speaks quietly
Hrrum. It would be inaprroprriate forr me to seek aid frrom yourr family as an Advisorr. But I will ask of you perrsonally to learrn what you can of the Plum Blossom syndicate and theirr employment by a female Gaijin. I would know which faction hirres these rronin.
Imuri bows with utmost sincerity. Of course, dealings with a syndicate led by a gaijin would dishonor myself and my clan, but if I uncover any rumors that might help you in your pursuits, sifu-sama, I will be sure to tell you which appear most reliable.
The guests of the palace move and swirl and sway around three poles; the two Sera sisters, holding court in one corner of the room, Rhon and the mysterious half-elf, speaking quietly in another corner along the same wall, and San Pen, Curator Nagano, and Shoto Imuri, also speaking quietly together along the wall opposite the other groups. This triangle of power shackles the eddying flow of humanity through and around it as long as it lasts.
But the 10:00 hour approaches. Inspector Cho leaves the party, heading back to his precinct-house. Rhon splits off from the half-elf and with a significant but inscrutable look to Tokine, and the Sera sisters fade through the crowd and out of the room, silent as shadows. Servants make a pass through the room, refreshing tea trays and putting out chilled sake for those who would stay later.
@Azami: After standing guard in the dinner room and hearing the white-clad elven princess recite a vision that bears a startling resemblance to yours, you are a little shaken by the coincidence. As much as you might like to speak with her about it, she is far too busy entertaining the queries of more important guests, and besides; to leave your post would be an unforgivable trespass.
Then, as you are watching the swirl and twist and play of people in the party, Takagami-san, the night guard captain, approaches and leans in to speak. "Azami-san, there is a disturbance at the east wall please proceed there with all due speed and grace." You are experienced enough to know that 'speed and grace' means 'don't you dare let any of the guests catch wind of what's going on as you hustle over there.'
Aki:
Imuri:
With appropriate and well-mannered farewells, Imuri-san breaks off from San Pen and Tokine and heads smoothly away to the other side of the reception room in pursuit of the Sera sisters. It is impossible to tell if they notice his approach or not. The two beauties speak very quickly with each other then split up and leave in opposite directions; Zhongyi moves towards the door that leads further into the interior of the palace while her sister heads out towards the courtyard. Sera Zhongyi, being a vastly superior warrior, vanishes from sight almost instantly, evading even the perceptive Imuri. Sera Aki-Kirei, however, is easy to follow, even if just by the trail of smitten young teishin and bushi senpai following her out in a wave.
The trail of broken hearts and lingering stares is too easy to follow. Imuri wonders to himself how many of the lesser samurai are smitten by her natural, carefully cultivated sensuality, and how many simply caught a whiff of her perfume and lost their wits.
But rudeness cannot be excused, even if the victim of that rudeness is known to set such traps intentionally. The Shoto samurai quickens his pace and gives warning looks to the foolish ji-samurai that allow their emotions to get out of control. When he follows her into dimly populated streets, he closes the distance with a shortcut through a brief ally and appears beside the younger sister.
Is it wise for a young girl to travel alone, dressed as you are, samurai? Imuri purrs, looking vaguely in the direction of her perfumed neck. Perhaps a friendly escort to ensure you are not trapped by your own devices. We can discuss any interest the Sera family has in seeing the Empire go to war with the Black Dragonflight. Perhaps we will even search or agrement.
Imuri gestures toward a more lively portion of the town, changing his height and clothing to resemble a wealthy artisan. We may be rivals in everyone else's eyes, but our duty is whatever benefits the Empire and our familes, at the expense of all rivals, yes?
Tokine will linger as long as custom dictates, making time for any who wish to talk, but she will not linger late. Her arranged meeting and worries about her temple have her glad to finally be rid of proper society and in the palace's garden heading for an exit. She will retrieve her escort and set out for the Inspector's, if no one stops her sooner.
wanders room in walking conversation, nibbling moonstones
@Imuri: Bending her head forward to expose more of her neck, Sera Aki's voice slips into a low, rumbly register you've never heard her speak in before. "Imuri-san's offer is most generous, but it would not do for me to be seen escorted by only one handsome stranger, and an artist at that. If it is protection and companionship you wish to offer, bushi, then I will accept them only if they are from you as yourself." Her azure eyes, so rare and exotic in the Empire, flash under the firelight.
@Tokine and @San Pen: at the appropriate hour, the two of you make your adieux and depart through the main gate, as is customary and appropriate for people of your station. The night is surprisingly warm for autumn and your walk is quite pleasant. The moon is out and shines brightly, augmenting the firelight along the streets from the Inner City out towards the city proper, and you are both able to relax and catch up on the events of this strange day and perhaps stranger evening, until your conversation gives over to more pleasant topics about beauty and the artist's place in society.
As you approach Inspector Cho's precinct house, there is a soft whoosh overhead. You both look up immediately and are put on guard as a crescent-shaped, boomerang-sized object whizzes by overhead. When it attaches itself to a perch on a nearby wall, however, you both chuckle as you realize it is only a fork-tailed swift, a common nightbird in the Empire. You can see the Inspector and a deputy through the window, both sitting upright and looking at some paperwork.
Her guards follow discreetly behind the pair, till they they reach the precinct house. Tokine turns to them, and beckens them up, "Quickly!"
She grabs a small stone from the path, and it bursts into a bright glow. She points to the alley and hurls the stone in after the fleeing figure. "Subdue him and return here!"
The two policemen hustle up and into the alley, the way lit by Tokine's magically enhanced stone. The light briefly illuminates the back of a black-suited figure.
Ninja.
There is a *FPOOM* sound and the alley is filled with choking, billowing smoke. The brave gendarmes dive in after the ninja, heedless of this new obstacle.
Admittedly, it is difficult to concentrate on her duties for the first time in years; the Princess Erudima is known to Azami from her youth in Mamban, and to see her here--a child of House del Solarion--and to hear her vision echoing her own...
As she attempts to maintain surveillance on the room, Azami's eyes keep falling upon the Princess, drawn back to her innocent face and wondering She had the vision of iron and blood...I must speak with her. Even amid the proceedings of Court, Azami had stirred at Erudima's description, the urge to step forward and confirm such a vision searing into her head. Even now, it was difficult--but nothing would be accomplished here, in this dance of politics and wit.
When Takagami-san gives her orders, the rend within widens; she is relieved and tortured to move further from Erudima, afraid that she is being drawn away from her path, but happy to have something to focus her from staring at the girl. She attempts to console herself with reminding herself that the path through the maze is never straight to the center.
Azami inclines her head in a curt nod to Takagami-san, quietly stepping back from her post and walking proudly towards the exit. As she slides the screen shut behind her, Azami turns down a less direct (but less likely to rouse guests awareness) route through the palace. Within a moment inside this servant's hallway, she is running through its winding path towards the East Wall.
@Tokine and @San Pen:
@Tokine and @San Pen:
@Tokine and @San Pen:
@Azami: you rush out of the palace and into the courtyard at the east wall, your weapon drawn and ready to attack. You see a squad of palace archers -- one of the elite all-tengu units -- supporting a garrison of samurai like yourself. The enemy appear to be a squad of grey-clad...ninja? Maybe? If they are ninja they are not very effective...
Regardless, they are attacking, trying to get into the palace, it appears. You can basically pick a target and charge, if you wish.
Surveying the scene for the best place to enter the fray, Azami's eyes sweep across the grey-robed ninja, the tengu, and samurai. In this plotting of attack, something catches her eyesight off to the right...that no one else seems to notice.
...perhaps a trick? A flanking attack? Azami moves towards the right end of the fray, hoping to appear as if she will attack one of the ninja--and surprise whatever awaits in the shadows.
@Azami: As you quickly but cautiously take off into the dark, approaching whatever movement it was you saw, you take cover behind some topiary. Ahead a hundred yards or so you see a lone ninja, clad in deep celadon and jade hues with a dragon motif on the left arm, standing off against a group of five grey-clad attackers. Two of the silver-clad gaijin, the ones due to speak on the third night, are on the ground behind the ninja, both are hurt. There are two grey-clad enemies lying still on the ground by the gaijin, bleeding.
She briefly looks back at the fight she bypassed, ensuring they are not in need, before returning her gaze towards the lone ninja--noting the two silver-clan gaijin as well as the grey-clad ninja for any report she may have to make.
Turning to San Pen, "I guess we should let the Inspector know about his nightbird problem."
DC 17 Sense Motive
'Thwack!'
One of Yohei's arrows plants itself in the heart of one of the advancing ninjas, dropping him to the blood-soaked turf. 'This is too easy...' ponders the avian archer as he stands atop the battlements and rains arrows down onto the advancing grey menace.
'Thwack!'
Another ninja goes down as the black robed tengu surveys the battlefield. Things are clearly going in his favor; he expects no less from his squad, they have been training for this for months now. Still, he had hoped that their first real battle would be against more worthy an opponent than these. Yohei had been the first to spot the enemy skulking clumsily through the bushes and though their numbers were great, their tactics and skill were severely lacking. Even if the samurai from the main guard hadn't joined the party, he is confident that his unit of a dozen tengu could have held the wall against this rabble. Lazily he fires off a third shot.
'Thunk.'
But the ninja he was following moves behind a tree at the last second, causing Yohei's arrow to eat only wood. 'Well that evil tree monster won't threaten the Illustrious Divine Emperor again at least,' he thinks to himself with a beaky grin as he nocks his next arrow.
@Yohei:
Captain Takagami stays in his position on the inner wall, watching you and your archers destroy the small force of...well whatever they are, because they certainly don't qualify as ninja. As samurai approach from inside the castle he nods in satisfaction until he notices Ito-san breaking off. He doesn't see what she does, apparently, even though you do.
"Yohei, let your team finish off these ji-ninja, go see what Azami is after. Ghosts haunt that gaijin, but it is not always a bad thing to be connected to the spirit world."
You can see that the red-haired woman has taken cover behind topiary, it should be easy to catch up to her.
@Tokine
Let the Inspectorr rreinforrce our guarrds, chasing ninja in the darrkness of the alleys is a special skill.
upon entering the precinct
Quickly Guarrdians, a spy has fled in that dirrection with our guarrdsmen in purrsuit!
@Imuri:
@San Pen and @Tokine: Neither the inspector nor the deputy make any move at your call for help but instead remain sitting, bolt upright, their eyes half-shut and strange smiles on their faces. You notice the precinct house is oddly empty, even for this hour, and is eerily silent.
From outside, the fork-tailed swift calls again. Its cry echoes mournfully off the walls and cobbles.
Craning his neck to see what the gaijin woman is up to, Yohei responds, "Sounds good Cap, I'll check it out." and moves to join Azami in the bushes, careful not to make a sound as he slides down from the wall and between the plants. Taking a place by her side, he keeps his voice low and flat, "Ito-san, you should know that the Emperor has many skilled gardeners in his employ and hardly needs you skulking about and trimming his topiaries," As they make eye contact he breaks out into a grin and hunches down next to her. "What do you see?"
Azami inhales sharply as her head snaps to the newcomer, his words the only thing that keeps her from raising her blade. Her eyes narrow briefly with irritation before she gestures with her head towards the group fighting some distance away. Green tunic'd fighter, two silver emmissaries down, two grey ninja dying. She says the word with a roll of her eyes.
"They have the city entirely surrounded? How am I just now finding this out, wouldn't this be a bit of major news? Are they preventing all traffic in and out of the city or is that something I'll just have to find out by myself." Daveth asks with a bit of a smirk, the mission while difficult sounding was right up his ally, it was hard enough to pose a real challenge, had a major element of danger to it and in theory would allow him to sharpen all of his skills through it's duration. "Also before I actually accept anything I'd like some way of knowing your legit, you seem to know a lot a bout me which either means this place is far better at information gathering than I thought OR you might trying to use me against this place."
Settling in and getting a good look for himself at the proceedings, Yohei còcks his head and asks, "Who's the green one? He's outnumbered, but I doubt outgunned given how pathetic the rest of these rubes are," As he speaks, he brings his bow to bear and nocks an arrow, "But then again, it never hurts to join a battle on the winning side, eh? Shall we lend a hand?"
Tokine rushes to the Inspector's side and feels for a pulse and look for signs of poisoning.
"San Pen! The Nightbird has already been here!"
@Yohei:
@Yohei and @Azami: The green-clad ninja waits as the five grey-clad warriors fan out around him. Two now have their backs to you and are partially blocking your view. With a yell, they charge in as one to attack the jade warrior.
Azami gives a tiny shake of her head, her eyes fixed on the fight and flicking to the movements therein,"I do not immediately recognize the keikogi. I suppose you are right, Yohei-san - better than perching as birds." Her tone is flat and guileless,and if she has offended with her words or been funny, she is not aware of it.
Imuri absorbs the unusual tone in Aki-Kirei's voice without reaction. Looking left and right, he assures he is not being watched and circles the young Sera. As he steps into her shadow nearer the alley behind her, he drops the affect of his courtier's had and appears once again as the young samurai in the white kimono.
As you request, Sera-san. But if we are to be seen together, I remind you, our rivalry need not blind us to golden oppoertunities. The gaijin have come to our Empire, and there is no reason why we cannot together divide the spoils of their arrogance and naivete.
After resuming their walk, he asks casually, So do you play at friendship with the Solarians, or do you seek to manipulate the Empire to defend them?
@San Pen and @Tokine: Both the deputy and inspector are clearly dead, their bodies are already horribly rigid and pale, as if all their blood had been drained and rigor mortis had set in long ago.
The inspector's go board has been set before him, the pieces arranged in a well-known puzzle called "The Dragon's Tail." It is a puzzle arranged around a fast first strike, and is used to teach students of the game the value of misdirection. It is called "The Dragon's Tail" after a fighting technique common among eastern (true) dragons wherein they detach the end of their tail and leave it sticking partially out from behind a rock as a decoy, then attack the enemy when he goes after the bait. It is not a technique they can use against foes of a certain strength or intelligence as they are often wise to the bait, but it never fails the majestic creatures against things like undead, or constructs, or other beasts of low mind.
Azami bursts from the topiary with her katana raised, moving much faster than one might expect in such armor. She keeps to the right end of the grey-clad ninjas to avoid blocking Yohei's aim.
@Imuri: Sera Aki's voice resumes its customary musicality, managing somehow to be simultaneously girlish and langurous. "Oh Imuri-san, always so bold, so direct." she titters, though you intuit her words are not meant to cut, or at least not at this particular moment. She runs her hand very lightly over the spider design on your kimono. "Such noble creatures, spiders. So strong and capable, so clever; placing their webs always in the ideal position, and doing so as many times as needed to catch their prey, though prey of a certain size can always break the web..." She pauses significantly. You are passing through the Main Gate of the palace, now, as is required of nobles of your Station and if the guards are at all shocked at seeing the two of you walking peacefully together, as friends, they betray no sign of it at all. "Clan Sera has long had dealings with House del Solarian. Their Matriarch is a very powerful woman, and could throttle trade to all the Lands if she so wished. We are...business partners, and some of us have forged...other relationships between our houses." She looks at you with those sky-colored eyes again, and for a moment they are not veiled, and you have a sense of the immense beauty of her soul. "Have you ever been to Mamban, Imuri-san? Have you seen the docks, the North Delve, or the Center City? I saw the Ghost of the Fountain, and it told me six things. The prince showed me that place, and all the shadows...all the shadows..." She trails off, but quickly regains her composure. "But I digress." Her eyes shift back to their customary inscrutability. "Princess Erudima is beginning to realize she should not have come here. I am doing her a greater favor than she knows, perhaps than she deserves. But some lessons must be learned the hard way, and she is on a path of discovery. All of them, you know, are very dangerous Imuri-san. All three groups. Eru is a child among great warriors, the second group counts devils as its officers and the last are champions of light, who speak daily with the gods. We must all tread lightly. Our webs must be strong, our placement...so precise." She gives you a sidelong glance. "Tell me, samurai, do you like painting?"
The emerald-clad ninja lashes out at one of the thugs, gouging a deep cut and drawing blood, then cuts a second one as well, though it is more of a glancing blow. The five grey-suited fighters all swing at the lone defender, but are only able to land surface cuts or small nicks, if anything at all. Two of them turn around in time to see Azami dashing towards them at an alarming rate of speed and move towards her, leaving the jade ninja alone.
'Clan Sera? What's their involvement in this?' thinks Yohei as he joins Azami in her run towards the fray, soon overtaking her and coming to a stop near the combatants. As he reaches the lines of battle he gets a better look at the dragon emblem on the Jade Warrior's sleeve. 'A dragon? Never seen the Seras wear one of those... Who is this guy?'
Imuri feels somewhat at ease, as if the unknowable Sera girl has reached out to him personally, but then he remembers the vigilant maxim taught by his dojo. Unless she has not, hr thinks to himself.
He maintains his friendly demeanor, and chooses not to be caught looking for truth in her eyes. Sera-san, a samurai is incomplete if he does not appreciate the serenity of art. If I am not prepared to die for culture, what is my training for?[b]
He considers the wisdom of crawling out a little farther on this branch, then adds [b]Earlier today I was involved in a scuffle where an irrelevant dojo sought to steal from the Head Curator. I believe I overheard that your friends were involved.
He narrows his eyes as if hesitating to offer more. If it is in the Shoto's best interests, I will help you with the Solarians rather than hinder your family's attempts to protect them. Tell me why I should defend your attempts to embarrass the Princess rather than take advatnage of it..