The Day of Thunder

[Haka Soju]

Soju wasn't, as a rule, all that fond of the Scorpion Clan or how they did things. This meeting, for instance. A secret node hidden in her blankets, when a simple 'hey, Sujo, we're gonna have a meeting over there in an hour' would have sufficed.

Nevertheless, she was at the river where indicated, holding a lantern she had 'borrowed' from the front of someone's tent. She had briefly considered that this could be a trap set by Mai, but she quickly dismissed the idea, simply because her daughter had never been so needlessly dramatic about stabbing her.

So, with a quiet sigh and a bit of a shiver, Soju settled in to wait.

[Bayushi Norikage]

Norikage wasn't the type to leave mystery notes in people's sheets (despite what kind of cringey things Han-Hei thought he was up to), but he did know there were other Scorpion here. That meant they might be up late at an innocuous, yet secluded place.

And here we are.

In the darkness of the late eve, he approached Haka Soju, having never met them before, a bowed. "Well, hello,"

[Haka Soju]

She turned toward the voice and looked him over, then returned his bow, causing the small bones on her dress to clatter softly. "Hello. Nice mask."

[Bayushi Norikage]

"Everyone says the same thing in Kashouji", he shrugged. "Nice mask. Why the mask? Thank you for hiding your ugly face. You know how it is."

He may or may not be serious. The sarcasm is too bitter. "I'm called Bayushi Norikage, pleasure to meet you."

[Haka Soju]

"Haka Soju," she replies. "Are you actually ugly? Because then the mask would be a good idea. Maybe that's why it's becoming popular?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"Is that the kind of question you actually ask someone?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Haka-san, let's talk. We're both of the same clan. There's something happening in this town that stinks, particularly at the festival tonight. Do you agree?"

[Haka Soju]

She mirrors the raised eyebrow with her good eye. "Why would you ask me if I would do something that I just did in front of you? It is fine if you are ugly, I was just curious."

"But yes, something is off about this place. I spoke with the headmistress of the village earlier this morning. She presents herself as a happy, cheerful nobody, but she was exceptionally well-guarded in our conversation. I wasn't able to get anything from her, and I am usually very good at reading people. That in itself was suspicious to me."


(Bayushi Courtier 3 vs Norikage to learn one of his Mental or Social disadvantages, TN 37 + 5 for every 3 points of Mental or Social disadvantages he possesses, resisted by Etiquette (Courtesy)/Awareness)

[Bayushi Norikage]

He nodded. "I had exactly the same experience. Cheerful, but certainly hiding something. Then the festival happened."

[Haka Soju]

"Did you notice something unusual at the festival? I was busy performing."

[Bayushi Norikage]

"The strange smell, how it was timed with the drums...I felt like I was drunk and I hadn't had a drop." He chuckled a little. "I almost got up and danced."

[Haka Soju]

"I did dance... but I have to admit, it felt like I was..." She searches for the right words. "...sweet up in something, I suppose."

Soju shifts the lantern to her other hand, and with it, the light shifts to illuminate the side if her face that was missing an eye. "Given what you learned about the previous village, and all the talk about something strange happening, I think we have two possibilities. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

"First," she says, holding up a finger of her free hand, "the villager uncovered some terrible ritual and are enacting it, which will no doubt result in many bad things happening at the festival's conclusion, if not sooner. The most power rituals take longer time to enact, so to stretch it across a week... not good."

"Two," she continues, raising a second finger. "The ritual is somehow protecting against the horrors the Kami unleashed upon the Empire, which is why they are having less problems here. In which case, the ritual is a good thing."

[Bayushi Norikage]

He pondered that. He honesty hadn't considered that it could be a good thing. He was too pessimistic.

After a moment he looked back at the ruined face with it's missing eye. "Which do you find more likely, considering how much conversation they are deflecting?" he asked. "It seems obvious that it's something bad, but there's also the chance they're keeping it a secret because they feel outsiders wouldn't understand and would react violently."

[Haka Soju]

"I am... very untrusting of backwater religious rituals," she explained, her voice hardening. "Doubly so when we know this Shinsei person showed up ranting about doom and gloom."

She allowed herself to sigh. "My inclination is to believe it is something bad. The easiest way to disrupt things might be to remove the Headmistress, which would trigger an investigation and allow us to poke around more. Snatch her up and stash her out in the woods somewhere with an armed guard "

[Bayushi Norikage]

"She's got guards, people watching the shrine as well", he said. "Might be tricky. Besides, we lack the information to make that move."

He scowled, folding his arms.

"We need to investigate a little more, the private part of their ritual happens in a few days, if we're certain before then we can make a move."

[Haka Soju]

"I shall try to investigate further, as should we all. You can handle getting a team together for whatever needs to be done." She motions to his sword. "I would rather have people ready to go and not need them than the reverse."

[Haka Tae-soo]

A figure eventually comes walking slowly from further downstream, following the course of the river one or two feet away from the water.

When he finally sees the pair, he steps closer, waves.

"...siblings?", he says, tentatively. He wasn't all that used to clan meetings, but a family seemed to be a good enough comparison.

Or maybe he just somehow wished actual family was there.

[Haka Soju]

Soju turns to face the new arrival and returned the wave, but that felt awkward, so she stopped. "Not quite siblings," she said, glancing over at Norikage. "I am Haka Soju, and this is Bayushi Norikage. We have been discussing the village and its headmistress. Do you have any thoughts?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

Norikage offered a bow to the other arrival, he had to admit, he didn't know what to make of these people. He had only been involved those sworn to the Kami's name until now, but he'd been shown enough to know how to recognize the vassals of the other lords of the Scorpion at least.

[Haka Tae-soo]

Tae-soo takes the remaining steps to get closer and bows to Norikage and Soju. "A pleasure to meet other followers of the emperor's brother, Bayushi-nim, Haka-nim.", he says in a rather flat voice. A moment of silence follows as he looks at one, then another of them, not quite saying anything.

Then, finally, looking at Soju with some realisation.

"Haka-nim... I heard there would be a performance by a Haka this afternoon? Was that Haka Soju-nim?"

Another moment of silence, as if he was looking around. "The headmistress... We haven't really interacted with her much". Who 'we' refers to might not be obvious, but the pair might have seen Tae-soo with his younger sibling around at the festival earlier. "The village, it's... "

He looks around again, hands move as if trying to touch or catch the fog. "... Odd, I'd say." At the very least. "What do... ah... may I ask what Haka-nim and Bayushi-nim think?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"This village is too suspicious, that's what I think", he answered. "As Haka Soji-san and I were discussing, the headwoman is hiding a great deal. I wouldn't call her a bald faced liar, she's very sincere, but she likely doesn't even understand everything about this ritual...or if she does and I read her wrong, that just makes her very dangerous."