The Great Uprising [Kyo, Mizu]

"That's a good point, you're right about that." Only after Kyo had discerned there weren't any other sources of bright red hair in the area, and that none of the Mousawa ninja were around to report this to his father, Kyo loosened up one more, his attention returning primarily to Mizu as they spoke.

"I think a hobby is good for everyone. Work is important, and ambition in our lives and careers is something everyone ought to have, but it's just as important to take those little moments and earnestly enjoy life. That's what keeps me involved with the tea growers, after all. I'm sure there's a hobby out there for you! We'll find it with some effort."

In theory, simply inserting oneself into Mizu's life in such a way might have normally come across as a bit overconfident, but it was hard for anything Kyo said to seem "overconfident" when he already carried himself with such a generally firm presence. It didn't really come from any sort of self-importance, just an earnest belief in himself. The thought that it might seem rude, or forward for that matter, didn't even cross his mind.

"Ah, here we are!" As they arrived at the front gate of the impressive Sawachika estate, Kyo pushed it open for his guest, noting that this new one was a bit sturdier than the previous. Within the walls, behind the gate, was an impressive, if quite humble, manor, only two stories and primarily built close to the ground, surrounded by gardens that seemed well-tended to. "It would seem my family is not home at present." Thank goodness.

Mizu's face lit up like the Sun at Kyo declaring he would help her find a hobby of some kind. His confidence infectiously grew her own and when he said something would happen, for some reason to Mizu it then seemed like an inevitability. All she could do was respond with a resolute "Hai!".

When they finally reached the inner gate to the Sawachika family Estate, Mizu realized this was the first time she would step on a Noble house's grounds. For someone like her who always looked up to the Noble houses as people who could effect real, positive change in Soul Society and beyond, as well as the people who have practically built the Seireitei from the ground up, this was a pretty big moment. However she wanted to keep the significance of this moment to herself as she did not want to make it weird for Kyo or seem anxious about the situation. Thus when her friend kindly pushed the gate open, she took her first step in without any fuss to not draw attention to her inner thoughts.

"Your home is lovely, Kyo-san. The gardens are beautiful!" As he announced the absence of his family Mizu found herself slightly disappointed, having wanted to meet the people who helped him become who he is. There's always next time she thought to herself before responding out loud and quite cheerily "It'll be tea for two, then!"

"Ah, mother does take quite good care of the plants and the rock gardens, so I'll tell her you spoke so highly of them." Of course, Kyo was rather glad the woman wasn't here to hear that herself. There would have been a decent chance she wanted to test Mizu's mettle, and Kyo didn't exactly feel like putting her through all that. "For two does sound lovely."

Leading her inside the actual home itself, the building's construction was rather open, but extremely traditional. Paintings lined the walls, and Kyo did his utmost not to draw any particular attention to one of the more visually striking ones, a tasteful (if somewhat sensual) portrait of a red-headed woman in the nude from behind. Every time he saw it, he felt compelled to challenge his father to have it removed, but that wasn't a fight he would win, so he saw little point in all that.

"Seeing as we're coming into winter, I've been working on blends that should keep things nice and warm. A buckwheat tea that I've been mellowing should be good, and I have a roasted kyobancha that should keep the cold at bay. Ah, the jewel should be the pu'er that's come in! The tea itself has been aging for nearly as long as I've been alive, but I'm quite pleased with the spices and aromatics that I've prepared to steep with it."

While Kyo was always happy to talk about his tea blends, he was actually somewhat rambling as he led the way, which wasn't quite like him. He was always perfectly glad to have someone visit, but it was a fairly stressful affair, given the prospect of his family appearing at any given time.

Upon entering the Sawachika Estate Mizu was in awe at it's audacity. Her own home, though a significant manor in it's own right, was also far plainer than his. Instead of the occasional plant and simplistic painting adorning walls, great illustrations covered those of Kyo's home. Outside of the paintings it did largely resemble her own residence, but she was greatly taken aback by a particular painting depicting a red-haired woman showing off her nude backside. Mizu immediately blushed a brilliant red as her face turned into a tomato and she swiftly turned her gaze forward and did her best to pretend she had not seen it. She knew her companion was a man of great boldness but she would never have guessed his family home would display such racy imagery.

Doing her best to listen as Kyo uncharacteristically gabbled on about tea blends and spices, Mizu nodded along in silence knowing she had little to add. Thus far her experience with him had been pleasant and she did not want to ruin by speaking on something she didn't know much about. While Mizu could certainly appreciate a well-made tea, and was looking forward to Kyo's blends, she was not well-versed in the particulars of how such a thing is made.

Instead she focused on how he had been acting since they agreed to come to his family home and her curiosity got the best of her as she questioned him about it "Kyo-san, I've been wondering...are you nervous about something? I don't mean to pry, but if you are anxious you can tell me about it. You have just seemed a little, um, off since coming here." Not quite having the guts to mention it aloud, Mizu hoped she had not done something to rattle him.

Ah. Well, Kyo supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised that Mizu would notice he was off. It was, after all, fairly unusual for him to laser focus to quite this degree, to say nothing of the fact that he was hardly the sort to typically just talk at the woman like he currently was.

"Terribly sorry about that, Mizu-san. I didn't mean to come across as anxious or anything like that. It's nice having you over! But, ah... Well, my father's certainly the sort to pry into my affairs now and again, and he'd definitely want to speak with you if he knew I'd brought a friend over."

Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Lord Sawachika did certainly talk to all of Kyo's friends, but he would have been so focused on speaking to Mizu on account of her being a woman. Kyo knew that perfectly well, but he didn't quite want to make this out as anything more than tea between friends.

"He's quite a presence. I wouldn't want to scare you off by having you meet him."

Kyo chuckled a bit at that, but there was still some nervousness to it. After all, he felt like that was a very real possibility.

Oh. Secretly Mizu felt a bit underestimated by Kyo's explanation. She knew her size and personality wouldn't always inspire confidence in her abilities by those around her, but she figured Kyo knew by now she was more than willing to take on a challenge. Then again, she also knew she could come off as too deferential when dealing with superiors. To say she was hurt by Kyo's estimation of her would be a gross exaggeration either way. She was just a little confused.

After further consideration, Mizu relaxed and didn't allow herself to get too stuck in thought. She figured she was simply reading too much into Kyo's answer and accepted he knew what he was talking about. After all, maybe Lord Sawachika is just that larger than life or intimidating.

With a smile Mizu spoke to her friend about his hidden-behind-laughter worry "Oh, I don't think there is any danger of that happening Kyo-san. I'm having a good time! Though he must certainly be something if even you are worried." For a moment she thought about her own father, and recalled how obedient and reverent she could be in his presence. She had always looked up to him. Her traditional, and oftentimes strict, upbringing had never soured him in her eyes. "Then again, I guess that's just how fathers are to their children Kyo-san."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Honestly, the assurance that she was indeed having a good time went a long way in Kyo's mind, and much of the stress behind his smile seemed to go away. He supposed he'd been thinking a bit too much into it, but given how things had gone lately, maybe he couldn't entirely help it. "Father would hardly ever mean any ill will toward you, I'm confident in that. But frankly, he makes me seem almost demure in comparison."

That was a good way to summarize his father, he felt, and he couldn't help but laugh as he said it, more genuine than before. Kyo knew, of course, that the man would also certainly grill Mizu about any interest she might have had in Kyo, and that was roughly the last thing he wanted to subject this woman to.

"It's true, I think. A good father is always looking out for their children, and I hope I can do that for my own children one day. Though maybe not as intensely as my father does."

Continuing to lead the way to the estate, he eventually reached his own suite, all very neatly organized and with his countless drafts organized on shelves next to his work desk. The two-room affair was attached to a spacious exterior, which was filled mostly with his training ground and several stones that he'd been carving and working with in his free time.

Mizu struggled to imagine an even more-Kyo Kyo, but without actually meeting him she did not want to have any preconceived notions about the man. The next thing her companion said stood out a bit to her, and out of curiosity she decided to question him about his future "Oh? You see yourself having children, Kyo-san? It's not out of the ordinary or anything, but I am not sure many Gotei officers think about that kind of thing." She especially had not considered it as all her focus and attention had been on her ambitions and duties.

She let her question sit in the air until he chose to answer and otherwise continued following along next to him until they reached their destination. Nothing was particularly surprising about the interior of his half office-half bedroom suite. Though she did not want to seem too nosy or disrespectful of his things, Mizu did find herself walking the length of his suite, her attention flitting between the various decorations and architectural drafts. After a short time Mizu took a look outside as well, and noticed not only was it large enough to function as a training area, but it seemed Kyo had yet another hidden talent.

"You do stone carvings, Kyo-san?" asked Mizu as she glanced between the incomplete works. Her focus could remain on them for only so long as she walked a short distance across the training area "Ooo, this is perfect! Nice and spacious, Kyo-san. I'm envious! If I want to use a private training area I have to go all the way to my family's estate in Hokutan, and they don't even like me using it for that. I do like training with other people, do not get me wrong, but sometimes seclusion is nice. Don't you think?"

"I do, yes. My ideal is to inherit the household and become the next head of the Sawachika, though I've got a long way to go before I can surpass the merits of my elder brothers and sisters. And if I do that, I'll naturally have to find a wife to continue the family from there."

The thought of his future intentions did, admittedly, put the faintest damper onto Kyo's mood, but he wasn't willing to let that show. He was certainly not happy about everything that had happened with Asami, but he wasn't going to regret the decisions he'd made, or look back on them. He had far too much ambition, too much to push himself toward.

"I built it myself, so I'm glad to hear you like it! If you'd like to use it, I'd be glad to have you over any time. A training ground isn't worth much if it isn't being used!"

The concept of marriage had been mentioned a few times throughout her life by her parents, though the Morikawas weren't a family too focused on it like other nobles, of Earth and Soul Society alike, are. To her family the most important thing is becoming something in life, whether as an accomplished artist, Shinigami, or otherwise. Still, Mizu considered for a moment the idea of getting married. To her it was always something so far into the future so as to be irrelevant. Even among her older siblings only her late brother Kaiyō had gotten married.

With a tilt of her head Mizu asked Kyo about getting married "Do you have to get married to be head of the Sawachika clan? Or is that something that comes after?" Though raised with noble standards and expectations hammered into her skull, actually being a noble and what may come with that was still foreign to Mizu. "And, of course I would love to come over again Kyo-san! Since we share the same dream, training together just seems efficient!"