[Day 9, Early Morning] A Wonderful Country to Learn Patience In (Expecting)

[Shiba Raizo]

You know, sometimes, just sometimes, this place seems all right.

The weather was as damp as ever, but Raizo kind of enjoyed that part.

I mean, yes, the Deer are plainly mad, and I'll probably end up married to the Moto's horse or some nonsense, but...

Aimi's amazing.
And a lot of the other people I've met here are pretty cool too.

He looked about for the spies the Deer were no doubt using to keep tabs on everyone.

Quite a system they have here. Must be taking notes from the Scorpion or something... But their guest list has certainly grown on me.

He realized, with a pang, that he was actually going to miss some of them when the miai ended and everyone either went home or to their new home.

[Usogawa Narumi]

She woke feeling caged in, and immediately dressed to get out of the claustrophobic inn. The entire Kyuden was beginning to feel claustrophobic- she had been here for over a week, after all. Waking up in the same bed, seeing the same people, eating at the same tables... Narumi rarely stayed in one place so long, and she was getting antsy.
Staying in one place led to building relationships more than the superficial ones she held at ports along the rivers- after days and days of seeing the same faces, simple "Ohayo's" and "Have you had your rice today's" don't quite cut it, and by default one begins to learn more about others, which leads one to start caring about others, and that lead to missing them when they're gone. Narumi had enough grief in her heart- she didn't need to be missing friends everyday as well... So simply not making friends had been the Otter's method; keeping others as acquaintances, at an arm's distance, was better for everyone involved.

Being summarily stuck in Kyuden Shika underscored just how lonely she'd let herself become, living her life as she'd so very carefully set it up.
Now the miai was drawing to a close, and while she was ready to get the hell out of the Kyuden and likely never come back... she wasn't ready to leave certain samurai here.

So while they started differently, unbeknownst to them, Narumi and Raizo end up at the same place.

[Shiba Raizo]

Well, well, well.

He felt himself smile without thinking about it much.

Which was nice.

"Why hello there, Light of my Life. Drawn here by my irresistible charm. or shall we chalk this one up to a happy coincidence?"

[Usogawa Narumi]

Relief flashed across the Otter's features before she reeled it in. "Good morning, my Reason for Living. How could I stray from you for long, when every path I take leads me back to your warm embrace?"
She chuckled and came to stand comfortably next to him.

[Shiba Raizo]

"Ah, truly, ours is a romance for the ages, Narumi-san."

He grinned and shook his head.

"So, our inevitable passionate tryst the ends up with us both rolling into one of these ponds aside, how are things going? The last time we talked you were grappling with some complexities. And that was before the actual grappling!"

[Usogawa Narumi]

She laughed, a bit incredulously. "Talk about diving right in."
Taking a moment to think before answering, she looked from the Phoenix to let her gaze track across the garden grounds. "You saw that, hm? Hai.. Things have only grown exponentially more complicated." She crosses her arms in front of her, tucking into her sleeves. "I... I don't know what to do."

[Shiba Raizo]

"You'll do fine."

He spoke with absolute assurance.

"I'd offer advice, but I'm something of an idiot in social matters, and anyway, I think you're already dealing with expectations from various sources. No sense adding my own in the form of suggestions. You're in a tangle that sounds like it's gotten more tangled, but you've got a good head on your shoulders. I think if you just grab a moment to take a breath and sort stuff out, you'll figure out what it is you want to do."

He gave her a sidelong glance.

"Of course, if you need someone dangled over the walls by their ankles, or perhaps bodily thrown into the smelliest parts of the stables, just let me know."

[Usogawa Narumi]

"You're confidence in me is misplaced, but I'll allow it. It feels like every time I stop to think, what I want changes. I don't know how to navigate this, I can't map it, I can't just set a course." She pushed air out her nose in a huff.

"And I would pay more than I'll likely ever see in my life, to see you try to dangle either of them anywhere," Narumi shook her head before laughing again.

[Shiba Raizo]

"Oh, I think I could manage the Lion. The Crane... hm. You know, I DO enjoy a challenge."

He was tempted to slap her on the back like she was one of his men on the march, but restrained himself.

"But if you need a suggestion? Stop trying to navigate it. It sounds like you feel like one of your boats in a flooded river, trying to chart a course to safety. But you're not. You're a lovely, intelligent woman whose heart is bigger than you thought it was. You're trying not to hurt anyone you care about and tearing that heart of yours to bits in the process. I think there's nothing to navigate."

He cocked his head at her.

"If the human heart were a rational thing that could be plotted, there'd be no market for pillow books, would there?"

[Usogawa Narumi]

"Careful, Phoenix-san. Keep complimenting me and I'm fall helpless in love with you too, and then where will we be?" she smirked weakly, and drew her attention back to him, giving his advice heavy thought.