[Crew Quarters, Moon 7 - Morning] The Stable of the Sea

[Shinjo Qulan]

That bit of extra... Intimacy did not get overlooked by Qulan, as her cheeks turned a very slight shade of pink. "Ah, well, I would hope it'd be comfortable. I would never wish to make you uncomfortable, after all."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"A little bit of discomfort only serves to make the moments of comfort all that more enjoyable, wouldn't you say?" Rinzuki pats the railing of the berth behind her. "Take this bed, for instance. It is small and cramped, and I can only assume somewhat uncomfortable to sleep upon. But imagine how delightful a normal bed will feel once you have returned to dry land."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Ah, yes. Things that make you miss home make you appreciate home even more. I know I'm already seeing the plains of our lands in a much brighter light. I will be so glad to get to ride Shien again." The Shinjo sighed wistfully.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"I cannot say that I am looking forward to seeing Kiba again," she replies. "He is something of an idiot, even among horses. During the last war, I suffered more wounds from his teeth than I did from the entirety of the barbarian hordes."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"I can see why you named him 'Kiba'. Maybe he wanted attention?" The younger girl asked with a slight chuckle. "Or maybe there's something bothering him."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"I can't imagine what," she says with a good-natured sigh. "I suspect that he is just a stupid horse. For all the talk of the loyal and intelligence horses within our armies, such as your Shien, no doubt, there have to be at least a few that were blessed by the Fortune of Annoyances."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"You sound like my mother. She doesn't like horses much." She shot Rinzuki a grin. "Well, you just don't like your horse. It's everyone's horse with my mother. I think she's still just mad of when Liu, my dad's horse, ate her abacus."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Ate her abacus?" Rinzuki turns her head to the side in confusion. "What was she doing with the poor horse that required an abacus?"

[Shinjo Qulan]

"... She somehow left it outside." Qulan shook her head and laughed. "I agree with father about it being her fault."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Oh, come now," Rinzuki grins. "You cannot put all the fault on her. Surely a horse should know the difference between an apple and an abacus."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Doesn't stop them from chewing, sadly. You'd think a dog would know the difference between a sandal a piece of meat, but they still chew up sandals." Qulan shook her head. "Ah, oh well."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"That is true," she nods, conceding the point. "I take it your mother was born outside the Clan, then?"

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Ah, yes. She was a Yasuki." Qulan nodded. "She is very money-minded. I can't wrap my head around any of it."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"I am terrible with that sort of thing as well," Rinzuki admits. "I am not looking forward to running a household after my marriage. No doubt I would find a way to run our finances into the ground within the first week."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"I only have sisters and I'm the oldest, so... I'm supposed to inherit my father's responsibilities." Qulan sighed. "Which means overseeing Yashigi. That requires taxing and trade. Ugh."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"You are quite lucky. I have no siblings, no parents, no cousins..." She sighs softly, her smile fading somewhat. "Truthfully, I am mostly alone in this world."

She laughs after a moment's pause.

"Save for one stupid horse, that is."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Oh... I'm sorry if I brought up anything... Unpleasant." She sighed. "Well, I'll offer you the same you offered me. You can saddle me up with your feelings as well."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Think nothing of it, Qulan-chan." She slowly shakes her head to show that she held no blame towards the other woman. "I may take you up on your offer at some point, if you truly wish it."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Oh, of course, Rinzuki-chan." Qulan smiled in her friendly manner. "Whenever you wish."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"We shall have to see how things look once we've settled in," Rinzuki says, her hand briefly touching Qulan's arm. "I certainly hope that we can find some private time to talk."