[Gryphon Compound] A Bit of Trouble [Kichirou, Gossamer]

[Laisera]

Melora, in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum

Laisera fidgeted, again. She had been doing it for the last few hours every since she was confined to waiting in this blasted room. She had been instructed to come here. For what, she did not know. What she did know was that she would rather be outside, learning something useful than sitting here on her butt waiting for...something. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her legs.

She wanted to stand, be free, but she knew that her parents would not call her unless it was absolutely necessary. They should know by now that she did not like to participate in any of the family events. Let her older sisters go. Gosh, she had six of them. She was sure that they could manage something. Bothering her was plainly to show their authority.

"Someone please tell me why I'm here." She gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows.

[Kichirou Esaka]

Kichirou found himself the unwitting pawn in one of his brothers schemes yet again. Though unwitting wasn't the best choice of words--in fact it was completely the wrong word--as the younger Esaka knew exactly what the deal was. Easoi had managed to find a woman of the Gryphon Clan that could be wed to a member of the Kirin. This union had great potential in the Kirin leader's mind as a way of slowly taking over power from the Gryphons, placing themselves at the top rung of the Zinn'Sunnian ladder once more.

Easoi had decided that Kichirou could be of use in this particular venture. The younger brother was bright, almost as bright as he, and should any trouble arise of a non-physical, Kichirou would be best for getting out of it. Should something physical occur, Eaosi would be honorbound to challenge the Gryphons for their honorless actions--a win-win situation in his book.

Kichirou on the other hand was not all that thrilled. Unfortunately, he had spent so much time under the sway of his broher that very seldom did he go against the older mans wishes. Easoi had been his protector since they were young, and even more so after their father had been murdered those five era ago. The kemite simply felt that it was his duty to do as his older brother dictated, and no matter how bitter he grew, Easoi would be always right.

It was with these thoguht in his head that Kichirou is led through the Gryphon Compound to a small room. As the door slid open, he was revealed those that were insde, and nudged to enter. Kichirou almost felt like a prisoner being pushed into a cell as he stepped into the room, eyeing the young female within, the girls agitation almost rivaling the depressing aura that Kichirou seemed to wear as a cloak about his shoulders. Taking a seat near Laisera, slouching down and staring at the fingertips of his left hand as he rubs his thumb and middle finger together in what would seem to be boredom, Kichirou would wait to hear what answers would come from who he would assume to be the girls parent's.

"Someone please tell me why I'm here," she had asked angrily, the words almost causing the young Kirin kemite to laugh. He had been volunteered by Easoi to marry a woman that didn't even know her parents were tyring to pawn her off? It was a strange world Kichirou lived in, and it was things like this that made him lose a little bit more of his sanity every time he ventured out into it. Would this girl be the catalyst that put Kichirou over the edge for good, or would she be the anchor that would tether him down and keep his mind from floating off into the endless chaos of life? Only time would tell, and it woudl seem that the moment was drawing ever closer.

[Laisera]

The door opened and the first person Laisera saw was a male. From just seeing him, Laisera could tell that he was not from the Gyphon clan. Years of watching from afar had given her the ability to tell who was who, though she had the occasional error. It did not make it any less confusing though that someone else from another clan would be here.

It was true that Laisera had met other visitors, but it was usually with her family. And when that did happen, she would be by the sidelines, walking the interactions. It was boring, but it was a duty that she had to fufil as daughter of the Riishi clan. She was the smallest daughter and the least important so she tended to be left out in social events. Truth be told, she was rather glad that she be left alone. It made it easier for her to have some time alone and think about her life.

But why was this person here? It made no sense. There was no reason for her parents to introduce her to someone. It gave them no benefits and it was not like she was going to be allowed to keep in contact. Most of her life was in the Gyphon compound and she doubted that it would be any different now.

He took a seat close to Laisera, causing her to go all fidgety, but she tried her best to remain still.

"Who might you be?" For once, it was not her usual mean tone, but a voice full of curiosity. It made no sense that her parents would introduce her to something.

It made no sense at all...

[Kichirou Esaka]

Kichirou let his eyes lazily turn towards the woman that was his soon to be wife. He looked her up and down with his dark eyes, taking her in and creating an initial opinion of what she may be capable of. It was something his brother had always forced upon him, stating that people were pawns to be used by others, the users merely pawns themselves. It was the nature of mankind to use another to gain greater heights, and Kichirou tended to gauge people without thinking nowadays. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Kichirou lets it out slowly as if trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand. In truth, the young Kemite would rather be practicing his Iconomancy, but Easoi had said this was important, and Kichirou rarely disobeyed.

"My name is Kichirou Esaka, of the Kirin Clan." Surely Laisera would have expected more of an explanation, but as far as Kichirou was concerned the question had been adequately answered. The Esaka family was head of the Kirin Clan, and Kichirou was the only brother of the Clan Leader, Easoi. Taking his eyes away from the female Gryphon, Kichirou takes in the room. He was growing hungry, and bored, and hopefully this meeting would not take too long.

OOCSorry for the delay and the short post.

[Laisera]

oocIt's cool

As far as Laisera could remember, there was never a time her parents had organized a meeting for her with a member from another clan. And it had to be a member from the Kirin clan. She recollected what the servants used to say, when they thought she was too young to know. That was a misconception. Even as a little child, she remembered each and every one of their words correctly. It was because she was a child. Their words had stunk heavily and sank in the back of her mind, even after all these years.

They use to say how the Kirin's clan's fall from grace was the only reason the Gyphon clan was able to crawl its way up to the top. Hearing those words, it changed the little girl. She became disbelieving. No longer did she believe the words her parents fed her. Not all was what it seems. Then all the rules and morals of the clan came crashing on her. It appeared as if Laisera was trapped, stuck in the clan all her life. There was only one reason why the clan would have brought her to see another member. They knew of her rebellious actions and were now, pushing her away by marrying her off to another clan.

"Are you here for marriage, Kichirou Esaka?" Her dark eyes stared into his and she wondered what the outcome would be. A light fell from her eyes.

Her family chose to abandon her.

[Gossamer]

The room they sat in had a large full length mirror on one side that had been elementalist created. The view was one way, from the hidden room beyond. It contained two men, one grandmother, and a small honor guard for the protection of one of the two gentleman gathered. "She's willful." The SunnLord of Zinn'Sunn said of his youngest daughter. If he didn't happen to love his wife so much, he would have certainly had her drowned for producing such an offspring for him. Naiy'sae claimed Sera should have been born a male because she would have been the best of Jerojima's warriors. As it was though, she had a womb and thus was no good to the SunnLord other than as a bargaining chip to the clans he sought to bring to heel under his rule. The second man in the room with him was one such individual. Easoi Esaka, Kichirou's full brother, was the leader of the Kirin Clan, and Zinn'Sunns newest rising star in the financial markets. The man was rumored to be an investment genius with an eye for business and keeping his focus on what he desired.

So far, bribery, a chunk of the jade market, and assorted other techniques hadn't done much to advance Jerojima's influence over the notorious Esaka. Instead, he was going to turn to an age old technique. If the man wouldn't join him in business, he'd damn well join him in family. Thus he was here to sell his youngest daughter off. It rid him of two problems, in fact. Esaka would come to heel if he was part of the family, because regardless of how much the two sides opposed each other in their business dealings, family in Zinn'Sunn was far thicker than water and the SunnLord had plans for the young Kirin Leader. That meant, saddling his brother with a Riishi first wife.

"She's already showing attitude. I think she gets it from her mother. There was weak stock in that line. She needs a firm hand, a forceful husband, and a belly filled with babies. Is your brother up to the task?" He asked the Kirin Leader.

Easoi chuckled. "Kichirou will do what hes told. If he's told to keep her in line, he will, though I doubt he will do so with the typical measures. I'm not even sure he likes women, you wouldn't think there were any around when hes got a precious rune on his mind. But we can always paint a new rune on her forehead and one on her belly and that might excite him enough to get the job done." The Kirin Leader said with a laugh. "But I want to hear about her dowry. I've heard enough about her reputation to know my locks aren't safe and she's a lot of trouble." He said, turning to listen.

The men talked away, hashing out the details, until an arrangement could be made. Jerojima gave him significant territory outside the city to explore for minerals and expand one of his farms, plus he gained a seat on the clan Council for his brother Kichirou, as long as his new wife stayed out of trouble during the first year. There were more concessions... shares of businesses were exchanged, a fine stallion gifted over from Jerojima's stable, and one of Miomi's exquisite hand-made abalone hair clips for Jerojima's wife. Miomi was incredibly talented at jewelry, and though she was a woman, her work was coveted. In fact, she was the third member of the room, the grandmother, here to inspect the girl for her grandsons piece of mind. Not that he'd notice... the woman had cracked a slight smile at Easoi's assessment and method of seeing the girl firmly wedded.

Once the bows were exchanged, the door was open, they slipped down the hall and came into the room the new couple was sharing through the main door. Guards swept it first, careful to make sure there was no trickery before the SunnLord made his presence known.

"Greetings Daughter. I'm glad you've already met Kichirou Esaka. He's going to be your new husband and jailer." He said, smiling pleasantly. After all thats what his daughter often referred to him as.

As far as Kichirou was concerned, Easoi simply turned to him, gestured to the girl, and smiled. "Do you find her acceptable? I can have Mother inspect her if you are uncertain to the claims of her purity." That would in fact be a huge insult to the SunnLord, but well within the Kirin Clan's rights. "Otherwise if you like her, we've reached an agreement." There was no room for question in Easoi's voice, though if Kichirou chose to raise objections, Easoi would listen carefully and weigh his brother's wishes heavily. Both families, it seemed, waited for a reaction and an answer.

The bargain was a good one, and indeed it would be a good marriage.

[Kichirou Esaka]

The kemite was about to say something that most might consider blunt, or even rude, but was interupted by the arrival of others--his brother in particular. Apparently the dealings had been completed between Gryphon and Kirin, though knowing Easoi he would have no problem taking what he could from the deal and stabbing the other in the back weeks later to gain even more.

Sighing lazily at his older brother, Kichirou looks from him, to Laisera, and back again. He waves a hand idly at the woman, nodding his head to his older brother. "I am sure she is pure. She has an air about her that seems almost volatile, like a horse not yet broken of its free spirit." Taking one more glance at Laisera, she would see an odd look in his eyes. Was it pity? It may have been, but the question would be whether the pity was for Laisera or for him.

"I might be out of place, but might I ask what the final deliberations were? I need not the entire account, merely where I am concerned. It is I, after all, that shall be taking this burd..." pausing in his speech, Kichirou rubs his eyes as he catches himself from accidentally insulting the SunnLord, though it was more than likely an acceptable assesment of this agreement. "...bride," he finishes smoothly, raising his eyes to Easoi and the SunnLord.

While Kichirou knew Easoi to be a shrewd businessman, and particular selfish when it came to those profits, the older Kemite always kept track of his little brother, and often made it a point to give him gifts and authorities that held some sort of secret agenda for his plans of raising the Kirin back to supremacy over Zinn'Sunn once more. Kichirou could only imagine what gifts or titles would come from this--more responsibilities that bored the younger kemite to tears more than likely.

[Laisera]

Pure shock was evident on the young Riishi’s face. Everything in the room fell dark and the only objects lighted were her father and the man that sat beside him. They had been hiding there, the whole time...and she didn't even know. She looked down, into her hands and at the floor. They had been waiting for her to realize the situation she was in, the situation that she was powerless to get out of. There was a bitter grin on her face and she looked back up. Without her consent, her father chose to marry her away. Just like that. It just showed how much her father truly cared about his own child.

She knew she was different from the moment she breathed her first air in Telath. Laisera knew of her duties that had to be fulfilled as a member of the Gyphon clan. One of those duties was marriage and she knew it well. Her mother told her many times, the importance of being married. It was not for own benefit, but for the good of the clan.

Everything was for the good of the clan. When did the clan ever look out for her?

Her eyes carried a hard glint as her father stated her “problems”. Who was he claiming to be weak? Was Laisera to be like her older sisters and spend her days learning how to pour tea so that it would not be too cold or hot? Did that show true strength? She smiled. None of them were male. Lord Riishi had no male heir. The one would inherit the clan would be Kasumi Adsa. While she didn’t particularly like Kasumi, she had no problems with him.

Laisera turned as the Kirin leader stated his comment, “I would like it if you refrained from talking about me. Contrary to what you believe, women are not only here to bear children and listen to men.” She knew those words would give her trouble, especially if she was to be living with the Kirin clan in the future. The young woman didn’t care. The man was bombastic and deserved to be quieted. Let it be known to them now. She was not going to ordered around, especially to a man she barely knew.

“Yes, jailer. I have often called them that, haven't I? It’s not much of a difference living at the Gyphon clan, father.” The last word had a sour note to it as she practically spat it out.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the Kirin leader’s clan as he made his idiotic claims about her purity. What did he know about her? What made it just for him to be able to say such words? However, when she was about to protest, Kichirou beat her to it, stating his beliefs on her purity. Again, how could a stranger be so sure? She was grateful for his trust, but regardless, it was not right for people to cast their judgment on her when they barely knew her.

Laisera turned to glare at Kichirou and found a look that was…unexpected. She wasn’t too sure what it meant so she softened her glare, just a bit.

His next statement burned. She was not a burden. And if she was, it was because the Gyphon secluded her from the outside world. So, Laisera sat there, praying for the meeting to end. Regardless of what she said, nothing would have change, not when she was powerless.

One day though. She would find her freedom.