Having completed his talk with Shosuro, Kakita took a moment in his room to focus his mind on the matters at hand… His suspicions took shape. Perhaps he was a step behind… His enemy must have known who he was from the moment he arrived in the capital. Perhaps his enemy thought him unable to act…

But if there was one thing that ‘Grandfather’ had taught him… ‘When your enemy is certain you cannot act, victory is within your reach.’

Hadananzi, hot on the trails of the rumors that had been flying about, marched his way to Kakita's rooms flanked by a pair of palace guards. When he reached the door, his face was stern and unamused.

"Kakita of the Bat, this is Hadananzi of the Crane. I come here to put an end to the rumors that have been circulating around my honored wife and mean to search your room. Do you consent, or will you resist?"

Speak of the Demon…

Kakita quietly stood from his sitting position in the middle of the room. And walked over to the door to his room.

He slid the door open calmly and bowed to the trio.

“The members of the Imperial family are free to search the room they have granted me to stay in… I have nothing to hide. May I inquire as to what it is you are searching for?”

So there’s something here… Very well.

Hadananzi didn't miss the way Kakita phrased his statement, and so remained outside while the guards entered to do their search.

"My beloved wife is missing a fan that she received as a gift from her sister some time ago. It has been missing for a few days now and she is scarcely ever without it. It's loss has distressed her deeply. We will, naturally, be searching elsewhere if we do not find it here."

He nodded, “The guards are welcome to search, though I have never seen such an item. But I had not seen this table or these cups before I was here… and yet someone had brought them here unbeknownst to me.”

He smiled politely and admitted the guards into his room.

https://orokos.com/roll/897891

The guards spend several minutes searching the room high and low, until one turns up a scroll on the wall and finds a blue fan with a white bird on it carefully concealed behind it. This is brought immediately to Hadananzi, who smiled wickedly.

"Ah, here it is. And you say you've never seen this fan before? Then what is it doing in your room?"

“I do not know. I would assume it was placed here by someone who has seen it before.” He replied calmly.

“I’m glad it was found. Now it can be properly returned to its owner and not misplaced in a location that neither its owner nor I was aware of until this exact moment.”

Hadananzi stifled a chuckle. "So you refute any prior knowledge of this fan's presence in your room? I find that hard to believe, Bat-san. I think you took it from my dear wife intentionally, for what purpose I can only guess at."

“I do. I have nothing but respect for your beloved wife. The rumors spread about her and some sort of untoward relationship with me are entirely false. It would seem that someone is attempting to hide something amidst a swirling cascade of lies. If you have concern for these rumors… perhaps you should instruct those spreading them to refrain from their falsehoods… for the betterment of all.” He replied with cool steely eyes.

“To suggest that I would lie about such matters would be an insult I could not forbear without forfeiting my honor and the honor of the Lady Nanzi. To make such a claim would require resolution. Are you prepared to make such a claim?”

Hadananzi met Kakita's steely gaze with his own. "I am, and I am prepared to uphold my and my wife's honor in the way Lord Nanzi would most respect."

He exhaled through his nose, closed his eyes, then inhaled and straightened, as if he were about to taste something unpleasant. "Kakita of the Bat, I challenge you to a duel, on my honor as a member of the Crane and husband to Ananzihime."

“I find these terms acceptable. The laws of the Imperial family require inter-clan disputes to be mediated between the relevant parties to avoid Imperial oversight… I will implore my Lady to accept the terms offered.”

He tilted his head, “Perhaps to avoid unnecessary conflict and resentment between our two clans… as the challenged… I shall request that the duel be to the first blood. With the will of heaven made known through our contest surely it would be easier for each side to accept the truth of these matters and act in unity with its resolution.”

He paused, “An opportunity for us all to see things as they truly are. No more obfuscation… No lies. Only the truth.”

He finished, “Two days from now… all shall be made evident by the will of Lady Sun.”

Hadananzi nodded his agreement. "I accept these terms as well. In two days' time all shall be settled as is appropriate."

With a gesture, Hadananzi brought the guards to his side again, then turned and marched off with them in tow.

/exit

Kakita watched them leave and let out a long breath.

Now all that’s left is to remain focused… This is what they trained me for.