anyway." She grins again, dropping her serious demeanor and returning to her more casual self. "Now that all this boring stuff is done, why don't we get out of this stuffy place and have a drink together?"
17:28 Lord_Tenma Tenma let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing some. "I would love to, Moriya-sama." She stood. "A break from all this would do me well. Where would you like to go?"
17:29 Moriya_Suwako "It's not my city! Don't you have a place you like to go when you want to drink and relax? I'd think the great Lord of the Tengu would have that much."
17:34 Lord_Tenma "I do not drink for pleasure in the public eye. It isn't good for my leadership if the soldiers see me sitting amongst them, flushed and giggling at the same crude humor they are. Though if you really wish to stay in the city, I do know of a good location."
17:35 Lord_Tenma ((because I had to provide that mental image))
17:35 Moriya_Suwako "It doesn't have to be in the public eye, Tenma-sama! Surely, you have some private place where you can drink pleasurably."
17:39 Lord_Tenma "Well. The banquet hall is open with a large table. And it should be empty.