23. Akodo Yumako

Exploring the city

Month of the Horse 8th, 1125

Hana

We arrive at miss Hana's place. It's a big house and above the Wallow standards, not that that is saying much. We ask the guards if we can talk to miss Hana. They lead us to a room where we have to wait.

A few minutes later a middle ages woman enters the room and she asks how she can help us. Kyo explains we are looking for a missing Samurai called Doji Hiroshige. But it looks like Hana doesn't know anything about it, or at least doesn't want to tell us. All we end up getting from her is that she tells us Aio will tell us everything she knows about Doji Hiroshige.

Aio

A little dissatisfied we leave the house again. Kyo stays behind to be on the watch for anyone leaving the house. We soon arrive at Aio again and even without explaining about the Hana visit she suddenly tells us a lot more. That Doji Hiroshige was here a few weeks ago together with Toru and Fobato. Also she saw Toru only 5 days ago, she remembers because he was kicked out the Golden Dream by Mugu after a fight. And she noticed him leaving with a big muscular Ronin with a tattoo in his neck. She expects that they went to the Green Rest, because Toru wasn't done for that evening.

She also tells that she saw Doji Hiroshige together with a Ronin and a Crane (which turned out to be Kakita Amano)?? <- klopt iets niet??

Inn - Lunch

We go for lunch at our Inn and ask about Toru. Toru has been there and the innkeeper remembers he had a Ronin friend in colorful clothes. Also she mentions that she saw Doji Hiroshige talking with a Scorpion Samurai wearing a cat mask.

This morning she got a visit from Mr Doro and Kizo. Both 2 people that lent money to Doji Hiroshige. After lunch we decide to split up. Kyo and Tichuki will visit mr Doro, Aki and Yoshi will visit the Green Rest, and Ren and me will go into the market outside.

Docks

It's a respectable market, but I do notice a lof of Gaijin things. While we walk a round I do see some interesting weapons. After the market we walk around the docks. There are quite some ships, even 1 with weird triangle sails. We also notice it's often hard to see the destinction between Turtoise Samuari and heimin. Then suddenly I notice a familiar face!

Next to one of the ships we see Hitoshi! The ship is called after the Mantis Clan Champion, the Aramasu's Legacy. We greet him and talk about what happened the last 2 years. How he has a crew now, and about this city. He tells us a lot of weird things happen here, and it doesn't surprises him that goblins were seen in tortoise lands. We tell him he can join us tonight in the Inn if he wants to. While we leave we hear him saying to his crew "Hurry, Yumiko san is waiting for this!". Of course, they are doing business with the Merchant Patron of this city.

Inn - Dinner

Before dinner we meet again with the rest. It seems Tichuki got some useful information from mr Doro. Both Doji Hiroshige and Katsuga Michiko had debts there. And when mr Doro was asking around, a big Ronin with a tattoo in his neck told him to stop asking questions about that! So we really need to find that Ronin, it's sure he knows more!

In the Green Rest they were told that Toru didn't visit in 5 days ago. So where did they go, or was the owner of the Green Rest hiding something?

In the evening Hitoshi visits the inn. We talk and drink and tell him about the disappearances. He tells us he did hear about the big Ronin with the tattoo's. That Ronin had a reputation as someone where you didn't want to have problems with! Exactly the kind of guy we need to find...