Despair and Wisdom: Imperial March

Mid-morning finds young Doji Hametsu exiting the briefing tent amid a small bevy of other aides-de-camp, the fresh-faced sons and daughters of a dozen heroes of the several clans, each hoping that they are on the fast track to rank, each more than a little suspicious of the talents and qualifications of the others.

For his part, Hametsu took up a brisk pace as he picked his way through the encampment, his eyes peeking up from time to time from the briefing paper to make sure he did not run bodily into anyone. It seemed the Taisa would need...

He sidestepped an improperly sited tent peg at the last possible moment.

*Hmph*, he thought as he scanned the area for the owner, This does not look safe!.

It was a legion readying for muster, certainly. Hikimasu had experience with this. Exercises with the first Crimson Legion weren't especially different, and though a meeting of the clans was not long off in his past, he was still getting used to the multi-colored bramble of samurai he was among that day. He had arrived clad in his armor, mask pulled up over the lower half of his face, creepy eyes not fixed on anything in particular. He bothered at the length of the journey, leading his (rather magnificent) horse by the reigns as he looked for the stables.

Surely they were nearby. Clearly he would find them soon. Of course, he'd kept wandering and was now more or less in the middle of camp.

Well, seems I've missed them.

The horse chortled, as if hearing his thought.

"Quiet, you."

Attracted by the horse's wicker, Hametsu turned to look up at the approaching Scorpion.

"I say," he ventured, "take care, Scorpion-san, it seems some of the tents have been sited improperly! I should hate if anything should threaten your horse!"

He bowed deeply in apology for interrupting the horseman's day.

The Shosuro's gaze flicked about for a split second. He didn't see any tent pegs that appeared dangerous. Or perhaps he did. It was difficult to read anything in his ghastly eyes.

"I see", he said, somewhat uncomfortably. He looked back and forth again, perhaps to see if there was some avenue of escape, but the Crane had called out and was bowing.

He returned the gesture.

"Thank you. I am called Shosuro Hikimasu, I'll be reporting for duty just as soon as I find the stable", he said and straightened. The horse bumped him slightly with his snout. "This one is Yudaina", he gestured to the horse.

"Doji Hametsu, 4th Kaisha. Please, forgive me for the interruption." He gestured to the path behind the Scorpion. "Shosuro-san will find the stables on his left if he turns right about 40 rows in that direction. I hope that the Legion's facilities will be to Bayushi-san's standards. Yudaina seems to expect the best."

The horse, now encouraged, stood proudly.

"Don't encourage him", the Scorpion warned.

Forty rows. He wondered just how meticulous this Crane was, and also if he followed the directions, would he find his companion there with that satisfied smile on their face?

Probably.

"Well, thank you, Doji-san", the Scorpion offered another bow. "I should make my way there." He had meant to ask about the Crane, and converse for a little. After all, getting to know the people one will work with is important, but he was bad at carrying conversations, and the Doji looked busy finding misplaced tent pegs.

He started to walk off, and then Yudaina tugged at the reigns, stopping him.

He looked at the horse, then looked down. Seeing a small object in the muddy pathway through camp, he knelt down to get a better look.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hametsu steps forward to clear the tether and approaches. "Something the matter, Shosuro-san?"

Crouching down he moves some mud away with his hand, getting a single finger into the grime to dig out what he saw. Though he was uncertain of what he'd be claiming. Taking it in his hand he stood up, holding it out in his palm. A small shiny object, covered in dirt and mud, but seemed wood carved and lacquered an eggshell white and brown. A comb, like a courtier may have in their hair to pin it in place.

"Someone may have dropped this, some time ago." He checked it more closely to see if it was damaged.

Hametsu frowned. "Hmm...someone will have to post a notice about proper storage." He looked a little closer. "It seems too nice a thing to be left in the thoroughfare, don't you think?"

The Scorpion looked sidelong at the Crane. "Truly."

Then he took a hand cloth from within his armor and wiped the comb clean. "No mon, not that I can tell in any case. You seem quite conscientious to the camp at large, Doji-san. Perhaps you might find the owner and win their favor?" he held out the cleaned comb.

"My duties will not permit time for a thorough investigation, but I will be happy to convey it to the legion's lost and found and complete the necessary paperwork." He accepted the comb. "A lovely thing like this will surely have been missed."

Well, he must be married. Or sees it as troublesome as I do.

"Oh? You sound busy then", the Scorpion observed. "What duties are you performing for the legion? Have you marched with the 42nd before?"

"Oh! I am adjutant to Taisa Daidoji Kumiko of the 4th Kaisha, though that is a new assignment, she just having taken up the post," he explained, "and I am afraid that the Legion has not done all that much marching in recent memory, save an occasional trot up to the Castle of the Emerald Champion for field maneuvers and the seasonal decamps into the city for the...well, the Season." He smiled blandly. "So these new orders have been quite novel. We've had to dust off some ancient regulations."

"Ancient regulations?" Both the Scorpion and his horse tilted their heads curiously.

"Oh, yes, who has precedence on march, how precious materials are meant to be safeguarded, that sort of thing. Everything has to be shipshape when leaving base, of course. And officers can get very touchy about having the marching order correct. There are all sorts of stories about feuds."

By Lord Moon's Beard.

"Any information you can share on that? I was told to report. To.the fifth Kaisha."

He nodded slowly. "Well, it has to do with how much seniority an officer has. My Kaisha's commanding officer is the most junior, so we shall most likely be last in the order, unless the Rikugunshokan's orders countervail. The Fifth Kaisha is under Shosuro Fuwanan, whose tent is in that direction," he gestured to the east, "but I confess that I do not know precisely where he comes in seniority. All will be revealed when the order for march is given, of that much we can be sure."

Hikimasu had determined this man was not much for gossip. A shame.

"Well, of course. Though do you know the officers? Any particular rivalries?"

The Crane had alluded to them, after all.

"I would not be surprised. The officers are from very different backgrounds. And...well, one hates to speak ill of one's superiors, but I would tread carefully around the Chief of Logistics. One does one's best to overlook the occasional bout of bad temper, so one tries to minimize contact with that arm of the legion, if one can."

One either completely avoided quartermasters or made them very close friends in Hikimasu's experience. "What do you mean, exactly? They have a poor temper, or are infuriating to be around?"