(D3, ME) Ex-Hida by Yasuki Seiryo

[Kaikoga Fujiko]

"That could be said", he allowed, a little nervous, but he nodded. "Maybe we can keep doing this."

"Gladly. Those plays and us talking about them have been the highlight of those two days for me."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Gladly. Those plays and us talking about them have been the highlight of those two days for me."

Nervous intensifies
"Good."

[Kuni Yasu]

Snort or not, the Sparrow looks at the Kuni with a smile - an eyebrow raising slightly at her tone might have gone unnoticed, or it might not. A moment of silence goes by before he answers.

"Hm. What I know of your folk is likely very little and imprecise... but we hear at least some stories. The Crab are our neighbours, after all", he says as the smile widens a small bit. "But then... well, I suppose my impression would be that both Witch-hunters and Inquisitors deal with great danger and darkness, and that weighs down on them. So much so, that they'd rather not take risks when they see something uncertain." He looks at the woman with another smile. "Of course the way the play put it uses that as comedic relief... but then I think it would be too dark for the purposes here if it portrayed the Kuni's and the Inquisitor's work as it really must be, I guess?"

Some more silence. "... I understand why Kuni-sama would feel it's disrespectful... but then... couldn't it be a sort of homage, instead?"

She shakes her head, painted expression stilled into almost seeming like an actual mask. "Played for laughs as they run around after an utterly non-dangerous bit of odd behavior? It's just stereotypes, and feel very dismissive of the caution we do take." There's a sigh of the long-suffering variety, eyes closed. "The author's Imperial, and we're aware that the capitol is far from such concerns. It's not really a surprised that they're dismissive."

"It's nice to hear that the Sparrow remember things a bit more respectfully alongside their own duties," she adds, bright red lips lifting into a smile that does a great deal to ease the severity of her makeup. "How have you found your time here so far?"

[Suzume Senseki]

She shakes her head, painted expression stilled into almost seeming like an actual mask. "Played for laughs as they run around after an utterly non-dangerous bit of odd behavior? It's just stereotypes, and feel very dismissive of the caution we do take." There's a sigh of the long-suffering variety, eyes closed. "The author's Imperial, and we're aware that the capitol is far from such concerns. It's not really a surprised that they're dismissive."

"It's nice to hear that the Sparrow remember things a bit more respectfully alongside their own duties," she adds, bright red lips lifting into a smile that does a great deal to ease the severity of her makeup. "How have you found your time here so far?"

Some more time, and then he finally nods with a calm, serene smile. "Well, it was indeed a play on stereotypes, and these are often not particularly respectful. I wonder if that actually somehow represents the view Imperials have of the Kuni, though... that would be indeed troubling."

He seems pensive, seriously considering the matter, but then finally gets to her question. "Oh... I've found it enjoyable, in general. I... guess I may be a bit too task-oriented to truly appreciate some of the things our hosts offer us? I've spent more time at the forest than appreciating their collections of artwork, for instance", he says with a soft chuckle. "And the tasks so far... well, I suppose I should have expected something like them." A quick look at her eyes. "Of course... being at a Miai is not something I had expected a few years from now, either, but then it is what it is, ne?", he adds with another soft chuckle. "What have you thought of the tests so far? And... well, the experience in general?"

[Usogawa Emiko]

The Lion nodded approvingly. "This is much more straightforward than last night's play," Ishioka says. "All the secret layers last night..." He makes a grumbling sound. "This is much better," he says with certainty.

"Oh, you liked it?" Emiko looked to the Lion "I preferred the first night. It felt quite relateable, I've seen games of letters go very wrong before, and it was amusing to see a play of it. Last nights one was quite unusual though, I wasn't a fan either."

[Matsu Ishioka]

"Oh, you liked it?" Emiko looked to the Lion "I preferred the first night. It felt quite relateable, I've seen games of letters go very wrong before, and it was amusing to see a play of it. Last nights one was quite unusual though, I wasn't a fan either."

The stony-looking Lion gives a little smile at this. "Quite relatable indeed. The first play was probably the best. Although I am still bothered by the title. Obviously not everyone wants to be a sailor," he says seriously, a tiny bit of concern showing around his eyes as he still doesn't understand that choice.

[Kuni Yasu]

Some more time, and then he finally nods with a calm, serene smile. "Well, it was indeed a play on stereotypes, and these are often not particularly respectful. I wonder if that actually somehow represents the view Imperials have of the Kuni, though... that would be indeed troubling."

He seems pensive, seriously considering the matter, but then finally gets to her question. "Oh... I've found it enjoyable, in general. I... guess I may be a bit too task-oriented to truly appreciate some of the things our hosts offer us? I've spent more time at the forest than appreciating their collections of artwork, for instance", he says with a soft chuckle. "And the tasks so far... well, I suppose I should have expected something like them." A quick look at her eyes. "Of course... being at a Miai is not something I had expected a few years from now, either, but then it is what it is, ne?", he adds with another soft chuckle. "What have you thought of the tests so far? And... well, the experience in general?"

"Or maybe just *that* Imperial," Yasu says with a somewhat dangerous glint to her eye.

But she easily shifts to the topic she introduced. "Too task-oriented?" She thinks a moment and nods a bit. "Other than these small events, they haven't really filled our schedules, have they? These plays are a pleasant way to settle in and let someone else fill an hour of my time."

As he asks what she's thought of the experience so far, she smiles, soft and a bit faraway in her focus. "It's been something. I'd been focused on my studies before and here...just focused on a match is very, very new and something I haven't trained for." She laughs a bit with a shake of her head. "From never noticing hints to having them painted in broad strokes on my eyes."

"I think the tests are interesting at least. I don't know much about the Shika's techniques to guess at how these things all work to predict a match, but kemari is fun at least. And I've never met so many folks who aren't Crab at one time before. That's been surprising." Settling back in her seat, to look curiously at the Sparrow, she adds, "never in my life met a Sparrow, for example."

"How about you? Think these tests are going to reveal your best match?"

[Usogawa Emiko]

The stony-looking Lion gives a little smile at this. "Quite relatable indeed. The first play was probably the best. Although I am still bothered by the title. Obviously not everyone wants to be a sailor," he says seriously, a tiny bit of concern showing around his eyes as he still doesn't understand that choice.

"I'm a sailor Matsu-sama" Emiko replied with a grin "all Otter are. What's wrong with sailing?"

[Matsu Ishioka]

The stony-looking Lion gives a little smile at this. "Quite relatable indeed. The first play was probably the best. Although I am still bothered by the title. Obviously not everyone wants to be a sailor," he says seriously, a tiny bit of concern showing around his eyes as he still doesn't understand that choice.

"I'm a sailor Matsu-sama" Emiko replied with a grin "all Otter are. What's wrong with sailing?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with sailing, Usogawa-sama, although you'd know better than I do. But there are perfectly fine jobs that fair-minded people don't want to have. For example, I don't want to be an artisan. A nakodo perhaps, but not an artisan." The Lion maintains a perfectly straight face throughout, presumably meaning he's serious about every word he said.

[Usogawa Emiko]

"I don't think there's anything wrong with sailing, Usogawa-sama, although you'd know better than I do. But there are perfectly fine jobs that fair-minded people don't want to have. For example, I don't want to be an artisan. A nakodo perhaps, but not an artisan." The Lion maintains a perfectly straight face throughout, presumably meaning he's serious about every word he said.

"A nakodo? Oh, you should spend more time with Usogawa Narumi-san, she's also training to be a nakodo as well. Perhaps you two would get along well? Two nakodo in training meeting at a miai, it would be fate ne?" Emiko brought a hand up to cover a giggle "me, I'm an artist and a sailor. I'm not as good as others in the Otter at sailing, so I suppose I'm more of a musician and a dancer."