[RPG] [FEI] Return of the Osaido

[Samuel Knowlton]

It was backlog day in the Ducal Apartments.

"Jack 'The Hand' of Abilshire," droned Ulwitt Dodd, pulling yet another 
sheet from a stack of parchment. "Imprisoned for looting public shops and 
private homes during the recapture of Ossaet."

"'The Hand'?" Galiard raised a weary eyebrow.

"Apparently he hasn't met a lock he can't get through," Dodd observed with a 
certain dull certainty, aware as he was of what would come next.

"Cut it off," suggested Galiard.

"Right away, m'lud," replied Dodd, gesturing to the Ducal Guardsmen In 
Charge of Dismemberment (Minor), who trotted away like a child on his 
birthday.

Dodd pulled the next sheet from the stack. "Sabrina Tsunetomo--"

Galiard turned to face Dodd. "What an odd name."

"--Monk."

"Monk?"

"Er," Dodd frowned at the parchment. "Monk...ess? Monkette?"

"I didn't know there were female monks," Galiard scratched his chin.

"Wif respect," Dodd observed, "M'lud is hardly ever aware of females at 
all."

Galiard glowered. "Her crime?"

"She killed two men during the capture of Ossaet," Dodd explained, reading 
down the parchment. "...though according to eyewitnesses, the soldiers 
picked the fight. Apparently she shouted 'Osai', or -- or something like it, 
and the guardsmen thought it was a battle cry for the Ardh Osai, for Rekoi."

"Even after my lecture about how we were supposed to leaved the *actual* 
Osai alone." Galiard frowned.

"Not all of m'lud's knights are as intelligent as I am." Dodd beamed.

"You can say that again," scowled Galiard. "And she's been down there ever 
since?"

"Better part of a year." Dodd nodded.

Galiard got to his feet. "Let's go see what she has to say."

--------

Ossaet Keep, THE DUNGEON.

Galiard strode down the dank, dimly lit corridor, flanked by Dodd and the 
Gaoler, Percy, who was decked out in bright orange for some reason.

"Weren't you one of my men until recently?" Galiard eyed Percy suspiciously.

"Aye aye Captain!" Percy saluted Galiard. Or at least, Galiard assumed that 
the little hoppy dance and chest-thumping that Percy performed was 
considered a salute in some parts of the world. "One of your Very Special 
Special Forces! Now your Very Special Special Militia Forces."

"Fantastic," said Galiard, who quite clearly did not mean it.

"The prisoner?" Dodd cleared his throat.

"Oh, she's fabulous," exclaimed Percy, who was for some reason overjoyed 
that they were visiting the Monk-in-captivity. "Barely says a word. Never 
gives me any trouble. Most of the other prisoners are in love with her. I 
tried giving her some advice on her hair, but she doesn't listen."

""Fantastic," Galiard replied dryly, rubbing his temples. "Nothing like a 
popular prisoner to make my life easier."

The trio came to a halt in front of the last cell. Galiard peered inside.

Sabrina Tsunetomo sat cross-legged in the center of the cell. Her age was 
difficult to determine, though she was younger rather than older, with 
boyish features belying an impassive gravitas that typically dominated her 
expression. Her hair was long and unkempt, jet black, and her prisoner's 
garb was tattered (though tastefully so, revealing little more than a 
glimpse of ankle, perhaps).

Across her lap sat the most beautiful sword Galiard had ever seen.

"She has a sword." Galiard pointed.

"So she does!" Percy the Gaoler exclaimed brightly.

"I'm just the Grand Justiciar, so I may not know everything about, you know, 
dungeons," said Galiard patiently, "but aren't there, I don't know, some 
kind of rules against that?"

"Oh you bet!" Percy giggled. "Thing of it is, she put five men in the 
healers' tents when they tried to take it from her."

"So how did we get her in the dungeon?" Galiard looked between Sabrina, who 
had not even registered their presence, and Percy, who had not yet 
registered sanity.

"We asked her," said Percy. "She's very nice."

"Except when it comes to the sword?" Galiard asked mildly.

"Well, yes." Percy scuffed his feet. "Except that."

Dodd was looking at a pile of dirty tatters in the corner of the cell. 
"Looks like she cleans it with rags from her clothes."

"And then sews new clothes!" Percy beamed proudly, as though he were the 
overjoyed parent of over-achieving prisoners. "She even taught me to knit a 
new jumper for my nephew--"

"You give prisoners needles?" Galiard's eyebrows had reached the height of 
their capacity to arch crookedly.

"She already has a sword, m'lud," Dodd pointed out. "Mefinks if she was 
going to escape, a needle here or there wouldn't sway things one way or 
t'other."

Galiard gestured for Percy to open the door, and then stepped inside.

Sabrina's eyes opened.

"Hi," said Galiard.

"..." said Sabrina.

Dodd announced Galiard. "His Grace, Galiard Scarlett, Grand Justiciar of the 
Realm and Duke of Ossaet!" Dodd enjoyed announcing Galiard. Galiard did not, 
so much.

Sabrina stood up, ever-so-slowly, and studied Galiard.

"It is my understanding that we may have been holding you here, ah, rather 
by accident," said Galiard.

Sabrina continued studying Galiard.

"That, ah, you might not have done anything wrong," explained Galiard.

Sabrina continued studying Galiard.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get round to this," the Grand Justiciar 
blundered on, suddenly uncomfortable under the penetrating gaze of Sabrina 
Tsunetomo. "But, you see, first we had to take Ossaet back, and then, and 
then I had to deal with Menelmereth and Rekoi, and they're dead, and that 
was unpleasant, and then I was Duke, too, so I had to, you know, oversee 
reconstruction of the walls, and of course I'm on the Council too, and there 
was Arcaea, and then Sartania, and Arcachon, and then this demon-worshipping 
priestess showed up and I was all, out with you, but not everyone else was, 
and I had to spend forever explaining why temples to demons and anarchists 
does not a happy Republic make, and then there was this campaign, because, 
you see, Caesare wanted my job, and some days I think you know he can just 
have it, it's not like anybody appreciates the Grand Justiciar, he never 
gives you anything when you're good, he just takes it away when you're not, 
and it's a rotten job, and all this time you've been sitting here and it's 
my fault--"

On 'it's my fault' Sabrina's head cocked about three centimeters to one 
side. One hand flashed out, and quicker than lightning, Galiard went flying 
back several feet.

"O-ho," said Percy, clapping his hands together with glee. "I love when she 
does that."

Dodd sprung to life. "An attack on the Duke is an attack on the Republic!" 
he cried, barreling forward like an angry moose.

A moment later, he was lying next to Galiard. Both men picked themselves up, 
looking a little dazed, but largely unhurt.

Sabrina Tsunetomo spoke. "You are forgiven."

Galiard coughed as he regained his breath. "We are?"

"All is repaid." Sabrina inclined her head, though Galiard noticed just the 
hint of a gleeful twinkle in her eye, though the woman was obviously doing 
her best to conceal the great amount of pleasure she had taken from laying 
the Duke flat on his back.

"It is?" Galiard said dumbly, obviously accustomed to being the one who did 
the forgiving around here.

"I am Sabrina Tsunetomo," said Sabrina Tsunetomo, bowing ever-so-slightly, 
"Teacher of the Osaido."

"And great-grand-niece to the First Duke of Ossaet," Percy piped up.

Galiard and Dodd stared questioningly at Percy.

"Also a distant cousin of Baron Dengat of Abilotiel," Percy offered.

Galiard and Dodd gaped.

"I just graduated from the Lasanar Correspondence School of Heraldry," Percy 
admitted.

"Have the good Baron brought to my chambers," Galiard barked to nobody in 
particular before turning to Dodd, studiously ignoring Percy. Osaido?" His 
brow furrowed. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"A school, of sorts, part of the monastery of the Osai but a separate 
institution," explained Dodd. "It's gone a bit run-down over the last year, 
though, on account of nobody could find who was in charge of it. Afraid it 
was picked a bit dry by looters during the siege."

A hint of annoyance flickered across Sabrina's brow, but it just as quickly 
vanished.

"Ooooo," said Galiard, glancing nervously between Dodd and Sabrina. "Perhaps 
we might see what we can do about that."

Sabrina looked at Galiard suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Galiard extended his arm to Sabrina, a little wary of the sword, but 
confident nonetheless. "Allow me to make reparations to you and the Osaido," 
he said, "on the condition that you tell me all about them."

Sabrina's head nodded about a half an inch, very formally. "As you wish."

"...over dinner," added Galiard.

"As you wi--" Sabrina started to say. "What?!"