When the peonies bloom.

Late Autumn Part 1

Aunty nodded in a 'whatever, do you as please, I've given up' fashion and continued on her way up to Hyosaku's room.

Tomo grabbed her sword, jacket and slipped her coin purse into the folds of her garment and entered the bustling streets of the pleasure district. Yoshiwara frowned upon swords in its quarters to avoid situations that had got her into this mess to begin with. She tried to hide her sword within her winter jacket as she made her way to the entrance of the house.

Stepping back on the streets on her own for her own means and not with the pack of the courtesans on their usual trip to the bath house or under her mistress' order to retrieve something was at least to say slightly daunting.

Tomo told herself to get a grip and started walking in the direction of the closest medicine shop she recalled seeing on her way into Yoshiwara. She jostled her way through the late afternoon crowd wishing she knew the back roads in this place better. Little Aimi would have been helpful if she was here to lend a hand to her big friend. Both her and Hana were used to running messages through the streets for her mistress to her various lovers across town.

Although on second thoughts, Tomomi decided it was probably best to stay in the sea of the crowd to avoid any unwanted attention. The fear of unsettled business from months before never left her mind but she was too scared to ask anyone how the police never step foot in the house during their investigation.

She was slightly relieved when she reached the edge of the Yoshiwara area that was surrounded by a moat. She jumped onto an idle ferry man's boat, rocking him to his senses. He grumbled a little and grabbed his oar. Without a hitch the boat left the wharf and headed towards the quieter part of Edo.

"You are leaving fairly early young sir." The man asked noisily.

Tomo coughed and tried to say she wasn't feeling too well to be out for too long. That was enough to shut off any further conversation.

Reaching the other shoreline couldn't have come sooner as Tomo threw the man his coin and hurried on. She hoped desperately the shop was still open and that her memory wouldn't fail her in remembering where she had last seen it. The streets here had less wandering folk in this part of town as the shops were beginning to close their doors for the day.

Tomo's heart pounded as the bewildering sense of loss got the better of her. Maybe it was the next street over or was it further down this street? She felt light headed and nothing seemed quite in focus. She ran aimlessly along the street until the unmistakable fragrant yet bitter smell of medicinal herbs drifted into her nostrils. She spun around and saw that the shop owner was about the put the last piece of timber to close up shop for the day.

She ran over and yelled for him to stop. "Hey!"

The owner seemed rather annoyed when he came over.

"Can't you see the shop is close. Come back tomorrow morning." he said and shook his head. As he was about to walk off in the opposite direction. Tomo grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. Startled by the move, the owner froze for a moment. He looked like a disgruntled man about the same age as her father with greying patches and thinning hair.

Tomo quickly realised her brutish conduct and bowed deeply and came back up with a more apologetic face. "Please... my master is feeling very unwell."

"People... these days." The owner mumbled and walked over to unlock the lock on his door. on the door.

Tomo's heart raced as the man's actions to open his shop door seemed to take eternity as if done on purpose.

She meekly followed the man in.