Session 23: Sending the Scorpion scurrying

 Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Yoritomo Shohei, Togashi Amajino, Doji Natsuki and Kuni Kobayashi

The Kuni Inquisitor is called to the Shosuro Palace in order to assist the Emerald Magistrates in their duty of liberating Shosuro Kimi. When he arrives to the Bayushi estate, the group has a firm grip on the situation.
Having negotiated the 'training' of Bayushi Otodo and enabled Shosuro Kimi to talk freely with Natsuki, the group finds Korechika using the arrival of a new guest to try and wiggle his way to a better deal.
The group happily shuts him down hard. 
Jinsoku offers the idea of a tournament when Bayushi Korechika keeps implying that the wrong person is leading the city, with the core tenets of Bushido as a guideline (so argues Jinsoku) all would be better of. 
Clearly the winner of such a tournament would be a good candidate for the leadership of the City at Journey's End. 
It seems like Korechika would be open to the idea, though he is loathe to put himself in a position where an Imperial duelist or a hand-chosen champion of the Crane (through the pull of the Emerald Champion) would take the prize he has so long tried to gain control of. With this on his mind, he makes a few brash statements that 'outsider interference' would not be tolerated, linking it with the foothold the Crane recently established on Teardrop Island.

With Natsuki back in the meeting and with an impartial representative to ensure that no harm would befall "his niece" Shosuro Kimi, Korechika has no choice but to relinquish the girl and let her return to her mother.
As the party returns to the Shosuro palace, Kimi talks about how her first fiancé (Ide Michikana) came to die due to opium and her fell dislike of the substance. The dead man's brother, Ide Asamitsu, is her current fiancé, and she would rather go to him than be caught between her family should things come to a head.
The party considers this, but filial piety is placed as a higher virtue than love, so to her mother the girl goes.
Ide Asamitsu also meets the party while they walk, as he was eagerly looking out for his betrothed, and the party questions him a little on his father. Ide Baranato's seal was involved with the mysterious horse incident, so he might be their best link to Fade, and Fade seems to be involved in a lot of things happening in the City. 
Asamitsu gladly tells the group that saved his wife-to-be that his father can be found making devotions to the Lady Amaterasu in her temple around noon each day.

The group then gets some time to recover from a VERY short night, a few intense moments and some injuries. A couple of days (literally two) pass without incident before a runners disrupts the peace again.

"Someone killed Uma, the main horse handler of the Bayushi!"

Session 22: Masks, Threats and Pineapples

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

Ganko, after a hot night's pursuit of villains, finds himself in the unfolding melee near the Juniper Teahouse. He grinds a couple of firemen into a fine paste before coming face to face with a messenger from Shosuro Hyobu, who informs him that his cunning and wisdom will be needed to free her daughter from a kidnapper's hands. As the messenger also is searching for the rest of the party, Ganko follows him to the group, where the same message is delivered.
Happy to see pieces moving, the group bids farewell to uncle Ebi, leaving a good impression by getting a round of sake for all involved.

At Hyobu's palace, the party meets with both the Shosuro and the Soshi family leaders in the city, Seiryoku being irate about the Teahouse situation, as her Firemen were forced out by uncle Ebi. 
Hyobu confides that Bayushi Korechika is the one who has taken her daughter hostage, under the pretense of 'protecting her from the current unrest'. He has written as much in an insulting letter that refers to the other family heads as 'little sisters'. She asks for the party to bring her back, offering a signed Order of Appearance for Bayushi Otodo (Korechika's son) due to the suspected involvement with the opium warehouse raids.

The party then heads out to confront Korechika. They first meet the guards and duly impress upon those the need for a face-to-face, which is granted. 
The courteous host, Korechika tells the party that maybe the city has not been off as well under the leadership provided by the current governess and implies he would be a lot more able and may even allow the Crane clan to establish on Teardrop Island (through stating that the Emerald Magistrates are currently acting in the interest of their Emerald Champion - Doji Satsume - a crane).
After Natsuki asks leave to meet with Shosuro Kimi (and is granted the request), Korechika visibly relaxes and talks to the party about various things, including his suspicions that a ronin named 'Jaw' matches the description of the hitman who took out the merchant Watchful.

From the visit to Kimi, Natsuki learns that she is held against her will, but that she is not really eager to return home through violence either. If anything, Kimi seems to be disinterested in most outside news, though she does ask about her fiancé (Ide Asamitsu) and if her mother could make a deal to get her out.
Natsuki and Kimi agree that if Kimi feels like she is ever in real danger, she should request pineapples, as those exotic fruits are hard to come by, and word would reach either Ebi or Shohei before long.

Session 21: A visit long overdue

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

The session starts with a full flashback to the past of Shohei, revealing the fate of Doji Chi's mother, the link to the Kakita Katsuhito and the burden Yoritomo Furikake placed on his son due to the incurred debt of honour to the Crane Clan.

Snapping out of his dreams in the morning, Shohei finds himself surrounded by his friends, minus Hida Ganko (who is already chasing down the potential culprit), and a short chat later, the gang gathers to check out the Temple of Benten, where Shosuro Kimi was kidnapped.

Based on their previous experience, the group sets out to track the culprit(s?). As traces seem lacking, they follow the rampage of the Investigate Crab and angle towards Madame Kakaru's place in the Crab Caves, passing by the North Rim of the Fisherman's Quarter. 
After talking to a local fishcake merchant, they walk straight into a hot street full of Moment's Edge Kakujin fighting Ebi's Shoremen.
Seeing a fair chance at revenge against the gang that threatened them before, the group bursts into violence and clears out the leaders of the Kakujin, allowing Ebi to take the field and the Tea House. Jinsoku lands the killing blow on the leader of the gang (Hana), Shohei kills the second in command (Kyoaku) and the strongest fighter (Chinpira) is dispatched, after a grueling stand-off, by Amajino.

Though injured and exhausted by the skirmish, the group presses on to reunite with their ally Ganko, who seeks still for the elusive kidnappers.