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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 7, 2014 8:36:21 GMT
Kasumi had spent some time in the library, trying to get some information on the Kolat. One report from about ten years ago mentioned an Otomo Minoru as investigator, which she found strange as mostly Otomo didn't do investigations. She did recognise the name though, as he was one of the higher bureaucrats in the imperial bureaucracy. Probably a reward for destroying a Kolat cell and doing so discreetly. Well, she could always try and talk to him to see if he could tell her more. So she went to his manor, presented her personal Chop to the guard at the door (a Seppun) and requested to speak with Otomo Minoru. She was brought to a small waiting room and offered a cup of tea while one of the servants went to see if Minoru had some time to see her.
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Sept 16, 2014 20:58:10 GMT
Izo grumbled, he hated doing things this way, but again sacrificing a bit of what the average person considered to be a samurai following the code of Bushido perfectly to ensure the safety of those herein regardless of the chagrin he earned in the process. He knew himself and that was truly all that mattered. So his burly form was sitting on a bench and trying to enjoy the weather when he spotted whom he was waiting for. Sighing a bit he stood and bumped into each other and offered their apologies before continuing on. A sharper eye would notice him spiriting something away into the confine of his personal protection to be read later.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 19, 2014 6:37:01 GMT
Kasumi was waiting, sipping her tea and looking outside, where she spotted Hida Izo. She saw that he was putting something away, but she didn't pay more attention because at that moment there was some commotion inside. She had always been curious, probably a reason she was appointed emerald magistrate. Now she could be as curious as she wanted. It didn't take long before a man entered the room. "Greetings, Tsuruchi-san," he said with a short bow, "I'm Otomo Minoru." "A good day, Otomo-sama," Kasumi said with a deep bow. While Minoru didn't have any authority over her, his position was such that he could make her life difficult, so being polite was a good option. She kept her curiosity in check at the moment as to the commotion. "Unfortunately it's not so good a day as I would have liked, Tsuruchi-san," Minoru said, "in fact, I have a big problem. A Hida samurai has entered my house, killed three of my guards and taken my daughter hostage."
Now that was something you didn't hear every day, Kasumi thought. It was very rare, especially from Crab. It could happen when the stress of the Wall became too much, but mostly those people were kept in the Crab lands. Then she thought of something else. "Is he contained, Otomo-sama," she asked. "I have two Seppun guards holding him inside, Tsuruchi-san," he said, "but I fear for my daughter." "I can understand that, Otomo-sama," Kasumi replied, "can I borrow one of your servants to sent some messages?" He motioned and one of the servants came closer. "In the street is an emerald magistrate named Hida Izo," she said to the servant, "go to him and tell him that Tsuruchi Kasumi wants his presence to deal with a hostage situation involving a clansman." Otomo Minoru nodded and the servant left. While she had people under her, this wasn't in her area of expertise, so she would see with Izo what they could do.
On the street the servant quickly found the towering Hida. He bowed very deep. "Hida-sama," he said, "an emerald magistrate named Tsuruchi Kasumi requests your presence at my master's house to deal with a hostage situation involving a clansman of yours."
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Sept 19, 2014 13:51:08 GMT
Was walking along minding his own business when a Otomo servant of all people showed up. He certainly could not recall any Otomo he had the pleasure of knowing on more then an investigatory and annoyed level. Thankfully the mystery did not last long as Kasumi's name popped up and a hostage situation?! The thought occured to him almost immediately to run for the hills and dump the messenger somewhere. Where hostages were involved someone always got burned moreso when high level government officials were involved. All of Rokugan and Tsuruchi in particular should be thankful he was a dutiful man and after a moment he waved to the servant to show him the way.
As he entered the place servants found an excuse to put a bit more distance away from him, a pall of dark foreboding preceding his presence that parted people like a wave.Upon seeing Tsuruchi he made his way over to her.
"If you wanted to see me you needn't create a hostage situation for it." his dark humor ever pervasive. "What do we know about the hostage taker?" his eyes shifting from beneath his kabuto over to the guards who should have something if they weren't utterly inept.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 21, 2014 10:13:13 GMT
"He wears the Hida mon, sama," one of the guards said, "and I think he was part of the imperial legions, although I didn't see all that well. The only thing he has asked for is to speak with someone who has the authority to give him what he wants, but he hasn't given any demands yet."
"We'll have to speak with him then, Hida-san," Kasumi said to Izo, "and maybe sent a message to the imperial barracks to see if they know more about this man." She turned to the guard, "what room is he in?" "A small room to the side of the main audience room, Tsuruchi-sama," the guard replied. "So an inside room then," she said and he nodded. There went her plan to go sit outside somewhere with her bow and wait until he showed his face at one of the windows.
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Sept 25, 2014 23:49:11 GMT
Frowned behind his mempo at the mention of a Crab taking someone hostage. While he usually didn't really embroil himself in blind clan patriotism the situation would not be good for the Crab if something happened to the daughter. He withheld a sigh he desperately wished to let out. Instead thinking on the current situation. The man must be desperate if he was demanding someone of authority give into demands that were currently ephemeral.
He looked over at Kasumi and nodded "Hai on both accounts." he moved towards where the servant had indicated and spoke low to Kasumi once she was close enough "Have you ever handled something like this before?" he could certainly try but his reputation tended to be bloody and dirty if wholesale effective.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 26, 2014 6:19:29 GMT
"Not really," Kasumi said, "but I've been a yojimbo to a courtier for a number of years, so I know a bit about negotiations. As you're chief magistrate and this is outside my official area, I propose that you take charge, but you delegate the talking part to me. You can organise the information and the guards and magistrates we will need to prevent any escape. In that I'm useless anyway, since he's at an inside room, so I can't use my bow and while I know more about sword fighting than most Tsuruchi, there are many better out there. So we must each play to our strengths."
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Sept 27, 2014 4:15:29 GMT
Izo did not have any problems with that. If things went truly horrible and the Otomo acted as they did he could simply shuffle the blame to a Tsuruchi archer in way over her head. Cruel perhaps, but he could not afford to let a single daughter get in the way of his plans.
"Then consider it an order Tsuruchi-san. I will order the building surrounded by house guards until further support can arrive. I will join you as soon as we receive further information."
As simple as that he went and spoke with the man in charge of the house guards to organise the containment effort before sending out two messengers. One to garner more information from the Imperial Legion and the other to alert and recieve support from the town magistrates as it was really their duty and jurisdiction.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 27, 2014 14:58:49 GMT
"Very well, Hida-san," Kasumi said, having one of the servants lead her to the room. There she put down all her weapons, except for the tanto in the sleeve of her kimono and she knocked on the wooden frame of the door.
"Hida-san," she called out, "I'm Tsuruchi Kasumi, emerald magistrate. I'm send to negotiate with you. Can I come in? I'm unarmed." "Okay, but only you," came the gruff answer. Kasumi motioned for the guards to stay and she opened the door. Inside she saw a man, holding a tanto to a young girl's troath. He didn't have any armour and his kimono looked as if it hadn't been washed for a week. The girl was quiet, but it was clear she was scared. "Close the door," he said, which Kasumi did. "First of all, can you tell my your name," she asked. "I'm Hida Masu," came the reply. "And why did you do this," Kasumi asked next. "I was about to be executed, but I escaped," he said, "I want amnesty for my crime and free passage out of the city." "I will present your position to the chief magistrate," Kasumi said, "what was your crime?" "Posing as a samourai," he replied, "and I will get what I want or I will kill the girl."
He tightened his grip and she sobbed. "You can do that, surely," Kasumi said, "but then you don't have any hostages anymore and the soldiers outside will come in and kill you. Why don't you let me present your position to the chief magistrate and see what we can come up with, okay? You need something else, like food or so?" "No," was the only reply. He nodded and she went back out of the door, where she went in search for Izo. She quickly told him what he had told her.
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Sept 30, 2014 1:42:31 GMT
Still no word from the Imperial Legions as to the nature of the man which was annoying. Everyone did everything at their own damnably slow pace. He made a face from behind his mempo as she found him, her ody language telling him the situation was not favorable and he listened to everything she said.
"I would ask if he has family, if he does then ask him to commit seppeku and my family will personally take in his immediate family as ji-samurai if not tell him his demands will be met."
So we can kill him when he leaves the city. One did not commit a crime so openly and not pay some price specially where Otomo were involved.
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Sept 30, 2014 6:20:17 GMT
Kasumi looked at Izo, before she got what he meant with the second part of his statement. "The first is not a problem," Kasumi said, "but what if he asks our word not to harm him for the second solution. If I might propose another solution, put him as ashigaru on the Wall. The end result will be the same and in the meantime he can be useful to your clan. And depending on how long he has been with the first legion, he has been in Otosan Uchi when Daigotsu attacked, so he might actually be familiar with fighting against the shadowlands."
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Oct 1, 2014 2:53:38 GMT
Made a light grunt.. the word of a samurai.. the supposedly unbreakable bond between two parties and one he did not break lightly himself. At her suggestion he thought it over.
"That decision would not be mine alone to make. Our Otomo friend would have to agree that it is a delayed execution. Neither one of us need any political backlash to interfere with our careers. If we cannot get the man to agree with that more drastic measure will have to be taken. We do not need the half-people thinking they can get away with their crimes." and cause a peasant rebellion on top of everything else..
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Oct 1, 2014 6:47:15 GMT
"You have a point there, Hida-san," Kasumi said, "although getting the child killed might not serve our careers either, just as being known as having broken a promise. Let me see if I can talk to him some more and get to know him a bit more."
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Bayushi Izo
Scorpion Clan
Posts: 245| Likes: 75
Rings: Earth:5 Water:4 Fire:3 Air:3 Void:1
Scorpion Hatamoto
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Post by Bayushi Izo on Oct 1, 2014 23:57:10 GMT
He nodded to Kasumi "If the man proves unreasonable it may come to that anyway. We must do our duty even if it means the death of another." no matter how much it was undeserved.
"I will send for a water shugenja incase it comes to conflict and to see to the girl as well." no gaurentees any would come.. "I will go talk to our Otomo friend to see if we cannot convince him that your suggestion is the best course of action." which should be about as fun as sitting through a bad play.
He sought out the master of the house, half wishing the man was an Oni.
"Otomo-sama we would like to propose a solution to the situation, but it would require your approval as it is your daughter in danger. We propose we let the man live and instead serve out his life on the Kaiu wall. The sentence is as good as death for any ashigaru."
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Post by tsuruchi kasumi on Oct 2, 2014 6:39:49 GMT
Posting as Otomo Minoru
Otomo Minoru had been sitting in a small meeting room, and while it didn't show all that much, he was worried. When Izo came with his solution he looked relieved. While he had never even been in the Crab lands, he had heard horror stories about the Wall. Having this guy executed might be too fast, so maybe it was a fitting punishment. "Has he agreed to that," Minoru asked, hedging for now.
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