(D2, MM) Pretty birds and swift birds

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka grinned.

"Of course, Kakita-san. I also am available to duel whenever my schedule allows. I'm a fair pilot but not invincible. So if you ever find yourself in the mood, I am but a communicator message away." she allows, leading the customer back in to the store after safely retrieving the carp.

"Which one did you want, Kakita-san? I assume one of the Legends, only the best for the best, but it's your call." she upsold.

[Kakita Haruhi]

"Ah, a Legend it is! And I'd like to duel you. At your convenience. That sounds like great fun."

"Shall I examine the Legends? See which one speaks to me?" Assuming there were several available.

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka didn't think in terms like that, but she also wasn't a Kakita.

She gestured magnanimously towards the Legends section.

"Of course, Kakita-san. I want you the be fully satisfied with your purchase. Find the one that is meant to be with you." she granted.

There was perhaps a shared eyeroll by the staff behind them. They knew who was going to have to put things back together after the Kakita's hunt.

[Kakita Haruhi]

She picked up each one. Gently. Reverently.

She spoke to each drone. Intense little whispers.

And then lifted one. Turning it in all directions. "This one! This drone wants to fly! No, to swim! To swim through the air, most carp-like."

She held it to her chest, and petted it like a cat.

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka couldn't help but smile a bit. She did remind her a bit of her father and his care for his designs.

"Definitely it was meant to be, Kakita-san. I can think of no better steward for it's care, your partnership will be a strong one indeed." she remarked.

The employees put together the rest of the Kakita's purchases like the banner and ran the payment.

Taraka added the Kakita's name to the leaderboard and it's growing number of rank 0 pilots.

"Hm, did you see the prizes for the top five Kakita-san? I'd be interested on hearing your artistic opinion on them." she asked, curious.

[Kakita Haruhi]

"Oh I haven't! Where should I look to see them?"

She looked around.

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka guided the Kakita over to the display. Arranged on a table were the five prizes with the first prize being on the center of the table, surrounded by the four smaller prizes:


1st Place: A double-sized red crab plushie.
2nd Place: A black crab with a single splash of red in the center plushie.
3rd Place: A white crab with red lines plushie.
4th place: A red crab with a little felt book plushie
5th place: A pale blue crab plushie.

She looked to gauge the Kakita's reaction. It seemed like the Kakita might like them, but Taraka wasn't hundred percent sure on that.

[Kakita Haruhi]

Haruhi gasped. "Oh! These are adorable! There is even a pale blue one!"

"Ah, who makes these? They are so charming."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nods.

"Aren't they though? They're the work of a local artisan who is a friend of my father. They very kindly donated them to be used as exclusive prizes for this. I'd introduce you, but they're off in Aoihama for the next couple weeks pitching their designs to a company there to see them put into production. But I can give you their contact information. I'm sure they'd love to connect with a fellow artist." she explained.

The years might pass, the space might expand, but even these days, artisans and courtiers always looked to expand their network.

[Kakita Haruhi]

"I'd appreciate that very much! It is indeed always a pleasure to meet new artisans. Particularly those so clearly skilled."

"And I may be here on Nakahama for some time. There are many birds to find. It could take years to complete. It is simply a question of how long my patron finds me valuable. In the keeping, or the sharing."

"I shall have a chance to please her today! She has asked me to help her daughter's first market. An advantage of having an artisan in residence."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka noted the declaration of years with interest.

"Oh, interesting Kakita-san. Does that mean you might be looking for an apartment for a longer term stay? I'd be happy to talk to the landlord about space in the building I live in." she offered.

She couldn't help but smile at the mention of first market, though she wondered if her patron's daughter was going to be able to keep up with the Kakita's standards.

"Ah, it's a great tradition, Kakita-san. It's fortune that your patron lives where they do. An number of the bigger cities don't even hold first market anymore." she reveals.

[Kakita Haruhi]

"I await guidance from my patron, Yasuki Reina-sama. She suggested staying at the hotel during these current events. Connections, connections, connections. But it is certainly possible I will be shopping for workshop space soon. If you wanted to chat with the landlord, I will be all the more prepared when it is time. Thank you."

"Can you tell me more about it? Your own first market memories? Have you lived here all your life?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nodded.

Sure, Kakita-san, oh, before I forget, I should add the name you wish to give to your carp to the leaderboard." she said.

"But I have lived here my whole live, with the exception of my mandatory military service. Those years saw me piloting through Crab space with the supply corps.

"As for MY First Market, I must've spent weeks preparing for it. Asking each of the neighborhood kids what they'd be selling, how much they'd be charging, where they'd be sitting. My mother was an incredibly sharp businesswoman, and I was determined to show here I was too. But it was worth the effort in the end. She let me total up the profits on her abacus and her smile was radiant as I did so."

[Kakita Haruhi]

Oh! A name for her carp. She looked down at the drone nestled against her chest.

"Can I see the leaderboard? The names others have chosen?" Perhaps there was a protocol or style to it. And she needed time to think.

She smiled at the description of Yasuki-san's first market. "Oh that sounds like a very warm memory! To feel a parent's approval. It is the best feeling in the world!"

"That is a good idea to let Miho-san confirm the final total."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nods.

"Of course, Kakita-san, and you can always pull the leaderboard up on the website to check your standing. If you need some extra time to think of a name that's fine too, not everyone is immediately drawn to a name." she offered.

There were four names that stood out on the leaderboard:

Velvet Thunder
Heavenly Sail
Pinky Swear
Coin's Edge

[Kakita Haruhi]

"Such excellent names! How about ... 'Sky Blue'"?

Too obvious?

No, it felt right.

"Yes. Sky Blue."

"And how do I contact the others? Is the goal to get one match with each other competitor?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

"Sky Blue is perfect, Kakita-san. You should be able to reach them through the website or through their personal communicators." she explained.

She considered the other part of the question.

"Well, goal is perhaps a bit too strong, Kakita-san. The rule about not challenging the same person multiple times on the same day is meant to prevent....hmm...let us say underhanded behavior. There was a case one year of a person buying two of the battle tested veterans. They gave one to their five year old, and then kept 'defeating' them over and over again. The screen just lit up with:

Jimen defeats Norotoshi
Jimen defeats Norotoshi
Jimen defeats Norotoshi

There was a pretty big outcry in the community. People who are passionate about anything, especially their hobbies, do not take well to that sort of blatant disregard for the spirit of a competition. So that's why you can only duel a single given pilot in a day. You could duel me once every single day, or you could duel everyone in the competition on a single day. Just so long as you respect the limits."

[Kakita Haruhi]

"Ah, that makes sense. I do want to respect the rules. Perhaps we can pick a time to duel first. And then I'll be confident I'll know what to do when I make appointments with others."

She takes down all the relevant links to follow the 'board ratings' and contact the other participants.

So exciting!

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nods.

"A good idea, Kakita-san. Maybe sometime tomorrow in the morning or afternoon? Unless you want to debut at the party on Azure Dragon, but I think a private duel to get a grasp of things might be nice." she offered.

[Kakita Haruhi]

"A private duel in the morning sound perfect! Shall I meet you here?"