[D6MM] Making Amends

[Usagi Rei]

"That makes sense to me." Rei said. "I was planetside often enough that it doesn't bother me." He frowned, considering. "I wonder what it is I like about the beach, anyway. Something about the water and waves, the warmth of the sand..." He shrugged, not quite able to put his vague feelings into words.

He smiled gently. "Remind me how the two of you met? Or was it an arranged sort of thing?"

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"Maybe the sun? Even if I don't much like the open sky, there's somethin' different about sun on your skin with an atmosphere in between to keep it from crispin' everyone." Reaching into her sleeve cuff, she tosses a dried fruit snack into the bushes, eliciting squeaks and a fresh round of rustling leaves.

"Nothin' arranged about us. Was sketchin' in her dad's gallery while we were settled there for that winter season and she looked over my shoulder an' started askin' questions." Tsuyo's smile is soft, and gaze a bit distant. "We just...kinda kept chattin'"

[Usagi Rei]

Rei paused to chuckle at the two critters enjoying themselves. "Sometimes I wonder what they're saying." He murmured. "But yeah. Maybe the sun." He shrugged, clearly uncertain.

He smiled again, hearing that description. "And it went from there, huh? How long between that and your marriage? And how long have you been married now?"

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"About a year and a half. Once it started lookin' like a good idea, there was a fair bit of negotiatin' to move a Seppun into the Firefly. Lucky she was the youngest. Been 5 years since then. Doesn't feel that long." She shakes her head slightly, fond smile shifting a bit more serious as she asks, "how long was it before you married?" The unspoken 'how long did you actually know the woman who left you?' hangs behind the question.

[Usagi Rei]

Rei chuckled softly. "That makes sense." He looked at her, smiling gently, watching her smile. "It sounds like a very good match."

The question made Rei's smile twist wryly. "Less than a year." He sighed. "It was a match encouraged by our superiors. I actually had my promotion included with it. And... we just really seemed to click, you know?"

Rei sighed again. "Of course, now I don't know how much we actually clicked, and how... well." He shrugged. "On World of Dreams, it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't."

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

There's a small sigh as she nods. "That's far too true. Respect to you and the other diplomats stationed here. The shadow games need to be played, but I'm not the one best suited to play 'em. But that all sounds a bit..." Looking up, tries to catch his gaze, concerned. "Well, d'you ever worry that the Scorpion had a reason to want you here in the position you're in and set things up just for that? And then a mystery to keep you here, looking."

[Usagi Rei]

Rei's lips parted and then pressed together. Then he looked away. "Yes. I've thought of that. That maybe the only reason our relationship even happened was because the Scorpion wanted something. And they got it."

Meeting her gaze, he smiled, but it was an empty smile, not touching his eyes. "But it's not because of her that I stay here. At this point, I've come to accept that for one reason or another, she doesn't want to be found. His tone was a little strange as he spoke half-truths to the Firefly. He was treading on dangerous ground here, coming close to his most closely guarded secret.

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

She doesn't say that maybe him being where he is disadvantages the Hare in some way then. If he's thought that far, he's surely spotted that, and her responsibility to the Alliance is probably taken care of.

"No? Sort of thought you were avoiding givin' any excuse to cut things officially before the time limit." Though the rumored playing around might offer someone leverage there already if they wanted it. "Why then?"

[Usagi Rei]

Rei grimaced. "If I had my way, it would have ended... well, by now, certainly. But I was encouraged to wait the full two years for natural dissolution. Helps to keep the various deals that accompanied the marriage in good standing, or so I was told." He shrugged, still grimacing. "It's fine. It's not a big deal."

Then Rei chuckled. "But as to why I stay, or rather, why I haven't requested a transfer." He looked at Tsuyo, smiling wryly. "I like it here. Fortunes help me, I do. I like the fun, and the nightlife, and everything that goes with it..." he sighed, "-and I think I even like playing Scorpion games, too." Actually last night had been some fairly convincing evidence of that, but he certainly wasn't going to talk about that.

[Hotaru Tsuyo]

"Ahh, right..." Tsuyo nods in understanding. "makes sense to keep the agreements everyone worked on, even if it's...weird. But..." her own smile shows up, gently. "Does sound like it put you in a good place you might not've ended up."

"Reminds me of stories of trickster spirits doing a good deed, but not bein' able to stay around...or sometimes havin' *good* by their standars be kinda not so great for the poor mortal they try to 'help.' I suppose it's not very likely that's what you're dealin' with, though." She pulls a small crinkly bag from her pocket, eliciting some extra shaking from the bushes and an eager chirp as a small, mauve head pops out of the leaves. Ume knows the sound of treats.

"Good talkin' to ya, Usagi-san, and watching the scaley kids play. Have a meetin' to review the last holo edits for the planetside showing of my work here," she says as she shakes out a handful of what looks like dried fruit for Ume. They're fortified for spine drake health, so not an entirely unhealthy indulgence.