"Hmm" he made a non committal noise in response "No need to be sorry, this sort of talk does not bother me. I have taken as much life as I have saved. You should not feel bad for what you have done, you are merely a servant of your lord's will. We were born to serve best not to over complicate it by think of right and wrong too much." it almost seemed like Satoru was trying to be comforting, it also seemed that he wasn't very good at it or at least not practiced.

The Spider was in good company then.

"Hai, you have the right and not the wrong of it. Regret is a sin after all."
More chicken pushing before the Lion strikes, chomping down on a large piece and doing her best to pretend it wasn't a spicy hellfood

"It had to be done, failure was not a possibility. Just like today. We served, we did our duty, the right samurai won."

"Well today there were only samurai on one side of the conflict but I get your meaning." it was hard to tell if he was teasing with his matter of fact tone.

"Do they not have much spice in the Lion territory?" he asked with a small eyebrow quirk noting her reaction to the food.

"It is not something we are known for, usually if I want to add some spice to something I add mayonnaise, or maybe some pepper."
...For the sake of Lion everywhere that was hopefully a joke

"It smelt so good but is proving to be....quite the battle. Still, I am hopeful of victory, and to do honour to you for having acquired it."
Another bite of chicken, another long drink of water
"The Spider are known for their hot food?"

Satoru shook his head "No need to do honor to me, I am a Spider remember? We aren't known for our honor."

he took another bite "Not known for it no. However we are nothing if not adaptable, especially those of us on the frontier. Only available safe food source is a plant that tastes like burnt leather? Well you better acquire a taste for it or your in for a long deployment."

"Ah, barracks cooking, I see that you are familiar. And I am allowed to honour you Kuchiki-san, it may be a new experience you find pleasurable. Hopefully more pleasurable than burn leather at least."

Satoru arched an eyebrow at her words for a moment but nodded "We are at a miai afterall, it is a place for new and sometimes pleasurable experiences so i suppose i won't protest too much." He says befor taking a sip of his water.

"I will say I am a bit surprised you wished to dine with me this evening. Many of your kin have been......less open to my company."

Sitting back in her chair"How we feel about the Spider Clan is no secret. How I feel about your Clan is no secret. Still, if I fight beside a samurai and they have acquitted themselves, who am I to say they cannot buy me spicy chicken?"
She waves at the remains of the meal in question

"I could say the same, some in your Clan might require the Lion as foolish and honour bound."

"Thinking someone foolish and thinking someone a sub human monster are two quite different things Murame-san." He said with a distinctly neutral tone. "I dont agree with Lion ideology but I have nothing personally against any individual Lion unless they show themselves to be worthy of enmity."

With an equally neutral tone."Oh, you believe the Lion regard the Spider as sub-human monsters?"

"Not said to my face but I have heard such sentiments before from a few different clans and so far Lions have been the most overt with their disapproval of my presence. Present company excluded of course."

"Ah."

A long pause

"I think you misunderstand, Kuchiki-san. The Lion don't regard the Spider as sub-human, the concern is that they are entirely human. They are samurai with all the privileges and responsibilities that entails, and yet they choose the darkness anyway."

Clicking her tongue
"When you fight spirits and monsters on your expedition I'm sure there is no hate. A spirit is a spirit, it is doing what it was meant to, unless it has been corrupted. A monster is a beast, they do not think, they are not aware. But when a human chooses to act like a deranged spirit or a dangerous beast.... that is different."

Giving Satoru a long look
"I do not hate you, I do not hate the Spider. I try not to hate anyone less it fester and become something by which I define myself. But I see a very different Empire in your Clan, should I make peace with that? If the Spider controlled the Empire, would they make peace with the Lion?"

Satoru listened calmly his eyes cool as always as she spoke, he nodded when she finished and replied in a measured, even tone "We are different but does that mean we are wrong? The Spider nor the Lion control the Empire, the Emperor does and the throne has seen fit to allow us to be part of the Empire. It has not demanded we change our ways, it has accepted us as we are so long as we serve as all clans do. Why then is it so much to ask the other clans to do the same? Perhaps not embrace our ways but allow us to exist without scorn at our mere presence."

"That would depend, I think, on what a samurai is. As you say, different does not mean wrong. A samurai is polite, but I know many impolite samurai. A samurai does not eat unclean meat nor wear the skin of animals, yet some who do wear a daisho. A samurai is a warrior, however, many of those at this miai would be hard pressed to defend a school lunch let alone their lord."

Spreading her arms

"Clearly there are many ways to be a samurai. So instead I will ask you Kuchiki-san. If all these different men and women are samurai despite their failures, then what line is crossed where a man is not a samurai?"

He thinks for a moment before responding "I do not think I have an answer for you Murame-san, if I had to pick something I would go back to the core of what a samurai is. A samurai is one who serves. So long as someone serves faithfully then I would say they are fitting the definition as a samurai. As you say so many clans and even families have their own practices, some of which contradict bushido and even spiritual rules but in their own way they serve."

"It is a good answer. So, if a samurai is one who does not serve. How would you view someone who claims to be a samurai but does not serve? Someone who cannot be a samurai but yet insists on being regarded as an equal like you or I?"

"We are servants ourselves, it is not up to us to decide who does or doesn't serve. It is up to the one who we serve."

"Truly? If a heimin sat down next to you bearing a daisho and demanding you address him as an equal you would accept it as given?"

"If they are a heimen bearing a daisho does not change that. A daisho is a symbol it is not what makes one a samurai, i would find the truth to their words if they were elevated to the samurai class by the emperor who am I to argue with that? If they are lying and stole the daisho I would see them punished."

"You compassion does you credit Kuchiki-san. In Lion lands a heimin bearing a daisho and insulting a samurai is executed. Such actions upset the celestial order and risk the collapse of the empire."