Yul frowned, but Akagi's response made it clear. "Seventh Skyrider Wing, Insect Squadron." He said, bowing again. It was about the same as the first time.

He glanced at Akemi. "Perhaps you and Hida-san already know each other?"

"Oh yes, I've met her on my way here" he said looking over to her. "Greetings Hida-san" he adressed her too.
"Ah i feel alot safer with all you bushi around." he said with a smile.

"Oh hello Yasuki-sama! Sorry, got distracted by Kuroma suddenly wanting very much to look at this flower on the roadside.

You're in good hands with us three, but didn't you use to have a bodyguard? Akechi if I remember correctly."

"Yes, i would've brang him along, but he couldn't keep up with Lucky and i didn't wanted him to run after me in this heat. He is not as young as he used to be. So i gave him the task to walk with Mochi a bit." he said with a smile.

"Mochi? Who is that?"

Nishida blinked and then chuckled "Ohh, pardon me Hida-san. Mochi is my dog"

"Oh."

She laughed.

"For a second, I thought your servant was having his own little miai event on the side. Glad the misunderstanding was short-lived or this would have turned awkward quickly."

"Although if he was, I was thinking, 'hey, good for him'." Yul put in quietly, smiling.

He looked at Nishida. "Have you been out long? I was just thinking we might want to circle back soon. If they're like horses, you want them to be tired, but not so tired that they get grumpy." Still smiling, he gave his Otori a suspicious look. "I'm not sure I want to see what they look like grumpy."

"I have been out for a while now, Shinjo-san. Circling back seems like a good idea." he said

Yul nodded. "Alright, yeah. Sounds good. Let's go." He looked around, his eyebrows going up. "This is a lot more people than I expected to run into on a quiet afternoon ride." And only one of them was a cute girl...

He shrugged. "Not sure if that's fortuitous, or just that everyone's getting to know their Otori better." He gave Maverick's neck another pat.

"Well, the otori do seem to like to flock together," Akagi commented, as they turned their mounts back towards the stables. "As do miai participants, I suppose," he added with a small chuckle.

"Perhaps? I mean, we're here to find a match for the clan, aren't we? Has any person ignited your interest, Shinjo-san, Bayushi-san?"

"There a few that I've found... intriguing," the Bayushi admitted. "But it's early yet and I've not met that many people yet. I don't want to set my hopes too much on any one person, since the choice might not ultimately be up to me."

"What about you, Yasuki-sama?" he asked. "What are you hoping to find in a match here?"

Yul's eyebrows went up, and he chuckled gently. "I mean, yeah, it's early days yet. I think Bayushi-san has the right word. Intriguing." Yul shook his head with a grin. "I've certainly found myself intrigued more than once. But that just means arranging to see them again sometime. There's still lots of time left to meet new people."

"What i hope for? A good match for the clan of course, one who secures a bunch of resources or other benefits for the everhungry war effort" he said determined. "On a personal level however,... a match who appreciates knowledge and culture would be lovely"

Yul nodded. "A good match for our clan is what everyone hopes for, I'd wager."

He smiled. "The personal level might vary." He titled his head, considering a moment, and then added "I wish you the best of luck in finding a match like that."

"A miai is not a wish concert, is it?" he said smiling. "The best outcome woul be blissfull match, the second best one a toleratable one"

Smiling, Yul gave another awkward bird-mounted bow. "Aim for the stars, that's what I've always said."

He looked around. "Well. Shall we?"

Nishida nodded "We shall"