A voice came out from nearby, one tone too high:

"Yeah, I'm at the garden. What do you mean you're not available anymore?

...

Yeah, yeah, I know, stuff happens. But still, could have warned me earlier. Would have made other plans.

...

Bye."

Akemi hung up the communicator and sighed, clearly pissed. Then she paid better attention to her surroundings and realized she wasn't alone.

She bowed, embarrassed:

"Oh sorry Lion-sama. Hadn't noticed you were there."

"Hey, a date gone wrong?"

Akemi looked embarrassed by the bluntness of her own question, and bowed again:

"Hida Akemi, daughter of Hida Norika and granddaughter of Hida Kinichi. My deepest apologies for my outbursts."

"Oh.

Those things happen yes.

But hey, unless you're really at odds now, should have ample time to fix that before the end of the miai, neh?

As not-a-courtier myself, I kind of live by social mistakes and patch-ups at the moment. Not easy dealing with that many different people from that many different backgrounds."

"Well...it was one of those 'we can never marry since our clans despise one another and our relationship would be doomed to failure' talks so...."

Akemi more or less went through a mental blue screen of death at that part of the conversation, eyes looking way behind Shoan.

After a time she finally rebooted:

"Tea would be nice thanks. No worry about the food, I have a dinner planned with my clanmates... eventually. It has already been pushed back twice but it should happen before dusk."

She sat on the ground:

"So... This is the moment I should ask you how your miai is going Lion-sama... But I now suppose that the answer will be along the lines of it's complicated."

She stared at her muddy reflection in the tea, then back at her benefactor:

"Well Shoan-san... I would also go for it's complicated I guess. Lot of good candidates but still no serious lead. Lot of time poured in issues not directly related to the miai. And our Phoenix hosts playing some game that I don't understand.

Yes, all in one, it's complicated. Interesting. But complicated."

Akemi nodded.

"If I may ask... Which qualities are you seeking for in your potential spouse?

As for myself, I would say that, assuming two potential spouses have the same political value, I would rather marry the one I can connect with. Preferably another warrior, preferably someone whose experience of life allows them to understand me and me to understand them, even if we don't agree on everything."

"I haven't met much of such samurai but, as a member of the Hida Shock Troops myself, might be sampling bias. People who are afraid of making the ultimate sacrifice rarely volunteer for that unit."

She folded and unfolded each of her mechanical fingers, one by one.

"Though I think it was Sun Tao who wrote A soldier who is too eager to die, will be killed. It's important to walk the thin line between doing what must be done and sacrificing to no avail a life that is ultimately your lord's property and not your own."

Akemi nodded:

"Thanks. We make do indeed."

She allowed herself a grin:

"On the battlefield, there is always an enemy foolish enough to dismiss us as a relic of the past, failing to get a good shot through our armors, and suddenly finding themselves locked into close combat with an angry Hida. We're especially effective nowadays as a boarding team, when the other side has nowhere to run and cannot use heavy weaponry without self-destructing."

A shadow passed through her eyes as she said that and she switched subject.

"You didn't tell me which unit you serve in yourself. Yet another pilot?"

"The Jade Legion?!"

Akemi appeared shocked:

"Damn, that's impressive. Super elite unit, with only the very best youths handpicked for it.

If I may ask, what is the story behind your own ascension to it? They simply don't accept people who haven't proved their worth tenfold yet."