Let the Dice Fall (D9 EE, expecting)

[Ide Amaya]

It is fairly obvious that she is disappointed that she was not one of the samurai who got to keep a puppy, but she reaches up and scratches the weasel behind an ear. "I dare say he charmed me. He stole into my tent one night and refused to leave."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

An amused look crossed Tomonaga's handsome features. "Did he, now?" His lips twitched, as playful words came to mind. He discarded them, though. Before, it seemed like Amaya wanted passion from a handsome near-stranger. Now it seemed more like she needed a friend.

"Well, that's good. As much as I may have cursed them the other day, I'll admit that weasels deserve happiness, too. Just as much as people do. It's good that this little guy was able to find it, eh? Seems like a good omen for the rest of us."

[Ide Amaya]

She seems to study Tomonaga for a moment, looking for something, but the light has faded and it makes her eyes dark, stealing much of their depth. "He was half drowned from the rain, and I think his pack had been murdered by egg hunters. May the Fortunes provide that we don't all have to face such trials before we can find a caring hand to help us."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga turned his head to meet her gaze, but found little revealing there. Her eyes, dark in the dimming light, were like reflecting pools, revealing nothing but what they saw. His lips twisted sympathetically at her story. "That's terrible." He said, his voice soft. "And you're right, we shouldn't."

He leaned closer, his expression serious. "Amaya-san... are you okay?" He asked, honest concern lacing his voice. "If there's anything I can do to help you, you only have to ask. I'll do whatever I can. I mean it." His brown eyes, more readable at the moment, are earnest as they meet hers.

[Ide Amaya]

A soft smile, "yes, I am, but such unhappy topics tend to weigh down the corners of one's mouth." Her eyes flicked, momentarily, to his lips, silly gossips spreading words they made up, thank the Fortunes they didn't know the truth.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga's careful eyes catch the movement of hers, falling on his lips. He can't help but smile a little, his eyes similarly drawn to her lips. He doesn't even seem conscious of it as he shifts just a little closer to her.

"Mmm." He said, still sympathetic. "Well, that's up to you, of course. And if you want to talk of happier things, I'm certainly good for that. But if you want to share your problems, hey, I'm good for that to. Whatever you think would be best." He gave her his crooked smile again.

[Ide Amaya]

Yesterday was not my fault, but if I let it happen again..., she tries to shake off the memory. "I should like to talk of happier things, though I know few of them."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga's face brightened, taking on cheer for her benefit. "As you wish, Amaya-san." He tapped his lips thoughtfully a few times.

He looked back at her, smiling. "How much of the Empire have you seen since your return, Amaya-san? Are there parts you would like to see? I haven't traveled everywhere, but a sake merchant does travel quite a bit. Perhaps I could tell you about some of them."

[Ide Amaya]

Her eyes sparkled suddenly, "the Crab lands are near the sea, aren't they? Can you tell me about the sea?" She sounded like a child begging for their favourite fairy tale at bedtime.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

The sudden sparkle in Amaya's eyes made Tomonaga grin. "Yeah, sure! Okay." He shifted, turning slightly to look out over the little artificial lake. "So... even with this water here, that's not the best example. Hmmm."

He sat back a little, leaning on his hands. "You know when you're out on an empty plain? And there's not a cloud in the sky. And you look up, and all you see is blue, everywhere, taking up your whole world? That's what it's like when you stand on the edge of the ocean, and look out at it. Water, as far as you can see, in every direction. Sometimes, in the right light, you can't see in the horizon where water stops being water, and starts being sky, and it looks like the two are one. It's amazing."

He let out a breath. "But it's more than that. It's... so alive. You can smell it in the air, somehow. And it moves! Like... hmmm." Reaching out, he picked up a stone, casting it casually into the orochi pit. It landed with a plunk, ripples, forming on the surface. "Like that, only even more. It changes all the time. A steady rise and fall, or a push and pull, moving in and out. The water crests to a peak, and then crashes down." He pauses, breathing in and out a few moments.

[Ide Amaya]

Her eyes are huge, and not just from the low light, "it sounds incredible. I've seen sand dunes that stretched away for days until they met the sky, but the dunes take days to move and reshape, you never see them changing." Her breathing is heightened, feeding off the excitement in his voice, something dangerously like passion. "I wish I could see it, just like you describe it."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga turned back to Amaya, his eyes finding hers. "It really is amazing. I hope you get the chance to see it someday." His own voice is just a little tight, intense. "You can stand in it, and feel it moving against you, first when it comes in, and then pulls back. It feels so powerful, like you could get lost in it, the rush of water all around you. And you have to be careful, or you will. But... while you're there, you just feel so... alive."

He took a breath. "Of course, it's also cold. You don't notice it while you're there, but when you come out, you want to have something warm to wrap yourself in right away. It makes it feel even better, that way."

[Ide Amaya]

She breathes a long, awed oh. She tries to imagine it, eyes glittering, but she knows her imagination is a poor substitute. "And the foods that come from there?" she prompts excitedly.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Again Tomonaga smiled, watching Amaya's reactions. "Well... you probably saw some of the stuff at the feast that first night. I hope you found it appetizing enough. There's lots of fish, but they're not the same as you find in rivers and lakes. Well, some are. But there are more kinds, and they get a lot bigger."

He frowned. "Ummm... then there's other things, weird things. Shellfish, which are kinda like a cross between fish and... bugs, I guess. With something hard on the outside, but then it's fish on the inside. And octopus and squid, which are a water animal with a bunch of arms." Smiling, he waved his a bit by way of demonstration.

"Oh, right." His eyebrows went up. "I almost forgot. Seaweed is a plant that you can get and eat from the sea. It's green and sorta like a fern. You can make soup out of it, or wrap things in it."

[Ide Amaya]

She giggles - actually giggles - as he demonstrates the octopus and squid. "I had scallops at the welcome dinner, and they were delicious. And I tried so many things that I cannot even keep them all straight in my mind. There were these little pink things, segmented and curled around like this," she folds her finger tightly against itself, "do you know the ones I mean?"