Tsuiraku - A Contest of Miseries

[Jack Rothwell]

It was Leo who fielded Layla's question, explaining the studentish man's desire to find a prostitute-not-prostitute to investigate some pervert for reasons not yet specified.

"He seems on the level, for what that's worth." He finished. A little calmer now the alcohol was starting to wear off.

"If his wallet runs deep enough I might, might, take the job." Eve interjected, with a note of resignation. "But if anyone asks me to start taking my clothes off they'll have some serious problems to deal with."

[Alberich]

Khoo's briefing from Choubei Masaki had been clear on this point: the pervert's passions focused on being sexually dominated and humiliated, rather than being shown naked flesh. In fact, Choubei didn't require or even want to know if the "girlfriend" recruits were doing that, and gave the impression that he didn't like thinking of himself as a procurer. Whatever explanations Khoo would give on further interrogation would doubtless be consistent with Mr. Masaki's intent. So would whatever information passed to this group from local Tsuirakuan intelligence, in however abbreviated a form (messages that passed through Captain Kitaura's hands tended to be very terse indeed).

Detailed instructions would await the new recruit in Tsuiraku itself. The important thing was for the person to feel natural in playing that role, take whatever actions were needed to establish a relationship with the "mark," and report back on his movements.

[OOC: Edited to fit Graybeard's next post.]

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Of course, Kitaura would never have passed that kind of information to Layla, and he probably didn't have it himself, compartmentalization (and turf) being what it is. However, that's useful background. So:]

Layla permitted herself a dry chuckle at Eve's description. "Ironic, that," she observed. The kind of "services" the young Tsuirakuan, as he obviously was, seemed to be searching for were much more the province of the Gewehr's enemy, the Eisenfaust. One of the reasons why the elders had launched the expansion of the Gewehr into Rinkaiel, with herself on the vanguard, was to block the Eisenfaust's own expansion there. The Seeadler probably had some rackets going in Khoo's area of interest as well, but the Bad Ass Wines crowd still didn't have permission to approach them, so there was little she could do to find a more ... suitable "service" for their new house guest.

However, there was one thing she could do, and after thinking about it for a minute, she made a decision to offer it. "Well, if you do take him up on it, and you find out that you need to, shall we say, dissolve the partnership, you know where to find us." The carriage pulled up in front of the Barker Lane hangout to let Eve and Leo off.

[OOC: Fast forward to morning? Or do Eve and Leo want to talk to Rufus before calling it a night?]

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I'm good to fast forward. Btw, was Layla suggesting an end to the cooperation between their groups or did I misread that last line?/OOC

[Graybeard]

OOC:

OOC I'm good to fast forward. Btw, was Layla suggesting an end to the cooperation between their groups or did I misread that last line?/OOC

LOL... No, it was the "partnership" between Eve and Khoo that she was offering Gewehr services to help Eve "dissolve" if she wished. Figure it out for yourself...

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC THAT would make more sense! So, yeah, good to fast forward to the most convenient, plot-advancing point./OOC

[Graybeard]

"Good morning," Layla said as Khoo straggled in to the breakfast table.

He hadn't slept well that night, not well at all. The surroundings were comfortable enough, yet every time he woke up from a bad dream, which was often, he had a brief hallucination that he was back in his own flat in Tsuirakushiti, and the tasteful decorations in the room were something else altogether, done in Anna-Lisa's ... unique ... style. He hoped no one had been awakened by his screaming.

"I suppose we'd better go retrieve, uh, Eve, was it? And then I'll leave you in peace," he said once the biscuits and bacon were consumed. Layla nodded -- she'd heard one or two of the screams -- and a few minutes later, the carriage set off.

[OOC: Over to you, JR, for whatever misgivings Eve has during the night.]

[Jack Rothwell]

"I don't like this." Eve repeated for the fourth of fifth time that morning. Leo had long stopped paying attention, he was too busy putting the finishing touches to his outfit to notice his younger companion's discontent, or the way she kept tugging irritably at the armor he'd insisted she dress in.

"I said-"

"I heard, but we heard what the old man said, 'since our blacksmith is on hiatus and income's getting strained...'

"'...and my second-in-command is acting like a maudlin fop.'" Added the young woman.

"...'This job will solve at least two birds with one big, gold stone.'" Finished Leo, angling his fancy new hat in a manner which best showed off the silky mane of his hair. The noble would be the first to admit he had a vain streak, fortunately his role in the operation would call for it.

"I still don't understand why you're coming along."

"Because, as our new acquaintance's extreme reluctance to approach another cheerful princess for this job informed me, a woman with a bit of discipline might be a better candidate for it. The discontented bodyguard of a fine goods trader with a temper and a desperation for new work is more appealing than... well..."

"Than a what?"

"A heavy-drinking, light-fingered mercenary liable to steal anything that isn't securely welded down." Leo finished, grinning even after Eve's flick to the back of his wide-brimmed headgear knocked it over his face.

[Graybeard]

Layla's reaction to seeing the getups that Leo and Eve had was to press herself to the utmost to keep from getting the dry heaves from laughing. Khoo, however, merely gaped. "Uh, gee, I don't know," he finally got out, addressing Eve. "This job is going to require a quick airship trip to Tsuirakushiti. I have an expense account to work on, and it has more than enough money in it to pay for your ticket; that's what it's for, after all. But ... I'm not so sure about your ..."

Pimp.

"... Companion."

[Alberich]

[OOC: I'm not dead but horrifically busy for the rest of the week - Saturday night I should be able to post again.]