Dark Edge Village

Taira arrived, late though it was, and asked the sentry if he could speak to the governor.

Yes, it was urgent, no, it really couldn't wait.

And there he waited, to see if Ide Dabo was in on it. If he was going to die alone, with nothing but a hurriedly scrabbled note tucked into his sayas to bear witness home to his family.

The servant sighs and allows Taira into the building, then heads upstairs to find Dabo. He eventually comes down the stairs, looking extremely tired. "...something about an emergency...?"

Taira nodded.

"Yes, Ide-sama. I have been told by a reliable source that some of your kin had... a meeting... with a creature of the darkness."

A slow breath. "I wanted to know if you were aware."

Dabo pauses in the doorway, still exhausted and half-awake. "Soshi-san, if they did not, then there is nothing I can tell you. If they did, then I could not tell you." He runs his fingers through his unbound hair, absently pulling at a tangle. "Rumors are flying about this camp faster than the Shinjo can ride. Do the Unicorn you have met seem like the sort of people who would willingly consort with darkness?"

"No, apart from one proud Moto who refuses to heed a word from people like me. In her pride, I would not put it past her to assume she always knew better."

Taira took a slow breath. "I warned her, and when I confronted her, she did not deny, but instead accused me of being insulting because my language was harsh. I am sorry, Ide-sama, that I did speak more angrily than I should, and that is my shame, but the important of this matter cannot be overstated."

Centering himself, he said, softly, "When the morning comes and she gives her own report to you of my actions, I just ask that you consider my actions, the services I have rendered. If she advises that this monster was courteous and charming, that he was reasonable and sane... I ask that you give it not even a moment of consideration. There was a clan who made deals with Jigoku once. Now only ashes live in their home. I want the Unicorn to thrive, Ide-sama, it is not right that a problem of the Empire should threaten your people so soon."

Bowing deeply, as deeply as he could, he held the bow and said, "I must also beg your forgiveness for my rash actions when confronting Moto-san, I intended to provoke the truth from her, and while I in part succeeded, I was rude, and I must own the words I spoke. I accept any reprimand you deem fit."

"Go get some sleep, Soshi-san." Despite the hour, Dabo manages to force a tired smile onto his face. "In the middle of the night, with the dark all around us, it often seems as if there is no hope and that every option is laced with malice. In the light of Lady Sun, I am certain that it will all be revealed as a misunderstanding."

He pauses, considers something, and shakes his head. "Perhaps a misunderstanding and a fair amount of Moto pig-headedness. I love my cousins with all my heart, but sometimes it is easier to thread a camel through the eye of a needle than to get them to admit they are wrong."

"One thanks you for your patience, Ide-sama."

Then he rose.

"I hope... I hope Moto-san is aware that meeting with such a creature is a crime punishable by death. I would hate for these rumors to... go any further, for her to think them wise to repeat. After all, as one already exposed to the touch of darkness, she would want to avoid any ugly rumors spreading about... You are wise, Ide-sama, and I will take your words to heart."

Bowing again, he waited to be dismissed.

"Thank you, Soshi-san." He bows to the Scorpion and waits for him to depart before returning to his room.

Taira withdrew and left, thinking he had played the fool long enough for one night.

/exit