Day 4 [LA] Ride Out With Me (Expecting)

[Suzume Rin]

"Who's a good horse? Who's the best horse?"
Ikki whinnies and tosses his mane, he was, obviously.
"Yes exactly! You did a great job today, yes you did."

Rin was sitting astride her pony and spoiling him shamelessly on the outskirts of the town as she waited for Mitsuko to rendezvous. The Sparrow had even prepared a small box of snacks since she'd found out the inn would just give you food anytime you asked. This was true luxury.

[Kuni Mitsuko]

The skinny Crab girl looked quite a sight as she trotted up on a pretty pudgy pony. But both horse and rider seemed in decent spirits, a satchel vaguely like those carried by shugenja bouncing on Mitsuko's hip as they ride up.

"Good afternoon, Rin-san," the Kuni girl says with a grin. "I think I'm really getting the hang of this," she says proudly, though the horse snorts and tosses his head to suggest disagreement.

[Suzume Rin]

The skinny Crab girl looked quite a sight as she trotted up on a pretty pudgy pony. But both horse and rider seemed in decent spirits, a satchel vaguely like those carried by shugenja bouncing on Mitsuko's hip as they ride up.

"Good afternoon, Rin-san," the Kuni girl says with a grin. "I think I'm really getting the hang of this," she says proudly, though the horse snorts and tosses his head to suggest disagreement.

"Kuni-sama!"
Rin bows from the saddle
"You look well. And your pony, oh he's just adorable, he seems a real character."
Ikki looks over and neighs at the newcomer.

Rin gestures back into the countryside
"I thought we could do a little exploring if you were interested? And this way you're working on your riding and scouting skills too, right?"
The Sparrow clearly thinks she's cottoned onto a great idea.

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Kuni-sama!"
Rin bows from the saddle
"You look well. And your pony, oh he's just adorable, he seems a real character."
Ikki looks over and neighs at the newcomer.

Rin gestures back into the countryside
"I thought we could do a little exploring if you were interested? And this way you're working on your riding and scouting skills too, right?"
The Sparrow clearly thinks she's cottoned onto a great idea.

Mitsuko nods at Rin, not yet risking trying to bow from the saddle, and grins widely. She's just so adorable.

"Hai, Rin-san," the Crab says warmly. "Mochi-san here seems a pretty agreeable horse, so long as I have these," she says, posting her satchel with a smile.

[Suzume Rin]

Mitsuko nods at Rin, not yet risking trying to bow from the saddle, and grins widely. She's just so adorable.

"Hai, Rin-san," the Crab says warmly. "Mochi-san here seems a pretty agreeable horse, so long as I have these," she says, posting her satchel with a smile.

Peering over at the satchel
"Oh...are they special horse scrolls? I've never even heard of those!"
No wonder she was so confident in the saddle!

Turning back to Ikki
"Maybe you should be more like Mochi-san?"
Ikki's reply is short and very negative
"Oh, Ikki-san says he's one of a kind, also some other colourful language that don't bear repeating."

Turning to point
"Was thinking we could follow the road, cut down through where the trees are pretty light then ride up the stream through the forest for a bit, then back to the fields and onto the road home? Oh, and I've got snacks if you need 'em. Always gotta pack food and water for a journey."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Peering over at the satchel
"Oh...are they special horse scrolls? I've never even heard of those!"
No wonder she was so confident in the saddle!

Mitsuko giggles. "Oh, no, uh... The satchel is full of treats. Mochi-san got his name more from being food-motivated than from being sweet." She pats the chubby horse's neck affectionately. "I still think that you're sweet, but I don't want you getting too big for your saddle, you know?"

Mochi huffs but remains otherwise content, his good behavior apparently secured for the time being.

Turning back to Ikki
"Maybe you should be more like Mochi-san?"
Ikki's reply is short and very negative
"Oh, Ikki-san says he's one of a kind, also some other colourful language that don't bear repeating."

Turning to point
"Was thinking we could follow the road, cut down through where the trees are pretty light then ride up the stream through the forest for a bit, then back to the fields and onto the road home? Oh, and I've got snacks if you need 'em. Always gotta pack food and water for a journey."

Mitsuko beams at Rin, nudging Mochi up closer alongside Ikki.

"I'm, ah... Still rather new to this, Rin-san. But if you've got a plan in mind I'm very happy to follow. It um... It'll be quite educational for me to follow," she says, happy but nervous.

[Suzume Rin]

Snip

"Sweets! That makes sense. I reckon Mochi-san and I have a bit in common then. How can you think bad of someone who gives you mochi?"
Rin nods at the smart horse.

"We won't ride too fast then Kuni-sama, that way we can still talk while we go. And it's probably easier to pay attention to everything if we're not galloping around."

She nudges Ikki into a canter as they head off, clearly happy to set a comfortable pace.
"Don't think I got to congratulate you on how yah did on the test of the Waves. Hirame-sama I knew was gonna do well because he lives on a boat...I think. And that other Mantis girl I bet is the same. But you must have put a lot of work in to be able to match'em. I was darn nearly useless. Apparently you get this special kind of legs after you've been at sea for a while, but it didn't seem to happen to me."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Sweets! That makes sense. I reckon Mochi-san and I have a bit in common then. How can you think bad of someone who gives you mochi?"
Rin nods at the smart horse.

Mitsuko grins, making a mental note to see about getting a gift for the Suzume.

...
"Don't think I got to congratulate you on how yah did on the test of the Waves. Hirame-sama I knew was gonna do well because he lives on a boat...I think. And that other Mantis girl I bet is the same. But you must have put a lot of work in to be able to match'em. I was darn nearly useless. Apparently you get this special kind of legs after you've been at sea for a while, but it didn't seem to happen to me."

Mitsuko nods as they ride along. "Rin-san, I don't think we were at sea long enough to get Mantis legs. I just..." She looks away sheepishly. "I just got a little, um, inspiration from Kasumi-san early in the morning." The Crab can feel the tips of her ears redden, but she tries to seem serene.

[Suzume Rin]

Mitsuko nods as they ride along. "Rin-san, I don't think we were at sea long enough to get Mantis legs. I just..." She looks away sheepishly. "I just got a little, um, inspiration from Kasumi-san early in the morning." The Crab can feel the tips of her ears redden, but she tries to seem serene.

"Oh that was real smart of you! You went and talked to an expert before hand and she gave you some advice? I tried to do the same with Hirame-sama but nearly got eaten by a tuna."
The pair pass some farmers walking into town who Rin waves and smiles at, the clearly surprised heimin nod respectfully

"I bet she was nice, Hirame-sama is really nice. Then again, I probably can't go around judging whole clans just by the nice folks I meet from them."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Oh that was real smart of you! You went and talked to an expert before hand and she gave you some advice? I tried to do the same with Hirame-sama but nearly got eaten by a tuna."

"Yes, um... Talked to her. For... Educational purposes," the Crab deflects, then realizes, "Wait, how'd you almost get eaten by a tuna?"

The pair pass some farmers walking into town who Rin waves and smiles at, the clearly surprised heimin nod respectfully

"I bet she was nice, Hirame-sama is really nice. Then again, I probably can't go around judging whole clans just by the nice folks I meet from them."

Mitsuko smiles at Rin's compassion, as she always does. After the next comment she muses, "Clans might be sending their nicest people here, for strategic reasons. There are a lot of nice young samurai, for sure. I mean, I'm not like that ," she says, only slightly joking.

[Suzume Rin]

"Oh that was real smart of you! You went and talked to an expert before hand and she gave you some advice? I tried to do the same with Hirame-sama but nearly got eaten by a tuna."

"Yes, um... Talked to her. For... Educational purposes," the Crab deflects, then realizes, "Wait, how'd you almost get eaten by a tuna?"

The pair pass some farmers walking into town who Rin waves and smiles at, the clearly surprised heimin nod respectfully

"I bet she was nice, Hirame-sama is really nice. Then again, I probably can't go around judging whole clans just by the nice folks I meet from them."

Mitsuko smiles at Rin's compassion, as she always does. After the next comment she muses, "Clans might be sending their nicest people here, for strategic reasons. There are a lot of nice young samurai, for sure. I mean, I'm not like that ," she says, only slightly joking.

"Oh I was doing some fishing off the back of the boat with Hirame-sama and he warned me if a big shadow came for the lure I should let go. But I only got the one rod and can be a bit stubborn about losing it, so when this big fish took a liking to it I held on! Probably would have gone straight over if he hadn't grabbed me! As it was ended up flat against the railing for half a minute until the tuna got tired of us and just gave one last yank and 'snap!' off goes the line."
Looking slightly wistful
"That was good fun, gonna make for a good story when I work out what the moral is. Still not sure if I should have let go or not." Turning to the Crab "What do you think?"

As for Mitsuki's musings
"Well, far be it for me to correct you Kuni-sama. But I'll say I think you're real nice. Sure you take your responsibilities seriously as a samurai should, and I bet if someone crosses you they get an earful, but that doesn't mean you ain't full of compassion. Just some folks they keep that sort of thing to themselves or only share it with a few people. I've got an aunt like that. Oh she looks scary and if you cause trouble she won't let you hear the end of it. But if someone actually needs help she's always the first in line to take care of them."

Hurriedly
"Not that you look like my aunt or anything."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Snip

Mitsuko takes Rin's words to heart, then laughs about her aunt comment. "Well, is looking like your aunt a bad thing?" She jokes lightly.

As they ride on she considers seriously the moral of Rin's story. Finally, Mitsuko says, "A stubborn Sparrow honors her family with dedication to the fishing pole. But in the end the pole is lost, and nearly the Sparrow too, to a monstrous fish. Thank the kami a Mantis was there to save the Sparrow." Then she starts to trail off, her voice grumbling: "And the Crab wishes she'd been there to do the saving..."

[Suzume Rin]

Mitsuko takes Rin's words to heart, then laughs about her aunt comment. "Well, is looking like your aunt a bad thing?" She jokes lightly.

As they ride on she considers seriously the moral of Rin's story. Finally, Mitsuko says, "A stubborn Sparrow honors her family with dedication to the fishing pole. But in the end the pole is lost, and nearly the Sparrow too, to a monstrous fish. Thank the kami a Mantis was there to save the Sparrow." Then she starts to trail off, her voice grumbling: "And the Crab wishes she'd been there to do the saving..."

"Oh well I think she's aged gracefully. But ma told me you never tell a young person they look old unless they're tryin' to be distinguished. So I think you look wonderful, but also tough like a samurai of your family."
Rin was sure her mom would be proud of her.

"Oh if you'd been there Kuni-sama I think that fish would have had second thoughts. That or we'd still be eating him! You'd have wrapped your arms around me and tugged the fish out of the water...or at least given it a fright!"
Rin chuckles at the image of the tuna meeting its match.

The two turn off the road onto a dirt trail which takes them into the forest. It's not particularly dense but the smell of fresh earth is more apparent as is the feeling of peacefulness.

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Nice things

Mitsuko blushes furiously when Rin says she looks wonderful, and she grins widely that she might have helped more than Hirame with the great tuna. Perhaps it all goes unnoticed, even though the blush is red out to her ears, and makeup can't hide a grin so wide if Rin looks even for a moment.

After a time, the peace of the wooded trail having had its effect, Mitsuko feels bold enough to speak, quietly but loud enough for Rin to hear.

"I, um... I really appreciate your high opinion of me. I don't... People don't usually say nice things about how I look, for example."

[Suzume Rin]

Snip

"They don't?"
Slight brow furrow
"Well some folk just go no sense of these things I suppose. You got a great smile, you're in good shape and you make sure you're presentable before you head out. What more do folks want? I swear half the boys back home wanted some log legged big chested woman to swoop in on them."
Rin tisks.

"Saying a someone in their teens doesn't look good...my ma would not tolerate that sort of thing, not if they weren't going around preening. One of my best friends had this zit on her forehead for a whole month and none of us mentioned it, not once! She knew 'bout it and it wasn't like pointing it out to everyone would make a different at all."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Things, including:
"You got a great smile, you're in good shape and you make sure you're presentable before you head out. What more do folks want? I swear half the boys back home wanted some log legged big chested woman to swoop in on them."
Rin tisks.

Blushing rages across Rin's face again, from ear to ear. And, truth be told, down her neck to her chest. None of it was incredibly obvious, though red on her neck did contrast rather sharply with the white face paint.

"Only half the boys, hm? What about the others? And, um," a fairly obvious nervous swallow. "What do... The girls want?"

[Suzume Rin]

Blushing rages across Rin's face again, from ear to ear. And, truth be told, down her neck to her chest. None of it was incredibly obvious, though red on her neck did contrast rather sharply with the white face paint.

"Only half the boys, hm? What about the others? And, um," a fairly obvious nervous swallow. "What do... The girls want?"

"You're looking a bit warm Kuni-sama, if you'd like I got a spare hat? Wouldn't be doing a good job as guide if you came back all red as a pepper because of me."

Rin reaches back and goes to get a hat hanging from the back of her saddle as the two enter a shallow stream and start walking up it, the horses sloshing through the cool water.

"Well the other half of the boys didn't know what they wanted. But I don't blame 'em. They're young, things are complicated. So long as folks are respectful and behaving right to one another and nobody's family is getting shame I don't think it's worth being too harsh."

Thinking about the last question.
"Huh, well some of 'em want the reverse of the boys. You know a big handsome guy with a nice chest who's all rugged and manly...but who you know washes often and listens to yah. I never really had much thinking like that though. Figured I'd just want to be matched with some I'd respect, you know? Someone I could sit down with at the end of the day and we could just talk and laugh and everything. Whether they're a big guy who can lift a log or a woman blessed by benten doesn't come into it too much. Not that I'd have anything against them being cute, but that's just a nice bonus if they are."

Smiling sheepishly a little at being so open.
"Uh, what about yourself Kuni-sama? Not that there's any pressure to be answering if you don't want to. For some folks it's a private matter and that's fine by me, lotta folks I don't even wanna know what's going on behind their eyes."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Snip

Mitsuko takes the hat when offered, embarrassed that her blushing was noticed and unable to say anything about it. Her eyes had lingered on Rin's hand as she passed the hat over, but the Crab had merely nodded and mumbled her thanks.

Again she listens thoughtfully to the Suzume, but before she can decide how to answer, realization dawns on her and she pulls Mochi to a halt. The horse is quick to take a greedy drink, but otherwise stances stoically as the Kuni says, eyes down and voice small, "You went back to calling me Kuni-sama." Mitsuko stares down at the stream from beneath the borrowed hat, not sure what she wants to say or do.

[Suzume Rin]

Mitsuko takes the hat when offered, embarrassed that her blushing was noticed and unable to say anything about it. Her eyes had lingered on Rin's hand as she passed the hat over, but the Crab had merely nodded and mumbled her thanks.

Again she listens thoughtfully to the Suzume, but before she can decide how to answer, realization dawns on her and she pulls Mochi to a halt. The horse is quick to take a greedy drink, but otherwise stances stoically as the Kuni says, eyes down and voice small, "You went back to calling me Kuni-sama." Mitsuko stares down at the stream from beneath the borrowed hat, not sure what she wants to say or do.

"Oh, I was?"
The nose pinkening begins

"I'm sorry about that! When I get a bit flustered sometimes I get more formal in case I put my sandal in my mouth. Much harder to offend someone if you're being very respectful like."

Seeing the Crab looking down and continuing on hurriedly
"I don't mind nothing by it though. It's just you had me thinking about all sortsa personal stuff. You know, you and Haru-san asked some questions I've been putting aside for years. I guess I'm just being a bit silly. Not like there's gonna be a queue of folks lining up to get matched with plain old me. But that's no excuse for me to be rude though, so I'm real sorry Mitsuko-san."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Snip

There's a dramatic pause, with Mitsuko silent for perhaps long enough that Rin becomes very concerned. Then her knees bump Mochi's flanks, and the round pony sidles up to Ikki calmly.

When she's close, the hat tips just enough for Mitsuko to look Rin in the eyes. Makeup or no, the Sparrow can see intensity in the Crab's eyes. With a wavering voice, Mitsuko says quietly, "I'm sorry. It was unfair... But... I like it when you call me Mitsuko. And... You don't look plain to me."