Venice
Tsuta had maintained her composure well enough as she packed up her things and left the Tsuruchi dojo for the day. As soon as she took her first step outside of it, though, and she was certain she wasn't being watched, her face contorted into a grimace of pain. Her bow skills were one of the things she had prided herself most in, and to have strained her wrist like some rank amateur who didn't even know how to string their own Yumi? It was positively humiliating. Humiliating enough that if she could help it, she didn't want to bring any attention from the rest of the Mantis to it.

That ruled out the Jeweled Flower, the magistrate, or the ambassador's daughter right off of the bat. If that happened it'd only be a matter of time before she was the target of mockery. No, she needed to seek help elsewhere. So, she racked her brain, trying to think of a more discreet place she might be able to find treatment.

She then remembered she had heard rumblings of an apothecary working out of the Dragon embassy. For now, this seemed ideal; the Dragon were not heavily involved in clan politics, so it was unlikely gossip would travel far, and it was also unlikely that she would be seen getting treatment there.

Yes, the Dragon embassy would do.

She took one last glance around her as she approached the embassy's gates, looking for any possuble sign of the apothecary.

||
Alejandra
A slight woman with dark hair in a messy tail was making a pass around the outside of the embassy, a thoughtful frown creasing her face. She was dressed in heavily stained clothes that looked more suited to the hinin than the samurai the rich green haori and wakizashi declared her to be. The complex problem of the new formula she was trying to devise had stumped her. She couldn't do another iteration of tests until she'd solved the issue. She had no desire to explain away yet another explosion in her rooms. 

*Often a problem will resolve itself if I focus on another. Perhaps a distraction is needed,* She thought to herself, keeping the words inside this time. It was at this moment she noticed someone looking about at the entrance to the compound. The way they held their wrist caught her attention immediately. No casual swinging, an instinctual need to keep it close despite any effort to appear natural. *Probably nothing serious, but distraction it is,* She thought gleefully. 

Kokuto's steps were light, almost buoyant as she made her way to the young woman with braids. "Following me you should be doing," She said without much preamble and turned without another word. She gave a slight turn to see if she was followed before she set off for a room far from the entrance.

As she opened the door to a room practically bursting with cabinets with little drawers, she hung the haori and wakizashi on a stand right inside obviously intended for it. It was a cramped maze for anyone of a larger stature, but Kokuto wove her way to the outside wall where the space opened up slightly. There were two tables, one of standing height and one a low table used for eating and note taking. 

There, the same dichotomy existed. The high table was clean, organized, and free from clutter despite the scorch marks, stains, and quantity of tools upon it. The low was covered in little notebooks, scraps of parchment, scrolls, and evidence that breakfast had been wolfed down while working. A second high table pressed against the wall, covered in boxes filled with straw padding, an unmade futon showing signs of use beneath. She pulled a cushion from the short side of the low table, pointing to it as instruction to sit. She dropped carelessly onto the seat taking pride of place in the organized mess on the far side.

||
Venice
Tsuta might have jumped a bit had the odd woman's approach been louder. Thankfully for her already wounded pride, she did not in fact leap out of her tabi, and once she took a moment to parse the unusual phrasing, she did as instructed. "Um... Sure." 

For once she found herself grateful for her small stature as she took in the sight of this rather cramped little shop. The blades on display marked the woman as a samurai, even if she was a bit of an eccentric, Tsuta making a mental note to go through the proper formalities once they had a chance to. 

On the note of proper formalities, the rather messy space did stand out to Tsuta, though she found herself unable to bring herself to be bothered by it. While she knew the game, that didn't mean she was a strict adherent to its rules. So long as whatever this apothecary gave wasn't tainted or anything of the sort, she'd be fine.

Once they had finally arrived at the tables, she bowed to her. "Thank you, Dragon-sama," She began. "I had heard whispers of an apothecary setting up shop around here. I'm quite glad that turned out to be true."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto made a nod, attempting to disguise the flush at the reminder of manners. "This one is Agasha Kokuto and happy to have been right about being in search of," She spoke in a rhythmic manner with light pauses, making a small bow as if to make up for her terse manner before. She reached for a barely filled journal, brushing the back of her hand against the water kettle as she did so. *Cooled,* Her eyebrows twitched in a momentary frown.

"Shall we be dispensing with the pleasantries or are you preferring the running around of the matter?" Kokuto gestured with her empty right hand in a rapid little circling along with the words, a slight smile on her face. Her left hand held the little journal open to the next blank page. She was sincerely hoping to skip the social niceties. Kokuto thought politeness served its purpose when enjoying the peaceful passage of time together, not when business was at hand. She had often been admonished when she was still young, so she remembered to give other samurai the option - at least most of the time.

||
Venice
"Well, then... I'm glad to have been in search of!" She replied, trying to follow along with how she spoke, and offering a confident smile. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind a chance to talk and enjoy your company, Agasha-sama, but I also know you must be very busy and I wouldn't want to take up too much time on an unnanounced visit," She began, picking up that the woman seemed to want to cut to the meat of the matter. Even if she was rather curious.

"I decided to seek you out because I was curious about some sort of poultice or remedy for um... A muscle strain..." She trailed off, evidently straining to admit her error, "For an archer who... Was sloppy on their draw," She finally managed to get out. If it weren't for the fact her affect was naturally flat, her expression might have shown her straining like she was trying to lift a boulder. 

||
Alejandra
Stained hands waved in front of Kokuto's face as if shooing away a bug, dismissing the issue. "Welcoming a chance at distraction. Reason first, pleasantries later." Her dark eyes leveled at the smaller woman, fingers wiggling in invitation for the offending hand. "Muscle strains are being a result to even the skilled and careful," She intoned mercilessly.

She gave the wrist a thorough examination, testing to see just how far the archer could tolerate bending or twisting and stopping just short of causing actual pain. She nodded once. "One moment."

Kokuto stood, disappearing behind the cabinet with the water kettle. She returned several minutes later with a steaming kettle, bustling about to unmarked drawers for herbs. Some of the drawers had labels, but they were simple things like the part of any plant. All of the herbs she collected went into a teapot that she prepared and proceeded to pour for the both of them. A small jar of ointment appeared next to the teacup set before Tsuta. "A brace would be best, but samurai are always being stubborn," She gave a wry smile before continuing, noting down in quick but neat strokes details on the blank page before her, "Cream, then wrap tight. No weight, prefer no use but this one knows that is always being ignored. Any questions?" She'd answer any before moving on.

Wiping her fingers gently before grabbing the teacup, she sipped the light liquored tea with no indication of having any pressing need to do anything. "It appears as though this one is busy no longer," She added airily, just to be sure.

||
Venice
Tsuta wasn't entirely sure whether Kokuto was mocking her, flattering her, or offering genuine reassurance. Regardless, her wounded ego was more than willing to take what succor she could in the gesture. As the apothecary continued her inspection, she would notice that there was visible discomfort when Tsuta's wrist twisted, even as she attempted to conceal it as much as possible from her expression.

Assuming that there must be some sort of clue as to the best course of treatment when she got up, and relaxed and waited in her seat for Kokuto to return. She considered striking up some conversation, but decided the better time for such things might be afterward.

As she returned though, she joked a bit. "Stubborn? Me? Never!" She returned the smile, knowing full well the reason she was here was because of a stubborn refusal to look weak to the rest of her clan. "How long should I limit activity? Don't plan on entering any archery contests anytime soon, but it'd be good to have a timeframe. For planning." 

With her uninjured hand she lifted the cup of tea, accepting the invitation. "Thank you kindly, Agasha-sama. Have you been in the city long?" She asked, striking up a conversation.


||
Alejandra
"Two weeks before use. In next few months try not to use heavily."

Kokuto sipped some more tea, enjoying the mild relaxing effect of the herbs. She didn't need the boosted healing effects, but it was always good to show the less familiar patients that it was perfectly fine to drink the floral, almost fruity blend. She thought about the question for a moment, "No, not long. One small experiment cycle. Only days, not week. Hm, this one isn't thinking to have forgotten a day." She scratched at her chin lightly, thinking about how the experiment hadn't been too involving so as to forget the passage of time.

She tilted her head to the side quizzically. "Is the city being as well as its reputation?" A small bamboo box of deep green daifuku||yomogi mochi|| appeared between them without fanfare, a clear invitation to enjoy with the tea.

||
Venice
Tsuta prided herself on her ability to remain flappable, even in more tense social situations. However, cracks began to show in even her composure, as her eyes widened in shock. "Really? It was injured that badly?"

She considered the possible way forward out of such news. If she carried on like nothing was wrong, she was smart enough to know that's how a temporary disadvantage became a permanent one. At the same time, even though she hadn't been called to use her archery skills by the ambassador, to be under limited activity for months...

*Maybe if I just stick to helping out around the dojo, I can save it for if I really need to for the clan. If it comes down to it, clan before self, but still...*

She was eventually able to compose herself, though, taking a long sip of the tea, and focusing on Kokuto's speaking. "Oh, you're *Really* New then. Then allow me to extend a welcome on behalf of the Mantis clan. We haven't seen much of the Dragon clan around, so that's always a pleasant surprise."

She took another long sip, a small chuckle coming to her lips as she asked about the city's reputation. "Well, that all depends on how you define 'well' Agasha-sama. What is it you've heard about the city for yourself?"

She reached over for the mochi, absentmindedly popping a piece into her mouth.

||
Alejandra
"Sprain is deceptive. It goes 'I am a little harm, no danger here,' then waits to spring upon the unsuspecting," Kokuto even pitched her voice differently to match the 'proper' speech of the sprain, higher and almost silly sounding. "It devours the joints and attachments, little by little. Hmm," She thought for a moment, "Like wasting disease, but with cure." She nodded to emphasize, oblivious to any horror or perturbance inflicted by her comparison. With a bright smile she finished, "Following instruction will be giving a clean bill of health with no risk of reinjury in two months. Maybe three. Just to be safe."

She watched Tsuta take a mochi and grabbed one herself. She bit into the gooey, soft mound with a soft sound, making a muffled squealing of delight. Chewing with her eyes closed, her face showed open and pure delight. Kokuto looked slightly guilty at the mention of her clan's scarcity. "Ahahaha, yes," She laughed a little nervously, "Most are preferring quiet contemplation to the bustle of life and jockeying of courtly positions." She fell silent for a moment, finishing the daifuku and tea. She'd offer to pour another cup for Tsuta before refilling her own.

What had she heard of the city? A lot, but very little of substance, at least to Kokuto's estimation. Sincerity always served her well. "This one has been hearing nothing firsthand. Wild tales give a wild reputation. Count it well if the access to raw opium is as easy as the rumormongers say." She would avoid mentioning the treatises on proscribed or restricted plants she *Really* Wanted to get her grubby little fingers on; they twitched in anticipation of all the experiments she could start with proper details. Maybe she would even find a wonderful combination the kami would love; a goofy grin started to grow at the thoughts. She caught herself before it became embarrassing, hiding what she couldn't suppress behind the teacup.

||
Venice
Wasting disease? That sounded serious, even *With* A cure. As much as it pained her, she'd have to be vary cautious about when she used her abilities now. On the bright side, she might get some brownie points with Sensei if she showed a new sense of enthusiasm for sweeping up the dojo. 

Tsuta couldn't help but laugh in turn though, at Kokuto's little squeak and outsized joy at the mochi. *She's eccentric, but cute too...* She considered for a moment the etiquette around calling the woman who had just given her medical treatment cute. "These are really good, aren't they? You make them yourself, Agasha-sama?"

She then nearly dropped her mochi as she so openly discussed her desire for access to opium. Had she not been an apothecary, she would have been more concerned, but for now remained only surprised. "Well, from what I hear, that's definitely the easy part. As far as honesty, not living under the scorpion, and harmony with nature... That's a bit tougher to come by," She replied, taking a sip of her tea.

||
Alejandra
Kokuto flushed slightly, a chagrined smile poking out. "No, not making. This one did the giving of the mugwort and the filling." She rubbed her left shoulder lightly, "Tried the making of the mochi once. Threw this one's shoulder out. Had to cheat to get healing." She muttered the last line in annoyance, looking off to one side. 

At hearing it might indeed be easy to get, the apothecary smiled in relief. "Good indeed. The making of proper strength tinctures is difficult with limited supplies. Besides, I would be hating to tell a patient to be dealing with the pain because a lordling might be needing something for," The look of disgust and tone that accompanied the word said she'd dealt with it before, "Headache."

"We should always strive to live in harmony with nature," The phrase came out with the mindless intonation of an oft repeated sentence, without any of the strangeness and singsong mannerisms of the apothecary's normal speech. It was something that had been said to her so often that perfect mimicry had been achieved. It was also something she wholeheartedly believed, by the look on her face - a perfect blend of sternness and peaceful acceptance. Part of what Tsuta said hit her and she looked at the other woman in confusion, "Why would one live under them? Are they living at the highest point? Hm, perhaps they are all as tall as Saru-san here. That would be making sense." She put one finger to her chin in contemplation as she rambled on.

||
Venice
"How does one cheat to get healing? If you don't mind my asking, that is," She asked, a teasing smile on her face. Though it did fade somewhat as she felt a twinge of guilt for any suspicious thoughts she had regarding the comment about opium. One cour never be too cautious when it came to others' motives in the city of lies, but in Tsuta's estimate, at least, it seemed this one really did want to help people.

"Glad we're in agreement there, then," She spoke, finishing off her mochi. "Just because we're technically higher in the order than most of nature, technically, that doesn't mean we shouldn't realize that it's what keeps us alive. And that it has a lot more to offer us than what can fill a coffer."

She sipped on her tea, smiling gently at her interpretation of what was said about the Scorpion. "Well... That was a bit imprecise of me. Technically, this is an imperial holding, not a Scorpion holding. Damn if they still don't act like they run the place, though, and with the same arrogance and prejudice their kind always has," She spoke, perhaps a bit more freely than intended. "You'd think they'd thought of themselves as the imperial family, the way they think every life is just some toy to serve them."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto let out a nervous little titter. She didn't mean to say that out loud. *Oh well, said is done.* She gave Tsuta an enigmatic smile. "By asking for help," She said without further explanation. She'd let the archer draw her own conclusions.

"Demand. Order. Force. Rule. Dictate. Ordain. What right do we have over what we did not make? Fools force. This one prefers to just offer a better choice," She spoke each word with a slight disgust, her voice rising with passion before subsiding with a tired smile. She took a sip of the tea, shaking her head lightly at herself.

*Oh, she meant figuratively.* Kokuto was a bit embarrassed by that revelation. "Well, habits of a lifetime and those learned from forefathers will lead any to be arrogant," She stated blithely in response.

||
Venice
"Well, don't worry. I won't tell anyone you didn't heal yourself by yourself," She replied, smiling slyly and taking another sip of tea. Though the ache persisted in he wrist, Tsuta seemed perfectly relaxed, enjoying both the refreshments and the conversation. Perhaps another reason to be grateful for those whispers about the apothecary. A gratitude that only deepened as the topic of conversation turned somewhat more political. Part of it was a sense of relief that she wasn't going to end up admonished for her less than complimentary opinions on the Scorpion, and the other was a sense of joy at finding another who shared them.

"It's a poor wolf that needs to bite and kill his own pack in order to lead it, no matter how entitled he might feel to do just that." Another sip of tea. "Perhaps that's why the city's status is what it is. Though... Maybe there's some gratitude to be had for those forefathers and their lessons. Because of that, we might get a chance to see how a place like this does under wiser guidance."

||
Alejandra
Completely oblivious to the fact that her broad comment was taken so narrowly, Kokuto continued. "Sometimes a cub must be culled or an adolescent driven out. The elders know what battles to fight and when to walk into the woods." She thought for a long moment, drinking more of the tea while she did.

The Scorpion were honest about their duplicity, unlike many in the courts she had been in. Kokuto did not care for duplicity for its own sake, but she had experienced enough difficult patients to know that sometimes it could not be helped. She frowned in thought, speaking slowly, "It would need luck or wise counsel to be getting better guidance." She had seen worse leadership in better places and had simply become jaded with it; all she could do was the best with the opportunities given to her. Thankfully, most of her work was not political in nature or very easy to make the politics unfavorable to opposing it. She shrugged with bland look, her voice sounded tired, "It is not for us to be deciding, only for offering counsel and praying our words are heeded."

||
Venice
"Sometimes," She replied in agreement, taking another sip of her tea. She mused for a moment that if the apothecary business didn't work out, Kokuto could probably open a teahouse. "But one who knows *Only* That doesn't have a healthy pack for long. Altruism and compassion are as much a part of nature as violence and brutality." She paused a moment. "Though even a word like brutality means I'm placing my own judgements on it, where they don't apply."

"As for the city... You speak right," She said, taking the last bite of her mochi. While she wouldn't be so discourteous as to outright ask, she did hope in the back of her mind another plate might suddenly appear. "While I admit to not knowing what status you hold in your own clan, politics and all that is for the boss to figure out. I've got thoughts, but don't mistake me. They're just thoughts. When it comes down to it, I know my job is to listen rather than speak, and like you say," She smiled. "Do the best I can with that."

||
Alejandra
"This one finds they can be attracting those that be trying to make up for their inadequacies. Nature *Is* Brutal," Kokuto said with a smile of slight admonishment, "It does not care whether you live or die. It simply *Is* And does not care whether others understand it. One cannot argue with *Nowake*. ||Wind that strikes down trees and grass, the wind that blows in a typhoon|| Simply ask that it sow devastation elsewhere."

Kokuto made a moue at the empty box of mochi. Excusing herself for a moment she began to rummage around the back table over the futon. "Somewhere, somewhere. Know there were some somewhere," She muttered darkly. Letting out a small shout of triumph, she pulled out another box from behind a neatly folded pile of drab clothes. She returned to the desk with a quick step, a slight smile peaking through.

The second box opened to reveal a different type of mochi, a dark brown that matched the original color of the faded and permanently stained garb Kokuto wore. "Ohagi. Good for the liver, and reducing the inflammation," She explained with a wink, taking one with a pleased little shrug. After chewing meditatively and swallowing, she considered before answering. "Thoughts are always good. The sharing of them better, for others will find the holes and issues those thoughts be having. It is the making sure of the audience one must do. People are not liking sincerity as much as they should not near as much as they are being professing," She added the last bit a touch darkly. "This one much prefers the status of apothecary. Straightforward, lacking demands by birthright, and only being full of stress where patient is difficult or case is being complicated."

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Venice
"That's what I mean, though. To us, we could call nature brutal. But to nature... Brutality's got nothing to do with it," She replied, returning Kokuto's smile. "Like you say, it simply *Is*. It does what it will. It doesn't consider that the storm may bring ruin to a village, while providing the water for the next life to grow. It's all simply just another thing which occurs under it's watch." She took another sip of tea, idly fiddling with a braid with her wrapped hand. "In the realm of humans, though, I'd say this is nice. I don't often get the chance to wax philosophical like this."

Raising an eyebrow as the woman got up from the table, her smile widened just slightly at her muttering as she fiddled around, even moreso at the little triumphant shout. She raised her near-empty cup to her lips though once Kokuto turned around, though, concealing the expression.

"Good for liver? By the time I'm done here I'll be the healthiest I've ever been!" She joked, taking a bite of one of the mochi. "Don't I know it, though. Sincerity's a tenet, but it feels like we have a whole other tenet devoted to dancing around that sincerity. Maybe that's the challenge put to us this life, though; navigating all that, and seeing how we do it."

She set her empty cup down, holding the rest of the mochi in her hand. She decided maybe she'd take her time with this one. "Complicated or difficult? Sounds like there's some stories there. If you'd be so gracious to share, and if you haven't tired of my company."

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Alejandra
Kokuto gave the other woman a sly smile; it was always her intent to have guests leaving in improved condition, and who argued with healthy sweet treats? "The process of enlightenment it is being. Finding out what is important, and what is being important to people," She poured more tea for them, discreetly checking the pot as she did. *One more pour*, she thought. She took a contemplative sip of tea.

"Stories? Hm, more than one," She pondered for a moment before continuing, "This one knows of one you might find entertaining." She shifted position a bit, making a bunch of minor adjustments that became a big change. She shifted her legs further beneath her, sat up straighter, grabbed a fan off the table, and withdrew a miraculously unstained cloth from her robes. She set herself in a pale imitation of a rakugoka, the minimalist storytellers.

Kokuto set herself to be seated tall with a jaunty tilt of the head and used her normal speaking tone, though the words were slow and measured, "Ah, today is such a nice day. Me thinks to go digging in the woods for roots." She she hummed a spritely little tune.

Picking up the fan, she snapped it open, tilting her head to the right and fanning herself with quick little flicks, speaking in a higher tone with coy little flutters of her lashes, "Oh! Wait! No! Please, Great Pharmacist! I would give my life if you would but wait!" Kokuto made to sit back into 'her' position, looking around with a frown, "Bad idea. If you did that, I would not know what you wanted. Now, speak clearly, Lady Courtier. The plants are shifting positions as we speak." 

She returned to the fanning courtier and bobbled her head, "Of course, of course! My lord is sick. None can cure him! The doctor said you made some amazing medicines. Please! Make some for him." Tilting her head to the side, crossing her eyes, and sticking out her tongue, she let her arms fall limp by her side and stayed like that for a moment. She made as if to be shocked, "Look at the state of him! What manner of illness is this?!" She picked up the cloth, holding it before her face like a surgeon's mask, bending her back down, and spoke in a poor imitation of low crackling voice, "Ah, the Pharmacist was found. Good." She dropped one corner of the cloth, sitting back up to 'her' position, "Good? Not so! Look at this man. He is dead. He does not breathe! He has ceased to exist! He is no longer alive!" She gave a worried look, "It's not contagious, is it?"

Kokuto broke the rhythm of the story as she struggled with the cloth for a moment, the dropped corner would not stay in her free hand. She got it, lifting the cloth to her face and returning to that position, "Ah, no. He is not dead. He's sleeping. His pulse still goes." She sat back up, muttering "Strangest sleeping position this one has ever seen." She made a show of taking a pulse and nodding with with an amazed expression. She puckered her lips and spoke out of the side of her mouth, "Still alive. Crap." She sat back to a more natural position and narrated, "The lord had taken ill several weeks ago, progressively getting worse. When the doctor had been called, he tried everything. None of it worked. We spent several hours pouring over even the most rare of diseases and medical afflictions. None of them matched the lord's symptoms. I decided it was time to do my own physical examination." 

She made as if she went through a door without changing her position and patted at the air in front of her, "Hm, yes, oh ... Huh." She picked up the closed fan, using like a miniature cane before her, and in the most querulous low and quavering voice, "No, stop! You must not expose him like that!" 

"Who are you?"

"The lord's valet. Stop this at once!" She tapped the fan in imitation of a cane slamming to the ground. She sat back up straight, looking with pleased interest over Tsuta's shoulder, "Ah good. Guards, seize this man. He is preventing me from doing my job." She went back to patting the air before her, lifting something with an exclamation of shock. "Doctor, look! We found nothing because there was nothing!" She looked around in mock judgement, holding her hands as if showing off something next to her face. Her voice lowered in a stage whisper with deadpan delivery, "He was cursed."

She set the fan and cloth to the side, dropping the formal seating and posture like shed skin. Kokuto spoke in her normal, strangely sing-song cadence, "Doctor be thinking the mark on the lord's foot was a protective one the valet be putting on him. It was not."

||
Venice
At this popint Tsuta should have expected more than a straightforward recounting from this woman. Even then, she was not quite expecting a full performance! At the imitation of the sickly lord, she found herself even giggling out loud. Given Tsuta's typically flat affect, one might be forgiven for thinking there was another person in the room with them, so mismatched was the sound. Tsuta even forgot for a moment to be embarassed by it. She leaned forward, hanging on the twists in the story, even applauding a bit once Kokuto had finished recounting everything. 

"Now that was quite the story!" She announced, grinning. "So, what became of the Lord, then? He still out there somewhere, cursed?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto bowed low, a please smile pulling at her lips. She had only ever done it to entertain children while teaching them, but it was nice to know she could entertain adults as well. She straightened and shook her head slightly. "No. His servant had cursed him, something about a concubine from decades before. I was removing the curse by removing the mark upon his heel. It is not unusual to be having a mark for luck or protection, but the lord is never drawing one before and didn't know the brush strokes were different. Or that the sutra is meant to be on the top of the foot." She said with a wry grin.
Venice
"Well, he's very lucky he ran into you, then. I guess that makes him a very relateable character then," She joked. She would also have to make note that the woman's skills extended so far as the removal of curses in addition to creating medicines, procuring particularly good dango, and amateur theater. "I envy your ability to handle such a public facing role. Maybe it's not surprising to hear from a Kitsune, but I'm much more at home amongst the quiet and woods myself. I know how to do all the little niceties and games and everything else one needs to do. I'd just... Prefer not to do them, if that makes any sense."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto looked away, a slightly embarrassed flush coloring her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it with a gentle bite to her lip. She took a sip of tea, fiddling with the cup absentmindedly as she set it down. "This one much prefers the forests and the mountains to the courts. Plants be easier to be speaking with." Did she actually speak with plants or was she just crazy? Certainly a question worth ruminating upon. She gave Tsuta a sly look, "We shall join together at the courtly events. Making of the corner a fine place to speak freely."

||
Venice
Tsuta considered for a moment making a comment about the blush, but left it for now. "It's a deal. Next big courtly happening, you track me down, and I'll happily occupy the corner with you." She offered a genuine smile. She might even be looking forward to the next formal gathering, at this rate. "In any case, what's the rest of your day looking like, Agasha-sama? Much as I might like to take up all your time, I'm certain you've got other people in need."

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Alejandra
The rest of her day? Kokuto looked to a small, almost dead incense stick. A crease appeared between her brows. She shook her head slightly with regret. "People, no. Experiments and problems, yes. This one also be promising the kitchen staff a special blend for their afternoon tea," She mentioned thoughtfully. Her hand twitched slightly as she suppressed the urge to check the blend notes. "There are still minutes left," She lilted out brightly.

||
Venice
|| Oh, not a hint! Tsuta will keep hanging out if Kokuto wants her, and I've been enjoying the RP! Just wanted to give you or her the option. 

*Minutes left? Well, that's something!*

"So, is the blend for the kitchen staff the experiment, or something else?" She asked. "If it's the tea blend, well, if you need a test subject before it's distributed, I suppose I can selflessly volunteer myself," She offered, a confident smile on her face. "If not, I'd at least be up for hearing about it, if you're willing to share." Though she was a bit straightforward when it came to her taste in tea, she had enjoyed what Kokuto had provided both in terms of snacks and refreshments so far. Even if she didn't get a chance to try it, she was just fascinated to hear more.
Alejandra
A short tittering chuckle escaped the hand that rose to cover it. The small woman shook her head slightly. "No, no experiment. It be a blend that I was making many years ago. Good for the fighting off sickness *And* Fatigue," Her hand gestured to the teapot with a slight twisting of the palm, "You tried the sisterblend earlier. This one can make some for you, if you would like." Tilting her head to one side, she looked at Tsuta with interest. It was an invitation but one she did not feel would be rude to decline. She always thought it better to offer and be declined than have to refuse a request.

||
Venice
Tsuta looked as though she was considering it for a moment. Of course, she had already made up her mind. "Sure. I'll try this other blend. If my wrist is no good, at the very least I can be healthy and energized!" She chirped, trying to be more positive. "My aunt was big into special tea blends back at Kyuden Kitsune. Always told me an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when you're out in the field. If you're out for a long time, then you don't have anyone to rely on but yourself."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto nodded as she stood. "Smart woman is she," She said simply, moving to the cabinets. As she passed the work table, she grabbed a flat basket covered by an unstained piece of cloth. She grabbed leaves, roots, and flowers from seemingly random drawers, even disappearing around the corner to grab a few. Muttering about the state of the different stores, she set the basket on the clean work table and made notes in a green bound notebook. She left the notebook open; it was a list of herbs with "Low" Or "Out" Written next to it.

There was a gentle grace with the way Kokuto moved, a practiced way that told a tale of having moved similarly thousand upon thousands of times before. If Tsuta gave any indication of interest, she would name each and the purpose they served as she prepared them. "Ginger, for health. Ginseng, for energy. Brahmi ||waterhyssop||, for healthy mind. Peppermint, for clarity." The roots were cut into small pieces, leaves crumbled into bits. 

Oddly, the flowers did not go into this blend. She weighed each portion, checking the numbers against yet another notebook, before putting them into a mortar to be mixed together by a few twists of the pestle. She separated a third of the result into a small bamboo box and two thirds into a larger box that looked as if it had seen use already with a lid marked "Energy" In the same brushwork as the drawer. Into the mortar went the flowers and the rest of the leaves. "Chrysanthemum, for health and cooling. Osmanthus, for disease resistance. Chamomile, for soothing. Lavender, for relaxation." She put that into a different box, picking up a brush with her left hand and inked the top with the character "Night."

She handed the smaller two boxes to Tsuta after wrapping them in a small cloth. "Never be making a pot with more than one spoon of the energy tea. For every spoon of tea, half as much of the herbal. The night blend can be done to taste."

||
Venice
"She really was," She spoke in agreement. "Most of what I've learned this life I really owe to my aunt." She leaned back a bit, observing Kokuto as she flitted about. Her ability to find everything in so many different places put her tracking skills higher than her own, she thought idly. She gave a nod to each of the herbs and their explanation, even as the list of everything in there grew and grew.

"One spoon for the whole pot of the energy tea? That must be pretty potent, then." She smiled slightly. "That might be pretty good, though. Sometimes I'll be up a bit late painting; I mean, inspiration comes when inspiration comes, right? You got to run with it when it does. Of course, when I do, the next day..." She chuckled a bit. 

||
Alejandra
A nervous titter was suppressed as Kokuto rubbed under her nose in slight embarrassment. "Yes, well. If you be taking any more than that and drinking more than one pot of tea, experiencing interesting results you might be doing," She refused to look at Tsuta as she almost mumbled; it was clear this warning was from personal experience.

"If you be used to stimulants, it not be doing much besides clear the fog. It would be bad to take more than that, in that case. If you are not, there is no need for more," She spoke without emotion, simply delivering fact with a slight shrug.

||
Venice
Tsuta let out yet another chuckle. Making note of the apothecary's reaction, this time, Tsuta decided to have a little bit of fun with the matter. "Interesting results, Agasha-sama?" She asked with a rather satisfied grin. "What sort of interesting results? Perhaps you might be willing to share your observations? I mean, as you know, I'm pretty fascinated by your work." The last statement was indeed true, even if she was currently focused on the teasing. 

"Though, I guess I fall more into the second category," She did eventually respond to her instruction. "Pretty much the only stimulant I have is tea, and I'm not even sure that counts."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto's ears turned scarlet with the blush while she muttered under her breath something about smelling colors and seeing sounds before clearing her throat to speak up more clearly. "Well, it certainly be having a most interesting response upon the body. This one had heart palpitations and discovered a propensity for sweating through the palms on such a dosage. Never did find out if that person was a hallucination or not," She added absently, looking off in thought for a moment, the burning sensation in her ears fading like a dream.

The woman snorted at the thought of tea being a stimulant. "It can certainly be stimulating but not enough to be classified as a stimulant. Unless one being called slight."

||
Venice
Tsuta once again *Giggled* At the response. "You sure it's just a stimulant in the tea there, Agasha-sama?" She continued teasing. "For the record, I promise if I'm around, I'll help you figure out who's real and who's a hallucination. It's the least I can do after all your help and hospitality."

She shifted in her seat a bit awkwardly though, as the topic turned to size. "I mean, being called slight... I don't know. I don't think anyone's ever called me that," She lied.

||
Alejandra
Kokuto tried glaring at Tsuta. Unfortunately for her, it came out as a more exasperated and annoyed grimacing smile with a frumpled brow. Once more, she had said something aloud that was meant to be private. One of these days that was bound to get her into real trouble. "Into consideration this one will be taking that," She muttered lowly. She could but hope it would be a day where what was said was heavily outweighed by what she had done.

Dark eyes tilted at Tsuta as she shifted about. Confusion grew the crease between her brows once more. Sadly, her thoughts had run away, leaving the little alchemist to sit there gaping her mouth like a fish out of water. She wasn't sure what one had to do with the other, failing to connect Tsuta's words with her own ambiguous usage. The apothecary had seen to look over Tsuta already, now she did so with a more social eye. *Short, certainly, but there is muscle enough that only fools would name her slight. I wonder how she's avoided any, when fools abound,* She thought to herself, forgetting to be discreet.

||
Marcia
*Faint shuffling footsteps would be heard haphazardly dragging their way into the courtyard. What from a distance appeared to be two heavily swaddled tattered rags with legs supporting each other were approaching the Embassy. A servant would stop them, then would head toward where she knew the samurai would be.*

"Agasha-sama, a thousand apologies for interrupting, but there are a pair of visitors looking for *The healer*. I believe they are seeking Hoshi-sama, but perhaps they could be seen by you?"

||
Venice
"I'm sorry. It was a poor jest," Tsuta reassured her, not wanting to take things too far. While she did intend to tease, she didn't want to give actual offence. She lowered her head somewhat in repentance, when she noticed the woman's gaze upon her.

Meeting her gaze, she offered a slight smile; she wasn't quite sure what the expression was, but was *Reasonably* Sure it wasn't offence. Even the gaping didn't seem to bother her that much. She was well aware the apothecary was somewhat of an eccentric sort.

So, ever bold, an idea struck Tsuta as to how to fill the silence.

"Say, Agasha-sama? If you're not too busy some evening, would you like-"

Then entered the servants.

*Fortunes damn it all.*

||
Alejandra
Kokuto felt her neck warm for just a moment as the start of a flush was aborted by the arrival of the servant and news. She glanced away then back at Tsuta before giving the servant her full attention. She looked over the rather cramped room and gestured for the young woman to bring them along and set them up in the only clear space along the doors opposite the maze entrance. "Yes, of course. Bringing them through this door would be best," She ordered gently. 

Dark eyes glittered above a wry smile as she wiped her hands on the trailing ends of her kinu. "It will be looking like you will get a front seat to this one's work," She paused with a thoughtful frown at the ceiling, "Though it is being possible to be a most gruesome sight. Unpleasantness avoidance is understandable." She gave the admittance as a polite way to escape, should the young woman wish to do so. Disappearing behind the cabinet once more, she spoke to someone unseen, "Fresh water to boil, for cleaning. Get the bandages out, and ready the iron." There was a moment of silence before she continued, "No, just a precaution." Kokuto returned as she was tying back her hair with a black ribbon, expression calm and commanding. A sash tied back the sleeves with a quick and well-practiced move as she balanced on the balls of her feet.

||
Marcia
*The ragged duo would be brought into the cramped space, rag covered heads bowed low, avoiding eye contact. The servant quickly deposited them and then returned to her duties.*

"Is he here?" One of the two would speak. Their voice was dry and cracked, like that of one who had gone far too long without water. "The healer? We saw his light. We need him."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto ladled out water and urged the speaker to drink, more out of the knowledge that simple mundane actions steady the nerves. "Whatever healer you intended to see, you were brought to me. What do you need?" She spoke low, calmly but in a tone that brooked no argument.

||
Marcia
The wrapped hands took the water but would begin to tremble. "We saw his beacon. Brilliant flame of purity. It wasn't a dream this time—not dreaming, not crazy —it was real! We could feel it. The burning light. It *Hurt*. It always hurts."

Ragged sobs would rack the poor soul, the bundle of rags rocking back and forth.

||
Venice
As much as she found the timing of the new arrivals was unfortunate, Tsuta wasn'twasn't without compassion. Whatever was happening with this pair was more important than her hanging around, or even her wrist. She wasn't quite sure what to make of their issue; a healer with a beacon that hurt those who saw it? She knew Shugenja had great and terrible power, but was this really something within their capabilities?

Perhaps it was that curiosity, and a sense of gratitude to the Agasha, that she rose to her feet, approaching her and speaking lowly. "Any grunt work I can do to help out?"

||
Alejandra
Kokuto's hands stabilized the cup, helping the speaking bundle to drink. Listening to the words incited her mind to think. Beacons of light, healers, a light that hurt. Dreaming? She let her thoughts chew on that. "Come. Let us get you out of those things. I must know first what is wrong before this one being doing." 

She looked as Tsuta, worry and concern evident. At her offer, she gratefully directed her to the halfway hidden door behind the cabinet she had been going in and out of, "In the fire room, Kota should have the water ready, and clean bandages." She turned back to the bundles with comforting gestures and soft movements. "I do not hurt. Only heal. Even medications don't taste nasty from these hands," She murmured reassuringly.

||
Venice
Tsuta nodded, and moved over to the door, careful to try not to disturb the cabinet too much as she opened it. It took her a little bit to her get bearings with how cramped things had been, but she soon made her way over to who she presumed was Kokuto's assistant. "Hey, I'm here for the water and some bandages?" She then caught herself, realizing this person likely did not know who she was. "I'm uh, helping out Agasha-sama."

||
Marcia
The second figure, coughing and wheezing, finally looked up at the Agasha. Sunken eyes with blackening veins peered out from behind a dried and cracking face reminiscent of porcelain. "The light must be put out."

Rustling from their rags betrayed more limbs. Too many limbs.

"Please, no . . . " The one who spoke first tried to plead with the figure, but even then they sounded conflicted, as if they didn't know who or what they were trying to say.

||
Alejandra
The small fire room, as Kokuto called it, was bare of anything besides the fireplace within the center and a small cupboard against the wall. The nondescript Kota looked up wordlessly and nodded. They poured the contents of one of the kettles hung above the fire into a wooden bowl, placed a clean rag over the side, and handed a small stack of bandages to Tsuta before gesturing that they would follow along with the bowl.

Kokuto resisted the urge to flinch back from the sight, mostly. She had pulled back imperceptibly, inhaling slightly with the movement. "The light is out. There is no beacon. Only Lady Amaterasu remains, and she must sleep soon," She soothed. She reasoned to herself it would be best to keep such ... *Creatures* Calm, at least until she was no longer alone with them. "Listen to my voice and remain calm. Here there be no pain. Only healing. Here there be no light. Only healing," She kept her voice level and low, speaking in the rhythmic patterns she used for invocations. She had been told before that it was soothing, and she'd take any advantage she could take should they prove to be *Problematic* Patients.

||
Venice
Tsuta bowed to Kota, accepting the bandages and heading out of the fire room. Making her way back out into the main area, she spoke to signal her presence. "Agasha-sama, I'm back with the ban-"

She then froze. Even as practiced as she was at maintaining her demeanor, there was a crack in her composure at the sight of second figure, her eyes widening.

*What in Jigoku was that?!* 

She had not ever witnessed anyone in such a state, and with limbs where the heavens certainly didn't intend for there to be. Was this the result of that shadowlands taint she had heard so much about? Kokuto had indicated she had worked with curses... Could one reduce a person to such a state?

Taking a moment to compose herself once more, she cleared her throat. "Right. Here with the bandages."

||
Marcia
"*Ameterasu.*" The being said the name slowly, cautiously even. Its head tilted, a sudden, quick move that did little to put someone at ease. "Light is gone?"

It straightened, an all-too-long torso now exposed with several small, black-tipped arms like a centipede running down its side. "Why do us need healing? So hungry. Why hunger?"

The other one, still holding the cup and slowly drinking, rocked back and forth slowly. They looked up at the approach of the Mantis, wild fear in their eyes. Not quite as deformed in feature, haggard and gaunt pale skin with sunken eyes and the beginnings of those same blackened veins. "There's no sleep—only dreams, pain, and hunger. It hurts."

||
Alejandra
"Yes, the light is gone," Kokuto said softly and as soothingly as she could. She inhaled sharply at the sight of it moving. Without turning, she gestured behind her back for Tsuta to set the bandages down on the closest table. Kota froze, the hot water sloshing slightly as they quivered in fear. The only thing keeping them from running in fear was the sight of the Agasha calm and seemingly in control standing between them and the "Patients" Along with Tsuta.

"You came to see a healer. The only ones that be seeking out a healer are those that need healing, be that for themselves or someone else. Kota-san, perhaps our new patients could use some tea," She spoke up, turning slowly to walk nearer to Kota. Stained fingers gently wrapped around Tsuta's upper arm as she passed her, a quiet entreaty to listen in. Her next words were the barest of whispers, "Notify the guard to stand by. Get a message to Senri. Asked for him they did, he is being involved somehow. Brew the dreamless draught and pass it in." Kota nodded jerkily and turned to go back to the fire room, intent to not draw the creatures attention.

Kokuto took a moment to speak to Tsuta. "Keep calm. Like wild animals we should treat them, but more dangerous. Take this," She passed the small knife she used for collecting plants. It was short but sharp. The blade was no longer straight, showing a slight narrowing in the center from being sharpened should Tsuta unsheath it to look. She turned back to the pair of strange patients and removed a couple of glass vials from her desk as she did so. One was slipped into her belt before the color of the contents could be seen while the other, a brown liquid with a yellow cast, stayed in her hand. Her slow measured steps brought her closer to them once more. "Let me help," She entreated.

||
Venice
Tsuta felt herself do a double take at the contact, warmth rising to her cheeks even in spite of the situation. It was one thing to have contact in the course of treatment or aid, but casual contact in Rokugan was certainly unusual. It wasn't until Kokuto had spoken to her again that she snapped out of it, her eyes glancing down to the blade being handed to her.

Tsuta examined it carefully. It wasn't necessarily her style to deal with things up close and personal, but should anything go wrong, and the apothecary's words suggested it indeed might, she didn't have much choice in the matter. Nodding, she carefully concealed it in her hakama. "Right... Just in case," She whispered back.

||
Marcia
A chittering of chitinous legs stretching open met the Agasha's return. The monstrosity extended its arms toward her. "If healer is gone, then must bring back. How? Must cause *Harm*, yes?."

If the Agasha was to approach too close, her path forward would be blocked by spike-tipped arms. The being still had yet to attack, face contorted and straining even as it said these words with a veneer of calm.

||
Alejandra
Kokuto sat with serenity just outside the reach of those chitinous legs, oblivious to the effect of the casual contact moments before. "There will be no need for that," She told the patients. She waited placidly for Kota to arrive with the tea, the arrival heralded by a soft clattering of the lid of the teapot. She continued as she poured them each a cup of tea and added two drops of the contents of brown vial, "This will help. We will wait. Yes?" She settled each cup within reach before them with every intention of waiting. "This one is a healer, and the other will come without delay. Drink. Harm is not permitted in this one's work home." She spoke succinctly, adding almost under her breath, "Revolt the plants would and spirits run wild."

||
Venice
Tsuta gripped the knife tightly where she hid it as as the... Yokai? Whatever it was, approached Kokuto decidedly aggressively. She considered her next steps; if she plunged the dagger in quickly that would give her a chance to go from her Katana. From there, it would be up to the training she had received from Akechi as to if she could put a stop to things. 

However, she found herself holding back as she watched Kokuto face down the threat with out so much as a twitch in her eye. She had spoken of dealing with curses, and that had Tsuta's head running wilh just what form those curses took. 

Still, she would not escalate. Remaining wary, and prepared to step between Kokuto and the creature, she made no further moves to escalate.
Marcia
The other—the man who accepted the water from the Agasha—quickly took hold of the tea and began to drink it. The more aggressive and less human of the two did not move forward yet, content to watch what effect it might have on their companion. "This'll help, right? Please, anything to make it stop."

||
Alejandra
Kokuto could handle a crisis - she had been the closest thing to a doctor that many in the mountains had seen in their entire lives. There were limits, but she could always be sick about it later. Now was the time for a solid person of knowledge, thoughts of sobbing or running in terror were shoved in a box labelled "Later." She was content to sit between deadly danger and her new archer friend so long as the former people made no threats.

The little alchemist nodded slowly. "An herbal infusion designed for the encouragement of dreamless sleep, with a tincture of Valerian for good measure," She said succinctly. If they did not fall asleep within the hour of finishing the tisane with the added tincture, they would at least have a feeling of soothing calmness. The herbs she had selected for it eased the anxieties and minor pains that kept most people awake. It was the valerian that posed an issue; she had not wanted to risk an overdose should their bodies still prove physiologically human, but she *Had* Used more than was necessary should they prove their affliction was more than externally applicable. "You must be telling me if an aching of the head occurs," She paused with a thoughtful frown before continuing, "Or worsens should you already have one."

||
Marcia
He greedily finished the drink, not even paying attention to the words the woman said about how it may or may not work. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he looked up questioningly at the Agasha. "How long?"

The other one clicked impatiently, watching. Waiting to see what would happen. The question *How long* Did raise a legitimate concern to the shugenja, though. Whatever these were, they were not fully of Ningen-do any longer. It was probable their extended presence here could invite spiritual harm into the Embassy.

||
Alejandra
Kokuto raised one eyebrow delicately at the speed he downed the tea. She blinked at the impatient click. "Oh, not long. It be depending on the digestive processes and how quickly a body will absorb a given," She continued for a moment on an indepth description of the more technical details||Medicine 6|| before stopping herself with a wafting of her hand. "Ah, well. Inessential knowing to you doing." 

She kept the placid mask affixed, though she was beginning to be impatient. If this did not work, she would need to enact one of the several ideas she had come up with since she saw the horror beneath the cloth. One hand slid along her belt as if in a nervous gesture to rest on the minute bulge of the other vial. How long could she stall? How long could they *Afford* To stall? Could she bring herself to harm when they had proved to have some semblance of humanity left? Such was what she struggled with while she waited to see what effect the tincture would have upon the patient.

||
Venice
Tsuta's muscles were tense, and she still had trouble bringing herself to look upon... Whatever the person was directly. If it could even still be considered a person at this point, anyways. Even if the sight itself was not so horrific, witnessing something straight out of Jigoku like this invoked some memories she would much rather not dwell upon. Even with her usual composure, her breathing was ever so slightly heavier.

Even so, she fought against those feelings of fear, pain, and revulsion as best as she could. The Mantis and bushido both demanded courage, and she wasn't going to be found to be a coward. She subtly moved to position herself between Kokuto and the creature, just in case the worst should happen.

||
Albert
"Hoshi-sama, this way!" *Kota's voice could be heard down the hallway. A few seconds later, the servant returned with the Dragon Monk in tow. Senri's swooshing robes stopped as his footsteps slowed to an abrupt halt.

The moment Senri stepped into the cramped room, he felt a shift in the air. A growing tension hung amidst the air, which now began to stench of a scent that Senri had not smelled in a long time; Rot.

Kokuto and Tsuta can see the usually tired, polite smile that Senri usually wore was absent and now replaced with a tight frown. His eyes narrowed, staring at the two individuals wearing rags, catching the multiple limbs and deformities for only a moment.

Senri locked eyes with Kokuto and Tsuta, his tense expression now etched with worry; the last thing he wanted was for them to get hurt. He gave Kokuto a reassuring nod, and slowly indicated for her to step back. The Monk turned back towards the pair hunched in the room. He took a breath, and asked in a slow, serious tone,*

"You have been asking for me, I take it? How may I be of service to you?"

||
Marcia
*It was a familiar thing Senri sensed. A feeling, one he had experienced before over the winter. The death at the Shosuro Palace, the beads of obsidian and jade—whatever had he done with those, anyways?—the same sensation. He had never encountered those responsible for that death, nor had he ever received more information on whatever it was that was slain in the old brewery, but it was unmistakable.*

As the man's consciousness slowly left him, his eyes looked up at the Agasha. A faint smile brushed across the vacating features of his face. "It's helping a little, I think. I can pay, of course. Here."

His unsteadying hands reached into the folds of his rags and after a little fumbling reappeared with an impressive handful of bu—at least three kokus' worth. He placed them on the nearest surface before his hand went slack, his body following into what could only be hoped was a restful unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, the other turned to face the approaching monk. It tilted its head to the side, squinting and sniffing at the air. Then its eyes widened, and it straightened. "He is here! We snuff out the light!!"

Snarling, it began to charge at the monk.

||
Albert
"Everyone, RUN!" *Senri barely had time to shout at the others as he quickly reacted towards the charging creature. He had left his Shakujo staff in his room; Senri was unarmed. But that mattered little to the Tattooed Monk. Senri instantly took his ready stance, centering himself and angling his arms to prepare for an frontal attack.*

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Alejandra
"Good. Sleep, for now," The little alchemist told her patient. She had accepted Senri's insertion between her and the *People* By standing and had moved back, closer to Tsuta. "Ka-chan, there is being a blue vial in my desk drawer. Drinking it you should be," ||Regrow the Wound potion|| she told the archer softly, unaware of any implications with the shortening to the first syllable instead of calling her Kawaii. The sigh of relief at the patient drifting off to sleep was short lived. 

She heard Senri call for them to run, but she couldn't, not when this was *Her* Workshop and they had been brought to her. There was only one thing Kokuto loathed with a deep, abiding passion. Patients who couldn't take their medicine were *Bad patients,* And this one decided to be minacious in movement.

"Oh, lo to the heavens and the spirits of the waves,
Fortune of Oceans heed my call. 
Let the spirits of the deep rise up from the waters
To grasp the subject of ire
Allow the spirits of the seas to rise to a tempest
To hold in **Suitengu's Embrace** He who stands against me.
Accept mine offering this vial of oil of vitriol.
Hear my plea and invoke your Wrath upon this
*Bad Patient*"

Kokuto spoke the prayer in the same singsong intonation she had been using since the strangers arrived, her voice lowered by an octave, and she pulled the thick-walled vial of clear liquid out with one finger. She offered it up in the palm of her right hand, the left sweeping through the ritualistic positions of prayer by itself. Her dark eyes had closed in concentration, and the only thing left was to hope that her small but daily offerings to the kami in the Embassy had endeared her to them.

||
Venice
Right now, there was no shortage of thoughts running through Tsuta's head. The new arrival, the first creature going to sleep, the potential danger, the bad memore, the fact she was *Just called Ka-chan* And asked to get something...

But as the horrible thing lunged forward, she had only one thought in her mind; she had to stop it. Drawing her katana, she stepped forward with a vertical slash, attempting to cut the monster in half!

||
Marcia
*The creature lunged in to attack Senri, disregarding anyone or anything else. It was solely focused on destroying the monk. Tsuta's sword struck true as it passed her, but black armored chitin deflected the blade from bisecting it. Instead, the blade was turned down and across, cutting off a handful of the spiked centipede arms. The black ichor that spilled out of the severed limbs began to sizzle and smoke on the blade. It continued unabated.

The creature fell upon the Hoshi, striking and stabbing at the monk with reckless abandon. Thankfully there were fewer clawing appendages left than before, though anywhere the blood met cloth or skin it would begin to burn.

The Agasha said her prayer, speaking in the ancient and powerful tongue of the kami. Kami she had introduced herself to, nourished and satiated during her time here. The offering vanished from her hand as the kami of the water began to rise from dormancy. They would come quickly to the aid of the one who had cared for them, doubly so to defend their home.*

|| Regular offerings + a direct offering now + defending home soil is a potent combo. So here's how it'll go.
Venice
Tsuta cried out in pain from the impact of the blow ran up her arm, and into her already tender-wrist. She had enough presence of mind to try to make it sound more like a battle cry, but if it was successful or not was anyone's guess. Between the pain and the sheer *Terror* She was experiencing though, she was operating entirely on adrenaline. There was nothing else right now but survival; if she turned her back to get that bottle now, she might be dooming all of them to death. If she froze and did nothing, she might be dooming all of them to death. So with a frenzied, frantic scream, she hoisted her Katana as high as she could manage and attempted to stab down into the monster. 

||
Albert
"It's too fast!" *Senri panicked thought willed his body to move as he ducked the creature's limbs that swiped towards his neck. He dodged and parried what appendages he could, but that did not spare him from feeling his robes rip and his forearms receiving several cuts. Senri stumbled back, losing balance and his footing. Senri saw the centipede arm slowly descend towards his face, when a Katana from behind sliced it off. As the monster screeched in pain, he had a moment to catch himself as Tsuta's sword distracted the monster.*

**Run. Get help. Survive.**

*Senri felt the hairs on his arm and neck stand as the adrenaline pumped from his brain to his body. Every fiber in his body made him want to run; to hide. He never wanted to hurt anyone anymore. He wanted to become a Monk so that he could live a life of peace; help those in need at the cost of himself.

No. That was a lie. He avoided conflict because he was afraid. He was afraid to hurt people again, even if they may deserve it. He was afraid that fighting would ressurect his violent nature. He was afraid... Of how the people around him would see his true self.

But that didn't matter. A fellow member of his clan, and a guest of the Mantis clan were risking their lives for this Embassy. No matter what happens after, he will fulfill his duty.

Senri channeled his Chi through the Bellflower Tattoo on his back and activated it's power. He lept to his feet, ripping off a sleeve of his robe that was beginning to burn from the acidic blood, and charged at the opponent. In the few seconds he got up, he caught Kokuto chanting prayers while Tsuta readied another sword strike.*

*Getting the creature outside the Embassy was no longer an option. He must keep it occupied long enough for Kokuto's spell to take effect. Senri saw the creature wildly swing towards his body, and was able to react this time. Dodging towards the monster's side where it had been cut, he channeled the Element of Water into his forearms and swung an uppercut towards the monster's "Face".

Should his fist make contact or not, Senri would leap upwards the creature, wrapping his arm around the Centipede Monstrosity's neck in a Guillotine Choke. With as much force as he could muster, Senri planted his feet into the chamber floor, utilizing his affinity with the Earth element to remain unmovable, while having the Bellflower Tattoo provide enough physical strength to keep the creature in a chokehold.

The only question was now whether Senri could last against the Centipede man's desperate slashes long enough for the Shugenja's spell to take effect.*

||
Marcia
*The creature did not attempt to block or defend itself at all, it had no thought but to destroy the man before it. As its face reeled backwards from the blow of the surprisingly strong monk, one of its black claws sunk into his side. Senri's leap around would be thrown off, but not so much as to invalidate his plan. Where he planned to land on his feet he now kneeled, a subtle burning pain between his ribs from the beast's assault, but he held fast. The creature thrashed, striking at the monk who had locked himself into an inescapable battle of endurance with it. For a moment it seemed the creature would win.

Then, its body spasmed. Once. Twice. Howls of bestial rage became coughs.

The defenders of the Dragon Embassy were awake. While the kami of the Earth would have acted faster against this perversion of life in their presence, the kami of the water would flow unyielding in their defense of life.

Kana's blade slammed into the back of the monster as it choked upon the divine seas formed in its lungs. This time, with the yōkai held in place, it was able to sink into the creature, a deep wound cut through it. The blade hissed yet more sharply as the acidic blood ate away at it further. Were it not a creature beyond human, it would surely have been dead from the strike.

Water began to pour from its mouth as it desperately tried and failed to cough up the endless ocean. The eyes that held unending fury now were filled with the terror of a defenseless rabbit caught in a snare, watching a hunter close in.*

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Alejandra
The screams and cries and shouts were merely background noise. The little alchemist had been too absorbed in making sure everything was correct to take note of the brief and violent exchange. 

Kokuto offered silent apologies to the spirits of the earth. It was not often she found herself in such a predicament, after all. *A lack I will have to rectify,* She thought to herself. Dark eyes opened slowly to see the results, a slight frisson of fear or worry threatened to color her perception. Only one fear proved true at first glance, and it was not the worst fear. Relief tried to flood her, but she held it back; the crisis was not yet averted - even the dying were dangerous, and one still slept. One step, then two. She looked down as the creature's fury changed to trapped fear. Her voice came out cold, flat, with a hint of something else, "You should have taken your medicine."
Venice
The kami acting to bring the monster to its end.

Her katana warping and deforming as it was further drenched in acidic blood. 

The monk fighting the creature off with his bare hands even as he suffered from his own wounds.

The cacophony of voices.

The pain in her arm.

*Is this what it was like for my father?*

None of it was being fully processed. Not just yet. How could it be? The horrible creature that had attacked them may have been dealt a mortal blow through their combined efforts, but a wounded animal was also the most dangerous.

There was nothing else that mattered right now beyond delivering the final blow.

Pulling her Katana, the top of the blade sloughed off, having been eaten away by the acidic blood. Tsuta took a brief moment to glance and take in the destruction, when she remembered there was one more thing left to her.

*The knife.*

Letting the sizzling remnants of her Katana fall to the floor, she pulled the small blade out from where Kokuto had instructed her to conceal it. She drove it down into the monster's back with all her might, quickly moving her hand away afterwards, hoping this would sap yet more of the creature's fading strength.

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Albert
*Senri cried in pain through gritted teeth as the claw struck his side. By Togashi, it hurt. Senri's knees buckled as he tried to hold on to his Guillotine Hold. All the while, he silently screamed at his internal will barely remaining conscious as the creature continued to writhe and scream.*
"Don'tcha give up Senri... Don't... Black... Out!"

*Senri's thoughts were cut short as the Centipede Yokai coughed water from its mouth. The Monk glanced over at Kokuto, whose sarcastic reprimand of the creature made him painfully chuckle. He loosend his grip around the monstrosity's neck, allowing Kokuto's water spell to flow more easily, soaking his torn robes. He took one step backwards, blocking the one exit into Kokuto's workshop.* "Well done, Agasha-sensei. And I thank you for your assistance, Mantis-san."

*He held a hand to his wounded side, keeping the other high in ready position should the monster attempt one last desperate attempt to flee or attack anyone. With a shaky breath, Senri spoke,*
"The time to make a decision has arrived, Yokai. Release your hold on this mortal body you inhabit and this one beside us sleeping, and I shall grant you freedom to return to Jigoku and surrender yourself to the Blessed Guard. Otherwise, you are free to continue receiving judgement at the hands of these two Samurai. And be warned... They are far more stronger than I am."

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Marcia
*The creature could do nothing but writhe and choke and lash out at whatever was closest in a desperate attempt to find something, anything. As water continued to pour out of its mouth, it slammed to the floor and began to half crawl, half drag itself toward the monk.

It made it about halfway before the knife of Tsuta plunged itself into the monster's back. It gargled what was likely a scream, pulled itself yet further, reached out and grasped around Senri's ankle . . . 

And lay still, dead.*

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Alejandra
Kokuto winced as her futon made a suspicious sound as the questing arms dragged at it. Scrolls clattered to the ground and paper rustled as notebooks scattered from the table above the bed crashing down. She frowned slightly at Senri as he spoke, though this caused her to take stock of his appearance. The frown deepened.

She wandered over to her desk on wobbling legs. She gave a soft shout of triumph after digging around in the drawer for a moment. The vial of deep, brilliant blue caught the light most peculiarly as she held it up. The little alchemist toddled her way through the mess her workshop had become to push the bottle into Senri's hands with a shaky hand and "Drink." She stepped next to Tsuta with a concerned look, "Are you being unharmed? Such strange happe-" For a moment, she looked like she was going to continue but a queer expression grew as her eyes narrowed. The pent up energy that had nowhere to go and was about to make her sick had found an outlet.

The centipede people had asked for the healer and were upset it had been her. She turned back around to face Senri with a quick twist. Her voice was low and enunciated each word carefully, "What did you do?"

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Albert
*Senri pulled his leg away from the monster, kneeling on one knee. He closed his eyes, joining his hands together to offer a prayer to the Kami and spirits of the vicinity, and wishing the creature's soul to eventually find peace in Yomi.* "*Namu*." 

*He opened his eyes as he felt Kokuto push the alchemical bottle into his hands. Senri uncorked the bottle and drank, avoiding her gaze not out of shame, but out of a sudden wave of exhaustion. He felt the side that had been struck by the creature. The pain will return once his adrenaline fades. There's no time. He had... He had to-*

What did you do.

*Senri looked towards the Agasha alchemist, and the Mantis Samurai. Or at least, he hoped he was. All he could see was the two blurred figures facing him. Senri's mind was growing numb, and moving his lips to answer was almost an endeavor of itself. Senri mumbled,*
"My... Crow Tattoo. Must've... Drawn them here."

*As the Dragon Monk rose to his feet, he stumbled, barely catching himself against the wall of the workshop. His head swam with nausea, and he fought the urge to vomit. Looking back towards the two, Senri attempted to continue to talk, but his speech became more slurred as he continued.*
"Messenger... To Crab... Embassy. See to... The other patient... Save him first.."

*Senri back slid against the wall as he struggled to remain conscious*

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Venice
Tsuta was breathing heavily as the horrible creature had finally met its doom. She remained staring at it for moments after it slumped to the ground as though she wanted to make sure that it was actually dead. 

*It's done.

We survived.*

When she finally heard Kokuto ask if she was unharmed, it sounded to her almost as though it were coming from another room. It took her a while to even register that she was being spoken to.

"Uh... Yeah..." She replied slowly. "I think so..."

It wasn't an entirely honest response. The impact from the blows she delivered against the hard carapace had jarred her arm and the pain in her wrist had only grown. There was nothing lethal done to her though, as far as she was aware.

As she crept back to reality, though, she noticed the injured monk who had arrived, and now was barely able to speak.

"Dammit..." She muttered, quickly glancing between the Monk and Kokuto. "What do you need me to do?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto looked at Tsuta oddly for a moment; she could have sworn she remembered a scream. *Ah, well, more important things.*

"And you just neglected to mention that?! Do you have any idea the danger you put the servants in? What if none of us had been here?!" She continued on a tirade of increasingly dangerous situations that could have been the results instead, including worse horrors that could have shown up. A superstitious person would recognize some of the situations she railed about.

The whole time, she wandered from mess to mess, tossed books and scrolls onto her bed, grabbed the clean water that miraculously was undisturbed, and sat next to Senri with a heavy thump. She helped him into a better position with gentle hands, despite her harsh tone and fierce glare. At Tsuta's offer, she tilted her head at an awkward angle to look at her, "To be helping? Nothing. He be fine soon. Kota should be returning with help for the other." It was then that she noticed her pruning knife. Her eyes shimmered suspiciously as her face became drawn and downcast, "Favorite. This one cannot fix *That.*"

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Venice
"Screaming, huh? Probably those damned Oni..." She muttered, hoping that would be sufficient. In truth she had been so driven by adrenaline she wasn't even certain she had been screaming while trying to kill the damned things. She sincerely hoped it wouldn't damage her image too badly.

Following directions, Tsuta hung back as Kokuto began to work on the Monk's injuries. While she did feel a bit useless, once Kokuto had begun to scold him she felt grateful for having her position at the rear, then. 

Then she saw the apothecary shift to being crestfallen at the sight of the knife, warped and buried in the yokai's back. Tsuta almost felt herself wince a little bit. Yes, Tsuta had been following directions and doing what was necessary, but considering all that Kokuto had done for her, and how positively downtrodden she looked at the loss, she couldn't help but feel responsible on some level.

As such, she bowed her head. "Forgive me, Agasha-sama. I promise I'll make it up to you..."

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Alejandra
The petite woman sniffed once, sighed deeply with her head bowed low for a moment, then shrugged as if it never bothered her in the first place. "Tis but a knife. World message to move on received. One supposes putting it back whole at least thrice a year for the last two tens of years *Is* A bit much," She trailed off, thinking about the act of replacement. Where would she even go for that? She looked back at Tsuta, "Time is time. It did well iffen you be considering to that purpose it was not made."

She looked at the sleeping figure with a frown. It was unfortunate his compatriot had been such a bad patient, but there was no reason to punish someone willing to do what was best for them. "Surely there be more help for such as this?" Senri had mentioned the Crab. She knew a Crab. Perhaps that would be enough? She sat down at her desk to pen two notes. It took her a moment to find everything she needed. "This one must take care of the writing of notes first, then this one shall see how much further that wrist be damaged," She told Tsuta with a knowing tone.

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Venice
"Two tens of years...?" She trailed off, taking a closer look at Kokuto. Just how old *Was* She? Tsuta had just assumed she had been close to her own age, but then again given how practiced she seemed with medicine, it made sense she'd have been working for some time...

She tried not to think too much about it. Not that older women bothered her by any means, but more that this wasn't quite the time or place to be focused on that. There were more pressing concerns. Like the sleeping Yokai, and what to do with such caustic remnants.

"Yeah... Very well," She replied, nodding along as the adrenaline continued to run its course through her. "There must be something I can do to help in the meantime, though. I'm no expert on Yokai, but I'd had to leave you and your fellow Samurai without any help. And oh yeah, the wrist!"

She had almost entirely forgotten about it until it was mentioned. Then, as if on cue, it began to ache worse than it had before. "I appreciate it..."

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Alejandra
Kokuto prepared the ink methodically, her face composed as if in meditation. She wrote out the first in a relaxed posture and referenced one of her notebooks multiple times. A faint line between her brows showed she frowned often, though she wasn't then. The second made her sit up straight and hold the brush differently; she even went so far as to support her writing hand elbow with her off hand. The frown of concentration showed the fine lines around her eyes more clearly. As she set the brush down, she inspected the letters and smiled softly to herself. The lines around her mouth deepened and showed it was a regular occurrence.

As Tsuta looked closer at the alchemist, she wiped a slight dew of sweat from her brow. The skin was soft, supple, and without blemish but there was a too-bright shine to her black hair. Kokuto did not look her age at first glance, but the signs were there - she was older than her expressive antics often led others to believe. "Sit," She ordered Tsuta simply.

Kokuto dodged through her much messier workplace to grab a small selection of water plant parts; she grumbled about having just gotten everything in it's proper place the day before. The return trip was filled with deeper grumbles about having to cleanse the floorboards "For real" This time.

She plopped down with a soft groan, held out her left hand for Tsuta's wrist, and held the spikey leafed stick with little pink nodules ||pink node flower||, the white petals with yellow centers ||water primrose|| and the clump of short, spindly roots ||arrow leaf pondweed|| cupped together in the other. As soon as Tsuta's wrist was in her hand, she closed her eyes. The long moment of silent attention to the spirits left lingering in her workshop drew out into awkward silence - had Kokuto the attention to spare for it. When she finally spoke, it was in the sing-song cadence of prayer - not the strident plea of assistance but the gentle entreaty of asking a favor.

"Hail to the spirits of water,
Hasten the healing of the body
As a mountain spring after melt
Flow fast on this Path of Inner Peace
And bring health to the soul's vessel
In exchange for growing things of your domain."

Kokuto listened not only for the happy assent of the spirits but also for the sounds of many feet tromping through the embassy. Kota was intelligent enough to go for the guard, after all.

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Venice
Tsuta looked somewhat suprised at the gesture. She wasn't thinking she would be the first one to be seen to after all that had happened here. Still, Kokuto was the expert, and she presented her wrist to her, remaining still and calm as she could manage. Her breathing was still heavy from the exertion of her frenzied stabbing and the terror of the creatures that had arrived, but otherwise she made no sound. When Kokuto began to speak, she closed her eyes, just listening to the prayer. She bowed her head in respect of the spirits that were being invoked; she was no shugenja, but she understood enough a small show of respect at least was warranted.

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Marcia
The water kami flowed back from the target of their wrath, tides shifting from death to life as they passed over the injury. They would bring the wound to health so long as the subject of their attention did not keep fidgeting. After all, the kami did not pay much heed to how a human was put together, only to answer the call to heal.

Sure enough, the heavy footfalls followed. Dragon "Ashigaru" Such that they were—monks really, of lesser but more militant orders than the Togashi—followed Kota to the scene, eyes widening at the scene before them. One tentatively approached and bowed. "Agasha-sama, are you alright?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto sighed in pleased relief as she felt the spirits work their way through Tsuta under her hand. She much preferred the feeling of life giving waters than the denying waters of death. It was not that it was overly unpleasant, just that the spirits - once excited to that degree, were often hard to soothe. Water was an element of adaptability and saught out its own level, so she had that going for her. 

The sound of someone asking her a question caused her eyes to open; they had a distant look, as if she were looking at the end of a vast distance. Kokuto blinked a few slow focusing times. "Alright? Being so. Stubborn patient being lucky not," She gestured at the drowned dead *Thing.* The two letters she had written were passed over - bright red windflowers standing out against the letter casing, along with instruction to find the recipients at the Crab Embassy and deliver the sleeping patient with the first. She looked at the corpse with a slight frown. *Perhaps the young Kuni would benefit from that as well,* She resolved to send the corpse along with them. 

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Venice
"Oh, uh... Greetings." Tsuta had been a bit distracted by the use of magic, and perhaps only slightly the holding of her hand. It took her a few moments to realize what was happening before she turned to bow to the arriving monks. "I think your fellow monk may need some assistance," She noted, gesturing to Senri. "I was just a guest who happened to be here when it all occurred, but if you need any questions answered to what happened, or if there's anything I can do to offer aid on behalf of the Mantis, just let me know."

Tsuta was not actually aware how much authority she had to offer help on behalf of the clan, rather than just as an individual. Her initial thought was that it might be a way to engender some goodwill between the clans. She was reasonably sure the boss didn't have any grudge against the Dragon, after all.

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Alejandra
The monks bowed their acknowledgement of the orders and moved about to obey. They murmured to themselves, mostly as they figured out how to carry the two bodies as Kokuto ordered but some of it was to express their varying response to the scene before them. One asked Tsuta for an accounting of what happened, seeing as how the Lady Apothecary was busy at that moment. Two moved to attend to Senri, though one turned back after they looked him over "Hoshi-sama looks fine, young miss. We will take him back to his room to recover." "You will be leaving him there," Kokuto called over her shoulder, "Contamination should be kept to a minimum." The two monks bowed to her and moved to settle Senri instead.

Kokuto spent the next several minutes acting as director in the cleanup of the aftermath. She ordered hither and thither to move, arrange, and dispose of the mess. The monks tasked with the living and dead "Patients," As the apothecary continued to doggedly call them, left with diligent haste, small bundles of herbs bouncing on the corners of each stretcher. The alchemist scooped up the discarded money from the man that drank the tea and tossed it all into a shallow bucket of water, the same herbs from the bundles crushed and sprinkled into it. She took a short break from cleaning the toppled scrolls, nudged one with her foot, "Fuughwaa, a bigger space this one is needing." She flopped down on an empty space carelessly. "Such an unseemly interruption," She remarked to Tsuta, since they had returned to being alone for the most part once more.

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Venice
Tsuta recounted to the monks exactly what had occurred. She might have embellished her archery exploits when she had injured her wrist a *Touch*, but she told them everything from what she had come in for, the arrival of the yokai, Senri's appearance, the destruction of her sword and the pruning knife in helping to slay the first of the beasts, and then now. It was perhaps for the best that she was not asked to help out; even in the glimpses she caught of Kokuto's rearranging and reorganization, she couldn't even begin to understand the intricacies of her sorting system. 

While adrenaline was still rushing through her, Tstua moved to sit down on the ground next to Kokuto. Tsuta thought she could still feel her hands shaking ever so slightly. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind, however. "I have to say, this is the first time I've ever had tea interrupted by a Yokai..." She chuckled a bit, though there would be some audible anxiety in it. "But you're all right, though? Now that everything else's been seen to?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto mouthed something to herself as Tsuta spoke. She started to giggle a little. "Apparition tea. Apparitea. Apparitea. Apparitea," Each time she said it, she giggled more until she was on the tatami mat, a useless ball of wiggling mirth. She looked up at Tsuta, tears of gaiety leaking down her cheeks. Her voice, when she spoke was choked with the suppressed mirth, "Apartea. It was a-par-tea." She was gone once more, lost to the entertainment of wordplay.

Once Kokuto settled down from her fit of giggles, she wiped her eyes with a clean cloth. "Ah, let us be hoping the next tea does not become a party," She chuckled a little. The mirth had released the built-up tension and wild ride her body had experienced, like that of the *Ittan-momen* When its prey was not sufficiently caught. "This one did not suffer anything to the body. Once a cleansing has been done, as rain shall I be," She nodded lightly with that mildly cryptic remark before adding, "And in needing one as well shall you be."

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Venice
For a moment, Tsuta could only just stare at Kokuto's reaction, and wonder if perhaps the yokai's presence has already infected the shop. Then, as the joke was explained to her, she found herself chuckling. Then laughing. Not quite as hard as Kokuto, but it was still full, mirthful laughter. Perhaps it was simply in the tension being broken. Perhaps it was that the adrenaline had yet to wear off. Perhaps it was because the strange apothecary was just endearing to her. In any case, by the time her laughter died down, she could feel that she was tense about the whole matter. It was a welcome change given what they had been through.

"A-par-tea... I get it! That's a good one," She grinned. "And right, right... Cleansing... Taint and all that." Tsuta was by no means an expert on yokai, but after what had happened to her father, she knew enough to knew that there were certain precautions one had to take when they had a run in with them. "Hopefully I'll be right in the rain there with you," She replied, putting enough confidence in that she might be able to fool someone into thinking it was an actual expression used.

"Speaking of tea though..." She flcked one of her braids back. "Maybe you'd like to get some sometime? Hopefully without any centipede demons crashing things?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto froze for a moment as Tsuta mentioned taint, then she nodded as if that was the intention all along. Secretly, she thought to herself about how nasty dried blood and ichor could get, and how difficult it was to get out of clothing; it's why she spent most of her time in cheap throw-aways.

She dug at something dark beneath her trimmed nails. "Ah, tea without? Lovely idea it is being, yes indeed," She agreed and pondered on the last time she had left her workshop for tea. The alchemist winced as she counted days. Too long cooped up with her experiments, again. She shook her head gently to dispell the thoughts, "Perhaps you will be telling this one a good place for this uninterrupted tea?" The smile just peaking out was playful, teasing even.

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Venice
Tsuta was fully grinning now. The whole day had been rather eventful (and sometimes terrifyingly so, for that matter), but it seemed it was indeed going to end on a good note. "That's great! As it happens, I do know a place. The Five Petals Teahouse. They've got a tea where the tea leaves are roasted to give them a different sort of flavor. I'm always one for a more traditional sort of green myself, but that one's actually becoming one of my favorites. I know you've probably got a lot to do with uh... Everything that just kinda happened today, but perhaps if you find yourself with time in the next couple of days?"

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Alejandra
Kokuto found herself amused at the younger woman's grin. Perhaps she did not have much occasion to enjoy tea with others, such a pity. She listened carefully to the exposition about a particular teahouse. At the mention of things to do, Kokuto cast her gaze about the workshop with a bland expression. "Indeed, and only just getting everything a new home this one was doing," She said in a slightly sad but still matter of fact way, as if it was a regular occurrence in her life. "I will be making time. Just as important as the health of the body the health of the mind is being," She nodded once, sharply. "Intriguing is always new tea," She added with a slightly secretive smile. Perhaps some of the more particular tasting herbs she had would do better in such a roasted tea.

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Venice
Tsuta found herself decidedly impressed with how Kokuto was handling everything. If she had revealed she was actually descended from the Crab, Tsuta wouldn't have been surprised at all. She did try not to linger too much on the thought though, mostly because she didn't want to think how she must have came off screaming in terror as she stabbed the yokai. Moving on was thankfully easy, though, as she had their tea to look forward to. "Well, then I hope that you won't be disappointed! I suppose I probably should let the boss lady know what happened here, but once again, thank you. For the help, the company, and well... Pretty much everything today."

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Alejandra
Kokuto tilted her head to one side. "You are being most welcome," She said, though there was just a hint of lilting upward at the end. She wasn't entirely sure what she was being thanked for, but it was best to accept it and not question too deeply. *Perhaps,* She reasoned with herself, *The little cutie is lacking in experiences of basic decency. This does not bode well for the city.* She smiled at Tsuta, "Should the Boss Lady be needing, this one is happy to provide additional testimony." There was moment where she turned innocently enough away, looking at Tsuta through the corners of her eyes, "One will make much of the bravery and valor seen from fine samurai before oneself."

Kokuto had a brief moment to wonder if that was how those things were done in the city - after all, it had been some time since she had needed to be anything more than direct, then she began to wonder about her diminished supplies and if there were other plants that could serve the same purpose. Perhaps plants no one else used but grew in abundance. "What if combining the efficacy of cleansing and spiritual rejection were done? Hmm, but then too poor some things would be. Thinking more this one should be doing," She muttered to herself, thinking aloud as was her wont about more complicated matters. Sadly, it also meant she had, at least temporarily, forgotten she had company.

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Venice
"Thank you. I'll be sure to let you know if she needs any more information. I think just one look at what's left of my sword should be enough support for what I'm saying, though..." She spared a glance to the ruined remnants of her Katana, eaten away and warped from whatever foul substance flowed in the veins of the yokai. She did feel herself stand up a bit straighter at the notion of being referred to as a 'fine' samurai, however. She had rarely considered herself and her abilities as what one traditionally expected of Samurai. Perhaps the city was having more of an impact on her than she had thought. "That said, if you did ever want to come by and speak to her, well, I wouldn't say no."

While she did hear Kokuto's mutterings, the musings of an alchemist as to matters of the spirit were perhaps a bit far beyond her knowledge to make a meaningful contribution or insight, but Tsuta did get the feeling that that Kokuto had more work that she needed to get to. "Thanks again. I'll make sure I speak to the valor of the shugenja who was attending to me," She added, grinning.

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Alejandra
Kokuto nodded in an absentminded fashion, as if she was only half hearing the words being spoken. "Yes, yes. Of course. Nothing to be done with the melting. Spirits beyond repair at that point. Will be coming to see this one shall indeed," She told Tsuta in a dreamy and slowly muttered way. She was secretly glad of her dark eyes. It would be hard to tell the pupil dilation without a light next to them.

Kokuto would see her patient-turned-guest out without much fanfare. Upon returning to the desk in her workshop, she stared at the scars of the scuffle with tired eyes. A bottle of harsh liquor made its appearance on her desk. No need for a glass, she swallowed a sizable portion straight from the bottle with a restrained little cough after. Between alcohol and herbal infusions, she would drink the nightmares away. The dark, tired eyes looked at the sleeping Senri as she took another draught off the bottle. "Another place to sleep this one will be needing, it seems. It be warm enough, perhaps doing well enough for the company a tree will be," She thought aloud to the ceiling.

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