(D3, EE) To the Tune of an Open Book (closed)

[Kuni Yasu]

She listens closely--to all appearances, happily--as he describes the dynamic between his parents, her gaze unmoving, and so there to meet his when he looks up. There's a single nod to his hope. "Long winded and overly specific is a very good description of a Kuni gathering once research starts to come up. I'm fine. Better than fine. I want to hear everything." The descriptions, the interactions. "Your family seems so close, and you bring them to life in my head when you're talking about them."

"Is it just you and your parents and siblings then? I have no idea how extended families work on those boats. Every meeting on the river finding new cousins and so on?"

[Susaki Tanabe]

He smiled at her compliments and acceptance of his descriptions "well I am certainly glad I can be or help, perhaps I am already made to be a kuni." He joked to Yasu, in reality the idea of spending most of his time researching and studying was terrifying but he was confident there were other things Kuni got up to.

He took another sip of Sake as she asked her next question "Well it can depend usually a boat is going to be your immediate family if it's big you might have some cousins, aunts, uncles, that sort of thing. But the flotilla will usually have between 3 and 4 boats with different families on each. Different boats have different things, one will have a stage, another an eatery, and another a pleasure barge like a travelling geisha house. It can be a lot of things. And if two flotilla ever manage to meet up there will be a huge party at the nearest lake where we go all out." He explained with a wistful expression "As I mentioned before, family is basically the most i.portant thing to the Otter."

"What about you though? Tell me more about your family Yasu-chan." He said using a most familiar term of address and following doing what he wanted his hand reached out to hold hers though if she pulled back he would retract his own easily.

[Kuni Yasu]

She dimly notices the familiar address, as he takes her hand. Similarly notices that the music continues quietly without pause. Her fingers close on his with a smile she couldn't hold back if she tried. "It sounds very close, and so cheerful, so..." Her smile dims a bit, but only a bit as she squeezes his hand firmly. "Keep that in mind, ok? While I tell you what it is to be Kuni, at least a bit."

Her other hand leaves her cup behind to join the other, holding his hand in both of hers. She speaks quietly, intently, the smile remaining throughout. "I've told you their names, and skills. I haven't told you how my mother and consort father can't keep their hands off one another, until he came back from a rotation with both legs crushed and wouldn't let _anyone_ into his quarters for two weeks until she burned the locks through with acid and told him to quit being so dramatic. Or that my other mother takes jade petal tea, and I've overhead both of them talking about the cost." She pauses a moment. "If you know nothing of the tea, just know it's keeping her alive...more or less...and that's because of the things we study. And I'm so lucky they're all still there. The thought of them makes me careful. I take every precaution when I work. But I also know careful can't hold things back forever and luck doesn't last. At least one of all the names I told you probably won't be around in five years. Maybe that will be me."

Her hand comes up to his cheek, touching lightly. "There's joy in those close bonds. But also the knowledge of loss right on the edge of it. And worse than loss. That's what I'd be asking you to live with, Tanabe." There's no honorific, no affectionate diminutive, just her heart in her throat with his name.

[Susaki Tanabe]

He smiled wider when he saw her smile as they touched, he nodded when she asked him to keep stuff in mind as she spoke. At first he chuckled but the mirth dried up as she went on explaining her father's injury and her mother's reaction he frowned slightly but listened intently as she spoke, his expression serious.

When she finished he was quiet for a moment. He was thinking, doing something he rarely did, actually thinking about what to say and considering the story very closely. She could tell by his expression it wasn't something he took lightly. "Well, I heard stories. Obviously everyone hears stories about what goes on in the south and south of the wall. I don't have first hand experience with it, I can't really know what it means to fight an Ogre, or a Oni or a demon tree." The look he gives her is more serious than any he had so far "Yasu, I am fun, I am loud and bright and full of life but never forget that I am a samurai." His look burned with determination, his hand shifted to interlock their fingers "That means I will do my duty no matter what it is, if we are married and my new lord wants me on the wall that's where I will be, if they want me guarding you while you collect specimens or whatever else it is Kuni bushi do then I will do it, without question, without hesitating." He declared confidently

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze "as a warrior and as a samurai we are raised that we live three feet from death. My clan does not have the same hardships as yours, I'd say no one does but we do live a hard life, money is scarce which means food is scarce. We have our reputation for a reason, we do what we must to survive. That isn't always pretty or honorable but we do it to continue to do what we do. The stakes are higher but the idea is the same, you do what you have to to do your duty." His expression softened the hard serious line of his lips curved up in a smile "This is to say stop worrying about me. I am in fact a warrior and can make my own decisions. You think I didn't think about what becoming a Crab meant? I'm not the smartest one here but I do think some things through. I already know what this" He raised their joined hands "means for me. And I'm willing to accept that." He says leaning forward and placing a small kiss on her fingers.

[Kuni Yasu]

She listens intently. Not just out of courtesy of returning the same attention he's offered, but seeking belief, sincerity, and understanding in them. His bravado's worried her here and there, as warranted as it might be in the world he's lived in. But you don't talk about lack of food out of bravado.

There's no hesitation in her, no impulse to drop her eyes as his fingers twine with hers, though she shivers at the touch of his lips, swallowing hard. Even so, her voice is rough with emotions she's not even trying to sort out yet. "It's not that I wanted to cast any doubt on your courage. But It wouldn't feel right not to offer as much warning as I can."

"And...I'm still having trouble trusting that this, that you..." She shakes her head, voice clearing a bit with wondering amusement. 'I can't just walk into the festival and there you are, right? It can't be that easy to just look up and find there's someone my heart just..wants... and they don't have even a second's hesitation about our duty? And they seem pretty well suited to it even? And they're..." she pauses, shaking her head just a bit, reaching for his own words. 'fun and loud and full of life' in ways that remind me of everything that's dear about the family I've already got?"

"How is that real?" She leans to rest his forehead against his, heedless of the mark it will make, or the smudge to her makeup. "I keep thinking there's something important that you'd pull back from, if you just knew.

[Susaki Tanabe]

his thumb makes slow circles on her hand as she speaks his face is, not quite serious but not cheerful either. Sincerity, warmth these things were dominant as he listened to her. He leaned into her to meet in the middle between them their heads touching gently his eyes closed as he just listened to her voice. He didn't respond right away, he simply enjoyed it, enjoyed their closeness. "Someone my heart wants..." he repeated softly his eyes opening slowly "That puts words to something I have been feeling too Yasu."

He smiles a little "Where as you were taught to not trust and to investigate I was taught to go with the flow, all Otter are. We live on a river of life, literally and metaphorically we go where the flow takes us and do what we need to when we get there."

He paused a little "as for this being real......." he shifted his lips touching her cheek gently, he moved to the other cheek and pressed his lips against it as well "focus on the feeling." he kissed her lips softly "The feeling on your skin" another soft kiss "in your heart." a deeper kiss, letting his own emotions flow from his heart into his lips into Yasu. He pulled back meeting her eyes "Tell me it doesn't feel real."

[Kuni Yasu]

The tune has shifted, and Yasu nearly laughs to note that the musician certainly has no qualms offering his own commentary with a rather artistic arrangement of a common folk song sung for Tanabata. At least that seems at least tacit approval of some variety. Or desire for a better tip.

It's less shocking this time, being kissed. There's time and attention to spare for each touch, to lean closer, seeking the warmth she can't help associating with him, a pleased sound in the back of her throat offering her only commentary for a long moment. This close, for this long, the scent of herbs and wax, powder and the faintest hint of jasmine are evident.

"Very real," she breathes, leaning in to press her lips against his again, one small part of her noticing that yes, it does feel a bit different...kissing rather than being kissed. Her free hand slips up into his hair as the one still twined tightly with his pulls a bit, just a bit lost in the sensation.

She's breathing harder when they part, lips smeared, the mark on her forehead smeared beyond any hint of being an eye, and an expression that matches her painted blush quite nicely. "I'll try to flow with it. It's so hard to accept something being easy."

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe rode the flow as he always did flowing with her passion, mixing with his own as they kissed. This was a proper kiss, not a quick thing but a simmering one, something that built slowly and the passion of one mixed and built with the feelings from the other. Her hand went into his hair and his moved to the side of her face a very soft moan escaped his throat as they kissed and his breath indeed was heavy as they separated.

That look of hunger, desire was back and even stronger than it had been at the baths. He smiled though his heavy breathing slowly coming under control "I wouldn't call it easy yet, it's only been four days. You still have plenty of time to get sick of me." He said teasingly, his hand cradled her face as he looked into her eyes warmth that had been there turned into affection as a thumb brushed her cheek gently.

[Kuni Yasu]

Hunger that both does, and does not, understand what would sate it is a shivering warmth running through her. That and a soft wonder fill her eyes, until she closes them to lean into his touch, her own hand curved gently at his nape. "Does that happen much?" she asks quietly, eyes opening with an amused smile laced with desire. "Folks getting sick of you? Hard to imagine."

She's aware of the quiet music over the hammer of her pulse as she brings her hand forward along his jaw, pausing to brush her thumb across lips smeared red. "You're paint all over. Need to do this sometime without that. Though...you'd be fierce in this sort of mask."

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe leaned into her shrugged the smile he gave her part happy, a little sultry but unintentionally so "It's happened before. I can be a little...much for people sometimes." he said not losing a touch of his good mood. "My loudness, being excited at small things. Its worn some people down before but, you know, can't let that phase me. Not going to be everyone's friend."

he shivered as her thumb brushed his lips and in a quick inspiration he grabbed her hand and kissed the thumb and a few fingers "I bet I would, I've seen some fierce masks from your family." a smile, another soft kiss "but I would never turn down more of that."