On most other evenings, the docks would be dark and foreboding. But tonight, with the moon bright and full in the sky, it was actually fairly easy to see. Certainly not as bright as day, but enough to avoid missteps. Physical ones, anyway. The gentle light also helped to soften the scene, giving the otherwise rough area a bit of a pleasant shine.

Hirame walked confidently, the moonlight reflecting on the lines of his sharkskin jacket. For the first time, he'd hesitated at putting it on tonight. But what else did he have to wear? His casual sailor's garb would be at least as offensive, but much less appealing to the eye. He gave it another cleaning, anyway, brushing carefully so as not to damage the shine of the material.

As they walked, Hirame glanced at his companion. His betrothed. Yikes. "Almost there," He said, his teeth flashing briefly in the moonlight. "Nice night, eh? Not too cold. A bit windy... too much for my boat, unfortunately." He sighed. Alas for that wind! But these were unfamiliar waters, and it wouldn't do to sink another engaged couple.

With the strong winds of the day, Ahiru had found herself forced to tie back her hair in braid to avoid it whipping about everywhere in the wind. At least the layers of silk kept her warm against the cold of the aggressive air.

"Your boat? So you have a vessel too, like the Winter Wind?" she asked, casting a brief glance over her shoulder in the direction of which the Mantis-ship was docked.

Hirame had said he wanted to show her something, and remembering that he claimed to find something to surprise her, she had to indulge him of course. Men were like that, she had been told - they needed to be praised for the little things.

Hirame laughed cheerfully. "No no, nothing like that. It's a little thing. Four people max, but easier with just one or two. It's like the Winter Wind in the same way... uh..." Hirame frowned briefly, "-a tent is like an estate, or something."

Except for the wind and their footsteps, the night was quiet. And, as they drew closer, the sound of the river could be heard. Hirame seemed to be leading them actually out on to one of the docks; a mostly empty one, most of the moorings lacking ships. "The Winter Wind is a fine vessel, though. One of the best in the fleet?" Biting his lip, Hirame shot Ahiru a glance. "Would you like a proper look at it sometime? I mean, one where you're not expected to do any sort of test or anything. I bet the captain would arrange it if I asked." The question of fitting in, in either direction, was very much on Hirame's mind of late.

"Hmmm..." there was a pensiveness to her eyebrows in the way they drew together as she considered it. "I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea, just in case... to see what it's like."

Maybe he'd have his own ship like the Winter Wind once he was an adult. He came from a prestigious lineage too, right? "So once you're an adult, you'll have your own ship then?"

Hirame waited tensely as she considered. "Alright." He said, smiling. "I'll see about arranging it."

He shook his head. "Not yet. Being a captain is like being an officer in the army, except there's fewer ships than there are soldiers, even ten to one." He took a deep breath, taking in the cold air. "But my captain's promised me a position on a command track. As long as I keep to it, I'll be a captain someday." He spoke with firm confidence, the only doubt being if he would remain a Mantis.

The dock went on. It was just a little longer than the rest. Out at the end, the river was deepest, making the surface appear almost placid. The reflection of the moon was clearly visible; flickering, but visible. "This is the most still part of the river I could find." Hirame explained, casting Ahiru a playful smile. "And since it was a full moon, well, I thought you might like to see it."

It was no easy feat to find a part of the river that was calm enough to let the moonlight reflect more fully, she had to acknowledge. "I'm impressed," she said, smiling gently as she looked at the view, "it's beautiful. No doubt, it must've taken you some time to find this spot."

Tucking her hands into her sleeves to keep warm, she stood in silence for a few moments to enjoy the scenery that he had shown her. "... So what do you think of today's test? I could say it was a preview of sorts, of life among the Crane."

"It did." Hirame said, lips curling up a little further. "I'm glad you like it." With an easy grace, he sat down at the edge of the dock, scooting over to give respectful space for Ahiru and her many layers.

But then he frowned. "It was alright, I guess. I gave it my best, anyway." Still frowning, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't really know what I was doing, though. And I could tell that they knew I didn't know what I was doing."

She did appriciate that he was concerned with showing proper decorum for her, and she did smile at him as she sat down next to him, keeping the appropriate space between them of course. They were supposed to marry, but propriety was not something to be ignored in public.

"Well no one is good on their first try. I wasn't much better on the Test of Waves either, so I suppose we've both seen how things can be on the other side, hm?" despite the topic being a bit serious for them both, she tried to keep the mood light. "I'd be happy to teach you more about art and tea ceremony if you like... what sort of art did you try your hand at today? You strike me as the type that might find poetry more to your liking than say ikebana, bonsai, or origami."

Hirame chuckled at that, honest good humor. "You know, one of your fellows, a Kakita Yuji, asked me to provide him with two poems. I told him that I'd never tried poetry, so I hope he's okay with getting some really rough stuff."

He looked over at her. "Perhaps I'd like that. I understand that a good samurai must have many skills. So I'll master that, too."

His gentle smile turned rueful. "As for what I tried..." Reaching into the sash he wore around his waist, similar but not exactly an obi, he drew out... something of a doll. It was a thick paintbrush with frayed bristles, perhaps resembling a man's hair if that man had been struck by lightning. Some waxy paper was wrapped around it like clothing, and a face, eyes staring in different directions was drawn on with charcoal.

"We were supposed to create ourselves. I tried being creative. I think the judge saw it differently." Hirame said, still smiling ruefully.

"He does seem to be pestering everyone about it, forgetting that true art is not made when someone prompts you to, but rather because you have a drive to create it." Ahiru huffed a little, still not happy with him badgering her about it on the feast before the tournament. That he was subjecting others to it she felt was a bit unseemly behaviour for a Crane, but ultimately harmless. As there weren't any Matsu here to take offense at some random Kakita.

As Hirame reached into the sash, she leaned forward a little, curious as to what he had made. Maybe origami? An origami-flounder sounded really cute act---- oh no.

No no no.

What was that?

"... You do realise they didn't mean it literally, right?" Ahiru said, staring dumbfoundedly at the paintbrush-Hirame. Then at Hirame himself. "Right?"

Hirame flushed. "I thought it might work. Perhaps putting the pieces together in a creative way..." He waved a hand... actually, he waved the hand holding paintbrush-Hirame (Pirame?), making the bristles and paper jacket flutter in the breeze. Grimacing, he tucked it back into his sash. "I considered keeping it as a reminder of, of something, but I think there's no need for that." His lips quirked into something of a smile. "I certainly don't need its little eyes looking at me while I sleep, or something."

He chewed his lip a moment, then spread his hands. "Mantis tend to be literal. On a ship, everything needs to be clear, direct. A misunderstanding can sink a ship." He shrugged. "Perhaps if I had more experience as an artist, something else might have occurred to me. I'm not sure." He paused a moment. "May I see what you made?"

"Sure, literal is fine in the field of battle and in taxes, but not when it comes to art. To expression of emotions," Ahiru explained, still a bit stunned at this Pirame-production. It looked like something she might have made as a child out of boredom, because the dolls she had weren't fun anymore. And even then they looked better than... that.

At his question, she shook her head gently. "Not here. It should be back at the Red Lotus, but I can't walk around with a flower arrangement like you can with a paintbrush." She calmed down a little bit, thinking of actual art. "I made a flower arrangement... red camellia and chrysanthemum together, framed by a nest of grass. Chrysanthemum has many meaning apart from being the Imperial symbol, but in the language of flowers it can mean 'endurance', which emphasized the meaning of the camellia; persisting with grace. Ikebana is an artform that is not only about being pleasing to the eye, but to also convey emotions or sentiments by the choice of flowers."

While she spoke, she began to blush a little. "I felt it was a fitting symbol for myself in this tournament; persisting with grace. I am well aware that not everyone can win, but... I persist, and I will persist through it all with grace."

Hirame's slightly stung expression brightened a little with amusement. "Battle and taxes?" He echoed, daring a smile again. After a moment he sighed. "It's not something I know much about. But," he took a breath, "-if you would show me sometime, I think I might enjoy learning."

His expression softened further as Ahirudescribed her creation. "That sounds beautiful. And I think it fits you very well." He was silent a moment, his eyes lingering on her features. The moonlight and water lent everything an ethereal quality. He took a breath, then smiled. "Well, I'd like to see it sometime. After all, you've seen mine... the last person to see it before I toss it in a fire." From his tone, it was clear that he was joking... but he also was going to throw it into a fire.

"So..." He said. "If you were me, what would you make?" He looked at Ahiru, his eyebrows going up, playful smile returning.

"We can go by the Red Lotus later after we're done here, and see my creation along with all the others on display too?" she suggested. It would be a nice way to round off the evening before they went to their separate lodgings.

"As for you, hmmm..." she eyed him with a thoughtful smile. "When you first said that you hade made something to represent yourself, I thought maybe an origami-flounder. I think that would've been cute. And would've been a bit more literall too actually." Ahiru giggled a bit at the little joke of making a piece of art of Hirame even more literal. "That reminds me... have you given any thought to what name you want to take, at the end of the tournament?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Hirame said, smiling. Something to make the evening a little longer sounded rather nice, actually. "Maybe if there's any paper left over, I can try my hand at an origami flounder. What can I say? I don't mind being a little literal if it means also being cute." The grin he flashed her had that flirty edge again; something about that giggle brought it out of him.

His expression turned serious at her question. "I've thought about it, yeah. I'm not totally sure yet. I've at least scratched out all the stupid options. Just a few left. As challenging as these tests are, I almost feel choosing a name is the hardest." He took a breath. "What about you?"

"Well, flounders are flat, so it shouldn't be too difficult," she grinned a little bit too. Not that she had ever tried to make an origami-flounder, but it couldn't be harder than the basic frogs she learned to make as a child.

His response made her curious about what the stupid options had been. "Hmm, I feel much the same - that choosing the right name is the hardest challenge. Once chosen, you can't go back on it, so... I've been thinking a lot about it. I have a few ideas, depending on how things turn out, I think. But it's a secret!" Ahiru smiled, pressing a finger to her lips to emphasize that it was indeed a secret. "But I'm curious about what names you thought were stupid options?"

"Of course it's secret." Hirame grinned at her. "You've made me very curious, but I can restrain myself." There'd been some tension in his features, and in his shoulders, but he relaxed as they spoke casually. It was... quite nice, actually.

"Well..." Hirame made a face. "Okay, but don't laugh. So, I'm named for a flounder, right? I think my parents thought it would be cute. So I thought, well, I'm all grown up. So maybe I should get a matching name. Like Mako!" He briefly leaned towards her, spreading his arms in his best shark mouth opening impression.

He sat back, shaking his head. "But I'm not sure I could take myself seriously. I don't think a seventeen-year-old's idea of what's cool makes for a good name. Do you ever see Kakita naming themselves blade or razor, or something like that?"

Ahiru covered her mouth as she laughed. At both the shark-mouth impression along with the idea of a Kakita walking around calling themselves Razor or Blade.

"It's a good thing you're mature enough to know that's a bad idea," she said grinning as she reached up to the corner of her eyes to dab at them. "I've never met a Kakita or anyone else calling themselves Blade or Razor, but... well, not impossible I suppose. How many Mantis call themselves something like Storm or Hurricane, hm? At least those sounds like names that would be popular among your people. Or how many take names that might be similar to Yoritomo...?"

Hirame grinned sheepishly for a few moments, but it quickly became open and honest laughter along with Ahiru. As he laughed, he leaned on his hand, bringing himself closer to Ahiru, an unconscious gesture.

As laughter turned to softer chuckles, he brushed a hand across his face. "You have no idea. I think if you yelled out 'hey, mumbleTomo' in the market square in Gotei city, you'd get a dozen men answering. Maybe two dozen; it's more popular every year."

His expression turned serious as he looked directly at Ahiru. "But I'm not going to do anything like that, either. I want people to know my name because it's my name. Not because it sounds like someone else's. You know what I mean?"

Ahiru pursed her lips for a moment in thought, then blushed a little as she became aware of them sitting closer together.

"Hmmm... you want to earn fame and glory to your name because it is yours, and not someone else's? I can understand that." Shifting a little, she looked first ahead at the water, then over her shoulder at him. "... But do you think you will accomplish that among the Mantis? Sure, Lord Yoritomo is very famous and all, but... he is a rarity in the course of history for the Mantis."