Siinji - Or, Ankūro and the City of the Golden Boughs

13

13

That which must be seen,
May not be what one wishes,
But what one must need.
- Rasakūn.

Kōshitō rose to her feet and gave the old woman a deep bow. She had seemed so self-assured, sly smiles and formal, feminine chuckles, a gracious host. Now, she looked at White Eye with an unfettered look of admiration that Tuccé found quite endearing. White Eye, of course, gave the noblewoman a curt nod, leaning upon her walking stick with both hands.

"You shall have lamps, fresh clothing and weapons." Giving a light clap of the hands, Kōshitō summoned servants that had remained hidden during the duel. She saw the slight curl of the old woman's lip. "No weapons? Very well. Uinichi, have lamps and clothing brought for my friends. Clothing suitable for manual work. And bags and flasks of water."

The servant bowed before her mistress and then turned to each of the guests in turn, running her eyes from head to toe and Tuccé had no doubt that the clothing she would bring would fit them to perfection. Once assessed, Uinichi skittered away, her long, tight dress confining her movements.

"Wait. Do you expect us to enter the catacombs now?" Tail flashing behind her, Yurivno looked as though she hadn't expected this. "But, I need to go back for my paper and writing materials. My thin paper for taking rubbings and the rubbing wax itself."

"What better time than now? I doubt your enemy will waste any time." A wave of the hand and another servant rushed to Kōshitō's side, bowing low. Kōshitō smiled at Yurivno. "You seem surprised? When two people ask to see my catacombs, it cannot be a coincidence, so? Hajimita, paper, writing materials and, what was it? Rubbing wax and thin paper? Find those, Hajimita, and quickly."

Hajimita bowed low again and raced away across the courtyard, his bare feet crunching the pebbles. He had not even asked where he could find such things, only rushing to fulfil his orders without question. If nothing else, these Kaguta people knew how to keep servants in line. Or the servants knew how to do their jobs properly.

Tuccé almost laughed at that. Apart from slaves, who performed their duties through fear of the whip, or a beating, servants in Villeta had an almost confrontational attitude to their employers. Questioning everything, showing distaste at having to perform duties. Disliking receiving orders. Here, in Kaguta, servants took their jobs seriously and diligently.

Another wave of the hand from Kōshitō and a pointed finger sent two more servants towards the small, square pavilion shrine in the centre of the courtyard. With smooth movements, the servants took care to move the offerings and bowls from the shrine and then, together, lifted the stone of the shrine aside, revealing a hole beneath.

"The entrance to the catacombs. I had considered building over the top of it, but I find it oddly fascinating having it open and ready to explore. Though, I never have." Picking up a pebble, Kōshitō moved to the edge of the hole and dropped it into the darkness. "The first drop is almost thirty feet. Do any of you have trouble descending ropes?"

Uinichi returned first, carrying everything in a large sack. It looked heavy to Tuccé's eyes, but the woman showed no signs of discomfort as she carried it. She even refused Tuccé's offer of help, a look of shock and embarrassment crossing her face at the thought of allowing a guest to perform such a menial task.

In a room, off the courtyard, the three of them changed into clothing far more appropriate to exploring an ancient tomb than the formal clothing they had worn to meet with Kōshitō. As expected, the thick, cotton trousers and jacket fitted to perfection and even Tuccé found the clothing comfortable. Each slipped the strap of a bag over their shoulders, containing water and packages of food, though Tuccé hoped that they would not have to spend that long, down in the dark. A lamp, sealed, so as not to spill any oil, and shuttered, attached to each of their belts, with one spare that Yurivno stuffed into Tuccé's bag.