"Excuse me, but could you tell me what kind of man Lord Kamiya is? I'm afraid I only met him in passing once."
The talkative porter in back was more than happy to pass the time chattering away. "Ah, the young lord? Well he's been the lord since abouts fourteen, his father falling in battle and all. He's a bit odd that one, making all kinds of different rulings than other provinces. The noble folk don't like him much cause of that, but us common folk like his lands plenty."
Intrigued, the young lady was curious to hear more. "Really? What makes his lands so special?"
The gruff porter took on a wistful tone, apparently very pleased with the memories this brought up. "Ah well, he's got a soft spot for the women folk. When he travels he goes around buying the contracts of prostitutes made ta work in brothels. Then he lets them choose how ta pay it off, with a lot of them making pretty waitresses. Course can't forget tha Flower Division, he's got a whole bunch o' women warriors that are so pretty. They make sure the men folk behave too. Even tha Yakuza are different there."
That was important news, yakuza gangs could be found in almost any area, but some got away with more than others. It was just an important a consideration as the farmers when it came to judging the government of an area. "Really? The Yakuza you say? I'd expect they'd be rough this far out."
By then, the porter was getting into gossiping. "Yeah, you'd think that, but they ain't normal yakuza. They can do everything in broad daylight, but the lord permits it as long as they treat people fairly with-out any cheating...and a lady like yourself wouldn't be interested, but the brothels are heavenly. The girls there are not only pretty, but willing and enthusiastic. They say there's even competition for positions there among the girls, and everything is so nice."
At that moment, the lead porter piped in, a little more gruffly than his companion. "Don't forget the food."
"Haha! Is that all you think about Yosaku? Don't you want ta spend the night with a lovely young lady?"
"I'm kinda hungry. I'd rather hit the Palace."
"Ah yes, well the food is good I admit. They even say that's due to the lord loving food so much. Course there's many stranger things. Ya might see a demon hunter or even a tame demon walking the streets, and the ninja are just as bold as the yakuza. They even have villages of ninja where they train that ya can even visit. If ya have the money ya can even hire one, like if ya wanted a bodyguard or something."
Akane boggled for a moment at all the information, though she didn't let it show on her composed facade. Demons, yakuza and ninja openly roaming the place and they called it heavenly? The mere idea that there were such willing prostitutes was preposterous in and of itself. There was one thing however that really got her attention. "That's interesting. What about these women warriors? The Flower Division I believe you called them?"
Her gossipy porter was more than happy to have something new to chatter about. "Ah yeah, real marvels there. The entire Akabeko Palace there is staffed by them as waitresses and they work all over the place, even in the yakuza joints. They wear these exotic western dresses called 'maido' outfits, so ya can't miss them. Matter o'fact if ya interested in seeing one, we'll be picking up an escort at the check point. Certainly makes that leg of the trip a lot nicer. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, they work at places doing stuff like waitresses, but they're really like the police. Well, I also hear say they're the Lord's private soldiers, but none of the other lords really take that too seriously. They should though, they're something else, practicing all those fancy martial arts like that."
Of the Flower Division, the young lady didn't know what to think, as there was nothing like them in the Japan she knew of. The entire thing sounded less believable than even gossip, like some sort of deluded fairytale.
She was however impressed that her porter could carry her and chatter away at the same time. The other porters sounded like they preferred pacing their breathing instead.
Eventually she was jarred out of her thoughts as the porters placed her palanquin on the ground.
Helpfully the chatty one spoke up. "We're at the checkpoint now Miss. We'll be taking a short break, but you can stretch your legs and get refreshments if you want."
Poking her head out of the palanquin, Akane was greeted to the sight of a common checkpoint, essentially a large wooden hut with wooden barricades along the road.
There was something non standard about it in the form of three strange but friendly girls milling around. She'd seen enough in Tokyo to know those were westerner dresses, so they might belong to the Flower Division the gossip was talking about. Of course, they could just as easily be circus performers.
As they were cheerfully serving the porters and everyone else water, they didn't really fit the image of warriors at all.
Even as he received his water, the gossip was still being overly talkative, chatting up the girls as they came near. "Oh what lovely girls today. Oh yes, my passenger, she's a gift to Lord Kamiya, a concubine for his harem. She was also curious about you gals, guess there's nothing like you ladies in all the rest of Japan!"
Tittering playfully, the purple haired maid he was flattering spun around with exaggeratedly coquettish movements. "You too too nice to Shanpu!"
Turning around, she bounced energetically over to the palanquin they had been carrying, kneeling down to be even with the girl poking her head out of it. "Is good Shanpu know have special guest today. Is can Shanpu help?"
Brushing back the curtains, Akane leaned further out to the side to better face the girl, ignoring the painful shift of her breasts within her kimono that being tilted sideways caused. "Is that so? I was told the Flower Division were women warriors, yet I see no weapons."
Taking it in good humor, the purple haired girl rocked back and forth on her feet in barely contained enthusiasm. "Oh no worry, Shanpu is very strong. We is have weapons too, right Ten-Ten?"
Standing up, the purple haired girl hopped back to stand with her other two team mates. On the right was Shanpu, wearing a purple maid dress that went with her hair. Next to her was a black haired girl with her hair done up in two buns on her head, wearing a black apron dress. On the left was a woman with short black hair, wearing a blue dress. All three had the Kamiya crests on their aprons above the left breast, as well as the kanji for 'season' on the lower left of the apron. They also shared the fact that they wore similar bouquets of small pink blossoms over their ears as hair ornaments.
The middle girl spoke up in simple Japanese, a far cry better than her companion's pidgin version. "Unarmed? Is that what she's worried about? Maybe a little demonstration is in order, eh?"
The woman in the blue dress put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her as she was reaching each hand to the opposite side of her hips as if she were going to pull something out. "That's alright, no need to cause a scene. If a demonstration is in order, then I shall perform. It is important to keep our guests calm, and the entertainment will help to pass the time."
Sighing, Ten-Ten reluctantly relaxed her stance. A demonstration would have let her unwind the stress of being on such a boring duty brought along with it. As she wasn't as sociable as her teammates, doing patrols and babysitting travelers was not her idea of fun. "Eh, fine Xianghua, have it your way. I didn't feel like it anyways."
Raising an eyebrow but letting her friend's ill humor pass, she retrieved a sword from her side. Akane however wasn't so easy to fool, knowing full well that she hadn't had a sword at her side, nor did it have any leads showing it had been attached to her hip.
Drawing the Chinese sword from its sheath, the woman moved into a graceful and slow kata with it. As she gathered an audience with her sword dance, Akane did note that she was indeed skilled with the blade. More telling however was the fact that it was a foreign blade, which gave her some insight into the girls. "So, you're Chinese, right? Foreign warriors serving a Japanese lord. Perhaps that explains your odd stations as servant girls."
Kneeling back down Akane's level, Shanpu had a strange smile as if she knew some tasty secret on her face. "Is so, is great war in homeland, is drive Joketsuzoku tribe out. We is eventually find refuge with distant training ally here. You is do well no make fun of Flower Division, Joketsuzoku or us. We is special chosen for big honor of Joketsuzoku to be in Ranma-shama's harem. We is airen's concubines, but you is not concubine, you is just another girl."
Leaning in close, a fair bit too much to be polite in the formal Japanese society that Akane was used to, the purple haired girl whispered dangerously in her ear. "You is from brothel, sent as insult by annoying boy who try stab-back Ranma-shama when he win. We is get many whore here, who get new life cause airen is kind. Is do well remember that you have earn new life, is not good idea make fun of others."
Not wanting to start off on a bad foot, particularly among concubines who were often known for getting petty with each other, Akane drew back away from her in hurt even as she apologized. "My apologies. I didn't mean to offend. The idea of warriors dressing so and acting like waitresses is...strange to me."
Nodding in agreement with Akane's statement if not her change in attitude, the purple themed maid offered some sympathy. "Is no worry, Shanpu think outsider peoples is strange too. Shanpu no want live sad life because is have bad attitude. Is important to Ranma-shama, he is want his people live happy lives, so he do things outsider people not think of. You is try keep open heart."
Nodding demurely, Akane attempted to regain the composure she considered so important. "Thank you for your concern. If I am not to be his concubine, what will happen to me?"
Blinking, Shanpu realized her pidgin had caused a bit of a misunderstanding. "Oh, is not Shanpu place say, Shanpu is not one who choose you. Shanpu is mean to warn that concubine is big honor, is many girl who want be concubine for Ranma-shama. Is have attitude like had, and meet girl like that, might get hurt. Is no worry, Shanpu escort until know fate."
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(Posted Fri, 11 Aug 2006 19:48)
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