Oh, how he truly did loathe the ocean. It was the only thing that could spoil an otherwise perfect city such as this.

Odikawa was a peaceful place, beautiful and untroubled. You could tell by the way the people behaved; the citizens in the streets looked happy and relaxed, they moved at their own paced and appeared unconcerned. Nobody rushed about or felt the need to look over their shoulder or keep a tight grip on their coin purses the way people did in larger cities. People felt safe here.

And if the way they looked at him was any indication, it was a place unaccustomed to seeing warriors such as him. A man walking down the street in full armour and bearing weapons always attracted attention no matter where he was, but here that attention was more pronounced, an indication that they were unused to seeing such sights, and it was positive; the citizens pointed at him in wonder and excitement rather than bowing their heads or watching him warily from the corners of their eyes. An even clearer indication that they were not accustomed to trouble.

It was the kind of city where a washed up old solider like him belonged. A place to quietly retire and live out the rest of his days forgetting what it ever felt like to wield a bow or hold a sword. Or at least it would be were it not for that accursed expanse of water off in the distance.

Putting aside old fears and new contemplation’s for now, Yamagata turned to look at the building before him. Right next to the docks seemed like a strange place for a manor, being surrounded as it was by the smell of fish and the ever present cacophony of dock workers and creaking ships; Yamagata had expected it to be on the other side of town, far away from the water and high above the rest of the town, though perhaps that had just been his wishful thinking.

Regardless of what he thought however, the silver crescent moon-shaped emblem adorning the entranceway proved this was the right location. Perhaps the official who lived here wished to be close to the source of his money, to better watch over the dock and its workings. Or perhaps he just wanted to make sure everyone could see the fine house he had had built for him. Either way, Yamagata was sure they would come to regret it once the wood started to rot out from under him.

Approaching the entrance to the manor and the guard who watched over it, Yamagata subconsciously placed a hand over his breast where he had hidden the message he had received under his armour. The guard eyed him warily as he neared, no doubt making note of the tanto at his belt and the bow and arrows on his back; Yamagata chose to ignore this, but nonetheless made sure to keep his hands were they were visible and moved slowly so as not to cause undue alarm.

Stopping a comfortable distance away from the young guard Yamagata addressed him clearly, but vaguely, hoping the guard would understand his meaning without him having to prove it. [color=00a651]“I’m here to answer the summons.”[/color]

[i]And maybe find out why the Shogun decided to summon me of all people.[/i]