[Rising Sun Pioneers, take 66. That's a lot of takes.] [We find Tairan and Jinx in the inn, waiting for people to show up! Because that's what they do, right? Show up. The group split to get info. Mikoto and Fanfan should be showing up right about... uh, when they knock on the door. Yes. This is an excellent plan.] [It's around lunch time at this point, so people may be getting the munchies.] [Session Start.] * Tairan is eating! Plain food, since he just recently had some minor gastro- intesinal distress. * Mikoto knocks on the door, I suppose. Knock. * Jinx raps his fingers against the table. "I do hope Millie found something, because otherwise I'm tempted to start shooting residents until we find answers." He then looks to the door. "Who is it?" Ah, random violence. There's a plan I could get behind. It's just me. *a pause* Well, 'us'. * Jinx opens the door. * Mikoto is behind it! As well as Fanfan. * Mikoto doesn't look any different, except that now he's wearing long khakis rather than shorts, a black turtleneck, and his hair is dyed dark brown. ... you're not blonde. Huh. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "I'm not. May we come in?" Course. Just wanted to make sure you weren't a damn lynch mob or something. * Jinx sits down again. * Mikoto breezes in. "They don't lynch in Hellspoint, in general. Waste of time." * Fanfan looks her usual Fanfan self, but with a slightly offended, mulish look on her face. If that's at all, y'know, relevant. Anything useful? * Jinx nods. "Point. Damn disrespectful cheats." * Millie knocks on the door a few moments after it closes. * Mikoto has a seat and shrugs. Who is it? * Millie calls in from out of the hallway. "Someone you'll love in a minute. Open the door, Jinxy." * John smirks. * Jinx smiles and walks over to open the door with a smile. "Good news?" * Millie eyes Jinx evenly, without a crack of a smirk on her expression just yet. She's got one foot against the wall, with the other proping her up, leaning her back against the wall and her arms folded across her chest. "Depends on your definition of 'good.' But I got useful information, sure." She heads on in! John's probably somewhere there too. Good is getting us the fuck out of town. * John is right behind her. He gives the room a grin and takes a spot to stand in the room. *ting!* * Jinx closes the door after she's in. * Millie shakes her head slightly. "Ain't gonna happen." She waits for the door to close before she continues her sentence. "Not while Jennings has the rock." * Jinx slumps at the not leaving town soon, but thinks for a minute. "Jennings has a rock? Good, guess that means that they aren't all in it together." 'course he has the rock. *rubs head* (He threw it at Tairan!) * Mikoto glances around, noting everyone has arrived, and then stands up, dusting off his pants. "Well, now that you've all arrived, I suppose this is as good a time as any." It gets better. * Jinx looks over to Mikoto. * Millie then glances at Mikoto, tilting her head. "What is it Mikky?" * Millie then blinks. "An' whaddya do with yer hair?" * John raises an eyebrow at Mikoto. * Mikoto clears his throat. "It's dyed. I wanted to say..." He pauses, glancing around. "Well, I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear it, actually. This is where we part ways." * Millie looks sternly at Mikoto and purses her lips thinly. "Why?" * Jinx frowns and then nods. "Seeking more profitable ways to satisfy your curiosity?" * Mikoto laces his arms behind his head. "I don't have time to track down bounty hunters for fun. Mary Anne or no Mary Anne, my interest is that tablet." I believe that's our goal as well. * Fanfan frowns. An' ya ain't gettin' it before me, that's for sure. What gives? * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "I'd think you'd be the happiest to see me go. But it's a matter of expediency. I have no interest in Jan, nor Kojiro... well, that's false. I do, but it's not getting me any closer." Only interest I really have in either is as a way to get to the tablet. * Tairan pauses. "Wouldn't mind getting a few pointers from Kojiro while I'm at it, 'course..." * Millie just keeps a steady eye on Mikoto. "An' for one, who do ya think has the tablet? Yer Uncle Fred?" For two... * Millie hesitates on this part, then replies a little quieter. "You realize once we part ways, if ya get in my way, we'll be on opposite sides..." (...that spider on my ceiling just trapped and is now eating a fly right in FRONT of me.) (GAH. No manners.) * Jinx just observes the discussion right now. (At very least it should offer to share. ^_~) * Mikoto glances at Millie evenly. "I don't know who has the tablet. I intend to find out on my own, hopefully unfettered by concerns of money or pride." (Yeah, really.) I believe the lot of you might want to find that tablet... but it's always secondary, and that's why we've taken this long to get where we are. True enough. * Millie eyes Mikoto coldly. "Watch what you say. I actually wanna leave on a good note." * Jinx shrugs. "Well, I'm mostly in it for the money." * Fanfan bites her lip slightly. "But...what will you do, then?" He has a point. We've been getting distracted a lot. *turns to Mikoto* But they've been fairly big distractions. Jinx maybe. But... Huge slavery ring? Stopping a war in Shomura? Like people tryin' ta kill us, or jail us, or some such things. * Mikoto shrugs at Tairan. "What's done is done." * Jinx stands and holds out a hand to Mikoto. "Been a pleasure, good luck with your search." * Jinx doesn't seem entirely pleased by this development, but his voice is warm and friendly. * Tairan shrugs. "Damn shame, but s'your life to live." * Mikoto shakes Jinx's hand, giving a wry smile. "It was... fun," he admits, without rancor. "But as long as you all seek something other than the tablet, our paths diverge." Hold on. Aren't we talking about the tablet right now? Or am I missin' something? * Jinx snorts. "Trust the man to know his buisness." He then goes to sit down. To the best of my knowledge, you were hunting Jan and Kojiro for the bounty. Or maybe, I don't know, that she's was our best lead to the tablet. But no, you go on running. I don't care at all. His life. His decision. Ain't our place to keep him where he doesn't wanna be. * Mikoto glances at Millie briefly. "Fitting farewell words, I guess." He takes his doctor's bag from wherever it's been staying without him this however long and goes to find his horse. Yer right there. * John shrugs. "Good luck Mikoto, in whatever ya wind up doing." * Millie shakes her head and hmmphs, folding her arms and essentially ignoring mongoose-head....errr, Mikoto. * Jinx sits and sighs as Mikoto prepares to walk out. "And be careful what paths you take. Some advantages aren't worth the risk." * Fanfan looks down and gets very quiet, even for her. "Where will..." * Mikoto smiles faintly back from the doorway. "I'm not saying where I'm going. Deep down, I doubt it matters to any of you." * Jinx just shakes his head. * Millie ignores Mikoto. Well, I still owe you three or four, so if you ever find yourself in need of a guy with a sword, a gun, and a hat, pop by Hoshimoto territory. * Mikoto gives a wave and heads off to find Nami. * Jinx gives Mikoto a slight bow from his seat as he goes. * Millie waits until Mikoto leaves then mutters half under her breath but mostly audibly. "He's an idiot." His life. * Jinx frowns. "This won't end well." He then looks to Millie. "What are the details on this third rock?" * Millie frowns. "Yeah. But now he has info...eh, what do I care..?" * Millie then glances at Jinx. "What third rock?" The original tablet, the one found under the castle, and the one Jennings has, right? I didn't say it was a different rock. I said it was THE rock. As in it's a pretty good chance of it being the one you guys saw in Izu. * Mikoto is now known as Todd * John nods. Not guarenteed...but that ain't the half of it... ( He has Alcatraz? ) * Jinx looks confused. "What are the details then?" (He's the cock of the rock!) * Fanfan goes to the doorway. "...." [Mikoto is gone.] * Millie glances at Fanfan. "You goin' too?" *eyes the silent Fanfan; shrugs* Okay, so we know Jennings has the tablet. Does that help us? And the Izu tablet, not the orignal. So Jan delivered it to him? It gets better. Better is good. Apparently some bandits are hitting up Jennings too. Don't quite know for what, but he's been having a lot of trouble on that front. * John nods. So, if we attack him, a good chance we get lumped in with the rest of 'em. Oh, and chasing those bandits? Just happens to be a Shomuran woman/Injun man team...ring any bells? Wait... So they've stopped chasing Jan? They're chasing Jan too. Which probably means... Jan's with the bandits? That doesn't make any sense. Or with Jennings. Alright, so there's a new group of bandits involved that also wants the tablet. * Millie shrugs. "That's what my info told me." She turns to John. "Did Lyle seem like he was lyin' ta you?" Okay... Jennings has the tablet. Bandits are after him for it. Bandit hunters hunting Jan are hunting the bandits hunting Jennings. * Tairan pauses. "Which leaves us where?" * Millie waves her hands slightly. "I didn't say he necessarily has the tablet...but it's some sort of important rock. It's a hint though." As for where that leaves us? I think that's obvious. We go find the best way to pay Jennings a visit. Wait, couldn't the bandits be Jan's then? And this a third chunk of the tablet? Simplifies things a lot. If we stir it up so he's busy with the bandits, even better, but no guarentees on bein' able to do that.. * Millie snaps her fingers at Jinx. "An' that's a thing too. If they're Jan's..." * John shakes his head. "Not ta me." * Jinx looks to Millie's follow up. * Millie shakes her head. "Nothin' we can do if they're Jan's. But answers seem ta point to Jennings. So if we wanna know 'bout this mess, we find Jennings." If they're Jan's, then obviously she's decided she doesn't want a psycho like Jennings getting whatever it is these rocks lead to. Do you know if the raids worked? * Tairan rubs his neck. "Isn't that our basic position?" * John hmmms. Raids? Which ones? The bandits. I mean presumably they're raiding. Or did they just tell your source what they were planning? * Millie shakes her head. "Ain't no news about raidin'. Jus' that they've been hittin' up Jennings. For money or for payment probably." * Fanfan ...s some more, and th en quietly slips out the door. But they definitely want the "rock" So what do we do? Go to Jennings, and hope to sneak off with the rock in some sort of confusion? Or throw in with the bandits? I vote the later. (Jinx just has the hots for Jan.) Want to meet Jan again? ( Of course. It's not every day a beautiful woman shoots him in the head. ) (She's not even that beautiful.) * Millie snorts. "A - how do we find the bandits before they get to Jennings? B - how do we convince mother-lovin' BANDITS that we're on their side?" ( I didn't think she was that..) (Whew) ( He goes for the head-shootin' type. ) (If she's beautiful, he's doomed) Just throwin' it out there. * Jinx grins slightly towards John and looks to Millie. "I can talk to bandits fairly well, I get how they work." He then sighs. "No information about where they are?" * Tairan adjusts his hat. "So what's your idea for how we should do this, Millie?" (Why Jinx has no chance with Running Cloud, I guess. ;P) * John snerks. Jus' that we find them at Jennings. Place east of town. (Naw, more that if she was beautiful, he's doubly out of his league. :P) I say we go there an' scope the place out. Simple as that. * John nods. "Sounds simple enough." Recon's always good. But I was more askin' if you had any ideas about how we could actually get the rock. * Jinx nods. Well, may as well see what we find. * Jinx smiles slightly and stands. "Least this probably means there's bad blood between Jan and the Jennings. Let's go." Because we should prolly have some idea of the end game on this, so we know what to look for on recon. Burn the town down, take advantage of the chaos? Guards. Where the rock is. Who the bandits are. Whether we run into Eri an'.. "Duckster" along the way... * John snickers. * Jinx may have meant that last comment in jest, but he isn't really showing it. That might be an improvement here, Jinx. * Jinx grins coldly. "That's what I'm thinking." So what are we waitin'for? Okay. So you've got a few ideas. All I needed to hear. * Jinx shrugs and stands up. He smiles over to Tairan. "More than usual really." * John checks his pistols (the two in the hip-holsters) quickly, then nods. "Ready here." * Jinx checks his weapons as well and nods. * Tairan stands up, a little slower than usual, but not looking too bad. "m'ready." * Millie checks her good old trusty Greenpeace and hefts it on her shoulder, smiling. "Let's ride." She heads out. * John heads out. OMFGWTFBBQ! * Jinx does too. [You arrive at the stables! All the better to get your horses. There, you see Mikoto saddling up Nami and Fanfan standing nearby.] * Jinx nods to the two and walks over to Lightning. I don't..I haven't lied. * Fanfan is speaking very very quietly, by the way, since the others have entered. * Mikoto waves a finger disapprovingly; if he's noticed everyone else enter, he hasn't shown a sign of it. "Oh, don't be silly. We both have. And they to us." * Tairan lets Fanfan and Mikoto finish whatever they're saying, and walks over to Lightning. * Millie eyes Mikoto. She walks over to her horse without a word. * Jinx pats Lightning, checks over to make sure she's been well cared for, and then mounts once she's in a good position for that. * John walks over to Hazel and gets ready to leave. ...there are simply a few things I haven't said, that is all. They are of no interest to anyone. * Fanfan shakes her head a little. "I just don't know if I feel safe around these people any more." Now that Sakura is...dead, and you are going away... * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Now that's an interesting stance. I would think the only judges of that sort of interest would be the audience rather than the speaker." * Fanfan just shakes her head again. * Jinx then moves Lightning so Tairan can easily get on. * Tairan hops on. * John mounts up. * Mikoto finishes tying up his things. "You're safe with them, I think, to the extent that you're useful and they're pragmatists. Of course, if you decide to give up on bounty hunting and look for the tablet again, perhaps we'll run into each other." ...perhaps. I suppose so. I may just go home, though. I hope that we may meet again at some point. * Jinx waits to let Fanfan finish up. * Mikoto mounts his horse. "Maybe we will. Good luck looking for your... whatever it is you're looking for." * Fanfan mini-bows at Mikoto. "It was an honor to know you." * Millie waits too, on Midnight. ( psst psst psst Kill Fanfan psst psst ) ( Who is Fanfan riding with anyway, now? John or Millie? ) * Mikoto leans down and whispers to Fanfan, in a very practiced, low voice: "Tell them now and get it over with, unless it's dire. I have this feeling you'll be better off." (Isn't that up to her?) * Fanfan just swallows and ducks her head down, either in reticence or acquiescence. ( Well, she's too polite to just swing on behind someone. I think. ) * Jinx looks over to Fanfan and speaks quietly so as not to tip of townspeople. "We're going to go scout the Jennings place. Do you want to come?" * Fanfan jumps a little at the attention. "...would I not stand out?" * Millie blinks and looks at Fanfan...then looks at Jinx. "Hmm..." * Millie looked as if she was about to say something before but silly Jinx interrupted. * Mikoto hitches up and, presuming Fanfan nor anyone else has anything to say, rides off. If you would, so would I? * Jinx nods. "All of us but John really." * Fanfan just looks after Mikoto with a forlornish sort of look, then turns to look at Tairan's outfit. "Your clothes are not as noticeable." * Tairan takes off his hat and tosses it like a frisbee to Fanfan. "There. Perfect disguise." Yeah, really. The rest of ya don't look like... well, the normal populus. * Millie looks off in the distance away, pulling the rein on Midnight and commenting idly. "I got a spare...if ya think it'll fit..." * Fanfan jumps back and catches the hat with a little "oomph". "Er...thank you, I think." ( No, the waist of the pants is too big, especially in the butt. ... DIE. ) ( Alternate ending: Tairan fails to realize that his hat is really an Oddjob hat, and decapitates Fanfan! Oops. ) * Fanfan then blinks and turrns to Millie. "A spare what?" Outfit. If yer comin' that is. No one's forcin' ya. ( Actually the problem would probably also be up top, since she's not so big up top. >->s at Millie ) Oh. I... (*cackles* Best running joke ever) * Fanfan glances outside at the SCARY MEAN WEST -TYPE PEOPLE. "I suppose...) * Millie slips off her pack. "Great." She tosses it over to Fanfan. Better get dressed quick. We wanna head out soon. * Fanfan looks down at herself, wrapped up in blue cloak. "Maybe just the hat." * Fanfan puts it on and looks quite ridiculous. * Tairan somehow has managed to avoid hat hair, despite having said hat on for approximately the last three years. Oh yeah...that *really* doesn't stand out... * Fanfan gives Millie back the pack. "...thank you, though." * Millie points to Jinx. "But if rumors are of an Injun..." She then points to Fanfan. "An' a Shomuran runnin' 'round together..." * Millie takes back her pack. * Fanfan blinks. * Fanfan walks over to waver between John and Millie's horses. An Injun and a Shomuran and a Shomuran and a half-Injun and a westerner with really good teeth. We stand out no matter what. * Fanfan then turns to John, because [ting!]. "Er. May I?" * John shrugs. "Sure. Ya can get up just fine?" No helpin' that. Ready when you are, Fanny. * Fanfan nods, and does so. (She actually considered Millie's horse for like .00001 seconds though. That's progress, that is!) (^^) * John helps her up, but she doesn't need it so he doesn't. * Fanfan sits, perfectly normal figure in a large dark blue hooded cloak, wearing an oversized cowboy hat. Nothing unusual here, nope, move right along. * John shakes his head. "Whatever. Let's get working." * Jinx nods and gets riding. * John gets the riding thing going. [They ride out to the city! Oh no, the sun burns them up! Maybe not.] [Session End.]