Tsukishima winced as he tossed and turned on the hard wooden floor of the inn. The week of travel it had taken to reach Inari from Kar was a miserable slog. Tsukishima had paid out of pocket for the quickest transportation he could find and had been, for the most part, charged out the nose for it. It was only thanks to Kuroo's charm and notoriety as the conductor of the Nekarasi that Tsukishima hadn't completely run out of funds, and even then, his coin purse felt light. It would be worth it, though, once he finally reached Yamaguchi; he was already so close.
Much to Tsukishima's chagrin, the group had decided to take a day or two of rest in Inari's capital. The bespectacled blond himself had wanted to push onwards until they reached Fukoni, but his determination had been overruled by the group's insistence for rest. Tsukishima had wanted to argue, to push just a little further, but even he could see the exhaustion of his compatriots. The ever-growing air of worry and gloom that had surrounded Bokuto and Akaashi in Kar lingered and became more evident as they grew closer to the border. Kuroo bore constant eye bags, Kenma could barely keep themself awake, and even the energetic Hinata dragged his feet and yawned constantly. So, Tsukishima, with only slight reluctance, used more of his dwindling coinage to pay for an inn room.
Ever productive, even on their scant days of rest, the group decided to split up and gather some information. They knew they needed to get to Fukoni, if only because it was the only kingdom that could possibly match the cryptic warnings in Tsukishima's dream, but beyond that, they once again had to scramble to build a last-minute plan.
Kuroo and Kenma would use their notoriety as heads of the Nekarasi to probe for information from traders and businessmen alike. Hinata would head off on his own in his beastly form to scout out the situation in Fukoni and eavesdrop on the more reclusive and harder-to-find folks. Bokuto and Akaashi, as they were most familiar with the layout of Inari, would keep an ear open for the thoughts of the general public. That left Yachi, Kageyama, and Tsukishima. Given Kageyama's skill at the gambler's table, Tsukishima's charm, and Yachi's ability to disappear into the crowd, the three made their way to the bars and gambling dens to probe the city lowlifes for information.
It was early in the evening by the time everyone was ready to head out, as result of a longer than expected delay thanks to the overly sappy goodbye between Kageyama and Hinata, so the target bars were already bustling with customers. The first couple hours yielded little results; no one was drunk enough to truly run their mouths, and no one wanted to talk politics whilst they were partying, so the trio settled down at a small table in the corner and waited. Soon enough, the casual drinkers left, and the rowdy crowd made themselves known.
Kageyama, as soon as he spotted an opening, slipped away from the table and situated himself at the cards table. The other gamblers didn't so much as bat an eye at Kageyama, not when he paid his ante and kept his mouth shut. In any other situation, Kageyama's perpetual scowl and closed-off nature would deter anyone from even thinking about telling him secrets, but at the card table, those were traits that paid off. In a kingdom so close to the unstable Fukoni, Kageyama had assured the group that people wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to bet on the kingdom's downfall. Tsukishima didn't quite understand how Kageyama would be able to extrapolate any information from the betting pool, it wasn't like gamblers explained their reasons for a wager, but despite his general idiocy, Kageyama knew what he was doing, and Tsukishima trusted in that knowledge.
Not too terribly long after Kageyama left their table, Yachi got up and casually walked into the crowd. Tsukishima knew he wouldn't see her in anything but fleeting glances for the rest of the night. All Firefly agents underwent training in espionage; it was part of the job, but Yachi had always excelled at it. With her small stature and innocent appearance, she was the perfect farce to gather information. Women and children trusted her with secrets thanks to her kind and gentle demeanour, they trusted her wide eyes and kind smile, and she allowed them to. Men, too, tended to run their mouths while in her presence. They looked at her blonde hair and youthful face and saw nothing more than a weak and simple woman. They were wrong, of course, Yachi could fight with the best of them, and she was far cleverer than she'd ever let on, but arrogant men loved to feel strong and important; it was just Yachi's luck that talking to her made them feel that way. When she had wrung her targets dry of information, or if they got suspicious of her questions, she could simply slip away into the crowds, and her petite frame would allow her to disappear into the masses.
Tsukishima stayed at the table for a half hour longer before he too began to prowl. He knew he wasn't the most sociable man out there, but, as a royal, he had gone through extensive etiquette classes. Just because he despised most people didn't mean he couldn't be charming when he wanted to. While Yachi worked the common man for information, Tsukishima allowed himself to integrate with a different crowd. He made no effort to hide his accent, so terribly different from the slow drawl of the Inari folk, as he confidently sauntered up the stairs and to the second floor of the establishment.
They had chosen this specific tavern for a reason; on the lower floor was the gambling parlour and tavern area -perfectly suited for Yachi and Kageyama - but the second floor was far more extravagant. Upstairs, a string band played a jaunty yet refined melody as the wealthy patrons chattered and clinked their glasses together in various toasts. The first floor fit well with the abilities of his friends but here, on the second floor, full of wealthy elitists and people desperately trying to seem more refined than they truly were, here Tsukishima shined.
None of the people would recognize him as a Tsukishima here, not that he wanted them to in the first place, but they would certainly find him interesting. A foreigner from the fabulously wealthy Firefly empire was sure to draw attention, and while he hated the stares, Tsukishima knew how to work a haughty crowd. He ordered his drink, an expensive wine he remembered his father favoured, and sat alone at a table. All he had to do was wait and build intrigue. Rich people and ladder climbers alike loved a mystery, and they always gravitated towards people who acted as if they were better than everyone else. It took less than a minute for the first person to approach Tsukishima.
"Why, good evening, stranger. Is this seat taken?" The woman speaking smiled demurely at Tsukishima as she gestured to the open seat next to him. The fabric of her high-collared dress looked expensive, as did the elaborate floral embroidery, some kind of socialite, Tsukishima assumed.
"The seat is yours, so long as you want for it." was Tsukishima's response.
The woman sat down with practised grace and held out her hand for Tsukishima, "I'm Yuki, it's lovely to meet you."
Tsukishima took Yuki's hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. He loathed the action with every fibre of his being, but he smiled graciously anyway, "Call me Tanaka." Of course, he wasn't going to give out his real name, instead, he used the surname of a moderately influential Firefly family. The Tanakas ran a successful trade business, and some of the branch family had experience with politics; it was a safe name to choose, not famous enough to be questioned, but wealthy enough to be respected.
Yuki's eyes glittered with interest as she raised her manicured hand to stifle a clearly faked gasp, "My, my, is that a Firefly accent I hear, or do my ears deceive me?"
Tsukishima gave a small, albeit forced, smile, and tilted his head in acknowledgement, "You hear rightly, miss Yuki, I have come here from the Firefly empire."
Yuki batted her eyelashes and inched closer to Tsukishima, "Oh how wonderful; I've heard such delightful things about your nation!"
Tsukishima gave his winningest smile, one he learned to replicate from the smarmy bootlicking merchants who chased his father's favour, and leaned closer to Yuki in turn, "It is a beautiful place, indeed, but I have found far more splendour here in Izaki than I ever have back home."
Yuki positively preened at the statement, and pushed farther for the compliment she likely knew was coming, "Oh? Is the scenery here that much better?"
"Oh, the scenery is all I have heard and more, but I speak more of the quality of my company." Tsukishima watched with a smile as Yuki fell for his ruse. He hated the small talk, but oh, how satisfying it was when people finally moved past it.
After he wrung Yuki for all the gossip she was worth, Tsukishima moved on to another socialite, and then another, and then another. He walked smoothly and confidently throughout the second floor, sometimes just listening in on conversations, other times, participating. The wealthy people had interesting things to say about the state of Fukoni, and all were more than happy to talk politics with a supposed important Firefly figure.
It was late into the night, or perhaps early in the next morning, when Tsukishima saw fit to leave the tavern. Neither Yachi nor Kageyama were on the first floor when he went to check, they had likely left before him, so Tsukishima walked back alone. The streets were empty, save for the rats and occasional unconscious drunkard.
The rest of the group was already in the inn room when Tsukishima arrived. They sat in a semicircle on the floor, and none looked particularly hopeful. Tsukishima sat in the gap of the circle, and so began the debriefing.
Kuroo and Kenma had been the first pair to return from their excursion, so while Kuroo paced around the room, Kenma detailed their findings, "Fukoni has gone into full isolation; they've closed all borders, caravans, trading unions, trains, none of it is allowed across. The railroad tracks have been torn up at the border, and the mountain pass has been blockaded. We may have to climb the mountains ourselves if we want to cross the border."
"Well, there must be some way of getting across that is yet unblocked, considering the refugees." Bokuto's voice was clear and stable, but even Tsukishima could tell that the other man was none too fond of Fukoni's political state.
Akaashi nodded in corroboration with Bokuto, "The numbers aren't high, but Izaki has certainly seen an influx in people who have fled Fukoni. I can't say for sure, but it seems that things back home have gotten significantly more violent in the past week."
Hinata's whole body bobbed as he nodded and leaned forward, "I can't say much about Fukoni politics, but while I was flying around, I found the path that the refugees use to escape Fukoni. Smugglers use it; it's this super thin trail through the mountain. I can lead us through it when we leave."
Kuroo nodded approvingly, "Good, that's good. A precarious path is better than no path at all." He turned to the tavern team, "What about you guys? Got anything good?"
"I don't know about good, but I have news. The gamblers, they all seem convinced that the king is dead." Kageyama's face was more grim than usual as he delivered the news.
Bokuto winced as Akaashi slowly closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Tsukishima knew that the news couldn't be pleasant for Akaashi to hear, but, still, the man motioned to continue.
Yachi gave a pained smile, "I hear the same, and that a lot of the Izaki residents with young families are moving further east into Inari, away from the border." She glanced at Tsukishima, "What about you, did your rich folk have any good information?"
Tsukishima sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. Vile people that they are, the aristocrats are confident and, dare I say, excited that the colosseum will open up soon. Which just confirms it, Yamaguchi will be in Fukoni."
The group sat in silent contemplation for a long moment, it was Hinata who broke the silence, "So, uh, call me stupid, but what's the deal with Fukoni? Why's it all so… waaah?" He waved his hands about, as if that made his gibberish words any clearer.
Akaashi patted Hinata's shoulder and straightened up to speak, "Things were never great, the king, he's not a very kind man. The people were unhappy for a long time, and it all came to head about four years ago." Bokuto took Akaashi's hand in his own as the dark-haired man spoke, "There was a riot in the colosseum, someone had slipped a key to the king's Champion fighter, and he freed the prisoners. They overtook the guards and stormed the castle. There were many casualties, on both sides, that night. The king was gravely injured, and the prince went missing. There has been fighting ever since, civilians and former criminals try to overthrow the crown, loyalists and nobles try to maintain power. Revolutions are always bloody, Hinata, this is no different."
Tsukishima sighed gravely; he had seen it happen, not that he needed to mention that to the group. His family had made a visit to Fukoni that week in hopes that it would help quell the unrest. They had just barely escaped the castle with their lives. He had always thought it a shame; the prince of Fukoni had been one of the scant few who knew his face.
"Maybe, if the prince returns, the power vacuum can be filled, and the damage can be fixed." Tsukishima tried his best to sound speculative and not accusatory. He didn't blame the prince for leaving, but still, he wondered if things would have gone differently otherwise. If Fukoni wasn't so weak, Yamaguchi might not have been in danger.
Bokuto glared at Tsukishima, and Akaashi simply shook his head, "I think it's gotten too far for that to ever work now, Tsukishima. But that is neither here nor there. Let us sleep; we should leave before noon tomorrow."
The group fell into a grim silence and later a troubled sleep. Tsukishima dreamt of Yamaguchi, of summer nights on the Nekarasi, of calling each other partners, of a happy life together. Just for the night, he allowed himself to be comforted by the thought of a future with Yamaguchi.