Session Start: Sat Sep 11 15:24:08 2004 Previously, on Hunters: Taki's past came rocketing violently into her present - a clan hit squad savaged a Warabi-area team. Lady Snowball is dead, Lady Goggles is kidnapped. She recognized a number of the attackers, and the connection became obvious to everyone during the in-battle conversation that ensued. ...the Hunters retreated to the Agency afterwards, and decided that they needed to pursue the attackers before Goggles had the chance to spill the wrong beans. They packed for the road trip while Maya went over to the palace for a Court session. There were some useful changes in SOP that were approved there, but afterwards she met up with her team at Tokyo Central Station for the late- night train out to Maeboshi. Taki's village, though, is up Mt. Akagi some distance, and so they are gathered at the foot of the mountain path to start the last leg of their journey. [Friday, January 30, 2004 - 530 local time] [On the side of Akagi-san] [session start] * Leena looks up. And up. And up. * LadyMysteria stands there, looking up as well; she's dressed for what could be a long trip, and looks somewhat drained, if alert. "Now for the fun part." ... this looks like fun. Who'd live up here anyway? * Lord_Darkmoon stands with his arms crossed, hands in the opposite sleeves of his actual uniform - the black and purple hakama. His expression is cold, only a hint of rage staining the otherwise steely calm. ... and I'll betcha that there's not a single ice-cream pla.... * Leena glances at Taki. "... ya'know, that explains your cooking variety." Leena... * Taki who is technically the tour guide, hasn't said a thing for a long while, and doesn't seem to want to stand with or be apart of the group. * LadyRoyal cracks her neck as she looks up, her own slightly-fuller-than-usual satchel on her back, and an extra one in her arms for Maya. Well, no point in hanging around here. Let's go. Is everyone ready? How many can we expect, Taki? How will their defenses be organized? How do we get to the leader, if we're to talk rather than kill? * Taki gestures for everyone to follow her, as she heads towards the path. * LadyRoyal follows. Ready here. * LadyMysteria tags along behind Taki. "Yes, Taki... whatever you think would help us, please." * Leena follows, staying untransformed, still almost-walking even up the slope. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes narrow, but he follows Taki silently. I don't know... I never thought about attacking my village... Getting to the leader shouldn't be a problem. ... let's not talk about that yet. ... The attacking part. What's the place like, first? Do they have many guard animals? How well trained are they? Well um... It's quiet. No electricity or anything. * LadyRoyal gives Darkmoon an exasperated stare. Quiet works in their favor then, probably... Nothing that would interfere with training. * Lord_Darkmoon returns Royal's stare with a cold one. * LadyRoyal doesn't see it, as she's turned away already. It's no fortress... just a place to live and train. Maybe 400 people or so in the whole village... * Leena kicks Darkmoon in the shin. She's just Leena at the moment, so it doesn't hurt to much. "Save it for when it's needed! We'll fight if we have to... but no sense in glowering over it right now..." ... there's a fair chance we might be attacked, even if only in defense. Leena, why aren't... no. Forget I asked. But it's risky, Leena. * Taki doesn't really look at the group as she talks. She just keeps trudging forward. You think I don't know? ... I'd like to hear the good things about the place, first. Is that so wrong? * Lord_Darkmoon glowers, eyes glowing for a moment before stopping, at Leena. Leena's right. This isn't a factory for killers. It's Taki's home. Or was, anyway. There're scouts, of course, so try not to look too threatening. Trust me, I'm not. But... look, let's be honest for a second, Mina. Something's gone wrong, and the moment Taki shows up, questions are going to be asked and things might flare up. We need to be aware of that... but not expecting it, I'll admit. I know. * Leena has stopped her enthusiastic almost-walking, now walking at a calmer, heavier pace. ... * LadyMysteria glances Taki's way for a second. "Taki... I know I'm upset, but believe me when I say I want this resolved without a single person harmed." But I know *I* certainly have never given thought to how someone would break into my home and, if necessary... Shut up and let the girl talk already, will ya? *this is said with a touch of sadness, and lacking any amount of force behind it.* * Taki sighs and looks down to the ground as she walks. * Lord_Darkmoon continues on at his sedate, almost eerily quiet pace. His eyes don't -seem- to be looking everywhere, but somehow he doesn't seem unaware of his surroundings. * LadyMysteria goes quiet after her honest comment, looking up the mountain proper. * LadyRoyal glances at Leena and snorts. * LadyRoyal continues walking. I knew I'd come back here eventually... I just didn't think it would be like this... There's still no sign of the village ahead. Well, who would expect you to? What do you mean? * Leena sighs. Like I said. No-one would expect you to come home on the other side of the people inside. At least, I hope not. I don't know what side I'm on right now... I just want there not to be sides... It is a different world than yours into which we're walking, Royal. Look, guys. There are going to be lookouts. There are going to be people inside. Taki hasn't been back for a while. I doubt she'd know the precise location of every one, the precise schedule of guard rotation, things like that. Dammit, Royal, we don't need to be reminded! If we go in expecting the worse and acting all grim and sour and mean, of course this'll turn out bad! Then maybe *some people* need to stop looking at things that way. * LadyRoyal doesn't look at Darkmoon. This could go either way! And I'm hoping for the happy ending, thankyouverymuch. Can we not argue? That much is obvious. So... do we just go in through the front door and pray for rain? It seems like the only thing we *can* do. Silence, Royal. Leena is right; we should let Taki speak. ... Rinada, your tone of voice. * LadyMysteria doesn't look his way, but her own tone says it all. * Lord_Darkmoon pauses almost imperceptibly. "Yes, my Lady." * LadyRoyal ignores Darkmoon. Alright, Taki. Continue, please. * Leena huffs at Minami, crossing her arms and trudging along. I don't know what to expect right now... Something tells me... from what I was told, that things have changed somehow for the worse. I left before I was 10 years old... It's hard to remember details from back then. Everything seemed so big... * Taki goes quiet again as she continues walking. ... only 10? ... wow. ... why? * LadyRoyal keeps walking. Yeah, why? Did someone help you out, or... It must be hard to return to your clan after so long...under these conditions. I hope you needn't choose between your old clan and your new. * Lord_Darkmoon sounds almost gentle, but with a hint of irony as he's almost not talking to Taki, but to...someone else? Lots of reasons... I wasn't fitting in really well... My parents thought it better that I left and tried to live a normal life. * LadyMysteria nods... then sighs heavily and closes in on Taki enough to place a hand on her shoulder. My grandmother who raised me while my parents were busy died... The other kids didn't get why I wanted to be quiet and left alone. That didn't really change when I moved to the city though... * Taki sighs. There's something about a distant person that begs some people to try and get them to open up, y'know? ... but maybe it's sometimes best to not do that. * LadyRoyal sucks in a breath like she's trying not to snicker at that. Some people just talk too much. * Taki sounds rather bitter as she says that. ... * LadyMysteria smiles, just a little, then backs away from Taki and keeps on walking. ... I hope she's alright. * Leena grins. "And some don't talk enough, but we won't hold it against you." ... Leena, you live for moments like that, don't you? * Leena blinks. "... huh?" * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles darkly. "Never mind, Leena. Shouldn't Taki be in the lead, to introduce us?" Well, she wouldn't be Taki if she talked as much as I did. Taki, would you prefer to do that? What? Oh... yeah. * Haruko hollers from down the Mountain path. "Can't you guys go slower, I'm not used to all this walking" My clan is one of the oldest ninja clans still in existence... There were always rivals... I don't know if something might have happened between them... *she seems to be more talking to herself than to the rest of the group* There was supposed to be peace though... That's what my Dad always wanted. ... oh, Haruko. Guys, let's stop for a moment so she can catch up. * Leena looks back over her shoulder, and slows down some. ...I didn't know clans still existed. My father...*shakes his head* I hope your clan will be as you remember it, Taki. * Lord_Darkmoon stops and turns back, looking down the stairs at the rest while he waits for Haruko to catch up. He does not look nearly as sympathetic as he sounded. (looking) I always thought being a ninja was so cool, when I moved to the city. Knowing that I had something no one else did, sorta helped me get by. * Taki doesn't really pay attention enough to stop and wait and she keeps on walking. * LadyMysteria slows some, looking over her shoulder now and then. * Lord_Darkmoon rests a gentle hand on Taki's shoulder, stopping her, when she gets even with him. * Haruko hustles to catch up, not wanting to bother anyone, but not wanting to get lost either. * Taki starts and looks up at Darkmoon. "Wha?" * Taki shrugs his hand away. * Lord_Darkmoon nods down to Haruko, who just caught up. "Take the lead?" As you look up the mountain, there are a few wispy plumes of smoke in the distance, maybe a kilometer or so away. ... are they all good ninjas? Like in kung-fu movies, or are they all ninja-in-training? ... I wonder how you could tell, if you were one yourself. It looks like someone must be cooking breakfast. We're getting close. * LadyMysteria notes the smoke. "Getting closer..." She takes a deep breath and moves as the group moves. * Leena tilts her head for a moment. "Rice, rice, and more rice?" Is there any traditional greeting or clothing or ritual we should observe, or that you need, as we approach? Well it mostly depends on your age. Once you reach a certain point in your training you focus more on your specialties, since everyone has a gift. I don't think fighting our way out is really an option... Let's try not to reach that point. ... I thought ninjas were just about being sneaky and deadly and not being seen? And martial arts, too. ... you mean some people are better at the sneaky part, and some are better at the fighting part...? Well there's different weapons and styles to fighting. Yeah, some are sneakier than others. Some are good planners and strategists. I imagine they had to take over some elements of life that other types of clans and peasants provided, as the world changed. I don't want to fight at all. Just... get Junko out and leave. ... noone here wants to fight them. Saving Junko comes before avenging Snowball. I get the feeling that she's not here... I don't see why they'd bring her all the way back here... But hopefully this will point us in the right direction... ...I will know who employs them, now. Though I fear the answer... *trails off* The village isn't exactly secret. They do get the occasional tourist. We should be able to walk right in. It's really hard to hide anything in this day and age. ...I suppose I should be more...casual than full uniform, then? * Lord_Darkmoon gestures at his hakama and samurai getup. * LadyMysteria is quite clothed for normal streetwalking duty, so she nods. "It would help." Oh, lemme see that! * Leena jumps forward, next to Darkmoon. * LadyRoyal is, meanwhile, dressed for walking on the streets, so also does not tessen-jump. * Leena holds out her hand, fully expecting him to let her borrow the tessen. ^_^ ...very well. *looks almost disappointed as he uses the tessen to return his clothing to what he was probably wearing before transforming - a t-shirt and slacks* * Lord_Darkmoon hands the Tessen to Leena. * Haruko is dressed just about as normally as possible, so she's probably fine. * Leena uses it to adopt a dark blue kimono, with pink cherry blossoms imprinted on it. There's the same ribbon that's present on her transformed outfit on it, too, a huge red ribbon tied at the back of it. ... ... Leena, you're not serious. Wasn't the point to be...never mind. *shakes his head irritably* Well, it'd be fun. Just wanted to try it! * LadyRoyal has been ignoring various people and is just walking, walking, walking, somewhat behind Taki. * LadyMysteria rolls her eyes and catches up some with Taki. Please just don't try and draw to much attention to yourselves. * Leena changes, again, to blue jeans, sneakers, and a black long-sleeved shirt with the outline of a heart in deep purple on the front, and hands the tessen back. Don't talk to anyone unless they speak to you first. * Lord_Darkmoon takes it, and puts it at his hip again before walking on with the others. His face is a bit relaxed, now, though he's noticeably grinding his teeth. * Taki looks over to Leena. "And don't touch anything." * Lord_Darkmoon nods with a grunt to Taki's instruction. The group comes around a clump of trees, and suddenly there's the village, arrayed slightly below them on the mountain. The first houses are just a few hundred meters away. There are a few people in the streets, and what looks like an organized group of students in a clearing on the uphill side of the town. * Leena raises an eyebrow at Taki, a bit miffed at the comment. "Hmph." Hm. * LadyMysteria doesn't exactly rubberneck, but she's getting a good and honestly-curious look at the place. * Taki takes the group through the village, head straight toward the main building. * Lord_Darkmoon takes a deep breath, almost as if savoring the place. "My father would love this." * Leena looks around! "Looks... pretty peaceful." * Haruko looks around but tries not to stare at anyone. The village itself looks like a direct transplant from the mid 19th century, except better than any true old town would have been. It's almost iconic in its seeming perfection. Very peaceful. * Taki looks around a bit, and is sorta taken aback about how the place looks now. .... I wonder if they got gift shops here. ... Leena. This isn't a theme park. Well neither is an airport and they have gift shops there... Sorry. * Taki continues leading the group through the village toward the leader's house. * Leena looks apologetic. "... I was just wondering." ^_^; * LadyMysteria sticks with the group, seeing what she can see. * Leena does much the same thing as Mysteria, except cuter and more bouncy. A few of the folks in the streets turn and watch as the team goes by, but their stares seem to be of amazement rather than threat or fear. * Taki tries not to stare at any of the people as they bring back memories of her past. Well, that's a good sign. I imagine they're not used to having visitors. Not too often, no. The town is quite small - maybe five or six hundred live here at the most - and Taki has led the team to one of the larger houses, one with two attached dojo. * Lord_Darkmoon looks it over appraisingly. ... we're here. Wait here. * Leena nods. "Waiting!" * Taki walks up to the door and politely knocks. * Lord_Darkmoon nods-and-grunts again. * Haruko quietly waits There is a brief pause, then the door opens. A young woman steps into view, wearing a traditional kimono. * Maid bows. * Leena doesn't bow? She does wave, though. * Taki bows. * LadyMysteria lets Taki do the talking, staying back. * Lord_Darkmoon gives a formal bow, but smaller since he's not actually greeting. I am Taki Kurosaki, I wish to speak to Heishiro Kurosaki. I'm sorry, the family is just getting up for the... ...is that you, Taki...-sama? *blink* Yes. * Leena blinks, looking from the maid to Taki and back to the maid. * LadyMysteria follows the exchange as well. * LadyRoyal blinks, then figures it out. * Maid struggles for a moment to find an adequate answer. * Taki looks a bit worried. * Lord_Darkmoon smiles quietly, almost amused by this scene. ... -sama? * Taki tries not to show it though. ...I'm sorry. Kurosaki-dono no longer resides here. I think the family is staying at the old forest retreat now. ... But they... I'm sorry. * Taki bows again and backs away. ... so who's staying here now? *blinkblink* * Lord_Darkmoon eyes the Maid with a...strange expression, then nods to himself, and watches Taki. * LadyMysteria holds her peace, but looks slightly confused. Um... who does reside here now? * Haruko looks at people, trying to figure if they know what's going on either. * LadyRoyal keeps quiet, but starts being a little more cautious. * Leena nudges Taki, quietly saying "Ask about Junko, too." Abeno-sama does, with his children. Okay... Thank you. *quietly* There have been many changes, Taki. I can see that... * LadyMysteria looks towards Mina for a moment. * LadyRoyal quirks an eyebrow at Maya. If I may be so bold, it is good to see you return. Thank you. It's been too long... * Maid ducks her head. "I must return to my cooking." Alright. Thank you for your time. * LadyMysteria keeps her voice down. "Something feels off..." * Maid closes the door carefully. Mm. * Taki bows again before turning back to the group. * LadyRoyal is still keeping her eyes open. * Leena reminds Taki about Junko with another nudge. Perhaps we should see your family, Taki, to find out what has happened. Yes... I need to speak to my father before anything else happens... Let's go. The town is slowly waking up. The class up the hill is making loud noises whilst running through an arcane kata. * Taki walks past the group, back out of the village. Alright, Taki. * LadyRoyal follows Taki. * LadyMysteria turns and follows, looking back for a long moment at the town proper. * Haruko trails behind Taki, hesitant to ask what happened. * LadyRoyal turns back too, narrowing her eyes at the main house for a bit, before returning to the walking. It seems like such a pastoral scene to Maya's gaze - it's hard to reconcile this with the scene at the mall just the day before. * Leena heads after Taki, taking a moment to get a retreating look at the town as a whole. * Taki has gone back to quietly thinking to herself as she walks ahead of the group. Heh. So beautiful... * LadyMysteria finally tears her gaze away. The outskirts of town have pens for some limited amount of livestock, and there seems to be a (now leafless) orchard or two, but there are no large fields for crops. * Leena eyes the pens. ... no hope of ice cream. That is the least of our...and their...concerns, Leena. * Leena glares sharply at Darkmoon. "I -KNOW!-" I wonder if this is like with the Yakuza. Where it's just a splinter group... Taki sets a fast pace back down the trail, aided by the slope of the mountain. The team quickly reaches a small branching path out of sight from the village, and she turns onto it. * LadyMysteria ignores Leena's snap-back, watching the path. Sorry if that's not all I think about... I'm trying not to think about it too hard. * Haruko taps Leena's shoulder Um, if you want, we can get ice cream later * Leena whirls around, and gulps at Haruko, like her mouth has suddenly gone dry. "That's ... that's not it at all. Just trying to distract myself." Oh... Sorry. * Lord_Darkmoon represses a sigh...almost savagely forcing himself not to relax with one...as he says, "Leena. We can't afford distraction; it's too dangerous, too easy to slip up if we miss something." The path is quiet, and seemingly very lonely. It heads straight up a steep slope and over a ridge. This is lovely country, though. I wouldn't mind staying here for a few weeks, just to get away. * LadyRoyal gives Darkmoon a thoughtful glance, but turns away after a few seconds to continue walking, still carrying the two satchels. ... Dorkmoon! *she looks away from him quickly, and goes back to looking around at the scenery.* * Lord_Darkmoon winces, but hardens his expression once more. How much further, Taki? The team reaches the ridge, and finds themselves almost on the front steps of an ancient wooden structure. Not too far. In fact, here we are. * Taki approaches the door and knocks. The forest retreat is essentially a two-story log cabin made out of extremely large tree trunks. It looks well-maintained, but very weathered and maybe somewhat drafty. Wow, how old is this place? Way older than you and I are. Wow. I can imagine... you can almost feel the history. * LadyMysteria just kinda boggles at the retreat. ... looks as old as the Mallet does. ... I don't know if it really is old, but it looks old. Wonder if it's the same here? There's no response from inside for almost half a minute, then there is a shuffling sound and the door unlatches. * Mutsumi opens the door, and peers out... ...Taki!? ... Mom? * Taki stands there awkwardly, not sure how to react. ... * Mutsumi is a beautiful woman in her early thirties. She is wearing a rich- looking robe, and seems somewhat worn down. Oh, gods, Taki! * LadyMysteria mouths "mom" to herself, looking between Taki and Mutsumi. * Mutsumi grabs Taki and tries to break the girl's back. Or maybe she's hugging her. * Mutsumi sobs on her daughter's shoulder. * Taki urks as she's hugged and tries to hug back as best she can. * Leena blinkblinks. She's not really sure what to do, so she just watches. * LadyRoyal twitches forward at the grab, but then settles down after seeing the hug. * Haruko gets a tear in her eye. A touching reunion of mother and daughter. * LadyMysteria may have twitched as well, but relaxes. * Haruko pulls out her cell phone to take a picture. ... you'd think her mom would wear more black than her.... What's the matter, mom? Why are you crying? You never cry... * Mutsumi lets go after a moment, and kisses Taki on the forehead. * Lord_Darkmoon watches, trying hard not to let this scene touch him. I haven't seen you in years. It's my privilege to cry, girl. * LadyRoyal looks away. Or around. Or both. And who- Oi, Muts-chan, who's there? Dad? * Leena eyes Darkmoon, annoyed. * Heishiro ambles into view. He's in his late fifties, and badly balding. He's still quite fit - the muscles are perhaps a little hidden under fat, but you can tell this is a man you don't want to mess with. It's Taki! These are um... my friends. * Taki gestures at the group. * Leena waves. "Hiiiii!" *^_^* * LadyMysteria bows very politely. * LadyRoyal bows courteously. * Haruko makes a little wave and a slight bow. * Lord_Darkmoon bows deeply. "It is an honor to meet Taki's parents. I am Seisshou Rinada." * Heishiro frowns, then forces a more neutral expression. ...Taki. It is good to see my daughter again. It is good to see you too, father. * Heishiro goes over to his wife and daughter and drapes an arm around each. * LadyRoyal straightens up, her face neutral as she watches the reunion. Come, come, join us for breakfast and tell us all about... *looks around* your life. * Leena smiles. Yay, happy family scene! * Lord_Darkmoon also rises, a carefully polite smile on his face. "Thank you." Awwwwww! Okay. Thank you. * Taki looks like she's trying really hard to be tough and not cry. * LadyRoyal gives a slight bow. "We apologize for the intrusion..." * LadyMysteria smiles, a little. "Thank you for the kind offer, sir." * Leena nudges Taki. "You should smile! At least for them. You know you want to!" I'd be honored to! Pardon my friends, they're used to life in the city. * Taki blushes a bit. I expect you are too. * Taki looks down, a bit embarrassed at that. Yes. * Mutsumi slips away from the others and pounds on a trap-door in the floor. A sleepy-looking servant girl pokes her head out of the basement, and is informed that the family needs an early breakfast. * LadyRoyal looks down. "I do not wish to intrude. I can wait outside." ... No, no, please come in. * Heishiro sounds like he's giving an order. * Leena glances at Minami, worriedly. "... just being cautious?" * LadyRoyal shoots Leena a look. "Polite." * LadyRoyal blinks at Heishiro. "...ah. I'm honored." * Heishiro directs the group over to a grouping of cushions. * LadyMysteria keeps relatively quiet, although she nods once at the not-quite- order. * Lord_Darkmoon allows himself to be directed inside. * Leena blinks, and shrugs, like it's lost on her. "Well I, for one would love to meet Taki's parent's." *she glances at Taki* "Are you sure these are the real thing, though? I thought they wear more black than you." * Taki leads the group inside, taking off her boots like a good girl. * LadyMysteria de-shoes as well, because... well, it's only polite to. ... Leena. * LadyRoyal slips off her shoes as she enters, head slightly down. * Leena takes her shoes off, too. She knows that one. * Lord_Darkmoon also removed his shoes in the designated area, and very properly takes a place where the group's been invited to do so. * Mutsumi starts to prepare the meal, and is quickly joined by the servant - it appears that the girl is as much trainee as staff as Mutsumi is demonstrating and discussing the steps of preparing certain dishes. * Haruko slips off her shoes and sits down. * Leena grins hugely. "Just teasing you a little. I mean, honestly, you'd think you'd ... ya'know... smile or something." This is all said with a joking overtone. * Heishiro eyes Taki balefully, obviously wondering why his daughter brought the crowd here, but then relaxes. We apologize for the intrusion, sir, and thank you for your hospitality. * LadyRoyal tries to look unobtrusive, and listens covertly to Mutsumi's cooking directions. 6: ...so. You are all my daughter's friends - how is she getting along in Tokyo? * Lord_Darkmoon sits back, letting those who actually go to school with Taki answer that one. Pretty good. ... she's got her own place, and everything. * LadyMysteria puts on an apologetic smile and sits on one of the cushions. She also may or may not be paying attention to the cooking directions as well. "As far as I know, she's doing well, sir." * Lord_Darkmoon doesn't seem to be paying attention to them, though he nods almost imperceptibly once or twice at something the mother says. * LadyRoyal kneels on the edge of a cushion, back straight, hands on her thighs, face blank. * Leena grins a bit sheepishly. "And she's doing better than me at school." * Haruko stays quiet, not knowing much about Taki I'm doing well. How are things here, father? Why aren't you living in the village? It's particularly good to see that you are making friends these days... ...mmm. * Heishiro sits back and contemplates the group. "That is... a long story, Taki, and perhaps not one best spoken of in front of outsiders. I suppose not... Um... ... ....do you require help in the kitchen? *to the others* I apologize, but if you have come this far, you know that our little society here is not... typical. Or elsewhere? We can assist you there, while you and your daughter speak. * LadyRoyal nods. * Leena looks at Heishiro curiously for a moment. "... yeah." * Taki stops as she isn't quite sure how to get into the subject of why they came. * LadyMysteria nods, slowly. ...Taki, I think that maybe you had best explain why you have returned - and why you have come in this way. You maintain a lovely home, and your village is a model of order and tranquility. *there's an air of rehearsed formality about this compliment, but he probably means it, too, mostly* ... I know Taki's got her own questions... maybe ours wouldn't be private though, and we can come back and ask them when you three are done? * LadyRoyal remains on the verge of standing up, waiting for Heishiro's response. * Heishiro waves the others back down. * LadyMysteria seems ready to voice her own offer to leave Taki and Heishiro alone, but his wave quiets her up. Please, if I need to have a private conversation with my daughter, I will do so later. You are guests, and it would be rude to send you away. * Leena glances at the door, as if to go wait outside, then stops at the wave. * LadyRoyal looks as if she's about to object, then returns to her kneeling position. ... it'd be more rude to not let Taki go first. She's waited longer. Umm... Well I... a friend of mine was taken by members of our clan. And since Taki brought you, it- * Heishiro gags, caught entirely off-guard by Taki's bluntness. There's a lot to explain, and secrets I'm not supposed to share... * LadyRoyal winces. We can wait a few minutes so you three can get back up to speed... really. * Haruko lets out a small oof. * LadyMysteria closes her eyes and suppresses a grumble. ... and boundaries that need to be defined by Taki, too. ...one of your friends. Taken by the *clan*? Members of the clan. I needed to find out whether something happened to the entire clan or if was a separate group that had split off. Forgive our young friend's rudeness, but she is correct. We have intruded on your home quite suddenly, it is only polite to let you commune with your daughter. We are here on unpleasant business, and I fear we shall break more rules of cordiality before this day is over. * Leena hmphs. "How can you take so long to say the same thing?" * LadyRoyal opens one of the hands on her thighs, and flicks a "shh" motion at Darkmoon and Leena. The clan is the clan, Taki. You know that well. * LadyMysteria just silently wills Leena to shush, opening her eyes again. When was this? Yes, but what happened? Are you even still in charge? It was... just yesterday. Your... friend. * Heishiro looks around, much more carefully, at his guests. * LadyRoyal goes very still at Heishiro's response. * Leena turns up the Cute at the scrutiny, clasping her arms behind her back and smiling widely at him. * Lord_Darkmoon returns Taki's father's regard with a carefully formal expression. * Haruko looks a little scared. * Taki looks a little embarrassed to just blurting things out. * LadyMysteria focuses on Heishiro, but says nothing. Taki... are you a Lady, too, or is it just most of your friends here? ... [end session] (some minutes later...) ... (CURSE YOU, LAG!)