[x] Sirrocco
Could someone have stolen the letter from your person? No… No, that is impossible. You passed few people on your way here, and even fewer were close enough to attempt such a thing. The likelihood that anyone could simply reach into your clothing and take the letter is so low as to be ludicrous.
An icy pit forms in your stomach. If no one could have taken the letter by mundane means, then obviously it was done with supernatural methods. But who would go to such efforts, and why?
You can't help but feel you're being used as a pawn in a larger game, and unfortunately you weren't even aware that the contest had started.
"Yasuki-sama," you say, your expression becoming grim. "It appears that someone is toying with me in some fashion. The letter was apparently removed from my person without my knowing while I was on the way here. Would you like me to describe its contents here, or wait for a more private location? There is no action to be done with regard to it until after today's negotiations regardless."
"Private would be best," Yasuki Goro replies, glancing around. No one else is at the table with you, but the room is not empty. "Come with me."
He stands and walks out the door, and you follow close behind. Within minutes you are both inside of his rooms. In truth, if someone wished to listen in on you there isn't much either you or your superior could do about it. Otherworldly powers are no doubt already at play here, and you are no Shugenja. Mere walls will not be enough.
But it is the best you have, so you must make do. Even a paper-thin protection can sometimes turn a sword blow, and this is no different. Take what precautions you can, and stay wary for anything that might attempt to take you unawares.
"Please continue, Sosuke-san," Yasuki Goro says, settling by his desk. "You seem troubled."
"I must admit that I am, Yasuki-sama," you respond. "I was given the letter on waking by a servant, who told me that she was given it by someone entirely nondescript. It was written in a friendly and respectful tone, but crafted with a clear and acknowledged intent to arouse suspicion."
"Interesting," the courtier says. "That seems like something the Scorpion might do. Perhaps the Mantis, as well."
"The author suggested that they had been following our journeys closely, refused to provide any details about themselves, and asked to meet me after today's discussions with the Dragon at the Pale Radiance - a local tea-house," you continue. "When I asked the servant, she knew of it and complemented their fare. The letter suggested that if I were prepared to keep an open mind, it could be to my benefit."
"Ahh, I see," your superior says, smiling. "So already the games begin. I was wondering when we would see something like this. You were right in bringing this to me, Sosuke-san, but you needn't worry overmuch. Shadowplays such as this are not uncommon in the courts."
"Yasuki-sama, I do not trust this at all, and I do not like it," you say. "The letter all but screams that it is the first step in an attempt to tempt me into dishonorable behavior. That itself was laid out so blatantly that I suspect that their may be a second knife hiding behind the first." You frown as a thought strikes you. "Something about the phrasing and the nondescript man who brought it brings to mind the servants of the Nothing. They signed their name as Nisshoku as well, which could easily be suggesting-"
"Sosuke-san," Yasuki Goro interrupts, his tone quiet but powerful as he cuts a hand through the air. "That isn't something to suggest lightly." He leans back, voice softening. "Think about what you are saying, that agents of the Shadow Dragon have infiltrated a one of the castles of the Dragon Clan?" He shakes his head. "No, those are not words to let slip too easily."
"My Lord, do you believe my concerns unfounded?" you ask. "There are, after all, bandits who have felt that foul being's touch within these lands."
"Moto Shinichiro's forces were influenced by the Nothing, true," your Lord answers. "But they wielded it like a bludgeon, without subtlety. This is nothing like what you describe." He nods, tapping the table in thought. "No, far more likely that some other group is attempting to manipulate you for some purpose."
That would make more sense, actually. You have no true evidence that the powers of the Nothing are involved with this letter, and it was more of a passing thought in any case. A perfectly mortal Shugenja could have accomplished the letter's disappearance, which is far more likely. Even still, you can't shake the feeling…
Which might be the point, now that you think of it. What if the events of the letter had been set up in such a way to make you suspect the involvement of the Shadow Dragon? The phrasing, the plain faced man who delivered the letter, the disappearance… Could all of this have been a ruse in order to make you paranoid?
You have no idea why anyone would want to do this, of course. It seems a pointless gesture, serving no purpose but to distract you. But perhaps that, in itself, is enough for the mysterious sender to achieve their goals?
The beginnings of a headache are blossoming in your skull. Truly, the machinations of court are both twisted and aggravating. Why anyone puts up with it is beyond you.
[] Write in.
