Year of the Boar, Eleventh Month, Day 2.

A note from Aoki arrived this morning confirming that he will meet me so that we can train some more birds. I do not feel particularly good about taking his leave days but I see no other choice; I must have more birds so that I can communicate with my network properly again if only to make sure I avoid mother finding out my whereabouts. I will see that Aoki is well compensated somehow even if he has to wait a while; I hope by now he knows me well enough to know that I can be trusted. I will meet him in five days which means I must be ready to leave the day after tomorrow.

My face feels much better today which I am pleased about because I cannot bear to walk about with this makeup plastered all over me for much longer. I feel much better in myself and have acquired several more knives of different sizes which I plan to carry concealed about my person when I resume my travels; the saddler is creating a set of little straps for me so that I will be able to access any one of them easily should I run into similar trouble in future. Drastic perhaps, but I feel much calmer about the idea of travelling around on my own again now that I have arranged this.