[D7 LM] Quite a Lot to Think About

[Iuchi Saksaha]

She laughs at the comment about 'different.' He is very right about that.

"To tell you the truth, I can't say if I feel this yet. Even though I know it. For all our lives, and our parents' lives, we knew our people had this homeland that belongs to us, but no one had seen it, and no one knew what we should expect. We have never been any place that belongs to us until now, so it is hard to know how this should feel. I am glad my family are safe, and the other Clans have been welcoming, mostly. Especially yours. But maybe it will take more time to really feel what a home is."

[Togashi Udo]

"It raises the question of what home truly is. For most, it is where they grew up. For the Unicorn, that changed too often and therefore home was with their family. For me, home was not with my family, but rather in the monastery."

Udo thinks. "Perhaps most important is not what home is, but what it shall be. When married, we will be creating a home different than what either of us had. Something new."

Suddenly, Udo realizes the way he phrased that implied THEY were getting married, and he blushes beet red.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Oh... yes. Something new, someplace new." Saksaha nods.

With ears less attuned than most Rokugani to the subtleties of grammar, it takes her a beat or three to figure out why Udo is looking so abashed. Then she also colors a bit, grinning awkwardly. "What a surprising proposal, Togashi-san!" she says, half-laughing, then suddenly feels unsure whether she ought not to have said anything at all. "Ah, no, please don't be embarrassed. I do not misunderstand you."

[Togashi Udo]

Udo grins sheepishly. "If I propose, it would be unlikely to be while I am in a tree."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Well, though why not?" she asks rather cheerfully. "To me you look very comfortable up there."

[Togashi Udo]

"It is quite nice... would you care to join me?"

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Hmm." She stands up, brushing grass off her skirts. "It is long since I have tried it. How do I begin?"

[Togashi Udo]

Udo smiles. "It all starts with a leap. The best part is the top of the tree, but we can't start there. So you pick a tree," Udo gestures to this one. "And you jump for the lowest branch." He indicates the one he is on.

"You have to start somewhere. Then, it's just a matter of always looking for the next branch. And, if you want to go up, it's best not to look down." He reaches a hand down toward her.

He is definitely talking about more than climbing trees.

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"I leap much better with a horse under me," Saksaha confesses with a wry smile, but she takes his hand all the same. Hers is small and warm.

She's really not very good at climbing trees, and the leather soles of her foreign boots won't help much either. There's going to be a certain amount of scrambling and slipping involved, but she's stubborn and determined.

[Togashi Udo]

"Then luckily there are so many horses around."

Udo grabs her hand and pulllllls while she climbs up. Once she's up on the branch, he says. "The first part is the hardest. You can see the branches are closer together now, it is an easier climb."

He realizes he hasn't let go of her hand and does so, and awkwardly turns it into a gesture over the fields. "A much better view."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"I can see farther up here," she says, and smiles with some exhilaration, though her free hand grips the nearest branch very firmly. "If I tried to nap here, I would fall out and break something. But it is a good view." She shifts her weight and turns her head to look Udo in the eyes. "What now? We keep... going up?"

[Togashi Udo]

Udo glances at her hand gripping the tree. "I am not sure you are ready to climb higher. But higher is where you can nap." He points up. "You see those branches so close together? In the crook against the trunk, you can nap there... though I couldn't recommend it if you are a fitful sleeper."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"I do not know if I am," Saksaha admits a little bemusedly. "Maybe it's better not to try this soon." Still holding on tight, she does seem to relax somewhat, swinging her legs in the air.

"Gio looks funny from up here," she remarks with a laugh, gesturing vaguely with her free hand in the direction of her horse, which is unconcernedly cropping some grass nearby. "The last time I climbed a tree I was a little girl, and this seems a very long time ago. Thank you, Togashi-san," she says with obvious sincerity.

[Togashi Udo]

"Of course. Sometimes we need to do something different to give us a new perspective."

[Iuchi Saksaha]

"Hm. I think I will have many new perspectives before this year is out, then. Or this week." She laughs, sounding not unhappy about this prospect. As she shifts around on the branch, adjusting her balance, her shoulder bumps Udo's in a friendly sort of way.

((Guess we should wrap this one up? We could either go 'oops, look at the time!' or simply fade to quiet people-watching.))