Chapter Text
The restoration of Inazuma's outskirts was going as quickly as the workers could possibly manage in winter. The houses along the shore were in dire need of repair, and repairs demanded a staggering amount of mora. Unsurprisingly, mora was precisely what they were lacking, so Ei had been forced to arrive at the construction site in person to sort things out. It's not that she burned with any particular desire to discuss work at such an hour, when the sun was already dipping below the horizon and the evening haze blurred her vision.
On the bright side, Ei wouldn't have to suffer alone.
General Kujou Sara, tall, imposingly upright, impossible to miss, was speaking with the workers, papers that Ei had absolutely no desire to dive into clutched in her hands. Tragically, she knew that she would have to, sooner or later. Snow crunched under her feet, fresh and thick, and the edges of her kimono rustled softly, absorbing the cool moisture.
"General," Ei called out. "How unusual: you did not notice me approaching from five meters away."
"Your Excellency. You're here." Kujou Sara turned toward her, executing a quick, curt bow. "I did not expect to see you beyond the grounds of Tenshukaku." It almost sounded like the tengu was trying to parry. "Do you require something?"
No matter how many times Ei asked Sara to stop bowing and drop the titles, it was utterly futile. Sometimes, she simply had to let certain things happen on their own, and in a way, Sara had taught Ei a form of humility. Not everything was within her power to control.
"I do require something, yes, General." Ei thoughtfully looked around the site, the workers scurrying about, the clatter of hammers, the creak of ropes, the rustle of straw, all of it pleasant against her ears. "Tell me about the work progress. I got a complaint which said that the construction has dragged on for weeks with no visible change at all." Her palm settled upon Sara's elbow, squeezing not so harshly.
Sara's brows raised in surprise as she adjusted her cloak.
"Curious. I am here regarding the same complaint, my Lady." She pointed at the papers. "I suspect the repairs are simply underfunded. Not all materials are available, and the workers are complaining about low wages and lack of provisions."
"Then we'll deduct some from your salary," Ei attempted a joke, but met a gaze full of earnest contemplation instead. "Sara?"
"I think that it is reasonable." Sara nodded. "If we allocate seventy percent to supplies and materials, the construction could be completed within..."
"Sara." Ei's voice grew more insistent, her fingers tightened around Sara's elbow.
Sara fell silent, interrupted mid-calculation, visibly confused.
"I was joking. We will not deduct anything from your wages." Ei crossed her arms, already regretting having said it in the first place.
"Is that so… Forgive me, Your Excellency. I do not fully grasp the concept of jokes." Sara's clawed hand reached up to the back of her head, ruffling the feathers there, fluffed up from the cold like a fox's winter coat. "Your suggestion struck me as entirely logical."
"Was it no offensive to you?" Ei finally took one of the report sheets, holding it by the edge between two fingers as if the parchment were soiled. "I was under the impression that tengu are prideful creatures."
"Now is not the time for pride, my Lady. People starving and dying from cold. If my mora is the price to help them, then so be it."
"Don't think about it, General." Ei let out a short hum, stepping toward a half collapsed house. "The treasury can be replenished in many ways that do not involve picking your pocket. It would amuse me, though."
No response followed, so Ei decided to examine the notes more closely. Lumber. Stone. Fabric. Paper. Labor costs. Her eyes skimmed over the figures, and they were… unreasonable. Who in their right mind would charge over a hundred mora for a single timber log? Now, of all times, when the nation desperately needed merchants to exercise restraint. It was not even rare wood, but as noted, of "high quality." Either the person who drafted the report had misplaced a zero, or someone had truly decided to profit from the citizens' mortal peril.
Ei turned around. The wind struck her face, swept her bangs aside, and tugged at her braid. Sara's attention, however, was fixed on a scribe who was explaining something to her with the expression of a man already convicted, waiting for divine wrath to descend. Sara stood before him, nodding curtly now and then, and every slight motion made the man flinch, as though expecting her to snap and strike him. Ei often saw people fear her right hand almost as much as they feared her.
If Ei felt burdened by the terror she inspired, Sara seemed utterly indifferent to it. Sometimes Ei wondered what went on inside that silent tengu's head; she was like an impenetrable wall of stone. But Ei was patient: sooner or later, she'll open up. Everyone does.
"Sara," Ei called, expecting the general to appear at her side instantly, as she always did.
She must have missed it. Again? Her right hand had been distractible lately. And that persistent man was still trying to convince her of something. If a mortal possessed any sanity, they would not argue, yet this one seemed to be exceptionally bold. And clearly devoid of any survival instincts.
"General." She tried again, and when Sara finally deigned to approach, Ei let out a tired sigh. "Do you have hearing problems?"
"What?"
"Pull yourself together, Sara." Exhausted irritation could be heard in her voice.
"I am listening to you, my Lady. Please forgive me." Sara definetely felt awkward now.
"I have a question." Ei pointed at the sheet. "Where is our lumber coming from?"
"The lumber is supplied from Watatsumi Island," Sara reported. "Unfortunately, we do not have enough materials."
"And who agreed to purchase it at five times the market price?"
Sara narrowed her eyes; her wings rustled beneath her cloak.
"Your Excellency, our relationships with Watatsumi are extremely strained. I assume their merchants refused to lower their prices."
"Tsk. Refused."
Ei began pacing, then abruptly spun on her heel and, with unexpected gentleness, took the remaining reports from Sara's hands. The prices, to put it mildly, were vicious. Was Watatsumi trying to exploit Inazuma's plight to settle old scores? Or had someone among the procurement officers decided to add an extra zero to the real price and pocket the difference?
"Sara. Come here." Ei pointed with her finger to a spot at her feet. "I have an assignment for you."
The general stepped closer, ending up just behind Ei, regarding the report, which she had already seen at least five times, with mild curiosity. Ei's hand shot up instantly; her fingers found the clasp of Sara's cloak and hooked beneath it. She pulled down sharply, forcing Sara close enough that her face was level with Ei's.
"You will go to Watatsumi Island," Ei said, nodding toward the line items that had caught her attention. "And you will make sure if we still have any unresolved conflicts remaining. Let Lady Sangonomiya deliver a lecture to her subjects on the dangers of greed, for both healthy spirit and healthy body."
"As you command, Your Excellency."
Ei froze, hearing Sara's voice so close, much too close to her. Why was she leaning in? Ei only then realized she was still gripping the collar of Sara's cloak, and that the general stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary. Normally, the tengu never stayed calm when Ei ventured within a few meters, but here she was, almost relaxed.
"Sara. What are you doing?" Ei blinked several times, genuinely confused as to how they had ended up in this position.
"Hm? You instructed me to lean down, my Lady."
What? She had done no such thing! Ei opened her mouth, but only a baffled exhale escaped.
"Instructed you?" She withdrew her hand, and Sara straightened. "General. Explain."
"You don't like it when I tower over you. Have you forgotten?"
"Your height does not trouble me." Ei pulled her hand back, struck by the clinging familiarity of how easily she had done that, as if it was not the first time.
Would the Shogun have done such a thing? In any case, since Sara had not resisted, there was no reason to dwell on it.
"Your Excellency." Sara's voice sounded directly beside her ear, and Ei, unaccustomed to it, shuddered slightly. "Shall I take my leave?"
"Yes, yes." Ei waved her hand dismissively. "Go. Have a word with our dear neighbors.”