“Heh. I guess I did help out in that way. But it was with Yul-san’s rope that saved you both. I just pulled.” At the second part, Hide had to cross her arms and think about it. “Preference for Crab and Dragon. We need the raw materials that they can provide in abundance. Marriages help smooth those kind of deals where possible, y’know? There’s no Dragon here, so Crab it is.”

"Ah gotcha. So Eriko-san, Akemi-san... Hmm, I haven't really met the other Crab yet but you've got a few possibilities there. Well don't rule out Firefly, we've got a lot to offer on the materials front and our Imperial friends are a bit more flexible when it comes to treaties these days." He reached for his lighter but then remembered he was in a temple.

"Yeah, I've been mainly looking at Crab and Phoenix based on clan priorities. Also the way of life. If I'm bringing someone into my Clan I'd want them to be happy. Firefly life isn't glamorous but theres plenty of adventure to be had."

“Mainly Eriko-san, as Akemi-san has made it pretty clear that she’s more interested in someone with a bit more sway, I guess.” Hide just shrugged, seemed a bit counterproductive for her if she wanted to stay in her own Clan but hey, Hide didn’t quite grasp all of politics. “I met a couple of other Crab but... Yasuki-sama was more asking about scholarly girls which I am most assuredly not.”

When he mentioned the Firefly, Hide couldn’t but help think about how that actually worked. “Hmmm... How do mining contracts with the Firefly work anyway? You guys mine asteroids and stuff, yeah?”

"Yeah, we mine asteroids and other celestial objects. Comets and such. Sometimes rings. Then we sell it on. The Crab get first refusal based on our founding charter, we keep a portion of the proceeds and the rest goes to the Imperial families." It was fairly basic info that any Hotaru would know.

"We've got a bit of leeway with rare and special materials, plus all the deep space lore we've accumulated over the years. And now we have a planet, so you bet we'll be surveying the crap out of it to see what it's made of." He laughed. "Might not sound that exciting to a Matsu, but mining is what gets you ships, weapons, all kinds of tech."

“Huh. Sounds complex. I mean, I’m from Matsu Prime so I kind of know a bit about mining operations. But, y’know, I don’t do it myself or anything. But that kind of sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare to try and get mining contracts outside of the Crab and Imperials.” Hide rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully.