"Something about your upbringing, recent. My mother died during childbirth, so aunt Midori is the closest I've had to a mother figure. Did yours send you here?" She asked her question, thinking it a good place to start. Also deciding to believe the vagrant until proven otherwise, not caring too much about the information about herself she let slip. Chitsukiko had never heard of Dongwei, while the Wudang mountains were in the far reaches of the empire seen from the perspective of Hattori and only knew of their peaks from the maps.
'Lady Midori is your aunt and adoptive mother?' Jian smiled, 'She strikes me as kind and diligent, it seems like you had luck after suffering misfortune.' 'My upbringing?' Jian chuckled, 'Where to start? No, my mother did not send me here, I've come out of my own curiousity.' He took a short moment to gather his thoughts, before beginning, 'My mother, Lanying, is a prostitute in the only brothel in Dongwei. You can imagine how I came to be, but she must've felt something special with Lord Shintaro to keep me and not take the usual tea. I wouldn't say that my mother was distant during my childhood, but she was often busy. In a way, all the ladies in that brothel became my surrogate mothers, whoever had time to look after a young boy.' He smiled to himself, remembering some fleeting moment, 'I was lucky, the master of the brothel tolerated me, maybe even liked me, I never grew that close to him.' 'I did have to look for father figures elsewhere,' Jian continued, 'Junpei, an old monk from the monasteries that dot the Wudang mountains, had settled in our town, he's the one who taught me Tai Chi. Another was a wandering swordsman, Li Mubai, he taught me the way of the sword, after I pestered him to teach me every time he visited the town.'
"Certainly lucky to be her student, but auntie is not my adoptive mother. She and Lord Senzan, father, have very different temperaments." Chitsukiko interjected before allowing him to continue, vastly understating the differences between the two. When he mentioned that his mother was a prostitute and insinuating her relationship with Lord Shintaro, she could certainly imagine and the recent memories of her lovemaking flashed in her mind. Her cheeks became flushed. Father also liked spending time with women like that, not certain how to feel at the thought of maybe having younger brothers and sisters around. Jian would have to be enough if he was accepted, she guessed he was a few younger than her. Chitsukiko only listened with half an ear afterwards, turning her thoughts and the revelations over in her mind, but aware enough to praise both the monk and the swordsman for their respective skills. "Master Junpei had a discerning eye when he chose you to learn his mystical arts, so did Master Mubai. You carry yourself with the confidence of warrior, even if you are without your weapon. Brave too, for journeying such a distance. And we have the pestering in common, you should ask aunt Midori. I sat in seiza for hours before she allowed me to touch a bokken... again." She wore a faint smile, under other circumstances it may likely have been genuine. Breaking one of the training swords had earned her many harsh words and lectures, a fond memory. "...What are prostitutes like in bed?" Chitsukiko looked away, blushing more deeply than before. Growing up among the lascivious women, he surely must have taken one of them to bed once he came of age. It was easier to ask Jian, a stranger, than try to broach the subject with one of the older men around her. Her stomach felt queasy as she waited for an answer.
'Please. you'll make me blush with all those compliments,' Jian smiled at Chitsukiko, 'Thank you, but I am still young, and have much to learn. Your aunt already asked me to show her the fighting styles of the Empire, well at least those I know of, there are too many to count. I will certainly ask her if she would show me the way warriors from Hattori fight.' He chuckled, picturing the young girl harrying her aunt for lessons, a scene very familiar to him, 'You're a quick study, I'm sure Lady Midori had an easy time teaching you compared to her other students.' Jian smiled, finding her sudden shyness somewhat endearing, even though he was surprised she steered the conversation in that direction, 'You are curious about that? Hmm, I suppose that world is very far removed from a noblewoman's life. Very well.' He folded his arms and thought a second, 'Despite what you may think, growing up in a brothel wasn't filled with that, not for me at least. Of course I knew what was going on, but the master and my mother made sure I didn't get involved, so to speak. Not that I wanted to particularly, we were like a big family and I didn't feel much desire for my "aunts". I did ask them about it occasionally, and can tell you what they told me. It really depends on the woman in question, some see it as merely a transactions of goods. For them it's a mechanical act, with no passion or emotion. Others try to make a connection with every client, I think my mother is more of the latter sort. Of course, for most it's somewhere in between, depending on the man, or woman, they are with.' 'If you'll believe me, I only had my first time fairly recently. Shortly before I set out from my hometown, Ruyue, one of the girls in the brothel's employ, approached me. She's the daughter of a silk merchant in my town. Her father had lost a substantial amount of money in a bad deal just a few months before, and Ruyue had to take up the profession to get her family through those difficult times. We'd known each other for a while before, as I was sent on errands to her father's shop fairly frequently, a brothel does have a certain need for silk.' He smiled to himself, remembering the encounter, 'Our time together was brief, but I left Dongwei with a very good memory. So, I have to apologise. I don't really know what prostitutes are like in bed. With Ruyue it's a bit different and I didn't visit another brothel on the road.'
She chewed on his words, it wasn't quite the answer she had hoped for. They had their own lives, living it, and performing their job as any farmer would. A few were dedicated, taking pride as they tilled the fields and in caring for their cattle, so they could stand tall as the headsman came to collect what was owed the lord of the region. Piety could be found everywhere, as the priest often told her. But, it told her nothing of how the fields were tilled, only that they were. Biting her lips, Chitsukiko considered commanding one of the Rai's clanswomen to teach her. Grandfather had cultivated this clan of spies to handle tasks as varied as assassination to whoring, all of which were beneath samurai. But it also meant Lord Yakuboo would find out sooner rather than later. "You've left me much to think about, Jian. And there's no need to apologize for answering a question I asked with candor, especially one of such a delicate nature." All she could do for now was leave that matter to the side to ponder later. "It may take a few years before being allowed to roam freely once you enter into our service, but if you distinguish yourself in the eyes of Lord Yakuboo you may be awarded enough land to live comfortably alongside your mother and this girl you spoke of, Ruyue, by that time. Should you wish for it, of course. The women of Hattori are not be underestimated in their grace, and my hopes are you'll find one of us to wed instead." "As for auntie's proposal, you'll be offering us all a great gift if you decided to teach us what you know. Swordmasters are a rarity, especially in foreign styles, and valued highly by wise lords like our own." Her eyes searched his for an understanding that if he failed to convince great-uncle and grandfather that he could find another way out of being killed. Chitsukiko had no desire to see him slain, and the kami would surely judge her actions here fairly. "Your turn for a question, I think. Otherwise, if you have none, I can show you the grounds. Although you were forbidden to leave, so long as you're within our sight then we could perhaps arrange something if you wish to visit the town. No promises, however." Bowing slightly as she offered to be his guide and guard.
Jian's smile was brilliant, as Chitsukiko suggested he may return in the future and marry Ruyue, 'If I was so lovestruck I wouldn't have left at all. I'm sure Ruyue will be happily married, maybe even have children, once I can make it back home.' He chuckled, 'I have no doubt of that. I've already witnessed a fair shair of feminine beauty in my brief time here. Saya, the owner of the teahouse, that fire-haired swordswoman in the courtyard, Lady Midori and you, Lady Chitsukiko.' 'Should I become a member of your clan, I would offer my knowledge freely, of course. I will keep it in mind, once I meet with Lord Yokuboo and his brothers,' Jian inclined his head in thanks. He pondered a moment, rubbing his chin, then spoke, 'One thing that is unmistakable and has me wondering. The swordswoman, Lady Midori, you. Is it a common tradition in Hattori for women to become warriors?'
Jurobei nodded. "That is good. It's a little wonder why Shogun would decide to get read of her." The man paused at the question. "Your presence is already known to the other party..." He paused, deep in thought. "Continue your work from shadows, gathering information... I want to know her next move."
Inazuma nod. "Yes my lord. But may I ask one more question. They don't know for which clan I serve. In cause of my capture, what clan do you want involed?" She asked.
"As you wish my lord. " She said and thinking about what happen. "If you don't have anything against my lord, I will go back to shadows and I will watch after you by this night." Inazuma put back her demon's mask on face.
Inazuma hide in shadows above Lord Yokuboo sleep and enter in ninja trans, resting and waiting. It was also part of her training, to stay focus for long time. She was glad that Jurobei didn't demands her body to please him. Probably he prefer big breast, like Shogun. Not small like her.
Sarutobi sighs. "Enough to make me worry. Our distinguished elders have sworn to Clan Yokuboo. I fear that they plan a betrayal, which could lead to a disaster. You've heard, I assume, what the lord here did to Clan Rai? Oichi has landed on her feet, of course, after her last disaster. I hear she's become the favourite mistress of some lord in the capital. As for the twins, I'm not sure."
Dawn comes quickly, and Inazuma wakes first, trained to leave sleep at the slightest sound or disturbance. She hears someone, a woman, probably, approach her Lord's room. Jurobei wakes to hear a maid tap against the paper door. "My lord, the shogun has instructed that you be woken, so your trip can begin soon. She also said something about her mother being ready, though she was vague in her meaning, saying that you'd understand."
The morning is full of prep work to get herself ready to appear. Carefully selecting some overly heavy scented perfume to throw off the scent of those dam palace dogs. She at least had plenty of nice clothes to wear for court, settling on a light green kimono. Enough to look respectable. She took a quick detour to the shop to gather up a few things to see if she couldn’t pawn something off somewhere, and got herself ready to leave.
"Those idiots." Kyouka growled, "No, sorry, I haven't heard. What happened to them?" She asked, before shuddering at the prospect of running into her older sister, "Ugh. Hopefully she'll be busy, and not bother me while I'm in the capital. As for the twins, well, they can handle themselves."
The two young people's conversation is interrupted abruptly, as the castle gates are opened. On a fine stallion rides the man Chitsuhiko recognises, and Jian doesn't, though he seems strangely familiar. Shintaro rides in, a smile on his face as he seems to bask in the golden morning sunlight, singing a tune softly to himself with a surprisingly pleasant voice. "Dame da ne, dame yo, dame na no y-". As the lord's brother rides closer into the courtyard, he hops off his stallion and hands the reins to an attendent. "Chitsu!" Though they're not particularly close, Shintaro has always been kind to Chitsukiko. "Good to see you. Want to shoot some targets together, your bow versus my matchlock? I want to do some shooting before my hangover sets in." He looks over to Jian, smirking. "Who's this, Chitsu? You learning tai chi or something? Or have you finally found yourself a boyfriend?" The samurai who was at the gate yesterday rushes up. "L-Lord Shintaro...T-This is..." The man wheezes, out of breath from having run across the castle.
Her daughter slings her sack over her shoulder and moves up to wish her mother farewell. "Enjoy the capital, mom, be safe."
