[Day 2, Evening] - Once more, enjoy the night

[Kaiu Seiko]

"Gomen, Bayushi-san," Seiko replied, giving Hoshi a small bow. "I did not mean to pry. It is just that I am curious how one such as you would differ from one such as I when it comes to future plans."

She smiled.

"I could just as easily ask another samurai the same thing, if they were comfortable telling me."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi shook her head. "-Ah, it's fine Kaiu-san...It's just not something I hear very often, asked of any samurai from any samurai really...I'm not a very demanding person when it comes to futures, you may find mine to be vastly unimaginative compared to yours."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko rested her chin on the knuckles of her hands.

"I guess I'm just trying to compare what I want my future to be to everyone else."

She looked at Hoshi again.

"Does that seem odd?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

There was enough movement in her eyes to qualify as a scrutinizing look on the Kaiu. "And why do you wish to compare your future with everyone else's. Not everyone will affect yours and not all futures will be the same either. -Ah...Is there something you're unsure of...Kaiu-san?"

[Kaiu Seiko]

"Iie," Seiko easily replied. "It's just... people sometimes think I'm different. I guess I am."

She glanced at Hoshi.

"It's like... comparing paintings, or boats, or... or anything. Something, or someone, that is different, that gets noticed. Why is it different? Does that difference serve a purpose? Does that mark the unusual one for greatness or... just being different?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"Mm. So I see. It's a strange way to find introspect...I hope this wouldn't be an attempt to find more things to notice about yourself or definition of greatness?"

[Kaiu Seiko]

"I suppose it is more like Kaiu thinking. Sometimes one tool is a little different than another because it serves a slightly different function better. Like a nail. Which is better, a long nail or a short nail?"

Seiko looked over the water for a while, silent.

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi looked quizzical at the analogy. "-Ah, then...And what if somebody is building a house when you're planning to build a ship? Taking from another would mean you might float for very long."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko nodded.

"Hai. Don't send a courtier onto the battlefield, don't send a berserker into the courts."

She glanced at Hoshi.

"You seem content to let me talk about myself, Bayushi-san. Is this how you express friendly interest, or is this some of the famous Scorpion intelligence gathering at practice?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

I haven't been prying... Hoshi seemed to smile through her eyes and she waved a hand of dismissal at the question. "Some of the former and only because I don't wish to bore you Kaiu-san. But...keeping to yourself tends to make for a boring conversationalist no matter how well you dress the person up, as something my young brother would tell me. So then...how may I bore you?" She asked in jest.

[Kaiu Seiko]

"I get my pick of how I shall be bored?" Seiko replied, a light smile on her lips. "I am honored. Oh... tell me something frivolous about you. Say something from your childhood."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

There was a quick blink from Hoshi, she didn't think she would take her offer far too seriously but she was a Crab. She got further comfortable and crossed her arms. "-Ah. About my childhood? Okay then. Mm. I may be from Ryoko Owari Toshi but I wasn't raised there nor was it where I spent most of my life. Originally I was from a village called Hotei's Creek."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko nodded, politely, in hearing the detail. Then she paused.

"Ryoko Owari Toshi... I've never been there. But I've heard all kinds of stories about it."

She looked at Hoshi and smiled.

"I would guess some of them are even true."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi let out a content sigh, "Ryoko Owari Toshi is known as the City of Stories by reputation alone, making and being the target of many stories that could be true and otherwise. I'd say the city is very Shosuro by design, like how they write their stories ne? They always have a theme of telling in circles. There could be a few that are true, but what are some of the things you've heard?"

[Kaiu Seiko]

"If anything could happen in Rokugan, it happens in Ryoko Owari first," Seiko replied. "And everything is biggest, better, flashier, and more intense in Ryoko Owari."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

A bemused look went to Hoshi's eyes and she gave a shake of her head. "I might have ask for your sources on that Kaiu-san, it's one of the first times I've heard of Ryoko Owari being describe anything like that. Maybe the Capital is more befitting of such title. But the City of Stories...has its own charm and its favour is found only in specific people. It's not always so obvious and not everything is better either."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko gave Hoshi a slightly amused grin back.

"I think that the Hida who told me that was a little... intent on impressing me with how wild it was." She paused, then added, "He might have embellished a little in order to impress me with him too.

"So... do you have any favorite stories about or from Ryoko Owari?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"-Ah, I personally...try to keep away from Shosuro based literature and most of the stories there take on that slightly pretentious style..." Hoshi murmured with some annoyance. "That's a majority of the stories from there but not all of are like that, and some are tolerable. I've yet to find a good favourite. My scope is set greater after living in that city for a few years."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko paused, trying to remember what she could about the stories of Ryoko Owari. Actual stories, of course, not the spun fables that grew in passing.

"What about that one bridge?" she asked. "The one about the lovers? Is it true?"

Okay, not the most exact of descriptions, but it was a start.

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"You mean the one about the bridge and the lovers? And with that, which one? I do know of one that happened recently and was very true." She gave a nod, that was one she could share if she was interested.