Twilight's Shadow

[Shinjo Roku]

(OCC: This is a solo RP. If you really feel the need to tag along though, PM me first.)

Nearby Shiro Shinjo

A man riding his horse, seemingly asleep and with his right arm in a sling, slowly makes his way up the road to Shiro Shinjo. Also known as Far Traveler Castle, its architecture reflects its name as it was built using ideas from the many different cultures the Unicorn encountered during their travels abroad. The rider rouses from his slumber, yawning and stretching out his left arm before checking the wound on his shoulder. Nodding in satisfaction, he removes the sling and carefully stretches his right arm, then stares at the castle growing in the distance. "Lets see if we can make there for lunch, Kasi" Understanding her master, the horse broke into full gallop down the road.

Later that day, at Shiro Shinjo

Shinjo Roku walked through the front doors of the castle, noticing the significant lack of guards around. In fact he only encountered the 2 at the front gate. They must be out there fighting the yobanjin... He motioned to a nearby servent to come to him. Bowing low, the servant said: "Ah, Shinjo Roku-sama, welcome home!" "Thank you, can you please tell the lord of the castle that I have arrived, and that I wish to have lunch with him?" "But of course Roku-sama. Your room has been kept ready for when you returned if you wish to change." The servant bowed low again before leaving, leaving Roku alone in the main hall. Roku then walked down a different hallway, in order to get ready to have lunch with his sensei.

[Shinjo Roku]

An hour later, Roku was summoned to the daimyo's personal chamber for lunch. Lord Shinjo Hirokazu's chamber was so simply furnished, one could forget he was in the presence of the Shinjo daimyo. Much like the room, Hirokazu was also dressed in a plain purple kimono with no adornments other than the mons of the Unicorn and of the Shinjo family. Despite being well into his 60s, he has aged very well, still keeping his silver-gray hair in a ponytail much like Roku's. Unlike Roku however, Hirokazu has an immaculately groomed beard and mustache.

Hirokazu had his back turned when Roku entered the room. After the door had been shut, Hirokazu said: "Once again, you let someone else take all of the glory." "Haruka is young, she could use the extra fame." Hirokazu turned to face his former student with a scroll in his hands. "This came before you got here, the contents are... interesting..." At which point he hands Roku the scroll, who opens it up and quickly reads it. "The guy was convinced that he was aiding the empire by opening a black scroll and raising an undead army to help defend us... I don't understand why he would send this though..." Roku then shrugs. "Maybe he really is just that insane." He rolls the scroll back up and hands it back to Hirokazu, who puts it on a nearby desk. "Alright, lets get to eating lunch"

They both sit down at opposite sides of a table with various fish, dried fruits, and some basmati (a rice that the Unicorn brought with them). As they start filling their plates, Hirokazu glances up at Roku and says: "It's a good thing Haruka made it back alive, there would be a very angry clan champion if she didn't" Roku arches an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean?" "She's getting married to the Scorpion clan champion, Bayushi Senshi... Don't tell me you didn't know." "Hirokazu-sama, I've been out and about investigating crimes and getting stuck in a farmer's house for most of the winter..." They finish filling their plates, they start eating. "Speaking of which, when are you finally going to settle down and get married? You're 33 years old now, you need to find a girl before you start getting ugly." Roku rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry my duty to the empire is getting in the way of you being happy for me." He responds sarcastically. Hirokazu sighs and shakes his head. "If only your father was sti-" "If my father were still alive, he'd be trying to convince me to join the Kolat."

As if on cue, a servant opened the door, bowed, and said: "Shinjo Roku-sama, a message has arrived for you." Roku turns to the servant. "Leave it in my room, I'll read it after I finish lunch." The servant bowed again and closed the door. Roku turns back to Hirokazu. "Anyways, shouldn't you be more worried about the yobanjin?" "That's the reason why I need you to settle down, by the end of this war, we'll need lots of new samurai..." "I'll consider it... Maybe."

Roku and Hirokazu continue to eat and make small talk for another half hour, at which point Roku retires to his room. Much like his sensei, Roku's room is sparsely decorated, a small fire pit in the center of it, a desk in one corner, his cot and chest of clothes in another. The message that arrived earlier is sitting atop his desk, the seal bearing the Kitsuki mon still intact. He sits before his desk and opens a drawer, retrieving a piece of parchment, ink, and a pen. He then opens the message, seemingly a letter from one friend to another, signed at the bottom Kitsuki Tessai. Roku closely examines the letter, going through the cipher in his head, and writes the decoded message on the new parchment. When he finishes, it reads:

Yasuki Namboku
Info on superior
Kyuden Miya to Ryoko Owari

Roku grins at his next lead on the Kolat, throws both the letter and the parchment into the fire, and gathers his gear.

[Shinjo Roku]

OCC: I would just like to apologize to the people who were reading this for not posting for week. I have been dealing with some personal issues (don't worry, nothing serious) and I have also been doing other stuff, so I haven't had time to write out the next post. I'm not going to make any promises, but I should be able to post something over the next week. Once again, I apologize.