As morning threatened to turn into afternoon, and having to be on duty soon, Nobuyoshi heads down to the galley. He remembered that hot meals were served twice a day, but he didn't recall when they were served, and didn't have clearance to cook for himself.

At least there's a chance I'll find hot food. If not, perhaps I'll adjust my schedule so I don't live on cold food. he thinks, checking the place out.

It didn't look like the heat was on. In fact, Cook was putting materials away. She looked up carefully as the Scorpion came into the galley and offered him a low bow. "Samurai-sama. You just missed breakfast, but a few dishes might still be warm. Do you want me to go get them for you?"

She was being extremely deferential, keeping her eyes on the ground. Word had spread fast of what had happened with Dageki and the Daidoji.

Hmmm, eating before practice then? Sensei always did enjoy us being sharp and hungry while training. Still, everything on this boat seems designed to break us. Nobuyoshi ponders.

"Better that than going without" Nobuyoshi says, raising his voice a little bit from his normal speaking volume as he didn't want the deferntial servant leaning in closer to hear. "When is the second hot meal of the day?"

"Hot meals are served in the hours of the Sun and Bayushi (Morning and Evening), Bayushi-sama. If you will excuse me." She bowed again to the Bayushi and moved into the kitchen to collect some of the left-overs. There was a quickness in her step that had not been there in the week before.

As luck would have it, that selfsame Daidoji took that moment to step into the room. Looking a little peaky, he bowed to the Bayushi in greeting before wordlessly sitting at one of the tables and producing a small steel teapot and cup from a sack.

As he let the tea seep he looked back up. "Bayushi-san, would you care to join me? I have a second cup...I think."

Nobuyoshi inclines his head to the Daidoji.

"Of course, Daidoji-san." he says, accepting the invitation. "What blend of tea did you bring with you?"

The Daidoji does not comment on the Scorpion's tendency to mumble. "It is Wind from the South, a blend developed by my grandfather's grandfather, taking advantage of the heat sink in the lee of the mountain on which he lived. Some find it overly bracing, but it reminds me of the tenacity of life."

He poured for the Bayushi before producing a cup for himself. "Kampai, I think they say." A sip.

"Kampai" Nobuyoshi returns, his voice retaining it's flat and quiet tone.

He takes a sip and regards the tea.

"I don't think it's overly bracing, but then Scorpion teas are all very bitter blends." Nobuyoshi comments. "A good blend to bring with you on this journey, Daidoji-san, it keeps you alert and honors your ancestor."

"My own packing for this trip left no room for tea, unfortunately."

Fuichi nodded. "That is unfortunate. I've always found Scorpion blends intriguing." He paused slightly before taking up a friendly smile. "But there are always other methods of remembering home, neh?"

"Despite Moshi-gunso's admonishments that we're all in the Imperial Legion now, regardless of where we came from? Nobuyoshi asks.

He places one hand under his red and black mask as if deep in thought.

"I believe you are correct in that, Daidoji-san." he admits.

"Where is home for you, Daidoji-san? he asks, changing the subject. "If I had to guess, I would guess you're from Samui Kaze Toshi."

Fuichi beams. "That is correct. I come from a long line of sailors in the Daidoji Navy, though until very recently I lived in Shinden Asahina. What gave me away?"

Nobuyoshi takes a sip of the tea and explains.

"It's not a case of one thing giving you away, it's more a conclusion reached from everything that you are." Nobuyoshi explains. "You seem far too cultured to come from some unimportant little farming village. The Daidoji holdings are mostly coastal, which would make sense for someone with some experience with the ocean to join the Ninth Legion. And Samui Kaze Toshi would give your grandfather's grandfather a mountain to develop his tea on."

He sips his tea.

"As is the case with us all, that which preceded us, defines us."

Fuichi considered that for a moment as he savored his tea.
"I suppose that is true, in part. At least, that is something my father would readily agree with. Where do you come from, Bayushi-san?"

A small smile behind a teacup.

"Am I so mysterious you will not even hazard a guess as I did with your home, Daidoji-san?" Nobuyoshi asks, curious. "I can assure you I will not take offense, even if your guess is wildly impossible."

Nobuyoshi takes a sip of the tea, watching to see what the Daidoji will do.

Fuichi frowns in thought.
"I...have never been particularly observant, which is part of the reason I was cloistered and not sent to the courts. Ah, your reverence for the orders of Moshi-san bespeaks military training, as does the armor I saw you wearing early on our voyage. Unfortunatlely, the plae where one receives training is so rarely the same as where one is from. If I were forced to guess, I would say Ryoko Owari Toshi, if only because it is populous."

Cloistered at Shinden Asahina? Did some Crane official write your name on accident on the orders sending their best to the Ninth Legion? Nobuyoshi wonders. Fortunately, Scorpion masks remain impassive through the weirdest revelations.

"That's not too poorly reasoned, Daidoji-san." Nobuyoshi offers. "In truth, I've spent a lot of moon-rises within various remote dojo walls. And if you're not sure which target to pick, aiming for the biggest one is certainly appropriate.

Nobuyoshi shakes his head.

"But home, such as it is, whenever I'm not training or serving lies on the road to your clan's lands in Shimomura. he explains.

Fuichi nodded. "Such a familiarity with Crane lands might have given me a hint, but it's so much easier to reason these things out afterwards, neh?"

Another sip. "I had the pleasure of passing through Shimomura in my brother's company as a boy. He was on his way to meet his betrothed in Shiro Shosuro. The gardens there, well, I still think of them when I need inspiration for my work."

A brief pause while the Scorpion..savors his tea.

"Is painting your favored artform then Daidoji-san?" Nobuyoshi asks. "The Crane excel at them all, and all could of them could attempt to capture the beauty of a garden. However, for some tasks, words and carvings seem insufficient. Unless gardening is your hobby?

Fuichi raised an eyebrow.
"I am a worker in wood, Bayushi-san, and blossoms in wood present an interesting challenge for me. How does one capure the sense of color, fragrance, and the mutability of the flower while working in what is, ultimately, a very durable medium? I have been experimenting, but have yet to find the proper balance."

He sighed to stop his mind racing through possibilities.

"Have you an art, Bayushi-san? The Kakita usually grumble about rivals in the Shosuro family, but I have heard of a number of excellent Bayushi dancers and composers."

Nobuyoshi shakes his head.

"Not really. I'm certainly appreciative of good art, and raw talent can be applied to a variety of art forms, surpassing others who are not true artists." Nobuyoshi confesses.

He sips his tea, wondering how long it actually takes to fetch some leftovers.