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 Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:55 am
~::Tachibana-Hakushaku Southern Honshu Estate::~
Though their traditional main estate is located in the Northwestern section of Kyushu, the different clans of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Demon Alliance have estates which range throughout the different regions of the country from Kyushu to Shikoku to Northern and Southern Honshu. Occupied by the different guardians of the regions for the Taihaku Clan, when necessary, the Main Clan can relocate to an estate for however long the duration of a particular mission may be, and in the most dire of circumstances (the loss of their traditional home), they can make a permanent residence out of any of their vast estates with the blessing of the estate's guardians. Each estate is massive, capable of housing a hundred Taihaku Clan Heads at any given time should the need arise, though they tend to only house the Head of the Clan, his entourage, and the guardians watching over it at any given time. Complete with an open-air bath, large meeting rooms, regular deliveries of Western delicacies, and other necessities, even the Head of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Alliance never feels out of place here.
Here is the Clan Headquarters for the Southern portion of the mainland, Honshu, which is set on the borders of the Iwatodai Area. This is the closest Taihaku Estate to the capital in Tokyo; currently it houses even the Head of the Main Branch so that orders can be distributed in the most timely fashion between the new Shogun and his loyal allies. Seo Taihaku, the current head of the clan, is particularly fond of this location for its proximity to the country's richest cultural centers.
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:51 pm
Mugen Toku-Taihaku Movement could be heard already inside the estate, it wasn't loud movement but movement nonetheless. The estate seemed a little on the empty side today so one, if they listened well enough, would probably be able to track the noises back to the dining hall. Mugen sat at one of the rather large tables with a large bowl of steamed rice, a plate of Tamagoyaki, a slightly smaller plate of Nori, a small bowl of miso soup, and three cups of orange juice sitting in front of him. The meal seemed as though it may have been for a few people, but it was his..ALL HIS, bwahahaaha! Mugen's excitement could be seen through his tail which was currently sticking out and shaking rapidly just like a dog when it's excited. the dining hall he sat in was rather large and one would say it was a lot more than needed for the few who were actually regular residents in the estate, but that was due to the fact that the estate was made to house a lot more than it normally did. So aside from the times where all the clan heads were called to meet here, it pretty much way underpopulated.
At the moment, Mugen didn't mind or even notice his large, rather empty, surroundings. For his mind and body were focused on this meal before him. He had only just awoken and was already about to dig into a large meal (he usually ate a large meal like this, if not larger, four times a day) his morning ceremony was finally ready to begin! Mugen stared down his food once more before licking his lips and then suddenly pulling out eating utensils in both hands before starting to dig into his small feast. He ate rather wildly but tried to keep it down as much as possible for the young lord was currently resting in his own chambers. And with his illness, he needed all the rest he could get..
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:18 pm
Lord Seo Taihaku of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Demon ClanIt was kind of cold up here. Or maybe that was just the familiar chill of death creeping up his spine as he rose from the comfort of his luxurious bedroll for the morning? One might have chided him for the bad humor (had he said it aloud) were it not so frighteningly close to coming true for him. There were four main truths about Lord Seo Taihaku of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Clan that one trying to get the young lord of all the law-aligned demon clans in the breadth of the great country of Japan, this land of the rising sun, had to understand from the beginning.
First truth, the young lord of the clan, the 19th Heir of the Tachibana-Hakushaku, was one of the strongest, most talented demons who had ever set upon the Head of the Taihaku Alliance. From the day that he had inherited the clan at the age of 13 and hunted down the rivals who had assassinated his parents using the full force of the clan, the foes of the Taihaku had known to fear the luminous crimson tint of his eyes and the screeching of the thousand birds of the Raikiri. Second truth, the young lord was sick. More appropriately, he was deathly ill, with a disease that threatened to claim his life at any moment. It was a specter that haunted him, though it was anything but invisible or silent. The ways in which is disease tended to manifest itself went beyond the sticky sweat in the mornings, the pale skin, the cold chills which sometimes hit him at the lease appropriate moments, but those were signs that one would have to see for themselves to believe. Suffice to say that ever since the disease had made itself known, there was a clock in his head that always almost read zero, and it was with this knowledge that he continued his work. Third truth, Seo Taihaku knew that his time was short and intended to make the most of it. Things such as tact as patient, valuable as they could be to any one person, were of little worth to him for the simple fact that he did not have time to bother with them. If he were tactful, he might die before he found a woman who could bear him an heir and continue his line, the abrupt cessation of a line of demons that had endured from the days when the country had been divided into East and West, unbroken from the line of 'Oni' Dosetsu, master of the Raikiri and the first holder of the legendary blade Chidori. If he were patient he might die before he performed the will of his own master, that of the country itself, the shogun...to whom their clan had sworn a bloody pact in those same long-ago days. He could afford neither, for the betterment of the clan, which was the heart of the final truth of Lord Seo Taihaku Tachibana-Hakushaku. ...Final Truth, he would do anything to protect his clan, its strength and its legacy, from any who would dare to tarnish what his fathers and laid down before him and the allies who had sworn their loyalty to his family were honorbound to give their lives and uphold. If he had to spend his life in battle, if it were his lot to sit inside of his estate and rot from the inside out until his human frame wilted and his spirit took flight, he would perform his duties with all the enthusiasm expected of his station. He was the honored lord of demons throughout the country, lord of a clan that had escaped the chaotic bonds of their previous lives and been given by their loyalty to the country something better, something more stable and normal. He had learned to treasure such a life. And not only because it could end at any moment. Which it very well could. Like, any moment.
Lord Seo shivered as he slid out of his bedroll and heard the familiar buzzing of his servants just outside the door, ready to tend to their ailing lord's every need in preparation for the great clan meeting that was soon to begin. He had been due to wake earlier but his illness had incapacitated him...now it was nearly passed and his day was beginning. Ignoring the chill he went to his closet and pulled out his ornate clothes and placed them upon his tall, frail frame. They were a little heavy but he ignored the weight...it was a feeling he had become familiar with all his life, this weakness that he had to abide with, all the ways that he could compensate for his shortcomings. Talent in place of strength, speed in place of power, precision in place of...stupidity? He needed to work on his metaphors a little, sure. The point was that he was more than capable now, more than capable of leading his demons into battle against any foe, and of earning the respect of the scattered membership of the Taihaku. He would remind them of this fact soon, at the meeting, and again this afternoon when they went out upon their first mission as a clan in ages. Scattered tribes had been brought together, leaders of individual clans becoming followers against of the singular banner of the Tachibana-Hakushaku. To be reminded of why they were branded with the crest, why they obeyed the whims of the shogun or emperor or whomever lead the country, they were going to follow their young Lord into battle. But before this there was a meeting to deal with. Food and ceremonial sake awaited them...how long had it been since he had tasted the rice wine upon his fine lips? Only the best would do...the Gyuki, Mugen, even the tigers of the north were coming down from the hills of Iwate to answer his call. His lips now tasted of a crystal water, a bottle that was always full at his bedside for his less-healthy moments and fits of wet coughing that kept him in his bedroll longer than it should have. It was cool, crisp, refreshing, just like Dr. Pepper on a hot day. Product placement? Maybe...demons need money too, you know. Though the Taihaku had more than enough of that now, didn't they? Seo smiled as the door slid open and he stepped forward from his bed chambers, turning in the direction of the meeting hall and the dining chambers within where he would meet with the clan heads and speak with all of them at once. His servants fell in-line and soon they were on their way.
"The cherry blossoms are falling in full romance," the lord mused as he looked out across an open courtyard on the grounds of his estate, ignoring the cough of one of his aides and something about the cherry blossoms not actually falling just yet, not in the height of summer, and something about his statement just seeming weird...he didn't know, he wasn't really paying all that much attention. The day was too beautiful for such a thing, too ripe with opportunity and life and romance, today...today would be the day that the young lord of the Taihaku Clan managed to take a wife and create his first heir, he could feel it! The blood of 'Oni' Dosetsu would not die with his veins...wait, meeting, right? First he had business to tend to, business with the other clan heads, and then, if they finished what they had to say and his illness hadn't dropped him like lead to the boards of the floor beneath his softly-treading feet, he would worry about that. Or until he saw the woman that he intended to propose to...today. Yesterdays' attempts had been fruitless. 4 proposals, no acceptance. Had he been too direct? 'Bear my children,' had worked wonders for the 13th Head of the Clan, whose good looks and womanizing ways were infamous amongst the heads of the Taihaku Clan, against whom Seo assumed he must compare favorably. Today he would make his ancestor proud. He thought as much and slid the door to the meeting hall open, the crisp morning breeze sending a sickly feeling racing up his spine to the back of his neck and back down into the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was going to throw up...breathing was a little hard. Why today of all days, anyway?
He smiled and ignored the feeling, seeing Mugen and looking for the others who must have been waiting on him to arrive before they ate and spoke of their missions. After all, he was fairly late. And hungry. What was that smell?
"Greetings, honored gue-" his smooth, cordial greeting was interrupted by a brief fit of wet coughing that brought his now-pink cloth from the inside of his robes to his lips, wiping away a bit of the blood that had gathered there before smiling and continuing on into his place at the head of the table where he crossed his legs and melted down to the floor beneath him. Great, sickness, this early. There went his appetite. But hey, at least there was the meeting to go, right? Illness couldn't mess that up. ...Wait, were those dumplings? Seo smiled and bowed his head for the usual rituals, leading the way in the rites before lifting a dumpling from the table with a pair of chopsticks and taking a whiff. Appetite returned. "Gyuki? Do you know who made these dumplings? They smell divine." Was Gyuki even here yet? He didn't know. But as his chief adviser, he tended to direct all questions to him unless otherwise informed. He was really a creature of habit like that, he supposed. And these dumplings were smelling so good it was imperative he knew who to compliment for them.
Wait, meeting you say? What meeting? Meetings could come after dumplings. Greetings and conversation, too. ...And why did the delicious dumplings also taste faintly of a strange, irony sort of copper? Interesting spice...
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:40 pm
 FinaAnother cloth was lifted, and Fina gently pat at Seo's mouth with a clean handkerchief, the kind she carried by the literal hundreds in order to help tend to the Lord of the Clan. She was not, of course, one of the heads of the sub-clans. In fact, she wasn't entirely certain where exactly she belonged in the hierarchy. There were no other Res-Taihaku, after all, but nobody had ever invited her as a Boss, either. Huh. Oh, well. She was still here for their Lord, and she nodded a bit as she lowered the blood-soaked cloth. "Please try to avoid biting your tongue when you're eating. You don't need any more blood loss today." Fina said seriously. Had her voice been deeper, she might have given off the appropriate tone, but there was no getting around the fact that she was small, relatively young, and her voice was the high pitch (not painfully high, but nowhere near deep) of a young female. Still, she'd stuck with Seo ever since the day he had rescued her from the darkness and testing. Somebody had to take care of him. Several somebodies, more likely, at the rate he lost blood. Which probably explained why so much of his food had things snuck into them that would help his body recover properly. Loads of health-building nutrients. like human flesh. Mmm, flesh. Still, the small demon girl's concern for her lord was obvious. She was here to help him, as he had helped her, and darn to anyone who didn't like that.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:51 pm
.: The Tiger King of Hu :.
~Rahvir~ --- --- --- Rahvir stood by himself in the courtyard, his clan being too small to afford to send him an escort. Not that he would have let them, as the Alpha of Hu he was more than capable of protecting himself. We'd be in rough shape if we had to send escorts with our top warriors... He thought as he flicked his braid over his shoulder. A tradition of his people was to start growing a braid after their first victory in combat. If ever defeated, it was customary of chop off all their hair and start again. In his five decades as a warrior, Rahvir had never been defeated, and thus had the second longest braid of any Hu clansman. He would have been insulted if the elders had forced an escort of warriors with shorter braids than his own. So, he had talked them out of it, and here he was today, alone. Sometime during his internal ramblings Lord Seo Taihaku had made his way to the meeting place. He looks terrible... Rahvir thought with a slight frown. It hurt him to see someone so influential and powerful be brought down by something as terribly mundane as illness. His frown faded as the Lord appeared to be in a much better mood than one would expect of a dying man. It hasn't slowed him down much... that's for certain. He raised an eyebrow as a small (very small actually... like, 4 year old small) girl appeared next to Lord Taihaku can started patting the blood from his mouth. It would have been disrespectful for a lesser demon to touch the Lord if it wasn't so adorably strange. He sighed, letting out an inaudible chuckle at the antics of the demon child.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:58 pm
Mugen Toku-Taihaku Mugen heard footsteps but he merely thought they were coming from one of the servants. So he continued to scarf down his food until a figure entered the room. Before Mugen could turn up to look, he heard a voice who was cut off by coughing. It definitely had to be the head, finally coming down for the meeting. "Greetings, Lord Seo." Mugen said almost on just plain instinct. Like if someone sneezes, one's usual instinct is to say bless you. Mugen would have to put more effort into not greeting Seo than actually greeting him. It was odd, but it came from countless scoldings and lessons on how to conduct one's self around the head..sadly, Mugen only really retained the greeting part. His manners needed work and he was just, overall, much too dim to do certain things with the elegance and respect one would expect when conducted around someone of such high caliber as the young lord.
Mugen heard Lord Seo ask Gyuki something, but Mugen didn't even see him in the room..but then again, this wouldn't be the first time that Gyuki was in the room without Mugen knowing.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Fina touching the young Lord's face. She was a girl..and the young Lord was looking for a spouse. So..what..if? Mugen's mind was then shocked with the mental image of the young lord's body sliding around with Fina's as they did the 'ritual' needed to bring life into the world! "Ack!" Mugen cried as he began to choke on some of the food he had been scarfing down due to the disgusting mental picture. He took a few gulps of OJ and beat his chest a bit and eventually swallowed the clogged food. A sigh of relief was heard as Gen avoided choking to death and managed to shake the mental image for now as he leaned back in his chair and looked over to another who he didn't really remember. He noticed the long braid and instantly thought that his clan just didn't cut their hair. That had to be it. Why else would a guy have a braid that long?
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:26 pm
::Geroro Gunso::
Glorious Leader of the Gunso Clan
While those around the meeting room were busy with their mundane going-ons a much deeper plot was brewing just outside the courtyard. To those inside there would be little indication of what was to come. Sometimes a gentle croak rose into the air signaling another piece of the moving puzzle. A lull began to cover the meeting hall, as Seo munched away at his dumplings and the weird octopus girl tended to him, the final pieces of a truly ingenious plan fell into place. All at once the room was filled with noise. Through windows came the sound of a loud raucous drumming and anyone who cared to look for its source would see many tiny frog like demons standing outside with hilariously oversized taiko drums. Then with a crack the doors flew open slamming against their framing. The drums began to pick up pace and ferocity in their beat and the sound of the drums boomed like thunder throughout the building. Through the opened doors came two scantily clad young women who's flowing garments seemed to only cover the most private of areas. Behind these women came two muscular frog demons who carried a single pane of glass into the room and held it infront of the door. Then as quickly as the noise had begun, it was gone and for a long moment all in the meeting room was silent, until with one grandios gesture the two dancers motioned towards the pane of glass and a light 'ssssssss' could be heard through the room. For those who had been to this type of meeting before the newest arrival would be quite obvious; there was only one clan leader capable of such an insanely ornate entrance. By the time the thought clicked in their heads however they would only have time to cover their eyes because as the fuse burned down the cannon went off.
BOOM!
The sound of shattering glass was next as a green cannonball shot through the provided pane and into the center of the room where it came to a stop just infront of Seo. Slowly the green cannonball began to unroll itself. First a pair of green legs became visible, then arms and a stomach, and finally the head. Before them all stood Geroro Gunso Leader of the Gunso clan. With a bright and happy smile beamed straight up to his friend the tiny frog demon bowed deeply before motioning for all his soldiers to do the same. After a moment the frog came back up into a relaxed standing position. "Seo, old friend! I have brought you gifts!"He called loudly so that all around the building could hear of his boundless generosity. With a wave three toad soldiers, in their full armor walked up with baskets. Each basket was shimmering, swathed in gold ribbon and lace. Each basket was piled high with sweets and delicacies only available from the toad clan's village, and as one may have expected they were all distinctly green in color. "I bring you the finest snacks of my people" He called grandly into the building before inching himself closer to Seo and whispering. "Don't worry I killed the chefs who left the flys in last time, these are all insect free." Taking a double shuffle step back Geroro smiled and waved again and this time the two dancers approached. "I also bring you these two, they are our finest toad demon women." And with a ninja-esque puff of smoke the two beautiful dancers took on their natural shape of toads who's only difference in appearance to Geroro was that they were colored pink and not green. "So what do you think? Can I buy gifts or what!? Don't worry about the price friendo, the toads can work out of the debt in about... 20 years or so, nothing to serious for the frog clan." And with another grandios bow Geroro moved away and took his seat before his soldiers moved off into the darkness and all that was left was the quiet that Geroro had so quickly shattered moments before.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:58 pm
Rorek Viral Taihaku, Head of the Viral Clan And mere moments after Geroro started into the room, with his usual flashy and loud entrance, a figure followed in after, bending down low where the glass shattered.
"Geroro, perhaps you should be more considerate of your surrondings.. the head of the clan called, gathering up the glass shards to keep anyone from stepping on them. His skin was rather tough, but most of the others probably wouldn't approve of glass-filled feet. Rorek sighed loudly as he gathered up the last few pieces, before placing them in a napkin to discard.
"Nice to see you're up, Lord Seo." he called respectfully, noticing Fina supporting him as usual. Despite the age difference relevant between them, it was nice to see that someone cared.
The little Frog demon meant well too, in his own way but...ugh...
He was just so loud. And noticing Mugen choking on his food for a bit, he started to move to him before noticing him stop. Good, good. Didn't want to have death on their hands so soon.
"Perhaps you should slow down, Mugen." he offered as he finally took his seat, to prepare for lunch.
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Hopeful Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:03 am
Lord Seo Taihaku of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Demon ClanAll types comprised what had to be one of the most interesting assortments of demons ever assembled under a single banner, from the tiny ex-experimentation subject tending to the Lord to the stoic tiger prowling outside the meeting hall to all the others that were gathered for the first whole-clan meeting in some time. As such, it didn't take long for the gathering to devolve into some small measure of chaos and clashing personalities, but whereas other lords might have been quick to stamp out the tomfoolery, there was a quiet sort of pleasure being taken in the varying hijinks by the current, too pleased perhaps with his dumplings to really notice any of the potential bickering going on around him. Or maybe, being that he was going to be dead soon anyway, he rather liked the people around him to be more lively than usual...providing a warm and entertaining atmosphere for a young demon whose end was constantly on his mind. Not that he seemed to let it bother him, as Rahvir had long-ago expertly noted. He had been intimately familiar with the idea of his own demise for more than a third of his life now, and though on any given day the arrangements might be changed on a whim, his funeral was already but another footnote in the edicts of his reign, planned meticulously like every other order he gave except the ones that weren't. Death wasn't a black shadow or a specter that hung over him (at least, not in his own mind) so much as it was his constant companion, looking over his shoulder and waiting for the moment his body would welcome it to take his soul. He smiled at such a guest, politely bidding it to wait a little longer every so often, and let those who took care of him do all the worrying for him. Seo Taihaku did, after all, have quite the menagerie of friends and allies to nurse and serve him, after all, and it would have been wasteful not to allow them to do as such.
His enthusiasm for the moment, however, would definitely have to be the dumplings. Enticed by the smell and pleased to be greeted so warmly by those who were already in the hall, it was just between his first and second bites that another cloth met his mouth and wiped away the rest of his fit's remaining blood, the tiniest of his inner circle of followers making sure that he was clean and proper while he ate. Good thing, probably, since despite his manners his eagerness sometimes won out in simple matters like eating before wiping his mouth. And others might get grossed out watching him eat with a bloody lip. Maybe. Then again, they were demons. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Your concern is welcome, Fina, but I am fine," the young Lord's lips thinned widely into a smile before he bit into another large chunk of dumpling and pleasantly savored the way that they tasted. He hadn't noticed Gyuki in the room or responding to his previous question, but he proceeded as though he had either way, not really concerned with such a small detail as whether or not the person he was talking to was actually there to hear him. Someone would get him the message eventually, and he could fill in the responses in his head in the meantime. "You're right, Gyuki, but still, these are much better than usual. Give my compliments to...oh, Mugen, hold on a moment," pausing before greeting his Shield to chew, it was about that time that all his warm introductions were interrupted by the expectedly-grandiose entrance of a small green toad via cannon and a spectacularly-placed pane of glass. There was something like drumming and women (frogs) dancing their way into the hall, but only when a small green cannonball unfolded itself into the form of his long-time ally did Seo's faint wonder at the spectacle melt into another of his usual, cordial greetings.
"The women and the gifts are lovely, my old friend, but I'm afraid you've managed to land some glass in my dumplings," the Lord said this in all awareness that all the glass hadn't landed upon the floor where his loyal ally Viral could lift it from the floorboards, a few stray shards splatting unceremoniously into his plate of delicious food. Unperturbed, he smiled back at the frog girls (non-surplussed by their current look but grateful for the effort) before aimlessly lifting another chopstick-full of the now-glassy dumplings towards his lips and taking a thoughtless bite. There was a telltale crunch of glass beneath teeth as he joyously chewed the delicious meal, and even as he swallowed down the bite there was another thin trail of crimson blood pouring somewhat obviously from the corner of his mouth. 'It seems I've bitten my tongue after all. Forgive me, Viral, Fina," he muttered with a smile that was a bit too pleasant, obviously this not being the case and more a result of the glass in his food, but he didn't seem to care either way...his pink napkin wiping away the trail of blood before he set down his utensils and looked across the table at the gathered brood and continuing the conversation with an entirely different, 180 degree-turn topic, "This is a glorious day for the Taihaku Clan, you all must know. For the first time in more than a century a Shogun sits upon the throne of the country, and we're being summoned to war. You're all going to be very busy this afternoon, and...Gyuki? Gyuki, have you seen Ikkaku-san, Suko-chan, and Mai-chan? Mugen? Viral? Why is everyone so late?"
It seemed that despite all that had gathered, there were still some left to arrive for the meeting. But Seo had risen so late today, he wondered where they could have been? Ikakku he could understand, that shadowy specter only showing up when there was battle...but there was battle coming, so where was he? Honestly, so inconsiderate...not like Suko-chan and Mai-chan! Why, they were probably somewhere right now becoming all-the-more-lovely for him as they spoke! He could hardly wait to see them, but no! Today was not the day for making an heir. Unless they wanted to, in which case, that's exactly what the day was for. ...And why did it feel like he was bleeding internally again? He hadn't even had such a big coughing fit this time!
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 7:49 am
FinaStupid late people and their stupid lateness and their stupid inability to be on time. Their tardiness was preventing the Lord from getting through the things he wanted to do with a minimum of effort, and basically everyone in the entire Clan knew that, considering the Lord's health, making him exert himself more than he really had to was not the best thing they could be doing. The girl quietly pulled away the tray of food before Seo could eat any more of it and signalled for one of the servants to bring a replacement. Judging by his normal behavior, he might not even notice it had happened... but oh well. Really, though, he'd noticed the glass and eaten it anyway. What was the Lord's head like? Discreetly, however, Fina pointed a finger at Seo and muttered under her breath, sending a powerful healing spell into his body to counteract the glass he'd consumed. Hopefully, that would keep him going for now. "What's a war? Can I eat it? Do I get to compete for who can eat the most? I'm gonna win!" the girl said, as usual fairly ignorant about things that some people took the knowledge of for granted. She HAD been raised in an environment where people didn't tell her much of anything, so perhaps the gaping holes in her knowledge were to be expected... which may or may not have explained the bit of drool coming out of her mouth as she imagined a war. Was that word short for Worchestershire Sauce? That was good stuff, especially when you used it to add flavor to delicious human flesh when you were cooking it. Were they supposed to eat the sauce without putting it on something? Or, or maybe they were supposed to go find a bunch of humans, kill them all, and see who could eat the most! That would be AWESOME! And the amount of drool increased...
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:40 am
Xian Furude Taihaku
"Excuse me My Lord." the voice of the raven haired young woman called out as she stepped in following the more dramatic entrance of Geroro. She let out a small sigh as she took her seat. There was no need to such an entrance, but too each there own. At least the frog had brought his own pane of glass instead of coming in through the wall so something crazy. "Please excuse my tardiness Lord Seo." She spoke up from her seat as she glanced around the room at the other clan members, there was something that made her at times fell almost a little inferior, so many for the people had the backing of their entire clan, whether it be through force or not. But for her, the Furude Clan, wasn't less of a clan just her, but now wasn't the time to thing on all that. So they were being summoned, a glorious day indeed. Her attention focused once she heard this. It was finally a chance for her to prove herself to Seo and the others. "We're going to the fighting others Fina, but if you want to eat them after they're dead..." she pause for a second cutting herself, this wasn't exactly her place to speak, she'd let Lord Seo explain it. But who would they be spent up against, this was something she was curious about, although it would be explained shortly even she was getting excited, if he had her tail it'd most likely be wagging under her dress and clothing.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:53 am
Gyuki
"..." Gyuki sat in proper manner during the meeting of sorts, those this was hardly formal nor did they seem to be taking the matter seriously. Still, as things continued he only maintained his thoughtful face and waited without moving from the respectful position as things continued to deteriorate from the serious air that the meeting should have instilled in them. Finally, when the toads made their elaborate entry, causing wreckage that would subtract from the coffers of their alliance and ruining a home which could never be restored to it's former reputation after such an outlandish attack. The doors would not match again, the room itself would have weaker walls, and all in all, there would be little that they could do to fully fix the trouble that had been caused. That was enough at least, to finally get Gyuki to open his eyes and glance towards the leader of the rapscallions who had broken in. "..." Still, he was one of the people that Seo had chosen to acknowledge, so any action that he considered for the poor fool would be too much for teh current alliance's liking. He knew that to stifle the loose cannon would be displeasing to Seo Taihaku, and so he held back despite his reservations, noting only that it would all come out of the toad's budget. Giving a warning now would do little to stem the Demon Clan leader's actions after a day or so, and the rhetoric he might have with Seo Taihaku would simply come full circle to that point. As such, he sufficed with waiting for now, as the meeting would reach it's true point eventually.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:29 am
 Nora Keruberosu-TaihakuToday wasn't going to go very well.. Nora could sense it in his bones. Already he was running very late to attend an important meeting with the head of the Main Branch, Seo.. And the other demons who worked under him. Knowing his damned luck he was probably going to be the last one to arrive and be the reason why the meeting would start so late. Then again he could secretly hope that the young lord fell ill, or even more ill, and would postpone the meeting.. Wait what!? How could he even hope for such a thing. This was the top demon he was thinking about, his health was top priority. So Nora would just have to deal with whatever punishment or words come his way once he finally gets to the house. "Dammit.. I really should've brought a map or something! I can't believe I got lost back there.. Well at least no one knows that happened. Not like anything else embarrassing can happen right?" The young hellhound muttered to himself and praised whatever god decided to watch over him once he reached the house.
Nora made a mad dash for the house, wanting to decrease his chances of being the last one by even a minute. He kicked off his black boots before entering the house and he almost made it to his destination when.. The poor fool slipped on the bottom of the pant leg of his own tan cargo pants, sending him flying into the air and falling flat on his back at the doorway into the meeting hall. He moaned and grumbled a little to himself about how stupid human clothes were sometimes and how he should've been given better directions. So he gathered what pride he had left after such an embarrassing entrance and walked into the room.. Noticing the glass and some chaos right away. ".. Looks like someone set off a bomb of something in here. I don't remember glass being here the last time.. Oh! I'm sorry that I'm late, Lord Seo. Umm.. I got sidetracked." It was obvious it was a lie so he quickly took a seat next to Xian and waited to hear about what he missed.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:28 am
Lord Seo Taihaku of the Tachibana-Hakushaku Demon ClanHe probably should have been more put off by all the tardy Clan Heads making their way into the meeting hall now, but being serious and handling all of the unpleasant things like that were the reason that he had Gyuki, wasn't it? It didn't really matter that when it came to actually creating policy his aide didn't actually play a role, and most all of the orders that he actively followed were the ones directly given by the Lord or standing customs which predated even his own lordship. And it really didn't matter that playing the disciplinarian and attendance master wasn't actually anywhere near the job description of the Gyuki Clan that had been brought under the Taihaku from the day they had first fought until now. In fact, it could probably be said that the attendance of the other clan heads had absolutely nothing to do with Gyuki or his duties at all, save that he likely wanted the meeting to begin sooner and more seriously than the Taihaku Clan's young leader seemed interested in. Why, then, did he become associated with that responsibility in the mind of his lord? Well he did look to be one of the most responsible among them, a Lord whose life and membership in the clan predated even Seo's birth, and when it came down to it, was there anybody that he trusted to handle his business efficiently more than Gyuki? ...Wait, why was he thinking about Gyuki, anyway, when he could have been thinking about these dumplings? Oh, right, there was glass in that, wasn't there? He lifted a bite with his chopsticks and examined them, musing with a quiet smile on whether or not it would be worth the pain to take another bite. On one hand, there was glass in it...on the other, these were delicious dumplings.
"Hmm...that's just like you, Fina. Always thinking with your stomach," Lord Seo couldn't help but notice her little misunderstanding about the nature of war...and while it could be said that the consumption of life played a heavy part in exactly what 'war' was, it wasn't quite as literal (in most cases) as the conclusion she had drawn. It brought a warm amusement to his pale, drawn face, and not for the first time he wondered precisely where it was in that tiny frame that she managed to stuff all of the food that she was so intent on devouring. Probably went straight to the tentacles, he thought. After all, they were quite larger than she was on their own. Which was to say, still much smaller than even Seo (who was, while tall, quite sin and frail-looking as a result of his illness and fair demonic class), though Geroro and his frogs could give her something of a run in their demonic forms. Which he had entered in, now that he thought of it...he hoped that they hadn't come through the countryside like that, keeping to their human forms in public. It was a standing edict of the Taihaku Clan to blend in with humanity as much as possible, with the exception of necessary demonic transformations for battles, missions, and other such incidents. And somebody might notice a band of humanoid toads carrying a pane of glass through the hillside towards their hidden manner and draw unwanted attention. If they were reported by someone on the countryside, it was complicated dealing with the Crows and Embryons when they were called to take care of the 'demon incident'. Sometimes it ended rather spectacularly bad, even, and it took the intervention of the Lord to calm things or prevent lives from being lost...in the event they could be prevented. Lord Seo, on his own, had personally dealt with more than one incarnation of Raidou, and tended to think that the line was somewhat respectable if a bit too haughty by comparison to their honored line of demons. He understood why some demons might serve a summoner, but could never understand why they would be subdued before they sought out their clan for a less-subservient lifestyle. At least if they joined the Taihaku they didn't have to live in tiny silver tubes. ...What were they, Jinn? Seo's mouth bit down aimlessly on another bite of food, this one no longer filled with the glass that had cut him up before. He hadn't noticed who had done it, and barely noticed the difference as he ate it. In fact...had he noticed at all?
"If I should die choking on a piece of glass, I should like the shard to be framed and placed in the armory of the Kyushu Estate. Write some legend about it...I'd like for the shard which slew me to become legendary. Wouldn't it be ironic should I die of...are you noting this, Viral?" Turning his eyes around the room, he noticed several more clan members moving into the room, all muttering words of apology that he basically let wash from his back like water from a duck's feathers. Today wasn't a day for worry, but a day for celebration. Like the wars of old, they were going forth to perform a mission for the country's shogun and reviving the proud tradition of the Taihaku Clan and their ancestors Muneshige of the West and 'Oni' Dosetsu. That he should have lived long enough to see this day was enough of a blessing...he only hoped that his ragged body would carry him through the fighting until the very end. He knew that Mai-chan and Suko-chan would probably cry if he were to die today, and really, why wouldn't they? He hadn't even managed to create an heir for them to nurse and tend to in his absence! It was a blasphemous thing, really. He would have to cure that. If they agreed, of course. Which they would eventually. Sure, Suko-chan seemed to only become flustered when he made his advances and unable to answer and Mai-chan had shot him down 2,999 consecutive times...just this year...but didn't they say that the 3000th time was the charm? "I'm to require silk sheets and an empty bed chamber when this happens...Gyuki will have to prepare them for me. I don't have time," the young lord thought aloud between bites of his food, just loud enough that the nearest to him would hear it and wonder just what the Hell he was thinking of, just quiet enough that the less sensitive ones would barely hear him at all before his attention returned to the group with a smile and another refined chomp of dumpling, "As I was saying, all your tardiness is forgiven today, so long as you are here by the time we move. ...Today, the Taihaku Clan has been summoned to conclude a certain matter for our Shogun that neither the Shimazu nor the Great Summoners could handle on their own. This is why you have all been summoned here, to the Southern Honshu Estate, rather than our honored quarters in Kyushu. We are to engage a most dangerous enemy right here in the Iwatodai Naganaki Shrine District, for which I will require all your strength."
It was no secret that Lord Seo enjoyed his conversation, and explaining the circumstances of such an important day was icing on the conversation (with all the clan heads, no less!) cake. However, when your throat was constantly raw and ravaged by illness, exacerbated by devouring glass in the middle of a pile of delicious dumplings, one could not be expected to escape the conversation without a few...wet...hacks. Thus came a coughing fit that broke the small smile he wore for a moment, pink cloth back between his fingers and dabbing at his lips after a moment of coughing. And then his smile was back, the cloth returning to his robes. A natural, albeit sometimes comical charisma on display as he conducted the meeting with just enough presence to maintain authority and just enough silliness to keep the air from becoming too heavy. "And so, please eat and enjoy the banquet before you. I'll be needing all your great skills today...oh, and I've provided you with some Western delicacies, a dish called 'Hamburger' and a French dish called 'fries'. I hear they are delicious...so please, do enjoy them."
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:52 am
Gyuki
"..." Gyuki looked up at the head of the alliance as he spoke again, urging them all to enjoy themselves before they were to accomplish an important task. Now that the matters were finally on the table, it would be normal for them to discuss the mission as usual, but it seemed he was moving ahead without any clearer structure to the meeting, and had now urged them to eat. The Hamburger and french fries were one thing, since most around them would clearly know of the food in the modern age, but chastising Seo for such a trifle would only be wasted effort, since he seemed to have retreated to his own inner world once more. "..." Along the lines of what Seo had explained though, they were given a task that both the Shimazu and the Kuzunoha had both been assigned, which meant not only that they would be in competition, which could lead to unnecessary in-fighting that would harm members, but also that their opponents would be of a formidable nature in their own right. To heed these things and treat them lightly was a mindset that Gyuki could not fully support. Of course, the lord was ill and had held the clan together respectably for a long time, so in respect to his accomplishments Gyuki would trust that he had their best interests in heart for the time being, and at most he might inquire about the matter later, if it was not resolved before then. As for the lord's unusual requests... he would simply ignore what he'd just been asked. The Gyuki clan had long guarded the border of the Alliance, and he would keep his mind focused on tasks pertaining to keeping foreign demons at bay. As for who would care to his needs in the meantime, Gyuki was sure that there were more than a few scrambling for his affection.
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