Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

For in-universe game play. Journey through both familiar and foreign settings, explore lost ruins and forgotten cities, and try to bring light to the darkness of the world... or, you know, blow stuff up. Either way.
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Alberich
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

Post by Alberich »

The stranger in the plumed hat and ornate tunic took the opportunity to attempt an escape. He ran a perfectly respectable business and had no use for tavern brawls. As he ran for the exit, Myra's leg caught him (by design or not) and sent him sprawling, scattering the contents of his purse. He started scrambling around like a gaudy monkey trying to scoop up rolling coins.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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The shrieking and general diving for safety caused by Khoo's distraction had proven invaluable to the Hands progress towards the exit. The appearance of a large amount of coin rolling around the floor however, had not. Leo, moving with the fleetness of foot inspired by a man who preferred to talk than fight, managed to clear the threshold without a greasy lock out of place. Eve, who had been drawing up the rear by virtue of pausing to snatch the loose coinage and direct kicks to obstructing asses, wasn't so lucky.

Khoo was at the exit when he heard a cry of surprise behind him. He turned to see the young woman falling under the weight of the large mercenary who'd taken the first swing in the bar fight turned gold rush. The big man was wounded, bleeding from a gash in his leg which had clearly been the cause of his fall. After some difficult struggling, and no small fear of suffocation, Eve crawled from under his rolling bulk with pained gaps of breathless expletives.

"I hate this Na'ar cursed town. The beer is watered down, the outlaws are punks, and no-one has a sense of humour."

It was the banditwoman, the cause of the injured parties, who had issued the scathing rant. She stood a short distance away, sporting a bleeding lip and a fair coating of alcohol and other people's blood to add to her already outlandish attire. Her attention was focused on the felled mercenary, who'd struggled to his feet with his hand clamped to his thigh. Eve was still having a little trouble regaining a vertical base, unsurprising, given the size of the man who'd crushed her.

Khoo heard Leo calling for the pair of them to hurry-the-hell-up-and-get-out. Whether he'd leave or mount a heroic rescue... that was up to him.

OOC Myra isn't fighting Eve in case that wasn't clear. If Khoo goes and pulls her out of there he won't have any mishaps unless his heart desires them :)./OOC
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Graybeard
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

Post by Graybeard »

OOC: Khoo isn't completely crazy. He would not mount a heroic rescue here. I'll just bounce it back to you to figure out how all of this can advance the plot and get Choubei his bait, because lacking a deus ex Rothwell, Khoo would simply be running and not looking back -- which however wouldn't get us to where we want to go.
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Alberich
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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Things were looking bad for Eve -- bringing up the rear, winded from being crushed under the mercenary, too close to this tattooed swearing harridan -- and it was the gaudy man, Aloysius, who came to her rescue. Not so much by intent as by a profound lack of judgment. He was on all fours trying to rescue his money, and getting tripped over in ways that had led to a couple of wrestling matches between other brawlers. Somehow he'd lasted this long without more than a bruise or two, and his gorgeous plumed hat was still on his head. Now he saw some of his shiniest coins vanish under a stamping female boot, and maybe he didn't realize just which female boot this was...

"Excuse me, miss," he said, "but you're standing on my last week's profits!"
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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"What? You mean this money right here?" Replied the banditwoman in tones of innocence. "Oh, I am sorry. Let me move my boot out your way."

The savage did just that. Although the lift wasn't so much of a gentle edging from obstruction as a sharp kick delivered to the merchant's head. The dull smacking sound cut clearly through the hubbub of the bar brawl. The man collapsed, free of money worries.

"Let me help clear this mess up." She snickered.

In the midst of that unfortunate distraction the lone Silver Hand had clambered to her feet and seized a nearby upturned chair. At the antagonist's mocking words she snarled and pitched the future in her general direction, illicting a colourful curse as it collided with her ribs. The bandit stumbled into another group of money grubbing citizens with arms flailing. Eve used the opportunity to make her overdue exit.

"A fine help you two were!" She called, as she burst into the sunshine and beheld her companions, saving the most withering part of her gaze for Leo. "No wonder your girlfriend left town!"
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Graybeard
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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"Not my kind of place," Khoo said off-handedly. Truthfully, he'd found the brawl more entertaining than expected.

"So, uh, what do you do for a living?" he asked Eve. There might still be hope for getting what Choubei wanted, although probably not.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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"What don't we do?" Eve replied, straightening her attire and brushing at the beer stains upon it with obvious irritation. "Bodyguard-ing, escorting, theft, conning people..." At the last she shot a sharp look to Leo, who sighed and took up the thread.

"We're a mercenary group." He continued. "A relatively new organisation seeking to establish it's reputation in this wonderful town."

"...and doing a lousy job so far."

"We're getting a steady run of work, aren't we? Please forgive my friend, young sir. She has the disposition of an irate cactus and is no less spiky for it. As I said, I apologize for the deception earlier; I've been having a hard time of it lately and was seeking entertainment."

"Speaking of which... you said something about work earlier?" Eve finished, eyeing the young man with interest.
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Graybeard
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

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"Speaking of which... you said something about work earlier?"

Khoo eyed the young woman with interest, trying to decide exactly how much of what Choubei had told him he could represent factually, and concluding that the answer was "not much." The problem was, if he couldn't explain what was going on, he also couldn't recruit anyone he could rely on. Choubei should have known that.

Eventually he decided on an evasion. "Long story," he said, "but bluntly, someone is working a scam." He didn't say whether the "someone" was his own customer, the mark, or both. "I'm looking for some help in dealing with, let's just say, its consequences. The help involves hiring a woman who can go through the motions of being from an escort service, without actually being from one, and without having sex with the person being escorted." Or at least I think. "And no, I am not that person."

[OOC: Sorry, Jack; I just don't see a way to make this involve Myra rather than Eve.]
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC No worries grey. Just letting you know I'm swamped again. I'll try to get something in over the weekend./OOC
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Eve gave Khoo an eyeful of skepticism while Leo chuckled at his job description.

"A man looking for a woman like our sweet little Eve must be a glutton for punishment. What's the angle? More importantly, what are the perfect escort's services worth to you?"

"Hey! I didn't say yes!"

"Details, my dear. Come, young man. Take an amble with me. We can hammer out the messy details in more comfortable surroundings."

'Besides...' The grimy merc thought. 'This sounds like the kind of job that would warrant the old man's attention.'
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