Prelude: Toritaka Yaso

[TetNak]

Day 22, Month of the Rat, 1168

Seven days ago ...

Yaso stood next to Tadanobu, the old Falconer and Magistrate. Yaso had learned much from him this last year. The pair had been assigned to Maemikake, an important town, though the pair had found nothing more than a hand full of drunk ronin and fools. That changed yesterday as when the Magistrates heard more news of the fighting to the northeast. The Unicorn had routed the Lion, finally, and pushed against the Imperial City itself. Tadanobu had send word back to the local Magistrates in Kuda Mida and waited for his falcon, Seka, to return.

"The old girl should be back soon, " Tadanobu says, looking out onto the road heading west into the Crab lands. "I hope there is just a delay in getting word back." Tadanobu always worried about Seka, they had been together for many years, and she was like the wife he never had. At least he acted like it.

Standing the winter cold, Yaso was just glad he was no where near his home, Tani Hitokase. At least he had that.

OOC

This thread is for mackaber only! Welcome to the game!

[mackaber]

Yaso was not one to indulge in the cold of Winter, but this was duty and as any Samurai he fullfilled his duty, with the small difference that most other Samurai considered duty an honor and to this day he had considered it as Duty, nothing more, nothing less.
Standing there with the old Magistrate, whom he truly admired for he was one who considered his duty an honor and thus seemed content with patrolling sake houses, chasing smugglers and well, waiting for his beloved falcon to return. But somehow today there was something else he saw in the old man, the news of the recent advance of the Khan had made him uneasy and while he always longed for the return of Seka, today he seemed truly concerned. Yaso knew how attachted the old man was to his bird so he tried to direct connversation in other directions.
"Surely she will return soon. Tell me Tadanobu-sama do you believe any troops will advance as far as Maemikake?"

OOC

Happy to be here. And thanks for having me!

[TetNak]

Tadanobu shakes his head with a frown, "I very much doubt it," he says, "Are the gaijin going to watch the Kaiu Wall? I think not." He continues staring into the air, awaiting Seka's return, "But you never know," he says, "It will not be for awhile yet, I would say, if anything. The Scorpion will more than likely begin to muster troops to aid a relatively undefended Imperial Capital." He shrugs, "We shall just wait and see, I suppose."

[mackaber]

Yaso chuckles at Tadanobu's remark about Gaijin on the wall, but the smile on his face quickly disapears, it seems things in the area will remain quiet still. Waiting, yes many days we have spent waiting. he thinks to himself. Yaso searches the nearby trees for any sign of Ushi his feathered friend as he spots her not too far away he gives her a whistle and reluctantly she comes to sit on his shoulder. He then stands solemnly next to his master looking into the sky intently for any sign of Seka.

[TetNak]

Ushi flutters over and lands on Yaso's shoulder, the falcon's own eyes peering into the sky. Suddenly, Ushi gives a great 'caw' as a distance black dot comes into view. Tadanobu smiles, "Seka," he says, "Right on time." He steps forward, nearly forgetting Yaso for the moment, raising his left arm, covered by a thick bamboo gauntlet. Seka soars from the sky and hovers just above Tadanobu, landing on his arm. The falcon carries a small scroll tied around her neck.

"Good girl," he says, reaching into the sack upon his back and pulling forth a pouch full of worms. He does not touch them himself, put opens it just wide enough that the falcon's beak can dart through a pull one into her mouth.

While she eats, Tadanobu retrieves the scroll with his right hand, and then moving his left to his right shoulder, which Seka moves to as she has thousands of times before. "Let us see what news we have," he says, opening the scroll and reading it freely.

"Toritaka Tadanobu,

I greet you with a curt greeting and reply to your message. The news of the gaijin is disconcerting. I have spoken to Hida Kuan-dono and the Champion has declared his support for the Empress. He has asked me to assign a magistrate to travel to Toshi Ranbo and present themselves to aid the Empress as she sees fit. I had thought of you, Tadanobu-san, but I realize your dislike of travel, I expect your apprentice will serve well enough in this function.

Toritaka Tatsune"

The old samurai frowns, handing over the note to Yaso, who notes the note is written in a woman's hand, but signed by their daimyo, Tatsune-dono.

[mackaber]

As he reads the message Yaso has to try hard not to smile but keep a stern and earnest face. Will serve well enough, it appears I am held in high regards. he thinks to himself. Yaso then sets aside the note and looks at Tadanobu with the most earnest expression he can muster.

"It appears I have been assigned a new duty. It has been an honor to serve at your side Tadanobu-san."

[TetNak]

Tadanobu makes a grunting sound, if it is displeasure, or something else, it is not really apparent. The samurai turns his gnarled and bearded face in the direction of his young apprentice. "So it appears," he says, "I do not envy you," he says, though he does not say why, but in all likelihood the idea of court life does not suit the old magistrate.

"Come, let us get you ready, regardless." He sighs, "Unfortunately, I doubt there are any kobunes on the Mizu-umi no Sakura Yuki," he says, "You might have to ride." He shakes his head, expecting snow at any moment, "It is an ill omen to travel in the winter."

[mackaber]

Yasu remains ernest in his expression, but merely so as not to affront Tadanobu. In his mind he is overjoyed to finally make his way out of this province, with it's bulky farmer girls, drunken Ronin in run down Sake houses and finally see the Imperial City of Toshi Ranbo, it's sights, the temples, the legendary Geisha houses and the beautiful girls from all across Rokugan. But he reminds himself that he will have enough time on his journey to look forward to all of this and with a grim face and grave voice replies to his master.
"Yes travel in the winter is no easy lot. But I must do as commanded. Best I depart soon. And if the fortunes are with me I will be able to avoid snow storms."

[TetNak]

Tadanobu nods, "I have not heard anything from the docks, though, summer has come and gone, and there is unlikely much traffic, and certainly rowdy sailors have not caused us much problems since the fall of the first snow." He turns and starts walking back toward town, "We will see if anything is there now." Neither Tadanobu and Yaso have been in the docks district of the small city in near two months. Though, their yoriki, a budoka, typically handles the patrols.

Maemikake is a large town which could probably be defined as a city to many. Maemikake has much of the same things others do, and Tadanobu has been here for many years. The townsfolk respect him, and he is well liked. At first, when Yaso came, they looked on him suspiciously, but most of those sentiments passed soon after. The city is amazingly well behaved as well, as Tadanobu ensures that order is kept with a simple glance. He had killed a man, so they say, some five years ago last. He was a bandit, nothing more, but Tadanobu does not speak of it greatly. Instead, he keeps to himself, mostly, the quiet type. He leads the pair down a side street once back inside the city, and about a quarter hour later, both of them arrive along the wharf that leads to the lake, Mizu-umi no Sakura Yuki.

[mackaber]

Yasu searches the docks of Maemikake, where only a little over a year ago he had arrived himself from the south. Then he had been unsure about what awaited him in this town, it had been a more than welcome change of locale after two grueling years on the wall and today Yasu was just as much looking forward to a moving along to the great city of Toshi Ranbo where he would serve the Empress.