It was one of the most popular festivals of the year, it was the Summer Festival of Konan and Jumiko had heard that her old troupe would perform and invited her to participate and add a musical routine or sell her renowned paintings. Of course she decided she could not pass up the opportunity to do both. She travelled to the Juso Province in order to reach the capital city of Eiyou. It had been an uneventful trip and she was glad she had not bumped into the famed thieves. It has been a good idea to travel alongside a caravan and avoid the Kou Province in the east as that was where bandits were mostly found. She had to admit she still found it surprising the level of devastation flooding had caused in the kingdom. And the fact that little was being done to resolve such issues touched her heart. She was sitting on the driver’s seat of her little vardo and she held the reins of her companion. It was a beautiful Shire horse of a dark chestnut colour called Akari. The mare had been her close companion and the only friend she had allowed herself to have. Jumiko had been deeply scared by the betrayal she suffered several times at the hands of the people she had loved and trusted the most and that made her weary of connecting with others and creating bonds. Usually, as soon as she sees the first signs of people reaching out to her to befriend her or get closer, she would turn and walk away. This was one of such cases, it was true that she kept in touch with her old troupe but that was mainly to be up to date with latest news and join them occasionally in their performing and the reason she did not stay with the troupe, well she obviously did not want to create bonds with them and she knew she had felt so happy with the group she would have bonded had she stayed with them.

She sighed as she looked at her map and compass and decided it was time to sort ways for the people in the caravan who had welcomed her to stay with them at an Inn. That would result in bonding and she could not have any of that. The leader of the caravan finally approached her with a jovial smile, she could tell he liked her and she blushed softly. She would not deny he was a very handsome young man and he was kind to others, but the memories of Gogo prevented her from making the same mistake for the second time. He had also seemed gentle and Cary and truly devoted to her for years, in the end, all he wanted was to take over her village with no strings attached and she knew that the reason for that was that he wished to expand the lands he controlled in order to spread his ideals of prosperity and earn the approval and admiration of the Empress of Hokkan. In the end, albeit honourable aims, the means were less honourable… She held the compass against her heart trying to forget the gentleness in his eyes, the way in which he held her and that night when they… She blinked several times feeling the emergence of tears but she dismissed them when he approached her vardo and took her hand gently making her blush slightly. He kissed the back of her hand atop his horse and said gently, “Can I not persuade you to join our caravan permanently and accept the hospitality of my cousin’s Inn fair Jumiko-sama?”

She blushed deeply and looked away feeling him pull the back of her hand to his cheek, “It would torment my heart to let such beauty and sweetness of temper walk away alone and let her be exposed to the dangers of Konan. Slave trade is still permitted and they would not hesitate in attacking a fair lady travelling alone.” She was rather speechless for a moment, the sensation was too similar to that which she had experienced back at her village and she shook her head before she said, “I’m not alone, I have Akari, besides, my troupe will be expecting me.” She smiled softly and gently removed her hand from his grip only to have him place a hand on her cheek and look into her amethyst eyes passionately. It made her move away, placing her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment, “Rin-san, what?”

She noticed him blush and he whispered, “Life is cruel, I am sure you experienced pain in the past but there will come a time where you will regret not giving people a chance and will be alone for the rest of your life, until you draw your last breath… or you will find someone who will manage to sneak into your heart and…” He chuckled self-deprecatingly and added, “and that man won’t be me.” She watched him lean forth and place a gentle kiss on her cheek and he slowly let her go saying, “Please stay safe Jumiko-sama.” She felt her cheeks blush furiously and she nodded silently and she said, “You too, all of you. And thank you for everything.” The people waved at her as she moved the reins to the right and followed the path to Eiyou with a heavy heart. She felt a bit guilty to have awoken such feelings in the young man’s heart and to have been unable to become the woman he wanted her to. But she knew she could not, she was broken in many ways and she sometimes still wondered how she was still functioning. Perhaps a greater part of that was the fact that the performing arts and music helped heal her soul but, even though she knew the reasons she had for behaving the way she did in the company of others, well, the fact remained that she was a rather lonely person and though she did that of her own freewill, it was not good for a person to have absolutely no one to rely on.

It was late afternoon, early evening, when she arrived at Eiyou and she parked her vardo next to the troupe’s although she was considering staying at the nearest Inn to order a warm bath and some warm food after the show. She put on a beautiful violet kimono and some light makeup, her hair was elegantly braided with some locks of hair falling in cascades and a beautiful hairpin she had made was placed on her head to hold it all together. As soon as her turn came she took her kikuyu with the bow and elegantly walked to the middle of the room, she sat and then began to play an outstanding melody with some of the troupe members dancing to the breathtaking melody, she sang and played and the people were touched by her physical beauty, her talent with the kikuyu and the delightful singing voice she possessed that was often compared to that of a nightingale. She closed her eyes for a moment as she played on smiling when some cherry blossom petals fell around her as part of the act. Her eyes opened to reveal piercing amethyst eyes and it was then that she noticed one of the nobles in the audience gave her a rather perturbing look. She gently looked away knowing she would have to be careful after the performance. She did have a gallery exhibition of her paintings but that was still on stage and the troupe promised to help her sell the paintings and answer any questions the people had so that she could rest for a little bit after that long journey.

As soon as she finished and left the stage she noticed movement in the audience and sighed. It looked like she would have to deal with that man after all. She walked to her vardo and gave some water to her lovely horse and then put her instrument away, the troupe would soon perform a play and she would need her drums in order to play for them, this time she would not take part on the play as her paintings were being exhibited during the play and she did not wish to steal their audience, they were always kind to her.

As soon as she grabbed her medium-sized tsuzumi and turned to walk back to the stage the noble man and two guards stood behind her. The young man grinned darkly and bowed, “The gods must have smiled at Konan to grant us the presence of the very Ayumi Hakami, albeit it is not the first time I enjoy your performance or have the honour of purchasing one of your paintings.” He gently took her hand and kissed the back of it as he took a step forward, “And yet, I’m aware you are no geisha or courtesan. I believe that many men suffer from a beauty I have not seen before.”

Jumiko blushed lightly feeling his hand touch her cheek and she took a step back, “Please, I am but a mere performer of the arts that are the true beauty that surrounds us. However, I am needed for the next play, will you not sit and enjoy the show until its completion?” She hoped that this would at least earn her a bit of time to think of the best way to come out of this problem. He smiled and lifted her chin, “Such shyness, it makes you even more alluring. Stay with me, I will give you infinite riches, a permanent position as painter or musician.”

He walked forth trapping her between her vardo and himself and he nodded to one of his men to show her a box with a lonely hairfin and necklace, “I have followed your carrier for a while, would you do me the honour Ayumi-sama and become my lady-friend? If there is any nobility in you I might even be able to make you my bride.” She could not believe her ears.

He moved a hand to caress her hair while his other hand lifted her face in order to kiss her lips, “No, please, there are other women out there much more deserving of anything you could offer.” She tried to move away and turn her face toward the other side, “Please, do not ruin your title and reputation by approaching a mere arts performer.” She did not believe anyone, not anymore, surely he simply wanted to have his way with her and then as soon as that was done he would walk away, or he would simply treat her like a concubine or even become a terrible husband. If her life had taught her anything, she could not trust anyone. Even though a few hours ago she had been questioning if her idea of being a lone wolf was the right one.

Tetsuya loved the festival in Eiyou. It was always one of his favorites because it was so large, and there was such a variety of talent showcased here. Of course, it was also relatively close to the village he had grown up in, and he was always glad to go see his family. He had arrived early and gotten set up to perform. The kids always loved his performance, and it always warmed his heart to see them so happy. He’d juggled for a while - everything from his set of small wooden balls to random objects people in the crowd had tossed his way to see how long he could keep them all in the air. He’d gotten up to about six small objects before he’d finally let one slip and dropped it - though thankfully it was just one of his wooden balls. HE had then done several feats of acrobatics, and even used his face paint to give some of the children adorable designs on their cheeks.

Instead of stopping for a proper lunch, he grabbed a quick meal from a nearby stand, and then got back to work, helping to keep the children happy during this festival. He had performed various magic tricks that afternoon, which were always a big hit with children and parents alike, and he was glad that he had remembered to put out his collection bowl - he’d made enough to pay for his hotel room and a hot meal for the evening.

By the time the sun was setting, he was ready to head to the inn for a bath and a meal, and a change of clothes before he put on his evening show. He had a small stand with wheels that he could set his singing bowls up on, and also display a couple of his ink drawings for sale. He made sure the rest of his belongings were safely put away in his room, and then dressed in black pants and a dark violet shirt that seemed to compliment both his hair and eye color, and then pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. It was easy to overlook when he was dressed in his daytime outfit, but Tetsuya was a very handsome young man with gentle eyes and an easy smile. He had a history of having young single ladies ask him out during his nighttime shows…though those same women had passed him on the street without a second glance, during the day. It didn’t matter, though. He wasn’t the sort to seek intimate relations with a woman when he knew he would be leaving when the festival did.

Making sure he had everything he needed on his little rolling case, he set out to return to the street corner he’d occupied that day so that he could set up and perform for the adults this evening. He was busily debating with himself over whether he should start with the singing bowls or the koto when he noticed it had apparently rained a little while he was at the inn. The stones along the sidewalk were a bit slick, though the people who lived here were apparently used to it, and people were moving cars down the road as quickly as possible, apparently not paying much attention to the pedestrians

He saw a pretty young woman with dark hair take a step, and her geta slipped on the damp stone. Spotting a cart heading down the road at a near gallop, he moved quickly to grab the young woman by the arm, and pull her to safety out of the road, holding her against his strong chest as he waited for her to get her footing. “Careful Are you okay, miss?”

The dark haired woman looked up at him, wide eyed, and nodded. He helped her get her footing, and then gently eased her further from the street and closer to the line of shops and other buildings. “Please, stay closer to the shops. The stone is drier, and you’ll be less likely to slip again.

The woman looked up at him, and gave him a charming smile. “I owe you so much, good sir. Won’t you come with me to dinner so I can thank you properly?”

Tetsuya shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I cannot. I have to prepare for my performance this evening. Please have a good day, and try to be more careful.” With a charming smile of his own - though he did not realize it, as he had not been trying to flirt - he grabbed his rolling case and continued on to get set up for the evening. He was just passing a theater that was having a performance when he heard a woman’s voice speak up from near a vardo.

“Please, do not ruin your title and reputation by approaching a mere arts performer.”

She sounded distressed, and Tetsuya frowned slightly. He stopped and looked in that direction, and saw a different dark haired young woman being accosted by a man who seemed to have two guards with him. He squinted, and thought he recognized the woman. She was a preformier, musch like himself in many ways, and she also sold many beautiful paintings. He had bought one of a lovely waterfall scene at sunset for his sister, for her last birthday. Sai-chan kept it hanging in her bedroom. He debated what to do for a moment, but then he set his rolling case aside and started toward them, moving confidently, as if he had every good reason to be going this way. “Hakami-san! There you are!” His voice was loud and cheerful, hoping to draw more attention and further discourage the rude young man. “I am so sorry I am late to our meeting, but I have those paints you requested, and-” He came to a stop near them, and feigned complete ignorance. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” He forcefully - though he made it look effortless - inserted himself between the young woman and the man who had accosted her. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Tetsuya, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Hakami-san is sure to be a friend of mine.” He had a bright, innocent, cheerful smile, and hoped this would encourage the man to back off. He’d had a good day, and he was not in the mood to ruin it by having to fight with someone, though he would if these men left him no alternative.