The Misplaced Lord.

The cool salt water slid down the bow of the Anna-Marie as it pulled into the port of Batavia. James Willerby waited at the stern of the ship so as to not be accosted by the sailors, as they went about their work preparing to dock the vessel. The Anna-Marie had been at sea for the last six months as it made its way across the Adrania Ocean; and many of the sailors were eager to be on shore, and within one of the houses of pleasure that dotted the port. Though quite unsavory behavior James too could feel the need for a woman's company, even if she be of such a irreputable occupation. If the last year had taught James anything it was that the sea was a horrible place and that one needed to grasp as many of the pleasures land brings while they could. It would not be but a few days before they would disembark again for harbor of Japan, and the sailors assured him that the journey would be several months.

James inwardly cursed at himself for the fool he was this idea of coming to the orient to oversee his business first hand had been a fool's errand. he should have listened to his half-brother and friend, Thomas when he tried to convince him out of going on this foolish endeavor. James was the second son of a minor earl in the northern part of the Baforia Kingdom. As such he needed to find a way for providing for himself for his brother the fool he was would be inheriting the estate and he and his half-brother his father’s son by way of a local brothel would need to fend for themselves. To do this they had both started a trading venture in the Eastern Sea, they were extremely successful, so much so that together they were worth near twice that of their brother and father. That however was not enough for James he had always lived in his elder brothers shadows no matter how much of the family fortune he gambled away in the faro halls of London. James always felt like he needed to prove himself to be the better man. So 25 full of life and strong he deemed a voyage to the Easter Empires to see what only a few in the Baforia Gentry could claim to have seen was just the way to go about this.

He now cursed the very thought. The voyage had not been an easy one though the captain one Harrison Barnes of the vessel that now carried James, one of several that James and his brother owned had assured him that this was not unusual James found that hard to believe. The vessel tossed and turned something dreadful and James was certain that if the ship didn’t roll over and kill them all the sickness the sea gave him would surely do what the weather thus far had been unable to. It did not help that the accursed Jesuit that he had brought with him had taken ill, and died of fever before they had even reached India. God be damned nothing had worked out well on this Journey Harrison assured James that their were plenty of translators in Batavia that would be willing to work for him, but this still did not give James any assurance, how could anyone in this dutch backwater be of use to him. The Vedsen were only as useful as they could be used to keep the balance of power on the Western Continent in balance and fighting one another how could they be trusted with business. The god forsaken VTC (Vedsen Trading Company) had been a thorn in James and Thomas’s side for years. Harrison however insisted that the locals could be turned to. Well James would see if that was true. He was a man of reason and all of these accounts of the east being as amazing as was accounted in the tales and travels volumes which the people of Baforia clamored for must be nothing but hyperbole.

Finally the sailors work was done and James was able to disembark Anna-Marie in search of a translator among the local populace, and preferably one that was not of Vedsen origin. Though not handsome of face with his short brown hair and pointed features James was indeed tall and healthy. Not one to sit around he often enjoyed gentlemanly sports such as riding and hunting which was well evidenced by his body. James did not carry the potbelly and over weightedness that were characteristic of those of the gentry who took more to drink and women then good sport, or work, or service in his majesties army as his half-brother Thomas did for a period of five years. Characteristics that more often enough found in lazy entitled asses like his elder brother.

As James moved along the docks he was not surprised to see Vedsenians and their VTC ships unloading what could only be assumed to be stolen cargo judging by the amount of silver being unloaded it must have come from either a Soralia or Porfinian vessel. “Damned Pirates,” James cursed under his breath as he quickly strode away from the vessel wanting to put himself as far away from those Vedsenian thieves. As well as the appraising eyes those same vessel’s sailors were giving his Baforian ship. He would have to tell Harrison to be careful when they disembarked to make sure they were not being followed. Although the Vedsen did not often attack Baforian vessels as they only had a minimal power in the Orient it was not an unheard of occurrence for the VTC to “confiscate,” an Baforian vessel's cargo. As James moved along the docks he began to notice the local populace. The Easterners were a shorter race of people almost exclusively of darker hair and dressed in robes made from cloth. Some groups seemed to be of fairer skin than others he seemed to recall how Captain Harrison told him that he would be able to differentiate a Junon and Hinien by skin color, Junon tending to be darker. Although unsure whether this was correct or simply a fanciful tale James could not be sure. He had never before this seen an Easterner even when they stopped in Efon and other ports he had not ventured from the boat and had the crew bring him fresh fruit for some extra pay, because although he was healthy he had heard about what disease could do to a person. And at the time had feared it a fear he told himself he would have to disregard if he was to do what he set out to do on this accursed journey.

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James decided to approach the what he hoped would be the Hinien as they were written to be of an intelligent sort of people. “Good day gentlemen,” James sounded off cheerily offering as warming of a smile as he could. The group of men gave him a quizzical look then one of them responded in Vedsen “ Do you speak Vedsen?” James frowned although he did know Vedsen he had certain reservations about them and prefered not to speak the language when able. He quickly disregarded this notion and replaced his frown with what he hoped to be an amiable and friendly smile the sort of smile that endeared one to be willing to enter service for and responded in Vedsen “ Yes, I do I must say do you kind gentlemen might know where I can find someone willing to translate for me. I will be embarking in a few days for Japan to trade for silk and other goods and am in desperate need of a translator. Ferdinand bless his soul passed on the voyage here and I am in sore need of someone capable of translating the local language for me.”

Deciding to forbare asking them if they were Hinien or Junon for fear of offending and not getting any closer to the translator he needed, James kept his mouth shut as the locals spoke to each other in some mumbled jargon that James could make neither heads nor tails of. Finally the man who spoke earlier came forward and spoke “ Yes their is someone, miss Beckman would be able to help you she has been trying to find a way to make money for the child recently since Mr. Beckman’s passing.” The responded in Vedsen. James eyebrow twitched at the man's response. Beckman? What Baforian Gentlemen would leave his wife and child stranded in a backwater like Batavia more importantly why on Earth would he take them from Baforia in the first place. No self respecting Gentleman that is for sure. James extended his hand to the man and said as cheerily as he could muster. “ Very well, thank you mister…. oh my it seems I forgot to ask your name I hope you can forgive me for such a lack of manners the voyage must have disconcerted me more than I thought to show such an unsightly introduction. My names James Willerby might I have the pleasure to know yours sir?” The man regarded James for a second quizzically, James had thought the man was rude and was about to turn his back and walk away when the man grasped his hand and said his name was Jin Kazama or some such oddity. James thanked his new acquaintance. Mr Kazama or some such name and quickly turned and strode in the direction Mr. Kazama had pointed him in to find miss Beckman.

As James got further away from the Docks and the Vedsen vessels the more he became aware of the queer nature of Batavia. Although at first it resembled any of the other Western cities as he got further away from the Vedsen parts of the city he noticed a sharp change in architecture. The building were most strange with shingled roof’s and the buildings took on strange characteristics, which matched the strange sight of the people. James was hard pressed to see a Vedsen man or women among the multitude of Easterners that crowded the streets. As he moved down side alleys attempting to reach his destination James noticed the strange aroma that came from houses. Earthy smells which he identified as tea having once had the pleasure to taste it when a sailor had bought it for him at his request at an Efon port. Along with the scent of strange foods which consisted of noodles and meats and vegetables. The aroma architecture and people helped it sink in for James, he was not in the West anymore and he would have realised this would he of had the courage to step of the ship before.

Finally as he went down an alley he arrived at a small hut or residence which he believed to be the home of the miss Beckman that Mr. Kazama had pointed him to. “Miss Beckman, are you home,” James called out as he rapped of the door. Inside he heard a shuffling then the door opened. A young Eastern woman opened the door her hair was a dark raven and she radiated beauty unlike any woman James had seen before. James quickly recovered his wits being momentarily flabbergasted by the beauty before him. “Hello miss, I'm looking for one Miss Beckham does she reside here if not might you know where she resides.” James asked once again flashing his most charming smile. The women’s response shocked James to his core. “Yes I am miss Beckham.”