Aotsuki Frees Mimihime

Life, Organisation Association

Returning to Inabayama Castle from Shimonoseki for the second time that day, Aotsuki Tsukamoto finally had time to address the last of his clan’s overnight visitors. The Bakeushi that he had rescued from Ikkyū’s burning temple was led to him and presented. She bowed formally, but said nothing. According to Saitō Dōsan, none of the guards had been able to tease a single word from her lips.

Through some gestures and precise questioning, Aotsuki was able to determine it was not that the girl refused to speak, but rather that she couldn’t. The odd collar around her neck, black metal pressed close to her throat, was mystically stifling any noise that she wished to make. Looking into Kagami's mirror, Aotsuki saw not a band around her neck, but rather a black snake with two piercing white eyes.   Wisely, the Golden Shield of Ōmi decided not to pry into matters he did not understand. Instead, he contacted his adviser, Abe no Seimei. She recognized the snake as the metaphorical representation of whatever spell was preventing the girl from speaking. Black snakes, she warned, were omens of ill fortune and corruption, unlike their white counterparts. With her blessing and the protection of Amaterasu, however, Aotsuki approached and carefully released the collar from his guest’s neck. Immediately, dark magic rose up from the fallen object in serpentine flow and struck. Its accursed fangs found only his shield, however, as Aotsuki turned the spell and grounded it harmlessly.   With the spell gone, the cursed maiden finally found herself able to speak. She introduced herself as Ushinaga Mimihime and explained that she had been with Ikkyū for some time since her herd had been lost in the lands of the Takeda. Having nowhere else to go, she accepted Aotsuki’s invitation to stay at Inabayama Castle, with the caveat that she not leave the premises alone, as her former captor was still at large.   Noting the clear, beauteous quality of Mimihime’s voice, Dōsan floated the idea that she could use it for entertainment at dinners and events of the like. The other agreed, but Aotsuki immediately keyed in to her discomfort at the suggestion. With a bit of gentle prompting, Mimihime revealed that the collar had been placed around her neck by Ikkyū, and that he only removed it when he wanted her to sing at events. As a result, that kind of work brought back some unpleasant memories for her. With magnanimous understanding, Aotsuki released her from any such obligation. Mimihime was grateful for her part, and offered that she could perform some minor magic if he was ever in need, as repayment for his generosity.   With that, the Daimyō bid his guest farewell and summoned transport to Owari Castle. Political events there were coming to a head, and it was Aotsuki’s hope that he and Dōsan could quell the situation before it turned any uglier.