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A strike of lightning, the pitter-patter of rain, and then...the stomping of boots. The sounds of desperate and angry men could be heard, barking orders, yelling expletives "FIND THEM!". My two younger brothers were huddled and shaking next to me as we hid behind an assortment of barrels. I looked over at them and smiled trying to keep their spirits up while I motioned for them to stay quiet and to keep their heads down. When the sound of soliders faded I signaled for us to run to the docks.... ~ Not even a day ago, I was enjoying tea with my brothers and sisters in our family garden. We were enjoying the fall foliage and laughing about the issues the local innkeeper was having with his children. As one of the oldest sons my father always instilled upon me to be a good role-model to my younger siblings. Our family had a dark secret, a curse some might call it, and recently the local magistrate been poking his nose in our family's business. A loud knock came from the front gates of our estate, our servant Isuzu walked away to answer it. I casually observed a game of Go between my brothers Haru and Momiji, while secretly listening intently to the sounds come from the front gate. I could hear a group of men, yelling at Isuzu, Isuzu's frustrated protestations, and then the clanking of metal. We had prepared for this. You see I have 12 siblings. I looked to Hatori and Ayame and nodded. They quickly grabbed the hands of our other younger siblings, as I grabbed Momiji and Haru's hands and led them to a secret exit of our estate. They resisted my attempts to flee, bombarding me with questions. I calmed them down by explaining that we had to go on a trip somewhere for now but that we would be back.... ~ As we approached the docks I scanned the cargo of some of the ships, some had some food and other perishables, but one of the ships had many products made of jade and bronze. I observed the men milling about the ship loading cargo, until I spotted the man clearly in charge. I calmly walked up to the captain and struck up a conversation with him. I noted the jade medallion the was tied to the brim of his captain's hat. It was a member of the Taira, a well known merchant clan. As I spoke about the weather and sea conditions, and I slipped in a question about where he was headed. Goguryeo. I inquired with the captain about passage on his boat, he was hesitant and asked how I would pay for passage for three as he motioned to my brothers meekly peeking out from some boxes behind me. I encouraged them to come forward and introduced them to the captain I contemplated this conundrum and then asked the captain about his cut of profits from delivering his product. I bartered with him to personally sell some of his goods once we arrived and that I would return to him and offer him a high percentage of the profits. The captain stared me down, judging to see whether he could trust me. Eventually he sighed and held out his hand to shake on our deal. -------------- The rat is an animal that is very near and dear to my heart, and it is closely related to how my family's 'curse' manifests in me. To show my devotion I regaled you with a story from my past that exemplifies the many traits I share with the rat. | |