Session Start: Sat Jun 05 15:30:13 2004 Last time, on Hunters: It was the closest call to date - Lady Deer was maybe one more attack away from dying, but the team held back the thugs and the follow-on ninjas, and things turned out all right. Barely. Afterwards things wound down as usual. Leena had a banged-up knee that needed to regenerate fully, but otherwise it was a standard evening in the hot tub. A couple of days later, they come back to the Agency to follow up... [Sunday, January 4, 2004 - 1150 local time] [Blossom Detective Agency] [session start] * Taki walks up to the Agency in her casual street clothes. Her black long coat now has a large stitched X on the back where she tried her best to repair the slashes and still make it look "cool". * Leena is back to her almost-walking state- skipping and hopping, but with an implied limp with one leg. Her hair today is in a french braid, with a largish blue ribbon tied on on the end, wearing a black dress with a pink glittery 'Princess' shirt. * Secretary is waiting in the lobby, fully dressed in proper secretarial skirt, blouse, and tie-thing. The gun she's cleaning on her desk is a jarring note, and she looks a little younger than a real secretary should, but hey. * Leena is also approaching rapidly! * Lord_Darkmoon arrives on time, pony tail hanging down outside of his hoodless grey winter coat. His hands are in its pockets. Today, he's actually wearing a pair of bluejeans. He waves to the others as they arrive at the door with him, breath steaming in the cold air as he smiles in greeting. * Minami walks in the same way she normally walks! Wearing the clothes she normally wears! It's SO WEIRD! * Minami waves at people too. ^^ * Leena wouldn't be caught dead in Minami's fashion style, because it's so weird. * Taki heads into the lobby and waves slightly at the Secretary. * Secretary stands and bows as everyone come in. Ano, has anyone seen Maya-sama? * Minami wouldn't be caught in Leena's clothes either, 'cause they're made for little kids! :P Ummm...no? There a problem? * Lord_Darkmoon returns the bow as he enters and takes off his coat, hanging it on a coatrack in the lobby. He's got on an emerald green turtle neck underneath. * Leena bounds inside, coming to a stop with a hop, and waves cheerfully at the Secretary. * Minami O_os a bit at Secretary's formal manner. I don't think so, but I thought she was going to come in, and she hasn't. Ano... maybe she has to see the Queen privately. Oh...well, maybe she's still recovering. Or, uh, something. I have not seen any of the group since the last time we were here. I hope nothing's wrong. * Taki shrugs. * Secretary shrugs. May we go on into the main room? Please go back - we have a visitor, and it would be improper to keep her waiting. Er, right... * Secretary buzzes the door open. * Minami goes in, then. * Lord_Darkmoon bows slightly once more before heading in. * Taki raises an eyebrow but doesn't ask. Oh. Who? * Taki trails the rest of the group into the main area. Who do you think, Leena? ... SAKURA! * Minami steps back, blinks, and smiles. "Hey there, bigtimer." * Leena runs at her, arms outstretched, and jumps as she gets close. * Lord_Darkmoon has a wide grin on his face as he bows to Sakura. "It is a pleasure to see you again, My Princess." * Sakura is dressed up as well - it's an American-styled suit combination, in white. * Sakura is buried in Leena. "Ooof!" I trust you are doing as well as you look? Lovely suit. * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles at Leena's antics, but keeps his distance. * Minami eyes the Leenaglomp. "Yes, but it could do without that MG-shaped brooch." * Sakura pries Leena off of her and sits down on the couch. Indeed. It does not match the rest of the motif. * Taki keeps her eyes low and slips into her spot leaning against the wall in the corner. "Yo." * Minami takes a seat too. "So, what's up?" Are you okay? We missed you! Are you doing okay with the Queen? We won last time, too! Hey, Taki. Hey, everybody. * Sakura kicks off her shoes and puts her feet up on the coffee table. I'm doing fine. And I hear you did all right, too. I believe this calls for some tea. *heads for the kitchen, smiling* * Minami winces. "Barely...but we did it." Well, we all heal well. * Leena winces for a moment. "Yeah, barely. But we won!" So it's the result that matters, not the details. Yeah... And... yeah, life with the Princesses is interesting. I get to dress pretty. Well me getting my knee nearly blown off is a pretty important detail, I'd think. *hrmphs* * Sakura preens. ...then again, I get sniped at if I don't. Stupid snobs. * Lord_Darkmoon walks back in, empty handed. "I'll bet it is. Left water on to boil. When'd an American tea set get in there? I'll go back when it whistles." Is what you're doing now really as important as the Queen made it out to be? I do not envy you the position at all. Well... I still think she's easing me into things. But since I have to oversee Pie's old op-area, I'm really busy. Oh... * Sakura suddenly looks more serious. Speaking of Pie... have any of you run into Hardhat? I have not. * Taki listens quietly to the conversation, shaking her head no in response to the question. * Minami shakes her head as well. .... I've been wanting to stop by and say hi... and sorry. But... *stares at the ground* A few Ladies in my region and a few in Majestic Tiara's say they've been stalked by a helmet-wearing girl in the last week or two. ...stalked? ... ...followed, at least. .... ohgodno. *draws in a quick breath.* Just followed, or....something worse? Stalked was my interpretation. Ah. But you know me - I'm more paranoid than the Queen. * Lord_Darkmoon turns quickly as a whistling comes from the kitchen. "That was fast..." He returns very shortly thereafter with a small tray containing 1 cup for each present person, a metal teapot, and a small container of teabags. * Lord_Darkmoon sets this on the coffee table, and makes himself a cup of hot water with teabag in it. * Taki furrows her brow, thinking about what Hardhat could be doing. * Minami shakes her head. "Can't help your training." Teabags? You're slipping, Rin. *big wink* ... I've got to see her, now... Your "paranoia" is well-earned...and could be a saving grace. *looks slightly embarrassed* Not used to serving western tea... Should we look into this helmet-wearing girl? It's just something you might want to be aware of. ..."see her", Leena? I don't quite follow. ... I've got to apologize... How are you going to find her, Leena? I've been actively looking ever since... then. I don't know. I bet she'll stalk me rather than someone else given the chance, though! * Lord_Darkmoon grimaces at the slowness with which the tea bag is contaminating his hot water, and looks up. "Have you spoken to her parents at all? They are probably worried..." And we could always ask her old... 'team' for help. Oh, I'm sure she would fixate on me. Anzu has been helping me. I'm not sure if they'd know, though. * Minami blinks at the mention of Anzu. "How is she?" Lady Handcuff is turning out quite well. I've been grooming her to be my aide and occasional bodyguard. * Minami nods. "And mentally?" * Secretary walks back in in time to hear this and pouts a little. Tea, Madam Secretary? It's western... *spoken almost apologetically* Mentally, she's over the fear. She's still a bit disgusted with herself. * Secretary beams. "Please, my Lord." Well, understandable. But it's good to hear she's holding up. * Leena eyes the Secretary for a moment at the 'Lord'. * Taki eyes the secretary a bit at that. Geez. Get a room. * Sakura addresses the Secretary. "You know exactly why you can't come with me." * Lord_Darkmoon pours a cup of hot water, and drops a teabag in. "Careful, it's hot. Takes a bit to fully absorb the leaves." Oh, I know, I know... it's just... _ What's that supposed to mean, Leena? * Secretary shrugs and accepts the tea with a small bow. * Taki blushes a bit at Leena's statement. You -really- want me to spell it out? * Taki blushes even more. * Lord_Darkmoon just rolls his eyes at Leena, and returns to where he'd been standing, taking a sip of his own tea. Leena, let off. Honestly. * Leena grins widely. "Thought so." Ah, it's good to see you all again. ^^ * Leena beams at Sakura. "It is, it is! You should come see us more often!" * Lord_Darkmoon snickers and, as if he can't help himself, says to Leena, "Careful, after that magazine cover, you might be accused of jealousy." Yeah. Heh. * Leena twitches. "Dream on, dorkmoon." * Lord_Darkmoon coughs, and sips his tea. I'll tell you a little secret - that magazine doesn't print anything the Queen doesn't approve of. O_O * Lord_Darkmoon 's expression -immediately- darkens dangerously. "Oh, really." * Leena clenches her fists. * Minami snickers. She has about a 40% stake in it. I'm going to KILL her! Just wait till I get my hands on her! Oh, come on, are you really surprised that the Queen's got a nasty sense of humor? *sigh* It shouldn't surprise me. She probably got a tremendous laugh out of the whole thing. Bitch. *looks really surprised at himself for that last word, and hides behind his teacup* Hey, it could be worse - you know what they have on my card. ^^ True. And I did what I could to ease the blow - I sent those preview copies here. They didn't come back in time to see them before it hit newsstands - Maya apparently decided to skip it. *frowns* Maybe I should have been more specific. Ah well. No...-real-...harm done. ... * Leena just Glares at Darkmoon. Anyway, just ignore it - most Ladies know better than to believe anything in those, and the rest of the world doesn't matter. But if I ever get my freedom from her, she's getting such a piece of my mind. *grins, trying to look jocular* * Minami nods. Speaking of Maya, I thought she'd be here. Not too many people are overreacting about it. *doesn't look at Leena* * Sakura looks over at a clock. She was sick...and busy. I dunno. We haven't seen her. * Taki just sorta blurts out. "What about the attackers? Did you find out who's sending them? Where they're coming from?" * Sakura frowns. "In a word, no." * Leena frowns, adopting a more serious expression. "Yeah... have you found out anything useful?" But then how does she even know attacks are coming? Where is this information coming from? All of my direct intelligence is still coming from the Queen. ...and it turns out that the Queen herself *is* a source of information. * Taki looks rather worried about this. Wha...? Elaborate, please. ....hm. She has some degree of prescience - if it happens "on the Earth", she can have some sense of it, particularly if it doesn't involve things "of the Sea". So these attacks aren't from the Sea? I mean, that's something, isn't it? ...some are, though. That first one, Kenji felt the sword had Sea magic. The people executing them are not. ...that doesn't mean the Sea is or is not behind them somehow. They gotta be linked somehow to the Sea. They don't have a reason to fight us any other way, and they have Sea Magic on their side... Money. ...anyway, she seems to have other sources of information as well. And those are things she has not seen fit to share. They seem to know where the Ningyo attacks will happen, too. Or at least have some way of finding out really quick, maybe the same way we do. You mean "run there when they happen"? Maybe there are some in different locations, the same way we're all split out. ...I just don't know. Well they're being trained somewhere... Maybe if we asked around for people being recruited... I won't believe that it's just for money! Why would people try to sabotage their very -EARTH- for money? And if there's money involved, that can be traced! We just don't have a good starting point. What about missing person reports? And Leena, people will do anything for money. Yeah. What if these people are being taken and being brainwashed... And...it's probably in cash. Which is traceable, but...difficult. If there's money, there's a lot of money. ...we could, in truth, discover the identities of those we've slain. Coroner's reports, or police reports. I tried that once - it was a bunch of hoodlums. Yakuza thugs. However, brainwashing or fanaticism are almost definite factors. When Spoon... ...The one I grabbed called me a "traitor", and committed suicide rather than be taken. It cannot hurt to check again, several times. See if there's a pattern of this. Maybe there are different kinds of people. Some more in the know, most not. That first time...there was a large group with just guns, and only one guy with a Sea Sword. The idea that really scares me is that maybe there are multiple groups out there gunning for us. ... Maybe if we can find how they're recruiting we could plant someone in their organization... Guns... *mutters* * Leena shudders, and crosses here arms, hugging herself. "That is a scary thought." I mean, really - this guy that Rin saw commit suicide: I never, EVER saw anyone do that in four years of doing this. How would we plant someone...? They've all been guys... * Minami gives Leena a "DUH" stare. And that whole mission - it just stunk of high-level organization by the enemy force, while usually it's been just small groups of low-skilled individuals. They seem to be getting more organized. I dunno. I just don't know. Weren't there ninja at this last one? Even if they were just costumes, they certainly seemed to know something of martial arts, the way they sparred with Taki. *blink* ... any idea why they target specific girls? You've been doing this for a while, you must have some idea. Last time they had a distraction force while those... others snuck in behind us... Now they have ninja? Gyah. * Minami bites her lip, thinking. I told you, Leena... There is no pattern. Ninja fall to swords just fine. It was the gunmen 'distraction' that did the most damage, honestly. But for all their organization with the sniper they still shot the wrong girl... Hmph. I distracted them right back! We looked. We looked and looked and looked. The only pattern is that it seems to be very evenly spread out. Which is a pattern, and a bit of a disturbing one. Hell, just look where all you've been since joining - in every part of the city except the far southwest. * Sakura nods. ...on the other hand, I have a bit of other progress to report. So you think the next attack will be there? I wonder if that's where we'll go next--you do? ...oh? Oh, yes. I've had the authority to do some quiet interviews with a bunch of Ladies, and have found about seven other victims of that... Lord. ... Oh, reeeeally. ... Do go on, please. * Taki goes quiet again at the thought of him. Deer and Gothic mentioned they thought they might have seen him a little bit ago... Like we thought, he's been at this for a long time. Four of them are Princesses, but this happened back when they were Ladies. Two of them saw him without a mask, and we put together a sketch, though it's almost useless. ...why? * Sakura opens a folder and reveals a sketch of a generic Japanese young-teen face. * Taki eyes the picture. ... because he's grown up since then? How many boys have you walked past on the street that look like that today? I saw two dozen on the way to the train station this morning. Still, that shouldn't change his features *that* much....gah. Somehow, the anonymity may be protecting him. It was three-four years ago for both of the girls who helped with this. He's not too distinctive. *shrug* So... If that's the only protection he's got, he'd dead meat eventually. Only if you could -catch- him. There's no pattern to -his- depredations, is there? Well, he started wearing that mask, and so nobody has gotten a full look at him in years. ...no. Except it's almost always immediately after a Ningyo attack. And counting Deer, three of his victims have also been attacked by assassins. ..... So he's even harder to find than our usual quarry. *carefully sets down his empty teacup, so as not to break it. His fists are clenched angrily at his sides* Hmm... That... isn't quite a pattern. I think. But it's something to keep an eye on. ... Quite. * Minami mutters. "So they might've been right after all..." ... any more good news? * Minami then shakes her head. "The 'after a Ningyo attack' thing makes sense, though. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to command them." Nozomi saying she might have seen him? Yes. She likely was - it seems that he likes to follow up - almost all of the victims think they *might* have seen him again a few weeks after. Why would he follow up transformed, though? But was he? Ah, well. Would they recognize him if he weren't? With that mask, and all... *shakes his head* I wonder if it'd piss him off if someone stole his look. You think he's working with the assassins since he seems to know when the Ningyo will strike? Might be... they've got some way of knowing where. ...could be? Maybe it's just in the right place, at the right time. Where have most of the girls who have been attacked operated? No, they've been reacting too fast. ...all over. Just like the assassinations. Not them. Him. ... oh. ...ah. I won't deny there are a lot of common-looking threads. That's why I've made sure I have jurisdiction on this issue. If the two threats come together or are working from the same sources, then we'll be able to recognize that. I hope. Anyway. I'm hearing that there's a new mission coming for you guys late next week. Right. Next week? ... still got some time free, then. ...you know... unless he was picked up by someone like Pie, he should be a known Lord, shouldn't he? Investigating them - there aren't that many of us, at least not compared to the number of Ladies - may be the most fruitful path. Gah, I mean this week. Was thinking it was Saturday. Tried that, Rin. No dice. * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "Okay. ...mission, this week? How late in the week?" He could be completely unfound. I don't think there are too many like Pie...at least I hope not. Any lords mysterious disappear or die under unusual circumstances? If it were possible to go unfound... *shakes his head* Somehow, the Princesses know when we "awake". Or something. Nah, there's no special Princess-sense. It's just 'fate.' *She hisses that word out.* It's just the Earth Magic bringing us all together. Fate. * Minami shakes her head. "It is possible to go unfound. For a while." * Minami glances away, then back. What are we supposed to do? We don't have anything to look into at all. We just have to continue being on the defense... And 'Fate' hasn't brought this bastard home? What good is it, then? Sorry, sorry. Sore subject. I'll drop it. * Taki looks rather annoyed at that thought. Well I don't know about the rest of you... but I'm gonna try and find Hardhat in the meantime. If you can work out a way to go on the offense that doesn't risk a protectee, you're welcome to try. I think you should've let me go after the men with the earpieces, since that's the only time we've ever discovered our aggressors in advance... If only there were a way to make one of us the next target... then we could choose time and place of assault. Who knows if we'll ever get that chance again... That's easy. We tell the protectee what's up, and one of us disguised as her, or herself, run as soon as it starts, maybe drawing away the attackers or splitting them up. If we can trust them not to panic, take it out of context, think we're lying or in league with them or any of a host of other things. The Queen doesn't want that. Still. I've been trying to convince her... We can't take the offensive if we keep our protectee in the dark. No, we can't take the offensive if *we're* in the dark. Besides, they have a right to know what might happen to them! The Queen says not. Right, so they can go around like Deer and Gothic? Like they will be anyway? Probably neither of them never feels safe, ever. Especially not Deer. It's all blown to hell once the attack happens. * Sakura grimaces. "That's the only point I entirely disagree with Her Majesty on." They're going to find out anyway. ... if they survive. Well they seem to get a pretty good clue that something is up anyway when the fighting starts... That's different. To tell them that there's a group of people who decided that they had to die, who picked them *specifically* as targets... It's like the Queen doesn't want us to figure out what's happening... I think... I think there's been a spreading awareness of the problem. So many attacks have happened now that it's just sort of "in the air". We can get them out of the picture, get them to try and arrange circumstances in our favor, delaying or drawing out the fight for a while so we can scout the crowd... Some will know exactly what is going on. Some won't. But the rule still stands. I can not countermand it. They can manage the Ningyo fight so that they end up out of danger or in cover. * Lord_Darkmoon snickers. "You know who the perfect target, from our perspective, would be?" There's a difference between something happening to you and something happening to you because it's *you*. And you can't trust all MG's to be level- headed about things. They can willingly step out of the fight, one of us taking her place. * Minami glances at Darkmoon. "Leena?" She sounds almost too eager. * Sakura cuts off the conversation. ANYWAY. * Lord_Darkmoon looks tempted, but replies, "No. Someone we know who is quite indestructible by any force normal people can bring to bear. Sakura's old friend, Lady Granite." Right, because we're all qualified to take on Ningyo by ourselves. Oh, excuse me Leena, that's just you. Which is convenient 'cause you've wanted to be on the front lines the entire time anyway... *cough* Sorry. ^^; ...point. * Minami shuts up. ... The mission coming up? It's a Squeegee special. * Minami twitches. ...not another delivery. * Leena says flatly, "She's getting it in pieces." The only thing I've gotten out of her is that it *is* a delivery. Whoopee. I swear, I'll make sure I've the strength to carry it...but it may not be intact. *glares* We've got more important things to do than play beck and call for some chain jerking! And she says that you're all "perfect" for it, since it needs to be kept confidential. * Minami suppresses a snerk. ... she's not just getting it in pieces. Leena, be nice. She's getting it with a free gift. A blood-soaked sponge. Hey, Leena, you ever wanted to play tug-of-war with a werewolf? *grins mock-evilly* Speaking of being nice, I got a pleasant call from Princess Purity this morning. * Minami rolls her eyes at Darkmoon and Leena's bitchings. * Taki doesn't give her opinion vocally, but her face shows her disgust and annoyance at the matter. * Lord_Darkmoon straightens and clears the expression from his face, listening to Sakura. She was... very pleased with you. Though she didn't want to say it explicitly, I take it that she would have been most unhappy if more shit had happened to those girls. * Leena rolls her eyes. Minami must be rubbing off on her. "You don't say." So she delivered a gift basket to me. ^^; * Taki smiles a bit at that. o_O * Minami echoes Darkmoon's expression. Yah. Go figure. ...that's about all I had on my agenda... but a lot of you wanted to speak with me privately? * Taki looks down a bit, not wanting to be the first (or only) one to speak. ^^; I just wanted to ask...is your offer of firearms still open? I fear I cannot move fast enough for my sword to truly be of use, most of the time. ... guns. Mmm. I wish you would have realized that earlier. * Leena closes her eyes, and looks away. Yes. Of course I can get you one. But... I don't have the time to train you personally. I understand. And I don't have any resources for training you at hand. I can set up a firing range, though. I would...prefer...something that can fire automatically. Much as I dislike them, I cannot deny their effectiveness. I apologize for my earlier recalcitrance, it was foolish arrogance. A firing range would be most adequate. * Leena gulps, swallowing back something she was going to say. You mean like a submachinegun? I believe so, yes. Or do you mean a automatic pistol? Subguns are a little harder to come by. We *do* have these gun laws... They don't have any trouble getting by them! I...am not familiar with the finer distinctions. I've seen them used...they have a very long grip that extends into a magazine, and fire quite rapidly. And I understand if they're not available. But we're the good guys, Leena. * Minami was about to say something, then stops. "Basically." If, however, you are concerned about concealment...I believe I can disguise it as a armband or something. I can get you a pistol for sure. I'll let you know about the uzi. * Lord_Darkmoon bows. "I thank you." He seems to be containing some nervousness at this prospect. * Leena stares at the ground. Her voiced has dropped to barely audible. "... get me one too, please. I can carry a heavy one easy, if that's any help." * Sakura grabs her folder and looks back at the secretary, who shrugs. You too, Leena? ... just in case. * Minami raises an eyebrow at Leena, but otherwise ignores her. ...I think you might be best suited for a heavy pistol - a subgun would be really hard for you to conceal. And you have the strength to handle the largest, most powerful pistols. * Leena tries to hide a grin at that. She's only partially successful. Understand - the guns will remain *HERE*. They will not go home with any of you. * Lord_Darkmoon tilts his head. "As you say." Sure. You will check them out for missions or training, and the Secretary will track them. I would not know how to explain one in my room to my family, should they visit, anyway. * Leena looks up at Darkmoon. "Can't you make it look like a squirt gun?" Or something? Why would you carry around a squirt gun all the time, anyway? * Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head. "It usually wears off after a while, if it's away from me, if it's a major change." And I will monitor your progress with them - they will not be used on missions until I feel you are competent enough not to be too dangerous with them. Of course. ...sorry to sound like a mother. ^^;;; ... I probably won't need it anyway. *cough* ...I don't think my mother could have this conversation without fainting. * Taki stiffens a bit at the mention of mothers. ...mine could. But that's a long story. I -know- my father would have an apoplectic fit to hear me make this request. *seems amused by this* Heh. ... oh, yeah. Do you mind if I hang around your area? I want to try and find Hardhat... ...I think it's better if you don't. Not on your own. ... whatever I get from her, I deserve. This'll eat away at me if I don't do this. It's too dangerous, both for you and for her. And for the scenery. ^^ Leena, it's not your fault. It's Pie's. * Leena narrows her eyes at Sakura. "Don't say that. Don't even THINK I would lift a FINGER against her unless I had to!" I only want to say sorry. ...if my guess of her current frame of mind is at all correct, you would have to. So you won't stop me? ...do you want me to make it an order? Fine, not alone. I'll bring someone with me. Leena, I am best suited to deal with her. I can order her down long enough to get things under control. I will let you go looking, IF you take someone else from the team, and IF you promise to call me if you find her. ...and not approach her without me. ...just, make sure you have Handcuff with you at the time, my Princess. You never know when orders will fail... ... I don't want more Orders used against her. And I'll not go alone, and I'll call you if I see her. ...as long as it's one of us with you. Fine. * Leena smiles. "Thank you!" ...was that it, then? ... Taki? I think Maya wanted to talk with you... ...I hope nothing's wrong. Uh... no. I'm... don't worry about it. I just wanted something to start looking into to find out who's recruiting these guys... Unless you have Yakuza ties, I don't think you'll have much luck. * Taki swallows a bit and continues looking down at the floor. ... that doesn't sound -that- hard. To find someone with Yakuza ties, anyway. Sure, but what will you have to do to get them to help? Maybe or Lord or Lady who has them? Can be Ordered to cooperate? ... if we get that lucky? o_o You -are- kidding, right, Leena? ...no, of course you're not. We aren't that lucky. Trust me. ...well, fine. I'll call Maya later, see what she wanted. Well, what about money? Lots of it? Too obvious. ... Uh, Sakura? * Sakura stands up and straightens her skirt. Yes? Just how late next week will this next mission be? You want to mess with the Yakuza, you don't go blundering around like that. Don't know. Why... oh. That time? ... * Leena blinks blankly at Minami. Well, how then? Tuesday through Thursday. *nods* I can already feel it, a bit. * Minami slaps her forehead. "There are very few safe ways to go about it. And we don't want to focus attention on us from *another* angle, one that makes its living out of being dangerous." Probably won't get in the way. I'll suggest to her she wait. * Sakura jams her feet into her shoes. * Lord_Darkmoon bows. "Thank you. And...it was good to see you again. You must visit again sometime soon." Yes, please... * Taki looks sad. I'll have to, when the guns come in. * Minami nods. "Definitely." ...Taki? You're sure there isn't anything? ... Taki? No... It's nothing... ... we'll leave so you can talk to her alone, if you want. I just ... miss you being around. And stuff. * Lord_Darkmoon looks to Taki, with all these people seemingly worried about her. "You're sure, Taki? Leena's right, we can let you speak to her alone..." I said don't worry about it. Well I'm worrying! * Sakura smiles faintly. "I miss all of you, too." * Taki sounds a bit more forceful than she means to. * Minami doesn't pester Taki. * Minami does glance at her, though. *shrug* If you don't say it now, you'll regret it later... * Lord_Darkmoon nods to Taki. "As you wish, my Lady." Leena, stop pushing her. * Lord_Darkmoon looks aside semi-guiltily as Leena says that. I'll see you... well, it shouldn't take two weeks to get the weapons. The pistols, at least. ... fine. And--well, we know you'll let us know as soon as something happens on the other front. * Minami fehs. "Any of them." -_-; Don't piss off Squeegee. She started it. * Sakura waves, and heads out the door. Bye Sakura! * Secretary opens the door, bowing deeply. Bye Sakura. * Minami tries to ignore Leena. * Lord_Darkmoon rushes up to get the door. Byyyyye! * Taki bows in return. Goodbye, Princess. * Lord_Darkmoon can't let a lady get the door for herself, after all. Not gentlemanly. * Sakura breezes out the front of the agency. * Leena waits for the door to shut, then looks around the room. "So, who's coming with me?" * Taki slouches in the corner and slides down till she's sitting on the floor. * Lord_Darkmoon closes the door behind her. "...well...unless you girls wish to discuss anything further, I suppose we should go home. --going with you? Oh, Hardhat." * Taki doesn't look up at Leena. Actually, Taki, you are! I'm what? * Minami glares at Leena. "How very kind of you, asking her and all." * Leena bounces over to Taki, and kneels down so that she's at least attempting to be eye to eye with her. But I-- Why d'you want to go *now*, anyway? * Lord_Darkmoon quietly starts cleaning up the tea-paraphernalia that's in the living room. * Minami drifts over to the other side of Taki, continuing her glare. I don't have anything planned, and having heard what she's up to... I can't take it. So? And why Taki? I bet Darkmoon wouldn't mind going. Okay I'll go I guess... But only to keep you out of trouble... * Minami looks down at Taki. "You can say no, y'know." I'm not gonna sit around and sulk and feel bad. I'm not gonna waste a minute doing so! And I want to talk to Taki, too. ... without you around. I know... * Leena glares at Minami. "Sometimes people need to be shoved!" * Minami shrugs. "Fine, then." She steps away and helps Darkmoon with the tea set. * Minami replies, barely without rancor, "And sometimes people need to *stop* shoving." So let me shove and see if I'm right. Not shoving doesn't seem to be working! * Minami shakes her head. "So impatient..." * Lord_Darkmoon nods thanks to Minami for her help, and glances at Leena and Taki worriedly. * Leena smiles cheerily at Taki. "Whenever you're ready, let's go, okay?" * Lord_Darkmoon begins efficiently cleaning the teacups after emptying the pot and leaving it to drain. * Taki stands up and looks over at Darkmoon and Mina cleaning... You guys need help? Let me get that, Lord Darkmoon. * Minami shrugs. "You can help out if you like." * Lord_Darkmoon lets the Secretary handle the cups, and puts the tea bags up. He says softly to Taki, "Do not upset yourself over having private secrets. They are your own business. Do not feel guilty for desiring privacy." * Minami putters around. "Exactly. I'm sure you know any of us would be willing to listen, if you wanted to. And be discreet about it. Well, most of us anyway." She pointedly doesn't look up, or at Leena. * Leena casts an annoyed look back. "Hey. I HEARD that." * Minami ignores Leena. She never said a name, so Leena's implicating herself by thinking that Mina could be implying her as the one she's talking about. Maybe. <.< * Taki blushes a little. "Thank you. But I'm alright, really..." * Minami shrugs, finishes up the cleaning, and heads out. "Well, if you say so. Good luck." I am glad. Stay alright. Good bye. I must get home and feed the Pets...and Aka and Tsubasa. Bye. * Lord_Darkmoon leaves. * Minami glances at Darkmoon as they walk out of the office. "So...what does a part-time werewolf and magical guy do on his off-hours, anyway?" She still looks slightly irritated, but seems to be trying to forget about it by small talk. * Lord_Darkmoon blinks, but offers a hesitant smile as he exits. "Nothing much... I spend a lot of time taking care of the Pets for the magical girls who can't, for some reason, do so themselves." I'm also a member of the kendo club at my school. But I've been missing a lot of practices lately. How about a card-sharp? Heh. Sharpening my card skills, of course. How'd you guess it's what I do outside of this gig? Just...well, it seems some elements of our costumes come through in our normal lives, so, I figured.... * Lord_Darkmoon pats his Tessen under his coat. "Like my katana, and me being in Kendo." * Minami nods and grins slightly. "That was sarcasm, but okay." Oh, sorry. ^^; Na, 's fine. * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles at his own mistake. So how'd you get roped into the whole Pet deal, anyway? It's really my only power when transformed. I can talk to animals, and I can 'hear' the Pets in my head, if they want me. Well, that and the controlling animals thing. It works on Pets, too, but not if their mistresses are around. And I don't like using it on them, anyway. ...well, except for Regal, but he's a brat. Regal? And, the Pets like me. So, when a Lady or Princess needs one cared for for a time, she sends them to me. --Regal. He's that annoying hawk-Pet of Majestic Tiara's. Ah, okay. Should I ask what your, um, thing is with Princesses? Sakura excluded, of course. * Lord_Darkmoon looks aside. "I'd rather not discuss it. We...just don't get along. Some of it...I don't like to think about. The rest just makes me angry." ...ah. Okay. Suffice it to say that I can at least be grateful for it this far: it got me on a team with girls I can like and respect. * Minami hehs a little and looks down for a sec. "Thanks, I guess." * Minami shrugs. "I don't have that much experience with other teams. But this group is pretty nice, and our assignment...well, at least now I can *do* something." * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "That's nice, too. Being effective. Even if the price of failure is worse...." He shakes his head, chasing away specters. * Minami notices Darkmoon's specter-chasing, but doesn't say anything about it. So you're holding up okay? I guess? * Lord_Darkmoon nods, smiling quietly. "I'm doing just fine. I hated having to admit I need a gun...and it still kind of scares me, but I'll be fine. You? You always seem level-headed and business-oriented. Are you doing well?" * Minami hehs again. "I don't really dwell on that kind of stuff. I guess I've always been kind of a duty-minded person." Although I dunno if that makes me level-headed. I do have to admit that the stuff we deal with is more nerve-wracking than....most...of the stuff we did before. In some ways...but in others, it's easier. With someone to protect, rather than just generally protecting "the populace", it's easier, I think, to put heart into it. Heh. Forgive me, I'm waxing dramatic on you. Don't you always? *looks curious* Not...intentionally. ^^; It's just my way, I guess. Oh, okay. Sorry if I embarrassed you. *shrug* I'm not very good with the whole small talk thing. It's fine. I'm not very good with it, either. Unless you want to exchange meaningless pleasantries or discuss ancient poetry. I have a good 200 verses memorized, and am familiar with lots more enough to discuss them in socially approved opinions. Oh, my. Mother and Father are big on Tradition. Well, if it's in the ancient realm, I'm actually more prone to prose or historical accounts, actually. ^^ Ah. Oh? Just your own interest, or have you a particular reason for studying them? I don't think you'd find much about 'po-ka' in there. No real reason...ahh...mostly I just got started young and never really lost it. And I'm not interested in a lot of the stuff that's out now. Like what Kyouko or Taki read. I know Taki's fascinated by western books...stuff on vampires and werewolves. *grimaces as he remembers how he found out about that interest* What's Kyouko read? * Minami actually blushes, mildly. "Um...stuff...manga and, ah, some kinds of doujinshi, from what she's said. I don't know what else she reads." * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "I see." * Minami coughs, and her blush fades. "So, ah, yeah." * Lord_Darkmoon and Minami arrive at the station, and Rinada notices that his train is here. "Gotta go - my trains about to leave. Thanks for the companionship. See you later this week." He waves as he runs off. * Minami nods. "Right. Bye!" She waves, then turns around and leaves. [end session]