If you have many more meetings you're going to turn into one.

Was that even possible? Daichi didn't think so, but that would be one heck of a trip on the celestial wheel if you would. Short likely, but sometimes that was the way of things. He'd paid for a private room, though it cost enough that he considered hanging the owner of the establishment from the rafters; a lesson to not overcharge samurai. Common sense had ruled it out though, so he instead paid and took a seat. Ordering a stronger black tea and some snacks to go along.

Now all that was left was waiting for the Mantis Lord.

Gusai Rioshida rolls into the room; he looks left, he looks right, he takes a seat.

"Classy joint, Hiruma-san. Most folks assume I'm a drunk and take me down to the bar, but this is a very nice step up."

"Even if a man has a taste for sake he might not want it from dawn til dusk." Daichi replied, offering the other man a polite bow in greeting.

"Glad you like it though, hope you don't mind I picked something of a soldiers tea though. I can drink the stuff all the courtier people seem to love. My own tastes are a bit more simple though."

"That'll do me just fine. All this pitch, roll, and yaw has got me a little weary for calmer ports, too."

Daichi nodded and a few moments later the tea was brought, as well as an assortment of snacks to go along.

When the servant left he spoke up. "Well, shall we get straight to business or talk around it a little first?"

"Lay it down, Hiruma-san. We'll cast a weather eye over it."

"Well, to be honest with you we aren't looking for too much in the way of goods." He replied after taking a sip of his tea. "We do have some to offer though for those in need, if we can come to other sorts of arrangements or if you have something we might like to have as a bit of an extra."

"We've also got some services to offer, like Kaiu made armor and possibly a kaiu designed construction project. Though I don't know how much of that you would be interested. There is also a Sugimura Karuko that is looking for a match from the Mantis. A Gusai Yayoi I think?"

"Yeah, Yayoi is very intersted in that, and I've always liked the armor you guys make. But here's the deal. I have a lot of...things from points east that need a market, only a market's not so easy to find. I understand that you guys might be interested in these things. I've got some Fish that can cover for these eastern goods, and I've got Gold. Now, I'm looking for rice, I'm looking for weapons, I'm looking for Sake, I'm looking for Iron. What you got for numbers?"

That wasn't exactly information Daichi had been spreading around, but that didn't mean it wasn't available if one really looked. "The clan may have some interest in those sorts of items as a whole. It hasn't been anything like a priority though, but our priorities at this time have been filled."

On our end we do have some of those things you wish for available. "Sake (3), Weapons (2), and that armor I mentioned. I can maybe help get you in contact with some of those that have Rice as well. Not that you really need that help though."

"Actually, certain clans have been stingier with their rice than I'd like. You know the ones, I am sure, bilge-suckers, all, and for many's the year. I think I can score it off the kitties, but I've got less to give them, see."

"Anyhoo, are we talkin' 4 "Fish" (and my wee goodies) for the quantities of goods you have just mentioned and the armor? Because I like that deal even more than I like this tea."

(Is that 4 fish, and 4 goods? Just for a numbers idea.)

"We encountered the same honestly." Daichi replied as he recalled the notes between he and the Scorpion. "Those numbers could work out though." He said after a moment.

"I'd have to see what my fellows think and run it by my Daimyo to be sure." He wasn't in charge though. "Which way were we wanting the marriage to go? Our Sugimura is a gunso."

[He could go up to 10 goods under the table, so you tell me how many you'd like. Man's hungry for a market. But the treaty would say 4 fish.]

"Sounds good. Our Yayoi-san is a senior courtier (status 3). I bet you'd like to keep the Gunso?"

(10 would fill our need, but Daichi feels no need to be greedy. 5 or more would be sufficient, i'll let the Mantis pick the exact number.)

"Another courtier would certainly be a blessing, and we could part with Sugimura-san but she would certainly be missed. She does the clan a lot of good in her current posting."

[5 is good.]

"Then Yayoi will marry into the Crab."

He nodded, that was more than acceptable to him. "You mentioned the Tortoise too when we last talked. Could I ask a bit about the type of problems they seem to be causing you?"

"If you don't mind."

"It's like this. Say there's a magic tube. In the middle of the tube is a box that's got all the wealth you could ever want in it. Oh, the money! And it is there for the taking, only the tube has these locked lids on each end, see. And the guy on the other end of the tube (that's the Tortoise in this here allegory), he's got a key and he's taking all the wealth! And when I try to use my key, he has his goons come over, slap it out of my hand, and give me a black eye for my trouble.

Now, I ask you, is that fair? Is that nice?"

"If it's all the wealth one could ever want it doesn't sound like there is any need to deny the use of the other side." Daichi agreed after a moment. Was the man talking about the gaijin maybe.

"Sounds like the other side thinks they have the right to everything within though." He added. "Which is mean indeed since you both seem to have been gifted access."

"I should say so," Gusai Rioshida says. "So, it would be of some small help to me if you could persuade them to lay off and let us do our business with the tube." He paused. "You get me?"

He did get what the man was getting at but he couldn't promise anything. "Some of my clanmates here have a gentle hand when it comes to such negotiations." The gunso admitted.

"So I can't promise anything overt. Less strained relations on the Seas are something we are interested in so. I'll see what we can do."

"Great! I knew you'd see the whole picture!"