Underneath the mask lay a fresh-faced young man, simple features, average looks – a very forgettable face. His close-cropped hair clung to the sides of his head and his eyebrows were thin, it was easily the face of any innocuous servant who attended around a castle, maybe a stable hand or cook’s assistant. Judging from his appearance he was Iroha’s age if not a year or two younger but Iroha could still smell the death on him. His innocence was his disguise – probably what had gotten him into the castle.  The last bit of warmth clung to the body as she began her examination. There were no identifying marks on his head or neck and she loosened his shirt. It clung to him slick with blood but she managed to work it off and toss it to the side. The large wound on his stomach left little doubt as to the cause of his death. A single wound stretched up from his stomach where Lord Amoru had apparently gutted him. From the position and size of the wound he must have bled out quickly.<br/><br/>His body was slender but tightly muscled, revealing the fitness and grace that was a requirement of their profession. Iroha rolled the body slightly looking for marks on the back, which was bare except for a few scars. His hands were rough, covered in callouses – signs that he trained or worked every day. She laid the body back down and slid off his pants. A dark spot was on the front of his left hip near his groin. She examined closer pulling the skin tight to stretch the obscure symbol. It was strange but she soon identified the small tattoo etched into his skin. It appeared to be a character but not one she had seen before, which is what made it so hard to identify. It appeared to be an amalgamation of the characters kage(shadow) and shou(commander). Iroha noted this and continued her examination of the body, moving finally to his feet. As she removed the black tabi he wore a small parchment fell from it. Unfolding the sheet Iroha found it was a map of Lord Amoru’s castle – drawn in surprisingly accurate detail. The details of the guards’ watches and the location of Amoru’s bedchambers and even his sleeping habits were painstakingly noted across the map.<br/><br/>The shadows from the tanto danced about the room like the last light of a flickering candle before the blade finally unwove itself and returned to the shadows from whence it came. The soft scent of ash accompanied its disappearance but that too quickly faded.<br/><br/>A young maid stepped softly into the room accompanied by a male servant pushing a small cart. “Pardon me my lady. If you are done I have been asked to clean this room.”<br/><br/>The man rolled the cart up next to the body and stooped to pick it up.