Osa moaned at the end of the speech, her tits bouncing as she arched with need. "You sure got bossy..." Kiyoshi frowned under her mask. "Fine." She grumbled. "Let's go." Spoiler: encounter 3 Spoiler: Awareness 10 - success As the two moved through the forest, they suddenly halted - there was someone in front of them. They could either check it out or travel around...
“Sorry, I did not mean to be pushy or bossy, I just don't want to leave Osa in that condition for longer than absolutely necessary.” Sho apologized to her fellow kunoichi as they walked. “Next time we go on a mission together you can be the one in charge, alright?” She offered. Both kunoichi stopped and looked at each other as they realized there was someone ahead in the forest. Using hand signs they agreed to sneak up and see who – or what - it is before doing anything more.
The two kunoichis sneaked to the source of the noise. As they approached the source of the noise, they noticed a villager slowly walking through the forest. Spoiler: Stealth 84 + 20 - fail A branch cracked under Sho's foot, and the woman's head snapped in the direction. The woman did not see them, but, fearfully, she started slowly backing away...
Sho gave Kiyoshi a sign to remain hidden, then walked out to speak with the woman. “Good day to you, miss.” She called out. “I apologize if I scared you - I did not mean to.” She added as she came out in the open and smiled at the woman in a non-threatening manner.
The woman moved back as Sho walked out from the forest, but at her words, she slowly nodded. "It's alright." She said. "Might you tell me how to get to Shoda village? I seem to have lost myself in this forest..."
“Certainly. In fact, that is where I am headed.” Sho told the woman. “May I know who you are and where you're from, miss?”
"Ah, I am a simple peasant." She answered with a smile. "I am Sou." She said giving a respectful bow.
“A pleasure to meet you, Sou.” Sho smiled at the woman, still unsure whether this “Sou” could be trusted. “Since we seem to be heading to the same destination, would you like to travel together?” She offered.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I would be grateful, for your assistance." She said giving another bow.
“Oh, my, you're so polite you're making me feel like I am some sort of noble lady!” Sho joked as the two women began walking in the direction of Shoda village. “Please, relax and tell me a bit more about yourself. Where are you from, Sou?” The kunoichi made sure to keep the woman next to her as they talked. She used hand signs to signal Kiyoshi to follow them in secret and let her know if she notices anything off – with Sou's attention taken by Sho that should be easy to do for the other kunoichi to do. Maybe I am being paranoid, but something about Sou feels off... hopefully it;s just my imagination, but if it isn't, then I make sure to be ready for trouble. Sho thought as she kept chatting with the lost(?) woman.
The woman relaxed. "I am from Shoda village. I lived there whole my life-" It seemed she wanted to say something more but shook her head. "Are you not a noble lady?" She cocked her head. Spoiler: Awareness 41 - success As Sho looked closer, she noticed that under Sou's Kimono there was a rope, near her collarbone, peeking out. With seemingly natural movement, the rope disappeared back under the woman's clothes. "And if I may ask, what are you doing here?" The woman asked. "Forgive me, but I don't recognize you..."
“Do you see a bunch of guards following me around to protect me?” Sho chuckled at her own question. She pretended to have not noticed the rope, but it got her thinking and put her on high alert. Either this woman was into bondage, or something was wrong here. Or both. “I'll looking to buy medicine. I heard that Shoda is a large village, so there must be some for sale there. Right?” Technically true, since they did need medicine. “Please, tell me more about Shoda. Since you have lived there your whole life you must know it quite well, no?” She inquired with a smile.
Sou blinked. "Of course, what would you like to know?" She asked with an assured voice. "Medicine? There is some on the market. But it's costly - it all depends on what illness you need to heal." She answered in a certain voice.
“I guess I'll have to check out the prices myself when we get there.” Sho nodded. “So, what is the village like? Are there any people or places to avoid? Anything of note to check out, other than the market? Who is the local ruler and what are they like? I assume there is one, since it is a large village...” She asked several questions, acting as just a visitor curious about the village.
Sou frowned. "You are a traveller? If you go to Shoda village, you should at least have some understanding of it..." She shook her head. "You really have so many questions... take a breath." She said with a chuckle.
“My apologies. I have been told that I get way too excited when it comes to new places. Maybe because I don't get to see many new places...” Sho chuckled and offered an apologetic smile. “Please, take your time and answer my questions one by one – there is not rush...”
Sou shook her head. "There is no problem." She gave a small smile. "The lady of the village is Lady Mitsugu. She and her family rule these lands in the name of damiyo of Hayashi clan." She started, as she started giving answers to Shou, one by one. There didn't seem to be any duplicity in her answers. Soon, they arrived at the village.
“So this is Shoda village. Looks like a nice place.” Sho commented as she took her first look at Shoda, then turned to Sou. “Thank you for answering my questions, Sou. Want me to escort you home before I go to the market? It's the least I could do as thanks for your help.”
Sou shook her head. "No, no. It is I who should thank you for your aid. Please, allow me to escort you to the market - that's the least I could do..." She said, bowing her head slightly.
“Escort me? Well, I don't mind, but... are you sure? Won't your family be worried about you?” Sho raised an eyebrow as she examined Sou carefully and discreetly looked around for any sign of Kiyoshi.
