The Imperial Retinue was shocked when they say the Hantei leaving them, flanked by two Seppun Miharu. Daisetsu and Sotorii both watched as their father moved to judge the final match. The other members of the Retinue hung close to the princes, watching the final match with great interest.

Oh my.

Ahiru fanned herself as she watched with great interest. What an honor for the two finalists, to have the Emperor personally be the judge of their match.

Kasumi wasn't entirely sober.

Which was good.

It let her take things in... placidly.

What a complete crock.

Jiro moved in to the crowd after having helped the two competitors find their center during lunch. He saw Kasumi. His eyes looked for hers. He wanted to sit next to her. He tried convincing himself it was a good idea. He inhaled, then exhaled, then sat near.

You beautiful sailor. Dammit.

He sat down elsewhere. Somewhere he could steal glances. So he could torment himself.

Hirame started to sit down between the two of them, hesitated, and then sat on Kasumi's other side instead. It was none of his business.

What was his business was the duel that was about to happen. "Ay, Kasumi-san." He said, leaning over to whisper to her, holding up his fan. "Who do you think is gonna win?"

Funegao no Hirame wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:39 pm

What was his business was the duel that was about to happen. "Ay, Kasumi-san." He said, leaning over to whisper to her, holding up his fan. "Who do you think is gonna win?"

Kasumi sized up the two duelists. Then she turned and regarded Hirame vaguely, and professionally.

She, of course, had no fan.

"Dunno. Don't much care, t'be honest."

"Hmmm..." Hirame studied her a moment, then shrugged.

"Well. Ikoma-san is good. Obviously." A brief pause, the raised fan hiding any expression. "But Rin-san has a lot of guts. I don't know."

He shrugged again. "Although Rin-san is a friend of mine, too. Have you met her? I think you'd like her." He glanced over, making sure he wasn't interrupting the start of the duel.

"Spoke with Suzume-san th'one time. Got 'long well enough. An' Mitsuko-san's fond'a her, so that's a positive mark in m'books."

None of which seemed to drum up any more enthusiasm for the proceedings.

Masaru sat and watched the March with a neutral air about him. Aya was a clanmate and he had to show support for that publicly but he honestly had to admit a part of him rooted for Rin. Would be too cool of a story to be able to say he had a duel with the Topaz Champion.

He saw some faces a few familiar and a few unfamiliar. He sat where he could talk to most but was content to watch the duel.

Natsuko was not going to miss the final match. Perhaps particularly because the Emperor's shift in protocol set her nerves jangling. No particular premonitions yet but she couldn't help a bit of worry.

She settled beside Jiro, offering a nod to those she knew if she passed near along the way. Quietly she says, "Rin has to be so nervous." Hard enough to be judged by the head of the Academy, but the Emperor?

The familiar presence and voice pulls his attention from the match and his glances toward Kasumi.

"No less than her opponent I imagine. Nothing in life has truly prepared either for this unique experience I think." His tone is almost questioning, like he isn't sure that what he said was true, but he strongly suspected it.

"She has done incredibly well."

Seto was there, observing. He'd been there for all of the duels to be honest, just proving very good at not drawing any notice to himself. The Emperor moving to judge the final himself was enough for the Cat to be surprised enough to forget himself.

Mitsuko slipped into the stands slightly late, having tried to settle her nerves before appearing. If she succeeded, seeing the two Mantis sitting near the two Phoenix... The knot already in her stomach twisted extra.

But the dutiful Crab pushed all that aside, opting to sit as close to the duel itself as the seating arrangement allowed. She was here for Rin and everything else was secondary. She liked the Lion well enough and wouldn't feel bad if she won, but no one could compete with Rin in the Kuni's eyes.

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 10, 2021 11:20 pm

"Spoke with Suzume-san th'one time. Got 'long well enough. An' Mitsuko-san's fond'a her, so that's a positive mark in m'books."

None of which seemed to drum up any more enthusiasm for the proceedings.

Hirame studied her for a few more moment.

"Know where you're headed next?" He changed the subject.

Funegao no Hirame wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 11, 2021 4:29 pm

Hirame studied her for a few more moment.

"Know where you're headed next?" He changed the subject.

"Nope."

Which seemed to be all she had to say on the subject.

She didn't steal any glances at Jiro, she didn't seem to be even remotely interested by a duel the Emperor himself was going to officiate, she generally didn't seem to be there.

She did smell faintly of sake.

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 11, 2021 4:50 pm

"Nope."

Which seemed to be all she had to say on the subject.

She didn't steal any glances at Jiro, she didn't seem to be even remotely interested by a duel the Emperor himself was going to officiate, she generally didn't seem to be there.

She did smell faintly of sake.

Another moment, and Hirame chuckled, shaking his head. "Shoreleave after a long tour, eh?" He shrugged. "Won't be the first time I've needed to carry someone back, if it comes to that."

He glanced back at the duel. "Wager on the outcome?"

Shiba Jiro wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:26 am

The familiar presence and voice pulls his attention from the match and his glances toward Kasumi.

"No less than her opponent I imagine. Nothing in life has truly prepared either for this unique experience I think." His tone is almost questioning, like he isn't sure that what he said was true, but he strongly suspected it.

"She has done incredibly well."

"They both have." She leans in as the pair square off, her blue eyes finding a spot between and losing focus to watch them both.

Funegao no Hirame wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 11, 2021 9:56 pm

Another moment, and Hirame chuckled, shaking his head. "Shoreleave after a long tour, eh?" He shrugged. "Won't be the first time I've needed to carry someone back, if it comes to that."

He glanced back at the duel. "Wager on the outcome?"

"What's the bet?"

Hirame shrugged. "Bottle of your best versus a bottle of my best that Rin-san wins."