When the peonies bloom.

Late Autumn Part 1

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Despite negotiating with her mistress, there was no avail. As the idiot who felt ever responsible for the mess around her, Tomo felt the burden to speak up weigh heavily on her shoulders.

Tomo felt the butterflies when she approached Aunty at her table looking over the schedule of guests booked for the various courtesans for the night.

"Um." She cleared her throat.

"What is it?" Aunty rested her magnifying glass on the page.

"It's about Hyosaku."

"Madam Hyosaku to you."

Tomo winced. What an easily avoidable mistake. "She is not well to be meeting any clients tonight." Tomo forced her mouth to vocalise.

"But Mr Tenya is coming this evening and she will be attending to his pleasure needs as she always does. What makes it different this evening?"

"Not unless she is given clearance from a doctor." Tomo upped the sternness in her voice.

"Who are you to say that?"

"Do you want the reputation of this house to suffer? Your most highest courtesan is clearly unwell." Tomo held strong to her point.

"What do you know about her sickness that she has been hiding?" Aunty's eyes narrowed in distaste and a tinge of curiousity of how this lowly individual would play her tale.

"More than you at this point, obviously." Tomo pushed a little more forcefully than she anticipated. Maybe the crossing of her arms and straightening of her posture helped as well. She felt her snarky wanderer alter ego slide back inside of her. Although Tomo also couldn't help but feel the anger at the lack of attention the supposed manager of the courtesans was giving at all.

"Those are big words from a street dog." Aunty retorted, she was not about to be bested and noticed for her lack of attention to her girls.

"A street dog that has seen many things... that you haven't even tried to notice." She kept the second part to herself.

"I have no time to entertain for the likes of you." Aunty put her glasses back on.

"I don't mind no entertainment madam. But you have to agree any unwell courtesan having appointments with her clients will not do well for the reputation for this house. She has damp heat in her bladder and it will only get worse if she sleeps with more male clients." Tomo did not mince her words to play on the severity of the situation.

"Has your skin grown thicker with your new found notoriety as a small time story teller?" She growled. "What is this damp heat you speak of?"

"The least you can do is speak to her yourself and bring her to see a respectable doctor tomorrow."

Auntie dropped her brush and rose to her feet.

"Very well. But if this is found to be an elaborate prank..."

Tomo interjected. "You have very little faith in me and it would be a poor reflection to question the tayu's professionalism. This is exactly why she has been refusing to tell anyone including myself until I pressed her to do so."

Aunty sighed and decided it would be a waste of her energy to continue arguing with this relentless individual and waved Tomo away. They parted in opposing directions as Tomo headed for her sleeping quarters to grab her belongings.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aunty turned on her heel to ask when she noticed Tomo was not following her.

"I'm going to buy some medicine for madam Hyosaku in the meantime. I don't wish to crowd the room when you have a heart to heart with her."