Walking here from the inn with Tsugiharu Ichika waited until they were just inside the actual perimeter of the garden. Finding one of the benches she sat down on it. Looking up with a light smile she patted the bench for him to join her.

Having been here before, Tsugiharu had brought his UV glasses. He slipped them on, and took the offered seat.

"Hmm, starting the day surrounded by beauty." he offered with a small side glance at the Crane. "Rather pleasant, Doji-san."

"A pleasant place to talk about a.." she furrowed her brow, "Well, I guess it's an unpleasant topic, yea?" she shrugged a little, smiled. Looking out toward the slightly distant but not so distant flora she took in the sight once more.

"It's different here in the morning, but it still feels.. calm here," she said, glancing down a moment. "Anyway.. I wanted to talk to you more, Kuchiki-san, about that thing you brought up the other day?"

Tsugiharu nodded.

"I learned some more information about the shrine. They believe in their connection to nature is their path to enlightenment. Very old school with the whole meditating under waterfalls, hours spent chanting the sutra, the works. They've apparently very popular with the locals, especially among some very influential families." he explained.

"So, do you think they are doing this maliciously? Or.. do you think they're mislead maybe?" she asked, raising a brow as she shifted every so slightly toward him. Privatizing the conversation, as it were.

A small shrug from Tsugiharu...though he did not mind the closer seating.

"Mislead is a somewhat....miseleading way to think about them. My guess would be that they whole-heartedly believe that their connecction to nature is the way to enlightenment, and that the governor's plans for expansion and modernization are essentially blasphemy to them. It would not be the first time in the Empire's history when people find themselves on a false path. But it almost always ends in violence, no words will be able to sway their actions, you can't appeal to those who have committed themselves wholly to their beliefs."

"So you believe they know what they're doing will cause harm then?" she asked, the piecing together of information notable in the way she looked to him. "That they're willingly trying to do this and not just.. making some kind of mistake that is going to backfire, and.. as you said, cause a lot of people to die?"

Tsugiharu closed his eyes for a moment.

"Hmm, that's a pretty sweeping statement, Doji-san." he admitted. "If I had to guess, I would guess that the core leadership would know the truth, with less knowledge filtering out as you get further from the core. From a good distance away, they are quite similar to many legitimate religious practices. But I find it hard to picture arranging such a large spiritual undertaking without fully realizing the consequences."

Ichika glanced down, thinking on that as she looked to some of the plants in the distance near the ground level. Mixing with the dirt, some lower fungal stalks and a few of the big leafed lily-pad type things that would probably grow ever larger if they don't get snuffed out by the surrounding flora.

"Okay," she said, a small nod. "So, what do we have to go on again?" she asked, looking back to Tsugiharu. "I know a lot about what you know but.. I would like to know more about how you know, yea?"

This drew a hard, considering look from the Spider. How much did he trust Doji Ichika anyways? He'd trusted her enough to fill her in a couple days ago, because she seemed like the best possible candidate to help. If she'd just blown him off, that'd be one thing. But asking him to lay it out again, and now reveal sources? Her smile was very sweet...but there were Susumu who smiled just as sweetly, and there were knives behind those smiles.

"Hmm, nothing solid enough that I'd be willing to march into the magistrate's office with, Doji-san, or even the late program on Lightning Network News." he said. "A combination of research, theory, and communing with the kami."

He shook his head.

"But I wouldn't be much of a shugenja, Doji-san, if I did not heed the warnings of the earth kami. The kami are often cryptic and mysterious, but I've never been told quite so clearly that danger is coming. But if you cannot trust me, Doji-san, I understand. We've only known each other a short while, perhaps you think I'm lying. I'm mistrusted by many, so if you do as well that's not unusual. Disappointing, perhaps, but not unusual."

Ichika looked to him, furrowing her brow a little. With a soft sigh, "I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san," she said, dipping her head. "It's not that I don't trust you but.. if that's all you have to go on. Not even a Doji can help you convince someone to act on something like that," she said, laying her hands into her lap as she shifted her knees forward.

"Not without something to go on.. I don't know what I'd say," she looked away toward some of the flora. Inhaling a little, exhaling a little, "I'll keep talking to people, Kuchiki-san."

Tsugiharu shook his head.

"I understand, Doji-san. It's not like I expect you to breeze into the governor's office and win him over with a snap of your fan. The thing is, Doji-san...I suspect that what they're doing will be completed in two days. So any scrap of information that you might be able to win from people that might give us any more chance than we already have would be invaluable." he offers.

"I'll try but.." she twisted her bottom lip a little. "I'll see who else I can talk to," she looked back to him, but then down a little. With her hands in her lap she fiddled wither her index finger once more. "Just.. be sure to let me know if anything else comes up, yea?" she asked, a little smile that was strained a little but it seemed to grow in strength with each second until it was true but a moment later.

Tsugiharu took a moment to appreciate the shifting colors of the garden as the sun moved into position.

"Hm...if you don't mind me asking, Doji-san, who have you talked to so far?" he asked. After all, he'd provide her with information, it was reasonable to expect information in return.

"Oh, I talked a little with Asako Chiruha-sama. She didn't know all too much about them, just.. well, I guess the basics you probably already know, yea?" she said, looking to him again.

"Hm, I think I know perhaps a bit more than the basics." he said, producing a holoslate for the Doji to examine.

Leaning forward she looked at the holo-slate. Intently reading along her eye scanned back and forth a while, a soft awkward smile, a subtle frown, pulling back her lips like she saw something untoward. With a very awkward chuckle she rubbed the back of her neck and leaned back into proper place, "Y-yep, you definitely know more than me Kuchiki-san," she chuckled, very awkwardly.

Tsugiharu shrugged a bit as he put the holo-slate away.

"I play to my strengths, Doji-san. I'm a good researcher, I'm gifted to be able to speak with the kami. But all the pieces to the puzzle are not found there. And so I turn to you for help. Which is not entirely fair of me, your duties here are pretty well defined, but we're running out of time and options." he says.

"I'm afraid I just don't.. I'm not certain what more I can do, who I can speak with," she admitted, looking down again. "Bringing it directly before a magistrate or the governor I would need.. more to go one. This shrine is outside the bounds of the city, yea? They'd need a good reason to go out there and investigate more, at least.. something a little more tangible."

Tsugiharu shook his head.

"To be honest, Doji-san, I wouldn't entirely trust either the magistrate or the governor's office. That research about prominent samurai being affiliated, and the length of their existence makes me feel that that likely have samurai who belong to their organization in those offices." he says.