(D5, LE) Sake O'clock

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

The bracelet she still wears in fact. It seems to be part of her usual collection each day. Her eyes widen a bit, and she shakes her head "That one will likely break from use before I'd pass it along. It is the last piece I made under sensei Sirin to prove I'd learned all I could from her. A...sort of artistic gempukku."

It all begins to seem a bit too well-constructed a tale, and she wonders a bit if his Tamori friend actually exists. The truth of it doesn't matter that much to the outcome though. Save that she'd resent the next option more if the friend is imaginary. "I've a mirror," she holds up a hand to indicate something palm-sized. The kind of thing one might carry though the day to examine or touch up one's appearance at court. "The back is a similar mosaic style depicting a temple in Medinyaat al-salam. At least depicting one said to be there. It was part of a painted landscape screen I saw in Shiro Iuchi."

[Kaiu Kunio]

An interesting reaction, to say the least, he responds in kind by ignoring it. "That is understandable, I would not wish to make you part with such an item if it has that much sentimental value to you. The mirror should make a fine gift, but I would like to share some information about this place when I write a letter to her. Pardon my ignorance, but I assume this temple is in a city of some sorts, what is it like?" He takes some more food to ensure the alcohol does not affect him more than it already is.

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

"Understand that I've never traveled the Sand Roads while old enough to remember anything. My depiction is a copy of a copy." She sips at her own sake, trying to recall what she can of the place. "I can't say much of the temple, except that the painting set it as the most prominent among grand buildings, all in a style I haven't seen anywhere else. But the city can be found in many documents describing those lands. Medinaat al-Salaam is a large city where many of the peoples out past the Sands live and trade."

"We've many stories about our time beyond the borders. The city seems like a central touchstone in all that space. Not exactly a capitol like we have, because there are people there from many strange lands. Powerful spirits that aren't kami." She shakes her head. "A lot of the stories are very strange, and I can't say which are true or not."

[Kaiu Kunio]

"A central location for multiple factions to meet and trade ideas? I assume there is a great distance to travel between centers of power, or I guess there just is no way to feed an army for that long?"

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

She nods a bit, considering..."There's tales of enemies trying, even as hard as it has to be to get a working force across the sands, but the sorcerers there direct very powerful spirits." There's a small shrug as she pokes at the cooling gyoza before plucking one up. "Might be they've just made the trade there too valuable for anyone to want to disrupt. At least anyone who benefits from it. We're far enough away not to mind much, but also...not likely to try conquering them for the same reason."

"I'm sure the capitol here is grander," she says with a proper pride in the Empire, and no actual experience to know better.

[Kaiu Kunio]

"I won't talk confidently about things I have never seen, but Otosan Uchi is indeed quite the sight. I had the pleasure of stopping there soon after I was inducted into the Imperial Legion. There is actually a quaint little place called 'Lost Wishes', the manager of the building simply collects lost items and then returns them to people if they can describe it specifically without seeing into his shelves."

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

"Do people bring lost things from all over, or is it just things lost at the..." She pauses, considering that no other purpose for the place was mentioned. "Is that the sole purpose of the place? Holding on to lost things? Kind of a shrine?" She was sure their ought to be a fortune of lost items, but couldn't recall their name, if so.

[Kaiu Kunio]

"It didn't look like a shrine. When you walk in, there is simply a desk separating the general populace from a room with dozens of shelves. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have even remembered the place if I didn't somehow guess a dozen items and returned them to people from all across the city and wake up the next day on the street in front of a stable. "

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

She blinks a bit, digesting that...and swallowing her gyoza. "Huh. Like waking up somewhere odd with a lot of coffee? Ever consider some spirit's playing games with you?"

[Kaiu Kunio]

"Starting to consider it, but I'm not spiritually inclined. How would I even begin to identify what spirit is doing this if it only happens at night and I don't recall anything the next day?"

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

An eyebrow quirks, "You might not be so inclined, but the spirits all around you'll hardly care"

"Set a servant to watch and fetch someone if you head out in the night when you hadn't planned to? Otherwise, sometimes the kami will offer insights if asked." She thinks a moment. "I'm not so well-versed in the healing disciplines, but a healer would assess if your elements are in balance. You're right that it's not easy, but....I'd worry a lot about what I'd done or might do with that sort of affliction."