“Uh, well, not upset. Surprised maybe? I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate them and that might be insulting. I’m glad you would not be bothered Kitsu-san. Although be warned, some of those flowers are poisoned.”

"Oh I knew that when I worked with them," Nozomi mentioned a bit sheepishly, "You could consider it a priestess' duty to know these things."

She then smirked. "But it's not among my duties to understand flowers either. But I would argue on said theoretical samurai's behalf that perhaps they would not care if you didn't fully appreciate the flowers."

“Because said hypothetical samurai would be giving flowers to have given me flowers? I think that makes sense. Although I have never been given flowers before.”

"Then perhaps you are neutral to the idea then after all? I have never received any flowers myself either," she said as a plain matter of fact.

“....” it was a big decision to reorientate her flower world view
“Perhaps I am truly flower neutral and I have been blind to the virtues that balance out the vices of flowers?”
Pause
“And I am sorry nobody has given you flowers Kitsu-san. I would provide you with mine right now, but I am told they are necrotising. “

"I am happy to have helped you find balance when it comes to flowers," Nozomi said with a pleased smile.

"Oh, oh, I misspoke. My mom used to give me flowers while I was growing up. I meant it more in a romantic sense."

“Ah.... um.”
Shoan clears her throat
“I don’t think I can give you romantic flowers. But I hope someone will, healthy flowers with no poisonous side effects.... uh... your mother sounds nice.”

"Oh it wouldn't be in line with the whole 'marry someone outside of your clan' thing we talked about with the rest of our clanmates," Nozomi explained quickly. She looked away and sighed softly. "My mom doesn't really give flowers anymore though."

"Ah," Nozomi let out, certainly flustered. She took off her glasses, put them back on, and repeated this motion once more for good measure. "My mom can be very demanding is all."

“Ah” Shoan concurred

“Demanding parents are... well, if dealing with that was easy they would not be demanding.”

The lion resists an urge to take Nozomi’s glasses off her and give them a deep clean
“It is good then that she will be impressed by your successes at the miai and the partner you find, neh?”

"That would be good," Nozomi agreed, closing her eyes for a few moments. "I will need to do better in the future."

Firmly “You will do better...... uh, not to say you are not doing well now. You are doing excellently Kitsu-san, but it will be double excellent for in the future.”
Trying to sound comforting with mixed results
“My parents are also demanding.”

"I, uh, thank you for the vote of confidence," Nozomi said with an awkward smile. She laid her fingers on her glasses but decided not to fidget with it for once. "I don't think there's a Lion samurai who doesn't have demanding parents, really. I'll probably expect a lot from my kids."

"So long as you also give them flowers it is a good approach. I'm sure you will have many children who will all be able to assist the Clan in matters great and small, such as with poisoned ikebana."

Thinking
"Although children are complicated, it is quite the process having and raising them, I shall need to discuss the timing with my partner."

"Many kids? That seems troubling, unless," she trails off. She smiles softly after a few moments. "Maybe it'd be best if I married a woman and traded off pregnancies."

“A rotation system? Simple yet effective, and you can choose appropriately honourable donors. Of course then each of you will be in and out of various duties over the years.”
It’s a shame cloning creates horribly spiritless monster children. And the world had enough Scorpion

“Maybe you could both look to have children at the same time? It would be very efficient although the house might be... stressful.”

"That would be sensible at the start before there are any children, at least," Nozomi added. She looked up in further thought and then sighed. "I suppose it'd depend on who my spouse ends up being. A bushi and she might just want to constantly be out there in the field.

"I imagine I can still attend to my prayers until I am in labor," said a woman who had never been pregnant.

“I’m uh... sure you would give it your very best effort Kitsu-san. Although your family might want you to rest. And a bushi who is unable to assist their partner in when they are with child is either busy indeed or... of less than acceptable character.”

Even Shoan’s dad has reassigned himself to light duties during the pregnancy, although that just seemed to have annoyed her mother more.

“It is good to see your confidence growing even further Kitsu-san.”

"That is sensible," Nozomi said, looking out in the distance, deep in thought. In her reflection, her words became less and less conversational. "I suppose I don't know what my mother did exactly when she was pregnant with me. I never thought to ask."

She then shrugged and looked over to Shoan. "Eh? My confidence levels have changed?" she asked, perking a brow.