“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady,” Midori bowed her head slightly to Chitsukiko. “It is as miss Koyumi said – we met recently when my mother sent me to her shop.” She paused and watched with amusement Koyumi's antics before continuing. “Certainly. It would be a pleasure to speak with you on the way back. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have at that time. Though I hope we will have a chance to talk and get to know each other on the way to the capital, too. I don't know how long the trip will be, but it will surely be more enjoyable in pleasant company.” She smiled warmly at Chitsukiko.
Instictively reacting to the sudden movement, Chitsukiko's hand moved toward the katana strapped to her side. Hovering a few inches from the hilt when the finger darting toward her face reached her. She flexed her fingers, chiding herself for reacting the way she did, then expelling the tension she felt in a long breath. Must still be on edge from her encounter with the spy earlier. "I... yes, looking forward to getting to know you better as well. Can be a cruel thing for pleasant times to pass by so quickly, but here I wouldn't mind it." Still impatient to get to the capital. "Looking forward to chatting more with both of you. Guard duty may take me away, but I'll make what time I have available, miss Midori. I have so few opportunities to talk with women my own age. It'll be a nice change of pace." She mused wistfully, the edges of her lips turning into a smile as she looked at both of them. Koyumi was older than Chitsukiko by what looked like a decade, but when the closest female friend you had was aunt Midori it seemed closer.
"Aw, look at that. You two are already becoming friends." As friendly as her tone sounded, she found a way of picking the exact combination of words to make it sound sarcastic.
“Please, call me Midori. No need for 'miss'.” Midori smiled at Chitsukiko and chose to not notice Koyumi's sarcasm. “Having a friend your age is always nice, especially when going to a new unfamiliar place. Or so I've heard, anyway. In any case good luck with whatever your duty may require, Chitsukiko. I hope you'll stay safe.”
The kunoichi's sisters quickly return, grim looks on their beautiful faces. "Sister, the shogun's mother is dead. She had her throat cut in the dungeon, and there's not yet been any clues as to the killer's identity." Midori, a stern traditionalist, nods without a sign of disobedience. "Very well, father, I will come with you." Shintaro grins, slipping a hand around her waist. "Oh, I think we'll be able to remember." He looks at her briefly. "You look pensive, something up?" @unisol_gr44 @moonblack @Mazoku @Auraicide The group headed to the capital soon find themselves herded by samurai retainers to the docks, where a large ship awaits. Though it's dwarfed by the imperial flagship, the ship currently in the harbour, the Nihon Maru is an imposing vessel, serving as the shogun's personal vessel, with a long history of service in many wars. Samurai screen the oncoming travelers except the shogun, before allowing them aboard, into a large hall within the hull.
Looking at them, she sees that the older man's gunshot wound is more severe, but he gasps and asks Yunah to ignore him and help his granddaughter, who has a shuriken embedded in her thigh.
Yunah realizes that The Old Mans Wound is fatal and there's nothing she can do. "Do You have Bandages and Alcohol in Your House?" She asks them both.
"S-Sake, in the cellar." The old man coughs up blood, while the girl adds "Use one of my kimonos as a bandage. Just tear it up." The girl tells Yunah where her room is, and where the dresses will be, before adding: "Ignore my grandfather. Please help him first." The two begin arguing weakly, before blood loss sends the old man into a daze.
Inazuma feeling as blood from her face disapper, making her pale. But now there is no time for panic, only for cold investigation. "I have to see her body. And garret all guards who have watch today in dungeon, I have to ask them question. And call our Lord, he must know what happen." She give comands and run back to dungeon.
Yunah gets up once The Girl told her about the dresses and Sake, Time is short and she has to do something. She finds The Dresses and rips some appart and gets a bottle Sake from The Cellar and rushes back to Them. "First Him, he doesent have much Time" she pours Sake over his Wound and starts to bandage it up. "Some Herbs to put under The Bandage would help...."
Inazuma is rushed into the castle, where the busty woman's corpse lies. As she was told, a red line runs across her throat, blood pooling around her on the floor. Lord Yokuboo's personal torture chamber lies in an isolated wing of the castle, away from the main dungeon, so that people headed there don't know what awaits them, and it's usually unguarded when Lord Yokuboo is inside, so the lord can have his privacy, but there are two ashigaru guards posted in a nearby hallway, who claim that they saw and heard nothing. Kuchibara, the castle steward, walks up to the kunoichi. "Damn it." He grunts. "We didn't post another guard because she couldn't escape. We didn't anticipate that she could be a target."
The girl nods. "In the garden." The old man's eyes fly open, and he groans as the sake rubs against his wound.
Yunah heads to their Garden and looks for The Herbs she needs for their Wounds. When She has them she heads back and puts some of them on The Old Mans Wound and bandages it up. "That's all I can do. Now is Your turn" she looks at The Girl. "Bite on something. This probably will hurt quiet a bit"
Inazuma think what she remeber about Kuchibara and his history of serve in clan. "That is fatal mistake, but maybe we could get know something." She said and look at all ways to enter to dungeon and check locks for try of burglary. "These guards... How long their serve to clan?" She asked.
Kuchibara is an old soldier, a farmer who rose up to become a samurai during the war against the emperor, his skill as a fighter, and his quick witted mind allowing him to rise above his station. He has a history of loyal service to Lord Yokuboo, the main who promoted him. As Inazuma looks around, she sees that one of the walls has been cut through with a sword, and behind it, one of the windows has been left open, but there is no trail beyond that. Returning to Kuchibara, he answers. "Perhaps a year or so?" You suspect them?"
Yunah takes hold of The Shuriken and quickly pulls it out. Once its out she puts pressure on The Wound and pours Sake over it. She grabs the remaining Herbs and puts it on The Wound once it stopped bleeding strong and bandages it up with The Cloth of her Dress. "They will probably come back with more Men and this Time they will simply take what they want and Kill You....Or in Your case something worse. I suggest You grab what You need and leave"
"We... I'll take grandfather to the hatamoto. Hopefully, he'll be generous and give us somewhere to stay. Thank you, samurai. We owe you our lives." She bows, gritting her teeth a little at the pain.
Inazuma look at trail and sigh disapointed when it ended so fast. " Not yet. It look like the shinobi get here, so it may be true that they hear nothing. Ninja can kill men, while his lover sleep next to him." She said and thinking about it. " Just order to watch them what they do in free time. If they spend more money for their pleasure than usually, It will make them suspiciously. " She said and look at body of shogun's mother. " I hope it is clear, that information can't be spread around. No one can know about her death, ewen Children of Lord Yokuboo. "
"Im heading to The Capitol to Pledge my Sword to Clan Yakoboo. Perhaps it will be safe for You there, and I heard they have some of The Best Healers in The Country..."
