Eh, sure, why not? Free food is always nice.

Chizu nodded. "Perhaps another time, then," she agreed. "Shall we talk of something else then? I think the Crane's intent was that we should get to know each other. Could you tell me about yourself, Miyako-san?" "I look forward to another time, then." He agrees with a simple nod. Masato makes a men...

"Ah, indeed. It makes things a bit more clear-cut when there are traditions and customs to rely upon." He ponders a moment the countless questions in his mind. "Just how old are the Ivory Kingdoms, anyways? And your castes, are they divided by family? And where are the Doshi in this system?"

"Most interesting..." Masato tries his best to remember all this jargon to recall at a later time. "So essentially, you're saying I'd need to get the Emperor to declare prices on common goods. That seems somewhat... beneath him." He ponders a little while. "Maybe if he were simply presented with a l...

"Well, dislike may be a bit of a strong word for it, but I've heard that the Crane see us as something of rivals. We both focus on our political interactions, so I suppose that's only natural. Though, I don't know how much our agendas are in conflict."

" Connections, eh?" Chizu nodded at this. "That sounds like a fine idea. Perhaps I could be a connection for you in the Crab, eh?" She smiled and tilted her head. "What sort of trading do you do?" she inquired. "We could do with a few more merchant caravans coming by our lands, truthfully." "Certai...

"Ive spent much of my life observing the goings on of the markets, and as you say, it can be rather chaotic, especially with larger trades. But how does this coinage work? Surely it is not as simple as everyone agrees that it is valuable, and therefore it is?"

Turning over the two tea cups, Chizu lifted the teapot and poured a cup for each of them. "I haven't been here that long," she admitted. "But the Crane wedding was quite impressive, and I know a lot more court events are planned. I got invited to some sort of ball tonight, in fact; that should be f...

"To some, depending on their goals and aspirations. But money? I've heard that the Nezumi use this, but the Empire still barters. I've heard that there was word some form of currency being established, but it was actually something I had planned on checking here at court. I would be very interested ...

"It is certainly common in court, what with everyone trying to earn favor and prestige. I would say that it is much less common in day-to-day life, though. What about your people? Do they have a competitive spirit? Or perhaps one that is more curious about other cultures?"

"Just the one, that I saw, at least. Though I'm sure a number of the other guests keep pets. But it did not attack me; its behavior merely reminded me of when I was attacked. The thing seemed unusually... smart." "Anyways, if nothing in these scrolls intetest you... I'd suggest holding a competition...

"I'm called Yoshitsune Chizu," she said, returning a bow and sitting back down as well. "I'm down here from the Crab lands. This is my first time to an Imperial Court; it seems all very exciting. Have you eaten?" Chizu indicated the tea cakes with a small movement of her left hand. "Ah, not yet, th...

Masato nods at the correction. "Well, Viveki, animals aren't very fond of me, nor I of them. It's why I now walk like this; I was attacked when I was young and the healers couldn't quite fix everything. So seeing the consort guided by some intelligent beast that pointed straight at me through a crow...

"I simply seek to take my mind off court. It can be quite stressful at times." Especially when someone's seeing-eye fox harbors some unearthly hatred towards you. The Scorpion holds a hand to his chin, pondering Viveki's predicament. "Hm. Well, I suppose the best place to start would be to ask what ...

Viveki's words certainly catch him off-guard, and he has to fight himself for a few moments to avoid laughing. Masato decides to play along a little. "I suppose I play the role of a scorpion." He waves his cane around behind his back, doing a poor job of imitating a stinger. "Though my costume isn't...

Masato wanders into the library hoping to find something... anything to distract him from that damn fox. He would gladly take a scroll of the dullest poems or even one with nothing but random numbers. So distressed is the Scorpion that he almost doesn't notice the foreign woman. "Oh, I didn't think ...

Chizu found her way to her assigned table and took a seat. Fidgeting a bit as she waited, the big Crab inspected the tea cups and tea cakes that the dining hall attendants had left for them. She made a minor adjustment to reposition one of the tea cups that she thought (or, perhaps, imagined) was s...

Masato gives quiet sigh of relief as the fox departs from his presence. He looked back at the snacks wondering if there was anything stronger than tea to calm his nerves.

I might have to do something about that creature. It seemed almost intelligent... perhaps it can be reasoned with?

Masato, enjoying the comfort of his seat, sweeps his gaze around the room. He regards each of the guests as they enter, admires the architecture of the place, the copious snacks, and a fox... staring right at him! What is this beast doing here, and why is it staring at me?! He finally notices Yuzuru...

Masato slowly makes his way towards the emperor and offers his deepest bow. It takes him a moment to gracefully recover, after which the Scorpion makes his way towards comfortable seating.

He makes a note of the drink and snacks for later and waits patiently.