Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
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- Noble Knight Protector
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
[OOC: I may have misunderstood, but haven't the Silver Hands already been informed -- by a message that originated with Captain Kitaura -- of what Khoo's mission really is, and that they should help him? If not, never mind me and carry on by all means.]
- Graybeard
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
OOC:
No. Layla, who's Gewehr (currently on a "sabbatical" of a sort) and definitely not Silver Hands, might or might not have been put on notice that someone matching Khoo's description was inbound, and that continued protection of Bad Ass Wines by Kitaura would be "so much easier to justify" if she extended the place's hospitality to him. However, the message from Kitaura would have been completely lacking in details as to why. Layla, for her part, would not share that information with the Silver Hands, although she would and did communicate with them about the fact that the Oshimas are getting frisky again -- which may or may not have anything to do with the Diabolical Plot. In any event, no contact between Kitaura and Silver Hands should have occurred regarding Khoo.Alberich wrote:[OOC: I may have misunderstood, but haven't the Silver Hands already been informed -- by a message that originated with Captain Kitaura -- of what Khoo's mission really is, and that they should help him? If not, never mind me and carry on by all means.]
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- Noble Knight Protector
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
[OOC: Okay. This part of the adventure is yours and I'm in no rush, though I may toss in things depending on what you do.]
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
[OOC: Well, if it will simplify and re-start progress, let's make it so.]
"Hey, uh, Layla?" a man from Bad Ass Wines who'd reached the carriage said, interrupting her in the process of feeding Zachary.
"Yes, what is it?" she answered impatiently. Time was when she'd have been tempted to kill a man who interfered with this ultimate expression of love between mother and child. Truthfully, however, the little one was getting more enthusiastic about solids, and his brand new teeth, well, hurt. She decided not to kill the messenger after all.
"You got a message from those Tsuiakuan cops," the man said, waving a sheet of paper with an obvious magical glow; clearly it would self-destruct when she read it. "Says it would 'so much easier to maintain our comfortable working relationship' if you do something for him, but the 'what' of that is magicked so you're the only one that can read it." He extended the paper to his boss.
Since when am I one of Kitaura's secret agents? she thought irritably as she started to read, then thought better of it; she was here to establish deep cover, after all, and this might help. (If there was still any Gewehr interest in what she was doing at all.) Yes, she'd do what was necessary to keep that "comfortable working relationship" if possible. Her brow furrowed as she got deeper into the page. "Looks like just picking up a stray," she told Ace and Joe. She chuckled. "We've done a lot of that lately, and this one at least probably isn't crazy."
And then she noticed Khoo and Eve and Leo emerging from the bar.
"Weird... I think I know who the stray is." The paper had suddenly rolled into a tube, without her exerting the slightest effort, and was fixing her vision on Khoo as though it was a telescope. She sighed. "Well, let's make introductions."
[OOC: If you want to elaborate on Kitaura's instructions, A, go ahead. Keep in mind that he is VERY terse and to the point, and secretive about sharing the tiniest bit of information beyond what Layla needs to know, yet polite in the upper-class Tsuirakuan way. Note too that the messenger would not have been Kitaura himself, but one of his minions.]
"Hey, uh, Layla?" a man from Bad Ass Wines who'd reached the carriage said, interrupting her in the process of feeding Zachary.
"Yes, what is it?" she answered impatiently. Time was when she'd have been tempted to kill a man who interfered with this ultimate expression of love between mother and child. Truthfully, however, the little one was getting more enthusiastic about solids, and his brand new teeth, well, hurt. She decided not to kill the messenger after all.
"You got a message from those Tsuiakuan cops," the man said, waving a sheet of paper with an obvious magical glow; clearly it would self-destruct when she read it. "Says it would 'so much easier to maintain our comfortable working relationship' if you do something for him, but the 'what' of that is magicked so you're the only one that can read it." He extended the paper to his boss.
Since when am I one of Kitaura's secret agents? she thought irritably as she started to read, then thought better of it; she was here to establish deep cover, after all, and this might help. (If there was still any Gewehr interest in what she was doing at all.) Yes, she'd do what was necessary to keep that "comfortable working relationship" if possible. Her brow furrowed as she got deeper into the page. "Looks like just picking up a stray," she told Ace and Joe. She chuckled. "We've done a lot of that lately, and this one at least probably isn't crazy."
And then she noticed Khoo and Eve and Leo emerging from the bar.
"Weird... I think I know who the stray is." The paper had suddenly rolled into a tube, without her exerting the slightest effort, and was fixing her vision on Khoo as though it was a telescope. She sighed. "Well, let's make introductions."
[OOC: If you want to elaborate on Kitaura's instructions, A, go ahead. Keep in mind that he is VERY terse and to the point, and secretive about sharing the tiniest bit of information beyond what Layla needs to know, yet polite in the upper-class Tsuirakuan way. Note too that the messenger would not have been Kitaura himself, but one of his minions.]
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
"Layla!" The matted nobleman's voice cut clearly through the streets as the door to the tavern burst open behind them. Eve whirled around just in time to see the emerging banditwoman shoot her a look filled with malice before taking to her heels. The clink of stolen coin marked her wake, followed by a pair of angry looking gentleman who seemed eager to talk to her about something. The young mercenary muttered a 'bitch' before returning her attention to the approaching vineyard owner.
"You'll have me forgive my current state madam." Leo continued, offering a bow which appeared comical in his begger's attire. "Had I known we'd be meeting today I'd have spruced myself up for the occasion."
"You'll have me forgive my current state madam." Leo continued, offering a bow which appeared comical in his begger's attire. "Had I known we'd be meeting today I'd have spruced myself up for the occasion."
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
It took a second or two for Layla to recognize Leo, and in that second, Khoo in his own turn was taking in the trio (well, trio-plus) in the carriage: an attractive woman about his own age carrying a baby, a bearded man whose posture suggested husband or boyfriend, and another man who had that bodyguard/hired-muscle look to him. None of these looked like possible candidates for his "recruiting" mission, and he hadn't the foggiest notion what any of them had to do with him. However, when Layla said "Hop in, let's get away from this craziness and then we'll talk," and the two Silver Hands did so, he didn't have to be asked twice.
Once the tumult of the bar was behind them, Khoo cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks for the rescue," he said, "but I don't think I've had the pleasure."
Layla extended a business-like hand. "Layla Sorensen, proprietor of Bad Ass Wines, a vineyard on the edge of town. Some mutual friends back in your own home town --" she arched an eyebrow, but wasn't going to name Kitaura under any conditions -- "asked us to offer you a place to stay tonight."
"Uh, Layla, shouldn't we drop off Leo and Eve first?" Joe inquired from the reins.
"Vineyard first," Layla corrected him.
"But then it's out of the way to get back to Bar-"
"Vineyard," Layla repeated, in a tone that said don't forget, I'm still a Gewehr Wraith, and I can kill you as easily as look at you. "And introduce yourself properly to our guest."
"Yes'm." As Joe and Ace turned to Khoo to comply with this directive, Layla moved closer to Eve, who appeared a bit more sober than Leo. "And after we drop him off and have some privacy, perhaps you can tell us what the hell was going on there."
Once the tumult of the bar was behind them, Khoo cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks for the rescue," he said, "but I don't think I've had the pleasure."
Layla extended a business-like hand. "Layla Sorensen, proprietor of Bad Ass Wines, a vineyard on the edge of town. Some mutual friends back in your own home town --" she arched an eyebrow, but wasn't going to name Kitaura under any conditions -- "asked us to offer you a place to stay tonight."
"Uh, Layla, shouldn't we drop off Leo and Eve first?" Joe inquired from the reins.
"Vineyard first," Layla corrected him.
"But then it's out of the way to get back to Bar-"
"Vineyard," Layla repeated, in a tone that said don't forget, I'm still a Gewehr Wraith, and I can kill you as easily as look at you. "And introduce yourself properly to our guest."
"Yes'm." As Joe and Ace turned to Khoo to comply with this directive, Layla moved closer to Eve, who appeared a bit more sober than Leo. "And after we drop him off and have some privacy, perhaps you can tell us what the hell was going on there."
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
"Yes ma'am, Ms Sorensen, ma'am!" Eve replied with more than a touch of sarcasm. It came as a surprise to no-one that the young woman responded that way to any order which didn't come directly from her boss. The fact that the former and the latter had an amicable relationship was the only reason she accepted it at all for that matter.
Leo, free of such irritation, was requesting more wine and offering to tell Khoo some of the dirtier jokes about aristocrats he knew.
"So , ever wonder why so many Dukes put their estates close to pig farms?"
Leo, free of such irritation, was requesting more wine and offering to tell Khoo some of the dirtier jokes about aristocrats he knew.
"So , ever wonder why so many Dukes put their estates close to pig farms?"
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
Khoo had only the barest notion of the concept of nobility; he'd grown up in Tsuiraku, after all. "No, why?" he asked innocently.
Layla, for her part, merely gritted her teeth. As tempting as it was to have one more member of the Silver Hands simply disappear, Rufus wouldn't take it well, and she was supposed to be building friends here, not enemies.
Layla, for her part, merely gritted her teeth. As tempting as it was to have one more member of the Silver Hands simply disappear, Rufus wouldn't take it well, and she was supposed to be building friends here, not enemies.
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
"Because they fuck pigs!" Leo threw back his head and laughed racously, stopping after a moment when it dawned on him that no-one was joining in.
"I didn't say it was a good joke." He murmured, somewhat defensively.
"I didn't say it was a good joke." He murmured, somewhat defensively.
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Re: Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries
Layla briefly considered directing Joe to take the wagon down a dirt road that led back into the forest south of Rinkaiel, where two bodies could be dumped inconspicuously, but decided against it. Khoo, for his part, had absorbed (quite without knowing it) just enough of the Tsuirakuan cultural nuances to produce a short, formal laugh that, if directed to another Tsuirakuan, would convey the message you are an idiot. Of course, this message wouldn't necessarily be understood by a non-Tsuirakuan, but he didn't really care; in fact he was unaware that the message was being given at all. The remainder of the trip to Bad Ass Wines was conducted in a mildly uncomfortable silence.
Once Khoo was safely ensconced in a guest room at the vineyard under Faye's care [OOC: I don't think there's any need to transact that in the thread, but will do so if people wish -- /OOC], and Zachary was tucked in for the night (Layla gave thanks again to whatever gods might exist for such a tractable child), the Gewehr trio set forth for Barker Lane to take Leo and Eve home. "Okay, what was that all about? Give," Layla said, as soon as they were alone in the wagon; that side trip to an unmarked grave might turn out to be useful after all.
Once Khoo was safely ensconced in a guest room at the vineyard under Faye's care [OOC: I don't think there's any need to transact that in the thread, but will do so if people wish -- /OOC], and Zachary was tucked in for the night (Layla gave thanks again to whatever gods might exist for such a tractable child), the Gewehr trio set forth for Barker Lane to take Leo and Eve home. "Okay, what was that all about? Give," Layla said, as soon as they were alone in the wagon; that side trip to an unmarked grave might turn out to be useful after all.
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.