Kyoto was a capital, full of nobles, courtiers, and royalty. Kyoto was a capital, full of knaves, spies, and assassins.
The tavern’s rice lanterns flickered as nightfall’s sea breezes swept in through the front door, carelessly left open by one of the tavern’s patrons. Suzuya scowled at the hooded man across the table from him. The scowl was not because of the chilling wind, though cold weather put Suzuya in a vile mood. These arrogant nobles would never admit who they were, especially when coming to the Brown Tiger. The daimyo thought they were smarter than the common folk, something which rubbed against Suzuya’s pride.
Suzuya spared a quick glance around the room. Clusters of men sat around the room, losing themselves in their
sake and conversation. All sat bareheaded, enjoying the fire’s warmth, now that old Giro finally closed the damned door. This was a place of relaxation, never business. That is, except for the Black Hand.
Suzuya’s gaze returned to the hooded man sitting across from him. “What may I do for you, my esteemed guest?”
“Do I have the honor of speaking to Suzuya Ichiro?”
“Perhaps. It depends on what you wish to say.”
“Why…?”
“An interesting question. An even more interesting answer. However, everything has its price here.” Suzuya gestured around. “
Sake, 3
kendo. Women, 10
kendo. Comradeship with one’s fellow man is free. Business is not.”
A deep chuckle emanated from within the cowl across from him. “This is true, Suzuya-san.” The visitor readjusted himself on his bench, and pulled a brown cloth bag from his cloak, dropping it on the table with a soft clink. “I would like to make an inquiry into a man’s motions. A man, who I am sure you know.”
“I know many men, esteemed visitor. Unless your inquiry is more specific, I may not be able to help you.”
“He is a tall man, who walks with a poise one might find in a samurai. He has been known to go by a variety of names, none of which would help very much.” The man’s hand came up from his side, bearing a hand sketch of a face. “This is the face of the man, Suzuya-san.”
Suzuya scowled at the sketch. He knew exactly who that was. “I will make inquiries, esteemed visitor. Perhaps if you visited back here next week, I might have some information for you.”
The hooded man stood slowly, looking down at Suzuya. Suzuya stood as well, so as to not seem rude. The man bowed slightly. Suzuya responded with a slightly deeper bow. Respect never hurt one’s chances in his profession. “Suzuya-san, I look forward to it.”