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After what felt like an eternity the first day had come to a close. The night brought on more relaxed moods and easy discussions. Yasuhira appeared for dinner in a plain kimono; his hair was untied and hung down his back. He seemed to walk on air. Noriyuki was struck by the man's appearance. Even after being in his presence for several hours already it was like seeing him for the first time and he was more handsome than he remembered. Noriyuki found that unnerving. How could he possible 'read' such a man if he was forever reinventing himself? He turned a frustrated eye to Horikawa, but that man's countenance struck the young Lord as well. Horikawa was wide-eyed and pale; his eyes never left Yasuhira even as he sat across from Noriyuki. The man was captivated by the Hikiji. Noriyuki noticed Yasuhira caught Horikawa's gaze and held fast his own, though it was not in the same manner as Horikawa, merely an acknowledgement. For several seconds the two men were locked eye to eye, with Noriyuki in the middle wondering what it all meant, and where it would lead. Finally Horikawa broke away, breathing heavily. Noriyuki turned to Yasuhira and found his guest had already put the matter out of his mind and was smiling graciously at his host. Noriyuki scoffed and nodded to his Chief Retainer, where the sake was quickly served. It was the end of the beginning for the Hikiji's visit to the Geishu. Thank the Gods.
For the ladies the situation was much more fluid and oddly less reserved. Shiroi Hane took up the position as the head of the Hikiji contingent, while Tomoe sat across from her. Akako was on Shiroi's right. There were several other high ranking ladies from both clans on the edges of the dining area, but the they knew well enough that they were not of the same social standing and kept well away from their conversations. Of course talking across such a great distance was a bit unwieldy, but they made due. Especially once the sake was served. Being a lowly servant Riku wasn't near the ladies and she was thankful. She did keep an ear turned to the door, hoping that a retainer would come to fetch to her dance for her lord. As it was she became quite bored with the whole thing.
The food came for both parties and it was welcomed indeed. Eating made everyone relax. It settled jangled nerves and frazzled minds. Noriyuki tried to engage his guest in conversation but found himself continually being cut off by Horikawa. The man even managed to shuffle several spots toward Yasuhira to converse more closely, even pushing passed Kenichi. Yasu seemingly did not mind this sudden and quite bold approach of the Chief Minister. What was more intriguing was how innocuous his conversation was. Horikawa was not pressing Yasuhira for information about his clan's motives, but was engaged in pleasantries, as if the Hikiji was a prospective favourite. Yasu was intrigued and did not discourage the flirtation. Noriyuki was shocked, but not too much.
"Had I known, I would have sent him rather than Tomoe to seduce the Black Son." He whispered into his bowl of sake.
Noriyuki would have felt less guilt having done so; in fact he would have felt no guilt at all. But he knew that Horikawa hadn't the whit or the wiles to procure any information from such a formidable man as Yasuhira. That is if he was so inclined toward the Chief Minister; it could all be a stratagem. Noriyuki scoffed, once more the suspicion and anxiety returned. Ah well, it was too good to last.
