[The MANLY! men broke into the city with the fantastic distraction of explosives. It's the dead of night, the city's in panic, and they made it through the castle walls! But oh, what is this? Someone from Tairan's past standing there... and Tairan even called him his brother! Not like this stopped Jinx from shooting at him or anything, but *anyway*.] (MANLY!) (In his defense Jinx shot him before that. :P) [They're talking about cake or something. Tairan's family is weird, and you don't even know the half of it. Or at least a third. The soldier next to said brother is on the ground, clutching at his arm, and another soldier is helping him tend to it. The rest seem to be interested in showing these western punks a thing or three, but bro's waving them back.] [Session Start.] * John stays mounted and doesn't turn his eyes from the men for an instant. ... so what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out by the west gate, responding to the apparent attack or something? *smirks lightly* 2d6-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6-1) and gets 2. * Jinx carefully moves to put his shotgun back on his back, he keeps it cracked open and not dangerous til it reaches there, when he snaps it shut. Checking with one hand that it closed properly. * BigGuy shrugs. "There's plenty of soldiers already out there." ... I coulda sworn the emergency plans called for all available soldiers to make their way either to the attacked gate or the two neighboring gates. * Jinx then just stands there and his embarrassment has passed. He's not trying to provoke the soldiers, but he doesn't look repentent either. * John shakes his head. Why did I ever let Tairan talk us into doing this? Including the leaders of the clan and their honor guard? Your memory's rusty. * Tairan blinks. "... now I remember why you went into the planning and I stuck with the hitting people with sharp pieces of metal." [All of a sudden, a woman dressed in a green tunic lands in between the two groups. And she's carrying Millie. Bet you didn't see that coming.] Oh, by the way... guys, this is Nakoto. Oldest brother. Bit uptight, but overall a decent guy WHAT THE HELL? * Nakoto blinks at the woman. "What are *you* doing here?" * John blinks. "What the heck? " * Jinx actually looks mildy bored for a second before staring at Millie. "Hey Millie! I'm here for your heroic rescue.. and I was really hoping for a better entrance." He scowls. ... well, at least this means we didn't go to all this trouble for nothing, and you guys really *did* need rescuing. * John nods. "Where are the others?" * Jinx scans Millie to see what shape she's in and whether she's armed. * Millie struggles against the tunic girl, not listening to the others apparently. "Let go-a me ya loco two-bit hussie wannabe!" [The ninja shrugs and sets Millie down more or less ceremoniously. "Lord Aki wanted me to make sure she got out safely."] * Millie oofs as she gets dumped semi-ceremoniously and glares at the ninja, puffing out her cheeks a bit. "What the hell's tha big idea??" ... Aki? As in my brother Aki? [Millie have any obvious weapons?] ... cripes, this is turnin' into a regular family reunion. *mutters* Why didn't you mention your brothers earlier? ( Duh, seeing as how you went to your family home :P ) * Nakoto leans on his double-sword. "You should have brought the cake. If you were still part of the family, anyway." * Millie looks around slowly and sweatdrops, her eyes going wide. "Ahe. Ahehe. Ahehehe...um..." She regains herself rather quick. "Hey whatcha doin'...oh nevermind.." She narrows her eyes. ... another good point. [As soon as everyone turns their attention from the ninja, she's gone.] * Tairan looks back at the others. "He was always the smart one, y'know." * John mutters something to himself. * Millie notices the big guy and quiets down, sifting a bit towards the others. * Tairan clears his throat. "Right. So. Now that I know I didn't come in here for nothing... Millie, the others *are* being held against their will in one form or another, right?" * Millie looks at Tairan for a second and then gestures her head towards the big guy, as if to ask whether it's alright to talk freely. * Tairan shrugs. "Why not?" 2d6-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6-1) and gets 7. * John rides his horse up near Millie, the repeating rifle peeping out of a bag and close enough so she can grab it at a moment's notice.. * Millie lets out a deep breath and adjusts her hair. "The whole thing was a flop. I thought we were doin' damned well too, but somehow he got suspicious for no good reason... Did you find Mary Anne? They're somewhere up there....*points to the window where she fell from* Must be cuz I got tossed out of it... * Jinx briskly walks over to Millie with a strange grin on his face and gives her a quick hug. He comments in an amused tone, "So glad you're alright." * Nakoto looks back at the castle, then to the commotion outside. He hefts his weapon. "If you want to live, you'd better leave." * Millie continues grumbling a little after that and folds her arms, looking up at John and whispering a little. "Yeah. Sword lady's carryin' her. They're lookin' for their weapons right now." She blinks and oofs a bit at the hug, grinning at Jinx. "Now this is a nice welcome." She winks at him. * Tairan pretty much ignores that touching moment as he turns back to his brother. "Don't suppose you wanna let me finish rescuing my employer, who was kidnapped by Hoshimoto soldiers at the edge of the territory?" * Jinx grins and doesn't push his luck, letting go of her and turning back to the soldiers. * Nakoto frowns. "I don't recall a kidnapping." * John looks kindly down at Millie, then back up at the goons plus ninja and Tairan's bro. In any case, as soon as word gets out that you're here, I'm going to have to hunt you down. * Jinx relaxes and puts his hands behind his neck, watching the soldiers and the conversation still. * Millie folds her arms across her chest and calls out. "Then what 'bout that prisoner we saw down in the cells mmm?" It was a kidnapping. We were near Hoshimoto lands, she walked away from the group into the woods, and next thing we know we were following Hoshimoto soldiers back here. Can ya tell me what she was bein' held on? For bein' a westerner? * Tairan grits his teeth, then looks back. "Millie... not to insult your famous powers of diplomacy... but can you *please* let me handle this?" * Jinx listens to the questioning with a self-satisfied grin. He doesn't seem to have anything to add. * John doesn't comment. For now. * Millie looks over at Tairan faintly and tilts her head to the side, rubbing her head. "Fine lanky. Be dumped out a second-story window an' see how pleasant YOU are." * Nakoto frowns, then nods. "Ah, that woman. We found her with a number of bandits. It was believed that she might be one of the Teckian bandits we heard rumors about. She fit the description." * Tairan cheerfully ignores Millie. "Anyway. Doesn't matter. We just wanna get our friends, their stuff, and leave. If you gotta chase us afterwards, so be it." ... her? A bandit? She was the leader of our bandit hunting party. Those bandits you found us near... my group had just kicked the crap outta them. * Jinx turns over to Millie and comments idly. "Yeah, that's not fun. I've been thrown out of a few and jumped out of a few. Makes me glad most Western buildings aren't too tall." * Millie grins a little at Tairan, but doesn't gloat for her "amazing powers of diplomacy." For now. * Nakoto grunts. "For all I know, Tairan, *you* could have turned into a bandit." * Millie looks over at Jinx and comments back, with a VERY low voice. "We're wastin' time talkin'. The others are, technically, escaped prisoners. We've gotta find 'em." * John keeps quiet about this. He's not looking too happy, though. ... oh c'mon, man. I've done some sketchy things in my time, but I ain't no bandit, and you know it. Hell, I even arranged to return the honor sword. * Jinx nods and says quietly. "They need help immediately?" You're an honorless thief. I can't take anything you say at face value. Until now, I was willing to ignore that, but... I think so. With sword-lady with 'em...well, y'know how she is. An' though it would make my job a lot easier if she were dead, Mikky's with 'er, an' he's a partner... Plus she's holdin' Miss Mary....err...literally. * Jinx nods and says again rather quietly. "Well, let's see what I can do to help this improbable escape." * Tairan rolls his eyes, but takes a deep breath to try and maintain his composure. "The sword is back here, right? It's here because I realized I fucked up taking it. It's back. That's done with. I don't wanna be here, but I couldn't let my employer and my compatriots just rot here. All I want is to get them, get their stuff, and run." * John nods. * Nakoto studies his brother for a moment. I ain't here for revenge, much as I'd like that. And I ain't here to get the sword back, much as I like that. I just wanna get the hell outta here and get on with my life. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6-2) and gets 7. (dr1) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6-2) and gets 4. (Tairan: I know I've said it before, but you're family is *WACKED*.) * Nakoto frowns, seems about to say something, then changes his mind. * Jinx watches Nakoto for a moment with interest, still looking rather laid back. (... Do you suffer from long term memory loss?) Fine. I'll let you help them leave, in honor of what once was. * Millie watches carefully from under her lashes, ready to move, then relaxes, but just slightly. * Jinx 's self satisfied grin is now a smirk, but he goes back to a grin very quickly. * John relaxes slightly. * Tairan actually bows to Nakoto. Gasp. "Thank you." * Nakoto doesn't bow in return. Instead, he continues, "And to assure you do so, I will accompany you." He turns to his guard. "Leave us. Make sure his wounds are tended to. And *don't* tell my father." Fair enough. *looks back at the others* Let's go get the others and get outta here. * Jinx nods and draws his shotgun again, but he's careful to keep it pointed at the ground. "Lead on." [They look more than a little surprised, but do as he asked. Nakoto nods, then starts leading the way into the doors.] About time. * John pulls out the repeating rifle and hands it to Millie. "I want this back after we're done." Shoot me, Westerner, and it will be seen to that you will never leave this city. Any idea where their stuff is being kept? A couple of my colleagues are... well, fucking insane, and they probably won't leave without their things. * Jinx nods. "That was a mistake I won't make twice." He sounds in earnest. * Millie takes the rifle and looks at John with a slight semi-fake pout. "Alraight, alraight, Johnny boy." * John smirks. *ting!* "Lead the way, please." Perhaps we should make sure your friends aren't dead first. Well, yes. * Nakoto looks over at Millie. "Well?" * Millie points to the window. "I came out from down there. It was a hall with a side-door I got lead into. Upstairs." * Millie hefts the rifle on her shoulder and rolls her shoulders. It looks rather silly in her kimono and geisha getup, but beggers can't be choosers. * Nakoto hrms, nods, and starts walking quickly down the hall, to the stairs. It's... pretty guardless. Wonder where they could be? * Jinx follows and keeps his gun far from Nakoto's back. * John follows as well. * Nakoto heads up the stairs. "If they are... That scarred woman is probably in trouble." [Frankly, Jinx doesn't give a damn.] ... aww, shit, they're WITH Aki? It would explain the ninja, wouldn't it? So this Aki has a thing against psychopaths? * Nakoto grunts. "If he did, he probably would have killed off Tairan a long time ago." Nope. Things he considers 'not beautiful'. * Jinx snerks. "Well shit.. mind if I shoot this guy Tairan? Cause I'm not so much in the looks deperatment." * Tairan ignores Nakoto's comment, with some visible effort. "Let's try to avoid shooting anyone else if we can, okay? I just wanna get the others, get their stuff, and get outta here." Gunshots are not something we want to happen in here... * Nakoto walks briskly down the hall, Millie following him. Follow, sheep! Follow! ( Quack ) ( Baaa! ) * John follows! ( Kvack! Viking duck! ) * Jinx follows along. "Alright, I won't start anything." Besides, I ain't got a grudge against him, or most of the people here. Even if I ain't a Hoshimoto any more, I'd rather not be the cause of them getting killed. * Tairan mutters. "Even if Aki is a self-absorbed nutjob." * John raises an eyebrow. "From the sound of it, shooting him just may be a favor to him." * Jinx smiles slightly. "You know, this has been the most violence-averse raid job I've every been on. But I have no quarrel with that, so long as we all get out alive." It wouldn't be a favor to you, Westerner. * John shrugs. Some of these guards were my friends, my classmates, my fellow soldiers... I'd rather bring them any more harm than is absolutely necessary. * Jinx nods and doesn't add anything, he is resting his finger a slightly greater distance from the trigger of his shotgun though. * Nakoto starts climbing another flight of stairs. * John follows! * Tairan follows behind Nakoto, quiet for the moment. * Jinx follows also, and does check the path they've taken against his best mental estimate of where that window that Millie came from was. ... that said, if I find Aki up there trying to grope Fanfan, I may be forced to hang him out a window by his underwear. * Jinx snickers. "I suspect Fanfan is quite capable of managing that herself." If he's tried that, he's probably already fallen out the window. (Suddenly a sound from outside. Ayiaaaaaaa! ::splat:: The PCs nod quietly amongst themselves.) And I mean that in the nicest way, of course. * Nakoto reaches the door and stops. Inside, you can hear fighting. "Yeah, sounds like they're at it." * Jinx comments idly. "The nice thing about being thrown out of windows is that there's often a cart of fertilizer outside... that's also one of the major disadvantages." * Tairan bangs his head against a wall, then opens the door to see how bad things are. * John chuckles. "I always land in a hay cart." He turns his attention to the door. * Jinx snerks. "You would." He then rushes up behind Tairan.