After parting ways with her friend, Hoshi continued on the rest of the way to the Embassy. She still looked very out of place here but being dressed in local fashion in form of a subdued red salwar kameez, she could almost pass off as one of the Rokugani who have been living in residence here for some time. Her walk up was a slow one, both imagining the awkwardness...or the apathy of her return, she no doubt prepared herself for both possibilities.

Once she arrived to the front gates of the Embassy, she fished out her mask from a bundled sack of things and placed it on her face, identifying her as the missing Scorpion.

The guards on duty gave her a flat and less than friendly look, but allowed her back into the embassy nonetheless.

Zenko, standing under an umbrella that pitter-pattered with the rain, approached the previously missing Bayushi, bowing. He bows again to the Isawa.

Most of his face remained silent as to the questions that were evident in his eyes. Still, he holds out the umbrella to the samurai-ko.

Retconned: show

Hoshi lifted her brows at the question and gave a quick look at her outfit. "-Ah...that's a good question Isawa-san." She said with uncertainty as she never caught the name of the outfit, it was pretty in its own exotic way and comfortable, even if she looked potentially ridiculous in it. "I've decided to give the local fashions a try. It's less conspicuous that way."

She glanced to the approaching Usagi, hesitated to take the umbrella as it almost felt like special treatment she didn't want. "Thank you Usagi-san," Was said once she took the umbrella.

"There's a number of our comrades out looking for you, Bayushi-sama." Zenko finally says. He doesn't seem to mind the rain much. "Although I'm planning on heading out to their barracks...see if I can't learn anything from their warriors."

Hoshi followed the two in and closed the umbrella once they were in the comforts of dry space, returning it to Zenko with a mouthed thanks under her mask as they walked. Some humour went to her eyes, "-Ah? There's been actually a search party dispatched for me? I'm not exactly the littlest Reju, it seems a little much for everyone to concern themselves really. Especially over me being away for less than a few hours..." She tittered

Soon she grew serious again. "Gomenasai, I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. I'll be sure to have servants let them know of my return."

"I was at the barracks yesterday, more to survey their situation than anything. Like the city, the whole of it is that they're not in good shape."

He nods. "Ah...but you missed the meeting with the Captain, where we were all to report our findings last night." He accepts the umbrella with a nod, tucking it under one arm.

"Mm." A pause in her expression. "So I did. Would it be possible to ask you for a review Usagi-san?"

He nods to that. "Hai." He thinks for a moment, "Let's find a place to sit first though, eh? A lot of information, as we received a little history lesson."

"-Ah, hai." Hoshi agreed once she glanced about the main hall or one of the hallways they were likely in. "Please lead the way Usagi-san. I apologize for the trouble."

He shakes his head. "No worries. Depending on what you were doing though, I'm likely not the one who'll need an apology." He turns to look, giving a small smile. "Although more likely, you weren't doing anything to cause the shit storm that's coming to arrive any faster."

He shrugs and continues inwards, until they arrive at an empty room with a tea table and a few cushions.

On the way to the tea room, Hoshi passed her bundle of things to a servant, placing the evidence of her night elsewhere for now. She dusted off the pants of her outfit and settled down to a seat at the table. "I wasn't responsible for anything on a great scale while I was out Usagi-san. I can only hope that there haven't been more of it caused with my absence then."

He shakes his head. "None that I know of. Rather, it bears on the explanation of our presence here, and possible repercussions from it. During the war of the spirits, evidently the Mantis assisted the Ivory Kingdoms defeat this House of Rafiq or cult of Rummal." He doesn't seem sure of his pronunciation. "They tried to overthrow this land's leader, and were planning on invading Rokugan. With the Mantis's assistance, they were stopped at that time."

He frowns. "They've come back stronger, and have wiped out all other cities in this gaijin land, leaving just Lanka for the people of the Ivory Kingdom to survive in. Our Captain believes they'll arrive here in 3 to 5 days, and has two priorities. Consolidating information and getting, as he said, "our people the hell out."

Hoshi nodded in acceptance of that with responded with a tired breath, "Then the time is indeed short for this city, the Captain isn't wrong. I'm surprised that a few of your remained in the Embassy after I escorted Daidoji-san back to deliver his news. I know little of this cult but we must alert the Empress of this threat. It's just unfortunate we probably won't have the comfort of it never reaching Rokugani soil."

Zenko nods at this. "Odd though. If that survivor we pulled out of the water was attacked by the same people, wouldn't that mean those cult guys are already here?"

Her eyes narrowed at the potential threat. "Unless they have a port elsewhere at that range. Security here must be lax around the harbour or they're really good at blending in. If true, I blame the former with the chaos around us..."

He nods at that. "Hai. I can't say I could tell the difference between whomever this cult is and the locals. Its not easy getting anyone to talk about them."

He shakes his head. "How can we know who we need to fight, with no one who'll tell us what it is we're fighting, other than a name? I keep feeling like there's a large part of the story I'm missing. How does a defeated cult end up wiping out cities?"

"How does the Iuchiban make their own return?" Hoshi brought up as a comparison with little shyness, not particularly placing blame on anyone for that. "I imagine that such a cult only needs an ideal to survive, fools tend to fill the ranks and breath life into it. -Ah...Until the Captain says otherwise we are not required to fight any of it, and I think the locals...most locals prefer if we were to keep out of it. It's not just cancer anymore. Maybe it's become the body and we're only standing at whatever is left of the Ivory Kingdom's head."

Zenko nods at that, but frowns. "Something being left unsaid though. This cult threatened Rokugan before...which is why the Mantis are involved with the Ivory Kingdom at all. Right?"

He waves a head. "If its a cancer about to claim its victim or not, its one which we're likely next. How do you defeat two opponents who've fought together before, who've beaten you before? By waiting until you can take out one opponent at a time."

He snorts. "Captain said it himself earlier. No Mantis or Kasuga ship is willing to sail this early in the year. The Half Moon and accompanying fleet are the only ones able or willing to. We showed up before anyone from Rokugan was expected."

Hoshi shrugged nonchalantly. "You've stated the inevitable Usagi-san. More prepared cities have been destroyed, and Lanka is stretched thin between watching its people, and danger. Victory doesn't seem likely unless their...Heavens intervene otherwise."

"With that fact, we've been given the burden to warn the Empire ne?"