Tea Means ... Tea?

Richter has agreed with Kaze that a private eye could keep watch on Hitomi.

Kaze: "And you can hire such a person... without it being traced?"

Richter: "Aw, sure, the right kind of money papers over a lot of questions ... all of 'em, for a certain type of guy."

Saburo, who has remained silent up till now: "The longer we let him recover, the stronger Hitomi will be when he returns. We should attack, even if we have no chance of success, to cost him the initiative."

He stands up.

"I volunteer to attack Hitomi to buy you more time. You will use this time wisely, I hope."

Richter is nonplussed.

"Suicide isn't good strategy," he says.

"Begging your pardon, but is it not so that when you went over the top in the Great War, you knew you were likely to die? But you did so for the sake of your race. It seems to me that the situations are alike, but perhaps you will explain to me how they are not."

Kaze shakes her head.

"Saburo, if anyone should be buying time, it should be I. He will not immediately attack me."

She gives a slight smile and shrug of her shoulders.

"I could no doubt delay him for several hours if I offered to serve him tea--properly."
"For our ways are not your ways, Mr. Richter."

Nick Voinovich: "In the spirit of cultural curiosity, what exactly does 'properly' serving tea constitute? In your ways."

Kaze: "To explain would also require hours--as well as demonstration... and regretfully, we are not at our leisure."

Amused. "The chaji celebrates both inner and outer beauty. Properly done, it occupies perhaps four hours."

That explains exactly none of what Nick wanted to know -- but it does remind him that if the answer is as he fears, he would rather it weren't stated in mixed company.