[D1: LE]Scorpion Swim in Sake as Well as Water

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

He put the bowl down.

"I'm fortunate to be so blessed by your efforts. All that education wasted on my unworthy self." Putting the chopsticks down as well now, he moved onto another piece of business.

"Met one of those Piranha samurai today, magistrate. He's curious about how to fight spirits. Mind giving him an audience with your auspicious self?"

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya shrugged a bit at that.

"Do you think he'll amuse me?" she asked. She was pretty direct on these sorts of meetings. She could give a hang about teaching others for the greater good, but she'd do it if it would alleviate her boredom.

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"he knows a lot about the naga, if you care to brush up", he shrugged.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya considered that over her cup.

"Hmm, I mean, we haven't hunted one of those yet but I guess if we suddenly have to, it'd be good to know their weaknesses." she admits.

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

Norikami was in the war, but he figured Aya would recall that and not rely on him for information. So he voiced a reason for that himself.

"Killing them isn't all that impossible, what this guy can teach is their culture and law, which is another weapon if applied right."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya downed her cup, and sighed.

"Do you remember when you spent your days beating the shit out of your fellow soldiers, Norikun? Didn't matter what they tried, or how good they were, you beat 'em regardless? And you didn't say anything, you just walked away a badass enigma?"

She refilled her cup and sighed.

"Good times. So, Norikun the scholar, tell me what you're going to do to these Naga with their law and culture?" she said.

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"Huh? The fuck am i coming up with the plan for it? We just gather information. Not like i'm looking to take over the naga legion with a courtier fan." He chuckled. "But if i did, i'd learn what kind of bullshit rules that have, like how they settle disputes and what makes one giant snake more important than another, then get him in a shit tone of trouble, destabilize their power structure. Then use my status as a guest to meet with as many of them as i could, and make them all think they're working against each other..."

He pondered.

"naw, shit plan...i think they all talk to each other in their heads, don't they?"

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya laughed.

"Ah the career of Norikun the Naga political mastermind, it was as short as it was pointless." she muses.

She looks under the counter.

"Ah, I get it now. You're all pent up after the mission, and haven't gotten to take your usual after-mission release. And this is a pretty straight laced town. I did meet a Matsu and a Togashi today. I kinda like the Matsu, but I think the Togashi would be to your taste." she suggests.

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

He shrugged. "I met a pretty Mirumoto today, actually. At court. Though i wouldn't mind getting to know that Shosuro everyone was fussing over before her Daimyo showed up."

He shook his head. "And since when did you of all people play match maker? A Matsu or a Togashi? You're trying to get me killed or drive me insane."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya feigned hurt....poorly.

"I am shocked, yes shocked and hurt by these baseless allegations of yours Norikun. If you need to climb a couple of Togashi mountains to be focused for the next mission, it's only natural I'd lend you some rope." she offers.

"Now what you do with that rope.....well that's between you and the mountains, ne?"

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"Not if I use it to drag you up to a tree in the peaks and hang you from it", he offered in retort.

Then he signaled the cook. "How about some steamed dumplings?"

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

"Kinky. I never knew you felt that way about Norikun. I'm flattered, really I am."

She nods.

"Sure, why not? May as well sample the local flavor."

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

He ordered Aya another drink as well.

"What are we actually going to do though?" He fished out his pipe. "This isn't our specialty and keeping out of this situation is why we do what we do just as much as we happen to be good at it."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya shrugged.

"May as well make an exercise out of it. Sensei always stressed how important it was to keep our minds sharp as well as our blades ne?" she suggested.

She set down the cup a moment.

"So, imagine yourself in the SC's position. You've murdered the Emperor, and had a whole Imperial Winter court of witnesses flee a short distance. Snow on the ground means it'd be a bitch to send an army after them, but it also means that they haven't gotten word out to the Empire as a whole yet. So what do you do?"

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"You spin the news, you're a former emperor, make it into something it isn't that works for your position", he shrugged. "Hard to say it would work, but if he blames the Empress, saying she had corrupted the Emperor and he was going to fork the Empire over to the Lion, that'd be a hell of a gamble."

He mulled it back and forth in his head.

"Other option is to send a task force to where the enemy fled to. Much as I hate to consider it, he might have a large enough group of former Scorpion on his side to make some pretty nasty shit happen, unless he's too scared of them himself to let them operate far away from him."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya nods.

"That's what I was thinking about. A small task force to say, poison the water supply, and then when the roads clear you claim the city fell to a plague. Or you could try inciting the local peasantry to rebel, and then crush the peasants when the roads clear. Takes a bit more cunning, but you could gain a lot of glory for putting down the rebellion."

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"And with no one around to say otherwise you can claim someone in the city killed your descendant and get a following for revenge, sit on the throne and never abdicate."

The dumplings arrived and he dug in.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya nods.

"Seems like the best play. It'd be a shame if some out of place Scorpions screwed it up." she says, taking a dumpling.

Bayushi Norikami · **Joined:** Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:22 pm **Posts:** 315

"Well have to see what the others think too, I'll assume they call us crazy and honestly it's just an idea on our part right now, but it does seem practical enough for someone like our enemy."

He chewed down a dumpling.

"Where d'ya suppose we start tomorrow? Get a lay of the land, the water supply, interrogate suspicious refugees to see if they're spies? It's a big job."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya shrugged.

"I wouldn't want to openly doubt our hosts ability to protect us. I'm sure if there was an oni at the gates we would be advised that it was being handled."

She take a sip of sake.

"Still, I doubt anyone would take offense if we just wandered around, and if our wanderings happened to take us to point of interest that a truly dishonorable enemy might find interesting.....well, it's not our fault there's not a pleasure district here, right?"

[D1: LE]Scorpion Swim in Sake as Well as Water

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