Waking the Dead 2.0 || May 19, 2063 (Saturday) || Friendship in the cups.

[kawaakari]

[It's a little after lunch with the Shinta Clan that Kasumi Aoi makes an interesting suggestion: that the War Hounds wile the afternoon hours away in good company with their mentors, former or otherwise, that can make it. Invitations are easy; she can handle them.

So, there you have it: doing things the Japanese way, talking over sake, nibbling idly on onigiri and whatever else. The rest of the household has left you alone. This is quality time with the people who have watched your back, and taught you whatever they could.]



OOC Notes
+ Each thread here is for one-on-one conversations between players and their respective mentors. Group shenanigans can be played out on the table, if you guys like.
+ Noey and I are going to bring his conversation with Malia on the table!

Comments

Malia and Josh

[the_abandoned]

[Kasumi had called her in for Joshua LaRue because Gabriel Marlowe could not make it. She did not question how Kasumi had known that she would not have minded, and was actually quite interested in joining the group: the Mother of the Wolf had her ways.

Pouring sake for herself now, before handing the bottle to Josh.]

Here we are again.

[larue]

[ He'd wondered who would be coming in to sit and drink with him, since his other blademates had already been joined by their respective mentors: there was An'yu Oyama and Brig, Tohru Fukuzawa and Stanley, Tala Vega and Brianna, Alistair Mordechai in place of Paolo Inojosa for Kaz, and the Brand Twins for Yulia.

Josh's attention lingers on that last pair, but he's smiling as he does so. He's never had the opportunity to see Yulia interact with the Bladians at close proximity, so most that he knew of them were framed by her complaints and Stan's teasing remarks.

Seeing them interact now though, reassures him that she's in good hands.

He glances up when Malia comes over, is quiet as he watches her pour herself a cup of sake before handing him the bottle. ] So we are.

[ He's smiling. He didn't think he'd find another opportunity to speak with her before the end of their Tokyo trip -- guess he was wrong.

He lifts his cup in a salute. ] I guess it's you and me today, huh?

[the_abandoned]

That does appear to be the case.

[She is not dressed for the battlefield, for once: she is, in fact, wearing what women of her station would back in her hometown, during a formal celebration. Japanese clothes have never been her fancy, and she always liked to make sure that people knew exactly who she was on sight.]

Good. This is a much better setting than the party that we both found ourselves in a few days ago. [Then, dryly:] I hope that you can handle your liquor.

[larue]

[ The sake tastes great, but he's taking it easy. He's never had the stuff before and he's thinking it would be better if he paced himself. ]

I try? I've had a couple opportunities to drink ever since I landed in Falner and those guys [ he nods at his team ] can hold their own.

[ Turning back to her as he smiles, ] You look beautiful, Malia. That suits you.

[ In Zangyaku attire, she looked utterly formidable; in this she still looks like a woman who can hand your ass to you, but it makes her look a little bit more approachable. ]

[the_abandoned]

They certainly seem like they can. And thank you.

[Compliments are nice, especially since she rarely gets them unless they happen to be about her prowess on the field.]

For all of our traditions, Zangyaku accepts each of their operatives for who they are. I am free to wear things like things without fear of persecution.

[larue]

[ A nod. ] I'm glad that you get to, [ and then softly, because it makes him think of things back in America, ] Never did understand why people had to do that.

But anyway, [ lifting his glass to his lips ] Thank you for being patient with me and my questions about Keys. I'm trying to learn as much as I can and as quickly as possible.

[ It wasn't secret, and he didn't think it should be. He didn't like the current Taskforce Valkyrie, had been ready to cut them some slack after the conversation with Brig and later, when he and his blademates had been told that they'd mobilized during the incident involving Dark-Hour-that-wasn't, only to settle back into utter dislike when Alistair Mordechai had come back limping, bandaged and bearing ill-news. ]

[the_abandoned]

So that you can be more useful on the field sooner, yes? I do not mind.

[She understood the feeling, could relate to it rather well. Granted, most of what she had learned thus far had been things that she had explored on her own, or done by instinct. Not a lot of the other Sin-Eaters in Zangyaku had the patience to deal with her.

That was changing a little now that she was a part of the Searing Wind, but she still did not have many whom she could call “brother” or “sister” within the conspiracy and mean it.]

What other Keys are you interested in learning? I did not get to ask you.

[larue]

[ He looks down into his cup and thinks: ] Well, I already told you of the keys I have -- Phantasmal for the way that I died; Passion, because, I suppose, I tend to be good at dealing with people and emotions. The Industrial Key because of what I could have been had sickness not taken me.

[ A quiet shrug, ] So far, those three have done me and my team well on the field, so right now I just want to learn as much as I can about each so that I can figure out which best works to my advantage.

[ He smiles sheepishly then, ] But that can wait. I want to take this opportunity to actually just sit with you and get to know you. You already know that I'll be making my way to Zangyaku, so we can always talk abilities and powers when the opportunity presents itself.

[the_abandoned]

Very well. I suppose I can practice being “social”, as they call it.

[Saying that with open amusement. Malia stopped believing in such conventions after it became obvious that they had done nothing for her but get her killed. Trust was a tricky thing; anger was so much more reliable.]

You will have to excuse me, though. I have been told, many times, that I am bad at this.

[larue]

[ He's seen her file, was wary of her once, when he'd overheard her initial approach to Yulia.

Shrugging now, folding his arms over the table and offering up a soft: ] Well, social things are skills. What better to get from bad to good and good to better but practice, right?

[ He falters a little at the end of that. Malia Saab is a member of the Searing Wind and a Sin-Eater with more field and practical experience than himself. ] I... I mean that, well. Uhm.

[ Nice one, Josh. ]

[the_abandoned]

[She only chuckles. It is normal, really, having other people stumble that way around her.]

I know. As things stand, I’m willing to leave myself in your capable hands for the moment.

[The two of them were quite different from each other, after all. Difference was good, regardless of whether it ended up breeding conflict or not. One learned best through dealing with what one could not understand.]

[larue]

[ Nodding now, boyish smile in place. ]

Well, uh, [ thinking now and coming up, surprisingly, with blanks -- okay, fine, winging it ] So which Division are you? I've done some reading on the way Zangyaku is built, but I'm a little lost on the overall structure.

[ He knows that he could have asked Hikaru, but as things stood, it's a subject best left for another time and "later", he's found, has a tendency of getting sidetracked. ]

[the_abandoned]

I am one of the Senshi. The other role that I elected for myself, beyond oni-tsukai, was nami.

[Sip.]

One’s division determines one’s function within our conspiracy. Your roles are a reflection of what you have decided to be good at. [Smirking now, just a bit.] Many of the Sin-Eaters in Zangyaku go to the Morticians, but I have little interest in that sort of work even if I do respect what they do for the Wolf.

[larue]

[ Running her answer against what he remembers: Senshi, the soldiers; nami, the scouts and messengers. ]

Well, the impression I have of the Zangyaku is that they expect you to figure out the best fit for yourself. Any less and I imagine you'd be doing yourself and the conspiracy a disservice.

[ He hasn't thought in depth about what to choose for himself, but the idea and intent are there.

Soon enough, Josh breathes. He has a lot on his plate at the moment, but he figures it'll round back to his original plan eventually.

He sips at his sake again, turns the liquid over on his tongue and savors the way it goes down. ]

[the_abandoned]

[Nods.]

That is a fitting way to describe it. The Wolf understands that Hunters are capable of wearing many masks at once, even if they end up walking just one path during their entire life.

[And now tilting her head in his direction.]

What about yourself? What is your Division in Netsach?

[larue]

[ Cue momentary UHM. ]

Actually... I don't have one. Not yet, anyway.

[ He'll probably need to look into that properly because he keeps on forgetting about the tiny fact that he is a Seventh Circle hunter now, perks included.

And then quietly wondering if he should go speak to Ma'am Liandrin once the dust settles and he' back home. ]

Either Behemoth or Cerberus, though. They're more of a fit for me than anything else, and... I think I'll do more good out there than stuck somewhere sitting on my hands, so to speak.

[the_abandoned]

Behemoth… Cerberus… ah.

[Now she remembers. Netsach had interested her enough to have her reading just a bit more about their conspiracy. As things stood, the only other licenses she possessed were with Aegis Kai Doru and the Midnight Riders.]

Soldiering and socials, is it? From what I can tell, both duties suit you.

[larue]

[ A quiet ducking of the head at that. Because she did get it on the nose. ]

Well, both things kind of align somewhat with the stuff I used to do.

[ Athletes were, after all, like soldiers in their own right, each competition a battlefield of a less life-threatening sort, though people might disagree on that given that American Football was a contact sport to a brutally physical degree, and managing a team as big as fifty suited players. ]

[the_abandoned]

And what were you before all of this?

[Because she actually has no idea, since such a combination only seems to make sense to her within the context of the Vigil. That, and Malia doesn’t make a habit out of snooping around, or reading the dossiers of others unless she’s asked to. Either she gets interested enough in them to ask them, or she doesn’t.]

[larue]

[ Sheepish all of a sudden. Because Malia is a member of the Searing Wind and fairly high up and he is... ]

Uh, I played Quarterback for my old college. In um, San Diego.

[ There is a measure of pride in his voice when he says it. They were making waves in the local circuit back in... back then. ]

[the_abandoned]

I see.

[Well, that was unexpected. Amused all over again, if only because she really should have pegged him for a sports man on the get go.]

I admit that I’m unfamiliar with football, and sports in general. The dictators in my country eventually ruled out recreational activities altogether, and even when there were still games of any sort to watch, women like myself were rarely let out to enjoy them.

[Talk about cultural differences.]

[larue]

[ This is a legit look of Seriously what the--

Yes. This is a disgruntled Josh. ]

Well, that sucks.

[ There was a women's team, okay. They didn't compete as actively as he and his boys but training runs were no walks in the park. ]

I know I must sound naive but... that kind of. Does. Suck.

[the_abandoned]

[His reaction is entertaining enough for her, if only because it’s so… American. Well-meaning, yes, and American.]

To be honest, I did not really think much of it at the time. I never really questioned much of anything.

[Until. Well. That man. Their affair. Death.]

[larue]

[ He's tilting his head at her now, he's not sure what it is about the way she phrases those two sentences that makes him say what he does -- but he does: ]

And then you started to. Question, I mean.

[ Because if she hadn't, then she wouldn't be here then, would she? A Sin-Eater, a warrior, and a mentor he was sitting across from. ]

[the_abandoned]

Yes. It started simply, really.

[And now, since they may inevitably go into THAT part of the story of her life, she is bringing out her pipe. One of the roaming maidservants from the Zashiki-Warashi is immediately coming over and setting a brazier down beside her.]

They are right in saying that love truly changes things for you. Couple that with a society that believes in controlling every aspect of your life, and... well.