Ruhe and Yul were both given congratulatory smiles and nods. She was proud and happy for them, especially since they both had worked so hard and made a strong effort to show the skill of the Unicorn, and ended up as the top performers.

She hoped they would both be happy.

Ruhe and Tenma? That would be a solid match. The metal head and the gymnast. He'd have to congratulate the two when he got the chance. For the moment though the pait received a warm smile.

Yul received a smirk as he chose Mumei. Even knowing that it would happen for almost a week now. The pair received a congratulatory nod from the Mantis as well as a smile. They deserved time alone fok though so he stayed where he was.

Yul did take a moment to acknowledge Hyeon-ju and Hayato, giving them a smile and a nod.

Then he turned his attention back to his fiancée, eyebrows going up, clearly amused. "A handshake, huh? That's a good first step."

Reaching up, Yul took her hand, gently adjusting it down to the proper height. And then, smiling, he gave her hand a good, proper, Unicorn shake. Well, his thumb may have playfully brushed against her wrist, just a little.

"We can work on the rest of the Unicorn moves later." He said, smiling, finally letting go. "Or have you already done a high five?"

Hide just had to give Yul and Mumei her very congratulatory nod. One of the best friends she’s made here and her roommate? What a match. She couldn’t help herself from grinning.

It came as a bit of a left-field shock that she was chosen by Bayushi Akagi, especially when their meetings had been mostly circumstantial. First at the stables, then at the convention, then at the stables again where he saved her life. She did find him to be pleasant and friendly, although there will be a lot of discovering. This will be especially true when she will be marrying into the Bayushi too.

It was a lot to digest but she would explore this strange new world and terrain in time. She returned the bow in kind and smiled softly.

At the very least, the future generation will have an interesting story of their meetings to go by.

When Yasuki Nishida made his choice, she nodded softly at this decision. She was no longer an option sadly enough and he would have to move on with another partner. She hoped that he would find happiness there or at least a promotion in his career. However, she did find herself wondering what could have been.

Ryuu had arrived with the rest of the participants. For likely the last time, he had asked Hyeon-ju to put his hair in the warriors braids, and apply the make up. He had asked for instructions on how to do both, in the future. His daisho were freshly sharpened and polished, not that anyone would see that.

The jade cufflinks caught the light just right.

The Creepy Warrior stood towards the back, silently saying nothing as the choices were announced.

Even knowing he would be happy, he had found what he came here for... his heart sank when Shokomaru made his choice. It hurt. It was good for the Spider and the Crane.

He hoped... prayed... it would be good for Ishiyo. He touched their shared dance pin on the ribbon bar of his uniform.

Yul glanced at the stage, frowning, then over to Hyeon-ju, his frown turning from confused to concerned.

Nishida got down from the stage, slowly. His hands were shaking a bit and he his eyes were full of rage and sadness.

He had opend up to someone, just for it to be taken from him.
He swore to himself: I will end that scorpions life. No matter what.

He took out a cigarette and smoked it. Slowly.

He glanced towards Chiruha, sadness in his eyes.

There was a wave of pain, when Shokomaru picked Ishiyo. The crane woman deserved better then him. And a short prayer was given to hope for the man's early demise. It was a bit too bad that he couldn't make a coin for him. Or the man that followed after.

If looks could kill, the one Akihiko received was a headshot, and the Mantis didn't take his eyes off his as he made the choice. There was a small hope there that one day he would meet the Lion on the battlefield. Then Hayato would leave the man's body and his dreams broken in the mud behind him.

Mal-Chin looked up in surprise. Akagi...Chiruha hadn't mentioned him, had she?

He shifted where he stood. How many more surprises today?

Koseki was there in the audience watching the proceedings with a slight sense of detachment. His dress uniform felt fresh and new. He never wore the damn thing after all.

It was strange to think the whole miai was drawing to a close. His time on Asakaze was almost over, but it still seemed to be a day of surprises given the reaction of the crowd to some of the picks. He loudly applauded Moto Ruhe and Shinjo Yul once the interminable lineages had been completed.

Looking for his new friends in the audience he gave them a grin and continued to wait to be called forward.

Shizuku could feel the surprise from the audience, feel the looks she was given. She couldn't blame them. Even she had questioned Akihiko's choice, at first. She wasn't perfectly ideal, and almost certainly not as good as the person he had initially considered shifting to for Duty's sake.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to be unhappy. She'd wanted to marry him from early on. So, for now, she simply stood stiffly among everyone, On firmly in place.

This was worse than she expected. She hadn't even been dumped for an Imperial or some other key member of the alliance, but a Crane.

A damned Crane. She had expected better from a Lion, and she wondered how many of those listed ancestors screamed in rage now.

This was not just hurtful, it was an insult. She frowned, but that was the extent of emotions she was willing to show. For onlookers, she was being her usual disapproving self, for those who knew her, like Yul, or those who knew this would happen, like Hayato, it wasn't hard to tell she was deeply hurt.

A match between Lion and Crane?

He started to think of potential complications from these matches. Surely they wouldn't all influence the galactic relationships between the clans...

In the time it took him to walk from the stage to the Shiba, Izumi progressed through at least six Vulpine Excitement Levels. He had a wide grin by the time he reached him.

"So . . . howmanypetscanwehavebythistimenextyear, Atsu-kun?"

Hide shot Akihiko a sharp glare. She had not expected him of all people to marry a Crane over doing his duty and marrying an ally. He had lost many respect points with his decision.

Koseki gave his hyperactive friend a thumbs up and a nod. Now that was another great pairing for the MCA crew. He looked for Mumei and grinned. Now hopefully Shion would find herself a good pairing too...

Accustomed to being hated for a myriad of reasons, Shokomaru took the wave of emotion in the crowd in stride, but when Akihiko spoke, he realized he was off the hook.

Mumei followed Yul's look of concern, rather surprised herself at that pairing across those clans. She shifts unconsciously closer to her fiance as ripples of surprise and anger move through sections of the crowd.

Even as she can't help smiling at Izumi's choice and excitement. The video from that pair's wedding was going to be spectactular. She was going to miss her minor clan friends quite a lot, and hoped they could stay in touch at least a little in the days to come.

Nozomi seethed in her position. She was like a heating kettle, ready to scream at a moment's notice. There was only a brief moment, one where she looked to Shoan, a look for forgiveness.

But then the anger was back. "You disgrace your clan, all of us here, and your ancestors. You FUCKING COWARD!" she shouted at the Akodo. She tore off her glasses, tossed them to the ground, and gave them a firm stomp. "Even the Spider had the sense to not marry his clan's most hated rival!"

She panted and a look of regret washed over her eyes. But the fire came back, ready to destroy once more. "You disgrace the memory of Matsu Chiyoko," she barked before sinking back to her position, glowering but now silent.