open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

A hero, huh? Silver thought with a raised eyebrow. Maybe, just maybe.

As the two made their way through the building, Silver couldn’t help but be thankful for Samurai’s guidance through the complex, he would’ve surely gotten lost otherwise. That and, well, he really had no idea where they were headed anyway. There was much to take in, and Silver did his best to keep up. Samurai seemed to be well-acquainted with most of the other ponies here, Silver assumed this must be the headquarters for… whatever it was that Samurai was a part of. Some sort of army.

They finally arrive at their destination, a largely empty room, save for a few benches and mats. They took their seats and even though Silver didn’t exactly understand everything Samurai had been explaining to him, the kirin knew enough to know that this was an important meeting, and he should do his best to pay attention. Silver sat silently and awaited whoever might be joining them.

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

However, as Samurai and Silver sit there, two other ponies enter. Minus any helmets, they are both wearing armor. The unicorn stallion has armor that is a mix of dark blue and orange, the elegant-looking pegasus mare is in a a suit of mostly pink armor and a strange tiny tree grown on top of her head. "Samurai Equine! Is it true you brought an outsider into our quarters?! Who... What even is he?" The stallion asks rather loudly, at first rather insulted but then confused. "What business does he have here?! You! Do you know that you are on officially sanctioned territory? Are you aware your head is too high?" The stallion asks Silver before reaching for something. A weapon, maybe? But Samurai instantly leaps in front of Silver, arms stretched out to shield him. "Chotto matte kudasai! I'm the one that invited him here, Denki. He means no harm, and he doesn't have to bow. I all ready told him it's not necessary." Samurai says.

"Hmph. Necessary for me." Denki says in a huff and backs off. "Now now, let's not make a bad impression for our guest, okay? We're not just enforcers, we are also peace keepers too, right? Sorry if Denki comes off brash. He's always like that, but there is good underneath, I promise." The mare says, waving off Denki but also bowing politely. Samurai is able to smile again and drop his guard. "Konnichiwa. I'm Asahi, the samurai of earth. You've all ready met Denki, the samurai of thunder. And I see you've all ready become close to Taku, the samurai of fire." Asahi says with a giggle. "Asahi, please don't give away my nickname so easily." Samurai says, a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Samurai-kun. I'll try to honor your wishes." She says.

"It's still wrong to randomly bring a civilian here. This establishment is for fellow samurai, aristocrats, and government officials only." Denki says from the corner of the room. "True, citizens and commoners are only allowed under special or extreme circumstances. And because of that, I thought the shogun might like to see a real-live kirin." Samurai says. "A kirin?!" Denki says, raising his head. "Oh my~ So that explains the unique look." Asahi says.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver continued to sit in silence as the events unfolded around him. There’s wasn’t really a whole lot he could do against trained, armoured warriors, especially considering he didn’t feel particularly angry at the moment. A great deal of effort had been made on the part of the kirin to keep his cool under pressure. They had history to thank for that, the consequences of letting their emotions control them being engrained into every single one of them.

“Pleased to meet you.” He responded. “Yes, I am a kirin. There seems to be some sort of significance to this that goes beyond the stories you mentioned earlier, Samurai. Or should I call you Taku?” He asked with a smirk.

These samurai all seemed to have some sort of special ability or talent that gave them each an edge in combat, although Silver was somewhat curious as to how a pegasus had earth-related powers.  

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

"Oh dear..." Samurai rubs the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable being referred to by that name.

Asahi smiles and pats Silver's head lightly. "Well, do come visit me in my section of Japone some day, won't you? The same goes for you too, Samurai-kun. Ja ne~!" Asahi waves and leaves. "Just don't let me catch you being disrespectful. And Samurai, next I see you, it'll be me who defeats you." Denki leaves. "...Denki thinks of me as his rival. He is always trying to prove he is stronger or more powerful than me. I don't really care that much, but if it keeps him motivated, so be it." Samurai says.

Moments later, they hear a set of sliding doors open. Some of the aristocrats enter into the room, but sit against the walls and dark corners. "The shogun is coming! Please bow." Samurai tells Silver. At the end of the corridor in front of them, sitting on a special chair, is a pegasus in brilliant gold armor. His mane is neat, he has a heavy mustache, and his physical build is quite strong. Like the other two ponies before, he is not wearing any helmet right now. Because he is in a chair, Samurai and Silver sitting on floor mats, the shogun's head is literally higher then theirs. "Shogun-dono." Samurai says respectfully while bowing. This shogun pony has a sharp leer in his eyes; judging, waiting, analyzing. He is very stern indeed.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver smiled back at Asahi and nodded his head in reply. “I will, sounds great!”

He had no idea where she lived, but he figured he could get that information from Samurai later.

“Ah, I see. I’ve known ponies like that.” Silver replied regarding Denki. “They tend to get themselves into a lot of trouble.”

Silver quickly turned his attention to the shogun pony, bowing as prompted by Samurai, and waited to see what would happen next. Silver had dealt with several important leaders in his travels, and found it was best to stay quiet unless spoken to.

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

The shogun rises from his seat and walks over until his standing before them. "Samurai, report. Did you find any magic gem stones?" He asks. Samurai rises up from bowing and lets Silver know he may do the same. "No sir, but I found something just as fascinating. A kirin. His name is Silver." Samurai mentions his friend. "Oh, so the legends are true. They do exist." The shogun looks silver over. "And the tale about them having fire magic?" He asks. "Emotion-based. I'll let Silver explain it better."

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver really didn’t consider himself more interesting than magical gemstones, but these ponies here kept pushing the matter… he would need to find out the full story behind all this later.

“Oh,” Silver replied, not expecting to have a speaking role here. “Well… we undergo a physical change into what’s called a ‘nirik’ when we experience strong emotion, primarily anger, but it can be other feelings too. Our coats change to black; our eyes go white and glow, and our manes and tails turn to fire. Some of us with the patience and skill have learned to control and manipulate fire through the use of spells, something I’m sure you’re all plenty familiar with around here.”

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

"Fascinating. Elemental magic is famous here, because it is us asian ponies that have mastered it. It all began when one of our great founders, Mistmane, mastered the art of earth-based magic. Hers was the best and most powerful. The ponies from the western half of Equestria master many kinds of magic, but elemental magic is not their most developed skill." The shogun explains. "Remember Asahi? She has earth magic, but not a lot of it. The tree that grows on her head is a side effect of not being able to fully master that power." Samurai explains. The shogun clears his throat. "Where are my manners? You may call me Shogun Equine. It's a pleasure to meet you." The shogun introduces himself and bows his head. His name is similar to Samurai's it seems. Perhaps these are also code names? "As long as you are truly peaceful, I will ask our empress to allow Kirin-kind free citizenship in our land." Shogun says.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Ah, Mistmane, that explains the horns. He thought to himself. Having a tree on your head seemed like an odd thing, almost a punishment of sorts, for not being able to fully master earth magic.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Shogun.” Silver bows respectfully. “I promise you our intentions are only peaceful. I am unsure as to what my plans will be here. I only arrived here recently and stumbled upon Samurai here by chance. I do have family and my special somepony back at home, as well. But I do appreciate the extension of kindness, your ponies are equally welcome in my village at any time."

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Shogun agrees. "This is a much better discovery than the stones. I think you'll find Japone is quite large with a many things to offer. There are traditional prefectures. There are very modern prefectures. And there are industrial and rural prefectures. 8 in total, and each has a samurai assigned to it." The Shogun explains. "This is the Kanto prefecture, where I am assigned. But just like my fellow samurai, I am ready to protect all of Japone if necessary." Samurai explains. "I'll go inform the empress of this right away. I hope we meet again, Silver." With a bow, Shogun departs with his followers.

"Well, that was it for us. I know, not very glamorous, but Shogun is the one that gave me the field assignment in the first place. On top of being the supreme general that I take orders from, he is also my first mentor and the one that approved of me becoming a samurai. So... Now that you're here in Japone, what would you like to do? I can answer any questions, give you a tour of any part of Japone you like, or I can treat us to a meal. You would probably prefer any change of scenery over this stuffy sanctuary." Samurai says.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver turned to Samurai when Shogun left the room. “To be honest, I’m not sure where to head next. I’m already learning a lot about Japone and your culture here. I’m always down for exploring whatever you wanna show me, but at the same time, it has been a while since I ate late. So how about a bit of column A and a bit of column B?” He asks. “You lead the way though, no way I’m ever getting out of here on my own.” He laughed.

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai smiles and nods before leading the way.

...

It took just as long to leave the castle and get back to the main part of the town. However once there, Samurai shows him a locale where food vendors have set up shop, many right next to each other. Samurai picks one. "I chose here because you can dine outside and still take in the sights of Japone while you do. Feel free to pick any vendor you want." Samurai says. The one he chose specializes in ramen, yakisoba, and tsukemen. Another specializes in different kinds of sushi. Another specializes in takoyaki, ikayaki, and squid tempora (signs clarify that all the meat is imitation, not made from any actual animals). Another specializes in fried foods. Another in gourmet veggies. Another in desserts. And so on.

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Samurai led Silver to a large, open plaza with several vendors set up selling various local foods. The atmosphere was very lively, and many creatures sat around nearby tables talking and enjoying their meals. The smell of various foods filled the air and smelled amazing.

“We have nothing like this back at home.” Silver commented as they walked along. “My village is a rather, um, humble place, including our food. I, ah, I’m going to need your help a bit on this.” He looks around. “I have no idea what half of the items are that the vendors are selling here. Perhaps you could give me a general idea and I’ll figure something out from that?”

 

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai nearly giggles. "I'll try my best to give you a taste of everything. But if you see anything you want to try, don't be afraid to speak up. I'm buying, after all. Being a samurai means you are employed and paid for your services." Samurai explains.

A little later, upon finding a table to dine at, Samurai places the food he ordered before Silver. "For you my new friend, I present the starter pack to Japonies cuisine." Before him are 5 different things and a drink. The food is all in smaller, manageable sizes. Combined, it should be enough for a decently sized meal. "I got you some Onigiri with a side of Curry Sauce to dip it in, which is not traditional here so I had to make a request for it. Next you've got a small Okonomiyaki, this particular kind is made with a mild cheese. Next, one small slider of Takoyaki; prepared with artificial squid in the center. Next, a small bowl of miso soup. For something sweet, this fish-shaped pastry is taiyaki, filled with red-bean paste. Finally to help drink it all down, a cup of gourmet green tea, iced." Samurai explains the spread.

Those are all for Silver. Samurai has his own food, which is different than what Silver received.

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

“Thank you, Samurai! Really appreciate it. This all looks delicious, can’t wait to try it all.” He says with a grin, sitting down and starting to work on the food in front of him. “So, we don’t really have money in my village.” He explains to Samurai between bites. “As I mentioned earlier, we all work together to make our society flourish. We more or less look after each other, and if anything, we would trade items of interest or hours of labour if needed. This would never work in a larger setting like here, but for us, I think we’re all a lot happier and better off because of it.”

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

"Interesting. I would love to visit, but only if I am allowed to do so. I cannot leave Japone unless Shogun, the Empress, or Princess Celestia grants me permission to do so. A samurai is honor-bound to be loyal to their superiors." Samurai explains between bites of food. (I am not sure what era this RP is suppose to take place, so feel free to pick.) "I am just glad you are so civilized. When it comes to creatures our society hasn't seen yet, the ones that only exist in fable at most, there's always a fear that they will be wild or out of control."

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

“Well, you’re not missing much, especially compared to a place like this.” He points around the table they’re sitting at. “It’s a rather humble village in the midst of a jungle. There are many others like it, and ours has about fifty or so kirin living there. You are right, we are a rather pleasant and welcoming bunch. I have to wonder where whoever wrote these stories about us got their ideas from. As far as I know we’ve never been that way. Maybe I’m wrong, but nothing in our history books alludes to any sort of aggressive behaviour on our part.” Silver shrugs. “So, what did you get to eat?” He asks curiously.  

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai takes a moment to think. "Those are just fairy tales for us. If I had to guess... It must have happened long ago, perhaps in the time of our ancestors. Somepony from my land must have seen a random kirin, did their best to describe or record what they saw, but it got misconstrued into the fairy tale we've had for so long. Doesn't help that this is the first time we have ever confirmed kirins do exist after all. I wonder how much of the world is also unaware of kirins..." Samurai says. He has more to add to that thought, but chooses to hold off.

He takes a few more bites of food then answers Silver's question. "The main dish is called Tsukemen. I've also got a side of Natto since I forgot to have some this morning. Some gyoza with a side sauce. Some dango for dessert. And to drink, I'm having a vanilla flavored probiotic yogurt drink. If any of this sounds good to you, I am more than happy to share." Samurai offers.

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

“Oh, I’m fully aware that there aren’t many other ponies out there that know about us. Nopony really has a reason to visit you if they don’t know you exist, and that’s just kinda the way things are.”

Silver looks at the food at Samurai’s side of the table and then looks back up at him. “I’m gonna be completely honest with ya, I have no idea about most of what you just told me.” He responds with a blank look. “Except the yogurt. I do remember trying that once in my travels. But the rest of it? Not a clue.”

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai has to laugh to himself. He has so much education to give his new friend. But a thought dawns upon him. Samurai sits closer and motions Silver to lean in closer as well. When Silver gets close, Samurai looks around before quietly asking him a question. "I have to ask. Ponies don't usually do this, but... Do kirins eat meat?"

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looked to Samurai with a small smirk. “You think of this what you want, but us kirin have to be rather resourceful. Being isolated in the middle of nowhere can mean that sometimes food supplies are scarce. Luckily, that doesn’t happen very often for us. But, from time to time, yea, we’ve had to eat meat in order to survive. There’s never a dull moment living in the jungle.” He explains, hoping his newfound friend isn’t too off put by this news.

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai actually relaxes to his reply. "Glad to know. Japone is different than other parts of Equestria. We know some species eat meat, and we don't shame or judge those who do. The idea of a strick, no-meat lifestyle has come from the west. It's really popular with non-asian ponies, and in order to increase tourism and international relations, our various stores and food vendors have been doubling meatless food items. That's why you're going to see a lot of signs saying the food is made with fake or artificial meat ingredients. However, if you ask around, you can find food items with real meat. In fact, half of our local dishes were once originally made with meat in mind." Samurai explains.

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

“Oh, interesting.” Silver is somewhat relieved to hear that eating meat wasn’t as taboo of a subject as it was in other cultures. “That’s fine, I don’t go out of my way to eat it. So, where are we headed next?” He asks as he finishes his meal.

[Samurai Equine 45,906]

@GeneralDirection

"I suppose that's up to you. There's plenty of places to go! We can explore this very traditional town some more. I could always show you one of my training sessions. Or, we could visit one of the more modern cities in Japone. This place may enjoy the classical traditions of old, but in the big cities, there is all kinds of creativity and invention. One of our biggest exports is manga, anime, and video games. That's a culture all by itself." Samurai explains as he finishes eating. He cleans up his mess and tosses the scraps in the proper recycling bins.

[GeneralDirection 971]

@Samurai Equine

Silver doesn’t really know where he wants to go next. He’s about as equally clueless about here or any other place Samurai could show him. However, he also figured that Samurai is a rather busy pony and he doubted that he had time to lead some lost kirin around town all day.

“Hmm… how about we head to your training, and check out the sights along the way?” He proposed, while also curious as to what Samurai could do with his magic powers.