Kyuden Shika

Were the noodles really that good or had it been the company. Soyokaze stood in the road looking at the noodle stand he had dined at the night before and wondered, his stomach growled and it had been the best meal he he had yet to have from a market stall. He needed to find the Shosuro but his hunger wouldn't wait.

Fortunately, bushi are good at finding food.

Hikimasu approached from the side, but called out to not startle Soyokaze. "Hoi, Asahina-san", he said as he closed in. "Afternoon, hope you're hungry."

He bowed and gestured at the cart. "Let's chat over a meal."

"Hikimasu-san!" He glanced back at the noodle vendor.

Is this place just good luck?

Hai, I was just going to try and find you when my stomach protested." He walked over with his Scorpion companion and had a seat. "How have your days been, we have not spoken in a while."

"Well I think you have the gist of it from the events", he shrugged. "Though I'm not terrible otherwise, either."

Oddly.

He put up his hand to the cook.

"Ojiisan, cold udon for me, make it spicy", he said. "Ah, two, one for my companion here", he said and adjusted on his stool slightly. "Ah, a bottle too, something cheap, served cold."

The turning back to Soyokaze he relaxed a little. "What about you? Any good news?"

"Well I have finished your request, I have it here with me." He reached into his kimono and pulled out something wrapped in black silk and tied with a crimson cord, offering it to the Scorpion. "Please take a look and tell me if it meets with your approval."

"Not to sound ungrateful, but can we eat first?" He asked. "I trust the work, but no reason to be so hasty."

The middle aged cook put the bottle down with two cups. Hikimasu put down his own cup with three dancing foxes on it.

He poured into all three.

"You too, ojiisan", he said and picked up hisz sliding one over to Soyokaze. "To jobs well done and the wives who will hear us tell these stories for the rest of their lives, may the Fortunes help them. Kampai."

The old man and young scorpion drank.

"Kampai!" Soyokaze drank and poured the next round. "I shouldn't be doing this, I have much left to do today but whatever. "Regarding the events, I'm to the point of not caring about them anymore, after today I see no point in even attending in the mornings, I have other work to do and there is nothing I can do now to help my case with the Shika. Are you struggling as well with the tests? I'm sorry to say I usually don't end up sticking around much and watching others, I know when I have failed and just move on."

"It interests me in that there are other people i need to stay aware of, orher than that I'm just doing my best" he picked up his next fill and sipped. "Though that best has slowly been getting bettet, little by little, but some of these people... it feels like fortunes are literally controlling them or covering their weaknesses."

"Who are you afraid of losing?" The question was blunt by any standard but doubly so for the little Crane and spoke of personal fears.

"I don't think it'd be right to say", he told Soyokaze. "Though i guess if you were out in public more you'd have some guesses." He chuckled. "Truth is its not losing them, i don't really have them...that is, I think she might be keen to the idea, but I haven't really done anything proper yet, and so it wouldn't be fair to say they're mine to have."

He looked at the bag tied with a red cord, though, then drank a little more.