It was another lovely day in Kugane. Yet, no matter how lovely, Hoshichou still hated being in the all-to-familiar city. Not even the garden beside the Imperial consulate could bring her much comfort— though that may of been less the garden’s fault. Settled upon the pond bridge, Hoshi gently tossed fish feed into the waters. She watched as koi rushed over and gobbled it up (some with a little more heart than others). Her free hand twirled the umbrella that provided sanctuary from oceanside sun; it rested loosely in the curve where her neck met her shoulder.
Many had come and gone over the last few suns but few paid her much mind. She had a lovely conversation with one of the Thavnairian elders who had come down from their consulate. Alas, that was yestersun, and the present remained boring as ever. It wasn’t until the gentle steps and the sound of wood-against-wood was traded into a heavier, metal clad approach that Hoshichou took pause. Her head tilted slightly towards the footfalls while her hand slowly lowered from the bag of koi feed.
“To what does a lady owe the pleasure? How rare a visit from the consulate these suns.”
The man made a soft, amused noise before he took her side. His arms rested upon the railing and his fingers were casually laced together. He looked down to the koi before his attention returned to her. Hoshi gave a slight flick of her tail before it tucked itself to the side opposite of him. Her chin tilted skyward to focus her blindfold upon him. The hand that once fed fish came to her opposite elbow in a simple cross of her arms. The umbrella that she spun came to a pause.
Seizing an opportunity, the man at her side carefully reached out to nudge the umbrella further along her shoulder. It was balanced so the rim blocked the consulate from their conversation. When he took an additional step into her space, Hoshi calculated the angles in her head and then gave a slow, somewhat annoyed sigh through her nose. The tail at her side moved to wrap around the back of her conversational partner— not that he had yet said much.
“If I am to be part of a scandal, I’d at least appreciate the reason.”
It was a voice that Hoshichou immediately recognized. That hadn’t stopped her eyes from widening with surprise. She took a step further in and placed her hand upon his cheek. Her thumb trailed along his cheekbone while her fingertips drifted along his jaw. A smile crossed his face and he nodded a little. Still, he carefully reached up to take her by the wrist and lower her hand. A squeeze was given to her hand shortly after.
“They have already set up surveillance on the docks and taken control of you inn room. Eorzea is quite far to travel to without the aetheryte system which they are also supervising.”
“How? It’s been quiet for suns.”
“I don’t think they quite know who you are but they associate you as a risk. We have to get you out of the city.”
The stress is clear on her features but her companion gives her another soft squeeze. Her hat was tipped down before he swept his arm over her shoulder. The umbrella was adjusted to offer them both some level of privacy while he guided her through the gardens and the consulates. Their conversation was kept light, flirty, enough to keep an onlooker from looking too hard. When they ducked into an alleyway, he made a point to twist her around the corner and make a point of pushing her against the wall.
That they slinked a few ilms down the stonework was to be kept out of mind, of course.
Out of mind was exactly what Hoshi hoped for, too, as she quickly went about disrobing. The hat was tossed to the stonework while she turned her back to her companion. He helped unbind the lavish bow of her dress while she pulled the rest of the fabric off. Her shoes were yanked off and tossed into the pile. What was left beneath was a stripped down version of her shinobi bodysuit.
“You’re going to have to get to Bukyo.”
“From there you have to figure out an exit strategy.”
“Aetheryte travel won’t be available. You’ll need to get on a smuggler’s vessel.”
Hoshichou sighed and brought her hands to his shoulders. He was given a genuine smile and lightly shaken.
“I know how this works,” she soothed. “But, I’m not the only one who needs to get out of here, okay? Get to Shirogane. I’ll have someone pick you up when you get there.”
“This isn’t your fault. Now go.”
There was a moment of hesitance, despite knowing he could not follow her where she was going. Still, he stepped in and wrapped his arms around her. She was quick to return the embrace, warm, before she parted from him with another smile. Finally, she took a few steps back and then pivoted. As she dashed off, glimmers of gold traveled up her skin until they pitted out into shadow— and then she was gone.
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