(D9 EM) How Did a Week Go By So Fast?

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Ermm..." Tomonaga winced. "I had a very well behaved horse. I'm sorry, Shinjo-san. I think I got excited, forgot what I was told. I'll try to do better." He still looked a little shame-faced.

"I think so." Tomonaga said, his tone uncertain. "You squeeze just a bit with your legs, right? Lower down?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Hikazume is a well-behaved horse too," she put gently. She was unsure why he was so easy to unsettle. And like a good Unicorn, she opted to take the blunt approach. "Do I put you at unease, Yasuki-sama?" She tried to keep her tone as friendly as possible even if her words for not. "Hai. You squeeze your calves."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Of course, sorry." Whoops, there he went, apologizing again.

"I..." Tomonaga hesitated for a few moments. Finally, he gave her a crooked smile. "No, it's not that, Shinjo-san. Or at least, I don't think so. I was just... embarrassed by my mistake." He raised his eyebrows at her. "I don't usually embarrass easily. Maybe... maybe I am not quite as at ease as I should be with you. I'll work on that, I promise."

Tomonaga, following the instructions, gently squeezed with his calves.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

The horse let out a loud snort due to the tension. Still, as commanded, Hikazume began to walk. "Hai. Let me know if there is something I can do to alleviate your stress, Yasuki-sama," she said, her confusion seeping into her words. The Shinjo walked alongside them, her eyes on the man's form to check if he could somehow fall off like the other men.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Mmm." Tomonaga said thoughtfully. After a moment, he smiled at Yue. "I think... you're a very interesting person Shinjo-san. I'm usually pretty good at getting a read on people, but I have a harder time with you. I think that's throwing me off. I think I'll just have to accept that you're mysterious."

He didn't ride with the grace of a bushi, but it seemed evident that he'd done this before, at least.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue blinked. "I am mysterious, Yasuki-sama? I thought I was open with my thoughts." She cupped her chin. "I was told that my eyes were easy to read. Gomennasai. I did not mean to by misleading to you."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"No, you are." Tomonaga said, waving a hand in dismissal. "And you're not misleading me. I don't mean... hmmm." He said, frowning.

He looked at her. "Shinjo-san... I don't suppose your sister has mentioned that the two of us sometimes drink together?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Hai. I have heard of such, Yasuki-san. Why do you ask?" By now, Hikazume had gotten used to her and walked along without any more snorting. "Are you saying that I am unfamiliar to you while you know my sister well?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Well, that is true." Tomonaga said agreeably. "But actually, I was thinking more that it might be the why of why the two of us are unfamiliar. There's something about two people sharing a bottle of sake that erases all the differences between them." His lips twist. "Maybe that's how I keep ending up telling your sister embarrassing stories about me."

He shook his head, smiling. "Anyway, it's definitely something we should do, sometime. I know I offered, but let's make it a certainty, eh?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue let out a small laugh. "I hope she did not say anything about me!" She scratched the back of her head. "I thought it would be a reward for helping you with horseback riding. I would be honored to share sake with you, Yasuki-sama."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Well, it can be that, too." Tomonaga said cheerfully. "Either one's a good reason to have some sake."

He grinned down at her. "Actually, you did come up a few times." He let that hang for a few moments before continuing. "Mostly, just enough to make it clear that the two of you are very close. And that she really cares about you a lot." He sighed, his expression turning a little pensive.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Sake has started to grow on me. However, I still prefer kumis." Yue let out a small laugh when she heard that Fei had indeed mentioned her. It did not surprise her at all. What did was the man's change of mood. "What is bothering you, Yasuki-sama?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Mmm, sorry." Tomonaga said. He shook his head. "I'm usually a better student than this, really." He sighed. "I'm just not all that close to my own siblings. What you and your sister have is pretty special, I think."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Sou desu ka. That is a shame, Yasuki-sama." Yue scratched the back of her head. "However, you are doing well. You have not fallen off Hikazume despite your dangerous maneuver. I have seen others fall off on their own accord."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Hey, thanks, Shinjo-san." Tomonaga said cheerfully. "I've always been at my best when I'm bold, I think. Although, I guess that leaping dangerously onto a horse isn't really a useful sort of boldness. I'll try to save it for more important things." His smile turned briefly into a grin.

"Still prefer kumis, huh? Tomonaga shook his head. "Well, I hope that's only because you haven't tried my sake. Still... that could also be arranged. I'm actually hoping to try brewing some myself."