Buy Low, Sell High [Day 1 Late Afternoon]

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"I... do not know if there are other cats around here, frankly; I am as new to the Village as you all are. But... I also support the plan. Perhaps we can explore together?"

She gives Mei a big happy smile before looking back at the two samurai.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Oh, of course." Tomonaga nods his head. "I keep forgetting that you're all new arrivals. Even though I spoke with a Shinjo Akil this morning who told me the same thing. But yeah, that sounds great!"

Tomonaga takes the lead, setting a leisurely pace, conscious of his longer stride, especially compared to Mei. "I haven't really been able to identify any districts, or anything." He glances at Mei with a smile. "If I were a kitty, I think I'd try to hang around where food was served. Maybe we should look for something like that?"

[Yasuki Tae]

"I guess we can all be new together." Tae chuckles lightly, her hands back down at her sides.

Mei, meanwhile, looks a bit disappointed by the lack of cats currently.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin nods at Tae before starting to walk along side the other three.

"Food, hm? Isn't there supposed to be a feast in a bit? Maybe all the cats are heading that way for scraps from the cooking?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Could be." Tomonaga said. "But I think cats tend to stick to where they're used to. You know, you have the kitchen cats, and the barn cats, and the market cats. I don't think they switch places." He frowned a little uncertainly. "Still, we can begin walking that way." After a moment of hesitation, he altered his path.

"So, Iuchi-san." Tomonaga began. "If you've trained as a merchant, do you think you might like to talk shop with us sometime, so to speak. I mean, finding a kitty is the order of the day right now-" He said, his expression perfectly serious, "-but we'd like to know more about Unicorn trading. You know, wants, haves... likes, dislikes, that sort of thing."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin chuckled softly as Tomonaga finished talking, "Perhaps it would be simpler to say what sorts of things I'm not interested in than what I am; I believe many things are interesting and have value to the right people. As to talking shop... Well, I can't truly claim to be a merchant per say; A negotiator, mathematician, scholar, and quartermaster perhaps, but one day I'd certainly like to watch over mercantile concerns for the Clan at least."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"I think that would be easier, yeah." Tomonaga flashed her a quick grin. "And I think you're right. There's a lot of people, and a lot of things. It's really just a challenge of matching up the pairs."

Matching up the pairs... Tomonaga frowned as a thought occurred to him. "Ah, Iuchi-san... does that mean that it's your intention to remain in the Unicorn?" He asked.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Stopping a moment, she waggled a finger at him, "Now now... one can keep one's birth Clan's interests in mind while still marrying out of the Clan."

Yukarin smiled as she resumed walking, "Perhaps it takes more compromise and thoughtfulness about conflicts of interest, but I am not one to shy away from difficult ventures if I think the outcome is worth the trouble. Besides, benefiting oth Clans is part of the foundation of a good political marriage, would you not say so?"

[Yasuki Tae]

Tae raises a brow at that. "The customs behind marriage must have changed while your Clan was on their journey. Wearing white at a wedding is basically saying the you of your old Clan is dead. To openly be doing things in favor of the old you is a bit of a faux pas, so to say. Just a friendly warning. I'm not saying that you can't do it... Just keep it out of the public eye."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga watched the back and forth, his expression interested. "Yeah, hmm." He said, frowning as he considered. "There really is a lot of negotiation leading up to the marriage, generally speaking." Sometimes, in the Crab, not so much. "The new spouse certainly has a lot of expertise dealing with the old clan. And if the deal was a good one, well, there are certainly bound to be more in the future, and the new spouse is in a good position to make sure it's a good deal for both parties. The best sort of deal." He gave Tae a sidelong glance at that; he'd often run into Yasuki who disagreed on that last point.

He shrugged. "I hope you don't think that I'm too soft for trying to say you're both right, but..." He spread his hands helplessly.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Things have not changed so much, perhaps. But it is as you both say; I am perhaps being untraditional in speaking about such things in a pragmatic and open way. But that too is part of who I am. Though I am also usually a cautious person, so the words of wisdom won't go unheeded."

The four of them found themselves in an open plaza-like area, grass and flowers in the center.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Hmmm." This time, Tomonaga gave Yukarin a sidelong glance instead, his expression curious. There seemed to be layers, there. Unraveling them might be a challenge. "Iuchi-san, 'pragmatic' and 'open' are quite nearly the watchwords of the Crab. We're definitely not gonna be offended if you speak that way in front of us." He gave her a crooked smile. "Especially since caution isn't one of them."

He stopped as they came to the plaza. "Huh. This isn't the sort of thing I was expecting. It's really nice, though." He said. He hesitated a moment, looking over at Yukarin. Then over to Mei. He shrugged. A promise is a promise. "Do you think cats might hide in there?" He approached the natural area, peering curiously into some of the thicker clusters of grass and flowers.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"It's possible..." Yukarin said, peering over the area, stopping right in front of a rope and post fence that was casually blocking off the area, "If so we'd need a way to lure them out; Generally these areas of wildflowers my Clan keeps separated like this are to be appreciated without trampling all over them. A piece of the wild plains that no hoof or boot shall trod, as it were."

She looked back at the Crab, "A perfect place for a cat to find a hiding spot to nap in though, I suppose."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga stepped a little farther from the rope. "Ah, yeah, that makes sense. Someplace where people and horses don't go is the perfect place for a cat for a nap."

Frowning, he patted his kimono. "I don't have anything to lure them, just a bottle of my family's sake." Still, he was not to be deterred, and Crab samurai had different standards of dignity than other clans. "Puss puss, here kitty kitty. Mrow!" He said, the last a middling imitation of a cat sound as he continued to circle around the small wild area.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

As he was squatting down a little and calling out, suddenly...



A cat peered out at him, judging him with tired eyes.