[D1 ME] This Beach is Fire

[Miya Akari]

"Hmm, so many beautiful flowers to choose from. I wonder which would be best? Do you have a favorite?" she asked.

[Shiba Yukari]

"I don't know what grows here, and I wasn't going to subject any plants to the sea voyage... back home, I tended to cultivate Azaleas, although I find they all have something to recommend them..."

[Miya Akari]

"Azaleas are pretty," she says with a smile. "I'll have to paint Azaleas for my first attempt. If Azaleas are your flower, I suppose mine is obvious. There is a reason I chose my name."

[Shiba Yukari]

Yukari smiled.

"You could always start with yours. I find that a deeper appreciation for the subject matter helps me focus on the work." She paused. "Sometimes. Sometimes it makes me incredibly frustrated at imperfections in my painting."

[Miya Akari]

"Perhaps we should give it a try with each other's flowers?" she said, bring the long and meandering path towards that innuendo to a finish, smiling pleasantly at Yukari. But it had not all been an attempt to just make such comments. She truly was interested in learning to paint with the Shiba, the implication was simply icing on the cake of their conversation. "Me with azaleas, and you with pear blossoms? We can potentially hang them in the Inn as decoration if they're good enough. Well, I have no doubt yours will be."

[Shiba Yukari]

Another blush, but also a fairly confident smile.

"The place could do with a bit of decoration, couldn't it?"

[Miya Akari]

"Absolutely," Akari agrees, wholeheartedly. "I love seeing the natural beauty of the island. But coming back to a room that is mostly bare and unexciting is not ideal. I would definitely appreciate having something nice to look at when I am in there."

[Shiba Yukari]

"I'll have to see what I can do..."

No innuendo there, merely a naive statement leaving the door to it wide open.

[Miya Akari]

Akari enjoyed both working for it and low hanging fruit. No reason to hold back at this point.

"I am sure that we'll figure it out together. I think we're already off to a good start."

[Shiba Yukari]

And there was the blush again.

"As you say, Akari-sama."

[Miya Akari]

Having patience was terribly inconvenient. "So you have a garden back home then that you tend? What is it like?"

[Shiba Yukari]

"Oh, it's not mine, not exactly, but I kept a few flowers as a child, and at the dojo, I had a little plot to practice on. With the Tejina being such a new idea, many of my classes were with students of the Shiba Artisans, so I got to work with some of their students who focuses on gardening."

She sighed happily.

"Nothing too fancy- I cultivated azaleas and camellias in the shade of a couple of small fruit trees- one peach tree, one cherry, which were already in the plot when I took it over. Some roses in sunnier spots, and I was working on hybridizing a couple for color- and also trying to loosen the petal load enough to let them develop rose hips for the birds to eat- especially in winter, a few bright birds in the wintertime can stand in for the flowers that won't be back until spring... one sensei claimed I was trying to make it too wild, but she was overruled by Shiba Tsuna-sensei and since I was technically his student, not hers, I was allowed to go on that way."

[Miya Akari]

Akari listened, more fascinated by the Shiba's love of her garden than the actual garden. Seeing a person passionate about their interests was lovely.

"It sounds quite lovely, and I am glad to had free reign to do as you wished. I suspect that you would have that here as well if you started a garden. I will look forward to it if you do."

[Shiba Yukari]

"Well, Asako-sama wants me to get a shrine built, so... I figure having it as the centerpiece of a garden is a distinct possibility. A lot will depend on the local plants that are available, though."

[Miya Akari]

"Well, it's all the more important that I gather samples for you then," she replied with a nod. "I would not wish to delay your work."

[Shiba Yukari]

"Just... be careful when you do. I've heard that people disappear on this island sometimes, and... I'd hate to contribute to that, even indirectly."

[Miya Akari]

"I certainly will. I have no intention of doing anything reckless in the forest here," Akari replied.

[Shiba Yukari]

Just everywhere else?

"I'm glad to hear it. Hopefully we can at least figure out what the cause is..."

[Miya Akari]

"That would be great. It would be nice to learn more about the island from a spiritual perspective. Not that I can actually do much to help with that directly."

[Shiba Yukari]

"Again, I'm not a... traditional shugenja in most respects, but I'll do what I can."

She sighed.

"I wonder why they didn't send an Isawa of some kind..."