L5R Chronicle: Explorations
I woke up that third morning in Ryoko Owari, and in an excess of idleness and boredom, decided to wander down to the Civil Hall to inspect my offices. When I arrived, it turned out that our third partner had arrived early that morning, and had apparently been stranded by the Thunder Guard at the Hall rather than being conducted to the Residence. Somewhat puzzled, I showed him to our home, and after he'd seen to his meager belongings, the pair of us decided to present ourselves at the Governor's Palace, for instructions on how to spend our day. Freakajin was still recovering from his drunken binge, so Togashi Benkai and I set off alone.
Benkai was a powerfully built, averagely tall man. An Ise zumi monk, he'd been ordered by the Emperor to become an Emerald Magistrate. When Togashi had in some obscure fashion countenanced the appointment, he'd dutifully come to Ryoko Owari. Benkai's tattoos and shaved head made him fierce to behold, but I was to discover that a sound intellect and clear heart rested behind that intimidating exterior.
At the gate to the Palace, we were met by six surly guards, who refused to speak to us, much less allow us entrance. Confused and more than a little irate, I cast about with my eyes and happened to spy a minor functionary I recognized from the Civil Hall crossing the courtyard. I enlisted his aid in attempting to gain entrance to the Palace.
He was confused himself at the guard's behavior, and got more and more vocally irritated at them as minutes passed without more than a scowl in reply. In a fit of pique, the little courtier kicked the shin of one of the guards, who began to draw his blade. I had my hand on my no-dachi ready to defend the courtier, when conflict was averted by the timely opening of the gates by a man on the interior of the Palace.
The man turned out to be the Governor's son, Shosuro Jocho, and also the head of the Thunder Guard. A single disdainful wave removed the guards from our path instantly, and he was effuse in his apologies over the rudeness of his men... but he himself straddled the doorway and would not allow us entrance. Instead, he suggested, we could pass time familiarizing ourselves with the city. Obviously stymied in gaining entrance to the Palace, I sighed inwardly and a look between Benkai and I served to decide to follow his suggestion.
As the gates closed behind us, however, the unmistakable sign of a man being cut down floated to our ears. We were left to wonder whether the unfortunate courtier had been set upon by the guards, or whether Jocho had slain one of the guards as an example to the others - "Do not be so rude as to make the Magistrates suspicious, next time." Considering that the next time we returned, only four of the guards were in attendance, we later considered the second option likely.
**
Benkai and I set off to explore the city a bit, but before we had ventured far into the Merchant Quarter, he was mesmerized by a Dragon dojo. He watched the students practice with undisguised interest, and talked a bit to the sensei, a Kitsuki Dragon woman of rather fearsome and proud appearance. She was courteous to us both, but expressed suspicion as to why a trio of totally inexperienced Magistrates had been assigned to her city. The same question lingering in our own minds, we were unable to explain ourselves, and took our leave somewhat uncomfortably.
Close outside the dojo, we were stopped by a man who introduced himself solely as Builder, and claimed to be the man in charge of constructing the new Magistrate Residences that were planned for us. He got our opinion on some tiling and left as abruptly as he'd appeared, leaving me somewhat perplexed as to what had actually just happened (a common state for me in Ryoko Owari, I was to learn).
We weren't given much time to reflect on either of our new acquaintances, however, as almost immediately after Builder's departure, the bell to summon the Lightning Guard began to peal. We followed one of the squads to see what the commotion was. To our surprise and dismay, a fire had been set in the Civil Hall, coincidentally in the same room that my Dragon partner had been stranded in by the Thunder Guard. Troubled by this sinister coincidence, we began the trip back to the Residence, but scarcely a step outside the Hall, we heard an explosion... from the very direction that we'd been heading. Panicked, we charged for home, but the noise turned out to be only Builder, demolishing some houses near our Residence, in preparation for the new buildings.
**
Freakajin was still indisposed when we checked on him, so Benkai and I idled away several hours uneventfully studying, until that night. We were interrupted while running kata in the garden by the arrival of the premier Unicorn lord in the city coming to call. Shinjo Yoshifusa seemed only to want to size me up, and although he stayed only a short time, I think my polite respect may have touched the correct cord with him.
No sooner had he left than a messenger arrived from the Palace, requesting our presence at a dinner they were having - that we were already late to. Delaying just long enough to freshen ourselves, we took off with haste to the Palace, where a tableful of nobles (including, surprisingly, the Kitsuki-sensei) awaited us.
Benkai, a rather ascetic monk, and I, naturally shy, felt quite uncomfortable with the group, especially considering that the Governor stood and presented us formally to them. To make matters worse, we'd not brought our own cups, a curious custom in Ryoko Owari, and were forced to spend the feast somewhat thirsty. The Governor recommended one of the merchants under her patronage as a good cup source, and at least I was able to make up for my thirst by treating myself with the meat that they were serving.
In an interesting display of a full about-face of attitude, a Crane lord who'd been carousing with his friends (and apparently not paying a whit of attention to the Governor's introductions), insulted Benkai. He then proceeded to drunkenly boast to Benkai that his business was in "instruments," a local euphemism in this town for opium pipes! Within a bare moment of this boast, however, Benkai replied that his business was in being an Emerald Magistrate. An immediate sobering took place, and the fearful respect and apologies, coupled with an obvious hope that the newly-arrived Dragon was unfamiliar with local lingo, were almost amusing.
As dinner wound down, most of the guests wandered out to the garden to talk quietly, Benkai and myself no exception. I fluttered about the garden, losing myself in the exotic greenery that was so familiar to me from Unicorn lands, and unfortunately also lost myself from Benkai. As I inspected a gorgeous flowering bush, a hand came into my vision and plucked one of the blossoms. I whirled to see Jocho, who flattered me and gifted me with the flower. Overtaken with shyness and unease, I bowed my thanks and fled in search of Benkai, deciding that a Scorpion garden was not where I wanted to be wandering alone.
I found him conversing with a group of nobles, including the Governor. I tried to hide behind him (as well as someone of my stature can hide behind someone a full head shorter), but Jocho's eyes still tracked me. As soon as I could, I bade my respectful good-byes to the Governor, and escaped the Palace totally to remove myself from his gaze. Jocho made me shudder.
**
Benkai and I spent much of the next day in search of suitable cups for our use. I visited the shop that the Governor had recommended, and found a beautiful cup of ivory with jade and silver inlay. The exorbitant price, however, of seven koku, dissuaded me from the purchase. In a rather oily manner, the merchant offered to lower the price in exchange for a gentle eye during tax levying. I am ashamed to admit that it's possible I might have agreed, had Benkai not been frowning beside me. I think that in this town of decadence, he shall be a good person to have by my side to remind me of my honor when I turn a little foggy.
An inn traded Benkai a simple porcelain cup in exchange for a few exotic Dragon recipes (Benkai turned out to be an excellent cook, especially for an ascetic monk), but my more expensive tastes were stymied for quite some time. We wandered the Merchant Quarter for much of the morning, when finally we were directed to the shop of Kozaki in the extreme north of the city. Entering, we saw no one but a child of ten years, who, to my shock, turned out to be the proprietor. Kozaki had gorgeous handiwork and an absolutely charming manner. It turned out that he'd run the shop since his parents' death, under the protection of the same Crane who'd been so crass to Benkai the previous night.
Suspicious of the arrangement, I questioned the boy as to how much he was required to tithe the Crane, but he responded a reasonable 20 percent. From the sound of it, Kozaki innocently gave extra money to the Crane voluntarily because he certainly didn't need it. Still suspicious, I paid the hefty price of 3 koku for a beautiful porcelain cup with jade inlay (it turned out to have been partially crafted by the Governor's merchant).
We took our leave, me wondering what it was about the child's partnership with the Crane that struck me so wrong. While Kozaki himself I doubted had any capability of crime, the Crane's drunken boast of instrument business worried me that perhaps the child's shop was unknowingly a front for an aspect of the illegal opium trade.
**
The pair of us made our way back to the Residence, and were met by a summons to see the Governor. Freakajin had awakened from his stupor, and although he was in no condition for a public meeting (he slugged a bottle of sake before we left), he insisted on accompanying us to the Palace. Benkai and I were careful to bring our cups, and as it turned out that the Governor had summoned us to "formally introduce ourselves to each other" over tea, we were thankful that we had.
Jocho didn't take his eyes off of me the entire meeting. Freakajin embarrassed us mightily by drunkenly deciding to use a liquor bottle as his cup, as well as being insolent to the Governor herself. Benkai and I were as polite as could be, considering the situation, but thankfully, we were dismissed quickly.
The Governor presented our trio with gifts as we left, although she was obviously infuriated by the meeting. Benkai received a fine walking staff with an emerald set at one end, and she gifted me with an ornate katana. Freakajin, however, received a cheap glass bauble, that he ended up losing grip of and breaking before we even reached home. Benkai expressed deep misgiving as we made our way through the streets. Both of our gifts were luxurious beyond our station or want (my katana, though expensive, was ornate to the point of frippery, frankly ugly to anyone with a realistic experience of weapons), and he worried quite reasonably about what was expected in return.
Irritatingly, as soon as we'd returned home, Benkai and I were summoned back to the Palace to meet with the Governor, alone. She met us in her private bath, a rather scandalous situation considering the presence of the monk, but perhaps she simply ignored him, for she spent the most of the meeting humiliating me. She coldly inquired as to why I had not bought my cup from the merchant she had referred me to, and had instead purchased mine from an inferior craftsman who was a Crane; and proceeded to claim that all magistrates of the city, Emerald or not, were expected to patronize his services for their cups. She'd never said a word intimating this to me before, nor did she make any sort of remonstrance with Benkai nor mention Freakajin, and internally I raged as externally I became increasingly and desperately respectful and apologetic.
She finally finished with me and shifted her frost to include Benkai as well as myself. Expressing her extreme displeasure with Freakajin, she chillingly made references to "his office outliving him," and as to how the upcoming tax season would decide her opinion on all of us - an opinion that was currently disastrously low. A flip of her hand dismissed us and we exited the Palace quickly, my blood, at least, frozen in my veins.
The Governor frightened me, and although Benkai pointed out to me that our authority was the Emerald Champion, I had to point out to him that she was the dangerous mistress of a dangerous city, and that she quite literally held our lives on strings that she could snip easily if she so chose.
A messenger earlier that day had conveyed a message to us from the Emerald Champion, wherein he'd expressed his knowledge that Ryoko Owari was a hard assignment, as well as his faith in our ability to take the challenge. Benkai's trust in the Champion, and the Champion's trust in us, a monk and a samurai-ko that he'd never met, were reassuring, perhaps. But Jocho and the Governor reminded me that I was out of my league... and only too mortal.
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