Zephyr

The guard taps his partner on the shoulder, sending him up to inform the Lieutenant of your arrival. "Yes, we've been given a rather stricter set of regulations since last year, sir. I like them, though–keeps the boys on the alert, makes sure there's no slacking off. Shame it's not put a stop to crime in Lotus, but there's scarce a man who can steal a loaf of bread or a handful of jade without feeling the blue fury of the guard." he boasts. He leads you into the guardhouse's foyer, an austere lobby where a portly, older guard sits at a desk, filling out forms. He points up at a flight of stairs, well-maintained wooden steps. "The Lieutenant's office is at the top of those, sir." He moves to leave, but is caught unprepared by Zephyr's question. "Sir? Oh, yes, of course. Nicholas, Sergeant Nicholas. Sir."

Ivory Eyes and Rising Echo

As you commiserate over the town's inequities, with Yomiko and the Watcher looking on, clouds of bureaucrats get to work planning the festival. Under Yomiko's watch, the newly-founded Ministry of Culture sets about seeking out the names of musicians and artists, and arranging venues in which the festival might occur. Rata-ji has taken on a new air of authority, it seems, sending out couriers to the local merchantry to make arrangements for catering en masse. All about you, the apparatus of government bends to your will–in seven days, there will be a festival, and it will be a thing of magnificence.