Dark Edge Village

Saksaha guides her mare, Gio, at a leisurely trot across the grassy field. Ahead of her, a ripple in the grass marks the location of her puppy, charging along as fast as his little legs can carry him.

Somewhere she had got the idea that throwing a stick for a dog was a good way to train it. Trouble is, little Yolo has more fluff than brains and has not yet been successfully persuaded to bring the stick back. That being so, this seems easier than chasing him around on foot.

Just ahead, another puppy was running between and around another horse's legs. Sarangerel was patiently standing still, allowing the little dog to race about him. For his tollerance, he was rewarded with a plum from Kemuri's hand.

"Faster Airi. Good girl."

Too late, Saksaha sees the ripple in the grass curve away from true, as her puppy forgets all about the distant thrown stick in favor of this more attractive game.

"No! Yolo, come here!" she calls in vain, but her dark ball of fuzz is already on its way to tackle Kemuri's puppy out of its obstacle course and try to subdue it with wet puppy kisses.

Saksaha rubs her cheek and sighs, angling Gio closer to Sarangerel. "Sorry about this, Marta-san."

He laughed. "It's quite alright, Iuchi-sama. Airi needs to learn about ambushes."

"Huh." She giggles, watching the puppies engaged in their bout of canine bariqu. "I hope not in the course today. I do not think I can make mine understand this so quickly."

"Who knows?" he shrugged. "The Moto dogs can do many things. But, I imagine there won't be anything too difficult. They are puppies."

"I hope your day has been pleasant, Iuchi-sama."

"Mm, it is now, at least." She rolls her shoulders back and tilts her face up to the sun. "I never had a dog before. My grandmother did not like them. But it might be hard to give this little one back, although he is not very clever..."

She puts two fingers in her mouth and whistles to summon the little thing, but although he cocks one hairy ear, the message appears not quite to get through.

"They're young." he shrugged. "I am surprised they pay attention to us at all."

"Hah!" She shakes her head, leaning forward over Gio's neck to catch a better look at the little critters. "I think maybe I heard Ide Dabo-sama making the same complaint of his charges..." she laughs rather ruefully.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves, at least." He grinned as the two puppies continued to run around and jump I've one another. "What about you, Iuchi-sama? Have you enjoyed the miai?"

"Enjoyed is maybe not a complicated enough word," Saksaha admits, shaking her head slightly. "There are things I have enjoyed very much, though." It's just that they were mixed with some other times I thought I might wet myself in terror. "Have you, Marta-san? And please, I think I should not be 'Iuchi-sama' to you. This fine-cut formality might please the Rokugani, but it makes me itch."

"I don't like to assume. But, you are right, we are family." he nodded. "The miai has been a mixture of emotions. Most have been positive, I think."

"That's good." Saksaha grins. It's nice to know someone's just having a good time? "You have done well in these challenges, I remember, Marta-san," she adds, perhaps the tiniest bit enviously. "Do you think you will choose for yourself at the end?"

"Yes, I am a good finder of eggs." he laughed. "But, that may allow me to choose for myself. It depends on the next few days, as it does for the rest of us."

"Mm. I think my fate is already set. Or, no. It is set that I won't control it, at least," Saksaha says, doing her best to project a philosophical air rather than one of hurt pride. "Still, I did not want to be married to one of the same boys I grew up with, and so I chose to come regardless." She glances at Kemuri and adds, "Not to offend Unicorn boys, of course. Our men are good. Just... very familiar."