Akemi had arrived quite early at the Taming site. Kyoko might have thrown her out of bed at dawn for that purpose, strictly following grandpa's instructions of not letting her be late to any event.

Far too early actually. With time to kill, she had parked her bike just next to the ranch and gone to the countryside for a light jog and a series of stretching exercises. With any luck, she would meet yet another sexy athlete through the course of her routine.

An athlete, Geppu was. Sexy? That might be up for interpretation. This morning was reserved for some leisure time however, with the Spider marksman posted up on a rock outcropping, leaning back and basking in the warmth of the morning sun. Compared to Whisper this place might as well have been an inferno, but he soaked up the heat regardless, as if he could somehow keep it in his bones for later journeys. He had his densai in hand, listening to some quiet music he had stored on the thing and reading a passage or two from a story now and again, but it was a lazy morning...

At least until the sounds of jogging footfalls approach, which snaps him from his reverie. Turning in the direction of the sound, he spots...someone. Metal arm, white hair. Could be anyone, really.

"No rest even at a miai, samurai-sama?" He called out to inform the other of his presence, still leaning back against the rock.

Akemi turned her head in direction of...

Of problems.

The man was playing casual, but he was positioned like a sniper, had his sniper equipment nearby, and is body-language couldn't be more snipery even if he tried.

Meanwhile Akemi was exposed with no cover and no armor. She could run fast, but definitely not as fast as a bullet.

Of course, this wouldn't be an issue if he was, let's say, a Phoenix warden whose weaponry was only supposed to keep the wild beasts away.

But he was a Spider of unknown agenda.

She froze, kept her hands before her where he could see them, and answered trying to sound relaxed:

"Hello Spider-sama. No time for rest, life is a battlefield. Did Daigotsu Shokomaru send you by any chance?"

She was spooked, that was for certain. His red eyes squinted a bit at her to pick out a few more key details. Ah...a Crab. That would explain the apprehension. Most predators were offput when another predator gets the drop on them, unintentionally or not.

"Long ago, I believe the saying was that we lived three feet from death...though with advances in weaponry, three hundred might be a more accurate assessment."

His gaze would linger on her for a few more moments as he seemed to make a decision, before he spoke up once more, shifting to a seated position on the rocks, hands resting in his lap.

"He did not, no. I was simply enjoying some leisure time, Crab-sama. A rare commodity, but one afforded by the miai so I could not help but to take advantage. You may be at ease."

Akemi bowed:

"Hida Akemi. Hida shock troops."

Then casually approached him. Better close the distance.

"Unless you're a cosplayer that loves to take things too far, might I hazard the guess you're Spider military?"

He returned the bow from his seated position. It would be easy to see that he had his sidearm and daisho as well if she was concerned about being attacked, but he made no moves for them.

"Susumu Geppu, Magistrate Corps, Senior Marksman."

His red eyes followed her every step carefully, mentally calculating angles and positions if things went terribly wrong, but he was fairly confident that they wouldn't.

"Uh? I'm not familiar with your in-clan units' terminology. What's a Magistrate Corps? Magistrates that police the military?"

"You could think of it like that. The Obsidian Magistrates deal with internal problems, military or otherwise. They are also typically on the front lines of investigating issues when it comes to law and order between the Spider and other Clans...somewhat like the Emerald Magistrates."

Keep him talking, get closer, one step at a time.

"I was under the idea Magistrates carried lighter weaponry, like Web Guns, cause they wanted catch their targets alive. Does the Spider justice work differently?"

"There are times when weapons of that nature are required."

He reaches over and grabs the rifle, hands making professional movements over the weapon for a moment as if he his absentmindedly checking its readiness before leaning it back against the rock.

"Then there are times when justice is delivered from a kilometer away."

"Only one kilometer?

You know, we have Matsu MAXIMUM RANGE Chiyoko as a guest at this miai. Her own personal record with a marksman’s rifle is 5 kilometers."

According to the perfectly reliable Ikoma Network at least.

"I am unconcerned with record distance shots. When the target needs to be put down, you put them down efficiently and with the minimal possible variance. While I'm sure I could hit a target that far away, too many variables to do it consistently. Unless the target was the size of a building or somesuch."

"If you sometimes have to police individuals the size of buildings, I'm curious to hear that story."

"Well, I don't often engage targets of that size, but you never know what xeno monstrosity might be out there that I might have to shoot someday. Magistrate works leads to some interesting locations, at times."

He'll pause a moment and look skyward.

"I have sniped out a starship engine, if that counts."

Akemi shrugged:

"That's also something MAXIMUM RANGE has done. I don't doubt your accomplishments, but you've lucked out by taking part in the same miai as her. You're doomed to be treated as second best at best if you play the sniper angle.

Not that the magistrate angle is far better. As you sloth, Bayushi Tenma-sama is training to become the very best Emerald Magistrate.

But maybe you have some other redeeming quality?"

"If you think I'm playing any 'angle' regarding my suitability at this time, I think you're mistaken. I plan on letting my skills show themselves throughout the miai."

He'll give the Crab an appraising look now, plainly considering something.

"In any event, I find it more likely that the Phoenix will take anything from the Lion propaganda network with a grain of salt. Shout anything loud enough and it'll gain traction eventually. As for being an Emerald Magistrate? If one wants to be a lapdog of Kagami, they're more than welcome to it."

Another pause before he continues. "One might ask for your redeeming qualities, Hida-san."

"Well, for one, I'm good at not dying."

She showed off her fleshcraft theatrically:

"What you see as a missing arm, you should see instead as a whole body minus an arm that escaped dangers that would have killed tenfold someone less tenacious."

She posed, more or less flexing:

"And second, I'm a charming witty soon-to-be promoted veteran from one of the most respected armies of the Empire while we are at the dawn of a total war. That totally makes me prime wife material."

"Surviving an encounter with the enemy is cause for celebration within the Crab? Interesting. The Spider are expected to survive without fanfare. As for charming and witty? I suppose that remains to be seen."

Geppu's delivery is so deadpan it is hard to tell if he's just gravely solemn or just messing with the Hida.

"No fanfare? But how do you remind yourself you can be great if you don't tell the tales of heroes?"

"The worth and heart of a hero is not measured by their medals or accomplishments sung about them. It is in their actions. I do not need to be reminded that I could be great like some figure from the past. I know that I am great through my duty to my lord and through my duty to the Empire and the Emperor."