[Day 2, Mid-Morning] Deja Vu (Expecting)

[Bayushi Choudai]

"They're generally incredibly irritating people."

He sipped his tea.

"And they often try to claim a deeper meaning to things which makes dealing with them an exercise in trying not to scream while you listen to some twaddle about the profundity of a grain of sand. And then there's the local self-described 'groundskeeper,' who I'm fairly certain is up to no good."

I'm fairly certain he's not even human.

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

She snapped her fan up, silent. Her shoulder's were shaking and eyes scrunched with mirth, though. "Not looking to retire to a life of contemplating a blade of grass, Bayushi-san? Imagine."

She looked to the side. "I haven't met him yet."

[Bayushi Choudai]

"Retirement... Uncle Koga was very old when he finally made that decision, and I'm still not sure how it sits with him."

He chuckled.

"And he was a far more thoughtful and contemplative man than I am. As for the... groundskeeper..."

Choudai worked his jaw around, and looked past Hatsuki's shoulder.

"I'm not sure that your meeting him would be a thing to encourage. He was very strange. And quite probably dangerous."

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

"I do fully insist that you live as long as he did. You understand, of course," she said rather primly. Glancing back behind her. "What makes you say so?"

[Bayushi Choudai]

"Ah, Shosuro-san, how could I dream of letting you down?"

Just so I don't outlive you, I will live as long as you wish.

"It's... hard to say what, exactly, set my teeth on edge. Perhaps that he was cutting weeds, only I saw no cut weeds and no green on his sickle? That he seemed to be watching me intently whenever I took my gaze off of him?"

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

"Excellent," she nodded firmly.

She listened to him more seriously about the groundskeeper. "I see. That does sound a little unnerving."

[Bayushi Choudai]

"And of course he spoke like a monk. Very fond of tortoise metaphors."

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

She gave him a blank stare. "... Tortoise metaphors?"

[Bayushi Choudai]

"Tortoise metaphors. He likened me to a tortoise pursuing lettuce."

Choudai frowned.

"He didn't know me as well as he thought he did, but he had some awfully on-point barbs for someone I had literally never seen before."

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

"Hm..." She looked to the side. He knew that look very well. That was an 'I want to look into this' expression.

[Bayushi Choudai]

Shit.

Oh well.

"Be careful, Shosuro-san."

Because if anything happens to you, I'm going to have to burn this entire town to ashes and kill everyone in it, and that's a LOT of work.

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

She turned back toward him and broke into a warm smile. He'd seen her at the edge of death. She'd never want to put him through that again.

"I'm much more careful than I once was, Bayushi-san."

[Bayushi Choudai]

"All the same..."

He sighed.

He supposed he could dust off some of his acting skills to shadow her in a less-obtrusive guise if she needed an escort.

"Anyway. Enough about monks for now. I'm sure we'll get our fill in the days ahead."

He didn't follow it up with a fresh conversational sally. He just sipped his tea and enjoyed the moment.

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

Her smile turned sympathetic, then looked to the side. "Anything special you're looking forward to today?"

[Bayushi Choudai]

"Why, seeing the art you create, naturally."

He sipped his tea and smiled. Perfectly polite, perfectly normal, and it really was almost all that his day was missing at this point.

"My own presentation has me all nerves, and I'm not sure what to expect elsewhere, but..."

He raised the cup in salute.

"I know Shosuro-san will dazzle."

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

She raised her fan, hiding herself turning red aside from the tips of her ears. It wasn't that unusual to be embarrassed about flattery, right?

"Thank you, Bayushi-san. I have no doubt about your art, however, either."

After she was sure the blush had faded, she said, "By the way, you were speaking to the proprieter the other day, ne? We may have to do that tomorrow at this point, but would you be willing to introduce me?"

[Bayushi Choudai]

"I would be delighted, Shosuro-san."

It took him a great deal of effort to keep from showing just how adorable he found her blush, so he did his best to transmute it into a generally pleased demeanor.

"One always likes to be of service to one's friends."