Katarina gradually awoke from her slumber because someone was squirming against her in the narrow bed she lay in. Her first sleepy thought was that it was Mystia, and decided to ignore her and go back to sleep, but there was a nagging thought at the back of her mind that wouldn't go away. It was surprising how well she'd slept. That Yamato woman had an almost magical touch, massaging away all the stiffness, the knots, the strain and the stress from her back and shoulders and Katarina had fallen into the deepest sleep she could remember.

Mystia was in the church, secured in the basement. Who was she sleeping with?

Katarina bolted upright, hand reaching for her sword belt, but she recognized who she shared the bed with.

"What're you doing in my bed, Sasaki?" Katarina asked dourly, and Sasaki stretched catlike, yawning.

"You fell asleep in the middle of your massage." Sasaki replied, opening one eye and smiling up at her. "You never did return the favor."

"What was wrong with your bed?" Katarina asked, and Sasaki shrugged. "This was more convenient."

Katarina rolled out of bed gracefully and wiped her hands down her face. "Whatever." She remarked briskly. "Prayers, clothes, breakfast. In that order." She decided. Sasaki watched her avidly as Katarina prayed briefly, and then broke out her gun kit and cleaned her gun as she sang. Katarina was taller than some of the men in this remote village, and seeing her like this, naked, her admiration grew. Katarina's body was definitely something to admire. Her muscles were the lithe, flat, wiry muscles of real physical strength, and were sharply defined in her long arms and legs. Her skin was fair and taut. Her hair was an unrestrained mane of white that flowed down past her hips.

Sasaki licked her lips hungrily, but stepped out of the narrow bed and began some basic stretches. Sasaki refocused her attention on Katarina as the taller woman finished her cleaning rites and stood, shrugging into her shirt.

"What're you doing?" Sasaki asked, frowning.

"Dressing." Katarina replied shortly, shooting her a piercing look that seemed to ask if Sasaki was soft in the head.

"You're doing it wrong." Sasaki replied, and then laughed at Katarina's irritated scowl. "Before you object, you should bind your breasts before you put on a shirt."

Katarina shrugged noncommittally. "My vest holds them in place." she replied dismissively. Sasaki sighed. "Look, just wait. I will fetch you a sarashi. I bet you'll feel much better."

Sasaki slipped into her kimono and disappeared into the hallway, only to reappear a few moments later with a spool of silk cloth.

"Here, let me show you how to tie a sarashi. Don't worry, I have several of these." She remarked with a smile.

As they ate breakfast, they chatted lightly. Katarina surprised herself with how much she talked with Sasaki; she normally didn't often speak with other people. Katarina spoke of the places she'd been to, the things she'd seen, and some of the adventures she had. Sasaki had told her how she'd been a duelist, a little about Yamato culture, how each clan had their own warriors and how they all discretely vied for power.

She began to tell Katarina of the Ishamaelites, a strange race of people from across the oceans that were shrouded in mystery, but Katarina intercepted her and told her what the Anglish knew of them, that they interbred with elves and orcs, they liked to capture and kidnap rather than kill.

Sasaki eyed her companion. Katarina was much more cosmopolitan than she'd initially suspected. Katarina roamed all over the place, From Darnell to Nauders. More, she'd been trained and educated in each of the cultures on the five continents that the Anglish Empire had a foothold on. Sasaki herself hadn't travelled that far, having only travelled from the island nation of the Yamato to the port city of Einsamkeit and gradually working her way north. She didn't like Katarina's preachy attitude in the bathtub, and resolved to leave the Witch Hunter if she started acting like she had a stick up her ass.

"Breakfast is finished." Sasaki said, setting down her bowl. "What next?"

Katarina let out a breath. "A few things, actually. Since I can't leave, I should check in with the local elder or mayor. I should have a look around and find out what these people do, be it mining, farming, fishing, or logging, or some other task, and I'm hoping someone has a better map of the area than the one in the general store."

"You're going to take Mother Swan up on her offering, then?" Sasaki asked, eyebrow raised.

"I think I will." She replied, to which Sasaki made a face. "You can count me out."

"Don't like her?" Katarina asked curiously, remembering Mother Swan's remarks about the Yamato girl from yesterday.

"We don't get along." She replied shortly. "I'll be happy to quit this town at the earliest opportunity."

"Don't let me stop you then, Sasaki." Katarina replied with a smile, wiping her hands with a handkerchief.

"Are you kidding? You're the most interesting person I've met in weeks. I'll stick around for that alone." Sasaki replied with a grin.

"Hmm." Katarina mused. "Then I'll spare you some indignity." She replied comfortably, "And I'll visit her last. First we find out what these villagers get up to."

Sasaki nodded. "Well, if we're going to be tramping around in the forest, I certainly hope it'll be less muddy than the road." She remarked hopefully. "Give me a moment to fetch my shoes and we can be off."

Katarina raised an eyebrow at this. "You're sure you want to come along?"

Sasaki nodded. "I think I like you, Katarina." Sasaki said matter-of-factly. "I didn't think I would, in the beginning. Anglish peasants are boring and your nobility are boorish and too arrogant by half."

"And yours are not?" Katarina asked.

Sasaki smiled primly. "Do you wish to start an international incident?" she asked, still smiling. Katarina laughed at that.

As they stepped out of the inn, Katarina heard a low whirring noise, followed by a solid impact against wood, and raised her eyebrows. What could make such a noise? Katarina adjusted her gunbelt and loosened her sword in its scabbard.

Seeing this, Sasaki adjusted her sword so that it was down at her waist. "What is it?" She asked in a low voice.

"Dunno." Katarina replied. "Probably nothing. Let's check it out anyway." She replied comfortably, tugging on her hat. Sasaki shot her a look.

"What's this, "Let's check it out anyway" bullshit?" Sasaki demanded, following Katarina's easy pace down the boardwalk.

"Well, if it were a big deal, I'm sure people would be alarmed." Katarina replied casually with a gesture at the peasants slogging through the muddy road. One was a man struggling with a manure cart; a woman left the General Store with a box of produce. Neither seemed alarmed by the noise.

Katarina rounded the corner of the Inn and eyed the village green, an open expanse of land that served as an space for gatherings and festivals, a parking spot for merchant caravans, or just as a relaxation spot for those of the mind to recline there, though the village green itself at this point appeared to be swampy from the rain; large pools of standing water on the green shimmered with mosquitos. On the far side of the green however, a cluster of children of varying ages practiced with slings and spear throwers against the palisade that ringed the village.

Katarina pointed as a young boy whirled his sling and hurled. There was a solid impact as his missile hit the fence and shattered. Katarina's eyes narrowed at that, but as she gingerly made her way across the green and he hurled again with the same result, Katarina understood; his missiles were balls of dried mud.

The others were hurling long darts or extremely short spears with a wooden spear thrower; these stuck in the palisade wall in irregular groupings.

"Bah. Slings." Sasaki remarked disdainfully, turning to leave.

"Don't misjudge them just because they're primitive, Sasaki." Katarina encouraged. "They might not have the finesse of a sword, or the sophistication of a gun, but a sling can take a bird on the wing, and a spear hurled from one of those..." She paused, searching for the name, gave up, and continued, "spear-throwers can kill a deer at 50 yards. With the skill and good heavy rock you can take a deer with a sling at thirty." She replied comfortably. The hunter that was teaching the kids nodded approvingly at Katarina, who nodded back.

"The Lady knows what she's talking about, kids." He advised the children who eyed Katarina and Sasaki doubtfully. "Practice every day and you can put food on the table, or protect everyone from mutants or beastmen." Katarina nodded at that, ticked a little salute off the brim of her hat, and turned to leave, Sasaki eyeing the kids with a dubious expression.

"I don't see how." She muttered, and followed after Katarina.

"So, where to, first?" Sasaki asked.

"The Mayor." Katarina replied, gesturing at the manor. Sasaki nodded. "Isn't that the pastor's place?" She asked, and Katarina shook her head. "Likely the pastor lives in the Church. The Mayor handles the civic duties, and the pastor the spiritual." She explained.

"So the Mayor holds the power?" Sasaki asked curiously. Katarina shook her head. "Not really. The Mayor is a figurehead. She or he has to defer to the Pastor for any real decision." She replied casually. "But they fill an actual role as an accountant. They keep records of the population, births, deaths, and mutations," She continued on, ticking things off on her fingers, "if they find mineral deposits, ruins, so on and so forth."

Sasaki nodded and rolled her eyes to indicate how she felt about that.

The mayor of Higgenfal was a tall, thin, and grizzled man with salt and pepper hair, an eyepatch over one eye and a wooden leg. Still, he carried himself with gravid dignity. There was a brief moment of apprehension as he looked her in the eye.

"Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Jackson, retired, at your service, my lady." He introduced himself with the suggestion of a bow, and a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What can Higgenfal do for you?" he asked, capturing her hand and raising it to brush his lips across her knuckles.

Katarina smiled diplomatically. "I'm Katarina, a Witch Hunter in service to the Golden Lady, Mayor Jackson" She replied, and he nodded knowingly, with a warm smile.

"Of course, of course. But you must do me the honor of calling me Tony, Lady Katarina." he replied smoothly.

"I'd like to see your town records, Mayor Jackson." She replied with a diplomatic smile. Katarina wasn't surprised that he's heard of her already. Villagers liked to talk, after all.

He raised one salt-and-pepper eyebrow. "Is there something wrong, my lady?" he asked curiously. "And please, Tony." he urged. She shook her head distractedly. "Not in the slightest. Just curious about the town and its history." She replied.

He chuckled. "If it's town history you want, you might be best directin' your attentions to Mother Swan, my lady. She's been here longest of all. She might not see you, though, what with the Beltane coming up."

Katarina nodded. "That will likely take too long. I'm just interested in the records. Town meetings, census records, births and deaths, and how much you send on."

"How much of what?" he asked, and she nodded. "That too." He worked it around in his mind. "That's right clever, my lady." He replied, and her diplomatic smile refreshed itself.

"Also, if you happen to have maps of the area, I'd appreciate it." She replied, and he nodded again.

"I think it might be simply best if you visited the records room." he encouraged, and she nodded. "Lead on, then."

He gestured, and led her through the manor.

"I admit I'd heard of you." He mentioned, and she nodded. "But those that told me of you didn't tell me of your beauty." he remarked with a smile. "Or your height." Katarina raised her eyebrow at this, and smiled diplomatically. "I appreciate the kind words, Mayor Jackson."

His smile widened a fraction. "Tony, please." he urged.

"How'd you lose the leg?" Sasaki asked, and his smile went stiff, and the calculating look returned to his eye. "The battle at the Bay of Martellus." He replied shortly.

"Ah, sorry to hear it. Did you lose the eye there too?" Sasaki inquired, and he touched the eyepatch and nodded.

"I think everyone lost something precious to them there." He replied distantly and Sasaki nodded sympathetically. She glanced at Katarina, who had fallen curiously silent.

"So what's a 'Beltane'?" Sasaki asked curiously to fill the silence.

"Some places celebrate the arrival of spring." Katarina replied before the mayor could speak up. "Up here In the north, it's called 'Beltane' or 'Beltein'." She smiled a little at Sasaki. "In Nauders it's called 'Winnaisnacht', or 'Winna's Night', but really it's a celebration for surviving another winter, the welcoming of spring, the planting of crops, and the wedding of unmarried men and women." She glanced at the mayor, who nodded. "Just so. You're well informed." Katarina nodded back.

"Mayor, with respect, the green seems swamped. How will you celebrate Beltane?" She asked curiously.

"Tony, please." He urged, and added, "There's a pavilion down by the lake southeast of here that we use if the rains have been particularly unforgiving." he replied with a casual smile.

He gestured at a door they'd arrived at. "Here's the records room. I'll have the housekeeper come by with some tea later, if you're interested."

Sasaki nodded at that. "Yes, please."

The room was small, with a few books on a short shelf. There was a series of shelves with contracts rolled up into sealed scrollcases that Katarina didn't bother looking at.

"I had imagined traipsing through the town and forests, Katarina." Sasaki grumbled, sitting herself across the table from the taller woman as she began going over the books.

Katarina chuckled. "I imagine you did. An audit of the books to make sure all is well with the town, and it tells me what their commerce is." She raised an eyebrow. "Right here: Logging, primarily. They do ship a lot of wool as well, too." She pointed at a page, and then grinned lopsidedly at Sasaki. "Also beats stomping through pig shit and wandering around in a forest, looking for logging camps."

"Is there something in particular you're looking for?" Sasaki asked curiously.

Katarina smiled a little as she turned a page. "Many times, people assume that corruption and heretical beliefs are held by secret cults that meet in secret locations and everyone wears hooded robes." She rolled her eyes with a half-smile. "It's rarely that stupid." She explained with a shake of her head. "Mostly it's little things. If you have an ear to hear and an eye to see, you can pick those things out pretty clearly, and they usually amount to petty, trivial things that can be overlooked if one is kind enough to do so. In other cases, there really is a conspiracy afoot."

"Like what?" Sasaki asked, curious.

"What, you want a hint?" Katarina teased, and after a considering moment, Sasaki nodded.

"There was no such battle." She replied. Sasaki blinked. "Battle?" She asked. Katarina gestured at the door. "The Bay of Martellus. There was no battle there."

Sasaki's eyes widened and her mouth opened but no sound came out.

"But why would he lie?" she asked the taller woman.

Katarina smiled. "You ask the right questions." She focused her attentions back on the book. "Maybe he lost his eye to an infection or mutation. Maybe he caught a disease. Maybe he really was wounded in a battle and the amputation was necessary, but the circumstances were less than valorous."

"You're saying he came up with that because he didn't want to lose face?"

"It's a possibility." Katarina replied. "Remember Camille? People in small villages and hamlets like this tend to be extremely superstitious. If someone said that they were a sanctioned mage, they would likely be burned at the stake for witchcraft." She made an offhand gesture at that. "It's likely that he made that story up just to save face... but it's also possible that he made it up for other reasons, Sasaki." She shrugged. "Do I overlook it? Do I investigate? Do I simply 'out sword and cut'?" She asked, and smiled at Sasaki. "That is the responsibility I carry."

Sasaki smiled admiringly at Katarina, and gazed at her with newfound respect.

"You could-" Sasaki started, but Katarina interrupted her. "Whatever I do, I must do so with the foreknowledge that he is in a position of authority for the village, and work under the assumption that he may call the people of the village against me if I challenge him."

"But you're an Agent of the Church." She protested.

"Even more reason to step lightly. I am a Witch Hunter, Sasaki. To them, my arrival means the end times for their way of life. Just by me being here, suspicion blooms in their hearts. A holy Witch Hunter, consecrated in the Grand Temple of Alstroemeria in Darnell, in some backwater flyspeck of a village?" She asked, and Sasaki nodded.

"Something bad must have happened. Something unspeakable." She breathed.

Katarina nodded. "Just so: I wanted to get out of the rain and sleep in a real bed." She answered sardonically. "Nothing so great and terrible to me, but to them, the apocalypse."

She gestured at the door. "If he were to say, "Get her!" to the villagers, who have been steadily getting more and more suspicious and fearful, what do you suppose might happen?" She asked rhetorically. Sasaki shuddered and wondered if it had happened to Katarina before.

"So what will you do, then?" Sasaki asked.

"I'm done here. The records are clear. There were twenty-three families initially sent here, Mother Swan is one of them. They're a glorified lumber camp for now, gradually cutting their way east so that we eventually have a northern route between Aston in the west and Nauders in the east."

"And Mayor Jackson?" Sasaki asked.

"We'll have a conversation." Katarina replied offhand.

"Would you like some help?" Sasaki asked, and Katarina raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need help?" She asked curiously.

"Just in case, right?" Sasaki replied.

"You're a girl that likes to meddle in things." Katarina observed, and Sasaki smiled beatifically at her.

"You don't need to wait around on me, you know." Katarina reminded her, and Sasaki shrugged nonchalantly. "This is far more interesting than anything I had planned, Katarina the Witch Hunter." Sasaki replied with an ostentatious eyeroll.

"Do you have a horse?" Katarina asked curiously. Sasaki shook her head. "Absolutely not. I cannot abide the beasts." Sasaki retorted. Katarina raised her eyebrow at this. "Then why are you here?" She asked. "Now that we know where we are, you could easily begin the trip to Aston on your own."

Sasaki shrugged indifferently, prompting a small sigh from Katarina.

There was a perfunctory knock at the door, followed by a young woman entering the room. She had warm chocolate skin, a vibrant smile, and a tray carrying a teapot, a few caddies, and a pair of fine porcelain cups.

"I've brought miladies some tea." She announced cheerfully. "If'n I say so m'self yer in for a real treat." She advised as she poured. "Great-gramma Swan bought some tea plants special about five years back and we get to have tea, same as the noble-folk in Darnell." She flashed a pretty smile that Sasaki and Katarina returned just as easily, and gestured to the caddy. "You have lemon; it's dried but it works just the same. The honey was harvested just last fall." She pouted a little, and then chuckled. "We'll have a fresh batch in a couple of months. We have cream of course that was fresh made."

Katarina rather liked the young woman's bubbly attitude. "Thank you kindly, miss." She encouraged, and then grinned predatorily. "Are you wed?" She asked, and the girl blinked in shock.

"By the Goddess, no." She admonished gently. Katarina pounced. "You want to be?" She asked greedily, and Sasaki's jaw dropped open. The girl blushingly laughed, flashing her smile.

"I think that ought be the first time a woman has asked my hand." She observed with a light chuckle. "But no, milady, I'm but fourteen."

Katarina sighed dolorously, and affected a despondent expression, which caused the girl to laugh prettily again. Katarina gestured at the table. "Why don't you sit yourself a spell?" She asked, and the girl shook her head.

"I really shouldn't. I don't mean to interrupt you." She replied with another dazzling smile.

"It's no interruption." Sasaki replied just as Katarina opened her mouth. "This village is surrounded by forests; where do you find the room to grow tea?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, there's a garden behind the church." The girl replied evenly. "We grow all our herbs there."

Katarina nodded, linking Camille and the pastor's mention of an apothecary. "You're Swan's great-granddaughter?" She asked and the girl shook her head. "Great-great granddaughter." She corrected. Katarina chuckled. "And you're the daughter of the Mayor, right?"

The girl nodded. "That's right." She replied comfortably. "How did you know?" She asked curiously, and Katarina gave her a half-smile. "You've got the same forehead and chin." She replied, lightly touching her own. Her finger moved from her chin to the book she was perusing. "But it doesn't say here that he is married." She added, and the girl's energy seemed to puff out of her, like a candle being snuffed.

She let out a sigh. "Yes, that's right." She finally admitted. "Am I in trouble?" She asked, a note of fear creeping into her voice, and Katarina shook her head. "Certainly not." She replied. "I apologize if I said something hurtful." She added. "I just have a couple of questions for you, and I'll let you go and do whatever tasks you're supposed to." She encouraged. "For now, though, let's have some tea."

The girl nodded slowly at that, flipped over the cups artfully, placed a dried-out pice of lemon in each cup, poured, and placed the two cups in front of Sasaki and Katarina. Katarina added a small dollop of honey to her tea and gestured to Sasaki, who shook her head.

"In Yamato, we don't really..." She trailed off, and then added, "add to our tea." She finished and took a sip. Her eyebrows went up. "This is really good," She trailed off.

"Oh, that's right, we haven't really been introduced." Katarina encouraged. "I'm Katarina, and that's Sasaki." She added casually. Sasaki gave Katarina a frown at the offhand introduction.

"I'm Harmony." The girl replied. Sasaki and Katarina glanced at each other and smiled.

"A spectacular name." Katarina replied, and Sasaki nodded. "I can see why you were named so." Harmony smiled a little at this, but her face was mostly guarded and her reactions fearful.

"Are you happy here, Harmony?" Katarina asked curiously. "In this town, I mean." Harmony blinked.

"Of course I am!" She exclaimed hotly. Katarina nodded and sipped from her cup. "It's a good place! Sure'n we don't have all the comforts and the roads turn to mud when the weather turns bad, but this is a good place we've built here." She added, a touch defensively. Katarina nodded and held up her hand.

"Listen, Harmony. It wasn't my intention to make you upset. I'm sorry I pried into your personal affairs." she advised, and touched the girl's chin to get her to lift her head up. "You're a lovely girl, with a radiant smile, and I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Are you going to dance in the Maiden's Circle this year?" Katarina asked, and Harmony did smile, then. "No milady, I'm just fourteen." She reminded the Witch Hunter. "I can't dance in the Maiden's Circle for another two years." She replied easily. "Though Grammy says I'm just about all grown up."

Katarina nodded. "I'm glad you're happy here, Harmony. I wish you good fortune, too." She finished her tea and pushed her seat back. "Mayhap I'll come 'round in a couple years and scoop me up a beautiful wife." She teased, and Harmony giggled.

"I've learned everything I needed to learn here, I think." Katarina added. "Most everything in the books adds up, the people here are healthy and happy. Now all I need is an end to the rains so I can mosey on out of here." She finished with a sigh and stood.

"Mi'lady..." Harmony began with a glance at the door. Katarina glanced at Sasaki and then at the door, and Sasaki picked up on the queue immediately and stepped to it quickly and lightly.

"What is it, Harmony?" She asked curiously.

"Papa said I shouldn't worry you about it, but..." She began, and then shook her head. "Mayhap you should ask Great-gramma Swan about the lights." Katarina nodded and fished the lemon wedge from the bottom of her cup and stuck it into her mouth.

Harmony collected the cups and caddies onto the tray and hurried out of the room as quickly as she could.

"Hmm." Katarina finished, and glanced at Sasaki.

"Lights?" Sasaki asked, and Katarina shook her head. "I guess I've no choice but to see Mother Swan." She relayed to Sasaki. "Coming?" She asked, and Sasaki shook her head briskly.

"No." She stated emphatically. "Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. I'm not going to sit through another of her lectures." She immediately replied. "You're on your own." She stated flatly, eliciting a laugh from Katarina.

"I shall see you at dinner." Sasaki advised, and stepped through the door.