(day 5, midmorning) Heeere Hoshi, Hoshi, Hoshi

[Yasuki Himiko]

Himiko set out pretty early in the day, having a surprising amount of concern for the Bayushi who had gone missing. If it was, say, Nobuyoshi, she probably wouldn't even cared. But no, it had to be Hoshi. It had to be the good one. With a heavy sigh, Himiko was actually starting to become annoyed and disheartened. Does no one in this damn town know Rokugani? Really?! Still, she continued her search. A masked rokugani in red couldn't be that hard to find... right?

(Note: void to circumvent insensitive)

[Bayushi Kichirou]

Keeping pace with the Crab was another masked and armored Scorpion. Kichirou had heard the rumors of his cousin not returning and it weighed on him more than a bit. His usual jovial nature was gone this morning as his eyes scanned the crowds and he made sure the groups translator kept pace through the busy streets.

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Yakusoku wasn't about to let a crewman go missing in this hellhole. It didn't take long for the Badger to find other samurai who thought the same and to venture out into the city streets. Walking a few paces behind the group, she watches the gaijin with a much more focused gaze than the day before. "Where do ya even start lookin?" she growls to herself, hand resting near her daisho, fingers curling stiffly and cracking.

[Tsuruchi Kiyo]

"Where do you go to find Scorpion?" she returns the question as she follows along her yumi resting in her quiver, ready to be strung at a moments notice. The Tsuruchi have long been famed bounty hunters and with a crew member gone missing over night, Kiyo had been quick to volunteer for any search party. She was more sailor than hunter but an extra pair of mismatched eyes were better than none.

[Rixy]

Trotting after the mass from the Embassy came a man in Kasuga colors, looking more than slightly annoyed. He was, perhaps pointedly, not wearing armor, though his daisho hung from his hip.

"Oi! What the Jigoku are you fools doing running around like a war party?!?! And who, by my Ancestors' ashes, told you that you could take out the Ambassador's private scribe?!?! He's worth more than any of you stupid gits..."

The poor translator stopped walking at once, looking more relieved to see the Tortoise than anyone had likely ever been in that Clan's history.

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Yakusoku looked at the other assembled samurai then turned back to the Kasuga. Unlike the Tortoise she wasn't about to start screaming in the streets like a pompous ass and rather moved closer to have words with him.

"Kasuga-sama," she wasn't sure of this man's rank but figured it'd be best to address him as a superior to be on the safe side, "we've been assigned our guides and translators by the Embassy. If this man was to be seeing to matters for someone important, it falls to him to say so and to send a different translator with us," she glances back at the scribe cocking her head toward the Tortoise as if to either say 'go with him' or 'go to the embassy'. "Now, can ya perhaps introduce yerself before ya start levelin' insults, saying members of our caste are worth less than this 'ere peasant, and causin' more of a scene with the yellin' than four crewmen quietly wanderin' a city together could possibly manage?"

Her irritation was obvious though she kept her voice low. Once again she moves closer to the man. "Yer from the Embassy best I can tell. Certainly ain't seen ya amongst the crews. That means as far as we know, ya ain't a part of our chain of command and 'ave no right to be orderin' or disrespectin' me, or any member of my crew." Her dark eyes quickly went from narrowed to calm and she glanced back at the others, then back to the Kasuga. "Now, ya know the area and what's likely to make these foreign folks uneasy. If ya want us goin' back to the Embassy, perhaps ya could try askin'."

[Rixy]

He lowered his voice but didn't seem to lose any anger.

"You fools walkin' around armored and armed is going to start a mess, sure as a smoker in a barn of dry grain. Look around."

He tipped his chin to the streets that were, sure enough, much emptier than they had been prior.

"These people are superstitious, scared, and, frankly, dumber than sheep in large groups. They'll take one look at the lot of you, dark and grim, and assume you know what they don't and they'll panic. We can't have a panic now, 'cause sure as the sun'll rise tomorrow it'll spread through the whole damn port."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Yakusoku nodded. "Alright then. Whaddya suggest? We split into smaller groups and try to look friendly? We take it back to the Embassy and let your people search?" her tone was dark when she mentioned the Kasuga's people. It wasn't that she thought they were in some way inferior. It was that if they'd be the ones searching she'd hold them responsible if Hoshi wasn't found. "I don't mean to be offerin' no blame toward ya, but one of mine went missin' in yer port. That says to me that she ended up gettin' out the door without one of your boys escortin' her or that whoever was guidin' her around did a piss poor job. Now I don' know how it all went down but ya seem like a smart fella who'd probably get why that leaves us grim... and wantin' to find Hoshi-san."

[Rixy]

"First off, no armor. That'll scare the commoners like nothin' else. When you're in normal kit, though, I'll take you round to the local city guard outpost, there the ones that should be talked to 'bout this sorta thing anyway. They've got eyes and ears in place and them asking questions won't cause the waves that'll happen if you try to badger by translator."

Then, as an aside, he added, "'an if you think my lads would stop a Scorpion tryin' ta sneak out after she tells 'em to off, you're mad. Our duties to those that stay in, not the fools that take off by themselves."

[Yasuki Himiko]

Thankfully, Himiko didn't much like her armor anyhow, and wasn't wearing it. "Well, perhaps while th' rest of ye make yerselves 'decent' again, I can keep lookin'." Clearly the Crab wanted this done quickly.

[Rixy]

The Kasuga turned on her. "How? Gonna ask the people who're as like to lie to get you away from 'em as ignore ya? I hate ta point this out but oustide the upper classes who're well connected enough to know it, we Rokugani are the gaijin and can expect to be treated that way like we'd treat them back home."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

"Very well," Yakusoku was fine with that, as long as she was welcome to keep searching. "I'll head on back and get to changin' outta my armor. From there we can go lookin' about." Yakusoku turned toward Himiko, exhaling softly. "Ain't my place to be givin' orders Yasuki-san, but I think this would go better if we allowed someone that knows the place to take us around in a group. More eyes to be lookin' about and more weapons if we end up runnin' into a spot of trouble. Though if ya wanna keep on wanderin' about here now, I ain't gonna stop ya," then she glances at the Kasuga. "Though the Tortoise her does 'ave a point. I mean, he's takin' yer translator an' the people don' like us 'round here."

[Yasuki Himiko]

Himiko shrugs. "Ah, come on, how hard can finding a masked scorpion be? 'sides, I'm a big girl," she really isn't all that tall, "I ken take care of meself an' everythin'."

[Rixy]

The Kasuga was clearly rather less than impressed by her statements.

"Baka! You take one swing an' next we know, there's a mob out ta tear down the Embassy. Get it through your damn thick skull, we're a minority here, we're not particularly welcome, an' if they DID gut this Scorpion like ya'll seem to think what makes you think they can't do same thing to you if you trot off by yerself?"

[Yasuki Himiko]

Himiko sighs heavily, "Fine, I'll play nice and wait fer the other Samurai. Hurry up, guys, I ain't got all day."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Yakusoku doesn't turn to face the Kasuga. "Kasuga-sama, yer gonna stop insultin' my crewmen or this problem's gonna turn into a right big shit-storm whether ya like it or not. Unless ya want yer ass hauled before the Ambassador and our Captain fer all the disrespect ya been tossin' around, ya best back right the fuck off." This time when the Badger does turn to look at him her dark eyes are cold and narrowed. "I don' think anyone's done any guttin' yet and whatever gate guard was on duty last evenin' better pray to whatever Fortune loves him the most that I'm right."

When Himiko agrees to head back Yakusoku nods. "Alright. That settles that then. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go slip outta this armor." With that the Badger offers a curt bow to the Kasuga and starts off back towards the Embassy.

[Rixy]

The Kasuga wasn't impressed at all by the Ichiro's threats. "If you think your Captain'll back this half-cocked approach to search an' rescue, you go right ahead and tell him all 'bout it, Ichiro-san. See where it gets ya. S'long as you're gonna go about this sensible like, I got no grounds to stand in your way."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

"And as long as ya don't insult my crew, I ain't got no problem with ya Kasuga-sama," she replies, stopping for a moment and glancing back at the Tortoise. "Yer right; we came out here too quickly. Handled this like we would in the Empire when we're not in the Empire. But I'll be damned if I sit here and listen to someone who we don't know and who has no authority over these fine Imperial Legionairres talk to them like ya've been doin'. Not without sayin' my piece anyhow." And with that the Badger does head off, making her way quickly back to the Embassy. She didn't want to have to rush when taking off her armor.

/exit

[Bayushi Kichirou]

Kichirou listens to the back and forth, heated as it is. Eventually he nods his assent, "Kasuga-sama is correct in this case. I certainly wasn't thinking clearly of the larger situation." he says before moving to head back to the embassy, "Perhaps we can work on a more nuanced search method on the walk back?" he asks to the Tortoise as he begins to make his way back.