Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

It had been a rather long day at the office. For every world-changing occurrence during Winter Court, there were smaller matters like day-to-day law enforcement that never appears as so much of a blip in the lives of those attending Winter Court. Soshi Yua returned to her quarters at Kyuden Oborozuki. Even as a notable magistrate they were apartment was rather minimal with a cramped kitchen and small washroom. It perhaps wasn't her actual home but rather a place for her to spend the night after long days of duty when Winter Court would demand the increased attention of magistrates to manage the order in the city.

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 23, 2022 10:50 pm

Snip

With the door closed the apartment is inky dark, even the familiar shapes of a furniture becoming indistinct dark blobs. Then Yua turns the lights on and everything is revealed as the same small clean apartment it always is.

Everything except for a dark clothed figure leaning up against the wall, a silenced pistol glinting dully under the artificial light.

"Soshi-sama."
The barrel turns, lining up squarely with Yua's chest.
"We need to have a talk."
The sidearm twitches slightly, indicating for the magistrate to come in.

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

The lit cyclopean eye of the magistrate's mask did much to hide her surprise but it didn't do anything to hide her grimace on the matter. She certainly did consider reaching for her sidearm but the close quarters of her apartment didn't exactly leave much room for dodging. Admittedly, she had absolutely no idea who this woman was. In her line of work, there were perhaps more than a dozen enemies that could come back at her for just doing things ordered of her by the Clan. Not everyone needed skeletons in the closet to become a target in the city.

She calmly raised her hands and walked in slowly as she maintained composure. "Who are you?

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 23, 2022 11:15 pm

Snip

"I'm a ghost. If you do as I ask I'll be out of your hair shortly."

She indicates a spot opposite Yūrei at the table

"You worked a case a few years back, and now you're going to tell me about it."
The ronin's voice is dangerously calm

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

Yua pursed her lip at the offer. Well, it wasn't like she was going to be in her hair either way if she shot her. That wasn't a reassuring offer in the slightest, especially when it might have been something a Scorpion would say as a non-lie. However, she slowly tip-toed to see where this was going. "I'm a busy magistrate. I have worked on many cases, you're going to have to be more specific."

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 1:26 am

Snip

"Let me jog your memory then. Project Crimson Shadows, six years back. People ended up in trees."
The gun remains steady on Yua.

"Maybe you could start at the beginning there?"

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

"Project Crimson Shadows..." She said with a scoff. It almost seemed obvious that the matter would be about that. However, why was this one asking if she wasn't involved in it? "Yes, that was a while back..."

She sighed, as she attempted to reopen that particular can of worms. "At best, the project was a misguided attempt to aid the Scorpion Clan. Of course, in reality, it was a blasphemous attempt to bargain with dark powers that should have never happened. The 'project' was founded from within the infiltrator academy, selecting a few promising individuals for experimentations. It was quite clever of them, really. Some of them wouldn't survive but it was easy to bury that under occupational training or hazards of duty. This was apparently done for several years under the secrecy of most of the Clan, perhaps one of the few places many would look from within. They only cared for the result but always turned a blind eye to the means."

"This had gone perhaps unnoticed until a few operatives had gone missing, more than a few for anyone to be comfortable with it to be considered acceptable losses. They had either grown too ambitious or royally fucked up. By itself, gross mismanagement of resources could be an open and shut case on its own. I was tasked to look into this from within, watching them without them knowing they were being surveyed. They were careful in every way, especially in their day-to-day operation. However, it was the experiment itself and its true nature they couldn't even hide from themselves." She frowned grimly at that.

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 4:17 am

Snip

Silence for a few moments, the figure is almost immobile, their breath the only sign they're still alive.

"Dark powers? Do you mean maho? Or something...else?"
Yūrei hopes the magistrate can't hear her heart pounding in her chest.

"And what was the experiment? What did they do?" Surely mom and dad took the fall for someone else....They couldn't have actually....

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

"Something else," she said with a clear distaste on the matter. "I don't know how they did it and it's best that nobody ever did. There's a good reason why the practice of shadow branding had been expunged from my family but for whatever reason, these members of this supposed 'project' had been applying this technique to a few select recruits. Many of them didn't know, as this was done under the guise of being directed by the Clan itself and under the auspices of Loyalty. If gone unnoticed, they would have likely carved out a following over the years and there would have been no telling how far this corruption would have spread from within the Clan. We've managed to catch this at the root, to an extent..."

She gave a dismissive shake of her head. "No matter, all of the heads involved in the processes were hastily rounded up in my raid and executed for their role. I'm sure they themselves thought they did nothing wrong but blasphemy under Loyalty was merely an excuse, I'm sure they've told themselves that lie enough to even believe it. Unfortunately, the damage might have been done already...we can't be certain how far deep this went. We've killed as many of these 'subjects' we could find but we can't be for certain how many truly remain."

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:26 am

Snip

The gun barrels wobbles imperceptibly and then straightens again and the figure's shoulders slump slightly.

"I've heard names, Shosuro Sakimi and Shosuro Fuchida." She clears her throat "Were they the heads of this...project?"

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

Yua frowned, seeing as this figure got far enough to ask about the project but not know about it, yet had names...

"They are," she said plainly on the matter. "Nailed to the Grove for their actions. I consider that mercy, all things considered. Their tortured souls will exist to warn others, rather than be lost to the foul that they were consulting."

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:43 am

Snip

There's a click, deafening in the silence as Yūrei cocks her weapon. How dare she?! HOW DARE SHE?! Her breaths come short and angry. It would be so easy, she could avenge her parents here and now.

But avenge...what? The punishment of two traitors? A magistrate simply doing her job? Would killing Yua here make what she'd said any less true? Would her parents' souls suffer any less agony if burdened with another evil?

With a quiet sigh she lowers her weapon slightly.

"I understand, thank you for the insight."
She stands, keeping her gun ready and slowly walking to the door
"Sounds like you were simply fulfilling your own duties, doing what was necessary."
She pauses at the threshold, throwing a last question over her shoulder
"Did it ever keep you up at night? All those kids experimented on? All the death? The suffering? What you had to do?"

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

There was some visible tensing from Yua as she heard the audible click from the weapon, certainly something was about to come. This was personal, she felt now. It might have been obvious a few moments ago but the question of the two wasn't quite enough. Perhaps a relation to one of the 'subjects', however it was unlikely they would be this upset...

...Tae

"What the Clan deemed necessary," she reaffirmed. "...They made their decisions on the matter. And do you think it kept them up doing something so heinous? The 'children' were an unfortunate casualty but they hadn't been children for some time, even prior to the experiments. I'm sure you can see that. They were at least given another chance at another life, so to speak. I suppose, Tae, too. They wouldn't have given them that."

Boogiepop wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 6:20 am

Snip

"Tae's gone, Soshi-sama, haven't you heard? Just a ghost now."
And with a not entirely mocking bow Yūrei is out the door.


((Thanks for the scene! ))

Soshi Yua • Status 4.0

...The Soshi let out an audible sigh of relief once Yurei was gone. Her hands made fists as she attempted to cease her trembling.

/scene

((OOC: You're welcome!)