Kyuden Shika

Shika Nesshin strides with purpose towards the kyuden. This will be his last patrol today, by schedule.

Meanwhile, another Deer, Shika Yuki was heading to the castle to get ready for evening and night patrol. A few years Neeshin's senior, she'd sparred with him a few times, and patrolled with him a few times.

"Afternoon, Nesshin-san. How's the patrol going?" she asked with a smile, along with a quick bow.

"Yuki-sempai!" Nesshin replies, returning the bow and the smile. "Well enough, and quiet; and for you?"

Yuki chuckled.

"Well enough, well enough. Got night patrol tonight. Making sure none of the guests wander off into the woods in the dark looking for love in all the wrong places." she offers with a wry shake of the head.

She joins Neeshin on his walk to the palace.

"So, get a good preview of any of the guests?" she asks, well aware that Neeshin was participating in the miai.

"A few, actually," Nesshin replies as he falls in beside her--slightly behind, and to her left.

"There was a Seppun, Unsei, early this morning," he reports. "They're likely to be one you'll find out in the bush and wood in the dark. Noted having a Scorpion cousin, Luixian, whom I believe I also encountered earlier in patrol today. That one," and he sighs, "will likely be trouble. Just enough authority back home to be able to throw weight around, just enough dissatisfaction with being sent off to wed to be discontent.

"A Kitsuki, Hajime, was an entertaining sparring partner in the dojo," Nesshin continues, "and I had a delightful chat with the seemingly dour Kakita Akihiro and the chipper Usaogawa Narumi."

He chuckles. "Pei-Pei-sama will have much to do, I think. I'm told there're even more here than those I've met so far; seems this is one of the bigger events.

"Have you run into any today? Or, more seriously, anybody I need to keep a special eye on?"

Yuki considered that as the pair walked.

"Hm, well you might want to be wary with the Crane and Scorpion guests. Those whispers of how the Deer clan should rejoin the Crane clan get louder the harder things get for them, and then there's the Scorpion looking for ways to make things harder for them." she admits.

"Especially be careful around the emerald magistrate. He's definitely trying to angle some military support from Shika-dono. He's affable enough, but hang around him too much, and you might either end up a political pawn, or nominated to go fight in the lands of the Crane. Or just off in a bad way if you cross his yoriki. Very angry that one, grip on the sword just looking for a reason to pull it if you know what I mean."

Imagery aside, her tone suggested that this was not the sexy kind of you know what I mean, but the troublesome kind.

"Oh, and there was some sort of trouble with a Mantis at the gate this morning I heard. Heard he's got a troubled past with the Crane AND a temper, so there's that to watch out for too."

"I'll keep it in mind," Nesshin replies. "I know the Lord doesn't want us mixed up in things." Even if having to keep the magistrate at a distance hampers my getting an appointment. "Of course, I can also always manage to get sent out into the woods, too."

He grins a bit before turning less smart-alecky and more kindly. "And your family's well, Yuki-sempai? I have been out on rotation until recently, so I haven't had much chance to keep up on things here for a little bit."

He raises his spear in acknowledgement of another guard, atop the wall, doing so.

Yuki nods at the guard as well.

"Ah, pretty well, pretty well. Little Soseki's just started walking. Wobbly still, but someday I'm sure he'll leap like the deer." she replied.

She chuckled a bit.

"Speaking of leaping, planning on taking any of the guests out for a spin on the training course? Not a bad place to show off, or show up a rival." she suggests.

"I hadn't planned on it," Nesshin replies, then grins. "If I do take anyone out into the woods, it won't be for that kind of training.

"But then again, maybe it'd be good to check some of them out on it..." he shrugs. "I probably ought to run it myself again before too long, anyway. It's been a little while for that, too.

"But Soseki's walking! That's great news!" Nesshin smiles broadly. "Little fawn'll be losing his spots before you know it!"

Yuki nodded proudly.

"Indeed he shall be. Destined to be a hero of the Deer clan, at least according to his father." she says warmly.

She grins a bit.
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"Of course, you do realize that every step you take brings you closer to children of your own, Neeshin-san." she teased. "They're going to be lucky having a dad like you."