The first light of morning reveals a figure, tense of shoulder, long of limb, striding through the drifting ash on the east side of the granary site. The river's dawn mist parts to reveal the glowering face of Lady Matsu. Her baleful glare is enough to disperse the first cordon of security around the site.

Twenty paces further in, a pair of yoriki begin to intercept.

"Move," she instructs.

They look into her eyes.

They move.

It isn't long before she meets someone who doesn't. For once, Kakita Hajime is not smiling as he watches Lady Matsu approach.

"Konnichiwa, Lady Matsu," he begins formally, "have you had rice?"

Lady Matsu's eye twitches.

"On the nose as ever, Hajime-san. Who did it?"

Hajime sighs, gesturing around him.

"Hard to say for sure. Have the Lion clan any enemies or people who might want to cause them harm?"

Lady Matsu raised an eyebrow.

"Ha."

A pause.

"So you're saying you did it?"

Hajime shook his head. "Not our style, Lady Matsu. I would have started baiting your junior courtiers days ago, worked my way through your delegation. Arrested your peers for trying to murder ronin. You know, that kind of thing."

He frowned.

"Surprising lack of witnesses troubles the testimony angle, but in all honesty that just points the finger in one of three directions."

Tsuruyo folded her arms. "Yeah? Scorps, of course."

Hajime grinned. "Four options, then. Lady Matsu always sees a different angle."

He offered a small bow of respect.

"There's only four groups of people can clear a Lion dockyard who also have an interest in burning your rice. Tortoise, of course. Scorps, as you say. Not overtly, but through intermediaries. Imperials, though I can't say that I am eager to walk down that road again. And..."

Tsuruyo spat on the ground.

"An inside job."

"Not your first encounter with dissent, is it, Lady Matsu?"

She chuckled. "Of course not. But you'd think they'd have learned by now."

She shook her head slowly.

"I am going to have to kill someone for this." She kicked a charred piece of wood a few feet through the ash.

Hajime smiled sadly. "I know."

"Nothing else for it." She paused. "Any reason for me to wait?"

It was Hajime's turn to pause and think.

"Well, I can't say that it's deeply likely that we're going to get good testimony about this. My guys might find something in the near-ish term, but it'll be the kami talking. Not much force of law. If you want to wait for the right target, I can't guarantee we'll identify it before court ends. I understand they'll be expecting your decision before that."

Tsuruyo's smile showed teeth. "Are you going to make it difficult?"

Hajime sighed. "The Empress was clear..."

Tsuruyo snarled. "The Empress is dead. And clearly I'm not the only one who has noticed. Hajime-san, they burned my rice. They killed people last night. The war is on. You can't un-shoot the arrow."

Hajime nodded slowly. "Nothing but true, Tsuruyo-san." A pause. "Give me a day."

Tsuruyo shook her head. "I give you a day, you give me someone's little sister at the end of it."

Hajime nodded. "Of course I do. What else can I do? You know just as well as I that if it ends up being who we both think it is, there's nothing you can do anyway. Not with an announcement and swords drawn."

He took a breath.

"Give me a day. I give you a little sister. And a month down the line you get a letter telling you who really did it. You'll have freedom to maneuver. Something you sorely lacked your last time out."