If there was one word Kagero could use to consistently describe Kugane, it was “noisyâ€. The clattering of carts rumbling over paved stone roads, vendors hawking wares or calling out to friends, or voices raised to argue with other vendors. A group of workers were carrying stone, lumber, and other building supplies across the streets towards the Rakuza District. The streets were more crowded than ever, and frequently Kagero had to turn his shoulders in order to edge past groups headed in the other direction.
The Hyur was dressed in a plain black dogi, the equally plain katana at his side indicating his status as a member of a samurai family. Standing beside him was a fair-haired Raen female, dressed in a similarly martial fashion for ease of movement. Though he was hesitant to admit it, Sekka’s presence was quite comforting; searching an entire city for a single ijin who may or may not be dead was a daunting task.
Kagero breathed deeply, glad to be off of the ship, before folding his arms in his sleeves. “We’ll start with the basics, then. Sekka, ask around Kogane Dori and see if there are any peddlers who might know of our lord Aritake.â€
“Any other specifics? ‘Yumishi’ is a fairly common surname, and it’s possible that Aritake did not give out his first name.†the Raen said with a frown. Already, she was beginning to scan the crowds for any persons of note. The streets were dense with ijin and Hingan alike. Colours flooded Kagero's vision in the form of gaudy clothing both foreign and native. Had Kagero not been in the middle of a mission, perhaps he might have admired Kugane's diversity at that point.
“Lady Kyokuho claims that Aritake is--or was--an ardent supporter of Doman independence, particularly when word spread that the Doman prince had returned,†Kagero noted, his brow furrowed in thought. “I suppose that’s the only true lead we have unless we can find one of Aritake's business contacts."
“In that case, I will begin my inquiry to see if there are any of his fellow Domans in the city, my lord.†With a terse bow, Sekka skipped off into the crowds towards Kogane Dori.
As for Kagero himself, he had a mind to pay a visit to the Sekiseigumi. They were typically the first and last to make contact with any particularly troublesome ijin, and while Kyokuho didn’t see fit to tell Kagero exactly what kind of business Aritake dealt in, it was most likely something illegal, as it usually was whenever foreigners were involved.
A corner of his mind flitted towards his secondary objective: he needed proof of Kyokuho’s dealings, but what form would that proof take? Surely criminals didn’t exactly exchange bills of sale and even if they did, Kyokuho certainly didn’t engage in such things personally. She was intelligent enough to use the alias of a retainer of a retainer, removing herself far from the transactions, yet whatever goods Aritake dealt in had to be reaching her somehow.
He shook his head. He’d cross that bridge when he arrived at it. If he ever arrived at it.
After making his way to the barracks and to Kagero’s great annoyance, the captain of the Sekiseigumi was away. So, too, was the lieutenant; they were apparently off dealing with something in the Ruby Sea, according to the exasperatingly polite samurai that greeted Kagero.
“And I take it you know nothing about any recent arrests,†Kagero said, his tone dripping with anticipated disappointment. The samurai wordlessly bowed, which was a response in and of itself. The only one who would have any certain information about arrests would be the captain of the Sekiseigumi or the lieutenant, both of whom were conveniently absent. Otherwise, most of the samurai responsible for policing Kugane made independent judgments save for particularly egregious instances.
Kagero sighed, folding his arms together, combing his mind for clues. They were looking for a Doman merchant who most likely had illicit dealings with ijin and Hingan alike. Aside from being Doman, they had no leads as to who they could contact to find Aritake, short of stumbling on one of his associates by sheer accident.
His mind’s eye flashed to the scene of workmen carrying stone and lumber to the Rakuza District. While construction wasn’t especially unusual in Kugane, from what Kagero knew it only happened when something was damaged; given how dense the city was, there wasn’t really room to expand unless it was by order of the lord bugyo or it was paid for by someone fabulously wealthy enough to afford additional land within the city.
But it was far too much of a stretch that any of this was connected to Aritake. Kagero grit his teeth. He needed more info.
“Ah, but there was a fire somewhat recently,†the Sekiseigumi samurai added hastily, as if by way of an apology. “About a moon ago, if memory serves.â€
Kagero waved nonchalantly as if to dismiss the info. Fires weren’t common, but they did happen without much fanfare unless the damage was particularly devastating; word would have certainly reached Koshu quickly if Kugane had gone up in flames. “And I take it you can’t tell me anything about that, either,†he said dourly, though he wasn’t expecting any useful information out of it. This was already proving to be a frustrating venture.
The samurai rubbed his chin. “I can tell you that it was a miracle that nothing else was damaged. It was a single building and a stall at the time.â€
Kagero raised his brow. A fire in Kugane with only a single building destroyed? Either the city was monumentally lucky, the citizens were exceptionally fast in their response to the fire, or the fire was a tiny little thing that barely warranted alarm. The latter was unlikely if the Sekiseigumi believed they had reason to investigate, so was it foul play? He hesitated to see a lead where there was none, but it wasn’t as if he had many other avenues to pursue until he rendezvoused with Sekka.
“Show me,†he said.â€
--
The charred rubble of the apothecary had long been cleared out, though the stonework of the building stood like a mournful skeleton. Workmen were busy knocking down the rest of the standing stonework to repurpose the bricks, and lengths of timber were being measured and cut into planks before being planed smooth.
Stonemasons and carpenters competed with one another in the construction of a new dwelling, the taste of stone dust vying with the smell of wood shavings. Overhead, workmen laid clay tiles in neat rows along the roof, a relatively noiseless occupation save for the exceptional tile that slid free of a worker’s hands and shattered on the ground.
“A fire, hm...†Kagero wondered underneath his breath, shaking his head at the frenzy of activity. Such was one of the drawbacks of Hingan architecture; compact wooden buildings packed together made for spectacular fire hazards. The city was liable to lose entire streets at a time if the fire wasn’t contained quickly enough, though it seemed this particular one was.
“The Naeuris were nowhere near the place when it went up, thank the kami,†a kindly old Hyur woman said as Kagero examined the blank space where the apothecary had been. He absentmindedly took the proffered mug of tea and took a sip from it, promptly causing him to hiss from burning his tongue on the liquid. “Everyone did their best to stop the fire. We were lucky it did not spread farther than it did!â€
“Who else lived there?†Kagero asked.
“An Au Ra girl. Delicate young thing, bright as sunshine. We thought her dead for a while, but she turned up just fine!†The old lady sighed and rubbed an eye with a wrinkly finger. “Oh, I haven’t seen Mimiyo so happy in quite some time. They were all quite close to one another.â€
Kagero’s frown deepened, running the story through his head. An apothecary went up in flames in mere minutes, with neither sight nor smell of smoke to warn anyone else on the street. An Au Ra body is found, but is inexplicably proven to not be the Au Ra who was living at the apothecary when she turns up more than a fortnight after the fire, and said Au Ra proceeds to vanish to kami knows where.
Now, none of this had anything directly to do with Aritake Yumishi, yet the Hyur could not help but be somewhat suspicious. Time would tell if this ended up being a waste of time, but as far as Kagero was concerned, the minds of ijin were complex--they were just as likely to strip themselves in public as they were to set a random apothecary on fire--and so it was not outside the realm of possibility for Aritake to be involved in this act of arson.
He’d have to question the Naeuris later, but apparently their apothecary was a frequent destination for ijin. A black-haired man with an impractically large sword, a red-haired woman in gaudy shades, and a tall bearded Highlander, among many other exotic-looking characters.
A sigh crossed his lips as Kagero scratched his chin. None of these people sounded like someone he was looking for, and yet, they were all foreigners that frequently visited this particular apothecary over any other. That meant one of two things: either they were all friends and acquaintances--unlikely, given that none of them had been spotted around ever since the fire--or this particular apothecary had something or someone that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
Had this particular apothecary been located in Kogane Dori, that wouldn’t have meant anything, for ijin were frequent. However, coming to this specific corner of the Rakuza District when most foreigners stuck to the main streets...
Whatever the apothecary was selling was either exceptionally rare or exceptionally illegal.
It warranted further investigation.
The Hyur was dressed in a plain black dogi, the equally plain katana at his side indicating his status as a member of a samurai family. Standing beside him was a fair-haired Raen female, dressed in a similarly martial fashion for ease of movement. Though he was hesitant to admit it, Sekka’s presence was quite comforting; searching an entire city for a single ijin who may or may not be dead was a daunting task.
Kagero breathed deeply, glad to be off of the ship, before folding his arms in his sleeves. “We’ll start with the basics, then. Sekka, ask around Kogane Dori and see if there are any peddlers who might know of our lord Aritake.â€
“Any other specifics? ‘Yumishi’ is a fairly common surname, and it’s possible that Aritake did not give out his first name.†the Raen said with a frown. Already, she was beginning to scan the crowds for any persons of note. The streets were dense with ijin and Hingan alike. Colours flooded Kagero's vision in the form of gaudy clothing both foreign and native. Had Kagero not been in the middle of a mission, perhaps he might have admired Kugane's diversity at that point.
“Lady Kyokuho claims that Aritake is--or was--an ardent supporter of Doman independence, particularly when word spread that the Doman prince had returned,†Kagero noted, his brow furrowed in thought. “I suppose that’s the only true lead we have unless we can find one of Aritake's business contacts."
“In that case, I will begin my inquiry to see if there are any of his fellow Domans in the city, my lord.†With a terse bow, Sekka skipped off into the crowds towards Kogane Dori.
As for Kagero himself, he had a mind to pay a visit to the Sekiseigumi. They were typically the first and last to make contact with any particularly troublesome ijin, and while Kyokuho didn’t see fit to tell Kagero exactly what kind of business Aritake dealt in, it was most likely something illegal, as it usually was whenever foreigners were involved.
A corner of his mind flitted towards his secondary objective: he needed proof of Kyokuho’s dealings, but what form would that proof take? Surely criminals didn’t exactly exchange bills of sale and even if they did, Kyokuho certainly didn’t engage in such things personally. She was intelligent enough to use the alias of a retainer of a retainer, removing herself far from the transactions, yet whatever goods Aritake dealt in had to be reaching her somehow.
He shook his head. He’d cross that bridge when he arrived at it. If he ever arrived at it.
After making his way to the barracks and to Kagero’s great annoyance, the captain of the Sekiseigumi was away. So, too, was the lieutenant; they were apparently off dealing with something in the Ruby Sea, according to the exasperatingly polite samurai that greeted Kagero.
“And I take it you know nothing about any recent arrests,†Kagero said, his tone dripping with anticipated disappointment. The samurai wordlessly bowed, which was a response in and of itself. The only one who would have any certain information about arrests would be the captain of the Sekiseigumi or the lieutenant, both of whom were conveniently absent. Otherwise, most of the samurai responsible for policing Kugane made independent judgments save for particularly egregious instances.
Kagero sighed, folding his arms together, combing his mind for clues. They were looking for a Doman merchant who most likely had illicit dealings with ijin and Hingan alike. Aside from being Doman, they had no leads as to who they could contact to find Aritake, short of stumbling on one of his associates by sheer accident.
His mind’s eye flashed to the scene of workmen carrying stone and lumber to the Rakuza District. While construction wasn’t especially unusual in Kugane, from what Kagero knew it only happened when something was damaged; given how dense the city was, there wasn’t really room to expand unless it was by order of the lord bugyo or it was paid for by someone fabulously wealthy enough to afford additional land within the city.
But it was far too much of a stretch that any of this was connected to Aritake. Kagero grit his teeth. He needed more info.
“Ah, but there was a fire somewhat recently,†the Sekiseigumi samurai added hastily, as if by way of an apology. “About a moon ago, if memory serves.â€
Kagero waved nonchalantly as if to dismiss the info. Fires weren’t common, but they did happen without much fanfare unless the damage was particularly devastating; word would have certainly reached Koshu quickly if Kugane had gone up in flames. “And I take it you can’t tell me anything about that, either,†he said dourly, though he wasn’t expecting any useful information out of it. This was already proving to be a frustrating venture.
The samurai rubbed his chin. “I can tell you that it was a miracle that nothing else was damaged. It was a single building and a stall at the time.â€
Kagero raised his brow. A fire in Kugane with only a single building destroyed? Either the city was monumentally lucky, the citizens were exceptionally fast in their response to the fire, or the fire was a tiny little thing that barely warranted alarm. The latter was unlikely if the Sekiseigumi believed they had reason to investigate, so was it foul play? He hesitated to see a lead where there was none, but it wasn’t as if he had many other avenues to pursue until he rendezvoused with Sekka.
“Show me,†he said.â€
--
The charred rubble of the apothecary had long been cleared out, though the stonework of the building stood like a mournful skeleton. Workmen were busy knocking down the rest of the standing stonework to repurpose the bricks, and lengths of timber were being measured and cut into planks before being planed smooth.
Stonemasons and carpenters competed with one another in the construction of a new dwelling, the taste of stone dust vying with the smell of wood shavings. Overhead, workmen laid clay tiles in neat rows along the roof, a relatively noiseless occupation save for the exceptional tile that slid free of a worker’s hands and shattered on the ground.
“A fire, hm...†Kagero wondered underneath his breath, shaking his head at the frenzy of activity. Such was one of the drawbacks of Hingan architecture; compact wooden buildings packed together made for spectacular fire hazards. The city was liable to lose entire streets at a time if the fire wasn’t contained quickly enough, though it seemed this particular one was.
“The Naeuris were nowhere near the place when it went up, thank the kami,†a kindly old Hyur woman said as Kagero examined the blank space where the apothecary had been. He absentmindedly took the proffered mug of tea and took a sip from it, promptly causing him to hiss from burning his tongue on the liquid. “Everyone did their best to stop the fire. We were lucky it did not spread farther than it did!â€
“Who else lived there?†Kagero asked.
“An Au Ra girl. Delicate young thing, bright as sunshine. We thought her dead for a while, but she turned up just fine!†The old lady sighed and rubbed an eye with a wrinkly finger. “Oh, I haven’t seen Mimiyo so happy in quite some time. They were all quite close to one another.â€
Kagero’s frown deepened, running the story through his head. An apothecary went up in flames in mere minutes, with neither sight nor smell of smoke to warn anyone else on the street. An Au Ra body is found, but is inexplicably proven to not be the Au Ra who was living at the apothecary when she turns up more than a fortnight after the fire, and said Au Ra proceeds to vanish to kami knows where.
Now, none of this had anything directly to do with Aritake Yumishi, yet the Hyur could not help but be somewhat suspicious. Time would tell if this ended up being a waste of time, but as far as Kagero was concerned, the minds of ijin were complex--they were just as likely to strip themselves in public as they were to set a random apothecary on fire--and so it was not outside the realm of possibility for Aritake to be involved in this act of arson.
He’d have to question the Naeuris later, but apparently their apothecary was a frequent destination for ijin. A black-haired man with an impractically large sword, a red-haired woman in gaudy shades, and a tall bearded Highlander, among many other exotic-looking characters.
A sigh crossed his lips as Kagero scratched his chin. None of these people sounded like someone he was looking for, and yet, they were all foreigners that frequently visited this particular apothecary over any other. That meant one of two things: either they were all friends and acquaintances--unlikely, given that none of them had been spotted around ever since the fire--or this particular apothecary had something or someone that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
Had this particular apothecary been located in Kogane Dori, that wouldn’t have meant anything, for ijin were frequent. However, coming to this specific corner of the Rakuza District when most foreigners stuck to the main streets...
Whatever the apothecary was selling was either exceptionally rare or exceptionally illegal.
It warranted further investigation.