Shokomaru arrived at the castle in his pressed suit, looking snappy and proper. He had a lot of ground to cover in this meeting, and he wondered how bad it would get. Truth was, he was still plenty pissed. About eveyrthing.

Nothing that's happened to him, but this miai was quckly becoming a joke to him, and a bad one. Still he wouldn't forget he was a guest and this man he was about to meet didn't like his clan, and they'd already kicked the hornet's nest with the magistrates.

Several strikes against, but fuck it. Something was stank on this planet, and it wasn't just the post rain grime.

The chuui put out his cig and went inside to announce himself and his business.

A familiar and still slightly terrified looking servant would be at the castle, bobbing her head deep as she beckoned Shokomaru to follow, fidgeting as the walked. The Daigotsu officer would be informed that the governor would meet him at the green room, which turned out to be rather apt name for the smallish room that had its walls painted in pastel greens. The governor himself, wearing a pink yukata sat behind a desk, sipping tea. A clay pot sat on the desk, flanked by wonky but expensive looking cups. The sort of shit you'd expect in a Crane or Dragon office.

"Good morning, Daigotsu-san!" the old man greeted his guest all too cheerfully. "I hope you have had your rice today? Please sit down. I am sure we have..." there was a pause. "Something to discuss." A rather luxurious set of pillows had been laid own the floor, Shokomaru able to see the governor's neon pink slippers under the table.

With a bow, Shokomaru sat. He plucked a cup out of his pocket and set it down near the tea set. "Thank you, Asako-sama. Rice has been plentiful, I hope it's been the same for you."

Sitting back in seiza on the pillow he straightened his coat out a bit.

"And we do have some things to discuss, I'm not keen on wasting your time with a purely social call, but if you don't mind small talk I can oblige."

"One cannot complain." he nodded, looking like he had more than few complaints. Tugging his yukata tighter as he moved to pour Shokomaru tea, tendrils of vapor rising from his cup. "Well, that would be refreshing with all the Cranes." the governor huffed. "I see Daigotsu-san is a military man."

"I am, but on leave to get married as you well know, stalking about everywhere in my uniform would be tiresome", he asserted with a smile. "I lead the 5th company of the 9th Obsidian legion. We're mostly fresh from training after being reconstituted due to losses from a previous campaign and it's my aim to show what some fresh faces can accomplish."

He took the tea with a nod.

"I understand Asako-sama had quite the career before being promoted out of combat."

"Well, man serves his lords with two arms." the old man smirked, looking markedly at the Spider. "With his gun and with his weapon. And one of the engagements requires the man to married, neh." A faint smile lingered on his lips as he took a sip from his cup. "No shame in that, I would think."

"The Spider do serve the Empire as they best can." Naokuni noted rather sincerely. "The Throne is ever grateful."

"Well, let's say I was foolish enough to stick my nose into things that were most definitely my business. Seemingly common problem in the Empire, I would say. Ever still." he raised his cup into a mocking salute.

He returned it and sipped the tea.

"I can understand that", he agreed. "Though I'm learning still, I realize." He offered a slight bow at that. "Though now I have some concerns, I admit. This miai has turned out to show some challenges that it has become apparent not everyone is up to. I can see the wish to have samurai prove themselves, but what do you make of it all? Have things been proceeding as you've foreseen?"

"It's not that hard, I assure you." Naokuni smiled, looking bemused. "Just try not to shoot to kill when you engage and you should be fine."

"Challenges? What might Daigotsu-san mean by that? I mean, sure some clans have sent wussies here, but is it my fault when I asked for men and women with steel in their bones and fires in their bellies and the Crane send paper pushers?" he huffed. "I mean, I have seen many a young samurai perform exceedingly well. That Mantis, man. I heard he shot like Bishamon himself. Even if the Mantis are, well, what they are." Shrugging, the governor laid down his cup. "And some of my people have surprised me too, there's that rancher who was really handy with her bird."

He nodded along, realizing he was talking with one of the original Rough Riders suddenly and needed to change gears.

"True, plenty of people doing well. A Moto won the treaty contest and a Crab has been half eaten to death by the local wildlife. It is what it is, I suppose. I'm not one to skirt danger when dirty calls, myself."

"Unfortunate incident." Naokuni nodded, frowning. "A tragedy, but ever since the miai has started we have had four people die out there." he waved in the general direction of the west. "We might have a divine mandate to this world, but the nature is not as cooperative. That Crab knew the risks, I am sure that Asako-san told them that."

"Now, if I had my way we'd torch the forest and build factories there, but..." the man drummed the table. "That might have to wait. Now, did Daigotsu-have something he needed? I am fairly sure you didn't come here to lament a death of one unfortunate poor sod."

"Considering nature has been uncooperative, I'd like your permission to go on a culling excursion, actually", the Spider said with a fiercer grin than he likely meant to. "Some of the lads and I are intetested in killing things that make light of crab sturdiness, and as I'm still learning things, I wanted to put it to you first before going out there and causing a ruckus."

"Walk there, kill things and come back?" the older man leaned back. "I don't see a problem with that. Just don't blow up anything."

"Check on that, mind me asking why in particular?"

"I don't want any more people walking to my office, complaining about what we do to the nature. And because I say so, really." he replied, taking an another sip from his cup. The tea was bitter as if it came from decades old military rations.

He drank as well. He'd had just as bad plenty already. Looking down at his cup he felt a tug though. He didn't like it. Things would be easier if he didn't press hard.

"If you can say so, as your status suggests, Asako-sama, why are there complaints? Do the detractors of your policies have an ally you can't ignore?"

He put the cup down. "If isn't really my business, I know, but when I'm with battalion, no one is telling the Taisa he's got a screw loose or complaining that he can't go forward how he wants to."

You get shot for that.

"Well, I wish I knew. Some people think that we don't respect the land enough. How much respect a mushroom requires, that's what I am asking. I want the city to grow, I want industry and I want millions of samurai. But some people think we are disturbing the world. How do you even disturb a planet. Planet doesn't care, it's there." the governor ranted. "Yeah, but you know. Paper pushers."

"I see", Shokomaru didn't figure on getting much more than a rant. "We tend to deal with that by clearing things faster. What was it Bayushi-sama said in Lies? Cut off the left arm and the right will be too busy staunching the blood?"

"Well, I'd rather not paint the walls with the blood of my people, Daigotsu-san. I understand that the Spider do things very differently, though." he sneered. "Including arts."

He chuckled. "That's a mouthful, but I meant applying pressure elsewhere so they can't oppose you where you're really making your push. And have you seen some Spider art lately? The Susumu are doing some interesting things with animal bones and dead trees I hear."

He wasn't too cheeky about it, just enough to let the governor know he might be kidding.