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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Black Omega" data-source="post: 537399" data-attributes="member: 79">Akodo Setei glanced from the rose to his pupil, “As a monk I looked after the garden at the temple.  I often tended the rose bushes there.  I have a friend who thought I might be interested in this rose.  Look at it, how it is cut.  It’s not crimped like cutters would do.  A normal cut by a knife would bruise it here.  See?  This rose wasn’t just snipped, this is a nearly perfect cut.  I could do a cut like this.  As inadequate as most Unicorn training is, Shinjo Jyaku-sama probably could.  But few others in town could manage a cut like this.  It’s not a matter of the blade, it’s a matter of the spirit and how you cut.”Setei-sensei presented the rose to Verick “Take this.  Find out where’s it’s from and who cut it.  Don’t challenge them to a duel.  Whoever it is would kill you at this stage in your training.”Verick relayed what he knew about the origin of the rose already.  Setei simply nodded “Curious.  I doubt it’s a she, though.  He’ll be a master.  The link to Toshiro is important though.  Who gave him the rose must know who cut it.”And with that, Verick was spared the cane for a day while he went out to investigate.  Asking around, it wasn’t difficult to find out who people thought were the best swordsmen in town.  Shinjo Jyaku.  Shinjo Fujinami.  Hiro, the leader of the White Fan ronin brotherhood.  And O-Yuki, leader of the Fubuki-tai dojo.  But there was on other thing worth investigating.  Where –did- the rose come from.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The group visited the Temple of the Seven Fortunes with the new that their roses may have been raided.  The head monk on duty was a little dubious.  “The roses are in a garden maintained in the temple’s inner sanctum.  An area reserved for meditation and silent contemplation.  There are monks and shugenja going in and out of the area quite often.  And the perimeter of the temple has very strong magic protecting it.  No one enters or leaves without our knowing.  Even so…I suppose it can’t hurt to check.”The group was guided deeper into the temple, past a few guard points where monks were on duty.  The garden was lovely, even more so after months enduring the snowy wastes around Bugaisha.  Bright and colorful with flowers and plants.  And roses.  A quick inspection of the rosebush revealed two places where roses had been snipped.  A fact that did not sit well with the monk.  Guards on the garden area were immediately posted.  Verick and Yukiyo checked the glass dome over the garden but there was no sign someone broken in through there.Verick asked permission to meditate in the garden that night, which was granted with the additional provision there would be a monk with him at all times.  Volar also had an idea for guarding the roses.  An alarm spell that would tell if anyone came near the plants.  That offer was accepted as well.  After all, it would give certain curious shugenja a chance to study Volar’s arcane magic more at their leisure.While the group discussed various ideas, Mir was approached by a temple shugenja who Mindra knew well.  Iuchi Nagatori, scholar of the Naga, among other things.  Smiling, he invited Mir aside for a moment.“I spoke to Mindra about you, I couldn’t help but notice that to spirit sight you have a certain glow.  I’ve never seen such a thing in someone from outside the empire.  I have my duties in the temple for a few hours yet, but I was wondering if you might care to talk later, perhaps after taking in a play with me.”Mir was understandably wary, and very clear that it was NOT a date.  Which was evidently fine with Nagatori, since he simply wanted to talk about Mir’s background, so finally dinner and a play was agreed upon.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~With the additional safeguards in place to protect the roses, and hopefully capture anyone sneaking in to steal them, the group dispersed for the night.  Verick to his practicing, and preparations to spend the night in temple meditating.  Toshiro to prepare for his date.  Mir to prepare for her ‘date’.  Though theoretically Toshiro and Verick were prime targets for kidnap by the Bloodspeakers for their sacrifice, Verick wasn’t the only one assuming Mir was probably the foremost target.  A spell caster but physically less trouble, Mir was understandably wary.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hiruma Toshiro and Shinjo O-Hisa’s date was handled in the appropriate, proper fashion.  Toshiro stopped by to pick her up quite publicly.  They were never alone the entire night.  From going to a teahouse for drinks, to the kabuki theatre later.  Pleasant as the date seemed, there was tension throughout it that never went away.  O-Hisa was still smoldering over  her previous meeting with Toshiro, as well as his sudden interest in the cultural things.  O-Hisa was enthralled with a Crab and Toshiro was slowly becoming more and more a Crane.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mir’s ‘date’ with Nagatori went rather smoother.  The temple scholar seemed very content to enjoy the kabuki, then talk over tea.  He did have an avalanche of questions though.  Where was Mir from?  The Highforest?  Where is that, and what’s it like?  Oh, you are an Aasimar, what does that mean exactly?If there was a problem it was Nagatori’s insatiable curiosity.  A more subtle conversationalist would have know the boundary where a few questions turned into an interrogation.  The bookish shugenja was polite at least and willing to answer questions as well.  He had asked to be assigned to the temple in Bugaisha precisely so he could learn about the world outside the Emerald Empire.When the date was done, Nagatori escorted Mir to Toshiro’s place, thanked her for her patience, and departed for the temple, no doubt eager to write the evenings conversation down, seemingly completely unaware of Mir’s suspicions regarding his motives for the date.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Toshiro whistled on his walk home.  With all due propriety, he had seen O-Hisa home after the play, the evening ending there.  It wasn’t perfect, but Toshiro’s evening had been pleasant and he thought things were still going very well.  Walking home alone, his thoughts were far away from the world about him.  Until he was surprised by a young woman with white hair, bound loosely back in a high ponytail.  She was clad in a blue kimono decorated with snowflakes, smiling as she waves to catch his attention. “I need to speak with you a moment, please.”  Gesturing to a side alley as she spoke to him.  Toshiro was suspicious of course, but he followed he before asking “So, what is this about?”The white haired girl looked back to him and he saw her eyes glimmer, turning almost red black before she vanished from view.  Well, that was all the hint Toshiro needed and he turned to run back to the street but before he had taken more than a couple steps something slammed into his back, a chill energy searing him and knocking him flat on his face.  As he recovered his wits he suddenly realized something, he was totally alone.  Not simply no people around, but the link…the feel his ancestors were watching over him, had been cut as well.  He barely had a moment to consider this before he felt someone pin him from behind, a feminine voice whispering in his ear “Fool!  Don’t go out alone and unwary!  I can’t protect you all the time!”  Then a nibble to his ear before she was gone.In a flash Toshiro was up and running.  Out into the street.  Past the surprised guards asking what was wrong.  Up the hill and into his house without pausing even a moment.The group was more than a little surprised as Toshiro joined them in the sitting room of his house at a run, only when he was there did he come to a sudden stop, panting and looking around quickly “I was attacked!”The old lady who cared for Toshiro’s house assured the guards who had followed Toshiro that there was nothing to worry about, while the group listened to Toshiro’s story.  There was no doubt he had been attacked, he still had the sear marks where that energy had hit him.  But the rest was puzzling.  Verick and Volar both agreed if it had been a real ambush to capture Toshiro, it would have succeeded.  They weren't the only one's wondering just exactly why Toshiro fled in the manner he did."So, there was one girl there?"  Verick asked."Well, yes but she disappeared and I was hit by that attack."  Toshiro replied."And that was it?  No one else, no other attacks?  Why did you keep running when the attacks stopped?"  Volar added.Toshiro couldn't explain really why he ran so far so fast.  But he certainly did seem rattled by the ambush.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As Mindra healed Toshiro’s wounds, the group reviewed the situation.  Toshiro had been ambushed.  Someone had been following Mir.  Someone speaking  in a way that reflected badly on Toshiro had been killed.  Someone with access to a well guarded section of the temple had given Toshiro a rose.  And behind it all, someone was seeking a good candidate to use in a ritual to summon an oni.  But the group had two leads.  Toshiro gave a good description of the girl who helped ambush him, so to sent around town and see who recognized her.  And the meeting the next night with whoever had sent Buka to follow Mir.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~With plans in place, the group retired for the night.  Volar studied the scrolls left for him.  Pretty normal stuff except one scroll.  A few hours work finally cracks the spell.  Something unusual, a conjuring bolt.  A combination summoning spell and energy attack.  Most interesting.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Toshiro wasn’t sleeping well at all, however.  From the date with O-Hisa to the ambush he had a lot on his mind.  Then suddenly the absolute silence around him was broken by a soft whisper “Toshiro!”Sword in hand, Toshiro slipped to his feet, moving warily to the window and sliding the wooden slats aside.  And he found himself face to face again with Shinjo O-Hisa.  Before Toshiro could speak he was greeted with a deep, enthusiastic kiss.  Then a playful “Mind if I come in?”Toshiro got his breath back then whispered urgently “No..yes..I mean…it’s not proper!”“Crabs don’t care about being proper…”  O-Hisa grinned and pushed her way in through the window aggressively.  Toshiro’s reluctance didn’t last long….Awakening in the morning, Toshiro felt great, the scratches left barely felt.  But he was surprised to find himself alone.  Where O-Hisa had lay beside him was left a single rose and a haiku.Blood and passion meetTwo shadows in the darknessI will be waiting</blockquote>

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