The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

"Please, have a seat. Do you want something to eat? I'll bring some tea."
    Suzu hurried into the kitchen. When she rushed in, Sekki came to his feet. "Suzu, do you know her?"
    "I don't really know her. We met once before."
    "Oh," said Sekki, a dark expression briefly clouding his face.
    "What's going on?"
    "Nothing. Go on and serve her. Until the regular crowd comes in, I'll straighten up here."
    "Well, don't let me stop you," Suzu laughed. She filled a teacup and hastened back to the dining hall.
    The girl was also examining the tavern with a similarly grim expression.
    "Here you go." She placed the teacup down on the table.
    The girl bowed slightly. "It's only you, today, Suzu? The last time I came here, a tall man and a boy of fifteen or so were here."
    "You mean, Koshou and Sekki? Koshou is out on an errand. Sekki's in the kitchen. Did you come to see them?"
    "No, not necessarily."
    "My name is Suzu Ooki."
    "Suzu Ooki," the girl repeated. Her name seemed to surprise her.
    "Thank you for helping out on that day. I don't like to admit it, but I'm grateful for what you told me about Seishuu."
    "The child?"
    "Seishuu? He's buried in a cemetery outside Takuhou. He was originally a child of Kei. When Kei fell into chaos, he fled to Kou. When the new empress was chosen, he decided to come back, but then was killed. He's buried in Takuhou, but cannot rest in peace."
    "I see," the girl said, with a bitter countenance.
    "I met Seishuu in Sou. We sailed to Kei together. There were a lot of people from Kei on the boat. They all expected that things were going to get better, now that there was a new empress. But so far, things have been disappointing. Having a new empress doesn't change anything. The marquis and the governor haven't changed." Suzu asked, "And you are?"
    "Youshi," she replied. "I live in Kokei."
    "Kokei. Ah, in Hokui. Next door in Ei Province. Is Ei a nice place?"
    "More or less," she mumbled.
    "I wonder if Kei is pretty much the same everywhere. But it's got to be better than Takuhou."
    Youshi didn't answer.
    "Life can be tough no matter where you live. But I do think some kingdoms are better off than others. I know there are places like that. I came from Sai. The Empress of Sai is a good person. Kingdoms not blessed with good rulers are pretty pitiful."
    "Yeah," Youshi nodded.
    "I have to wonder what the Royal Kei is doing, you know? Maybe she doesn't even understand the state her kingdom is in."
    "She's a puppet," Youshi abruptly blurted out.
    Suzu leaned forward. "Eh?"
    "She's not terribly competent. Since she isn't trusted by the ministers, there's not much she can do. And not much she can get them to do. So her best recourse is to shut up and do as she's told."
    "Really? You seem to know a lot about Gyouten, Youshi."
    Youshi shook her head. "Just rumors."
    "Rumors, huh. Just like the previous empress, those in government are left to their own devices, and she remains deaf to the cries of the people. That's why she banished the Marquis of Baku."
    "What?" Youshi said.
    Suzu furrowed her brows. "Even though the Marquis of Baku is a really good person, the Royal Kei still forced him out of office. He was loved by the people of Baku. But at the same time, she gives the Marquis of Wa a pass. It really is astonishing."
    "Yes it is." Youshi stood up. "Sorry, but I won't be staying for dinner."
    "Oh. Was it something I said?"
    "No. I was passing by, and decided to drop in and see how things were going. I wasn't that hungry to start with."
    "Will you come again?"
    Youshi smiled thinly and nodded.

    After Suzu saw her off, she tilted her head to one side and put down her cup. She noticed that Youshi hadn't even touched her tea. She said to herself, "I wonder if she got fed up with all the chit-chat."
    There really weren't that many women in Kei. It was even rarer for her to meet a girl her same age. She had the feeling she carried on a bit more than usual.
    Puzzling over this, she went to the kitchen and found Sekki and Koshou loitering in the doorway.
    "Oh, you're back."
    "Suzu, who was that girl?" Koshou asked, a grave expression on his face.
    Suzu answered with a shake of her head. "Somebody I met before. She said she lives in Hokui."
    "Hokui."
    Sekki looked up at Koshou and said, "Rou's house, remember?"
    Koshou nodded. Again with a fierce look, he grasped her arm. "What did you talk about?"
    "Nothing in particular."
    They hadn't talked about anything unusual, that was for sure. Her complaints were no more