While the city gamed, ate, drank and danced, a solitary figure sat in the baths, humming an ancient tune. A tune that had been sun around campfires in a realm that no-longer existed, by people long dead. The stars gleamed on the night guy, weaver meeting the cowherd. Sounds of merriment carried all the way the pools, the figured clad in shadows smiling to himself.

Everyone else was off on their separate ways by now, off to enjoy the last vestiges of the day. Yet, Ichika found herself with a need for something different. Finding her way to the bathhouse she was quite determined on seeking that shower, the scent of the herbal soaps, and a soak that was bound to give her some sense of relief after the events of the day.

After washing up and taking her time in the shower, letting the massage function do it's work, Ichika stepped out in toward the pools.

"Good evening." a familiar voice called out from the darkness, an equally familiar figure slowly sipping chilled sweetened green tea from a plastic bottle. "It's a pretty night, isn't it?"

"O-oh! I didn't expect to run into you here, Isawa-san," she said with a quick smile and a dip of her head for proprieties sake. Approaching the pool she glanced down, "It is certainly a pretty night! You know, all the time I spent here I never saw something drinking in the pools before?" she added with a little chuckle as she indicated the pool he was in.

"You don't mind if I join you, yea?

"Can't say I expected to see Doji-san here either." Sora smirked, though his expression was perhaps hard to read in the darkness. "I mean, they have the vending machines right there." the Phoenix priest waved his hand in the direction of the refreshments. "The selection is what it is, but at least it's cold."

"Please do." With the pool having space for a dozen or so, there was no need for Sora to scoot out of the way, his eyes lazily following the Crane as she stepped into the pool. "It does sound like everyone is having fun out there."

"Well, I know they're there," she said with a small chuckle, "but it's still the first time I've seen anyone actually making use of it," she laughed again and waved her hand a bit. "Which is kinda funny, considering how close it is, yea?" she smiled and then waved the thought away much like she did a moment prior.

Glancing over the wall toward the sounds of those referenced people, "I'm sure they are! It was a lot of fun," she said, all the while slipping down into the pool just a bit more to the right than fully opposite Sora. "Nice to get a chance to relax after all of it though, yea? Did you have much of a chance to have some fun with the festival before coming here to relax Isawa-san?"

"The lack of selection might explain it." Sora chuckled. "I'd think that people like Doji-san might be used to something better." The way he said it made it sound like he was used to something better as well. Still, he did take an another sip from his bottle. "Oh yes. They celebrate the Tanabata bit earlier here than back on Rokugan. The stars aren't quite the same here." The young man pointed at the skies. "So here the weaver and the cowherd meet on the seventh. On the Rokugan they meet on the ninth. Though, seeing how the orbit is, the festival is probably even earlier next year."

"Ah, I met few people, yes." Sora would not go into details whom he had met or why. "There was some... unfortunate kerfuffle. Nothing people here couldn't manage." In fact, someone had tried to kidnap Chiruha, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by his associates. "They make really nice fried mushrooms here. Doji-san should try them, while she has a chance."

"I'm glad you got the chance," she said with a bright smile. Glancing for a moment up toward the skies at the thought for what he said. Merely viewing the stars in a peaceful thought. Looking back down to Asakaze, she looked across from her, "I'll have to give them a try," she said, brightly. A little nod turned into a raised brow, "But you spoke about a .. kerfuffle" she repeated it like she wasn't used to the word, "Isawa-san? What happened?"

"Something distasteful, better not discussed in this company." Sora smirked, dismissing the question. "However the matter has been since resolved in a more or less satisfactory manner." He sighed softly. "One did not expect ending doing any work here, but..." he shrugged. "So much for a vacation."

"How Doji-san finds the nakado here? Have they found her someone suitable?" Rolling into a more comfortable position, Sora shuffled a bit closer to Ichika, if only so that he could lower his voice a little.

"There's a few options being considered, from what I know, but they haven't given me any clear hints this way or that," she said. Watching him with a shrug as he came a bit closer she took care to match volume to distance into proprieties sake. "I'm glad though that you've managed to deal with the problem. Soon enough to return to enjoying the festival at least, yea?" she said with a little smile.

"What about you, Isawa-san? Finding it good to work with the nakado?"

"Mhmhm." Sora murmured. "Yes, yes. It was all sorted out in the morning." he assured her. "Though, it is not too easy to relax here, seeing how monumental this event is and while the nakado are keen to find me a spouse who would be willing to become one of us, it's not given that I won't be donning dark greens or crimson myself. Exciting, to say the least, with all the names in the air."

"But yes, the people here have been very, very cooperative." he smirked. "They have been very keen on looking into things my lord considers important."

Furrowing her brow a little she regarded him for a moment. With a small smile, "Well, I'm glad someone is enjoying a lot of the possibility as much as I am," she chuckled a little, hand raising from the water to cover her mouth as she did. Settling again she regarded him two seconds more before, "Though.. you have me curious, Isawa-san, what kind of things have you been looking into?"

"Ah, unfortunately I am not allowed to discuss that." he quipped, tapping his nose. "Clan secrets. I am sure Doji-san understands. Things related my my research." Yawning, Sora covered his mouth with his hand. "So, what does Doji-san think of all this?" Waving his hand at the city, he shuffled a bit closer again, leaving perhaps two feet between the two. "How does her kin see the Empire and where it's heading?"

"Oh!" she laughed, "That would explain why you were being vague," she waved off the thought with her hand. Glancing where he waved, toward the city, "Oh, well, I'd say we see a lot of opportunities possible, yea? Never know when something might work out, see what everyone can benefit from," she said, considering. A small laugh, "Which I guess is how I kinda came into this miai, yea? Finding all the best solutions where I could."

"It's be pretty sad if one didn't see the possibilities here." Sora mused. "It's rare chance to have this much influence over ones future spouse - and to meet so many people, no? How many of us could have dreamt of marrying someone from an another clan - and forming lasting ties like that?" Leaning back, the young shugenja looked up. "And only the future will tell if the choices made were right."

"Mhmm," she nodded with a slight smile. As he relaxed, she did too, cozying up on her side as she looked up to the night sky wondering who else might be looking at that night sky. "A lot of worries came with that responsibility but.. well, I think there are at least a few who've found a lasting match that will make themselves better and their Clans proud. I'm happy for them," she sighed, glancing down.

"But.." she glanced over to him, "there are two sides of that coin, yea? Even in the worst situations two samurai can find themselves a chance at learning how to work best together."

"Mhm. But what are we without responsibilities. What are we if but ones who serve, neh." the young man huffed softly. "Only a fool would want to be free of all responsibilities. What would remain if no-one cared for your actions?" The question was left hanging in the air.

"Love is for the Crane, we say." Sora chuckled softly, turning to look at Ichika. "What is the passion but your base desires given form. There is passion and then there is love. And the two don't have much to do with each other."

Looking to Sora Ichika regarded him for a moment with a furrowed brow at the first. Shifting how she sat a little, crossing her leg and laying her arms over her lap. "Passion, or well.. both love and passionate love can exist in a frame of responsibilities. More difficult they might be but possible, yea? Passion otherwise is best left toward more honorable pursuits, yea? Like poetry," she said with a little smile. "Or maybe another art, or just the study of the blade? So long as we temper it with responsibility, yea?"

"Well, they can." Sora nodded. "But there is an entire genre based the premise of passionate people doing the wrong thing, isn't there?" The legends had it that one Crane daimyo, his name lost to the modern samurai, had professed his love to a 13 year old geisha and subsequently jumped from a cliff to atone for his sins. "Well, passion for arts is not the sort of passion I was talking about." he added, coughing softly.

"No, I didn't think so," she shook her head a little, a double confirmation. "It was just the best one for me to rely on. Knowing my own passion for poetry brought me a little recognition when I was younger," she chuckled into the back of her hand at that. Water splashing out a little as her hand breached the surface to do so.

"Though, yea, you're right. Just a matter of a lesson there. Like most art, or just true stories we tell, there's always that little lesson that needs to be shared. Those stories always get told cause the teller wants to remind about the perils of giving into passion without the tempering of responsibility, yea?"