"I suppose some wax might fix the water tightness. Though it would be only a temporary solution... Either way, this is the first thing I've been messing around with for inventions. Getting the connections right and a good balance between lightness and durability have been my biggest concerns there. The test runs with doves worked well, either way, so it's certainly something I'm not too worried about needing a ton of work, even if there are little things that can be done here and there."

The Lion smiles. "That's all good then." She waits a moment, eyes steady on the Crane. "It sounds like you want to show me more."

Misaki sets down the invention and nods, grinning, "Well... you did say you wanted to see things. So I did get them out for you. Hm, what next..."

She looks to the side and opens the box again, looking through it, "Oh, I know."

Misaki closes the box and looks back to the table, "I suppose I never introduced my quick-pot."

She picks up the tea pot... where Kawauso would notice the pot's strange shape.



"Tadaaaa~"

The Lion looks at Misaki, vaguely confused. "Um. Forgive me, Misaki-san. It is... more than a teapot?"

Misaki nodded eagerly, "It is. It's not perfect yet, but it's making good progress. First off..."

She turns the fluted handle to face Kawauso, "This handle does not conduct the heat from a hot pot. Inside..."

Misaki opened it;



"I've managed a strainer for tea leaves that doesn't effect the flavor of the tea thanks to being made of tin. And also..."

She puts the lid back on and twisted.

"The lid will lock in place with carefully cut grooves that can be twisted into. My goal..."

The Doji woman sat back, teapot on the table, "My goal was to create a teapot that could keep water hot and make tea while traveling or during field work. The main hurdle is keeping the actual spout closed reliably; A stopper falls out too easily, but the methods that don't fall out easily are always too hard to get out in the first place or leave a residue."

Kawauso's eyes are wide in amazement, and she sits silently for a while processing all the aspects of this fancy teapot.

"Misaki-san... This is most impressive. Inspiring even. You've done so much here..." The Lions eyes stay large, but some of her wonder wears off so she can converse more normally. "This is really remarkable. I mean, I'm no expert on tea, but..." She waves a hand at the improvements as she struggles with what to say.

"Oh, and with the stopper or other sealing: This seems like an area of focus to work on? Various, um, applications with regard to different liquids. Maybe, uh, even something I could help with?" The last sentence is said shyly, as if saying it too loudly might frighten the Crane away.

Misaki blushed softly in return for the praise but spoke up as calmly as ever, "If you would be able to help, I would be most grateful. I invent things to make people's lives better you see; I know many farmers and merchants and laborers that would love to be able to bring tea with them and not have it cold or too bitter from the leaves soaking too long. Perhaps it's a silly thing to focus on... But that's probably why I have so many inventions. Even the smallest problem inspires me to want to try to find a solution."

Kawauso smiles broadly as Misaki describes her inspiration.

"Those are the people on whom we should focus," the Lion says emphatically. "More fancy things for those already living fancy lives are just... That's waste. But when we make life better for more people, especially those who have the least to begin with -- that makes the empire great." When she's finished her sermon, Kawauso scrunches her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't... You should work on what you're inspired to do. But," she says, now giving Misaki a conspiratorial smile. "I'm definitely going to want to help more with things that help more people."

"Surely even followers of the Kami would like things like warm ears, portable tea, longer lasting shoes, or safer gardens. That's the beautiful thing about practical inventions really. Nothing is for every single person, of course. But everyone has the same basic needs and desires, no?"

"Yes," Kawauso agrees enthusiastically. "I think that's exactly right. If I can shape a better fishing spear, it's good for everyone who spear fishes. It's meant for those whose fishing isn't already great, but if the skilled spear-fishers want to use it too, that's great."

The Lion pauses a moment to reflect. "I should maybe warn you, um, I'm very interested in spears. Making better spears, especially for water combat operations, is, um, a priority for me."

"Oh. So you invent as well, Kawauso-san?"

Misaki sipped some tea then tilted her head a bit, curious.

"Er, I'm... Not really an inventor. Maybe a designer? I mean, I just try to... refine, or improve what's already there. Different wood, different shaping to improve... I mean, it's not like what you're doing here!" The Lion looks bashful, not confident enough to compare herself to the Crane.

That actually does get a small feminine chuckle from Misa, her soft smile widening, "That too is invention, Kawauso-san. People who think everything needs to be rebuilt from the ground up are missing the point I think, compared to refining what works and building on it."

Kawauso smiles, although her eyes reveal she's not entirely convinced. "Well, inventing isn't really what river guardians do. I mean, I just started working on spear projects because I was frustrated that we didn't really have what we need. Some light spears for throwing, but too light. Heavy spears for fighting and hunting, but too heavy or too hard to make or too expensive to risk throwing when that's what's needed..." She bashfully looks up at Misaki. "Ok, I guess I sound a little bit like you when I talk about it," she says, starting to giggle.

The soft smile had turned into a cheeky little grin at that point, "You're not wrong there. But I won't tease you about that, I promise. Especially since I have so much else to show you. You ARE the one who said you wanted to see things, no?"

"YES," Kawauso says immediately. "I want to see all the things," she says with a slightly giggly smile. As soon as Misaki turns for her next item, the Lion claps lightly. "Yes, heehee, more."

Misaki chuckles softly and pulls out the next thing, a strange looking bamboo flute.



"This is something I've been working on, though I'm not sure of the applications of it."

She puts it to her lip and plays it by pulling on the bamboo plunger, which created a... unique sound.

Kawauso giggles at the sound, then looks embarrassed. "Um, I'm sorry Misaki-san. It... I'm sure there's some use for it," she says optimistically, still looking a touch embarrassed.

Misaki nodded, laying the bamboo whistle down carefully, "I believe so too. I will say children seem to love it, and they are made with simple materials... though they're surprisingly difficult in construction."

She looks at Kawauso's face with a soft smile, "...you seem to really be enjoying yourself as well. Do you like the inventions then, Kawauso-san?"

Kawauso nods about the children and stifles another giggle. "I can... see why... they would appreciate it." With a breath and a smile, she puts the fun sound of the whistle pout of her mind.

"Of course I do," Kawauso says energetically. "So many different things, that you've been so creative with... I don't know if I could say all the good things I think about them!" The Lions smile is maybe almost child-like as she reflects on this adventure of discovery so far.