[D2 EA] Please don't pet the coffee

[Hotaru Sakura]

One hand on Mold, and one on her densai, she pushes the latter forward on the table and pulls up the planet to the spin on her screen while restraining the curious cat with extra ruff scritches. "Right now, we're workin' together with Otomo and Seppun administrators and everythin's under shared administration." Pushing the image a bit, she points out a chunk of the largest continent. "That's slated to be ours to develop as things get goin'. Can see the mountains all along the western edge there. Surveys show some good minin' sites and there's enough coast for some sort of industry there. Downside...very little of the native stuff is edible without extensive processin' The terraformers are still diggin' into the data to see how much non-native stuff we might be able to grow there." She gives up as Mold wriggles from her hold and hops up to paw at the densai screen.

"Like you said, list of things to do goes on and on. Even if you don't get there yourself, might have kids settle there." That has her look thoughtfully at Sakura. "Which does bring up matchmakin'. Unless you've already got ideas, don't let Hotaru-sama push that this season. There's enough goin' on that you can wait a year, at least. Get yourself settled solidly before figurin' that out."

Sakura nodded. "I heard some discussions have started with the Kitsune about crops, but nothing specific yet." She smiled wistfully. "It does seem like a perfect place to leave one's mark, in a way. Hopefully we can set up our settlement soon enough." She giggled at Mold's antics.

"Oh? Matchmaking? For me?" She seemed genuinely surprised. "I mean...I'm just a ronin. Or was. You know. Not sure anyone would want me."

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"Wantin' isn't the point though, I'm just really lucky there. Marryin' is to have a partner in work and all of that, and increasin' the clan in time." She frowns a bit, tapping to shut off the densai before the cat could do anything too annoying with their swiping. "Be good to maybe wait till you get a bit more status under you here, make sure you can pull someone useful into the clan, you know?"

[Hotaru Sakura]

"Wantin' isn't the point though, I'm just really lucky there. Marryin' is to have a partner in work and all of that, and increasin' the clan in time." She frowns a bit, tapping to shut off the densai before the cat could do anything too annoying with their swiping. "Be good to maybe wait till you get a bit more status under you here, make sure you can pull someone useful into the clan, you know?"

"That sounds sensible." She frowned, and looked down shyly. "Gomenasai, it's just....marrying never really entered my mind, you know? My father wasn't married exactly, nor were my grandparents, as far as I know. It's yet another thing I have to get used to, I guess."

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

Tsuyo's head tips a bit, considering this new lens on ronin life as she pulls densai and kitty back to the table's edge and into her lap. "Hmm. There've been women as don't marry and just raise up their kids for the clan, but it's not common. If not marrying within the clan, we can usually use the connections a match brings." She offers a smile, "but you've time to worry about it. Hotaru-sama's not pushy about that sort of thing, even if he's got the temper of a fire-dominant volcano where the terraformin' went badly."

After a pause for cake, she adds, "is that the norm for the clanless? Informal ties and family?"

[Hotaru Sakura]

Tsuyo's head tips a bit, considering this new lens on ronin life as she pulls densai and kitty back to the table's edge and into her lap. "Hmm. There've been women as don't marry and just raise up their kids for the clan, but it's not common. If not marrying within the clan, we can usually use the connections a match brings." She offers a smile, "but you've time to worry about it. Hotaru-sama's not pushy about that sort of thing, even if he's got the temper of a fire-dominant volcano where the terraformin' went badly."

After a pause for cake, she adds, "is that the norm for the clanless? Informal ties and family?"

Sakura giggled at the apt comparison. "Hai, hai. Who knows, maybe at this court I can prove myself and prove worthy of a proper match. Did Tsuyo-san meet her wife through a nakodo, may I ask?"

She also took a bite of cake. "More or less. I mean, every situation is different, but usually, if you're a ronin, you either drift here from somewhere else after being exiled, or you're born here. Rarely, some Scorpion are cast out." Her thoughts idly wondered to Yurei...she wasn't born ronin, for sure. "Otherwise you were born ronin from ronin families. The Scorpion are careful to cultivate just the right amount of ronin for use." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"Hmm, no...met Dechen at her father's gallery when she found me sketchin' ideas." The Firefly's smile is fond with memory. "Didn't think about it all too hard and it just sort of...happened? Expectin' our first in six months or so now. All seems like it's happened very fast, but also it's always been this way, you know?"

Listening to her thoughts on ronin. "Yeah, seems like there's a...I don't know, like tradition or habit here of having quite a pool of folks to draw on like that, without needing to really support them like you would if they were part of the clan." Her nose scrunches in distaste. "I suppose that's just how things are going to fall out when you have clanless samurai, but it doesn't quite seem right. But...better than having them *not* have those jobs and starve... I guess?" It's clearly not a part of the organization of the Empire that she's given much thought to.

[Hotaru Sakura]

"Hmm, no...met Dechen at her father's gallery when she found me sketchin' ideas." The Firefly's smile is fond with memory. "Didn't think about it all too hard and it just sort of...happened? Expectin' our first in six months or so now. All seems like it's happened very fast, but also it's always been this way, you know?"

Listening to her thoughts on ronin. "Yeah, seems like there's a...I don't know, like tradition or habit here of having quite a pool of folks to draw on like that, without needing to really support them like you would if they were part of the clan." Her nose scrunches in distaste. "I suppose that's just how things are going to fall out when you have clanless samurai, but it doesn't quite seem right. But...better than having them *not* have those jobs and starve... I guess?" It's clearly not a part of the organization of the Empire that she's given much thought to.

Sakura nodded. "That sounds like a lovely meeting. Congratulations!" She beamed. "It's...well, it's very much it's own Forest of...animals? Beasts? Not sure how to say it. It may not be healthy, but judging by the number of ronin who arrive from off-world, it might be better here than elsewhere."

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"Could be. Don't really get many hangin' with us since they'd have to get to the carriers somehow. Imagine we'll see more on Amenoseki. New world is probably an opportunity for some, yeah?"

The cat hops off, less interested now that there isn't a screen to poke at. "In any case, I guess those here'll see more work this season. Meanwhile...our work consists of looking good and trying to learn something useful at all these parties." She shakes her head ruefully. "You have a costume picked out for the costume party coming up?"

[Hotaru Sakura]

"Could be. Don't really get many hangin' with us since they'd have to get to the carriers somehow. Imagine we'll see more on Amenoseki. New world is probably an opportunity for some, yeah?"

The cat hops off, less interested now that there isn't a screen to poke at. "In any case, I guess those here'll see more work this season. Meanwhile...our work consists of looking good and trying to learn something useful at all these parties." She shakes her head ruefully. "You have a costume picked out for the costume party coming up?"

Sakura nodded. "Certainly. It has an appeal to it, that you can make anything of yourself...at the same time, it is also scary, at least for me." She gestured around. "I've always known World of Dreams. Going someplace with more...wilderness, I guess? It's so scary."