There were signs. Some that you could see, and some that were a little less obvious. But you didn’t expect it to be so…welcoming.

You had been riding with Sensei Ishikawa for a while, on the hunt for his turncoat student Tomoe. On your travels in Kamiagata, you had come across a woman named Matsu. A humble trapper who lived in the mountains. You two had talked, and she had much to say: even joking how she had expected The Ghost to be a demon, ten feet tall and with glowing red eyes. The banter came naturally, somehow. Until the both of you were by the coast, and she asked you what you would do on the mainland. She talked about opening an inn for the wealthiest in Kyoto, in order to rob them blind. It was there that you had put two and two together: Matsu was a disguise, and this woman was Tomoe.

She had eventually led you back to her home, as she disclosed her identity, as she asked for you and Ishikawa’s help. Begrudgingly agreeing, you turned to leave before you heard surprisingly soft words from behind you,

Tomoe: “The storm is rather bad. You can stay the night here, if you wish.”