[Day 5, Late Evening] Three Amigas (Expecting)

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

The Crab is glowing to think of time with Rin, but she's not missing the look on Kasumi's face, or her body language.

"Kasumi-san... Would it help you to, um, do the opposite, then? Because... Getting attached to something that's running out," she points to the sake bottle, making use of a really unsubtle metaphor, "is, um... Self defeating?"

"Nothin' human lasts, Mitsuko-san. Doesn't mean it can't be appreciated in th'moment."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Nothin' human lasts, Mitsuko-san. Doesn't mean it can't be appreciated in th'moment."

The Kuni's eyes narrow, though her face stays kind.

"Hai, Kasumi-san, I know, but..." She reaches out with just a single fingertip to touch her hand if it's in reach. "But you're going to last, and carrying all the... The things you wish were different... It's really hard." Mitsuko's voice had gotten very soft, sounding personally connected in a way.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

The Kuni's eyes narrow, though her face stays kind.

"Hai, Kasumi-san, I know, but..." She reaches out with just a single fingertip to touch her hand if it's in reach. "But you're going to last, and carrying all the... The things you wish were different... It's really hard." Mitsuko's voice had gotten very soft, sounding personally connected in a way.

She cocked her head at the Crab, and smiled.

"Life's hard, Mitsuko-san. An' regret's a sin nobody escapes. I'd rather regret what I have an' lose than what I never had th'guts t'take in th'first place."

She turned back to her cup.

'Sides, fr'all I know, right know some courtier's thinkin'a marryin' me off t'some fat Otomo twice my age."

[Togashi Shinko]

"Love and marriage are two very different things in Rokugan. I ain't going to say that they're mutually exclusive ladies" Shinko shrugs "But as I said, there's a reason there are bastards and whores aplenty. "

"I guess you have to ask, " Is it worth the trouble". Look at me: I could slunk along, and gotten by on being pretty." Shinko waves. "I don't need to be modest, I'm been told that I could be a fine bit of arm candy most of my life. But I was born to hold a blade. And if that caused problems to stop me from an easy life, then it was worth making a bit of a ruckus."

Shinko pounds her drink "Of course, this competition is supposed to be an almost miai, and I'm getting nothing, so count your blessings"

[Kuni Mitsuko]

...

She turned back to her cup.

'Sides, fr'all I know, right know some courtier's thinkin'a marryin' me off t'some fat Otomo twice my age."

Mitsuko starts to try to console that that isn't the case, but Shinko is quicker...

...

Shinko pounds her drink "Of course, this competition is supposed to be an almost miai, and I'm getting nothing, so count your blessings"

"Wait, it... What? No, it's... It's about showing off skills, the best our schools have to..." And the wheels turn in Mitsuko's head, and she thinks about what others have been seeming to focus on, and... Her eyes look blank, as she can't process how this changes how she looks at things.

"I, I, I... I thought that just... Like it could be the next thing, not..."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I, I, I... I thought that just... Like it could be the next thing, not..."

"Mitsuko-chan... we're here with folks from all over th'empire. A lot of us ain't betrothed. I reckon if a nakodo wanted t'make matches with talented samurai, notin' any, er... connections that arose here might be a fine place t'start."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"So I really should... Like... Should be thinking about, um, options..." The Crab seems to settle a little, looking a bit like she's composing thoughts for a treatise on... something.

[Togashi Shinko]

"Look, it's probably not one to you two, or most here but..." Shinko pauses. "Most Togashi take vows to be a monk and I'm" she gestures to herself " not very monk like. But if someone here excels at the competition, well that's major consideration."

She shrugs. "I just wanted to duel, but that's part of why I was allowed to come"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Hell, I'm just wonderin' where the unattached guys are. Hirame's betrothed, Ji- Shiba Jiro-San is betrothed..."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Shiba Kuroneko-san is cute in his way," Mitsuko says quietly, trying to be helpful.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Aye, but he's so nice."

She paused.

"An' I think he sends letters without havin' th'confidence t'sign 'em."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Mitsuko's face shows some genuine offense.

"What's wrong with being nice? Rin-san is nice. Haru-san is nice." The Crab stops to think. "A nice boy or girl is... I mean, what else do you want?" She adds, genuinely incredulous and probably painfully naive in the other girls' eyes.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Ah, ah, ah, Haru-san is kind, but he ain't nice. Not based on some'a what's been said between us."

[Kuni Mitsuko]

"Ah, ah, ah, Haru-san is kind, but he ain't nice. Not based on some'a what's been said between us."

The Crab looks at Kasumi like she's speaking Nezumi all of a sudden, blinking her eyes in complete puzzlement.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

The Crab looks at Kasumi like she's speaking Nezumi all of a sudden, blinking her eyes in complete puzzlement.

Kasumi rolled her eyes, and motioned for both the Togashi and the Kuni to lean in close while she whispered.

[Kuni Mitsuko]

After the interlude of whispering, the Crab sits back in silent shock.

[Togashi Shinko]

Shinko leans in conspiratorially as well

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"So."

Sip.

"You c'n see the limits of, well.... 'nice.'"

[Kuni Mitsuko]

Mitsuko, looking fairly distressed, takes some time to try to process such an idea.

"It... Um, is that..." She's clearly trying to choose words carefully. "Does that happen, um, often?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"What? Y'mean what we talked about? or talkin' about it? Talkin' happens a lot more often, but, ah..."

She glanced from the Crab to the Dragon and back again.

"'Board ship y'can't avoid noticin' how much'a that goes on."