"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."