Fate/sengoku

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Type of Quest:
Rescue Job

Quest Info:
On his way to Owari, Kenji learns of a temple dedicated to Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, where one of their miko, who was being groomed to succeed as head priestess, was kidnapped while in the nearby town. She hasn't turned up in a day, and no one in town claims to have seen her leave, but the rumor is that this has happened before. Kenji has offered to help find the miko, and has been sent to locate her and bring her back, or elsewise learn of her fate.

Location:
Near the Mino-Shinano border, on the northern end closest to Hida.

People Involved:
Kenji, kidnappers, miko

Plot-Important: Not intended, but I'm open to surprises. Maybe a minor lord/vassal/samurai paid the kidnappers to do the deed? I leave this to staff discretion, but in terms of major plot upheaval, I'll pass on that. Also, catch the title reference.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Kenji is informed by one of the priestesses on the missing woman's appearance, as well as being given any other information he felt he might need.

"She has long black hair, longer than waist-length. She was a beautiful young girl, wise beyond her years, and she had the kindest smile. Her eyes were strange, but gorgeous. They looked like the sky." The head priestess who was meant to be replaced seemed incredibly fond of the woman.

"I appreciate your help, young man. Tell me, is there anything in particular you would like to know? I will tell you all you need."

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji had a little secret: he was quite fond of the Sun Goddess and what she stood for. In his youth, he had even carved from wood an amulet in the shape of the sun. He carried this amulet with him to this day, and wore it under his haori regardless of what he was doing, where he was, and what his state of dress was. So, combined with his desire to help his fellow man, when Kenji heard of what had happened to a devout of Amaterasu, he didn't even hesitate to offer a hand.

Listening to the explanation given to him, the miko certainly sounded like a splendid woman, and Kenji felt that her fellow priestesses had no reason to lie. Seeing as he was being given access to any info he needed, he'd take full advantage of it. "There are a couple things I would like to know. Could you tell me what she liked to do in town? What kind of places would she frequent, and was she sent for anything in particular, or visiting for her own reasons?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

"Of course," the old woman started, trying to make herself more comfortable in her seat. "She loved to spend time with the florist, generally, taking in the smell of the flowers. More often than not she would come back here with a handful of flowers for everyone, the sweet girl." She nodded, pausing for a moment. Though, the latter question made her think. She was never out with the young woman, but on a single occasion.

"Generally, she would leave of her own accord. Visiting family, doing tasks of goodwill. She was a great young woman, I tell you."

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji reflected on the newest information, stroking his chin. Truly, this girl was a saint if everything he was hearing was true. Her family must be at least as proud of her as the elderly priestess was, and if they weren't, well... He'd be quite surprised. Nodding, he adjusted his posture for comfort before continuing with a smile. "May I just say, your heir sounds like a wondrous lady. What is her name?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

The older woman smiled as well. She was glad this man thought so. It seemed she was undeniably proud of the young girl, and incredibly heartbroken about what her disappearance.

"Her name is Toda Keiko." She nodded, looking to the ceiling and blinking back tears. "Is there anything else you can think of that you might need to know?"

[Miyamoto Kenji]

"No, I think that's all I'll need." On that note, Kenji stood up, offering the old woman a hand up if she also wished to rise. Regardless, he bowed low, still smiling. By this point, he was committed to the task ahead. "On my life, I swear I will do everything in my power to find Toda Keiko-san, and as soon as possible."

[Oda Nobunaga]

The woman rose her own hand, politely declining the kind boy's gesture. She would rather remain seated. "Thank you very much, young man. You would be doing us all a service."

Kenji was now free to leave the temple and begin exploring the town!

[Miyamoto Kenji]

With the head priestess's information in mind, Kenji politely took his leave and ventured into town. His first objective was to find a lead on Keiko's whereabouts, and to do that, he thought the best place to get such information would be a drinking hole.

No, not a literal drinking hole.

Kenji specifically searched around for teahouses and bars, particularly ones that were well-frequented. Upon finding one, he would enter, take a seat, and listen quietly to the conversations going on within, attempting to pick out a detail regarding the missing miko.

[Oda Nobunaga]

It wouldn't be long before Kenji found a bar that seemed to be quite busy. Getting a table all by his lonesome would be a mission in and of itself, but he would eventually manage. It seemed as though there were so many conversations going on at once, it'd be hard to tell if any of them held any relevance to his objective but then... everyone was talking about it.

"The woman was truly a messenger of Amaterasu herself, I tell you."
"Aye, it's a downright shame this had to happen. I'd rather myself than her."
"Don't talk like that, Kaede, it could happen!"
"Well I'm just saying. I wish it didn't happen to her."

"Everyone's acting like she was such a saint, but she had this coming."
"What the hell are you talking about, Yukata? Don't be an ass."
"I'm just saying. Goes around all goody-two-shoes in public, but how do you know that's the real her?"
"Maybe because that's what she's always been like."
"In public."
"Cut it out. You know she didn't ask for it."

"So, you heard about what happened to Keiko, right?"
"Don't bring that talk here, woman. Everyone who gets involved disappears. I'll slap that talk outta you."
"Come on, don't you think it's weird? All these nobodies, and then the head priestess-to-be?"
"Cut. It. Out."

[Miyamoto Kenji]

So many conversations going on, and just as many to glimpse tidbits from. Kenji took interest in two exchanges in particular. The first was the one with a woman called Kaede, whose partner was in agreement with how Keiko was apparently a scion of her deity. The second was the man who threatened to harm a curious woman. On one hand, he had a point in that if a local got involved, the kidnappers in question might take interest and silence them. On the other hand, unprovoked violence was never an answer.

Kenji stood from his table and began to approach Kaede and her companion, deliberately taking a route that would have him pass the latter party's spot in the bar. If no violence occured on his way, he would leave them alone and proceed onto Kaede, politely asking, "Pardon my intrusion. Do you know what happened to Toda Keiko?"

If the threatening man swung for the woman, and Kenji was within reach, he would lash out and catch his wrist, stating calmly, "This is not the answer. If you're worried about others being taken, do something about the kidnappings instead of taking it out on others." If, however, he was not within reach and the woman got harmed, Kenji would instead come up behind the man and roughly slam his head into the table (or another hard object if he's not sitting), declaring to both him and those nearby, "Why're you attacking your neighbor instead of working to stop these kidnappings? That's low and petty!"

[Oda Nobunaga]

[OoC: Because Kaede is now an important character, she'll be getting a speech color.]

Nothing happened when Kenji passed the group initially. The women he approached seemed startled at his arrival, and just before they could answer, the man did indeed strike the woman. Kenji would slam his head into the table, and he fell to the ground, holding his nose. It seemed the statement he made hung heavy on everyone there.

"It's not that easy." The woman, Kaede, spoke. "There's a reason no one gets involved." She stood to her feet, sighing, beckoning for the man to follow her. Her friend tried to stop her, but she calmed the woman down and would lead Kenji out of the bar, should he choose to follow. If he did, she would lead him a good way out of the public eye.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

The woman's statement was cryptic, but there was likely some truth to it. Whether it was an honest truth or a less than honorable one, he was about to find out... Maintaining awareness of his surroundings and of Kaede, he followed the woman out of the bar and to wherever she deigned to take him, ready to react should something occur.

[Oda Nobunaga]

"Todo Keiko, she was a wonderful woman, as I'm sure you've heard," Kaede would begin once she felt as though they were far enough from people. "You wouldn't understand the predicament here, though, I assume. I don't recognize you." The woman gave him a good once-over before continuing. "These disappearances, they're nothing new. It started off as something small, random, nameless women would disappear every-so-often. Then people started talking, and those people started disappearing, too. It got to the point where we just thought it was best to forget about it, and it sounds bad, yeah, but..." she shrugged. "It worked, y'know? No one went missing for a while. And then comes Toda Keiko, the most amazing woman anyone here has ever met in their lives, and she brings the issue to new light. Says she wants to find the women and deal with the problem, because we let it sit for too long. People believed her, and she didn't ever disappear, so it was like, hey, we can trust her. But then..." Kaede sighed.

"That's why people were saying we shouldn't be talking about it. She brought it back. And then here you are, some nameless hero. What's it to you, anyway?"

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji took in Kaede's recollection and reviewed it in his mind. From the sounds of things, Keiko had inadvertently reignited the kidnapping fiasco by asserting her desire to find the victims. Absolutely no one could blame her for wanting to do this, yet there were those who seemed to do so back in the bar. It bothered him, making him wonder if they were simply bitter, or if he had yet to learn of certain details...

As for Kaede's question, he folded his arms under his chest. "Honestly? I just can't stand people being taken and never being found. It doesn't help that I've heard much of how saintly Toda-san sounds, and harming someone who spreads goodwill to others is a pretty low spot in my book." He rubbed his neck to relieve an itch before dropping his arms, continuing to monitor his surroundings as he spoke again. "I have no stake in this town, but that's no reason for me not to try doing something about what's happened. That's what I believe, anyway... I'll find Toda-san and as many of the missing townspeople as I can, regardless of what occurs."

[Oda Nobunaga]

Kaede smiled at his words. From what she could tell, this was a good man in front of her. Though, she was not sure just how foolish he was, or could be. So many times, she had heard those words uttered, and so many times she had seen "saviors" fail. Admittedly, however, she was tired of sitting back on the sidelines. It pained her to say, but it took someone incredibly important and kind being harmed for her to really put her foot down and try and make any difference.

"Well, "Hero,"" she jabbed jokingly. "So far, you're one step ahead. Generally, it's just been those who bring it up who get taken. Those who try to fix things. And if I'm not mistaken, that'd put me right there with you." A laugh escaped her lips as she led him through the village a little further. "So far we haven't been able to find where they've taken anyone. We're hoping it's one place, but it could be several. Hell, Keiko could be in Satsuma right now and we would have no way of knowing. So what's your move?"

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji chuckled in accordance with the woman's laugh. If he were to have a companion for this venture, he would certainly not turn her down. Of course, they were still strangers, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to be a little cautious. She was likely the same way. As her review wrapped up, he pondered for a couple moments. "We'll need to find a lead on where she could've been taken, or at least where the kidnappers are or have been. We have to assume that they're not fond of the standard establishments... Does this town have any seedy joints or hangouts?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

Kaede shrugged. "There's one I know of, my brother used to frequent it. A brother, not far behind the church of Amaterasu, blessed be that irony." Though, Kaede almost fully doubted they'd be there. Women were being taken, and that was a place filled with women who could be taken easily. Along with that, none of the women from the brothels have gone missing.

"It wouldn't make sense, though. And also, I just remembered, they've been closed down for at least a month now."

[Miyamoto Kenji]

There was one thing that Kenji learned through his travels. If something was least likely of occuring, it was worth investigating that possibility, because it could, infact, be what one is looking for. Of course, there was an equal chance that it wasn't, but anything was possible. "At least a month, huh... Roughly when did the first kidnapping happen?

[Oda Nobunaga]

"The first kidnapping... more than a year ago. But before Keiko, there was one other, and, come to think of it... that was just about a month ago." She almost felt like they were trying to put a square peg in a round hole (does that analogy work in this time period?), but it was a lead, and so far, it was the only one they had.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

"Hm..." A month ago would fit the bill. Perhaps they closed down the hangout in question in order to remove attention away from it, or perhaps they had moved to another location. Perhaps it was entirely unrelated, but this was the closest thing they had to a lead. It was worth a try. "Let's try that place, then. We'll get in somehow and see what we can find. Are you in?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

Kaede pondered her decision for a while. If this really was related, she could get seriously injured, or disappear like everyone else, without a trace. But she was entirely too fed up with just sitting around doing nothing.

"I'm in. Alright, I'll lead you to the place."

After just a few minutes of walking, Kaede would have led Kenji straight to the brothel. The doors were boarded up, and kanji on the walls would read "closed." From first glance, it seemed the only way in would be through prying the boards off the door. "Those boards are in there pretty good, looks like..."

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Kenji considered the possibility of cutting through the boards. He had replaced his worn-down blades with two well-crafted katana. The problem lay in the fact that, were he able to cleave them through, it would make a racket that anyone inside - if there was anyone at all - would hear and prepare for. Kicking in the door wasn't always a good idea. Rather, he shook his head. "Let's search the outside for another way. We don't know what, if anything, is waiting for us inside, and bashing through the front entrance could end badly." If Kaede concurred, he would take her and commence investigating the outside of the building, keeping his head low and away from any openings or windows through which they could be spotted.

[Oda Nobunaga]

"Got it," Kaede chirped, beginning to search around the outside of the building. She, herself, would find nothing in her searches. Kenji, however, when stepping upon the sand, would hear the sound of wood beneath his feet, at the side of the building. If he looked at the ground, he would see dirt falling through long, thin holes, and an iron ring that was almost entirely obscured by the dirt.

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Struck curious, Kenji stopped immediately and looked down, noting the details of what he just found. He knelt down to brush off what he now surmised was either a basement hatch or trap door, and glanced over at Kaede. "I found something."