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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko sticks to dry commentary. "A mysterious metal object stuck in here. I wonder what it could be?"
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# ? Jun 11, 2014 15:11 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 02:04 |
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Asako Hanjiko Hanjiko shook her head, tugging at her obi. "There's no need for that. The Usaigaki-1280 has a calibration mode that can be used to halt the system, after which we could just remove some of the rollers and eject the obstruction. It'd probably take ten minutes with some assistance." Scratching her cheek, she adds, "I mean, it's just a thought." "Oh, and I think it's a pretty good guess that we'll have our perp, then." She walks over to the eta at the control panel. "If you're not that familiar, I can walk you through the menu..." Alien Rope Burn fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Jun 29, 2014 |
# ? Jun 12, 2014 13:47 |
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Shosuko Shosuko produces an image of the man they seek. "This man. This is my quarry." Setting it where the woman can see, she leans back, casually. "Establishments like this are of great value. Some of the more...zealous among the magistrates might seek to shut you down, but it has always been my opinion that you provide a valuable service. And at the end of the day, assuming you are willing to cooperate when we magistrates come knocking, it serves us both well not to have to demand a full client list." She leans forward again. "I only want this man. If you give him to me, you have my word you will be left in peace."
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# ? Jun 19, 2014 01:59 |
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Undercity, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Kitsuki Tsuriko, Asako Hanjiko, Oroku Misaki] Hanjiko gets to work, causing marvel amongst the eta workers. Steadily, and carefully the machine's (relatively) manual adjustment systems are brought to the fray. It shudders into motion, albeit gently. There is a slight groan of metal but it's relatively pleasant, compared to the horrific crunching and gnashing sound that would have resulted with a less delicate touch. A few more minutes of activity and slow, deliberate changes, and whatever was stuck in there becomes separated from the machine, being slowly eased out of a side dump, into a metal trolley that a helpful eta has supplied from somewhere. Even if they are curious the attending eta do not rush forward to peer into the container, however a pair of them gently lift it up and bring it closer to you, for your inspection, laying it at Tsuriko's feet before bowing deeply and backing away gingerly. Within it lies a somewhat crumpled metallic mass, something resembling limbs jut out of it - however you feel lucky that you managed to retrieve this much, if the retrieval had been botched it would have likely effectively homogenised this mass. The rest of the eta, Furui included, stand about expectantly - waiting your response. Corridors, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Iuchi Hino] You turn to the door, and perhaps for a second look back at your host, however he is gone entirely. Presumably off to wherever it is these servants come from. You enter, unheeded. Private Office, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Bita closely scrutinises the holographic projection of the figure from Shosuko's device. However his concentration is interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by Hino entering the room, unescorted.
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# ? Jun 28, 2014 15:58 |
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Shosuko Shosuko attempts to hide her irritation at the interruption. She could have been finished with this leg of the hunt by now without these others slowing her down and adding useless deceptions and distractions! Still, she has to work with them, for now, so she bites back any comment and carefully schools what is visible of her face behind her mask to show no sign of her frustration.
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# ? Jun 28, 2014 16:03 |
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Asako Hanjiko Crouching by it, Hanjiko looks thoughtful. Is it bad form to touch a dead robot? This is the first time she's had to do something like this, but... well, it has been left coated in other garbage, too. So there's that. Rising, she looks to Tsuriko. "We're going to need to do an autopsy... um. I mean, a disassembly. See what we can retrieve." She folds her arms, staring down at it. "The automaton we sought had a very odd element of its construction. If this is it, then... I should be able to identify it." She wrinkles her nose, covering her nose for a moment. Despite her more progressive qualities on the lower castes, sometimes the reality was harder to face. "May I borrow Mei's services for a bit?"
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# ? Jun 29, 2014 07:31 |
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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko stares at the robot, then the Asako, then the eta, then back at the robot, then back at Asako. "It is a robot. It is not living. It is not tainted with blood and dead flesh." Tsuriko and Mei share a look that would likely be scandelous (looking at a samurai's face?!) above the sewer, and likely a little bit here, too. "If you require her help, then she will grant it. She does not know much about the mechanical, note."
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# ? Jun 29, 2014 15:38 |
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Misaki "If I recall, Kitsuki-san, Iuchi-san's file noted that she is skilled in computer matters. Perhaps we should regroup with the rest of the team and see what she can learn from...this." She motioned dismissively towards the shattered remains. "They may have found other information as well."
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# ? Jun 30, 2014 01:15 |
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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko is clearly in danger of losing on and is smoking up a storm. The sewers only barely mask the foul smell from her pipe. "Then grab it and let's go. We are wasting time standing around talking about it. Those that dwell here no doubt have more then enough on their mind to have a group of magistrates taking in the sights."
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# ? Jul 11, 2014 07:34 |
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Misaki "Very well." Shrugging an arm out of the sleeve of her kimono, Misaki hefted up the shattered remains and hoisted it onto one shoulder. As she turned towards the exit, the leering face of an oni grinned maliciously from her back. It seems to part of a larger tattoo, and skillfully done. It is probably also highly sacrilegious. Turning her head slightly, she called back. "Let's be gone from here before that smoke causes something else to break down."
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# ? Jul 11, 2014 21:54 |
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Undercity, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Kitsuki Tsuriko, Asako Hanjiko, Oroku Misaki] So it is you make your way out of this den. Furui politely leads you out while the rest of the eta are presumably relieved that you are gone. Having fixed their problem, as you leave the begin getting the waste processor back to work. You pass through the various corridors and stairs and so on that lead you back to room Furui met you in. Given how polite he is, he insists (as much as an eta can insist upon a samurai) to lead you to the nearest exit to the surface. Heading back to the more busy area the smells and sounds of the place return quickly, having replaced the slightly disconcerting hum that was omnipresent in the service areas. However something is different, the sound of deep, loud bells ring upon the air and the rhythmic playing of chimes ushers forth, accompanied with monotonous chanting. Entering the hall you come across a strange sight. A procession of white-robed (loose, monastic robes or a close facsimile to them) people, chanting, ringing bells and chimes, wearing white masks depicting a sad woman's face moves past, lead by a white-clad monk wielding a shakujo (or a modern version of one, its rings hover and spin and rotate throughout the device and prismatic light dances around it in time to the chant. The nearby eta are having a mixed reaction, and Furui looks.... worried. Private Office, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Recognising that Hino was a part of of Shosuko's entourage, she nods politely and continues to look deeply into the hologram that Shosuko presented her. After a while of silence she looks up to Shosuko, returns the device, and speaks "I am afraid that I do not know this man. In my time here I have never personally had a customer with this likeness that I can recall, and especially not for anything... insalubrious. If he had I would have remembered. I can give you my word that this man, or at least a man with this likeness has never contacted us here for anything of that nature. If he was here at one point for something more straightforward then it is possible that he was here, but nothing that might... skirt regulations. If it would please you I could check our records to see if we have any information on him that might apply to your investigation." her voice is calm and collected, her expression has returned to being entirely neutral.
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# ? Jul 12, 2014 20:37 |
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Shosuko Shosuko smiles. "It would please me. It would also please me that any future encounters with this man should involve turning him away from your establishment and advising me that he has made the attempt to contact you. Given your cooperation on this matter I see no further need for us to take up your time here today."
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# ? Jul 12, 2014 21:21 |
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Misaki Misaki watched as the procession passed, one hand warily resting on the hilt of her katana. It was certainly an odd assemblage, and the lead monk wearing white was certainly disconcerting, but nothing came to mind to put the scene into context. Lore: Underworld: [15:58] <+Morphball> Shardix: 14 = 3k3u(4,3,7)
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# ? Jul 12, 2014 22:05 |
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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko eyes the strange procession, trying to remember anything relevant. Lore (any): 4d10o10k3 27
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# ? Jul 13, 2014 02:54 |
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Iuchi Hino "Soshi Kazuhiro would know where he is, though. Would he?" Hino finally speaks up, walking to confront Bita. "I may have done my own investigation a while ago. Given that you have pledged your cooperation with us, I trust you would be truthful when I ask why you have Kaiu Satoshi's name in your databases and why a Soshi Magistrate is responsible for him."
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# ? Jul 14, 2014 15:34 |
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Undercity, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Kitsuki Tsuriko, Asako Hanjiko, Oroku Misaki] Misaki: Nothing comes to mind that would involve these... people. Obviously whatever is up with them is somewhere outside of your field of knowledge, for now. The only thing you can say is that they aren't some kind of well-known gang or similar criminal organisation, though that does not discount them from being one that is the case. Tsuriko: You've heard rumours that have filtered through to you during your time on this planet. This procession appears to belong to a possibly heretical faith that calls itself the "Order of Tears", having appeared as though from nowhere in the last few months, lead by a formerly more orthodox monk called Gatsu who claimed a revelation was granted to him by Kamashi-okara, the Fortune of Sorrow. Since then the order has grown more and more prevalent in the Lower City and Undercity of the City of the Splintered Oar, especially amongst non-samurai. The order is not particularly large, but that is just as well, its 'truth' is... debatable, however Gatsu is said to be charismatic and has sway amongst the commoners and eta. It is not know where the Order of Tears lairs itself, but it is said that Gatsu is able to commune directly with Kamashi-okara wherever that is. The precise nature of their beliefs asides from veneration of Kamashi-okara is somewhat... obscure. But you have heard talk of them venerating the eternal rain in the Lower City as "Kami-no-Namida" or "Divine Tears", and that most of them wear these white masks that are supposed to represent Kamashi-okara. In fact, from the descriptions you've heard, you believe that the monk leading this very procession is in fact Gatsu. Private Office, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Bita is taken by surprise by Hino's sudden revelation, however she mostly covers it up. She pauses for a moment before replying, seemingly carefully choosing her words. "Although I personally do not have the knowledge you seek, I can say that if this Kaiu Satoshi is a criminal, and has presumably gained the attention of magistrates, then it would be foolish given the nature of... some of our business not to try to keep notes in case they should desire our services, as might be expected. I cannot state specifically why Kazuhiro-sama would be involved hypothetically in this matter without checking what our files say, but Kazuhiro-sama has previously elected to assist in matters regarding hinin - so I could guess that this would imply that if there is any knowledge about Satoshi's location, then he is somewhere near to if not amongst where eta gather. Assuming Satoshi is somewhere in the City of the Splintered Oar, the only area that would fill that criterion would be... the Undercity. Somewhere honourable souls like yourselves would likely not imagine delving into." she pauses again as activates something on her desk, causing a holoscreen and keyboard to form, although the content of the screen is seemingly one-sided, so you cannot see what is happening without coming to her side of the desk. "Allow me the pleasure of checking on the database for these details right now so that I might help you in this matter." she continues, typing on the holographic keys and using the 'touch' function on the screen itself at times, before suddenly her face falls. "...something has gone wrong. The database is not responding, my access and location combined should allow me to use it from here, but there's some kind of connection error being thrown up. My assistants and I will have to go check on it physically. If it would please you, you could accompany us." she finishes, regaining some composure and beginning to rise from her chair, switching the holo-screen and keyboard off.
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# ? Jul 16, 2014 01:00 |
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Asako Hanjiko "I'm well aware of Mei's duties, I just... it's been in with garbage and-" Flashback! Young Tsuriko has has a load of rotten rice dumped all over her. A mujina laughs as her finest kimono is ruined essentially forever, and then beans her with the garbage barrel. She starts to cry. "- apologies. It was selfish of me. We'll have time later for me to examine it.", the magistrate says, averting her gaze. She's distracted from her self-effacing apology, however, by the seemingly monastic march. It doesn't quite ring a bell, and that's... unusual, actually. Maybe the fire in her mind is starting to sputter out, finally? Lore: Theology is a 19!
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# ? Jul 17, 2014 22:42 |
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Undercity, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Kitsuki Tsuriko, Asako Hanjiko, Oroku Misaki] Hanjiko: Although nothing bursts straight to mind of any particulars about these people, there are some facts you do think are appropriate in this situation. Namely their mannerisms, the masks they wear, and (roughly) the topics of their chanting fit towards a fortunistic tradition of some kind, in particular one that favours Kamashi-okara, the Fortune of Sorrow. Beyond that however you can't say much about this particular sect, but they seem obscure - perhaps they are very localised.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 16:13 |
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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko's hand drifts down by instinct to her pistol, though she doesn't draw it. "Ignore the monks. It is time we left."
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 16:54 |
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Misaki Misaki nodded slightly, glancing towards their guide. "Furui. Let us continue. And tell us what you know of that congregation. I am not familiar with them." Her eyes followed the procession as they continued on their way. Something about this just didn't sit right with her, and given her upbringing that was a rare thing indeed.
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# ? Jul 18, 2014 17:13 |
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Asako Hanjiko Looking more puzzled than anything else, Hanjiko's gaze trails after the procession perhaps longer than is proper, but she then hurries, catching up to her fellow magistrates. Turning about, Phoenix gestures to the eta, seeing that the remains of the automaton are properly guided out. The examination, after all, still remains.
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# ? Jul 21, 2014 04:04 |
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Iuchi Hino All this double-talk, roundabout reasoning only infuriates Hino. The fact that this feels like yet another ruse doesn't escape her either. But there's not much of a choice here. "Lead, then."
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# ? Jul 21, 2014 09:03 |
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Undercity, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Kitsuki Tsuriko, Asako Hanjiko, Oroku Misaki] You proceed up and finally out of this place, without any further ado. Since you are carrying more than you came with, they lead you to a service elevator that is used to transport supplies, which rises up and lifts you slowly to the 'surface'. So it is you leave the rather 'clean'-smelling Undercity and are back in the Lower City. Its 'rains' still pour down, just as you left them. The sound greets you with its pitter-patter. Luckily the service elevator rises up into a section that is covered, though there are signs around (likely not meant for you but it would impolite to ignore them) warning against congregating around the service elevator, which as you leave it, descends back into the floor and has a hatch cover it. You start up your communicator and try to organise a meeting with the other group. Any particular location of choice for your meeting? Any particular details, etc. you want to convey with your message etc.? Private Office, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Bita taps on her communication device as she leads the way, a small group of other servants appear and follow her as she heads down the many corridors of The Golden Koto, moving confidently past various servants that crowd the place (who generally either part and bow respectfully, or alternatively begin trailing her), passing various rooms that (mostly) have closed doors, although their inhabitants are making some noise, mostly conversation however. Soon you arrive at some regal-appearing curtains that she swiftly passes through, entering the back area that looks similar to the corridors before, although slightly shabbier as though not quite the same attention to detail is placed here. Right now this area is empty, though the stale aftersmell of e-cig vapours is vaguely detectable. She passes a metal service hatch that is built into one of the walls with a trolley parked in front of it, she ignores a junction heading in another direction and strides straight for an unmarked door. Still being relatively quiet, the concentration apparent throughout her body language and her expression, she moves through the door - handing it to one of the servants who offers to let you past, politely, as she descends a dimly-lit stairwell of bare-bones design - most ostentation seems to have faded by now. The stairwell shortly leads to another metal door, which a certain helpfully holds open for you all as Bita heads deeper into the estate, and by now all ostentation has gone and bare metal walls and floors that are cool to touch dominate. The air is cooler here, and a distant but ever-present hum seems to dominate - likely the air conditioning system. Many doors lie down this dimly-lit corridor, but she proceeds immediately to a particular one, with a frosted-glass window on it, and a keycard lock on the left. Hino: This might be a purely incidental detail, but when you were last here you recall the lock being lit up, even after you hacked it, but it's not currently illuminated at all. Neither is the frosted glass window emitting any glow from within. Bita murmurs slightly as she examines the lock, doing a few experimental key swishes. Soon its casing comes lose, swinging open to reveal its innards. This does not make Bita happy whatsoever, further examining the door reveals that it's not even locked properly - it's not functioning either, a pair of servants slide it open, it is seemingly quite heavy, revealing the insides of this terminal chamber. However it looks... destroyed. Wires and connectors and other electronic bric-a-brac trail about, the metal shell around it seemingly having been carved open, exposing its insides - the stretch-screen has been destroyed entirely, and the holo-projector smashed. Her servants begin to mill around, murmuring, in somewhat of a panic. She turns to you and speaks, her voice tinged with worry "This would be one of the inner terminals. By the looks of it... someone has accessed the database from here, most upper levels access is routed through this terminal before it gets to the database. If you still want that information then we will... likely have to go to the actual database itself and use the terminal there, but... I confess that finding that this has happened has left me somewhat shocked..."
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# ? Jul 23, 2014 01:08 |
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Asako Hanjiko Hanjiko turns to the others. "We need a private place for the examination, and also!" She claps her hands together. "The explanation." There's the eagerness of a young samurai for a moment, and then she seems to snap out of it. "We shouldn't discuss the details of what we found too closely just yet. They're... troublesome details."
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# ? Jul 29, 2014 04:30 |
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Shosuko Shosuko scowls. "I have no care about whether you are shocked. We need that information. Get it for us, and forward it to this link once you have obtained it. Make it quick. We have little time to waste now - we must find whoever did this." She starts looking around for any indication of who might have done it or where they might have gone. INVESTIGATION ROLL [23:33] <Morphball>: Ridley: 15 = 5k2(9,4,6,1,1)
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# ? Aug 11, 2014 04:33 |
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Corridors, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Shosuko: Hmm. Although given the time you have to look at it, especially while being incidentally distracted by others who are trying to get a look, servants who are murmuring and hurrying around, and rather heavy-set servants that might not be servants at all having appeared from nowhere (but are following Bita's authority) you can only glean so much. But it looks like whoever did this used some kind of extremely sharp weapon or tool to open this, likely a monomolecular blade of some kind given who the marks flow and how neat they are (even if they were done with some force). You can't tell more about it than the nature of its destruction at least, for now. Bita bows politely and regains some confidence, leading you deeper into the corridors of this behind the scenes area. Most of the servants leave by now, although also some rather heavy-set 'servants' appear and look cautiously around. The cold metal surfaces still dominate, and the sterile, cold lighting is not remotely warm or welcoming, this is a purely industrial zone. Swiftly you arrive at a more heavily armoured set of double doors, which Bita swiftly goes through security systems to open it, letting you through. This room is fairly big, and is dominated by a large mainframe, built into the walls with a large interface/terminal in the centre. As you and Bita (and her entourage) enter the room it lights up dramatically, and a large holographic display awakens. A large, 3d animated scorpiongirl avatar forms in the projector, it looks at you dramatically before 'bowing'. "A thousand welcomes! I recognise you, Bita, but I do not recognise your guests! Nonetheless I would be pleased to serve you! My name is Sasu!" it exclaims, rather joyously. Perhaps the scorpion have a sense of humour after all. Bita introduces you to Sasu, and it is seemingly programmed to appreciate it. However given the authority Bita has noted you have (even if she did not explicitly state what you did, for security reasons), it grows more polite towards you, at least. When prompted Sasu reels off that the last information that was accessed by that terminal, as far as it can tell was first regarding Kaiu Satoshi, and then regarding Soshi Kazuhiro. Interestingly enough, Sasu also reports that about 5 minutes before this query, a similar query took place but probabilistically it has determined that this was a different user due to use-patterns. At Bita's prompting, this information is forwarded to you. "Is there anything else you require?" asks Sasu, turning to you. At this point, your communication devices all vibrate with an incoming message. It's the other party, requesting a meet-up based on their findings.
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# ? Aug 15, 2014 18:40 |
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Kitsuki Tsuriko Tsuriko contacts the other team and tells them it's time to meet, also hurry up and finish your poo poo.
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# ? Aug 22, 2014 22:48 |
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Ikoma Masaru Masaru messages the other team. "Will arrive shortly." He looks at Sasu and then Shosuko. "Is there any way to indicate who made the request", he asks the Scorpion creature. "Is such information available to you?"
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# ? Aug 31, 2014 23:13 |
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Shosuko "We should get moving. This has told us as much as we will learn from it." She doesn't say it aloud but her bearing indicates that she is prepared for imminent violence - whether from their hosts or from the source of the damage to the terminal, it matters little.
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# ? Sep 1, 2014 00:27 |
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Data Centre, The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino]] Sasu bows, turning to Masaru and speaks, its voice remaining somewhat chirpy, even in these trying times "Analysing." it pauses for a moment as its expression goes neutral, before 'life' returns to it and it speaks again "Having checked through comprehensive security footage, the first user is most likely one of our esteemed guests, and is as such regarded as being of no consequence in this inquiry. However the second user although their 'presence' is detected has... resisted surveillance attempts beyond noticing their location, any identification attempts are unfortunately resisted. Cause: Unknown. Speculation: Some form of technological or magical effect that interfered with the surveillance systems present at The Golden Koto. Sasu pauses once more as it seems to regard the group before it, before it speaks again. "The only credible information that I can give you in this inquiry is that one of our most esteemed guests has encountered what I believe is the likely culprit, as far as my sensors are able to determine. They escorted our most esteemed guest to our most esteemed host's office." Having finished its statement it then indicates Hino. Hino pauses, her prostheses clicking rhythmically as she thinks. "I believe the person Sasu is referring to was... a large man, dressed as a servant." she says.
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# ? Sep 1, 2014 15:21 |
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Ikoma Masaru Masaru grows urgent, knowing that their target could escape at any moment. To Bita: "Message your servants, and ask them to delay the man so he doesn't leave. I doubt he'll want to act openly, he does not yet know we've discovered him. Your discretion in this matter is appreciated. I understand that knowing that we are here investigating is valuable to you and your organization. It would be tempting to share that information, perhaps with a superior or trusted associate. But believe me, Satoshi represents a far greater threat to your enterprise than we do. I would have preferred that you not even know the Magistry was here. Since my partner," he nods at Shosuko, "Prefers a more direct approach, you are aware of us. I trust that nobody else will be. We do not have time to deal with a minor criminal operation, but if word reaches Satoshi that we are searching for him, and he is thus able to evade us, we will have to apply our efforts elsewhere. That will, I think, be inconvenient for everyone. But I have great faith in the ability of the Scorpion to understand the needs of Imperial security." To Shosuko and Hino: "We should split our search. We need to find him before he leaves the building. I have confidence in your subtlety. Do not let him know we are aware of him until he is in our grasp." OOC: I'm Ikoma Masaru now, which means he is now a wacky comic relief character with a heart of gold. FactsAreUseless fucked around with this message at 17:15 on Sep 1, 2014 |
# ? Sep 1, 2014 17:13 |
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The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino] You and Bita's servants scour The Golden Koto for any signs of this mysterious man. Unfortunately, there is no hair or hide of him, from what you can gather from the timestamps involved in access and presumed destruction of the terminal, the man had plenty of time to be able to escape before an alert was raised. Whoever did this used uncanny precision (and the noted unknown abilities that Sasu reported) to steal in and out while disguised as a servant with the information regarding Kaiu Satoshi, and consequently Soshi Kazuhiro. Bita acknowledges what you say, and is willing to let the matters of your intrusion here be... forgotten, rather than having to deal with the imperial bureaucracy or worse. Having little left to do and managing to get out of Bita's hair, you leave The Golden Koto, entering the golden, glowing atmosphere outside. A sea breeze blows gently across you as seabirds call out. Though given how fancy the Upper City is this could be elaborate artificial ambience, rather than how it actually is outside like this. So what do you do now? Do you meet with the others, and if so where?
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# ? Sep 6, 2014 23:16 |
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Ikoma Masaru To Hino and Shosuko: "There are a lot of surveillance systems in the Upper City. If our quarry can interfere with them, we'll have to track him down the old-fashioned way. This might not be the only place that has encountered whatever it is he did. Sadly, I'm not a hacker. We might be able to pick up his trail if we can find out who else has had oddities with their surveillance in recent days. Suggestions?" Edit because I can't read: "The others want to meet up. Maybe they'll have some information. We've hit a bit of a dead end." FactsAreUseless fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Sep 7, 2014 |
# ? Sep 6, 2014 23:29 |
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The Golden Koto, Upper City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Soshi Shosuko, Ikoma Masaru, Iuchi Hino] Hiro and Shosuko agree, and so it is done. Using appropriate applications on your devices you start hashing out a meeting place when suddenly all of your devices go off. A status san alert, you are immediately commanded to proceed to Safehouse Ra-1, breaking the standard mission silence procedures, this must very important to necessitate that, however it seems almost serendipitous, and so you head along. Safehouse Ra-1 is back in the Lower City, and you board the nearest elevator down there, watching the golden clouds disappear once more and soon be replaced by the glowing, ever-raining cityscape of the Lower City. Safehouse Ra-1, Lower City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Everyone] Fortuitously enough you manage to arrive outside of the safehouse at the same time, as per standard protocol you wait until you're inside to exchange pleasantries and utilise your myriad skills at etiquette. The grey, gloomy, and utterly plain-looking alleyway features a rather ordinary-looking unmarked double-doors which you enter, giving way to what was probably once a shop-front, however it is empty - although it does not seem dusty, only a single door obstructs you now and you continue into the place. You continue into a well-lit room with a meeting table and hologram projector at its centre, and within this room two people await you.... That is, MorsRattus's and Austeridad's characters... Safehouse Ra-1, Lower City, City of the Splintered Oar, World of Dreams [Hamzah ibn Wasim, Tsuruchi Uesugi] Having arrived in the city (and in fact on the planet) a mere half-hour before, you were given lightning-quick orders to retrieve two of the magistrates already deployed on a mission in this area, and to replace them indefinitely. These two magistrates are Soshi Shosuko and Iuchi Hino, the second of the two being very obvious to the eye given her extremely extensive cybernetics. Although you do not know the specific details of the mission the two you were sent to retrieve are being put upon, it seems very time-sensitive all in all. Even more so, you will likely need to be briefed on the mission of the team of magistrates you are about to join, various security procedures prevent such sensitive information being exchanged so easily. Infinite Oregano fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Sep 7, 2014 |
# ? Sep 7, 2014 20:50 |
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Hamzah ibn Wasim Hamzah is a very foreign-looking man. Extremely so, really. He smiles, clapping his hands together. "Ah, welcome, welcome! Hamzah ibn Wasim al-Medina'at at your service, yes?" He pulls a sealed envelope from his robe. "Excepting for, let me see, Iuchi Hino..." He makes a show of puzzling over the envelope. "...yes, that's what that says. And...Soshi? Soshi Shosuko. Yes. I said that right? Bit of a tongue-twister." He holds the envelope up. "For your eyes only, but I understand, time is of the essence. Your orders are inside." With a theatrical flourish, he bows and sets the envelope down on a table, then runs his hand over it. A second sealed envelope joins the first from up his sleeve. "Excuse me, two envelopes, one for each of you. You can check the wax seals. I have been given orders to assist in...whatever it is you people are doing. I should explain. I am a sahir - you would say shugenja, I believe? - and something of a technician. Formerly import-export. What exactly are we doing here?" He speaks very quickly indeed. Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Sep 7, 2014 |
# ? Sep 7, 2014 21:49 |
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Misaki Misaki quickly eyed the new arrivals. A Gaijin? What a nonsense name. At least it spoke the language well enough, and presumably it was house trained... Well, so be it. It wasn't her job to question her superiors, and so long as the man proved useful she really didn't care. She bowed politely in the Tsuruchi's direction while still encompassing the foreigner's presence, so as to avoid overt rudeness. "Tsuruchi-san," She paused, seemingly uncertain of how to address the other man. "...Hamzah-san." Straightening up she waited politely, a placid look on her face. Inwardly, she hoped someone else would take over the rest of the formalities.
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# ? Sep 7, 2014 22:10 |
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Ikoma Masaru "Hamzah-san. Welcome aboard. I'm sure your expertise will be valuable. We could use some fresh perspectives." Masaru isn't inclined to trust gaijin - he's a bit of a traditionalist. But he's also not about to tip his hand. Let the others bumble around with discomfort. Masaru has a job to do. Besides, the man seems like a professional. He's a bit more wary of Uesugi. Samurai should be understated, he thinks. He explains the situation to Hamzah and Useugi, hoping the others are listening. He doesn't like to repeat himself. "We're working to track down a man named Kaiu Satoshi. Designs robots, formerly of the Crab, now persona non grata. Killed a few people, either through negligence or malice, than vanished. We have leads that take us here, but not much further. We know that Satoshi was not acting alone. He has at least one associate. We don't know anything about him except that he's male, large, and is either a hacker or a clever shugenja - he has an easy time either blocking cameras or erasing footage of himself. He's a step ahead, but I don't know if he's aware of our pursuits." To the other group of Magistrates: "I am confident that your skills served well. What did you find?" OOC: I'm assuming that with Uesugi's overconfidence and complete lack of courtier or etiquette that he's easy to read, and Masaru's etiquette and investigation will make that overconfidence apparent. FactsAreUseless fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Sep 8, 2014 |
# ? Sep 8, 2014 00:50 |
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Asako Hanjiko Hanjiko, for her part, at least makes sure the remains of the automaton are secured in private storage. No point letting that go to waste, but chances are she's gotten the most she's going to get from it. Still... ... there's not much point to dragging the relic in at this time. Her scans of it will have to suffice. A surprised smile as the newcomers greet her. "Asako Hanjiko.", she introduces herself pleasantly, and then claps her hands. "It's good to meet you, Tsuruchi, and... Hamuza?" She takes a moment to look over their papers; she was once more of a bureaucrat, after all, so it's a simple matter to confirm things. With that formality over, she looks thoughtful, tapping her cheek with a lone finger as her gaze slips towards the window. "I'm afraid we have some very troublesome findings. But perhaps I should lead, because I may not have told my partners at the time." She bows to them. "Apologies. All will become clear once I explain." She puts her pocket scribe down on the table, putting it into the holo-interface mode to display visual aids. "Our unknown victim was a ronin member of the Tanken, an otokodate known for its use of paired monomolecular tanto. There are rumors their skill is such that they can pierce any armor, no matter how finely crafted, but there is no evidence to support the stories." She shows some photos of the crime scenes, and then adds, "He also had a distinctive tattoo, indicated here." She indicates the tattoo as the display zooms in. "Which is likely the key motive for which he was murdered. The tattoo contains forbidden technology once developed by the Scorpion Clan some time during the Thousand Years of Peace and abandoned during the War Against the Darkness. The technology was known by the term kage yakiin, shadow brand, tattoos that empowered their users with the power of the Lying Darkness. However, this also made them extremely susceptible to the Lying Darkness' manipulation and consumption during the War, resulting in the abandonment of the technology. It is said that the original tattoos did not have a fixed shape, but this clearly does. It represents a refinement or adjustment of the forbidden technologies, or alternately might relate to matters regarding the successor to the Lying Darkness, the Shadow Dragon. It would have provided our ronin the ability to blend in to darkness, though there are no notable signs of corruption on the corpse." A pause as she juggles around to the video of the gunshot. "Our murderer was an automaton of likely using Yasuki materials, using a small arm, probably magnetic in nature. The victim was shot from behind and there are no signs of a struggle or a reaction from our victim. He was shot through the heart and the wound cauterized by the heat of the projectile, which would indicate magnetic acceleration. Though the victim bore concealed armor, it was penetrated on both sides." She looks thoughtful, folding her hands behind herself. "The kami provided a detailed analysis of the assailant's chemical makeup. The most interesting element was the use of pure crystal. This was a vital element during the War Against the Darkness in that it was directly anathematic to the forces of the Lying Darkness. However, since we found an ordinary projectile, that was likely not its purpose. Instead, what would seem more likely is that it was used in technology due to its resonance with such corruption to detect the presence of shadow-based influence, i.e. our kage yakiin. It is possible that our ronin victim did not expect to be found while hiding in shadow, which would explain his lack of caution. Such technology would have invalidated the tattoo's effects." "From there our assailant left into the Undercity, where it tried to dispose of itself by flinging itself into a trash compactor. Thanks to our timely intervention, the compactor was stopped and the remains could be removed, and though damaged, have been safely secured should we need to perform a more detailed examination." Tsuriko indicates a picture of the remains. "Now, bear in mind we are on a Scorpion-ruled world which may find inquiries regarding kage yakiin offensive and may attempt to suppress such knowledge. I have not discussed this fully outside this room for concerns that we may have been monitored. They are, after all, a great embarrassment historically regarding the clan's corruption by an outside aspiritual force. But it seems likely that for some reason, our suspect is involved in developing technology to find this corrupting force and eliminate it. Which may mean his motives are more honorable than initially suspected, though his means are still quite arguable. Or it could be that he is involved in some dispute that only peripherally involves forbidden technology." Despite all this, she seems quite cheerful. "Ah! My apologies. I should have seen to tea first.", she says, bowing humbly. Or at least, a show of humility.
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# ? Sep 8, 2014 04:47 |
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Tsuruchi Uesugi Uesugi gives the minimum acceptable respect to those who greet him, nodding his head to return bows, until Hanjiko starts dumping the entire situation on his head. His eyes widen at the sheer amount of detail and care given to analyzing the crime scene, especially determining the chemical composition of the robot. He waits a fraction of a second after Hanjiko finishes talking, then begins himself. "So, what you're telling me is that we're chasing a ghost who hides behind robots. Robots which, I may say, seem to be awfully good shots. Great." He pauses shortly again. "Well it's not an ideal situation, but really not the worst of what I was expecting, considering our fast deployment. Anyone can be caught, with enough effort." "There any way to trace the tattooed man's movements before the shooting? Surely there was more than one camera in that area."
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# ? Sep 8, 2014 21:51 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 02:04 |
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Hamzah Hamzah listens, nodding. "Well, let me see. So you are tracking a robot designer and someone using a robot to kill people. Now, I am not a tracker, per se, but I do know something about machines. And to get a robot to do what you describe, you would need one of two things. First option, you would need to understand a situation well enough to program a robot to go through the motions of detecting a hidden person using rare technology, tracking them and killing them, then destroying itself. To do that you'd need to know in advance what your target would be doing and where you could safely have the robot destroy itself. You'd need to know the area better than a native, and also possibly see the future." Hamzah claps his hands together, grinning. "Or option two, you are controlling the robot directly. In which case, there will be traces. You bring me the robot's motherboard, and perhaps I can tell you where the commands were being sent from, assuming that you disabled it before it could have that information wiped. Which you probably did, if the controller was too busy fighting back. Now, whether this controller is your Kaiu Satoshi, I can't say. I'd need to see his designs and code and compare them to what we can learn from your robot. And of course there is the chance your invisible Satoshi is using those tattoos you mentioned to avoid being seen, that could be your camera problem. I'm just guessing here about that." Pause. "Oh, and, yes, are you interested in tracking the tattoos? For that you would need a skilled tattoo artist, yes? There can't be many with the skills and knowledge to make such things, can there?" Hamzah smiles, spreading his hands. "Oh, and tea sounds good, yes, if you are offering." Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Sep 8, 2014 |
# ? Sep 8, 2014 22:29 |