Tsuigharu was still a bit unsure about this meeting with the apparently rich and eccentric lady of the Crane. He felt like someone had given him three different puzzles and told him they all fit together.

But so far, the Crane had been more than friendly, and so Tsugiharu was willing to take a walk even in this humidity for awhile.

Having finally shed her dress uniform, it currently being washed from the surprisingly small amount of dirt it got while taming a wild animal, Ishiyo now wore one of her causal outfits. It was as stylish as expected from a Crane, though it drew looks more for the immaculate tailoring then any avant garde fashion statement.

She still carried the UV glasses Ryuu had gifted her on the first day, though the battery was at least half gone from her earlier trip to the gardens.

Spotting the Spider she approached, "Kuchiki-san, thank you fo-eh accepting my invitation." Ishiyo dipped into a small bow, "I know my name was mentioned in the note but....Daidoji Ishiyo, Nikutai of Crane Fleet Ai-eh Arm, 312th Naval Fighteh Squadron, last assigned to the Carrieh The Golden Heron." For the observant Spider the accent was noticeable, and he might very well recognize it was one actively taught to wealthy Crane as opposed to being a natural dialect.

"I hope the day has found you well so fah."

While Tsuigharu did notice the affectation, he did not know much about Crane high society. Spider media didn't have that in their coverage of the Crane. Instead, the matchmaker Katsuo's words about the effects of her lineage made him think it was more likely she physically had problems speaking properly. Apparently his luck at finding beautiful and intelligent Crane women had run out. But he had duties to fulfill.

He bowed.

"Kuchiki Tsugiharu of The Hive, currently assigned as a medical researcher in the military serving in Unit 7704. The day has found me earning a mount for the miai, so I would say it's gone quite well indeed."

He glanced at the UV glasses she was carrying.

"I see you've been here before. I assume you found the view much improved with those glasses?"

"Really? I seemed to have tamed one as well. Though I am hardly a rideh." She smiles at that, "May as well learn."

Her eyes drop to the mentioned glasses, "Ah yes, these were gifted to me by you-eh clan mate Daigotsu Ryuu." Ishiyo held them up, "The scene is quite beautiful with them on. Mine are starting to run low and I have not had the chance to charge them."

"But if you wish there is still some poweh, enough for a few minutes at least."

Tsugiharu shook his head.

"Ah no, I would not think of depriving you of them, Daidoji-sama. The view is best if shared, no?" he said, going to purchase his own pair.

"But it was kind of you to offer. I trust your visit with Daigotsu-sama was a pleasant one?"

"Daigotsu Ryuu-san was a pleasant individual," She nodded a smile on her lips, "It was an enjoyable evening."

Ishiyo waited for Tsugiharu's return before continuing, "It seems there are quite a few of my clan and you-ehs present at the miai. A strange coincidence no?" The Crane wondered just how much was coincidence and how much had been coordinated well above their collective heads.

He chuckled a bit.

"One could ascribe many reasons for it, Daidoji-sama. Perhaps it's the will of Benten. Perhaps it's nameless fate. My personal suspicion of my own clan's motivation is that it's like warfare. The more soldiers you send at a target, the greater your probability that at least some of them will win through, and the rest are acceptable casualties for the greater cause." he suggested.

He hoped those words weren't too big for her. He really was not good at dumbing down his speech.

"Ah, since you've been here before Daidoji-sama, would you be willing to lead the way? I would think that the best guide for a garden would be a well-bred Crane after all." he added, hoping that was something she could handle and enjoy.

Ishiyo laughed at that, "'Quantity has a quality all it's on', or so say the cynical of military theorists. I have not heard it applied to *marriage* howeveh."

Her laugh turns to more of a chuckle and her smile a bit more pensive, "Well yes I can do such...but I am not exactly that sort of Crane. In truth I am more at home in a cockpit or on the flight deck overseeing my fighteh's maintenance. Even as a child I prefeh a visit to fatheh's company facilities, the test facilities for the engines and new frames were always of more interest then the gardens at the estate."

"Shall we?" She motions down the path.

Hmm, perhaps the matchmaker was wrong. If the smile and laugh was anything to judge by.

"Of course, Daidoji-sama." he said, following her.

He chuckled a bit.

"If you find the concept of superior numbers applied to a marriage strange, consider it applied to married life." he joked. "Alpha servant team will proceed to the grocery store down the street, and Bravo servant team will proceed to the good grocery store across town. Your objectives are: rice, fish, pickles, and the right type of sake. Stay in contact with each other, and let nothing stand in your way.'"

"I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage." Ishiyo replied holding up one finger, "First you-eh analogy immediately dips into ground warfare...and I am warrior in the aerospace theater. There are some...overlapping points of course. But clearly alfa squadron sweeps the path ahead of any hostiles and establishes superiority oveh the airspace...groceryspace?.... while brave, carrying the strike package, executes the actual mission. Oh...something of that sort."

She holds up a second finger, her pensive smile returns, "Second...my fatheh employs people who manage the people who instruct the people who buy groceries...the mundane task is so separated from me I may not even know how much a fruit costs." Judging by the slight change of tone, the Crane seemed to be exaggerating a bit.

It was brutal watching the Crane tear apart the joke in the razor sharp Crane beak. But it did help bury the matchmaker's advice as bad intel. The man probably had spent his entire stay here screwing the servants, and figured his position would let him get away with dispensing common Crane stereotypes. While a lack of sense of humor might be genetic, it was not the sort of shortcoming they were looking for.

"Hm so I've heard. That is about your father's wealth and standing, not your lack of experience in produce shopping, Daidoji-sama." he conceded.

He looked thoughtful about that, but decided not to further elaborate on that point, instead seeing which direction the Crane would take, both on the tour and in the conversation.

"Oh well yes, fatheh does make a modest living." Which was a massive understatement. "I can not really lie and say that he did not...pampeh his youngest eitheh." A nervous chuckle escaped her, "There was very little I lacked foh."

"If you wish to know about my family life I can certainly provide details, its a bit dull until flight school." A small shrug.

"You said you were a medical researcheh? From the Hive? Might I inquire about both?"

Tsugiharu nodded.

"Well, yes it is important to learn about people's families at a miai, no? Half or so of the attendees will be joining new families at the end after all. Though it's also important to learn about the candidates too." he offers with a nod.

He glanced about the gardens.

"As for the Hive, it is one of the largest space stations constructed in the Empire, made from a large hollowed out asteroid in orbit of a gas giant. Unlike most space stations, it is entirely self-sufficient, providing all the food, and energy the large population of it's many under cities require. It is probably one of the Kuchiki familiy's greatest feats of engineering."

It also stood in stark contrast to the Daidoji's own life. She was given everything, the Spider were given nothing and ripped success out of barren rock with their bare hands.

"As for my work...well, there is, of course, a great deal about it that is classified being for the military. However, I can share that our research supports our clan's charter in the endless expansion of the Empire. Whereas the the obvious threats on such missions are best dealt with superior firepower, we study sources of infection and contamination that may threaten life on the planet, both during and post-conquest." he reveals.

Ishiyo nodded, "Hmm one of those not very glamorous jobs that is none the less essential. And tough work in it's own unique way I would imagine."

The asteroid city was more to her interest, though given Ryuu's own descriptions of his home...she suspected her initial rosy picture was very, very false. "I have seem smalleh asteroid stations, but nothing that compares to what you are speaking on. It must be an impressive sight indeed." Her voice was sincere, "The largest station I have set foot on is the New Iron Fort, of course as the name suggests it is a military installation not a colony."

Tsugiharu nodded.

"It's a fairly unique place." he agreed. "Everything that is there is there because someone made it so. What was once nothing but a barren, albiet large, ball of rock, is now home to a thriving network of undercities, each of which have brought their own cultural influences, their own dreams to forge the world into their vision. Such control can be found nowhere else. For example, our gardens do not suffer from bad weather, and instead show the benefits of careful and complete nurturing for the many years they've grown."

Ishiyo thought back to her own world, her memories of the estate's gardens were they too were immaculate year around. Of course an army of gardeners tended them.

"Was the build planned from the start? Oh did it grow in a more organic fashion. 'We need more habitats here to handle this new population growth' vs 'The habitats will be here and here, the reactors here and here'? Your comments make me think the later."

"There was, of course, both an overall plan for the entire world, but one that was carried out in phases. The first undercity was constructed as the start of the network of cities. It was planned as the largest, because it would need to produce extra power and contain extra workers to build future cities. As the Hive's need for space increased, new undercities could be constructed, with the excavated minerals being processed for manufacturing, and site stability being a key determining factor. What began as a lone outpost has spread to essentially be a continent of undercities all interconnected. with the benefits of all being linked to a common powergrid, communications system, and transit system." he explained.

It was a bit lengthy, but the Kuchiki was fairly proud of his family's accomplishments.

Ishiyo nodded as he spoke, "Yes perhaps I will have cause to see it someday. I think that would be enjoyable."

"I suppose it would be only faih to tell you of my own home world? Though I come from Miyabi...so one may already know much of the planet." It was surprisingly not an arrogant statement...her clan had made sure after all that *everyone* new about the Doji's home among the stars.

Tsugiharu nodded.

"I would very much like to hear what you have to say about your home world and your experiences with it Daidoji-sama. Your unique insights into it would be very interesting." he encouraged.

"Well...Miyabi is a very planned world, not in the way you-eh Hive is..." Ishiyo pauses trying to think of the best way to describe it, "It is the greatest achievement of the Kakita Artisans, it practically radiates beauty and serenity. Everything is also strictly controlled to keep that perception of beauty."

"My fatheh owns two major homes on the planet. The family seat if you will on the southern continent, built by the first of my family to arrive on Miyabi. It is a perfect recreation of the ancestral seat in the Yasuki lands, tastefully updated for modern conveniences of course. Great pains were taken to blend the modern with the ancient."

"It is what one expects, perfectly tended gardens and orchards, buildings that exhibit a classical beauty. And from its heart one can not see the edges." She blushes a little, her family's opulence sounded so much more petty when she spoke to others.

"The main home he actually lived at was in the capital city on Miyabi, close to the heart of poweh and neah Peregrine's headquarters. The well ordered city had very strict requirements on size inside the city limits...and my fatheh made sure to be exactly at the largest allowable size. Still it is fah more modern then estate, and much more allowance is given foh functionality."

"I was usually left at the estate, but the trips to the capital were always fascinating. The whole city is carefully laid out to be beautiful from the ai-eh, ground, and even while lit up from space. And in the middle of it the Doji palace, one of the most sought afteh courts in the Empire."