Nakadai is haughty and amused as the antics escalate.
"Scared? I'm not worried about a few drunks."
"Don't be worried about them. Be worried about how their lord chooses to punish us for refusing to be killed by them."
Hojo sweeps the spent leaves into his mouth, rises, bows deeply to the honored samauri and pays for his tea.
He turns to the other ronin. We’re continuing east if you care to join us. In these troubled times, there is safety in numbers. As we entered town I saw a willow grove that we could reach before nightfall. It could provide shelter from the rain.
"Hai. One direction is as good as another when you do not know where you need to be."
"The more the merrier. Especially in these troubled times."
Hojo gathers his things, strapping his quiver and bow to his back and wrapping his now mostly dry oilskins around him to make a barrier from the driving rain. You only get a quick glance at the bow, but it's very well cared for, especially for something owned by a starving Ronin. It'd certainly trade for more food than he could catch shooting game.
Despite the rain and his obvious hunger, Hojo has a cheerful disposition. He indicates Nakadai. My friend and I are followers of the great Sun Tao and decided to seek better opportunity for food. How is it that you all came to be traveling together?
"We all sought shelter in a large shrine at the same time. Then things became very . . . unusual. The kami have apparently tasked us, but I know I understand neither the assignment nor the message. Maybe Inoue can explain it?"
As the party has not taken the proffered room, and Dadoji finally deign to take notice of their presence. One very large man dressed in crane blue stumbles over with a bottle of saki and a goofy grin, smiling as if he had just heard the funniest story just seconds ago. He wanders up to the samurai-ko that accompanies Hikonaga and attempts to make conversation in his be Doji impression.
"Your beauty blinding, my vision clouded by wine, I seek out your heart."
Senno does not seem amused at the attention she is now receiving.
Inoue coughs briefly, but leaves the matter to Hikonaga, at least for now.
Nakadai rolls his eyes and places his hands on the table. He wasn't going to start a fight where they had been enjoying tea, but samurai being inappropriate with women of inferior status was something of a peeve.
Sesno clicks her tongue, readying a response to the inebriated man... but, it seems the Fortunes have their own response as a peel of thunder cracks directly over head. In seconds the room begins to fill with flames as a portion of the upper section collapse to meet the ground floor, the timber now pinning the large Dadoji. From somewhere upstairs you hear the scream of a child for its mother.
Nakadai is up and vaulting over the table almost before the timbers hit the floor. He grabs Inoue by the shoulder and yells over the chaos.
"Put it out if you can! I'm going to find that child!"
"I will do what I can!
Inoue reaches to his scroll satchel and unfolds the necessary praying scroll, starting to appease raging fire Kami.
Inoue beseeches the excited kami to quit their action, and with much grumbling the kami within the building quit their action. Inoue gets the distinct feeling that the kami were not happy to listen to him, something that has never happened to him before. Usually the kami are at least respectful of a request.
Nakadai rushes to the stairs and up them only to find the hall above a torn mess. A large portion of the roof is now open to the sky, and angry storm clouds march across the sky hurling lightning at the ground below.
Hojo rushes to the fallen timber, calling out to Hokonga. Help me lift this!
Senno sighs as she crouches down and begins to strain to move the timber.
Nakadai runs down the hall, kicking open every door and ripping every shoji he comes across.
"Where are you?! We need to leave!"
Having dealt with the immediate danger of burning alive, Inoue rushes to Senno and Hojo, helping them with the fallen timber.
"I will help you with this!"
Nakadai hears the whimpering of a little child, it sounds like it is coming from down the hall. The child is showing no signs of coming out to meet you.
Nakadai sprints straight to the other end of the hall and opens the door.
Nakadai pushes through the door, literally as the soaked paper does not hold up to the force of sliding it open. Inside a sad sight, a young boy covered in burns. A slight gurgling noise comes from the boy, and it looks like he is trying to raise his hand to you as he notices your presence.
Nakdai approaches the boy as soon as he sees him and sees that he hasn't hit him with the door. He kneels down.
"Ok, ok. Take my hand, we're getting out of here."
=8+10+4=22
Somehow, Nakdai manages to cut through the boys pain with his sincere attempt at aid. Lifting the child and his small sibling close to his chest, Nakdai makes his way back to the ground floor in time to see Hikonaga land a hand in lifting the timber away from the unconscious crane.
Nakadai lets the boy go for a minute and goes to help.
=15