Despite an already extended stay in the capitol city, Akodo Kawauso remained loathe to give up her daily trips to the river. This afternoon, as dark clouds started to roll in over the city, she was alternating a slow walk with practice skipping stones across the river. She clearly knew what she was doing when she threw, occasionally skipping a stone so well she could hear a gentle thump as it struck the far bank.

She was wearing a nondescript woolen cloak over her homespun-looking kimono and pants, though the cloak was tied loose enough that the occasional strong gust of wind would whip it behind her for a few moments.

A tall woman in a dark cloak was standing at the river's edge. She was staring down at a small pig snuffling along the bank.

"Hen, even if you find something, you can't dig it up. It's too cold and you'll get all muddy."

Approaching close enough to not be shouting, but still far enough to be avoidable if the other woman chose to, Kawauso tossed her final stone. It skipped only once and then disappeared with a glub. "Hrm. Inauspicious," she muttered as she turned toward the stranger.

"Good afternoon there, ah..." Kawauso tried to think of an educated guess at a clan, but dark cloaks were very popular in winter. "Good afternoon, noble sama," she says, falling back on overly respectable, and giving a modest bow.

She looked up. "Ah, good afternoon. My name is Rei. Ryoshun Rei. This is Hen."

"Well hi there, Hen," Kawauso says, quick to smile at the little pig. "And Ryoshun-sama is of the Bat Clan," the tall Lion says, bowing her head again.

"I'm Akodo Kawauso of the Lion," the bushi says with a warm smile and pride, though not so much as to be offensive. "Have you been in the city long?"

"Well met, Akodo-san." she offers a polite bow. "We arrived yesterday. Hen hasn't had time to explore everything yet. Have you been here long?"

"Ah, yes, several days ago now, Ryoshun-sama. I had other business in the capitol before the wedding," she says, assuming if the Bat was recently arrived it must be for the wedding itself.

Kawauso smiles again at the pig. "Does Hen need long to explore places? They seem, ah, detail oriented?" She jokes warmly.

"He's just curious, really." she explained. "Everything here is new to him and he'll feel more comfortable once he's familiarized himself. He likes to root around and see what he can find, water, food and such, even though I've already fed him. It's better for him to do it out here."

Kawauso nods knowingly, a bit of breeze pulling at her cloak. "Yes, this is much more natural habitat than, ah, the city itself," she says, looking sideways toward the castle. "Are you staying long? Getting used to a big city isn't exactly easy--from my humble experience, that is," she bows her head, not trying to project her limitations on the other woman.

"Primarily, I'm here for the wedding and to visit with a few of the attendees." she answered. "But, it's a long journey back to Shinden Ryoshun. We likely won't be returning home right away. So, it's best to establish some routines for Hen."

Kawauso nods in agreement. "And good to get out now," she says, gesturing to the dark clouds that are building in. "Winter weather can make outdoor ventures a challenge. Fortunately it's been fairly mild so far," she says with a light smile.

"What's, uh, this wedding thing going to be like," Kawauso inquires, guessing her companion is more familiar with such things than she is.

"I'm not sure." she admitted. "But, this is one of Doji-sama's children. I suspect everything will be beautiful and immaculate, as perfect as can be. The food should be good."

Rei didn't sound overly excited, but she smiled.

Kawauso stifles a groan about how "perfect" it will be. "Well," she says with the barest pleasantness, "at least good food will help." She kicks a rock into the river, making a small but satisfying sploosh.

She looks more directly at the Bat and musters a real smile. "My apologies, Ryoshun-sama. I am perhaps poor company with the weather turning and a major social event soon to arrive. Court settings are not my preference, though I am sure you already sensed that." She bows her head a little in apology.

"They aren't really mine either." she shrugged. "But, I'm likely going to have to attend more of these kinds of things. I will have to adjust."

The Bat looked up at the sky. "Do you know how much snowfall is typical here?"

A look of distress blazes across Kawauso's face at the notion of attending more than one big wedding. She's quick to answer the weather question before jumping back typ weddings.

"Farther up the river, where I'm from, there are... one or two ?heavy snows each winter. You snuggle indoors for a few days as the weight of snow recedes and then its back to real life," she says thinking fondly of her village. Then she remembers the other thing.

"And why would you attend more of these big wedding things?" It comes out meaner than she intends, and the tall Lion checks herself. "I'm sorry. I mean, um, it seems like a lot of effort? Which is nice of you, of course," she says, trying to understand the other woman better.

"Many of us are of age now and more will be in the coming years." she sighed. "A lot is expected of my cousins and I, including marriage. And, I doubt any child of the Kami will marry without some level of fanfare."

"Oh. Ohhh, so you're... Huh." Kawauso nods as she processes what her new friend is saying. "That's, ah... Well, I guess being an important person has to have responsibilities with it. Sitting through big weddings all the time though..." She shakes her head at the enormity of that responsibility in her mind.

"Aren't there, like, a lot of kami children? I mean, do all of you have to... go to all those weddings?" She looks at Rei sympathetically. "And they probably don't even let Hen come, do they?"

"Not all of us, no, and not to every wedding." she shook her head. "I am one of the older ones, though, and a clan heir. So, there are expectations."

"Spirits," Kawauso whispers, impressed. "That, uh, sounds like al lot of responsibility." The Lion samurai-ko shifts uneasily, like she's used to thinking of herself as having lots of responsibility, and is realizing some of the many ways it could be worse.

"Do you... Have someone in mind," she asks idly, mostly just filling the silence while her head is still spinning. "I mean, running a whole clan... I hope you get a good husband, who can really help." It's a warm, genuine hope.

"I do not." she laughed. "That's another reason to go to these things, to meet more people and figure out what I want. Sometimes I think it would be so much easier to be Hen."