A cat and candy (D9, EM, Expecting)

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo woke up slowly. It was going to be a strange day, she could already tell. But the miai was almost over. She woke up Noburu, taking her outside for her 'needs' and brushing her briefly. Noburu finds a sunny patch to doze outside as Kogo cleans the Yurt and does some basic stretches. A little peace in the morning. That is what one needs.

[Doji Ameka]

Ameka decided that day would be perfect for a walk. She wasn't going to improve her physical abilities if she just nursed her own delicacy all the time. She needed movement! So, she found herself taking a walk around the Northern Yurts. She wasn't familiar with the layout, and certainly wasn't expecting to run into a stretching Lion... Fortunately, not literally. She noticed her soon enough to be able to bow from a polite distance.

"Good morning, Matsu-san."

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo starts a little but covers it well. So many Crane maidens everywhere. Do I have a sign on my head that says, "Come pet the friendly Lion"?

She bows. "Good morning Doji-san. I hope you are having a pleasant morning."

Maybe she'll move on. Maybe she's just polite. And maybe the Fortunes are finally going your way today....

[Doji Ameka]

Ameka holds her hands folded in front of her politely, an uneven-looking bag hanging from her obi. "I am... movement is important for good health, even for those who aren't bushi. I hope the miai is going decently for you?" The miai hadn't gone all that well for a lot of people, she was vaguely aware, so asking if it was going well seemed unnecessarily contentious.

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo looks at the Doji, slightly puzzled and nods. "Yes, movement has much to offer to many. I find it a good way to start my day." She thinks. "It goes, as it has been. What about for you, Doji-san?"

[Doji Ameka]

"I am going to be married, and that's a better spot than where I started," she said with a smile and a soft chuckle. "Ah... I was hoping to run into one of your Clan, actually..." She takes the bag off her belt and sorts through it with extraordinarily pale fingers. Eventually, she pulls out... a clear, tiny statuette of a Lion. "I was hoping to give this to one of you."

[Matsu Kogo]

She smiles, pulled in despite herself. Kogo looks at the gift slightly startled. "Doji-san, I cannot accept this. We have just met and this is...clearly a thing of great beauty. Please, keep it for yourself."

[Doji Ameka]

"I like being able to pursue an art that lets me give gifts to people I've just met," she says, a little amused, but her expression light and friendly rather than mocking. "It might be a little difficult to tell from the distance..." She stepped a little closer, but not so close as to be impolite. "It's made of sugar. It is one of my more detailed ones, but all the more reason I'd like you to enjoy it."

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo looks at it closer. "Ahh...I see now. But still! It is quite beautiful. You should save it for another, who you know better. Perhaps...a gift for someone who has caught your eye at this miai. It is a thing of surprising grace and beauty. Please, keep it."

[Doji Ameka]

She sighed and chuckled self-effacingly. "I am afraid to say that such a thing was not my destiny at this miai... Nor have I caught anyone else's eye that I am aware of," she says, shrugging lightly. "Anyway, I think those aspects of it make it quite well suited to you. Our Clans, to put it mildly, may not always agree, but no one can say there is not a great deal to admire about yours. This may be a small and temporary reflection of those things, but it is an attempt nonetheless, and should go to you."

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo is...startled, but hiding it well. Maybe there is something to this courtesy thing after all...A compliment from a Crane?
Where am I? Have I gone to the trickster realm? ""I....I accept. Thank you for this lovely gift Doji-san. I shall treasure it." She holds her hands out, to take the delicate item.

[Doji Ameka]

She hands over the tiny lion to her. It smells a little bit citrusy. She expression is a smile. "My art is designed to appeal to all senses except sound. The best way to do so is to experience them," she explains cheerfully. It was one of the best reactions she'd had to her work, so far, and that made her happy. "There will never be one quite like this one, since that's the nature of such things, but I'm sure another could find it's way to you if you like it."

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo looks at the tiny Doji, smelling the gift and its scent. Is it poisoned? Is that why she is giving it to me? Do the Crane do that? I should have Suteichi look at this first. Maybe he could tell. "It has a lovely scent. And it is unique? How do you make these things?" And are they full of poison?

[Doji Ameka]

"It is... Well... I can get into the technical details if you really want," she shrugs. "Basically, you heat the sugar until it melts for a certain amount of time, and you add whatever flavoring you like. These are kinkan, and I have some bunny ones that are sort of cherry blossom flavored. Once it's done, you let it get just cool enough that you can work with it, and you have about five minutes from then to sculpt it into whatever shape you like."

[Matsu Kogo]

Kogo looks fascinated, if slightly confused. "Ohh Bunnies. I am sure Usagi Tomoe-san and Usagi Tsukimi-san would enjoy those. Have you met them?"