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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Jan 31, 2014 15:29:13 GMT
"Here now! You, slice the daikon! You, prepare the fish!" The new cook dashed frantically around the kitchens, attempting to assert his new-found authority by shouting at the help. "Where's Jin? Late again? That lazy good-for-nothing!"
"Jin's sick today," said someone. "He sent me in his place. I'm his cousin Taro." 'Taro' proved to be a scruffy-looking man in servant's livery with unruly hair. He knew very well that the cook, newly hired through Shiba Oicha's influence, would have no idea whether Jin had a cousin. It was true that Jin was sick, though; something he ate the previous night had disagreed with him. As it happened, Taro knew quite a bit about plants, but most of those he was familiar with were not very healthful to eat.
"I've brought water from the well," Taro added, holding up a small pot of water. "Where shall I put it?"
"Put it on the fire," the cook replied distractedly, already moving to the next kitchen crisis. "The samurai will call for tea soon."
Taro moved to obey.
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Moto Arandaru
Unicorn Clan
Posts: 199| Likes: 103
In Kyuden Seppun, eager to find a way to save the Empire!
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Post by Moto Arandaru on Jan 31, 2014 16:00:55 GMT
The air was heavy, filled with dense aromas of raw fish, vegetables and cooking oil. In the kitchen there was ruckus and one couldn't properly discern the shouts as cooks and servants were screaming inconsistently trying to put order to an ordeal.
Arandaru frowned as he leaned over the steaming bowl, for he had watched something interesting at hand.
A few days before he'd been warned of a man's unwanted presence in the Unicorn compound who was involved into some unwanted deeds. Arandaru, following his acquaintance's Bayushi Katsuro's advice, looked into it, and after 3 days of searching he learned of the man's name.
The servant Denkyu, that used to extinguish the candles and warm the braziers for the Unicorn nobility, had in fact a hidden agenda. While Arandaru didn't want to draw any unwanted attention, he decided to employ the assistance of the kami to correct this wrong. Thus he'd asked specifically about 3 to 4 times for a kettle of warm water, for matters of hygiene, to preserve the room's humidity, beautification....anything he could think of in order to let Denkyu fetch the kettle himself.
The last time he did, Arandaru used the very same container for divination. As the culprit's chi channeled through the essence of the element, the mizu-no-kami granted the Moto shugenja clairvoyance as of the man's location...
The ugly thing is that it granted him clairaudience as well...
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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Feb 1, 2014 22:20:43 GMT
'Taro' maintained a neutral expression as the man Denkyu came to confer with the cook. 'Taro' recognized the men planted by Shiba Oicha, of course...but he did not think they knew his face yet. He hoped.
Ostensibly he was still watching the kettle of water as it heated, but from his position by the fire, he could see the conspirators with their heads together. From that distance it was impossible to hear what they said over the din of the kitchen, but the school at which Taro had studied had made a point to teach its students how to read lips.
"Everything is in place," Denkyu whispered urgently. "What's next?"
"Not now," hissed the cook. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Should I just wait?" Denkyu asked uncertainly.
"Don't be foolish," the cook replied. "We'll talk later. The well. Hour of the Boar."
The other man nodded curtly and turned away.
The water was finally boiling and with a practiced hand 'Taro' brewed a small pot of tea. He mulled over how to use this new information, and how this piece fit into the puzzle that was taking form in his mind. It was the habit of many members of the samurai caste to take tea at this hour, and Taro was not alone in preparing tea for the masters of Kyuden Meiyo.
In fact, at the next table was Shizuka, the girl that 'Taro' had been watching for. As it happened, he had bumped into the clumsy servant girl once before, while he was wearing a different mask; and from that encounter, he knew that Shizuka was the one charged with carrying tea to the learned scholar, Ikoma Katanubo.
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Moto Arandaru
Unicorn Clan
Posts: 199| Likes: 103
In Kyuden Seppun, eager to find a way to save the Empire!
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Post by Moto Arandaru on Feb 2, 2014 16:24:42 GMT
Arandaru looked at the scene that was unfolding in the depths of the warm water.
Frowning he noticed Denkyu as he was speaking with the cook. They would speak anew in the Hour of the Boar. And probably beside a well.
...Arandaru gave it a small thought.
"Where could that "well" be then?" he wondered himself.
It wouldn't be that much long however. He should probably let Katsuro know. For a moment he thought of dismissing the kami but what he saw made him rethink.
Denkyu threw a small glance over to a girl sitting beside a table. She was resting beside a scruffy-looking man with unruly hair, no doubt one of the rest of his "suspicious" lot.
The woman was reverently minding her own business as she was preparing some sort of tea or other liquid in a pot.
Denkyu merely looked at her and he went to the side. Arandaru thanked his luck for he didn't manage to leave the room. Everyone was busy.
The Moto shugenja would feel the suspicious atmosphere in the chamber. Dark and brooding with a heavy demeanor. It was as if all of them belonged to a cartel that crafted explosives...
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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Feb 3, 2014 16:32:54 GMT
Taro "accidentally" bumped Shizuka as they each carried a serving tray of tea out of the kitchens. A few drops of tea splashed the two of them, but Taro steadied the clumsy servant girl with one arm before she could lose control of the tray itself. Hidden behind his sleeve for a moment, the two teapots were exchanged in an instant.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Shizuka wailed, dabbing at the spilt tea.
"Eh. No harm done," Taro replied gruffly, shaking off her assistance. He did not think the girl recognized him, but he pitched his voice a little lower than normal to be sure. "I'd best be getting this to my master now." Taro marched away in a different direction, bearing his own serving tray.
Meanwhile, Shizuka unknowingly carried the poisoned tea to Ikoma Katanubo's quarters.
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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Feb 4, 2014 22:20:27 GMT
One less problem for the Scorpion Clan, 'Taro' reflected as he abandoned his serving tray in an unused chamber. Katanubo's activities had been drawing too much attention, and removing him would avoid the possibility of any embarrassing revelations about Scorpion involvement.
Doubling back to the servants' quarters, 'Taro' slipped the half-empty tube of poison dust into the personal effects of the new cook. It was always more tidy if the magistrates found someone to arrest for serious crimes, and if it disrupted the plot of the Black Lotus Cartel, so much the better.
He was congratulating himself on his cleverness as he left the servant dormitory, when he ran into the Matsu guard in the hall.
"What are you doing here still?" she glowered. "Malingering, hmmm?"
The false servant fell to his knees and groveled. "N-no, samurai-sama! O-of course not!"
"You dare call me a liar, you filthy worm?" the Matsu growled. She reached for her sword hilt.
"Mercy, samurai-sama!" he begged. "I only came back to get my lucky cricket! See?" Taro held up a tiny little cricket, its antennae waving feebly. The insect took this opportunity to leap from the man's hands and begin hopping across the floor.
"Aiyee! My cricket!" Taro wailed, instinctively trying to grab at it, before remembering his place and returning to cowering, obviously terrified of giving further offense.
The Matsu laughed heartily as the cricket made its escape, her hand falling away from her sword. "Your luck has slipped away," she chuckled. "Now get back to work and don't let me see you here again."
"Y-yes, samurai-sama!" the man stammered, bowing repeatedly as he backed away.
Whew, he thought as he finally left the building. I guess that cricket really did bring me good luck.
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Moto Arandaru
Unicorn Clan
Posts: 199| Likes: 103
In Kyuden Seppun, eager to find a way to save the Empire!
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Post by Moto Arandaru on Feb 5, 2014 11:31:14 GMT
As the hour was approaching Arandaru felt the imminent need to "attend" this meeting as well. However, associating with the heimin and the servants wasn't as easy and acceptable as most of the Rokugani elite would suffice. Thus he decided to visit the place forty minutes prior the meeting.
The place was a dimly-lit garden where the majestic well of the Kyuden stood. As night was throwing elegantly its dark veil, the place grew shadier and shadier. What's more, Arandaru noticed that there wasn't any servant on a shift to light the lanterns as usual.
The Moto shugenja understood that this suspicious "cartel" had extended its coils quite strongly around the palace. Arandaru however had welcomed the challenge.
He produced a small vial filled with a transparent liquid. It was water from the pond back at the dojo he grew on. The "lore" proclaimed that the water of the Shin-Tie-Yen-Wang pool was imbued with the essence of the Fortunes of Death. Arandaru looked at the liquid as he opened the cork of the vial. A small odor of humidity gave his nostrils a tingle. He quickly threw the liquid in the well and he turned over to the side as he looked around.
There was no one present.
He produced a scroll from the sleeves of his kimono and began whispering a small incantation.
He was pleading from the water kami to attest its presence in this well for the next two hours. He offered an amount of water precious to him, linked to Arandaru's very history, and in return he would ask from it to be in this well. And to offer its ears to him. As he heard the bubbling overflow from the bottom of the well, Arandaru understood that the kami was appeased with what he'd offered. And after that he closed his eyes, and whispered to the Fortunes of Death. He was asking from them to revere the water kamis presence and refrain from demanding justice from every immoral soul present. He was pleading, but this time...for them to remain inactive. And he promised them justice. And if death was necessary, he promised to grant them one.
He smiled with elation as of the progress of his incantation and he left the scene. He was eager to hear what was being said. But little did Arandaru know...that at the scene, a pair of Scorpion eyes were planning to outmaneuver the Moto Death Priest...
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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Feb 5, 2014 16:44:38 GMT
The mysterious death of the scholar Ikoma Katanubo had the palace in an uproar. The guard had been increased and magistrates were searching the Ikoma's quarters, but the new cook had not yet been arrested, and Katsuro judged it worth the calculated risk of returning to the palace in order to observe the meeting the Black Lotus conspirators had previously arranged.
Thus the Hour of the Boar found Katsuro, dressed all in black, crouched upon a rooftop offering a clear view of the courtyard with the well. The man Denkyu was already there, lurking in the darkness, shifting from foot to foot as he waited. A bad habit for a conspirator, Katsuro thought; but the man was clearly nervous that the cook was late in arriving.
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Moto Arandaru
Unicorn Clan
Posts: 199| Likes: 103
In Kyuden Seppun, eager to find a way to save the Empire!
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Post by Moto Arandaru on Feb 6, 2014 7:53:29 GMT
Everyone had assumed position around the area of the well.
Katsuro was hiding upon a rooftop, Arandaru was in his room scrying over a steamy bowl, Denkyu nearby the well and even Soshi Tomoe hidden behind the shoji screen of a vacant guest room. The cook was really late and Denkyu grew even more nervous.
It was known that Katanubo had choked το death but the more suspicious ones would deem this as an "assassination". As the magistrates were thoroughly investigating this matter, the cartel members had the time to meet and "re-organize" their detailed plans.
Ten minutes later the cook appeared as he paced anxiously over the fine soil nearby the well.
"Denkyu!" he said with a high-pitched whisper.
"Hai! At last you came! Is everything all right? What did really happen?" asked Denkyu with trepidation.
And the cook answered "Ikoma Katanubo choked in his supper, that idiot couldn't chew properly! Now I am forced to make amends as if there was a chance that my food was inedible..."
Arandaru couldn't believe at the irony of the cook's words.
However, during the next minutes the duo would discuss something menial. It was as if the cook was there by accident and that Denkyu, the rugged brute was innocent as well. They were speaking for about ten more minutes, gossiping the deceased Ikoma and laughing at the prospect of getting rid of him so much easier. But no words about a cartel, their plans, or their next move. After a long discussion they decided to move on and they began to leave the area.
However the truth was different and sadly it eluded Arandaru.
Ikoma Katanubo had a Scorpion associate, Soshi Tomoe, an aged Scorpion lady that once belonged to the Isawa family. She was the main link to the cartel's substance provision in the palace as well as the proficient shugenja to deal with matters of secrecy and sabotage. After Katanubo's death she'd managed to "lay low" and remain off-track from any investigation. However as Arandaru had moved closer she decided to take action.
She had employed the will of the air kami as she transferred the words that the duo had transpired over to another ears. The message that she'd transported to Arandaru was "phony" one, belonging to a recent past discussion that transpired between them in the kitchen. She'd spied the Moto Death Priest and managed to fumble him just as easily.
Arandaru dismissed the image depressed as his suspicions were cast away. He laid back into his sleeping mat and gave in, to a troubled sleep.
Soshi Tomoe had evaded his maneuver. The only thing that was keeping the cartel from true justice was Bayushi Katsuro who, no doubt, would have witnessed the true discussion.
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Post by Bayushi Katsuro on Feb 6, 2014 16:45:41 GMT
Unaware at this time of the magical conflict between the air kami swirling all around the scene, Katsuro remained perfectly still as he eavesdropped on the conspirators. Though they spoke in low tones, the Scorpion's ears were keen and the cold air carried their words to the rooftop upon which he was perched.
Ambitious indeed, Katsuro thought, his mind racing as he considered the implications of the Black Lotus Cartel's plans to infiltrate the court. If successful, it was an obvious threat to the Shosuro family's monopoly on the opium trade in the Lion provinces.
Katsuro waited several minutes after the conspirators departed to make sure he could depart undetected by human eyes; he knew he could rely on Soshi Tomoe to cover his tracks from magical detection. After descending from one of the still-unfinished walls of Kyuden Meiyo, he stealthily made his way to a safehouse in the city where he could change clothes and mull over what his next action should be. His superiors would need to be informed; to act directly on this information was beyond the discretion that was permitted to him.
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Moto Arandaru
Unicorn Clan
Posts: 199| Likes: 103
In Kyuden Seppun, eager to find a way to save the Empire!
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Post by Moto Arandaru on Feb 6, 2014 19:36:03 GMT
The next morning found Arandaru quite angry. His hypothesis got easily discarded. Was he suspicious out of error? But Katsuro did inform him of Denkyu's foul influence. Yet, all the spying proved to Arandaru that he hadn't any sufficient information to back any allegation versus the man at all. That didn't matter at all. Yesterday one of the Ikoma family members had died...or even killed. Arandaru couldn't allow the risk.
He quickly beckoned for his morning steam bath. Three male servants arrived on time to deliver him the utensils but as Arandaru had foretold...
..."the water shift for the night, also provides the first morning service before he retires for the day..."
As he saw Denkyu enter the room, with his head down putting the boiling kettle near a brazier.
"Hachiman, Ryuke, Huke...leave" he bade and the servants quickly scurried off the room.
The yojimbo that Arandaru called "brother", Moto Rendo stood behind the door blocking the pathway.
The death priest motioned for Denkyu to fetch the serving ladle and Denkyu quickly moved to oblige.
"You must be tired. All this night's work. Isn't it right Denkyu?" Arandaru said as he stood tall, his naked body glistening into the rays of the morning sun.
Denkyu was fast and quickly hit Arandaru with the ladle on the face. "You know my name, idiot gaijin..."
Arandaru tripped from the hit as he collapsed on the tatami mat, his face serious as he was taken aback by the voracity of the heimin's attack. The man fell over Arandaru as he pinned him down with his body. He muffled his mouth as of not to let him speak at all. The shugenja was helpless.
And the horror carried on. Denkyu began speaking.
"Stupid heimin, you weren't even worthy enough the trouble for me." as he mimicked Arandaru's voice in perfect pitch and tone. And then Denkyu produced a knife which he turned over to the naked Arandaru's side.
"Would you like to be castrated Moto?" he whispered "Would you like me to carve a big crevasse in you so as to be able to let your Unicorn friends "enjoy" mounting you?" he said. "No one messes with the Black Lotus and lives..."
Arandaru felt horror. Was this the moment where one would feel numb before an assassination? Did this man have anything to do with the cultists? Would there be a connection? And where were the Gods now?
A tap on the screen was heard as Rendo spoke. "Everything ok Arandaru?" he whispered.
"Hai!" said Denkyu in Arandaru's voice. "Let me clean the blood first" as he was ready to stab the shugenja on the ribs.
But Rendo's voice didn't cease. "You killed him...sama?" Rendo asked amazed.
"There's nothing that ever eludes me my friend, let alone a mere heimin." as he tried to resume his activity.
And Rendo said once more: "But you do...friend!" he said as he opened the shoji screen in fury only to find the shocked figure of Denkyu over his protege.
As the Moto charged over the assassin, Arandaru got unpinned he stood up regained his heartbeat and went for a towel. At this time Denkyu had been dispatched.
"Are you an idiot Arandaru?" said Rendo "Why won't you ever listen to me. How did you expect to deal with an assassin, even if he was a mere agent!" he exclaimed angrily.
Arandaru shut up and listened as he was scolded by his "brother".
"And for heaven's sake! Would you consider yourself so cool as of to kill him with your mumbo-jumbo? Did you invite an assassin to kill him while you had a dialogue?" he was angry now..
"Even if.."
"He'd infiltrated our compound. He could imitate my voice." Arandaru said with a sigh.
"What?" "He'd imitate my voice Rendo. This is way more serious that I ever imagined." he said as his stare remained blank.
He wouldn't find any link neither Katanubo, nor his murder, let alone his accomplice or his motivations either. But one way or another, he'd learned of a new Cartel's name and possible activities. He only wished it wasn't too late...
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