[003] Into the War Camp

[jemmus]

Toshizo, having just been at the very edge of death itself, is more prudent than before. He doesn't wish to wake the others during their well-deserved rest. He would prefer to show courage and investigate the intruder alone. But courage and foolhardiness are two different things. If he's killed or something goes wrong, the intruder could kill his companions in their sleep.

He's surprised and a little cheered to see the cat come in, but there is no time to pay it any attention. He goes to the entryway room.

Ha-san, Eiji-san, Taka-san-- I'm sorry, but you must wake up. Someone has entered the house. He returns the gory room, draws his katana and watches over the captive, facing toward the west side of the house. He keeps an eye on the cat as well. He thinks, "I foolishly underestimated this bandit here. I will never assume anything again. Even that a cat is just a cat."

[jmacatty]

Ha will get up and watch Toshizo move back into the other room. Ha will move to make sure no one is outside the other door.

[ffilz]

Taka will also get up and start looking and listening.

[Marullus]

Ha-san, Eiji-san, Taka-san-- I'm sorry, but you must wake up. Someone has entered the house.

Everyone is woken, Ha only having gotten about an hour of sleep, the others having four. Ha checks outside the doors and sees nothing, the sun almost at noonday.

Toshizo enters the large room again. The bound prisoner still sits, gagged and quiet. Meow. The cat sits on the low table and locks its paws, ruddy pawprints now showing on the floor.

In the hallway, Taka strains to hear. The two doors on the right wall remain as they were, the nearer one closed the second standing open. There is a clatter, something metal hitting the floor, around the bend and in the west side of the house beyond.

[ffilz]

Taka whisper to the others, draw tanto and 1 shuriken, and cautiously approach the corner and peek around.

[Marullus]

Taka draws her small blades and moves cautiously to the end of the hallway to peer around the corner. She sees and smells a large, filthy kitchen - tubs are mounded with crusty, unwashed stoneware bowls. Pots with blackened rice in the bottom are in haphazard piles. Spilled rice and food lie unswept on the ground, waiting for mice. Crates of foodstuffs - clearly robbed from the caravans - are broken open and dug through. It is clear that no one has given any care to the goods here, nor organized the cooking attempts. Several of the pots appear to be kicked or thrown. On the north side of the kitchen is a small room, its door panels left open, a dusty and under-utilized bathtub within. A door panel is secured closed on the far (western) wall.

Lying in the middle of the floor, however, is a young woman, her hands and ankles bound and a gag in her mouth. She kicks a metal pot and looks up, eyes fierce.

[jemmus]

Toshizo continues to guard the bandit, but listens carefully, ready to rush to Taka at the first sound of any disturbance.

[ffilz]

Taka will duck back and whisper to Toshi: I found the source of the banging, there is a bound and gagged woman in the next room. If she can get Ha's attention she will fill him in also.

[Marullus]

*bump*

The bandit remains bound and sullen as Toshizo watches him. Ha is certain nobody is outside. Taka returns and reports there is a bound woman in a filthy kitchen, seeking input from Toshizo and Ha.

Actions?

[jmacatty]

Ha walks into the room with the woman. He removes her gag and asks her who she is and why she is here?

[jemmus]

Toshizo drags the bound bandit into the kitchen. Hello, he politely says to the woman. This bandit will witness what you say and confirm its truth.

[Marullus]

....and welcome back, Samwell Turleton!

[Samwell Turleton]

Amano Souta flexes the muscles of her jaws as the gag is released and looks kindly at Ha for removing it. My name is Amano Souta. I signed to serve as a guard, escorting a caravan that was ambushed on its way into the mountains.

Toshizo and the bandit enter the room. Amano Souta looks fiercely at the bandit and Toshizo as they enter the room and stops herself short of giving more information at this time.

[jemmus]

Toshizo hesitates a little, then says, I am Kamine no Toshizo, pleased to meet you. He bows. He has no idea what the woman's caste and rank is, but she has a family name, so she must be at least ronin. It feels strange to bow to a bound woman lying on the floor, but stranger things have happened today.

There is no need to be afraid of this criminal. He's firmly bound and unarmed. And seriously wounded. What he hears can't hurt you.

[jemmus]

Welcome back Samwell!

[Samwell Turleton]

Upon hearing the names and looking at the two for a little longer Amano Souta has a fleeting recollection of seeing these two bushi at the Three Leaves Inn. Pleased to meet you Toshizo-san, she says, Perhaps one of you can remove these bindings? , she continues, with a nod in the direction of Ha. We were escorting a dowry box of some importance when we were ambushed, they seemed to be looking specifically for it. I chased the thieves into the mountains but was overtaken by more of them and captured.

[jemmus]

Now that the gag has been removed, Toshizo recognizes Amano Souta and his eye's slightly widen. She's the young samurai who was playing go at the inn. Desperate find a way to earn some money, he had gotten the courage up to rudely approach her and Ha and introduce himself. Ah, Amano-san, we met before at the inn in the village. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you.

He absently scratches the katana slash scar on his cheek. It's almost fully healed from Eiji's divine Buddhist magic. He's rather proud of it. Everyone will know that he's not just a kid who has never been in a fight. He thinks, "I'm higher rank ronin than Ha, but Ha is older. And Ha and I have been in battle together. And we almost got killed in battle together. Mother probably wouldn't agree, but bushi who fight together and travel together shouldn't think about rank." He doesn't wait for Ha to untie Amano Souta, he goes over, kneels and does it. Do you have weapons and armor, Amano-san?

[Marullus]

Souta's weapons and other belongings are tossed in the northern alcove next to the bathtub. It was dumped there when they made her change from her good samurai clothing into this dirty robe.

[Samwell Turleton]

Yes, that is right. Our paths crossed briefly at the Inn. I took a job at the inn that brought me here soon after we met, Souta says while rubbing the impressions from the bindings on her wrists. These bandits tried to press me into service, preparing their meals and cleaning. I collected as much horseradish as I could and ground it into their food one night. You should have seen their eyes bulge and foreheads sweat. They beat me for that and left me bound on the ground.

I tried to give some to the cat as well but it knew well enough to steer away from it.

Souta rises to her feet and looks around the room, partly for the cat and in part for her belongings. I did have some belongings with me that they stripped from me. They must be here somewhere in all this filth.

Souta searches the room and finds her garments in a pile in the corner next to the bath and takes the opportunity to use the semi-private alcove to change into her good samurai clothes. She steps back out into the room as she slides her katana into the bands of the obi around her waste.

Glad to be joining the game!

[jemmus]

I'm glad you are safe, Amamo-san, Toshizo says. Perhaps someday if he knows the young samurai better he'll address her by her given name rather than her family name. I'm sure you heard the battles we had in the other rooms. You will see the bodies. One of them is of a bushi sent along with us. He worked for a merchant who hired us and sent us here. Souta might notice that young Toshizo looks like he's aged some years since she briefly met him at the inn, even though it's just been a few days. His face that looked like a fresh peach now looks more like that of a more thoughtful young man.

Ha-san, I think we must rest more before moving on. I'll guard the bandit. Amano-san, this criminal is one of the group who.... He can't think of a word that wouldn't point out the insult of a samurai having been touched and even beaten by criminals. But then he realizes that Souta proudly defied the robbers, knowing that violence or death might be the result. Although this criminal's group insulted you, I would ask that you not kill him. Our companion Eiji-san, a gakusho of the Way of the Buddha, saved him from death from wounds. Toshizo looks at the samurai with eyes saying, I don't know what to do in this situation; perhaps that's the way of Buddhist gakusho? But he's a good man and I respect his wishes. I humbly ask that you please do the same, as a favor to uz.