Two of Seven Tones

Life, Milestone

Following the events at Isonokami Shrine, Ryūzaki Sanosuke took his newly-acquired Seven-Branched Sword in hand and returned to Nijō Castle. His journey was hastened by Shigeaki Fujino, and a surprisingly short amount of time had actually passed since he set out from Ōtsu. That was thanks in part, no doubt, to Hakutaku's blessing. A brief, clandestine conversation occupied his attentions momentarily, then the Silver General went about searching for Umbriel. Thanks to the connection with music he and Hashinara Yoshitakatomo had discovered within the Seven-Branched Sword, it seemed likely that the most rhythmically-minded member of the Silver Meteor Storm could help offer some insight.

Umbriel's chambers were empty, but the soft sound of scraping lured Sanosuke to the gardens not far away. The Daughter of Avatea was here, her tall, slender form illuminated by the gibbous moon above. In her lap, she held her curious weapon, running a whetstone over its blade with her characterstic sense of rhythm. Sanosuke took a moment to adjust himself to the same beat, then approached and engaged her in conversation. The Silver General's presence was a welcome one in Umbriel's company now. He was among the few Earthlings who could match the inner music that consumed her every action. Between the pleasant company and the light side of the moon casting good omens upon her, the Daughter seemed to be in genuinely good spirits.   A few pleasantries finished, Sanosuke delved into the other reason for his visit. He first explained what scraps he knew about the nature of the Seven-Branched Sword, then asked for her opinion on it. Umbriel caught on immediately. Her own weapon "listened" to the sounds around it, so such a concept was far from alien for her. Taking the blade in her hands, she began softly singing to it, as a test. The Daughter's voice was graceful and melodic. While not on a divine level, it would be almost impossible to match the performance there in the quiet, moonlit courtyard at Nijō. Just as when Tama had laughed before, the Seven-Branched Sword seemed to resonate with Umbriel's voice. Sanosuke's S.P.E.C.T.A.C.L.E.-enhanced eye caught traces of magic in the air as it was seemingly generated by an interaction between blade and sound. The energy did not dissipate, but rather joined the paltry sum gathered around the blade in an aura. Umbriel seemed to have produced nearly double what Tama had.   This was precisely the kind of discovery Sanosuke had hoped to uncover. With eight words of gratitude, he took the sword back from Umbriel and decided to try singing to it himself. Unskilled in the musical arts, his performance was not nearly as graceful as the other's had been. Expectedly, the sword failed to react. It remained inert in Sanosuke's hands until he handed it back to Umbriel and asked her to serenade it once again. She complied, and delivered a lullaby just as beautiful as the first had been. Again, nothing happened. It seemed, then, that the Seven-Branched Sword might only respond to certain stimuli once per day, just as Yoshitakatomo had theorized.   The Silver General offered his thanks and received the artifact back from Umbriel. She, in turn, expressed her gratitude for the chance to experience such an exquisite weapon. Making to end the pleasant encounter, Sanosuke excused himself and left Umbriel to her moonlit sharpening. He hailed Fujino then, and managed to pull her away from a separate encounter with Matsumoto Ooawagaeri. Their destination this time was a small business off the mountainous slopes of Odawara Castle. He'd made some quiet arrangements before, and the time had come for a similarly unassuming meeting at The Tanuki's Secret.   To Sanosuke's surprise, this was not Fujino's first engagement at the little parlor. When pressed, she explained that Tsukijō Hanahane often frequented the place to arrange business dealings with clients in the eastern reaches of Japan. The mention of that lackadaisical, pink-mopped man put a stopper on Sanosuke's curiosity, and he dismissed the matter. It was only a blink of the eye before he and his transport arrived in an alley not far from Odawara Castle. That structure was more than Sanosuke had imagined. Towering mightily into the night sky, obscuring even the moon, its bulwark was grander even than the Palace of the Firebird by a factor of two. The Silver General expressed that the Hōjō Clan's reputation as castle-builders might be well deserved before turning to the true reason for his arrival.   It did not take much searching to find it. Next to an unadorned door on the otherwise dingy street, someone had carved a crude caricature of a Tanuki into the wooden wall. The cartoonish creature was holding its finger to its lips, one eye closed in a mischievous wink. After exchanging a nod with Fujino, Sanosuke opened the door and stepped within. In contrast to the shadowy alley behind, the interior of the parlor was well-lit and well-appointed. Two paper walls with opaque doors set in them funneled visitors to a reception of sorts. In this case, this consisted of little more than a pile of cushions atop which a Bakedanuki girl and her Tanuki assistant leafed through a monumental ledger. As Sanosuke approached, she looked up at him through thick spectacles and welcomed him politely, if a little coldly, to The Tanuki's Secret. Fujino offered helpfully that the girl's attire was similar to that worn by some clerks of Sancta Sedes, a tidbit she had no doubt learned on her outings here with Hanahane. Sanosuke took in the information, the reserved luxury around him, and then turned to address the clerk.