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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 16, 2014 9:47:48 GMT
Kasumi was wondering. She knew the Kitsu could speak with the souls of people in the different realms, but it required a lot of preparation. But since her time in the Dawn Tower, she wasn't going to dismiss any explanation as impossible. And while she didn't know Isawa Moriyasu, she could always ask around about him. The question now was if they were going to believe the child. While Kasumi wasn't a Kitsuki, she had become fairly skilled in interrogating people and finding out if they were lying. She didn't feel such a deception from the child, but that didn't mean that everything she said was true. "Northern wind can mean quite a lot," she said, "from a Yobanjin incursion to the Dark Oracle of Fire to something else entirely. If we are to believe this and especially if we're havnig to convince other people, we need more." "Do you know who checked you for taint, little one," she asked Akko.
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Post by The Storyteller on Sept 24, 2014 11:35:14 GMT
Akko raised her eyes to the woman in green, and shrugged. No, I don't, -sama.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 24, 2014 12:46:37 GMT
"That's okay, little one," Kasumi said, although it would have helped if she'd known. Although if the Seppun daimyo had ordered it, it wouldn't have been checked by just someone. She turned to the others. "There are a couple of option, should we believe her," she said, "first I would like to do some checking. Information on Isawa Moriyasu should be easy to find and if we had a Kitsu shugenja, we could easily check the 'voices of the ancestors' part of her story. We also need to get more information about those references, like the garden of blood. As to the chimes themselves, I can get in there easily. In fact, I'm invited to the ceremony. Maybe if we dress her up as a child of mine we can get her in that way."
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Post by Kurimuzon Te on Sept 25, 2014 0:25:53 GMT
Te listened quietly as Kasumi "interrogated" the child. He had once been been the person across from her. There is a huge difference from when she wanted information from giant with blood stained hands and talking with a child over supper, but he could still tell that she was probing for information. It was quite lucky for them that a magistrate happened upon their little chance meeting. Especially one as good at their job that she was. All this made Te relax a little more, thinking quickly was never his strong point.
He could never be a magistrate nor would he want to.
One thing did continue to tickle at his mind however. "You said one of the bells would be travelling to Dragon lands. In the morning I will visit the Dragon embassy. If I remember correctly the bells have always been guarded by monks. Many of our legends are not put down in writing but passed down from brother to brother. I may be able to get some additional information from my brothers that could help us as well."
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan
Posts: 26| Likes: 13
Rings: Fire 5
Air 4
Void 3
Earth 3
Water 1
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 25, 2014 1:42:42 GMT
Sojiro processed all the information as they walked, working to form a plan of action.
"I agree that we need more information if we're going to deal with this mess, but for now I think we should focus on the issue right in front of us right now. We have four bells, three of which will be leaving the city very soon. I like the idea of attending the ceremony, but I don't have an invitation and I'm not sure Te-san does either. I might be able to get one, but that also leaves the issue of disguising Akko. I'm not very good at things like that, and if the hosts of the ceremony discover who she actually is, that could get..... interesting. Very quickly. I still think that is our best chance to get close to the chimes before they leave, but if that doesn't work we should have a backup plan. There are three of us, and three chimes that are leaving. Te-san has already said that he can get close to the one heading to the Dragon lands. That leaves the other two for you and me, Kasumi-san, if the ceremony doesn't work out for us.
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Post by The Storyteller on Sept 25, 2014 2:42:52 GMT
The monk idea seemed quite good to Akko, and the Kakita samurai words were full of resolve. That got a grin from the heimin girl. Although she'd probably accept almost anything they offer as guise of help. Well, you are right, Dragon-sama. The monks are guarding the bells in the pavilions Seppun-dono built in front of three Embassies. The Fourth is in the castle. Akko emphatically agreed. Although the lady in green was reticent in what to believe, exactly the girl Aiko told she would, she was also suggesting a course of action… Akko thought it could work… if her face wasn't already widely known by a lot of the monks of the brotherhood. I wouldn't induce you to lie for me, Tsuruchi-sama… more than necessary, I mean.
OOC: @te, I'm going to send the a PM with the information you may hear from the monks -which may or not be relevant for the case- muhahahahaha. Sojiro also can help with more information as he knows what is going on. He has the lead in this plot.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 25, 2014 7:37:17 GMT
"I've been recently warned by some fortunes about problems which might occur," Kasumi said, "and this garden of blood doesn't sound very good. If I have to tell a little lie to protect the empire, then so be it. And if you have problems with it, little one, I take you on as one of my servants and we tell them that. I'm allowed to take a servant into the temple."
She looked at the others. "I would like to try it by the one which will go to the Crane lands," she said, "it is most likely attended by Asahina shugenja and since I managed to find the child of one of their highest people, I will probably have more leeway with them. It's already late, why don't we do that tomorrow. Kakita-san, myself and Akko-chan will go to the bell attended by the Crane and Te-san will go to the one attended by the Dragon to see what the monks can tell him."
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Post by Kurimuzon Te on Sept 27, 2014 1:22:51 GMT
Te awoke early. He rose to his knees and performed his morning prayers. When he finished he moved to his small travelling pack and withdrew his ceremonial robes. He laid them out on the unused bed and frowned. They still bore the blood of Nozomi. He never cleaned them for fear of contracting the Taint that so cruelly struck her. If his bosu's father was to be believed that Taint was the fault of his bosu. Yoru. Placing his robes back in his pack he decided that his brothers would have to accept him in his travel worn gi.
He quickly found directions to the Dragon embassy and bowing, made his introduction to the monks guarding the bell. Te spoke at great length with Brother Daichi about the history of the bells. After getting his brother to open up and talk Te started to move the conversation down other paths, darker paths. He learned much. He just wasn't sure that it would be enough. Hopefully the others found some more information and they could compare.
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan
Posts: 26| Likes: 13
Rings: Fire 5
Air 4
Void 3
Earth 3
Water 1
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Sept 27, 2014 2:49:07 GMT
Sojiro rose the next morning in his room at the Lucky Cricket, pleasantly surprised to discover that the room he had been given came with a complimentary morning bath. True, it was little more than a large cauldron, but as a veteran traveler he knew better than to pass up the opportunity to wash in clean, warm water. He quickly worked through his morning stretches and exercises before climbing in, washing quickly, and then donning a freshly laundered (also a surprise) hakama and haori that had previously been in his travel pack before being folded and laid out for him. He idly wondered how the owner had managed to prepare these things without waking him, but given that he was a hard sleeper he didn't think too much of it. It certainly wasn't the first time he had awoken to find that a woman had taken care of such things for him - although that was generally preceded by a much more pleasant night. After dressing he fixed his hair, attempting to tame the unruly black mass before giving up, tying it behind him, braiding the white lock in front and threading the braid through the jade bead he always wore at the end of it.
Lighting a roll of tobacco, he proceeded down the stairs to the common room of the inn, ordered breakfast and tea, and ate quickly before setting out to meet up with Kasumi and Akko. He left his biwa in his room with his other goods.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 27, 2014 14:42:27 GMT
Kasumi had taken Akko with her to the emerald magistrate compound, where she had told the woman who had been the wet nurse for the child they had before that the girl would be a new servant and to make sure she looked the part. So after a bath and some fairly new clothes, the young girl looked a lot better.
the following morning they left early to go to the inn where Sojiro was staying, arriving there a bit early but soon enough the Crane came down the stairs. "Good morning, Kakita-san," Kasumi said with a bow, "you are ready to go, or do you need to eat first?"
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan
Posts: 26| Likes: 13
Rings: Fire 5
Air 4
Void 3
Earth 3
Water 1
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Oct 1, 2014 1:13:40 GMT
He bowed in return.
"I just finished up my breakfast, Tsuruchi-san, but thank you for asking. So, do we have a plan, or are we going to play this by ear?"
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Oct 1, 2014 6:37:55 GMT
"Since I don't know what's going to happen if Akko here will come close to the bell, I don't have a plan," Kasumi said, "I would suggest to be on your guard." Together they walked to the temporary structure at the Crane embassy where the bell was currently residing. There were Seppun and Crane guards and also monks from the temple they had resided in, as well as some Asahina shugenja. There were other people there to see the bell, so Kasumi just walked in behind some others, walking so that Akko would be hidden between the other people, herself and Sojiro. If she didn't have to explain anything to the Seppun guards, it would make things easier.
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Kakita Sojiro
Crane Clan
Posts: 26| Likes: 13
Rings: Fire 5
Air 4
Void 3
Earth 3
Water 1
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Post by Kakita Sojiro on Oct 2, 2014 7:01:51 GMT
Sojiro walked beside Kasumi, moving casually as his eyes darted everywhere at once. He kept Akko in between the two of them, in the hopes of preventing anyone who might recognize her from getting more than just a passing glance at the "servant". His gaze went to the bells as he tried to determine the best way to do what they needed to do, which is when he realized that he really had no idea what it was they needed to do.
"Akko-chan," he whispered, "Do we just need to get close to them, or do we need to do something more?" He appreciated Kasumi's presence as they walked. Not only would it have been much harder to keep Akko concealed without both her disguise and her standing on the other side of the child, but the Magistrate seemed to be a very competent companion in general. She looked as though she was just going about her business, as if this was just another part of her day, a highlight of visiting Kyuden Seppun.
A few moments later, an Asahina shugenja approached the group and bowed. "Greetings, Kakita-sama. It is a pleasant surprise to have a visitor from our home today."
Sojiro suppressed the urge to swallow. "Greetings, Asahina-sama. I am Kakita Sojiro, and my companion and I simply wished to see the chimes in person before continuing on to the next part of our journey. It seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up."
Well, technically none of that was a lie.... hopefully he looked as casual as Kasumi did. Sojiro hated lying. It never worked for him, so he had grown adept at hiding the truth in his words, both the ones he said and the ones he didn't.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Oct 2, 2014 7:44:14 GMT
Kasumi bowed as well, noticing Sojiro's discomfort. She hoped the shugenja hadn't noticed, but in order to mask it, she addressed him. "Greetings, Asahina-san," she said as she recognised the man as the shugenja who helped with the missing child, "I hope the child has been reunited with his parents?" "He is, Kasumi-sama," the shugenja said, "and again our thanks for the quick resolution of the situation." "It's our duty," Kasumi replied with another bow. She steered Sojiro and Akko towards the side where there were less people and they could stand for a while without being observed. "This is close enough," she mimicked the question of Sojiro to Akko. Bayushi Satomi, Yasuki Odai, The Storyteller,
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Post by The Storyteller on Oct 2, 2014 11:59:10 GMT
Akko narrowed her eyes as if she was myopic, trying to read the ideograms in the huge bell. The girl even stood in her toes to see the symbols better. By the apparent difficult to read the sacred words in the bell, she wasn't a skilled reader, so whatever she was doing, might take some time. If a Void shungeja would be observing, he would be able to notice the disturbance, and how her mind connected with the spirits of the sacred bell. Apparently, not even a hair changed at all, but Sojiro started to feel discomfort; a sudden sickness and dizziness as if he was recovering from a blow in the head. Whatever he was seeing rippled in front of his eyes, and a singular and long missed image started to form… his beloved betrothed, Isawa Haruna*. She was exactly as in the day she died. Her bright eyes carried the shadow of sadness and longing; she knew she was dead.
Sojiro…! the voice pitch was hers, too, although coming from far, far away. It's not over yet, my dear! The roots of evil hide behind the most innocent of the faces, back in my homeland. A mad mind who will open a Black Scroll… Those cultists which we fought, together my dear… were connected to HER, and…
In the real world, however, a dutiful monk recognized Akko, and decided to intervene before a Seppun guard did the same, which could be worse. Kasumi saw the holy man approaching from both.
Akko! He called.
OOC: *her name wasn't mentioned in Sojiro's bio, so I made it up.
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