Joo tried to look confident as he sat on the alien bird, trotting alongside his companion.

"This is my first time here Shiba-san, so excuse my ignorance. Did you often visit when you were younger?"

She nodded. "We would come with our mother, to help her gather samples. We always seemed to find something new."

"That sounds quite interesting. Did you like visiting the firest?"

"I did." she nodded. "Not as much as my sister, but it was fun exploring with her. I didn't like not being able to see the sky, though, when we went deeper in."

"You and your sister seem pretty close, though I guess that is to be expected." He rode with a smile. "How is she doing?"

"Good." she answered. "Honestly, I was worried the miai might be a bit overwhelming for her. She's much more comfortable out here than in the city. But, I think she's doing better than I am."

Joo smiled as he rode. "Ah, glad to hear. Well, I am sure you are not doing bad, Shiba-san." He smiled as they came closer to a...copse of fungi? "They can grow so tall that you cannot see past them to the sky? How fascinating!"

"There's still a lot that isn't understood about the forests." she nodded. "About Asakaze overall."

Joo nodded, riding slowly. "I can understand that. It is a wondrous planet." He smiled. "The Phoenix must feel lucky to have acquired such a location." He tilted his head. "How have things been going for Shiba-san since we last met?"

*Good." she nodded. "I was able to spend some time with my sister, which is always nice. Does Iuchi-sama have any siblings?"

"Ie, I'm an only child. It must be good to have a sibling, someone you can confide in." He smiled. "I love my fathers, but sometimes they can be distant, and well, sometimes I feel their expectations are a bit too much." He sighed.

"I know our parents have expectations, but I can't say they've pressured us over them much." she said as she thought it over. "Maybe they were just happy when we weren't causing trouble."

Joo smiled. "Shiba-san? Causing trouble? Now that is a picture I cannot imagine." He smiled in good jest. "My fathers are...brilliant, and ambitious. And wonderful, and honorable, and patient, but they expect me to meet their achievements and surpass them. Sometimes, I wonder if I'll ever be able." he seemed slightly crestfallen.

"One of the advantages of having an identical twin is all the tricks you can play on others." she giggled. "You sound a bit ambitious yourself, considering all the interests you mentioned the other day. But, I wouldn't be surprised if you manage to succeed in many of them."

Joo smiled nervously. "Arigatou Shiba-san, I appreciate your faith in me. i will do my best to live up to them."

He did ride slightly closer to her. "Oh? Tricks? Now Shiba-san can't leave me so starved for details, it would be cruelty."

She shrugged. "Mostly, it was masquerading as one another, making people think we were someplace one of us wasn't or that one of us was in two places at once. We did convince a new ranch hand that we were actually triplets. It was a few months before father told him."

Joo barely managed to hold in his laughter at that. "Triplets? That's certainly clever!" He eyed her, then looked away briefly. "Can be sure than I am speaking to Hishoko-san, and not Moriko-san?"

"That is a good question." she grinned. "Only our dogs can tell us apart for certain."

Joo rode as close as he dared. "May I attempt at least, Shiba-san?"

"You probably should." she smiled with more warmth. "I wouldn't want you to confuse us in the future, would I?"