"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."