Starlet peered secretively down the corridor. She had not decided to eavesdrop to really bother General Gonzales, but more to get a better idea of what all the fuss was about. As the tall man hurried out of the dungeons almost as quickly as he had entered, she ducked behind some empty crates. The watching prisoners laughed. This was more entertainment than they had seen for months. Leaping up when she heard the heavy door slam, she shook her fist at them, "What are all of you snickering at!"
"Well, Ma'am," a freckle-faced man volunteered, "It's not often it gets so lively down here. We're just having a little fun with you."
She stepped forward and eyed him coldly, "Oh, a little "fun" is it? We'll see who's having fun tomorrow when I tell the guards not to give all of you any food!"
"But Ma'am!" came the shouts of protest over her decision, "That's not just! Have some heart!"
"Starlet? Is that you?" Aciano's weary voice asked in the midst of the commotion. The dark-haired woman brushed some dirt off her shoulder and approached the strategist. "It is you, Miss Starlet!"
"Hello, 'Ciano," she remarked calmly, "How are the rebels these days?"
"You don't believe Candal, do you, Miss Starlet?" His voice was beginning to crack from the strain.
"Perhaps," she mused softly, ignoring the other captives' further pleas for justice, "But perhaps I don't, 'Ciano."
He slouched back down and sighed, "I don't have the strength to fight about this today. Maybe another day, Miss Starlet."
She shook her head, her soft black hair sliding back over her shoulders, "No, I won't fight anymore. I'll take my battles elsewhere. ...By the way, before I go...how would you like it if I opened the gates for you?"
"Opened the gates...?" he prompted her to continue.
"The gates of Rupanda," she specified, "I'll let your rebel friends come take a look around. And maybe they'll come and save you...if you're not executed first. The pretty black-haired girl will like that, won't she?"
"H-how do you know about the girl?" Aciano sputtered in embarrassment.
"Just something I happened to overhear..." she grinned slyly.
"Starlet, it's just someone I saw! You better forget about it!" the young man yelled, still somewhat apprehensively.
"Yes, yes," she laughed, "I'll do my best, 'Ciano. Now you take care not to get killed too soon and miss the dramatic conclusion to our war saga." Her short blue cape swished as she turned dramatically and headed up out of the dungeon. Before disappearing up the stairs, she looked over her shoulder one last time, "Sorry about what I said earlier. I forgive you. I won't mention anything to the guards."
The captives cheered, having recovered what little comfort they had in their otherwise miserable lives. Aciano sighed again and sat down.
Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 73- Cold Rain and Sympathy for the Lost
Haneh survived the mess silently. Mio simply stared. Although the entire village was filled with chaos, the tavern remained spotless, due to the fearful threats of Serafina. The blond woman pushed through throngs of gossiping villagers and drunken pirates, dragging the small strategist behind her, "How am I going to find Lucien in this middle of this!" she shouted aloud in frustration. Mio, having no decent response to the question, simply shook his head.
After a few moments of directionless wandering throughout the village, the two came across Mekkachi and Kichitsu sitting atop a crate of potatoes. "Hail Lord Mio! Lady Haneh!" Kichitsu cried cheerfully, waved a white-gloved hand in their direction. Mekkachi did not speak, only breaking his wide grin for a moment to brush some loose hair out of his eyes.
"What's going on?" Haneh demanded, glaring at the two knights.
"A bit of this, a bit of that," the dark-haired knight responded vaguely, a goofy smile still decorating his face. His comrade giggled conspiratorially. Mio stifled a laugh himself. It appeared that everyone here was having a good time, and he liked to see that. However, Haneh's stern look helped him quickly regain his composure.
"Well, I don't think I'm going to get much sense out of you two today," the assassin noted, continuing, "So could you do me just one last favor and tell me where I can find Lucien and Jirobane?"
"Yes, Lady Haneh!" Mekkachi chortled, "They are in the tavern. Upstairs, having some dinner." The two knights began to laugh uproariously. Haneh rolled her eyes and turned, heading in the direction of Serafina's inn. Mio followed cautiously. The T'Rumour woman was growing tired after such a long day and trying not to offend her seemed the wisest course of action.
Upon entering the tavern, they were met with Mir's cry of, "Welcome!" but Haneh did not pause and so Mio followed her lead, heading swiftly up the staircase and down the hall to a room with the door swung open wide. Jirobane, Lucien, Zajan sat atop a bed with a myriad of plates and bowls laid out before them.
"Ah, hello!" Jirobane greeted them pleasantly, "Would you care to join us? We have more than enough for everyone."
"Certainly," Haneh murmured, plopping down beside Lucien, "I'm tired out."
"It's been a while, Mio," Jirobane nodded at the strategist, "I don't believe you've become acquainted with Captain Zajan yet. He works for my father- he's in charge of shipping our goods by sea."
"Nice to meet you," Mio said to the sailor as they shook hands, "I'm Mio Silverberg, from Onwya."
"Mio is one of the strategists I told you about," Lucien added.
"The note-taking one," Zajan noted sagely, gesturing towards the notebook Mio clasped tightly in his hands, "Have a seat."
Gingerly, the orange-haired young man took his place beside them. Jirobane handed him a half-filled glass as he raised his own, "A toast- to our future success!"
Kiisan lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The news of Falina being so nearby had comforted him, but the words of the mysterious Circle Rune still troubled the young priest. He was confused over what stance he should take it the matter. The true rune seemed to have no trouble with the notion of forcing its will upon him, and he worried whether or not fighting its will was the correct thing to do. It also concerned him that the rune might know of his internal conflict over the matter and use that against him. Was the Circle Rune his ally or his enemy? Or was it truly just a neutral player in the affair? Was the rune controlling him now without his realizing it? Kiisan felt helpless. Who could he ask for advice? Han Li? Master Matataki? Sasshalai?
"Now's not the time to bother any of them, I suppose," he told himself softly, "It's late and Sassha is probably sleeping. ...I should be getting some sleep too, I guess. I mean, I know I'll be tired out tomorrow if I just lay awake all night..."
He closed his eyes and listened to the distant sounds of his comrades moving about Jao-Nyang. Gradually, the noises grew more faint as he drifted off to sleep.
In the dream, he sat in the waving grass atop a hill, looking down upon an endless field of viridian. "Kiisan! Kiisan!" a woman's voice called him. It was his mother. He stood up and saw his family standing at the bottom of the slope seemingly waiting for him. His mother wore her familiar white apron and held the hands of both of his sisters, "Kiisan! Hurry up!" she urged her son. Kiyo and Osayo were smiling and they waved at him. Beside them stood someone whose face he had long since lost in the haze of memory- his father. Kiisan stared dumbly at them. Logic told him that all four were dead, but he could not help but run toward them.
He dashed down the grassy slope, but tripped on his robe and fell, sliding on the damp grass. When he finally reached the bottom, all four were gone, and it was growing dark. Disappointed, but not overly surprised, he meandered along slowly until he reached a white-tiled hallway. Kiisan stared at the huge stained glass windows along the walls in awe. Everything was large, blue or white, and the architecture seemed to have a circle motif throughout.
At the end of the hall was a large room with a circular platform in the center. On the platform sat a tall wooden chair and in it was a thoughtful-looking man with chestnut hair and a large priest's hat atop his head. A small boy stood beside him and tugged on his long, loose sleeve, "Father, is it going to take a long time?"
The man did not answer immediately, and the boy continued to speak impatiently, "Father!" he repeated his question, "Will it take long?"
Kiisan rather liked the look of the boy. He had large green eyes and a wide, round face. ...Something about him actually seemed a bit familiar.
Finally the man snapped out of his reverie and turned his attention to the child, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Kiisan froze. The voice seemed to be his own.
"I said, 'Will it take a long time?' I want to go out and play."
"I'm sorry, I forgot you were here. ...Go ahead. Have fun."
The little boy smiled and ran out of the room down the hall, past where Kiisan stood, without glancing at him. Without the child's presence, the serious man seemed to return to his thoughts. Kiisan stared nervously, unsure of where this strange dream might be leading him. Gradually, the scene changed to the more usual landscape of his dreams, filled with wheat fields, battles, and strange incidents involving his friends at the citadel.
He awoke to the sound of a soft rain falling on Jao-Nyang Fortress. A cold wind blew through the window he had forgotten to fully close the night before. He went and closed it wordlessly, remembering his dreams of the past night. The illusion of his family had made him sorrowful, but the man who might've been him struck him as simply eerie. Who the child might be, he could not know.
The rain was going to soak into the ground and chill everything. If it continued too long and got too cold it might begin to snow. Sanada's plan was counting on this being a fairly dry winter in the states of Aurel and Tawa. A little snow would not deter the revolutionaries, but too much would stop them in their tracks. The strategist had decided they could not risk losing their fiery spirit and that things must advance quickly if they were to succeed.
The rain looked cold. Kiisan shivered.
"Someone's here to see you," a pleasant voice said, from somewhere behind him. The young man turned around to see Mitsu standing in the doorway, leaning on the door. The dark-haired strategist smiled, "Hello, Father Kiisan."
"Hello Mitsu."