Wedding at Fire Shrimp Village an L5R PbP

Sincerely, he had found some fun in that little debate with the ronin. And she did say she had something to say before the play started and they lost sight of each other...
Nothing that a meeting the next day can't do. He goes to the inn and asks there for some food as a tip for the heimin. Then asks one to tell Yoko to come over here.
Whilst he waited, he looked at the unfinished wallpaint of Amika...

Eventually, Yoko would be found and make her presence known. Walking up to the Asahina she quirked her brow, "Well- guess I made a new friend, eh?" she said, but put up a hand. Lowering it as if to downplay that statement. Giving a quick bow, "Good to see you again, Asahina-sama. Hope you've been well, eh?"

"Oh, hello there. I have been, thankfully." He nods. She spoke like a ronin still, but he was rather... desensibilized after so many Crabs and sights whilst investigating the curse. "Please sit here with me, you are welcome. I ordered tea for two."

"Well, I'm not one to turn down an invitation, eh?" she said with her trademark cocky smirk. Taking the offered seat with him she took it a little slower than normal but not all that perceptibly so. Settling into her seat she looked to him, "Mom always spoke highly about having tea with one other. How it made for nice and calm conversation. Honest? I never really saw it, but I figure she's not been wrong about much so if I keep trying I'm bound to figure it out, eh?"

"It's good to follow one's parents teachings... Tea is good for talks. You serve your guest something that is pleasant to have, but not alcoholic, and unlikely to keep them too full like food. This generated an entire etiquette rulebook on the different meanings of tea. Honestly, I only know the very basics of it. It's the sort of thing for high-level courtiers... May need to take the time to learn since we are technically at Imperial court."

"Learn from your parents whether you like it or not," she smirked, shaking her head at the thought. "I think even I'd be impressed if you learned something like that in the short time we'll all still be here for the wedding, eh? Maybe even just a little bit of it," she said, bringing her hand up and showing the small space between index and thumb.

"I could ask Doji Kintaro-sama to teach me. He is s trained Courtier, after all, and a diplomat himself I'm aware. I'm just a low-ranking artist who serves at a city's court." He notices the rōnin was not served, and calls a heimin to give her tea.

"Maybe you are familiar with Cold Wind City? I am to believe that The Sea Fox is on its route, or perhaps Lord Haruka merely asked for a fleet and everything coincided."

"Maybe not as familiar as you would like," she made room for any tea to be delivered and settle again. "But then I also only helped on the voyage down with them, to this village. Caught them in a coastal town and didn't have anywhere better to go. Some coin in the pocket, a ride to somewhere else," she shrugged.

"Work dries up fast for me. So, I usually gotta keep moving. Though.. seems things are going to be changing a little," she said, the light touch of a smile as she shook her head.

"Ah, I see." He took note mentally on how the rōnin mentioned so much a mother but never a father. Something must have happened and retirement was not it.

"What the Empress had done was strong, symbolic. If this happened during a more formal, normal Winter Court, you would listen your name on every corridor as you passed. Compassion is one of bushido's seven tenets, none other than the Empress to have it in abundance." He drinks more tea.

"What I called you over for was that little debate of yesterday."

"If this happened at a winter court I wouldn't have been here, and neither would have she by the way I figure," she offered with a little shrug. "But I take I get what you mean, eh?" she dipped her head. "Regardless, I'm sure there's plenty who talk and will continue to talk. With or without some corridors to do it in, for better or worse," she shrugged. "I met the woman before, she's worthy of it. Happy to play my part," she said, and took a drink as if to finish off the thought.

"But- yea, you wanted to talk more, eh? Guess you can consider it a debate. I more thought I was just sharing my thoughts with an interested party, eh?" she shrugged. Quirking her brow as a thought arrived, "Or- something else?"

Praying for Benten surely was making effect, although the opposite effect he wanted to achieve, as he would confirm later. Maybe it was a signal. Consulting a divinator would be great... He knew himself not particularly skilled in the art. "People will talk, always. Even if you placed bitter enemies together for a month, they would end getting some subject to talk amongst themselves. Dialogue is too core a part of humankind. About our talk earlier... It was not a serious debate either, but there were arguments, so it could be classified as so."

"Sure," she gave a slightly exaggerated shrug accompanied with her cocky smirk. "You're the more courtly one of us two, eh? I'll trust your judgement on it, whichever way," she chuckled.

"You mentioned you had some thoughts on the subject before the play started. Do you still remember them?" He was to take more tea, but noticed that his cup got empty. Disappointing.

Yoko furrowed her brow a moment, seeming to forget the drink. Though, she remembered before she spoke and took another sip of the tea. "Honest? Not really, Asahina-sama," she said, but held up a hand, "not that I don't think I could remember them. Just my thoughts after all. But- I don't remember what would have prompted my response, eh?"

"It was something about everyone being entitled to an opinion and seeking new perspectives if I remember well. I was being mostly spontaneous, so I don't have the words imprinted on my mind. Oh, well, it is a shame none of us can resume the point, I was finding it so pleasurable."

"Shame-" she said, shrugging. Regarding him for a moment, smirking by the end and shaking her head. "Anyway," she brushed off the thought a little. "Suppose that might mean it wasn't really all that interesting, eh?" she smirked, shrugged. "Still, I'm here so long as Asahina-sama wants me here. Can talk about whatever you like."

"This afternoon is pretty tranquil, what I had to do I decided to leave for tomorrow. My hands are quite dull for art today." He takes his fan. "Wouldn't care to talk about anything. Since we are already on the subject..." He looks to the half-finished mural. "Ever met an Amika?"

Yoko quirked her brow, nodded toward the mural he'd looked at from time to time. "I did-" she said, looking at it in the current state it was found. Quirking her brow as she thought a moment and shook her head.

"Good woman, different from most other ronin. Hope she's doing well, been.. well, been a while since I spoke with her last."

"Same thing. Really had promise on art, and that's from someone from the Kakita Academy. I think she got caught by that curse, although she may also have hidden until it ended to flee this place. Was a curse not scary enough, she got caught between me and a Scorpion."

"Ah-" she thought a bit, paused and looked at the mural for a while longer.

"Hope not, she was.." she shook her head. Half-smirked, "Well, certainly not a peaceful moment. Between a Crane and a Scorpion. Who won out in the end?"

"Complicated answer. The Scorpion wanted to use her to insult the Academy, I wanted her not to get so close with the Scorpion. I think I won, in the end, but oh, if it was not a pyrrhic victory."

"Hmm," Yoko offered, taking another drink of the tea and seeing it finished at that.

"Well, wonder what the Scorpion thinks," she smirked but shook her head, waving off the thought with her hand.

"I don't know, personally. I think she could, perhaps, care not, perhaps she only used her as a pretext to try to buy a duel with me. She was a bushi, after all. You never know what's going on with Scorpions."

Yoko chuckled humorlessly, setting the cup down and tapping it absently in a thought. "Won't hear me defending them."

"Amika truly had potential. Look at the mural, she did it almost entirely in only one day. It's a shame she is not seen anymore."