Delilah spends the next couple of weeks in and out of Hikaru's presence, bringing him food, water, books, and fresh bedding. She is determined to nurse him back to health, terrified to tell the others what happened. The shame of trying to explain herself seemed a daunting task... even though she felt she had a valid reason for why she had grimnettle in the first place. Something just felt sour, and him being bedridden because of her didn't help her conscience.

One afternoon she takes a quick jaunt downstairs. The clanging and hammering from the mech bay rings painfully in her ears, but she pushes through it. Sneaking some supplies from the alchemy lab into her satchel, she slips into the small library to pick up a new book or two. As she turns the corner, she roughly bumps into Harahoshi Miyatsu. "O-oh!! I'm--I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

Harahoshi Myatsu has been deep in thought, not quite aware of his surroundings when the red-haired woman who had resurrected from her death at the hand of the cultists bumped into him. He bows several times as she stammers out an apology, and replies in kind. "No worry, miss, was accident only!" He bows again, and smiles. "What bring you out this time of day, miss?"

"Ah, well I, um..." She struggles to collect her thoughts and recompose herself, absentmindedly guarding her bag. She points to the bookshelf against the wall. "I didn't mean to disturb your study. I was just stopping by to get a new book to read, and one for Mr. Karu--er--Hikaru. Kenta. You've met him, I believe. He's... Feeling a bit ill, so..." Delilah trails off.

Harahoshi bows slightly again, a gesture of respect. "Yes, I see Kenta Hikaru. He work with the walls, and teach people to fight. Very skilled gunman. And Miss did not disturb study." His brow furrows, a look of concern on his face. "Ill? What happen?"

(23 deception) She stiffens a little, but it dissolves into a reasonably concerned expression and a soft voice, like a nurse might have talking about a patient. "Mild pneumonia it seems, but nothing too serious. Drafty castle, you know..."

Delilah wanders over to the books, keen not to linger too long. She paws through them quickly. "He's strong though, probably the strongest of us to be honest. He'll get better quickly."

"Yes, Kenta Hikaru very strong. Noble. Kenta family well-known in Wuxia. Tragedy what happen." Harahoshi shakes his head knowingly. "Whole family routed. We thought all dead and gone, but Kenta Hikaru alive, still. Maybe rout Kotowari Shinji, and take back house."

He lets her pass into the room, and gets lost in his thoughts for a moment. Harahoshi watches Delilah with a serious look in his eye. He bows respectfully once more, and upon rising again, remarks, "you alive again. Watched what happened with cultists. Could not turn away. How," he implores. "How alive again?"

Slowly withdrawing a book from the shelf, she contemplates his question. She stares hard at the cover, not really reading the words there. The silence is only punctuated by the ringing of distant hammers on metal and stone.

"Kenta. Kolbe. The others. They came. They brought me back. I was... Very lucky. Very blessed." Delilah withdraws a second book, holding them against her chest. "He--" She pauses, "--We, wish to destroy Kotowari. We wish to fix magic. Kotowari had a hand in killing me. Magic is what saved me."

"Oooooh!" His eyebrows raise and his eyes widen with wonder and curiosity. "Magic? Have to be very powerful magic to bring back dead." He bows deeply, and looks back up at Delilah, a blazing fire in his eyes. "Kotowari...did this. All this," he muses. "Will do what I can to help. I--we--in your debt, for life."

He hazards a question, a tentative expression on his face. "Miss? May to speak with Kenta Hikaru? Awake?"

She hesitates for a second. These last few weeks, she was always nervous when someone came by to see him. She shifts a bit uncomfortably. "Yes... Yes I suppose that would be alright. He is rather alert today, he might appreciate the company." Delilah bows somewhat awkwardly, and leads the way back upstairs.

Passing through the meeting hall, now full of tinkering bits and bobs from Thorin, she shuffles past some boxes and down the hall to the sleeping quarters. She gives a small knock on the door.

"Come in Delilah."

She steps inside, nonchalantly setting down one of the books on the table for him. "Harahoshi Miyatsu has come, he wishes to speak with you. Is that alright?"

"Yeah sure, why not?"

Delilah steps aside to grab a chair for Harahoshi. Feeling this is more of a private matter, she quietly offers, "I'll... go fetch some lunch from the kitchens." Ducking out through the door, she leaves them to their business.

Harahoshi steps in and averts his eyes. He bows deeply to Hikaru, bowing five times before rising again, his eyes to the floor. "Kenta-sama, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu." (That's a subordinate to superior saying essentially "Thank you very much for working with me.")

Pausing a moment behind the door to listen, she lets out a sigh of relief and walks off. She couldn't understand Wuxian of course, but Harahoshi didn't seem to mean any harm... nor did he seem to question the "pneumonia." Her curiosity to eavesdrop just couldn't win out. She just didn't have the heart to nowadays.

Delilah stops by her room first, unloading the alchemical components into a box. They joined the plethora of other tools that she'd slowly 'rehomed'. Tossing a sheet over the box she grabs a small dose of nettle. Relaxation washes over her as it takes affect, and she heads off to fix a meal for the others.

Hikaru waves off the platitudes. "Please, I'm just a gunslinger, there's no need for such formality."

"Kenta-sama," he says in Wuxian, "you are the last heir to your great house. Gunslinger or no, you deserve the honor, respect and courtesy of a Lord of your province. Despite your situation, your birthright belies your humility. And," he says, bowing slightly again, "you have done me, my people, and locals of this region a great and honorable service."
"People should be able to work together for the common interest. Not for the noble."

"And we did have a common interest, Kenta-sama." He risks a glance at Hikaru. "To survive the battle, and defend our welfare. I also believe," he muses, a dark look in his eye, "we have a common enemy."

"A man who deserves to die."

Harahoshi nods knowingly. "Kotowari Shinji...," he remarks. "...has broken both our homes and families." He looks to the nearby chair, and, with a careful grace to his step, makes his way there, seating himself upright, feet on the floor. He folds his hands in his lap. "I would see the glory of Wuxia and its provinces restored. The Emperor is slowly dying, and I have grave suspicions that Kotowari is behind it." He wrings his hands a bit, thinking. "I would see a new emperor raised up, and Kotowari dethroned." He sees the intense look in Hikaru's eyes. "And dead, too."

He stops for a second, mulling something over in his mind. He quickly responds, "Kenta-sama, I would like to enter into a mutual partnership with you, to overthrow and slay Kotowari." His eyes are intense.

"Any enemy of Kotowari is an ally of mine."

"Hai, Kenta-sama. I think we can benefit from one another. I have many connections to many..." he pauses, a smile growing on his face, "...noteworthy people who could aid us in our goal." He sits back in the chair, still upright, but getting a little more comfortable. "I could seed intrigue into the courts of Kotowari, frustrating and spying on him. We can know what he is going to do before he can execute."

Hikaru's smile darkens further. "I think that would be very well met."

"The Emperor Wang Chun of Wuxia is dying," he says with seriousness in his voice. "He may not be around long, and we must be prepared for that moment." Harahoshi twiddles his thumbs absently, thinking. "We must have someone who is both noble and gracious put in that place."

"Who would we find? We need someone well suited for that."

Harahoshi smiles deviously, and leans forward in his chair. "Two of those suitable powwow are sitting in this room right now!"

"I dunno if Delilah is much for ruling though. She does have the compassion for it. But does she want it?"

Harahoshi's smile fades. He leans forward in his seat. "No, no, not her! She's not of one of the Great Houses, and cannot possibly be the one to rule! You and I, -we- are of the Great Houses of Wuxia! -We- have the potential to rule! But, I fear, I would make a poor choice for the Emperor of all Wuxia...."

"Better than me, I'm just an angry murderer!"

Harahoshi laughs out loud. A genuine, hardy laugh. He laughs and after a few minutes, he calms down, trying to be polite, but he can't help it. "I feel like you are being funny on purpose!"

Despite Hikaru's usual ease of reading people, he seems perturbed by Harahoshi's response, as though he cannot comprehend why Harahoshi would consider Hikaru as any kind of ruler.

Harahoshi becomes silent, pensive, and deep in thought. "Kenta-sama," he says, "I sense you are having many doubts about all of this. Let me reassure you, we have much time, and we don't have to act immediately." He folds his hands in his lap, his eyes averted to the floor. "I just thought you might like to know...," he trails off for a moment, "that should you ever choose to become Emperor, you would have my support."

"But first, before any of that happens, we must learn the ways of our enemy." He touches a forefinger to his temple. "We must get spies into the courts of Kotowari."

"What about Willoughby? He seems like a resourceful fellow."

"I'd like to see if we can employ some of his secret contacts in Wuxia to spy on Kotowari. I'd like to have someone in your uncle's court to get in the know on his actions and maybe insert some intrigue to throw Kotowari off."

"I want to know everything he does, if we can."

Harahoshi stands up and bows deeply to Hikaru. "Kenta-sama, it shall be done. I will be in contact with Willoughby." He smiles again. "I look forward to knowing every little action of your uncle's. We will bring him down first from the inside, and then you'll have your vengeance!"