Monkey and Bunny (D4 LE, Tomoe's Yurt)

[Usagi Tomoe]

She pressed her lips together as she smiled when she saw how he was sitting. He sure had a long way to go before coming a princess, alright.

"Thanks. I hope it was educational for those listening too... not as exciting as the previous topics, I know, but useful nonetheless. I think the Imperials might have a heart-attack when I tell the story of how the great Carpenter Wall was built," Tomoe chuckled and put down the cups. Noticing Ganko slowly walking away on the table, she picked up the tortoise and put gently put the tortoise down in her basket.

"They seem to think that it's more important to be proper than to tell the Unicorn about what the Empire is actually like now. As if the Bloodspeaker didn't tear apart the Empire eight years ago," her smile faltered a little as she remembered the ones she had lost back then, and how dangerous the Kitsune Mori became after that.

[Soshi Yuuru]

He nodded, "That tends to be the Imperial stance on a lot of things though. Lots of scrubbing of the official histories goes down at that level... I hear so many stories from vets of the Naga War. But no one would ever see that in a history."

He poured some sake for the two of them, "What shall we drink to my dear?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I guess I shall have to share that history too..." would make sense, she figured, having spoken of the formation of the Hare and the Mantis both. I'll need to freshen up my memory on Asako Kashiwagi's work then. Naga was never my strong field.

"Hm..." she took a moment to consider it. "To friends?"

[Soshi Yuuru]

He smiled and raised his cup, "To friends! ... for now."

He winked once as he downed the liquor. Then smacked his lips and smiled, "Warms the soul neh?"

He then pointed to the exit, "So how bout this rain? Where'd that come from?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe hated how his wink made her blush. Damnit. She was usually much more cool-headed than this! Still, the sake was good and it did bring some warmth.

"Beats me... the sky looked rather threatening earlier today too. I thought for sure it would start to rain in the afternoon, but this downpour that start after sundown has been quite extreme." She cast a glance at his exposed chest. "I trust you didn't have any problems with forest critters in today's egg-hunt?"

[Soshi Yuuru]

He smiled, "I was fine. Dealt with much worse. And you?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Ah, well, I figured I wouldn't do too well at such a test and left it to those better suited, like you," she smiled in return. "Probably just as well, when I saw some of the injuries the weasels had inflicted on one of the Shinjo."

The thought of having an attack when under an attack by a group of weasels... what an embarrassing way to be crippled or injured.

[Soshi Yuuru]

Yuuru shook his head in comic disbelief, "There were a lot of them... but getting injured by weasels? That's gotta be hard to explain when you go home."

"So what did you do with that precious time then?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I went to the dojo, hoping I could have it all to myself, but soon enough many other samurai arrived there, so... not much chance for that. I got to observe Soshi Taira-san teach jiujutsu to one of the Unicorn women though, a one-armed Shinjo... I don't think I got her name."

Tomoe sipped her sake calmly rather than take it all down in one go.

"So you were too slippery for the weasels I'm guessing?"

[Soshi Yuuru]

He chuckled, "I couldn't be stopped by weasels. I had bunny hunting to do in the evening. I can only imagine the lecture I would have gotten if I had shown up to be taken care of by you after getting mauled by weasels."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Bunny hunting?" she murmured bashfully, and fixed a clever smile in his direction. "... I'm not easy prey, Yuuru."

[Soshi Yuuru]

"That's why I needed to be in top shape my dear bunny. You don't fall for the simple traps." He said with a smile.

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe raised an eyebrow in response. "And what sort of traps were you going for then?" she sipped the sake as she waited for his response, her eyes watching him intently.

[Soshi Yuuru]

He smiled and poured himself another cup, "Nothing sinister my dear. Just the type that would make you want to stay and play rather than leave."

He leaned over on his hand next to her, "I take it stories of bravado or my own accomplishments aren't the type of trap that'd have much affect... For this beautiful bunny... honesty is the only thing that'll keep her close. Perhaps telling her how when I see her smile it makes my heart leap in its chest would be the type of thing that she'd like to hear? Especially since it's true."

[Usagi Tomoe]

The bunny leaned back a little as he leaned closer. "So... honesty? That has always seemed like a tricky thing to you, you know... like when you say you caught a fish bigger than a no-dachi, and it was actually more the size of a tanto." She giggled quietly.