As they neared the town, Miaka stepped back to walk beside her. Sometime earlier, Mitsukake had gone forward to look at Tasuki's bruised and swelling eye. "Let me take Houki for you. It isn't proper for a lady to be carrying a child. For that matter, it's not proper that you're walking, but we can always say that we were attacked by bandits."

Setsuna handed her Houki, then touched her arm, stopping her from walking away. "I didn't ask for this Miaka," she said gently. "If I had my choice, you would never have known me."

Miaka looked at her, surprised, and then laughed. "I'm not still mad that you're 'the lady'! Oh, I was upset that I didn't get to play at being the lady earlier, but it's really not that big of a deal." She grinned at Setsuna. "No hard feelings, it is better to be friends." Setsuna nodded agreement, and then noticed that the men were falling back, some to walk in front of her and the others to walk behind.

"Miaka, you stay walking beside Setsuana," Tamahoma said. "Every lady has a maid." Miaka stuck her tongue out at him when he said that, then looked back at Houki and started cooing to her. Minutes later, they came to the city gates and were stopped by the guard.

"Who approaches?"

"Friends!" called Tasuki.

The guards walked out to search them, watching the men warily, but with something rather more unpleasant for Miaka and Setsuna. More than once, Setsuna heard them muttering vulgarities to each other, but ignored them, having heard worse in her lifetime. However, she began to become rather irate when nearly fifteen miutes had passed and they were still no closer to being allowed admittance. She drew herself up to her full height and turned to face the captain of the guard. Before she could open her mouth, however, the guards stepped back and signaled for them to move onward. "Everything seems to be in order. Move on."

She didn't glance at the guard as they continued on into the city. Once there, they were almost overwhelmed by the noise and general filth of the place. Setsuna became distinctly grateful that she, Miaka, and Houki didn't have to deal with people trying to get in their way, mainly because Nuriko and Tamahoma were doing a splendid job of shoving people away. Tasuki stepped up beside Tamahoma and tapped his shoulder.

"I know a splended little place where we can stay," he said cheerfully.

"How come I'm not surprised by that?" Tamahoma asked no one in particular. Tasuki shurgged and led the way, taking them to a rather resplendent looking inn. They stood in the entranceway while Tasuki bargained with the innkeeper for rooms, and then he beckoned to them and led them up the stairs and to their rooms.

"For the lady, her maid, and her little daughter, a grand suite! For the rest of us...well, I did my best." Setsuna entered the door that Tasuki gestured to and found herself in a room that reminded her of barracks, cots lining the walls. At the back of the room was another door, which she entered and found herself standing in a beautifully decorated chamber. Dominating the center of the room was a huge bed swathed in acres of blue silk with tiny white flowers embroidered around the edges. A privacy screen was in one corner, white swans swimming in lakes painted on the sceen and near it was a porcelain basin for washing. What caught her attention even more was the bathtub sitting discreetly near the privacy screen, hot steam rising up from it. A smile instantly covered her face and she started walking towards it in a dreamlike trance, unpinning her hair and beginnig to strip down.

"Tasuki, as much as you irritate me some days, thank you so much for this bath..." she sighed. "And if you don't mind my sayng so, I think that the rest of you should find a tub--trust me, you need it. Have the innkeeper send dinner to our rooms, if you don't mind. We have to talk about what we're doing next."

"I thought I was in charge," Tamahoma said, slightly sulky.

Setsuna glanced back over her shoulder. "Would you have anything different?" He shook his head "Then I don't see the problem. Run along." She reached down and pulled off her boots, then began removing the kimono. She heard the rest leaving as she continued to prepare for her bath, then a loud "OW!" as Tasuki was obviously taken forcefully from the room. She, Miaka, and Houki thoroughly enjoyed their bath.