Pony Sticks [Day 1, Early Evening]

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Huh." Rinzuki stares at her for a moment. "Do you want to take a skiff out tomorrow and try to catch one? They live in the ocean, right?"

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Oooh! That sounds great! I'd love to catch an octopus!" Qulan's excitement was so much that she forgot what fishing also meant...

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki was not quite that excited.

"Wonderful!" She claps her hands together in joy. "I'll ask around the crew and see if any of them have any suggestions on how to go about catching one. If it's a big one, we can have the cook prepare it for us, and if it's a small one, we can get a little bowl and keep it as a pet!"

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Small ones are cute. In theory." The Shinjo girl smiled. "And Tako is tasty!"

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Are they very intelligent? I mean, could we teach it to fetch a stick or guard a room like a dog?"

Strange scenes were playing out in the Iuchi's mind.

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Errr... I don't know..." No strange scenes in Qulan's mind. "They live in water, so... Both would be hard."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"Oh, like a fish? I suppose that makes sense."

[Shinjo Qulan]

Qulan nodded. "Yes, like fish. Tentacle-y fish."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"I hope we catch a big one."

Rinzuki smiles as she leans forward and rests her chin on her knees.

"How have you been? We haven't really had a chance to talk since our last practice."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Well... Y'know..." Qulan said with that 'unsure what to say' tone. "Training, sleeping, eating... So I suppose normal?"

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"That's good to hear."

Rinzuki smiles warmly as she stares up at the other woman.

[Shinjo Qulan]

"How about you?" Qulan returned the smile.

Please don't say "I've been thinking about your lips on mine since the day we kissed". Pleeeeaase.

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"A bit frustrated, but nothing that I cannot deal with." She shrugs her shoulders and looks around the room. "Life on a ship is more difficult than I had assumed. I already miss my bed, not to mention proper food."

[Shinjo Qulan]

Qulan nodded sympathetically. "I miss the plains. And the smell of grass. The berths are good enough for me, though."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki nods in agreement, and then sighs as she stretches her arms out behind her.

"I suppose we shall just have to make due with what we can, hmm? I admit, I am starting to hope that someone gets injured just so to break the boredom of my mornings. There's only so many times one can read the same books."

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Please don't say that." Qulan frowned. "I'm on duty in the morning."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

"I wouldn't want to see you get hurt, Qulan-chan." She turns aside, her gaze dropping to the floor. "You are my only friend aboard this ship..."

[Shinjo Qulan]

Now that made poor Qulan feel many levels of guilty. "I... I didn't mean to imply... I'm sorry."

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki slowly shakes her head from side to side.

"No, you are right. I am a terrible person for thinking such thoughts."

She sighs, her thoughts elsewhere for the moment.

"Perhaps I should just...toss myself overboard...

[Shinjo Qulan]

"Nononono... Don't say things like that." Qulan kneeled next to Rinzuki, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I like you."