From the castle ruins, it’s back across the Yodo river, through more of the newly-developing parts of Osaka… and then we approach a smaller river, named Kanzaki on my Oniwabanshuu maps.
“Suita looks like a small village,” I say, “from the map. But I just see a wall by the river…” There’s a small landing… and gates nearby. By the gates are two men, but it’s too dark to see how they’re armed. Staying on the Osaka side of the river, we go west. It’s still countryside out here, farmland… but I know from Shingetsu Village, even small places aren’t immune to evil.
A boat quietly guides up… and it’s loaded with plants. “Oi! We’re coming ashore!” We watch as the boat pulls to the landing, and some men come out. “For the event tomorrow – sakura are out of season, but if he wants sakura…” I hear one of the men grouse. The boat doesn’t take long to be unloaded.
“I’m going to go up,” I tell Saitou, silently climbing one of the tall trees by the riverside. There’s enough of a moon – just a half – that my trained eyes can see enough.
I come back down the tree. “From what I can tell, it’s not just an estate. It’s an entire village. There’s a grand Western house, and an older Japanese mansion with outbuildings, but… it’s a big place. Entrance seems to be via the gate with a road from the west, or the river.”
If it was one mansion – like how Himura-san described Kanryuu’s place – that would be one thing. I look over to Saitou.
“Suita looks like a small village,” I say, “from the map. But I just see a wall by the river…”
“A walled village huh?” I put out my cigarette, there’s guards.
“For the event tomorrow – sakura are out of season, but if he wants sakura…”
I curse under my breath. Sakura of all things? But thinking back to her diary Sakura -was- the two of them, in their parting and their “reunion”. Maybe this Kato, did his research well or maybe Asato was even feeding him information.
The weasel goes up to check or rather confirm what she already knows.
“From what I can tell, it’s not just an estate. It’s an entire village. There’s a grand Western house, and an older Japanese mansion with outbuildings, but… it’s a big place. Entrance seems to be via the gate with a road from the west, or the river.”
“Being a village is not a problem.” After all Shingetsu was a village and I merely walked in to check it out. But those were Shishio’s henchmen, not well armed with firearms. “It’s who and what is in the village and how well armed. The villagers are probably subsisting on the sponsorship of their house so we can regard them as somewhat hostile as well.”
I think for a minute, “I want to survey the older mansion first with the outbuildings. If this is his mother’s estate, I doubt she’d want the hassle of a hostage in her house. And it’s good to know the disparate buildings, we can use a number of them to hide should we need to.” There’ll be guards but it won’t be an enclosed area and likely the villagers stay far from the main estates. “So tomorrow you’ll likely have an easy entrance via the road. But tonight I think I need to find a way via the river.”
I’m glad he put out the cigarette, those can be -very visible…
It’s who and what is in the village and how well armed. The villagers are probably subsisting on the sponsorship of their house so we can regard them as somewhat hostile as well.”
“Yeah, it’s Shingetsu all over again. Hostile village, burnt guy…” I sigh. Aoshi-sama once said that history repeats, which I don’t believe… but this is pretty close. “But while they may be sponsored, if it’s not a regime of fear like in Shingetsu – well, that’s different. And from what I’ve observed in Osaka, the Kato Group is not beloved by the common people.” The newspapers, though, tell a different story… he must have his hooks in them as well.
So tomorrow you’ll likely have an easy entrance via the road. But tonight I think I need to find a way via the river.”
“She said by boat – we’re bringing the food as well.” Then a thought hits me. “She’s desperate for help – she’d probably take you as well. Quieter to be granted access than to try to break in.” But that’s ninja philosophy, samurai weren’t known for being subtle. I look up and down the river. “So…umm… how does the TMPD feel about temporarily borrowing boats for reconnaissance missions?”
“Tch. I’d rather have Shingetsu.”
“But while they may be sponsored, if it’s not a regime of fear like in Shingetsu – well, that’s different. And from what I’ve observed in Osaka, the Kato Group is not beloved by the common people.”
“Careful who you trust weasel. You saw how weak people can be and I’m not about to put Hide’s life into an unknown quantity.” That came out a little hard I think to myself, still I’d rather be clear.
“She’s desperate for help – she’d probably take you as well.
“Hmm. It’s not a bad idea.” I run my hand through my bangs, “I’d probably have to tuck these in though and maybe put on a darker complexion – do you have make-up?”
“So…umm… how does the TMPD feel about temporarily borrowing boats for reconnaissance missions?”
“They’d probably frown upon it.” I say and go to one of the boats, “But I know how far I can push the envelope with them.” I grin and motion her to get on. “Now get us to the direction of that old japanese house.”
Tch. I’d rather have Shingetsu.
Well he -did- get a son out of Shingetsu… and he is right, that I can’t just trust what I’ve overheard. People may grumble about him, but he’s powerful and when push comes to shove… they may defend the devil they know versus the one they don’t.
I’d probably have to tuck these in though and maybe put on a darker complexion – do you have make-up?
I grin. “Those are rather distinctive.” I narrow my eyes and look at him, deciding…”I have all sorts of stuff back in the room.”
He gets one of the boats, and I rummage around in a supply box, taking out some rather battered and smelly padded haori – the sort boatmen wear in bad weather. “While we’re borrowing…” I toss him one. If you’re going to be nosing around, you better look like you belong. A cop and a ninja? Probably not.
I untie the boat, and push it from the shore, and take the rudder. “Are we floating by or are we going ashore?” I ask, knowing the probable answer.
“Those are rather distinctive.” ”I have all sorts of stuff back in the room.”
“Good. It’s been a while for me.” Infiltrating Yoshiwara was easy, I was able to be myself but being some hired help, not so much anymore.
She tosses me a haori and I can only grimace at how it stinks but she’s right we better act the part.
“Are we floating by or are we going ashore?”
I throw her a -disappointed- glance. “We’re going in. Otherwise we can’t really survey anything from the boat and there’d be no time to do that tomorrow.”
(OOC: I should add that you can just write down what they’re supposed to know about the Japanese house – where things are, what people are there or not, if they’re armed etc. whatever you want. Unless there’s something to actually happen here. I assume it’s likely descriptive than anything.)
We’re going in. Otherwise we can’t really survey anything from the boat and there’d be no time to do that tomorrow.
I nod and soon we’re on the other shore. I discard the haori and scale a tall oak tree by the wall. Foolish… you need to cut down any trees to make a wall at all worthwhile… but it works for me. I let my eyes adjust as I take it all in.
There’s the village… and it looks odd… and that’s when I realize that it’s not normal. It’s all perfectly symmetrical… strangely artificial. But there are people there – just a few. But it looks like it functions normally, during the day. It’s very, very tidy, though.
The Western house looks like it’s down for the night. There’s some dim light in a few windows, but other than the gaslights by the front door, it’s rather dark. I see two guards posted out front there, and more patrolling the grounds, carrying lanterns. No obvious swords or guns…
The Japanese house, though, is a different story. It’s brightly lit with what can only be electricity, and the men we saw earlier are lugging around the sakura – which are obviously artificial. There’s a few other men who are arranging things. Other swags of false greenery, a mishmash of seasons – wisteria, momiji – are being hung around, and there’s some lining the path away from the Japanese house… my eyes follow the path. A few guards stand around, bored, as the decorating is underway.
Then I spy, in the low light, some distance from both houses, another set of walls. There’s a gate… and two groups of two men standing by them, and I spy another two duos walking around – one going clockwise around the walls, the other opposite – and all of them at this house are holding American-made rifles. Whatever.. or whoever in there is under -heavy- guard. I can see the peak of a Japanese roof above it, and, unlike this wall, no greenery.
Is that where she is? Or the house? Saitou theorized that the mother-in-law wouldn’t want a hostage… but I don’t want to discount that, given that we don’t know Kato’s real purpose for abducting Hide-san. But the Japanese house, at least the main building, seems to be a space for events – the entire structure seems to open up into large rooms.
I scale back down the tree and wait until we’re away from the wall before I tell Saitou what I saw there. I don’t know how close the patrols get to the walls but I don’t want to make any noise too close.
(OOC – you can assume that Misao has conveyed everything she saw to Saitou)
Misao gets down and goes a few paces away before telling me what she saw. I could probably scale that wall easily myself but it’s better that an onmitsu do it.
I’m still not convinced that Hide is in the main house, it’s possible but with such a large estate if they’ve kept her hostage – she’s probably still bound and if they are torturing her, which they likely are… I doubt the mother in law would want to hear or see any of that. My chest tightens again and I half groan it -away-. Hide what are they doing to you? What -will- they do to you?
I’m quiet as the weasel fills me in further. “They’re preparing for an event, a Japanese themed event. And that will be at the Japanese house. But why the opulence and grandiosity?” I say more to myself than the weasel. It didn’t make sense to go through the hassle of kidnapping someone and then somewhat publicizing it. Who are the spectators and witnesses. -Why- does there need to be an audience?
Well wolf didn’t you suspect that they might marry her off and -breed- her?
Quiet!
But then she starts talking about another building, one that has an inner wall and heavily guarded. “That must be where she is…” I start pacing and wanting to light a cigarette but I don’t. “You sure there’s no way inside? I can easily take out 3 or even 4 in a surprise attack.” If I can get her out tonight, rather than wait. She did say she heard Hide scream… “Besides it’s not like those guards are going to magically disappear tomorrow.” I place my hand on my katana. “We can finish it tonight.”
They’re preparing for an event, a Japanese themed event. And that will be at the Japanese house. But why the opulence and grandiosity?
I -think- he’s talking to himself, trying to figure it out. It is strange. Who commits a rather elaborate crime and then has a party to celebrate? “A corrupt man and his corrupt friends,” I muse. It’s a show of power, maybe. That he can take a woman who has been the subject of news across half of Japan and… I don’t even know what he wants her for.
Besides it’s not like those guards are going to magically disappear tomorrow. We can finish it tonight
I put my hand on his that’s on the katana. “Saitou – she was taken for a reason. This event has something to do with it. We could go in tonight – and you’re right, it’s not like the odds will be better tomorrow – but the extra people will provide -cover-, and… maybe then she’ll be visible. If we go for one building tonight and she’s in the other… we won’t get anywhere.” That’s the other thing about guns – no stealth. Once they start going off, it’s all over.
“But she’s… she’s your wife. I can’t tell you not to… but that I think our chances are better tomorrow. We can see the full picture, be deliberate.” I had to tell him about the scream… but I know that may be driving his decisions.
“A corrupt man and his corrupt friends,”
“His corrupt friends wouldn’t be so impressed with a middle aged woman nor her affiliation with the failed Shinsengumi.” But of course a mad man wouldn’t see that.
“Saitou – she was taken for a reason. This event has something to do with it. We could go in tonight – and you’re right, it’s not like the odds will be better tomorrow – but the extra people will provide -cover-, and… maybe then she’ll be visible. If we go for one building tonight and she’s in the other… we won’t get anywhere.”
But my experience tells me she won’t be in the main house. Cover is a good reason and her being out in the open -is- easier, but do I risk another night?
“But she’s… she’s your wife. I can’t tell you not to… but that I think our chances are better tomorrow. We can see the full picture, be deliberate.”
“Tch. You know weasel, not everything is about being deliberate. Do you think I act only when everything is in my favor and I -know- everything.” I stymie a scowl. “But I’ll wait, I need that group taken down and the Kyoto Police isn’t going to have evidence until tomorrow night. I can’t risk both.” Because once they know we took her, they’ll make sure to go into hiding and cover up -everything-.
I told Hide a long time ago, that love comes second. I never thought I’d have to be true to my word tonight.
“Let’s go.”
OOC: you may close
He agrees to wait. I would have had his back tonight… and I agree that we can’t wait to know everything. But if we can’t start what we need to start without having seen her – then I’m afraid for her.
But I sigh. It’s… painful to have him wait another night. I don’t want to hear her scream again.
We go back to the boat, and away. Another night… be strong, Hide-san.
(OOC – close)