[Day 9, Late Afternoon]Stuffed Crab

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Tue Apr 21, 2020 11:13 pm

Mogami sits at a low table inside her room, an array of food laid out before her. A meal of rice, bao, steamed greens with garlic and white pepper, and miso glazed fish was more than enough for her, and could easily feed three to four people, which was good as she expected a guest. Her Budoka stood at the open door, keeping watch for the Crab she had invited to share the meal with.

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

Stepping inside a Lion castle felt very peculiar. Or was that a Phoenix turned Lion structure? Regardless, it wasn't a Crab castle. Nonetheless it was well built and the guards were very dutiful. She'd been stopped a number of times to check who she was and that she had permission to visit. Good that Mogami had alerted them ahead of time.

Like earlier that morning she had left her armour in her room since she was visiting what should be a defended location. If the embassies were secure, and they seemed to be, then the Lion castle had to be, right? She was counting on it. Her sword had been handed over before she'd been allowed in after all.

Receiving an escort into the residential part of the castle grounds she was shown to Mogami's new room. The Lion guard left here there in front of the budoka to return to his rounds.

"Konnichiwa. I am Kaiu Maiya, here to see Matsu Mogami-sama." She used the full name as the castle was full of Matsu.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 1:48 am

Tsuruha and Fuwa both bowed, and from inside the room Mogami stood and called out,

“Ah, Kaiu-San! Please, come in. Our meal has just been prepared for us!”

She walks closer to the door and bows to the woman, motioning to the spread of food on the table. The smell of the the miso glazed fish hung in the air and was quite enticing.

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

It was very enticing! Sometimes the Lion could do food really well. Today definitely smelled like one of those times. Lucky! Maiya's good, if cautious, mood was elevated to very good.

"Matsu-sama, konnichiwa." She calls out warmly, giving the Lion a deep bow. She wasn't sure about the woman's retainers, but she did recall one of their faces from the inn. They too received a slight bow.

"Thank you. I can smell it. It smells very good. You are already spoiling me." The bushi comments as she walked inside and briefly looked about. She moved over to the table but waited for Mogami to lead with things.

"I was so pleased to receive an invitation from you today. Ano, how have you been?"

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 2:00 am

"Much better than yesterday, though I am a bit annoyed at the events of this morning."

Mogami sits at the table and pours Maiya a cup of tea.

"Would you mind if my men ate with us as well?"

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

"Oh! What happened this morning?" Maiya asked, keen on hearing about any new developments.

"Thank you. No, not at all." She replied cheerfully as she reached out to received the cup of tea. Just what she needed after trudging through mud. Her geta had been a pain to clean inside the castle. They were still a little muddy back where they sat in the reception area of the building.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 2:33 am

Mogami motions for Tsuruga and Fuwa to join them.

"This is Kaiu Maiya. These are my budoka and friends, Tsuruga and Fuwa."

The two men bowed low, but said nothing and then sat, taking a small portion of the meal for each of them.

"This morning there was a Miya herald who arrived and proclaimed that Seppun Kato would be attempting to take the throne because he has discovered that the Crown Prince is an illegitimate son of the late Hantei. It is blasphemy and a complete insult to Hantei Tokiyo and her honor. To imply such things should have one immediately rebuked, but many samurai have begun to support his claim already. It is a mess."

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

"Hello." She greets them simply, giving each a deep nod in response to their bows.

Using her knuckles to turn herself to face Mogami again, she switches to a more relaxed posture to eat with a quiet "excuse me" to forgive her rudeness. She listened as the Lion explained about the Miya herald. She only interrupted to very gently clap her hands together for the traditional "itadakimasu".

Her eyelids rise and rise as Mogami speaks however. There was a mess and then there was a mess. Crab didn't do politics, and even the hint of politics was enough to put Maiya out of her element, but it was obvious how big a deal this was.

"So there are three forces fighting for the throne? That's..." She had no words. Maiya shook her head incredulously.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:54 am

"An atrocity"

Mogami finished.

"But, that matter can be handled in the courts and on the battlefield. Here, we are going to do nothing about it, so instead let us enjoy good company and food!"

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

"R-right." The Kaiu bushi did her best to smile, but the transition was a little abrupt. She had wanted to talk it through a little more. On the other hand and far more importantly, she was a guest and Mogami was the host. The Matsu was also someone important enough to have two budoka assigned to her.

Maiya was not going to refuse.

Besides, she was hungry.

Giving the usual phrase before eating and clapping her hands Maiya picked up her chopsticks and began to pick out items to put on her plate.

"Aside from that, have you been well Matsu-sama? And is all this rain normal for this time of year in Lion lands? Sorry that I'm ignorant."

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:04 am

Mogami notices the hesitation.

"I mean, if you wish to discuss the matter, I am happy to. I just wasn't sure if you were comfortable with it. I thought maybe you were looking for something to help distract you from the outside world for a time.

"I have had quite the time between yesterday and today."

Mogami also makes a gesture over the food and takes a small bite.

"I'm happy to share the stories, though they are a bit heavy."

"As far as the rain goes, not usually, especially so early in the year. Late spring sees more, but as snow is still on the ground, the rain is quite rare."

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

She helped herself to some greens onto her plate too, but only then did she start. After finishing her first mouthful she queried something. "Rare, but it has happened before then?" That was a relief if so. Yasuki Yukarin had earlier said that it felt like it meant the Fortunes were preparing something, or some such. Maiya couldn't quite remember. However, it seemed it was just something unusual.

"As for the rest, please. I can handle heavy stories. However, eto, I do not wish you to say anything that would make you uncomfortable." By which she meant she didn't want to get Mogami in trouble, or to embarrass her by pressuring her into speaking about something personal to a newcomer in her life.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:14 am

"I think so, though my knowledge of the weather is a bit limited. We have only had these lands for a short time."

Mogami places a piece of fish in her bowl of rice and takes a bit, delighting in the sweet and salty combination.

"Well, yesterday I woke to my entire room and all its contents, including my daisho and my budoka, gone. When I asked the guards, they informed me my grandmother had come to take them to train."

Another bite.

"The problem with that...is my grandmother died years ago."

"So I headed swiftly to the dojo to find she had returned as one of the Steel Chrysanthemum's soldiers and had somehow made it into the city. We engaged in a mortal fight where she managed to disembowel me before I destroyed her spine with a shot from my bow when she turned to attack Tsuruga here."

Another bite.

"There was luckily an Isawa priest close by and he called upon the water kami to heal me...and let me tell you, that is an extremely odd sensation. One minute having your inside out of you, and the next everything moved and placed in their proper place."

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

That was a lot to take in. Was this Lion woman a source of misfortune? Maiya wasn't sure, but she did wish she had some sort of lucky charm on hand just in case!

"You... are lucky to be alive Matsu-sama."

The bushi's mind was still processing the story. She'd had to pause eating halfway to listen as it had gotten more tense. The disembowelling mention had provoked a slight frown, since they were eating, but it passed. She did look a little uncomfortable as Mogami finished with her memorable words of having your inside out of you, and then it moved back in.

"If an Isawa wasn't there then..." Not good, basically.

"How did your returned grandmother get inside? I had thought the City's security was quite good." Maiya began to slowly eat once more. She tried not to picture the Matsu holding in her guts.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 6:09 pm

Mogami takes some of the greens and munches on them for a bit. Swallowing and then taking a sip of tea, she looks quite unconcerned.

“I imagine she just walked in. Why would the guards stop her? She looked and dressed as a Lion, and likely had papers stamped with an Imperial Seal. “

She gives a shrug and takes another bite.

“She did glow faintly, but in the daytime it would be hard to see.”

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

"Good that you discovered this flaw in the city's defences then, ne? Well done. There is some positive from the horrible attack upon you and your budoka. What measures are now in place to stop further infiltration by hostile returned samurai?" Maiya asks with seriousness and interest, keen to see if there was anything she could do to help efforts.

Taking a few bites herself she looks to Mogami with rapt attention.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:20 pm

“Truth be told, I don’t know. We had many scouring the city yesterday to find other intruders, but I am not sure what the guards have been ordered to do. I am just visiting Nikesake like you.”

She beams a smile

“Oh! They were also readying a strike force to close the Portal to Tishigoku l, thus preventing reinforcements Said team returned today successfully’l

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

That's worrying... at least the Lion aren't defending the Empire against shadowlands monsters. Maiya can almost picture them allowing in a group of goblins acting as the entourage for an ogre with a fake moustache and stolen travel papers stamped with an Imperial Mon. Almost.

If the fake moustache was very compelling and the ogre described his totally-actual-Lion-ancestors however? Then certainly.

Maiya winced.

Shaking her head slightly to refocus, the Crab was grateful for the change of topic. "They? A strike force to close the... Portal to Toshigoku? Well, that sounds good." Wait, why was there a portal and why had somebody left it open? There was just so much a simple Crab bushi from all the way across the Empire did not know.

Maybe Crab lands were full of anxious peasants, bleak skies, hard earth and weary samurai. However, they at least didn't allow in murder spirits as a norm and leave portals to realms of slaughter sitting open.

Matsu Mogami · **Posted:** Wed Apr 22, 2020 9:10 pm

"They being those who are in higher levels of leadership. It was quite a good thing. The portal is how the Steel Chrysanthemum returned after all. So, once we manage to destroy him and his army, he will be gone for good. "

Mogami frowns a little

"Though once he is gone, we have to content with the new challenger to the throne as well. Did you hear the proclamation by Seppun Kato today?"

Kaiu Maiya · **Joined:** Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:43 am **Posts:** 878

"Oh. Right." This was all news to the Crab. That much was obvious from her expression.

"... No. Only what you said earlier. About the Miya herald." She replies, curious to hear more, especially Mogami's take on things.

[Day 9, Late Afternoon]Stuffed Crab

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