Kyuden Shika

Sitting in a familiar booth on one side of the bar, sake already ordered and delivered, was the Stone Matsu. To most people he would seem as blandly stoic as usual -- the novelty of a stony-faced Lion wearing off already -- but Yasu had seen this version of him before. The one who'd missed an easy kick in kemari, shot too low on the archery range, or passed out in a drinking contest. The Stone Matsu giving a glare to the bottle of sake in front of him that could peel the lacquer from Kaiu armor.

Spotting the glare from across the room, she picks up two more bottles on the way. She slips into the booth, setting them both at one end of the table, checking to see if he's already poured a second cup. "Well. That was. A thing. Yep."

Ishioka wordlessly nudged a cup of sake toward her, though he gave a nod that she'd brought more bottles. He glares at his cup a little longer before replying.

"I am not happy," he says, so hilariously understating his feelings it's incredible that even the Stone Matsu can say it with a straight face.

Her fingers wrap around the cup, lifting it a bit in thanks.

"You don't say?" Yasu makes some attempt to copy his stoniness, and effect spoiled by the fact that the lip paint magnifies every shift and twitch of her lips. Giving in to the wry smile fighting its way out, she shrugs. "It's only one event. 'Exceptional Go player' can't be on many people's 'must have' list, right?"

Ishioka, who'd been watching her face wiggle, lowers his eyes to the table.

"It's... I am not feeling like a great representative of my clan," he says quietly. "No one expects a Matsu to play go like an Akodo, but any Lion should crush these Deer beginner students," he says, clearly disappointed. He finishes the partial cup of sake he had close to hand. "And there are... other reasons..." He gives her a look of conflict, of both needing to share and not wanting to do so.

Yasu rather automatically tops up the sake. "Yeah, I get that. I get to rest easy because nobody is going to have a test on like...oni identification or screaming practice, so I can't fail at the things Crab should be great at. And being decent at something like poetry gets all the amazed whispers." She tosses back most of her cup and refills it.

"But there's more? I mean. Don't know what it is, but if I'm worried that things are falling into place too easy for me, it makes sense that it's less easy elsewhere, and I should help if I can."

Ishioka nods as Yasu speaks, then when she questions him, the sulky Lion turns sheepish.

"I, um..." He realizes he probably shouldn't have opened the door, his grumpiness about the event drawing strength from the uncertainty of the previous day. The answer, of course, is a long drink from the sake cup.

"I think I underestimated how eventful it could be, meeting so many people all at once." It's a vague statement, but it hints at how Ishioka's usual line of logical thinking is breaking down in this setting. "I am... very conflicted." He finishes the cup absent mindedly. "Very."

"Kissed someone and gave them ideas while already being pretty hopelessly in love someplace else, conflicted?" she asks in a rather overly specific fashion, offering a bland smile across the top of her cup before sipping at it.

Ishioka looks at her with eyes wide in shock. His eyes dart all around, checking that no one is too close before hiss/whispering, "Yes, that's almost... Well, not the kissing, but the..." He waves a hand in lieu of saying the L word. "I mean, they're both... And i... I..." He slumps. "I have no idea what I'm doing." Then there's a pause as Ishioka's eyes narrow and he looks up at Yasu. "Wait. How did you know that..."

Painted brows lift in a bit of surprise as Yasu blinks in surprise before starting to laugh. "Oh..of course. Kind of self-centered of me to think I was the only one with that problem." She tops up both cups. "I guess you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine, and we'll both swear off Go for the duration. Deal?"