Hide leaned back, a smile forming on her face. Not smug or anything. “Okay. If you see Kuni-san again, just put in a good word for me? Don’t have to embellish or anything. Jus’ something nice and honest.”

Akemi chuckled:

"Ah, sure. Thought you were about to ask me for something a bit more crazy, like subtly learning about her favorite bands so you could coincidentally choose their songs during the karaoke or something in that style."

“Not sure how well that’s work. She’s a hard one to read or even to get to share information at all.” Hide chuckled in return. “She’s wary. Took a bit of convincing to her when we met to exchange comm info. She thought I was a courtier or recruiter. For some reason.”

"A courtier?

I mean, there are probably courtiers who work out a lot, especially in the Crab and the Lion... But that's not exactly the first profession that comes to mind when looking at you. Maybe you were wearing an exceptionally nice dress that day?"

“I was in my dress uniform. But I was a mess. Looooong day.” Hide leaned forward again, playing with her glass. “I mean, even at the club last night she was calling me a social butterfly. Then it turned into ‘social moth’ after Nakauchi-san suggested it.”

"I guess everything's relative. Maybe that in the buff girls category, we're the social ones and we don't realize it. Your cousin's Chiyoko for example, she's far less approachable than you."

“I mean, I do like to mingle.” A pause. “A lot. Especially at clubs. Probably the one thing I do to blow off steam when on shore leave. That and watching fun movies.”

"I am also one who likes to hit the clubs... But I guess that's not much of a reveal.

If I may ask... Did that habit ever cause troubles for you? I might have made questionable decisions while partying a bit too hard in the past."

"I mean, I have gotten into fights a bars. Clubs are a bit different. The atmosphere is... Surprisingly soothing to me. I get my energy out, y'know?" Hide rose a brow at Akemi.

"Now, I'm more prone to make bad decisions when I'm hungry and tired."

"I think we're all prone to make bad decisions when our body is at its limit, but that you mentioned it specifically suggest there is a story behind that. A story that you may or may not want to share. I'm okay with both."

A huge smile broke out across Hide’s face, she was willing to share it. “I smashed one vending machine into another. It was a long day, I hadn’t eaten in twelve hours and the damn thing wouldn’t vend the item I paid for.”

"Ah, technology! Always betrays you when we need it the most.

I'm glad for all these little marvels of science that make our life better, but I would really appreciate if they were more reliable. And with less buttons. And with a digital keyboard that played better with my big Hida fingers."

"Yeah, but my stipend was slashed in half for a few months as punishment." Hide couldn't really imagine having her normal sized hands be a huge issue. No pun intended. "Ah, the downsides of being tall."

"You... Have an issue with your side don't you?"

Hide took a moment, stewing on the implications of her less-than-average height for a Matsu. “I have three brothers. All big guys. It’s hard being the only one. My older brothers would pick on me until I taught them not to. My younger brother was always fine, though.”

She looked down at her left arm, with the tattoo of many wings coming peaking down from her shirt. “Younger brother, Yoshi, isn’t even a year younger than me. So we were always pretty close. I got this tattoo to celebrate his wedding last year.”

"He sounds like a great guy. Who did he marry?

My own family is very big, so I've always considered myself average, with siblings and cousins both taller and smaller, stronger and weaker, wiser and dumber. I'm sure I'm on cousin Kanamori 'small, weak and dumb' list though, as she's the kind of big girl who just seems to be good at everything. Grandpa adores her."

“Yoshi’s wife joined the Matsu from the Hiruma, actually. Don’t know too much about her. Haven’t gotten the chance to talk much with either of them since the wedding. Our off-duty schedules don’t mesh well.” It was obvious she missed him.

“Small, weak, and dumb, huh? I know that feel.”

"Small? Maybe you are. The other two? Not in a million years. Those who pretend otherwise are at best mistaken. You'll prove them wrong one day if you haven't done so yet."

“I’m still smaller than my brothers, yeah. I know I’m strong now, but that was years of hard work.” Hide gave Akemi a slight grin. “I’m kind of an idiot sometimes, though.”

Akemi sighed:

"So am I sometimes too. Oh yeah, so am I."