Fist bump was returned! "Hopefully we'll be able to keep ball shots and gunshots apart." Ruhe snickered.

Oh my Kami, there's three of them.

The Utaku inhaled deeply as she grimaced.

"I do not think it is a good idea to have a game of oshidama in hostile territory." she said in a tight voice. Full ice queen mode.

Akihiko, less icy but no less concerned than Hyeon-ju, also speaks up: "Oshidama isn't our duty here. But we can still get in some games at the sports complex. The better to welcome a small audience to our glorious victory, eh?" His voice is joking as he looks to Matsu Hide, but he ends with a smiling challenge to the Unicorn.

Yul looked back and forth between Hide, Hyeon-ju, and Akihiko.

Finally he shrugged, smiling just a little. "Sounds good to me. You're on, Akodo-sama." A little bow, balancing the light formality of the situation with the higher status of the Akodo.

Yul's eyes narrowed. Of course, some more adventurous folk might just visit the beach on their own sometime...

"Let's drink to doing and cheering sports together?" Ruhe offered, not enjoying awkwardness at the drinking table, of all places. He'd got Nozomi a soft drink in the meantime.

Akihiko returns Yul's bow, noting the look in his eye, but then nodding to Ruhe. "Indeed. Kanpai!"

"Thank you for being so understanding," she said to the Unicorn. She looked to the gathered group and counted heads once more. A frown flickered on her face for a brief moment before she returned to festivities.

"Yes, cheers!" she said, holding up the drink Ruhe had given her.

"Geonbae!" she joined in the cheer, as was proper, and took a pretty hearty swing of her beer.

Hyeon-ju was, after all, not a pushover when it came to drinking. But Yul knew from experience that most of the Utaku could drink him under the table.

"May everyone have a fun and successful miai, yes?" it seemed like a good thing to drink to.

"Yeah!" Ruhe replied, slamming down the emptied cup. "So, dear Lion, maybe tell us something about your plans for this miai thing. I get it's all about tying knots for the Clan, so we may as well share some thoughts about that."

Akihiko raises to Hyeon-ju's toast. "Fun and successful."

When the Unicorn musician asks his question so directly, the Lion smiles politely. "A plan for every mission, Moto-san, and the plan here is HONOR," he says emphatically. Then he cracks a smile, revealing the joke. He allows a moment for polite chuckles.

"Really, Moto-san," Akihiko says with his charming voice and warm smile, "I think all the Lion are here to do our duty to the clan: bring honor with our actions and the matches that we find. It is not the sort of battlefield we are used to, but the Lion do not shrink from duty anywhere."

Hyeon-ju resisted the urge to rub her ear. She was so certain she had heard the Akodo said "purr", but maybe it was a dialect thing.

"It seems that we have much similar prospects for this miai," she said, nodding and took another sip of her beer. "It is still too early to say that anyone has made any decisions so far, but I at least personally hope our clans will grow closer with at least one marriage between us. The Lion are good and honorable samurai, and we respect that."

"Hear hear." Yul seconded that, raising his drink.

He shrugged. "And besides marriages, there can be friendships. If this is a battlefield, even a weird one, hey, that's where the best friendships are formed, right?" He flashed Hide a quick nod.

Hide returned the sentiment, nodding in agreement with Yul's words. "Agreed. Friendships formed during times like these can be some of the most exciting kinds! Plus, friendly competition pushes everyone to do better."

"I agree," the Utaku nodded, approving. She wasn't the ranking member of the Unicorn, as they were technically of equal rank, but she just naturally fell into the more responsible role.

"And yes, friendly competition is good - a good place to test our strength and find common respect and interest in having our skills challenged. Are there any of the listed contests the hosts have prepared that are of particular interest to any of you?"

Akihiko smiles at Hyeon-ju over his beer, responding to her question half jokingly: "Anything that involves shooting or athletics seems a good bet for us," he says smiling. Then very seriously: "But my clanmates all have specific skills of their own to let them shine. So you never know where Lion talent will rise."

"Not that the Unicorn lack hidden talents, Akodo-sama, but surely you're cool people." Ruhe raised another cup in a toast. "One of yours should definitely get hitched with one of ours so that all those good talents are joined into a star power or something."