Finding her way to the bathhouse from the mall, Ichika needed a little time to get away from it all. Which she found in the shower room again. Those herbal soaps having such a pleasant scent as to take her away from her thoughts and the smooth massaging of the shower to keep her there. Drying inside the shower she focused on her face so that she could put her eye-patch back on without too many wandering eyes. Wrapping the towel around her when she was dried enough Ichika padded her way along the smooth stones. Setting the towel aside as she slipped into the hot pool of water and let out a long and smooth sigh.

Shion had kept to quiet, quick baths so far. She'd been more focused on getting gigs to happen, then just on the Miai events, so she hadn't really found time for a longer, relaxing bath so far. After her attempt at the race course today, however - and with much on her mind since the meeting two days ago and nothing much done about it yesterday - she thought she could give herself a chance to unwind, recharge... maybe even go ahead and meet someone in an environment that was less 'talking shop'.

If she could do that, that is.

After scrubbing off the mud, rests of mushroom stalks and other remains of the race in a good, long shower with a juniper-scented soap that she had particularly liked, she dried herself, wrapped the towel around her and started making her way to the hot pool. She had just noticed she was paying more attention to details of the background music playing to help them relax and how it resonated in the stones and combined with the sounds of water than she was to the atmosphere and the moment itself... when she saw the friendly-looking Doji she had briefly met, or seen, one of the first days - possibly at the celebration at the Botanical Garden?

Hanging her towel close by and getting closer to the pool, she says in a low, melodious tone, respectful if a bit blank as she also slips into the pool. "Um... Konnichiwa, Doji-sama. Hope I don't bother by joining you?"

Closed eye opened again, seeing Shion she smiled brightly, "Not at all Samurai-sama!" she said, just to be certain and all. With a little nod she shifted a little, just a touch more reserved she brought one leg over the other and laid her arms across her lap.

"I don't think we've met!" she said, already bringing her hand up and tapping her chest creating little waves as the movement disturbed the water. "I'm Doji Ichika, something of a courtier.. kinda, and I would also like to consider myself a poet.. kinda," she brought the same hand to turn the back of it and cover her mouth as she laughed.

"I hope you're doing well?" she finished with a warm smile.

Shion was definitely a bit more laid-back than Ichika as she got into the hot water and settled herself, but the girl's smiling and playing with the water get a smile out of her as her attention focuses on the waves spreading across the pool and the sound of the water splashing around and mixing with the ambient music.

Looking up and leaving that temporary daze, she bows her head, a bit coyly. "Oh! Pleased to meet you, Doji Ichika-sama. I... think we just exchanged a quick greeting on the first day of the Miai. This is Suzume Shion, I'm a musician working for the Miya Entertainment Network", she says, smiling a bit. "... a Bushi as well, I suppose. We receive traditional training", she says, maybe with a slight bit of what stands for pride in a Sparrow... which's not much. "So... a poet, then! Can this one ask kind of poetry you like or do most? Do you also do songs, Doji-sama?" she asks, seeming quite interested suddenly.

"It's been.... interesting here", she says in a thoughtful tone. "Did manage to get to know some of the local environment, culture and music scene, so that was good. And things have been getting.... interesting lately, apparently. "I hope Doji-sama's been doing well yourself?"

"I've been doing very well," she said, smiling as she dipped her head. "I'm sorry though, if I forgot Suzume-san and please, Doji-san is fine," she said with a little waving of the hand and a smile to boot.

""But yea!" she nodded, "I.. I suppose I like a lot more of the poems that speak on nature, or at least use nature in them to help convey their true feelings. There's actually more styles for that than you might think," she said, with a light laugh as she dipped her head to the side dorkily. "I actually haven't told many people but.. I have actually been trying to work on a song! Been recording the vocals myself in the spare time with the tools I have, not really a great space but I take it to my computer and mix it anyway sooo..." she shook her head. "Anyway, yea! It's not really what I do, do, yea? But it's fun," she said with a renewed little smile.

"Oh, nothing to be sorry of, Doji-sam..uh..san.", she says, waving her hand as well while looking down at the water. "Was just a moment, we were speaking to other people", she says, eyes mostly blank and facing down, but smiling slightly.

Her smile grows a bit as Ichika talks about her poetry... and even more when she mentions her song. "Oh, that sounds really interesting! I'm afraid my experience with nature-inspired poetry is limited mostly to haiku and some tanka forms... The traditional, mostly. And, well, songs. My main thing is the music,of course, but I've been working for some time on folk songs, using lyrics and sounds to tell stories... That sometimes draws on nature for sounds and lyrics. Anyway, I'd love to see and hear some of your creations!"

She then stretches back a bit, flexes her back to stretch it to the sides as well... Her tone and voice are still relatively demure and laid-back, but she seems a bit less reserved about her body than Ichika is.

"And... I'd like to hear your song, too! Is it just voice? I... Well if you want some ideas or instruments in the background or something, or would like some help recording and such, I'm always happy to exchange ideas and help with music", she says, looking at her more directly for a moment, then down again, waving her hand a bit shyly. "Ah, I mean I don't wanna intrude, or course! But I'd love to hear it if you ever feel like it", she says looking down and tapping the water to create waves of her own now, trying to set the rhythm so that the waves collide and create a bump about halfway the distance between them.

"It's mostly just something I do for fun," she says waving her hand a little. "At least, the song writing is I've never really tried it before, but back when I was training we were taught a bit how to use computers and I found this pretty neat mixing software and I've been playing around with it," she says with a little smile, miming the action of typing away at a computer.

"Sounds are from stuff I've recorded or sung or," she shrugged, "you know other stuff! Which means it's pretty different from what you normally do but.." she furrows her brow, thinking and then a little nod. "I would actually really like to hear what you think of it, yea? It's more like sung poetry than a song but.. well, kinda the same thing yea?"

The Sparrow looks at her with a small smile. "Ah... Well, I guess most of us start by tinkering and looking up things. I know I did a fair bit of that too, then got some actual training, but tinkering and playing around is always part of the job I guess".

She then looks up for some time, thoughtful.

"Eh... I usually take lyrics as a particular type of poetry, but 'sung poetry' does sound like something different? Kinda like... 'speak-singing', then? Or... Like using melodies over traditional poetic forms? Either way... I wonder how you worked with the rhythm... That sounds interesting!"

"Y-yea! You got it, more like the last. There's a melody to it.. I do sing the lines, but it's very clearly in some of the traditional forms. Split up into little sections of different types of poems," she laughed, shaking her head a little. "It's nothing that would ever be recognized like some of the popular songs people listen to but.. well, I don't really wanna show everyone my songs like that, I guess. I mean.. I want people to enjoy them.. but, maybe not that large scale? At least.. I don't want to become a musician or anything," she said, all on a little blurb as she looked over at Shion at the end and chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh", Shion said, then stopped, apparently thinking, maybe imagining what it must sound like instead of continuing to speak. Her face was still a bit blank - apparently she was just used to that deadpan look - but her eyes shone with interest.

"That sounds really interesting, Doji-san! You know... more distinctive sounds rarely make it to a larger scale. Doesn't mean they're bad at all", she says, now with a more clear-cut and friendly smile. "Seeing that people enjoy something you did is a great feeling, though, eh? Even if it's some people, and even if they don't know the face or name behind it"

She then lies back to relax a bit again, her cheeks flushing a bit from the hot water. "... might... might this one ask to hear one of Doji-san's poems? Do you have any on... Asakaze itself, maybe? Or the nature of your homelands?"

OOC

Edited to add something to keep the convo going if that ain't a problem!

"Thank you!" she smiled brightly, dipping her head a little. Glancing away a little as she spoke on it, a liittle down, but when the question came she returned with a renewed smile. "Oh! Of course, uhm.." she furrowed her brow. "Maybe you'd like to see it, rather than me speak it from memory yea? We can meet up sometime soon and I'll let you take a quick look at my Densai? I might even have a few new ones by then!"

"Oh"

Shion looked at Ichika as if taking the time to see her properly now. She then closed her eyes, smiling slightly and enjoying the feeling of the hot water on her skin and the watery sounds and relaxing music.

After a moment, she answers, her eyes opening slowly and looking down at the water again. "That... that sounds lovely, Doji-san!"

... problem's just... so much trouble brewing up for tomorrow. Wish we had a calmer time for this...

She looks up at her for a quick while with a demure, tentative smile. "Tomorrow, maybe? If... " If things don't go haywire, she thinks, but doesn't quite say it.

"Um... you know... I wouldn't mind hearing you recite one either. Or some of them", she says, a slight grin on the corner of her lips. "Not like Doji-san's voice wouldn't add to them, ne?", she says with a slight wink, immediately blushing a little... then makes a cup with her hands and splashes some of the hot water on her face.

Shion did have an ear for music, and Ichika's voice... it would belong in a song.

With a touch of extra red to her cheeks she glanced away a moment, finding one of the little plants that dotted the area around them. "Pretty, hmm?" she suggested with a faint smile. Laughing a little awkwardly she looked back with and gave a little nod.

"A-anyway," she said, chuckling again just as awkward as before. "Thank you, Suzume-san." Smiling she looked to her for a moment, nodded and continued, "I'd love to meet tomorrow.. as for a poem.." she looked around the area a bit more. Furrowing her brow a little as she thought, piecing something together.

Closing her eyes, thought Shion only saw the one. Still, her face shifted so that it was clear and obvious they moved in sync. Piecing them together in the moment she spoke, a soft little performance she took her time with, but she tried her best to hold the beauty of the Doji in how she spoke her words.

Two birds, set to perch
born unto renewing winds
one of words, one song.

Looking back to Shion she smiled, "What do you think, Suzume-san?"

Shion may not be as shy as Ichika, but she's not exactly an extrovert too. Her face is demure as she nods, agreeing to Ichika's comment about the flowers, and turns her eyes to look at them as well.

As Ichika prepared, then recited her impromptu poem, Shion looked at her, then closed her eyes, letting the words ring and mix with the ambient sound.

As the crane was done, she opened them again, her cheeks slightly red again, a small but warm smile on her lips.

Her look and her nodding to the Doji make her appreciation of the poem quite clear, even if she doesn't speak for some time.

When she does, she grins slightly. Ichika will surely recognise the suggestion for a Renga?

"songbirds brown and brilliant white
take wing - where do they alight?"

Ichika clapped her hands together as she gasped with delight. "I wasn't expecting that Suzume-san!" she laughed wonderfully as she clapped twice lightly. "Oooo, I really like that too.." she glanced down, laughing as she shook her head, "sounded way more beautiful than the one I put together almost. I could have used more.." she shook her head. "Anyway.. I liked it, thank you for that," she said with a few more chuckles.

Shion smiled, blushing a small bit, then cupping some water and splashing it into her face.

"Oh... No, I mean... 's just another style, eh?", she says a bit sheepishly. "And... worked over the base hokku you set", she says, smiling a bit and looking down.

"Makes me think, I've been focusing less on more traditional poetry forms for some time, I guess, except those that often show up in music." She seems thoughtful for some time, her cheeks still a bit flushed although her pose is more open, her arms open, looking at the ceiling. "Say... Wouldja say you've got favourite poetry styles, Doji-san? Or... Themes, other than nature? Or some you absolutely don't like?"

As she lowers her eyes to the Doji again for a moment, she seems as if she's just maybe thinking of asking about something else, but she holds there, with a quick, small smile as she lowers her eyes and plays a bit with the water again, arms closing a bit closer to her chest.