15[20:32] Daizo towers over the peasant-sounding woman in her official-looking clothes. The scintillating metal spider that clings to her shoulder and tilts its eight crystal eyes in multiple directions at once, seeming to take in him, Dryas, and the breezy, blood-red Abalone night. 15[20:33] Before more words can pass between them, Piu and Zhangyu start up the path. Each of them briefly entertains the thought of checking the ship, checking hotels, even going back to Hinokuni... nothing happening at this little shrine tonight, despite what their hearthmate told them. [20:34] 4Piu's had a bit to drink, but only enough to be a Drunk Girl, not a drunk girl. 15[20:34] But the thought doesn't linger, and the sight of the four of them off the shrine seems to pop into view all at once, though in retrospect they were always there. [20:35] 4Oh, neat. 15[20:35] It's like seeing them for the first time, remembering them or meeting them. [20:35] 4There's a saying about that... [20:36] 4Doesn't come to mind at the moment, though. [20:36] "I know you," 07Dryas greets the others as they approach. [20:36] 4Piu: "Heyyyy babe. Daizo too! And..." [20:37] 6Zhangyu is... more than a little tipsy. The lightweight. "Hiiii." [20:37] 10Daizo: "A friend of the deceased." 15[20:37] "These your kin?" the woman asks. [20:39] 4Piu: "Yep!" [20:39] "The Four Fangs. V'Neef Piu and Tepet Zhangyu," 07Dryas introduces her hearth-siblings. 15[20:40] The woman smiles politely at Zhangyu. Her focus is on Piu. "They told me what happened to the boy. They told me what he gave you. Does it pain you any?" [20:43] 4Piu14 slides off her face. "Ah. No." 14She raises her left hand and flares the rune; its light reflects in her hooded eyes. "Not yet." [20:44] 14Her tone on that last is more speculative than apprehensive. [20:44] 6Why have a tool if you can't use it? [20:45] 14She's asked many men that. [20:45] 6Same. 15[20:46] The woman: "Did you kill him?" [20:49] 14Piu: "No, that was your man. 66. Ted and I had a very fruitful relationship." [20:49] "You're forty-nine?" 07Dryas asks. [20:49] 14How indiscreet! But she looks older. [20:51] "I simply got there in time to bear the burden. Not the worst one a man can give a woman. Not the best, either." [20:52] 10Daizo: "Allow me to ask it plain. You are of the same order of being as the man we knew as Mnemon Salim, correct? A Chosen of Heaven." 15[20:52] The woman regards them in silence for a moment. The spider's eyes flash in a rapid, vertically oscillating sequence. There's a small, whiny buzzing sound and the creature spits a strip of parchment from between its glittering metal chelicerae. [20:53] 6Hm. 15[20:53] The woman takes the strip and reads it. She frowns darkly. [20:53] "Bad news?" 15[20:53] Finally: "This is a lot of information to get at once." [20:54] 6Zhangyu: "It was a lot of information to take in at once." 15[20:54] "Would you mind walking me through how you came to meet this man, and how you came to learn these things?" [20:55] 14Piu is willing to give the clipped, formally accurate, and operationally secure version of this story in narrative summary. [20:56] 14She's...still unsettled that she's close enough to these three now that she can tell if they approve or don't approve. [20:58] 10Daizo looks like he wants to jump in and add extra context to this or that point. Does Piu stop him?  [20:59] 14Not at all, since he doesn't know anything she'd like kept secret and he clearly has an interest in winning this sorcerer's interest. 15[21:02] "What are you-all doing that you managed to draw this man's attention?" [21:03] 14Piu: "I'm very attractive, was a useful patsy in killing the volcano god, love bloodsports, and am incredibly good at sex." [21:03] 14This is delivered clinically. 15[21:04] "You're right, that was vague of me. I mean the other man. The one who called himself 66." [21:04] 6Zhangyu: "At least three of those things are verifiably true." [21:04] 10Daizo: "Ahem." [21:04] "You mean, you didn't know?" 07Dryas asks. 15[21:05] "I still don't," the woman admits. "That's why I'm asking." [21:05] 10Daizo: "To hear him tell it, ma'am, he was along for the ride. He predicted our voyage would bring him someplace he wanted to be." [21:05] 07Dryas: "We've explained a great deal. You should explain some things. Let's start with the basics. Who are you? What is that creature?" [21:06] "Then we became too interesting for him, so he's cut his ties to us." [21:06] 14Oh for Heavens' sake, it's a magical-mechanical helper bot of some sort. We're not shopping here. [21:07] 14*creature 15[21:07] The woman: "...okay. My name is Clara. This is Eff." The spider buzz-whines. "I work for the Bureau. In a different department than the man you traveled with." [21:07] 10Caxi doesn't use familiars, does she? I mean, well, she's got the neomah. But. 15[21:08] "Eff is a pattern-spider." 15[21:08] Caxi does not use a familiar. 15[21:08] Unless you count Ratel. [21:08] 14Piu doesn't, given the implications about herself. [21:08] Damn. [21:08] 6Harsh. [21:10] 6Zhangyu immediately looks over to Daizo. He probably knows, because Zhangyu doesn't. [21:11] 10Daizo's eyes go wide. "A real pattern spider? Hehe? Oh my goodness!" [21:11] *here [21:11] "That's so… cool…!" 15[21:13] Eff chatters, and its eight crystal eyes go nearly dark, with only a thin crescent of light arcing along the top rim of each eye. [21:13] "I never thought I'd see one for myself…" 10Gods above and below, he looks for the world like all of his namedays have come at once. [21:15] "Mm, ah. I'm."10 Daizo coughs. "Sorry. I know that's rude. 'Spirits are not to be gawked at like animals in a zoo.'" [21:15] 14It's certainly...different. [21:15] 6Zhangyu: "Why not? They're cool." 15[21:16] "If Eff starts demanding chiminage, I'll be sure to blame you. But a little affection won't hurt him. You're... Tepet Daizo." She points at the hearthmates in turn. "Cynis Dryas. Tepet Zhangyu. V'Neef Piu." [21:16] 6He nods, while trying to avoid cooing over Eff. 15[21:16] As she says each name, Eff buzzes to life and rapidly spits out another strip of parchment. Clara reads each strip, squinting and checking both sides of the last one, before shoving them in her pocket. [21:17] 14Tapadh leibh. [21:17] 14 15[21:17] "It's not my intention to be obstructive. I'd like to establish a positive relationship with you all. So let's talk about how we can do that." [21:18] 07Dryas: "A spirit? My apologies for referring to it as a creature, in that case. Regardles. I am sure we can help each other. What Bureau do you work for?" [21:19] 10Daizo straightens up. "Certainly. Would you like to speak here, or shall we find someplace a little more hospitable than an altar at midnight?" [21:19] 14There's a certain resonance. [21:20] 14But maybe that's the Rune talking. 15[21:20] "Here's fine. Here's safe for everyone involved. Open area, witnesses to keep us honest." [21:20] 6That's just sensible. 15[21:23] "I work for the Bureau of Destiny. I work for the Division of Journeys, under Maiden Mercury and Captain Ruvia. We're responsible for motion, vision, and change. Everything from the angle the sun crosses the sky at to how long it takes to sail from Wu Jian to Brightwork." [21:27] 6Zhangyu's eyebrows shoot up. "And you - you're here?" 6Isn't there somewhere better to be?? [21:27] 10Daizo: "And, I assume, fix them if they aren't correct? Like if the Imperial Department of Weights and Measures woke up one morning and found that a talent of jade had suddenly gained an onze or two." [21:28] 14Piu: "Well. I can see how that brings your mission into conflict with the other man's." 15[21:29] Clara: "That's right." It's not clear who she's agreeing with. [21:29] 6Zhangyu narrows his eyes, but does not comment. [21:31] "I don't understand something. Ted was a deathknight. Regardless of his personal qualities-" 07this to pacify Piu - "Why would an agent of Heaven work alongside such a figure to assassinate a major god?" [21:33] 6Getting rid of the competition? Zhangyu absolutely does not say that out loud. [21:34] 10Daizo: "Well, think about it for a moment, Dryas." 15[21:34] Clara looks away, at the red sky through which no stars are visible. Her tongue pushes all along the inside of her lower lip. [21:34] 14Piu isn't pacified, because that's irrelevant. What she's not is offended. 15[21:34] "Sometimes it's necessary to create events for political equilibrium." [21:35] 14Difficult to gainsay that. [21:36] "Because the Realm is weak?" 07Dryas asks. 15[21:37] "Essentially." 15[21:37] "How is it that decorated sons and daughters of the Realm come to work so closely with Anathema? What are you doing out here?" [21:38] 14Piu glances sideways at Dryas. [21:38] 10Daizo: "Because the Realm is weak." [21:39] 6Zhangyu: "Between you and Eff, I feel like you could know the answer already." 6He crosses his arms over his chest. [21:39] 14Ooh. Excellent non-answer. [21:39] 07Dryas grimaces a little and glances back to Piu. "If the secret has been kept from Heaven - or most of it - then we have done well." [21:40] 10Well, between the two of us we've non-answered two questions. But this isn't making progress.  [21:40] "If we tell you, will that secret be safe?" [21:40] 14Definitionally not, but the 'yes' is worth extracting. 15[21:40] "Safe from who?" 15[21:40] "No secret known by more than one soul is safe. Even then." [21:41] 14Piu: "Every House not present here." [21:41] 07Dryas smiles now, and points. "You're afraid, Clara. Of whom?" [21:43] 10That's a rather bold deduction.  15[21:43] Clara gives Piu a questioning look before Dryas speaks. "There are people within the Bureau who don't agree with the policy mandate I'm working under. People who'd be happy to see it fail. People with weak oversight." [21:43] 14That's Dryas's thing. 15[21:43] "People like that man you know." [21:44] 10Daizo: "As below, so above, it seems. Don't tell me there's a civil war brewing in Heaven as well?" [21:45] 10Haha, good joke. Good… joke? 15[21:45] Clara gives Daizo a look like she wants to say 'oh, you poor dear'. "Wars end." [21:46] 6Zhangyu, unhappily: "Ah." 15[21:46] "But I am an agent of no noble house, and internal Dynastic politics are not within my remit. Your enemies are not my friends, and your friends are not my enemies." 15[21:47] "And beyond that I have both a professional reputation and my own conscience to satisfy. Mine is not double-crosser's work." [21:48] "Very well. I am satisfied if the Four Fangs are satisfied," 07she tells the others. [21:48] 14Piu: "I am." [21:50] 10Daizo: "I've no quarrel with telling her." [21:51] "The empress," 6Zhangyu blurts. He stops himself from elaborating. [21:51] 07Dryas examines her manicure. [21:52] 14Piu: "Decorated admiral thinks she's found her. We're the clean-up crew." 15[21:52] Clara: "You're hunting Furia." [21:53] 6Zhangyu: "Yes...?" [21:53] 14Piu: "After a fashion." [21:53] 10Daizo: "You know her?" 15[21:55] Clara: "By reputation. When I worked on the Isle I worked with other maritime houses." 15[21:55] "You aren't the only ones looking. She's got powerful protection." [21:56] 6Zhangyu: "And they just - sent us after her too?" [21:58] 07Dryas: "Other Houses, whoever else has learned what Furia was up to. The Guild." 15[21:58] Clara nods to Dryas: "That's right." [21:59] 14Piu: "I will ask you straight-forwardly about your relationship with the Guild." [21:59] 10Daizo: "We found a survivor of Furia's fleet on an island, umpty-hundred malms away. It sounded like she'd gone mad, found something with a link to the Imperial Manse, or both." [21:59] "Since we've revealed our masters." [21:59] 07Dryas: "And Skullstone. Though maybe they're just Threshold help for the Guild." 15[22:07] Clara: "I have Guild contacts. I don't employ them, nor they me. I *used* to have highly placed contacts in Skullstone. Not anymore, it seems." [22:08] "You met Nn Tloc, although he could barely remember anything about it," 07Dryas points out. [22:08] 14Explicatively: "We're getting into the crime game." [22:10] 6That's bold. Are we -- Heaven would be a pretty good ally... [22:10] 10Daizo just sighs. Thinking about being a Crime Guy is… not great. [22:10] 14Every good crime scene needs a clean face. [22:10] 14Scheme. [22:10] 14But also scene. [22:10] 6No, both. 15[22:12] Clara: "I just want to make two things clear. One is I am not your boss. That means I don't pass any trouble down to you, and you don't come running to me for yours. The other is that I am not your mother. What you all do is not my concern as long as we can maintain a working relationship." [22:12] 07I never wanted this for you Daizo... when it was your time, I wanted you to be the one to hold the string, Daizo. Taisho Daizo. Shogun Daizo. But there wasn't enough time... [22:13] 14Oh come off of it. [22:13] 14Can you imagine trying to convince him to get the tattoos? [22:16] 14Piu: "That works well for me. Us, I presume." [22:17] 07Dryas looks her interlocutor over carefully, then sighs gently to herself and leans back to let Piu do some of the talking. [22:18] "I should let you know we threw 66 back. Our other option was executing him in custody, which would have upset a number of apple-carts for us, and let us put an asset who has been useful back in play." [22:19] "But he's been told next time there won't be an interrogation." [22:19] "Or a release." [22:19] *and it let 15[22:20] Clara: "I wouldn't count on catching him spent a second time, either. But that's good to know." [22:20] 10Daizo: "Kou had him, but he whispered something to her and she turned white as a sheet. If he's still in her company tonight it's probably in a VIP room while she tries to figure out how to get rid of him." [22:21] 14As if discussing a particular fish on market ice: "Well, catching won't be a problem." 15[22:21] Clara: "He won't be Kou's problem for long. None of this will, I expect." 15[22:21] "Once news of this echoes back from the Isle, it'll be keeping pace with the ship her replacement is on." [22:22] "I wonder if there's any way she could salvage her job," 07Dryas muses. [22:22] 14Piu: "Perhaps a blessing in disguise. Early retirement is only shameful when those care to shame you. Everyone will soon have bigger problems." [22:23] 10Daizo: "Dryas, please tell me you're not thinking of propping up Kou." 15[22:24] "You're right, Piu, but she is an awfully easy woman to shame." [22:24] "She clearly enjoys her posting about as much as she enjoys having her fingernails pulled out by red-hot tongs." [22:24] 14Piu shrugs. "There are times when I appreciate that in a woman. ...Not Governors, though." 15[22:25] "I'm sure when Mnemon hears two of her daughters are dead on Kou's watch she'll want to allow the Governor to make that comparison herself." 15[22:25] "What's your exposure? Who else knows you're responsible for the hits?" [22:25] "That's another thing. As I believe I mentioned, 66 Night So On and So Forth had a Mnemon cover. So there will be blowback all across the spectrum." [22:26] 07Dryas: "That's why I want to prop her up. Imagine how grateful she would be to defer that conversation." [22:26] 6Zhangyu: "For - all of this?? Seriously?" [22:26] 14Piu: "The people standing here, the people in my infrastructure, 66, and the dead." [22:27] 6Also the fingernails being pulled out by hot tongs is... blaugh! No! [22:27] 10Daizo: "And we didn't know until yesterday evening." 15[22:27] Clara: "Prop her up with who? Someone has to take the fall." [22:28] 14Evenly: "And there was a very obvious reason for that. But here we are." [22:28] 10Daizo looks pained. "I wasn't— look, I've made my peace with it. I was trying to pass along how good you are at this." [22:30] 14Piu: "'Grateful' doesn't particularly come to mind when it comes to Kou. I think we're better off tying off that end and hoping House Mnemon sends a girl to do a woman's job." [22:31] "A low percentage play, but a better one than expecting that fool to see what's in front of her face. They put an Eye here for a reason." [22:31] 6Zhangyu does NOT nod in approval. No one can say otherwise. [22:32] "Someone deep in Mnemon Dusk's business, with something to hide from the Thousand Eyes," 07Dryas muses. [22:32] 14Piu sighs. "How long do we have before the replacement arrives, roughly? What's our time frame?" 15[22:36] "Ordinarily this is a good time for Western coups - we're planning an exceptionally difficult rainy season. But considering who the news is headed to, and who's going to make these decisions... two weeks. One if she loved them." [22:37] 14Piu: "Well fuck." [22:38] "Dusk was a worthless bitch, but the other one...let's call it ten days at most, to not only hang this around Nn Tloc's neck but give Kou the collar or the corpse such that she can use it to keep her office." [22:38] "Frankly it sounds like too much of a favor for too worthless a piece." [22:39] 6...rude. But also fair?? [22:41] "Whoever replaces her is unlikely to be so easily distracted by Ratel's personality that she forgets to ask her anything about Ratel's mission," 07Dryas points out. [22:42] 14Piu: "Not the point. The point is what we can deliver to stop it." [22:42] 10Daizo: "Whoever replaces her is likely to have much bigger fish to fry, especially if we're out of port at the time. Out of sight, out of mind." [22:43] "...Let's take a look at it and reconvene." [22:43] 6Hnhh. [22:43] 14To 49, tradecraftily: "How do you want to set meets?" [22:43] "Fair," 07Dryas replies. 15[22:44] Clara: "The method you used this time works for me. I need a couple of hours to get here. I can't do much shorter notice than this. What are you all prepared to do to help me, and what can I offer in exchange?" 15[22:45] "I might have use for transportation, espionage, leveraging political contacts, violence." [22:46] 6Zhangyu grins at the last part. It's not pleasant. [22:48] 10Daizo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. This is it. Don't fuck it up. [22:48] 14Piu: "I can do two of those now, and arrange the other two later." [22:48] 14The relevant two should be obvious. [22:48] 14Piu: "All work will require a group sign-off. From the principals at the Garden." 15[22:49] Clara: "Agreeable." [22:54] 07Dryas looks her counterpart directly in the eye. This is the killer one, the one they teach you at the Spiral Academy to make the grade with kings, queens, or elder Dynasts. "We may seem like an odd bunch, and we are. But. We've overcome great challenges. You can rely on us," 07she explains. [22:59] Daizo, for his part, prostrates himself before the agent of Journeys. "Ma'am. I would request of you a great boon, that you tutor me in the ways of sorcerous power. To learn these secrets from an agent of Heaven directly would… I could not possibly repay you in this life or the next, but I will do my uttermost, in any capacity which you require." [22:59] 10Daizo, for his part, prostrates himself before the agent of Journeys. "Ma'am. I would request of you a great boon, that you tutor me in the ways of sorcerous power. To learn these secrets from an agent of Heaven directly would… I could not possibly repay you in this life or the next, but I will do my uttermost, in any capacity which you require." [22:59] 6Uh. You sure, Cuz? 15[23:00] Clara looks bemused at the big man's earnestness and modesty. "Alright. Alright, I'm cautiously optimistic about this." [23:00] 14Piu no-sells her reaction to this. Because she's not about to laugh at her hearth-brother in front of outsiders. [23:00] 6He seems sure. She seems sure. Are you sure though 15[23:01] "How should I contact you? Where should a letter or a package come? Whose name should be on it?" 15[23:01] This is to the group as a whole and Daizo in particular. [23:03] 14Piu: "I will leave a folded letter behind a rock in this shrine--" 14She pulls a rock free. "This rock. In a day's time. First line will list the location, second the addressee code if you're operating green, third the addressee code if you're under durress." 15[23:04] "Okay. We'll be in touch." 15[23:04] Whew! 15[23:04] Long day. [23:06] 14When they're clear: "Well. Now we need to find a location." [23:07] "We needed one anyway, if this is becoming our base of operations." [23:07] 6Zhangyu: "I already needed one. They - there is a LACK of Mantis-style trainers." [23:08] 07Dryas: "Time and tide waits for no man. And few women. We'll have to act quickly. Fortunately for us, I've put together some materials to get us through this as quickly as possible--" [23:09] 10Still a couple minutes ago: Daizo looks up. That's it? That's… holy shit. He ahd expected at least three visits, like in the stories. "If you should need to reach me… send a message to the stationery shop on Pearl Way. Seiri Gansa already picks up books and papers for me there; anything else would not be seen amiss. Send them to Taiyun." 15[23:10] The new day dawns bright with potential! What tasks does the hearth busy itself with? [23:11] 4Piu does her workout, giggles and flirts with the sailors, and then 14calls a meeting of the Garden, unless Dryas beat her to it. [23:11] 6Hey what all DOES pass for Mantis-stylists in this town? Because Zhangyu found them extremely lacking. [23:12] 4Piu has some insulting opinions on this! [23:12] 07Dryas meets Piu with reams of parchment and scrolls.  [23:13] 4Most of the ground-game guys in this down either want to do lazy body-leveraged chokes that REAL fighters know how to get out of, or they're fucking, anklelock fanboy idiots. [23:13] *4town [23:13] 6Hey you should send your "friend" to Zhangyu for training. It's important. [23:14] 14Piu arches an eyebrow, but rather immediately understands what's going on. And is available to move said scrolls discreetly. [23:14] 10Daizo meets the new day positively beaming. He explains to Seiri that he may be receiving a couple of letters or parcels under a different name, and to keep it fully zipped. This time he does the gesture too. 15[23:14] Well, there's Son-of-Sabers, widely considered pre-eminent. Past that... not much in the way of formal schooling. Son-of-Sabers doesn't have any apprentices, and most of the local fighters and aspiring fighters are either amateur knuckleheads who just wanna do their favorite Hinokuni fighters' moves or overly serious, typically aged students of the classical animal styles and local 15[23:14] freestyles. 15[23:15] Seiri takes this information with due gravity and sets about her day. [23:16] 6They also need... opponents. To prove themselves. They can't just beat Zhangyu, right? [23:17] 10Daizo arrives late to the first inaugural meeting of the Garden. 15[23:18] If they *can* just beat Zhangyu, he's not much of a sifu, is he? [23:18] 6That would be so hecked up. Maybe he's that good of a trainer?? 15[23:19] Zhangyu has some pull around Hinokuni now, so he can make some calls. For this kind of work he's likely to get better offers and better work from retired fighters, people he can convince to actually care about the kids. [23:19] 6Oh really. [23:20] 6Who do you have for me, bud. 15[23:22] The two names Zhangyu keeps hearing are recently-retired fighters, who left Hinokuni because of Bruiser Khang. One of them, Lord Meteor, retired after losing the match that was Khang's last stop en route to the title. Jungle Empress retired in disgust after he took it, calling him "a child in a grown woman's sport". [23:23] 10To Piu and Dryas: "So, ah. I feel like we need to work out what my role in the organization is going to be. If Clara really has accepted my request, I may not have a lot of free time." [23:23] 4Rude! [23:23] 14Piu: "Good. You're the clean face. Every crime empire needs one." [23:23] "The guy who makes it his business not to know much about much in very important sectors." [23:23] 6Hhhhhh. Well, okay. Just - they left after - how - why - c'mon!! [23:24] "I mean we'll probably need a second clean face to put on all the paperwork -- someone who lives here." [23:24] "Mm." 07Dryas grunts in agreement with Piu as she brushes out another purchase order in a false name for more.... everything. [23:25] 6Zhangyu: "Not it." [23:25] 10Daizo: "Well… that makes sense, I suppose. Have you got a proprietor in mind?" [23:26] "But you'll have a flexible role. Frankly, a lot falls into place because you're the size of a mountain and can kill any dumbass with a knife who wants to take a shot without really even meaning to." [23:26] "I would hope I meant to." [23:27] 14Piu shrugs. "Not really my department. I assume we'll find a teahouse veteran down on his luck with large debts. Large for him, not for us. We surreptitiously get his business stable, turn it into a front, and there you go." [23:28] "Mm." 07Dryas agrees, though it isn't clear with whom, as she dips her brush in for more ink. Her writing is functional but neither particularly elegant nor particularly quick. "Seal." 07She hands the scroll to Zhangyu. [23:29] 6Zhangyu: "Ahhhhh," 6Okay sure let's do this???? [23:31] Daizo pours himself some tea. "There's got to be a few likely candidates. I could ask Seiri if she's heard any gossip, but it's probably best for all of us if we don't get her too involved." [23:32] 6Hmmm. [23:32] 14Piu, to Zhangyu: "Stamp the signet into the heated wax slowly, then remove when you've got good coverage. Place on where the edge meets the roll, and hold for ten seconds. It will peel to the parchment." 15[23:33] Are they looking to buy and expand an existing property or break ground on an undeveloped lot? [23:33] 14Assassins have to seal more documents than you might think. [23:33] 6He'll do it. It's important. [23:34] 14Ideally the former, but if none exist and are procurable in the time frame, then it's the latter. [23:36] 14Buying a property and expanding a basement is, of course, less conspicuous than building something from scratch. [23:37] 07We could buy the former hostel. That's close to the port at least. [23:38] 14There's synergy there. [23:38] 6Hrm.... 15[23:38] Scouting existing properties, there are a couple of candidates: 15[23:38] - Walking Tern, a dockside bar and tavern currently in debt to the Guild. Two stories, two basements. Kind of small and in a high-traffic part of town 15[23:38] - Orchid Pavilion, a brothel currently on the precipice of handing the deed over to the Guild. Two stories, one basement. A fine country house in a relatively modern style in a green, upscale outer neighborhood of the city. 15[23:38] - Pud's, care of Pud, who is one missed payment to the Guild from never walking again. Total dive. But it's built on top of a not-fully-excavated tomb with at least three sublevels. [23:38] 10Daizo pops the seal off a document and hands it back to Zhangyu. "Make sure you get the whole seal imprinted, too. It's trouble down the line if you wind up with a half-print." [23:39] 14The more Piu thinks about it the more she likes it. So long as it doesn't look like it's them. 15[23:40] The hostel, or rather the lot the hostel was on, recently defaulted on a loan to the Guild and is now directly owned by Nn Tloc. [23:40] 14Well that's probably out, then. [23:40] 6Hey, quick question, how far afield are Lord Meteor and Jungle Empress? Because he needs them for his dojo. [23:41] 6This is aside from Daizo's message. [23:41] 10We never did ascertain the ultimate cause of who set the fire, did we? 15[23:42] Jungle Empress has a farm up-island a ways, on the opposite side of the route the Fangs took into the Wyld. It's not so much a 'farm' as it is 'a still and a pigsty', but it's got a fence! 15[23:42] Lord Meteor has taken up residence at the aforementioned Orchid Pavilion. [23:43] 6...anyone willing to go up north? Because that seems Dangerous. [23:45] 6Actually hold the freaking phone. Orchid Pavillion?? [23:46] 14Brothel...too much frisson for a hideout. Don't get me wrong. Sounds great. [23:46] 10Daizo: "Someone built a bar on top of a tomb? And this was allowed?" [23:46] 14Piu: "To our advantage. Unless we get ghosted." 15[23:46] A valid point. Though a buyout could also entail a change of direction. [23:47] 07Dryas: "It's the Threshold," 07Stamp. Stamp. Dip of the brush. Toke on the stubby marijuana-cigar. 15[23:47] Dryas can be awfully blunt. [23:48] 6Zhangyu: "I need them. The, uh, one who bout them out." [23:48] 10Daizo: "Well, yes. Obviously. It's still surprising sometimes." [23:48] 6bought* obviously. Jeepers. [23:49] 10Zhangyu just loves fighting so much. [23:49] 6Look, [23:50] 14We don't need to buy the brothel to get to Lord Meteor. At most, we need someone to fuck him good. And at least one of us has that skillset. [23:50] 6Look, [23:51] 10Blehehehehe. [23:51] 6We're fighting, not fucking, right?? Please [23:51] 14Oh, Piu was talking about herself. [23:52] 6Please [23:52] 14Piu: "So, Pud's then." [23:53] 07Dryas: "His lucky day. Who brings him the good news?" [23:54] 10Daizo: "It's a bit distasteful, but I have to agree. Although I will insist on carrying out any remains and providing them with a proper cremation." [23:54] "Ideally we could have a formal blessing, but in the circumstances…" [23:54] 14Piu: "Well, it's either me or Zhangyu." [23:55] "Daizo, again, can't be connected to organized crime and Nn Tloc is likely watching your movements closely, Dryas." 15[23:55] Pud's is a squat stone building in some disrepair, its back to the mountain. The hearth passed it on their trip up to see Hamoji. Only one story, but the stonework is solid and stable despite the building's obvious disrepair, and Dryas can easily envisage aesthetically complementary buildup on top of it. Who is there to greet Pud, a balding, chinless man in shabby clothes and thick, 15[23:55] grubby spectacles? [23:55] 14Piu will be there. Either as the principal or to discreetly back up Zhangyu. [23:56] 6...could probably casually choke him out... [23:57] 14Okay, Piu can take lead. [23:57] 6Thank you. [23:57] 10Writing and sealing goes much faster after Zhangyu leaves.  [23:57] 6He's a nuisance. [23:58] 10Are not. Just… not well suited to certain areas of expertise. [23:58] 6Like I said. 15[23:58] Pud is immediately on the defensive as the two of them walk in. "Now, see here, ma'am, sir, I was- I was told that I had until Saturnday. Here it is, only Marsday. Now that ain't right." [23:59] 6Oh this dude is so dead in like, three days. [00:00] 4Piu: "Oh! You're mistaken." [00:00] 6Zhangyu just crosses his arms. [00:00] 4Piu: "Not about the terms and conditions of your deal. I'm sure you're right about those." [00:00] "You're mistaken that we work for that guy." 15[00:01] "...you don't?" [00:01] 6Zhangyu: "Never." [00:01] 4Wide-eyed: "Oh no." [00:01] "But we are here to talk business!" 15[00:01] "Cause you don't look like a couple. I don't mean offense. No chemistry, you understand." [00:01] 6Zhangyu glances to Piu. Really? And yet. [00:02] 4Beaming: "You're right! We're not fucking! But you should learn to keep some shit to yourself." [00:02] "Real quick!" 15[00:03] Pud: "Alright, I apologize. These are agitating times." 15[00:04] "What kind of business are you in?" [00:04] 6Oh, buddy. [00:04] 4Piu: "The renting business." [00:04] "You have an office, and someone to watch the bar?" 15[00:05] Pud looks up and down the otherwise-empty bar. "I figure I can just close for a bit." 15[00:05] "Come round back." [00:05] 6Zhangyu: "Hnnh." [00:06] 4Piu titters. "That's what he said." 15[00:08] The office is musty and windowless, stacked high with scrolls in cubbies and cases of liquor. It's quite narrow- Zhangyu's a tight fit. Daizo would get stuck in the door. Pud corroborates. "Not really a meeting-room." [00:09] 6He repeats: "Hnnh." [00:10] 4Piu will just leap up and sit on his desk to face Pud directly, if there's a chair for Zhangyu to take. "So we know what's downstairs." 15[00:11] There's a chair. Pud looks taken aback. "Do you? What is it?" [00:11] 6If there isn't, he will loom ominously. [00:11] 4Piu: "Tomb with three levels at least. Mostly unexplored. We're willing to buy rights to it from you, and let you keep operating up here unmolested." [00:11] 6Ah, a chair. Time to instead sit ominously. 15[00:13] Pud: "Well that's kind of you. I should warn you the Guild appraiser already combed the place and told me there was nothing of value. So if you're buying this looking for a score I want to say that up front so you don't blame me." [00:13] 4Piu's smile widens. "Tell me. After that Guild appraiser came by. Your rate go up? It suddenly become harder to make your payments?" [00:13] 07New instructions to the shinobi. Find each of Nn Tloc's tendrils. Find where he gets his mortal servants. Find where they're buried when he's done with them. Find muscle. Make money. Feel out the criminal contours of the island, the archipelago. Be discrete, be independent. Try not to be killed or, worse, discovered. [00:14] 6They fucked up. Come on. [00:14] 6How hard is it to get this kind of shit right? [00:14] 4Nah, they're just trying to get him to default the property to them without having to pay for it. 15[00:15] Shinobi - Blackbird and the Doctor, in particular - are going to want to know what the outlay is for this. Who are they sending their expenses to? [00:15] 4Well, we're setting up that system at the moment. For now, Piu can cover Blackbird from her funds; can Dryas handle the dandy lad? [00:15] 07She can. 15[00:15] Pud: "Yes, ma'am." [00:16] 4Piu shrugs. "So the thing with the Guild is they're liars. Fucked up, I know! But when I said rent, I meant rent. We're not excavating and leaving." [00:16] 6Zhangyu grunts. Menacingly. Can one grunt menacingly? He tries, anyway. [00:17] "We get whatever's down there, and we make sure it doesn't come back on you...but we pay you monthly." 15[00:17] Pud: "In exchange for..." [00:17] 6Another grunt. 15[00:18] "I don't mean to violate your privacy, I'm just not clear what service I'm offering you in this situation." [00:18] 4Piu blinks. "Are we working off different definitions of 'rent?'"| [00:18] "You will be providing us with a number of subterranean floors." [00:19] "We'd prefer a side door so we don't muck up your business." [00:19] "We'd also prefer you...keep the place's essential character." [00:20] 4Very reasonably: "We're thinking of you here! Wouldn't want the Guild wondering why you're suddenly so flush." 15[00:20] Pud: "So you're offering to pacify the barbarian tomb under my bar and then you're going to bankroll my business so you can move in to the tomb?" 15[00:20] "And you aren't Guild?" [00:20] 6Zhangyu:"Nnnnnnope." [00:21] 6Barbarian tomb? Look, we'll get to that later. 15[00:21] Pud looks like he senses that there's something here he's not understanding. One gets the sense this is a common expression. [00:21] 6Idiot. [00:22] 6No don't I can see you typing 'mirror' [00:22] 4Is it possible to get a read on how good this guy is at keeping his mouth shut? 15[00:26] Piu's sense of him so far is that he's naturally suspicious, and cannier than he is smart. He seems somewhat rude and ill-tempered but neither guileless nor deceptive. You expect he is the bearer of many sad and unimportant secrets. 15[00:26] As any bartender must be. [00:26] 6Oh for sure. [00:29] 4Then with a bit more seriousness: "This might put you contra the Guild if they learn of it. They don't have to. And we're not spring chickens staying silent there, either. Worst comes to worst, you tell those Guild boys some rich Dynasts came by with an interest in spelunking, and you--" 4She raises her hand and flashes an dinar. "--swindled--" 4Two more. "--some coin from them." [00:29] 4It's five she puts down on the desk next to her. [00:29] "Because there's nothing down there, right?" [00:30] "That's what they said." 15[00:30] "Not a thing. They told me so," Pud says, agreeably enough. [00:30] 6Woah that was way easier than he thought it would be. Seriously? [00:30] "Excellent! There a side entrance we can use so we don't disrupt your clientele?" 15[00:31] It's a very attractive offer to a very desperate person. 15[00:31] The hearth has been making a lot of those lately. [00:31] 6Man. We're great at this. 15[00:33] Pud pulls a key down from a hook. "This is for the storeroom around back. Comes in to the bar. The entrance to the tomb's back there under some barrels." [00:34] 4Piu nods. "Excellent. We'll survey what's down there, just a quick looksee, and if and when it satisfies up we'll come back and tell you the monthly rent we'll be paying. What are you into with the Guild monthly?" 15[00:35] He tells them. It's something a successful bar would have trouble paying, and this is not a successful bar. [00:36] 4How's it compare to their start-up resources? Obviously Dryas is getting revenue streams up, but if they had to cover him out of pocket, how bad is it? 15[00:38] Even a Dynast would flinch at this bill. You can pay it, especially if you pool your resources, but it's enough money that you can easily envision someone wondering how Pud came into it. [00:39] 07After putting the finishing touches on yet another bid, Dryas heads above-deck, back down the gangplank, up the quay to where the Drifting Leaf is at anchor, about to set sail. [00:39] 4Piu arches an eyebrow at it. "Yes, we'll have to see what we can do about this. For now, don't worry about the next month." 15[00:39] As the wheels turn, there's little left that Dryas needs to personally oversee. But there is one thing, that she can delay no longer. Does she arrive before or after the delivery? 15[00:40] Pud: "Take your time. No one's gonna come looking." [00:40] 07Before. [00:40] 4If Zhangyu is gonna keep watch upstairs, Piu will at least go down and see what they're working with. 15[00:41] Then she finds Catela in a whirl of final preparations, double- and triple-checking her requirements. She's much more fastidious than her mother. 15[00:42] The privateer commander salutes the ship's master. "My Lady." [00:42] 14The most important thing to determine is where the basement ends and the crypt begins. [00:42] "Commander," 07Dryas replies as she steps aboard, returning the salute. [00:44] 07Catela has obviously learned how to lead from someone who only knew how to delegate. That means she's good at what she does, because there was no-one else to do it. [00:44] "Let me know if you need any assistance. But you seem to be well in hand," 07Dryas notes. 15[00:44] Piu has no trouble weaving between or shifting the barrels in the musty, beratted storeroom. There's a simple wooden trapdoor here, and a ladder down into a cellar full of vegetables, salted and pickled meats, and a surprisingly expensive wine selection. You could probably sell some of this to defray the cost of acquisition, or redirect it to the Doctor for his little fetes. It's so 15[00:44] cold down here. 15[00:45] Catela: "Yes, we're very well fixed-up, I think. Ready to accept delivery. Do you have our heading?" [00:45] 14Piu's not so inexperienced to know that cold and possibly-cursed underground tombs don't go together. 15[00:48] It's not immediately obvious what more there is to this cellar, but Piu has time to examine it carefully and is eventually able to pull one of the big wine racks aside to reveal a solid stone door, which she judges opens into the level below the bar from the rear. It's covered in symmetrical pictographs she can only guess at the meaning of - though the mountain and the bird feature 15[00:48] prominently. [00:49] 14Well. She was hoping to run into creepy symobology a good level or two below the wine cellar. But she's made the commitment. [00:49] 07Dryas: "Straight on through the harbor, then north. Run up a Prasadi ensign so they know it's us. Then, we look for the signal." 15[00:50] Catela gives the order, and the Leaf glides out of the harbor, running up the signal flag once the ship's turned north and out of easy eyesight of the docks. [00:52] 07Dryas paces about the fo'castle, possessed by nervous energy. [00:53] 14She braces carefully and moves hesitantly. It'll take longer and be more tiring, but she doesn't want to break the door her first time down. 15[00:54] The sun sets as the ship skirts along the coast. The sky tonight has settled into a deep violet that lets the stars and the moon peek through the cloud cover. 15[00:55] Piu is able to slide the door through a notch on the right and open it into a smooth stone passage that slopes down into pitch darkness. Does she have a light? Does she need one? [00:56] 14Sure she does. [00:56] 14She lights up the True Rune of Life and Death. 15[00:57] There! where the coast bends back inwards after a point. A flash - once, twice, thrice. Dryas judges the white light is being reflected their direction off a polished mirror. 15[01:01] Dryas can take the lead here, otherwise Catela will notice it a few moments later. [01:02] 07Excellent. Dryas points it out to Catela with an oustretched finger, barely visible in the dark: "There is our destination." 15[01:05] Piu enters the tomb, which is spacious and bitterly cold. There are carvings of animals and people and what may be marks in no language she knows. Divots in the walls are filled in, but there's no pattern to it Piu can discern. Whether it's the cold or the unearthly light of her anima, the whole place has a peculiar, numb look. [01:06] 14Are there torches in sconces? Or things she can turn into torches? [01:09] 14It's the prerogative of her anima aspect to kindle flames, and she's going to give something down here ghostfire. 15[01:10] There are braziers, not unlike the ones in Hinokuni. [01:12] 14Then she'll snap her fingers on one, and ghostfire will 4light red. [01:13] 14Presumably she can use this to light the rest of the braziers. 15[01:13] The Leaf drifts around the point and comes upon a small, private dock with a single gatehouse. One ship is docked. It flies a strange flag. 15[01:15] Piu lights the chamber with a moment's effort. It doesn't warm up much. But it's easier to see what it's *for* - these alcoves are burial plots, and the ones that are filled are filled with some kind of cement that doesn't match the lasting stonework. In a few of them the cement has worn or chipped away to give the impression of humanoid bulges beneath. Mummified, most likely. 15[01:15] This is a big, versatile space, though. Useful! And there's a proper stairwell leading down on the far side. [01:19] 14Only useful if they get the corpses out without desecrating the whole thing. She'll go in for a closer look. [01:19] 14But respectful. Of traps and the like. 15[01:20] After studying the place, she's reminded of the ancestral vaults the Great Houses keep where there are plaques and memorials dedicating every Chosen Dynast who dies in good standing with their House. She remembers seeing the rows of as-yet empty spots on the wall where, she was assured, some day she could earn a place. 15[01:20] This is a family crypt for a family that expected to last longer, and fill more of these holes. [01:20] 14Hh. 15[01:21] And even so it seems to have lasted several generations, and been quite prominent, to merit such a crypt. [01:22] 14Well, we can have a conversation about the family plot later. Might involve putting them in rowboats, setting them on fire, and sending them out to sea. [01:23] 14Time to check out the next door and the next floor. 15[01:23] Dryas can tell as the Leaf docks that the other vessel was once a Realm ship, a vessel of the Merchant Fleet, but no longer. The ship's name (Everlasting Wisdom) has been scoured away and replaced with some obscene-looking, illegible script. 15[01:23] The sails are patched and it flies the black flag of piracy. 15[01:24] The crew aboard the pirated pirate vessel are masked by simple cloth bandannas, but Dryas can see scars and tattoos cover their arms, necks, scalps... 15[01:26] The leader is a big, vicious-looking woman holding a crystalline torch in one hand and a reaper daiklave in the other. The white light makes her blue-green, scaled skin. The pulsing gills on her throat ripple in the salt air. 15[01:26] *skin shimmer [01:27] "Ahoy," 07Dryas calls out to her as the Xebec approaches. 15[01:27] Piu finds the next door much easier to shift, because its mechanism isn't crusted with decades or centuries of dirt. Downstairs the layout is similar, but all the alcoves are filled and there are four stone altars in the center of the chamber. [01:28] 14...Well then. [01:28] 14She'll light the braziers again to get a better look. 15[01:28] The gilled woman calls back in a coarse voice and Seatongue. Then a word of High Realm, heavily accented. "Leaf!" [01:31] "Aye," 07Dryas replies, stepping forward. [01:32] "Who are you and what is your-" 07her mouth nearly, but doesn't quite, catch on the word - "ship?" 07she asks, in posh-sounding Low Realm this time. 15[01:35] Piu is able to tell immediately that these altars are particularly prominent tombs for champions or founders of the family. Each is carved over with symbols that surely contain meaning, and bound with a heavy mortar seal that looks undisturbed on three of them. 15[01:35] The other ship's captain responds in kind. "Lintha," says she, as if this suffices for both questions. [01:36] 14Well then obviously we're checking out the one that isn't undisturbed first. 15[01:39] It looks like the casket or sacrophagus had a crack in the lid and whoever was through here last pried it open. If Piu does the same, she'll see a bunch of trinkets and shells layered over a well-preserved corpse, so well-preserved in fact that its facial features, including a peaceful smile and three closed eyes, are still visible in leathery relief. [01:41] 14She's beginning to get a bit concerned. The scouting on this place was at least half-raided and the Guild saying it was worthless made her hope there at least weren't a dozen corpses to wrangle. [01:42] 14Anything spookier going on than the sharp cold? 15[01:44] It's echoey enough down here that she can't be sure if she's hearing voices, footsteps, or just the aftereffects of completely mundane noises. [01:45] 14Err on the side of spooky stuff in a crypt. [01:46] 14She's not about to disturb the graves more; that's for Daizo. There any other way down? 15[01:46] She's gotten about as good a sense of this place as she can without bolder experimentation. Now to surface, and make plans. 15[01:47] NEXT TIME: Contracting