Shosuro Shirou  11:22 PM
The man ever darkly glided into the hot springs. He was a mess; he looked like someone who lost a fight with pillow filled with down. White and grey feathers clung to his fine, jet black silk kimono. Underneath small curled feathers one could see a pattern of criss crossing crimson ivy weaving through the black plains. A similarly colored trim  was more visible. The servant attending the bath had been surprised at the appearance of the man, but wordlessly obeyed when Shirou had stripped, running off with the fine garment to have it cleaned. The ritual purification purified not only his soul, but the feathers that had dared become attached to him. But he was a Scorpion, they didn't get attached to anyone. His mask was removed and swiftly replaced with another, more suitable for bathing.

Without a word, bare feet crossed the stones into the water, step by step the water consumed him to his chest, and he stood in the water.

With a single large feather still poking out to the side just above his ear.
Bayushi Katsumi  11:26 PM
Soft footfalls announced the entrance of another, and Katsumi went through the motions of cleaning required before enjoying the onsen.  Her mask switched for a simple red gauzy material, and the large silver scorpion that held up her hair gone.. More than 20 years of black hair, untouched by scissors or blade for any reason cascaded around her as she walked into the hotsprings.  She set her towel aside before slipping into the water and beneath it's surface.

When she surfaces again she looks to Shirou and covers her mouth to hide the smile, swimming towards him.

"One moment Shosuro-san, hold still please.*
Shosuro Shirou  11:31 PM
He had been lost in his thoughts for ever a moment. But with the soft water entry of another, he slowly twirled and looked upon-- aha. Bayushi Katsumi-sama. With this mask his brow was more visible, and as was common among his clansmen his brow raised itself at her words and approach. "May I ask why..?" He asked aloud, but his feet found firm purchase on the stony floor. Why was she smiling, was she so delighted to see him? Most curious.
Bayushi Katsumi  11:33 PM
She closes the distance and then some, getting, perhaps uncomfortably close...  "Just stay still for a moment.." She says, focused on something by his ear. Reaching out she pluck the remaining feather from by his ear and hands it to him.  "
Shosuro Shirou  11:38 PM
He took this moment to study the woman as she came close. A true Scorpion beauty, especially with that long hair. Scorpion superstition meant that whoever got her sting would be supremely blessed. But ever obedient, the man held still even as a single arm passed his head, pulling something free from his crimson locks and... it was a feather. He silently cursed under his breath, but gently took it from her hand. "Thank you for saving my face. It has been a long day; even the vermin of the island are not the most friendly, as I have discovered."
Bayushi Katsumi  11:40 PM
She chuckles, remaining close unless it seems to bother him.  Letting her miscolored eyes look over his features.

"Vermin aren't generally friendly by their very nature I would assume...."
Shosuro Shirou  11:45 PM
He was not bothered at all, so unless she made the move or made note, he was content to stand where he was. The water was at perfect height, just below his armpits so only about a third of his scar was visible. "They seemed docile enough while I was meditating on the docks today." What a disaster that had been too. "But I may have startled them when I returned and stood. Or perhaps they believed I secretly contained food." If there was one animal he didn't like, it was the rats with wings themselves, always haunting him on his travels with the Mantis. "I wonder if they acted that way, because of the nature of the island, or simply doing as animals do."
Bayushi Katsumi  11:47 PM
She giggles softly.  "I think perhaps simply acting like animals do... I'm sorry to laugh..  Perhaps a less inhabited place to meditate next time?"
Shosuro Shirou  11:51 PM
He twirled the feather about in his fingers. "Fair. I suppose I cannot fault the seagulls, I intruded on their turf." Much like they were intruding on the island DUN DUN. "When an intruder, an invader is discovered, they are simply to be pushed back, after all. A lesson I learned many years ago." But he sighed.

"They will have to try twice as hard to deter me from meditating there however. The bay and its beauty often brings me peace that the land cannot."
Bayushi Katsumi  11:53 PM
"A cove maybe?"  She smiles brightly.  "You've been well Shosuro-san?  I feel like it has been ages since we spoke last."
Shosuro Shirou  11:58 PM
He looked at her most curiously. "Is there such a place? I have not explored much further than the town. Even on an assignment I simply patrolled the docks." But he nodded. "Hai. I have been trapped in my dormitory for the most part, practicing my art of painting fans. Soshi-san has not been in as of late, however. A few days as a matter of fact." His brow furrowed at that. "But I am sure he is serving his duty elsewhere. I did tell Doji-sama to meet with him as he requested."
Bayushi Katsumi  12:00 AM
She looks down and away moving slightly back in the water.. "Anzai-san?"
Shosuro Shirou  12:01 AM
"Hai, Soshi Anzai-san." There was the other, but he hadn't shared a room or had a room nearby him.
Bayushi Katsumi  12:02 AM
She sighs softly.

"He.. he did not come back from the forest with us.  He will not be coming back.  I had sent servants to tell you all.. someone will answer for this not having happened..."
Shosuro Shirou  12:10 AM
The man did not speak immediately. His head bowed downwards, eyes staring deeply down through the water. "The island is most dangerous. Eventually one of the new expedition would have been lost, it was inevitable. But." He swivelled his gaze to the Scorpion. "Is it selfish to say, I wish it had happened to another clan instead? What little I knew of him, revealed he was a most exemplary Scorpion. A great loss." It was selfish, but he could grant himself that much. "I had planned to take him out for drinks, to become more social after easing the burden of my work..."
Bayushi Katsumi  12:12 AM
"He sacrificed himself to provide us with peace, protect the colony, and buy time so that negotiations with the two great spirits in the woods could occur, peacefully.  He felt it was his duty."
"I was his second..."
Shosuro Shirou  12:19 AM
The Shosuro was so, so uninformed. "Another great spirit? The wolf was mot the only one?" His hand clenched tight. He was not blessed in the spiritual matters. But how would they wage war against the ethereal with only steel, if they demanded such holy sacrifice? Damn them all. But his fist unclenched before he spoke. "He is a hero then. I will ensure what he has done for us does not go to waste." If this was not Rokugan, he would have put a hand on the Scorpion's shoulder, but social etiquette demanded otherwise, especially in a bath. "It is regretful such a weighty duty fell upon your shoulders, Bayushi-sama. But I can see you are strong, and were able to carry that weight without bowing your back. I admire your strength." His words were softer, gentle over the light burbling of the water feeding the bath.
Bayushi Katsumi  12:23 AM
"I have stood as a second more times than I care to count.  It is part of what we are trained for..."  *She looks to him with a resolute gaze.  Its obvious she is saddened by the loss of the Soshi, but it was her duty to do so.  "Better that I was there than it be someone else."
Shosuro Shirou  12:29 AM
"I have not been any man's second. I pray to never have to." Naturally, if it happened, he would have it done though. A Scorpion was ever devoted to Chugo. "As Bushi, we are trained to take lives as and if necessary. But it is easier when one does not know the story of that life, their hopes and dreams." He drifted ever slightly closer to her, gazing back into her strangely colored eyes with his own [private] hues. "He was blessed to have you in his final moments."
Bayushi Katsumi  12:32 AM
She looks up into those eyes, a sight rarely seen outside of situations like this. "True enough.  I'm sorry that you were not told as you should have been."
Shosuro Shirou  12:36 AM
He shook his head. "It was not your doing. As you said, someone shall be held responsible for their failure, even if there was no ill will." A moment passed between them, and he continued to roll the stupid feather between his fingers. "Have you seen much death in your life, Bayushi-sama?"
Bayushi Katsumi  12:40 AM
"I fought in the clan wars.  I have seen plenty of death.  Narrowly avoided it on a number of occasions."
Shosuro Shirou  12:48 AM
Oh? How interesting. "Fierce, is a word i often hear when the Clan War is described. Brutal is another. When news of the battles from there arrived, we would often hold moments of silence to honor the memory of those felled." He blew the feather her way, something light to offset the heaviness in the air, aiming to land it into her hair. "I served elsewhere; I had joined Toturi-tenno's Army when our clan was..." Disbanded. But he did not say it. "My first outing, I witnessed Kyuden Kakita burn to ashes. And I had not realized, but I had met Doji Miyuki-sama there, long before we met here. Almost fated, it seems."
Bayushi Katsumi  12:53 AM
Given how long her hair was and likely how it was spread in the water, the feather finds part of it to land on and she shakes her head with a smile before plucking it off her hair and setting it to the side.  She playfully flicks water at Shirou.

"Kojiro-san and I grew up with Kyuden Bayushi.. I remember when it burned.  But war happens.. and it was a dark time for our clan.  However, we are here now, and can look towards establishing a brighter future."

She bows to him.  "Shosuro-san, forgive me.. I must be going.  I have an early morning in the dojo and should get some sleep before then."
Shosuro Shirou  12:58 AM
A smile broke through his face, a deep one that revealed his dimples. But he toned it back when she spoke once more. "My father and mother ensured we were far away from Shiro no Shosuro when it burned, where the wind did not have a chance to blow towards us. We could even see the armies preparing to take it as they were enveloped by the smoke." Smoke that had killed about one-third of those forces, if the author remembers correctly. "The dark times have passed, but will not be forgotten. They serve to remind us, so that our future does not darken once again."

Hah, they'd been here for a while now huh. "Thank you for speaking with me. The walls do not make such good conversationalists. May the Fortunes bless your path, Bayushi-sama. Sleep well." Naturally, he would bow as well as the water would let him.
Bayushi Katsumi  1:00 AM
"Yours as well Shosuro-san."  She bows and will exit the water, simply grabbing the towel as she walks away, her hair pretty much guaranteeing her modesty.  She will dress and exit the hotsprings.  ((Thanks!))
Shosuro Shirou  1:02 AM
Man long hair was truly the best. Not on him though, but his hair was cropped short and unstylish for a reason. When she left he too, arranged to make his toweled exit, slipping into his freshly cleaned kimono and taking off to where the night might take him.
[Thank you for the scene :heart: ]