[Day 1 – Late Afternoon] Indulgence (Open)

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi gave a few nods from the other side of the screen out of habit of the motion. “Mm. I can try then...”

“I suppose there was the tale of Ren, of the Night Spring, which happened not too long ago. Ren was a prized geisha under the service of Yogo Arata-san, which was a prestige in itself to her kind when in the possession of a wealthy merchant patron. The House of Night Spring is unquestionably one of the largest geisha houses in Ryoko Owari Toshi and a large draw to anyone who visited the district, the city even. What did set the Night Spring from was of course, Ren. Her voice was her main talent and it came at high demand, even if you could easily hear it haunting the block through the building’s thin walls, it was just a sample. Supposedly it did little to match hearing it directly yourself and catching her natural beauty. I’ve never seen her myself...but a few colleague mentioned that she was short demure girl who carried the ethereal beauty which made you question if it was your imagination...”

“Perhaps a greater tragedy to what happened to her.” She took a pause at that, continuing more later.

[Usagi Zenko]

Zenko gives a grunt, to show he's still listening.

Meanwhile he took to staring at the small bit of water in his tub; wishing he could have truly soaked, instead of merely wash the top layer of dirt and grime off.

"Greater tragedy?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi shifted her shoulders in a shrug, perhaps heard by the sound of a ripple of water. “Mm. A tragedy or mystery, depending who you ask really.”

“Needless to say, Ren was a local celebrity within the walls of Ryoko Owari. Her talents earned a good number of patrons to the house that ranged from wealthy young lords to rumoured Imperial officers. It was unsurprising that such a woman would also have her share of ex-clients and rivals. Arata-san had her placed on the top level of the House with security of ten men surrounding her room at all times. A lot of trouble for one geisha, but understandable when she was the main draw to the Yogo’s business. Even those who couldn’t quite afford her were advised to the company of others. All were really there to see, or hear, her.”

“It was on the 7th of Shinjo, just last year, when a family daimyo visited the city, a major one from the Great Clans. Maybe even Clan Champion if the scale is to be believed. His identity was never made public but he was in the city for the matter of pleasure really, unofficially, and the famed Ren was a part of the impromptu visit. It was the only occasion where the House ever saw closure to accommodate a sole client. The daimyo’s retinue of personal guards combed through the entirety of the block until they were satisfied with the safety of their lord. Yogo Arata himself welcomed the daimyo in, escorting him up along with a following of a compact legion. However prepared they were, there was a nasty surprise waiting when they entered Ren’s room.”

Edit: Sense edit!

[Usagi Zenko]

"What?" he asks the story having him interested. "There were ten guards there!" A frown grows on his face, although his tone leaves him clearly interested yet.

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi glanced at the direction of the divider when Zenko called out his commentary on the story and jumped ahead.

“-Ah...Hai. There were 10 guards on the floor, and more if you count the entourage who came with the daimyo’s visit...it did little good when inside they found that Ren was completely missing from her room, almost as she vanished in thin air. They say that Arata kept Ren in a very secured room with windows only as big as your head, walls like a vault, four floors up and the roof was covered with spikes...birds, apparently he didn’t like birds sharing space with him property. There was no sign of struggle and little chance of her escaping.”

“The daimyo vacated from the city almost immediately. I think the only reason I knew most of the details was because I remember the gunso hassling the nikutai that night to search every house and corner for the beloved Ren, he must have been a fan. It was a long night...but she was never found, nobody recalled any geisha dropping from the upper level nor were there signs of anyone foolishly scaling the rooftop. I’m sure they must have brought a shugenja in to detect signs of foul play, it did little good...to this day, Ren no longer sings at the Night Spring. More than a few have come to believe that she was actually a yuurei, who vanished when she grew tired of this realm. A more likely theory was that Arata could have spirited her out as an effect of his curse, as the disappearance did him little good when his business fell into disfavour.”

“Just another mystery of many from Ryoko Owari Toshi Usagi-san.” She concluded her the tale...which likely was less than fulfilling...cursed ones.

[Usagi Zenko]

"All of the guards accounted for? She couldn't have slipped away from the bathhouse or anything?" he asks, curious. "Although she does sound like she was kept much like a bird in a cage, and the strange aversion to having birds nearby to her.."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

Hoshi took a pause to get a sense for reactions, glad that there were no complaints, none voiced anyway. She chuckle and shrugged. "I was told that all of the guards were accounted for, and she was supposed to be in that room. Your comparison was something I thought of as well...What is cage will eventually find someway to escape. Perhaps only a coincidence Yogo-san would wish to keep her kind away from her. She could very well have been a bird spirit and fell out of the windows?"

[Usagi Zenko]

"Hai...purhaps if the Toritaka has regained conciousness, we could ask if he's heard the tale?" he offers. He laughs then. "Not that we can do much from here, even were the mystery to be solved."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"I knew I saw a Toritaka get on board, so he hasn't actually fallen overboard then...If it's a mystery that should be solved at all, it could be worth a try humouring him with it. Hai, you are right there are little to be done if you're this far away from Ryoko Owari...But Yogo Arata-san would appreciate the effort."

[Usagi Zenko]

He nods at that, and glances at the privacy screen. "Hai, no doubt it would..." He nods again, and soaks the cloth in the tub again. "So what do you think of your duties so far?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"It's only been the true first day...Mm, but I found them to be enjoyable. I tend the deck with Yoritomo Kaito-san and Akodo Amuro-san while the scouts perform their responsibilities. The appointment suits me just fine. I'll manage." She privately smirked. "Have you been enjoying working above deck?"

[Usagi Zenko]

He goes a little pale thinking about it. "Well...parts of it, I admit. We jumped rope a bit at the Ram's training decision. I didn't get any sparring in with the oar like I'd wanted to, but I'll have to try in the future...."

He coughs. "And being in the rigging is, I admit, a bit terrifying."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"Wait. With an oar, as in the same sort to row a small boat? I'm guessing this is all amounting toward...balance?"

[Usagi Zenko]

"Wait. With an oar, as in the same sort to row a small boat? I'm guessing this is all amounting toward...balance?"

"Hai, such an oar. But no, I wanted something I could find on a ship, if I happened to lose hold of my knife, or needed to rely on something other than my fists or feet in combat...options are good." He smiles, chuckling a little. "I suppose an oar's an unusual choice, but there's all those old stories about that master swordsman being able to win a duel with an oar. Do you think he ever practiced first?"

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"With an oar? Are you sure you're not mistaking the incident for a bokken? If a master swordsman manages to win a duel with a common oar, they're bound to receive criticism if they were one to begin with, having spent their time mastering the oar instead...-Ah, that's probably beside the point really...If you are going to lose a knife, just bring another knife. Words of inspiration from my sensei." She said simply.

[Usagi Zenko]

He chuckles. "Hai, that's the unusual part about it. I guess this duelist had a duel to show up for, but was unable to attend with his blade."

He frowns..."Although, now that you mention it, some of the stories suggest he carved a sword from the oar on the way to the duel, which does suggest the bokken idea."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

"If such a man had enough time to crave a bokken, then it was likely he could have gone back for his sword. Mm...it seemed like he was trying to craft the most ingenious insult really, by showing up in a duel with a lesser weapon."

[Usagi Zenko]

"Hmmm..." he finishes with the cloth, setting it back down. "Hai, that could have been his purpose. I admit my own is much more in line with training with whatever may be on hand to utilize."

[Bayushi Hoshi]

There were a few splashes of water heard as Hoshi rinsed down with a modest amount of water. "Mm. So I see...One could easily argue that there's a difference between using what is on hand out of necessity and purposely being a pain to use a weapon other than your grandfather's blade when required. "

"Your clan's philosophy vaguely reminds me of the ones found in the Monkey Clan, are you familiar with them?"

[Usagi Zenko]

He nods. "Hai, there is a difference. This one being that its not worth my life to have my grandfather's blade lie on the bottom of the Ocean." He chuckles. "And no, not overly so. What do you mean?"