The day's work done, Seppun Tomaru--having changed his formal robes once during the day and out of them at the end of his duty shift--makes his way to the baths. After scrubbing vigorously and rinsing thoroughly, he lowers himself, paunch and all, into the water, sighing as the heat stings his skin.

Settling in, he may even groan a little.

Who might happen by?

None other than the Luckiest Man in Rokugan, Shiba Ryusei!

It had been... a Day, to put it mildly. But some things had crystallized in his mind, among them some of the lessons of Otomo Keihime's display.

So his surprise to see Seppun Tomaru in the baths when he arrived was not unpleasant.

"Seppun-sama.... good evening."

"Young Phoenix!" Tomaru replies, and his crooked smile spreads across his lips. "What a pleasure! Join an old man as he rests his bones?"

"I would be honored, Seppun-sama."

Especially since I didn't assist you earlier in the day.

"How does the evening find you?"

"Tired, young Phoenix," Tomaru replies, "and sore. But the Lady Seppun did try to warn me that I'd eaten too much too often, so."

He shrugs.

"Such is life. But you, you are clearly a happy, happy young man! It's good to see it."

He nods.

"It's good to know life goes on."

"You were there, Seppun-sama, when the road to my present good fortune appeared..."

He let himself smile.

"It.... I was surprised, but in the best possible way."

Tomaru laughs, and it is an open, joyous sound.

"Then I am happy for you, young Phoenix!" he says. "Congratulations!"

Then he sits back in the bath, folds his arms, and nods.

"Congratulations, indeed."

He sighed.

"The Fortunes might sometimes be inscrutable, but right now? Right now, I don't need to understand."

Another laugh from Tomaru.

"How many times I have had to say as much to myself!" he exclaims. "Best to give thanks, with a grateful heart, and enjoy what you can while you can!

"Some parts of youth may be kept," he continues. "Others, not so much."

"True... nothing lasts forever. Still."

He smiled as he dipped a little lower in the water.

"There's something about the right partner that makes one think anything is possible. Makes the future a lot more exciting in the right ways..."

"I'll tell you something, young Phoenix, if you'll listen to an old married man," Tomaru says.

And, like many old married men, he does not wait for an answer, but presses ahead.

"The excitement will fade. It will. Nothing to be done about it; newness only lasts so long. But what the excitement does do is help you get through the bad parts early on. And once you have some challenges faced together behind you, once the excitement fades, that's when you get into the long, hard, wonderful work of actually learning each other.

"It's not as intense a joy, maybe, but it lasts a whole lot longer."

"Do you know what I asked Benten for, early on?"

As in, maybe a week prior.

"I asked to never be allowed to take her for granted. Because I know time will dull edges and the like, but..."

Tomaru nods.

"It's a good attitude," he says. "And, honestly, something we all ought to keep more in mind than we do. How much we expect because it has been so, not thinking about how it is made so!"

Another sigh.

"Water feels good.

"So, what's your plan for things, moving forward?"

"Serve my Clan well enough at Court to build some goodwill, because my house is need of... well. Rebirth. Having a skilled wife will help, but even she can't solve our issues by magic. In truth, I think the work when I get home may actually be more challenging than what I do here- less flashy, more drudgery. We've already got some plans for new endeavors, a way to pivot away from just relying on past glories, but first things first- do my duty here. Because without that..."

He frowned for a second.

"And so much of the future is unsettled.... I mean, it's always unsettled, but..."

"Making a good marriage and distinguishing yourself on the Court floor isn't enough, is it?" Tomaru says. "So many come to these things thinking it will be; I've seen it again and again and again. But you can't put an old head on young shoulders, after all.

"What does the Lady Shiba need you to do?"

"For the most part, my task is negotiating with other Clans for resources- simple enough on the surface, and I have been fortunate to deal with open and even-handed delegates, but it still presents some challenges."

Like coordinating with my own delegation so we don't end up with too much extra of anything...

"There are also political elements, such as finding out what other clans want support for, and securing their support, but... I confess, those waters are more dangerous to navigate."

Or talk about.

"And of course, Shiba-ue is most insistent on the law being adhered to, as a daimyo and Clan Champion should be."

"The Lady Shiba's dedication to the details of the law is well known," Tomaru notes, nodding, rippling the water of the bath as he does.

"I imagine it doesn't always make your service to her easier."

There's that crooked grin again.

"Actually, as of yet, it hasn't presented much of a problem for me... in some ways, it's liberating. While it might seem like a lack of flexibility to some, it also limits the variables I have to account for."

He paused.

"It also places me, as her subordinate, in a solid position when I have to speak before the Court."

"Which I am told you have been doing well," Tomaru replies.

"Duty has me outside Court most days," he adds. "Somebody has to stand watch, and I seem to be one of the more senior in the contingent."

Again, the grin.

"I can't imagine why people think so."

Ryusei adopted a pompous tone, waving one arm in the air.

"Why naturally, for Seppun-sama's vast experience is second to none in the Empire, and must therefore be where it will do the most good!"

And not at all because certain personages at Court wanted him out of sight and out of mind.

Ryusei smiled and lowered his arm.

"Mind you, there is... I'll send a more formal one when the time comes, but... if duty permits, Seppun-sama, I would be delighted if you were to attend my wedding to Agasha-sama in the spring. And even if you can't, please, expect an invitation. You were there when we met, after all. It seems... auspicious."