Sagaki was, for a moment, a little taken aback. He tried to think of a new avenue of attack, and was coming up with nothing when Zatoichi arrived at the table. Sagaki looked up at him, relieved to have someone to help him. "Ah, Zatoichi-san! I'm glad to see you!" He motioned to a chair. "Please, sit with us - do you know Shiko-san?"

"I don't bellievve we've mett, Sepppunn-san." Shiko slurred.

Zatoichi nodded Sagaki, letting the use of his first name slide for the time being, before he took a seat. He managed a convincing enough smile toward Shiko before nodding toward her in greeting once again. "No, Kuni-san," Zatoichi said, adding slight emphasis to his use of the shugenja's last name, as a reminder of proper etiquette, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your lovely companion."

The kenshinzen turned his full attention toward Shiko before continuing, "As you have no doubt gathered, I am Seppun Zatoichi, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"I didn't know the imperials normally banished their own to this kami forsaken castle. So what did you do to tick them off, kill the wrong crane?" She smiles a lopsided smile of a drunk.

Zatoichi genuinely smirked a bit at the drunk woman's words. "I have not been forced to kill a crane since my graduation into the kenshinzen, although the skills I have garned thanks to that duel are the reason I was made a magistrate, and I was sent here as one. So, ironically enough, one could, conceivably, say that I did, indeed, kill the wrong crane."

Sagaki flushed when he realised his mistake, taking Zatoichi's hint. He sat back, letting the pair of them introduce each other - and, quite frankly, still feeling the effects of his error, a tortoise withdrawing its head from a disturbance, only just poking its nose out to see if it's safe.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, what were you saying about Mutsuye-san, Shiko-san?"

"I don't want to talk about that tart. If you want to talk about that tart, go talk to shigeru, he's probably in a dark corner somewhere acting lecherous."

"Who is Shigeru, if I may," Zatoichi asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"The most lecherous man in the empire." Shiko said. She poured herself the last of the saki.

Sagaki, noticing the demise of the last of the saki, stood. "Allow me to fetch you another bottle, Shiko-san..."

As he turned to go, he paused, then turned to Zatoichi. "Oh, before I do, there was something that I wanted to mention..." he said, motioning for Zatoichi to step closer.

OOC: Krylo, so that we don't end up slowing things down more than needs be with one-line posts, I'll say here that should Zatoichi want to talk, my character is simply going to mention to him that Shiko had had her heart broken by Shigeru, so that your character has some background to Shiko's comments.

[edit]
OOC: (from AIM) JADGuy20: Thereis a kuni in the corner, his name eludes you, he's wearing a scorpion style mask. he might know where shigeru is.

IC:
Sagaki turned from Zatoichi and Shiko, intending to head for the drinks table. As he did so, however, his eye was caught by the sight of another kuni, standing in the corner of the room. Of course, it wasn't unusual to find kuni on the outskirts of a social event - that's where he probably would have been, if not for his job - but he recognised this particular kuni - someone who knew Shigeru. He paused, trying to recall the man's name, but it didn't come. He shrugged inwardly and approached the man, feeling a bit relieved that he was approaching a fellow kuni.

"Greetings, my friend! I was wondering - do you know where I might find Shigeru-san?"