Deserved Rest - Hiruma Sozoka

The large form of the Crab was riding slowly from the City of Stories in the direction pointed by the local heimin. A frown has frozen on his face, expectations of a borish court before the man. When another man appeared on the same road, Sozoka's frown disappeared in expectation. An expectation that was met, as the man stopped a few meters in front of Sozoka's horse, an old armor covering the body of a warrior. The Crab's frown grew into a smile when he noticed the man's arm slowly going towards his blade as two more were walking from behind the trees at both sides of the road. "Hiruma Sozoka, I presume?" The apparently leader of these bandits addressed him, hand brushing the hilt of the weapon.

Sozoka nodded, "Like how that sounds, neh?" The big man chuckled seeing the assaliant's hand close upon his blade. "I wouldn't do that if I was you, buddy."

"I beg to differ," it was obvious the ronin had to do his best to stay calm. "Me and my brothers here have been hired by an acquaintance of yours, Hiruma Sozoka." His lips curled up in a smile as he delivered the name. "Bayushi Mitsuko, the sister of Bayushi Natsuko, the man you have killed during the preposterous raid of this Clan's lands."

The ronin's smile disappeared when, after a moment's pondering and with a shrug, Sozoka replied though: "You really think I've asked their names, neh?"

That was as much as the samurai could bear. His grip tightened and the katana flew free from the saya... just to land some feet away in the snow. A whip held the ronin's hand, Sozoka's smirk growing into a grin as he pulled. "I warned you, buddy." The crunch of the man's helm under his horse's hoofs made the other two shudder. Sozoka's eyes turned to them, fire almost melting the snow around the men.

"Now, you either decide who's next or clean that bugger off my horse, you understood?"

They could only nod...