"I wasn't expecting to run into you here, my lord." Thoma had long neglected the formality of bowing, a warm smile on his face as he glanced around the lavish inn room. Ritou may not have been the island's main attraction, but as the first stop for all visitors to Inazuma, it wasn't lacking in terms of accommodations. Since the advent of the Sakoku Decree, the Commissioner's use of the place was one of the few sources of revenue left for high-end comfort.
"Much though I hate being an inconvenience, it does indeed seem like our paths were fated to cross here and now." A certain gentleman with silvered hair returned the smile with rare warmth reserved for the very few individuals he trusted. "Forgive me for having Hisashi pull you away from your duties. Since I'm already here, I was hoping you might inform me of your progress regarding the Traveler?"
"Oh?" Thoma's green eyes sparked with mischief not at all befitting a servant. "I was under the impression that my lord disagreed with my lady's plans to make contact."
Ayato allowed his smile to sharpen into a smirk. "Disagreement is an interesting way to phrase it. I, too, hope that the Traveler is all that the rumors have promised. Saying we should approach with due caution and appropriate expectations, however, remains an understatement."
"A fair assessment, of course. Though I hope my experience with her so far warms you to the idea at least a little. She's proven to be kind and capable when it comes to helping others. As I was introducing her to Ritou, she told me that she's looking for any sign of her brother's presence here in Inazuma. She might also have the lofty goal of meeting the Almighty Shogun herself to find that information." Thoma's smile became a bit strained — unlike their shiny new Traveler, he was well aware of just how difficult it was for even a born Inazuman to gain direct audience with their Shogun.
"While I'm glad to hear her competency is well-founded, her goals strike you as strange, do they not? We offer prayers to the archons in order to be heard, but she seems willing to do anything to reunite with her brother, including standing before one who suffers no disturbances to her sense of eternity." Ayato shook his head listlessly. "Were it any other person, I'd consider such a brash notion a poor excuse to mask her true intentions."
"With all due respect, my lord, as long as her intentions are harmless, does it matter what they are? My lady believes that the Traveler has the strength we need to help the people of Inazuma." Thoma leaned forward, hand on his chest. Such a rebuttal to his superior was easily coded as a lack of discipline, but Ayato had long allowed him to speak freely. How could he not, when Thoma's first thoughts were always in support of his sister?
Ayato hardened the tone of his voice just enough to be firm. "Being distracted with negative emotions brought on by the realization of another's intentions is problematic, yes. Whether or not the Traveler's intentions are ultimately 'good' or 'bad' is beside the point. Knowing what she wants and why, however, does have ramifications. Merely being associated with a powerful, unpredictable outsider has consequences which you are well aware of."
"I am, my lord." Thoma bowed his head in deference. "As things stand, the Traveler was able to uncover the corruption of a Kanjou Commission tax collector and brought it to the attention of the Outsider Trade Association with evidence in hand. The Association was ultimately able to convince the tax collector to use his overtaxed collection of crystal marrow to pay their shop taxes for the month — in return for not outing his corruption to the public, of course.
"And that exchange would have gone without a hitch, except that one of the merchants present understandably demanded more recompense for the extortion. More ashigaru started to get involved as a result, so I might have dropped a name or two to keep things from getting out of hand. I think it's safe to say the Kanjou Commission won't be wanting to see my face for a while."
"As ever, you seem to have handled the situation honorably. I'm grateful." Ayato glanced down toward the paperwork awaiting his calligraphy brush, taking mental note of the antagonistic sentiment. He'd have to send Hisashi after that ledger, if indeed it hadn't already been returned to the tax collector and destroyed. Making a case against the Kanjou Commission was sadly getting easier and easier.
Thoma dipped his head sheepishly. "Well… the Traveler didn't seem too fond of my relations to another commission. Despite some gentle suggestions, she firmly told me she has no desire to get caught up in Inazuma's politics. I had the impression that pushing our intentions further at that point wouldn't have gone well, so I gave her an invitation to Komore Teahouse and left it at that."
Ayato nodded absently, half of his mind already occupied with the Traveler. Once the pleasurable warmth of a hot meal had worn off, there had been a distinct tiredness about her. Anyone paying even the slightest amount of attention would have noticed her frustration with Ritou's management. That she should want to steer clear of any further squabbles between the people of Inazuma and its tiring government officials was more than understandable.
But how was he to broach the trouble of such nuances his sister, Ayaka? The sparkle of hope in her eyes after hearing the tale of the Traveler's epic battles (repeated through Thoma, of course) had been bright enough to make his chest ache. Since the establishment of the Vision Hunt Decree, it had been rare to see her smile with any vigor — overnight, it had seemed, a rash of collective pain had arisen. Vision bearers, few though they were, had prominent roles to play on account of their strength. If they didn't fight to keep their ambitions, they fled or surrendered the very source of power they had come to rely upon.
To the people, Ayaka was the benevolent White Heron Princess. They had come in droves to beg for help, and if it wasn't related to the Vision Hunt Decree, it was the financial ramifications of Inazuma closing its borders on account of the Sakoku Decree. Ayaka was the one who had to listen to them for hours on end, taking their burdens into her heart and using the full extent of her charm to calm, relieve, and direct clans and merchants alike.
He knew all too well how it taxed the soul, standing head and shoulders above all others to bear the responsibility and provide solutions however they could be found. In the shadows away from the public eye, he faced his fellow Tri-Commission members head-on, leveraging every trick in the book to stem the endless stream of policies and proposals that had only grown in audacity. Despite his best efforts, he was well aware he was simply pouring out buckets of water from a ship doomed to sink. His clan drew its political strength from the indomitable will of the Shogun, but what could be done when that very Shogun embraced laws that persecuted her own people?
Was it any wonder his mood had grown so dour? Perhaps it was just his proximity to the shameless head of the Kanjou Commission slowly rotting his own tongue out. Ayato held back a sigh, instead squaring his shoulders as he stood up from his desk. "You've always had a talent for handling all manner of personalities. A person with the kind of power this Traveler seems to possess almost certainly wouldn't take kindly to being coerced. Indeed, you've laid out a path of least resistance in front of her, and I doubt she'd be stubborn enough to avoid it."
"We can only hope. Now that you're informed of the situation, I should report to my lady as well. She'll be eager to hear every detail, I'm sure." Thoma's warmth returned in full as his thoughts went to Ayaka. If he had doubts, the young lady's name alone was enough to quash them.
Not for the first time, Ayato missed having such optimism himself. A calm, practiced smile found his features again. "By all means. You're dismissed."
True to usual expectation, Ayato spent most of his evening in the tamest of ways — marrying his calligraphy brush to parchment. His latest visit to the Hiiragi estate had made a number of problems abundantly clear: Shinsuke, head of the Kanjou Commission, was bent on squeezing Ritou dry. More than his usual greed, Ayato sensed a certain desperation in Shinsuke, a sputtering flame determined to flash in one last, bright spark before being snuffed out.
In an ambitious man of Shinsuke's age, such hard-headed determination was to be expected. But Shinsuke had become a sunken, uncharacteristically sensitive man, with dark circles around his eyes. His forehead wrinkled so intensely under duress Ayato couldn't help but be fascinated. Behind the scenes, he suspected the Fatui were making increasing demands for their 'generosity.' And just like Shinsuke's own corrupt tax collectors, once a person found themselves in Fatui debt, repaying it would soon turn into an impossible chase.
Of course, Shinsuke hid it all the best he could behind formalities and misdirection. No one among the Tri-Commission greeted Ayato as kindly, and whenever the conversation would shift toward his clan's surprising wealth in lieu of so much economic turmoil, he'd find some anecdote about his grandfather's wisdom to drone on about. Ayato was starting to lose count of how many times he'd had to gently interrupt before someone started snoring.
Under the surface, the Shuumatsuban painted a far different image of the Hiiragi Clan. Their policies had long favored Fatui merchants, who enjoyed exclusive trade and diplomatic rights despite current law barring interaction with all other nations. Even the local dock workers were infuriated by the self-entitled foreigners who came and went as they pleased. In return for massive amounts of mora (a significant portion of which surely never made it to the Tri-Commission's pockets), it was clear Shinsuke had turned the economy on its head to benefit as much as possible from Snezhnaya's coffers.
Short-term, he stood to make an exceptional amount of mora for himself and even benefit the Tri-Commission as a whole. Even the Tenryou Commission was content to go along with such obvious gouging of Inazuman merchants – it funded their army and provided support from the Fatui's powerful forces. Never mind they were draining their entire supply of crystal marrow, the necessary ore for the forging of jade steel. Inazuma's weapons were famously exceptional because of that very jade steel, but who cared if they should run dry so long as they had mora to keep the army supplied?
In the long term, however, the reputation of the Tri-Commission had been dragged through the mud. The Kanjou Commission's greed combined with the Tenryou Commission's suffocating policies had been draining the spirit of Inazuma for nearly a year now. As the war against the anti-Vision Hunt Decree rebels continued, the voice of the Yashiro Commission had slowly but surely declined in value. What was tradition and culture against the threat of armed conflict?
The fields no longer had enough able bodies to bring in sufficient harvests, to say nothing of supply disruption caused by bandits and complete negligence toward repairing roads. As more merchants lost business due to overbearing taxation and a lack of foreign trade, they only fed the cycle of desperate bandits and corrupt officials looking to squeeze a living out of any source still available.
And yet even the most innocuous request to address any of these issues was met with quick dismissal. Much of it was beyond the scope of the Yashiro Commission's duties, after all. It was only natural that the price of festival goods should rise, given the circumstances, and the Kanjou Commission was only too happy to be generous. Really, how could the Yashiro Commissioner be ungrateful for such benevolence?
He bowed his head to the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissioners when they shared the same table, softly offering a reasonable counterpoint where it felt necessary. In truth, most of his negotiations were carried out by aides to the Commissioners — the few but likeminded individuals who felt the unhappiness of Inazuma's people far more directly. Ayato's words were far more effective when spoken through mouths the Commissioners trusted, enough to dull the edge of otherwise brutal demands for executions and imprisonment for tax debts.
Somewhere between a report on the Kanjou Commissioner's last meeting with a Fatui diplomat and a counter-proposal addressing an upcoming festival's budget, Ayato had to take a break. The thin walls surrounding his borrowed desk were starting to feel unbearably claustrophobic.
Ayato sighed as he plucked up his teacup, only to find it empty. Always careful not to overdo his daily dose of green energy, he sent a servant off for a fresh pitcher of water instead. Like his mind, water was not a thing to be effectively compressed. Better to let his thoughts flow, rising fatigue away from his face and refreshing his body with a few sips. His keen tongue could easily distinguish one source of water from another by the flavor of minerals within, and this variety was unmistakably from a local well.
"So, even the best of Ritou's inns can no longer afford the spring water from Mount Yougou. A shame." Ayato took his repose by a large window, appreciating the view of the harbor. His room was a few stories up from the street, just high enough to gaze beyond the sloped rooves where one might catch moonlight glittering over the ocean waves.
Just as he was entertaining the fantasy of an evening walk, he caught sight of a familiar figure. Amid the dark streets with their flickering lanterns, that flutter of silken white was unmistakable. Her gait was casual enough, unhurried as she headed away from the market square that had long gone silent. Without permission, a private smile found its way to his lips.
Was he simply imagining it? This wasn't the first time his mind had wandered toward her. Like a puff of spring air, the memory of her indulgent smile had a way of soothing the wearied corners of his mind.
She did not, however, appear to be alone. He would've missed it if he'd blinked — the flicker of shadow a good few yards down the street from her. The longer he focused on it, the clearer that dark silhouette became. The flicker of red that showed itself as the figure darted forward told Ayato everything he needed to know.
But what of Lumine and her inexplicable stroll in the dead of night? Normally, he'd call upon one of his ninjas to investigate, but his men were already spread thin. He couldn't justify a leisurely stroll himself with the stack of papers awaiting him, but if it was the Traveler and an Assassin demanding his attention, it would surely be negligence not to observe the situation personally.
Though Ayato was a public enough figure to leave a distinct impression upon meeting others, few would have guessed that the graceful precision of his movements came from far more than swordplay practice. He didn't make a sound as he slid out the window, nor as he made his way down to the street. Much like the water that ruled his elemental vision, he knew how to distribute force through the movement of his legs and feet. Much like a pale shadow himself, he carefully tailed the assassin and his sister's would-be hero.
The closer they drew to the edge of the city, the more Ayato suspected that the Traveler knew she was being followed. Rather than going to the ashigaru for protection, it seemed she would be taking justice into her own hands. If she happened to run into a patrol, however, he was curious to see how she'd explain herself.
Eventually, the Traveler stopped at a ledge where the road abruptly ended, the corner of it giving way to stairs that ran a short distance to a dirt path at the bottom. It offered a decent view of the thatched cottages leading out toward the shore, the preferred residence of fisherman and other residences who liked being away from the squabbles of the market. Altogether, it was a peaceful scene under the moonlight, and one might find some shelter from prying eyes at the foot of the stairs.
And that was precisely where Lumine stopped. Lovely a sight as she was with the light breeze tugging at her strands of pale gold, Ayato's gaze was fixed on the shadow that remained hidden away from the stairs. Distinctly aware of the halted footsteps, her would-be assassin had frozen in place. Was he aware of the bait, or simply unable to resist despite knowing what awaited him? Not once had she so much as touched the blade resting at her hip.
Though too far away to hear anything for himself, Ayato could practically feel the assassin's tension. His posture was far too rigid, hands clenching and unclenching as he took the measure of his situation. He had the higher ground, she hadn't demonstrated any sign of having noticed her, and his chance to strike would slide right by if a patrol came by.
How many minutes came and passed them all by? Ayato was curious more than anything else to see how the situation would develop but found himself uncharacteristically impatient. He could have settled into a reassessment; after all, the Fatui agent may very well be conducting simple reconnaissance. His secret network had already informed him of the Fatui's plan to delay the Traveler's entrance into the rest of Inazuma, but when had any of their assassins refrained from a chance to strike when it presented itself? If he got rid of the Traveler tonight, that ended all their problems concerning her.
Finally, the assassin drew one of his blades, the metal flashing silver. He took a single step toward the stairs… and then backed away again.
Archons spare me. The ineptitude was well and truly grating the last of Ayato's nerves. Yes, this was the Traveler rumored to have taken on one of the Fatui Harbringers and walk away still alive. But when did one of their number ever hesitate to kill? Innocence had never mattered to the Fatui, and they were keen to overestimate their own strength.
Ayato had better things to do with his time. Sweeping from cover to cover, he remained out of sight, using the assassin's distracted mind against him to slip ever closer with ease. By the time the man was aware of another presence, the tip of Ayato's blade was already protruding from his chest. A horrified gasp was all that escaped before he crumpled to the ground.
At least the would-be assassin had hidden himself decently — safe behind the cover of a tree and its surrounding bushes, the body wasn't likely to be found before Ayato could have his ninjas clean it up. Even the scent of Fatui blood was unclean, rotten and metallic as it dripped from his blade. All it took was a moment's focus to wash it away with a gush of magically manifested water.
Well, at least it had been a mildly productive walk in the end. Ayato had only just made it back to the street when he heard Lumine dash up the stairs. Ah, was that lantern light coming up from the shoreline? Her time had run out as well, it seemed.
She whipped around the corner so quickly she didn't see Ayato in time to stop herself. He really ought to have moved himself, but he couldn't deny quite how gratifying her squeak was when she ran headlong into his side. One of his arms caught her as he stumbled backward, but his balance was just enough to keep them both upright.
"Lumine?" He glanced downward with perfect surprise, slowly straightening them both.
She was adorably red-faced in an instant, arms tightly braced against his chest. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you at all."
"It's quite alright." He softened his expression into concern, as any gentleman ought to when getting rammed into by a young woman running in the middle of the night. "But are you okay? I admit I'm quite surprised to see you."
Her eyes sparkled for just a moment, panicked laughter behind them. She was surely far more surprised to see him. But then her gaze swiveled back toward the stairs where that light was surely getting closer. "I'm fine, really. I do need to be somewhere else, though."
She wriggled against his arm to remove herself from him, but he simply tightened his grasp. His tone became decidedly more serious, though he couldn't quite remove his amusement from it. "Lumine, are you running from someone?"
"I'm… I-I…" Lumine's gaze remained on the stairs, undoubtedly gauging how much time she had left. Her fingers, meanwhile, had started to nervously clench his shirt. When her gaze returned to him, the honeyed tones of her eyes were wide with desperation. "I can explain everything, just not here."
What manner of man would he have to be to deny such sweetly begging eyes? He fought down a smile, carefully loosening his arm from around her. "Very well. Let's get you out of the street."