"Ah, that does make sense. A taste of home while being far away, that says good things about you as a partner. Good enough things that you surely cannot be expendable....well, unless you secure some kind of crucial marriage alliance Kitsu-san."
wrly
"Then you would be a little expendable."

"A little expendable," Nozomi laughed, a mix of solemnness and classic awkwardness. She pulled away from the crowds, hoping to be at least out of close proximity to others.

"Say, on this note," she said with a hush tone. "Hyeon-ju has fared better so far in the competitions. I surely believe that I would marry into her clan. That I am willing to accept. But in the case that does not happen, I think it would be wise to prevent our clan from losing that asset."

She fidgeted with her glasses. "If you understand my meeting."

Shoan had bent down a little to assist with hushed tones....there are a few long moments as she tries to make sure she's understanding the right meaning.

"You would look for a marriage..."
She turns and gives a death stare to a trader passing a little too close, poor guy nearly drops his cabbages as he scampers away
"...Within the Clan? With another Lion?"

Nozomi glanced over at the cabbage guy; had she seen him before? Cabbages were precious indeed.

"Yes," the Kitsu replied. She cast her eyes downward, tapping her foot incessantly.

"It...would resolve the issue of your bloodline. Although without being ideal of course."
Hmmm
"Well, Akodo-sama seems nice enough, and both of our Matsu cousins are honourable samurai, they would all be suitable pairings in that eventuality."

"The ideal case would be marrying in a suitable political alliance, of course," Nozomi agreed.

She stood silent for a few moments after Shoan had given her answer. The priestess then nodded slowly. "Yes. I suppose that works," she said wistfully.

"Ironically my list has emptied almost completely over the last few days, so I'm in much the same boat."
Shoan doesn't sigh, but she does look rather tired for a moment

"But I'm not nearly as good a match as Akodo-sama or my cousins."

Nozomi smiled meekly. "Perhaps the others have fared better then with their lists. And then that would leave us two."

"You and...me?"
Shoan blinks slowly

Clearly not quite getting it
"So, I would marry you?"

Pause
"And you would marry me?"

"In that case yes," Nozomi stated blandly. She raised her brow and then looked around. "For the sake of the clan."

"Yes, of course, for the Clan."
Shoan also casts a look around, in case anyone dared to try to listen to Clan business. But the cabbage man was long gone now

"It's...I mean. Obviously I would...."
She trails off for a few moments

"I do think highly of you Kitsu-san."
She clears her throat.

"I think highly of you too," Nozomi murmured with a faint smile. She gave her glasses a calm, thorough cleansing, then placed them back on her face. "Now then, shall we continue, um, doing whatever we were doing here?"

"Yes, um. After all, we were just discussing normal samurai business. There is no reason for anything to have changed...which it hasn't. Let us continue looking for unicorn food...I think I smell chillies over there."

She indicates another section of the market.

Nozomi bit her lip and then could not help herself. "Well, I, no. Maybe it didn't change anything for you but for me... I'm relieved." She laughed awkwardly. "It's good to have shared my intent."

---

D7 LA Don't Mind This "Fluff" Roll of TN 20: 3d10o10 16

"Honesty is always the best course of action. I'm...glad, you let me know."
She said, not minding any fluff rolls.

Also pretty awkward
"I hope this was not worrying you for too long, the miai is stress enough. You should feel as though you can tell me stuff like this...if you want, you certainly don't have to though, there are no expectations."

"Yes, it is only right to be honest," Nozomi agreed, pulling at her top's collar. "But it is not always easy. Sometimes it's hard to put out the right words. That is part of why I did not speak with you about it sooner."

"Of course. And sometimes the right words are-"
Shoan winces at a recent memory
"-Not always right, no matter the intention. Timing is crucial."

A thought strikes her and she frowns slightly
"Should we....go on...well, not a date, since this is a reserve plan. But a...compatability assessment session? I would not want you to have me as a backup option only to then find you could not stand my shins, or something like that."

"I... hm, I did not think about that. We hadn't really done anything of that, well, sort," Nozomi admitted. She glanced around idly. "Maybe we should talk to the others about it too?"

"Of course, we should regroup and make sure everyone is on the same page."
Shoan looks like she is just dreading that conversation

"They might have advice...useful things to say."

"Or not-so-useful additions," Nozomi murmured. "I did say that this sort of union was unideal... for the clan."