Since I rolled a good perception, I took some liberties.
Oh no. What is a Michizane doing out in the middle of nowhere? Taxes? Seems too many to have brought for collecting. Conscripting? Not here, that's for certain. And if is not money or bodies, what else could a samurai want? Perhaps the shrine? It is the only thing unique about this place.
When Mr. Sloppy motioned to him, Ito was surprised. He did a more in-depth evaluation:
Mr. Sloppy, by catching him first, likely meant intelligent. His eyes scanned constantly, even if he did not give off an aura of nervousness. Dressed in peasant garb, it was possible he was First Servant to the samurai. He looked a little undersized for fighting, despite the tanto at his side, so likely the chamberlain.
The large samurai (there were three), seemed to be the one in charge. He was absolutely huge. He stood ramrod straight and addressed Goshu with that typical samurai cavalier attitude. His armor was not as robust as the second samurai, but it was clear he was the focus of the group by how they stood around him. The standard dai-kyu and dai-sho were expected, but Ito's little eyes also noticed that his gloves had metal plates at the knuckles. He was wearing Shuko! This was, clearly, a representative of the Michizane. Luckily, the clan had always been sympathetic to those who followed the million gods.
The smaller male samurai, with the turtle-like armor, was a puzzle. His hair was cut samurai style, and his armor was samurai style, but his dai-sho bore no wear at the hilts - not even the appearance of sweat on the cloth around the grips. If he drew that weapon more than a dozen times, Ito would have been surprised. And yet, clearly, he was a sentry of some sort. He stood confident and cocky. Wait. Was that a yawara under his belt peeking out? A samurai with a stick? And, Spirits of the Land, as that a chain circling his waist? Fascinating! The samurai looked budoka trained. And from the look of those hamfists, calluses, and bruises, those fists saw far more action than those swords. Clearly, though, a subordinate.
The woman samurai, plain of face but elegant in carriage, was almost impossible to make out. Her face was a mask as she looked over the proceedings. Despite being behind the big samurai, she did not look like she deferred to him. She looked as though she was appraising the situation with only vague interest. Dressed far better than any of the others, with the Michizane mon stitched directly into her kimono, it was possible she was actually the one in charge despite not saying anything.
The male servant looked innocuous enough. Hale, young, and carrying a decent sized load on his back.
Poor man. He might be the only real servant in the group. They'll wear him out within the year if he has to dote on 3 or 4 of his betters constantly. No armor. No weapons. And a slightly stupid look on his face. He was probably raised within the Michizane household like his parents before him.
Lastly was the woman servant. Clearly, she would be the lady-maid to the female samurai. No weapons, no armor, and where the man servant looked vapid, she looked piercingly intelligent. Her eyes scanned the area often, despite not seeing Ito. Something about her bothered Ito, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Perhaps it was the independent way she stood. If he had to guess, she had not been a servant for very long.
Ito approached slowly but openly. It was unusual for a servant to demand his attendance, but Ito was not fool enough to think that it was Mr. Sloppy to whom he should address himself. Ito moved to just outside what would be considered 'private conversation' range as the headman and samurai talked about whatever it was they were talking about, bowed, and waited patiently to see what interest Mr. Sloppy had in him.
