Bed of Roses; Part Two

     Yogo Miroku could hardly contain himself as he made his way towards his room. He had been waiting for tonight since he got the scented letter earlier in the day. It had one sentence neatly brushed across the page, and that one sentence had been rerunning through his head for most of the afternoon and early evening. “You’re room, tonight.” It wasn’t signed, but after the conversation he had had with Shosuro Kakashiko he had an idea of who may have sent it, and what it entailed. Scorpion were true to their word, weather or not anyone else shared that opinion with them was irrelevant. Yogo knew he could trust that she was waiting for him, and she wasn’t alone.

    Attempting to keep his composure he resisted the urge to hurry his steps. It wasn’t like it had been long since he had been with a woman, but two was a treat he had only managed a few times before. The little fact that it was with two women who had previously shown disinterest didn’t hurt matters, it made it all more fun. Miroku wasn’t in it for the chase, he preferred a more relaxed method. Really, there were many fish in the sea so why not just wait for them to come to him? Of course he would make his intentions clear. He would converse, compliment, and invite them to share an evening. He wasn’t an animal looking for a lay, but merely a man accepting the lot he was dealt in life to enjoy carnal pleasure more than most. And being a Yogo made it all the more easier to have sex without love. There had been many women that proved you need not have feelings on either side of the fence to still have fun beneath the sheets. This was going to be much easier, a cleaner break, since it was already pre-established and there weren’t going to be any hard feelings after the matter.
    Rounding the last corner to his room, Miroku took a deep breath and slid open the shoji wall ready to start an exciting night. The room was lit with a dozen or so candles. Rose petals decorated the ground. And in the flickering light there sat Kakashiko and Isawa Ayame fully clothed and at a tea table. To say the least, Miroku was less than pleased. A tea ceremony?
    “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He muttered as he came in, taking a seat with the two. Not only was it not how he pictured things to start off, but Shosuro was obviously up to something. She wore the dress of a matchmaker, though she wasn’t trained in such a way. Ayame must not have noticed, he knew she hadn’t actually met with one yet, but Yogo had and Shosuro’s choice of clothing spoke volumes about her intentions tonight.
    “What do you mean, Yogo-san?” Ayame blinked. She was clearly confused. “You invited me-”
    “I didn’t invite you.” Miroku interrupted. He wasn’t trying to be rude, he just couldn’t help himself when it came to things he knew to be untrue. It would always just slip out.
    “But… You wrote me a letter.” Ayame looked down.
    “I didn’t write you a letter.” Miroku glanced from Ayame to Shosuro, clearly this was also of her doing. Shosuro had promised to arrange things, but this was underhanded.
    “Perhaps I should interject here,” Shosuro began, a sly smile on her face. “I wrote the letter. It was clear to me that the only way to get you here was to invite you through Yogo.”
    “So, you wrote everything? I should have known, he’s never been that nice.” Ayame knitted her brows. Miroku smirked, she thought he was nice. Whatever Shosuro had said it must have been far from the truth, no one ever called Miroku nice. Hell, no one called a Yogo nice!
    “I may have written the words, but it was what Yogo wanted to say.” Now Ayame’s eyes were on Miroku. For reasons he couldn’t explain, this actually made him uncomfortable. He didn’t have any answers. He shrugged, he didn’t know what was written, perhaps it was something he wanted to say, it was entirely possible. “Now,” Shosuro smiled, “I thought we should start with a tea ceremony.”
    Miroku shifted in his seat. Ayame didn’t say a word. After a brief uncomfortable silence Shosuro began the ceremony. It was an art form, not just a simple tea ritual, and Shosuro handled herself masterfully. Then again, Miroku knew she rarely showed her hand if it wasn’t masterful to begin with.
    The tea did help Miroku relax a bit. The atmosphere with the candles, and the smells of the tea mingling with the crushed rose petals was a very sensual experience. So many soft smells. He could smell Ayame too, like morning dew from lillies. He smiled, lost in the pleasantness of the moment.
    Silent as the grave, Shosuro rose. Miroku almost missed it if not for the movement catching his eye. She straightened out her dress and backed towards the door. Miroku could see the fear suddenly sprout on Ayame’s face. He really wasn’t that terrifying to be around but it was a reaction he had been getting used to in polite company. His shoulders drooped while he turned to Shosuro for answers.
    “As far as anyone else is concerned, I will be here until nine-thirty. That gives you two an hour or so to get better aquainted.” Shosuro grinned and pushed her hands together as if motioning for the two to scoot closer. ‘Yeah,’ Miroku thought to himself, ‘clearly not skilled as a matchmaker.’ It would have been scandalous for a matchmaker to leave them alone, or even hint at contact. However, this was more what he had previously had in mind when he first came in the door.
    “There’s warm sake on the table in the back of the room, and… a gift from that city we own but don’t talk about.” Shosuro nodded at Miroku. He couldn’t help but grin. It clearly was not something they should have, and he had a guess or two of what it might be. “Also,” she continued, “there’s some in the candles as well, so if you don’t want that coming to pass you should put them out before ten or so minutes from now.”
    “Understood.” Miroku nodded, trying desperately to not laugh. If he were any one else, or they were part of any other clan, this situation would be terrifying and quite dire. But they were Scorpion. And this sort of behavior isn’t as bad in their homelands as the rest of The Empire seems to consider it. He couldn’t help but imagine Ayame’s face twisted in horror if she knew what Shosuro was talking about. It was amusing!
    And with that Shosuro stepped out the door and shut it behind her leaving Miroku and Ayame in the gentle light, alone. He turned towards Ayame, fully intending to explain how comical their situation was, but a noise interrupted the thought. There was a loud click, as if a lock had slid into place, right outside his door. Miroku glanced behind him, his mouth parted in preperation for what he was about to say before, but it was Ayame who spoke first.
    “Did she just-”
    “Yes.” Miroku answered.
    “But, is she going to unlock it at nine-thirty?”
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged and turned back towards Ayame. “Tell me, Isawa-dono, do you know about The City of Lies?”
    She eyed him suspiciously. “Yes.” She said carefully. “Why?”
    “Do you know what their chief export is?”
    “I can’t say I do…”
    “Oh, well then!” Miroku clapped his hands together, “This is going to be an interesting night.” He saw Ayame’s eyes widen. “Care for some sake?”
    Miroku got up, making his way for the back table. Ayame shook her head in response and poured herself more tea, nervously sipping at it. He shrugged again, more for him. He wasn’t a lush, but it was there, and it would just go to waste if he left it, so why not? Grabbing a bottle, saucer, and a small package of the ‘gift’ he nestled against the wall by his bed. This put him a few feet from Ayame, with a clear view of her profile. Not only that but it was the perfect spot for some smoking and drinking if the occasion arose that he felt like going to bed without cleaning up.
    Pouring himself a few drinks and stuffing his pipe he watched her fiddle with the china. Rearranging it with the smallest movements so everything was perfectly lined up. She wasn’t a bad looking woman, the way the light fell on her face made her seem softer than she put on. She was a Phoenix shugenja, so she was bound to be powerful and fiery, but right now she looked kind of helpless. She sipped her tea, looking about the room as if his gaze made her uncomfortable. Edged a few more pieces of the tea set. And then she slowly brought her eyes over to him.