Aotsuki's Afternoon Affairs

Miscellaneous

Once Saitō Dōsan's concerns had been aired and the clan's next step determined, Daimyō Aotsuki Tsukamoto had some other business to speak with his aides on before heading to Owari Castle. First, he wanted to know, what had become of Shōjo? The events of last night, bizarre as they were, had left him with an interest in the girl's condition. Unfortunately, there was little to tell. Abe no Seimei reported that the girl was still asleep, if her condition could be called that. The guards were under strict orders to notify her as soon as their ward awoke.   Apparently, Aotsuki had been hoping that Shōta might pick his sister up at some point in the near future. The boy's death and subsequent possession by Dōhan pretty well put a stopper on that. Seimei hadn't been aware of this particular series of events, but as it didn't seem to relate much to the Aotsuki clan beyond their guest, she also did not express much interest. Their father was known to be within a prison in Yamashiro Province, she opined, if Aotsuki would rather leave Shōjo in his care.

With that matter aired, the young Daimyō's next concern was over Watagyūma-dōnyo. That tricksters "pranks" had been getting out of hand lately, to the point where they were interfering with Aotsuki's marital bliss. Rather than kick the offender out, he wanted to give Watagyūma some sort of direction; a target other than him on whom to exercise her sense of humor. It'd be easy to sic her at an enemy, but as it turned out, the Aotsuki Clan was a bit light on those at the moment. Certainly, there was the Ikkō Ikki, but they lacked the kind of centralized leadership that would make an appealing target for this scheme.   Instead, Abe no Seimei had a proposition. Aotsuki and the Ashikaga Shogunate had clashed indirectly on more than one occasion now. With the Golden Shield now bearing all three Imperial Regalia and the blessing of Amaterasu herself, it would likely not be long before Ashikaga Yoshiaki began acting against him more blatantly. As one with all the qualifications to become the next Emperor on the Chrysanthemum Throne, he would be too dangerous to her power to ignore. However, Aotsuki worried about sending Watagyūma into the capitol without a more specific purpose in mind. He resolved to ask his old friend and mentor in the Imperial Court, Fujiwara no Taneie, for his advice. Indeed, they should probably talk soon. Seimei offered to take care of arranging a meeting for the two at the Daijō Daijin's earliest convenience.   Finally, Aotsuki brought up the matter of his guards. It seemed like more chaos was occurring under the roof of Ōtsu Castle than that suffered by any of his allies in power. He wanted to know if Seimei thought this could be solved by auditing their current roster of castle security. The great onmyōji, however, did not agree. She declared the guards to be fine men and women, the cream of Ōmi Province. They were sharp under Nen'ami Jion's training, but simply a bit helpless when it came to supernatural threats.   If that were the case, Aotsuki reasonably concluded, couldn't they shore up that deficiency by training a squad of onmyōji to join in guarding the castle? Seimei cautiously agreed with him, but she did not seem thrilled about it. Indeed, his adviser told Aotsuki bluntly that she would not participate in training any onmyōji within Ōtsu Castle. With his characteristic openness, Aotsuki breezed past this and agreed that he'd find someone else to train the new guard. Perhaps Imamura Naiku, as Seimei suggested, or Kuroda Kanbei, as brought up by Dōsan.   On the topic of that steely magician and her missing boyfriend, Seimei had a report from the Saika Ikki to pass on. They had been picking up reports of someone matching Toyotomi Hideyoshi's description in the company of a beautiful oni on the streets of Shimonoseki. That came as a surprise to Aotsuki and Tokku-hime, who had both visited the town often over the past few days.   With that, Aotsuki made a last promise to Dōsan that he'd have "Master" start construction on a castle on the northern border of Mino Province as soon as he finished Mitake. Then, he wrapped up the meeting. He, Tokku, and Dōsan were to travel to Owari next, to meet with the Tengu who had agreed to help him hunt for Ikkyū.   As they were about to leave, the Big Man stopped Aotsuki for one last aside. He'd been thinking about the request he'd laid at Aotsuki's feet not long before and, after some consideration, decided he'd figured out the best person for the job. When he'd been stationed at Ōtsu Castle under the Oda Clan, Ishida Mitsunari had with her a smith of unique caliber. This woman, named something like Nagaison Kotatsu, was particularly skilled at creating weapons of great size and potential. Someone like that would be the obvious choice for making a guitar frame big enough for Dōsan's impossible body. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to find Kotatsu just now. After Mitsunari's loss, the smith had left for the capitol in order to peddle her trade there. Apparently, she didn't want to "work for a loser."   Aotsuki took this all in magnanimously, then promised Dōsan that they'd try to figure out where this Nagaison Kotatsu was now. Moments later, Shigeaki Fujino was effecting their transport to Owari Castle.   Just inside the gates to the Oda Clan's entry hall, a fussy clerk met with Aotsuki and recognized him immediately. As the moppish man opened his mouth to politely ask about the Daimyō's business here, he was interrupted by something between a shout and a squawk. A birdlike, feathery woman who could only be Hayashi Hidesada sped in from a nearby hall to greet Aotsuki and his companions herself.   That Hidesada was eager to help could be called an understatement. She drew information from Aotsuki about the project like a parched peasant draws water from the village well. Soon, the Golden Shield understood that Dōsan had not briefed their prospective agent very well on the mission, so he did so then, paying particular attention to emphasizing Ikkyū's crafty, slippery nature. As to be expected of someone with her plumage, Hidesada was adept at tracking targets from the air. The same quality made it difficult for her not to stand out in a crowd, which might be a problem if she had to take the hunt indoors. Finally, Hidesada expressed that she wouldn't try to subdue her target for fear of killing him. Ikkyū was just a human after all, wasn't he? Others had often told Hidesada that she didn't know her own strength, so she'd opt for bringing news to Aotsuki over bringing him a corpse in those cases.   It seemed settled, then. Hidesada was ready to start away, eager to hitch her carriage to Aotsuki's rising star in the eyes of the Oda. She'd report back as soon as she had any idea, even a general one, of where their demagogue might be hiding.