After half a day's travel, they came upon a small village.  At the side of the road, an oxcart had been turned into an impromptu merchant's stall.  A tall, slender man with a straw hat was dickering with someone who, from his clothes, appeared to be the village headman.

"I wonder if this place even has an inn?" Kasumi asked.

"Possibly not," said Jiro.  "We're here for an oxcart, however..."

He approached the merchant's stall to listen to what was being said.

"...so, shall we say two casks of your pickled plums for one crate of dried fish?" the merchant asked.

"I cannot go beyond one cask," the headman said. "The rest is promised to our lord.  But we do have some more that are pickling now..."

"Very well, one cask for one crate, and I will return for more once it is ready." The merchant and headman bowed to each other, and the headman took his leave.

"Ah!" the merchant said, seeing Jiro and Kasumi. "To what do I owe this honor, samurai-san?"

"I bring a letter," said Jiro, presenting it.  "Your assistance is requested."

The merchant took the parchment and scanned its contents. "I would be happy to help, Hida-san, Kakita-san," he said, bowing. "Yasuki Nakanobu, at your service.  I fear that my humble oxcart is scarcely the equivalent of an Utaku steed, however, so if speed is of the essence, I will take no offense if you find more illustrious transport."

"Your cart will certainly help," Kasumi said.

"I fear that there is no Utaku steed on hand," said Jiro.  "Therefore..."

"Very well, then," Nakanobu said. "Once my business here is concluded, we will be ready to move on."

"How long do you expect that to take?" Kasumi asked.

"When the headman brings the items I've arranged for, and then I will need to pack up," Nakanobu said. "Perhaps at the Hour of the Goat."

[OOC: 2 PM]

"Let's see if this village has a tea shop or an inn or something," Kasumi said.

"All right," said Jiro, looking around.

There was no inn or teahouse, but the headman's wife offered to prepare them tea while they waited.

"I'm sorry you missed the plum blossoms," she said as she served them. "Our village is renowned for its plums; if you've had pickled plums on the Wall, they probably came from here."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:25, Mon 04 Jan 2021.

"Ah, then I must thank you for your contribution to our enjoyment, and our strength in battle," Jiro laughed.

"How do you heimin find living in the shadow of the Wall?" Kasumi asked as she drank her tea.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a worry, but the Crab samurai have held strong as long as I've lived here," she said.

"Yes, they certainly are strong," Kasumi said.

"I think we do well enough," said Jiro.  But this still wasn't the safest place.

"This tea is very nice. It is quite refreshing after a lot of walking," Kasumi said.

"Yes, it is," said Jiro.  "...I hope that we have a peaceful journey, once we leave the Crab lands."

"I'm honored to hear you say that, Crane-san," the woman said.

The headman appeared in the garden. "Yasuki-san said he will be ready to depart soon," he said.

Kasumi bowed politely to the woman.

"Good day to you," she said to both before heading to the cart.

Jiro grunted and nodded, the soul of Crab bushi courtesy to hemin, and went to the cart.

"Good day," the woman said, as they both bowed back.

At the cart, the merchant was packing up the last of his goods. "Ah, just in time," he said. "I left space on the back for you to sit, although we may need to adjust the balance for the weight in back."

"Thank you," Kasumi said, getting on.

The Weight In Back boarded the cart carefully, trying to sit next to his wife, if there was room enough.

The fit would have been uncomfortably close if it had been anyone but his wife.

As the oxcart set into motion, Nakanobu said, "Forgive me if I chatter, but I usually have no one but Endurance here to talk to.  What brings a Crab and a Crane together on a journey north?"

"It's pretty simple. We are a married couple that is going to be stationed in the City of Lies," Kasumi said.

Nakanobu whistled. "That's quite an assignment.  Going to try to shut down the opium trade?"

"...tempting as that would be," said Jiro, "I think we'd need reinforcements.  No, we're doing a simple investigation of family business."

"Nothing of that importance," Kasumi said.

"Well, be careful there," Nakanobu said. "It's a strange place.  Did you know that their eta get rich shoveling shit?"

Kasumi shifted a bit uncomfortable at the topic of conversation.

"Oh my, that is interesting..."

"Yeah, they have a contract to clean out the river or something," Nakanobu went on. "Make a lot of leather there, too."

"Well, I suppose that both are products of civilization," said Jiro, showing an unusually philosophical view for a Hida Bushi.  "...We deal with things similarly unpleasant, in our own way."

Kasumi looked at over, looking confused at her husband.

"Leather and dung," Jiro explained.  "And oni are just as unpleasant.  We have more problems with those, around here, than the other, but they must have a great many hogs and the like in this city."

Kasumi then began to give her husband the look.

"...but surely there are better things to talk about," said Jiro.  "I've never been in a big city, Kasumi.  What should I keep in mind?"

"Keep an eye out for people who want your money," Nakanobu said. "If something sounds too good to be true, be suspicious.  You're probably used to dealing with people who say what they mean straightforwardly, but Scorpions almost never do that."

"It is important to be on your best behaviour, but I trust that you'll be able to do that," Kasumi said. "I'll help where I can."

"...Hida best behavior?" Jiro asked, with a wry smile.  "Better than that, I presume.  And I've been told to beware of thieves."

"I don't know about thieves. Would the heimin there dare to do it?" Kasumi asked no one in particular.

"Some would," Nakanobu said. "It's not a lawless place, though--the law is just applied differently than in other places."

Kasumi shook her head.

"I had hoped that rumours had been exaggerated."

"Applied... 'differently,'" said Jiro.  "Meaning what?"

"The most important one is the opium trade," Nakanobu said. "It's illegal, but it brings in a lot of money and opium smokers don't really hurt anyone, so they generally turn a blind eye to it.  The same with other vices, as long as they're kept contained.  There's probably more murder and theft there than in, say, Otosan Uchi, and there are more corrupt officials there, but those crimes are still punished."

"Ah," said Jiro.  "...well, I suppose we'll see how we fare.  I doubt we'll be easily murdered, though."

"I should hope so," Kasumi said with a scoff. "There was that rather scandalous book, 'Diary of an Opium Eater'. It certainly did make the city sound dangerous for a fool."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:40, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

"I imagine that it is," said Jiro.  "Few places are safe for them.  Certainly a city run by the Scorpion is a place to quickly acquire wisdom..."

"I suppose I'll have to stick close to my new husband then," Kasumi said with a giggle.

Jiro cleared his throat, loudly.

"I will, of course, be happy to guide my wife through a land of treachery," he said.

Kasumi got a little red in the face and puffed up her cheeks.

Jiro ruffled her hair.

"...and then we can be fools together," he finished.

"You're lucky you're my husband," Kasumi said.

"I am," Jiro acknowledged.  "You are beautiful and a mighty warrior, and you tolerate my having a riposte to your thrust.  It is very kind of you."

"It was meant to be playful," Kasumi said.

"...I joined the game," said Jiro.  "Nothing more, I promise you.  I know that you're no fool."

"Relax, Jiro, I am not angry at all," Kasumi said, leaning against him. "It was just a game."

"Ah, and I am outplayed," sighed Jiro mournfully.

Then he laughed.

"And no harm done for it."

"Good," Kasumi said. "But I have a favour to ask of you next time we stop: I'd like you to teach me some bare handed combat."

Jiro started to answer, then stopped, and nodded.

"Wise," he said.  "It's good to have an option when weapons fail.  Or cannot be drawn."

"I am useless without my sword," Kasumi said. "I don't want you to go easy on me."

"I will honor your request," said Jiro.  "...be prepared for it."

Kasumi nodded eagerly.

Well, at least he wasn't the very largest and strongest of Crabs... but he hoped that her speed was enough to fend him off.

Nakanobu had politely ignored the conversation, but when it hit a lull, he asked, "So this is your first time away from the Wall, Hida-san?"

"The first since I came of age," he said.  "Aside from one trip where I was guarding some Yasuki on a journey."

"Oh, who?" Nakanobu asked.

"I think his name was Ichiro?" said Hida.  "I didn't care that much.  I was just there to prevent trouble."

"I think I've met him once," Nakanobu said. "How about you, Kakita-san?  I bet you didn't grow up near the Wall."

"Ah, no. My first visit to the wall was after marrying Jiro," Kasumi said.

"Where were you born? Besides Crane lands, obviously."

[OOC: If it helps, https://l5r.fandom.com/wiki/Crane_Clan#Crane_Lands]

"Kyuden Kakita," Kasumi said. "The ancestral home of my family."

"Ah, that makes sense," Nakanobu said. "The Crab lands must be very different for you."

"Yes, it has been very different," Kasumi said. "But I was prepared for it."

"I hope we haven't been too coarse for you," he said.

"No, not at all," Kasumi said. "The rumours are very over blown."

"That's good," Nakanobu said. "Did you serve on the Wall?"

"I did, yes," Kasumi said.

"Very impressive," Nakanobu said. "I've carried goods near the Wall, but never when there was an attack."

"I did encounter much, just some goblins during a patrol in the cursed lands," Kasumi said.

"Still, every bit helps," Nakanobu said.

"I suppose," Kasumi said. "Ghastly little things.'

"That was a good beginning," said Jiro.  "...and now, we deal with Scorpions and criminals.  At least with the Goblins, it's clear who the threats are."

"That's the truth," Nakanobu said.

"How about you tell us about yourself, Nakanobu-san," Kasumi said.

"Not much to tell," Nakanobu said. "I learned my trade from my father, and worked with my brother until he chose to settle down.  I travel between the villages near the Wall and the northern end of Crab lands, and make a specialty of local foods."

"And done well enough by it, I hope," said Jiro.

"Well enough, certainly," Nakanobu said. "Enough that I can pass it down to my own son, although I need to find a wife first."

"I'm sure it won't be difficult. I'm sure many would want to wed the son of a successful merchant," Kasumi said.

The chatter continued idly until they reached a larger village in late afternoon. "We can stop here; there's a small guesthouse you can stay in," Nakanobu said.

"Ah, good," said Jiro.  Riding an oxcart wasn't tiring, as such, but still, a chance to stretch out properly would be good.

"Let's get a room and then we can practice," Kasumi said.

"Agreed," said Jiro.  He wondered what the locals would make of it... well, he was Hida.  Practicing combat arts should be something they understood, from one of his kind.

They soon arranged a small but well-appointed room.

"I'm certainly looking forward to learning under, Jiro-sensei," Kasumi said with a polite smile.

"All right," said Jiro, and he began putting his gear away first.  Best not risk damaging something accidentally.

"When you're ready," he said when he was done.

"I'm ready, but shouldn't we do this outside so we don't damage the room?" Kasumi asked.

Jiro looked around at the paper walls.

"You are wise," he said.  "Let's go."

Kasumi followed him outside.

"All right," said Jiro.  "You can actually use some footwork from swordplay, and even some hand movements.  Let me show you..."

He began to demonstrate some basics of grappling and striking.

"That seems easy enough," Kasumi said.

Jiro nodded.

"You'll want to figure out how to use your size to your advantage," he said.  "...I can't really teach you that."

Kasumi nodded.

"What happened to not taking it easy on me?" she asked in a teasing voice.

Jiro blinked innocently.

"We're on the ground," he pointed out.  "And didn't you ask me not to...?"

"I did not," Kasumi said.

"Ah," said Jiro.  "But then, you are strong and capable.  Shall we continue?"

"Let's," Kasumi said.

Jiro wasn't too rough.  His wife was a Crane, after all, and getting a few scars was probably not what she wanted.

Kasumi let out a groan.

"You are good at this," she said, lying still on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Oh, I'm hardly an expert," said Jiro.  "But I'm not helpless."

"Are you implying I am?" Kasumi asked.

"I daresay you can easily demonstrate that you're not," Jiro observed.  "The moreso when I ask for your teaching, in turn-- etiquette, the fast draw, that kind of thing."

"I suppose you do have some political skill after all," Kasumi said.

"But not enough for a city of Scorpions," sighed Jiro.  "And that's the problem."

"Still, you are probably ahead of most Crabs," Kasumi said.

"Ah, well, I truthfully have ambitions," said Jiro.  "We have many bushi; I feel that I can be more than that.  To do so takes diplomacy."

"I'm here to help," Kasumi said.

"Thank you," said Jiro.  "I know I'll need your help.  I can speak honestly and sincerely, but that is not always the best thing."

"I suppose I'll have to teach you then," Kasumi said.

"Please do," said Jiro.  "I wouldn't mind working on my fast-draw, as well."

Kasumi nodded.

"Alright then. Let's get our swords.'

"Very well," said Jiro, going to get his.

Kasumi did the same.

"All right," said Jiro.  "I'll show you my technique..."

He stood well clear and demonstrated.

[ooc]Iaijitsu 3, and none of that Crane school speed...[/ooc]

Kasumi watched it intently.

"You're pretty good. You just have to work on little things like the smoothness of your draw and the speed."

"All right," said Jiro.  He practiced his draw a bit more.

"I feel that if I'm going to give you the true Kakita dojo experience, I should have a stick to whack you with every time I see your posture and movement slip," Kasumi said.

Jiro laughed at that.

"If you must," he said.  "We do something similar... should I teach you Tetsubo techniques next?"

"The hand-to-hand combat is good enough," Kasumi said.

Jiro nodded.

"It would be tricky to find one in your size anyway," he said.  "Especially in Ryoko Owari."

"I'm not that small. You're just huge," Kasumi said.

"Very true," said Jiro.  "But they tend to make them for people our size... well, shall we rest and eat, to be ready to move on?"

"Yes, let;s di that," Kasumi said.

They were on the road early the next morning.

"So what was the place you lived in before like?" Jiro asked.  "It's probably closer to Ryoko Owari than the Wall is..."

"It was yes, physically closer as well," Kasumi said.

"And what was it like?" Jiro asked.  Living in a peaceful city was outside his experience, after all.

"It was a rather peaceful place, large, lots of people living there. There were lots of gardens, playhouses and the like," Kasumi said. "There's also a weird cures on the city from hundreds of years ago."

"What kind of curse?" Jiro asked.

"If all the gates of the city are closed when a child of the clan is born, they will do something that betrays the clan. They make sure at least one gate is open every time a child is to be born," Kasumi said. "Hopefully the Lion will never get close to it."

"Strange," said Jiro.  "...strange, too, that the Lion and the Crane... all of us, really... must war upon each other when the real threat is there, across the Wall."

"A lot of ancient grudges. At least with the Lion and Crane," Kasumi said.

"Oh, we have those as well," said Jiro.  "...but we're often too busy to act on them.  When we can manage, at least."

"Yes, but the Lion seem to be especially keen to settle them with blood," Kasumi said.

"They are noted for their prowess at war," said Jiro.  "...and their enthusiasm for the same."

"They're not wrong," Kasumi said.

Jiro nodded.

"The Lion are a problem in that regard," he sighed.  "There are better enemies than the Crane.  Oni, for example."

Kasumi giggled.

"You are such a Crab sometimes, Jiro."

"Alas!" said Jiro.  "And who could expect a brute such as I to understand the complexities of a Scorpion city?"

A sudden thought made him grin.

"...which might be very useful, in fact."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

"I suppose, it would be best to keep our heads down," Kasumi said.

"Perhaps," said Jiro.  "We may not be able to, however.  I stand out, and we're investigating a missing person related to opium smuggling."

"True. That might be hard...I don't have experience dealing with criminals," Kasumi said.

"Neither do I," said Jiro.  "We will have to improvise.  If we find treachery, of course, I should think that a tetsubo will be effective as a tool of persuasion."

"It would be good to play up your thuggish nature in that case," Kasumi said.

"I was planning on that, in fact," said Jiro, unashamed.  "They won't accept me as much of a diplomat.  I may as well play that up and be a brute, and see if I can take them off guard."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Kasumi said.

"...That should also give you a little more freedom to act, since attention will be on me," said Jiro.

"Sure, but you make it sound like I'm sneaky," Kasumi said.

"I don't want to imply that," said Jiro.  "But they may worry less about what you're doing if they're worrying about me, giving you more freedom."

"Ah, okay. I'll forgive you then. You're lucky you're my husband," Kasumi said.

"Indeed I am," said Jiro, grinning.  "...as you often tell me.  I hope you regard yourself as not too unfortunate, in return."

"Fool," Kasumi said, taking Jiro's arm and resting her head against it. "Of course I'm lucky."

Jiro nodded.

"...I hope, then, that the city is more to your liking than the Wall," he said.  "I think it probably will be."

The oxcart slowed, even though there were no notable landmarks nearby.  Looking down the road, it looked like there was a small roadside shrine ahead, and a figure in saffron sitting next to it.

"Monk up ahead," Nakanobu said. "Always a good idea to give alms when you can."

Jiro nodded.

"I can do that," he said.  Although he was hardly rich, surely he could spare something...

"It'll be good luck," Kasumi said, giving Jiro some bu.

The monk got to their feet as Jiro approached.  When he got closer, he was surprised to see that, rather than the man he expected, the monk appeared to be a teenage girl, and quite an attractive one despite her bald head.

"Hello!" she said as he got near. "Are you here to use the shrine?"

Jiro raised an eyebrow... but the coffers of the Crane were heavier than those of the Crab, and he passed those on to the monk.

"Thanks!" she said, bowing. "Where are you going?"

The monk could be a spy... but the Scorpion would learn about them soon enough anyway, and Jiro had no head for intrigue.

"Ryoko Owari," he said.  "Something of a change from the Wall."

"Could I ride along?" the monk asked. "I'm supposed to be seeing the world, but so far I've mostly seen fields."

Jiro looked to Kasumi for confirmation.  He didn't mind, but...

Kasumi nodded.

"All right," said Jiro.  "I'm told that you will see the world at its most worldly in Ryoko Owari.  And to always watch where your money is carefully."

The monk picked up her staff and gave the fox statue at the shrine a pat, then hopped up in the space Nakanobu had cleared.

"May I ask for your name, monk-san?" Kasumi asked.

Jiro gave her plenty of room.  She was a monk, but that didn't mean that his wife might not be jealous...

"Koyo," the monk said, settling her staff into the cart. "I think that's the first time I've been called -san."

"Being polite costs nothing," Kasumi said.

"'A courageous man has no need to be cruel,'" Koyo replied, quoting Shinsei. "We don't use honorifics much in the monastery, and I'm still a novice, anyway."

"Even still. You are someone who has chosen to follow the way and that deserves respect," Kasumi said.

"Well, thank you," Koyo said, bowing again. "'Every journey begins with a single step. Step well, and your journey will be filled with fortune. Step poorly, and it will be wrought with disaster.' What are your names?"

"Yasuki Nakanobu," Nakanobu said from the front of the cart.

"Hida Jiro," said Jiro.  "And my wife..."

He left her to fill her own name in.

"Kakita Kasumi," Kasumi said, with a polite bow.

Koyo bowed back. "May the Fortunes bless our travels," she said, then looked across the field. "And those geese," she added.

Jiro privately thought that it was more than most geese deserved, but held his tongue.

"Where have you been serving before now, Koyo?" he asked.

"A monastery near Nishiyama Mura," Koyo said. "The abbot said I was becoming a distraction and sent me to learn about the world."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow.

"A distraction?"

"Monks usually aren't girls," Koyo said. "I'm the youngest of twelve children, and the abbot took me in when I was seven because he said I was a natural."

Kasumi sighed.

"Men."

Jiro sighed at the broad condemnation.  Still, there was some truth in it...

"I wonder if the monks would be so easily distracted, but for their isolation," he said.  "Still... Ah, Koyo, in what sense a natural?  Are you talented at the spiritual arts?"

"When he asked what I wanted to learn about the Tao, I said 'Nothing,'" Koyo said. "He said it was the wisest answer he'd ever heard."

Kasumi laughed at that.

"Wiser than I, certainly," said Jiro.  "I can't question your wisdom in that regard."

Still, it was odd that she was on this road of all roads.

"It's all pretty simple, anyway," Koyo said. "I'm trying to find lessons in nature now, since that's most of what you find in fields."

"On your own?" Kasumi asked.

"The abbot did encourage me to find others to learn from," Koyo said.

"I don't think we would have much to teach you," Kasumi said. 'We're just a young married couple."

"...Koyo, I fear that you may be exploited for your innocence," said Jiro.  "Especially in the city we go to.  Be cautious.  And perhaps find a different city to learn from."

"I may not go all the way to Ryoko Owari," Koyo said. "Riding somewhere seemed like a good change of pace, though."

"I think it would be good for you to see the Empire," Kasumi said. "It would probably give you a good grounding."

"Agreed," said Jiro.  "A city of vice, though..."

"Yes," Kasumi said. "Not the best place to start."

"That makes sense," Koyo said. "Anywhere but the monastery and my village is new to me, after all."

"Well, wherever you go, you must be careful," said Jiro.  "This land is full of people who will see you as vulnerable, and that could be very bad for you."

"I know of a minor clan you might want to eventually visit. The Sparrow. A clan where the samurai work the fields with the heimen," Kasumi said.

"Their lands border the Crab lands," Nakanobu said. "We could go by way of there, if it wouldn't be too far out of your way."

"I wouldn't mind," said Jiro.  "I'm fairly certain we aren't supposed to hurry that much."

Otherwise, they'd have horses, not an oxcart.

"We certainly could. I don't have any objections," Kasumi said.

Nakanobu nodded, pulled out and consulted a map, then set the ox moving again. "I don't usually go there, since they don't have much money or goods, but they're usually helpful."

"Well, then," said Jiro.  "Better for you than Ryoko Owari, I think.  Your learning should be less painful."

"And were once Cranes," Kasumi said.

"What do you mean?" Koyo asked.

"It was the daiyamo of a minor Crane family's son who had suggested that maybe the samurai should give all their money to the heimin. That, obviously, caused quite the stir and eventually led to the Sparrow being made into a minor clan," Kasumi said.

"Their land is fairly poor for farming, so they work hard to scrape out a living," Nakanobu added.

"Oh, was that what that was about?" said Jiro.  "I did wonder.  In any case, they're peaceable neighbors.  I have no quarrel with them."

"The Crab aren't immune to family drama. There is the Mantis," Kasumi said.

"Granted," said Jiro.  "We still get along better with them than with some, though."

"Darling, I don't think it's fair to claim that the Crab are the most sensible clan," Kasumi said.

"I think we focus well on what's immediately important," said Jiro.  "...we may lack certain subtleties, however."

"Again, Jiro, my beloved husband, that isn't completely correct," Kasumi said with a smile that wasn't reaching her eyes.

"Spoken like a Hida," Nakanobu said. "We Yasuki have a different set of priorities."

...Oh, dear.  It appeared that he'd been misunderstood.

"I don't want to say that we're above mistakes or can't be foolish or miss things," said Jiro, apologetically.  "Nor do I say that we're more sensible than other clans!  All I intended to say is that if we have a virtue, it is our focus on the threat to the Empire that the Shadowlands pose, and our dedication to dealing with that threat.  Nothing more."

"Really?" Kasumi asked, trying  to not break down crying. "Because-because with...everything..."

Jiro sat by her and put an arm around her gently.

"I'm sorry," he said.  "Please, I don't mean to offend or insult you or yours.  We Hida... hear what others think of us a great deal."

"And do you not think I heard what the Crab think of the Crane? I did hear that. A lot in fact. Then it sounds like my husband is insulting me as well," Kasumi said. "My older sister died for our clan, cut down like a dog by a Lion who cheated in their duel, with me the only one to have noticed. Then my parents shipped me off to repay some deal, since they can't stand that I wasn't as good as her. Leaving me to just be the best Crane bride I can be."

"I'm sorry," said Jiro, softly.  "Truly, I meant no insult to you or yours.  And you are not only the best Crane bride you can be-- you are the best Crane bride that could ever be.  But... your sister.  Is that something that must be avenged?  I'd help you in that, if you like."

"No, I want justice. Against him in a duel," Kasumi said.

Jiro nodded.

"If that can be arranged, I shall help," he said.  "And watch for treachery... what did he do, in that last duel?"

"He used his armour to reflect the sun in her eyes before striking," Kasumi said.

"Ah," said Jiro.  "And he calls himself a Lion... shameful.  I'll see to it that he attempts no such trickery."

"Thank you," Kasumi said, hugging Jiro.

"I do wonder, though," said Jiro, contemplating fighting in different styles.  "What might come if there were lessons to learn from each other's schools?  I have cause to envy the speed of the Kakita, certainly.  Could our power combine with that speed, to help you strike down, for example, some Lion you had cause do duel?"

"I don't know how I can get that powerful without growing a lot," Kasumi said.

"There's more to the Hida school than raw power, though," said Jiro.  "Perhaps we can find a way... it seems that we both bring different things to the marriage.  I like the idea of finding ways to use them together."

"That would be interes...," Kasumi said before stopping, turning ghost white before a deep crimson as she looked over at her travelling companions. "I-I'm not normally like this, th-this was just stress! I apologize for my outburst!"

Koyo was sitting up front with Nakanobu, who was teaching her to drive the oxcart; this wasn't very complicated, since they were on a straight road. "My apologies, Kasumi-san," he said. "I fear I was occupied and wasn't listening."

"...then let's say no more about it, here and now," said Jiro.  Kasumi could talk to him later, after all.

"What can we expect on the road ahead?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing much for a while," Nakanobu said. "We'll take the road north to near Hanging Tree Village, which is an iron mining town, then turn east.  It's not worth going up there, since it's high in the mountains, but there's a village near there that supplies them."

Jiro nodded.

"It will be good to take a break from the wagon then," he said.

"It certainly wouldn't hurt," Kasumi said.

"If you would like, we can stop and have our midday meal," Nakanobu said.

"Perhaps we should," said Jiro.

"That sounds good. I could use some tea," Kasumi said.

Nakanobu showed Koyo how to pull Endurance to the side of the road, and pulled out a bento box, small kettle, and firemaking equipment. "Koyo-kun, could you fill the kettle?" he asked.  She took it and went to find a stream.

"Have you been trained in hand to hand combat?" Kasumi asked the monk.

"Yes," Koyo said. "Only for peaceful purposes, of course."

"Certainly, but I need serious practice with it in case I am ever disarmed," Kasumi said.

"It might be good to get practice with someone else, besides me, now and then," said Jiro.  "I don't get as much practice with it as I do with weapons."

"Of course!" Koyo said. "I usually do my katas at dawn."

"Dawn, huh? Very well," Kasumi said.

"I can show you some basic ones after we eat, though," Koyo said. "I should practice balancing while we're on the cart, too."

"I've heard of such things," said Jiro.  "So... balancing on one leg while on a cart?"

"Usually it's just on a post, but doing it on a moving cart should be more of a challenge," Koyo said.

"The more so considering the condition of the road," said Jiro, nodding.  His own back and lower parts testified to that.

"I'm up for it and that does sound interesting," Kasumi said.

"Tea is ready," Nakanobu called out.

"Thank you, Nakanobu-san," Kasumi said.

"Ah, tea!  Good, good," said Jiro, going to drink.

"Nothing beats a good cup of tea after being on the road," Kasumi said.

"Indeed," said Jiro, sitting down to enjoy the break.

Koyo pulled out a leaf-wrapped parcel containing a rice ball, intoned a brief prayer, and took a bite.

Jiro enjoyed his tea, then got up and stretched.  Sitting like that all day was a sore-making thing.

"This is very good tea," Kasumi said, sighing contently.

"I think the journey makes it even better," said Jiro, philosophically.  "Or perhaps the company."

Kasumi chuckled politely.

"No one told me that the Crab are so deep."

"It's a carefully-guarded secret," said Jiro.  "So well-hidden, many Hida are completely unaware of it."

Kasumi nodded.

"Indeed. SO many Crane are so sure they are, they reveal the truth at every opening of their mouths."

"Well, as to that, I cannot say," said Jiro.  "I have met only a small number of Cranes, after all.  Now, I myself am told that I reveal truth with my every word, quite often.  Of course, the usual phrase is something along the lines of 'Don't talk about that, you fool!' so perhaps it's not always a virtue."

Kasumi giggled.

"'The truth of the world can be found sitting at the riverside, The river never begins, the river never ends. All of life is like the river, lessons never begin and lessons never end,'" Koyo said.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 00:01, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

"...Too deep for a simple Hida," Jiro confessed.  "I don't doubt that it's wise and profound, but I'm not sure about the full meaning of what you said."

"It's a saying of Shinsei," Koyo said. "The world is bigger than we can ever perceive, but if we keep our eyes open there's always something to learn."

"Ah," said Jiro.  "Put like that, yes, it makes sense.  Too easy to think that the small part we see is all of it, but that's not the case at all."

"At this rate, Jiro will be writing the great book of Crab philosophy," Kasumi said.

"The abbot said that wisdom could come from what appeared to be the simplest sources," Koyo said. "About me, anyway."

"I would think it more likely that a Kaiu or Toritaka would do so," said Jiro.  "I might manage to learn it, but dispensing my own wisdom seems less likely."

"But I'm sure many could use some blunt wisdom," Kasumi said.

"Perhaps," said Jiro.  "It's often unwelcome, though."

"But expected of the Crab," Kasumi said.

"The abbot said that it sometimes takes keen eyes to see the obvious," Koyo said.

"There we go, Shintao has the answers," Kasumi said.

Jiro shrugged.

"I fear my eye still misses many things, though," he said.  "Well, I suppose we'll see if I can see through Scorpion deception."

"Well, I am here to help," Kasumi said.

"Which I am grateful for," said Jiro.

"We'll have to see what they try. The city of lies doesn't seem to think much of the Crab, at least from that book about the dead opium user," Kasumi said.

"Probably not," said Jiro.  "Well, perhaps I'll just be the Crab that they expect.  They might not believe in another."

"No one comes off well in that book," Nakanobu said. "Certainly not the Phoenix."

"Yes, but they can be a tad naive at times," Kasumi said. "A dangerous thing in a Scorpion city."

"The Phoenix don't seem to know how to fight in that arena," said Jiro.  "Of course, neither do we, so I can't point fingers."

"What book are you talking about?" Koyo asked.

"It was one that was all the rage. 'Memoirs of an Opium Eater'. The diary of a young Phoenix that becomes an opium addict and then dies from it," kasumi said.

"I would imagine that that could happen to a member of any house, though," said Jiro.  "Opium is dangerous; there are reasons they have to ban it.  It's a foe that a sword can't slay."

"I shall defer to your wisdom on the subject then," Kasumi said.

"Oh, I don't claim to be wise on the subject," said Jiro.  "I only know that it's banned, and I'm told that it's because of the hold it can have even on the strong-minded.  Still... perhaps a sword could slay it.  Not by cutting the flowers, of course."

"Well, I doubt it will be a danger to us," Kasumi said.

"I see why you didn't want me to go there," Koyo said.

"I fear your innocence would make you vulnerable," said Jiro.  "You'd learn about the world, I grant.  But it would be very painful lessons."

"There are better ways to learn," Koyo agreed.

"We are heading somewhere else for her," Kasumi said.

"I'm going to re-harness Endurance," Nakanobu said, standing up. "Please feel free to finish the tea."

Jiro did so.  Why not?  But he didn't linger.

Kasumi finished her tea as well.