Show Off [Day 6, LA, Misaki's room, closed]

[Doji Misaki]

It was a nice day out, at least compared to how things had been earlier in the week, but Misaki did not mind being inside where it was warmer. Especially when she had a purpose; Kawauso wanting to see her inventions had been a surprise certainly, and Misaki was not one to show off per say, but the chance to have feedback and such was just too good to pass up.

Of course, there was no way she could show ALL of her inventions. Some she did not have with her, while others... well, regardless, she'd gotten out most of what she'd brought with her and had them at hand, along with a warm pot of tea.

[Akodo Kawauso]

A scratch at the door followed by a chipper call of, "Doji Misaki-san?" alerts the Crane that her guest has arrived, punctual and energetic-sounding. The shadow near the door, as predicted, is a tall one.

[Doji Misaki]

Misaki smiled to herself and stood, walking over to the door with her short measured steps to open the door. The Doji woman was in her usual crisp, functional priestess clothes, hair in a maiden's foxtail giving a bob as she made a small bow, "Ah, good afternoon, Kawauso-san. I have everything all ready for our visit if you would care to come in. The is tea and red bean mochi if you would care for any."

The room, like the woman inhabiting it, was immaculate, everything in its place and no mess what-so-ever around. A table sat on the north side of the room with a box next to it and the aforementioned vittles on it, next to a small flower arrangement. On each side of the table sat a cushion, one of which Misaki motioned to in her bow.

[Akodo Kawauso]

The Lion steps in and returns the bow, then hesitates between the indicated seat and the curiosity about what projects the Crane may share. With a deep breath, Kawauso restrains herself, smiles at Misaki, and prices to the small table. "Of course, Do-uh, Misaki-san," the bushi corrects herself, matching her friend's form of address. "It's really most kind of you to share some of your work with me. And, um, I apologize if I've been, uh... too curious." She smiles apologetically.

[Doji Misaki]

Misaki closes the door behind Kawauso and follows her over to the table with a smile of her own, "No need; There is nothing wrong with curiosity or showing interest in something that isn't dishonorable, even if it's something a bit strange like my inventing. If I thought it was inappropriate, I'd not have brought them up in the first place."

Sitting gracefully across from the Lion, Misaki folded her hands on her lap, "Would you like some refreshments, or would you prefer to dive right in? I chose only eight of the things I'd brought with me that I thought might interest you, so we're in no hurry I imagine."

[Akodo Kawauso]

The Akodo smiles at the Doji, appreciating her hospitality and the care and order of everything.

"Perhaps just a bit of tea before diving in? I'm excited to see what you show me. And we can save the mochi until we've worked up a little hunger," Kawauso jokes, though deep inside her mind there's a groan at her word choice. Still smiling brightly with excitement, the Lion pays it no mind.

[Doji Misaki]

"Of course, that sounds like a plan."

Misaki reaches up and pours the tea, the selection a vibrant green color suggesting a fine green tea rather than something bolder, something made to go with sweets. After pouring it, before moving the cup over, she reaches over and opens the box next to her away from Kawauso to pull out a small porcelain jar. Undoing the wax seal, she puts a bit of a golden yellow syrup from inside the jar into each cup.

[Akodo Kawauso]

The Lion observes carefully. She knows this is just tea, but Misaki is purposeful and organized in her actions. Kawauso can sense impatience within herself, but she pushes it back, absorbing the counterpoint of steadiness that the Crane represents.

[Doji Misaki]

Pushing the cup over, she seals back up the jar of honey, "I shall keep this out if you wish any more for your tea. Unfortunately, it is not my tea; I've always wanted to raise bees, but I've not had the time. Fortunately, my abode is near a farmer who does, and this small jar was a gift. The bees actually made their honey from my own flowers, so I guess I feel a bit of attachment to the end product. But I suppose to most it would be no different than any other honey."

[Akodo Kawauso]

The Lion smiles warmly.

"Attachment to what is personal and local... I understand that very much, Misaki-san. Especially when far from home, our connections to it are all the more special." Kawauso thinks of her sister for a moment, chuckling. "And, ah, especially special when they show up unexpectedly." She shakes her head, still smiling. "Apologies. I am so comfortable here that my mind wanders. I, um. I'm excited to sample your honey."

Kawauso freezes with her hand half way to the teacup as she realizes what she's said. She keeps her eyes locked on the teacup as her cheeks redden.

[Doji Misaki]

Misaki merely inclines her head, that serene soft smile staying as the jar is set down and everything set. Reaching back to the box rather than starting with her tea herself, she turned her head to look through it before taking something out; It looked like a small tube with strips of silk around it.



"Tell me, what do you make of this?"

It was maybe four centimeters long, light weight, made out of some sort of china or porcelain.

[Akodo Kawauso]

The Lions brow furrows as she stares at the object for a long time.

"Eeh, Misaki-san, I'm... I'm sorry," Kawauso says in frustration. "I don't understand this at all." There's a pout to the tall woman's voice, like she can't believe she's already at a loss.

[Doji Misaki]

Misaki nods and reaches down, opening the top on the small capsule, "Well, to an extent it's just a small pot or tube, made to be light weight. It could hold picks or ink I suppose, something small or liquid. But I altered it so these little silk bands are securely attached to it here."

She shows the inside of the tube to Kawauso and the Akodo woman might be able to make out little attaching pegs through the side of the container, "This means it's not air tight, but it also means if I tie the silk around something, the tube is securely attached."

The Doji woman demonstrates by wrapping the silk around a finger, the little tube flush to the side of said finger.

[Akodo Kawauso]

"Ohhh, I see," the Lion says with a touch of wonder. "And still water tight, you said? So perhaps of use on a boat, to keep something both secure and dry..." Kawauso's tone of shows she's intrigued and trying to figure out how the item could best be used.

"Bow strings," she blurts out a moment later, surprising herself almost as much as Misaki. "Bleeh, ah, I'm sorry, Misaki-san," she says, embarrassed. "There is, um, sometimes difficulty getting archers into position without bow strings getting wet. Wet bow strings reduce effectiveness, potentially even making the archers useless. But if my bow string is secure and dry," she points to the small container, "I can swim where I need to be, string the bow once there with this dry string, and be fully combat effective." Perhaps neither Kawauso nor Misaki appreciated just how much the Lion sounded like a student of Makime in that moment.

[Doji Misaki]

"It's no longer watertight, actually, with the holes drilled through the china. But..."

She thinks a moment.

"You actually gave me another idea with it. See, the original idea for it is it's something you can tie to a bird's leg, or around their neck. If the bird is directed to go someplace for you, you could have it deliver a small note, or perhaps some needed herbs or medicine. The silk ties are soft and light, and the tube is light as well, so they don't effect birds flight noticeably, nor their comfort from what I've found."

As she talks, Misaki has taken some charcoal and is sketching on some paper she had on the table, "You talking about bow strings made me think though... what if you tied the tube to an arrow? Is it light enough and small enough to shoot something like a note or such over a distance?"

[Akodo Kawauso]

Kawauso's hand comes to her face as she stares intently at the container again. "It certainly... It will depend on the weight of arrow. The weight of the container is negligible, but having it tied to an arrow could throw off the flight of the arrow--additional drag, possibly redistributing weight if it shifts. On a javelin it'd certainly work, though that may not have your desired range. But if we built a better javelin..." Kawauso chuckles at where her mind is heading. "I'm sorry, Misaki-san. Better spears and better boats are, uh, my areas of great interest." The Lions smile looks both apologetic and seeking of approval.

[Doji Misaki]

"Oh? Hm..."

While Kawauso had been talking, the Doji woman had crawled away from the table to get an arrow and brought it back to the table.

"I'm afraid if there's any construction issue I know almost nothing about, it's weapons. Boats might be up there too. I just don't live close enough to the coast, and I'm typically worrying about bridges when it comes to rivers or such."

The tube was tied to the arrow and Misaki tested out it's balance on her fingertip curiously.

[Akodo Kawauso]

Kawauso's hand comes up near the arrow, so gently that even the air it displaces doesn't unbalance the arrow. Pointing, she says, "to keep the weight even, not have any pull to one side or another, you'd want a note wrapped around the shaft itself. But if you do that, anything, including just the air in flight, can tear at the paper." After a few more moments staring at the arrow, and Misaki's hand, Kawauso realizes something. "If we are designing for a bird's leg, that is quite a different problem than designing for an arrow shaft," she says, looking up to Misaki's eyes and chuckling at the intensity they'd brought to this discussion.

[Doji Misaki]

"Ah, you're right. Then again, if that's planned for, perhaps the archer could compensate for things being off balance? I've heard that that's done for fire arrows for instance. And that some arrows have specific fletching to allow for attaching line for bow fishing, for instance."

[Akodo Kawauso]

Kawauso looks at the other woman patiently. "Hai, archers can be trained to do many things, but the more special a task becomes the less likely that there will be an appropriately trained archer available at the time and place where you wish a note sent." She smiles at the Crane. "For a messenger bird, you've got what you need. For arrow delivery... We probably need to keep working. Now if you could solve the water proofing issue, Kotsume-san would be thrilled to train messenger otters," Kawauso says with a smirk and chuckle.