(D2, MA, Tori Tea) Celebratory Tea

[Yasuki Taraka]

Tori Tea was one of the smaller shops on Golden Shotengai. As one might guess, it specialized in different blends of tea, sold under a logo of a Jimen Tori with a tea cup. It also provided space where those who still practiced the ritual of tea ceremony could find their calm (for a small price).

Having helped Yasuki Jo off to a good start in the Yasuki arts, Taraka made her way to Tori tea, expecting to have a cup and some words with a Miya in a slightly more relaxed environment.

[Miya Kisha]

It won't be long before Kisha makes her way to the tea house. Being less local, she is necessarily less familiar with the layout of the town, and so she takes a little more time to get there than someone who already knows the way. Too, the holodrone keeps recording, gathering content for tomorrow's Comments.

Entering, Kisha will find Taraka and greet her with a bow. "This is a nice place," she says. "Thank you for inviting me."

[Yasuki Taraka]

"It is a nice place, isn't it?" Taraka agrees with a bow. "Thank you for accepting my invitation. Nakahama has a lot to offer, so I'm glad I get to share this little corner of it with you.

She lays out the implements of the tea ceremony. Granted the Jimen Tori colored cups would look a bit out of place on the home world, but other than that, the ritual was unchanged as it had been for centruries.

A ceremony that Taraka performed with easy grace.

Tea Ceremony, 34 vs 15, Pass

[Miya Kisha]

Kisha waits in a respectful seiza as cha-do happens. The recorder will have landed, quietly tucked out of the way.

"It's been so long since I've been able to enjoy the ceremony," she says once it is completed. "New things are often good, but that doesn't mean the old are bad, either. A lot of people fail to recognize it."

She sits back a little. "So, how did young Jo do for his first market?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka smiled a bit.

"With my guidance, how could they help but sell out?" Taraka said, proud of Jo's first victory.

She considered the angle briefly.

"But it's true what you say, too many forget the old ways. Take First Market, for example. It's means so much to young children. Their first real step in the transition from childhood to adulthood. Ill always remember my first First Market, just as I hope Jo-chan remember theirs. But, did you know the tradition is fading? Big cities like Aoihama don't even host it anymore! I'm sure their children are educated in our ways is as proper...but it's still a missing memory they'll never have, of that first sale as a child." she says.

[Miya Kisha]

Kisha nods.

"I remember my first ride," she says, smiling a little wistfully. "Shisha still get trained on it, for the most part. Some opt to drive, instead, and some of their sensei even allow it. Most don't. Mine didn't. But there's something to be said for following in the footsteps of others, even if we do all benefit from taking other roads, now and again.

"Such as this one. I wouldn't have had such a good time if I hadn't come here or if I didn't come the way I did--which not many if any did before, at least in the Family.

"But tell me about your First Market, Yasuki-san! How did it go for you?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka smiled.

"Sold out completely, of course." she said with confidence. "I remember my mother's smile as she let me use her abacus to tally up my profits. I've done well in business since then, but that moment still fills me with pride to an incredible degree."

She looked at the Miya inquisitively.

"Hm, it must be hard finding opportunities for you to ride, Miya-san. Not every planet keeps horses these days, and I can't imagine the bureaucratic wrangling you'd have to go through to get one cleared for interstellar travel." she offered.

[Miya Kisha]

"Less than you might think," Kisha replies. "It's one of those things that people seem to expect, so they tend to help it happen."

She grins. "The horo gets a little itchy, though. And it chafes if you're not used to it."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka returns the grin.

"A small price to pay for being able to flap dramatically in the wind, surely." she returns. "How have you found the winds of our fair island?"

[Miya Kisha]

"They're not so bad," Kisha says. "Although I've been enjoying the accommodations and their ability to keep me out of them. The hospitality of Tango Island does not receive enough praise.

"I'm hoping to do something to change that."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nodded at the holorecorder.

"You're not alone in that sentiment, Miya-san. Is there anything in particular you think would be of especial interest to your viewership?" she offered.

[Miya Kisha]

"I've found that people are interested in people," Kisha replies. "Seeing who is here, what their lives are like, visitors and locals alike, that kind of thing matters to people more than just about anything else. So I've been recording what I can of who I see, who I interact with, getting kind of an overview of, well, Tango."

She nods.

"I'm not an ethnographer," she adds. "I'm not some scholar of it. But I don't have to be. What I have to do is make this place known, and the better we know each other, the better things will be. I believe that much, at least."

[Yasuki Taraka]

Well that was a portrait in Miya humility. No Miya heroes indeed.

"Well, I'd love to help you out with that, Miya-san. I really feel Nahama is just the right size, you know? Big enough that there's plenty to do and see, small enough that it doesn't feel rushed and impersonal." she mused.

[Miya Kisha]

"That was the sense of it I had, too," Kisha agrees readily enough. "And so it allows for a greater focus on people; there aren't so many that the ones who stand out also stand away, if that makes any sense. When I can interview people at some length, or follow them for a bit, they don't get swallowed up by everything around them, but they're still part of everything around them. And that, that makes a lot of difference."

She nods again.

"So I wonder, now, if I might be able to pay you a visit where you work," the Miya continues, "maybe see what all it is you do and how it helps to shape Tango to be what it really is. I think I caught some of it, other people talking about it, but...what would you say the work you do is?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

"We bring people together in the spirit of fun and competition with a sport that draws inspiration from our shared heritage." she offered.

She considered the request.

"Hm, you are welcome to record the store, Miya-san, but I don't think that would fully capture what you're looking for. However, *I think you'd have a much more interesting segment were you to come in, purchase one of our carps, and then go out and participate in a battle. I'd be happy to serve as your first fight. I think it's make for some excellent footage." she suggested.

[Miya Kisha]

"Carps?" Kisha asks. "Oh, you mean the drone-kites! So that's your shop! I heard something about that," the Miya says, her tone cheerful. "How are those operated? Is it like piloting a hoverdrone?"

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka nodded.

"Pretty simple controls really Miya-san. Left stick makes it go up and down with the throttle, or spin in a circle. Right stick moves the drone around. Really easy to pick up, though it takes some practice to get really good at doing the fighting part. You've got to balance offense and defense, speed and precision." she says.

[Miya Kisha]

"So not much different than my setup, then," Kisha comments. "Is it just straight-up ramming, or are there other things that factor in? I know that, on my drone, I've got camera and microphone controls to treat, even before it comes time to edit. I'd imagine that some drones have other...special controls, even if I'm not up on what they are."

She leans in, elbows on the table and hands under her chin, her full attention on the Yasuki across from her.

[Yasuki Taraka]

Taraka shakes her head.

"Not ramming, no, Miya-san. We attach banners to them. The goal is to cut your opponent's banner string with a rotor while keeping your own intact. And no real special controls on them. You're free to modify them as you see fit, for the most part, but the government has banned the installation of cameras, recording devices, or weapons on them." she explains.

[Miya Kisha]

Kisha nods.

"I can understand that," she says. "There's a reason I have so many legal agreements and permits in place as I do.

"So, the carp have rotors preinstalled? And how long have your contests been going on? Did you start them, or did you take them over from someone else?"

The Miya, whose speech had been accelerating, stops short and shakes her head.

"Forgive me," she says. "I've been told I get too excited about things every now and again."