Takeya thinks about the realm, but realizes he missed something entirely.
"Miyuki-san, a moment of your time, in private if you would."
He wanders away from the group, out of earshot of a whisper, but still within sight.
Takeya's eyes show innovation and a man who had been deep in thought.
"Miyuki-san, I fear I may have been wrong about the whole finding people based on relationships. Although it seems to be working, the challenges seem to be tied directly to the Topaz Tournament. Think about it. Sumai, courtier, an obstacle course, and now... eggs. Normally the final trial is hunting the Tsu fish eggs before an Iaijutsu tournament. We seem to be encountering the various challenges, albeit out of order and in much more dramatic circumstances, but they seem to match up. I may be wrong, but if we have to find... well eggs, perhaps there is some merit to my theory."
He sighs, shaking his head.
"I don't have much to base this theory on, but perhaps we can find out more from this Megumi-sama."
Suana thinks briefly about the constant breaches of etiquette the two scorpions commit, but quickly dismisses the idea and tries to focus on the matter at hand.
-Mmmmm... a door... should we exit this place through the same door we entered? Na, too silly... Think, Suana, think... You were never good at riddles...
Of course Takeya-san, it would be my pleasure to offer you a moment.
she follows the bushi and listens to his suggestion, nodding.
she meets Takeya's gaze
I'm not sure that this understanding will assist us in anyway, but at least we share the understanding she nods to him
Returning back she offers
I think perhaps Katsu-san, the solution may be more literal than koan... one popular event, at least with the observers rather than the competitors of Topaz Tournament... is the hunt for Tsu eggs... have you hunted around here yet?
she fans herself slowly as she waits for his answer.
Arms folded, Heizo taps his chin with a finger as he regards Megumi's riddle.
"'All passages are doors...'" he says aloud. "Well we've certainly passed through several 'doors' on this journey, both literal and metaphorical. But 'the key is the world'-- what could that mean?"
Katsu's anger fades a little as realization dawns upon him. "I have not done any hunting, Shosuro-san. The thought did not cross my mind." The young Unicorn rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Now where to begin?"
-Hunting for eggs, uh? Yeah, I kind of recall now that this is a popular test in the Topaz Championship. Well, let's get to it, then...
Suana looks briefly at the others, shrugs his shoulders and proceeds to seek for the eggs.
Looking around Tanawe tries to aid in finding the eggs.
=8
"I remember my youth. We were hunting them regulary. But I was never good at it."
Miyuki bows slightly
I am glad to be of service to you Katsu-san, and wish you fortune in your search. I too will look around in case the fortunes bless me this day
Profuse apologies but I seem unable to distinguish any of the things we seek from our surroundings.
She continues fanning herself and waits for the others to assist the Unicorn with his hunt.
Kitao smiles at Katsu-san "This can be entertaining"
Heizo raises an eyebrow.
"Hunting, eh? It's worth a try."
He frowns, not finding anything of note.
"Not my specialty, I'm afraid."
Through Suana and Kitao's careful tracking, you locate the tsu spawning grounds nearly half a mile upstream of where Katsu and Megumi were found.
The tsu fish are fat, bloated things, about 18 inches long and as thick around as a man’s forearm, with spiny fins tipped with wicked barbs that the fish use to pull themselves over the beach sands. A series of small pits have been dug in the sands by the fish, and each pit contains a small pile of glistening, slimy-looking eggs, each about the size of a frog’s eye. Next to each pit, exhausted females are stretched out on the sands, while aggressive-looking males scrape themselves over the sand in a steady patrol, keeping a watchful eye out for predators.
"There they are," says Katsu, quietly. "I see about three dozen of the tsu fish. How do we want to proceed? Shall we sneak past the adults? Make a break for them? Or just draw our steel and charge?"
Takeya was not let outside much as a child, at least nowhere near the forest.
Takeya whispers a word of caution.
"Subtlety is often better than brute force. Let's try the slow and stealthy route first."
I can do this, I've seen the Shosuro family do this all the time when I was still training.
Takeya moves quietly past the adults, gets to the eggs, then on his way back steps on a twig.
Looking at Takeya´s moves the crane samurai raises his eyebrow. Showing off his mastery of stealth makes the crane wonder about his the company he is in.
As Takeya's foot comes down on the twig, immediately Miyuki's sandal-clad foot tucks under a nearby stone, flipping it up whisper quick to shoulder height. It hangs in the air for a heartbeat as she brings her sleeve around in one smooth movement, deftly catching the rock with her fan and with a flick of her wrist she sends it sailing far across the clearing towards the other side, away from the assembled samurai. The rock makes a knocking noise as it ricochets among the tree trunks, loudly enough to hopefully distract the patrolling Tsu fish.
She is already back to slowly fanning herself when your gazes move back from the far side of the clearing, for all the world it as if she never moved.
Suana watches how carefully Takeya is moving. -Something really beatiful to behold, mastery personified.
Takeya picks some eggs and, when he's just about to get off the fishes' sight, he steps on a twig.
Quickly and fast, Suana's training kicks in: a comrade is in danger, he needs help. A sideways image of Miyuki trying to do something also helps him act properly - Suana runs to aid Takeya.
-Run! Now! Take the eggs!
Rather than risk bungling the attempt by barging in where his skills are not warranted, Heizo elects to stand by and watch the attemps with the others. He also refrains from smoking, as that may interfere with the others' attempts at stealth.
The twig snaps under Takeya's foot and suddenly he is surrounded by a seething mass of fish. Their spines raised, the seemingly docile Tsu fish swarm aggressively towards the Scorpion, threatening to overwhelm him.
Eyes widening, Takeya gathers his resolve and pushes on through. Clutching the Tsu Fish eggs, Takeya scrambles through quickly to dry land.
"Many thanks Suana-san."
Face motionless as her distraction attempt is ignored by the fish, Miyuki watches as the bushi leap to defend Takeya.
Heizo winces a bit as the tsu fish swarm towards Takeya, but is relieved to see the Scorpion bushi make it back to land.
Suana puts all his attention on the fish trying to bite Takeya. He notices how they are preparing their attack, and his muscles want to react as he has been taught all these years: strike before you are struck.
In the last second, though, he restrains. -Keep the guard. You're here to protect Takeya-san and the eggs, and after all these fish have done nothing to deserve death.
He braces himself and waits stoically for the pain.
Kitao didn't want to kill creatures, his connection to Chikosudo was strong, as one of the Fox Clan, and him more so. Torn from the decision he decides to distract them instead, hitting them with the flat of the blade and not the edge.
Moving in to support the Lion Tanawa prepares to get his equisite clothes wet.
Shiori stand dumbstruck as the Tsu fish swarm towards Takeya, but Tanawe, Kitao, and Suana rush to his aid. Blades flashing, they cut and knock aside several fish, but some still wriggle through, gashing and stinging the Scorpion and the Lion.
After the samurai return to where the rest of you are gathered, a door fades into existence on the sand just before the spawning grounds. Inside, you can see the familiar swirling grey mist.
-That was close. Thank you, comrades.- Suana bows respectfully to the rest. Working together in this form pleases him.
-Where are we heading next?
A short sprint later brings the Scorpion back towards the monk. Takeya cradles the Tsu fish eggs, offering them to the monk.
"I believe we were requested to find these Megumi-sama. I believe we are heading towards the tea house next Suana-san. To find Sachiko-kun. She also has a book that I hope she found time to read."
Miyuki pays no further attention to the Tsu fish and the current scenario, concentrating only on moving through the grey mist as she steps through the doorway, filling her mind with Sachiko.
-Alright. Let's find out, then.
Kitao can only see the others focus on the next one, while he tries to recall him as well, but probably with more struggle than the others.
Shiori was caught by the moment, torn between the helping or not the sneaky scorpion... in the end she decided that a scratch or two never killed anyone. She focuses her attention as instructed though.
Heizo closes his eyes and concentrates on what he can recall of Sachiko.
When the gray mists clear this time, they reveal a large room, several dozen feet wide and twice as long, with a high ceiling almost lost in the shadows of crisscrossing beams. At one end, the floors are polished wood, gleaming and well maintained, with several low tables around which frowning samurai sit staring seriously at go boards or shogi sets, stroking their chins or eyeing their opponents thoughtfully. A little further along, the floor somehow shifts to a polished tile, and samurai dressed in the ornate and overdecorated finery of the highest courts attempt to keep a heavy leather ball from touching the floor without using their hands, while next to them other samurai examine a finely crafted statue, looking for ways to make sneering comments about it despite its nearly-flawless nature. Beyond them, at the farthest end of the room, the floor is bare dirt, pipe-smoke swirls thick in the air, and hard-faced peasants toss dice and shift wooden pieces around hand-carved game boards to the shouts of onlookers and the pervasive exchange of money won and lost.
As you take all this in, an older woman in simple robes, made of fine materials, makes her way through the crowds moving from table to table and bows low to you. “Greetings, great samurai,” she says, smiling “You have come to play, and play you shall. We have
all the games you could desire, from the most elevated to the most… visceral. You have but to play, and should you win, you will be granted a prize. The prize you seek, I think, would be to move on from here, yes? But there is something else you can win as well… look there!” She points across the room, to a thickly-barred wooden cage, where Matsu Sachiko kneels, looking resigned. “She too is a prize, and one you would claim, I think? Win and she joins you; win again and you can all leave! Are you ready to play?”
-Please allow us a second if you don't mind- says Suana, bowing his head slightly to the woman.
Then he turns to his companions.
-Okay, this should usually be my task, since Sachiko-kun is under my responsibility. However, it's also the destiny of all the rest of you what's at stakes here.- he pauses for a bit to let them realise in case they haven't yet. -Does anyone of you feel skillful enough to play and win? If you don't feel like it, I'm ready, though I warn you - I'm not a good player, and I feel no dishonour admitting it. I was trained for other tasks.
He looks all around him to check the others' faces.
Heizo surreptitiously scratches the back of his head beneath his hat and makes a face.
"I can hold my own at Fortunes and Winds-- Don't give me that look, Ayano-chan, you just happen to be extraordinarily lucky at dice!"
He sniffs derisively.
"...As I was saying, I am confident in my skill. Does anyone else have a specialty?"
"I'm a hunter and a warrior, but I have no real skill at games, but if I must try my hand I will, there is no dishonor in admitting you aren't good at something" smiling to Suana "Maybe one day we can play each other as our skill at games are probably the same"
The Scorpion courtier nods as the Lion speaks
Well now Akodo-san, I will happily answer your request and suggestion to try my hand at the games hereabouts. Whilst no master, I do have passing familiarity with Go and Sadane
Miyuki moves over to a Go table to find an opponent, delicately sitting down and fluttering her fan as she considers her moves. With some curiosity, she decides to try a gambit, opening with Crane's Nest Tesuji to closing the trap by shifting to Lion's Paw in Shadow.
Then moving over to the statue, her eyes slide over its almost impeccable form, searching, before she takes a mental step back and smiles.
The artist has sought to attain perfection, and yet in doing so, has created a soulless sculpture that cannot possibly encapsulate the figure it is supposed to be. This flawless form is unlike any resemblance of any person, and by virtue of its earthly nature, cannot possibly hope to aspire to representing a pure expression of an ideal either...
Takeya nods along with Miyuki-san and speaks after her.
"I have some skill in the game of Go. I might try my hand at that."
Takeya wandered towards the game of Go and sat down. He began with a simple play, but with enough Kiai that his opponent was thrown off balance. Even though he placed the Mannenko, it was all simply a trap for his opponent.
Takeya keeps his winning streak going and plays a second opponent, attempting to both gain back Sachiki-kun, and a path to victory. His second game, as opposed to playing weak and trapping his opponent, he plays with overwhelming Kiai, and brutally pushes through any strategy his opponent might have had.
Strategies fall to pieces with your opponent can see through them, and play against them.
What happened to the two Tsu Fish eggs that I had/have?
Suana observes carefully how the games develop.
-That's why these Scorpions have such sharpened wits. The game helps them keep their minds agile. Back at the dojo, some sensei insisted that we practice shojo with this same intention. I should have listened to them.
= 31
The pair of Scorpions each defeat their opponents and receive a tiny black orb for their efforts. Within, you can see the swirling eddies that seem to move between all four elements.