03: High Spirits

Aki looks at the others who attended the tea ceremony with the deceased Doji Satsume but instead of speaking to them, she then moves over to the Mantis. She sits down next to him and says: "Do not be concerned, Hitoshi-San. There is still a full day of challenges tomorrow, and the spirits are looking kindly upon you. If you stay determined, you will achieve your gempuku."

Yoshi will leave Hitoshi to Aki, as not to make it too obvious everyone noticed how bad he did. He will approach Mirumoto Hinata, while keeping an eye on Kakita Riku and any other crane around, trying to figure out where the danger to the Mantis' live may be hiding. "Good to see you once again Mirumoto-san.Congratulations on your results. With another day to go, I feel you will achieve your gempuku easily. I hope you're enjoying your sake and relaxing. "

Kashita let's her companions know what she saw, that the Bayushi seemed particularly smug at Hitoshi's performance. She did so subtlely and begs them not look at the scorpion right away. If necessary, she will tell them one by one, sneaky like.

She also sits with Hitoshi. "This is a challenging event, I'm not sure how I did so well. My ancestors must have intervened, knowing I might tire easily and give up," she jokes. "But I fear that yours want you to work harder, to persevere, and make a big finish. A come from behind tale of glory!"

Yoshi bows back at Kakita and then continues with Hinata "You both seem to be enjoying the evening. Were you making a bet for the rounds tomorrow?"

Aki thinks for a moment. She was too caught up in her own performance to pay attention to Hitoshi during the tournament. Maybe Yoshi did. She will have to ask him.
"Is there any reason that the judges might have been evaluating your performance more harshly?", she asks. She is not comfortable with accusing any of them of manipulating the results but she also has trouble believing that Hitoshi really did this badly.

Yoshi approaches the inn owner (or any servant) to gather more information on these ronin. "Are these samurai frequent customers of this fine establishment?" he asks.

Aki listens to Hitoshi and finds herself believing the accusation that is hidden in his words. His inclusion in the tournament and the way he is being judged might have been a plot against his clan.
She knows, however, that she can be hotheaded and is prone to jump to conclusions prematurely. Therefore, she decides not to show her feelings at this point. She also doesn't want to just dismiss Hitoshi's claims. She opens her mouth to reply to him when the ronin enter and draw her attention away from the mantis.
She stands up, ready to confront them when, again, she stops herself from overreacting. She takes a deep breath and looks through the room. She notices Yoshi, who has his eyes on the ronin as he's talking to a servant.
Aki turns back to Hitoshi and says: "We will continue this conversation later." She then, deliberately calmly, walks over to Yoshi to listen in on his conversation.

Yoshi looks at the insulting samurai and approaches him slowly. The monk calmly responds "My good sir, these are the tattoos of the Kami Togashi. May I know your name? I see you are a samurai" Yoshi bows appropriately and adds "though one without a master I believe."

Aki steps up to the Ronin that are harassing Hitoshi. She knows she should probably stay out of it but she won't. Sometimes, she just can't stop herself.
"You are looking for rice? If you are hungry and can't afford anything to eat, there are better ways to go about it than this. I will gladly buy you some food if you are in need."

Yoshi will help Aki's by making a quick remark that Hitoshi does not come from the rice field, but from the open seas. He moves closer to the leader and continues "Well, maybe you'd be open to serve this like a civilized person, between you and me?"

Kashita watches the uncouth ronin with guarded amusement. She picks which one of the accomplices she'll need to escort from the area of a duel should break out.