Wayne
```This scene takes place inside Ide no Suio Kenza's yurt.```

**A pair of legged chairs are arranged just inside Kenza's yurt, with a pair of curtains drawn within to keep much of the dwelling private. Between the chairs there's a table with a small angled metal grill in the middle. Beneath the grill is a metal basket to contain charcoals or thin-cut wood. A few plates of sliced red meats are arranged around this, with a bowl of chopped vegetables. Finally there's a lidded jug and two cups.

With the tent flap pegged open and the charcoals slowly reducing to white heat, kenza awaits the arrival of his new business associate.**

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Joy
To say recent events had been shocking was something of an understatement. 

After the disappearance, and subsequent demise of her previous employer, Atsuko's position within the Unicorn remained tenuous for a long few months. They maintained her services, that much was true, but only as impromptu security for the embassy, adding her sword to those of the common ashigaru who ensured no foul play occurred on the grounds of the Ide's residence. There were murmurings for a while, that a reckoning of sorts would be upon them soon. A drastic change in leadership, and with it a drastic change in staffing.

It went without saying, the ronin had prepared for her contract being terminated on the morning that Utaku Kazuko called the scions of her clan together for an address. Instead, she received a *Promotion*. While the girl had confidence in her the strength of her sword arm, the keenness of her senses, and her ability to keep those under her protection safe, leadership? Having subordinates—and knowing how best to direct them—was something she was far from qualified for. But all her misgivings mattered little in the grand scheme of things. The order had been given. She was to head up security at the clan's most recent commercial venture, and in doing so, continue receiving her generous stipend.

Before she could take up the mantle, though, there was still one final undertaking to weather: actually meeting the man behind the operation. She had heard precious little of one Ide no Suio Kenza, other than his apparent talents as hatamoto to the ambassador and some rumors of a potential promotion into the main line. If he were like the other Ide she had known, he would be an amicable enough man, and one who she hoped wouldn't hold her status as a lowly ronin against her.

Arriving outside the yurt she had been directed to, the young swordswoman took a deep, calming breath before stepping through the threshold and ducking her way under the tent's flaps. 

"I apologize for making you wait, Ide-sama. I came as soon as I received your request to meet."

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Wayne
"It's no hardship, Atsuko-san. Take a seat, we've plenty to discuss while dinner cooks. If red meat offends you I'll have fish brought over."

It certainly doesn't seem to offend Kenza. The man rolled back his long, elegant sleeves to spoon a thin slice of lard onto the top of the angled grill. The viscous white fat took a few seconds to begin melting and ran down the thin metal sheet, covering it in an oily sheen. The trader put aside the foreign piece of cutlery and selected a pair of plain chopsticks to arrange some chopped vegetables at the bottom of the grill - mostly scallions, eggplant and zucchini. A bulb of garlic threatened to be introduced, but not quite yet.

"I would prefer we speak plainly at dinner. I need someone to keep order in my Bazaar once it's arranged and to organise my retainers to keep things running smoothly."

The groomed man choose his moment to begin selecting meat from the various bowls to place at the top of the grill. The fat would surely run down over the vegetables at the base.

"Beef, goat, chicken and venison. All carefully prepared and quite edible."

He then offered a pair of plain chopsticks to Atsuko, inviting her to choose something for the grill. Kenza had chosen goat first, sliced into short and thin cuts that promised to cook quickly and become crisp.

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Joy
"Ah, no, red meat will be fine, Ide-sama. I grew up in Unicorn lands."

It was a polite enough thing to offer her the choice of fish or proper meat. Given that she had only managed to find offerings of the latter in the occasion Unicorn-inspired eatery during her time in the city, she certainly did not intend to turn away an opportunity to indulge. Atsuko did her best not to appear *Too* Eager as she padded her way through Kenza's yurt, finding a seat across from him near the griddle. As she settled herself down atop the provided cushion, she made sure to carefully withdraw her swords from her hip and place them off to her right.

"Certainly, Ide-sama. There's no need for formality on my behalf," Few enough samurai tended to care to offer a lowly wave-woman the benefits of true courtesy regardless, and the flowery language of the courtier muddied the waters by design, creating ample opportunity for plausible deniability, "I will do my best to respond in kind."

The girl fished a pair of chopsticks off the tabletop before her, holding them delicately between her fingers as she eyed her potential meal. It was a rather diverse spread of meats, though she supposed that was a given when dealing with the Ide, renown for their wealth as they were. Atsuko eventually zeroed in on the strips of thinly sliced beef—cattle were both rare and expensive, and it made the opportunities to enjoy their succulent meat all the scarcer the farther one got out from her homeland. She carefully plucked a strip off the plate before her, placing it on the oiled grill only after Kenza had set his own to cook.

"I must admit, I was somewhat surprised Utaku-sama saw fit to name me to such an important position. I've done my fair share of security work for merchants, many of them in service of your very family, but none of it was in the capacity of a leader."

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Wayne
Kenza seemed content to arrange small cups of soy sauce around the grill and then went to pour the airag. He left only a short measure in Atsuko's cup, likely knowing the drink isn't for everyone.
"Beef is good. It surprises me that the other Clans shun red meat. Perhaps the taste might one day sway them. - Speaking of taste, you should try a little airag. A sip at first."

The trader turns this sizzling meat as the juices began to run down and bubbled over the vegetables at the bottom. The wispy plumes of smoke wafted out of the open tent door beside the pair and Kenza seemed comfortable with a slow chat. He sipped from his cup and grinned a little at the taste.

"You can rise to the occasion, Atsuko-san. Utaku-sama has placed faith in you and I trust their judgement. It may take some time for you to grow to this position, but you'll have capable hands to assist you."

The first of the goat is already off the grill, thin enough to crisp and cook in mere minutes. He offers some to his guest first before plucking a morsel for himself, dipping it in dark sauce.

"I can offer you a yurt, payment and cuisine at the residence here. Do you have any terms you'd like to discuss?"
The trader asked after sampling the crisp goat and sweeping his long hair back to bind it with a silk ribbon.
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Joy
Fine, fatty cuts of beef fried in their own fat and a generous serving of lard, Atsuko could get behind. The fabled airag Unicorn were so proud to have brought back from their travels? Not so much. She understood that the beverage was important to the clan, and that many of their samurai preferred indulging in it in absence of proper sake, but why did they insist on having *Her* Drink it too? Ide Nakato's second had required she partake of the drink before he would even meet with her to discuss employment, and it seemed the second Ide she would serve was of a similar mind. She accepted the drink with a smile all the same, though, bowing her head in thanks.

"An acquired taste, I am told. Perhaps one day I will become as fond of it as a proper Unicorn."

The ronin sipped carefully from the cup, steeling herself against the unusual tang it provided. She was quite proud of herself, scarcely a flinch following her consumption of the beverage. The conversation flowed on swiftly enough that she needn't linger on the flavor upon her tongue, and instead could focus her mind more on the words leaving it.

"I will do my best to live up to both yours and Utaku-sama's expectations. For what it's worth, I've always had a rather sharp eye and quick hand. As long as the men and women under my command follow in my example, I anticipate few issues."

It might have been a little off color to refer to her vision, given her own lack thereof, but Kenza seemed the type not to press at one's insecurities without reason. He had every reason to make a good impression on her, just as much she did on him. While she was certainly much more expendable than he was to the endeavor, if they resorted to placing a humble ronin in the role, they must have been hard-up for a better candidate. The time associated with finding a replacement gave her a level of security that she quite liked. 

Though her beef was nearly done, it seemed her host deigned to offer him some of his own meat before indulging himself. She accepted it with grace, using her chopsticks to snatch up a thin slice which she promptly deposited into her own dish of sauce. As she thoughtfully swished it about, she considered his words. 

"My previous position as bodyguard was rather generous, as far as payment went. I did not receive much in the way of a direct stipend, but Ide Nakato-sama saw that the embassy paid for any necessary expenses I had during my employ. Within reason, of course, although it would be a lie to say that he was rather generous with what constituted 'necessary'."

The fine courtly attire she had procured and several kimono besides were a testament to that, though even she was not blind enough not to see motive behind such generosity—it was a wealthy, powerful man who ensured that even the lowliest of his retainers were clothed in the fine silks. 

"If I were to be so bold as to discuss terms, I would ask that the same condition remain. Not that I would turn my nose up at a potential stipend, if you are so generous as to offer it. I have family back in Ide lands that would benefit significantly more from direct coinage than anything I could procure for them here in the markets."

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Wayne
Kenza listened to Atsuko and grinned a little as she tasted the Airag, before he produced a bottle of plum wine from the chair behind him. Enough for a few cups, if she deigned to drink that much. He placed it beside her, a fresh cup upturned and perched atop the mouth of the flask.

"Airag has a strong taste. I don't ask you drink more - a sip will suffice."

The trader spent a few short minutes worrying with the grill, turning pieces of meat and adding more. From moment to moment he turned the sizzling vegetables at the bottom, which seemed to crisp and turn golden in places. A suggestion was made to remove the beef once it began to darken and Suio enjoyed some further goat before he continued.

"Your terms are reasonable, Atsuko-san. I will make the arrangements. Regarding the Clans and those that attend, it is my intention to allow them to bring their own staff and a handful of retainers. Enough that each Clan will feel safe, but no more. You will have ample resources and capable hands to see to security."

Kenza did sip from his airag from time to time, though accustomed to the taste, he didn't seem to pay it much mind. The first of the vegetables was ready and he selected a fork to remove them with, laying a plate with scallions and eggplant. The zucchini needed a little longer.

"If a problem arises, I do ask that you approach me. Better to resolve them than to hesitate, after all."

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Joy
There were a few things Atsuko hadn't expected to find when she was bid to join her superior in his tent. An alcohol that wasn't airag or certainly counted itself among those things, but perhaps more so than that was a samurai who was so readily agreeable to the requests of a ronin. She had been led to believe that Ide no Suio Kenza was a merchant by trade. A patron, granted, but a man of mercantile interests all the same. Most of the peddlers she had worked for in the past rarely ever parted with more coin than was absolutely necessary for security. That he would so quickly acquiesce either spoke to his generosity, the depth of his wealth, or his need for her services.

If she pried, she might have managed to figure out which one it was. But given that all three benefitted her all the same, she resisted the urge. Better to not look a gift horse in the mouth, after all. Her own mouth had betters things to do than babble on about matters of compensation that seemed well settled—prime among them being the consumption of the succulent beef on offer. Atsuko indulged heavily in the meat, careful not to allow it to cook for so long as to lose its tenderness. The plum wine she was somewhat more temperate with. Its sweetness made it exceptionally drinkable, and that was the great danger, especially for one of her stature.

"I do have one concern, admittedly," The ronin's words came on the tail of her employer's request, and followed a hastily chewed mouthful of scallion, "I understand that most of the transactions done at the bazaar will be done via heimin proxy, so this is unlikely to be a pressing concern... But if there *Were* To be an altercation between samurai, do you truly believe they would listen to my demands to disperse?"

It was a bit like talking oneself out of a job, true, but most clans spat upon the very idea of a ronin. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if an agitator decided to stroll into the bazaar to cause problems. Much as she would have relished in the opportunity to put a mouthy Lion or smug Scorpion in their place with steel, the Ide always preferred the use of words before all else. To such clans, a ronin's words were worth less than the air required to speak them.

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