"Ah, good footwear, that I have," she chuckled. "You and Sanjuro-san have a distinct advantage to me, in that you have been around mountains since you were wee children, while I had no experience with it until my marriage. If you have not lost your way in the mountains yet, I feel it safe to say that it probably will not happen now."

Listening to his suggestions, she turned her teacup between her hands, lost in thought for a moment. "Hm... yes, wildflowers could be interesting. For study, and see if they can have a purpose in addition to their beauty... what sort of animals do you think we might see in this area?"

Kenzo turned back to her with a smile at the mention of wildflower properties. "An excellent thought, Utsu-sama." He murmured, warmly approving. A few steps took him back to where she sat; he knelt nearby, not quite beside.

The question made him grin. "We don't know, exactly. That's the excitement!" His expression became more serious, scholarly. "Besides the typical Rokugani rodents, birds, squirrels, and weasels... I would expect foxes. They can be quite a brilliant red color." A hint of the smile returned. "If we're fortunate, we could see a flying squirrel. Or a red raccoon. I need to look that one up, actually; perhaps it has another name." He glanced at her, trying to judge her interest level.

Her eyes lit up, showing her own excitement at the prospect of possibly seeing all these animals. "I do not think I have seen flying squirrels before... but, red raccoons? That is new to me. What does it look like? Like a raccoon, but red like a fox?"

Kenzo beamed at her, her excitement further reinforcing his. "I did my best to paint a picture of it! One moment." Deftly, he untied the bindings to the rectangular pouch at his side. He drew out a collection of papers, quickly sorting through them, before pulling one out. He set that one in front of Utsusemi, smoothing it out before putting the rest away.

While Kenzo's painting were not nearly so skilled, they did convey the basic idea in a functional way. The creature seemed to have characteristics of both raccoon and fox, along with other things. It was painted in a rather soft red. It was also clearly rather cute, which Kenzo seemed to have more or less conveyed.

Kenzo leaned forward, hand outstretched over the painting. "You can see here many of the more interesting features. Red, like a fox. But with the ringed tail and muzzle more similar to a raccoon." His finger moved as he described. "But limited spinal curvature. Clawed feet, clearly capable of climbing and gripping, which a fox is not, but not quite so cleverly as a raccoon. The feet have more in common with a bear's really." He said with a shrug.

"Oh," she covered her mouth as she looked at the illustration, "that is so adorable! Now I really hope to see one like this in the wild, so I can see if I can manage a painting of it too. I know Tsumugi-chan would love to see something like that. I've never seen one like it before, really, but I'm certain someone can answer more about it for us."

Wasn't hard to guess where her daughter got the love for adorable little creatures though.

"This is a wonderful illustration, Kenzo-san. You have improved so much."

Kenzo watched, smiling quietly at her reaction. "I would be pleased to show it to her. I think she'd like it very much, too.
And she makes a very gratifying critic." Perhaps not quite as gratifying as this moment. Kenzo swallowed. "I have some others she might enjoy seeing, too. The squirrel is a fascinating one."

For a moment, her words made him flush, his lips curling helplessly upward. "Thank you." He murmured, pleased. He covered a moment later, giving the smile a wry twist. "I'd like to think I rose to the occasion. Besides, no one would be excited if I came back with tales of a red raccoon, and I had a stick figure sketch."

His smile softened. "You should bring some of your supplies. I'd really love to see what you could do with the same material."

Her expressioned warmed more, favouring him with a fond smile as she watched his own expressions changing. "Certainly, I will do so. It would be too great a shame to happen upon any of these cute animals and not have any supplies on hand to capture their image on paper."

"Life among the Dragon have really opened up more to me the benefits of seeing the beautiful vistas and fascinating creatures in person, compared to the traditional stance of the Kakita Academy where we rarely travelled past the manicured gardens when illustrating nature. Some of the sensei there impressed upon us the need to create works from memories and impressions, rather than correct details," she chuckled softly and shook her head. "While they are certainly the masters of the arts, I would say that they are sometimes too traditional for their own good."

Kenzo shook his head, mock-solemnly. "That would be a shame. No, we can't have that."

His expression grew more properly interested. His posture shifted, growing more casual as they talked pleasantly. "Mmm. Well, there's something to be said for manicured gardens. Seeing nature at its ideal has its place too, I think. I have a special fondness for seeing nature in nature, but that's probably a product of my... nurture, I suppose." His lips twisted.

"Painting from memory?" His eyebrows went up as he considered. "Not a focus on correct details. Hmmm." He gave a tiny shrug. "That's something I focus on, of course. What if I'd been mistaken, and drawn the red raccoon with sharp teeth? A small thing, but a large consequence, potentially."

He looked at Utsusemi. "Are you-" His lips closed. After a moment, he began again. "I'm glad that you're not finding the Dragon too nontraditional. Or unusual, perhaps. We certainly have our own way of doing things. Suits me fine, but..." He shrugged.

"Verily," she agreed on the matter of illustrating from memory. Still, it had ingrained in her the lessons of how cherry blossoms were supposed to look, rather than how many of them would look, and the same could be said for the moon and waves, and other popular motifs.

As he interrupted himself, she gave him a quizzical look, unsure if she should ask him about what he wanted to say in truth. In the end, she opted for erring on the side of politeness. "It is different, for sure, but simply being different is not bad," she spoke with an encouraging tone, "but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some among the clan who feel I am still too much like a Doji - still keeping my hair white, my focus on artistic pursuits rather than martial ones. It took some time to adjust to the differences, but I did not want to leave behind everything from my home." Which certainly explained why there always seemed to be ikebana arrangements and seasonal incense in Ryuden's home.

"If any do, they should listen to your advice." Kenzo said. "There's nothing wrong with being different, as you said. If any object to your white hair, or your artistic pursuits, that would make them hypocrites." And fools. His lips quirked. "Not that we might not have some of those, but you can feel free to tell them what I think of them, then."

"Hmmm..." He leaned back a little, resting on one hand. "I've only known you since you've become a Dragon, of course. And I think you've adjusted very well to your, ah, transplant." His tone was a little hesitant at that. He grinned. "But I can't help but wonder a bit what you were like before that. Observing the Crane in her natural environment, so to speak."

She couldn't help herself as a small laugh slipped out, sounding more like it was one of relief than a mocking one. "Perhaps they are," she chuckled. "Thank you. Your words have put me at ease..."

As he leaned back, she took the moment to refill tea for them both. And she thanked her courtier-training for having given her an iron will to keep her cool when she heard his words. "Oh... I..." for once, Utsusemi was briefly at a loss for words. "Perhaps more carefree?" And happier? Not feeling like the world is pressing in on me everyday. "Hard to say... change is a gradual thing, it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly the change was."

"Good." Kenzo said, grinning. "That's settled, then." He gave a firm nod, as though the issue was forever more closed.

Inclining his head in thanks as she poured tea, his grin faded. He may not have been Doji trained, but he wasn't blind. Five years had been long enough to give him what he felt was an accurate impression of Ryuden's household. "That's... certainly true." He said. "Even when the change is sudden, the effects can take years to sort themselves out. Perhaps..." He lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. "Perhaps there's still sorting to be done?"

Her gaze met his briefly, as if she did not want to be the cause of anything inappropriate, but there was still a look of gratefulness in her eyes before they looked down into her teacup.

"Perhaps there is," she agreed with a quiet voice before letting out a dry chuckle, "does a wading bird look so out of place in the mountains?"

Kenzo, too, looked down to his tea, a hint of a smile on his lips. The flash of gratitude was what he hoped for, and he feared an overlong glance as much as she. Perhaps more.

Her question made him chuckle. "I hope you won't be offended on your former clan's behalf of I agree that, out of the water, the bird is rather lacking in dignity." He looked briefly back at her, then away again. "I would not say the same of the people. Especially you."

Time to change the subject. "Well!" He said cheerfully. "I should perhaps be going. There's always more things to do. Preparations..." His lips quirked. "Perhaps take another look at that giraffe. Fascinating creature."

Her laughter was gentle. "Good to know I don't look like I am completely out of my element then.

She cleared her throat slightly. "Of course, of course. We all have to get started with our day," a nod followed. "Giraffe...? I think I will need to see that at some point. Or see your illustration of it. Either way, please have a good day, Kenzo-san."

"Not at all, Utsu-sama." He murmured, smiling, his eyes bright.

"You really should." He said. "I highly recommended it. I don't think my picture quite does it justice, to be honest. I needed a second sheet, actually, one for the body, and one for the neck and head." He shook his head, remembering.

He bowed gracefully, natural athleticism making up for his lack of polish. "You as well, Utsu-sama. And thank you for the hospitality. As always."

After a few more exchanged pleasantries, he made his way outside.

/exit