Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 4.

As I had planned to do when last I recorded my thoughts, I set off towards the border of Dying Crane at first light yesterday. I did not enjoy the idea of undertaking another long journey on foot but I could see little choice. I had not been walking for long when a farmer came by on a wagon led by a horse; it seems the gods have chosen to favour me again, at least for a short while, for the farmer offered to take me with him along the road. He was going a reasonable distance and so I accepted his offer gratefully and now find myself not too far from the border. From the map, it seems as though if I were to walk all the way, it would take me about two days to get to the border. Yesterday's help has given me hope though, that I shall not have to walk the entire distance and that perhaps someone else will come to my aid.
The farmer did not have very much to say though I tried to engage him on conversation; to my surprise, it did not feel awkward at all. It was more of a companionable quiet. He was on his way back to his farm having sold his wares at market and when we got to the farm, he insisted I come inside to meet his wife and eat with them. Since I am no longer in any great hurry to get to Purple Lightning now that my plans have changed completely, I did not think twice about agreeing. It did occur to me as I knelt at the table with them to eat rice and fish with pickled vegetables that I had been terribly stupid for I had no way of knowing what his motivation was. The gods were indeed being kind for it transpired that there was nothing behind their kindness except a wish to do a good deed. I reminded them of their daughter, it seemed, and they would not see her on a journey for several days on foot and alone. They offered me a bed for the night and I accepted. I awoke with the farm animals and when I expressed my intentions to leave immediately, the farmer's wife pressed a packet of food upon me and made sure my water skin was filled; she also gave me another skin full of tea. They would take no coin and even drove me to the edge of their land and ensured that I was on the right road. I have their names and will make sure that they are rewarded somehow. Yet again, the kindness of strangers shames my own family. 

Luck has not been on my side today though and I have spent the entire day on foot. I stopped walking while it was still light so I could set up a small camp under a large tree in a copse just off the road. I have a fire burning and when I have finished committing my thoughts to paper, I shall eat. I am not looking forward to trying to sleep out here but since I have little choice, I must get on with it and hope for the best. It will not be long until I am in the Seventh and who knows what adventures await me there? I cannot say that I am not disappointed to have to leave Dying Crane before I could do what I came to do but the very fact that I have managed to get here on my own wits without being detected does leave me feeling the tiniest bit smug. I feel excited about crossing into the Seventh; I shall have to be far more careful there than I have been of late for I know next to nothing about the people or their customs and I cannot speak the language. Still, I shall worry about that at first light when I begin walking agan. For now, I must eat and try to sleep.

Year of the Boar, Ninth Month, Day 2.

I have come to the conclusion that I must make my way to Purple Lightning. The innkeeper came up with my new clothes today and I must say that I shall not be sorry to see the back of what I have been wearing. I am somewhat annoyed to have paid for my Court Silks to be cleaned and pressed only for them to be put straight back in my bundle but I could not have foreseen that the House would leave while I was on my way here and so it cannot really be helped.
I have managed to procure a map of the local area and I have discovered that there is another large town some way to the south west just before the border with the Seventh Kingdom; I shall be able to avoid the mountains and slip into the Seventh over a short stretch of land just before Fallen Sakura's border meets both Dying Crane and the Seventh.  There appear to be several reasonable sized towns along the border of the Seventh and so I am sure that if it becomes necessary, I shall be able to stay at taverns in order to avoid more time sleeping in the open.
I cannot help feeling disappointed that I must take to the road again; I have become accustomed to sleeping in relative comfort and the thought of sleeping under another bush makes me afraid. I thought I had been so clever but I failed to come up with any contingency plans for the most basic of situations. It occurred to me this morning that something may have happened to Nanami; I would have no way of knowing since she would not be able to tell me herself and Kouji would not be in a position to know, either. I clearly need an even bigger network.

Year of the Boar, Eighth Month, Day 24.

When I went downstairs for breakfast this morning, the innkeeper told me that it was market day in the town and that if I wished to buy something pretty for my hair or some fabric for new silks or even books, today would be the day to do it. I snorted inwardly at the idea of buying something pretty for my hair... as if I have enough hair to put pins it! My clothes however, are another matter entirely, and I thought it would make a pleasant change to wander around the town and shop. 

I must admit that I was completely unprepared for the number of people who would be out on the roads.  I felt overwhelmed to be in the middle of such a crowd and yet at the same time, strangely exhilarated. The atmosphere was marvellous. There was a buzz of anticipation in the air and almost everyone seemed jovial and glad to be out in the sunshine. I cannot think that the walk to the market on a rainy day is anything like as fun but I enjoyed the exercise. To think I had been concerned about how to find the town! There was not a person out on the roads who was not headed for the market; women carried huge wicker baskets to fill with the produce they would buy, children carried small cloth bags and even the men carried sticks with bundles tied to the ends.   By the time I arrived at the market, the hems of my clothes were covered in dry, clay-coloured dust from the roads and my hair was plastered to my forehead with sweat but I did not care how I looked; I was far too excited. I say I did not care; it was not until someone took pity on me and handed me  a square of damp cloth that I even realised that I looked a state! Then of course, I cared...

I returned the cloth to the woman who had given it to me with a wry smile and complemented her on the silks she wore; a sort of burnt orange coloured sash covered a silver kimono and I thought that orange might become me very well. The woman gave me the name of her seamstress but of course it meant nothing to me; I could barely see any of the permanent shops because of the sprawl of market stalls in any case. 

It is impossible to say what the town looks like usually; it was impossible to see much of it at all. The streets were lined with makeshift wooden stalls and there were even more people in the town already than there had been on the road into town. I could barely move let alone see what each stall had to sell. On the edge of the town I saw a small, upturned barrel next to a dilapidated sign on which the lettering was so faded, it could have been anybody's guess as to what was on offer but the smell of warm citrus gave it away as a juice merchant. A cup of juice would be just the thing, I thought to myself and made my way over to buy some; as I sat by the edge of the street drinking from a wooden cup that looked like it had been fashioned a good century ago, I watched hustle and bustle of those out for market swarm around me.

I could harldly tell one person from the next since there were so many but I thought it would probably work to  my advantage since if there had been anyone to recognise me, they would not likely do so in the midst of such a throng. I cannot say how much time passed while I sat there watching people go about their business but it occurred to me that although the idea of shopping had been an extrememly pleasant fiction, it was precisely that. I have only limited coin and no way of knowing how long the House intends to be. For all I know, Yuika may have decided to sojourn somewhere on her way back... If I spend everything I have now and gamble on the fact that she will return within the next few days, I may deeply regret it. When the next bird arrives, I will send it back with the message that I urgently need funds; I do not imagine that a bird can carry coin so it will mean giving detailed instructions as to my whereabouts and remaining there until someone can come and find me. It is not an option I particuarly relish but at this moment in time, I cannot see that I have much choice at all. 

I decided that it was worth spending a small amount on some fabric since I can no longer keep up the ruse of being a servant on the look-out for work and even if I could, the clothes I have are all but beyond saving. During a brief lull in the crowd, I managed to find a cloth merchant and acquired a piece of the dark orange linen I had seen and some navy to go with it; I hope there will be enough to make a kimono and a sash out of each. I was also able to find some plain white cotton so I shall be able to replace my underwear as well. The innkeeper has told me that she knows someone reliable by which I take to mean an unlicensed seamstress but I do not intend to ask too many questions since I simply want my new clothes as cheaply as I can get them. I am hopeful that I shall be suitably attired before the end of the week and that by then, I will have formed a firm plan concerning my next move.