While the pair had not met yet, this was prearranged. The offices had been hadd at work getting the reservation. Oiran and Geisha of various talents. A few playing traditional instruments softly in the private room. Bottles of chilled sake, shochu, and plum wine were already in chillers on the low table. An array of of small appetizers laid out.

Yuji had selected his most traditional, formal kimono. His hands and face were painted stark white, the eyes rimmed with kohl. Onyx lipstick applied, and his nails painted black to match. His perfume was frangrant and feminine. Hints of vanilla and lavender, underneath smoky overtones of orange peel.

He sat at the low table, awaiting the arrival of his counterpart for the negotiations.

"Old-Rokugan-style establishment, semiformal traditional dress preferred," read the description of Akatsubaki in the briefing file loaded onto Seika's densai. In the space between lines of text, some Mantis embassy staffer appeared to have very deliberately placed emphasis marks beside "traditional."

Okay, okay, I get it, Seika had thought to herself, paging through the file earlier that day. You think I can't do traditional? Watch me. I didn't bring that stupid-huge trunk for nothing... If I have to dress up, I hope this place is actually fun, though.

Even with a cool shower in between, she can't help but feel there's something a bit comical about going from the swimsuit and beach wrap of that afternoon to a demure hanfu ensemble with camellia motifs appropriate to the Winter Court season. It's 'winter'-wear designed for a planet where the seasons are out of sync with the homeworld calendar; the 'fur' trim, made of ultralight moth-down from Dawn, is cooling against her skin in the warm night air. She enlists the embassy's heimin staff to help put up her hair--with some extra padding and clever combing--into a style more traditional than industrial for once.

Before climbing out of her ride, she reapplies her usual bold lip color and, as a last touch, calls on the air kami to come and play. Then she tosses the key fob to the black-kimono-clad parking attendant and steps inside the establishment, where well-trained attendants whisk her off to her Spider counterpart.

She lets the house servant slide the paper door open and announce her--discreetly, as Yuji's 'Mantis guest.' She gives a little hand-wave of acknowledgement to the servant as she saunters in, then bows courteously if not deeply to Yuji. "Susumu Yuji-san, I take it. Nice to finally meet you."

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D3 LE--Cast Benten's Touch (Air ML2). Mostly for fluff as I don't really anticipate rolling things in the scene, just seems like this would be part of that shugenja-courtier life | 6k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: 15)

The Deceiver stood as she walked in, bowing deeply, his hands held at his side. "It is an honor, Yoritomo Seika-sama." His voice was level, yet warm and inviting. The man had taken the time in the application of his make up to appear both as handsome and beautiful as he could. The contouring of his cheekbones perfect, the eyebrows well lined. Through his glasses, the crimson of his eyes was a stark contrast to the boldly monochromatic visage he presented.

Servants flittered in and out of the room, pouring from the sake for the pair, to start the evening. The music was a blend of traditional, yet modern. Covers of Idol songs to set the tone. "I hope that your journey here to the World of Dreams was pleasant." He appeared lean, more gaunt, really, which added an air of being predatory to his appearance. A trait shared with some Susumu trained Courtiers.

"I'm glad that we have this opportunity to chat."

Wow, this guy is really going for it. What it is, Seika can't actually quite articulate to herself... It's that Susumu energy up to eleven, is what it is. Like if Yakumo and whatshisname, that empty suit Yu, had a baby or something. And then hired one of the pretty types of oni for a nanny...

You had to respect it, anyway. Perhaps that's why a bit of extra Yoritomo swagger finds its way into her posture in response (or maybe it's because of her newly-earned title of Doubles Oshidama Champion, that's possible too).

"Me, too. It's always better to have a nice straight conversation first thing, right?"

She casts a measuring look at the flitting servants, who seem to have their marching orders already. "I can tell it's not your first time here."

"I have been serving in the Black House for five years now. One does tend to make the rounds over the years." His smile remained placid, his eyes narrowing slightly. Extending a hand to indicate to the low cushion near her. "Akatsubaki makes for the best neutral meeting space, and the most inviting." Yuji chuckled quietly, the words still delivered cooly.

That brash, Yoritomo style was readily identified, and he was quite impressed. So different from the style of the Doji, or the trickery of the Bayushi. The way she stood, caused her presence to fill the room, in spite of her stature.

So oppsite of the serpent tongue of the Susumu. Hiding in shadows and whispering sweet little lies to gain every advantage. Even his tall, hungry frame would disappear into the background through his training.

"And I would want to make sure that everything was to the liking of someone of your status and position. Though perhaps, having seen the action on the beach today, we should have met with a bonfire by the waves."

"I'm adaptable." Seika's bold-painted lips quirk as she sets herself down on the waiting seat cushion, arranging her trailing layers deftly around her. For a small-statured person, she manages to take up more than her share of visual space. "Be water, right? I've heard good things about this place, too."

Despite being less quietly harmonious than a Doji etiquette master would prefer, Seika's adherence to the proper forms is all quite correct... until she slips a pack of chewing gum out of her sleeve, the silvery wrapper crinkling in counterpoint to the delicate soundscape of the Akatsubaki.

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D3 LE--lololol it's not too late for a Compulsion check before day change.... (Willpower) | 3k3 ⇒ 8 (TN: 15)

His eyebrow raised when the gum was quickly removed from her sleeve. As decorum dictated, he ignored it. That crinkle was such a stark contrast from the soft music.

Yuji took a cup of the chilled sake from one of the courtesans, only the barest hint of a nod in acknowledging the movement. "Exactly. If we can't shift as the situation warrants, we break. I trust that Akatsubaki will live up to what you've heard." He knelt onto his cushion opposite of her.

One of the geisha poured a cup for Seika, bowing low as they offered it to the Heiress.

"A toast. To the hands clasped in friendship between our two Great clans." It was sincere, the way he said it. Yuji knew there were those who viewed the Mantis as undeserving of that appellation.

And that the Spider be wiped from all existence

Seika tongues her gum demurely(?) into her cheek as she raises her own cup in concurrence with Yuji's toast. "To friendship and understanding," she adds her own emphasis.

"Kampai!" No half-measures ... or half-cups... in the Yoritomo etiquette book.

"You're gonna find out soon enough anyway, so I should just tell you myself that I'm a pretty straightforward person, Susumu-san" she says with a slight shrug as she sets her cup back onto the table with proper grace, holding her full sleeve clear with her other hand. "Usually my duty has me around a lot of engineers and seriously esoteric shugenja, not courtier types. I don't go in for a lot of smoke and veils and reading between the lines stuff, you know? Not by choice, anyway. So that's something to know about me if we're going to be working together here."

"Kampai!" He wasn't one to not indulge, though he would keep his wits about him. Drinking from the cup, before setting it down. The muscians finished one song, before moving into the next. As Seika spoke plainly, Yuji smiled quite appreciatively.

"Yoritomo-sama, if is refreshing to hear you say that. It is partially why this location was chosen. The masks can come off, and we can simply be. No reason to mince words or try to gauge intent." His held tilted upwards slightly.

"I'm sure the reputation of the Susumu is self explanatory. But that is all part of Court. For my allies, and friends? I insist on speaking plainly. Being clever and planning for... keikaku... that isn't what I care for. It's best to get the best result by having everything on the table. So..." he paused, reaching for the bottle of sake, and refilling her cup. "... how can the Spider help the Mantis? That is my ultimate goal, to make our friendship truly, mutually beneficial."

"Oh, good. That's a relief." Seika nods in acknowledgement... though it's possible a little skepticism is detectable. "Hmm, you mean on-planet this winter, or in general? I figure you can guess most of it, anyway. Lord Yoritomo Akifumi is lucky Watanabe Shipyards runs the fastest repair and assembly lines in the empire, because right now we're working double shifts. One for each front, Lion and Emerald." The former, as Yuji would certainly know, is the longstanding conflict centered on the Crossroads system; the latter is in defense of the Spider, against the Emerald Champion's retaliation for their attempt on her life. "So like, that isn't great. Obviously."

"Obviously not great." He nodded in response, and whole the skepticism was detected, he brushed it aside as good, cautionary behavior. He rather enjoyed dealing with a professional.

"Our own forges are working to resupply our fleets, in regards to the current unpleasantness. It is not a burden we wish the Mantis to shoulder by themselves." There were other angles to work upon with the Emerald Champion.

"However we both know our fleets cannot operate on ships alone. The samurai who serve aboard need medical supplies. Foodstuffs. These are things the Spider can provide readily, to best supplement our forces. A fed army, is a prepared army. Is that something your superiors would find great use of, Yoritomo-sama?"

"Hm." Seika chews thoughtfully for a few moments. She apparently has the trick of keeping her gum neatly tucked out of the way while taking a drink, and then going right back to her regularly scheduled dainty(-ish) mastication. "It's not like we've been losing ag worlds and farming settlements, you know? Akufumi-dono might have his fleets a liiiitle bit far-extended right now, but the good side is we're not under siege. Our fleets aren't going hungry, they're getting shot up. You can't turn a bushel of rice into a hull patch, or an experienced crewman."

She flourishes a hand. "Plus, at least what I hear from my Da, our market access with some of the clans isn't what it has been right now." She snaps her gum and considers how much information to share. "Can't spare as many warships to protect traders from pirates, so the routes take longer to run with bigger convoys. And planet-side... why, even right here on the World of Dreams, the local magistrates are so unreasonable lately that a totally legitimate Mantis merchant patron can hardly make a living in certain lines of business anymore." A somber head-shake punctuates this statement. "What good is having... well, goods... if you can't move 'em?"

"You are right, of course. But I would expect that with our goods, we, the Spider, would add our defensive fleets, which then could be supplemental to that of the Mantis." He replied. "Both of our forces have recently experienced setbacks. But continuing to work together..." Yuji watched the Yoritomo with vested interest.

"... there are avenues that could open to address the ships getting shot up. I cannot speak for the navy, or am able to authorize what they can contribute. But I can assure you, the Spider value this alliance, and together, these bumps in the road, will be surpassed and come back stronger than before."

How he wished he could offer fleet technology, or... alternatives to the lost crewmen that the Spider employs. That isn't his purview.

"Yeah, well, that's a good assurance to have, for sure." Seika says, with a slight nod.

It's possible some higher-up in the clan--possibly even her own Da, a senior marketing executive at the conglomerate whose number is on the speed-dial list of a number of Very Important Mantids--has actually pulled a deliberately savvy move by sending the straightforward-to-a-fault Seika on this junket, knowing her mixed feelings about the Spider alliance. While both clans' navies are in something of a tight spot, from a military perspective the Spider currently need the Mantis more than the Mantis need the Spider (at least as far as the Mantis are aware). A Mantis diplomat who runs a little cool might unwittingly help her Spider counterparts remember that.

Seika, however, doesn't know about whatever hypothetical conversations may have happened above her head. She just knows that she's here and the Spider are allies and she's supposed to do her best to maintain status quo ante, which she intends, in all good faith, to do.

She gestures to one of the courtesans to pour another round of drinks, reflexively murmuring, "Thanks, sweetie," as the shining liquid trickles into the cups.

"Mm-hm, those Navy types have their own channels," she agrees as she returns her attention to Yuji. "I see the war from the shipyards, myself, 'cause that's where I'm based. But there's plenty more I'm not looped in on, of course. Anyway, maybe we can at least try something to help get those consumables of yours to markets where they can make both our clans some decent profit. It's too bad you're on such rotten terms with the Crab, they always need food supplies..." she chews her gum pensively, drumming her fingertips on the low table. "With a little origin-label scrubbing, I wonder if the Unicorn or Dragon would bite."

Yuji was not one who needed that reminder. It was the great challenge of the negotiations. To balance things more so that way the Mantis could be less easily swayed away.

If the alliance broke, the balance of power in the galaxy would tip astronomically. The Susumu shuddered to think what that could mean.

"It could be possible. With the growth of the worship of the Dark Fortunes, there may be more opportunities. I do know that my superiors would be amenable to a plan like that."

Seika disposes of her gum, disappearing it neatly into the empty silver-paper wrapper and then away into a dish held out by a helpful attendant.

"Mm-hmm. Well, koku don't care what Fortunes you or I or anyone else light our incense to, anyway." She picks up her cup, again decorously guiding her sleeve out of the way with her other hand. "That's something to drink to, if it's not too impious for Daigotsu-san's taste." Her eyes glitter with mischief, and a little bit of challenge.

His eyes narrowed. While he himself was a devout follower of the Dark Fortunes, he was also a pragmatist. Faith was one way of helping guide negotiations, his counterpart made an excellent point.

"There's a reason Daikoku-san is so revered, Yoritomo-sama. If anything, we're being quite devout in this, are we not?" He matched her raised cup. "To being showered in Daikoku's blessing."

"Good point." She raises an eyebrow, and her cup. "In Daikoku's name... kampai!"

"Hey, that's pretty good stuff," she adds after a moment, half to Yuji and half to the attendant who'd poured it.

They're stingy on their own facilities, but I guess the Spider are at least sometimes willing to spend koku on good impressions. And not just on doxxing innocent musha shugyo-sha... She prods herself mentally for circling back to that. The New Kalani thing had been a handful of low-rent diplomats who were dumped in over their heads and trying to dig their way out... with field explosives. The World of Dreams embassy, meanwhile, ought to be staffed by actual professionals.

"We can talk details later, but this sounds worth exploring, Susumu-san." Seika leans comfortably on her armrest. "Lots of the court season still to go, right?"

((This scene is a couple of sessions behind, and we might be at an okay place to fade it--what do you think? We could start a new one D9 or D10 if you're up to keep going.))

"Kampai!" He had to smile in regards to the toast. It felt as if there was potentially a good starting point for the negotiations over the court season.

He had to agree with the assessment on the drink of choice, savoring it, and the company as well.

"I am glad you think so, Yoritomo-sama. We have all the time in the world. No need to spend every moment on business." He matched her relaxed posture, tilting his head slightly. "So let's enjoy this evening...."

((Sounds good! I'm waiting on hearing back on a thing, but yes, we can pick up on a later day!))