Down on Main Street [Okata/Open]

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Fujishima Shigenobu walked slowly through the districts of the city, rubbing his poorly dressed shoulders with the shoulders of those who looked far above him in station. Shige smiled beneath his downturned hat. Nobody seemed to take note of him whatsoever, and (at least for the moment), he liked it that way. Perhaps he could haggle for lower prices.

Making his way to the market district, Shigenobu perused the stalls of the merchants, careful not to show too much interest in any one item as he walked. But one particular hitatare caught his eye and even Shigenobu could not hide his interest in it. The fabric was not of any very high quality, but the colors were magnificent, deep green with azure trim. The pattern was that of concentric diamonds, which wasn't too far from Shigenobu's own family mon of three concentric pyramids. All in all, it was nice enough, and certainly better than the dusty rags that he was currently wearing.

How much? The man running the stall ignored his query, bouncing a long stick against his foot and watching the other people of the city go about their own business.

I asked, how... much... The man eyed him but made a shooing motion with the stick and his free hand. Go, go! I don't sell these wonders to freaky-looking beggars!

Fre-freaky?! Beggar?! Shigenobu loosened his sash ever so slightly to allow him free access to the knives in his bandolier. Traffic or not, things might be about to get pretty bad for this merchant. If anyone was going to be arrogant in this situation, it was going to be Shigenobu.

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

It had been a fine day for Ryunosuke as he walked around the marketplaces of Chugoku. This area was a bustling town with merchandise from all over the world, and Ryunosuke was interested in what weapon he could find in this marketplace that he could imitate back to his forge in Totomi. There should be many types of weapons here, and as a blacksmith himself, he could haggle for prices if he had the mood for it. It's because most of the time, the people who import goods don't know what they are selling.

When he passed through the main street, his eyes widened at the number of stalls that lined it. As he passed through the street, an object caught his eye. Not a particular weapon, though, but a haori, sky-blue in color, and with a white trim of triangles lining the cuff and the hem. And, looking at the size, it would fit him perfectly. He then looked at the haori he wore, it seemed tattered due to the many times he had wore it in battles. It seemed that it was time to buy him some new clothes.

He stopped his cart, and moved towards the stall, seeing what seemed to be a beggar looking at a deep green cloth also sold at the stall. He then moved forward, held the haori that took his interest, and said, "Sir, how much..."

His words were stopped by a shooing motion of the merchant with his stick, and had he not removed the hands off the haori, his hand would be hit by the stick. He glared at the shopkeeper, and said, "I am a merchant myself, and I know it is bad to scare away customers. That kind of attitude will just take the gains away from you." He then held the green cloth and the haori, and then said, "How much for both of these?"

[Nomi no Ōkata]

A woman adorned in a white kimono with pink cherry blossom designs strew across walked through the streets. It hung loosely from her shoulders, the tops of her breasts exposed. Even in public, Okata made her sensuality known. She was not ashamed of it and, despite her obvious career, she walked with a regal air. Okata was confident and serene as she walked down the street, hands within the sleeves of her kimono.

The secret concubine and spy of Lord Mori made an order for clothes for her lordship and herself, ones of fine silks. she hadn't told him, wanting to bring him some nice gifts. What she had ordered to be tailored were clothes of rich greens and golds for him, and crimsons and pinks and golds for her. Certainly the lord could afford whatever she could give him, but it was the thought that counted. Plus, she felt it was the least she could do. He gave so much to her, and continued to do so. These clothes would be nice to wear besides his usual attire, and yet still fit his tastes.

As she neared the stall where her order was, the woman removed a large coin purse from her sleeve. But just as she neared, someone roughly bumped into her and she winced. Feeling the purse snatched from her hands, Okata's light blue eyes widened and she gasped. A man had taken her money and was running off.

"H-Hey!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the man. Her eyes were narrowed and she shouted, hoping someone would help, although she was doubtful with her experience with people, "Thief!"

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Shigenobu glanced over as the very tiny person in the slightly frayed finery approached the stall and was almost slapped by the merchant's stick. He even had the audacity to not apologize to the small man, who was quite clearly affluent enough to purchase the entire stall, awning and everything. The actual surprise came when the stranger offered to purchase not only a fine-looking haori and the hitatare that Shige had eyed himself. Sir, you do not have to do that. I am perfectly cap--.

If I sell my clothing to a beggar like him, then my reputation is ruined as a tailor! I would lose far more m--

He probably had more disparaging things to say about Shigenobu and his mismatched gifted clothing, but he was cut short (and coincidentally probably had his life saved) by a shrill scream coming from a few stalls further along. Shige's eyes followed where an incredibly sensually dressed woman was pointing, catching sight of a man running crossways through the market, clutching something to his chest. Yes, that would probably be the thief, then.

Shige sighed, a knife from his bandolier appearing in his hand almost as if by magic. As he moved to throw it (the man was only about twenty feet away but the distance was widening), his eyes were for some reason drawn back in the direction of that woman. There was just something about her. Something round, and firm, and just wanting to be slapped. Man, that was a nice ass. Before he even realized it, Shige's knife had taken flight, although his distraction had caused irreperable harm to his aim. It sailed just a touch low and to the right, catching the miscreant just above the right knee instead of just underneath the right arm as intended. Stupid, Shige, stupid stupid.

In theory the man could have gotten up and continued running, since the hit was far less than mortal, but he must not have been used to pain, as he was writhing in pain on the ground, the purse forgotten momentarily. A smirk crossed Shigenobu's bearded face as he began walking over to the injured man.

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

Ryunosuke was about to interrupt the tailor's words when he heard a shriek. He turned towards the direction of the shriek, and he saw a very beautiful woman dressed and poised very beautifully. She seemed to be very affluent, judging from her clothes and the way she conducted, slightly destroyed by that particular situation when a thief stole a purse from her. The thief ran across the main street passing him and the "beggar", and was about to get away when the "beggar" threw a knife towards the direction of the bandit, but being distracted by the woman, the dagger was thrown off-course, and fortunately it hit the thief on the right thigh. If the thief managed to stand up, Ryunosuke would be the one to chase the thief down, but, being not used to the pain, the thief just writhed around the place.

As the beggar walked toward the thief, Ryunosuke turned again at the tailor, and said, "What if I were to tell you that that beggar you always spurned will become the next best thing in the land? Hell, I would even bet my merchandise on it." He then held again the two items that he held a while ago. "How much for these again?"

[Nomi no Ōkata]

Fortunately, someone stopped the thief, throwing a knife at his leg. Okata blinked as people in the marketplace gasped, and when man fell to the ground, writhing, the concubine was quite satisfied, a small smile pulling at her ruby lips. Excellent.

She moved towards where the thief was stopped, halting far enough away to where he wouldn't suddenly be able to get up and attack her. Okata eyed her coin purse close to the man who had stopped the thief, before her light blue gaze switched to poorly dressed fellow.

Bowing her head respectively, Okata said, voice warm and silky, sensuous in tone without any real effort, "Thank you kindly, sir. It would have been tragic indeed if he had gotten away."

Upon seeing Okata, the man at the stall gaped, eyes widening, exclaiming "Mistress!" It was clear he knew her and was embarrassed about the state of things, and Okata merely blinked, looking between him and the other two people.

"What seems to be the trouble? Is something the matter, Kaname-san? I came here merely to pick up my orders, when this," she waved her hand towards the bandit, "happened."

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

When Shige arrived at the fallen thief's writhing body, he pulled the knife violently free, eliciting a small squeal of pain. He then placed his foot directly on the wound and leaned his weight on it while he used the brigand's own clothes to clean the blood off his knife, causing the man to cry out much louder. Shaking his head, Shige replaced the knife in his bandolier and leveled a swift kick straight to the man's head, knocking him out and ending the pitiful whimpers of pain. With a deft movement, he tied the man's hands behind his back using the thief's own jacket sleeves and then stooped to pick up the coin purse. He hefted it once in his hand (an impressive sum indeed; it was a wonder the woman had not protected it better).

Shige's thoughts were interrupted by the silken woman slinkily sauntering up and speaking sensually. Whoa. Shige was already kind of a sucker for a pretty face, but just... whoa. Y-yes, my lady. A tragedy indeed. Pretty sure this is yours. Lightly, he tossed the sack back to her just before she turned toward the sounds of commotion coming from the vendor's stall. Phew, that was over with.

As she turned, Shige's eyes wandered once more down her backside. Mmmmmmmmmmm....... Yeah, that was nice. He could probably sit there and watch it all day. So brazen was his gazin' that an older woman, parasol in hand to protect her aging skin from the sun's harsh rays, smacked him on the arm and said something about being rude. No matter, Shige could probably paint those curves from memory now. He just might.

He focused back in on the conversation just in time to hear the merchant grudgingly refer to him as his mistress's freaky-eyed savior. Apparently he had recounted the entire story already. Shige shook his head, trying to clear the red he felt rising with every shrill word the man spoke, and simply retied his sash over the knife bandolier.

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

Ryunosuke found himself staring at the woman's backside again. Why does this keep on happening to him. He tried pulling an eyepatch across his face but it seemed not effective enough. To that effect he just shook his head and glanced at the woman's face. He then said at the woman, "Apparently, that man over there, who stopped the thief, was the problem of Kaname-san over here. I almost got hit when Kaname-san shooed the man away with his stick. But I see that this man might be a traveler that was met with unfortunate disasters on the way, and I tried to help, being a merchant who knew better. But even I was roughed up by Kaname-san with his words, and did not even apologize on his mistake on me. You ought to have someone who is not as abusive in words and deeds as him, seeing you are a fine lady." His voice went from nice to somewhat having an accusing tone while he said those words, hoping to twist the tailor's mind to his advantage.

[Nomi no Ōkata]

Okata lifted her hands and caught the bag, opening it and making sure everything was there. It was.

"Thank you."

The woman was so used to people checking her out that she didn't particularly notice. Well, that wasn't really the case. It was simply that she didn't care. It bothered her not in the least, and, in fact, it was a good thing that she was noticed. Her appearance and sensuality were her hooks after all.

The merchant began to try to describe the situation to the concubine in a fluster, resulting in her brows arching upwards. She may have been a whore to everyone's eyes (with an exceptional few knowing her ties to Lord Mori), but she was the whore, the top courtesan. Okata had immense affluence, and people wanted in one way or another, whether sexually, financially, or both.

The short boy began to speak, and her light blue gaze moved to him. As Okata listened, the woman realized how idiotic all of this was and, quite frankly, she didn't care. Okata had plenty to do. She just wanted to get her things and go back to her Lord, but... she also had an appearance to keep. Unlike Motonari, her image was that of a caring, generous woman who readily listened to the troubles of others.

What a pain in the ass.

She nodded, listening to his words and pretending to care, a soft, sweet smile on her lips and within her eyes. As he went on, she reacted accordingly, glancing over at the merchant, who visibly tensed, and then back to Ryu.

"Hmm... how troubling indeed."

If it weren't for her immense amount of restraint, Okata would have laughed. 'You ought to have someone who is not as abusive in words and deeds as him, seeing you are a fine lady.' How absurdly humorous, considering who she was the concubine of. He was not cruel or harsh with her, but so many feared Lord Mori, thinking he was an abusive, brutal prick, and, in certain regards and towards some people, he was. This merchant couldn't even measure in comparison.

Inhaling deeply, her chest rising, Okata exhaled, releasing a sigh. The man's worry seemed to skyrocket. Stepping forward, the concubine moved close to the merchant, not quite touching him, but coming so very close. She slipped the bag into his hand.

"Please give me my order and whatever they desired to purchase, and then let's forget this ever happened, hm?" Okata tilted her head and smiled, the lids of her eyes drooping. She bat her eyes slowly. "An apology isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Okata was victorious, and the man would quietly apologize and bow. Her smile grew larger, satisfied. So few men seemed to be able to resist her womanly charms and (ass)ets. Upon being given her order, she held the wrapped, rich garments against her bosom, and she would bow her head and thank the merchant. The man offered to have someone carry the clothes to her business and she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Oh, that isn't necessary, Kaname-san. The distance isn't far." She turned towards the other two and arched her brows. Okata mostly looked at Shige, as he was the one who directly helped her. "To further show my appreciation, please... allow me to take you to lunch."

[Fujishima Shigenobu]

Both brand new clothing more befitting of his status as "kind of a big deal" and lunch? About damn time someone recognized Shige for what he was. He inclined his head, fingertips brushing the edge of his hat. I thank you for the offer, Mistress...... He paused a moment, aware the she had not yet ventured her name. No matter. I am Fujishima Shigenobu, and I would be more than happy to accompany you to lunch. Pretty much anything to continue being able to gaze upon that beauty.

Shige turned and gathered up his new clothing, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he ran a finger along a seam. No such smile was lent to the merchant, however. Merely a cold glare from his one blue eye. It seemed as if the penitent merchant would live out the day after all, however. He turned then to the tiny, tiny merchant beside him. And you would be?

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

"The name's Ichimura Ryunosuke, and I am a blacksmith from Totomi," the boy replied. "I just came to visit here because this was a good harbor, and I should expect many crafts here from here and abroad. I just happened to have fancied upon a haori when this happened." He scratched the back of his head while smiling. "Maybe I had become a magnet of something like that event." Actually it was the reverse: he was always deeply magnetized by such events, being a part of the militia.

He then collected the haori from the tailor, who he gave a little wink after he got the item, and then gave a bag of coins to him. He then tried out the haori, slipping it on his body. As he looked upon his new clothes, he became visibly happy. "And it fits me really perfectly, and it had such a nice feel! Looks like I'll not be able to use this when I vend my goods!" He then removed the haori and, neatly folding it, he placed it on a cloth bag and placed the bag on his cart, which he pulled as he went again towards the two. "Mind if I accompany you? I'll pay my own meals."

[Nomi no Ōkata]

She smiled as he took up her offer. Okata had appearances to keep and the more people on her side, the better. As for the money, it really wasn't a big deal for her to spend this. Not only was she the spy and concubine of quite wealthy Lord Mori, but she also made her own money from the brothel and other men. It had been some time since she was short on money.

When names were given, Okata gave a bow and said her primary false name, "Masaki Amaya."

Upon standing tall once more, she smiled. "I am pleased to hear that, Fujishima-san."

She turned to face Ryu and arched her brows. "Oh? A blacksmith? And from Totomi? That is certainly a good ride from here."

Okata closed her eyes and smiled, hands slipping within the sleeves of her kimono. "But yes. Chugoku is quite prosperous, and there are numerous merchants and merchandise here. One can find just about whatever they desire here~"

Yes. Including top-notch whores, or courtesans. Aki province was the perfect place to go for her and start up her own business. For the money... and eventually coming into contact with Lord Mori. Her life changed because of her decision, and for the better.

"Trouble can come from anywhere," remarked the woman, herself included. If you were a target and being investigated, and there was something on you that greatly displeased her lord... well, things wouldn't work out so well for you. Her light blue eyes fluttered open, and she continued to smile. "Anyone can attract it, I find. And as for accompanying us, why of course."

Entertaining one man. Two men. Either was worked, although she was more of a one-on-one woman. Oh well. She wasn't required to spy on either of the men and so there wasn't anything to worry about. After asking the other merchant to have the theif arrested, Okata began to walk in a different direction, motioning for the men to follow her.

"There is an excellent restaurant serving dishes unique to Aki. They have some of the best fish in the country here~"