Jerry
It had been dark, all the lights at the embassy had been dimmed down but a few that made sure the security of the place was truly secured. The samurai and several servants had been asleep by now as the time would be around the 2 am period. Only the slight rumor from outside the walls could be heard of the occasionally passerby's. Yet those were not the only ones alive at this hour of the night. One of the doors towards the garden had been remained open, one that had usually been locked. It had been Himiko who had snuck out to sit out in the gardens and count the stars. She had been holding a cup of tea. 

The young girl had looked like a reflection of an ancestor whilst she was lit by the light of the moon. Combined with her white colored clothing and her wild hairs, which for once were not tied down. The scars on her face and body were much more clearly visible now than they used to. Her hollow shell sat on the cold tiles of the ground, staring upwards. Ignoring all that was passing by as if she was talking to somebody that was not there. 
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Andrea
Kenshin was up late as he often was when one of his fits of inspriation took him. Working lates was common for him. During the day, he attended to his duties to the clan. As the evenings allowed, he attended to his buisnesses and trade, which left only the late nights or slow days to his other craft, writing. It was a fickle thing, having inspriation to write, and so when he was struck by the Kami of prose, he had no choice but to obey and sieze the opportunity.

This time, he had written through dinner time, and had little grasp of what time it was other than by the count of dead candle stubs the space where he did his work. His stomach finally one over inspiration and he slowly slid the shoji panel open to step outside and sneak over to the kitchen for a late night snack.

It was then that he noticed a shape in the distance, at first he was wary, but the shape was so small he didn't expect it to be a warrior meaning ill will. Instead, it seemed there was only one in the embassy with such a shape and so much wild and untamed hair.

"Kitsu-sama?" He called out softly, walking over to where she was resting, "Is everything well? It's rather late, isn't it?"

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Jerry
The golden and blue eye were striking. As if she was a deer found by a hunter her first response was to flee a situation like this. But within the slightest of moments the Kitsu regained stability and composure. She was simply caught off guard by the appearance of one of her fellow Lion at this time of being. She had almost spilled her tea. She decided to set the cup down besides her for now. *"I could ask the same in your case Ikoma-san."* Her tone was warm and mature. As if she had been pondering about some past memory that granted her either melancholy or the feeling of joy. The child had sometimes been hard to read. She would glance over to him only to invite him to sit next to her. 

*"It is late indeed, I am well. But have you ever watched the stars at this time?"* The young Kitsu asked. A slight smile grew upon her face. She had known nothing about stars other than that they were gorgeous. *"You recon stars watch us during day, only to share our stories at night, perhaps that's why they shine so vividly."* The young girl would snap out of it however. *"Apologies, my poor poetry and theories about the stars must hurt your soul to an extend."* She chuckled. Waiting for him to join her. 
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Andrea
Kenshin gave her a sheepish smile when she brought up the fact that he, too, was up well past when good samurai had gone to sleep. He moved over to where she was sitting and sat down as well.

"I have on many a night, though I will admit that I haven't taken the time to do so here yet. I wonder if you can still see all the Fortune constellations here, or if they are different? I have heard that the stars move between the northern most reaches of the Empire and the Southern most."

He looked up into the sky, trying to pick out the constellations he knew stories of, "I know they venerate Daikoku here, but hopefully we can still see Bishamon's constelaltion watching over us in the night sky."

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Jerry
*"You should tell Miu about the fact that Bishamon has his own constellation. She will be joy."* The young Kitsu smiled gently before looking at him. She had never truly had a chat with this man and it had been a shame. 

*"What would keep you up this late Ikoma-san? Are you not liking it here?"* She questioned directly as she could be. Why hide it. She hated this city and many people inside of it. She would stare at her empty tea cup before returning back to the stargazing. 

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Andrea
Something about Himiko and this setting left the young samurai feeling at ease. She was his junior yet also his superior. He had not known what to make of her, but Katsuhiro had expressed his admiration for her to him, saying that surely she was a blessing from the kami sent to help the Lion clan. Kenshin had never heard Katsuhiro use such language to praise... Anyone. Ever.

"My days are in service to the clan. My evenings are in service to my family. The late night... When the ancestors and the kami bless me with inspiration it comes at cost of sleep I'm afraid." He gave a light smile and a tired chuckle, "It has been a long, long time since we have settled into a city, let alone one with a single Noh theater. Here there are *Several* And an audience who has not grown complacent with the classics of the Lion clan. So much as I agree with the Crab on the *Correct* Name of the city, I find myself with the rare opportunity to pursue my art. I long to see a play I write upon the stage."

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Jerry
Himiko would nod her head. *"I can see how this city is considered inspiring. The people, their crafts, even though you can't see them it's blooming of kami here. I am glad you find yourself inspired to grow in an more artistic way that is. Perhaps a personal way as well, but I am not one to judge since we have not had our fair share of conversations over a good cup of tea yet."* One glance towards the building and an attendant came speeding out with a fresh teapot filled with the still boiling substance. She would bow towards the servant. *"Please, go to sleep, I wished to check if silence had returned. You need your rest as well."* She spoke to the attendant who hastily yet carefully poured them another cup of tea. Then simply bowed and nodded her head as she had heard her ambassadors demand. 

*"Perhaps you can join me to a theater one day, I've been to one, met a peculiar scorpion and seemed to not pick up much from the show after because I'd fear her poisoning my tea after I made her previous ambassador stumble."* She would slightly chuckle at this statement. *"Are the voices of inspiration not tiresome sometimes?"* She questioned. Her nightmares clearly were. They needed to soothe one day. Perhaps this Ikoma could teach her a few things. 

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Andrea
Kenshin watched the attendant pour the tea then scurry away. He had *Been* That attendant many times in the past. When you were in the court of a Daimyo, it would not due to have a heimin attend you. Instead, it was Samurai, low ranking ones, or third and fourth children of high ranking ones. The peasants might get it wrong. They were not trained properly in etiquette, and in a Daimyo's court, everything had to be *Perfect*. He was please, however, to see Himiko spare a thought for the servant getting some rest. Most just ignored their existence, which was what was expected of a noble anyways.

"I would be honored to accompany you to a theater. I am passingly familiar with the mythologies of most of the Great Clans. After all, understanding the culture is a valuable tool to understanding the hidden meanings in conversations. Each clan has their own superstitions and mores that would be missed if you didn't know the stories that they told themselves. This is one of the ways in which my training as a Bard has been most useful over the years."

He took the second cup of tea and sipped softly, feeling the warmth spread down through his chest and savoring the earthy, almost petrichor scent of the green tea. And with that, he gave Himiko a conspiratorial, world weary sigh. "They are indeed tiresome... AND fickle. They are never there when you want them, yet burn like a fire within whenever they come. If I do not get them on paper, I cannot sleep. Besides, good stories are about conflict, so being in the heart of enemy territory makes the mind blaze with possibilities. Much as I imagine my home blazed when the Scorpions attacked it dressed like Unicorn."

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Jerry
Himiko had listened in silence. She would adjust her pose a bit to something more informal as, even though there had been a social construct and hierarchy within the embassy, she wished to rest her legs a bit. Her head was tired and thus she put the cup of tea down and put her hands as a pedestal for her head to lean on. She would squint her eyes as if she was trying to focus on his words. *"I could tell you a true story about my home getting blazed."* It was unsure if Himiko had meant these words or used those for simply filling in on his ideas. For all her history had been a wild card within these walls, nobody knew, not even Himiko. 

*"Do you dream about them? Your stories?"* Himiko tried to break the silence and awkwardness after her strange mention. For all Himiko remembered her dreams had never made sense, that or they either were nightmares. She never broke eye contact with him, she had been truly intrigued with whatever he had to tell her. 

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Andrea
Kenshin was surprised to hear the words from Himiko about her home being blazed, but he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He hadn't heard of anything of the like, but he knew very little about their Ambassador other than her official record. But as she relaxed in front of him, he too released a bit of tension and took the posture of old friends reminiscing in the garden at night.

"Sometimes? Usually when I don't want them to. A bit of taxing paperwork seems to be the perfect time for my imagination to impose itself. Other times I will dream of something brilliant, but it seems especially elusive once the dawn's light finds my face. Each moment I lose more of the thing than the moment before."

He glanced sideways at her, trying to appriase her. She was younger than him, and he remembered clearly how overwhelming so much responsibility could be when you were so young. Kenshin never had a 10th of her responsibility and it had been a lot.

"What about you, Kitsu-sama? Do you dream of fantastic stories?"

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