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Toki Misuko Misuko shuffles uncomfortably at the mention of the Crane. Why would Kasuga bring that up? Has she heard a different story to this one? "If I may ask, are you this reserved to every samurai you meet?"
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Mar 18, 2014 14:12
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Kohaku Kozue Looking confused for a moment, Kozue seems to process something, and then, "Shouldn't all the guards be properly armed? I wouldn't go so far to say at the local lord might not provide for them, of course, but... do the rumors of ghosts have them..." "... spooked?" She smiles too widely, being entirely too proud of that pun.
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Mar 18, 2014 15:35
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Ujina Risuta Ujina Risuta refused to dignify Kozue's pun with a response. However given that Kozue said about as much (pun notwithstanding) as he would have wanted to say to Gorou, Risuta instead deigned to take another sip of his drink and change his body language to indicate to Gorou that he too wanted to know the answer to this.
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Mar 18, 2014 16:59
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Komori Hirofumi Hirofumi sips his tea, squinting over the barren terrain as if he was looking for something. "Oh, you know, bat stuff. Terribly secret, I shouldn't even be talking about it." He turns on his heels, pausing for dramatic effect. "Could put the whole mission in danger. You observe spirits, haven't you noticed anything strange lately?"
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Mar 18, 2014 19:52
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Marumaru Naganori Naganori makes a snap decision, and grabs the pitcher Gorou just provided, putting down some money to buy another so Kozue isn't left bereft. "Excuse me for a second, sorry!" He carries the pitcher over and fills the Mantis' glass before grabbing a seat for himself. "What's this I hear about ghosts?"
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Mar 19, 2014 00:42
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Kaidan: A Japanese Ghost Theater [Misuko, Kei] "Of course, Toki-sama. It is appropriate for a lowly ronin such as this one." Choumaru pauses for a moment before addressing Something To Do [Risuta, Kozue] Gorou actually chuckles. "Something like that. Spirits have a habit of showing up and making a fuss. It's hearin' about more incidents lately. Oh, and some of the farmers have had animals go missing. Governor's been comfortable enough building farms just outside town, the wildlife bein' small and harmless, but either they missed something or someone's been acting up. Probably the Phoenix, if you ask me. Can't trust 'em. Anyway, the Governor's told 'em to do something about it." "Imported a lot of cats, too." Gorou steers the topic towards reassuring the visitors in the name of patriotic making-his-town-not-sound-scary. "If you're worried about spirits, you're probably fine. Hundreds and hundreds of samurai 'round here, maybe ten of 'em have run into one without lookin' for 'em. It's best to quit worrying and enjoy the sights."  [Naganori]The samurai introduces himself as Moshi Tsuyoshi. "Ah, the perfect bribe! Let me tell you." He pauses for "It was last week. I'd just been to Kaidan, so I was regrettably sober. You been there yet? They do this special play once a week, it's the same play really but the details change every time they perform it. I went to a different play, not that one. Anyway." Another drink. "I started looking for somewhere dreadful that didn't close too early, and I found a lovely place next to Tortoise Bridge. Figuratively lovely, that was the dreadful place I was looking for. I stayed long enough to get hilariously drunk. Took a while. Sorry, I'm wandering. The point is my bed was back across town, so I had a long walk through the night." Tsuyoshi pours himself another drink. A Kitsune who had almost matched the Moshi drink for drink collapses onto the floor and curls into a ball. "A guard near the bridge warned me to stick to the main streets, but I took a shortcut through a park and got a bit lost. That's when it happened. I saw a light in the trees and for some reason I thought following it would get me home. I was pretty wasted. When I got close, though..." This pause is actually for effect. "It was a lady. She was wrapped in light, but she seemed hazy. Could have been because I was wasted. She asked what Clan I served, and I told her I've been Mantis all my life but my mum was a Tanuki. She looked at me for a while and started asking something, but it was getting late so I asked for directions. Looked at me weird, but she led me to my inn. Kept asking questions too, but the more sober I got the harder it was to hear her. Cold nights on this world, right? By the time I got back on the main streets she was gone." He looks at his comrades. "That about cover it?" A Yoritomo gives him a cranky look. "Yes. That is literally the entire story you just told us two minutes ago. Actually, five minutes ago, when you went to the bathroom and started over because you lost your place in the park." Phoenix Tower [Hirofumi] Natsumi's eyes sparkle. She is hella easy to excite, apparently. "Oh, yes! Well, I'd observe more if I were allowed out. But I'm sure the number of spirits in the area has been increasing lately. And they're not all nice. Some of them have been trying to lead livestock out into the wastes. Like a Shito Dama, but instead of luring humans they scare animals, I suppose." Natsumi tilts her head as she hears a meow in the distance. "Oh, and there have been a lot of cats around lately. Messy things. The Governor has personally assured me the Mantis in town have nothing to do with it, so I've got no idea where they come from." "So... this business. I know it's secret, but is there anything I can do to help?" Ettin fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Mar 20, 2014 |
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Mar 20, 2014 14:12
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Kohaku Kozue "What would we need worry about ghosts?", Kozue says, giving a laugh that may be just a hint too loud. Or forced, maybe. "A samurai that has honored their ancestors has nothing to fear." She takes a quick sip of her sake, and leans on the bar for a moment, her cheer seeming to fade away for but a moment, and then springs back up on her arms. "Thank you, Tsuruchi-san.", she adds more sincerely. "Well then, a game of shogi, then, and a little more sake, and we should get to shopping before it's too late." She smiles broadly to Usagi, pressing herself away from the bar as she apparently heads to do just that.
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Mar 20, 2014 16:32
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Kasuga Kei Chomaru gets an even bigger smile. "You have my thanks. Toki-san, we have a new location to go to. Later. I wanna see one of the plays first."
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Mar 21, 2014 00:49
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Ujina Risuta Ujina Risuta nodded in agreement. "Shogi it is. Though I'd prefer a game of kemari personally, zero-g or old school, I'm not sure it is befitting of such a place." repled Ujina Risuta, hoping (entirely coincidentally) that Kozue doesn't start mistaking him for one of those inflexible Usagi blowhards. Risuta followed Kozue off to where the match might begin.
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Mar 21, 2014 01:25
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Toki Misuko "On this, we can agree with." Misuko nods at Kei, then checks the time on her AR interface. "Oh, but we still have a few hours before nightfall. Plenty of time to take a stroll around while our humble ronin prepares a play for us." She takes a moment to open up an IM program and send a message to the others. pre:Mitsuchan♪(*^ ・^)ノ⌒☆: We have a very reliable source who tells us Akihabara took refuge in a weapons repository
east of Lucky Cat Street. He sounds like a very difficult man to pin down, but I'm going
to give the place a look. Fortunes bless us, we finish this part of the job quickly.
I have a play to watch.
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Mar 21, 2014 04:36
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Komori Hirofumi "Livestock and cats. Yes, that would make sense." Hirofumi murmurs. "Natsumi-sama, there is one way you may help. Do you know of Akihabara? Do you know where I might find him?" Just then, the message from Misuko arrives. With a twitch of an eye, he sends it to his computer, in his bag, which starts buzzing angrily. "Apologies. This could be very important, I have to take it. Quickly, Akihabara?" Dagon fucked around with this message at 16:03 on Mar 21, 2014 |
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Mar 21, 2014 15:45
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Marumaru Naganori "It's the first time I've heard the story at least!" Naganori tops off the man's cup again. "So what kinds of questions do ghosts ask?" He checks the message, nods to himself. He'll see whether this man has anything else interesting to add then go to meet up with Misuko and Kei.
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Mar 24, 2014 00:05
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Something To Do [Risuta, Kozue, Naganori] If you guys are playing shogi against each other feel free to roll to see who wins  Tsuyoshi shrugs. "Whether we were all Mantis here. I don't know, really, I'm just passing through. Visiting every tavern that's sold my mother's sake to honour her memory, may she rest in peace." Tsuyoshi winks. "And something about a guy named Eiheikin. Not going to lie, I was hammered." "If you were drunk, are you sure that's right?" the Yoritomo asks. "Nope!" "There's an Eihei Mura," the Kitsune offers from the floor. That's all the interesting information he has! Weapons Repository, Lucky Cat Street [Misuko, Kei] Anyone else who wants to drop in can get away with it. Lucky Cat Street is a long, bustling road lined with stores and workshops, the kind of place you could go in the middle of the night and still find someone willing to mend a sword or weave some baskets for you. The place seems heavy with guards, until you notice that most of them seem to be here to visit metalworkers or shugenja and not on patrol. Each store has at least one maneki-neko statue outside it, and there's a huge ceramic statue of a maneki neko head on the west end of the street where it approaches the town centre. In this millenium, where samurai have finally accepted that money is power, merchants have risen in the Celestial Order, and these fancy-as-heck cat statues are flaunting it. The east end leads into one of the less-crowded parts of the shopping district, so it's not as fancy and there's hardly anyone around. What few statues there have all their decorative work undone by the surplus weapons repository, a totally unremarkable building decorated only by a set of rusty kusarigama nailed to the doorframe. Nobody bothers you as you wander around to the back door. When you knock twice and twice again... You hear footsteps, and some ronin answers the door. ???  "What's up?" Phoenix Tower [Hirofumi] Natsumi nods and puts her motor mouth to good use. "Oh! The ronin? My predecessor used to visit him before I took over here. We still have some of his creations. Ah, but I heard he's in hiding. He angered the Scorpion and you know how they are. I heard he still lives here because he has a brother in the town guard. His old shop was at Lucky Cat Street."
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Mar 26, 2014 14:22
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Komori Hirofumi "I am tempted to stay a little longer, perhaps look at some of his work, enjoy more of your delightful tea, and speak of ghosts and missing livestock." Hirofumi says. "But duty calls. Perhaps I will return once things are done, would that be acceptable, Natsumi-sama?" Expecting a positive reply, but not waiting for it, Hirofumi taps away a quick message to the others: Phoenix confirmed Lucky Cat Street, watch for Scorpions and relatives in the guard, before packing up and quickly hurrying to catch up with the others on Akihabara's trail.
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Mar 26, 2014 18:14
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Toki Misuko "Crane, Crab, Lion, and Scorpion." Misuko knocks on the door twice, then muses at Hirofumi's message. "Why would the Governor commission from someone who makes so much trouble wi- oh, hello there." The door opens to a ronin with a straw hat. Close enough for her. "Akihabara, I presume?" She retrieves the scroll with the Governor's seal from her kimono. "We have some business with you, can we come in?"
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Mar 27, 2014 01:22
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Marumaru Naganori Having gotten what he could from the drunk Scorpion, and having no interest in getting beaten in shogi, Naganori hastens to meet up with Misuko and Kei. He waves at the ronin from behind them.
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Mar 27, 2014 01:37
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Kohaku Kozue Ujina it is, then! Surely, it was the drink that made the mind slip so. "Kemari! I haven't gotten to play enough of that! Maybe you can teach me... but here-" She laughs a little. "- I would probably tip a sake bottle or too with my clumsiness." And there's not much opportunity to play her talent, Letters, outside of court. Though there are some informal eLetters games going on around virtual minor clan courts at all times, not that she has time to think on her moves at the moment. In the meantime, shogi! The game of generals! Daimyo! Scholars! But Kozue is none of those things. She drops down to sit crosslegged, staring at the pieces, and then brings up her Pocket Scroll to refresh herself on the rules, knitting her brow in concentration. She starts out with the Shugenja Exchange opening, aiming to aggressively counter Risuta's Shugenja (bishop, if you're crude) with her own. She plays fast, as if trying to display her confidence... or just as likely, overconfidence. Doing Intelligence / Games: Shogi (untrained), but with her school bonus, for a 16.
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Mar 27, 2014 06:06
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Kasuga Kei "Quality is quality, nee-san. If he's truly hated by so many great clans, one could ask why the same of them." As soon as the door is opened, Kei wedges her foot inside. "Well hello there. We are looking for a ronin of particular skill. If you are not he, I'm sure you can be of fantastic help~"
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Mar 27, 2014 08:21
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Ujina Risuta Ujina Risuta tries to concentrate on the various pieces and their motions and so forth that he was taught once, but his attention slips since receiving that ominous message. The idea that there is some action out there that he could be missing distracts him so. 10:05:42 AM <@Attilla> !roll 2k2u 10:05:42 AM <+Morphball> Attilla: 10 = 2k2u(6,4)
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Mar 27, 2014 11:07
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Kohaku Kozue Slapping down each tile with a rather forced and deliberate "clack!", Kozue takes advantage of her opponent's distraction, not that she seems too aware of it herself. As she closes in on Risuta's general, though, she pauses, finally checking her Kamiunicator. "Hm?", she muses as she reads the message, and then moves to clear the tiles back into the bins as she rises up, the reasons for her companion's distraction now more clear. "Let's catch up to the others, then?", she says with an apologetic bow before rising.
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Mar 28, 2014 13:24
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Weapons Repository, Lucky Cat Street [Misuko, Kei, Anyone Else Who Wants] The ronin looks at the scroll. "Huh?" "... Oh. Oh! Bakami, yes. Come in!" Akihabara turns and heads inside. When the ronin's in an excitable mood he doesn't even have time to look at you, except for a glance here and there to make sure you're still following. The inside of the repository is pretty boring unless you like weapons. There's a set of basement stairs hidden behind a door with a hand-scanner lock and an old, flickering screen warning that people found in here without some vaguely-defined clearance will be arrested; Akihabara slaps his hand on the scanner and bounds down. . . .  The forge down here is a mess. Most of the room is covered in robotics equipment, and the ceiling is criss-crossed with robotic arms on sliding rails. Cameras hanging from metal pillars fill the gaps, and all of them focus on Akihabara as he steps in. He raises a hand until their lights stop blinking, then starts making gestures with his hands. The cameras pick up follow his index and middle fingers as he points them around the room, and the mechanical arms grind into life. One of them sweeps a workbench clean, another slides over to a huge wooden pigeon hole cabinet filled with boxes, and another pops off his straw hat and hangs it on a hat rack. Akihabara's hair springs free.  "You're here to pick up her gift, yes? Don't worry, it's finished. And somewhere in here, I assume. Let's see, let's see..."
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Mar 29, 2014 04:57
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Toki Misuko Misuko draws upon all her Courtesy and etiquette training to not point and laugh. She holds back a snicker, though. "There's a lot of stories floating around about you, Akihabara-san." Misuko weaves through the shop of metal horrors, careful not to let grease or dust touch her kimono. "How many of them are true, you suppose?"
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Mar 29, 2014 06:41
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Marumaru Naganori Naganori goes over to look at one of the mechanical arms more closely. He isn't as careful as Misuko, and gets bumped a few things as he heads in. "What were you making anyways, Akiha...bara...-san," he trails off a bit as he a gets a load of that hair.
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Mar 29, 2014 20:14
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Ujina Risuta Having arrived just in time to join the party as they enter Akihabara's lair, Ujina Risuta is relieved to be doing something more active, even if it is to watch a man make a fool of himself. Given such eccentricities as displayed in his entrance and what he has heard, Ujina Risuta pondered if the man might hold darker secrets still. Consequently, Risuta is on the look out for anything that his be related to his duties as Hare Clan. However for the moment he does not say anything, letting the others do the talking for the moment. Risuta does however show all proper decorum or manners, it would give the game away if he were to act all suspicious because he was suspicious.
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Mar 29, 2014 21:35
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Komori Hirofumi Hirofumi shows up in a hurry, having run from the Phoenix's tower on the outskirts, and nearly crashes into Risuta as they both slip in with the rest of the group. He is panting heavily from the run, and takes a minute to catch his breath before gawking in awe at the robotics and other such machinery. "Splendid workshop, Akihabara-san." He says as he eyeballs a camera with suspicion. "But I must ask, why all the security?"
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Mar 30, 2014 03:56
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Kohaku Kozue Arriving about a half-minute after Risuta, Kozue catches up, having stopped at a street vendor along the way. She kicks off her shoes gently as she takes a bite of her still-steaming sweet potato, walking into the place. She gawks around the room with wide eyes, taking in all the blinking lights and whirring machinery as she picks away at her potato. Then, she sees Akihabara. It's all she can do to cover her mouth, letting out an enormous *snort* as she suppresses her laugh pretty badly, snorting a few times before stopping, closing her eyes, and taking a deep, stately breath.
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Mar 30, 2014 15:24
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Weapons Repository, Lucky Cat Street [Everyone!] "They're probably half-true. People seek me out for my talents, but also to make things that would get their Clan samurai in trouble. I'm sure nobody's seriously looking for me, but I value my privacy. And swords would damage my hair. Akihabara makes another couple of gestures and the robotic arms slide the box to the bench in front of him. "The cameras are mostly just motion sensors, though." He absently runs a hand through his magnificent hair and flicks open the catches. "This is Governor Bakami's chief request. A gifted sword, but not just any gift..." Akihabara opens the box. . . . It's definitely a sword. You can't think of much else to say about it, really. I mean, even the untrained eye can tell it's the work of a master. There are absolutely no flaws or imperfections, and no samurai would complain about having such a blade by his side. But there's nothing fancy about it either, nothing particularly special that would make you choose this sword over other swords. It's not bad. It's definitely an adequate gift for the Emperor's son. It's just, well, it's adequate? There are definitely better swords. This is probably coming out wrong. I mean, it's fine, it works as a gift, but Nibui Mura works as a home and you don't hear anyone singing its praises. It's kind of underwhelming, but it's not bad or anything. It's Okay, You Guess. . . . "This," Akihabara says with a hint of pride, "is the most average gift in the galaxy."
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Apr 1, 2014 13:30
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Kasuga Kei Kei raises her hand! "Question! Were you asked to make the most average gift in the galaxy, specifically?"
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Apr 1, 2014 13:51
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Toki Misuko "...It's a well-made sword, if nothing else." Misuko tilts her head, not hiding her disappointment. "Though if I may say so, whatever Toku-sama paid you was too much." Mitama fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 13:55
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Akihabara nods absently. "Yes, yes. Well. An average gift for the Emperor's son. But this is a truly average gift, one that would be perfectly adequate for any occasion. A friend, an enemy, a lover, a ronin... even the Emperor himself, if you'd like a gift he'll forget about in ten minutes." He looks up. "She did say it was supposed to be a unique gift..."
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Apr 1, 2014 13:59
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Ujina Risuta "This sense this makes is almost... poetic. Although I will admit perhaps not a terribly exciting poem but there you go. They can't all be winners. Not that this isn't a unique gift of course." remarked Ujina Risuta as he sized up the sword from afar, not willing to touch it for the moment. Leave the blame for others who take intemperate actions, a common idea amongst the Ujina.
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Apr 1, 2014 14:27
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Kasuga Kei Kei nods! "Well. I see. Well then." Kei pauses for a moment to stare at the sword, then looks back at the ronin. All traces of childlike glee and excitement in her face and voice have been replaced with pure disgust. "Ehhhhhh? Surely this can't be your gift. The only unique thing I see here is your stupid hair. This sword - worthless, worthless. Its maker - worthless, worthless. What a dumb idea. Nothing about this is unique! Anyone can give a forgettable gift! You must have a different gift, a better gift, waiting here. This is just a joke, isn't it, isn't it? You don't want to play a joke on us. You know, Tortoise, we can make your life extra extra miserable, yeah?" Intimidation: 6d10o10k3 22 ProfessorCirno fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 14:28
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Kohaku Kozue With a cheekful of potato, Kozue swings around to loom in closer and have a look at it. There are several blinks, and then she leans back, taking a fierce bite from her food as she seems to mull this over. Swallowing, she adds cheerily as she waves a hand dismissively at the Tortoise, "Now, now, we can't sweat the details! It'll be an simple task to get this back, and then Toku-sama can figure out how to present it to the Emperor's son. Maybe he'll commission Akihabara himself when he sees what a fine sword he's gotten. Wouldn't that be an exciting chance for him?" Nodding to herself as if that's all decided, she takes her last bite of potato. Etiquette to defuse this with a bit of good cop to Kei's bad cop, rolling a 28.
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Apr 1, 2014 14:39
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Komori Hirofumi "All this way for a crummy sword? Wouldn't a mediocre gift merit a mediocre escort? Unless..." Hirofumi's face scrunches up in self-pity.
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Apr 2, 2014 02:41
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Marumaru Naganori Naganori leans over to get a closer look at the sword. He examines it carefully, up close, from one end to the other. Then he nods. "This thing is amazing." He stands up, shaking his head. "There are layers of meaning here. My sensei back at the Archive would probably spend weeks staring this thing." Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 03:11
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Akihabara looks between Kei and Kozue, blinks, and... "Oh! Yes, yes, the other gift." Akihabara goes to get this one himself. He slides another box out of the cabinet, opens it, and carries something over to you. "Governor Bakami asked me to carve this as well. I'm not sure if it's a gift. All I know is you're supposed to take this back to her." . . . Akihabara is holding a sturdy metal-and-glass display box. Inside is a large, masterfully detailed Mobile Suit Ō-yoroi mecha model with a Monkey Clan symbol on it. If you're a fan (or you're not a fan but you run a search), you can tell it's not an official one, but it fits the show perfectly while cleverly avoiding potential legal issues. Beside the expertly crafted model is a smaller figurine of an original Mobile Suit Ō-yoroi character who coincidentally looks a little like Toku Bakami.
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Apr 2, 2014 03:21
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Toki Misuko Misuko snaps her attention towards the plastic construction before her. She doesn't know mecha at all, but a Kakita Artisan knows real art when she sees it! The craftsmanship! The intricate design! The flagrant dance around copyright! "Ara... I think it all makes sense now why she tasked you to make this sword. Yes, perfect sense." She slides right past Kozue and Kei, and whispers to to Akiba's ear. "can you make a figure of me too?"
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Apr 2, 2014 04:13
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Komori Hirofumi "Now that is something." Hirofumi says, looking close and giving an appreciative whistle. "Worlds apart from anything mass produced, but of course, you know that. You are truly among the great artisans of the day." "So, ah, that is all of the packages, right? Nothing else for the governor? We should be going, then."
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Apr 5, 2014 03:14
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Ujina Risuta Ujina Risuta looked squarely at the gifts presented, almost appraisingly (however obviously not because that would just be plain rude!). "I am sure that the gifts presented in their totality will be more than adequate for Toku-samas designs." he remarked, as tactfully as possible given the recent outburst by TORTOISE CLAN OF THE MOST RUDE. Not that Ujina Risuta would imply anything untoward happened to anyone or anything in this given juncture.
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Apr 5, 2014 12:04
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Kohaku Kozue Looking to Hirofumi, Kozue corrects with a raised finger, "Not crummy. Average. As born by billions of samurai throughout history, doing its duty despite its lack of fame or hallowed place in a Champion's hall. So many samurai have relied on blades such as these and never found them wanting." She nods to herself in her self-assured fashion, and then looks to Kei warily. "I'm sure most of use are quite aware of what it's like to rely on such a sword for one's life, after all." Putting her hands on her hips, she says to Akihabara , "I don't think any katana is 'average!'... though I suppose if one were, it would look like that."
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Apr 7, 2014 03:59
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