When the peonies bloom.

Mid Autumn Part 2

Tomo laid in her futon. Tomorrow was payday and maybe she will buy an extra warm blanket for the growing cold. Or endure the chill and save a little more coin that would lessen her sentence in this place. Perhaps disappear before winter was to settle in.

The oiran's bodyguard could still feel the imprint of her mistress' cheek against her back or that tug of her hand that landed them both on her futon of intimacy. Those sensations just didn't budge. To soothe her chaotic thoughts she ran her fingers across the tiny ridges of the cord and rubbed her thumb against the hare netsuke's ears.

What should make of her encounters with her mistress? She clearly felt at ease with her, but a stone of doubt and flightiness would always knock around inside. Tomo was no dumbass like anyone around in this place, she could feel this growing closeness that gained the envy and whispers she had heard in this place. She wondered why? What was the meaning of all this? Why was it? She was asking why because she couldn't bring herself to genuinely reciprocate, only the rising anxiety from pressure to present in a way that would feign doing so. Her brain drifted onto wonder how long she could pull it off before her mistress eagle eyes would notice something was off and call her a hoax.

She could just imagine the outburst. Or had she already? A voice inside cussed at her calling her weak hearted and the result of being naive for returning. Maybe she did feel something special for the one she was serving. For the first time in life she was feeling things that she didn't know existed. How did all those years of youth pass without anything really happening? Was that how the life of commoners were to be lived? How unspectacular, Hyosaku would probably say. In an unusual moment a wave of thanks brushed over her for leaving yet the question of 'what next' loomed like a dark abyss over ready to suck her in and spit her out dead on the other side. Suddenly Fujie's screaming voice echoed in her mind "You will die in the streets where you were born. I will make it happen!". Tomo couldn't quite understand why she was so shaken by those words even as the weeks have passed. She didn't want to admit she had been an inch away from death at several points in recent times.

She pretended to shut her eyes and sleep when the door of the sleeping quarters slid open. It was the old lady who was one of the cooks for the house who still had amazing eyesight for her age.

"Don't think I didn't see that." She said quietly. "Stop worrying and start sleeping, or you'll die before me child." She cackled a bit.

Tomo knew those words were for her. She took a big inhale and closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, pulling her covers up to her nose.

-

"You look excited today my lady." Tomo said as she followed her mistress in the corridor.

"You'll see why."

Tomo slid the door open for Hyosaku to enter her quarters.

Rina bowed as she brought in a mysterious box.

"These are from Mr Enjiro."

"Bring them over."

"Yes Madam."

Rina gently placed the medium size box on the table in front of Hyosaku.

"Guess what's in here."

Tomo leaned in from her seat.

From inside the box, Hyosaku produced a wood print.

"Ta da." Hyosaku held it out for Tomo to see.

"Have you ever wanted to see the ocean?" Tomo asked as she glanced at Hyosaku's new gift, a block print of the Hokusai's wave.

Hyosaku looked at her weirdly as if she had asked a stupid question.

Tomo felt her stomach turn because she knew the answer she was about to receive.