Vivian
The sun had set. Lion soldiers were drinking. Two things that could be relied upon to consistently coincide. Hotaru didnt really know what the ~~excuse ~~ occasion was this evening, but when she walked past the hall, headed towards her chambers, and heard the booming cackle of her younger brother, Riku, accompanying the hooting and hollering of other clansmen she recognised to be part of his company, Hotaru just couldnt help herself.

Striding into the hall, grin splitting her face mischeviously, and determined to cover quickly the gap, Hotaru's approach was met with a few looks of druken horror for her sibling, as she closed the distance.

"C'mere you little shit" Hotaru grinned, no real malice in her voice, as she pulled her younger brother Riku into a noogie. 

Riku yelped in surprise, having to catch himself on the edge of the table so he wasn't pulled back by the force of Hotaru's grasped. "ARRRGGGG! NEE-SAMA! LET ME GO!" He cried in protest. 

Hotaru chuckled, but relented, gently shoving her brother forward so he didnt loose balance and fall backwards in his chair. Looing to her brother's left, the soldier to his side, another member from third company, had shuffled to the side to make room for the first-company soldier. 

Hotaru took the offered spot with a nod of thanks to the bushi, sliding in besides her brother, who, already having poured, handed a cup of sake off to his sister. Hotaru joined the group, enjoying the chance to finally catch up with both her brother, and the boredom that had been their march to Ryoko Owari Toshi.

There Hotaru would be found, getting drunker with the third company members as the night drew on. The hall itself full of other tables where equally drunker looking groups were met. Clearly the men were making a night of it.
David
Ikoma Kenshin reclined in one corner of the room where he had hoarded a few pillows to allow him to recline comfortably at the low tables, with a small saucer of sake and bottle to his side. He laughed along with the others at the display of Hotaru being reunited with her little brother. The laughter and the banter that followed, teasing Riku for being teased by his older sister warmed his heart. Being so far away from his blood family, this had become his family.

He raised his cup of sake high as people called around for cheers, the Lion all seemed to be in good spirits welcoming himself and Hotaru to the city garrison. It seemed that before Akodo had arrived, the embassy had been staffed by a single Nikutai and about 20 Ashigaru. Since then Akodo had brought in double that number, as well as numerous samurai. It seemed that they had begun to blend in well together. There was still a distinct difference between the city lion and the legion lion, but it seemed the city lion were pleased to have more of their bretheren about. As the evening went on, more and more lion samurai began to trickle into the room.
James
Miho didn't want to be here. Even when she was in her best shape, drinking sake with the troops was never her favourite activity, more of an obligatory activity rather than a real pleasure, and today she was absolutely wasted from all the paperwork that had tied her down in these last days. However, she had spent basically her entire stay in Ryoko Owari Toshi as a recluse, and such endeavours tended to rust her already lacking people skills. She knew she needed some sociality to return to the real world, and also to learn whatever drama she had missed while in isolation. So, here she was.

She didn't laugh with the others as Hotaru pestered her little brother, but something similar to a curve appeared on her lips before she bowed her head in greetings. She was maybe a bit too formal with her, but experience had taught her that it was better to be too polite with a Matsu than giving them a reason to feel insulted. 

"Did something important happen, in these last days? I must confess I have not really been up to date with the news." She asked the Lions, high enough to overwhelm the chaos of the room. Her expression was stony as usual, and her cup half empty. Miho was many things, but fun at parties was none of them.

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Vivian
"Chui-sama!" Hotaru greeted the woman with a smile and a respectful nod. The incorrigible grin that would often plaster the Matsu's face while drunk was always a sheer contrast to the stoney expression she often sported when not. Next to her, Riku was caught up in raucous laughter over a bawdy joke one of the soldiers at the table had made. Riku's laughter was interrupted with a cry of "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" As Hotaru slapped him in the shoulder. Guided by Hotaru's head nod and her grunt of "Show your damned respect" Towards the Ikoma chui, Riku turned, his gaze comically widening at the sight of his Chui. 

"Ch-Chui-sama!" He bowed as best he could in his twist towards his chui and the rest of the table followed suit under Hotaru's pointed glare. The soldiers at the table let out a chorus of 'Chui-samas', some more slurred and raucous than others, alongside attempts at respectful bows. 

Hotaru, clearly the most put together of the group, answered the Ikoma's question, grin still plastered on her slightly flushed face. "Rumor has it Akodo-san's" She points to another table with even drunker, rowdier men and women, "Wife has just given birth to his first son. They started mid afternoon and the crowd has grown since then Chui-sama."
Naomi
Maeda held his sake almost like an accessory sipping from it only occasionally. He would often take brief moments to close his eyes and just let the noise of the room and merriment wash over him only to open them shortly after and gaze into the spot which produced the most noise at that moment. This time Hotarus roar had captured his attention. 

**"Truly the birth of the first of any child is a blessing we can only wish to receive for ourselves"** 

The dispassionate tone in which he issued this statement may have caused others pause.
David
Kenshin raised his cup of sake up high when Ikoma Miho walked into the room, "Miho-sama!" The karo called out to her with a bit of a smile from his relatively quiet corner of the room, where like Maeda, he was just far enough away that the shouting wasn't causing his head to hurt. As they were both part of Katsuhiro's command staff, they had spent a lot of time together.
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A birth was always a cause for celebration, though Kenshin realized at the same time he is slacking on his duties by not producing more warriors for the future. His family, however, were trying to be strategic. They had hitched their wagon to the Captain of the legion, in hopes that as his star rose, so too would the opportunities for a fortuitous marriage for Kenshin. They had started our poor samurai, only made more so by the Unicorn raids, so his life as a career soldier was the best chance for him and his family, even if he would rather spend his time with the idle court at Otosan Uchi focusing on his writing.

"We have just arrived as well."

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James
She waved away their polite greetings with a hand, as if to make clear they were unnecessary. Despite her stern manners, she wasn't a discipline fanatic, and knew soldiers needed some time to let loose. If she didn't, it was only for personal choice. As Hotaru told her the news, she nodded her head and turned to the bushi, calling quietly. "Akodo-san." The Akodo soldier froze at her cold tone, but it was just her normal voice, not an admonishment, and in fact she continued with: "Take tomorrow for yourself. This day deserves to be cherished." 

She didn't answer his thanks and turned away, drinking from her cup thoughtfully. Unbestknown to her, her mind followed the same path of Kenshin's, thinking about her marriage. She knew she d have to settle soon, but she wanted to make sure to marry in the most favourable time possible, once her career was in full swing and her mother could find her the best spouse possible. In addition, although she didn't admit it to herself, seeing her mother suffer as she produced stillborn after stillborn made her quite scared about her own fertility and the complications of pregnancy. *Later on. Now, just think about your mission.*

She nodded her head to Kenshin, drinking from her cup again. Truth to be told, she wasn't fully against getting a little buzzed; when she was sober there was no way she could let loose, but when she drunk enough, she managed to be a bit more relaxed. Just a *Little* Buzzed, though; if she drunk too much and embarrassed herself in front of her troops, she was genuinely unsure if she would survive that humiliation. 

"Good. The least you spent in this den of filth, the better for you." She commented grimly,scowling. Katsuhiro-sama had commanded her to take a more active role in the city's political landscape, and she was already disgusted with the little she had seen: to be fully honest, she was unsure if this city was even worth taking by this point. Better burn it all down and start anew.

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