Inventory Check (Day 2, EE, Expecting)

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue smiled the whole time. "I spent most of my time in physical pursuits,' she admitted, "I read to learn new languages, mostly, Taira-dono."

She took her filled cup and raised it to him. "Kampai!" she repeated. Best hope he doesn't want to drink too much. Can't be going to sis' big meeting with that man while I'm drunk.

[Soshi Taira]

Taira took a sip, and then watched her reaction, a smile playing about his lips.

Many people did not take to sake on their first try, but after kumis, perhaps it would be an interesting change.

"I have never heard another language... are they very different?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"I dunno, are they?" she teased. She blinked, wondering if he had perhaps lied. Too late now. Her smile returned as she took a big sip from the sake cup and nearly spit it out. Why did I expect it to be like kumis? Still, she managed to swallow it and held the cup at her side. "Can you tell the difference with this language?" she asked in Yobanjin as she licked at her teeth. The taste of the sake was still stuck in her mouth.

[Soshi Taira]

He chuckled.

"I assume that you are telling me off for the unexpected strength of it. It does grow on you, you know."

Pouring out another shallow cup for himself, he added, "Either foreign tongues are even more complex than I feared, for that was not just one dialect."

Taking another sip, he concluded. "You sell yourself short; it takes either a strong will or a sharp wit to learn so much... both reading and writing... I'm impressed."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue blushed and shook her head. "Iie, Taira-dono. I was," she trailed off, trying to find the proper phrase in Rokugani. She reached to the back of her head to scratch with the sake cup still in hand. The little bit of sake left in her cup spilled out onto her back. She let out a small curse in Mekhem and dropped her cup onto the ground. "Gomennasai," she said, utterly exasperated.

"Hai. Mekhem and Yobanjin, Taira-dono. They are not the same language." She scooped the cup back up and kept her eyes down. "I say strong will, Taira-dono. It took me a long time to become fluent." She gave a nervous smile. "Rokugani is my weakest language."

[Soshi Taira]

Taira couldn't hide a little smile at her exasperation. It was sort of cute.

"You speak it well, if it is."

He set the bottle down, where it could be reached if she'd like a refill.

"Where do they come from, meku-him and yoban-jinu?" He tried his best, though the foreign names fell clumsily from his lips. It was a little embarrassing to have something on which he was not just short of fluent, but totally illiterate. It was an interesting feeling, being ignorant...

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"You are too kind, Taira-dono," she said in regards to her Rokugani. She eyed the bottle and then looked to him. Dealing with steadying the cup and pouring the bottle was more of a hassle than she wanted to deal with. And so, Yue saw no reason in being indirect about her request. "Could you pour me another cup, please?" The woman held out her cup with her one good arm with a smile on her face.

"Mekhem and Yobanjin," she repeated gently. "Mekhem is the tongue used in the Burning Sands. Yobanjin is used by tribes in the north."

[Soshi Taira]

Taira nodded, and lifted the bottle, pouring a cup of clear liquid into the cup. It was admirable that she knew full well what was and wasn't reasonable to attempt.

"Well, we seem to be conversing just fine."

Setting the stone bottle down with an audible thump, he added, "So what sort of people live outside the borders? Those to the north are rough and fierce I hear... You said the burning sands... are they truly burning? Or is it poetic?"

His knowledge of outside the empire was sadly quite meagre.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Hai," she confirmed in regards to their conversation. No use in putting myself down, huh? Dammit sis, sometimes you are right.

She took a much smaller sip from the sake this time. However, she pretended that it was for much longer as she gathered her thoughts. Do I need to start from the very beginning? Despite her concern, she maintained a smile. "The people to the north live in tribes. Oh, and the Burning Sands are not on fire, Taira-dono. However, they are very hot. There are many different cultures that come through those lands. I do not know where to begin."

[Soshi Taira]

Taira contemplated that, and then offered, "Which have you known personally? Or perhaps where did you think was most interesting? Or just what was a strange or amusing thing you found? Do they drink kumis there, or something else still?"

He sipped the sake while he waited for her reply, wondering what they drank in the very hot sands.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Liu Yue sipped her sake too as she gathered her thoughts on the matter. She had not expected Taira to care about them. After all, another man of his Clan had thought that other cultures were worthless. "There is a giant city. It is called Medinaat al-Salaam. It is the," she trailed off, trying to find the Rokugani hub for it. "Many cultures meet at that city. It is called the Jewel of the Desert. It is ruled by the Caliphate. There were the Yodotai, the Senpet."

She paused and then bowed her head again. "Gomennasai. I am not a scholar, Taira-dono. The Ride did not allow for time to explore."

[Soshi Taira]

He nodded. "That's fair... what was the ride like... did you really rush here directly? How long did it take?"

It was fascinating. It would explain so much about these strangers who were family and not.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"The journey took five years, Taira-dono. We rode as far as we could in the day. We traced our way back during the night." She said all of this with a smile still on her lips. She lifted her cup to her lips and watched the man, anticipating him to be amazed by her Clan's perseverance.

[Soshi Taira]

It was impressive.

It merited a nod.

"It must have been a long way... I suppose this world must be bigger than I ever suspected."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"There is always more to see." She finished the rest of her cup of sake. "However, it is good to be home, Taira-dono."