genessia | So you want to be a sleuth (ACTION)

The nervousness of Luke doesn't escape Satsuki's notice; she isn't entirely certain what to make of it, but if she had to guess Luke had intended to obtain some sort of important information- The lack of confidence would suggest that had failed to do so. "Luke, if you could prepare the tea."

Of to the far side of the room is a table and cabinet with all sorts of necessary tools; kettle stop a mini-stove device, cups and saucers and sugar as well as a silver tray to set everything on.

Regardless she'll get to that later. She takes her own seat and, despite her rather neutral expression, somehow seems eager to know what the two have learned. "I do recall," she answers before the rest of the sentence is completed. "That is quite interesting; I just hope this situation is not entirely out of my hands from this point onward. Do go on."

Oh--he got plenty of information, though Mami will be better at relating it than he will. The amount of spiritual involvement isn't something he completely understands and will be something he would struggle to explain beyond the word for word discussion that happened. His nerves are from the fact that he is one hundred percent busted. Just because he went to observe of his own volition does not mean that he wasn't afraid of the consequences. He's still a kid, and a kid who wants approval at that.

Preparing tea is something he is good at, and he makes short work of it. He's back at the desk with the tray shortly, careful not to spill. A gentleman never wastes properly brewed tea!

When that is done he sits back in his seat, waiting to hear Mami's explanation. Her insight was becoming increasingly invaluable to his knowledge of the situation. Satsuki might notice that some of his expression is concerned as he watches Mami, as if he's afraid that something bad might happen at any moment.

Edited 2014-11-15 08:57 (UTC)

For its part, the ghost had been content with utter silence, and would remain that way unless specifically sought. Even then, unless it could be absolutely sure that speaking through Mamizou was necessary, it would be hard to perturb.

The quirks of their arrangement were making themselves known. If the tanuki drank that tea, or undertook anything else especially sensory like eating flavorful foods, stubbing her toe, or extreme temperatures, a strange sensation would rebound in her. If you've ever had a limb fall asleep, there is a tingling sensation that persists for a moment.

For lack of description, this would be a "soul shiver"; a ghostly quiver like the plucking of ethereal strings. There was nothing the spirit could do to control or dampen these; for the time, Mamizou would have to adjust to the sensational echo of all she undertook. Whether this had a dampening effect on her own activities remained to be seen.

Don't worry, Mr. Spirit. You'll get your introduction before long. There's no need to do creepy soul fondling. Unless you're into that sort of thing, at least.

"No, I don't think it is going to be entirely out of your control. Rather, I am almost certain you are going to have to take action, if not personally, then at least with those you trust working on your behalf. The story our good friend had to tell was difficult to believe. He wove a tale of an otherworld spirit trying to undermine the fabric of society to usher in...what was it? Some sort of doom? Anyway, nothing that I imagine any of us want."

She gives Luke a grateful smile as tea is delivered. It flickers slightly as the warmth against her hands caused an entirely unexpected reaction, prompting her to quickly set it aside. "Ah, perhaps I should wait until it cools a bit." She didn't expect that sort of reaction. Let a lady enjoy her tea, ghostface!

A serious expression comes to her face. "Lady Kiryuin, you are one of the few humans who has honestly earned my trust, and perhaps the only one currently residing in this city. And that is why I need you to keep what I'm telling you only to those that you yourself trust. The man that I met was not a normal man at all, but rather another spirit. One that wants to stop the one putting out those silly stories from doing worse things then that. In fact, he's here right now. Umm..actually, are you a he? Or do you...oh, never mind. What I am saying is perhaps your questions could be better answered from the same source I got them. Go ahead and say hello, Mr. Spirit. This woman is a person who can be trusted to be discreet."

"Mr. Spirit" wasn't especially fond of being put on the spot like that. Caution, then efficiency were his goals. Obviously, the boss they talked of so glowingly would be added to the loop, but one can never be too careful. His time in Nova City had introduced him to a variety of strange technologies, some of which could be used to pry. Thinking that it would be odder to remain silent and impregnate the pause, it opted instead to be coy. It tried to imitate his host's inflection and cadence, with mixed results.

"It would be unfortunate to be overheard a second time. Speaking of which, Luke, please give your transcript. That will serve with less noise."

In essence, he wanted to be sure of their privacy.

Luke glances to Mami, frowning at the different tone of voice that came from the shapeshifter's mouth, and then stands--can't reach the desk from his seat. The notebook he wrote in is placed carefully on the table in front of Satsuki, open to the first page of notes.

"It's mostly word-for-word, Miss Kiryuin," he pipes quietly. "Only a little bit is paraphrased."

Satsuki isn't requesting Luke to speak on purpose, of course; she likes him, but he apparently needs to understand that ask kind as she can be, she can just as easily be cut-throat. It probably is not a lesson to be pushing onto a pre-teen, but this is the kind of environment she's grown up in.

"After all I have seen and heard here, it is not all that absurd." Satsuki replies, keeping eye contact with the tanuki, "It's just unfortunate that so many things appear to be centered around spirits. I suppose I cannot complain, I could use the experience."

And so then she witnesses a possession. In some ways it is incredibly unsettling. In others, fascinating. Given the situation, she may be just fine with not having to write a report on this scenario. ".. Ah." she starts, finding herself actually at a loss for words. But thankfully it is at that point the notebook is handed to her, which she accepts, then looks over.

As usual, the boys talent is impressive. The potential is just oozing from him, begging to be molded into something great. The corner of her lips upturn to a small smile- Small and yet somehow radiant. But the more she reads, the more it fades into seriousness. ".. I see. This is not the direction I expected things to go- but I shall honor the privacy request." with a push of a button, a neon-blue grid surrounds the group in a large, visable square. "While I am certain my office of all places is not bugged, I have placed an additional soundproofing measure. Now, Spirit, you may address me as Amaterasu. The boy is Locke, and the other woman Marion. What preparations must we make to resolve this situation before further damage is done? How many of us are needed to assure victory?"

What, no code name for ghosty here? Spirits have feelings too.

He nudged at "Marion"'s mouth once again, and when she ceded control, he began.

"First, commit that record to memory, then destroy it for discretion's sake. Then, remove Locke from this room and from your further dealings with this matter entirely, or as much as is necessary to preserve appearances. He is a liability, however small. As proof, an effort was made to conceal your name Amaterasu, and he divulged it when giving the records. That is the sort of carelessness we cannot afford."

Turning to preparations. He admired Satsuki's pointedness. "Marion and I will need time for mastery. She has assured me of abilities that would be useful in the coming conflict, and I bring my own arms to bear. We will need to harmonize our talents.

As for preparation: devote yourself to predicting our enemy's next move. I realize the near-impossibility of the task; applying pattern-recognition to chaos is difficult. Still, it has intelligence, when it chooses to use it. You will have more success than I in this matter, at any rate. If order and chaos exist along a spectrum, you are nearer to the enemy than I. I mean no insult.

I can offer no help when it comes to allies, save to choose carefully with an eye towards discretion. This world is more yours than mine, thus I leave it in your hands. Still, I believe we have but one chance for a decisive blow. Surprise is paramount; any who can bolster that strategy are best.

Our victory condition is thus: to subdue the spirit, and let me mingle with him as I am with Marion. We will cancel each other out, ending the matter.

When that happens, one last request: please deposit a suitable amount of funds in Morgan Taylor's account. He has been denied compensation due to me."

Once Satsuki has verified that she has taken additional measures to protect the security in the room, Mamizou lets a little frown come to her face. "Come now, you get to be Amaterasu and I am Marion?" It should be obvious who is speaking, even if the spirit and Mami technically have the same voice. The body's owner uses its voice with a great deal more enthusiasm and personality.

Of course the name is fine, she is just having a little fun. A minor thing like spirits warring over the fate of civilization isn't a good reason not to joke a little. "At this point, I assume you can't actually read my mind, so you don't know of additional abilities I have that I imagine you are going to enjoy. Well, not that you seem to enjoy anything. But you'll no doubt consider them useful. I imagine fighting is inevitable. Thankfully, I have a particular talent for it." She gives 'Amaterasu' a sly glance. "Though not even you have seen that yet, have you sun goddess?"

She shakes her head. "I do believe you're being a bit too hard on dear Locke, however. I do not disagree in keeping him out of danger of course. Still, hearing words like that coming out of my own mouth is a bit unsettling. We flesh and blood beings have feelings you know, and while feelings aren't going to get you to this spirit, neither will simple combat ability."

She reaches for her tea, this time seeming comfortable enough to take a small sip. "At least I can count on you for a refreshing drink, Locke." She offers the boy a smile. "But there will be time for pleasantries later. We must consider the future. There is at least one thing we can count on. If this spirit really is trying to get people to distrust one another, it will be doing things that can be 'proven'. It actually did destroy the things it claimed were destroyed, in an effort to 'prove' that they were true. What surprises me is that people seem to believe they actually saw our lovely sun goddess there. It is unsettling to think of, for it would give one of our better advantages to the enemy, but is it possible they possess the ability to shift forms as well? It would be nice if it was something easier, perhaps bribery or equally easy to discover subterfuge, but whatever it is, people seem willing to either believe or support obvious lies. I don't know what else our enemy can do, but that is a pretty dangerous weapon in of itself."

Satsuki looks back to the notes as she continues to listen, but seeing as the notes are not her property, she isn't so willing to 'destroy' it, at least not in it's entirety.

Anyone who can bolster the strategy- Satsuki furrows her brows in thought for a moment, making sense of chaos certainly brings Koishi to mind, but on the other hand she can't say with certainty that it's a good idea. Eventually she draws her desk open, and from it she draws out Morgan's card in fine condition that she flicks toward the shapeshifter. "By the way the card was never destroyed, I merely told her that it was. If this was what was stopping you from providing compensation then take it, if not then I suppose I have no choice but to provide it myself."

"And since you went through the effort of recruiting Locke in the first place, he will be working with us until I say otherwise- It is true his skills are unpolished, but I shall determine if his skillset will be of use in the task I have been given or not. That said, tell me what I should provide to allow you to execute your plan of mastery undisturbed."

Another pause, then the book is pushed back to her assistant, then gestures to the kettle stove. "The first seven pages will need to be destroyed. And.. This is true, I have seen only two particular abilities." Besides, Mamizou has great codename. Marion has her own tanuki suit and everything.

Ah, so he was deceived even about their ultimately meaningless token. Anything else Mr. Spirit should know about?

"Earning money is difficult; please do it in my stead."

So they insisted on Luke's staying. He'd sigh if he were able. "As you wish."

"For my own abilities, I would merely like a private room. Then, if things are still safe, we should test them in the field while on patrol. I do not know of Marion's, and thus do not know what she might require in addition."

He addressed the matter of Mamizou's commentary on the chaos spirit. "The methods of chaos are many and varied. Either the ones people saw were, in reality, really there under some compulsion, or else they were illusory. The relationship between us is one of negation; whatever he can do, I can undo. Doing that through the medium of flesh, however, will require practice."

To be fair, Mamizou herself had also been deceived. She'd no idea she wasn't carrying the real deal, her excuse had been made up on the spot, counting on the spirit's lack of practical knowledge to know if it made sense to burn a card to test its make-up or not.

"A secure one, if you may. I don't know what exactly I've gotten myself into, only that it seemed preferable to not let our phantom friend run into someone that might try and take advantage of them. Besides, whats life without the unexpected, right? If everything was predictable, everything would also be boring. But back on topic, I have my doubts that your spirit was able to control them all with them having no memory of it. Why would he stop at such small acts if he could? No, I recognize trickery when I see it, and this is an effort to trick. Also there is the fact that some people seem to have claimed to know the whereabouts of the Guardians during the time their 'crimes' were supposedly taking place. The enemy spirit would claim this was because they were covering up the crimes, but obviously we know better. So I think we can safely rule out mind control."

There is one last thing... Satsuki is the spirit's father.

"Very well, then you may use my meditation room." Satsuki hands over another card, this one made of some sort of clear plastic with data lines going through them and the word 'TEMP' on the front, then gestures to a set of doors to her left that would would assume just goes to another hallway. "This will give you access to the next room it goes straight to it. There is an emergency communicator should you need it for any reason."

"However it is nearly two in the morning. Exactly what kind of timeframe are we even working with?" a glance is given to Mamizou, "Speaking of which, I appreciate your willingness to see this plot to the end." She honestly has no idea how she can reward the tanuki, but something tells her just alcohol won't cut it. That will have to be addressed later. And from there she watches, somewhat in awe, at Marion talking 'to herself'.

It's pretty surreal.

"It's hard to say; the situation is unusual." Then again, they always were. "Based on the ease of our previous transaction, I guess that acclimation will take no less than several hours, and no more than a week. How Marion's own abilities might complicate that, I have no idea. As for how much time the chaos spirit will give us...impossible to say. If we cannot predict where he'll strike next, then we'll simply have to react."

"Your offer is appreciated." Truthfully the ghost wanted to get started right away, and found sleep distasteful. However..."Your note of the time is understood. Perhaps it would be optimal to rest for now. Marion?"

There was a difference between a ghost and a living person though, and that was that the living person needed to sleep. She had no intention of ending up some bag eyed trench coat clad totally unattractive lady. She would help this spirit, but she'd do it in style! She takes the card into her hand, twirling it about as she speaks.

"I do have one question before I answer that. When I sleep, do you also sleep? If not, it would be best for me to actually demonstrate for you what I am capable of before taking my rest, so you can begin to think of ways it can be used. If my resting puts you to sleep, then wisdom dictates we wait until the morning.

As for a reward, Mami hadn't even thought about that yet. It can't be said it was an act of sheer kindness and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the world that convinced her to do this, though. The adventure was a bit of a reward in itself, provided it didn't kill her!

"I do not." Hanging out in the ether meant that this spirit, at least, had to grow accustomed to boredom. No off switch for ghosts. He'd explain the soul shiver once they were alone; it was a delicate matter.

"Very well, we shall meet again at 815 hours and see where we go from there. You 'two' are dismissed." the Guardian suggests. It will not be easy for her to rest with the task she's been given, but it will be better than nothing.

Following that, her gaze then shifts to Luke. The way she exhales is almost reminiscent of a sigh before she speaks, but her expression looks anything but sympathetic. "As for you, Locke, I have no use for subordinates that disobey direct orders. It would appear I have expected too much of you, therefore you are relieved of your service to me. I will have a ride arranged to take you home."

Edited 2014-11-17 02:51 (UTC)

Luke was getting to his feet and planning to say goodnight, but freezes in place at Satsuki's words

Is she firing him?

"M...Miss Amaterasu?"

At least he has the presence of mind to not use her real name, though the boy looks like he might be sick. Fear is settling deep in the pit of his stomach and his gaze, though desperate, falls to the floor.

"I know I..." Her tone offered no room for argument, but that doesn't mean he won't try. "But..."

"Ah, that settles that then. In order to maximize efficiency, I shall explain a few things to you before retiring for the evening. There is no way to keep them secret, they are rather essential abilities that will be of great use to this cause. And I suppose I should explain why I am able to so freely shift my form. Perhaps that understanding might help you in getting used to being in a body that isn't always the same shape."

And then, when Satsuki declares the meeting done, she nods. "Right. I shall be here then." That seems to be the end of it, but then the woman goes and does it. Poor 'Locke', dismissed like that? A frown touches Mamizou's face. It would be have been easy to conceal his presence there. She had actually encouraged him to own up to it and admit to being there, and had talked about how useful his notes were going to be. And in the end, it seemed Satsuki didn't agree with her.

That frown doesn't fade as a hand comes to her hip, and she glares at Satsuki from behind her glasses. "Oh, sun goddess, am I hearing what I think I am hearing?" The whole tone of her voice seems different, but it is clearly not the spirit speaking. She is talking in a less energetic, less playful tone of voice. Its the same voice, technically, but she sounds so much like a different person it makes it hard to believe.

"Let this old lady tell you a story, young goddess. My age is measured in more digits then your own, and in my years I have spent a large amount of time among humanity. When I myself was young, when I had not yet learned to control my urges, when I had not yet learned to look to the future, I might have done something similar to this if one of my subordinates on Sado had deigned to disobey me. Chances are I did, and simply can't remember anymore. The question you should ask it not if young Locke disobeyed you, but why. That is a question I believe I know the answer to."

She steps towards the crestfallen boy, leaning over and placing her face next to his. This was not the time to be talking of spirits and battle anymore. This evening had seen Mami being more serious then she had ever been in her time here, and it seemed she was getting more serious by the moment. "There was something that he said when I discovered him out there with your spirit friend. I cannot remember the exact words, but it amounted to something about wanting to be able to prove you innocent with his own hands. It might seem as if it was merely the act of a child disobeying authority, and in a way I suppose it was, but you cannot look at only the what and not see the why! Such was his loyalty to you that he willing went out there at potential risk to his own life, and he did it solely in the hopes he could find a way to help you."

Luke is offered a smile as Mami draws away before it gets too awkward. "I cannot deny that what he did was reckless. While I spoke of his loyalty, it is an undeniable fact that he DID put himself at risk. It would be best if he were to stay out of this business as much as he can. But to dismiss him entirely? I must confess, I am a little disappointed. He is still young, an untempered blade. And while it might be easier to discard a broken blade, the sign of an exceptional blacksmith is reforging it into a masterpiece."

There is a moment of silence, before the intense look on the tanuki's face fades, and when she speaks again, its in her normal tone of voice. "Besides, look at those cheeks. How can you be mad at that, I just want to squeeze them!"

Edited 2014-11-17 04:00 (UTC)

Satsuki is disappointed, but he's a bright boy. As far as she's concerned he's capable of finding a way to gain her favor again, though it may not be by this years end. And hopefully won't involve severing a body part and that is fine; she can wait. 'But', he says? The Guardian parts her lips, ready to cut him off when Mamizou speaks up.

Her gaze shifts toward her elder with, to no one's surprise, a neutral expression. One thing about Genessia, it certainly doesn't have it's shortage of elder beings, does it? But this one is a lot less disorienting than getting into an argument with the Grim Reaper. If Mamizou were talking to the Satsuki of three months ago, the Guardian likely would have shot back with an angry speech of her own.

But she's learned quite a bit here and while she's clearly unhappy with receiving yet another lecture.. "I do not see Locke as a 'child'. I told him he would have his chance, and he chose not to wait."

"You appear to be confused and believe that I run an ice cream parlor and not a defensive squadron of a City. I fail to see what manner of 'why' is appropriate under my employ. My decision is not of some 'whim'; I calculate my situations as carefully as I possibly can, and I refuse to take disobedience into account of my plans."

Satsuki furrows her brows, "I will concede that I am in your debt as you are going far beyond what I have originally asked of you, Marion. I will also concede that your wisdom should not be completely ignored. Therefore, I will grant this offer: His re-employment in exchange for that debt being erased."

Edited 2014-11-17 05:35 (UTC)

Luke glances between the two, from Mamizou to Satsuki, though he doesn't meet either's eyes.

"Miss Marion?" His voice is quiet, wavering. Working with Satsuki, though his job is primarily of the rank and file sort, had been his one stabilizing factor in Genessia. Nothing else that he is familiar with, that reminds him of home, is here. That's taken its toll--he is just unused to living alone, without his mentor.

Mami was being kind and he appreciated that more than he could express for now. But... "Thank you but...she's right and..."

He wants to explain that he hasn't slept because of the discussion of how he'd 'failed' as her assistant by the explanation of the trench coat wearing man that he encountered behind the school, and that he just had to be there himself. He trusted the Guardian greatly but had been told not to place his trust and then look for proof--and if he didn't see tonight's exchange with his own eyes could he ever be completely certain? He needed to know that his ability to choose whow to trust was good: he's the only resource he has and if he can't make those decisions right then he has far bigger problems than just being homesick.

Luke wants to say all of this but instead he sniffs quietly. "I'll d-do something, Miss Amaterasu, to...prove I c-can come back."

The boy wipes his eyes on his sieeve, but doesn't look up. There's another little sniff. "Miss M-Marion? Please don't give up what you might need for m-my mistake."

Edited 2014-11-17 22:24 (UTC)

The woman is not entirely sure why she feels compelled to defend the young boy. Perhaps it is because she can feel how important his current status was. Or perhaps it wasn't that deep and she really did think he was cute. But regardless, she had said the first thing that came to mind. It was her hope that she could help both of them.

Considering this evening had been her first meeting with the boy, the tanuki does not know all of his reasons for the actions he took tonight. She was unaware of all that had transpired before she had become embroiled in the middle of everything. The videos put out over the public channels had been a source of mild amusement, so obviously fake that they seemed almost comical. She had no idea how sinister the intent behind them was, thus she had paid them no heed.

She was, however, more familiar with Satsuki. In the time since the two had come to know each other, this had been the first time she had ever said anything that might come across as disagreeing with her. This was not to say she always felt the woman was in the right, but had never felt compelled to speak up before.

She was perfectly fine with sacrificing a 'reward' she hadn't even thought of for the sake of Luke. When the boy addresses her, she nods. "What she said is not wrong. I am glad you can see that. I spoke of your trust in her, but you must also give your own trust. She selected me for this mission because I can defend myself, should the situation have turned dire. In the end, it was probably best I went. There is no doubt fighting to come, and unless there is more to you then I can see, I am simply more capable."

She offers a smile. "There is nothing that I need from our dear sun goddess, I am not doing this out of some desire for a reward. I lose nothing in accepting her offer. However, I shall leave that choice to you. If you truly wish to prove yourself in some manner, I will not deny you the chance.

Welp she's finally done it. The Guardian has made a boy cry. She's not exactly proud of this, but following his words, she didn't completely snuff his flame and thank goodness for that.

For now she remains silent as the two converse, curious to know what Luke's decision will be. The situation the Guardian presented is a bit of a trick; the 'right' answer isn't as certain as it might suggest, even with Luke's presented oath.

Mamizou kind of spoiled that by suggesting she had nothing to lose from the offer, but as far at Satsuki is concerned, it's the principle of the matter.

Ah, Satsuki. You've only mostly snuffed his flame.

The boy sniffs again and pointedly does not look up from the floor, little fingers balled into fists. More than anything he wants to take the offer Mami is making--he's afraid of what it would be like, not working with Satsuki. But he can't shake the idea that he shouldn't take advantage of her kindness, that this was his mistake and not hers.

"I..."

That doesn't make it easy to turn her down.

"N-no, but thank you Miss M-Marion. I have to show I c-can be trusted again. Right?"

By the time he finishes, his voice is trembling such that his words may not be clear. Luke tilts his face more to the floor and pulls his hat lower to ensure his face is covered.

All day Koishi had been having trouble being noticed. Not that this was anything overly unusual, this was still the first time where she was completely unseen. Even by Satuski. What was more unusual is that she was managing to retain her sense of self while in this state. She could normally only do something like that at home. She suspected Satsuki's mental focus was helping to ground her, making sure to stay near the woman all day, having left her hat hanging on one of her bedposts. There was no way Satsuki didn't know she was at least around. Besides, if something came up she could probably force herself into the perception of others, but it wouldn't be easy. Fortunately she had been feeling progressively better as the day wore on.

As such, she had naturally heard the entire conversation up to this point, sitting cross-legged in the air, quietly munching on some pilfered crackers, and stealing a sip or two of Satsuki's tea (since she didn't really seem to be drinking much of it). Most of the details as to what was being talked about were currently going over her head. Once she grounded herself more then she would be able to make sense of this mess. And maybe figure out why Mamizou's mind was so strange. Still, as long as there was no pain or panic in the present minds she felt no need to assert herself.

At least until she felt the growing distress begin to fill the room. Opening her eyes, she forced her mind down from its lofty pedistal, trying to focus... It was a mind she remembered. One she liked a lot. And it was upset!

***

"... M... iss... Whi... Miss ite...? Miss White!" She was shouting some now, trying to make herself known. Besides, if Satsuki aknowledged her presence then she could more easily assert herself in the minds of others.

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Yay Satsuki he's good at preparing the tea!

Re: Yay Satsuki he's good at preparing the tea!

Oh boy! My own rumble pack!

Re: Oh boy! My own rumble pack!

/sneaks this in

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Only Bill Cosby can be Ghost Dad

Suddenly, post!

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I am as speechless as Luke so this is what you get

DON'T CRY MAMA MAMI IS HERE

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DIDN'T DIE

You're not dead! :D

Yay for not deadness. I'm a good nurse but reviving via comp is out of my scope of practice!

YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE ALONE, BUT IT WAS ME, KOISHI!