"Ah and you didn't bring a portable computer with the game to the miai? A shame, I would be interested in trying it." he offered sincerely. "What do you call the game?"

"Of course I brought my computer!" She replied with a grin. "I'd be happy to bring it by to let you give it a shot. It's my own computer, so there's nothing super important beyond my notes and prototypes. I've just been calling it 'Bullet Curtain' as a placeholder name."

"... Though the difficulty is scaled kind of weirdly, so try not to worry about dying a whole bunch of times. That'll happen."

Tsugiharu smiled a bit.

"Sounds like it'd do well in Spider territory. A lot of our games emphasize overcoming long odds based on getting fast, memorizing patterns, and being tenacious." he admitted.

"Hmm... I'm glad to hear it. I sure hope so." She raised a finger into the air. "I came here intending to marry a Spider to begin with. We have a young alliance to strengthen, after all."

"Ah, I was wondering why the Spider sent so many eligible young men to a Phoenix miai. They must have wanted to make sure you had your pick of the litter, Daidoji-san." he offered with a small smile.

"But in the interest of the alliance, if you have any questions about the particulars of Spider culture or lore, you need but ask. The Wise One lifts a lantern to show the way to those who seek the path."

She chuckled. "Well, there are plenty of Crane to match, as well. I wonder if anyone's uncomfortable with that kind of representation?" She didn't seem at all troubled if they were.

"I'm certainly interested, but I'm not sure where to start."

"Alas, and you're away from your computer so you can't write a program to generate random questions." he teased.

He leaned back a bit in the pool.

"Well, perhaps it would be helpful to start with information about me? As I've said, medical researcher for the military, second of five children, and my homeworld is The Hive." he offered, seeing if she could find a way to jump off of that as a starting point.

"Hmm... I'm curious what the Hive is like?" She asked, turning to stretch her arms out over the edge of the bath.

Tsugiharru was proud of his home, and it showed in the tone of his voice.

"The Hive is entirely manmade. It is one of the largest space stations in the Empire, comprised of a hollowed out asteroid in orbit of a gas giant. Yet unlike most space stations, the Hive is entirely self-sufficient. It produces all the food and power the many inhabitants of it's numerous undercities require. It is most assuredly one of the leading examples Kuchiki engineering, not to mention the Spider mentality of forging what you want with your own two hands when it is not given to you."

He smiled a bit.

"I can go in to more detail if you like, although I would also be interested in hearing about your homeworld, Daidoji-san." he offered.

"That sounds so cool! I like the underlying attitude of that. Given nothing, with tenacity you still succeed... and in the mean time show anyone who hoped you wouldn't," she replied.

"Of course, I want to know more, but I don't mind talking about that. I was also born on a space station, since my parents were both military. The New Iron Fort. It's also pretty huge, though maybe not as big as that. The design is... well, it's still our Clan, but it leans more practical than aesthetic. It was nice that history lessons occasionally led us down to Golden Mirror." Not that she picked up all that much from them, with her former way of being.

Tsugiharu was pleased that the Crane got it. It was one thing to say you wanted a Spider for the alliance, but grabbing on to Shourido so quickly made such a match quite pleasing indeed.

"Hm, let's see. Primary industries are related to harvest and processing of rare gases from the gas giant, and manufacturing of finished goods. Popular past times include arcades, street racing, and spacecraft racing for those of means. The latter's excitement being how closely one can skim the gas giant's gases without mishap. And of course, there's the standard assortment of galleries, gardens, and museums. The gardens are quite interesting, showing years of what one can accomplish with no outside influences." he lists off.

"Those make sense for an asteroid close to a gas giant. No outside influence... I'm guessing genetic engineering has a place in that, though there might be hybridization, too on the plants themselves? Plus the shape of the gardens must be influenced purely by Spider aesthetic and values."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"To an extent. Although selective plant breeding has existed since the Empire was just a single world. But unlike those ancient gardeners we have no bad weather to content with and a galaxy of seeds to play with." he agreed.

"True. You can even specifically tailor an enclosure to the specific needs of a plant and grow some really wild stuff, I bet," she said, clearly contemplating the implications.

Tsugiharu nodded.

"When you control all the aspects, quite a bit is possible." he agreed. "Do you have a particular interest in gardening, Daidoji-san, or merely an appreciation appropriate to a Crane?"

"I can't say I have a particular interest in it, but I'm generally interested in everything," she replied. "I have to do research in all sorts of little niche areas for my main interest, so being willing to pick up bits of knowledge everywhere the opportunity strikes is a useful habit."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"I couldn't agree more Daidoji-san. With enough knowledge, all things are possible." he said, quite pleased with the Crane sending her to this miai.

Now if only they could convince the Phoenix to approve a match to her....

"I would agree that it's an important part of making things happen," she replied, turning back to face the water rather than the edge of the bath. "Though only one part."

Tsugiharu nods.

"Well, yes. Knowledge is important, but in a vacuum it does nothing." he agreed readily enough. "But Daidoji-san strikes me as someone whose willing to act to take advantage of knowledge."

"Of course. Nothing gets done with just hopes and dreams," she agreed. "Of course, my Clan has a good portion of the say in what I can get done." There's a hint of dissatisfaction. It's impossible to fully conceal for someone with honesty as thoroughly drilled in as her.