Faye
Chiyoko shouldn't be here, at the Ide Residence. She had to blame airag and some charming words and that damned smile of a certain Utaku, making her lower her guard, follow him back to his yurt...

...The rest was not important. Needless to say, Chiyoko had to dress herself and head back to the Mantis Embassy, and quickly; Moshi-sama would be cross if she wasn't there in the morning to go over things. Admittedly, the ronin didn't want to get up, and she may have lingered as long as she could before she finally dressed herself. 

Now, she just had to get out of there. She had her Mantis robe folded up and tucked into her kimono, and her swords were already without marking. So, she stepped out of the large tent, whispering a gentle "Sleep well, my love," Before trying to make her daring escape. 

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Sean
The trek back to the Ide residence was a bittersweet one. Only a few months prior, Atsuko had the privilege of staying within its famed halls, an honored guest and retainer to the ambassador. That ambassador was now long gone, and with him so too went her position as a prospective yojimbo. It wasn't all bad, though. As the Unicorn so often did, she adapted, and traded one posting for another. Heading the security at a bazaar wasn't nearly as glamorous, but it paid about as well, and it was much less likely to end up with her skewered on the end of some Scorpion's blade. The sharpest thing most merchants wielded were their tongues, after all.

The position wasn't all sunshine and poppies, of course. It came with a certain level of bureaucratic responsibility, ensuring inventory was accounted for and requests for funds were fulfilled in a timely manner. Ordinarily, a runner would have been put in charge of delivering the paperwork to the Ide residence for processing, but Atsuko had volunteered herself for the job. The ronin had business that needed attending in the noble district regardless, and it gave her the opportunity to wander down memory lane, taking in the familiar sites of the embassy she had called home for a few precious weeks. 

Only, as she rounded a particular avenue of the carefully organized tent city, she found herself faced with a distinctly unfamiliar sight. The face itself was familiar—she remembered Chiyoko well enough from the forge—but to see a ronin, much less one pledged to another clan, meandering the grounds after hours? She was immediately suspicious. If she recalled correctly, the wave-woman in question worked as a bodyguard to the Mantis' own ambassador. It wasn't out of the question that she might have come along on matters of diplomacy. But why wear unmarked clothing, if she were there on official business? It stood to reason that she wasn't. 

Her mind wandered to the worst outcomes, but it wouldn't make sense to send a known face, one attached to a very prominent member of an enemy clan, to do wet work in the dead of night. A brief once over confirmed as much: there wasn't a trace of blood on her skin or clothing, though it did look as though she had been in something of a struggle. What in the world could she have been up to, creeping out of a yurt in the late hours of the day, disheveled and sweaty, looking like she wanted nothing more than to be unseen.

A heartbeat ticked by. Then her eyed widened. 

Oh. Oh!

"Chiyoko-san!" The words near enough forced themselves out of her mouth as the realization hit her, involuntarily calling out to her fellow ronin, who had only gotten a few paces from the entrance, "H-How strange, meeting you here of all places, at this time of night."

She could feel her cheeks burning as she directed her eye to anywhere *But* The woman in question, and the tent from which she had so daringly tried to escape from. She didn't want to know what it looked like, nor who it belonged to. That sort of wet work was none of her business!

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Faye
Chiyoko froze like a deer spotting a predator, staring at the familiar ronin. She had barely stepped out of the yurt, her foot clearly just leaving it, and now she was staring flat-on at the young ronin Atsuko that she had met at Kenzo's forge. There was a horribly awkward silence that followed as the Lost Dragon tried to figure out her next move. 

It only got worse when it seemed that Atsuko put the pieces together. "A-Atsuko-san," She said, bowing quickly and jerkily. "It's, ahem! Nice to see you again." She stood upright, unsure on what to do with her hands, so she stuffed them in her sleeves. "Yes, indeed, it's odd to be out this late, and the reason behind it d-doesn't matter, no, not at all. I came with no ill will to the Unicorn and that's all that matters." 

The ronin fidgeted, feeling horribly exposed, and unsure of her next steps. "So... How goes things? You look well..." 

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Sean
Atsuko wasn't sure what was worse: her own discomfort, or Chiyoko's very obvious discomfort. Truly, what she felt must have paled in comparison to what the other wave-woman did, but that knowledge just somehow made it worse! What she wouldn't have given to have realized nothing and seen even less! But she had done the boneheaded thing and actually addressed her! Though she had taken an incredible interest in a nearby hitching post, her eye was eventually forced to meet Chiyoko's own as the older woman tried valiantly to redirect the conversation to a different topic. That much she could do!

"I, uhm, yes, I have been well, thank you," It was about all she could think to answer with, and that was the tragedy, because her next words came without thought entirely, flowing with the ease of conversation, "You seem quite well, too. Glowing, even."

Her cheeks threatened to flush with the implication of why that might have been. How was one even supposed to handle this sort of situation?! She didn't know how dalliances were treated! She was not the sort to dally even once!

"I've been, err, reassigned from the embassy to the bazaar. The one just outside the walls? It's a very, uhm... Lively place," She couldn't afford to get sucked back into the endless loop of embarrassment, and so she simply talked of her own matters in lieu of any involving her fellow ronin, "It keeps me quite busy. I was just delivering some documents, since I have business in the district. Didn't seem right to inconvenience one of my subordinates, if I were coming here anyway."

She reached beneath her arm and withdrew a package that had, until only moments before, loomed heavy in her mind for most of the day. 

"I'm hoping to find a courier who is still accepting parcels, and the ones in this quarter are the most trustworthy, or so I'm told," She fidgeted a little in place, thinking of how best to proceed for the both of them, "Perhaps you'd like to join me? I'm sure if you leave with me nobody will think you've done anything untoward. N-Not that I think you have, of course!"

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Faye
"Glowing?" Chiyoko could've died right then and there. "Th-thank you, Atsuko-san," She managed, trying to play it off. The ronin really was at a loss; out of all the things she was prepared to do, including kill and worse, she was not prepared for having a romance with a rival Clan, especially someone of note like the Utaku. She could only pray that Atsuko didn't read up on it. 

And blessed be, she seemed to change the subject, and Chiyoko could relax a bit. "Ah, the bazaar, yes. My master is very keen of it as well, and is thankful to Ide-sama for offering her a place among the market. Congratulations on your new responsibility." She gave a bow, and figured out the best way to get out of this scenario. 

She seemed to have an out at first, but then Atsuko asked if she'd accompany her. The automatic response was to decline and move on... But there happened to be more servants, vassals, and other Unicorn members out and about. "Well, I wouldn't mind the company," The ronin mumbled, "N-not that I need to appear to look innocent of anything! That is, er..." 

With a sigh, she merely took to Atsuko's side. "I'd love to walk with you, Atsuko-san." She offered a weak smile, but she was grateful. "Thank you. I, ahem. Find myself out of my element. I'll leave it at that." 

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Sean
It was a testament to Atsuko's composure that, when Chiyoko accepted her invitation, she managed not to release a sigh of relief. Whatever occurred in the time leading up to their meeting, it was clear that neither of them knew how to handle it. Putting the whole affair behind them was for the best. The ronin waved her free hand, as if to shoo away the apology offered. 

"N-No need to apologize. I don't think either of us are particularly in our element right now..."

Where words often failed the girl, actions did not. To that end, she began to walk, continuing along the path that led through the embassy's tent city and out into the streets beyond. It might have been best to simply walk together in shared silence, uncomfortable as it was, but for all the composure she had managed to build, lengthy periods of quiet were never something she handled well. Though they hailed from much different backgrounds, and were separated by quite a number of years, both she and Chiyoko were wave-women. Surely they had *Something* In common to fill the stillness with. 

"Do you happen to know of any particularly good courier services?" It was an innocent enough question, and one relevant to Atsuko's immediate interests, given the package she carried, "I haven't been able to send word back to my mother in some time, with how hectic things have been. But now that my position is secure for the foreseeable future, I figured I'd send word back home, along with some money to help her through the spring."

It was quite a personal thing to share, but Atsuko hoped that offering some small insight into her inner world would put the older woman at ease—she had just learned something rather private about Chiyoko only moments before, after all. 

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Faye
"You're quite right there, Atsuko-san." 

The pair walked, and the silence was welcomed. The sudden upset feeling in her stomach was no longer present, and she felt much less shameful. And what did she have to be ashamed of, anyway? She spent an evening with someone important. There was nothing wrong with that. Unless someone took into consideration clan alliances, status, the Celestial Order itself...

"A courier service?" The ronin had lost herself to her worry, but quickly understood the question. It also helped that Atsuko elaborated further. Sending money and a message back home was an honorable thing to do, and a surprise, if Chiyoko was honest. Atsuko didn't strike her as a sentimental person, but she clearly had family in mind. Most honorable. 

"That is good of you to do so," She complimented. "I'm certain your mother will be pleased. As for a courier, I know a few the Mantis use on occasion for overland parcels. I really don't have much experience with sending letters and the like. My mother and father... Well, It's best to correct myself. Two people bearing the Mirumoto name would not accept a letter from a stranger like myself. I lost the right to call them mother and father years ago." 

Chiyoko shouldn't have said that. But, if there was anyone that could understand, it would be another ronin, would it not?

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Sean
When Chiyoko responded with her own little slice of vulnerability, Atsuko had to fight off the urge to grimace. It was foolish of her to assume that others who walked her path had families waiting to hear from them. Being born as little more than a peasant and having to fight for one's birthright was certainly a unique sort of struggle, but it was a rare enough struggle. Most ronin were the type who had been born into privilege and had it ripped away from them after the fact, losing not only their status, but their family in the process. It was doubtless a sore spot for her companion, and she had bumbled right into it.

"Ah, I see."

It might have been better to simply pivot away from the subject. Find something more inane to talk about, and pass their brief little time together speaking words of little value until it was time to part ways. They certainly didn't have anything binding them together, a few amusing similarities aside. But the way Chiyoko spoke of her family bothered her. It was presumptuous to assume anything about a pair of people she had never met and never would meet, but the idea that parents could so easily cast off a child didn't sit well with the young ronin. 

"How can you be sure?" Against her better judgement, she spoke again, angling her head so she could at least do the wave-woman the decency of looking her way while she did, "Have you tried writing them before?"

Her own mother had struggled for years trying to keep their fledgling family afloat with the fruits of her labor. When the time came to seize a better life came along, it was as much to honor those sacrifices as it was to claim her position amongst the samurai that Atsuko took up her swords. She could not speak for the family dynamics of the esteemed Mirumoto, but if Chiyoko's parents were anything like her own mother, then surely they still cared for their daughter, even if circumstances of status did not allow them to openly show it. 

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Faye
__"I just am." __

Chiyoko was short with her fellow ronin, who was doing her a favor. She immediately felt lousy about this, and gave a bow. "Apologies, that was uncalled for. I'm... It's..." The woman itched around the edge of her eyepatch, and decided she may as well explain. 

"My mother and father, and little brother disowned me. My old master was lost, spirited away, because of my folly. To this day, no one knows where Togashi Yuuko is. Thus, I was stripped of my name and my honor, and cast out like trash. All I had was this kimono and my swords, both removed of their name and their lineage tarnished. So, I'm certain that they wouldn't want to hear from a stranger like me." 

She was sharing a lot, embarrassingly so, but she didn't _feel_ ashamed to do so. From what she understood, she and Atsuko were ronin for different reasons, but they both carried the same title and all that comes with it. "I want to write them, let them know I'm alive and found honorable work, doing things they might be proud of, but, if I'm honest...

"...I'm worried that they may just write back and praise me." 

A sardonic chuckle left her, and she shook her head. "Imagine being afraid of someone being proud of you. I must sound a fool."

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Sean
The hostility in Chiyoko's voice was abrupt enough that it caused Atsuko to slow her pace to a stop. It was expected, given that she had probed into the woman's clearly tumultuous history. But she seemed to realize the error in her aggression before the young ronin could offer much in the way of offense. It almost felt wrong to accept the apology, when she had been the one to provoke such a response in the first place, but it was also not her place to refuse it for that very same reason. What followed was a rather in-depth explanation of the failures that had led a once proud Dragon to walk the same path as a lowly bastard. She gave the older woman the decency of her ear, listening to the worries that had caused her to lash out so quickly only moments before. 

When the words stopped, she pondered for a few moments, allowing her eye to drift to the ground below as she searched for her own. Many ronin blamed circumstances beyond their control for their fate. Or their lord, or the families that cast them out. They damned those who had cast them to the waves, cursing them from the bottom of their sake cups and from the hedges they slept beneath. Not Chiyoko, though. She seemed to have accepted her lot. She had erred, and now lived with her punishment, wandering as an exile and suffering indignity after indignity as penance. 

Just as it had not been her place to pry into Chiyoko's affairs, it was not her place to question her own feelings on the matter. But even still, it sounded to Atsuko that she wasn't just worried about her parents praising her—it sounded like she was worried they would forgive her before she had forgiven herself.

"Why?"

A silly, stupid question, not unlike one a child would ask when confronted with such a delicate situation, but one she felt needed be posed all the same. 

"Be afraid of it, I mean. Why do that to yourself? If they still think of you, if they still care, why deny that small solace? The world isn't good to people like us, Chiyoko-san. You know that far better than I could. If there are still people out there who will love you despite your status, why punish yourself by refusing to let them? Isn't life on the road punishment enough?"

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Faye
"Why?" 

Chiyoko was confounded by the question. It was like talking to her little brother, when he would ask her that same question for everything she said. It annoyed her back then, but now it just made her nostalgic. And that, in turn, made her heart ache even further. 

"I... I do not know why. I suppose because I deserve it. Or, at least I think I do..." But Atsuko had some fair points. The world was hard for ronin, especially those that were once great and lost it all. Ronin that came from nothing could only reach new heights. But those that lost their rights, those like Chiyoko that cared about it all... Well, they could only get so far before the ceiling comes down to meet them. 

"Perhaps you have a point, Atsuko-san." Chiyoko subconsciously looked back at the yurts, and couldn't help but smile. "There's someone that cares about me, despite what I am," She admitted, "So it's not as if it is impossible..." Looking back at the younger ronin, Chiyoko managed to keep her smile. "You're wise beyond your years, Atsuko-san. Or at the very least, you're quite convincing. Might be I should write. The worst case, they still hate me and don't write back." 

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Sean
Hearing Chiyoko's admission took a weight off Atsuko's shoulders that she scarcely knew she had been carrying. Whether it was because she had managed to feel true concern for her fellow wave-woman, or simply feared the swiftness of her wrath, she could not say. Maybe the relief that followed it was just the result of earning some genuine praise. Being told you were right always felt nice. The fact she had been right about something genuinely meaningful? That just made it all the better.

"It's all I, or anybody else, could possibly ask of you," The younger ronin began walking once more, having figured the conversation to follow would be much lighter than what had preceded it, "Fortune favors the bold, right? Maybe you'll luck out and get a fast response. I can't speak for your parents, given the difference in our situations, but I know my mother seems to count the days between my letters. It honestly makes me feel pretty bad."

She squeezed the package at her side a little tighter despite herself. It wasn't as much money as she would have liked to send, but the straw-filled box had more zeni stuffed inside it than could possibly be made by a peasant laborer in the span of a month. The thought to simply send better currency had occurred to her, but the less attention drawn to her dear mother the better. If she had gotten robbed or accused of theft over a stray koku, the ronin would never forgive herself. 

Nor would she forgive the unfortunate fool that she'd need to ride down in vengeance.

"If nothing else, I hear the Dragon embassy is making good progress in its refurbishment. Maybe you could try dropping by and asking if they could get your letter where it needs to go? I haven't had much in the way of dealings with the clan as a whole, but the handful I've met have been kind. More or less," The image of a particularly exasperated blacksmith came to mind as the words left her mouth, but didn't let it linger, "If the ambassador and his staff are cut from the same cloth as the ones I know, I'm sure even your status as a ronin will not stop them from trying to reconnect parent and child."

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Faye
"Hm, the Dragon Embassy." Chiyoko tutted, still in higher spirits. "I've avoided the place like it was cursed since I got here. The only Dragon I've braved to speak to was Agasha Kenzo-sama, and even that was nerve-wracking. But, it seemed he didn't know of me, and was rather accepting of my circumstance. Sorry again that your meeting with him went the way it did, by the way. I'm certain that he would make you a blade, all the same. Or if you would rather not, I know one Yoritomo Kagome-sama that specializes in such things." 

An offer of aid was made, a bit of a payment for the advice given, and the little boost in the older ronin's confidence. "The Dragon are an enigma, speaking as one that was once one. Our training was regimented by freeform, our teachings are retrospective but absolute, and getting a straight answer out of anyone would mean finding the answer in your own heart first and foremost... Honestly, there are things I don't miss about it! At least the Mantis will tell you straight how they feel." 

So, a decision was made by Chiyoko. She would reach out to the embassy, see if she could send word to her mother. It was still scary, but a fear worth confronting. "Thank you again for the assistance," The ronin added. "In getting out of the area, and this talk. I don't have many friends in general, and while there's someone I can speak to for most things, there's only some things only a wave-woman can understand. I hope I can repay that help to you in the future. The way things are looking, our two employers are getting rather friendly. We may just be true allies some day." 

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Sean
"Well, I've heard talk that it was an abandoned building before being given to the Dragon clan for use. Maybe it actually *Was* Cursed until recently," Atsuko couldn't help but chuckle at the image, if only because the thought of a certain Mirumoto shugenja chasing after ghosts with a broom tickled at her funny bone, "But I'm sure if any clan is capable of exorcizing a few spirits, it'd be them."

Thoughts of their time together at the forge were a little less amusing. It hadn't been an entirely wasted opportunity—her freshly sharpened blades made quick work of the tatami mats at the banquet, after all. But she still smarted over the event as much as she did her lack of aiguchi. Perhaps there was value in seeking out another smith. If there was any family to mock her over a knife, it certainly wouldn't be the Yoritomo.

"I'll give it a thought. I've been so busy with setting up the bazaar, I've scarcely had time to practice with my current weapons, much less shop for new ones." 

It was almost touching, that Chiyoko seemed so appreciative for what had been fairly simple advice. She couldn't say she had made very many friends in the city in general, much less amongst her fellow ronin, who had a tendency of viewing each other as potential competition as much as they did comrades. Granted, it didn't much apply in their specific situation. Both had secured steady work with entirely separate clans.

"Don't worry about it. I like being helpful, when I can. It's not a feeling I get to enjoy often in our line of work," Important as fending off half-starved bandits was, the merchants never tended to give more than an occasional grumble of thanks, "I can't speak for the intentions of my employers, but for what it's worth, I hope you're right. It'd give me one less clan to keep an eye out for. Bad enough I've got to worry about the Lion and Scorpion."

She paused.

"Well, worry about them more than the usual amount a ronin has to. Anyway, it seems we'll be parting ways here in a few moments, huh?" The babbling of small talk did tend to devour time, not that the embassy grounds were all that huge once one figured out their way through the yurts, "I'm not sure when we'll meet again, but keep me posted on the letter, will you? It's none of my business, really, but I feel a little invested now."

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Faye
"Hm, Lion. I know well enough how dealing with them goes." She pointed at her eyepatch as if it was a badge of honor and not concealing a horrible wound. "Only a Lion could insult you and _then_ demand honorable combat when you call them out. Let's just say three of them got nothing for their trouble." Having accepted the outcome, it wasn't that hard to discuss. "But, I share your struggle. While the Clans haven't caused me issues, it's all these damned criminals that seem to be testing my patience. But I won't bore you on details." 

Indeed, they were reaching the place where they would part ways. It was almost disappointing, but Chiyoko was in the clear now. "Seems so." The request was a nice one, and got a smile from the wave woman. "I'm usually not one to share my business... But, I think I will. As long as you tell me how your mother is faring in return, Atsuko-san." 

Chiyoko bowed, and got ready to depart. "Take care, Atsuko-san, and watch your blind spot. I know I will. And, um, if you could not mention where you saw me leaving from, that would be worth a favor or two. Ahem." 

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Sean
Were it that Atsuko had a story of bravery to share for her own impairment, she might have offered it. Compared to dueling a trio of Lion, though, what was a village girl with a particularly large rock? It mattered little enough. Perhaps there would be a time when she and Chiyoko could meet and discuss war stories like a pair of grizzled old wave-men in a tavern. Perhaps, by then, she might actually have a few stories of worth to offer. 

"Of course. Although, I cannot say my own affairs will be near as thrilling—the most exciting thing to happen in Turo-Kojiri is usually the tax collector riding through..."

 It was a little sad to admit, but compared to the dangerous and struggles of life in the big city? Being from a small artisan town didn't sound half as bad to her as it had when she was but a girl. A smile managed to make its way onto her face, a token of both the nostalgia and Chiyoko's acceptance. 

Of course, Atsuko's smile turned a little bashful when her fellow ronin brought up the subject that had seen the two of them meeting up in the first place. After she had tried to hard to forget, too!

"I have no idea what you're talking about. We simply crossed paths on the way out of the embassy," Her eye drifted towards the dirt rather than the woman herself as she offered a short bow, "Until next we meet, Chiyoko-san."

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