"There are others," she nodded. "Ujina Jin is qualified, and Daidoji Ishiyo would be... acceptable. But you are easily my first choice. Your honor, your confidence. You are... rather attractive, which helps a lot." A breath. "I hope that isn't... too forward a thought."

"Not at all," she assured Chiyoko calmly. "You are one of my top choices as well. I am though... undecided as of yet, as I try to consider my choice carefully to what would be best for my clan. Yourself and Akodo Akihiko-sama... I find myself unable to decide yet."

A Lion gunso would be a very good match for the Unicorn, after all.

"I apologise for not having such a clear answer as you do, Matsu-san. But that is one of the many things that are admirable about you - you make quick decisions."

A beat. Then response. "There is nothing to apologize for. Akodo-sama is a worthy choice if you are to choose him. To know that I eve rate so highly is an honor in of itself. It might seem... unusual that o choose so quickly. But decisiveness is a Matsu trait after all."

"And it is an Utaku-trait too," she remarked, a smirk as she considered the similarities of the two families. Though the Utaku were decidedly more reserved and calm compared to the famed Matsu rage. "Though I've always been more of a careful person myself."

Still, Hyeon-ju was glad that Chiyoko was not offended by the current indecisiveness.

"At the moment, I am not in a position to choose myself though, and am instead of the mercy of the ones doing the choosing. But being chosen by you or Akodo-sama would be a great honor." A shame I can't have them both.

Any tension that Choyoko might have felt melted away. "I am most pleased to hear that. If you had told me you were utterly disinterested, I'd of course have accepted it."

She tipped back the rest of her sake. "But! I think we have talked enough about the Miai, neh? Perhaps we can take this time to learn a bit more about each other as people?"

"Such is the rules of the miai, but we are all adult samurai here. But yes, Matsu-san is a most admirable samurai, and anyone who is matched with you will be lucky indeed." Hyeon-ju gave a final nod to that, gently sipping her sake.

"Yes! That sounds like a good change of subject. Perhaps you can tell me about your family?" She had heard that the Lion could take that as an invitation of listing every generation of samurai back to the founding of the Empire, but it wasn't a concern she currently had.

"I could tell you all the way back to my family's first followers of Matsu if you like," she smirked. "But more immediately. Father did most of the rearing, as it were. He is a gentle man, not much like my mother, who is as Matsu as Matsu gets.

"I have two younger brothers as well. Terrors, the both of them." She grinned. "But a Matsu is always... passionate in their own way. What of you? Tell me about your family."

"I might take you up on that some time later. The ways of the Unicorn are very strict when it comes to marriage in its own ways, as we rarely take partners who are closely related to us." Making them more or less the opposite of Crane there.

"My family is a bit larger... I have two brothers, and two sisters - and I'm the middle child. My mom is the one who spent the most time raising us and looking after us, but my mother wasn't exactly distant - she's just more busy as a captain in the 1st Sky Rider Wing. Both of them are good parents. Both my brothers are navigators, and my sisters are Sky Riders like me."

"I've no Unicorn blood I am aware of, so I do not think that lineage would cause problems," she smiled, more openly and widely with them being alone and the difficult conversation being done.

She listened intently to the stories of Hyeon-ju's family. "With such a role model, no wonder you aspire to officership." As she spoke, a knock came on the door, and servants came in with a literal boat of food. It was set in front of the two, then the servants quickly bowed and were off. Chiyoko simply kept talking. "I would bet that she doesn't take things easy on you at all, eh?" At least, if the Utaku were like her family, that'd be the case.

The amount of food brought in was pretty impressive. She had a feeling she would hardly have room for snacks during karaoke later with all this food.

And she'd have to do some more running tomorrow to make sure she still stayed fit.

"Both mom and mother have always expected us to be the best we can be. They have high expectations, but not outrageous ones, and they have always been supportive and encouraging," she said with a proud nod of her parents. It was only right that a samurai seek to excel and not merely aim at mediocrity.

"I would say that perhaps my brothers had it a bit easier, being shugenja, but it was probably more that they required a different kind of guidance. Each child requires a different approach, after all."

"High expectations are good. Not overdoing it on them, better," she nodded. "Both of your brothers shugenja, though? That is very rare, as I understand it."

"It is, especially outside families like the Iuchi. But more and more Shugenja are being born into the Utaku for each generation - and its our Family's hope that we will have a strong enough presence of such gifted people to have a Shugenja tradition within our own Family. To perfectly unite Navigator and Pilot."

The Baraunghar was only a first step in that direction, really.