Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 7, 2014 11:44:21 GMT
OOC: this thread occurs one day after the Hana Matsuri Festival.
EDIT: This thread was originally CLOSED but for Satomi and Kasumi, but since it evolved in something else, it's now OPEN for everyone.
Satomi attended at the due time to her meeting with Tsuruchi Kasumi. The chamber prepared by the Seppun servants wasn't the most exceptional she had been in the castle, but the Bayushi woman reminded herself that the good ones were occupied by higher ranked people already. However, it was good enough (if you think of anything you can get in some parts of Crab lands, that's it; but it's not enough excuse anyway) and she sat by the table to enjoy some tea while waiting the Emerald Magistrate. She recollected some events of the night before, with an audible chuckle, sipping tea and enjoying the view one of the small gardens the castle had to offer.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 7, 2014 21:42:04 GMT
Kasumi arrived a bit later. "It's cozy here," she remarked after the bows, "and in a less used part of the castle, so there will be less people about."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 8, 2014 11:34:16 GMT
Cozy? This is how the Kaiu academy define any project lacking on funds to be honestly called a room.
Just perfect, Tsuruchi-san. I hope the day have found you well. She waited the Mantis woman to join her by the table, and poured more tea for two.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 8, 2014 14:10:07 GMT
"It was okay," Kasumi said, taking the offered tea, "I didn't know the archives of the Emerald Magistrates were so extended though. It will take me some time to go through all they have on the Kolat, how little it might be."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 8, 2014 15:00:25 GMT
Ah, I believe it is. The information about this outrageous secret society is scattered through the Empire… She was one who spent part of her time as clan magistrate gathering information about its activity into the Crab clan and Yasuki family… She knew something. But what her former superiors in the Clan Magistracy reported to the Imperial Libraries, she didn't know.
Since we're talking about it… Once a kolat member was interrogated and said the organization main goal was to get rid of the Hantei dynasty, since they considered the descendance from gods an utter _"bullshit" was the right word, but Satomi exchanged it in the last minute_ lie. Since it was, uhn… indirectly achieved, I guess, they must have been working in a new agenda, don't you think so?
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 8, 2014 15:58:33 GMT
"From what little I know about those kinds of organisations, they have only one goal," Kasumi said, "a restructuring of the current power structure into a new one with themselves at the top of the heap."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 8, 2014 16:29:47 GMT
This means they are still discontent on how things are despite a new ruling dynasty. I wonder how much of it is related with the mercantile interests ruining the Empire's economy, the peasant revolts, honor duels popping up without apparent reasons, and what not. She sipped her tea and grabbed some food.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 8, 2014 17:09:44 GMT
"I guess it's just something they do to plunge the empire in chaos," Kasumi speculated, "if they give the great clans and the imperial legions a lot of things to do all over the empire, they don't have time to look at other things. And they only have to succeed at very few assasinations to end the Toturi dynasty, which is much easier if there is chaos."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 8, 2014 17:59:24 GMT
Maybe that's the plan. It's enough to recruit people above all suspicion to do the job. That's exactly what they tried to do about General Kaneka … But sleeper agents are not the only way to recruit "irreproachable" samurai to their side. Sharing their ideology is always the easiest way.
Last time I've been at Yasuki Yashiki, a friend of mine, someone I have no doubts about its allegiance, whispered a name to me. It may be related to a kolat cell somehow, recruiting key personages to their "shogi game". She pulled her fan and snapped it open, as demanded the etiquette in such situations. I don't know about your investigation methods, Tsuruchi-san. However, a name is always a name, so you may wish to check.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 8, 2014 20:52:17 GMT
"At the moment I thought to start with reviewing what was done in the past on the Kolat," Kasumi said, "it's a difficult job, but that way I might make some connections that haven't been made before and try to figure out from one or two people who were captured who might be their associates and build from there. But a name from this time is always useful, even if it's only to start from both ways and try to connect in the middle."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 9, 2014 0:03:59 GMT
I of course am not giving you any official testimony, but you already know that. Be free to check by yourself whatever you see fit, and consider my musings as they are... musings. She played with the fan for a moment, then abandoned the hand acessory over the table, giving attention to her dish and averting her eyes from the Mantis woman, before starting to speak once more.
Well, well, for a fortuitous coincidence, I was crossing the Three Sides River and some travel companions were lamenting the sudden absence of their favorite "geisha", Mitsuru, from the floating Geisha House that sails up and down that river… A shame, if I would say.
One thing a woman learns when she spends some time along soldiers is to listen to their nonsense as if you were one of them, although my mind was inclined to wander while they're comparing their favorite geisha, which clan has the best and the worse ones, and so on.
However, I would only sneer at my infatuated companion, but his description of her beauty, frailty and overall tenderness, suddenly made me recollect the information about the woman found dead at Yasuki Yashiki. The one the Asako daimyo chased and fell from the stairs. Not sure if you already have information about this woman…
Satomi made a pause to put the food aside, she hadn't been eating much since she left the Crab. Ok, so it made me quite curious. I went to the Floating Geisha House. Quite prosperous, if it matters, and a pretty decent place if you look from outside; and I talked with the man at the "door". He said that this woman Mitsuru, yes, has been missing by three months so far. I talked him to tell me more about her (Satomi wouldn't say to the Emerald Magistrate it had cost the man 3 teeth to tell everything; for an average thug, he was good at keeping secrets)… One thing led to other and he said prior her disappearance, she seemed pretty unsatisfied until the arrival of a man… A Crane. He described the man to me, but he didn't know the mysterious client's name. What really matters is that, not long before this Crane gentleman had been last visiting the poor Mitsuru in her floating little world, the "nightingale", as my travel companion referred to her, just "evaporated in the air".
Satomi raised an eyebrow significantly. Now bear with me. A mysterious woman dressed as a geisha, part of the entertainment for the guests, was found dead where she wasn't supposed to be, in first place. She was probably the one who blew the poisoned dart at Daidoji Kousei's neck.
And the name I've heard to be a kolat recruiter… and Mitsuru's "mysterious friend" was also a Crane.
This man tried to recruit the wrong person. Asahina Gonhiro, that's the name. A healer, the one who was allowed to tend Daidoji Kousei-sama when the Iron Crane was unconscious. After that, he returned and talked to Kousei-sama... One can think Kousei-sama was a bit dizzy from the drug, and misunderstood the Asahina's words. No one to witness, just a Wall-veteran Daidoji who crazily chased the Hida daimyo and even chopped her finger off... and an honorable Asahina healer.
Still, not sure if Gonhiro-san is the man visiting Mitsuru, or even if Mitsuru is the dead geisha or not. However, both a geisha unlicensed by the Crab Clan, and Gonhiro-san, were at Yasuki Yashiki when everything happened.
And... the descriptions of both men are quite alike, in my opinion.
Satomi finally silenced, giving time for the Mantis woman to reflect over her words. She rearranged the food tray to distract herself for a moment.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 9, 2014 14:17:44 GMT
During the course of Satomi's explanation, Kasumi had taken some food with her chopsticks, and it was still on them. To stall for time, she took the food in her mouth. "At least I have a name now," she said after some time, "both for a current Kolat member and for that geisha we never were able to identify. I'll check around in Geisha houses around here to see if I can find more information about that woman. They often know things about each other. Thanks for the information."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 9, 2014 15:01:08 GMT
Sounds like a good idea. Satomi simply said, pouring more fresh tea to herself and Kasumi. And you're welcome, Tsuruchi-san. I hope it to be useful somehow.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Jun 9, 2014 18:27:53 GMT
"It gives me a starting point," Kasumi said, "I don't know the person, but at least it gives me something to start with. And if I can't touch him, I can still start taking appart his support network. Although with a Crane that will be much fun."
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Bayushi Satomi
Unwanted Betrothed
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 1,080| Likes: 322
Rings: Earth 4 * Fire: 5 *Air 3 * Water 1 * Void 3
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Post by Bayushi Satomi on Jun 9, 2014 20:07:52 GMT
Sure is a starting point. Satomi nodded, wondering how well the Mantis woman was going to be at dealing with this matter. She has done a quite righteous job back at Yasuki Yashiki, though it was an entirely different thing. Feeling the conversation was going to fall into one awkward silence, and not feeling any desire of a further development in their relations (maybe was it the dreaded "I'm talking to a Scorpion, must beware" syndrome) from the magistrate's part, Satomi said:
It was a pleasure to talk to you, Tsuruchi-san. I truly hope your investigation runs smoothly, in spite of the perils ahead. Is there anything else in what I can help?
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