Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dog.
A burnt sun hangs softly over the shoulder of the Spine of the World Mountains. Over the course of two days the bitter winds come out of the mouth of Beiden Path, piercing the partial openings of the interwoven straw vestment around my chest and blowing my companions into the crevices of the city, never to reemerge until we meet on the other side.
They can leave; I have reason to stay.
I do not truly know what I wait for, but the coldness of the low mountain air amounts to nothing compared to the anxiety beginning to come from within. I think of the years. Then I stop. I could only get to eight before I remembered the separation, and I could not bear to bring myself to fully comprehend exactly what divides us.
“Brother-sama.” A soprano voice warmed the coldness of the air. The pins holding her dark hair back glisten with the rain dripping from her forehead down to her rounded nose. I remove my straw hat and place it on her head. Glimpses of the crimson kimono peaked out from underneath her straw jacket. “I am pleased to meet you.” Her bright smile shown out of spite for the horrible conditions of darkness the clouds bestowed upon our first meeting.
We step in out of the cold. I remove her hat and she removes her coat. Before she leaves the town I will buy her a winter jacket. “Ryoza…” I mutter her name to her face for the first time and she accepts warmly with admiration. “Our uncle let me know of your selection to act as the Lion’s envoy to fulfill the obligations of the Crane’s wishful proposal.”
It only took a minute for her to close the distance of their worlds. “They say I am to be proud of my skills, but wish for this experience to assist me in gaining insight on what matters.” Even with her views judged and deemed irreconcilable with the world she still smiles. Did she even know they wanted her to change, to become something else?
“What matters to you now, sister?” Each name and word I can pin to her I will attach from my repertoire of vocabulary.
“Duty and honor above all.” Spoken with the same smile as before, her brightness begot her ignorance.
“I speak no tricks, but I would mean to know what do you hold dear to you besides the virtues and clan?”
“I cherish this. I have always thought of this moment but with my schooling complete I am needed elsewhere. I am samurai.”
“You are.”
I take the cup of sake to my lips and engulf a hardy swig. I lower the cup and my expectations of what good will come from the next few days. Before we part I buy her a winter coat. Telling me the heat of the distant lands as a reason to save the money fails when I inform her all sea travel moves across trade winds, and Mantis ships do not always provide cover from the elements. Maybe begrudgingly, of course not, she takes the coat and departs with her escort. She takes my warmth. She leaves me a book.
I stand in the cold for an hour as the last traces of her fade on the horizon. After a few hours in the tavern, the traces of her begin to fade from my memory.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Serpent.
His name is Taka. Every year he makes his way down from the mountain to guide samurai through the pass safely. Getting me to the gate of Shemate Keep runs me one bu but any mishaps along the road could cost me my life. I take the business decision and inform him I will pay him when we get to Shemate.
A good business practice draws many clientele, but this particular companion comes across as peculiar. He greets me as a “san” to which I politely correct him and then inform him my trip to Shemate will take precedence. After bowing an apology he lets me know of our intertwined fates. I will never stand in the way of a man and his business, nor turn away a potential drinking partner.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dog.
While Taka provides a good service, his control over the weather needs some work. The cloudy day we departed into now breathes flurries upon us. Cover from a tree line shelter us from the wind and our provisions keep us safe from exposure. I regret not purchasing a heavier coat, but Maigo no Musha would truly turn me away for such a trivial regret.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Boar.
During our night, my new Kakita rebuffs my offer of sake. I pour it down until it fills something. These trees cry as the wind pierces through them.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Horse.
After several hours of travel we can no longer find the road. Cruel kami from on high hide it under a dense cover of snow and watch as we try in vain to uncover their deception. Praying for reprieve opens up a lull in the harsh storm. We spot a tower flanked by storms on either side. Without patience we storm the manner in a fashion Bieden has not seen since Toturi the Black last passed through.
I offer some of the poetry from the book Ryoza gave me to Kin. We speak about my sister and his family. I tell him I read through the book of poetry to understand my sister better. Our conversation comes to an end and I feel at peace with Kin.
For a Kakita, Kin takes the harsh weather better than I would give him credit for, but before I can sit to take a drink with him we find a belligerent force provoking the ire of Kin. The Crane draws his sword and a Mantis uses concise words to deescalate the situation. I may need to stop drinking today.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Monkey.
A crass Tortoise and a pair of beleaguered brothers stumble into the tower with more turmoil than the storm outside. We find our solace quickly succumb to the brash nature of the disorderly behavior of the Tortoise ordering his man to check the tower. Immediately the Kitsuki takes offense, but the rest of the room continues coordinating the efforts to get a fire started.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Rooster.
Our day grows odder by the minute. The presence of a Kitsuki and a Shosuro would come as unexpected, but together, and in such great quantity, I feel the Fortunes may have lost their minds. A shugenja in need takes more precedent than myself, so I offer up my blanket to the twins Aiki and Airo. Aiki seems more interested in the tower, but her sister accepts the hospitality when I place the blanket on the ground without dignifying who owned it.
Our company grew more with the inclusion of two Dragons, the Mantis, and two women caring for a small child. Kin starts looking for wood to gather to make use of the hearth against the wall, while I care to the peasants. Parts of their skin look drier than usual, but I cannot see blackening around the feet of hands. With a little reprieve from the elements they should be fine.
Under the stairs rests a large rug. I speak with Taka and Mirumoto Wenbo about getting the two peasants and beating the rug clean. With two women and a small child, the rug will provide a better sleeping condition than the cold, hard floor. After finding traces of frostbite, I do not wish to tempt the Fortunes anymore than our predicament already does.
Others do wish to tempt the fortunes. Taka has taken a fascination with a spirit gate outside, so I tell him to ask Togashi Yuna if she will assist him. After I correct her inaccuracy of my title, I find the Tortoise wishes to speak with me in private. In the kitchen area we discuss something of a haunting presence within the tower. This goes far beyond my foray, so I suggest he take up the matter with Aiki, while I go tell Wenbo to stand watch at the front of the door to keep a lantern to light the way back for Kotaro and Taka.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dog.
Between us all we have enough food to last for a few days, but the forest gives us a bountiful amount of food today. How long this can keep up may deceive us, but for now we just need to wait out this storm. I see the rest of our party through the night, but I never find Kin again. I can only assume some stone fixture or trinket keeps him within the other confines of the tower.
Wenbo and Yuna remain close to one another and after a brief conversation with the young swordsman he presents information about a missing friend. No man is ever truly missing. I offer sake and a story of a criminal to keep information coming and finally get Yuna to partake. Wenbo and Yuna offer up information of the missing man. Criminals seem to pour into the area. Earlier, the Kitsuki told me about a Phoenix coming through the area after abandoning her wedding. I will pass on this information soon, but for now the night creeps on.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dragon.
In the morning I remember a strange dream about the spirit gate Taka took so much interest in. I should make sure Aiki wards the tower in case of a malevolent intrusion from any realms outside of our own. Kin made his way back to the lower levels of the tower after his disappearance last night. While the Mantis and Tortoise lead the peasants into the wilderness to forage, I stay behind to gauge interest in my sister’s poetry with Wenbo. After reading two poems I start drinking and insult the Crane clan.
Kin leans in during the comment and speaks into my ear. Before I can speak with him the lumbering form of the Mantis drags a dead wolf into the tower. Given his movement I gather most of the blood came from the wolf, but some of the blood looks like it comes from wounds. After he drops the carcass of the wolf into a drain in the kitchen, I tend to his wounds and stop the major bleeding.
A burnt sun hangs softly over the shoulder of the Spine of the World Mountains. Over the course of two days the bitter winds come out of the mouth of Beiden Path, piercing the partial openings of the interwoven straw vestment around my chest and blowing my companions into the crevices of the city, never to reemerge until we meet on the other side.
They can leave; I have reason to stay.
I do not truly know what I wait for, but the coldness of the low mountain air amounts to nothing compared to the anxiety beginning to come from within. I think of the years. Then I stop. I could only get to eight before I remembered the separation, and I could not bear to bring myself to fully comprehend exactly what divides us.
“Brother-sama.” A soprano voice warmed the coldness of the air. The pins holding her dark hair back glisten with the rain dripping from her forehead down to her rounded nose. I remove my straw hat and place it on her head. Glimpses of the crimson kimono peaked out from underneath her straw jacket. “I am pleased to meet you.” Her bright smile shown out of spite for the horrible conditions of darkness the clouds bestowed upon our first meeting.
We step in out of the cold. I remove her hat and she removes her coat. Before she leaves the town I will buy her a winter jacket. “Ryoza…” I mutter her name to her face for the first time and she accepts warmly with admiration. “Our uncle let me know of your selection to act as the Lion’s envoy to fulfill the obligations of the Crane’s wishful proposal.”
It only took a minute for her to close the distance of their worlds. “They say I am to be proud of my skills, but wish for this experience to assist me in gaining insight on what matters.” Even with her views judged and deemed irreconcilable with the world she still smiles. Did she even know they wanted her to change, to become something else?
“What matters to you now, sister?” Each name and word I can pin to her I will attach from my repertoire of vocabulary.
“Duty and honor above all.” Spoken with the same smile as before, her brightness begot her ignorance.
“I speak no tricks, but I would mean to know what do you hold dear to you besides the virtues and clan?”
“I cherish this. I have always thought of this moment but with my schooling complete I am needed elsewhere. I am samurai.”
“You are.”
I take the cup of sake to my lips and engulf a hardy swig. I lower the cup and my expectations of what good will come from the next few days. Before we part I buy her a winter coat. Telling me the heat of the distant lands as a reason to save the money fails when I inform her all sea travel moves across trade winds, and Mantis ships do not always provide cover from the elements. Maybe begrudgingly, of course not, she takes the coat and departs with her escort. She takes my warmth. She leaves me a book.
I stand in the cold for an hour as the last traces of her fade on the horizon. After a few hours in the tavern, the traces of her begin to fade from my memory.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Serpent.
His name is Taka. Every year he makes his way down from the mountain to guide samurai through the pass safely. Getting me to the gate of Shemate Keep runs me one bu but any mishaps along the road could cost me my life. I take the business decision and inform him I will pay him when we get to Shemate.
A good business practice draws many clientele, but this particular companion comes across as peculiar. He greets me as a “san” to which I politely correct him and then inform him my trip to Shemate will take precedence. After bowing an apology he lets me know of our intertwined fates. I will never stand in the way of a man and his business, nor turn away a potential drinking partner.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dog.
While Taka provides a good service, his control over the weather needs some work. The cloudy day we departed into now breathes flurries upon us. Cover from a tree line shelter us from the wind and our provisions keep us safe from exposure. I regret not purchasing a heavier coat, but Maigo no Musha would truly turn me away for such a trivial regret.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Boar.
During our night, my new Kakita rebuffs my offer of sake. I pour it down until it fills something. These trees cry as the wind pierces through them.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Horse.
After several hours of travel we can no longer find the road. Cruel kami from on high hide it under a dense cover of snow and watch as we try in vain to uncover their deception. Praying for reprieve opens up a lull in the harsh storm. We spot a tower flanked by storms on either side. Without patience we storm the manner in a fashion Bieden has not seen since Toturi the Black last passed through.
I offer some of the poetry from the book Ryoza gave me to Kin. We speak about my sister and his family. I tell him I read through the book of poetry to understand my sister better. Our conversation comes to an end and I feel at peace with Kin.
For a Kakita, Kin takes the harsh weather better than I would give him credit for, but before I can sit to take a drink with him we find a belligerent force provoking the ire of Kin. The Crane draws his sword and a Mantis uses concise words to deescalate the situation. I may need to stop drinking today.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Monkey.
A crass Tortoise and a pair of beleaguered brothers stumble into the tower with more turmoil than the storm outside. We find our solace quickly succumb to the brash nature of the disorderly behavior of the Tortoise ordering his man to check the tower. Immediately the Kitsuki takes offense, but the rest of the room continues coordinating the efforts to get a fire started.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Rooster.
Our day grows odder by the minute. The presence of a Kitsuki and a Shosuro would come as unexpected, but together, and in such great quantity, I feel the Fortunes may have lost their minds. A shugenja in need takes more precedent than myself, so I offer up my blanket to the twins Aiki and Airo. Aiki seems more interested in the tower, but her sister accepts the hospitality when I place the blanket on the ground without dignifying who owned it.
Our company grew more with the inclusion of two Dragons, the Mantis, and two women caring for a small child. Kin starts looking for wood to gather to make use of the hearth against the wall, while I care to the peasants. Parts of their skin look drier than usual, but I cannot see blackening around the feet of hands. With a little reprieve from the elements they should be fine.
Under the stairs rests a large rug. I speak with Taka and Mirumoto Wenbo about getting the two peasants and beating the rug clean. With two women and a small child, the rug will provide a better sleeping condition than the cold, hard floor. After finding traces of frostbite, I do not wish to tempt the Fortunes anymore than our predicament already does.
Others do wish to tempt the fortunes. Taka has taken a fascination with a spirit gate outside, so I tell him to ask Togashi Yuna if she will assist him. After I correct her inaccuracy of my title, I find the Tortoise wishes to speak with me in private. In the kitchen area we discuss something of a haunting presence within the tower. This goes far beyond my foray, so I suggest he take up the matter with Aiki, while I go tell Wenbo to stand watch at the front of the door to keep a lantern to light the way back for Kotaro and Taka.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dog.
Between us all we have enough food to last for a few days, but the forest gives us a bountiful amount of food today. How long this can keep up may deceive us, but for now we just need to wait out this storm. I see the rest of our party through the night, but I never find Kin again. I can only assume some stone fixture or trinket keeps him within the other confines of the tower.
Wenbo and Yuna remain close to one another and after a brief conversation with the young swordsman he presents information about a missing friend. No man is ever truly missing. I offer sake and a story of a criminal to keep information coming and finally get Yuna to partake. Wenbo and Yuna offer up information of the missing man. Criminals seem to pour into the area. Earlier, the Kitsuki told me about a Phoenix coming through the area after abandoning her wedding. I will pass on this information soon, but for now the night creeps on.
Month of the Rat. Hour of the Dragon.
In the morning I remember a strange dream about the spirit gate Taka took so much interest in. I should make sure Aiki wards the tower in case of a malevolent intrusion from any realms outside of our own. Kin made his way back to the lower levels of the tower after his disappearance last night. While the Mantis and Tortoise lead the peasants into the wilderness to forage, I stay behind to gauge interest in my sister’s poetry with Wenbo. After reading two poems I start drinking and insult the Crane clan.
Kin leans in during the comment and speaks into my ear. Before I can speak with him the lumbering form of the Mantis drags a dead wolf into the tower. Given his movement I gather most of the blood came from the wolf, but some of the blood looks like it comes from wounds. After he drops the carcass of the wolf into a drain in the kitchen, I tend to his wounds and stop the major bleeding.