The Day of Thunder

Reo didn't know much about this village. He had known, some part of him had known that he would be making a trip come the end of winter. It had been maddening, knowing that he would feel compelled to leave but not knowing where or when and not being able to put into words this feeling to anyone, not even his wife. Especially not his wife. While the person he trusted the most in the world, she might have seen the signs that he logically knew were a bad omen. It was not until Shinsei had put out the call that Reo had been able to put a solid location together and begin preparations.

What he did know was from Seeker scouting reports, and what he had was scant. The village in question was far enough outside of Spider territory that it required a convoy to move in numbers and therefore did not have much in the way of direct contact. Blue Lotus did not belong to any of the Clans, which meant that there was no internal rumors to glean. No, the limit to what Reo found most relevant to his purposes was a staggering health success rate for a village with no shugenja, superior to his own teacher's efforts back...oh Fortunes, that was nigh on thirty years ago wasn't it?

That kind of good work could scarcely go uninvestigated.

With his continual drag and thump of his leg and walking stick and scratches lightly on the screen door. "Greetings. Is this the home of the village healer?"

There's a long wait, at least a few minutes, before he hears footsteps. The door slides open to reveal a man who... his age is hard to determine. The bags under his eyes and his hair being shot through with white in streaks suggests at least middle age, but his face is remarkably young.

"Sickness, injury, or herb picking?" He immediately starts off with. Then he narrows his eyes. "Oh, my apologies. You're new. I'm Enrou, the village's healer, and... gardener, I suppose. Can I help you, samurai-sama?"

"I hope that you can. Your reputation speaks for itself really." Reo leans on his walking stick, studying the man's face. "It isn't every day that I hear wonders about a master herbalist who isn't one of mine. If I can't poach you, I'd happily trade knowhow."

He studies the man a bit more. "Do I know you? I feel like I might have run into you before."

Now that he looks closer, he can see a tattoo on the man's neck, but it's not Togashi's style. It almost looks like the style seen on some of the cloth the Ratlings were trading down in North-North Mountain city.

He narrows his eyes at Reo again, making him seem like he might be a little nearsighted. "It's possible. You look a little familiar, but I can't really put my finger on it. I don't mind trading some herbalism knowledge. I won't be leaving this village, but I'll take it as a compliment that you're interested in carrying me off like a Noriaki bride."

"I'd have a hard time getting you over the threshold." Reo thumps his walking stick. "And my wife would be asking a few pointed questions. Relax, I'm not flirting with you. I'm told that is considered poor taste, and if Ninube finds out I'll be checking my food for weeks. Can I sit down, my leg is feeling that hike in from camp?"

Reo doesn't wait for a response, immediately trying try to lump himself in.

"Yeah, I was fucking with you," he said with some amusement. "Though trying to barge in is pretty rapidly diminishing your chances of getting knowledge."

He stepped back, though, kicking off his shoes as he stepped up off the stone floor of the entrance and onto the wood, opening the door to reveal a big hearth room. "Whatever. Come on, have a seat. It's cold, and there's some herbal tea on. Good for energy."

"Hmmph. Fortunes take it! I knew I was forgetting something." Reo nudges his head to the side. "My apologies. Manners. I don't have them. That was shit thing to do. If I keep being an ass, I certainly won't object to you telling me so."

Reo takes the seat. "I remember the days without samurai. Many of the first are still alive, their children barely grown. If you ask me, it doesn't hurt to be reminded that we are human, no matter whose company we chose to keep. But I'm rambling."

Reo stiffly stretches out his bad leg. "North North City?" He motions to the tattoo on the man's neck. "I saw it once. I had a few arrows made there. The Nezumi know there metal working." He grunts again. "And I'm Hisomu Reo. Names, and such. I'm supposed to give mine."

Enrou found some flint and tinder and struck up a pipe as he grabbed the tea kettle and poured some for each of them. "Can't say I've been there. Lived over in the Tribe of Isawa before I came here."

"What did you say your name was?"

"Reo." Reo seems to ponder for a moment. "Ah. Isawa? You made quite a journey then. I'm curious, what led you to leave? Besides...well, I guess the obvious. Most I know of either went to join the Imperial seat or remained in their old homes to join the Spider." Reo leans back, taking the cup of tea but not yet drinking. "I suppose I can't talk. I went north. I was once the man known as Kakita no Reo, not that they made much effort in keeping me"

"We can relate in the sense of our tribes not being passionate about keeping us. I didn't follow after the rest of them in the first place; I can't speak to the Kami so they didn't have much regard for me. I finally left the forest when my family passed. All of them at once, extremely unpleasantly," he said, blunt as a tetsubo.

"How did they die?" Reo asks and pauses. "Sorry, that was harsh. But I prefer to know. There is no...aww, shit." Reo puts down his tea and runs a hand through his hair. "If it was me and mine, I can't do anything to make up for that. But I wouldn't bother you any further."

He pauses. "It's probably cold consolation, but not valuing those with a sharp mind without the ability to talk to spirits is Isawa mistake that I take a point of pride in having corrected. The Isawa who remained, they call themselves the Reiko now. They are some of my best students, and will probably be my successor. Not that it helped you, and I am not trying to rub your face in it, but there's no sense in continuing a mistake for the sake of having made it in the past."

"Like I said before, it's rare to find healers without the touch of the spirits as skilled as your reputation allows who I haven't sought out or trained."

"My wife went insane. She murdered our children and tried to kill me," he said, then took a long pull on his pipe and exhaled slowly. "I'm glad some of them are doing something about it, at least. I didn't realize my reputation had spread so much."

Reo pauses. What could he say? That he was sorry? That did no good. That what happened was terrible? This man knew that clearly. What could he say that would actually make things better and not worse?

Reo decides that the answer is nothing, and continues on. "Well, I wouldn't say that the Blue Lotus Village is on the lips of men in every street of the Empire. I've been a bit oblique on what I do: I am one of the librarians for the Imperial Archive for the Spider, and we decided early on that we wanted our branch to accumulate pragmatic knowledge, especially medical treatments and herbalism. A single man handling care for a remote village outside of any major Clan lands, with population stable through harsh years of disease and famine? It's remarkable for those who know what to look for, and it's my task to do just that."

"Ahh... So that's it. I suppose it explains quite a bit," he says with a nod. "Anything in particular you're looking to learn?"

"Variety of local herbs for one. You would know what grows in what used to be Isawa lands, and what would be new. Extraction methods would be another."

"And what would be the ultimate goal of this knowledge? Pure academic interest, recreating their natural environments in other lands, maybe attempting cross pollination of compatible species?" Enrou tapped his lips with the tip of his pipe as he waited to hear the answer.

"For your extraction methods? To see how you handle the herb. Perhaps it's useless to me if I don't follow the steps you use. On the other, perhaps I have way to make it more potent." Reo shrugs.

"But ultimately yes. If there is an herb of useful effect, I would start with buying a live sample from you. First, I would attempt grafts onto our current cultures and then look toward a breeding program to ensure a varietal that would survive in Isawa lands. Our climate isn't that different in terms of temperature or season as best I can tell, but soil conditions might be an issue"

Enrou nodded quietly, still tapping his lips with the tip of his pipe. "That should be simple enough. I have a few cuttings I could provide, as well as some smaller plants that wouldn't suffer too much if transplanted. I can prepare them for study and have them brought to you without much issue. When would you like to receive them? A few of the species are a bit delicate and will need to be prepared carefully."

Reo thinks on it.

"I don't know yet. I will be staying for the festival, so I will be here awhile. If it is amenable to you, I would like to visit and learn from you while it is going on. I can provide my own hands for work or coin if you think it to be a fair trade."