Otsuka had spent much of her day wondering about brooding over her breakfast. She let out a bitter sigh as she saw the Naval academy down the street. All that planning foiled by the corruption of h-the Crane having clearly already taken root even here she had to wonder if H-Kurozakura-sama had the right of it all along. She began to wonder if there was a weaponsmith nearby.

"Gomen nasai..."

Another absent-minded woman jumped away after almost having crashed into Otsuka when emerging from behind the corner. After an apologetic bow she reached up to her head to check if any of her adornments had not slipped out and fallen off. The woman was very tall yet slender, resembling an heron.

"Gomen! Gomen!" Otsuka said bowing apologetically with an embarrassed blush colouring her cheeks, "I was not paying attention. Please forgive me."

"We may both have been just a little... elsewhere." Noriko let out an embarrassed chuckle. "I am sure someone watching us would advise both of us to worry less."

"I suppose there is something to that..." she admitted, "I am not sure it is so simple however."

"It rarely is." Noriko straightened her sleeves, sighing. "I am about to take a husband in a few days, a young man that could almost be my son." She took a strand of her hair that wasn't there behind her ear, a mannerism from times when her coiffures had not been this flawlessly intricate and so her hair more rowdy. "Seeing your mon, I can probably guess what can be troubling you."

"Oh?" she asked wondering just how publicly known the issue was, "Is it that obvious?"

"I wouldn't say so, but informed guesses can be made. Estimations is what I am used to making." Noriko bit her lip. "I wonder if it's too early to have a drink."

"Not a bad skill to have," she said with a wane smile, "A drink is not a terrible idea..." Otsuka glanced about for an inn or something similar.

"Then let me show you around, Kakita-san." The woman took some iodium into her nostrils with a gust from the sea, breathing more fully. "I am Moshi Noriko."

"I am Kakita Otsuka. That would be welcome," she said looking about, "My intentions towards that seem to have unraveled."

Noriko arched her brow. "Are you a woman with a curiosity of foreignness or not really?"

"I am not against them. I am not too keen on their weapons though," she said after a moment of thought.

"I see." Noriko kept her smile. "What I had in mind is wine, other than from rice or apricots. It's an acquired taste, but I've grown fond of it."

"I see. I would be open to such a thing," she paused a moment, "What is it made from instead?"

"People from Merenae call it la uva. It does not grow in Rokugan yet. It resembles lychee a little. The kind of wine I think of for us is called porto. It's a fortified wine. Part of it is distilled to be more potent, then it's called brandy, and added to the main body. It has a sweet kick." Noriko smirked at the thought as they started to head toward a direction, deeper into the former Feitoria.

"So it is sort of like shochu? Strong and fruit based?" she asked as she followed along. She observed the strange architecture curiously as they went clearly not quite sure what to make of it.

"Perhaps a little lighter, but fruity and aromatic." Noriko spotted her attention. "Until this place became the Imperial Naval College premises, it had belonged to the Tortoise Clan. It was called La Feitoria. The peasants they had recruited abroad are responsible for the looks of buildings. They are still here, just concentrated a bit closer to the wharf, in a space they call The Last Hope. Many of their skills, and their knowledge, are useful to us. Miya Edogawa organises their daily effort."

"Lafetore-a? An odd sounding name," she shook her head, "The governor seized this place in force, yes? I had heard something about that."

"Yes, the local community went awry following one Hosei-san who is now a fugitive." Noriko spoke sincerely, repeating the official version. "There were broader displeasures between the Imperial Families and the Tortoise last year. You may have heard about it. Hopefully they are mostly over." Another feat of sincerity.