[Day 4 - Mid Morning] Duty Never Sleeps

[Kuni Junpei]

Beeep-Booop

Kuni Junpei would exit the Go Express convenience store at one of the major intersections of Friendship Street, carrying a plastic bag of cans, bottles, and packaged food. For those who might have seen him at the party last night, he was still wearing the same suit and, most importantly, still in one piece after his interaction with the governor.

He would take a slow walk down the wide steps of the store before taking a seat at one of them. Strangely enough, it felt strangely comfortable, so much so that he found no issue lying back to take a rest...even if the steps were digging into his back. Presently, it was a better respite than his office chair.

[Kuni Iwane]

Beeep-Booop

Kuni Junpei would exit the Go Express convenience store at one of the major intersections of Friendship Street, carrying a plastic bag of cans, bottles, and packaged food. For those who might have seen him at the party last night, he was still wearing the same suit and, most importantly, still in one piece after his interaction with the governor.

He would take a slow walk down the wide steps of the store before taking a seat at one of them. Strangely enough, it felt strangely comfortable, so much so that he found no issue lying back to take a rest...even if the steps were digging into his back. Presently, it was a better respite than his office chair.

Strolling the Friendship for a lack of having better things to do, Iwane came upon a man lying in a slightly concerning position, considering his spinal health. "Um, good morning," he greeted the finely dressed man, glancing at his belongings, figuring that he had to be a samurai, and thus not beneath his notice. Iwane wouldn't have raised a finger for a mere heimin. "Are you alright?"

[Kuni Junpei]

Strolling the Friendship for a lack of having better things to do, Iwane came upon a man lying in a slightly concerning position, considering his spinal health. "Um, good morning," he greeted the finely dressed man, glancing at his belongings, figuring that he had to be a samurai, and thus not beneath his notice. Iwane wouldn't have raised a finger for a mere heimin. "Are you alright?"

It almost seemed like Junpei was content to just lie there without any concern for his surroundings or himself, judging with his eyes going as far as being half closed. In the immediate short term, him lying on the stairs vaguely felt like he was getting some sort of massage treatment, much like one of those cheap chiropractor cushions. However, it was very likely that anyone with real chiropractic knowledge was getting massive headache by that line of thought.

"Heh?" Junpei murmured at first before he quickly sat up. His immediate instincts were to smooth out his worn suit before he realized that it was another Kuni. Well, if there was another Crab who should be okay with seeing another Crab slumming it out at the steps of a convenience store, it should be another Kuni, right? Regardless, he would address him formally.

"Ah, yes, I am. Thank you for your concern, Kuni-san," he gave him a seated bow. "I'm..."

He began searching his coat pocket for a card to present, but failed to produce one. There was a momentary embarrassment that crossed his features. Damnit... "Sorry, it seems that I've run out of cards finally. As I was saying, I'm Kuni Junpei, head magistrate of Shiawase Island."

[Kuni Iwane]

"Oh," Iwane replied, blinking for a moment. "My apologies, Kuni-sama." He offered the magistrate a bow, sounding a little worried. "I am Kuni Iwane." A short, awkward pause. "Are you sure you are alright, Kuni-sama? Did you have a long night?" he asked Junpei, tilting his head to the side as he tried to figure out if the magistrate was hungover or merely tired.

[Kuni Junpei]

"Pleased to meet you, Kuni-san," he acknowledged with a nod, seemingly not bothered enough to need an apology. "And thank you for your concern. To answer your question, yes, I am all right. I've just been working for a while now, and the ground suddenly felt attractive to me. Quite funny that hard concrete becomes almost a comforting surface when you've been sitting on a compressed old cushion for a while. Almost refreshing, actually." Probably would make more sense if I was a shugenja.

Now that he spoke more, he did sound like he was merely just exhausted rather than drunk.

Well, seeing as he was already sitting here, he may as well have his...breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Something?...now. He was still on the clock, in a way. Junpei would open his bag and sift through the contents before pulling out a bento with the clearance sticker on it. Fried crystal shrimp and oysters on a bed of rice. "Do you wish to join me? The store here has serviceable food, even at this hour."

[Kuni Iwane]

"Sleep deprivation would do that too," Iwane mused, taking a seat by the magistrate. "I... I suppose I could. I am on vacation." Which wasn't entirely true, but close enough to not merit a dice roll. "Is something keeping Kuni-sama busy?" he asked, glancing at the store. "I suppose all the people here would keep your people occupied. I hear there are even Spider here." Junpei could see Iwane frowning as it had stepped into something disgusting.

[Kuni Junpei]

Junpei nodded and fished around in the bag for another bento. This was also discounted but it was grilled chicken and pickled radish, presumably for later when he didn't feel like having some fried. The demiglaze probably looked better yesterday.

"Oh, vacation? That's very fortunate of you," he said as he passed him the food, if he was in the mood to eat that one. "The island is a wonderful place with beautiful sights and lots to do. At least, that's what I remember of it 10 years ago. I haven't seen much of it recently."

Junpei murmured the obligatory thanks after opening his bento, tossing the rice around to his liking before taking a bite. He nodded at the question before answering. "Yes, the governor and her karo have me handling a lot around here. Short notice. Did you know? There is currently 61 yachts rented out in Shiawase Island? 34 of them have not submitted the proper paperwork for equivalent licensing and are likely at sea without a care. 10 of them have been reported damaged so far. 7 yacht-related injuries. 2 visitors are in the infirmary right now."

He took another bite and merely gave a 'Mm', to say 'yes, I'm aware of that'. "...We're keeping an eye on them. Plantary governor is having something of a fit right now. Usually, paperwork for them is supposed to be filed six months in advance."

[Kuni Iwane]

Iwane picked up the offered bento, peeling the chopsticks taped to its top free. "You could say so. First in eleven months or so. It has been a bit busy," he replied, prying chopsticks apart and crudely polishing their ends. "I am sure Kuni-sama can imagine. One responsibility following another." The jungles hid thousands upon thousands of plants," and Iwane's company was determined to study them all.

"Sounds familiar, though ten years sounds a bit excessive. Surely you have someone who could take up your mantle for a week or two?" Iwane asked, curious.

"Sounds like someone has been having a good time." He shook his head. "But surely someone else could deal with all those yachts? It's not like the head magistrate himself has to do everything." Iwane was fairly sure he had Junpei figured out. A man who was so duty-bound that he refused to delegate his work. "Aren't there enough yoriki?"

"And why is the governor having a fit?"

[Kuni Junpei]

"Mm," he nodded at the part about his vacation with a nod, as he finished another bit. "The earned and overdue sort of vacation. It's good that you're taking the some initiative to claim it. I've heard horror stories from the Yasuki that some companies tried to slot a clause that the time used travelling between worlds is considered clocked time off. That collected over time, over the course of a year, equates to almost no time off. That said, I can scarcely remember an actual bona fide legitimate vacation."

He offered a glance at Iwane, surely, he was still doing some work here.

"No, not excessive. I left this world 10 years ago," he said as he took a peek in his bag. There were some beverages somewhere. A search with a few clanks of glass would reveal an energy tonic. Not quite a drink-drink but... He would offer it to Iwane first. "Then roamed the Empire for a long while, doing my own thing as a witch-hunter. Then sensei died."

Without a beat, he would continue on the next thought. "No, there are never enough yoriki, Kuni-san. They're already all over the island, tending to visitor situations on land, which you can imagine are far worse than the few ones happening on water. I won't bore you with the statistics there. And have at least two Spiders here with fastracked visas is going to ruffle the planetary governor. I'm not sure if it's intentional, but I suppose it does make it easy to pull the paperwork if they so much as look the wrong way."

[Kuni Iwane]

"The dedication of our Yasuki cousins cannot be questioned," Iwane murmured, shaking his head as he picked a shrimp from his bento, eyeing it suspiciously before plucking it into his mouth. "I can believe that story, though."

Iwane would refuse the drink, waving his hand to indicate that Junpei should take the first sip. "And now you are back here, trying to catch up on everything? Just when this thing happened?" he asked the head magistrate, happily chewing on the shrimp. The bento had seen better days, but at least the spices were on spot. "My condolences."

[Kuni Junpei]

Junpei gave a shrug and was sure to take a good gulp from the energy tonic before setting it down on the stairs for Iwane to take it or leave it. The other Kuni gave a small gasp and a shake of his head at the shot of herbs and sugar. The ones at Go Express were pretty cheap compared to the ones sold by the Golden Shell, which should at least help him get around the midday...

"Mm, appreciated, Kuni-san," he said neutrally when the condolences were offered. It wasn't a clear dismissal but more seemingly from a man who couldn't stop and grieve at the moment.

"I've been doing nothing but catching up, honestly. I don't think the old man was expecting to die anytime soon. He was close to the age where he could retire but not must retire. Well, I think he would have preferred it that way. You might know about that mindset," he shrugged his shoulder, accepting the Crab habit of old was to die while in service rather than wasting away elsewhere. It was especially rare now, seeing they didn't all have a Wall to guard. "But that put the office in a situation where he more or less dropped out of existence, and they brought me in to fill the gap. At this point, I'm wondering if I'm just a stopgap or anything. Have you made much of an opinion of the island, Kuni-san?"

[Kuni Iwane]

Iwane picked up the energy drink, turning it in his hands to check the label before taking a sip himself, leaving it again between the two, grimacing at the aftertaste. He glanced at Jumpei, wondering why a man of his status drank such crap.

"I suppose few of us can truly predict when we pass to the Yomi," Iwane murmured. "Sounds like he dies the way he wanted to die, at least." Most of their kin wanted to die with their boots on. Many a Crab considered retirement something that happened to others. Duty only truly ended in death.

"Would depend on what Kuni-sama means," he replied politely, poking his bento with his chopsticks. "I've been here just for three years. I am sure Kuni-sama knows this place better than I do." A short break. "Shiawase is a beautiful and orderly place." There was no way he could critique Junpei's sensei's work, even if he had anything to say on the matter.

[Kuni Junpei]

"Well, died being a magistrate, at the very least," he said before putting some more clarity on the matter, before it could be thought that he died naturally or in the line of duty. "It was a surprising death when his car veered off to the side of the road and found itself down the side of Mount Jinsei. He lost control of his car, and it was a very old car. I wasn't here for the investigation, only a few weeks after the fact."

He took a few bites of his food and took a breath in during his chewing in thought. "That might have been true at some point in time. The island has changed much since my last tenure here, the governor is no longer governor but now his daughters are at the wheel. I was only a yoriki at the time and only served for a year before I parted ways with my sensei. Prior to that, we were mobile around the Empire, but he settled on something less taxing in her older years, to be expected. It was decided that I should move on to do my own thing. He cemented himself here and took on another student during that time. We still kept in touch, but on passing occasions here and there. So to the point, this place has been something of...an acquaintance to me, to be frank."

[Kuni Iwane]

"I suppose such things still happen," Iwane replied, folding his figners to make a small sign to ward off bad luck, just in case some had rubbed on Junpei. He did not look like a fortunate man by any stretch of the imagination. "Especially when you get older." He poked around his bento, picking up some of the clumped rice.

"So what happened to the other student?" he asked the weary magistrate. "Assuming he was here when you weren't."

[Kuni Junpei]

Junpei would scoop up a bit of rice with his chopsticks, doing his best to mix it with a bit of food so that he could achieve a bit that wasn't just made up of wholly one thing. He would let out a small sigh after the chew, pretty much having finished his meal. He would close the box of his bento with a crackling of the plastic. It didn't seem like he was in a hurry to leave. The concrete steps remained a comfortable surface, for now.

"Well, I'm only half his age at the time of his passing, but years do add up fast. Maybe even faster with certain duties. I think I've managed to achieve his position sooner than he did, which he might have been proud...if it weren't for the circumstances." He gave a shake of his head. If it wasn't for his untimely passing, he would have been appointed as his successor by association, which was the truth of it.

"Yes, she was serving here. A bit in and out. Seeing as my former sensei needed someone to attend to all things that required some travelling, and he was more or less firmly planted here. Not quite the same arrangement he had with me when I was directly tutored by him. I guess he became more flexible." Or lazy. "In the last year, she ended up marrying into the Lion Clan, which I can't say was entirely in the books for either her or my sensei. This happened prior to his passing and we did meet again at her wedding. She was always a bit impetuous to take on the same responsibilities as I. Well, I suppose she's now someone else's underling."

Well, maybe problem was more accurate.

[Kuni Iwane]

"I think your sensei would be more concerned with someone picking up his legacy, rather than the age of his successor," Iwane mused. "Or the circumstances." He picked up the foul-tasting energy drink once more and took a sip, grimacing. "We are all bound to step into the yomi one day, and rare are the souls that get to choose the way of their passing." The words felt empty.

"Lion, eh," he murmured, frowning sofly. "I suppose that's one way to serve. I know I should marry sooner rather than later," Iwane huffed. "I am pretty sure a nakado is already working on my case. I am getting too old to be unwed. I just haven't had the time to see to the matter." Iwane had never had much interest in seeking a spouse, either. Trying to find someone felt near pointless considering that the clan employed professionals for the purpose. "And that's why you are here then?"

[Kuni Junpei]

"Oh, I'm sure that while he was coaxed into finding a less mobile post as a witch hunter, I don't think the thought of ever being succeeded entered his thoughts. The old man was a bit stubborn like that. At least, last when I served and learned under him," he said while turning to look at the doors of the convenience store. The thought of buying a tall can of Kinsenka Original beer crossed his mind now that they were talking about his late sensei. For now, he made a note to present that offering to his sensei's shrine later.

"Hm," he murmured pensively when Iwane spoke about marriage, his eyes trying to get a sense of how old the other Kuni was. That said, it did get him thinking about his own marriage. While, Iwane talked about being old, Junpei was old. Not old-old but old when it came to the topic of marriage. "If you had a duty with lots of mobility requirements, you tend to be hard to pin down. I'm sure my status missives are waiting for me in my mailbox. Either way the wind blew, I would be the most qualified. At least, for now, if the governor allows me to remain."

[Kuni Iwane]

"Comes with the profession, I suppose." Jumpei's sensei was hardly the first or the last stubborn Kuni to hold a post. "Or with the name," Iwane smirked. "It's hard to fight off the shadows if you entertain any doubts." Not that Iwane had had to fight anything more atrocious than Yasuki bureaucracy. Even still, he had been taught to recognize the signs of Taint, just like every other Kuni he knew. Even if the Spider were a part of the empire, the Crab would remain vigilant.

"I was shipped here three years ago," he explained, poking at his bento. "I assume that once I have enough xenobotanical experience, they'll send me somewhere else. How a spouse fits that, I do not know." Iwane chuckled. "And that isn't my problem, yet."

[Kuni Junpei]

Junpei reached for the energy tonic bottle on the steps and took a sip from it. He showed a momentary grimace. "Surprising that it can taste worse with a successive sip. I definitely prefer the Golden Shell brand instead. Mm, maybe even a nap in an old chair would work wonders instead."

He frowned in thought momentarily, trying to deduce how they got to the topic of marriage again. The marriage was duty-related, and this street-side meeting was spurred by him overworking because of Duty, so he had to eventually accept that the connection was there. "Well, on that note, Kuni-san. You can make it your problem, and it is indeed your problem. Have you considered potential prospects on this island? We have all 9 Clans and the Imperial Families present here at the moment, with a minimum of 30 attendees, thanks to the governor's invitation. All of them have been granted a stay visa of about 2 weeks. It isn't Winter Court but quite close to one, especially in a relatively remote province. Surely, there must be 1 potential spouse among them for Kuni-san to consider?"