"Of course, madam." He smiles, paying for the meal at the counter, and leading the fox girl outside. As they walk along the city street, they're approached by a filthy looking man with a katana at his side. The young Terada man clutches his date protectively. The man pulls up his straw hat. "It turns out that I'm in need of some coin, kind travellers." The Terada man hands him some money. "You're too generous, lord, but I'm afraid I'll be needing all of it. Give me your purses, both of you." He draws his katana.
Midori leans down to kiss her niece's forehead. "Very well, just be safe. I know you'll make the clan, and me, proud." The two women's moment is interrupted as a messenger rushes into the garden, huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath to give his message. "M-My lady! Huh, huh, she's here! The Black Widow is here, in the courtyard! Ugh, you asked to be informed if she was identified." Midori beams, a bright smile lighting up her features. "Finally, some excitement. I'm coming." She looks over to Chitsuhiko. "There's a local ronin who fights duels to the death. Apparently she's quite good, and it's been a while since I've had a good fight. Feel like coming along?"
"Damn it." Deciding that an intruder is the greater priority, the ninja heads off after the shadow clone, leaving the real junoichi to pursue her Lord. Inazuma knows, however, that her clone will soon disappear, and the ninja will likely realise that he was tricked.
"My sister, Midori, is a great warrior, and has wanted to challenge you for a while. I speak on her behalf when I say that she would be honoured if you would fight her. I've sent a messenger to her in the gardens, so she should be here soon." He smiles. "Of course, since dueling is legal in this province, you've not committed any crimes, and are free to refuse her offer and leave, should you wish."
"Oh?" Kyouka's grin widens, "Interesting. If you've heard that much of me, you should also know what happens should your sister lose, no?" She asked in a menacing tone as she walks toward him. "Well, you're either confident in her skills, or you plan on lessening the shares to the family inheritance. Either way, I'll be more than happy to oblige."
Having hoped for longer, she was slightly reluctant to leave her but did so after sneaking in a few more moments together. Retying her sash and putting on her clothes properly as she listened, feeling a rising heat as she hoped the servant hadn't noticed. He seemed quite focused on this visitor, so perhaps he hadn't. One could hope. Chitsukiko didn't have long to consider, her slack muscles tightening as she felt her aunt's spirit hunger for a challenge, similar but unlike the way they did during their session in the courtyard in a very real sense. Her hand slipped toward the kashira, the pommel, of her katana, prepared to draw - and use - the blade. Almost an instinctual movement, drilled into her by uncountable hours of training. "Yes, aunt!"
Jian listened closely, as he enjoyed his tea. The description of the clan sounded normal enough, 'I see, then they are neither tyrant nor great benefactors. Thank you. Do they permit commoners to visit the castle?' He paused, his unusually pale eyes smiling at her, 'Oh, but how rude of me. You answered my question, I should offer an answer in return. Please, ask if you're curious.'
She smelled the fifth well before she actually saw the guy, and he was just as scummy as she anticipated, but there was little she could do, moving a little bit closer to her date for protection, but not wanting to encourage him to do something stupid. Even if her powers were what they used to be, she couldn't just attack him to save her life, as much as she wanted to. However, it clashed with her addiction to collecting gold, that was telling to her to do something stupid as she intervened, grabbing her coin purse and showing it before anything could happen. Slowly she reached for it, trying not to agitate the thief...but also silently centering herself so she could breath. Her obscured tails being where most of her magic was housed was useful in keeping her attempt to cast hidden. It was a rather simple tactic. Confuse the muggers senses so he wasn't where he thought it was. It was only a couple of steps, but enough for her to put herself out of sword range and from his perspective, she moved in quick to the side to the vagrant's side, almost throwing himself onto his shoulder while looking desperate. "Don't hurt him, please!" It was a standard pickpocket tactic. Touch someone to throw off their focus, and they would completely fail to notice when the other hand reached for their own coin purses. Aiming to combine her own naturally deft skills with her magic, she felt it would be simple enough to be picking his pocket, then simply hand him back his own coin purse and let him walk away thinking he had gotten the upper hand.
"Oh, I doubt there's much chance of that." The young lordling chuckles. Midori leads her niece down to the castle courtyard, where the redheaded ronin stands in her tight bodysuit. @asddas193 A beautiful woman in a kimono approaches Kyouka and bows. "I am Midori, of Clan Yokuboo. It would be my honour if you would fight me."
Kyouka grins as her challenger arrived, she bows as well. "That's why I stayed." She replied before standing up straight again. "Hmm, will you be wearing that? Or will you he changing?" The redhead asked in a rather impatient tone.
"You have to state your business at the gate, and be searched, but yes, they do allow people inside. One of the administrators there is a tea enthusiast, so I often go there to chat with her." She smiles. "I can ask you anything? Well, the obvious question is probably the one to start with. What brings a handsome young mainlander to this corner of our island?"
"That is the logical thing to do." The man nods as he looks around the castle, noting the changes since he was here last time. "Might I ask about your plans, once we managed to escalate the conflict between Empress and the Emperor's cousin?" He asks as they entered the guestroom.
The thief shoves her away, roughly, but not before she picks his pocket. Seeing the rough treatment, the fox girl's date draws his own sword in anger, but then realises what she did, stifling a laugh at the deception and putting away his weapon. The thug smirks, snatching up his own purse, thinking that he made a profit. "Well, I bid you good evening." He walks off.
Midori smiles. "If I'm not mistaken, your bodysuit is unarmoured. It would be dishonourable for me to wear armour in this fight." She unlaces her kimono, sliding it off her body, showing her lean form, breasts kept in check with a chest wrap, and her lower body protected by a short skirt below which her long legs are visible. "Shall we begin?" The spectators make a circle. @Mazoku Midori smiles at Chitsukiko. "Watch both of us, and see if you can memorise some of our techniques." She draws her katana.
'That sounds reasonable,' Jian nodded, before chuckling musically again, 'Why indeed,' He retrieved the crest from his pocket, showing the clan symbol of Yokuboo, 'This crest brings me here. My mother gave it to me when I was a child, a foreigner gifted it to her after... well, a week of passion. She says his name was Shintaro.'
"It's unwise to lay too elaborate a plan before you have a good view of the battlefield, but the emperor is my age, and unmarried. I could see a union between us forging a path for shogunate rule of Hattori. And of course, with myself in charge, my supporters will profit as well."
"Ah." She nods. "Shintaro is one of the lord's younger brothers. I don't think it unlikely that he may have enjoyed that week with her. He has a reputation for womanising."
“But-but-...okay.” Her voice dropped off as he got out of earshot, adjusting her clothes and that smile on her face remerging, taking out her own bag of coins was still where she left it before putting it back, superstitiously incase of more people looking to rob passerbys were around. She gave her date a look before moving close to him again, the sword he carried still a pretty good deterrent for the potential of other thieves. “I absolutely did give him money. Unless you want to go back and tell him he might have missed a few? But it would probably be better to call it a night and get going before more lowlives start flooding the streets.”
She nods, taking her mentor's kimono as it slides of her body, treating the fabric with care as she quickly folds it together before returning to the circle. She can see the other is a formidable warrior, but her faith in Midori is unshakable and sets aside any doubts about a potential loss to focus on the duel as she had asked.
'Ah, so that's the kind of man he is,' Jian took another gulp of fresh tea, 'The troublesome thing is, that week was about nine months before I was born. I'm not certain Lord Shintaro would be so fond of the fruit of his womanising to come looking for him.'
