[D3, MA, Open] To Smell the Flowers

[Seppun Unsei]

Unsei gave him a very flat look. "I don't need to be an alchemist to realize that the only big problem that someone is going to have at a miai is about love."

Blink.

"Might also be having issues of that myself, so as I said, it's not surprising."

[Seppun Yuzu]

"Nonsense!" He nearly chuckles. "It is not all about love."

Yuzu's left lip rise in a potential mockery of what actually wasn't all the truth. Then, he rephrases, "It is about how to actually make sure one can enjoy all the best moments a miai can provide. Without, of course, getting too far and become a daily gossip. Like the Otter and ourselves today."

The boy raises that same eyebrow once more, "But tell me, what issues you might be having?"

[Seppun Unsei]

"Just change up what you do and sleep around a lot, but discreetly. Like, don't always go to a geisha house every night because people will notice and talk, but if you want some ass, then rotate between a few different places, like the gardens, the geisha house, the inn, so on and so forth, while laying down the moves. While people will notice you going to a place every night, they usually take longer to notice patterns and we aren't going to be here that long for them to figure it out." And Unsei, as an astrologer, was rather good with patterns and knowing damn well that many people didn't see them quickly if they weren't paying attention.

"I'm imagining this as sort of a 'Winter Court for Babies' type deal, since, as I'm sure you know, Winter Court is all about sleeping with the most people the most discreetly. That's what a lot of people are doing here. Or at least one other person I know of is doing. That would be the one Deer roaming around, hilariously, but the point stands. I personally find looking for love here to be terrible because there's a slim chance that you'll actually end up marrying that person in the first place and stars help you if someone else also wants that person because then it's a fight to win this stupid little tournament they've got going on so you'll have the most influence to actually get who you want."

Then they shrugged. "I complained about this a lot last night with my other cousin so I'm still probably hanging off of that. I'm also cursed by Benten-no-kami so that's about my only real issue here."

[Seppun Yuzu]

Yuzu listens attentively to what Unsei says, even if blatantly disagreeing on most point of views himself. Which, politely, he doesn't show any contrary sign. There is , after all, some wisdom. The part of going to the geisha house every night strikes a cord... that's something Yuzu was actually doing, for odd reasons one wouldn't normally think about.

After another deep breath, he says quite adamantly, "I see. Well, I don't think the whole idea of the miai is to look for love. It is a look and see. Then, if other people think we should marry whomever we are appointed to, that's what we do to bring honor to our family and prosperity to the Empire with a new generation."

A sneer, and he concludes, "That's what I've been told –– and not that people here are just trying to... ack... sleep... with one another."

[Seppun Unsei]

"Okay, but then what was the point of looking for love if we have to marry someone else because the person we love isn't fitting?" He asked plainly before shrugging. "Seems like a pointless waste of time to me, but I'm cursed and have never experienced romantic love in the first place so take my words how you will. Any romance I pursue is going to end up in the trash."

He shook his head, mildly pleased that his hat was keeping a decent portion of today's rain off of him. "What of you though? I could talk about myself all day, but I leave that for when I'm talking to Luixian-san. What in confidence matters do you seek to get off of your chest?"

[Seppun Yuzu]

"I guess the point is not to look for love." He says, shrugging again, "Less chances of being bitter when we are all paired up. Which means that, if you are cursed as you say, you're the person with higher chances of doing that properly."

The boy munches on his lower lip and says, "I have a list mother sent with me –– and to Shika Pei-Pei-sama, I believe. It would be interesting if I could get pointers from you about these names, and... well... if we could avoid to become part of the rumor mill. Kind of annoying when I woke up today and everybody just stopped talking when I was nearby. Like, well, hello, I am a trained Miharu. I hear stuff in the next door, with my kabuto on."

A pause, and he asks, "Who's Ruiki... Ruikichan-san?"

[Seppun Unsei]

Unsei chuckled slightly at Yuzu's words regarding bitterness, but didn't go out of his way to say anything against it.

"Well, I can try my best, but these are all, of course, my own opinions and sometimes they aren't great. Take, for instance, my opinion that anyone who puts 'hime' anywhere in their name probably has way too much of an ego for their own good, even if it's very well-hidden. After all, to speak plainly, who the absolute fuck names themselves Princess or something princess unless they think waaaaaaay too much about themselves. Because we aren't children. Everyone here has picked out their own name since we've all passed out gempukku. They named themselves princess or something princess and should be avoided. Also, because I don't like calling anyone princess unless it's an actual princess." Unsei ranted about that for a moment and once it was over, he shook his head.

"But, I do not know who this Ruikichan-san is, but if they've named themselves chan, then they're in the same boat as hime. Also, if they stopped talking when you were near, then don't worry about it. They wouldn't have provided any enriching conversation in the first place."

[Seppun Yuzu]

The princess rant gets an approving coughing nod as Yuzu holds his laugh, and a “Wise remark. I’ll observe that pattern better,” comment.

Then, he shrugs again. Now with both arms going to the sides and a head that cocks back is disbelief, “You just said that you like to talk about yourself to Ruiki… whatever that name is. I tell you, that sounds awfully gaijin to me. It could even be princess and we just don’t know it.”

[Seppun Unsei]

"Well, it sounds a bit Rokugani to me, but who knows really. If it's princess in some gaijin language then I'm just going to rant again. Also, I phrased that last part badly. I didn't say anything to this Ruiki. I don't know who that is. I haven't spoken to them before. I meant more with the rumors. If someone was ignoring you due to you being an Imperial, then they likely weren't any good to talk to in the first place. Judging a book by the mon on its chest ya know." It was then that they pulled a small box from within their sleeve.

"Mochi?"

[Seppun Yuzu]

Yuzu produces chopsticks from his sleeve and, nearly pincering it, stops to ask, “Which flavor?”