Dark Edge Village

Unfortunately for Hikazume, the work was never finished. Yue brought her steed out to the fields to meet with her arranged student. "It's a shame we didn't get to see him before, yeah? Ah, well, I'm sure he did fine. And if there's anything to correct then we can do that!"

Daisuke arrived a short time later, walking as he normally did. He had preformed much better then he anticipated, and there was a slight smile on his face as he greeted the Shinjo woman.

"Good afternoon Shinjo-san." He said offering her a polite bow.

Yue dismounted from her horse and bowed to the man. "Gomennasai, Daisuke-dono. I should have trained with you before the competition today." She furrowed her brow when another issue came to mind. "Would you prefer if I called you Ichiro-san instead? I spoke with a Doji courtier and she recommended that I change the way I address others."

He shrugged. "At this point it makes little difference either way, so ill let you make the decision." If he minded too much he would of had her change it before. "As for the competition. It may have served me better. But I think I did well enough, given I have almost zero experience on horseback."

"Then I will continue referring to you as Daisuke-dono," she said with a smile. It was easier than correcting herself, at least. She gave a small nod. "I am glad to hear of your results. I assume that I do not need to teach you how to mount a horse then."

"I think I have a idea of how it goes." He offered with a nod. "I had a bit of time to watch others do it, and did well enough getting on my horse in the competition."

"Balance is essential," she said. She was unsure how many times she had repeated that mantra. She held out the reins for the Ichiro to take and smiled. "I imagine you will enjoy the free plains. You can scout more quickly with a horse."

"Well luckily balance is something I'm fairly gifted with." He took the reins from Yue, pausing to study the animal. "You are likely right, and if I wed into the Unicorn it will be essential I know how to ride."

"Is this your horse?"

Yue perked her brow. "I would bring another horse?" She let out a small chuckle. "This is Hikazume. We have been partners for a few years."

"Maybe? I know the Otaku said they don't let men ride their horses. I didn't know if it would be similar among the Shinjo." He looked over Hikazume for a moment. "A pleasure to meet you Hikazume." A greeting only seemed proper.

"That is only an Otaku tradition," Yue explained gently. She watched as her steed simply looked at Daisuke blankly. Still, at the very least, Hikazume was not hostile. "However, if you were to ask my sister, it should also be a Shinjo tradition. She has not approved of me lending my horse to others." She shrugged. "Hikazume is more gentle and patient than hers. She serves as an excellent training horse."

Daisuke merely nodded. He wasn't going to point out to Liu Yue that her sisters judgement was likely not to be trusted. She had apparently been caught entertaining a man she likely wasn't even going to marry at a miai to find a husband after all. "Good to know..."

"Should I go ahead and mount then? Or?"

Yue nodded. "If you do not need a demonstration then please go ahead." She stepped backward and watched him carefully. She was not going to have another person fall straight onto the ground on her watch.

Luckily for Yue, Daisuke was agile enough to find his way into the saddle with little trouble. His previous attempts enough to keep him from falling directly off, though admittedly the process wasn't very graceful.

Successfully mounted, the young man looked down at his teacher. "How was that?"

"You need to have a smoother function, Daisuke-dono. If she had taken off you may have been caught off-balance." Yue looked to the reins. "However, you kept a firm grip. Hikazume knew to not move." The Shinjo tilted her head. "I assume you know how to order her to move."