Every step Saki took in her motions to follow Mitsuhide towards the castle was filled with tension, dread that sunk deep into her very bones. It was worse than the chill of snow, even worse than traveling in clothes so sodden from the rain she may as well have leaped into a lake.
It felt like somebody was walking over her grave.
And as far as Saki was concerned, someone undoubtedly was doing just that.
Seeming to take Saki's peculiar dislike for Obi rather seriously, Mitsuhide lead her in a roundabout way through the castle grounds, one which bypassed the greenhouses and the court herbalist offices, even though just walking straight past the greenhouses and open herb gardens really would have been the quickest way. Never the less, she was thankful for the thought; She certainly wouldn't deny that.
The eventual arrival at the Second Prince's personal office came with no overtones of displeasure, no commands or insinuations. The footsteps reverberated clearly, the air felt oddly pleasant, and as Mitsuhide knocked at the closed door briefly and announced his arrival, a moderately frustrated groan of acknowledgment was given.
Inside the room, Saki noted that the blonde retainer was present with a book in hand, and Zen was running a hand roughly through his hair as he glared harshly upon some paperwork sitting before him.
Though at the sight of Saki walking across the threshold, the Second Prince actually straightened up to cast her his complete attention.
'You've finally stopped in to see me, Akazawa.' He actually sounded rather disbelieving of the turn of events. 'Honestly, I'm surprised.'
'Trust me, the feeling is mutual on that count.' Saki responded.
Thankfully, it appeared her curt choice of words didn't offend anyone. In fact, she thought she saw the young royal stifle the starting signs of a wry smile.
'I expect you already know what this is about?' Zen began as he leaned back in his seat to pull out a remarkably familiar wad of parchment from within the drawer of his desk.
'Undoubtedly to ask if I would reconsider escorting your court herbalist through the wilderness.' Saki admitted with little hesitation. 'What other reason would you need to see me?'
She prayed there was no other reason, at least.
'That is part of it, I admit. Otherwise, I really just want more information from you.' The prince continued as he quickly flipped through the pages bearing the sketches and notes Saki had taken the larger part of a month ago. 'I understand you returned to the forests after our chat last time, and you brought back a young child with this disease infecting her injuries. I was hoping you could give me some more information on the condition of the forests, and anything else that comes to mind.'
Saki remained silent as she stared Zen down, who appeared none the least bothered about the sharp edge to her gaze.
'No strings attached, of course.' He added with what looked to be a well-meaning smile.
Eventually, a sigh escaped Saki as she decided she could attempt to barter with this, if the atmosphere remained the same after she divulged some pieces. She felt more inclined to do so without Obi around to ruffle her feathers and tug at her discomforts like a bored raven.
'I guess I don't mind terribly much.' Saki eventually answered. 'What do you want to know?'
She didn't fail to notice the sudden edge of surprise that flashed across the second prince's face in response to her words, nor did she miss the smallest chuckle that escaped the man named Mitsuhide, who had shifted over to sit down on the couch next to the other retainer.
'I didn't expect you to agree so easily...'
'Do you want information, or not?' Saki quipped.
'Yes, I do.' Zen quickly answered, and thankfully he appeared to drop his earlier surprise, given the obvious fact that Saki's compliance would only go so far. Either that, or the small shake of Mitsuhide's head was a taken suggestion to drop it.
'So?' She pressed.
'So, could you please begin by explaining where exactly the child was found?' Zen began, motioning for Saki to take the seat that sat before his desk though Saki complied no further than standing before it instead, so she could look at the map the second prince had turned to. It was interesting to note that he had voluntarily turned the map towards her, as if it would help her read better. 'Or at least the closest you can.'
Saki was silent at first, inwardly sighing as she gazed down at the map, tracing her finger along the route she recalled to have taken a the time.
'The child was found in a cabin in the middle of the contamination, at least one league in from Arpenia village.' Saki proceeded to explain as she pointed a gloved digit towards the approximate location that Lirae's cabin stood in the countryside. 'In regards to the location, she was abandoned by her parent inside for the better part of two weeks. The residence had been gutted and every belonging of monetary value had been taken. I expect it was an act of greed, not fear.'
Saki didn't miss the way the prince's gaze narrowed at that piece of unpleasant information.
'Further to that, the contamination had reached within view of the villages of Reedstand, Fanacas and Moss Rock, approximately a few hundred yards at the most. I expect, judging by the rate of expansion over one night, that it will come close to breaching Laxdo in three weeks, if the winter doesn't slow it down, at least.'
'It travels that fast?' Mitsuhide was the one to ask this time as he approached to look over the map as well, shock clear in the tone of his voice.
'Over the span of one night, it appears to spread anywhere up to fifty meters, moreso in acidic-rich forest than alkaline.'
'Acidic forest?' Zen asked.
'Oak forests, most specifically.' Saki quickly answered. 'Whatever this disease is, it at least seems to struggle with Pine forests, though I suspect that may be from the salt in the soil over the trees themselves. I haven't verified this however, as I had the child with me at the time.'
The two men seemed to stare at Saki for a brief moment.
'I think I'm starting to understand exactly why Garak is so adamant that we collaborate with you.' The prince remarked as he looked back down at the map across the table, and began to mark down the estimated line of contamination Saki had spoken of. 'What about the forest creatures? Will they pose much of a problem if an investigation group was sent out to the diseased forests?'
'Honestly, it depends on how quickly the contamination has spread. From the state of the creatures I have seen so far, I expect further into the contamination zone, very little lives, and if so, they are too weak to pose a threat. Most I happened to find were either dead, or too weak to pick themselves up to chase any prey.' Saki answered, straightening up as she crossed her arms over her chest.
'The problem is the most recently infected area. The animals there will either be starved to desperation, or frightened enough to attack on sight, and it's likely the contamination at this point will have pushed the predators into more condensed groups. But if the predators aren't a problem, I expect it would be quite hazardous to spend too long in the contaminated area, given the fact that the child I brought back had it adhere itself to the wounds in her feet, and she spent all that time trapped inside her home.'
'That sounds quite serious...' Zen commented, more to himself than anyone else. 'A larger party might be a better bet to investigate in detail.'
'The larger a group, the more likely you will find predators to attack.' Saki decided to input, earning Zen's immediate attention once again. 'You'll essentially be sending in the first piece of uncontaminated food those animals will have seen for days, if not longer. They will act on desperation, not fear.'
At that remark, Zen seemed to lean back in his seat and stare down at the map. His brow furrowed as he weighed up on whatever was on his mind, at least, until he looked up at Saki once more.
'What will it take for you to decide to help with this?' Zen asked the one question that had been left unspoken. 'I honestly doubt any monetary gain would interest you, given how adamant you were beforehand that you wouldn't heed any requests.'
That was the most important question, wasn't it?
He'd already answered enough for her to know those rumors about soldiers were nothing more than that to him. Just the hearsay of paranoid civilians on the wind, and he knew just as much about the subject as her.
But still...
'Information will do.' Saki eventually admitted, much to Zen's obvious surprise.
'Very well, what kind of information were you after?' He questioned. 'If it's within reason, I'll gladly offer it up.'
'You won't have it.' She remarked, brow furrowing as she chose her next words especially carefully. 'But I will definitely want it if it winds up landing in your lap. I don't expect that it will, though. It shouldn't.'
'Pertaining to what, exactly?' Zen pressed her for an answer.
'Any hearsay of Asclepias, be it rumor or anything inconsequential, I want it.' Saki answered seriously, earning an almost disbelieving look in response. 'And if possible, please keep that other retainer of yours from finding out that I want the information.'
'You mean Obi?' Zen seemed utterly flummoxed at the mention of the sly man who called him Master. 'I'll do my best on the matter, but why, exactly?'
'I do not appreciate his apparent interest in whatever it is about me that has his curiosity.' Saki responded with a scowl. 'If I wasn't so interested in anything to do with Asclepias, I'd instead be demanding you to ensure he never comes near me again.'
'It turns out that she really does not like Obi.' Mitsuhide told his rather confused master.
'Understandable.' The blonde woman still reading her book commented.
'Well... that's unfortunate.' Zen hedged as he looked back at Saki. 'As it stands, Obi has guarded Shirayuki for me for quite a long time. So realistically, he will be sent along with her.'
Great. That was just what she needed.
But... she needed that information, or at least she needed to be available to information when it came up, moreso than she needed to be rid of that infuriating man.
She hated to admit it, but in her case, it may as well be a life-and-death situation.
'...That's fine.' Saki eventually answered in spite of herself. 'So long as he keeps his distance from me, I will grin and bear it.'
Her answer was unexpected, but evidently greatly appreciated judging by the relieved look that crept across the second prince's face.
'I will make sure Shirayuki knows to keep him in line.' He agreed quickly.
And it appeared that was all the incentive needed to organize the next part of the plan, at least in Saki's case.
Arrangements were made for Saki to lead Shirayuki, her so called bodyguard and an additional two guards through the wilderness, where she had to do whatever she felt necessary to ensure the overall safety of the group as well as she could; the guards and Obi were there to protect Shirayuki. Shirayuki called the shots when it came to how long they remained or not, however Zen conceded that as the one most familiar with the dying forests out of the group, if Saki felt it in their best interests to abandon the investigation, she had authorization from the Second Prince to enforce it.
It was a terrible assignment, one that expected more from her than anything else, but if that meant when any news of Asclepias turned up, she would have it before anything happened.
She would have the forewarning to make her decisions as cleanly as she could.
But as it stood, Saki had to return before dawn fully equipped for what may be weeks of absence.
And she needed to sort out her priorities while she could.
--=[Submitted 20th March 2019, 2080 words total]=--