Susume sat on the black lacquered dresser, her pink silks cascading around it and creating a pleasant spiel of color. She had half stripped herself of the pink dress, which now barely covered her body and had the person she was talking to not been kneeling in front of her, Rei would have gotten the full show. As it were however, Susume had her leg wrapped around her partners neck, pulling the girl, who appeared to be one of the lady’s handmaidens, close to her body.

“That’s how you greet your queen,” she cooed, picked up her pipe and stroked the girl’s hair while she casually smoked.

It occurred to Rei, who was still watching through the peephole she had made, that she hadn’t overheard treason, but one of Susume’s notorious sexual escapades. A game to entertain herself on a journey that was more likely tedious than exciting at this point.

Rei was about to abandon the wall when she noticed Susume put her pipe down and open her eyes.

“I don’t know who is watching,” she said, smiling at the wall, “But if you want to play you’ll have to wait your turn…”

She pulled her leg tighter, pushing the girls face into her groin further. The girls hands tensed as she struggled to breathe, then relaxed when Susume let go off her.

“Could be you...” Gi said, lacing her words with a giggle.

Rei hurriedly stepped back from the hole she had made and while holding her breath returned to stand in front of Nana’s door.

It had started to rain outside, which was the only respite from the two other sounds Rei heard. The soft sounds of intimacy from the Lady Gi’s cabin, and Nana’s restless groaning in her sleep behind her.

“What a night,” she muttered to herself, let out a yawn and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. She opened the door to Nana’s cabin to check on her, which was the exact moment a thundering boom reverberated around the boat. Immediately the boat started to tilt. It was slow, but definitely noticeable.

“What the…”

Rei took a few steps towards the door to see what was going on outside, but decided that as she wasn’t a sailor she might as well stay where she was, or probably just get in the way. A more familiar noise followed a few moments later. The screams and clamor of combat surrounded the ship.

She hesitantly reached for the blade at her side, then arched a brow at an opening door. Susume came through it, dressed in little more than the thick smoke coming from the pipe at her side.

Normally she’d lead with some barb or other at spotting Rei, but she looked uncharacteristically concerned, “What was that sound?”

There was another thud against the ship’s hull.

“What was that sound?”

Rei shrugged her shoulders lamely, “No idea?”

“Go find out then!”

Rei was about to retort that she didn’t serve the woman when the door to the ship’s deck was clumsily opened by a stumbling man.

It was one of the river wardens, instantly recognized by the green tatami armor he wore. He didn’t bother saluting his social betters, but tripped over his own feet, tried to hold on to the wall for balance and clawed his fingers through the paper wall until he could grab the latticework to balance himself.

“My lady,” he groaned, “We have… wreckers.”

Rei and Susume shared an incredulous look.

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“Are you sure?” Susume asked, walking over to the man to help him stay on his feet, “What of the river wardens.”

The man struggled to raise his arm, then jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards his back.

Susume jerked her head at Rei, who hurried to the show and found the arrows sticking from the man’s back. With little ceremony, a tug and a jerk, she pulled one out.

The man let out a grunt of protest, though Rei was more interested in the arrow. It had an orange shaft and fetching and more importantly, inside the black chitin arrow head was a relief of the character for ‘river’.

“Looks like we’ve got traitors,” Rei said flatly.

“Do something!” Susume screeched, “You’re a warrior, aren’t you?”

Rei gave Susume an unimpressed look, “Aren’t you Giya as well?”

She stood up, drew her sword and prepared to defend herself against whoever would come through the door.

Behind her she heard Susume shuffle away, then a door shut.

She stood still for a few heartbeats, then decided to check on what was going on outside.

Lowering her weapon, she stepped over the dying river warden then leaned out the door to glance at the world around her.

The river was a lot wider here than where they boarded. On the far bank two rusty cannons were being dragged into the woods, while from both banks wreckers and river wardens crowded to be the first to their prey. Ropes were being attached to the rafts that held the snails so they could be dragged to the shore, while others were trying to claim prisoners. The most opportunistic of the attackers were already looting the dead.

“Well then,” Rei said to herself, “Looks like we’re leaving, Nana.”

She retraced her steps, feeling the ship tilting further to the side.

Copying the dead river warden, she punched through the paper wall to wrap her fingers around the wood frames and keep her balance.

Making hole after hole, which she found a quiet delight in, she found her way back to Nana’s room which was now slightly below her. She let go off the wall, slid down the wood floor and through the sliding door into Nana’s cabin. She stopped her slide against Nana’s bed.

“Good evening,” Nana smirked. She had already dressed and armed herself with an empty candle stick that she was mainly using to stay on her feet.

“What’s going on?”

“Wreckers,” Rei said, though her tone made it clear she didn’t believe that was the whole story, “And treason probably… Are you okay to walk?”

“Treason? Who?”

Rei shook her head, “How should I know? Somebody pissed at Susume. Maybe a jilted lover. Can you walk?”

“Where’s Rangu?”

“I don’t know, Nana! Can! You! Walk?!”

“Going to have to don’t you think?”

Rei nodded, “Any suggestions on getting off this dingy?”

“I have one…” Nana said, then jerked her head to the far wall that was still in the process of becoming the floor.

Rei cast it a dubious look. If Nana’s guess was right, they’d hit the water and be fine. They were however at the top of the floating tower, so if she was wrong they’d hit the shoreline.

“I vote no,” Rei said, “Come on, we’ll use the door while the floor is still below us.”

Nana nodded, using the candlestick to follow Rei out into the hallway where they found Susume and the handmaiden that had been her companion earlier. The handmaiden was terrified, dressed in Susume’s silks and carrying the lady’s banner. She had a sword at her side, which normally would have been reason for execution without trial, but Rei supposed Susume had granted her temporary Giya status.

Susume herself was dressed in her full lordly armor. An impressive piece of imported steel, partially dyed in her beloved pinks, though the previous owner’s green still was the main color of the fearsome suit of plate. It would have looked more impressive however, if the suit had been made for Susume and not for her father, who was taller and more broad shouldered than her. She looked like a child playing at war.

“Nice mustache,” Rei smirked, pulled Nana into the hallway, listening to the sounds of combat. It seemed to have moved to they ship’s aft.

Susume pulled the decorative mustache from her helmet, which made the demonic grin on the face plate suddenly a lot more intimidating.

“It’s been real nice,” Rei continued, “But I think this is where we get off.”

“Cowards,” Susume snapped, balanced herself on the capsizing ship with her naginata, then started towards the rear of the ship.

“Better than I expected of her,” Rei said, “Let’s go the other way.”

Nana frowned in response, wondering how it would look to her ancestors if they fled from battle while their fellow Giya still held firm. In Rei’s case especially because, even though there was no love between the two, she was related to the woman.

“We’re helping them,” Nana decided, starting to limp after Susume, using the fretwork and candlestick to keep on her feet.

“Throwing your life away?” Rei called after, “We have a mission, you know!”

“And since when do you care about that. Give me my sword.”

Rei sighed and followed them towards the door, quietly considering shoving a blade in Susume’s back if she was given the chance in the oncoming chaos.