In the Headmans Hut

There was a slight twist of lips as she looked back to the older woman. One would have thought that the Shosuro mon in prominence on her armor would be a clear enough message and a way by which to remember her name but alas the world was full of most unpleasant surprises. "Shosuro, I merely trained under the Soshi." Rin replied with no impression of tension or insult despite her internal feelings. The light seemed to catch in the many eyes of her mask and set them to glowing faintly.

"Some simple rice and fish would be quite appreciated, thank you..." her voice trailed off in suggestion that they might be properly introduced. "Also it would be appreciated if a runner could be sent to the village to inform the constable of my intentions towards Sarutobi-san."

"I am sure Hakutra-san would be willing to meet with you... But he will want to know what the man has done to the vale. My appologies on my guess to your family, I have never meet a Scorpion before..."

"Nothing I know of... yet." Rin replied calmly and in all seriousness despite the slight note of force in her tone. "It is the way of vagrants such as him to bite the hands of all who shelter him. A trend I wish to put an end to." the Shosuro woman finished with no small measure of flourish as she glanced back out the crack in the door to her quarry before looking once more to the woman. If the village was unwilling to over some instance of support she would have to operate clandestinely. "As to matters of my family, I find myself consistently perturbed that a samurai of one of the great clans seems so rare in this village."


Courtier (31)

"In my life I have met a number of clansmen, a score of Unicorn, over a dozen Mantis, a few Crab... they actualy put a dent in our supplies, those bushi can really eat"
She offered with a little laugh at the memory.

"A few others, but I dont think there has been a Scorpion in a long time. They may have not stoped down here if they did. There are other camps, a few farming areas, and of course the village. I imagine there are a few camps higher in the mountains that are still in the vale. "

It was not comforting to note that all the clans that this village seemingly had dealings with were ones that also nursed significant grievances against the Scorpion. It made her doubly wary as she glanced back out the door once before turning to full fix at least a polite level of attention on the woman. "You'll most likely find I am somewhat easier to accommodate and am far less... taxing on one's senses than the Mantis and Crab might be. I must apologize, however, for my divided attentions as it has ever been a teaching of Clan of Secrets to always be aware." she added in thoughtful consideration as she leaned slightly against the door at her back to suggest she was at ease.

"It may well be that you simply never noticed their coming and going. We pride ourselves on our resourcefulness and discretion in most matters. Duty, in my own instance, has carried me to this point."

The woman nodded.

"The Unicorn I think have had the biggest impact. Either directly or indirectly. My grandfather said that the camp above us was founded by a unit of stranded Unicorn... Now that I think about it, there was a Scorpion couple with them to. The story is it was that pair that set the relationship we have with the village. If I remember the unit was either going to or comming from a place called The Burning Sands, does that mean anything to you?"

"If you would humor me for a moment... Who do you think sits on the Throne of the Empire currently?" Rin asked simply with a slight arch of brow behind her mask. The Scorpion Coup and Exile was a significant point of the Empire's history that any citizen would know of, regardless of how distant in the past it might be. It raised further concerns about just how out of touch they might be with the general state of the Empire... and also made her concerned over what other details might be found here beyond the usual issues associated with such isolated locations.

"I ... err"

THe old woman flushed a bit at the question, or rather her lack of a good answer.

"I dont know who the Emperor is off hand, the last time was years back when some of our visitors spoke of the Black Lion taking the throne? But I doubt the heavens have kept him to the Emerald Throne this long... perhaps we could be better informed here, but it is so hard to get couriers here.."

She tried to ease the situation with a bad joke

"Iweko the first is now upon the throne and Heavens bless her reign." Rin replied with some disquiet taking root in her mind as she regarded the woman for a moment. The joke earned a small quirk of lip from the Scorpion woman but that was all as her head tilted back suggesting her gaze had shifted elsewhere. "As to the Burning Sands I would imagine you are unaware of one of the greater points of misfortune in Scorpion history?" she counter pointed quietly as she mused over the ramifications of this lack of knowledge of the empire they were nominally a part of.

"I know I have heard of it... But we dont put that heavy of emphisis on the larger world here. We do our best to keep up on customs so any that choose to leave are not held at that great a disadvantage, but beyond that..."