33. Akodo Yumako

Month of the Rooster 13th, 1127

Lunch

So there I am together with Isawa Aki and Sutanpā Kiji (Doji's attendant). Waiting until we hear the $bird, or until the rest returns. After an hour or so we start to make some rice for lunch. While we are eating suddenly 4 Heimin approach us. We didn't hear them coming, were they sneaking upon us! They ask us if we want to come to the village. Why would we want that? I reject the offer and tell them to go away. They repeat the question 2 more times. I put my hand on my Naginata and reject again. When they walk away I hear one say “Shoshi ni kie” (the Perfect Land mantra). I take a deep breath and hold myself from cutting their head in 2 pieces. This is not the time, our friends are in the village.

Five minutes after they are gone Bayushi Kyo joins us to see what was going on. And we we decide to move our camp a few hundred meters away from here. To a place where we can still see this spot. But we can't see the village anymore from there...

They return

A few hours later the other 3 finally return. They tell us what happened.

They first met a Ronin called Satto to who they warned about the Lion's delegation that was coming. After that they talked to an old man called Hige, a young merchant called Kambei and a young Ronin called Ichiro. The old man is very tricky with words. He tried to find out if they knew about that they were Perfect Land, but Doji Ren is even more tricky with words and avoided mentioning the Perfect Land. They talked about the options. Leaving the village, hiding, or pretending to be a normal Dragon village. At this suggestion Ichiro unmasked and he left the scene with the merchant. Togashi Yoshi noticed Ichiro had the ways of moving from the Mirumoto Family, known for their 2 weapon fighting style.

In the end the 'council' decided to go for the approach to look like a normal Dragon village. After that Doji Ren, Hiruma Tichuki and Togashi Yoshi looked around a little more in the village. There probably were about 100-120 people, of which half could help in a fight. There are some monks in traditional white uniforms. And some were walking around armed with different kind of weapons. But about pretending to be a Dragon village... The chance of that succeeding was very low...

The options

But what other options are there... Maybe we should approach with badges and weapons and tell them to leave. Or we wait and see what happens, and if a fight starts with the Lion delegation we can flank those Shinseists from the other side! Or we should start a fight ourselves, to be ahead of the Lion delegation...