<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/13/Keitaro.jpg)</div>Keitaro seemed briefly taken aback when Shiori stepped up to help him with his armour, but he soon smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Shiori-san," he said, holding out his arms to either side to give her easier access to his armour. "I do appreciate it."<br/><br/>He paused when Shiori had finished her work, and he felt her breath against his ear. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, then turned to Shiori and bowed to her. "Of course, Shiori-san. You have always been the most... the most skilled of samurai-ko." As he straightened, he met her gaze, and his eyes showed that he had a great deal more that he wanted to say, but could not.<br/><br/>Keitaro cleared his throat and knelt to examine his pack. "I... I have my rations here," he said, placing a few packages, wrapped in oiled paper, on the grass nearby. "Now would be a good time to eat, as it may be some time before we camp for the night." He looked up at Maseko, and seemed to be less distracted than usual by the shugenja's beauty and her garb, although he smiled quite pleasantly to her. "To sleep, yes," he answered her. "But to stop to catch my breath and rest my muscles, no. Not unless I had actually strained something."<br/><br/>He looked between the two women who had been so close to his body, gave them a polite nod of the head, then busied himself about rebalancing the load in his pack.