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The young Daimyo Noriyuki had thought he had seen all the many plots possible from the Shadow Lord, but he could not twist his mind around this latest one. He remained in seclusion for some time after accepting the audience of Hikiji's emissary, Kenichi. He had brought the formal request from his Lord, Yasuhira for the opportunity to begin normalisation of relations between their two great clans. None of his advisors knew what to make of it. Such a gesture was unprecedented for the Hikijis. Noriyuki knew it had to be a stratagem of some kind, as the Shadow Lord held no thought or compulsion other than conquest, regardless of the cost. But using his son was a new gambit. He knew Yasuhira only by reputation and it was a sterling one at that; hardly a harsh word had ever been spoken of the man, which was ironic considering his lineage. Was Yasuhira a pawn in this latest game or a willing participant? But that wasn't his only problem. If Noriyuki refused to see the man or consider Hikiji's proposals it could be used a pretext for war, or at the very least he would lose face in the eyes of the other Daimyos. His choices were few and far between and they all seemed to spell doom for his clan.
Tomoe Ame had never been a patient woman. But what little she had was all but spent in the few short hours after Kenichi's arrival. She was beside herself with anger. How she railed against the Shadow Lord in her heart, but that day she wore the organ on her sleeve and people could see her rage plain. She wandered the hall outside her Lord's private chambers. Never in all her years serving Noriyuki had he turned her away and demanded some time alone, especially after so significant a day as that one. She wanted to protest, to speak openly and freely about her need to be by his side, but propriety and obligation silenced her. The Samurai could only watch as Noriyuki slowly and silently closed the door behind him. He didn't even look at her as he did that simple act. Tomoe felt more isolated than he did. The walls began to close in on her and her wanderings intensified to something like a tiger in a cage pacing back and forth.
"Please, Lady Tomoe, would sit down and calm yourself."
She did stop and glare at the man who spoke to her in such a tone. Lord Horikawa was in her estimation the worst sort of vassal; he was more of a clerk than a samurai. And he was forever giving their Lord bad advice, or at least she deemed it to be unsound. More often than not his advice was the opposite of hers, which of course set them at loggerheads and that in turn made them look foolish in front of Noriyuki. In short she hated him. Unfortunately for her, he had been in service with Noriyuki's father and his family's reputation was impeccable. But then not all men are blessed with the virtues of their ancestors. He seemed unconcerned with her glare.
"You're going to wear a groove into the floor with all your wanderings."
Tomoe bristled at what she considered an insult and was of half a mind to cut the fool's head off. But she restrained herself, as it would serve no purpose in killing such a man, though it would bring her some measure of relief if not pleasure. Killing held no allure to Tomoe; she was content to keep her blade in its scabbard. Instead of doing as Horikawa asked, she turned to a minor vassal who looked as if he was about to fall asleep any second. She touched his knee with her toe. He bolted upright.
