Kyuden Shika

Narumi had sent in her request to meet with the nakodo after the day's event, and thus was there promptly. She asked to be seen, and waited patiently.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Enter." came the prim voice of the matchmaker.

Pei Pei's receiving chamber was little changed from the last time Narumi was here. Perhaps a few more gifts were on display, but other than that, little else.

She bows deeply upon entering.
"Shika Pei Pei-sama, thank you for making time to see me again, you bring me much honour. I have much to learn from one as esteemed as yourself, this one was hoping to borrow a bit of your time."

Pei Pei returned the bow and nodded at the request.

"Of course, Usogawa-san, you are, after all a guest of the Deer clan. What can I do for you?" she asked.

She nodded and smiled politely.
"I wanted to learn more about the Shika matchmaking techniques, for starters. Not that I search for any sort of advantage, mind. More I was hoping Shika-sama might inspire this one to see things more clearly? My esteemed aunt, Usogawa Mochi-sama, has made sure to teach this one what she knows, but it's best to be ever a student, and seek out the gathering of further knowledge wherever one might be lucky enough to find it. I admit, I don't know much about your clans techniques at all. Are miais the common method of matchmaking employed? What goes into the planning of such an undertaking?"

Usogawa Narumi wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 26, 2021 3:07 pm

She nodded and smiled politely.
"I wanted to learn more about the Shika matchmaking techniques, for starters. Not that I search for any sort of advantage, mind. More I was hoping Shika-sama might inspire this one to see things more clearly? My esteemed aunt, Usogawa Mochi-sama, has made sure to teach this one what she knows, but it's best to be ever a student, and seek out the gathering of further knowledge wherever one might be lucky enough to find it. I admit, I don't know much about your clans techniques at all. Are miais the common method of matchmaking employed? What goes into the planning of such an undertaking?"

Pei Pei shakes her head.

:You are full of questions, Usogawa-san. There are some answers I cannot give you, unless you marry into the Deer clan and study as one of our matchmakers. But I can perhaps give you some inspiration." she offered.

"I'm sure you are familiar with the red string of fate. What many do not realize is that there is more than just a single string connecting one person to another person. You are connected to the Heavens, your intellectual pursuits, your frustrations, your passions your desires, your fears, your doubts, your friends, your loved ones, your enemies, your rivals, your practical projects, and your frivolous pursuits."

"Matchmaking is not tying two strings together. You are weaving together two pieces of fabric. Not every thread need be tied together, but those that hold the pair together must be stronger than those that pull them apart."

She nodded, listening intently, rolling over what Shika-sama said in her mind.
"And yourself and your ...husband?" she assumes, but doesn't know for sure. "How were your ribbons intertwined? Where did you two begin?" she offers an interested smile, hoping she's not overstepping by asking.

Pei Pei smiels a bit at the question.

"At a miai, when I was about your age, Usogawa-san, and also just learning what it meant to be a matchmaker. We got into an argument over which string was the most important of all the strings. I was firmly convinced that it was the one of the ones that connected one to the Heavens. He, on the other hand, tried arguing for a new string every day. He argued that it was the other string that tied us to the Heavens, he argued it was our friends. He even spent a whole day arguing that it was one's connection to frivolous pursuits that was truly what mattered." she reveals.

"But we were doing more than just trying to establish who was right, though we did not know that at the time. We saw each others strengths and weaknesses, and I will admit it was a very happy day for us both when our match was announced."

Narumi nodded again, slower, as a smile grew.
"So friendship through debate grew to love? A noteworthy and charismatic love story, Shika-sama, thank you for sharing it with me."
She kept her demeanor reserved.
"I have to commend you for presenting a challenging miai insofar; I've learned much about myself in the last week and a half, as well as begun to realize what it is I might want in a match. Having busied myself with matching others on the river, I had no time for such a luxury as thinking of myself before, so this one thanks you tremendously for your gracious invitation to attend."

Pei Pei returned the bow.

"It's no trouble, Usogawa-san. You were meant to be here, and so here you are." she said. "After all, at the end of the miai, your life will be changed forever."