>Follow the pirate.
>Or take the lead, if she indicates. We're easy either way.
>You follow Ren as she turns and leads you towards the rear of the hold. You take a glance at her back. Not only is your kunai no longer embedded in it, but the area it once occupied has been bandaged; you can only guess at what become of the weapon itself.
>It doesn't take long to spot the numerous signs that battle visited this part of the ship as well. Several crates bear the splintered marks of heavy impacts against them and at least one has been smashed open entirely, scattering a sea of kiwis across the ground; several of them have been crushed under heavy boots and a smear of green along the floor suggests someone may even have slipped on one. Parts of the tarp and rope securing some of the cargo stacks has been slashed, and you can also see a few scattered arrows embedded in the floor or other wooden surfaces - one of them even appears to be pinning some sort of paper talisman to the wall - but there is only a small amount of blood; you suppose this battle may have taken a smaller toll on its participants than the one upstairs.
>"We've secured the crew in one of the unused adjoining rooms," Ren says as she heads towards one of the doors at the back. A pair of tengu are flanking it, looking at least a little the worse for wear, you note - one has a very nasty bruise on her jaw and the other has a blade-sized hole in her outfit, near the shoulder, through which a faintly bloodstained bandage can be seen. Ren exchanges acknowledgements with them and one opens the door for her.
>Stepping inside, you find that the room really
does look as though it was entirely unused and is nearly bare, though the way the space is partitioned makes you think it was originally intended for the transport of livestock. Several crew members - the rest of them, presumably - are gathered in an open space here. Their hands and legs are bound with rope, but they're seated about as comfortably as could be expected given their condition. A few looks of unmistakeable contempt are thrown in Ren's direction as she enters, though others look towards you with uncertainty. They don't actually look in very bad shape, to be honest; maybe you and Chisato really did end up bearing the lion's share of it?