Kyuden Hida: Secrets and deceit
 

As you come down the stairs you hear the noisy buzz of conversation Hundreds of colorfully dressed gentry converse with each other. two young girls talk with each other nearby.

"I'm going to miss Mutsuye-chan so much, Kurihime-chan. She listens to all my stories so intently, I hope I get married to a powerful bushi too, Oh kami i'm blushing." The girl no older than 13 then hides her face dehind a fan with a phoenix decorating it.

"Akiko-chan your making a spectacle of your self."

In the room you notice many people you've heard about from your clan memebers: Isawa Akiko and Asako Kurihime, Mutsuye's best friends; Hiruma Kage and his retinue of gaurds; Asako Wataru, the Emerald Magistrate; Yasuki Kurako has also followed you down stairs; Matsu Bushime, the leader of the lion delegation; Ide Toshimitsu steps up to Yasuki Kurako and pulls her aside to speak with her in a side chamber; Shosuro Shiko is talking with a phoenix diplomat; Bayushi Masayari, the scorpion matchmaker is flanked by a bunch of rowdy crabs; the rest are varrying groups of diplomats and wedding guests from the lion, phoenix, unicorn, and crab clans.

Sagaki scanned the room as soon as he entered, and his eye is immediately caught by Ide Toshimitsu pulling Yasuki Kurako into a side chamber. He looked around hurriedly. Were there any inconspicuousspots to listen from? Something behind which he might hide unnoticed, or an inconspicuous side door at which he might listen? This in mind, he began to make his way towards the room, not in the exact direction, but something close to it, looking around for an opportune position from which to listen, trying to imagine the surrounding rooms and corridors to find his spot...

OOC: Perhaps I've been playing too much Thief 2... :rolleyes:

"My daughter will be a little late for the dance, Kurako-san, She's having a wardrobe problem at the moment, it seems the servants packed her finest kimono in the wrong place. I sincerly hope this won't be an inconvenience."

"Not at all Tosimitsu-san. I'll do my best to stall the competition for her." Kurako said in a sweet manner

"Domo Arigato" Toshimitsu said in his heavily accented voice.

Sagaki smiled wryly. Well, it had been a bit too conspicuous, hadn't it? He looked around again. Who might know something...? The thirteen-year-old girl was making herself too conspicuous. Someone so indiscreet would not be trusted with any useful information - and she might well be making a spectacle of herself on purpose, perhaps even on orders.

He looked at Bayushi Masayari, and wondered what the Scorpion matchmaker might know... But how to get it out of him? He glanced at the Crabs nearby. There might be an opportunity there... He though for a moment, then shelved the idea for the moment. He wanted to get some more information first. He looked around, marking the positions of the important people, and began to make his way through the crowd, greeting people casually, not doing or saying anything of consequence, and not being too quiet - the aim being to go as unnoticed as possible. As he moved through the crowd, he tried to move near to each of the important groups, close enough to hopefully hear, but always facing away or to one side, watching a pretty samurai-ko, or greeting a friend. In this way he hoped get some idea of where everyone stood, so that he could better form an idea of where to start...

Asako Koyoja entered the wide chamber, taking only a brief look around, taking note of the various personalities that made a showing. He had been silent during the tale of Lord Kisada's meeting, keeping his thoughts to himself. He has yet to even look at the scroll from his Lord. Doing such, especially in front of Kisada, meant one doubted his word. And in the Rokugani Empire, word is everything. Koyoja was certain why he was sent. His increasingly dark moods had dampened his studies at the Henshin school, as isolation only made the memories that much more real to him. He needed a distraction, and he had found it in this wedding. Even spending the time traveling with his kin had been a pleasant escape. Their tales, along with his own, filled many a night-time. At first... coming to this wedding seemed like a subtle horror to him, but than the meeting with Lord Kisada cleared it all up, and removed whatever faint remnant of fear was left inside. He had a task now, clear and purposeful.

This Hiruma Kage had cleared gained some sort of... obsession with the girl. This Isawa Mutsuye was left with a single choice for marriage, and that wasn't dignified at all. Koyoja refused to believe the surface "intent" of the meeting. To find dishonor with the Phoenix, so Lord Kisada could call off the meeting with Hiruma Kage. That only allows one avenue of thought, which was dangerous. One must look at both players in this drama. Mutsuye, and Kage both should be investigated.

Asako Koyoja, wearing his prominant kimono, striking with its red and black patterns. The bold mon of the Asako emblazened upon the back. His shoulder length black hair, tied loosely behind him, revealing the odd tattoo upon his right cheek of a gust of air. Taking a seat opposite of Asako Wataru, the Emerald Magistrate. Nodding once in his location, both family, and of higher station, Wataru-sama was something to be admired.

Sagaki finished his tour of the room none the wiser. Looking around again, his gaze lighted on the bride-to-be's best friends: Isawa Akiko and Asako Kurihime. He was about to dismiss them again, on the same grounds as before, when it occurred to him that they would of course know personal matters about Isawa Mutsuye. But how to extract such information from them? The first idea that he had was quickly discarded. Getting them drunk would be crude, unkind, and uncivil, even for him. He shrugged inwardly. Perhaps he'd get lucky just talking to them - perhaps an avenue would present itself. Taking a deep breath and offering a silent prayer to the kami for his success, he walked up to the pair.

"Ah, Akiko-san and Kurihime-san! How glad I am to see you here!" Sagaki introduced himself to the girls, smiling in a friendly manner and trying to put on his best air of "handsome, interesting and intelligent magician" - which he had to admit he wasn't too practised at. But then, it could also work if he made them laugh, so whether he succeeded or not he felt that this was a good strategy.

"You must be very excited about your best friend's marriage, I imagine!"

He waited for their replies, and then, hoping that he wasn't being too unsubtle: "It seems to me that I know less about the bride-to-be than I would like - what is the lady like in person?" He smiled at the pair, genuinely interested (well, this was an interesting task, after all), his smile focussing perhaps a little more on Akiko, who seemed to be the more talkative of the two. "I'm sure that there must be lots to tell!"

OOC: If the ladies don't want to talk in the main room, he'll suggest that they go to a side room to talk in more privacy.

Asako Koyoja raised an amused eyebrow, at what the Crab shugenja was attempting, as it was noticeable, even this far away, and without hearing words. Certainly he could not be that.... blunt about matters. It mattered little to him, Crab did as Crab did. There was no persuading them otherwise, and they accepted the price of failure, in all aspects. On to more... pleasant matters. Being asked the same questions repeatedly would make obvious what was investigated. He hoped this Kuni wouldn't ruin these women for others.

After nodding to Asako Wataru, he scans the room once more, hoping to find somebody to speak with about this matter. His eyes rest upon Yasku Kurako, purported to be a daughter of a matchmaker herself, it would be interesting to get her opinion on the wedding. He stood up, smoothing his kimono as he did, and walked over to her, smiling gently as he did so. Koyoja bowed before her gently, lifting back up with a faint smile upon his face.

"Greetings. I am Asako Koyoja, new to the citadel. You seem in need of good tea, and some relaxing entertainment. I would be honored to enjoy some light conversation. That is... if you wish, of course."

"Don't you have a job to be doing?" Yasuki kurako said behind her fan and laughed as if Koyoja had told a joke. Then through her smile she said. "I'd save Sagaki-san from himself. The Kuni are not known for being social masters. Hopefully he doesn't start talking about his experiments."

______________

"I'm so happy and envious of Mutsuye-chan. Kage-sama is so romantic." Akiko said and she started to smile. "Like so totally, Kakita-pillowbook-romantic." Kurihime softly started to kick Akiko's ankle, trying to keep her from making an ass of herself."

"Kage-sama certainlty is a handsome samurai, and very honorable." Kurihime said as she shot Akiko a look of death.

Katsushiro drank slowly from his cup as he watched the goings on in the room. He desired to be noticed drinking, it would allow for him to portray a sloppy drunk later. After all if everyon saw him drinking then by the end of the night he would be seen as drunk. He merely drank from his cup swished the sake back and forth in his mouth before placing the cup near his lips for another "drink". A careful eye would notice such a thing, but he was not making enough of a scene to be observed that closely.

Shiro focused on appearing to look through the room, to look as though he was miles away. It was a look he had perfected from his days of alcholism, but those days had long since passed. Yet, as he gazed through that room he focused on just one person, Bayushi Masayari, if anyone had knowledge about the bride to be it was him. So Shiro sat in the corner waiting patiently, watching the mans lips. Waiting for the info he needed to prove his worth.

Akiko stared at a nearby crab samurai carrying a cruel looking axe with a jade kanji on the glade reading "stone cutter."

"It must be so dreamy to be married to a bushi. Mutsume-chan is so lucky. She's marrying a powerful warrior, and she's had Noboru-san since she was young. He's all hers too that must be so cool."

Kurihime pinched Akiko this time to try and get her to shut up.

"Noboru-san is a very honorable samurai, he's been very protective Mutsume-chan."