As I thought… Saitou doesn’t even try to share the futon with me. I wish he’d rest, but after having to leave Hide-san in her probable prision last night… I can’t say that I’m surprised. If it was someone I loved…
As I slept, I tried again… she had a skill, going and coming. I think it’s because she was, until she met him, so lightly tied to anything. I don’t have that… but I couldn’t hear her. I wondered if the other one was around, but she was always one who kept to herself.
I wake up to an empty room. It’s still dark… so I set about with preparations. I take out a notebook and sketch out a map of the compound:
I can almost -hear- Aoshi-sama complaining about my maps. They’re accurate, but not elegant. Why does that matter? There’s life and death on the line… but he has a standard of perfection that I struggled with.
I shake my head. Enough of him. I go through my disguise kit, trying to think of a way to make Saitou look like a man who needs a catering job. And so that he’s not recognized by Sato… hmm.
It’s dawn, early light. The old woman woke me from my slumber, saying it will be busy here soon. I guess I dozed off. But thankful I did get some sleep sitting up. The woman hands me a tray of breakfast, good enough for two. So I thank her. She is a thoughtful woman. My Hime would’ve been the same…
Going upstairs I see the Itachi making preparations. I manage a grin as I slide the shoji door open with one foot.
“Breakfast is served your highness!” I say going for a teasing tone but I think to myself, I’ve only served breakfast maybe less than a handful to Hide.
I set the tray down and study the map the weasel’s made and commit it to memory.
“So what back story would you give this old man?” I take out the tenugui and shape it into a headband to cover my bangs. “Also give me the make-up kit. I want to look perfect.” I grin as I remove my jacket. Maybe I can just wear pants and my black shirt? I’ve been looking shabby enough.
Breakfast is served your highness!
He has a grin on… I can see he’s trying. “I bet…” I say with a grin of my own, “that you’re the sort of father that dotes on his girls and calls him princess and lets them climb all over him. Am I right?” I look over the breakfast tray with some relief – there’s no takoyaki.
He has a cloth that he fashions into a headband. “That, or we brush your hair forward, like you have heavy bangs – you have very distinctive eyes. Or!” I reach in my bag, and hand over a second pair of false glasses. “With us both in glasses, we’ll pass as related,” I laugh. And the glare of the specially-made lenses really does deflect the eye of a casual observer.
I hand over the makeup kit. “Be careful with that – it’s easy to look fake,” I warn. “You need to look like someone who’s so hard up for work that they’ll work for a handful of coins on the estate of the richest man in Osaka, but not bad enough that you’ll be bounced out for being a bum.”
, “that you’re the sort of father that dotes on his girls and calls him princess and lets them climb all over him. Am I right?
“No. Of course not.” I smile smugly, “Why would I let them climb? I pick them up.”
That, or we brush your hair forward, like you have heavy bangs – you have very distinctive eyes. Or!”
“No. I want to see… Bangs get in the way.” Aside from I’ve seen me with it, and it looks like a mop on my head. But she offers the glasses and I take them. “Okay this should do. I’m a somewhat bald man with the glasses.”
“Be careful with that – it’s easy to look fake,” I warn. “You need to look like someone who’s so hard up for work that they’ll work for a handful of coins on the estate of the richest man in Osaka, but not bad enough that you’ll be bounced out for being a bum.”
I give her a somewhat irritated look, “Are you really like this all the time? It’s no wonder the others started marrying off.”
Finishing up, I take one last look in the mirror. Not too bad, man with the glasses with a head wrap. Face with a growing stubble everywhere and a somewhat dark and rough complexion. I remove my gloves and put it in my back pocket, while my sword I carefully place hidden in my back. I’ll have to be careful moving around with it.
“If you’re done… We can go. You have to make introductions after all.” I try not to be impatient but I feel like the time is dragging. And I’m also wondering if Saya was able to convince Toshio to do what I asked them to do.
Are you really like this all the time? It’s no wonder the others started marrying off.
“Yep,” I say. So he’s saying I’m bossy? I am sometimes. “But your makeup looks great,” I say. He looks a little rough, but the glasses and bare forehead give him a look of someone who once knew some level of normalcy. “I think you’ll do,” I say, with a grin. I’m back in my simple kimono – lined with removable strips of fabric holding my ninja tools – and the glasses. “I’m supposed to get something else to wear when I get there.” I say, putting on my glasses.
We go to the address – a non-descript building in Nishiyodogawa. If not for the smells coming from inside, you’d never know… when nobody answers my knocks on the door, we go right in.
It’s a scene of chaos – a large kitchen with a dozen people running around. I find the woman I talked to yesterday. “Ma’am, I’m here to help with the event today? You hired me? I brought my brother, too… he’s looking for work.”
She looks at me as if she doesn’t remember me, but sigh. “Oh, right. And yes, I could use more.” She gives Saitou the once-over. “He has to stay in the back and keep the girls going out front stocked. Pays less. No eating on the job.” She glances back at me. “Uniforms for you are in the closet over there. Go ahead and get dressed. There’s a chart on the wall if you don’t know how to put on a Western dress.”
“While she’s dressing – you -” she points at Saitou – “help load up the carts.” She’s then off to another part of the kitchen yelling about something being burnt while I slip into the closet.
I’m glad the weasel understood what I meant. Being bossy is not a good thing.
We get to the place and it’s busy. That’s good, busy means distracted and less scrutiny for people like us. The woman doesn’t remember hiring the weasel and she introduces me as her brother? Who the hell would -believe- that? But luck must be on our side as the woman just accepts me without much thought.
“He has to stay in the back and keep the girls going out front stocked. Pays less. No eating on the job.”
I nod eagerly but keep my mouth shut. The less I talk, the less risk -maybe-. The weasel is shepherded off to dress in western clothes and I’m told to load up the carts. I simply nod and do what I’m told.
Just do what you’re told Hajime. Soon we’ll get access and maybe locate Hide. I glance back at the weasel, she does know right? If she spots Hide, they high tail it out of there?
I get dressed, and I’m glad it’s assumed that I don’t know how to get dressed, because it gives me more time to fix up my gear… but then there’s a pounding on the door. “Hey! Get a move on! The rest of us need to get dressed too!”
I put my glasses back on and come out, smiling. “Ah, sorry – ” but one of the other girls rushes past me into the little room.
I see Saitou in the kitchen, loading up carts. I go over to help, and the woman who’s running the place frowns. “Fine, fine, just don’t make a mess of your dress. At least you didn’t put it on backwards.”
More costumed girls come out and soon it’s three, and it’s a rush of getting out of the building, and getting the people and crates and carts of food out across the street onto a dock, into waiting boats. In the bustle, I’m separated from Saitou and I’m in a boat with a dozen or so other girls, all dressed like me. The woman in charge is lecturing us on serving, specifically Western serving. We’re also told to “keep quiet” about anything we see here… Hmm.
We didn’t make a plan, dammit… I keep an eye on things as we float down the river. Around the turns and bends of the Kanzaki, past factories and houses and then, where fields start to take over.
I’m not usually nervous before a mission, and I’m not now. It’s just been a long time before one was so personal.
It takes quite a bit of time to load most of the boats. Most of the women had started embarking and I try to find the weasel but it’s too late. I spy her already on one of the boats that are leaving. I wanted to tell her, to just find Hide and then leave. But come on, that’s common sense right? Her onmitsu training should condition her to surgical operation.
I start getting into one of the boats but one of the other men said, “Not until we finish loading all of these.” He gestures to another set of load enough to fill 2 more boats. Enough to delay me. But I tell myself, nothing will start until all the preparations are done and so I smile at him and nod meekly. Do what I’m told.
It’s another 45 minutes at least before we’re done and get a move on. But at least, this means we get to go in quietly and observe much more discretely without raising immediate suspicion.
OOC: if you have more to write, you can just assume saitou is very late and we can pause here and you can time skip to get your other writings done)
Finally, we’re here. I lost sight of Saitou back at the docks. I get out at the landing with the rest of the girls, and we’re lead on a long path, by the wall. “We have to stay out of sight from the main house,” muttered one. “The old woman hates seein’ the help.”
“What are the people here like?” I ask, pretending to gawk, but I’m really trying to read the lay of the land.
“Girl, you are from the country!” Another one laughs. “This is the estate of the mother of the head of the Kato Group. She grew up in this village, and when he made it, he bought the whole thing up and she lives here like the queen!”
One of the others, who is actually older, murmurs, “what a good son!”
But the one whose been talking shakes her head. “This is where they say he’s also stashin’ his two wives.”
Another one pipes up, “you can’t have more than one wife anymore!”
“Not this one! One’s his Japanese wife, the other’s some foreign woman that he married in Russia or somethin’. Livin’ here under the thumb of their mother-in-law. Ain’t nobody seen ’em in -years-, nor their daughters.”
A shiver runs through me. What is going on here? I feel a sense of dread, for not letting Saitou extract Hide-san last night. I look behind me, and the main gate to the road opens and a number of carriages come clattering in. Which one is Kato in? Who else is coming?
The path takes us the long way around to the back of the large Japanese house. The woman who’s running thing goes back to lecturing us, and as she does I try to sneak away…
“Oi! You!” she doesn’t miss me, though.
“Ah, sorry ma’am, I need the washroom!” I say.
She shakes her head. “Fine, fine, you all go. I’ll show you where – and where you’re to stay until the guests arrive. We’re still waiting on the food… they’re a bit behind us.”
As we’re lead to the outbuildings, I can see the walled house, still under heavy guard. Saitou… where are you?
(OOC – You may close. Will start a new thread tomorrow)
We’re last to come in and disembark.
“You’re looking kind of stiff.” One of the man notices. “You better move a little faster with those barrels.”
“Ah sorry sir. Back trouble.” I close my eyes and smile at him.
“Ah it that right? Well you better not look like you’re slacking off. The madame is a mean one.”
“Madame?”
“Don’t you know anything?” He shakes his head and quietly adds, “This entire village is owned by Kato-san and the madame is his mother. Runs this place with an iron fist. They bring in girls and women here and get them “working” you know. Some like Kato’s wives haven’t been seen.”
“Ah but I’m just here for today sir.” I place one of the barrels down, “But do you know what celebration is today?”
“Don’t you see? Look around you man. It has all the ear marks of a private wedding.” He laughs quietly, “Maybe Kato-san is going to get his third wife! It’s not legal you know, but he likes to be pompous. I’m sure they’ll get it on after.”
I can only pretend to grin knowingly at that. Despicable.
“Hey you two! Stop wasting time.” One of the guards come over. I can’t tell if he’s armed. “You’re already running late. Get these things to the outbuildings and don’t loiter!”
“Yes sir!” He says, but I remain silent and only pick up the barrel likely of alcohol. There’s quite a bit of them. They might come in handy later.
(OOC: end. Saitou will end up in the new thread for later)