[D0, LA, common room] Being a sociable samurai

[Matsu Ishioka]

Sitting at one of the handful of tables in the inn's common room, Matsu Ishioka looked somewhat more approachable than usual. There was no glaring or resting skeptic face, and there was perhaps the tiniest glint of anticipation in his eye. The big, stoic bushi quietly observed people coming and going throughout the inn as he awaited delivery of his dinner, which he hoped he would enjoy as much as he'd enjoyed his first experience with the inn's fate earlier in the day.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

After tea, Oubaihime decided to go back to the inn and meditate in her room. Then she saw this Lion observing people and was curious. Seemed that the Lion had a nice delegation why not make more friends. She walked over the tall man and nodded. "May I accompany you in people watching?" She said with a friendly smile.

[Matsu Ishioka]

He looks up at the young woman completely expressionless, his eyes consider her for what might be an uncomfortable moment, then he gestures lightly toward a seat. "Of course," his bass voice rumbles quietly.

As his eyes return to tracking other people, he comments rather blandly, "Matsu Ishioka of the Lion security detail at Kyuden Hida. Usually when I do this, it's because I'm on guard duty."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

Oh my he seems not to have many friends... I will try my best to make the man smile.

She bowed. "This one is Kaito Oubaihime, from the Water Dragon Temple of the Phoenix lands." Then she took a seat beside the man. "I do patrol the temple from time to time... Always keeping a sharp eye out for strangers or injured people." She tried to have some semblance of small talk.

[Matsu Ishioka]

"Do you often find injured people in your temple? I wouldn't think a temple would be a dangerous place." His voice didn't sound joking, but like he was genuinely curious about her temple hurting people.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Mostly during war, not as often during peace times. During winter we have found lost souls that their fire has been diminished by the cold." She explained. "We tend to the wounds of those who seek to be healed by us."

[Matsu Ishioka]

The Lion nods. "That's very important work. Most honorable."

As he notices another Dragon samurai entering the inn and then heading upstairs, there is a small flaring of nostrils but little other reaction. "This miai is well--," he emphasizes with a sarcastic tone, "attended."

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"Well... the temple of the fortune of marriage is here so people might seek this blessing in a miai." The Kaito nodded. "People tend to come to make peace and perhaps bridges built between clans."

[Matsu Ishioka]

"Those all sound like nice things," Ishioka says emotionlessly, as if his companion had suggested people would marry to make dragons appear or to bring rain during a drought. After a bit of a pause, the Lion looks at Oubaihime. "Are you here for one or more of those things? Or simply to heal any, uh, overzealous miai participants?" He smiles a little at his joke, and his eyes hint that he is at least modestly interested in the Phoenix's answer.

[Kaito Oubaihime]

"This one is no engineer to build bridges. I do like making peace with people. Mending people is not just physical wounds, there are other types of wounds that only can be mended by compassion." She smiled. "And perhaps also mending those overzealous participants who don't know their limits."