Sapphire Ambassadors

Fuyujin is the first to catch it.

Her face brightens.

"Oh, Aki, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"And you'll gamble Grandmother's work on that?" Fuyujin asks, sharply.

She huffs out a breath.

"But it doesn't matter what I think, I guess."

"Oh, indeed," says Fuyujin.

She sits heavily.

"So, which of you is it, then?"

Fuyujin bustles about. Even if the guests of the Tournament have not much graced her business, the regulars have, and they deserve no less attention for being regulars.

That doesn't mean it's not hard...

Fuyujin shakes her head slightly.

"Of course not, dear," she says. "And he's not the kind for you, anyway, from what I hear."

That, finally, gets something of a thin smile from Fuyujin.

"Be sure he bathes first," she says.

"Have I ever done otherwise?" Fuyujin asks. "Since we were children, have I done otherwise than support you? Even when my husband died..." She trails off for a moment. "Even when Toshi died, I kept working to support the family." She looks at each of her cousins in turn, shakes her head. "Could we r...

"You all seem so intent on shoving Grandmother aside."

Fuyujin sighs heavily.

"Coming here was a mistake. This discussion was a mistake.

"Squabble among yourselves if you must. One of us, at least, will remain loyal to Grandmother."

"Being eager isn't the same thing as being ready," says Fuyujin.

Her cup remains on the table.

"And claiming readiness doesn't make it so. It hasn't been that long ago that I was having to help fish certain people out of their own pond, after all."

Fuyujin sets down her cup.

"Who are you," she asks, flatly, "to make a decision for Grandmother? She knows her own mind, as each of us knows.

"No." She shakes her head. "This is not as it should be."

Fuyujin sips at her drink, keeping her face impassive as she does.

"We are here," she says. "And it is good to see family, of course. But why here, and why now?"

Why did I agree to this? Fuyujin thinks as the leering Akatupo heads back to his bar. I hate this place, and I always have.

But she sits and sips at the...drink...that has been poured for her, awaiting the others.

Name: Fuyujin Position: Tearoom Manager Affiliation: Crane Training: Merchant Gender: Female Age: 24 Martial Status: Widowed Hair: Black Eyes: Black Height: Average Build: Thin Disposition: Solemn Fuyujin is the eldest of the four cousins, well known for her serious demeanor. She speaks only as much...