<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/13/Keitaro.jpg)</div>Keitaro returned Maseko's smile with one of his own, apparently oblivious to the mischief in hers. He followed her movements with his eyes, and now, at least, he seemed to be fully focused on her armament, and was reading the movement of her feet to see what it could tell him about her combat style.<br/><br/>He drew himself up proudly as she examined his armour, and his eyes trailed briefly to her displayed cleavage before he wrenched it back to her tetsubo. He laughed at her suggestion that he might drown in his armour. "It is a risk," he admitted. "There are places where I would not wear my armour. But I must carry it somehow, whether on my body or in my pack, and it is both more comfortable and more useful this way. Besides, it is not as difficult to wear as it looks - that is part of bushi training."<br/><br/>He paused, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again and asked, "Why do you carry a tetsubo, Maseko-san? I have never met a shugenja who was so heavily armed. I do not doubt that you are skilled in its use, but surely it weighs you down as thoroughly as my armour does. And..." He hesitated, then looked at Shiori and Liang. "It is our duty as bushi to protect you, especially now that we are family. You know that you will only need to defend yourself in battle if the three of us are dead, don't you?"<br/><br/>He watched the exchange between Shiori and Maseko with a touch of confusion. He wasn't certain that Maseko's dress was entirely appropriate, but then the Scorpion did a lot of inappropriate things, and Maseko still had her Scorpion wardrobe, as he had his Lion armour and travelling kimono. He blinked at Maseko's reference to the Scorpion and the Frog. "Wait, doesn't the scorpion drown in that story?"<br/><br/>He turned his gaze back to Shiori, a hint of concern on his face, but he said nothing more.