Kyuden Shika

With the covering of her umbrella as it was, she couldn't see his eyes- which was all the better.
She gave a short, stuttering sigh.
"Nakodo Shika-sama would not sully her reputation by assigning you an unharmonious match; but lesser clans need matches too."

"What about harmonious matches?" he asked. "I"m talking about meeting people, getting to know them, seeing if they'll be someone I can think about in the future without regret." He listened to the rain a little longer still. "Marriages are duty, that's all, really."

"Right. It's all about duty," she replied flatly, "Have you found no one who sparks your interest, Scorpion-san? No one this one can throw at you unceremoniously and hope you click?"

"Certainly", he said. "Though it's likely a waste of time. There are people I push my expectations on, but to call it something like love would be insulting. Yourself?"

She's silent for so long he might begin to wonder if she'd heard him at all over the rain.
"...You're not insulting to me, Scorpion-san." her voice was still flat, and she made no effort to move her umbrella at all.

"Would you like me to try?" He asked. "I might fail and only embarrass you with compliments instead."

"I'd rather you didn't. This one deserves not a single compliment."
The umbrella she hides under wobbled as she drew another stuttering breath.

"Usogawa-san", he started and stopped. Should he really be doing this?

"I think that whatever you are going through, it's to be faced, evem cynicism can be a weapon against uncertainty though. It can show you what is clear, help you ignore false hope, so you can focus on what you can do. That's something I've learned."

He took s few steps toward her. "It might sound dark and hopeless, but i see the end of the path more clearly that way."

What was she good for?
Absolutely nothing.
The rustling of movement towards her is enough to make her tilt her umbrella back so he can finally see her. Her dark eyes rimmed red.
"Shosuro-san suggests this one disregard upheaval and instead focus on what one is capable of doing, in some attempt to reassure oneself they're still a being a value, not scum on top the water of a tepid pond?"

"If people must be scum, they should be the most valued scum their lord could ask for", he told her and came further forward. "Even someone like that deserves praise, even if it's from other scum."

He tried to smile, it was subtle beneath his mask.