The Midnight Prince

[Rokag]

...I'm a merikos orc! That's probably a thing, yeah. Thankfully, Rokag wasn't secure enough in her ability to outrun Indou to mouth of like that, but what COULD she tell him. Not ALL of the truth, that she was sure that the secret guards had taken or killed her mother (a more comforting thought than the idea she'd just been abandoned), and definitely not a lie he could find out. "Y-yes sir. I..only knew my mother, who was an orc, so I don't know...there was a man who said I was...'tied to the tide', but I don't know what that meant." She could, however, play stupid. The man was probably making a joke about her looking angry as she tore into some stale, stolen bread.

[GamesMaster]

He nods. "That explains much. The thing you did, with the water -- can you do it again?" 

[Rokag]

What....thing? Rokag had a flash of memory. OF drowning, dying, and then...not. Anger? Cold rage at what tried to kill her. And...snow? She wasn't sure exactly what that HAD been, but she could tell something was different. She felt that there was something...inside her. Something vast and deep and...

"I...can try, sir?" She did NOT want to lie, but she was also sure that saying 'no' might make things worse.

[GamesMaster]

Indou nods, stepping aside to allow a servant to bring a bowl of water to Rokag. A bowl made of silver, inlaid with detailed engravings of insects across the polished surface. That bowl has to be worth more than Rokag makes in a year. 

[Rokag]

Well...guess we're gonna find out. Rokag tried to remember what she'd done the...night before? How long HAD she been unconscious, anyway? It could have been days and she wasn't even sure now she still WORKED at the-

And the water in the bowl had started swirling and churning, having picked up speed as Rokag tried to work out how bad things might actually be. The currents in the bowl ceased when she looked again at the bowl and wasn't nearly lost in thought.

Uh....okay.

[GamesMaster]

Indou nods. "Then it's settled. You will be joining my household through an arranged betrothal to my son. In exchange, you will be given all the fine garments and housing that befits someone of this new status. Agreed? I will have the documents drawn up and brought to you later today."

[Rokag]

Rokag blinked a second as she tried to mentally catch up. "W-wait a moment. What do you mean, sir?"

Betrothal? Fine....is he... trying to adopt me?! This didn't make any sense. Why would he even do that? Also, fucking BETROTHAL?!

[GamesMaster]

"My son," he says slowly. "You two will be betrothed. That will make you a member of the Cicada Clan, with all the rank and privilege that comes along with such. Understand?"

[Rokag]

Does...he think I'm an idiot! I know what he meant, but.. Rokag, rather than mouth off to a member of the Cicada family, paused. The situation was already weird and being thrown in a dungeon wasn't going to solve anything.

Okay....so what do I know. Apparently water does shit around me now. That's... something to freak out about later. Maybe I can figure out how to make it work later. And she remembered it doing something to the creature that attacked her. So maybe this would give her time to figure out what she could do.

Indou wants to....betroth me to his son. That..was probably the worst part. Sure, the guy had given her a lot of help, but all she knew was that he didn't turn her in. Plus who knows what he was sneaking around for. Still....if she could get time before anything was supposed to happen, she could probably figure out how to do that water thing on command and could probably kick his ass if she needed to. Sure, the kid was fast and knew how to fight, but she'd been tired from getting to Cicada and startled.

And then there was being part of the Cicada family. That.... would work. She might hate a lot of the dress, but she couldn't act like the idea wasn't appealing. Get to have the tastiest things to eat and relax most of the day. Actually having a name enough so she wouldn't be scared of getting thrown out of a home..and it's not like they're going to try and have us married immediately. I'll have time to figure stuff out and it's not like I don't remember how to get somewhere else. And I won't have to argue with someone who could probably have me executed

Rokag took a moment more to gather her wits before speaking. "I understand." That she was going to run with this AND that she probably wouldn't like what would happen is she said 'no'.

[GamesMaster]

"Then it's settled. I'll have clothing sent in and we'll arrange the match." 

Then he turns and strides away into the house, head high, without so much as a "fare well". 


Rokag wasn't prepared for servants. She was washed, brushed, and groomed within an inch of her life, her long hair twisted into a complex updo, and thrust unceremoniously into a white, cotton yukata with an oddly stiff, decorative collar. The robe is tied with a prettier sash than she's ever worn before in her life -- fitting, given she's a member of the household now, or something like.

Then the serving girls begin on her face, powdering it and painting her lips with rouge. Even her neck is powdered; every bit of skin that shows. As if they're ashamed of her green skin, or some such. 

But the horror is only beginning. Atop that, she is pushed into a second layer, this one silk: a kimono proper, though aren't young ladies meant to have long swinging sleeves? This one is light blue, embroidered with images of waves in dark blue thread. 

Above that, she is put into a third layer, this one a furisode with the long sleeves that drag to the floor. This is tied with a fat, decorative belt, tied in the back in some complicated knot. Over the belt, a cord is tied, this time with a brooch in the front: a gold cicada, symbolizing the clan she's joining. 

They help her into socks, into platform sandals. After a quick lesson in how to fucking walk, she's shown down the corridor to a smaller room, left to kneel on a cushion awaiting company. 

[Rokag]

Okay, I thought that noblewomen were supposed to be weak, how the HELLS do they even walk in all this?! Rokag was pretty sure that if she wasn't nearly as used to carrying heavy things or trying to haul everything she owned with her on the Shore, then she would have a MUCH harder time staying upright in this. The sandals were actually torture devices. She was pretty sure of her balance, but these things tested that fairly fucking well. Also, now she had a fucking itch on her nose under the couple of stone's worth of powder on her face. She didn't know exactly how she looked, but she was sure it was ridiculous

[Shisou]

The door opens, and a woman Rokag doesn't recognize enters, followed by a servant bearing tea and teacups. The table is set, and the woman in the dark kimono sits, to Rokag's right.

The next two to enter are Indou and his wife, Kuronue; they step to the side, allowing their two daughters, Tsukikage and Seiya, to enter as well.

Finally, Shisou enters; he wears a forma kimono and hakama, a ceremonial sword at his hip, his hair tied up in a warrior's tail. It looks ridiculous on him; he doesn't carry himself like a warrior, but walks quickly, with his eyes on the ground, as though he's worried that simply by existing he's taking up too much space. He kneels across from Rokag, finally lifting his eyes to behold her -- and an instant later, they widen in shock. Oh yes. He recognizes her. 

"Good. We shall begin," says the woman, and she gestures to the table. A servant spreads the contract out, unrolling the scroll between them. 

[Rokag]

Well...crap, so he wasn't expecting to see me. Some part of him had wondered if THAT was a trap, but he didn't look like he could hold his face that well. Still, apparently everyone was here? Why the fuck were they all here for this sort of thing. Rokag took a glance at the scroll, hoping that it was in something she could read. She also spared a glance towards the woman who she STILL didn't know what she was up to.

[Shisou]

No; it's written in formal Tengu. Shisou barely glances at it as he inks his stamp, places it on the page. 

[Rokag]

Okay, so...no idea what this says AND I don't have something to sign it with. Great. Rokag REALLY hopes that there isn't some sorta thing she's supposed to know to do right now, because she's pretty sure that most of her energy is stuck in trying not to fall fucking over in this shit. When she's handed a brush there is a moment where, were it not for the makeup, she would pale a little. And to her credit, for someone that never HAD to learn formal tengu, or write much of anything, it's...legible and only shaking in a couple of parts. and she didn't even get her clothes in any of the ink, which was a miracle in it's own right because these things were fucking huge!