Rules: No rules. This is a fluff event.

Several colorful tents have been erected in the xenobotanical gardens for the guests with Phoenix guards standing in attendance, only allowing people with an invitation pass. While this has disgruntled some of the locals, the guards are quick to assure everyone that the garden will be open to everyone soon enough and that this event was announced on the info.phx weeks ago. Ever helpful, the guards have the relevant announcement open on their communicators.

The tents the Phoenix have prepared for the occasion are large, easily fifteen meters wide and more than five meters tall at the center. Large mesh-covered windows woven on the ceiling let in the evening light. As soon as the sun falls beneath the treeline the spirit-lanterns are lit, bathing everything in soft yellow light. The guests are free to mingle among each other and while there Phoenix media is present the few journalists seem to focus on interviewing the locals and leave the off-worlders to their devices for the time being. Several security drones hover above the tents, their low buzz drowned by murmur of the gathered samurai.

In the red tent, whole lizards with grey-white meat are being grilled on massive skewers, the ever patient servants brushing the slowly browning skin with what seems like hot sauce. The smell of fried meat lingers in the air, clinging into each and every person present. Chilled, watered-down fungal sake and cold, sweetened green tea are offered to guests walking into this tent, the Phoenix heimin greeting each and everyone with a cheerful cry.

Ganbold, drawn by the smell of roasting meat, boogied on over to the red tent. Quickly scoring himself a bowl from a servant, he waited with barely contained excitement for the first portion to be done.

Back at the inn, Kyoko had put Akemi in her nicest suit, did her make-up and had forced her to remove her fashionable red colored senses.

But she was still, and looked like in spite of her servant's best efforts, a (not so) big Hida that needed her protein intake. So she followed the smell of meat.

Plus the tent was red, which meant it was cooler.

She entered, enthusiastically thanking everyone for everything as they offered her good meat and good sake.

The Hare samurai arrived, dressed in his finest...which wasn't saying much, considering it was an older styled dress uniform, slightly rumpled.

His eyes watered at the smell, but first things first, he took off a cup of local sake from a nearby servant's tray.

She noticed a pair of local samurai and bowed to them, Yube, the monkey the size of a finger, excitedly chirping on his shoulder.

A Scorpion samurai in a neatly pressed uniform arrived soon after, accepting a cup of green tea and moving over near where the others were gathering around the station where meat was being prepared.

"I'm Bayushi Akagi," the Scorpion said by way of introduction, bowing to whomever was nearest and seemed inclined to chat.

"What kind of lizard do you suppose that is? It smells delicious." He gestured at the rotating skewers of braised meat.

"Don't rightly know, Bayushi-san," Ganbold replied as his bowl was filled with goodness. "But they seem to be big 'uns! Moto Ganbold's my name, by the by." He bowed to the Scorpion in his boisterous fashion. "I'm off the Tsust Nar. You a navy type?"

Tsukiko waggles a finger at the miniature monkey, other hand holding a cup of the sweetened green tea.

"Oh my gosh, is that a tiny monkey?! Ujina-san, can I hold your monkey? It's so cute and small! Does it have a name by the way?"

"I'm crew on Hanei Maru, a merchantman," the Scorpion replied, nodding and smiling. "We mostly work the shipping lanes to and from the World of Dreams."

The Bayushi grabbed a big helping of the mystery meat, seeming unconcerned at not knowing exactly what it was. After all, he was used to eating in a starship mess.

"I don't know Tsust Nar, is that a troop ship?" Akagi asked. "You have the look of a fighting marine, if I may say so."

"Wakizashi-class, a patroller." Ganbold puffs his chest up proudly. He sure as heck does look like a fighting marine. "Used to do occasional ground work, but it's just been boarding parties the past few seasons. You know, inspections and...stuff."

"But the World of Dreams is nice! Or so I'm told. I don't figure you get a lot of planet-leave on a merchant vessel, though, huh?"

"Oh, you two are fellow military?"

Akemi included herself in the conversation with her Hida subtlety.

"Hida Akemi, nice to meet you! Hida shock troops. Air, earth, space, as long a good tetsubo swing can fix things, we're here!"

"Uh, right!" Ganbold smiled warmly. "Hey, there, Hida-san. Moto Ganbold, marines. Nice to meet you."

"It's been awhile," Akagi admitted. "Coming here is the closest thing I've had to planetside leave in awhile. And of course we have, uh, other duties here." He shrugged and grinned amicably.


"Pleased to meet you, Hida-san," the Scorpion said, bowing while carefully balancing his plate of spicy lizardmeat in one hand. "I'm Bayushi Akagi. I'm glad to see a Crab, I've always heard your clan can be counted on when things get rough."

"Try the roast lizard, it's pretty good," he suggested. "If you like it a little spicy."

"Don't mind if I do!" she said as she gobbled a full mouthful.

After her Hida's endurance saved her from dying from the fire in her throat, she added, ogling the both of them:

"Guess having a bunch of hands-on problem solvers was to be expected since the Phoenix explicitly asks for the strongest bushi. Do we know why they made such call actually?"

"Well, I hear tell there's some sizeable critters here," Ganbold volunteered. "But the Governor flew with us in a special squadron some years back, so I think he's got things pretty near figured out, as far as priorities go."

Ganbold nodded sagely. Well, as sagely as a square-shouldered, guileless bushi could muster. "But you're right, Bayushi-san. Other duties. Boy, I figured I'd get a letter from a nakodo one day sayin' Oka-san had picked somebody and that'd be that. Who woulda thought I'd end up at a fancy miai, tryin' to make do for myself?"

"Think grandpa had planned to send me to a miai since before I was six. Well, he had planned for big bro and big sis weddings since before they were even born, so that's quite late for him. To quote him, my role is to expand the family beyond his usual circles. I think he means people he is not in business with by that."



"Oh? There's a nice story in the making there. Please tell, please tell, I love stories! Does it have many explosions?"

Approaching the banquet, Yul tugged awkwardly at the collar of his uniform jacket. Sure, it looked good on him; in Unicorn colors and cut to fit his form, it was the nicest thing he owned. But, of course, he was required to own a formal uniform, for just this sort of occasion. It didn't mean that he was comfortable wearing it, or couldn't wonder how the collar stayed so stiff, no matter how many times he washed it. The grimace became a smile as he accepted a cup of sake from a server.

Despite his duty to his clan, Yul still was a healthy young man; his nose led him right to the food. His eyebrows went up. "This I've gotta try." He murmured, even as he scooped up a handful of skewers. One might be able to tell he was a trained bushi by how ably he handled sake and skewers at the same time without any getting on his nice uniform. Clearly a sign of trained reflexes.

Yul's eyes narrowed as he glanced around the crowd, then widened as he spotted a familiar face. He gave Ganbold a wave (with skewers), although he didn't interrupt the conversation.

(message me if you talk at me!)

There had been no green tent. This was a tragedy that should be addressed at a later point in Izumi's mind. It was filed away to be promptly forgotten when something more exciting cropped up.

Pink had been considered . . . but his hair was already pink today so he picked a different colour by the highly scientific route of spinning on the spot and heading into whichever tent he was facing when he stopped. It took him three goes as he stopped facing the exit on the first two attempts.

Final attempt had him facing the red tent so off he went . . . in a total zig-zag as the dizziness from all the spinning set in. He practically staggered into the tent and into the first person in front of him.

. . .

"Whoa!" Yul chuckled, helping to straighten the other man with his fist; carefully, but it was that or drop the skewers, or hit the Kitsune with them, and neither of those sounded like a good idea. "Careful there, uh, Kitsune-sama. If I hadn't been standing here, you might have ended up on the dinner table."

He gave a little bow. "Shinjo Yul. It's a pleasure to run into you. Or vice versa." Yul said with a friendly smile.

The tentspace was still spinning from his totally scientific entry.

"Woahthankyou . . . . Shinjo-san. Afewtoomanyspins . . . "

Thankfully Yul had introduced himself as Izumi totally couldn't read mons right now.

"I'mKitsuneIzumi."

He pushed pink hair out of his eyes, steadying slightly.

"Mmmmwhat'sthatsmell?"

Watching the other man wobble was almost making him dizzy. Fortunately, he was used to spinning while flying (it was a good trick), so Yul managed to stay steady.

"This..." Yul held out the collection of skewers. "You know, I don't really know what it is. Lizard meat, I guess. It smells good, and hey, I'll try anything at least once."

He nodded over to the table. "Try one." He said, smiling. It was perhaps a bit of a dare.