Day 2

6th day of the Month of the Hare, 759

A surprise snowstorm sweeps through the city during the late night and into the early morning, leaving Toshi no Omoidoso buried in three inches of snow by sunrise. Temperatures are cold and the sun remains hidden behind thick clouds throughout the day, making for a cold and unpleasant day.

In the late morning, a second wave of refugees arrive from Morikage Toshi, shivering and stumbling through the unexpectedly deep snows. The snow makes it difficult for the guards to move people through the gates in an orderly fashion, and soon the cold and frightened refugees begin pushing and shoving, turning a difficult situation into a riot waiting to happen.

After the Late Afternoon, the streets are crowded and choked with refugees, many of whom huddle beside buildings, seeking respite from the snow and cold winds. It's clear that the city simply cannot accommodate this many people at once.


Event:
~ Logistical Nightmare (Late Afternoon) ~

Influence Thread:
~ Voices in the Crowd (Late Afternoon)

_________________
Credulous at best
Your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men

Gossip and Rumors:

"Where have I seen that Nagiko woman before?"

"Down at the docks, maybe? She's a Mantis, isn't she?"

"No, that's not it... Oh! Yeah! Little Sakura!"

"The peasant girl that ran away awhile back? I mean, the resemblance is there, I suppose, but it can't be the same woman."

"Well, you know how those Mantis are... no standards to that bunch when it comes to rebuilding their ranks after that war with the Tortoise."

~ ~ ~

"...so there I was, tryin' really hard to figure out what I should do, when Togashi Tsukimi just leapt down from the rooftop and landed right in front of me! She said a few quick words that didn't make sense to me before running off, but as I thought it over, I realized that my wife isn't so bad after all! She's really something else, you know?"

"Sounds wiser than most of the monks 'round here. Well, since the Lion took over, at least."

~ ~ ~

A pair of monks outside a small temple are quietly discussing a woman named "Nagiko" and how they disapprove of samurai selling their bodies for coin. Much head-shaking and sighing ensues, along with admissions that "that sort of thing is probably pretty common in Mantis lands."

~ ~ ~

"That Kōgyoku is really boring. It's like talking to a plank of wood, except that the plank of wood might at least have a whorl or a knothole in it to make it vaguely interesting."

"Yeah. She probably added the macron to her name in an attempt to be more interesting. It's sad, really."

~ ~ ~

"I'm really disappointed that I didn't get to see Shosuro Sara perform in that play there were gonna do back at Morikage Toshi. You really don't get a chance to see an up-and-coming star very often!"

"Yes, it was really rude that the Emperor decided to get murdered right then and there, wasn't it? If only he had waited until after the play was finished to be assassinated."

"Hey. Don't be like that. You know what I mean."

~ ~ ~

A servant sings to herself as she carries tea down the hallway:

"The call her Homu~ra! Homu~ra! The walking libra~ry! No one you see... knows more history than she~!"

_________________
Credulous at best
Your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men