"So then, you want me to kill your allies, in exchange for the location of my sister? A strange offer, but I will accept, regardless." The Dragon said, supremely confident in his prowess.
As he turned his attention back to the devils on the ground, he continued his banter with the flying devil. "But why would you make such an offer? Surely one such as you has little to gain from aiding me. Unless of course you're assuming I won't end you as payment for your information." The Dragon asked, half-taunting her.
The acquaintance can wait. The Dragon thought to himself. These devils could cause serious problems...
"Thank you San Pen, that was very brave of you.". Bowing to the samurai, "And unexpected thanks to you...mysterious samurai" She gives Shoto Imuri a small wink. "Please walk with us."
She will walk nonchalantly as if she had not just been personally threatened and matters of honor were not fought at her feet. Once clear of the villainous samurai, she will address her two companions. "Thank you again San Pen and you, Shoto Imuri, you do your clan much honor this day although you choose to hide that fact."
"But oh..what a loveless day.. San Pen, I will not be going back to the Palace. I must see to my Temple. The threat was not even veiled. I must see to its defenses before I report to the Emperor's summons this evening"
Of courrse. Perrhaps the young man will accompany you- I'm farr too slow to keep up.
AC: 18 to all others, 22 for Devil
HP: 33
Katana: Round four of Vigor at +2
Emotional State: Pissed Off. If she had rage, it would be happening now.
Action: Challenging and Handing this Bearded Devil its ass, and then considering beating up Kyras too. Vital Strike on Devil.
Azami narrows her eyes in anger, a wave of cold fury rolling over her skin as the burst of blood drips from her armor. She notes Chongde-san's withdrawal to Kong-Zhen with ambivalence--inside her head, her pulse pounds the realization that the first sign she has received in years has been wiped away by the arrogant dragon-fool. With bitterness in her heart, she silently apologizes to the spirits of the Kagawa and her husband.
There are no words for the contempt that roils in her veins; she will destroy this devil and the acid-spewing fool may well be next. If the Yokai wants him, then he is a threat to the Emperor and the city as well, and she will be happy to separate his spirit from his flesh.
"You will die, fiend," Azami challenges the devil. She lets loose with a violent Aaaahaaaaghh as she swings ferociously towards his foul form.
The bearded devil, which seems to have shaken off most of Kyras' flung acid, suffers a massive wound from Azami's magicked katana, its black blood spilling onto the cobblestones at her feet. Nonetheless, a large chunk of the wound heals over instantly, stopping the flow of gore from its body. "Leave her!" commands the Fury, who has now landed on a different roof, ignoring Kong and her arrow victim a couple buildings away. "Focus on the Dragonborn! We must see if he's worthy!" To Kyras she adds "These are pawns, Dragonborn, to be used as I will. If you join us, then you will be of the Ruling Class, and wield similar power, and you will never need worry about your sister -- or anything else -- ever again. Your Awakening could not possibly have come at a more propitious time!"
The bearded devil sneers and spits at Azami, then slowly backs away from the fierce Gaijin, running around her and towards Kyras, clearly attending to attack the other foreigner in tandem with its Infernal brother. Meanwhile, the first Bearded Devil charges at Kyras, ignoring both of the Palace Guards. As its glaive pierces the sorcerer's flesh, there is a terrible sizzling sound, and the wound, terribly, splits open wider than it should, instantly bathing the man's arm in his own blood.
@Kyras:
@Daveth:
Dark eyes watch Kong for a moment, then shoot a glance over at Azami and Kyrus. It is all Chongde can do /NOT/ to bury her face in her hand with a heavy sigh. "Do not get injured. I will never hear the end of it is you do," the Palace Guard murmurs.
To the devils it is then, and Chongde turns to face the, considering carefully her next action.
Fort Save:
Sorry about that I've not been getting a lot of sleep recently and my body decided to take today as the day that I would sleep ALL day xD
Despite Kong's best efforts, Daveth is not waking up. Whether it's his devil blood or something else, the accountant doesn't know, but the winged man is still out cold.
The ruling class? The darkness whispered. It is where you belong... The Dragon ignored the whispers, focusing his ire on the devil that was attempting to position itself to attack him better while ignoring the one that charged.
"It is a shame, really." The dragon taunted her, as he swung his blade at one of the offending devils, his arms rippling with the effort. "It is the mark of a poor general who throws her soldiers away. Feeble tools or otherwise."
Even as its flesh attempts to heal itself, the Bearded Devil falls dead, Kyras' magicked sword easily blasting through its infernal protections. The one lone devil hunkers down, prepared to fight to the last.
@Chongde and @Azami
@Daveth:
@Tokine: as you rush across town, the mists seem to gather around your calves as if they are trying to trip you. You smell over-steeped tea from somewhere, bitter and tannic. You think you hear swords clashing and yelling voices, and there is a giant, black, winged form high above you that could, conceivably, be a bird.
To your horror, you round the corner to the wide street in front of your temple and come face-to-face with a massacre.
At the center are three huge gaijin; a helf-elf, a half-orc, and a human. The half-elf is a brutish and tall male with a magicked bow who is unloading tremendous amounts of arrows in a short time, the human is a female in plate mail with a pair of lethal longswords, and the half-orc is also female, and wields a giant greatsword. Surrounding them are more figures in grey keikogi, spurred on by a ronin, all of them like what you just saw in the alley.
The gaijin are standing arrayed in front of the door and appear to be defending it, and you hear fighting from inside the temple, as well. A thin trickle of blood is trickling out the door.
No one has seen you.
@Imuri: it is a short journey to the gaijin's rooms; they are staying in the Inn of the Graces. When you arrive, one of the gaijin -- the handsome half-elf -- from Daiyu-san's tea shop is in the lobby area, which doubles as a noodle house, and he is talking to a beautiful and graceful elf clad entirely in white. If they notice you, they give no indication of this.
With a gentle voice to the slightly confused Samurai. "Beauty is a gift, not to be squandered behind ugly scars. Although the pleasantness of your voice and impressive grace of your skills still find favor with Shelyn." She bows again, "Pass my greetings to your honorable mother. I assume I will see her tonight. Till then, I have the matter of this Plum Blossom to attend to."
She will linger for any response before grasping one of San Pen's hands. She will then make a determined course toward her temple keeping an eye and ear out for trouble.
Upon reaching the corner, Tokine sees her fears materialize. These Gaigin fight to guard the Temple? I must give them what assistance I may!
From around the corner, she casts a protective prayer to Shelyn and a radiant yet transparent bird rises up behind her and envelops her with its wings. She then moves across the street to stand against the wall of her temple hoping the battle is enough to distract her enemies.
HP:50
Buffs: Shield of Faith (3rd level DC 18)
4 attacks of opportunity with 10' reach
Knowledge/The Planes:
Chongde looked over at the devils and the gaijin and her fellow Palace Guard fighting them, before she finally looked back up at the Erinyes. Eyes narrowed, Chongde looked at the female-like creature and shook her head. "You are a fool and were raised by fools if you think your own bravado will save you. For it is false bravado, hiding your cowardice, and the fact that you have no honor!" she hisses, before leveling her katana once more.
"Thunder of the heavens!" cries Chongde as she grips her blade in one hand with all her might. Sparks begin to appear in her left hand, before the entire arm erupts with arcing bolts of blue-white electricity.
Her attention turned now to the bearded devil that stands on it's own, Chongde moves towards it several steps (to K5) before bellowing again, "Being of the outer hells! Come fight me you honorless rodent!"
Fort Save
Fort Save1d20+6
AC: 20
HP: 33
Vigor: Last round of +2 to katana
Emotional state: Further irritated that this arrogant fool keeps killing my foes.
Action: moving to square below devil (H11) and Vital striking this jerk
Azami casts a stony glare at Kyras as she darts around him to engage the Devil, a vicious stab towards its middle.
@Daveth: you awake with a snort and a start; the most horrid seaweed-y smell is clinging to your nostrils. There is still a magic arrow stuck in your side and the rapid movement causes a lance of pain to shoot through your body. Looking around, you see a bookish, moon-faced fellow with a goofy grin sitting close to you. He is cradling a bottle of salts. "You are awake! You can assist Shan Chongde's compatriots in the courtyard! She does not need assistance because she is the MIGHTIEST! But the others could probably use your help." You see the battle unfolding in the courtyard...
@Chongde: The devil roars with profane laughter at your challenge. "So eager to fight, little mortal from the mountains? So eager to die? Fine! Fight this!" Stepping out of range of the gaijins' lethal swords, the devil makes a very rude gesture with its left arm while muttering in its infernal tongue, and then there is a tear in the fabric of reality and a new bearded devil appears directly in front of you, lashing out immediately with its glaive. It strikes you with its first swing, the cursed blade opening a terrible wound that will be difficult to heal, but its second attack bounces harmlessly off your armor.
The Fury twists her head to one side a little bit as if listening and then says something to herself in Infernal.
As the second devil is summoned, the Fury laughs. "I have enjoyed this time, mortals, but must depart." She drops a small envelope, which begins fluttering to the ground. "You! Dragonborn! If you want to know more about your...opportunities, or if you insist on pursuing your sister, come to the palace dinner tomorrow night, and you may find some answers. And don't worry, I promise..." her smile could at best be described as sinister "...we will see each other again." With a powerful stroke of her wings she lifts off the rooftop, and disappears, leaving behind only a few rapidly fading arcane characters in the mist.
@Kyras:
Tokine: As you flatten yourself against the wall, the movement catches the eyes of three of the ronin, one of which is the leader. "Ah! Madame curator. Just in time. You will tell us where the paintings the gaijin gave you are located. Your Chief Undercurator was...most unhelpful." He strides forward, sword drawn and murder in his eyes. He waves off one of the keikogi-clad warriors, barking out "I will handle this!" but is too late to stop a second one from charging recklessly in to attack you. It is only by his sheer speed and guilelessness that he connects with his katana, slashing your arm open. Blood flows out, rapidly being soaked up by your clothes.
Tokine's eyes fixed on the Leader of the Ronin, if such a thing can exist. Has he already been in Temple and assaulted our acolytes?
From behind the leader, one of his followers dashes in wildly. Tokine brings her naginata to bear too late.
** spoiler omitted **
Tokine's eyes fixed on the Leader of the Ronin, if such a thing can exist. Has he already been in Temple and assaulted our acolytes?
From behind the leader, one of his followers dashes in wildly. Tokine brings her naginata to bear too late.
1d20 + 7
Tokine climbs higher to avoid the Ronin's blade, but opens herself up to another attack. Before dancing along the wall toward her unknown benefactors, determined to aid them best she can. Her vantage gives her another chance to slash her young opponent as she passes over his head.
AC: 22
HP:41 of 50
Buffs: Shield of Faith (3rd level DC 18)
4 attacks of opportunity with 10' reach
Moves 5 ft up (drawing AOO) and moves 10 ft over to L7 before attacking with reach.
@Everybody:
The ronin leader laughs heartily as you scramble elegantly up the wall, badly wounding the young warrior foolish enough to attempt to detain you. "Nagano-san, truly you are blessed by Shelyn, with such grace and such ability as to walk on walls, one as humble as I can only imagine such skill. But to trust the defense of the temple to such brutish servants? How gauche. It must be punished." He claps his hands twice and three of the student ronin drop their swords and throw shuriken at you. In such an exposed position, and unused to fighting while parallel to the ground, all three throwing stars impact your body. The pain is fierce, but worse you notice that they are all coated with a sticky fluid of some sort. Poison?
You hear the rough, loud voices of the gaijin at the door. "Gwen who's that?"
"Dunno, but the enemy of my enemy and all that."
"...and all what?"
"Nara you dunce."
"I told you not to call me that!"
The half-elven archer is busy picking off figures on the roof across the street, while deftly avoiding the clumsy attacks of two ronin. There is a shield of arcane force shimmering in the air in front of him. The swordswomen have dropped another ronin between them and continue to hold their ground. Both are...remarkably strong.
Tokine feels the burn in her wounds. "Poison, Ronin?...obviously you possess no honor, ...gauche indeed..." She shakes her head in disbelief at the affront of this assault.
She moves along the wall, closer to her Temple's new defenders.
"Consider carefully where Shelyn finds beauty in this world, because from up here, Shelyn sees the beauty in righteous defiance and the ugliness of brutish greed."
Tokine brings her naginata down against the Temple wall. The bells do not produce their usual tinkle of notes, but instead combine to produce the peal of a single temple bell. At that very moment, a cloud of translucent gold or black birds explode from within the bells. The birds quickly circle and divide up. The four gold birds alight on Tokine and the three defenders before dissolving in a simmer of light, the more numerous blacks all find a ronin and melt into a black stain.
She moves to R7 above the defender, although displaying her in S7 is fine 15 ft up.
And she had cast Prayer. +1 to attack, damage, saves, and skills for the gold birds; -1 for the black birds. Hope the flourish was OK.
AC: 22
HP:30 of 50
Buffs: Shield of Faith (3rd level DC 18) +2 AC
Prayer (3rd Level DC 18) +1 Bonus attack, damage, saves, skills
4 attacks of opportunity with 10' reach
@Tokine:
The grey-suited ronin let out strange little cries of dismay as the phantasmal birds hit them. Their leader shouts "encouragement" in the form of specific violent threats on their persons. The grim-faced female gaijin, she of the chestnut skin and twin swords, spares you a glance. "If you're some kind of gendarmes or something, I promise you we didn't start this."
A couple more of the ronin go down, but the same three as before fling more shuriken at you. These ones are not coated with poison, but are razor-sharp and deadly all the same. However, thrown off by the power of your magic, this time only one manages to land a hit.
The gaijin continue to put down enemies.
"Gendarmes?..No..I have a higher authority. This is my Temple and defilers will be stopped!"
She points to the Ronin leader. "I grant you the mercy of my Goddess to redeem yourself. Flee the scene of this crime and pray to your ancestors for forgiveness from the shame you have brought them. ..now..."
She casts Command DC 16
AC: 22
HP:27 of 50; Last hit by shuriken reduced to 3 from 4 by Prayer
Buffs: Shield of Faith (3rd level DC 18) +2 AC
Prayer (3rd Level DC 18) +1 Bonus attack, damage, saves, skills
4 attacks of opportunity with 10' reach
RPG Superstar 2013
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Imuri orders cold green tea and allows himself to cool off from the duel. The man's form was unstable - he knew the gray samurai assumed something other than a ronin stance. But Imuri had rushed into the duel and had not centered himself properly. His morning kata had focused his ki around stealth and confidence, not on combat. The duel was too close, and he had not strayed from his intended focus for a few bits of information.
To make matters worse, Tokine apaprently saw right through his disguise. He'd never even met her. Clearly he was right to defend the Madame Curator - she might prove a useful ally in the future.
But now, he thought, swirling his tea as if to read the grains as they settled, [i]now I must get back into myself - and learn something of these gaijin before I am to sup with them at court.[/]
Imuri waits at his table, feigning interest in his tea while studying his surroundings. If the language from the woman in white is audible, he will listen to their conversation without looking at them. When the conversation is not helpful, or their voices drop too low, he will study the Inn of the Graces: balcony height, number of people coming in and going out at this hour, conduct of the staff, etc. I am especially interested in which bonge or samurai come into the inn while it is hosting the gaijin.
@Tokine: There is an odd pause and the air hangs heavy. Suddenly the lead ronin turns without uttering a word and runs full speed away from the combat. His troops all pull back in utter confusion, looking around and milling towards each other.
The human female Gaijin, the one the half-elf called 'Gwen' barks an order at her archer companion.
"Naradil! Now!"
"One step ahead of you, Gwen."
The brutish half-elf pulls two arrows out of one of his several small, separate quivers on his back. Each arrow is fletched with cardinal feathers. He nocks both arrows at once and yells a warning: "EYES!"
The arrows strike one of the students square in the chest. There is, for just the smallest fraction of a second, a sort of tearing sound, and then there is a massive explosion, covering at least 40 feet and engulfing all of the last of the ronin in flame. The fireball towers up almost to the roofs and brushes the walls. All of the gaijin duck back, apparently used to this.
The screams of the dying are hideous. Naradil laughs. "That's right! Burn you bastards!" You realize as you cough from the smoke and try to keep from gagging on the smell of burned human flesh that there is no beauty in the hearts of these gaijin; they are all Gorumites, as willing to take a life as not, and caring only for war and destruction. Why, then, are they at your temple?
The horror continues. As the smoke clears with startling rapidity Gwen and the towering female half-orc, whose name you still don't know, wade into the bodies and start killing any who managed to survive, their faces set in grim but satisfied masks. Saved from gangsters by thugs. Muddy feet, indeed.
Naradil walks up to where you are standing on the wall. "Neat trick!" he says, indicating your slippers, and his voice is as rough and calloused as his giant hands. You have never seen one with elven blood be so brutish or utterly bereft of grace. He smells...very bad. "I'm Naradil, though you probably heard that. Look, three more of these thugs went inside and never came out. You want us to clear them out of there? I promise no fireburst arrows." There is a note of hopefulness in his voice. It is clear he wants you to give him permission to hunt down the last three young student ronin. You notice that in addition to his heavily magicked bow, he wears a magicked great flail, and there is a huge greatsword on his back, that weapon also being heavily decorated in arcane runes and giving off an aura of chaos.
You realize with a start that the mists of the city are not coming within 10' of this man.
Hurrm.
I have a shorrt time beforre I must attend the palace. I shall take a moment and investigate the tea house beforre I must go.
I won't be able to stay under long- as a native outsider I must still breathe.
But if I can get an idea or find something interesting I can either surface inside or take the info and go.
It would be nice to get a knowledgeable prisoner to question.
Hurrm.
I have a shorrt time beforre I must attend the palace. I shall take a moment and investigate the tea house beforre I must go.** spoiler omitted **
Kyras steps forward as the Bearded Devil completes its summoning, but fails to land a blow with his sword. The devil leers at him and mocks the gaijin, its prehensile beard making a very rude gesture at him.
@Chongde
San Pen approaches the Plum Blossom Teahouse from the side, using Earth Glide. (In a previous life, this had proven to be quite effective in suprising prey.)
He stays near to the surface, taking a breath when the coast is clear.
Tremorsense allows a good read of the interior from beneath and he listens as well for anything that might indicate why the Curator's new painting would garner so much attention from these brigands. Or are there any hidden underground rooms?
Tokine has the sense to close her eyes, but did not expect to see the horror of destruction upon opening them.
Looking down at her rescuers, she is shocked at their brutality. When the one named Naradil addresses her, things comes back into focus. "Oh, these slippers? Incredibly useful for hanging painting and tapestries." A few light steps and she alights at the temple's entrance.
At the mention of more inside, she tightens up.I need to move quickly but these gaijin are not to spill blood in our Temple.
Taking a moment to heal herself, "Are any of you in need of healing, I can provide that as thanks."
With a tentative look into the temple, "But quickly, how is it that you guard my Temple? Who are you exactly?"
HP:44 of 50
Buffs: Shield of Faith (3rd level DC 18) +2 AC
Prayer (3rd Level DC 18) +1 Bonus attack, damage, saves, skills
Channel 7 of 9
@Imuri-san: The Inn of the Graces is known to Clan Shoto; it is a very high-end establishment, and the fact the gaijin are staying there instead of in the offered quarters in the palace as the two other groups of gaijin are could lend some credence to the claims that the lady in white is indeed a princess of some sort. It could also simply mean she and her companions stole or looted a great deal of money on their way to the empire or don't have the simple good manners to accept free room and board at the Imperial Palace!
The Inn is located in a neighborhood not far from the palace, one consisting of stores that specialize in rare and/or expensive items, noble dojos, and the "city houses" of many of the more wealthy and powerful clans. These homes are where various clan members will stay while conducting business in the city, retreating to their actual estates on the borders of Lanzhu or, preferably, in the hills around the city where one's estate can spread and be cultivated in accordance with one's wishes.
In the pre-dinner hours, there is a fair amount of traffic going in and out of the Inn as guests return from spas and dojos and meetings and liaisons in the city in order to prepare for dinner, and others leaving to be seated early for dinner.
In addition to the two gaijin from Daiyu-san's tea shop, two more gaijin take seats at the table. One is a solemn-looking dwarf in cleric's raiments, the other is a human in dark leather and with a black, hooded cape, clearly a rogue or thief of some sort.
Snippets of the lady's conversation can be heard:
"...can't believe the audacity..."
"...surely one as wise as the emperor will know their claims are ridiculous..."
"...I mean who believes a black dragon?..."
"...shouldn't have let them stay in the city, just know they're getting in trouble..."
"...would you, Ghar? that would be excellent. Be swift..."
"...well, Rhon, the implications are clear, and yes I've memorized everything..."
"...we have people here from my House, help can be had if necessary..."
The cloaked man rises silently from his chair and melts into the shadows of the curtains leading out to the door. His movements are inelegant, but fluid and compact; efficiency over grace. After a few moments, you see him in the street, but only for a passing second before he vanishes down an alley, moving very quickly. No one seems to even notice his passage.
Two Samurai and a businessman approach the lady's table. You recognize them as members of Clan Motomo; a bourgeois merchant clan only recently granted arms and estate, they are coarse in manner but vastly wealthy. Their Samurai are not skilled, and never do well in inter-dojo competition and as such they are perhaps unsurprisingly fiercely jealous of greater clans, like yours, and frequently seek to start fights. You do not know these particular members of the clan, but the lady seems to as she smiles in greeting, then speaks with the leader for a few minutes in very hushed tones while the elf and half-elf and dwarf talk overly loudly about what things they are enjoying in the city. The elf, Rhon, sounds like a wide-eyed youngster, so taken is he with the wonders of Lanzhu. The dwarf bemoans the lack of good ale and the half-elf sounds mostly bored.
After the members of Clan Motomo leave there is silence at their table for a while. A servant brings more tea and delicacies. The lady eats only flower petals, nibbling daintily. Your jaw clenches, then, as a member of your clan's greatest rival, clan Sera, approaches the gaijin. This is not Sera Zhongyi, though, she who is widely regarded as your peer and rival. This is her younger sister, the devastatingly alluring Sera Aki-Kirei. Even the jaded Earanthil, the half-elf, gapes in open and unsubtle appreciation at her beauty. Her manners and bearing are perfect, her tone of voice and body language imparting subtle depths of meaning to each of her words that these crude gaijin could not possibly understand. None of this surprises you in the least, of course. Clan Sera are ancient, graceful, powerful, feared, and loved in equal measure in the Empire, and though their fortunes have waxed and waned over the centuries, always they are mighty, and always they are looked up to. Aki-Kirei is clad today in a deceptively simple kimono that you know conceals shuriken, poisons, paper, pens, and other weapons of both war and diplomacy alike.
The lady in white is utterly taken aback in the presence of so refined a creature as Sera Aki-Kirei, and sudenly looks awkward and uncomfortable; a teenager receiving a brutal comeuppance from a better, but Aki-san smooths things over with effortless grace. She leans delicately in and whispers to the young elven lady, and then the two of them excuse themselves from the table and depart the Inn's tea room.
"Who -- or what -- the heck was that?" Asks Earanthil, to no one in particular.
Tokine: Naradil guffaws loudly at your joke. "Ha! That's good. I'll bet those slippers are indeed useful for hanging things. I don't think any of us needs healing, those guys weren't very tough. I think the most we might need is some polish for Gwen's armor, got a few scuffs on it. As for guarding, well, honestly we were just looking for a friend of ours, said he'd either be here or back at his inn about now and since he ain't here we were about to go to his inn over in the fancy part of town when these fools show up and start threatening people, cut down some poor little pretty lady in white, saying they wanted some paintings or something. We didn't know what they were after but we're always up for a fight, so..." he waves at the pile of corpses by way of explanation.
The human fighter, Gwen, walks over to where you and Naradil are talking. "They're in pay of the Black Dragonflight; one of the groups your emperor is currently...'hosting'." She spits the word out as if it were poison. She continues. "There was a time when I would ask what in The Land the Black Dragonflight could possibly want in a temple of Shelyn. But that time is past. The war has progressed and I've witnessed Veriala's forces pull magic might from the strangest places; dead monks, bizarre magical ales, arcogs and underground ley lines. So I won't question what they could want here, I'll just ask, for my curiosity and possibly your protection; what do you have here they could want? What were they looking for?" Gwen, also, smells...terrible, and the mists will not approach her, either.
@San Pen: finding a suitably desserted spot, you glide silently and swiftly down into the earth, moving effortlessly through rock and soil and stone. Coming near to the surface under the floor of the Plum Blossom tea house you hear raised voices. They are muffled, but your tremorsense aids your hearing.
"...and what if your men fail, master Dàocaorén? What then? Our time here is very limited and I was told we would depart with the paintings." This icy voice belongs to a female humanoid of some sort, by footfalls you would guess her to be very tall and rather thin.
"If they fail, lady, which is not likely to happen, then we will not be able to make another attempt like that. Too many people will be alerted to the possibility. What will happen if they fail is Madame Curator will be selected to go on a journey for the Emperor, a duty she cannot refuse, and then my contacts in the palace will ensure the new Interim Curator is more...sensitive to our needs." This voice is that of a very heavy-set man, but one who moves with light footsteps that bely his bulk.
"That will take too long."
"It will take as long as is required, madame. You have not the leverage over me that you think you do."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. Now please leave. I have customers coming."
"...we will speak again, soon."
Then you hear the door opening and the woman's footsteps depart as nearly a half-dozen new sets of footsteps enter and the talk goes to more straightforward affairs; what to order, who's wearing what to the palace dinner tonight, what local luminaries will be there, etc.
That, replies Imuri, in the guise of one of the gaijin, but without affecting their thick accent, is the second daughter of the Sera family. Very dangerous bed-partners, they.
The young samurai scoots over to their table after satisfying himself the lady in white is gone. Cunning diplomats, dangerous assassins, and always looking to regain the former gory of their ancestors.
He surveys their stares for a few seconds, looking to see which is least able to shake the lingering image offered by Aki-Kirei's taut kimono. Yes, a beautiful clan, but believe me, they will have you for their own advantage. Everything is calculated with them. Be careful, and advise your Princess to do the same.
Imuri examines them for several seconds while waiting for a response. What can I learn? His mind shifts through several paradigms, looking for questions to seek answers for. Are they true royalty, or thieves? Are they loyalists to some entity, or a cobbled alliance? Do they pursue power, or flee from fear?
He turns his teacup over, signifying he will have no more. An interesting choice your Princess made. Spending your budget on an expensive inn for what? To keep spies at bay? Yet as we speak, she is being shaped by a master sculptress. To demonstrate you have riches and title? But then your rivals are mining the most precious resource available here - time with the great clans and imperial families. While spies are working your leader, your competition is building their little walls of lies and planting seeds that will grow over the next days. Did she plan to keep away from the prying eyes of your rivals? Not only does that signal fear, but already, their agents have attempted to steal your gift to the Madame Curator.
Imuri, as the mysterious gaijin informant, sits upright, as if he is about to leave with all of his precious inside information with him. He pauses to allow them the chance to interrupt him, so long as the Princess and Sera-chan do not re-appear.
If the Princess beings to return, or the cryptic conversation seems to requier more details or trust, Imuri stands quickly and slides the cup over to the gruff dwarf. I will see to it that you acquire better spirits, if you will borrow my cup, korobokuru-san.