Early, but not too early. A proper time to meet. Enough to allow anyone to perform their morning routine. Even enough time to allow Dragon their meditations. Or, in Kenzo's case, to counteract his general lack of concern about precise timing.

Nevertheless, he was properly dressed and arranged, to his limits, as he approached the smithy. With a casual stride, he walked up to the entrance. He paused a moment, giving a confused frown at the unassuming front. Still, that didn't stop him, as he made his way into the warehouse.

Utsusemi wasn't one much for morning meditations that Dragon were supposedly famous for. Not that she didn't appriciate such quiet moments herself, but the introspection of solitary meditation never gave her the peace of mind that a beautifully performed tea ceremony provided.

So in the morning, she had merely continued to add the finishing touches to the painting she had been working on to dedicate to the shrine of Suitengu, as a gift to appease the fickle Fortune of the seas.

Impeccably dressed as always, she was quick to greet Kenzo as she noticed his arrival. "Mirumoto-san, ohayo gozaimasu," she said with a pleasant smile as she bowed to him. While The Wheel smelled of strange chemicals, Ryuden's wife seemed to have that constant scent of fragrant incense and tea about here, even in this place. "'Tis good to see you again. Have you had rice yet this morn?"

To say that Sanjuro had been avoiding his sister-in-law would be not true; but he didn't exactly adjust his routines to make their freer moments match. Early in the mornings he was vanishing beneath the trapdoor in the floor of his laboratory where the most acrid odours were coming from, and only emerged for the opening of the smithy; after the day there he rushed to take a bath, then ate something on the way as he was wandering out to seek ingredients. These days he often hung around construction sites in the Northern Outskirts as they were unearthing layers of soil he was interested in. There was a brief time after sundown when they could meet, but then she was usually elsewhere, socialising, and he was often choosing a quiet read or an early retiring for the night. He wasn't keeping servants, so most of the cleaning, also after her, he did personally, so that his hydraulically heated bath was always clean for her. In the mornings, however, he was more or less around, so the meetings like this were more likely.

Not so impeccably dressed as the other Dragon, still wearing his thick blacksmith's apron, he came over to say hello.

"Utsu-sama, Kenzo-san, ohayou." He bowed to both with his frown not meaning much beyond this being his usual expression. "The rice is cooked if you need some to go for the second breakfast. There's smoked unagi to it."

Kenzo returned a smile along with a bow. "I'm doing well, thank you, Agasha-sama. And yourself?" He chuckled softly, one hand rubbing briefly at his chin. "Although, in the strictest sense, I haven't actually eaten yet, no. I was looking at some things, got carried away, you know how it is." He gave a vague wave with one hand, still smiling.

His expression became a bit more neutral when greeting Sanjuro, although he didn't match the larger man's frown. "Agasha-sama." He said, bowing. "Smoked unagi?" Kenzo's expression brightened. "Well, you certainly have my attention." He said.

"Ah, hai, I know how it is," she breathed a brief titter, and nodded at the suggestion of rice and smoked unagi. "Please make yourself comfortable, and have partake in rice and tea."

"I've been well. The children are growing faster than bamboo shoots these days." Her voice had that motherly pride as she spoke. "And still a handful as ever, so I can understand the sentiment that one's mind is too occupied to remember eating regular meals. How was your travels to Dragon's Guard City?"

Roughly around the mention of children, Sanjuro moved away to the kitchen to bring the eel. He would return soon enough, staring at Utsusemi's new painting on the way, with bowls on a tray. There was fried baby cabbages included for a more balanced meal. He put it before the other Dragon and sat in seiza.

"Ah, thank you!" Kenzo did take a moment to give a quick bow to his hosts before he helped himself.

"Oh? Good, good." He paused for a moment, giving Utsusemi a smile. "I'm not surprised on either count. They both have so much energy, I'd expect that some of it is being expended upwards." He paused a moment, taking another bite, swallowing. "Of course, when I think of some of the things I did when I was their age..." He shook his head with a chuckle. "Sounds like they're doing well, then."

"Mmm." He shrugged. "Nothing special." His expeditions were more exciting. "What about you? I hope you saw something that'll provide great inspiration for your next work." Briefly, he lifted his hands, holding them up as though framing a scene. Sitting where he was, he hadn't yet seen her work. He craned his neck curiously, peering at the back side of it.

Utsusemi smiled pleasantly as she caught on to him trying to get a look at the painting. "It is very nearly done. Would you like to see it?"

Kenzo smiled. "Please." He rose gracefully to his feet. "Speaking as someone who only sometimes manages to paint straight lines when I try, it's always nice to see the things you do."

He stepped a bit closer, the better to allow her to show the painting in the manner she wished. "I've been working on some of the techniques you suggested." His lips twisted. "Let's just say, the results have been mixed."

"No one was born a master," she chided in a kind tone as she moved to the painting. "I am certain you will find what works best for you eventually, even if I am a poor teacher when it comes to painting."

While she did love to paint, something she had grown more fond of as she had learned more from the Agasha on how to create her own paints, poetry was still her favourite art-form.

Turning the canvas around carefully, the scales of the fish caught the light and shimmered for a brief moment. As she had said, it seemed to be very nearly done. "I must thank Sanjuro-san for the fine works he creates, as it inspired me to try something new myself with this painting." She inclined her head respectfully towards her brother-in-law.

"Hey, come now, Agasha-sama." Kenzo turned back, shooting her a quick grin. "My college instructors all agreed that I was a poor student. I don't think your teaching ability is the problem."

He turned to the painting, his eyes widening almost immediately. "Impressive. Very impressive!" He leaned closer, lifting one hand, as though guiding his sight with his fingers. "Are... are these real? Something you've seen?" He looked at her, his eyes bright and interested.

Sanjuro listened to their discussion for a little while, keeping his thoughts about the painting to himself. Before the fire there had been another painting in this spot, but right now he kept Koharu's gifts upstairs, just in case.

'You are too kind. And too harsh on yourself," the woman retorted to Kenzo.

"Hai," a gentle nod, "they are called flying fish. Not that they actually fly, but leap out of the water so that it almost looks like they are."

Kenzo grinned again. "Not at all. I may be a poor student, but that doesn't mean I'm a poor learner. I'm sure I'll figure it out in my own way, sooner or later. I usually do."

He turned back to the painting. "But these... these are remarkable!" He leaned forward, studying them more closely. "One can see the relation between these... wings, I want to call them, and the fins on more ordinary fish. Still, I wonder at the utility in them. They allow for greater jumping, but no doubt greater drag when in the water. Hmmm." He scratched his chin stubble absently with one hand as he studied it.

After a moment, he gave Utsusemi a crooked smile. "Your work is exceptional as always, Agasha-sama. You really do capture the life in these creatures."

"Hm, from what Ryuden-sama told me when I asked him, they use the wings to glide away from predators," she added to answer some of his questions. She just remembered seeing them the times she would visit the seaside when still living in Crane lands.

"Thank you, your generous words are an inspiration for me to complete the work today." Utsusemi's smile was hardly crooked, as it was a perfect pristine Doji smile. "But enough about me, what has brought you here today, if I may ask? Apart from looking at paintings and eating breakfast, that is."

"Aha!" He said, turning back to the painting. "That would have been my theory, yes! As it happens, on my last expedition to Yobanjin lands, I found a squirrel that had similar characteristics. It likewise seemed to be more capable of gliding than of flight. I did make a sketch of it, if you'd care to see." He grew animated as he spoke, gesturing.

Ah, right. They weren't just here to talk about animals and art. Kenzo spread his hands, smiling. "What, isn't paintings and breakfast enough? Plus the pleasure of your company, of course." He shook his head. "But you're right. With the expedition so soon, I was hoping that a talk between the three of us might be productive. I'd include your husband, of course, Agasha-sama, if he were available."

"I can bring you what you need if you feel like sketching, Kenzo-san." Sanjuro patted his knees before rising from his quick brunch. "It's the rule of the house, everyone here can do what they want. Even the damnable cat." The white one was ogling the unagi from a vantage point at the screen frame. "I'd say that as long as it does not blow everything up but this has already happened so it doesn't carry the same dread any more."

Sanjuro took a step toward the painting, regarding it calmly.

"We'll see plenty of those soon enough. If you want to explore some diversity of land creatures before it will just be fish and fish, you may try a venture into the Treacherous Pass. It has interesting wildlife."

"Thank you, Agasha-sama. Sounds like my kind of place. Although I brought my own things." He patted the case at his side. He chuckled, leaning down to regard the white cat, and be regarded, and then promptly ignored, in turn. "And in my experience, cats will do what they want, regardless." He gave the cat an approving nod, which it didn't respond to in any way.

"Treacherous pass, huh?" Kenzo smirked. "That also sounds like my kind of place. Anything else you can tell me about it?"

As the conversation had turned more to Sanjuro than her, Utsusemi put the painting back in its place as the two of them chatted. She made sure that there was tea in the cups for all three before helping herself to some breakfast as well.

And discreetly passing a small morsel of fish to the cat.

The gesture to the cat didn't go unnoticed by Kenzo. He did his best to hide a grin while he looked inquiringly at Sanjuro. He had limited success.