The temptation to bury his fist right between her shoulder blades is barely swallowed. Rioshida stalks out of the room and down the street.

/exit.

"Yeah, we do," Rioshida spits. "And they speak foreign when they do it!"

Gusai Rioshida blanches. "What!! A fall!?" He turns to Izumi. "If I find your hand in this, Kasuga-san...."

"Hnh," Rioshida replies. "We'll see."

"Such spite, Kasuga-san." Rioshida replied, slapping a further 10 coins on the table. "You better watch it; they say it makes your face crack. Wouldn't want the outside to match what's hidin' inside, would we?"

Rioshida says nothing, but reaches into his pocket and slams 15 further gold coins on the bar, a sneer on his face.

It was then the door swung open wide to admit none other than Gusai Rioshida, Lord of the Mantis. "Bookie!" He said firmly. "5 koku on Shosuro Asakaze." And five gold coins are slammed down on the bar. Rioshida looks around the room, somehow looking down on all within in spite of not being all that ...

[/scene]

"Shiba-san, it's been good talking with you. Take care." He bowed, friendly-like.

"HAR! I like your way of thinking! It's true, I am descended from a Fortune, which is more than I can say for some." And, for just an instant, something flickers deep within Gusai Rioshida's eyes. Something that was not there before. But then, just as quickly, it is gone.

"That we are! Thanks for noticing. You wouldn't believe the paterna...paternal...patronizing that goes on around these places."

"Yeah, well, can't fault you for thinking that. And it is, except when it isn't. And where it isn't. Fact is, Tortoise think all the riches of the sea ought to belong to them on account of Hantei Muhaki giving them extra protections. And what I'm saying is, having the Emperor as your Daimyo doesn't ...

"Hai, and lucrative, if you know what you're looking at. If the world doesn't fall apart at the seams, we might just start to make up for the pinch the Tortoise have been putting us in recently."

"Har! Shiba-san's mother a Mantis by any chance?"

"Oh! Well, any target would by law have to be a pirate or a gaijin, on account of we are bound by the treaty that says those are our targets, so...we expect to be cleaning up your seas according to that agreement. Pirates and gaijin. Nothing to worry about. Nobody likes them." "Unfortunately, we've ...

"You talking about the maps? For all she knows, we made 'em. Same thing with the navigational tools; I totally invented all of those. Honest. I'm the best inventor here. And if you're talking about the naval stuff, then, the terms you put didn't sound illegal to me."

"Yup. And we'll be pleased to help you out."

"Sounds great." And eat he does.

[[Apologies, that was me misreading mah spreadsheet.]]

"Then the iron and the blessing will have to do, plus the naval agreement."

"Likewise, I'm sure."