"Let us hope that there is no need for that - after all winning a hundred battles is far less of an achievement than subduing the enemy without fighting the same amount of times."
Sayuri nodded at Toshiro, these were great words of wisdom, ones she would keep close to her heart.
Matotsuru bowed to greet them all, and the fact the bow given to her was noticeably shallower didn't go unnoticed, she maintained her silence and composure. Tetsuo would also give her a mere nod. Her pride took a hit by such gestures of disrespect..
Matotsuru and Tetsuo, however, would not take the previous words to heart as she had. Instead they seemed much more likely to warmonger. Sayuri felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she thought about it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the princess herself.
Drawn on horseback she rode with a young warrior holding the reigns she approached. Sayuri, as well as her new companions, all bowed to their princess. Then the planning began. They needed to determine the safest route.
"It seems that we are finally all arrived. Who has the itinerary? Where are we off to first, and how quickly must we travel to reach our destination on time?"
"To answer your question, Yoshitsune-san, I suggest we move through Bungo as quickly as possible - that is as far as I know the quickest route for us to take."
The elder man would jump in, "I would suggest that we avoid Otomo lands altogether, for if there is evil awaiting us, it is surely upon the foot trails of Bungo that we will find it. No, I propose that we bypass Otomo lands altogether. Let us make for the coast, and commandeer ourselves a boat that will take us to Shikoku."
Sayuri, intent on not going unheard spoke, “He's right. Hopping a boat would be the safest route,” she paused for a second to collect her thoughts, “It would be even safer to take the boat around and we can port in to Izumo directly. Only problem is if we can't find a ship heading that way, or find some proper sailors we'll be lost to the open sea. Otherwise we can take one to the ports on this side of the island. We are more likely to run into pirates though... and port security might pose a problem depending on where we pull in.”