Ring of Air - Chopsticks and Daishos

[Nate]

Hideo nods to the Kuni, knowing not to argue with a samurai. Though he clearly feels hesitant about leaving his masters weapons behind on the carts if they have to.

[Vardaen]

While the pair is outside, and Tokugawa is hidden nearby the pair hear some noise inside the barn. Out of the building comes Asami and Masu both, the monks speaking softly with one another as they near once more. It is Masu that takes the lead, Asami falling subservient to him for now, her more bashful side showing. Masu is a young man with a shaved head and traditonal looking brown robes. Clearly he is older and senior to the female with the crow tattoo. He bows slightly, "Greeting, I am Masu, and the Sensei of the temple sent me to inpect his rice shipment." He strides right up to the lead wagon and rests a hand on a crate. "Lets make sure this rice is fit for consumption, the last batch was bad and we had to throw much of it to the crows." He begins without any ado to open one of the rice containers. Asami stands back several feet silently.

[ManWithDoor]

The shugenja bows both physically and metaphorically to the monk's demands. He steps away, standing humbly as Masu rummages through their shipment. Soon enough he will find the hidden weaponry. His scroll satchel weighs heavily on his shoulders, his last resort in case something goes catastrophically wrong.

[Nate]

Hideo waits patiently watching the monk go through the rice, waiting for some sign of the monk to notice the weapons. Part of him is hoping these two aren't interested in the weapons, and the rest hopes if they are they can stop them before they touch Kijuro's. He always has a tendency to overreact when getting dirt, on anything, these monks touching his dashio would surely be even worse.

[TetNak]

Tokugawa waits in the background, his keen eyes taking in everything the monks do. He waits patiently, ready to draw an arrow from his quiver at a moments notice.

[Vardaen]

Masu goes through the crate of rice, this one holding only rice. He closes the lid, and opens another one, a blank look on his face. He opens that one and rumages through it sifting the race through his fingers. The weapons of some of the group are bundled up and hidden on the wagon itself, not inside the rice, or they are hidden on the persons of a few of them. Masu turns to Asami, "The rice is less than expected again, go and tell Tatsu that their were be nothing to spare." The woman's face turns worried, Tokugawa can read that from his place hidden as he is, so does Zenko up close, even the hemin Hideo notices something of worry on her face. Asami nods to Masu, "At once!" She turns and races back into the barn quickly vanishing from view.

Roll

Asami - "Sincerity" 9
Tokugawa 20 Success
Zenko 13 Success
Hideo 9 Success

[Nate]

"I can only assume he didn't find the weapons Kuni-sama." Hideo says softly to the samurai next to him. "Surely that's enough rice. if rice is what they were expecting."

[ManWithDoor]

Kuni Zenko nods. He whispers back, "Very odd. Surely we didn't hide them that well. And that amount of rice should be more than enough. Perhaps he sent away the other because she doesn't know about the weapons?" He does his best to look like a bored peasant whispering with his fellow, keeping his voice down around his superiors.

[Vardaen]

Asami is gone and Masu closes the lid of the rice crate. "He smiles at Zenko and Hideo and stalks around the wagon so that he's standing now only fifteen feet away from the pair. "Where are they? And who are you?" He slips his right foot backwards, his left forward, and he arms lift and tense up.

[ManWithDoor]

The shugenja looks puzzled, his hands still in front of him respectfully, his head bobbing again in respect as he speaks. "What do you mean, Masu-sama? The ... rice ... is all there as planned." He purposely emphasizes the word rice, as though giving him a hint. "We delivered the shipment exactly as ordered. Is there something missing?"

OOC

Assuming that this isn't an Etiquette roll, the best I've got is raw Awareness, so 2k2 to attempt to deceive this jerk, or at least allay his suspicious somewhat.