[Otosan Uchi, Hidari District] Lanterns of beauty

[Bayushi Kaidan]

"Then the fortune smiles on me." He nodded. "More or less I have a twin and they want to see how different the methods are."

[Kaito Kai]

"A twin." Kai repeats thoughtfully, before deciding to follow up on this new information. "How is that, anyway? I mean, I was taught that twins happen when a soul reincarnates in more the one body."

Kai paused, brow furrowing somewhat before asking their question. "Do you feel...complete?"

[Bayushi Kaidan]

Kaidan laughed. "We are brothers. We are connected." Then he gave it some thought. "I miss him though perhaps you may be right that I may not feel complete with out him around."

[Kaito Kai]

"It's as I thought." Kai seemed satisfied in this validation of the lessons of the Kaito school, much as it was based on superstition and folk-tale.

"Still, to have a connection to someone like that must surely be great. You are lucky for it, I think."

[Bayushi Kaidan]

"What about you? Do you have a connection with someone?" Kaidan smile. "The fortunes must sen a lot of people to your temples you may have connected with someone."

[Kaito Kai]

"The shrines of my family don't get very many visitors." Kai concedes. "We're quite a ways north and in the mountains. The more popular shrines in the rest of Phoenix lands are enough for most people."

"That said," Kai tapped their chin thoughtfully. "Not really. People come, they cleanse themselves, make prayers, maybe they draw fortunes or leave a request for the spirits. They don't really come to the shrine to connect to the keepers, which is how it should be."

"So you are fortunate." Kai reiterated.

[Bayushi Kaidan]

"That is sad. Do you feel the need to connect with someone?" He shook his head. "Its not like Benten has a plan for all people or the fortunes... need people to connect."

[Kaito Kai]

Kai considered the question.

"Connect with someone? Not really. We don't get a lot of visitors to our shrines, but you aren't ever alone at one. There's always someone there: the head priest or shugenja, the other keepers."

A pause.

"And, of course, the kami. They're always around us. So yeah, never alone and always connected."

It was a roundabout way of dodging what was really being asked, at least as far as Kai understood it.

[Bayushi Kaidan]

Kaidan considered as a Scorpion he knew ways of people dodging the question and the one dodging most of the time was the Scorpion person. Kaidan smiled at his peer. "It is good to know that you are not really lonely. You are right. Our ancestors follow us every day." He nodded sagely. "But still... we are people and people need people." Then he gave it a thought. "Not that the attendants of the temples and the shrines aren't people but... friends... do you have any?" He looked at the girl. "Or am I the first?"

[Kaito Kai]

"No." Kai replied bluntly. "I have friends. They are just far away right now, so I cannot see them because I'm here."

A pause.

"But we'll be together again. I just have to finish with this school here, then I can go back home and the way things were before."

For a moment, Kai seemed to have been annoyed by something, perhaps the thought of having had to come here.