"Non-formal military clothes are designed with a lot of constraints, coverage, resistance, ease to repair... But looking good is indeed not one of them."

She stopped holding the Crane with her left hand, the right still firmly set, took a step back and threw her clothed arm on the side, making the veil around it flap dramatically.

"I never know how to fit my artificial arm in my choice of clothes. On one hand I am not ashamed of it and I want people to know that. On the other I also want them to look at the rest of me instead of focusing on that one particularity."

She closed the circle with Fusako again, putting her artificial hand behind her shoulder this time, moving the both of them into a closer embrace than before.

Fusako yet again didn't flinch at the moves and closeness, though she remained polite and poised. "I'm not the sort of woman that would seek to tell you how to dress Hida-san. I think either way is just as good. You have to go with what your heart tells you. I think you'd be lovely either way."

"That's nice of you... But we both know there is a world of difference between lovely and striking. And why stop at the first?"

She bent forward, pulling Fusako in a dip if she did not resist.

She did not, smirking with a bit of a tease as she was held there but a moment. "It can't be helped that you'd have a limited selection. I'd never stop at one when inspiration would bring more."

Akemi counter-smirked as she helped her partner straighten again.

"Well, there is a limited selection from which you will have to stop at a single one choice. One you will have to decide about very soon. May I ask if you have already set your mind on some details? A color maybe?"

Fusako looked thoughtful a moment before shrugging. "It's not about the color of the dress that's important to me, but how well it fits,and how well designed it is. There are a lot of well fitting, stylish dresses here.. including your own Hida-san"

Akemi smirked and made her dress's train twirl with some brusque hip movement:

"Might I be so bold as to ask about the different dresses who caught your eyes so far, and what you find lovely about each of them?"

Fusako twirled close, pressing to Akemi a moment. She put a finger against the Crab's lips and smiled, her perfume the soft scent of an ocean breeze. "Now now. I may have a scandalous look to me, but I would really never gossip about others like that"

She said nothing a moment, remaining close as she was when the song stopped. A deeper base line and quicker rhythm started for the club dancing as she stepped away. "Perhaps a drink or two before we part ways?" She turned to head back to the bar, adding just a touch of sway to her hips.

"Certainly."

They walked to the bar. Akemi ordered a Sweet Lies for herself and sat on the stool, dramatically crossing her legs.

"I'm surprised that you never asked to take the lead tonight."

She tilted her head and grinned.

"Maybe because you never stopped having it."

She ordered 'what she's having', then gave a small shrug and smile. "You were the one who invited me here Hida-san. I figured I would keep the burden of showing on you."

"Hmm. Maybe I should explain myself with an image.

Imagine a tigress. The tigress can be nice if she wishes to. She can let you come closer to her, she can let you feed her, she can let you pet her. On appearance, she is perfectly passive. But the truth is that she can pounce on you at anytime should you do anything appropriate or even stop doing what she actually wants. She is in full control the whole time even when she pretends not to.

Being with you feels like that. You might give your partner the initiative but you never actually renounce control. This whole evening I have been dancing at your pace even when on paper I had been setting it up."

Akemi leaned her head against her gloved open hand:

"That's quite the fascinating sensation."

Her head tilted a bit curiously before she gave an amused smile. "A tigress, hm? I will not deny that I'm an opinionated woman, and independent, but I would not pounce without quite good reason. Perhaps it is my nature as a business woman, or courtier. Regardless, even if I have such intentions, you lead the dance quite marvelously Hida-san. That certainly didn't require my interrupting with my own pace."

Akemi nodded slightly, lips curled into an enigmatic smile:

"You're welcome.

One of my many qualities is that I always try to make the best out of any given situation. I saw an opportunity to train with the sacred dancers of the Osprey this miai and I took it. The same way I've honed my wrestling skills with the Matsu or my observation skills with the Bayushi. Heck, I even talked fashion with a Spider once. I don't like them, but I won't discard an opportunity to perfect myself over a bad feeling.

From you too I'm definitely learning something even I'm not sure yet about how I should label it.

Maybe, simply...

Excellence."

Her expression remained the same, though more curious now than amused. "I would think that someone who's shown better in the competitions would be better suited to that, hm? I don't deny I strive for excellence constantly, but I've enough presence of mind to recognize my deficiencies."

"It's not about excelling at everything. It's about excelling in the topics who've chosen to dedicate yourself to. Like fashion. Or fitness. Or getting the most out of people with well-chosen words alone. Even the Phoenix couldn't deny your ability in the latter if I recall correctly, even with the tremendous bias of the judges towards bushi.

How good you are at riding a giant bird or at shooting rocks in space... That's not exactly relevant in the matter."

"oh, the latter I skipped. I didn't feel amateur should be shooting rocks. The otori riding, and many of the other events, I did adequate at."

Pausing, she leaned against the bar in her seat and crossed her legs slowly. "Mmm, and what about you Hida-san? This is a two way fashion show after all."

Akemi blinked for a second, not 100% sure what she was asking about:

"If I impressed the Phoenix in any way, it must be by taking without flinching everything they chose to throw at me. They asked for bushi yes, but what they actually wanted was guards, rangers, outpost maintainers, not battlefield military. I did not fit at all in their evaluation grid.

All in one, pretty sure they've written me out at yet another Hida brute by now."

She tapped her clothed arm.

"I think this must have displeased some of them too. Not a technology they're fond of. Maybe because it runs on a magic they are not at the leading edge of?" she added with a hint of smirk.

"But it's also an appropriate metaphor for those of my talents they didn't deem worth asking about."

She removed her glove and put her mechanical hand on display, moving each finger one by one:

"I'm neutral about the fact that I lost my arm. It was as part of a mission and this sacrifice saved lives but maybe the same result could have been achieved at a lesser cost.

But I'm proud of not having let the issue slow me down, to have worked long and hard to master its replacement in time for this very miai, and that I even managed to turn it into an advantage."

She smiled.

"Truly accepting that your arm is now made of metal, instead of acting as if the old one was still there, opens up a few possibilities."

"I think you've done quite well for yourself all things considered Hida-san," she said with an easy smile. "You find it quite easy to praise me, but I think a touch harder to praise yourself. You're even a touch modest about your arm, hai? It was a sacrifice for others, that should be commendable to all. There's a certain sort of excellence found in helping others, am I right?"

"You're right. That's a bad habit I took from my grandpa. The old man is never satisfied with the achievements of his offspring and this weights on us all.

Family is split in two actually. Those who pander to his every whim and those who dare stand to him. The latter category is made of a few winners, who managed to earn his respect that way by fighting him tooth and nail and been proven right in their choices to do so... and a bunch of cousins who now enjoy managing waste processing in our most isolated factories."

She closed her metal fist.

"From his and my respective personalities, I'm doomed to clash with him sooner or later."

And smiled.

"Well, just need to win, and everything will be fine."