[D0, EN] Yume-do and Fate are Jerks (Expecting)

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He had noticed something, not in the music itself (for as much as he was familiar with several instruments, a master he was not), but in her manner that told him something had bothered her.

"The moment was perfect, for what it was, then", he agreed, looking up at the moon a moment. "Though I've seen you perform before, remember? I think you've even improved since then." He was silent for a while, then looked down, but not across at her. "So..." he wanted to talk about the miai for some reason, but let it go. He'd been talking about it all day and she likely had too. "...do you focus on kigaku style court music, do you sing as well?"

[Usogawa Emiko]

Emiko nodded at that, accepting the praise with a warm smile.

"I do sing, but not as much as I dance or play instruments. My mother had a wonderful singing voice, mine isn't quite as good as hers. I don't think I could sing tonight though, my apology" she bowed "is Shosuro-san going to perform something too?"

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He had a comment on her refusal to sing, but decided it was unnecessary and could be taken as rude. When the maiden asked if he would perform, he tensed slightly, scratching the back of his neck.

"I can, if Usogswa-san is kind enough to lend me her flute. It would be a shame to have to pull reeds from the garden."

[Usogawa Emiko]

"Oh, hai."

Emiko nodded, taking out a cloth and carefully cleaning the whole instrument before offering it to Hikimasu.

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

With a bow he accepted it. "My apologies for not being properly prepared."

Then he sat back down on the bench and thought a short moment, trying to keep his hands steady. He knew the tune, his sister was better at it, but it was a good song for the garden.

"you may applaud or laugh, both is fine", he said, trying to joke, and the nervous laugh punctuated it. Then he cleared his throat, readied the flute and it let out a completely discordant shriek. He stopped, took another breath, closed his eyes and tried again.

It wasn't half bad, the Shosuro managed to convey some thoughtfulness and peace of his own into the tune.

[Usogawa Emiko]

Emiko had taken a seat, her hands on her lap as she watches the Scorpion perform. It was a good tune (minus the painful shriek at the start which hurt her ears), and she enjoyed it, a smile staying on her face throughout.

"That was lovely Shosuro-san, thank you for performing for me" she bowed to him "I feel blessed to have been your audience. Shosuro-san should arrange to get a flute of his own, it would be fun to perform a song or two with you."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

She's adorable, totally having me on, but adorable. No daimyo's daughter would honestly consider someone like me.

He nodded. "Sometime, I think the market might have one." He fiddled with the flute some, then wiped it clean and presented it back. "That was really the only proper song I know, everything else is something you'd drink and be rowdy to, and not very suited to the shakuhachi alone."

[Usogawa Emiko]

Emiko brought a hand up to cover a laugh.

"Shosuro-san, the Otter are sailors. Do you think you could say or perform something for me that would be worse than what a Mantis would do? Granted you are in the safety of knowing my yojimbo won't throw you off a ship for going too far, but I'm confident that you wouldn't do such a thing in a public venue such as this, ne?"

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"So late at night this place is far less public", he reminded her, eyes shifting around slightly again. He was surprised there wasn't an army of lovers hidden among the foliage, or maybe he just couldn't hear their work from where he was. "I'm surprised you decided to come here so late, considering."

[Usogawa Emiko]

"I promised I would be here. I just apologise that it was later than originally agreed. I got slightly held up assisting someone who was stuck in a moment of great importance, and I had to help him along his path" Emiko said with a smile "but I still came here, as I said I would. I'm thankful you hadn't left, I would have felt awful coming here and finding out I had missed you."