"No, thank the fortunes. That would have made things both more simple and more complicated."

Akemi breathed:

"Well, you've been lucky. But if you continue in the path of Jade, you'll have to face it eventually. Prepare for it. It's worst than you can imagine."

She put her fleshcraft forward, palm opened:

"Guess I should tell you my own story since you shared your own.

Me and my unit were boarding a flagless hostile vessel, highly suspected to be a Spider privateer.

At first, everything went quite well. The ship's crew proved no match for us and fell back in disarray. We were advancing through the rooms smoothly, eliminating the last pockets of resistance with ease.

And then I noticed the bomb.

It was a ugly makeshift thing, a mess of explosives glued to the wall with a simple electrical fuse as the detonator. But it was about to go off all the same. And when it did, the hull would be breached, and our platoon sucked into the deep void of space.

Didn't hesitate for a second. I reached for the bomb, tore it off the wall and threw it away. The first two steps of the plan were a complete success. The last one was only 90% perfect. Though I managed to get it far enough from the wall and the others so that the blast didn't have enough power left to pierce through the hull or their armors, I was a fraction of a second too late to save myself.

While my reflexes and the high quality of my Kaiu-forged armor saved the most of me, my still stretched out throwing arm was instantly pulverized by the explosion."

She clapped her hands:

"Have no regret. Was the right thing to do. Would do it again. Will just try to be quicker next time as to save my grandpa the hassle of having to arrange a new arm for me."

"You did exactly what was required of you Hida-san, a moment's hesitation would have killed not only you but your entire squad."

Shoan nods approvingly
"It was a fine act for a samurai and you are still able to fight and it seems, marry, so it ended well for all. The only shame here belongs to the Spider for such cowardice."

"What else to expect from such... clan?"

She kept moving her mechanical fingers, in what was now starting to look like an exercise, with repetitive movements requiring efforts from all articulations.

"We do really live in an age of technological wonders. Only a couple of decades ago, I would have had to restart my training almost from zero to serve my lord again in a new role. Nowadays, I can indeed just keep doing what I do best."

“Quite, bombs are the least of their crimes.”

Now that it’s been raising as a topic Shoan can admire the arm without being rude
“If I may ask Hida-san, is the arm as effective as that it replaced? Flesh-craft is less common in my clan.”

Akemi turned her forearm on the other side so he may also look at it from that angle, without stopping her fingers' exercise.

"The answer is yes and no.

My new arm has the potential to become as good as my previous one, but it does require time and efforts to reach that point. As it is now, after half a year of physical therapy, I've recovered full mobility of my shoulder, elbow and wrist, but my fingers are still a bit stiff and my reflex movements with this limb slightly off with the rest of me.

If I keep it up with my daily exercises and weekly check-ups and adjustments, it should be perfectly integrated within my body in a couple of years."

"A couple years?"
Shoan frowns slightly, that was a long time for any bushi to be in recovery

"I am sure it will be quicker than that Hida-san, your family has always healed quickly. Has it...prohibited you from resuming your duties?"

"Well, during the first months of recovery and therapy, I certainly wasn't combat-ready. Arm was as good as a dead weight at the time.

But I have been able to swing my tetsubo at full power for about a month now, and I passed with flying colors all the medical check-ups to return to my unit before coming here. If I don't marry away, it's back to the Crab frontline for me in two weeks.

My nowadays issues are only with high-dexterity maneuvers like writing."

She raised the piece of metal until it stood at their eyes level, between them:

"It's a marvel of science and magic... but even magic has its limits."

"It may be for the best, I would not trust most humans without limits."
Gesturing towards the arm
"Limits are what make us human, after all, they give us something to push."

Turning back to start cleaning up the small amount of detritus around them
"So your goal would be to remain among the Crab?...I suppose it would be strange for any samurai to want to leave their own Clan, at least openly."

Akemi retracted her arm, flexing it in the process:

"Even if I was to marry away, I have little doubts about the fact I'll be sent back to the battlefield, if a different one. That's where I'll be most useful whatever my colors.

And my goal is to contract the marriage that will grant the most honor to my family. Everything else is irrelevant."

Shoan nods slowly, Akemi's goals were much the same as the Lion's, if delivered in more characteristically crab tones.

"I look forward to seeing your match at the end of the miai then. Although, I am curious, and if it is not too forward...."
Shoan waves a hand to encompass the city
"There are many samurai here that are both prestigious and skilled, if you could pick any other single participant, who would bring the most honour to your family?"

"Hmm."

She reached for her densai and looked at something.

"On paper, it would be Akodo Akihiko-sama. He is one step ahead of the competition from his résumé alone.

In practice though this match is unlikely to happen. Too much competition, not enough arguments in my favor and... I've talked to him and he did not seem particularly interested.

A safer bet would be to pursue another, barely less prestigious, warrior of the Lion, with whom I might fit better."

"Ah."
Poor Akodo-sama, always listed, never a listee.
"Matsu Hide-san then? She is a skilled and honourable warrior, a fierce athlete and I am told, a skilled courtier when needs must. I also know for a fact she thinks highly of your clan, Matsu-san would be a fine match."

"Oh I know Matsu Hide quite well. She's basically already promised to Kuni Eriko by this point."

Well if Eriko manages to end the miai without getting herself reassigned to a desolated outpost.

"The next best choice is Matsu Chiyoko. Maximum Range is such a legend. If I was to marry her, grandpa would falsely casually drop her name in half his conversations with prestigious guests. But, even though she's my roommate, I've barely been able to see her.

Next in line... That would be you."

Two Blinks "Me?"
Shoan did the numbers, Akemi had indeed listed all the Lion bushi present.

"Oh.... but you don't really know me Hida-san. I have lots of faults....surely there are better matches?"

Akemi smiled:

"Until now, you've told me you're an experimented warrior from an extremely prestigious unit. That does not exactly scream lots of faults to me."

"I have...um...tattoos? Lots of tattoos, and I'm quite a bit taller than is considered attractive, and I'm also extremely honest uhhh."
More faults, more faults
"I don't drink? I think that is increasingly considered a fault these days and...I have bad taste in music."

Akemi tilted her head:

"You know, if you have other plans already set, you can just tell me and I'll strike you out of my list. From the beginning of our conversation, I was under the idea you were trying to start anew your own list of potential spouses. Might have jumped to conclusion there. Sorry."

"Oh no it's nothing...not entirely nothing, like that. I was just..surprised. I'm not any samurai's first pick for anything."
Shoan looks slightly pained

"It's just that I have a...friend. And I know she has had some trouble securing a good match, and I promised her that if she did not find one...I would marry her. So it's not that I am not honoured or interested Hida-san, it's just...quite a lot to consider all at once."

Akemi nodded:

"Perfectly reasonable. It's better to be honest about these things early and avoid a long and painful misunderstanding. Just call me if the situation evolves okay?"

She handed her her com' number.

"And... Pardon me... But for such an objectively successful person you're almost excessively humble. Is there a particular reason for that?"