Today Ichika didn't find the energy to get up, not right away. Laying in her bed still in her sleepwear she looked up toward the surface just in front of her. Communicator down by her foot she laid still for a little while, thinking. A soft sigh as she shifted from this position onto her side, looking out toward the room. Glancing over toward Koryn's old bed for a moment but quickly looking away.

Ryuu came in, duffel over his shoulder. He had awoken early and already gone for a run. Showered, and changed. His uniform collar was unbuttoned, and the duffel was stowed. The long hair was loose about his shoulders, still slightly damp.

He was quiet, hoping to not disturb the others.

From her bunk Ichika watched, finding that something else to focus on. Of course, that something else was Ryuu. Neutral in her expression as she watched. Just an overly lazy bean laying in her bed. Moving a little she nudged her communicator and stopped abruptly as to not knock it off her bed.

"You are awake." He quietly spoke up, looking at his bunk. Hands reached up, a tie in his hand as he began to work his hair into a tight foxtail. The Spider was always wary, always on guard, perceptions high.

"I hope I did not disturb you, Doji-san." He rolled his shoulders, the broadness of them apparent, the might of Earth and the strength of the roaring rivers apparent in his uniform, fitted as it was.

Finally he turned, looking to her, a smile on his face. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she said, looking to him for a moment. With a little soft-groan she shifted herself into more of a sitting position. With her legs crossed she absently pulled her communicator into her lap. "You didn't disturb me, Daigotsu-san," she shook her head, her voice soft and groggy.

"Old habits die hard. Always up early, prepare for the day, then move onto duties. I suppose I could be taking it easy, as this is almost a vacation." He chuckled, reaching up to finish adjusting his uniform.

"How did you sleep, Doji-san?"

"Okay," she said, leaning back until she found the wall and rested against it. Nothing about her, at the moment, was particularly notable under normal circumstances. However, the distinct lack of her usual cheer was certainly different, just as different as her still being in bed after these last few days.

"You, Daigotsu-san?"

"Efficiently." He replied. "Rested for the day. Nothing special." His face pursed slightly, looking down to Koryn's former bunk. "It does not get easier. And only makes the deception that brought him here only more obscene."

Ryuu wanted blood. He wanted to find that sniveling coward who tricked the Kuni and force him through the viewscreen of whatever admiral's ship he was on. He wanted to hunt the beast that laid claim to yhe young man's life.

Watching Ryuu, she wondered, she read what she could and she wondered. Sliding down on her side again she lay there in her bunk and sighed.

Ryuu continued dressing, now the jade cufflinks pinned into place, shining that vibrant green, even in the darkness of the room. His eyes watched the Doji woman in her bed, and his demeanor softened.

"What is on your mind, Doji-san?"

"How've you been doing with the Miai, Daigotsu-san?" she asked, shifting herself again so she was sitting properly once more.

The question caught him off guard. A half step back, he let a hand rest on his top bunk. Ryuu breathed in. "It has found me wanting in the eyes of the judges. I was proud of my performance yesterday, but it was not enough for them. And..." he faltered in his words. His two dates yesterday were wonderful but... melancholic.

The Spider sighed, and his On came off. "I find myself unsure. I very much doubt I will increase my esteem in the eyes of the judges, and thus will not earn much control over fate. There are... three... that I havr found I feel I would be most compatible with. Three treasures that any other would be foolish to look past... and I will likely see them gone before I have the opportunity to speak with a nakodo."

His eyes looked away from Ichika. "Why do you ask, Doji-san?"

"Reason anyone asks about anything," she said, softly and with the strained touch of a smile. Sliding over to the edge of her bed she slid her legs out and let her bare feet touch the floor. Pausing, she continued. "Do you worry about that a lot, Daigotsu-san?" Regarding him she tilted her head a little.

Her face didn't have the usual makeup, and she woke up nearly as early as the others normally meaning it was a slightly different sight than he was used to.

"It is difficult not to worry. Perhaps I should not. As long as I do act in a manner unbecoming a Samurai, I will leave here with a spouse. Just..." he looked back to her. Without makeup, she still held the grace and beauty that the Doji family was famed for. It made him think...

This was a sight he could get used to, seeing her face first thing every morning. "... There is something more to being given the opportunity to impress, to be able to have a hand in ones fate. Regret is a sin, but, I want more. I want to show that I am more than just a low level magistrate in training. Someone that could impress and..." he shook his head, and turned around.

His On was falling apart, and perhaps the stress of the week was beginning to show. "... i find my heart is wanting to impact duty. And I did not expect that. I was not prepared."

"That reminds me of something a friend told me yesterday," she said, looking down at the floor where her feet touched it. Curling her toes as she exhaled a little. "We aren't who we're going to be. I'm not the best poet, and you're not the best magistrate," the paraphrasing tone dropped off there.

"Losing.. or," she shook her head, "not being the best out of the bunch right now doesn't mean too much. You can't control a lot of things in life," she said, looking up to him, smiling even if it lacked it's usual mirth. "But, you can control how you react to them, yea? That's what I was taught, at least."

"Enjoy the passing moments as they come," she looked back down to her feet. Firmly planting them on the ground. "Never know what one's you might have in the future, yea?" she said, looking back up.

"I do not want passing moments..." his teeth grit, as he turned to look back to her. "I cherish them, I have had so many here but..." his lips formed a hard line. "It is getting to the point where those who have been the best will be able to make those choices."

There was a lot of sadness in his eyes.

"And there will be nothing I can do to stop it. Doji-san, I am afraid."

"I-" she furrowed her brow, laying back against her bed with her feet still firmly on the ground. Reaching over and pulling her little Otori plushie in front of herself. Lifting the plushie up she looked at it, as it 'looked' right back at her. "I don't know if I have the answers for you, Daigotsu-san," she said, her voice soft but a little distant.

"I think it's just.." she sighed, looked into the plushie's eyes as if they had the answers. "Spider... you all seem so.. different," she said, there wasn't malice in her tone. "I want to help you, if I can but.. I think your enemy is yourself?" she said it, both like a statement and a question.

"But then.. I don't know. I didn't come here with expectations, hopes, not like you," she said, letting her arms rest and bringing the plushie down, resting it on her chest.

Ryuu didn't say anything. He slumped somewhat against the bunk. His head shook in acknowledgement. "If one cannot master oneself, how can they master anything else? You are right, I am my own greatest enemy." His eyes focused on the Doji, the rims of them slightly red.

"It is not fair, for me to put you in this situation. You should not have this state I have put myself in inflicted upon you. It is not... a proper thing to do. Especially to a friend. To someone who..." he stopped himself. It was already a storm that he was in from the day prior, and today was still dealing with.

He breathed in, and climbed up, sitting on his bunk. "I am a mess, Doji-san." He laughed at that.

"Everyone is, sometimes," she said, there was a soft sigh but something edging on a little hope added to the end of the tone. Looking down at the plushie resting on her chest. With the little Otori looking back at her, telling her all about the memories she's already accumulated from this place with it's beady little eyes. Those fleeting moments that she cherished so dear.

"What do you want to do about it, Daigotsu-san?"

"I do not know what can be done, Doji-san." Ryuu shook his head, slumping back, relaxing onto his bunk. Looking up to the ceiling, the Spider pondered, silent for a moment.

"All I can do is... if I do not impress any of the judges, is impress anh who might think of me as good potential. And leave it to fate."