Session 13: In the Shadow's Embrace

Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Hida Ganko, Togashi Amajino, Yoritomo Shohei

The group wakes up and gets down to their morning activities, happy to have a moment to see to their affaires.
Ganko invites Shosuro Jocho, after receiving word that the man would like to meet up, to the breakfast and finds an invite to meet with Fade at sunset on the Bridge of Drunken Lovers. 

Daidoji Jinsoku is, after arriving at the breakfast, confronted by Kakita Doze (his pupil), who has been vetting the new caretakers of the house. He is introduced to Utsukushi - a delicate girl with a swan's neck and large eyes who will work the kitchen - and Pinpin - a sturdy tomboy who will take over the stable duty. The other potential staff has been let go due to a lack of proper manners or proper background. Doze will keep his efforts up, hoping to regain the favour of his sensei.

Doji Natsuki arrives at breakfast to a stack of paperwork which states her claim on the Red Lotus House, formalizing her new status as Denna for that place.

Shohei takes stock on the market updates and notes that paper and sake are being bought in bulk, alerting him to the immanent Liberation Festival (known to the locals as 'Crab Day'). This in turn reminds the group that they were scheming to change the uniform of the Thunder Guard in order to flush out those who may present themselves as such. Jocho seems very on board with the idea.
Doji Chi attends the meeting together with Ashidaka Michitaka, chasing small kami-butterflies around the room when the group is not watching. Shohei has procured a small fan with which she can send subtle gusts to guide the spirits and this seems to please her to no end. He takes the moment to also warn both Isawa Nagitoro and Ebi of potential dangers in the City. 
Additionally, he brings a large fan for Natsuki, to thank her for the Crane Clan help he has been able to receive thus far. 

As Jocho has a moment of Jinsoku's time, he offers him a duelist ribbon (as the current trend is to wear a trophy for dueling victories). Jinsoku, non-plussed and with full awareness, refuses three times and sends Jocho off. 
Jocho then convinces Ganko, before leaving the Magistrate's Residence to head to his daily duties, to take the ribbon and talk to Jinsoku about wearing it.
There is a small amount of words between Ganko and Jinsoku, in which some of the reality of the politics of Ryoko Owari is brought to the fore. 

Before much else happens, a group of merchants and the lady Matsu Mizuki arrive to speak to the magistrates, only to turn out to be a hostile cadre of ... shapeshifters?
The group fights again in their dwelling and wins a costly victory, with Shohei and Natsuki in need to medical assistance after bravely defending their dwelling.
In the end, Jinsoku slices through the mouth of the thing wearing Mizuki's face, which leaves its amputated jaw behind before it disappears and the other humanoids that attacked slowly dissolve into puddles of obsidian goo.

Session 12: As Petals on the Breeze

Party: Togashi Amajino, Hida Ganko, Daidoji Jinsoku, Yorimoto Shohei, Doji Natsuki

We rejoin the group as loud noise from the street distracts them from the quaint meeting in the House of Gilded Lilies. An irate Bayushi Korechika is making his displeasure known, implying various things the party has done in the City to be a strike directly against him. He demands the return of "his ward" Doji Chi, he implies they are either in league with Hyobu against him or at the very least refuse to investigate her, he is angry about their lack of visiting his holdings and showing preference to the other sites of recent crimes... and he feels strongly that his son has been beaten unfairly in the recent duel.
The party talk him down and manage that get the situation defused quite well.

After Korechika takes his leave, assurances made that the situation with Doji Chi and his warehouses at Necessity Village (Hitsoyu Mura) would get due consideration, the Lady of the House of Foreign Stories (the gaijin Magda) makes herself known and offers the party a gift of clean kimonos to use. She, in turn, spends a while talking with the Emerald Magistrates and receives an offer from Hida Ganko to assist with her travel papers. 

Doji Natsuki, duly displeased with the display of Bayushi Korechika, heads to the place where Iyo and Kirame work, the Red Lotus House. While it does not carry the grandeur of the Great Houses of the island, it is a quaint and relaxing place, with an older ojisan (Pyoteru) running the kitchen - which is the main draw of the House, as even Shosuro Hyobu is known to drop by for their Lotus Buns.
Seeing potential, Natsuki invests into the place and will be on the lookout for more talents to add to the ranks.

Eventually the day winds to a conclusion and the group heads back to their dwelling, discussing how to help Doji Chi escape the conspiracies that seem to swirl about the City. 

They have a number of clear ideas of what to do still. They want to check out Hitsoyu Mura, they want to learn what Itoshi (the eta torturer) managed to learn from their Moon Clan prisoner and want to set up a meeting with Fade.