[Day 8, LM, Tomoe's Yurt] Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

[Usagi Tomoe]

The rabbit poured a cup for the Doji maiden and pushed it forward.

"I must say, this sweet is delicious. As sweet as it looks. You are truly talented to have made something like this." Tomoe spoke in a soft but cheerful voice, perhaps sensing a little fatigue in the Crane.

While the Hare girl had done like most Rokugani women and kept her skin protected from the sun, she had a feeling there might be more to the pristine paleness of Ameka.

[Doji Ameka]

"I'm glad you enjoy it," she replies with a warm smile. "They're white, but I tried to give it the air of a cherry blossom to celebrate spring. The gardens at Kyuden Doji will be at their most beautiful soon."

She shakes her head and picks up the teacup with a grateful inclination of her head. "Thank you, Usagi-san. How has the miai been going for you?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Ah, Doji-sama has seen the gardens of Kyuden Doji?" she said with some admiration in her voice and poured some tea for herself as well. "... I've always wanted to visit the great courts of the Empire, especially Kyuden Doji. See its gardens, see all the historical sites, listen to music and poetry from the greatest artisans of the Crane."

"Perhaps it would be a welcome change after this miai?" she chuckled wryly. "It goes well for me, but... at the same time, not so much. I've found someone I would very much like to marry, but as the rules here are, it seems more likely the other women will choose him before I have a chance. The tests here are, well, I often feel I do well in them, but I am almost always squeezed out of winning or even placing."

[Doji Ameka]

"My family lives in the city surrounding the palace... My father helps with the garden, so we have to live fairly close. Perhaps, if we stay in contact after this, there might be an opportunity to come visit," she proposes.

At her description of the miai's events, she looks sympathetic. "The placement I've managed is entirely out of luck... I am neither poet nor singer from training or personal interest," she admits. "Though if I hadn't, I would have been sent home in shame. Probably for good reason..." She shook her head. "If it's not too forward, who does Usagi-sama have her eye on? I hope you're able to find a match with him."

[Usagi Tomoe]

The Hare's cheeks were tinged with pink, as she thought it was obvious after yesterday's performances who people had their eyes on.

"Uhm... Iuchi Dong-Ha-san. He's clever, kind, and handsome... but I have a lot of competition, it seems, at least from what I understood yesterday. An Imperial and a Bayushi also have their eyes on him. And both of them are much higher placed than I."

[Doji Ameka]

Ameka, having chosen the name of the man she was singing to out of a hat, preferred not to guess on the motivations of others. But it seemed obvious in hindsight, and she blushed a little herself. "My apologies, Usagi-sama... I simply didn't want to assume, but I brought you embarrassment instead." She bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry to hear that. I suppose for many people, yesterday's competition did... make things a little apparent. In some ways, I suppose it is not entirely a bad thing that illness on the second day left me behind in such matters."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"It was a rather... unique competition," she cleared her throat with a small cough. "Illness? I'm sorry to hear that, Doji-sama. Is there anything I can do for you, perhaps? I've had some training in the arts of medicine."

[Doji Ameka]

"Most of them have been rather unique," she noted with a sigh, and shook her head. She smiled sadly at her. "I appreciate the offer, but my ill health is, sadly, a long term problem. Between that and fits, I think my previous incarnation must have been quite a problem individual." Her expression change to some amusement at that.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Fits...?" she gave the Crane a concerned look. "I have a hard time believing someone like yourself could ever have been a problem individual, Doij-sama... you seem so kind and sweet."

[Doji Ameka]

"I appreciate you saying. You seem the same way to me," she said with a smile. "But I do get my muscles seizing up and twitching with fireworks and whatnot, and very poor health. I can only think it must have been something like that."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Oh..." Tomoe took a thoughtful sip of her own cup. "... I can relate to some of that, truth be told. Never seen fireworks, but the effects have happened on other occassions," she spoke with a quiet voice.

"... Maybe I suffer from my past actions too..."

[Doji Ameka]

Ameka paused and shook her head. "Usagi-san seems smart, beautiful, honorable, courteous, and kind... I'm sure they just needed something to balance things enough to make her a being of the mortal realm," she gives her a warm smile.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"You give me too much credit, Doji-sama," the Hare chuckled briefly. "Maybe, like with yourself, sometimes just bad things happen to good people, because that is the way of the world."

At least she had her health, Tomoe thought. Apart from the epilepsy. Maybe the Heavens disapprove of the kitsune blood?

"Is it something others in your family suffer from too, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Doji Ameka]

"I think I might have a distant cousin with it, but most of my family is perfectly healthy," she says, turning her teacup between her hands. "Perhaps. I suppose it really isn't so different than the possibility a bushi faces every time they go into battle, ne?" She questions with a half-smile. The deaths of bushi aren't due to a pathetic weakness, though.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"I don't know..." Tomoe shrugged a little. "... I just remember being told that I couldn't be a warrior too, because I could not be relied on in battle. So I don't think our situations is quite the same as the bushi."

"But, you seem to have found a path, creating these wonderful works of art. As I found my path with texts and history. We find our ways to leave our marks on the world, neh?"