Jian stood by as the jovial nobleman rushed in and approached Chitsukiko. He gave him a polite nod, not speaking until spoken to in the presence of an older noble. Though when he heard the samurai call him Shintaro, his calm and reserved demeaner slipped a bit. His eyes flashed open in surprise. If Shintaro looked closely, the foreigner had strangely pale eyes, eyes which he recalled from somewhere. All his instincts wanted Jian to speak, but his discipline stayed his tongue. He hoped the samurai or Chitsukiko would make things more clear.
He looks around, before responding. "Lord Yokuboo's mother was a member of Clan Rai, a small vassal hatamoto clan to the Yokuboo. They used their position to dominate and take over Clan Yokuboo, so when he grew up, the lord here killed his mother and all the male members of all Clan Rai. The rest, he had tortured and broken until they were his obedient servants, using them as kunoichi and sex slaves. If he'd do that to his own kin, just for being uppity...I worry what he'd do to our brothers if they tried to betray him." He's silent for a second, before chuckling. "C'mon, Oichi isn't that bad. She's your sister, after all." Focused on his own family, he's been mostly ignorant of Oichi's exploits, thinking her to be just a little bitchy.
"Everything will be alright." Although she said it, she wasn't as convinced of that as she tried to sound. "Stick with your brother for now. You're old enough that I'm sure, you'll be fine on your own. But it's less stressful for me if you two stick together. Don't worry about me...I'm pretty good at finding ways around things." Pulling her daughter in close, she gave a loving hug for a few moments before breaking away. "Don't get up too too much trouble." Finishing her goodbyes, she began to make the journey to her destination.
The samurai takes a breath, while Shintaro gives a bemused look. "What, he some sort of foreign royalty?" The samurai shakes his head. "Lord, this young man claims to be...oof...your child." Shintaro's mouth opens, and closes, before he turns to give Jian a closer look. "Well, I suppose you do look a little like me." He examines the foreigner's face. "What's your mother's name?"
Jian stood by as the samurai told Shintaro out of breath. He looked at the Hattori noble's eyes and spoke with a clearly Eternal Imperial accent, 'Her name's Lanying, Lord Shintaro.'
"Well, that's... unnerving. But if those two know that, and are still willing to risk everything. I guess they're quite confident at their chances." Kyouka sighed, until the subject of her older sister returned. "Khh. That's cause you're a man. I'm sure that exhibitionist Fubuki, would wear full plate armor, if she knew she was meeting Oichi. You know, i'm sure if your beautiful wife has met our older sister. She'll be having some stories to tell." Kyouka shakes her head, "Anyway, I should turn in. We leave for the Kushan first thing tomorrow."
"I'll try my best." The fox girl chuckles and heads towards the woods. At the gates, she's quickly let in when she shows her letter, the guard dogs not paying too much attention. In the courtyard, she sees an older looking lordly type with a firearm, looking intently at a young foreign man, with a beautiful young samurai woman off to the side.
Midori took a quick look around the empty corridor, then quietly headed back to her own room. That's enough fun for one night. I need to rest so I can be ready for tomorrow. She decided.
Shintaro's brow furrows. "Lan-ying? Lanying. Hmmm." He pinches his chin. "Ah, yes, Lanying! I remember her, from Dongwei, right!" Shintaro grins. "Lovely woman, her pimp was giving her trouble, so I shot him with this baby." He pats his matchlock lovingly. "Yes, I remember your mother well. Welcome to Castle Yokuboo, kid. Tell me, how's your mother?" He pats Jian's shoulder.
"Well, my wife does tend to go quiet when I talk about Oichi... Anyway, sleep well, sis." He hugs her tightly, before heading off to bed himself. The next day, sunlight pours through the paper walls to wake Kyouka up.
They were in the middle of a conversation, so she didn’t want to interrupt just yet, but approached to be in eyesight of the old noble so he’d know she arrived as she let him carry out the conversation, taking a look around as if taking in the sights, though mainly scoping out emergency exit points and the movements of the palace guard.
Once morning arrived, Kyouka yawns as she got up. Getting ready to head out, she washes herself before putting on her combat gear again. Making sure she had her musket slung on her back, along with her katana sheathed to her side. The redhead bids her brother and his family farewell, before heading back to the castle.
Jian smiled, as Shintaro remembered his mother, though she had never mentioned him shooting anybody. He wasn't surprised that Shintar was so hands-on from his exuberant nature, but he wasn't used to, 'You do me honour by remembering my mother. Thank you for the kind welcome. Mother is doing well, still as energetic and... enthusiastic... as you remember her, I'd wager.'
As she moves around, Kiyoda Terada, her date from yesterday, approaches. "Ah, good morning. The lord's brother just arrived. I'll introduce you, but it seems that one of his bastards has just shown up." She can't spot any obvious escape routes, and the guards seem decently professional, if not altogether hurried in their movements.
Kyouka is quickly let back into the castle, seeing a lordly looking man patting the shoulder of a foreigner, a beautiful samurai woman who was the helper of her opponent yesterday, and a stunning white haired woman in a green kimono, talking to a good looking young man.
@Mazoku "I'm glad to hear that. I might have to take another trip to the mainland." He chuckles. "They treated you well?" He looks up at the newcomers, a stunning redhead in a bodysuit, and a white haired beauty in a green kimono. "Look at them. Must be here for the Kushan, I'd say."
Mmm, that smells nice. Let's see what's for breakfast. Midori quickly washed herself, got dressed, and went looking for the source of the wonderful scent.
Seeing her would be companions, Kyouka dismounts her steed as she approaches them. "Greetings, I take it we'll all be traveling together for the Kushan?" She said with a smile, though her eyes were already inspecting anyone strong enough for a fight.
Her mother stands in the kitchen, laying down a plate of fish, rice and soup. "Ah, you're up. Hungry, are you?" She smiles. "I wanted to give you a lot to eat, since you're leaving soon."
