Kyuden Shika

Tanabe sat at the sake house with a couple bottles at his table. He sat and drank, a happy smile on his features with just a relaxed air about him.

The big Otter leaned back and watched the Sake house this would be his last night here most likely before heading back to the River. For a time. So he planned to enjoy himself a little have a good time and one last night of memories made here before moving on.

Another Otter made her way into the sake bar for the last time. Spotting her cousin, Narumi raises a hand to him and makes her way over, an easy step to her gait.
"Tanabe-san! Can I join you?!" she doesn't really wait for confirmation before she lowers herself to sit.

Tanabe had been watching and of course his cousin entering the establishment wouldn't go unnoticed. The big Otter smiled wide at her as she sat with him "As if I could turn away my favorite cousin!" He said laughing and easy laugh as he poured her a cup and slid it over "I'm guessing you recieved some good news this morning?" He asks raising an eyebrow at her seeing the ease to her steps.

The cup is met with raised eyebrows, lifted in thanks, and knocked back- with the practiced ease of a Crab. "Kampai!"
She tilts her head to one side and shrugs lightly. "Yes and no. Bo-san and I are to be married. And yourself? Not long for the rivers, are you?" She gives him a knowing smile.

Tanabe toasted with her a loud "Kampai!" Heard throughout the place many others cheered in response other drinks being downed and a couple sour drinks stared in annoyance.

He refilled them and smiled to her "That is good! How do you feel about it? You said yes and no, what bad news did you get?" He asked curiously "as for me it seems I'm headed south, soon enough my name will be Kuni Tanabe it seems." He says beaming just a bit.

"Then congratulations are in order," she smiles and takes her cup in her hand, raising it again but pausing to speak over the lip of it.
"My betrothed knows all about who the Otter are, and my role outside that of being a nakodo. My freedom is forfeit but he still loves me and will spend the rest of his life with me." She knocks back the second drink quickly in one motion.

Tanabe smiled as he drank with her "Well he was going to find out sooner or later. He seems like a good man, I'm sure things will work out in the end. After all you get love, few enough end up with that." He said as he sipped at his cup rather than knocking it back settling the drink to a conversational pace.

His smile persisted and a small wistful expression joined it "I'm excited to start my new life, though, I'm sure part of me will miss the river."

"I doubt very much that Yasu-san would deny you of returning whenever you're able, to visit," Narumi smiles back at that. He wasn't listening, not really, but he was head over heels in love and just told he could marry the one he wanted. Why wouldn't he be deliriously happy?

"Probably, though they take that duty thing pretty seriously down there. But Crab lands aren't too far from Ehime Toshi." He said taking another sip.

"So he still loves you, not surprising with Bo-san but how did it go? You're not arrested in jail so that's a good start." He said casually but at a bit quieter of a tone than usual. He was an Otter after all he knew how to be discreet when necessary.

"Not yet," she amends his words, and takes a breath before downing her next cup. "I'm to be on house arrest though, confined to an izakaya." she keeps her voice low as well, and stares daggers at her cup. "If I do not comply, I face arrest at best, exile or death at worst."