Less than two minutes later and they were out of the building.

The glow that had been appearing through Philomel's wall was a flame. One that highlighted the shadowy figure of a would-be murderer across her path. Not wanting in any way to make herself reknown here, and despite having enough weaponry to hold down a fort, Philomel had not killed anyone. Instead she had picked up the few belongings that she and Veridian had with them and followed Mr Mushi from the okiya. Outside, waiting for them was an exhausted-looking Sakura.

"They usually riot on a weekend," she said, as if trying to explain herself, "Never a weekday, like today. Mr Mushi always makes sure he is beyond the city walls, so that he does not get caught up in the violence."

"Do your people tend to bottle up their anger over time and then release it so suddenly?" Philomel asked, meaning it mostly as a sarcastic comment.

Surprisingly, Sakura nodded. "Oh yes. It is just what they do. And with the food shortage - well. We have to be careful."

"Food shortage?"

The geisha grabbed her hand and pulled her fast, beginning to run as fire licked up from a side ally. A man with a huge traditional yari began running down there, his face painted with black lines. His head was covered in a warrior's helmet while the rest of him was in normal clothes, and thus the faun considered this rather amusing for a moment. That was, until she realised he was there to kill them. And so, she grimaced, swept up Veridian and ran with Sakura as fast as her pregnant belly could allow.

"But you are a geisha," she yelled to Sakura, "Why are you coming with us?"

"I choose to entertain Mr Mushi, an international trader," Sakura shouted back, "And they do not like that. So every month I just have to make myself scarce."

"Do they usually set things on fire?"

Sakura shook her head, dodging around a narrow corner as Mr Mushi did, the man being just ahead. Less artistically Philomel dodged around also. "No, I suspect it has something to do with a wild foreign ship though that recently docked here. Apparently they tried to badly and raucously advertise themselves as a sea-bound brothel." The geisha rolled her eyes. "Clearly those sailors had no idea what they were doing. They did not know how suspicious Akashimans can be."

Philomel glanced to Veridian, wincing a little. Ah, she thought, I think we may have caused this.

Did not cause it, he replied, his legs hanging as he was tucked under her arm, But certainly your mother has made it worse.

~*~