(Mura Minami Chushin/South Hub Village, Imperial lands, the Kabuki's Dance Inn, 1 Month Until Topaz)

[Mirai]

It felt strange to Mirai ti be sitting in an inn, eating a hearty meal and having a room of her own to sleep in. Usually, she slept on the road, in bunk houses, or even with heimin that were willing to take her in. She was used to hunting or working for her food. She was used to many things... but not all this.

It was the fault of the letter that rested in her bag on the table in front of her. She had read it more times than she could count, though she knew a lot would be a good description. A part of her still wished to take it out and read it again, to make certain she understood everything correctly. The last thing she wanted was to overstep herself and end up in trouble.

An invitation to the Topaz Championship in a month's times... very few had that privilege, even from the Great Clans. To think a lowly ronin such as her would get one, and from a Great Clan samurai at that. She knew why, when she had been decided on, but it had just been her living her life, practicing for something to do. She had even lost for Fortune's sake!

Her patron had given her a writ to be able to stay in inns along her way to the tournament, and now she found herself in one, eating rice and miso and drinking tea like a real samurai. It all made her body tingle and hum and shiver, made her dizzy as her head swum a bit. Her eating was almost automatic as she tried to act like this was all normal.

[Kakita Kazuko]

Under the the murmur of conversation and tinkering of ceramics on wood in the communal dining area, Kazuko approaches the disoriented ronin girl, seeking some light conversation with company around her own age as she waits for Haruki to join her. Despite wearing only an elegant kimono with a pair of fancy earrings as her only adornment, there's a vast contrast between her soon-to-be conversation partner which might draw a few odd looks here or there. She tells herself she's only joining the lonely ronin because most of the other tables do not have much room with the upcoming Topaz Championship, but there's certainly a bit of curiosity mixed in there too, as there's clearly more to the girl than her looks might say.

"Hello, Wolf-san, I hope you do not mind me joining you," she says, more out of courtesy than anything. Her voice is carefully neutral with a hint of novelty, remembering her last encounter with a ronin that did not end as favorably as she would have liked. Nothing could go wrong with a simple conversation in a public place, right? "There are a lot of people here, huh? Do you happen to be traveling to the Topaz Championship too?"

[Kaito Haruki]

A young man enters the room, wearing plain but clean clothes. A wide brimmed hat covers his eyes as he approaches the counter. "Hot water please." A cup is filled with plain hot water, which he then calmly takes to the table with the two samurai ladies his age. Once there, he pulls out a bag and drops a few leaves into the water, swirls it a bit, then drinks.

[Mirai]

A well dressed Crane samurai-ko. Well, considering her position, things could have been worse. Mirai was hardly shy, but she knew enough about being deferential to be overly familiar. She stood up from her seiza to give a low bow. Her robes were plain and a bit dusty, which called to mind a traveling monk almost.

"So, Kakita-sama, I am travelling to the tournament. I would not refuse such honorable company, of course." She motioned for Kazuko to take a seat if she wished.

[Kakita Kazuko]

"Thank you for letting me join you. Is someone you know participating or are you simply there to watch the spectacle?"

She gives a polite smile to Haruki, allowing him to introduce himself if he wishes.

[Mirai]

Mirai only sat once Kazuko had, giving a slow sigh. At the question, she gave a small nod. "I wish to watch the spectacle, yes, but someone I know is also participating. I hope they win."

She noticed the gesture towards the Phoenix, but he was still on his own, so Mirai kept her attention on the Crane.

[Kakita Kazuko]

Mirai only sat once Kazuko had, giving a slow sigh. At the question, she gave a small nod. "I wish to watch the spectacle, yes, but someone I know is also participating. I hope they win."

She noticed the gesture towards the Phoenix, but he was still on his own, so Mirai kept her attention on the Crane.

"Long day, hm? So who are you cheering on? I'll try to go easy on them but I can't say the same for my friend here."

There's an aura of smugness around her but she's clearly just joking. Or at least that's what her grin seems to say.

[Mirai]

Mirai gave a slight seated bow. "Arigato, Kakita-sama. I would not expect any participant to give less than their all, of course. I will be cheering on myself."

[Kaito Haruki]

"Greetings, would you mind if I sat here?" Haruki approaches the two ladies and waits for a response before taking a spot at their table. "I am Isawa Haruki of House Kaito, how do you do?"

[Mirai]

Since it was technically her table, and she was still... well, her... Mirai stood once more and offered a low bow, motioning for Haruki to sit beside Kazuko. She wasn't too up on Phoenix lore, but it seemed safe enough to start big. "I am well Isawa-sama, arigato. This one is Mirai. You have already met Kakita-sama I take it?"

She looked between the two a bit, and realized she hadn't caught the Kakita's name.

[Kaito Haruki]

"Indeed I have! This is Kakita Kazuko, we trained together in Hirosaka for a time. I assume you are going to Tsuma?"

[Mirai]

"A bold assumption considering we are a decent way's away, but a correct one all the same. I am to have a gempukku in front of the clans it seems." Mirai hadn't even thought she'd have any gempukku, let alone such a prestigious one. She looked between the two again. "I assume that is where you are both headed as well then."

[Kaito Haruki]

"Indeed, in most situations, it would be a bold assumption to guess a young samurai would be going to a town days away, but the Topaz Championship is near. Any young samurai going in this direction is at least hoping to be a participant, but we worked hard and now we have a chance to become Emerald Magistrates by the end of the season!" For such a humble statement, his eyes light up with pride and enthusiasm.

[Kakita Kazuko]

"A bold assumption considering we are a decent way's away, but a correct one all the same. I am to have a gempukku in front of the clans it seems." Mirai hadn't even thought she'd have any gempukku, let alone such a prestigious one. She looked between the two again. "I assume that is where you are both headed as well then."

While Haruki might be fantasizing about his future prospects, Kazuko is more interested in learning about the strange girl, especially upon hearing about her gempukku. She tries to be courteous with her questioning and avoid being overbearing, but, well, she's a privileged Crane and Mirai is just a simple ronin.

"Oh? You're going to have a gempukku? How did that come to be?"

[Mirai]

Haruki sounded quite excited for the prospect of becoming a magistrate, and Mirai didn't doubt he would. Still, it was more a statement than any sort of prompt, so she looked to Kazuko. "Hai, Kakita-san. Most ronin have a simple ceremony with their parents. I was invited by a patron however to attend Topaz."

[Kaito Haruki]

"You must have done something extraordinary to get an invitation to the Topaz championship, that must be quite a tale. Would it be alright if we took some more of your time and hear it?"

[Mirai]

For a moment, Mirai was silent, holding onto her tea. Finally she gave a small shrug. "It is... difficult to fully say what it was that exactly got me the invitation, truth told. I know the incident that my patron spoke of, but I am uncertain why it would have warranted me one. I travel for my living, and when I can, spend time at dojo's when I am allowed. I had a training duel against a man at one of them and lost. That man wrote me just a week or so ago with an authentic invitation to the championship."

[Kakita Kazuko]

For a moment, Mirai was silent, holding onto her tea. Finally she gave a small shrug. "It is... difficult to fully say what it was that exactly got me the invitation, truth told. I know the incident that my patron spoke of, but I am uncertain why it would have warranted me one. I travel for my living, and when I can, spend time at dojo's when I am allowed. I had a training duel against a man at one of them and lost. That man wrote me just a week or so ago with an authentic invitation to the championship."

"He must've been very skilled and you must have shown a lot of promise then! It's certainly not every day that an opportunity like this comes by. If you don't mind me asking, what clan did the man belong to? Crane of course since we have the best duelers, right?"

She's only half joking as she says that.

"I must say, I hope to see your skills in action, or better yet, we get the opportunity to test our skills against each other sometime."

The mild novelty and conversation piece of the ronin has suddenly become very peculiar indeed. While Mirai may be ronin, at least for now, Kazuko is still interested in see what made her so special that someone went through the trouble to send her here.

[Mirai]

"The man was a ronin as well, though... truth told, I had reason to believe he was a clan samurai on a warrior's pilgrimage. When you are born a wave man, it is usually fairly obvious who was not. He did not sign his letter I am afraid, but you are probably right Kakita-sama. He was quite skilled indeed, though there was no recognizable technique that pointed one way or another." He couldn't show a clan's technique honorably anyway. It didn't really matter to Mirai who he really was... mostly.

[Kaito Haruki]

"He didn't even give a nickname for himself, that is a little weird. Either way, I look forward to seeing what potential that man saw when we are being tested. I hope you are ready for the fierce competition, I am afraid the stakes are much higher than any I've experienced before. I don't know if I should even hold back in spars once the opening ceremony starts."