"Well, even if that's the case", he said as he wiped his own seat. "It's been raining, and that dress is only going to make you an underwear model if you sit on a wet seat."

He unbuttoned his suit coat and sat as well.

"Not that most around here would complain."

"I'm quite certain they wouldn't, but I would have wiped my own seat. I'm not complaining though, don't misunderstand me. Merely an observation." Leaning against the table, she stared at Shokomaru a bit intently. "You've met other Crane I imagine before myself. I know at the least you met with Doji Ichika-san, but there are so many present, it would be hard to avoid the others."

He tilted his head to the side, lip quirking. "And it's taken all this time for us to run into each other, I know. I'm a bit surprised myself."

The servant dropped off their order, black tea and black coffee. Shokomaru took his up and sipped.

"Yeah, I've met Daidoji Ishiyo-san as well, I don't think you brought it up to tell me something I don't want to hear about though."

She raised an eyebrow. "Now you have me curious what you might not want to hear precisely. i'm merely a horrible curious woman that wants to know how the miai's fared for you so far. I'm a touch over opinionated as well I fear."

The spider chuckled a bit again, nodding to himself. "Alright, well, it's been fine. I spend my days stumbling over obstacles, then my afternoons and evenings talking with pretty ladies about how this is such a wonderful time."

"It's a rise-repeat...but not one to complain about. Cleanliness is important, after all", he said and sipped his coffee again.

"Yourself, Asahina-san?"

"Oh, somewhat the same, but I try to keep a bit of variety in it all. My walk out here is an example. Tedium and repetition are my banes. It's lead my to meeting all sorts of men and women after all, so it must be working." Her tea was quite plain, but warming.

The coffee was terrible, but nothing beats army coffee in terms of a fate you wouldn't wish on your enemy.

He sipped again.

"Yeah? I came out this way looking for a place to bring someone, something rustic, but could pass for somewhere a samurai might be caught dead."

"It's most certainly not the sort of area I'd normally frequent, but then, things tend to be more... delineated back home. I'm thinking of it as gaining worldly experience." She tilted her head a bit curiously. "I thought I'd much more likely meet you at the dojo or sport's center. Perhaps I have a somewhat naive view of what military men do with their time."

"Depends", he said and put his coffee down. "Grunts are always working out when they are't doing mandatory fun or getting chewed out for skating."

He shrugged. "Sometimes it's the same for officers, but I'm here to get married, not fight a war."

"Oh, certainly." A sip and a small laugh. "Though courtship is its own battle. I've been to the dojo and sport's center both since arriving myself, so it's why I noted. Have my own fitness regimen to keep up. Sound mind and sound body and all."

"I didn't know the Crane had a policy of nothing extraneous in body or mind", he said from behind a cigarette. "Or maybe it's just Asahina-san pushing herself for excellence?"

"Oh, there are certainly others that do, but I believe this is a personal thing," she commented nonchalantly. "Not that that means I don't take my opportunities to relax or pamper myself; I enjoy a hot bath and massage as much as the next woman. Merely that I don't believe in doing anything in halves."

An appreciative smile struck his face and he nodded at that.

"Sounds to me like you're someone who is confident to admit what they want, that's commendable", he said and raises his cup to her.

She gave a small nod. "I see no reason to skirt around the truth when letting it out would serve a much more direct route to the end." She raised her own cup of tea and took a long sip for the warmth.

"Mmm... so. I admit to being a bit of a curious cat on such matters, but have any of the non-Crane caught your eye? I admit, our delegations seem to be the largest, bit I've found a bit outside the Spider of interest personally. I'm curious as to your own experience."

"Well of course", he nodded agreeably. "I've talked to a Lion, a Crab, even a Unicorn. Can't say I've committed as far as I'd like to any of it, but they certainly have been pleasing as far as a miai is concerned."

Was he a little coy? Possibly.

"And naturally, Asahina-san, if you focus all of your efforts in one place, but it turns out to be an impossibility, well...you haven't done a very good job, so I expect everyone to be playing the field, so to speak."

"Oh, I am certain there are one or two that are star struck with visions of love at first sight dancing in their hearts, but it's good to hear you've met a good number of samurai and kept an open mind," Fusako commented with a polite smile. "I've yet to meet any Mantis... oh, and come to think of it, no Dragon yet either. They've been pretty quiet this miai, haven't they?"

"Maybe their ship had to stop and pray at a shrine, or it's standing on some innkeeper's roof", he offered. "We're probably better off. Though i know there's a Tsuruchi, seemed the serious type, but I haven't spoken to him."

"Oh, there are at least a few Mantis present, though hardly in numbers. As for the Dragon..." she gave a small shrug. "I would not presume to say we are better off, but I think there is already quite a bit of variety. I doubt anyone outside a Kitsuki would fit my type anyway."

"Sounds unlucky for the Dragon, but I think people can have a certain swagger regardless of clan, eh?"

"Oh, of course Daigotsu-sama. If there were Dragon present that I knew of, I would give them no less an opportunity than I have anyone else. There are very few sorts that I actively dislike, so I imagine I would find something to talk about with each of them. Keeping an open mind is always the key." Setting her tea cup down, she put her chin on a palm and looked off to the side wistfully at the rain as she said that.