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Noboru Soga Noboru sits patiently in his chair. He is a man of average height with a trim, athletic build. Wearing his slim, black suit with his hair slick and parted he is the picture of a Yokuza brother or perhaps a young businessman. It is a difficult distinction for many, a fact he is most grateful for. His sleepy eyes gaze out from amidst sharp features to observe all those present as they begin to introduce themselves. Saito he had met before and Taka Jō is a known affiliate and well regarded for his craft, yet the two women were unknown to him. Curious. Unfolding his hands and rising to his feet he begins to speak in Japanese. "Thank you for getting us started Ichiro and thank you for arranging this meeting Minobe." he says, regarding the aforementioned men before speaking to the whole room "I am Noboru Soga and this is my Elder, Katashi Soga. We are here to protect the interests of the family and our mutual employer has asked you, Elder Saito, to assist us." he pauses purposefully "As well as any outside assistance you may call upon. We will discuss everything tonight-after introductions of course."
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Apr 1, 2014 07:10
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 16:30 |
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Noboru Soga Noboru's expression goes unchained as Ichiro whispers into his ear, as if what he were being told were the details of the day's weather or the status of his latest bid on Ebay. No mind to the fact he was actually eagerly awaiting the shipment status of his NISMO chip. It would drive so well...no-focus, focus. He smiles and holds up a hand to Ichiro before shaking his head once. Saying, softly, "Withhold for now." before turning his full attention back to the conversation. "Violent measures? They will begin by assaulting our men, attacks of opportunity at first. Clients who pay us to protect them are also at risk. Any property of ours could be targeted, I would not discount arson. Should none of this work, and it will not, then they will draw arms and the streets will see blood." he says with a contemplative frown, eyes far away for a brief second "Our goal to prevent this from happening." he hopes it will not come to that and his left hand secrets itself into his pocket, he feels for the beads of the rosary. It is no time to pray, but simply feeling them is comfort enough. "I will of course try to learn what I can, but we will need to cast a wide net and use whatever methods we have if we are to learn the exact details of their plans before they act." His other hand pulls out a smartphone and his fingers fly over the screen. Stolen Secrets Database PythagoreanCup fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Apr 6, 2014 |
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Apr 6, 2014 05:07
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Noboru looks up from his phone, as the woman, the fighter, Naomi, walked, an arrogant walk. What skills will she show us, hm? He glances back down at his phone again, there must be something of use here. Back up, she walks like a martial artist, perhaps an elaborate display of kicks and punches? There's no weapon hidden on her as far as he could tell, good, attempting to demonstrate a skill with firearms in a room this small would no doubt deafen everyone inside. Back down-nothing yet, useless, useless, useless, wait...no, that's not what he was looking for either. And then the unbelievable happens. She grows and grows and just keeps growing. His eyes go wide, he clenches his jaw. This is a trick, this has to be a trick. THIS CAN NOT EXIST. He scans the room in futility. There are ways to fake this with technology...but none would fit in this room. Sleight of hand, some sort of magician's trick? Implausible. What is this? What is she? What kind of secrets is Minobe keeping? His grip grew so tight he almost burst his rosary and cracked the screen of his phone. How did he not know of this, how does no one knows of this? The clothes...they're growing larger to fit her...where did she get them? Who made them? There are so many questions. The world buzzes around Noboru as he tries to force the new reality of things into shape. People continue to speak. Noboru blinks. There are corrections that need to be made. So, he clears his throat, straightens his tie, and projects his voice. "Hold your tongue, Elder Saito has unknowingly taken great risk by harboring you. He has done more for you than you seem to know, you claim you can show respect-prove it. Did you not think showing us what you have would not provoke strong emotions in others?" Noboru chides, next her he is almost like a child, but his voice does not waver. "Of course you are the center of attention, of course he said what he said. You are an anomaly. Were anyone to discover you, discover what you can do, the government would take you and anyone close to you and they would want to ask very unpleasant questions." His heart beats heavy in his chest. "With your skills we could have use of you yes, but if you are ever discovered we will have more to worry about than the Inagawa". One titan down, now for another. "Brother Ichiro, while you may have known members of the Inagawa who have been reputable and worthy they are not our own people. The Inagawa will come for us. They will make demands of us, demands we cannot comply with. We will have our justification. All in good time Brother, all in good time." Noboru exhales. His heart is throbbing harder now, it feels like it is going to burst. One of the unpleasant parts of the job, but order had to be restored and clarifications needed to be made. "Now, as I was saying. In order to defend ourselves we must know what the enemy plans, if we can anticipate their assault and weather whatever force they've gathered with their funding we can survive the duration of the week. I am sure you are all capable of extracting information, let us discuss the specifics."
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Apr 11, 2014 03:51
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Noboru Soga Brother Katashi unleashes his wrath upon Minobe and Noboru feels a pang of sympathy for the man. His is not an enviable position and yet...this is all too strange. Far too strange. The world is not supposed to work like this, women just growing like that and then shrinking back down like nothing ever happened. Noboru needs something to calm down. "Tea, black with milk and lemon." No drinking for him, not tonight. He needs to sharp, honed, but not wired. No, definitely not wired. It's hard enough getting to sleep as it is. Noboru stops looking inward. "Taka Jō, you will find I am more than capable of falsifying electronic records to match whatever physical documents you alter-within reason, I would advise against attempting to convince them they are receiving presidential summons for instance." he smiles jovially. "And you would be remiss if you did not utilize the talents of Miss Mayfield, I am quite sure she can play a convincing government employee over the phone. A disposable number attached to the document should suffice. Stealing a vehicle is so very messy, within means, but messy." He looks back down at his phone.
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Apr 24, 2014 05:38
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Noboru Soga Steam wafts gently out of Noboru's cup as he brings it level to his nose and inhales. Wonderful. He takes a measured sip, savoring the tea for a moment before returning it to the plate. Minobe used real tea leaves, a fresh slice of lemon, and a brand of honey Noboru had only seen before in Katashi's bountiful home pantry. Quite the service. Brother Katashi always brings the best out of people. Noboru chuckles, it's an inclusive laugh, as if he was sharing a ribald joke. "You are quite ambitious, aren't you Taka Jō? Well, the context of our intelligence is that Mr. Yasujiro was just informed he will be working with Mr. Hotate and Mr. Wakai. This means they will have to meet and discuss their plans, much like what we are doing right now. If we are to 'grab' them before such a time we must grab all three, if we do not the rest will know and we will be revealed. On the other hand if we allow them to meet unimpeded they will tell their us plans without us having to lift a finger. I will produce listening devices, all I need is one of you to bug the location or if necessary bug one of their personages. Once they separate with their assignments in hand it will be simple to take them. Should they be so foolish as to trade reports back through email or phone I will be able to spoon feed them false information." This is one of the fun parts of the job. The cerebral chase, exploiting flaws, manipulating your opponent, and the thrill when you finally have them right where you want them. "Careful eyes must be placed on the cherry blossom viewing. A man is no more dangerous than when he is protecting his family, there will be security." he says, thinking of Katashi "And yet, there is much to be gained, I acquired multiple Inagawa addresses from sloppily put together mass emails. Here we have the opportunity to complete the list. We can send men to do this, if any of you wish to assist them you may." He pauses thoughtfully before finishing. "Do keep in mind that the Inagawa could be applying the very same tricks and pressures against us as we do them. Exercise caution. Do not send information through insecure lines. We will not contact any of you asking you to meet us in a dark and secluded alley way in the middle of the night. Be wary, you may be followed, if you are followed do not go home, do not visit family, do not come here. Quietly find a way to reach one of us or shake the pursuer."
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May 10, 2014 05:31
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Noboru Soga Noboru pauses "Spells?" Katashi looks down at his phone, then up at Noboru. "That's what the boss said. I've been instructed to meet with a Yamada family representative, and he's going to... cast spells on Aoshima and Minobe." "Spells..." Noboru repeats the word to himself. "When?" "I have some leeway in the timing, since I have yet to arrange the meeting. Soon enough to avoid complications with all of the Inagawa business, hopefully." "Am I to accompany you, Elder Brother?" "Of course." As the nature of what is being implied dawns on him he starts "But things like this don't happen, a woman turned into a giant today. No puff of smoke, no elaborate holograms, nothing, she just grew. Is this the way things actually are?" "With all that's happening, I just don't know." Noboru puts his face in his hands before saying "I think I might go to church tomorrow morning, if no one has need of me." "Feel free. I'm going to bed. Good night." He follows Katashi indoors, taking off his shoes and leaving his blazer on the coat rack. While Katashi sleeps, he will have work to do, he navigates his way through the darkness of their home, not bothering to flick a switch until he reaches his office. At the threshold he cracks his knuckles and sets into work. Listening devices, bugs, he's well familiar with them. Someone always needs one, whether it be to catch a cheating spouse or blackmail an enemy. The motions are familiar, well practiced, soothing. By the end of the night he has five and surprisingly sleep finds him.
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May 30, 2014 19:09
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Noboru Soga How troublesome. Noboru hustles to his feet and slides into his bathrobe. There is no question this is the Inagawa's doing, none at all. But there is no time to contemplate, he can only cover as many angles as possible and hope for the best. "Katashi!" he shouts his voice desperately trying to rise over the klaxon. "Kitchen?!" He scours the room for what can be salvaged in case the fire really does reach their apartment. His rosary, keys, cell phone, datapad all disappear into his pockets. The guns can't be left behind, a fireman could stumble across them-or worse, an Inagawa thug. No one will have time to suspect them, so he hastily hides both of his pistols in a suitcase of clothes. His smaller tool belts go in next, filling the suitcase snuggly. Finally, he pops open his desktop computer's case and removes the hard drive. Nobody is getting their grubby hands on his hardware. Stepping through the treshhold to the kitchen, suitcase in hand, he calls out again to Katashi. "Fire escape? This..." he motions to the suitcase "...needs to go in the trunk and the fire is on the ground level." he awaits his elders go ahead.
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Jun 22, 2014 06:17
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Noboru Soga The bathrobe, warm and plush as it may be, was an inadequate choice. Noboru adjusts the sleeves of the robe and dusts the white fabric down with his hands when they reach solid ground. As his bare feet touch the ground he draws his gaze to the young man who saw more than was required of him and meets his eyes. An act of wordless acknowledgement: I know who you are, I know what you know, I know where you live. The implicit threat communicated, Noboru's eyes draw across the crowd and back around him towards the building. There must be something to be learned here. Smooth plastic graces his hand and he pulls out his phone from his pockets, seeing a text message from Tanaka. Emergency, fire at home. Come ASAP. Fingers fire a message through like a cannon as Noboru swipes and begins taking pictures quietly and discreetly with the camera application, determined not to miss anything of value. One picture for every position on the clock. Then he remembers and sends another message to Tanaka. Send technician to my vehicle, may be trapped. "What a wonderful way to spend the morning." he looks to Katashi "It looks like we'll need a new place to live..." Observation 14
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Jul 10, 2014 06:19
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"Ouch." Noboru shakes his arm in pain. "I apologize elder brother, it seemed prudent to make sure he said nothing. I did not anticipate he would be so resistant." and then he bows in deference. --- In the car Noboru hefts his suitcase up with a shake. "At the very least if they were after anything incriminating they won't find it. It has to be a threat, they couldn't possibly think we'd leave anything of value behind. You don't think...this could be a distraction?" he contemplates the unpleasant possibility before continuing. He runs his hands through his hair nervously. "Ichiro, do you know where I can purchase a suit and fast? Showing up to church in a bathrobe would be improper, let alone to a meeting." PythagoreanCup fucked around with this message at 09:18 on Jul 16, 2014 |
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Jul 16, 2014 09:13
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Noboru Soga A cornerstone of Noboru's world crumbled before his eyes. As Katashi collapsed Noboru struggled to help him, but there was so little he could do, so little that could be done. As Katashi was struggling to breath they had removed his tie, Noboru still clutched it in a hand. He could only barely stop himself from forcing the paramedics to allow him on board the ambulance. He was of use to no one sitting in a hospital waiting room, Katashi least of all. All there is to do is to turn himself towards the task at hand. He forces himself to swallow down the emotion, but his gaze lingers on the spot where Katashi toppled over before he raises a hand to halt conversation and looks to Ichiro. "There should be no unease." Noboru speaks with an air of finality. "I am in charge of this meeting. Once we have discussed plans I will contact Boss Soga and he will provide us with further instructions, and, if need be, send an appropriate candidate to take command." "As for my part, there is nothing to offer any of you have not heard. Our apartment complex caught fire on the opposite side from our own, we were forced to flee. Everything of importance is safe and before I slept I managed to produce these." Noboru reaches into his suitcase and slides the bugs across the table. "But for now we will need to make more aggressive measures, it will not be long before they hear of Katashi's heart attack. We will not show the Inagawa anything less than the underside of our heels." Public Speaking 12
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Aug 16, 2014 00:06
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Noboru Soga Noboru listens calmly to each speaker, hands resting on the arms of his chair. He first looks to Ichiro, responding to the most senior of the speakers. "You may, but I will have final say on the ultimate fate of any captives. Minobe, do make sure Ichiro's...questions...are handled with care and discretion. We must be precise.". He turns from Ichiro to Katashi's men...now his own men for the time being "Eniwa, what of the debtor we were informed of by the fishing boat captain? Did any of our other clients have any information about him? And do tell me when all of the debts have been paid, we will have to respond to the stragglers with a firm grip. No one may be allowed to think us weak in this moment. For now I need half your number to assist in the ambush. Several hammers if you will. I wish to see one or two scalpels work on discovering the fate of Norie Gensai. They need not delve too deep, I only require them to do basic footwork. Follow the case, retrace the police investigation's steps." In respect to the order of things he responds to Taka Jō last, taking a more relaxed position in his seat "Taka Jō, you have my assistance. The equipment I have lain forth is at your disposal. I will forward you a secure line of contact, send me word when you are ready to begin your operation, but be aware I will be indisposed for several hours after this meeting. I have matters of grave importance to attend to and for this to succeed you will need my direct attention." He pauses for a moment and then turns to speak to Kenichi Saito, the only other man in the room who could challenge his position at the table, but who has been oddly silent. "Saito, I would like to see you carry on with your previous orders. The Patriotic Society is in a precarious position and are at an even greater risk of turning their cloaks against us now. We must keep them in our grasp and even more, prevent further spread of certain dark secrets from breaking out and destroying them. Speak to them, gain the trust of the key players, go to their client operations. If you require any assets they will be provided to you." Noboru looks out at the table, taking stake of the situation, awaiting any responses. Time is ticking, the meeting can not go on forever, he has a very important call to make.
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Aug 25, 2014 07:28
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Noboru Soga *Beep* Noboru moves his phone from his ear and places it on the table before burying his face in his hands. He had called Kakashi's wife, Kakashi was dead. There was a naive hope, somewhere, that he would survive despite what was seen, but there was no such grand fortune. With a heavy heart Noboru reaches for his phone again, he must, it falls to him now, he dials Boss Soga's phone number. *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ri-* DATA REDACTED Shortly thereafter Taka Jō interrupts, asking for funds to complete his project. "Yes, we can cover the costs." he waves the tattoo artist off, staring at his phone patiently after the man leaves the room. *Ring* There it is, there's the call, he picks up the phone and- DATA REDACTED The appointments made, plans in place, Noboru dials his phone yet again, this time for Taka Jō. *Ring* "Yes, this is me" "Taka Jō, it is Noboru Soga. You are still in the company of Miss Mayfield and Aoshima, yes?" Taka immediately straightens up, putting out his cigarette "Ah, Soga san. Mayfield san is on task at the moment, but she is close by. We are mostly together yes" "Good. I require all three of you as well as your cousin Minobe tonight. You are to meet me at <ADDRESS> by 9pm. Yes, the temple. It is imperative you do not draw your weapons." "Very well, Soga san. I will inform the ladies. We will be there" "Excellent." *Beep*
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Sep 5, 2014 07:37
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Noboru Soga Noboru elects to use his time to visit Katashi's family home, he calls ahead hoping to reach his widow for permission. Inside he scours the home for the incriminating, the dangerous, and the useful-anything that Katashi would wish his family or the law to never uncover. --- Noboru greets the priest with respect. "It is. You are to be our guide?" Searching (13)
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Oct 9, 2014 01:32
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Noboru Soga Noboru lets slip a small grimace as Taka Jō speaks, this was not the time or place for such an outburst. Before Taka Jō can even draw another breath the large man introduced as Gekido is upon them all, uttering condemnation upon condemnation as Noboru gives him his full attention and an impassive mask. A troublesome start to all this. He makes an attempt to salvage it. Noboru gathers a small breath, stoking the fire within himself once more. "Last night those gathered here witnessed what Miss Aoshima was capable of. I recall remarking very much the same, how dangerous it was she be here, how risky it was we harbored her, and what her existence means for us all. That very same night my Elder Brother called Boss Soga to arrange this meeting. This morning he died-a sudden, unexpected heart attack in a man too young and too vital for such a thing to even be a consideration. Before the body-his body-was even cold I reached out to Boss Soga so that we could meet here tonight, for this." he exhales ever so briefly. "So I apologize for my predecessor and for my guest." he inclines his gaze towards the tattoo artist. "However, if what we in the Soga suspect has happened has happened then we are to be working closely together in the coming weeks and this is a rather poor foot to enter first." Noboru says none this with malice, every word, every syllable chosen carefully. He has never had to be quite so assertive before, with Katashi at the helm he was free to be the charmer. There was no respect he needed to safeguard-how times change. Noboru gives a bow, towards Gekido and Daki. The bow he gives Gekido is standard, he allows the man a superior position, if only out of respect for the man's unknown position and company. To Daki he gives a deeper, apologetic bow. "I am Noboru Soga, though it appears you are well aware of that. These are my guests Taka Jō and Melissa Mayfield you course are aware of Miss Aoshima and Mister Minobe. I have questions, but I would hope to discuss those in private."
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Oct 10, 2014 10:05
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Noboru Soga Gekido continues his slights, not bowing in turn nor makes any apologies for his inappropriate tone. Noboru holds his tongue yet still, he had come to this meeting expecting colleagues. Daiki has done nothing to curtail his impudent associate. The mystical shine and expectations he had built up have lost their luster, it seems even they do not know the cause for Naomi's abilities, let alone where she came from. He curses himself internally for not having interviewed her himself, both he and the giant are not prepared for this encounter. They speak of realms beyond our own, clans of giants and giant-slayers, those who would contract such beings to work in this world, cursed objects, and transformation. The stuff of children's books being discussed with grave faces by tough men in black suits, it'd be laughable from the outside. Noboru files away the details, the names and places for discussion with Daiki later on tonight. Noboru ignores the brute's pleas to discuss matters of private intelligence out in the open. The man's attention seems to drift quickly, forgetting the matter entirely as he moved on to berate Noboru's subordinates. Whatever magic may exist in this world if he knows anything it is information and security of it. The best way to keep something controlled is to limit those who have access to it. He exhales deeply as the priest takes him to the side for the ritual. Noboru responds to the priest quietly, whispering "Yes, I am a Catholic. Is that a problem?" Always watching, always absorbing Noboru follows the priest's ritual. He makes careful note of what the man is doing and saying, whether or not he does things differently between people. Perception 15 Noboru listens to every word being spoken, does Naomi speak the truth? Do Gekido and Daiki earnest believe everything they say? Detect Lies 15
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Oct 23, 2014 05:29
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Noboru Soga As the barbarian screams his displeasure Noboru's face turns to stone, his eyes staring into Gekido's as if to bore holes into his skull. Noboru imagines he would be hard pressed to find anything of worth inside. This...this is too much. Surely, this has to be a test. The hypocrisy of it, it borders on absurd. The air has been fouled, Gekido clearly intends to have it out now and he will get it. "She is. In exchange for her safety, in exchange for her secrecy, she has engaged in a pact with the Soga and I am her keeper. Her silence is my silence. From the moment we arrived you have done nothing but cast a miasma over this meeting. You will listen to me now. You have threatened me and my own. Thinly disguised threats are not conduct I expect from allies of my clan. This. Is. Unacceptable. I will not sit by and let YOU lecture me on respect. You have shown us none. Every opportunity you gotten, you would spite us, even refusing to bow in turn. You would play the teacher, but this subject is one in which you woefully require instruction." His voice is confident and assertive, this is not the tone of apologies and requests. "It is as if you are here to sabotage this meeting. Your own associates have been nothing but courteous and yet you seem intent on ruining the relationship between our two clans. We need no more of this, time is of the essence, our enemies are prepared to strike at us with foul magic unknown to myself and you draw this meeting into chaos. I simply do not have the time to tolerate hindrances, at any moment I could be struck dead just as my dear friend was. Naomi is occupied at the moment, when she returns to us, you may ask your question again. You will ask it politely or not at all. This meeting will proceed as it should." Noboru takes a breath, letting the scene pause "Daiki, my subordinates will receive due punishment for their lapses tonight." he speaks, just so, the implication of 'and I hope yours are as well' hanging in the air. Public Speaking - 12
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Nov 13, 2014 09:13
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Noboru Soga "Gekido and I have much to learn from each other." Noboru responds dryly, he felt as if he had a pit in his stomach. Entering into a partnership with a spirit doesn't feel right. It doesn't sound right, would a righteous man take counsel from such a creature? "He was not the reason I requested to speak in private however. My trade is in information, it would be best to control what little leverage we have over our enemies. We in the Soga clan do not believe Katashi died of natural causes, he was a healthy man. His death was too opportune, it was as if he was staged to die in front of his own men. The Inagawa head is said to possess magics of his own which could have struck Katashi down, but the laws of this realm do not permit the use of such magic on a man unaware of their existence. This leaves myself, just as vulnerable as Katashi and an increasingly acceptable target for such an attack. It stands to reason I would prefer to continue living and to use this information against the Inagawa or at the very least learn more of what they can bring to bear against us."
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Dec 17, 2014 04:23
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Noboru Soga Noboru pauses contemplatively before remarking, realization striking him like a bolt from the blue "Of course! This is why they set fire to the apartment building. I knew they wanted to flush us out, I anticipated it, removed all the sensitive equipment and documentation before they could take it. But I had no idea. We never had to consider hiding personal effects let alone shed hairs. They must have taken something of Katashi's, it was only a few hours later that he died. Would that have given them enough time to curse him?". The logic feels right, Noboru utters his deduction with a gloomy certainty. Why else would they have set a fire? No one attempted to kill them as they fled. The only other option is a scare tactic and only a fool would think Katashi Soga would scare so easily. Noboru's head is abuzz with questions. The situation reminded him of a philosophy course he took in university. The allegory of the cave, Noboru was like the men chained to the wall. This whole time he was gazing up at shadows, thinking them the extent of the world and not seeing them for what they were. Okay, perhaps a bit too melodramatic, he thinks, but at least his feelings aren't without a reference point. He continues on after Daiki gives his answer. "You said you will have completed your investigations after midnight? I am eager to hear the results, there is much to do. My associates and I are far behind schedule in making preparations against our foes and I would not ask of any more of your time than is necessary. So, with that in mind, I would simply ask what you make of the landscape around us with magic as a factor and where would you suggest I begin if my goal is to hold out against the forces rallied behind the Inagawa until I am relieved? You say I am blessed, might I seek aid at a church?
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Jan 15, 2015 09:12
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Noboru Soga "Yes, that should do it." Noboru says as he prepares to leave.
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Jan 21, 2015 05:57
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