Post by Daidoji Kousei on Jun 10, 2014 23:18:11 GMT
Kousei listened attentively to the young woman in front of him. They were on their third flask of sake and she was giggling quite a lot.
He had ridden hard from Shiro Daidoji to Kyuden Seppun in order to take his place at the Shogun's side. Kuon was attending the Cherry Blossom Festival, presumably at the orders of the Emperor as it seemed an unnatural place for someone who had so recently lost his wife. His bad mood, however, had proved Kousei's gain as those serving him had been given the night off as he was doing only the bare minimum of socialising that he could get away with. Kousei had taken advantage by slipping away into the town for a quiet drink, when he had been approached by an off-duty apprentice geisha named Naoki who was looking for some company.
Somewhat predictably she had been a good conversationalist, and Kousei found the evening slipping by quite agreeably. However, as the young maiko began to gossip about her senior he found his ears pricking up. Apparently her former danna had been an Otomo who had recently disappeared - Kousei immediately thought of Otomo Ishihama and how he had vanished under his nose in Yasuki Yashiki. He began to drink less and fill up her glass more often, allowing her to fill gaps in conversation. It wasn't subtle, but it worked. She told him of how Hamiko was a keeper of a great many political secrets, having been privy to her danna's meetings, and how she was now looking for a new patron. When he had finally managed to extract the name of the geisha house where Hamiko was located, he allowed the conversation to wander where it would.
It wasn't that much longer before the sake began to make Naoki sleepy and he rose to escort her back to her quarters, thinking all the while. If he could make contact with Hamiko, and either become her danna himself or find a friendly face in the Crane with enough money to do it, then it was just possible that he might be able to pick up a lead on the conspiracy who had made the Otomo disappear.
He had ridden hard from Shiro Daidoji to Kyuden Seppun in order to take his place at the Shogun's side. Kuon was attending the Cherry Blossom Festival, presumably at the orders of the Emperor as it seemed an unnatural place for someone who had so recently lost his wife. His bad mood, however, had proved Kousei's gain as those serving him had been given the night off as he was doing only the bare minimum of socialising that he could get away with. Kousei had taken advantage by slipping away into the town for a quiet drink, when he had been approached by an off-duty apprentice geisha named Naoki who was looking for some company.
Somewhat predictably she had been a good conversationalist, and Kousei found the evening slipping by quite agreeably. However, as the young maiko began to gossip about her senior he found his ears pricking up. Apparently her former danna had been an Otomo who had recently disappeared - Kousei immediately thought of Otomo Ishihama and how he had vanished under his nose in Yasuki Yashiki. He began to drink less and fill up her glass more often, allowing her to fill gaps in conversation. It wasn't subtle, but it worked. She told him of how Hamiko was a keeper of a great many political secrets, having been privy to her danna's meetings, and how she was now looking for a new patron. When he had finally managed to extract the name of the geisha house where Hamiko was located, he allowed the conversation to wander where it would.
It wasn't that much longer before the sake began to make Naoki sleepy and he rose to escort her back to her quarters, thinking all the while. If he could make contact with Hamiko, and either become her danna himself or find a friendly face in the Crane with enough money to do it, then it was just possible that he might be able to pick up a lead on the conspiracy who had made the Otomo disappear.