Shinobi 20 - Ninjas versus Pirates

punkey 2012-02-17 10:02:35
"The ship stays in the harbor, and we keep our weapons," Kasumi replies. "I'm willing to hear what you have to say - insofar as I can still kill you and swim back to shore if I have to."
Gatac 2012-02-17 10:04:44
"That is acceptable," Olafsen says. "In return, I want the pier kept clear. No city guard, no ninjas, no surprises."
Mister Andersen 2012-02-17 12:10:28
Seeing the others emerge from the water on Kasumi's order, Aiko prepares to break cover. Still, she casts a searching look over at the vessel that the pirate had sailed in on, evaluating the movements of her crew.

The fact that Olafsen had so nonchalantly entered port on an Imperial vessel flying not only the colours of the Empire but the Court itself troubles her deeply. Either he's seized it unharmed, which speaks considerably to his power, or else he is operating in collusion with traitors within the Court itself.

Both trains of thought sicken her.


OOC: Notice check, I'm assuming? If everything looks legit, Aiko will join the others. If not, she'll hang back and try to slip aboard unnoticed.
Gatac 2012-02-17 19:10:17
(Aiko's Notice: 1d20+13 = 20)

Obviously, a closer inspection is called for, but at a glance, Aiko finds the decorations on the ship legitimate.
Mister Andersen 2012-02-17 21:02:18
Coming to the conclusion that remote observation no longer serves a purpose, Aiko abandons her position and joins the rest of the gang for some in depth investigation.

Still dressed in the gaijin manner, she probably cuts no less incongruous figure amongst the ninja and their allies than Olafsen himself had disembarking the Imperial ship.
Gatac 2012-02-18 09:04:29
The word for how you look together is "odd". Oh, Kasumi, Takao and Yukio are straightforward enough, but then you've got two soaking wet ninjas carrying a bomb and Aiko dressed like a Hanse dockworker. (Which actually looks pretty nice, if you're into that sort of thing.) Not to mention Olafsen, whose whole furry-bearded-Northman-pirate theme doesn't so much clash with the decor as sit completely orthogonal to it.

What's not odd is, surprisingly enough, the ship. The appearance of a proper Imperial vessel carries over to the main deck, where clean-shaven professional sailors man their stations, with several climbing through the rigging to secure the sails. The appearance of the clearly improvised bomb does visibly give them pause, but they all stoutly refuse to panic. They just as stoutly refuse to keep standing next to you, though. Which is pretty handy, as it clears out a bit of breathing room for you and Olafsen to have a sitdown on the deck.

Olafsen opens the discussion by simply not waiting for your questions. How inconsiderate!

"I think you all want to know why Matsumoto-san has been marked for death," he says. "The answer is that she is in the line of succession for the Imperial throne. The argument that the Emperor is merely missing gets less convincing with every passing day. I have heard murmurs that the only reason it is not challenged more openly is that there are no known heirs to the throne."

Olafsen looks around. "I'll give you a moment to digest that."
punkey 2012-02-18 09:33:06
Kasumi looks to Yukio. Yukio's face ever so slowly turns down into a scowl. "No," she finally says. "I'm not."
Kasumi looks back to Olafsen. "It is what I've been told," Olafsen says.
"Then you were lied to," Yukio replies. "Or are lying to us now."

"Which side of her family is she related to the Emperor on?" Kasumi calmly asks.
Olafsen frowns. "I don't know that. The men who hired me would barely confirm that she's in the line of succession when I pressed them. I think anyone who does know how the lineage fits together is either already dead, working with them, or very good at hiding. But there must be someone who can prove it that they can't touch, or they wouldn't have paid me to have her killed."
"And why are you telling us this now?" Kasumi continues, putting a hand on Yukio's thigh to try to calm her.
"It would have been your first question," Olafsen says. "And as I've told you, it's no longer in my best interest to pursue that contract. I've failed it thoroughly enough that I suspect my life is equally in danger."
"Do not think you can appease me with information," Yukio spits. "You are a murderous lowlife and your casual betrayal of your equally honorless masters speaks to a 'pragmatism' that I despise most deeply. But as long as you are useful, I can justify letting you breathe."
"How generous of you, Matsumoto-san," Olafsen replies. "Shall we set the date for our duel now or can that wait until we have concluded this negotiation?"

"Okay!" Kasumi shouts, pushing Yukio back a step. "You both need to calm down. Yukio, why is this impossible?"
"My mother was not of noble birth, my father was merely granted a title by the Emperor," Yukio says. "He has never once mentioned to me that we are related to the Imperial family in any way." She snorts. "I suppose it is not impossible that he kept it from me, but I see no reason why he would." She stares at Olafsen. "Because you are correct in that this is as good an explanation for their persistence as I can think of, and surely you would not insult my father, the Old Fox, by suggesting that he would be stupid enough not to see such a connection."
"I'm not trying to insult your family, Matsumoto-san," Olafsen says. "Maybe he doesn't know, either."
Mister Andersen 2012-02-18 14:36:55
"With the Emperor having no publicly known children or other relatives that can take the throne, the declaration of his death will see the High Lords of the Court convene to choose a new Emperor from the great families," Aiko explains the dynastic setup for those not keeping score. "While the Emperor is merely considered missing, the High Lords can do whatever the hell they want in the name of keeping the Empire going."

She shoots Olafsen a look. "Including providing a gaijin with this vessel and crew in order to remove any impediment to their eventual campaign for the throne. As an alien and a known pirate, his actions are deniable and his inevitable demise regardless of his effectiveness seen as a public service rather than obliterating evidence.

"So the question that now arises, Godrich, is the identity of your employers, and whom else you have killed or had killed in order to further their schemes."
Gatac 2012-02-18 16:21:14
"Yes," Olafsen says. "One moment. Matsumoto-san, would you please watch the crew? I don't know how much longer they will take orders from me, if they are not already merely humoring me while waiting for a chance to kill all of us."
"You don't even know what loyalty means, do you, pirate?" Yukio says through clenched teeth, but starts looking around to make sure nobody approaches them.
"I do, actually, I am just very selective with who I give it to," Olafsen replies.

"The man who approached me was Lord Kira Noronu - through an agent, of course, but eventually I made his personal acquaintance. Lord Noronu was the Emperor's closest military advisor, or so he was introduced to me. He's a mediocre fighter but a capable general, and he's pushing for modernizing the empire in ways similar to the Hanse - blackpowder weapons, standing drilled armies, machinery. He hates us foreigners and is convinced that an invasion is coming, but at the same time he is wary of the feudal lords and samurai who serve them. He just about shut down the Imperial War Academy, and is trying to raise his own legions, a new model army, near the capital. He thinks that the empire is too mired in tradition, and while he would much prefer it passes down as obsolete quietly, he is not afraid of using violence to get his way. I am afraid that if you don't stop him, he will plunge these lands into total war for the sake of power." Olafsen snorts. "Without an emperor, he's already too powerful for any single Lord to defeat. He's a madman."

"Then there is Lord Hiro Homi. The emperor's shadow guard - a man who has ties to many ninja clans. I used his contacts to acquire the killers for my plans. I don't know what his objective is, though. I haven't even met him."

"And finally Lady Ikishi. She has many connections and provides the funds. The Emperor held her as concubine for years but would not marry her, so she wants to rule at Noronu's side. I don't know who is using the other more - they're both deluded, if you ask me."

Olafsen looks at Aiko.

"I have had many people assassinated on their orders," he says. "I kept records at my stronghold, but I don't recall enough of them to be worthwhile telling you now. That aside, I have a question for all of you. Noronu promised me a title and some land where I would be safe from all prosecution. What, if anything, are you prepared to offer me for my help?"
Mister Andersen 2012-02-18 17:59:38
Aiko's expression darkens, her lips pressing together grimly as she hears the names of the conspirators. Her reaction to the General's name is really just one of general betrayal, maybe even something approaching understanding though certainly not forgiveness. Lady Ikishi provokes something similar.

But the mention of Homi's name? There's definitely a grim, hateful satisfaction there. Of all the Lords that had brought pressure against her Lord to drop his investigation into the Emperor's disappearance, Homi had been the most... insidiously persistant.

(Sense Motive: 1d20+18=38. Let's go the whole hog and blow an AD on it)
Gatac 2012-02-18 19:13:23
Cheong-Sin Ishikawa's Mind's Eye Theater proudly presents The Contract On Yukio Matsumoto, a dramatic flashback in three acts
---

It was a stormy black and white night, just after the Emperor was last seen, and Lord Hiro Homi hauled himself over the doorstep to Lady Ikishi's quarters in the concubine's wing of the imperial palace. Being the Emperor's favored mistress, Ikishi's quarters put to shame the residence of most minor nobles in opulence if not in size, and the lady waited inside, sipping from a bowl of green tea while the storm raged outside. Homi almost fell in through the door, his uncharacteristic dark clothing stained by the blood trail of an arrow through his shoulder. Ikishi, however, showed little sign of shock at the sight, preferring her tea to making any attempt to help the shadowguard.

"What news do you bring?" she asked.
"The Emperor," Homi coughed, "is out of the way."
"What tragic misfortune," Ikishi said. "Now leave me be with my worry, Hiro. And do get yourself cleaned up - after all, you will lead the search for him tomorrow."
"Milady," Homi replied, and turned to exit.

How he longed to strike her, or worse, expose her! But he could not; his friends were bandits, her friends were nobles and courtiers. As he wandered back into the storm to seek treatment for his wounds from the kindly medicine woman, he wondered, not for the first or the last time, whether any good would come of this madness.

---

Three weeks later, his wounds healed, Hiro Homi stood beside the bickering lovers Noronu and Ikishi, watching them and their conversation circle the Emperor's empty throne without ever coming to rest on it. How fortunate that, by their authority, the whole throne room had been cleared - this way, nobody would hear their schemes or their arguments. It was only when the conversation turned to the "sadly necessary" death of another noble that Homi spoke up again.

"My Lord, I beg of you," Homi began, but Noronu brushed him aside.
"Beg nothing and pull yourself together, shinobi," Noronu said.
"Do not speak to him that way!" Ikishi said, less to defend the shadowguard and more to attack the general. Homi shivered at her smile. "Lord Homi is as noble as any of us by the Emperor's decree. Do respect him. Now, my dear Homi, what were you saying?"
"I was speaking to caution against Lord Uratamata's death," Homi said. "He does not even suspect anything yet."
"Ah, but he will!" Noronu said. "I have predicted his next twenty steps towards discovery. If we do not intervene, he will surely be our sworn enemy in five years time."
"Five years!?" Homi asked.
"We must uproot our enemies before they even know they oppose us," Noronu replied.
"I think what Lord Homi is trying to say," Ikishi said, "is that this is plenty of time to counter him with words and dissuade him. Our interference need not be so...overt."
"...that is precisely it, Lady Ikishi," Homi said. "We should watch and, if he ever gets close, we will have ample time to talk him out of it."
Noronu snorted. "You're a miserable excuse for a shadowguard, Homi," he said. "The Emperor's gracious promotion has softened your heart and your mind. But if it pleases you both to breed an enemy and then try to beat him with prattle, well, then who am I to tell Lord Homi what to do? Handle it as you wish, but see that he does not slip through your fingers."
Homi bowed. "You have my word, my Lord."

---

Olafsen walked toward the small seaside cottage, saber and minigonne at his side. Outside stood a single, lonesome guard, but Olafsen had little doubt that his fine armor was anything but purely ceremonial. No need to antagonize the powerful people inside. He brushed past the guard and entered the house, striding tall towards the noble pair seated at the low table.

"You invited me," he said, as if to answer an unspoken question. "Well, here I am."
The woman laughed. "Oh, he is wonderfully brash, just as you promised!" she said. "Godrich-kun, was it?"
"I prefer Olafsen," Olafsen said. "You're Noronu?" he said to the man.
"Quite right, corsair," Noronu said.
"Good to finally meet you. But I thought you'd be taller."
"Yes, enough of that nonsense now," Noronu said. "You've served me well, corsair, so hear me. There is one more person that needs to die. The Little Fox."
"That name means nothing to me," Olafsen said. "I need details."
"You can do your own research," Noronu said. "Eliminate the Little Fox."
"Why?"
"You dare!" Noronu spat. "Because I tell you to!"
"I'm not defying you," Olafsen said. "I'm just wondering when you will be done with me, Lord Noronu."
"Oh, you'll get your land after this one, corsair," Noronu said dismissively. "The Little Fox is the last piece of the puzzle."
"That makes him the most important piece," Olafsen said.
"I'm delighted to hear you know what a puzzle is," Ikishi said. "Clever corsair."
"Tell you the truth, m'lady, I don't, but I think I understand what Lord Noronu is saying quite enough," Olafsen said. "What makes the Little Fox so important?" He paused for a moment. "He's it, isn't he?"
"I don't know what you mean," Noronu said.
"A heir," Olafsen said. "And if he comes forward, everything was for nothing."
"Mmh, I was right to call you a clever corsair," Ikishi said.
"Yes, a 'clever corsair'," Noronu said to Ikishi in a mockery of her own voice. "If only all our clever underlings were also as effective." He looked back to Olafsen. "See that the Little Fox is found and killed. But use local ninja. We do not want this to look too ...professional."
Olafsen bowed his head slightly. "As you command."
Mister Andersen 2012-02-18 19:51:22
"I believe him," Aiko says, her ruthlessly interrogative gaze moving from the pirate lord to his crew. At best innocent dupes, but likely in their own right everyone of them a party to this conspiracy. Oh, how she aches to allow Kamikaze to end their perfidity!

She shifts her attention back to the others. She has been pursuing her Lord Uratamata's quest to find the Emperor, a goal she still aches to achieve, alongside her own demand for vengence. But surely for now safeguarding the life of the Imperial heir is a worthy diversion.

Here amongst the ninja and bushi and those who would ordinarily stand as her enemies but now seem as allies to the Empire she swore to serve.

"A lot of people want you dead, Herr Olafsen," she turns to the gaijin, after having just vouchsafed his word. "A number of them stand before you. While the final decision is of course up to the Lady Yukio, I think the best offer you're going to get, after all is said and done, is a head start. It is an offer I sincerely doubt your employers will match once your usefulness ends."
punkey 2012-02-18 20:29:55
Kasumi cocks an eyebrow at Olafsen. "I see what you are getting at." She turns to Yukio. "Would you come with me for a second?" she asks.
Yukio nods and gets up to follow Kasumi.

Kasumi leads Yukio to the back of the ship, near the rudder. Not much is going on at the moment, as the ship merely sits in the harbor. "Will your father offer him a minor title and a leadership role over one of his villages?"
"Will he?" Yukio asks, clearly confused. "Oh, I see. If I made such an offer and Olafsen agreed to it, would my father honor the word I gave? He most certainly would." Her eyes narrow. "But I do not see why I would make such an offer. This...murderer...deserves nothing of the kind. It would be an immeasurable act of charity to let him escape with his life."
"I am not so sure," Kasumi says, pursing her lips. "You remember what Toshiba - what the Blue Oni said. He may not have been a good man in his past, but...I think he is a changed man. One can be both a criminal and a good person, Yukio. You, of all people, know that."
"One can be," Yukio says, and there's a flash of a smile as she strokes Kasumi's cheek. But after that moment, the smile disappears again. "But he isn't," she says.
"I am not so convinced," Kasumi says. "If you give me a chance to prove otherwise, will you consider recommending him?"
Yukio thinks for a moment. "Yes. If there is good in him and he truly is no longer a danger to us...then I would be satisfied to no longer consider him my enemy." She sighs. "The sharpest blade would dull cutting through all the men who have done me wrong. I am starting to think that I can no longer answer every wrong with retribution, lest I wish to waste the rest of my life on vengeance." She looks to Kasumi. "I want to win, and then I want to live."
Kasumi smiles. "First, I would recommend you consider something my father once told me. 'One must be ready for your worst enemy to become a necessary ally in one second, and in the next, a close friend. Never refuse honest requests for help and kindness from even your greatest nemesis, for kind words and deeds are more effective at staying a blade than the swiftest block.'"
Yukio smiles. "Your father was not much of a rhetorician," she says. "But his advice is sound."

"And secondly, I would think that we reverse that order," Kasumi says. "Live, then win."
"Surviving is probably the more immediate concern, yes," Yukio says. "Very well. Let us take Olafsen at his word, then, and see where it leads us."
Kasumi returns Yukio's brief stroke on her cheek. "I did not mean merely surviving." Then, she turns and starts to walk back to Olafsen, Yukio's hand in hers. "But allow me to prove my point to you about Olafsen. The others might not be so easily convinced by my...ministrations towards you."
"I should be quite jealous if you made the attempt," Yukio replies.
MikeS 2012-02-19 00:12:15
(Takao Sense Motive 1d20+21 = 32; I assume that means Takao also believes the pirate is sincere)

Like Aiko, Takao believes the pirate, but his reaction is slightly more dramatic. After a brief moment of disbelief, he draws the sheathed Mizu from his obi, falls to one knee before Yukio and offers the blade with both hands: "My lady! My life and blades are yours to command!"
Gatac 2012-02-19 08:20:34
Yukio seems only briefly taken aback by Takao's gesture.

"I accept your life and your blade into my service," she says. "May you bring honor to your sensei at my side. Rise now, Takao."

Yes, all these "Empress 101" classes at the War Academy are finally starting to pay off.

For her next trick, Yukio sits back down and faces Olafsen.

"Godrich, Son of Olaf," she says, "I am grateful for what you have told us. If no more should be said, depart as stranger and know that I do not require satisfaction of you. But if you would tell us more, I shall reward you...as a friend." She looks to Kasumi, waiting for her to enact her 'proof'.
Admiral Duck Sauce 2012-02-20 20:01:26
Toshiba doesn't regard Yukio any differently than he had in previous days, but the pirate's revelations do cement the stakes for the Ayami-turned-corsair-turned-woodsman-turned... what was he now? A bodyguard? A loyal servant of a would-be Empress? A dissident and betrayer? Simply in over his head? Yes, that seemed likely. Toshiba longed to be back in the forests outside the Forge once again, he longed to be at peace, but those dreams quickly evaporated. Leaving Yukio and his allies would leave his soul restless. He would find no peace in his simple survivalist's life, not now. No, the only way out of this entangling maze of plots and machinations was through.
Gatac 2012-02-21 22:09:30
Kasumi squares herself off to Olafsen. "This was not your first choice of profession, was it, Olafsen?"

"Not as such," Olafsen says. "I was brought up as a warrior in my homeland, but when I was 16, my saddle slipped from the horse in gallop and I was trampled underfoot. My knee did not heal right. For three months I fought tooth and claw to get back on my feet, pushed myself in combat practice, but eventually my father took me aside and explained to me that I could not join his company if I could not run or ride any longer. I hired on as an unskilled sailor to the first ship out of port in the morning. As fortune would have it, a band of pirates attacked us during the night on the last stretch of our voyage." Olafsen smiles. "I struck down twenty men that night. Their Captain thought he could turn the rout if he led from the front. That was his last mistake. I was no longer welcome on the trade ship after they had seen me fight...so I took the scared and mangled remains of the pirate crew and sailed away with them as their new Captain. From there on, I have not had a chance to change my lot."

Kasumi adopts a skeptical smirk. "Come now, Olafsen. One does not become a pirate of your reputation without enjoying it."
"I never said I didn't enjoy it," Olafsen says. "The power, the freedom, I enjoyed that. But it became very clear to me over the years that this was not something I could do for the rest of my life. You get older and slower than some kid that wants to take over, you anger the authorities enough, your luck leaves you during a battle...it can only end in violence and pain." He sighs. "My life as a pirate is at its sunset, no matter what. So I have been working to secure a retirement."
"Or you find someone that makes you want to stop," Kasumi adds.
"I suppose," Olafsen says. "Are you offering me something?"
"No," Kasumi says, shaking her head. "But I know that you had found someone - and then lost them."

Olafsen smiles. "You mean Eni," he says. "Eni Van Synt."
Kasumi nods.
"I'm sure that rat bastard Van Synt has told you all about my last raid on the city," Olafsen says. "The details hardly matter, but he had a house overlooking the harbor - and being the bold man I was, I thought if I could catch him inside and keep him occupied, the rest of the city would find it difficult to defend itself while we cleared out the warehouses. What I did not realize is that just as I had trapped him, he intended to trap me. We fought for minutes - he is and was not my equal, but he was ferocious and I could not bring myself to kill him, because I feared that that would galvanize the Hanse into actively hunting me down. During the struggle, one of us - I do not recall any more - knocked over a lit oil lamp. I don't have to tell you that the fire spread quickly. We fought despite it, until the screaming from upstairs became loud enough that we could hear it over the sounds of battle. His family was upstairs. And Van Synt...he stared at the fire. And then he ran for the door."
"You must understand that I had not intended this. I say with no pride that I have killed many men, but women and children, no, never. And I could not just escape and leave them inside the blaze, could I? I made for the stairs and struggled up. I could barely see ahead through the smoke. Somebody stumbled toward me - Van Synt's daughter - and I knew that we would not survive the fire for much longer. I grabbed her and pushed us both out of the next window."
"When I righted myself, I saw Van Synt in the distance, rallying guards to his aid. And...I took her hostage to safeguard my retreat. She screamed all the while, of course. I could not exactly tell her that I had no intent to hurt her, but after that brush with death, I did what I had to do to make it back to my ship. Van Synt did not pursue us. When we were at sea and I had calmed my nerves, I spoke to the girl. Her name was Eni...and she begged me to show her mercy. I assured her that she was under my protection and that I had no designs on her, but of course that hardly consoled her. I locked her in my quarters and we sailed back to our hideout."
"At first I thought I would simply arrange for an exchange, return her and get a few pieces of silver from Van Synt as a prize, butthe first two of my messengers never returned. I finally hired out a ninja to deliver my letter and provide instructions for Van Synt on how to reply, and a week later, I finally had an answer in writing. Van Synt...basically, his daughter was dead. He did not believe I had kept her alive. I imagine he set out to tell the whole city how I had burned down his house with his family inside. Eni, of course, would not believe me when I told her, even when she saw the letter. If I ever have a daughter, I hope she would be as faithful to me as Eni was to her own father. I tried again. I cajoled details from Eni only she would know to prove that she was alive. Van Synt never believed me, or if he did, he never acknowledged it. I saw Eni suffer so badly from it, the way her father had abandoned her for dead."
"Well, time went on and Eni obviously realized she could not remain a mere prisoner forever. She decided to help us out, but of course she was woefully unprepared for much of the work. I still remembered how I had fared on my first voyage, so I took her under my wing. Over months, I taught her a sailor's trade, though I also made her agree that she would never accompany us on raids. The men would not just accept her as any other sailor, of course, so I took her hand in marriage. As the Captain's wife, she was safe. Or so I thought...raids are not the only time a pirate ship is in combat, you see. We were scouting out a new route to the north when we sighted a small fleet of Imperial warships in the distance. I foolishly decided to close so we could see the ships closer and find out how capable they were. Find out we did...we lost a mast and fifteen men to their shells and only a favorable wind saved us. One of their shells had struck my cabin in the fighting - and poor Eni, who had cowered behind the wall, had received a dozen splinters through her back and right arm. We limped back best as we could, but Eni withered away in front of my eyes - she was, no matter what, still a young woman and did not have the constitution of a hardened sailor. Our surgeon did what he could. I kept vigil. I thought, if I kept my eyes on her, she would stay with us, I would surely recognize if she was getting worse...but I forgot that there was nothing we could do for her that we were not already doing. She withered, Crane. On the fourth day, after I found I had dozed off for a few minutes, I opened my eyes and there she laid on my bed. Her dead eyes looked at me and there was a soft smile on her face. She did not breathe. I shook her and cried her name and...then I just held her. I stayed with her until we made landfall. She never was a seaman and I was a fool to try to make her into one. So I did the only decent thing I could for her, Crane. I gave her a proper grave."

Olafsen looks resigned after finishing his story. Men of the sea have few tears to cry and he does not spend one of them here. Still, the way his shoulders have sunken in, and how his voice has dropped to a half-whisper over the course of his tale, show that this scar runs deep indeed.

Kasumi knows she has to maintain her distance, but even she can't hold back entirely, and slides her hand across the table towards Olafsen. "And now? You want, what, a small village and a chance for peace?"
Olafsen cracks a bitter smile. "That is the payment I was promised when I started being Noronu's agent."
"Just a safe harbor for bandits and thieves, some would say," Kasumi says. "Or a chance for you to rule over the town like a tyrant."
"I hardly care what some would say," Olafsen says. "What matters is what you think I would do with it."
"Well?" Kasumi asks. "What would you do?"

"I've spent half my life as a pirate, Crane," Olafsen says. "Killed more men than I ever set out to kill as a warrior's apprentice. I have read that your greatest warriors seek out solace and engage in philosophy and the arts. That sounds like...well, it's not a perfect retirement, but it beats being dead. You've run away to a quiet life, Matsumoto-san. Did you like it?"
"I did," Yukio says. "But I could not keep it. You cannot escape your past."
"Maybe," Olafsen says with a nod. "But if you give me a chance, I would try."
"You've given me much to think about, Godrich," Yukio says. "The story of your love is one of your mistakes and the price your bride paid for them. That Van Synt is a thoroughly despicable man does not relieve you of the responsibility for what you did in opposing him. But." She pauses for a moment. "I believe that you never meant to hurt Eni. You did what you thought best for her. And I believe that, though you are not a good man, that you are not a wicked man, either. You do bad things to get what you want, but it is within my power to give you what you desire. If you will swear fealty to my family, you shall have your village." She looks at Olafsen sternly. "But never forget that this means we will keep an eye on you. If you stray from the path of peace, your life is forfeit."
Olafsen nods. "That sounds like the best deal I'm likely to get. I accept."
Admiral Duck Sauce 2012-02-23 17:57:43
Toshiba takes a moment to digest the astounding revelations before he speaks.

"Olafsen, who else is there? Those three are very well-placed, and the more we know about how they operate - and who they might use - increases our chance of success. The greater our chance of success, the greater your chance of living a quiet life of hard work and inner atonement."
Gatac 2012-02-23 18:07:44
Olafsen nods. "I am not sure how many allies they have at the court. I think the other noble Lords are not precisely in league with them, but the current situation suits them. Those three aside, I only met with Noronu's agent, an old woman named...Kei, I believe. I'm not sure if she is still in his employ, or even alive, but if I was looking for a weak point - we are looking for a weak point, yes? - then she is where I would start." He turns to Kasumi. "The good news is, I believe she makes her home at the Forge. That is your turf, yes?"
Admiral Duck Sauce 2012-02-23 18:41:48
Toshiba nods to Olafsen, but his countenance remains troubled. "No matter what, we are up against some of the most powerful nobles in the entire Court. But before we continue... Yukio," Toshiba asks, "Do you even want to be Empress?"

"It's not a question of wanting it," Yukio says. "Listen to Godrich's tales. The empire needs an emperor, and if I'm the only one with a claim, then I will take the throne."

Toshiba scoffs. "The Empire will last long after we are all dust. It is greater than a handful of corrupt nobles or a young warrior-woman, and it will survive. I followed you out of the Forge because I saw in you what I felt the day I left the Ayami. You chose to leave the Academy. Not your father, not your masters, not your friends. You chose that, Yukio. I want to know that right now, you are choosing this."

"What choice is there?" Yukio asks. "Either I claim the throne, or these...madmen continue to run the empire into the ground." "Actually, you have a different problem first," Olafsen cuts in. "We don't know how you're related to the emperor's family. If you can't trace your lineage, you don't have a claim, right?"

"The Empire will find an Emperor, legitimacy be damned," Toshiba adds. "And for my part, I would feel more comfortable with you on the Throne. But make no mistake - the choice is not between your rule and these madmen. No, no matter what you choose, Noronu, Ikishi, and Nomi will have to die."

"But if I don't assume the throne, who will pardon us for the murder of three High Lords?" Yukio asks, showing an inkling of gallow's humor.

"You speak as though their bodies would ever be found," Toshiba grins back. "But you're right. Friends in high places can smooth over a great many misunderstandings."