[It's night! You all started following the bandits, but as far as you could tell, there weren't any tracks leading away. Then again, this could have something to do with Tairan being more or less incapable of being a proper tracker. Something he may vehemently disagree with.] [On the bright side, the dead bandits aren't going to complain if you use their stuff, so use it you are. We find Fanfan, John, Mikoto, and Tairan all awake. Mikoto probably from getting his sleep schedule out of whack, and Tairan from pain. No idea about the other two freaks.] [In any case, minisession start!] * Mikoto is awake! And sitting on the grass, looking at the stars. * Tairan is seated, leaning up against a tree. Why? because if he lays down, he might roll over onto his shoulder. Which would HURT. * John is a freak! He's sitting down (duh), and looking around. "I'm surprised you're still alive, Tairan." * Fanfan sits up, shivering slightly, but calms down and looks around at the others. Fight wasn't to the death. We were both good 'nuff fighters ta make sure of that. * Mikoto blinks at the sounds of other people talking, then stands up and walks over, looking at Tairan. "You were also both pulling your punches, I think." * Tairan has his hat tipped in front of his eyes. Still, that guy seemed intent on takin' you in. Yeah, I was pullin' my punches a little. He's an pompous ass, sure, but he's just doin' his job. Didn't wanna kill him or nothin'. * Tairan spits. "Just bad luck. One shot hits him a little cleaner, and that shot to the side woulda put him out." * Mikoto mmms faintly, stretching and then brushing grass off his legs. "Tairan... tell me about..." * Mikoto takes a deep breath. "...Tamiko." ( "Tell me 'bout the Rabbits, Geo- er, Tairan. ) ( *snerk* ) * Tairan pushes the brim of his cap up with his good hand, revealing a... less than pleased look. "What about 'er?" * Mikoto sighs faintly, but doesn't look unprepared for the sudden bad mood. "How did she betray you, in the past? At least so much that the way you feel about her now..." He pauses. "I just want to hear the story." * Tairan glares at Mikoto for a moment, then sighs, slumping down a bit. "Eh, if you wanna hear it. See, it starts like this..." * John pays attention. This could be good... * Fanfan glances at Tairan and listens quietly. Bandit huntin's a low level job in the Hoshimoto clan. Usually people from the lower class families, screw-ups, people that ain't got the same psychotic ideas 'bout "honor" get sent there... commanders there are usually bein' punished, so they take it out on the troops, treatin' 'em like crap. And like cannon fodder. * Mikoto winces. "And Tamiko was from... one of the lower class families, correct? You said something to that effect." Middling. Somewhat prominant, but not near the top. She's an archer, though, and sometimes even higher class archers get assigned ta bandit huntin', just 'cause their skills mesh well with the job. s'good trainin' for them, too. But anyway... you can guess why I was assigned there. Wasn't even a commander at first... first time out, though, our arrogant ass of a commander took an arrow to the face while he was busy spouting hot air about the 'proper way' to attack a bandit camp. So I took charge, we kicked the bandits asses, and I ended up bein' made commander. Much to the old man's dislike. * Mikoto narrows his brow a little bit, but nods and doesn't interrupt. * Tairan grins thinly. "I was pretty damn good at it, too. Lowest casualty rate anybody'd ever seen. Troops loved me 'cause I treated 'em like men'n women, not like garbage ta be thrown at the enemy. And they didn't complain when I sometimes took... shortcuts 'round the 'honorable' path ta make sure we won with everyone in one piece." 'cept for Tamiko. She was always a stickler for all the bullshit rules'n stuff our clan preaches. Every time I'd pull one'a those stunts, I'd end up gettin' an earful from her afterwards. * Tairan chuckles bitterly. "Needless ta say, we ended up fallin' for each other pretty quick." * Fanfan tilts her head, looking a little confused. * Mikoto smiles wryly. "The saying goes that opposites attract." He looks at his hands a second. "It's probably easier to say that conflict brings out a different side of people." * John smirks. Was odd. She'd lecture me and the others on'n on about some minor point'a honor or another, but she'd never report any of us. Seemed like she was more exasperated with us than genuinely offended. Sometimes convenience outweighs conscience. * Tairan shakes his head. "Was real nice for a while. Real nice. Cared about her a lot, thought she felt the same... shows what I know about women, hmm?" * Mikoto says, quietly, "Or it could be her loyalty was to her companions rather than an ideal." * Fanfan bites her lip and keeps quiet. * John listens. He doesn't want to bring *his* women trouble into this. Yeah, s'what I thought too. Least until we get ta the end of the story. You guys know most'a the rest. My troops'n I were out huntin', got ambushed by Club's bandit gang. We were takin' some losses, but holdin' our own, when I saw Club makin' a beeline for Tamiko. Knew I didn't have time ta reach him before he got ta her, and he woulda killed her. So I blew his freakin' head off. Went ta help her up, and she smacked the taste outta my mouth, called me an honorless dog'n all that crap, and stomped off. The other guys in the group just said she was'n shock from nearly bein' killed, that she'd calm down. But as soon as I get home... I'm arrested for usin' a gun. Had you used it before in the course of your duties? Never in front'a anyone else, no. Practiced when I was trackin' on my own, used it occasionally when I ran into bandits while out alone... * Mikoto frowns. "So it must have been Tamiko... nobody else would have returned in time to alert anyone?" Oh, it was Tamiko. The old man just loved lordin' that little fact over me. * Mikoto sighs, fingering the now-bandaged and mostly healing gash in his right arm. "Do you think she hates you now?" * Tairan continues talking, more and more bitterness creeping into his voice as he goes. "Never said a word to me after she stomped off. Never visited me while I was in jail, on trial, when I was leavin'. Never explained herself ta me, or ta any of my friends who went ta her askin' why she'd turn me in. Just walked right outta my life, with my life." * Tairan spits. "Hates me? ... hell, I dunno. Ya don't do what she did ta someone ya care about, though." ( She was probably tired of washing your spit off the furniture. c.c; ) ( *snicker* ) ( *HWACK* "I'm leaving you." "Why?!" ) (Yeah, really. EEW.) I had a good thing goin'. I was out in the forests, away from the old man, free ta cut some corners when I thought it'd protect my guys... even earned me some prestige in the clan, for my success and for gettin' people's kids home alive. ( He's not litterally spitting, people. It the "pff" spitting sound effect. ) * Mikoto sits down, stretching out. "I think... you have every right to be upset. But at the same time, I think Tamiko is a confused young woman." His pale cheeks color a bit. "Judging from how she spoke." (Aww, Mikoto's *blushing*!) She seemed at times...not entirely sure about you. From what I heard, anyway. (Quiet! It's, uh... blood. From lack of EP. It makes the bloody all, uh... bloody. Shuddap! >.< ) (It's so kyuuuuuuute!) ( Awww! ) ( ...I hate you. ) Yeah. I think she's got somethin' fer ya. ... she say somethin' while I was fightin'? * Mikoto clears his throat. "Millie, Fanfan and I were speaking to her during the duel. And... I spoke to her privately as we were leaving." * Tairan raises an eyebrow. s'hard to tell if he's intrigued or severely nonplussed. Maybe both. * Mikoto furrows his brow a bit, as if he doesn't know how to say what he's about to say. "How old were you both? When... it all happened." ( *eyes winamp* Hey, good BGM for this scene. *puts it on loop* ) (Hmm?) ( DG: "Listless" from Unlimited SaGa. Will be happy to provide a copy for interested parties. ) s'been about a year since she turned me in. Took a while for the trial ta get set up, and I wandered for a while before makin' my way 'cross the Salamanders. So... we were both around nineteen. (*listens to winamp* Um... Is 'I'm too sexy' inappropriate for this scene?) ( *eyes the Slash-O-Meter* ...no. ) * Mikoto sighs. "She wanted you to win, Tairan. She couldn't say so because of Daigoro." * Tairan pauses for a moment to take that in, then snorts. "I'd be downright touched if it weren't way too little way too late." Perhaps she is beginning to realize her mistake. * Mikoto frowns. "Aren't you being a little unfair? I understand... that what she did hurt you. A lot. But..." He grimaces. "At the same time, try to consider where she's coming from. Her life was in danger... you killed a man right on top of her, with a forbidden weapon. Just like that. It's a lot to take in." Yeah. Still, callin' the hammer on ya is pretty... Harsh. Sure it was. s'why I understood the slap. And her not talkin' ta me on the day and a half march back to town. But rattin' me out ta the guy I despise most'n the world... pretty much ensuring I'd be at least stripped'a command, if not exiled or excecuted... I don't give a fuck where she's comin' from, at that point. I'm not asking you to forgive her! Good. * Mikoto pauses, then rubs the bridge of his nose. "I just want to say that... even a large mistake can still be a mistake." * John nods. * Tairan narrows his eyes. "Yeah, an' for some mistakes, 'sorry' just don't cut it." * Mikoto breathes out sharply. "I should have planned this out better." Tamiko knows that sorry won't cut it, Tairan. I think deep down, she knows she can never be the same to you as she was before because of something she did, potentially in haste. Then we're both on the same page. So what's there ta discuss? Tairan, sounds like she wants ta make it up to ya. ... John, how would you react if your brother said he wanted ta 'make it up to ya'? She did try to make Daigoro let you go without the duel... * Mikoto looks blank for a moment. "I guess... maybe nothing." He buries his face in his hand. "There's no way for me to tell you, without it sounding like I don't care what happened between you." * John shrugs. "She may have hurt you. BUT, she didn't kill her family. Or your own. For how you treat 'honor', I would think that the opinions of those around you wouldn't matter to ya in the slightest." * Tairan shakes his head. "Too little, too late, Fanfan. An' Mikoto... if ya got somethin' ta say, just spit it out. Tonfa break my bones, not words." *weak smirk* * Mikoto raises an eyebrow, looking at Tairan with one eye through two fingers spread apart. Breathing out, he puts his hands in his lap. "I think you're being selfish and presuming that Tamiko never hurt, never agonized, and never had to make any difficult decisions. You were both young and somebody did something stupid with dire consequences. That's all." ... wasn't tryin' ta say what she did was as bad as what your brother did, John. If it came out that way, 'm sorry. Just sayin' that it's hard to give understandin' ta someone that ruined yer life. * John nods. "I know. I just think... Well, since there is actually someone out there that's reasonable and cares about you, I wouldn't give that up." ... prolly right, Mikoto. After she did it, she prolly agonized over it, hurt over it, all'a that... but she still did it. And if she cared 'bout me anywhere near what I cared about her, the thought'a doin' it never woulda come into her mind. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Now that's a bit presumptuous, isn't it?" I was gonna be executed, Mikoto. I woulda been, if some'a the families of the my troops didn't raise holy hell askin' for leniency in light of my service record. But the old man was DYING ta see me die slow'n painful. And Tamiko knew damn well he was. * Fanfan blanches a little. "This...your father wanted you dead?" s'not like she set me up for a reprimand, and it spun outta control. By all rights, I should be dead right now. * Tairan nods at Fanfan. "He chained me a wall and beat me near ta death for two weeks 'cause I thumbed Daigoro in the eye ta win a tournament fight. I'd been a thorn in his side and an 'embarassment' for years." Sounds ta me you woulda worked just fine in the West. * Fanfan looks kind of shell-shocked. "But...you're his blood son." * Tairan snickers. "Prolly, yeah. Hell, with my sword gone, I don't even got anything tyin' me ta the east anymore. No family, no clan, not even a hunka metal." * Mikoto stands up. "It all comes down to loyalty in the end, doesn't it? And history. Likely the only things keeping your father in the clan leadership." He looks down at Tairan. "You could always contest it. But somehow, I think that would make you unhappy." This is a guy who made a name for himself in the wars by razing villages and slaughterin' civilians ta lure the Teckians into his traps. Don't be surprised by anything he does. * Tairan looks up at Mikoto. "I'd like nothin' more than ta see the old fuck put in his place. But if I can't take freakin' Daigoro, with my freedom and my sword on the line..." *punches the ground again* * Mikoto blinks at Tairan. "Alone, no. But supported..." He pauses. "If you wanted to, Tairan, I would help you take leadership of the Hoshimoto clan." * Fanfan blinks. "It's not exactly the best time to overthrow a clan leader, is it?" Doubt it. How? Appeal ta the freakin' emperor? Oh yeah, I bet he'd be *real* sympathetic ta my cause. * Mikoto smiles, a little strangely. "On the contrary, it's the best time. The empire's in turmoil as it is. Everyone is everyone else's enemy." He glances at Tairan. "With the support of your father's enemies and some clever politics, they might back you." ( Well, the Akamatsu won't, but. ) But once the example is set by the overthrowing of his father, what is to keep someone else from overthrowing him? * Mikoto shrugs. "Nobody. But perhaps his virtue as a ruler will convince people that doing so is not in their best interest." * Fanfan snorts a little. "Sometimes the people's best interest doesn't seem to be virtue." * John smirks. "I coulda told ya that." The old adage is, 'give them what they need, not what they want'. * Tairan snorts, and lifts the back of his shirt, showing a branded scar that Fanfan and Mikoto would likely recognize as the Shomuran Mark of Shame, which signifies betrayel of the Empire and the samurai code. "Even with this? * Fanfan hisses a little, clutching for some reason at her right forearm, but says nothing. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow, then closes his eyes a moment. "Is there one on your father's back? I would think his crimes weigh more heavily than yours. A mark is just a mark, Tairan." * Mikoto grins slightly. "But I've always had a slightly optimistic view of human nature." * Tairan laughs bitterly. "A partin' gift from the old man. And no, there ain't." *shakes head* "And people wonder why I think the samurai code's a load of crap." * Tairan lets his shirt drop, wincing as he inadvertantly shifts positions in a way his shoulder and ribs don't like. Right now, I don't even wanna think about... Lord Hoshimoto, the clan, Tamiko, my sword, any of it. Just more reminders of my failures, and my body's providin' more than enough of those already. * Mikoto ehes a little. "I'll do something about that in the morning... I'm not up to spellcasting at the moment." * Fanfan looks at Mikoto. "Do you not have any herbs or anything else that you could use?" Thanks... guess I'm gonna be needing that sword of yours after all, hmm? *grins slightly, but it looks forced* Not really, no. * Mikoto sits down. "You're welcome to it. And the naginata I have, if you want it. It's not as if I use either." You don't plan to go retrieve it? No thanks on the naginata. Two-handed weapons'd cramp my style... 'sides, that thing gives me the creeps. ... someday, Mikoto. Someday. * Mikoto nods and sits down with a sigh. "I'm starting to wonder about my own life, I guess. We've been seeing so deeply into everyone else's lately..." * Mikoto smiles sheepishly. "Perhaps I'm such a busybody because solving everyone else's problems means not dealing with my own." * John smirks and raises an eyebrow. "Ya got secrets of yer own?" Everyone has secrets. (Mikoto? Secrets? Never.) ( You jest. ) Yes. But some are better hidden than others... * Mikoto nods. "That's indeed true." ( Fanfan and I aren't suspicious. At all. Seriously. ) (Of course not.) ( Suspicious? Li'l ol' me? Why, whatever do you mean? 9-9 ) ( "Nice bracelet, Fanfan. Bit big, though." "Hahaha! Yes. I like them big! Big and opaque! Hahaha!" ) (You're the most trusting people I know. In fact, your middle name should be gullible. :P) What's that line... ah yeah. "We all wear masks... some more literally than others." ( Of course. Also, Sakura is perfectly sane. ) * Mikoto eyes the sleeping Sakura. "Some for good reason." * Fanfan barely refrains from glancing over at Sakura at that. * John chuckles at that. (And Millie's just mildly interested in guns) (Just a little.) ( Tairan's not bitter at all! No sir, no bitterness here! ) * John 's teeth manage to shine through and, well... *ting!* ( All the women are insane in this game @_@. Except Fanfan. She's just chronically absent. ) ( I'm sorry! ;-; ) * Mikoto grins faintly at John. "Are you asking me to divulge mine, Mr. Rogers? That's hardly fair." Not tellin' ya to do anything. But, it may be fair to me, as you already know somethin' 'bout me." ( Oh man. I don't have any SAFE secrets, John. They're all "Now you know, and now I have to kill you" secrets. ) () ( All right, you have my back against the wall, I have no choice. I'm...really a virgin. ) * Tairan would doubtless respond with a witty, sarcastic, yet insightful remark, had he not just dozed off. He's not snoring, though! * Mikoto laughs. "Alright. Fair enough." He leans back on his arms and looks at the sky. "The truth is..." (Perception rolls!) 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Fanfan (2d6-4) and gets 3. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for John (2d6) and gets 7. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 7. [John awaits Mikoto's explanation. Just as Mikoto is about to finish his sentence (or not, as the case may be), he hears crunching of leaves. Fanfan knows where they're coming from... approaching footsteps! Right behind her!] * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Footsteps?" * Fanfan whirls around. ( I just totally envisioned Fan^2 in total Charlie's Angels Farah Fawcett spin mode. *TWIRL!* *hair spins around luxuriously* ) * Rowyn is now known as Millie ( The sad thing is, mine probably did. ) * Tairan dozes peacefully. Why? He has one hit point! * Millie grumbles to herself as she walks out of the woods, rubbing her arms. She's still muttering as she walks out of the folliage. [Fanfan looks kewl.] * Fanfan lets out a breath. "Oh." Stupid little...I can't believe... * Millie blows out a slight breath. "Couldn't sleep." * Mikoto raises the other eyebrow. "Now, how did I miss that?" You too, eh? Wait...what are ya all doin' up? * Fanfan shrugs. "Talking." * Mikoto counts off on his fingers. "Oh, convincing Tairan he's wrong about Tamiko, trying to get him to overthrow the local government... I considered mah- jongg, but I didn't bring a set with me." * Millie looks at everyone, then slowly looks for a log to sit down on. * Millie smirks at Mikoto. "Got some cards." * Fanfan chuckles lightly. "I haven't played mah-jongg in years." Lanky...how's he doin'? * Millie looks slowly underneath her lashes to the snoozing Tairan. Tairan...seems to be all right, physically. Though tired, and a little sore. Nothing unsurprising. * Mikoto looks at the now-sleeping Tairan. "Poorly. He's got a lot to think about. But he's resilient. Physically... I'm sure he'll feel better in the morning, when I'm rested enough to do something about it." * John shrugs. * Millie shakes her head slowly. "He was an idiot. But can't say I blame him. Not much else ya can do when yer pa's a bastard." * Millie sits down on a log. * Fanfan looks away and mumbles something about fathers. * Mikoto hmms. "I don't remember much about my father. My uncle didn't talk about him." Jus' as well though. He's free right now, which is a step up from what we expected. ( * Tairan spasms in his sleep, and 'accidentally' kicks Millie in the shin. ) (What? @_@ It's true!) * Millie looks at Mikoto. "Yer pa...was he your Shomuran half or your Teckian half?" Shomuran. My mother was Teckian. Hmm...guess I flubbed up there too. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?" Well... * Millie frowns slightly. "When we saw that...thing in Izu. Y'know, that past vision? You were so emotionally charged 'bout it..I thought the guy doin' the shootin' was related." I guess I'm jus' tryin' so hard ta figure some things out that I jump ta conclusions sometimes. * Mikoto pauses. "Ah... well, not an unreasonable conclusion, but no. My father was the lord of a small area on the border. He was sent there by my family as the third son of three." It's... natural to be that disturbed by a display like that. Sometimes it does no good to try and draw conjectures. Disturbed yeah. But Mikky was...especially weird. * Mikoto laughs a little. "She's right. I have... my own reasons for being troubled by what I saw, that's true." * John shrugs. "We each took it a different way. Heck, Mary even tried to make fun of it." Well, if ya don't count sword lady, but we know her reason. * Millie eyes John. "No she didn't." Look, I think Miss Mary's jus' as fruity as the rest of ya, but I don't think she was tryin' ta make fun. She was jus' as disturbed an' tryin' ta take her mind off it... Even if it was to aleviate the stress she felt, that's what she ended up doing. An' you like the color of blood, Johnny boy? * John shakes his head. "Can't say I do. But... I've seen a considerable amount of it regardless." * Millie shakes her head. "Well, Miss Mary hadn't, I'm sure. It's a little hard on her ta assume otherwise." ( Thank you, Millie. You're, like, a LIVING DISTRACTION. ) ( "What's with you being all secretive and stuff?" "Look! Millie!" "Hey, y'all." ) ( Oh, that's right. We were grilling Mikky, weren't we? XD ) (^^;) (I was just thinking that...) (And she doesn't even have Art of Distraction. Imagine that) (Millie pulled the conversation from going <--- that way to ---> way.) I don't think what she did was *wrong*... but it's also a little shortsighted to not call it what it was. * Millie shrugs slightly and tips her hat down a little, hugging her rifle close to her. And we still have to find that woman... Betcha sword-lady's right. She might be dead by now. Though I hate ta think that. * Mikoto nods. "That's troubling. We might have to open ourselves up to the possibility of her demise." All we can hope is that they needed her ta translate the tablet. Or preferred ransom over death. They may have killed her afterwards, though. She has been gone for a while. What I can't understand is... why would Kojiro's group, if Jan can be trusted and they indeed have the tablet, kidnap her? Maybe it's in Teckian? Ancient Teckian probably. * Mikoto shakes his head. "It's not... at least not totally. She described it as a 'key' to the ancient languages of the ruins." It's ancient somethin'. And she's probably got some insight inta unlockin' it. They would need a skilled linguist, but those are certainly not in short supply. Come ta think of it, she never DID say where they found it. * Mikoto nods. "I have... a lot of unanswered questions about the tablet." * Millie looks up slowly. "Why are you so interested in it anyhow?" * Mikoto shrugs. "Curiosity? I'm a scholar but I'm also a wanderer. I have a number of questions about the world's unknowns I'd like to unravel." * Millie rests her chin on her wrist. "I don't buy that it's jus' that." There's a lotta unknowns out there...why THIS? Because this is what's at hand. * Millie looks Mikoto straight in the eyes. * Mikoto looks right back. "That's my answer. If something different came along, that was more pressing... perhaps I'd leave to pursue it." I still say it's a poor excuse, Mikky. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "You've offered none of your own, so perhaps you're not in a position to talk, as it were." * Millie raises an eyebrow. "I haven't? Jus' so happens I'm inta searchin' for these ruins mahself." * Mikoto grins. "What ruins? We don't even know what ruins they refer to." * Millie smiles slightly. "I'm hopin' the ones I've seen." * Mikoto nods. "I don't see why my answer is any less satisfying than yours, then." * Millie loses the smile and continues to look at Mikoto. "Because I don't think you've been huntin' these things for a good portion of your life." * Mikoto shrugs. "I haven't. You're right about that." * Millie sighs slightly and taps her fingers against her knee. "4 years. I think that's how long it's been..or has it been 5?" * Mikoto smiles a little. "A respectably long time. What interests you about ruins?" * Millie shrugs non-committantly. * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "Well, turnabout is fair play, I guess, though I'm not convinced I haven't been forward." An' I'm not convinced ya have so we're even. * Mikoto sighs. "What did I do to make you so suspicious?" ( Was it the healing of everybody's wounds? That might be it. ;) You've been suspicious since the day we met, Mikoto. Oh? Why's that? * Millie smirks. "Wimmin's intuition." (Teaches you not to keep 'em from dying, Mikoto.) ( Seriously. Next time you're on your own. ) * Mikoto chuckles. "Oh?" He turns to Fanfan. "Is your women's intuition giving you the same feeling?" ( Tsk tsk. Looks like Fanfan needs to start learning some of those Med skills after all. ) * Fanfan blinks. "Not particularly. Perhaps it is just Teckian intuition." Or perhaps I have not been with the group long enough. There are many things I do not know about all of you. * Millie waves it off slightly. "Look. Bein' suspicious don't mean I don't think ya ain't tryin' ta do what's best, don't get me wrong." * Millie smirks. "Johnny boy an' Jinxy are as suspicious as they come." * John moves slightly. Seems he's dozed off... Man, you people are boring. And better be glad John didn't hear that. :P * Mikoto nods. "They certainly are... but you treat them differently than you do me." He brushes a hand through his hair. "Not that I'm upset, but I am curious." * Millie nods. "An' why do ya think that is?" It's because they're Teckian, isn't it? * Millie smirks slightly. "That's what people who don't know me would like ta think, ayup.) ( It's 'cause I'm black! ) There's also the not-inconsequential fact that I'm Teckian. * Millie looks at Mikoto. "It's because they don't act like it ain't a big deal. They don't try ta be harmless." * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "And do you think I'm covering up being a dangerous man?" * Millie smirks slightly. "Ya wouldn't take this job if ya weren't a dangerous man." But you were raised in Shomura. * Mikoto chuckles faintly. "Maybe so. But... for now, I am also a very tired man who will have a very busy morning." * Millie yawns. "Me too. How's 'bout you...err..." She blinks as she looks at Fanfan. * Fanfan shrugs. "I am not unfond of sleep...when it comes to me." * Millie blinks again and taps her cheek with her finger. "What a strange way ta put it." * Mikoto finds his bedroll and shrugs. "It can't be forced, so she has a point. Good night, ladies." * Fanfan twitches a corner of her mouth. "Nightmares, if you must know. I don't sleep easily." * Millie smirks slightly. "The worst ones are those that come when yer not asleep." * Fanfan glances over at Mikoto. "Good night." You have a point. But for what it's worth, I hope ya both sleep well. Slot-eyes or not. * Mikoto says, muffled by pillow, "A charmer, as always. Sleep well." * Millie sighs and rubs her head. "Shomurans...sorry." * Fanfan snorts lightly. "Thank you." * Millie lays back and shifts her pack beneath her head to go to sleep. [Another night, another conversation derailed.] [Mini End.]