"People mostly." Hayato offered with a wry smile. "I suppose i see your point though, I did leave it kinda wide open."

"But im what you would call a marksman i suppose?"

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Should be plenty of chances to show off your skill at this miai. The Governor seems keenly interest in those with such training." he offers. "Even if the relationship between the Phoenix and the Mantis is....somewhat at a low point at the moment."

"It's not exactly stellar now is it?" Hayato repleid with a soft chuckle "But I'm here, and there is really nothing much to be done about it now."

"Though, in the day to day you seem to have more troubles then I." He made a small motion to the bartender.

Tsugiharu smirked a bit.

"Not a lot of fans of black and white locally. Though it was wise to send a large delegation. A single Spider might get accidentally....lost in a gathering of this miai's size." he said.

He sipped his drink.

"But I think the Spider and the Mantis can agree that when one wants a thing, be it a good match at a miai, or victory in battle, you have to seize what you want with both hands, for no one will just give it to you."

"And a lot of you might prevent those sort of accidents?" Hayato asked, more then a little surprised at how poorly the Spider seemed to think of their hosts.

After a small pause and a sip of his own drink the Mantis nodded. "There is some wisdom there, at least for the battle field, I'm not sure it applies so much to a miai though. Even figuratively speaking, though I suppose if you're looking for no more then the best possible match it could work."

Tsugiharu shrugged.

"It couldn't hurt. There's already a somewhat greater chance of danger than one would expect at a miai. Take the xeno-ikebana event. Optional? Yes. Were the Phoenix ready to provide medical care? Sure. Still, the fact that it was even possible to poison oneself there is....interesting." he offers.

"I suppose you make a good point with that." Though he personally though it was the Phoenix fishing for favours. "I would wonder if it was directly related to the Spider beign here though. Were any of your number poisoned?" He'd skipped the event so was a bit uncertain.

He shook his head.

"I think most of them skipped it. And I'm smart enough to be able to identify the troublesome plants." he boasted. "But I really can't imagine the Phoenix being willing to risk injuring others just to get at the Spider. There are much cleaner solutions if that's really what they wanted.."

"Those are my thoughts exactly." Which led him to believe that this spider was more then a little bit paranoid. Not that he had to say it out loud. "I suppose we will just have to see what the rest of these events hold."

"I know i've been told by some of the Phoenix here that this world is a dangerous place though, and at the very least to not head into the wilderness alone."

Tsugiharu nods.

"A shame though, isn't it? To give one the chance to ride upon a noble Otori steed, present one with stunning natural vistas which would normally be quite the romantic spot...and then mention that they're not entirely 'safe.'"

"A test of bravery perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Hayato agreed taking a sip of his drink.

"Though it could also just be honesty. It is dangerous here after all, it would be quite a misstep if the Phoenix failed to mention it."

"That does leave the question of the Otori though, but as you said the are noble beasts, some samurai might be swayed to stay if they got to keep one."

Tsugiharu chuckled a bit at that.

"The weather's sticky, the wilds are dangerous, and the starcade is run down...but we have giant birds to ride?" he offered, a bit lightly.

"But that is the Phoenix's purpose for the miai. Getting new blood into the world to push it towards the future."

"Something like that." Hayato replied with a chuckle. "At least the club here isn't too bad though."

He glanced around the room. "Even if it seems a bit unpopular this evening." The Mantis shook his head to dispell access thoughts. "Still, I can understand why people might find a certain charm to the place."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Good music and good drinks is a hard combination to get wrong." he agrees.

"You'd be surprised." Hayato replied with a chuckle. "It's really wasy to make a mess of the simpliest things." He gestured to the dancers. "The dance floor could be too small, the seating uncomfortable, the lighting terrible. All of those could make a place unpopular even if it got the music and drinks right."

Tsugiharu tilted his head at that.

"You seem quite knowledgeable about the subject, Tsuruchi-san." he offers. "Simply seen a lot of clubs, or do you have a more professional interest?"

"Seen quite a few clubs." He replied with a shrug. "Places like this are pretty pupular for bushi when you aren't on the line. Few drinks a little dancing, it helps you unwind."

"Also a good place to see faces you haven't seen for weeks on ends. Bars works pretty well too though, it's just a matter of prefrence."

Tsugiharu nods.

"The music is a nice addition to the drinks." he says. "So if you've seen quite a few clubs, does that mean you've spent a lot of time on the line as well?"

"A few years." He offered as he reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. placing one in his mouth and putting the pack down as he reached for his lighter. "Was there before I came here, though I did get to take a short juant home before comign over." Father had wanted to see him.

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Hm, so depending on the miai, you might be heading back, or perhaps you'll have new duties entirely." he mused.