“Well, I wouldn’t know what she thinks of such rumors.” Hide glanced towards Nozomi again, no shortage of annoyance in her questioning. “What I do know is that she went to great lengths to retrieve her ancestor’s long lost daisho.”

"That is honorable behavior," Nozomi admitted. "But it is important to know what a suitor's beliefs are. If she does not care about such abhorrent conduct, then she's not worthy of you."

"I think," Akihiko interjects, "that we can speak of more topics here. Matsu Hide remains focused on her target. Kitsu-san, do you have a sense of how tomorrow will play out for you?"






L.p.[*]

Nozomi blinked and sat back, obeying the command to change the subject with a bit of unease. "Yes. That," she murmured. She looked over to Shoan and then smiled awkwardly. "We were going to talk about it sooner actually. The two of us, well, want to consolidate the clan's resources. Other worthy candidates are already spoken for..."

"Indeed. The Kitsu bloodline needs to be maintained and there is a dire lack of appropriate samurai at this miai given the Dragon's non attendance and the Crab's....everything."

Akihiko's on is too strong for his jaw to hit the table, but he still must blink a few times while his mind processes this development.

"This... is unexpected. I..." The Akodo balks. His head swims, less because of their announcement and more for where it places their now-reduced delegation.

"You are sure... That no other spouses would be desirable, even bringing them into the clan, where they might improve?"