[D6 LE] Of Buttons and Bunnies

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Dong-Ha had promised he would pay Tomoe a visit, to share a bottle of shochu and some stories and after the previous night, he had an additional questions to ask. Clad once more in his normal clothing, the young mystic made his way to the northern part of the camp, and with a help of few servants located Tomoe's tent.

"Tomoe-san? It's Dong-Ha." he called for the Hare

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe had decided to take the day easy, especially after seeing the challenge put on by the Otaku.

Didn't know hard lances thrusting against one another was something the virginal Otaku would like...

The tent had been tidied up, and all the books and scrolls neatly stacked aside, and some sweets had been placed out.

Hearing her visitor, she opened up the 'door'. "Dong-Ha-san, good evening. I trust the day has been good to you?" She smiled brightly and stepped aside to allow him entry.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Good evening." Dong-Ha bobbed his head at the Hare. "I guess I cannot complain?" He wasn't really sure what to say, and the hesitation showed on his face. "I promised I'd come so..." There was an awkward pause. ".. here I am." the young mystic muttered as he stepped into the tent.

"I hope yours has been good as well?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"It's been well... a little disappointed that today's test was so far outside of my skill range, but it's only fair considering yesterday's poetry. Congratulations by the way on your performance there. I didn't know you were a poet too."

Tomoe satt down by the table and gestured for Dong-Ha to join her. "Have you tried yatsuhashi before?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Thank you." Dong-Ha smiled faintly at Tomoe. "I have to admit that... the only poetry I have ever read comes from someone called Moto Haddaw. My mother had his collection and well, there's only so much you can do on a horse." he chuckled awkwardly. "I read through all we had, literally." the young man's eyes drifted towards the scrolls and books that lined her yurt.

"I can ride but... I didn't feel like risking my health trying to ride with a lance. I'll leave that to my kin." the young man admitted. Sitting down, he asked. "Yatsuhashi? I am afraid I don't know the term."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"It's a kind of pastry, made with joshinko flour, sugar and cinnamon. They come with different fillings; these three are with chestnut and these three have plum." She explained. "I thought it would be nice to have something to go with the shochu."

Noticing him looking at her books and scrolls, her smile widened. "What do you like to read the most? Poetry, fairytales, fiction, historic texts, or perhaps something more applicable like works on medicine or theology?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Oh, that's kind of you." a somewhat sad smile flickered on Dong-Ha's lips as he moved to pull the bottle from his sleeve pocket. "Don't ask who made it." The bottle was much like he had first described, shaped from grey clay bearing a painted picture of an orange carp. "I hope it's decent..." The once so open young man seemed more reserved this time.

"Sounds good." he nodded, hovering his hand over the pastries as if asking a permission to grab one. "Where did you find them?"

"Uhh... I guess text on medicine and history. Anything that has... useful information on it." the mystic's eyes brightened momentarily as Tomoe brought up the matter of books. "I have some fiction back at my tent... travel stories, too fantastical to be true."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I brought them with me from Shiro Usagi. My father has some skills in making these sort of things... I remember when I was younger, we'd make rather cute mochi animals to place at the family shrine." She chuckled a little, perhaps with a hint of sadness.

"... is something wrong?" Tomoe couldn't help but to ask, noticing how he seemed a bit guarded with her now compared to their last meeting.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Oh..." he hadn't expected the food to keep that well. Most samurai would have perhaps be shocked of a notion of a samurai cooking, but the more tribal Unicorn tended to cook for themselves and few saw issues of so-called nobles preparing their own meals. "Mo..chi? Some kind of pastries?" Given the context, that was Dong-Ha's best guess.

"Maybe..." he muttered, looking down. A savvy courtier would have dodged the question, understanding the situation and nature of rumors. However, Dong-Ha was anything but a diplomat and what he had heard bothered him. "I guess you know... what they say about you. You and Soshi-san." the young looked up, with uncertainty in his eyes. He hadn't thought there had been anything particularly special between them, yet. But he had thought that there had been a hope of such.

[Usagi Tomoe]

Dong-Ha's confession about what bothered him made her forget about answering what mochi was. She looked a little sad when she heard it.

"I've heard the rumours, yes," she gave a slight nod, her usual bright mood dampened. "It's not that I don't know Yuuru-san. He and I have been friends for some time, but those rumors... I mean, they were also saying that the orochi that killed Chi-Pu was here to marry her, and well... I don't believe that." She looked a little defeated, as the subject had been on her mind through the day. "... Do you believe those rumors?"

Tomoe wasn't quite sure what to say, really. She liked Yuuru, but not in a way that she wanted to marry him or spend her life with him... Heavens knew they'd be bad for eachother in the long run. But her Phoenix-training also compelled her towards honesty, but she wasn't quite sure about it either.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I don't know what to believe." he admitted shyly. "People say all kinds of things... for all kinds of reasons." Though, he hadn't been exposed to gossip the way the more jaded courtiers had been. "I was thinking that..." Dong-Ha paused for a moment, gulping as he did so. "..I was thinking that maybe Tomoe-san had found the love she hoped to find?" The words came out in a flustered manner. "If that was the case... how could I consider choosing her?" It was both confession and explanation. Dong-Ha had never been a one to deny someone their happiness.

While her words had convinced him that the rumors were exaggerated, she had not denied knowing the man. And while he was staunch believer that men and women could be friends without having any romantic feelings for each other, he wanted to make sure that the rumors did not hide a seed of truth.

[Usagi Tomoe]

She felt a rather mixed sensation of feelings at his words.

"I... no, no, it's not like that," Tomoe shook her head. "I mean," she blushed a little too, "I'm... honored, and happy too, that you would consider me. But, no it's not like that with Yuuru-san and me. He's a good friend, but nothing more."

She looked down, feeling her face flush red. "I'm sorry... this is all a little weird."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"It's ok." Dong-Ha muttered, reaching to grab one of the pastries as if only to occupy hinds hands and his mouth for a while. It probably wasn't ok, judging by her reaction but the young Iuchi didn't know what else to say.

"Well.. I haven't talked to that many people, and of course someone might pick me or you first... or you might have said no..." his fingers played with the hem of his robes. "But I wanted to know... so that no-one would be hurt." He probably wasn't making it any less weird.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"... I wouldn't have said no," she confessed with a shy smile.

"Ever since coming here, I've been more concerned I might not get picked by anyone at all. Some have been nice to me, but I doubted I was anyone's first choice... So... I'm a little surprised." Where was that stupid tortoise when she needed something to hide behind.

Tomoe followed suit on the plan of occupying her hands with the pastry and she took a small nibble of its corner.

"I... would be happy with you," she murmured bashfully, "you're nice and kind. And... even if this is a little weird, I appriciate that you would say what was on your mind."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

Dong-Ha's eyes widened when she admitted that she might have agreed, should he have had the chance to ask. Only later it occurred to him that the way he had set up his words meant that he had actually asked if she'd mind. Excited, the young man leaned towards the Hare, leaving perhaps foot and an a half between them. "Really?"

"I mean... uh..." he slumped down, bracing his hands on his knees. "I am.. honored." A shy smile made way to his lips as he regarded Tomoe. "Uh... but as I said... as you said, it's complicated, with the miai and everything." Dong-Ha had no idea why the Crane had to make everything so difficult. "I don't see why anyone would not pick you. You are smart, kind and honest." he tried to reassure her, taking a note about how she too, seemed to be all too uncertain about herself. "Uh.. and pretty..." Well, she was, but that was besides the point, as far as Dong-Ha himself was concerned.

"Er...I don't know." the young man moved one of his hands to the side of his neck as if to cover his embarrassment. "I just wanted to be sure that... no-one would get upset. I don't think anyone should marry someone... if their heart lies elsewhere." he added shyly, still fidgeting with his robes.