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[color=#564fb0]Location:[/color] Saffron Village
[color=#564fb0]Mentions:[/color] N/A [/right][hr][hr]
[indent]The steady, monotonous sound of a Tauros' hooves clopping against the dirt path beneath them would soon come to an end. Kurayami Kondō could, for the moment at least, find some measure of relief in that. The Village of Saffron was in eyeshot now, and he allowed his shoulders to relax, if only a bit, as he spared a glance a few feet up to his left at the cart driver which he was charged to protect. The merchant was a bit older, and carried luxury textiles and other pricey baubles as wares, which would warrant such an escort, even as small as it was.

Kurayami lowered his gaze to look underneath the driver's box at the man who tromped along the side of the coach opposite him. He looked.. a bit grotty, to put it nicely. He wasn't well kempt and he wore little in terms of self-protection. The only thing that would make one think of him as some form of security was the shoddy-looking Katana he wore. Kurayami wondered to himself for a moment if this was really his true station now - amongst those would could hardly finance even a modest lifestyle. He shook the thought from his head. The down-trodden man was only here because he allowed it. In truth, the Ronin had persuaded the merchant to accept just him as his escort, after a time of convincing. But the other man had practically begged the merchant to let him in on the job - unannounced, even. Kurayami was against it, and tried to sway the older gentleman otherwise, but it seemed he was not quite as scrupulous as his newfound sword-for-hire.

In the end though, it mattered little. They were rather fortunate in that their journey went uninterrupted - though not without a few corrections from Kurayami as to which routes they should travel. Now they had arrived at their destination, and two of the three of them let out sighs of relief as they drew near.

The guards of the eastern-most entrance signaled for the carriage to yield to a halt as they circled it, gauging the intent of its passage. There was a small conversation between one of them and the driver, before they re-converged ahead of them once more and gave the go-ahead to the older man, seemingly content with the search. The Tauros snorted and began to clop on once again, soon passing through the large gates which were now open to them.

It was just as Kurayami had remembered it to always be. Expansive. Busy. Loud.
People walking, running, trotting about their own businesses - people both old and new to the town enjoying the protection the city's walls offered them. Life in Saffron was easy, for most. The former samurai was broken from his musings as the carriage had come to a halt near a small clear area.
"Kondō-san."

Kurayami raised his gaze to the older gentleman stepping down from his carriage, and offered an arm for support. The man accepted it and came down to stand with him, beginning to shuffle through his kimono until he found what he was looking for. He produced a small pouch, placing it in the Ronin's hand with a smile. "Arigato gozaimashita."

Kurayami returned a small nod. [color=564fb0]"Arigato gozaimasu."[/color]

He offered a slight, forced smile before he turned away from the man, leaving him to his business.

[color=564fb0]"I need a drink.."[/color] He said to himself, finally beginning to feel the fatigue in even his good leg.

He tucked the pouch in one of the more close-to-skin pockets within his Kamishimo, and let his eyes scan for an inn or bar. He spotted a Ryokan, and wasted no time beginning a reasonably paced walk towards it. The light feeling of a familiar beak against his arm, and the large eyes that looked up at him from the corner of his vision reminded him that Hisa was in equal need of refreshment, though assuredly she was much less tired than him. She was basically designed for travel.

They found themselves entering the inn and were greeted kindly by a few faces. Kurayami was happy to find a lack of prepared uwabaki in the establishment - he had never been fond of removing his shoes - but really it made sense, considering the growing popularity of Pokémon companions made traditional genkans.. mostly futile. The Ronin and his partner entered the common area, and the man made his way to the last empty table of the lot, Hisa following behind. He finally sat, releasing a subdued groan of relief as his legs finally rested. His eyes rose to search the room for a server, and he made a gesture with his hand to let them know he was there when they were ready for him.

It wasn't long before he was served - a healthy serving of rice, a bit of meat, a half cup of alcohol, and some fish for Hisa. He thanked the server and her Furret with a nod, before the two began to chow down.
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