[D2, LE: Shitoru's Room] With a View (Expecting)

[Bayushi Shitoru]

The sun had set, dinner had already been consumed. The pretense of this meeting had been cast away, thus. Shitoru wondered would the Crane back out? He imagined not, and so he would rely on her to bring something fine to pair with a meal, even if the meal might be of a different nature altogether.

The Scorpion had bathed and was in good spirits from the dinner, all that was left was some proper conversation with a pleasant and beautiful lady. And if that lead to something even more engaging, then fortune be to them. The window in his room opened to the starry sky, Shitoru sat on the floor, the futon folded up and was oiling his katana, proper care kept it in good shape, after all.

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

There is a scratch on his door, and the quiet voice of a servant says "There is a visitor Bayushi-sama." And there is an assumption that the visitor is welcome, clearly, because the door slides open, and a small, masked figure in a kimono that seems subdued until the light hits it and an intricate pattern presents itself enters, bowing, and with a box held under one arm. Wakizashi and fan are in the dark obi that binds the kimono.

Once the servant withdraws, the figure removes the mask, revealing Yuuwaku's face. Smiling, she says "We seem to have missed the sunset, Bayushi-san, or at least most of it."

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"Well, perhaps so...but the sun has perhaps risen in this room since the shoji slid", he stood up and bowed. "Come and join me, it is my honor to share a space for these moments."

Her garb and demeanor did not go unnoticed, but to comment on such when they both knew between them the meaning was brutish.

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"If the sun has risen, will it be long before it goes down again?" Yuuwaku's smile spreads, softens, and she finds a place to sit in the room.

"But while the sun is beautiful, what it shines upon is far from ugly in its turn. Thank you for having me."

She slides the box towards him. "I am not adept in chado, so I cannot make tea, but I still appreciate the company."

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"Did Kakita-san believe she needed such an effort to be welcome here?" Shitoru shook his head. "The less is more, in many ways." Head tilt, considering her garments. Then he gently pushed the box back toward her.

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"One tries to accord with the customs of one's host, of course," Yuuawku replies. "And Bayushi-san is certainly worth effort."

She slides the box towards him again.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"My customs? Has Kakita-san brought her own cup to drink from, then? Or shall I be expected to pour directly into her mouth?" a smirk barely visible from the bottom edge of his mask. "Barbaric."

Again he returned the gift.

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"There are some who would extol the virtues of taking things straight from the tap, of course," Yuuwaku says. "But I have no doubt in your steady hand, nor ever would."

She slides the box forward again.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"Such flattery and an offered gift as well, Kakita-san does this one a boon, and as host I feel I shall be doing her one back very soon", he said with a bow and he placed his hands on hers as she slid it forward, meeting her eyes from beneath his mas. "Shall we see what pretty thing you've brought this one?"

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

Yuuwaku smiles and avoids the self-serving joke for the moment.

The box, when opened, contains two cups and a bottle. The bottle, per its label, contains umeshu which seems to have originated in the Dragon mountains.

"I did promise you a drink with dinner. Dinner's happened, but a bit of dessert isn't unwelcome, I hope."

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"Plum wine from the Great Northern Wall", he picked up the bottle and examined it. "I've not seen it's like, though I admit to being only a young man in ways still."

He placed a hand on the seal. "Dessert should be enjoyed best with a partner, would Kakita-san allow me to fill her cup, then?"

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"Only if Bayushi-san will have me handle the bottle for him in turn" Yuuwaku replies, setting out the two cups.

"And youth offers many benefits."

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"This one tries to be wary of his youth's eagerness, as it can lead one astray", he said and opened the bottle, pouring slowly to not spill. Not too unlike his chado technique. He passed the bottle. "It is better to be mindful, so one can see the moment to rush in and not fall into a trap."

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

Yuuwaku's own pour is smooth and elegant, with a slight rotation of the bottle as the pour ends so that not a drop falls astray.

"Many have tried to ensnare you, then?" She takes her cup in hand and awaits him.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"You are Crane, I am Scorpion", he said and raised the cup to her. "Every word is a snare, every motion a trap. One simply must fall to them at the right time to make the best of it, do you feel as such is true?"

He drank with her.

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

Lowering her cup from her lips, Yuuwaku nods.

"There is truth in your words. And knowing that a trap is present helps when dealing with it. But you had said before that you are often isolated. Is it because you see the wires laid out to trip you, the holes into which some hope you will fall?"

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"In some cases, one might say such is true", Shitoru admitted. "Seeing a pitfall is paramount to evading it...yet what if the pit is full of pillows, fine sake and a pile of koku with which to update your wardrobe? Surely if one is wise they can enjoy their time before climbing out."

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"Do you see such pillows in me?" Yuuwaku asks. She looks down at herself before continuing, an eyebrow lifting wryly. "I do not offer the lushest cushions, I think."

She takes another sip of the umeshu.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"Nor perhaps a kimono to look as striking on this one as it does on you", he added. "Though what is within is the lady's secret, judgment should be reserved for when the testing comes."

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"Are you a sensei, then, examining a student?" Yuuwaku quips back with a smile. The banter is fun, if nothing else, and the stakes so far relatively low. "Perhaps less than authentic, to test before a lesson is offered."

[Bayushi Shitoru]

He drank deeply, letting the now mostly empty cup rest on his hands atop his lap. "I would let my lady decide if there is a matter this one is worthy of teaching. Surely the day has been long, and though pleasant as I guess well that Kakita-san always enjoys herself, perhaps she is willing to let this one demonstrate their technique, humble as it is, in the arts of medicine."

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

Playing doctor? thinks Yuuwaku. She finishes her own cup, sets it down beside her.

"I could hardly scorn a man who practices high skills. Shall I play the part of the patient, then?"

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"I've not a mind for simple play" , he set the cup down and stood. "My own practice is in relation to training, the muscles suffer in gaining strength, and as Kakita-san is a healthy and active woman, it would be a courtesy of mine as playing host...", he walked behind her and sat. "To ask that I help relieve any stresses she has gained in her daily efforts."

[Kakita Yuuwaku]

"Ah," Yuuwaku says.

Quite the risk, she thinks, but the more thrilling for it.

"Simply being in your company is relaxing, indeed, but I place myself in your hands."

And it is true that goosebumps rise on such of her skin as he can see.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

"And your company has brought me here, to this. I thank you for the opportunity." He pulled back his sleeves then, and took control of matters. "First", he said and placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling the smoothness of her kimono, working his fingers and drawing the collar fold away, but not stripping her down bare. "We will examine Kakita-san's threshold here, for knots and to aid in the realignment of her chi."

His hands were practiced, harsh where needed, gentle in other ways. The motion rocked the Crane back and forth slightly at first until he found a rhythm that would keep her centered and still as he melted the day's strain away.

"Is this to Kakita-san's liking, then?" he asked over her shoulder, a smile in his voice.