"Deserve?" The scarred Lion samurai laughed scornfully. "You stand on Lion lands now, little Unicorn. Here respect is<i>earned</i>, not merely given out like jade trinkets to weaklings and--" His gaze slid past Sabu to the sky-blue silk that had caught his attention earlier, and its wearer. "And Crane daughters who mistook their fathers' swords for calligraphy brushes. What do you think you're going to do with that blade, girl?"<br/><br/>One of the ashigaru, perhaps a trifle more sober than his companions, paled a bit when Sabu revealed the jade sigil, and cleared his throat meaningfully in an effort to calm matters. But his reluctance to challenge an Emerald Magistrate seemed unable to overcome the brashness lent by too much sake: another of the samurai stood unsteadily, and growled, "This is our inn. Go sleep in the stables."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>