Gathering of Wave Men...
By Dennis Quearry
Toturi walks into the village. His brow furrowed and coated with sweat and dirt. He pulls his clenched hand and forearm slowly over his brow wiping away the grime. He sighs softly and looks about at the Eta moving around the dirt streets. Eta women making baskets and clothing for the low people. Eta children playing with wooden sticks acting like they are samurai, samurai they would never become. Most of the men were away, either farming their poor soils or performing tasks in Ryoko Owari.
He sets his sights on the lime encrusted walls of the city. The ronin, once a Lion, looks down to his side as Eta drop to their hands and feet as he walks through the small village. His thoughts were on the ronin he sought, and with this one's help, he would find the others. Toturi walks through the poppy fields towards the gate of the city. He approaches the red plumes and he goes through the procedures to enter the city. Once inside he makes his path straight for Teardrop Island, travelling by boat at night with several other samurai. They all wear the basket masks to hide their identities while on the island known for its more dishonorable pleasures.
Once through the Swords Polished shop he heads for the Pale Lotus, a very small geisha house on the east side of the island. The disguised ronin walks in and asks the madame about a certain man, a certain gruff and smelly man. The madame smiles at him,"Yes, he is seeing Nishio right now."
Toturi coughs and clears his dust laden throat,"May I interrupt them? It is of utmost importance."
The madame smiles softly and looks at Toturi. "We shall see, give me a moment."
She then disappears down a scarcely lit hallway. A few moments later she is guiding Toturi to a room. A room where a soft kyoto song is being played. The silken notes pass through the rice paper walls and into Toturi's ears. His thoughts bring him back to that night with the geisha, the geisha he loved. A geisha who poisoned him and prevented him from being there as his clan was all but slaughtered at the hands of Shoju's armies. Shoju, he thought, I am coming for you and coming for you very soon.
The madame opens the screen to the room and the man inside turns to look at the doorway with his one good eye. The man chortles softly and smiles," Ahhh...Toturi-sama how good of you to grace my presence." He laughs harder now as Toturi walks into the room.
"I am in need of your sword and your knowledge Dairya-sama.", Toturi says in a hushed tone, his voice still dry from his journey."Ginawa-san and Takuan-san have both joined me. Now I need you and your connections to help raise an army to crush my hated enemy."
Dairya jumps at this quickly and dismisses the geisha from the room. He then looks at Toturi with a glare."Have you no mind, Toturi-sama?", he questions,"These walls have ears everywhere. I will pledge my sword to your cause of course, but we should speak of things elsewhere. Especially since we are in the heart of the devil's world."
Toturi nods in agreement and the two men quickly depart the Pale Lotus. They pass through the streets to the southern end of the city, and through the gates there to the stables. Dairya pays the stable master for stabling his horse, and purchases a horse from the stable master as well. He pats the side of the horses neck, a fine Unicorn steed. Then both men get into the saddles and steal off into the night. In search of more ronin who would be loyal to the cause, a cause of revenge.
Return...
