Bayushi Senshuken can soon be seen approaching. The young courtier is dressed in a pair of black shorts with small red scorpions embroidered all over them, a red T shirt, a black pretty plain mask and crimson sneakers. She carries her backpack and her helmet along with a broad smile that is evident even behind her mask.

The woman offers a small bow. "Fancy meeting you here, Yurei san!" She greets the ronin cheerfully. "How are you doing? Mind if I join you?" Without waiting for a response, she sits in the stool next to Yurei and orders an energy drink.

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:13 am

Snip

"What a coincidence, neh?"
Yūrei looks exhausted but she still raises her glass and bows her head politely to the young Scorpion.

"I'm busy Bayushi-sama. But glad to have enough time to sit and drink with a new friend. You seem in particularly good spirits, if I may say so."

"Well, I don't see why not. It's a beautiful evening and I'm at a beautiful place with a beautiful girl expecting to have an even more beautiful conversation!" She jokes. She isn't in particularly good spirits today. That's her normal self.

"You look tired, though, if I may say so. Any night endeavors that the friendly Scorpion of your neighborhood should know about?"

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:08 pm

Snip

There's a flash of...something behind Yūrei's eyes before she shakes her head

"Just some personal business, you know how complicated stuff can get with friends and family."
A deep breath, another long sip of her drink.

"Nothing that impacts my ability to help good friends out. I paid a visit to our mutual acquaintance."
She nods her head slightly towards the villa.
"And he was very forthcoming about everything, I think you'll be pleased with all he had to say."

"Yes. The bastard that left my niece in the streets with his child in her belly!" She says in an overdramatic tone and laughs.

"Do tell me that there's hard evidence that he is the father and not his clone brother with whom they share dna!"

The Bayushi chuckles. "Please, stop me, Yurei san. Be the responsible one or I might write the whole script for a new soap opera before you have the chance to talk about your magnificent achievement."

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:29 pm

snip

"Oh not at all Bayushi-sama, for it turns out that...the father was also a clone."
Yūrei makes a dramatic 'dun Dun DUN'

"But I am happy to be responsible for a moment or two, if only for the novelty of it all."
She reaches inside her pocket and extracts a folded sheet of paper she slides along the bar to Senshuken

"A little taste of what I was able to extract."

Senshuken takes the piece of paper and unfolds it slowly before taking a look at it. She folds it again and keeps it between her fingers and the bar. "An impressive sample of what seems like a very promising endeavor. I hope that it is a sample, no?" She asks with a grin.

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 21, 2022 8:16 am

Senshuken takes the piece of paper and unfolds it slowly before taking a look at it. She folds it again and keeps it between her fingers and the bar. "An impressive sample of what seems like a very promising endeavor. I hope that it is a sample, no?" She asks with a grin.

"Of course, I think you'll be very pleased. Our friend was able to provide all the contents of their air gapped storage and as I was leaving, well I fortunately came across some other papers of a more personal nature. My my, but what the rick and powerful do get up to."

She smiles slightly, taking another drink.
"Of course, there is the matter of my expenses..."

"Yes, yes, of course." She reaches for her backpack and unzips it so that Yurei can take a look inside. "What we discussed plus a little something. The side arms are clean and unregistered. The knife is supposedly a marvel of modern warfare and the pills, well," she shrugs, "I trust my cousins among the Soshi to have provided the best."

She closes the backpack again and grins. "There are 20 koku in my pocket for you if we reach a second agreement. I have another family issue, you see, of a similar nature. A Spider man," she barely avoids chuckling, but she does, "had promised to marry a nephew of mine, but now we suspect that the bastard is already secretly married to my nephew's best friend. Are you up for this? Same price plus a different bonus if delivered within 5 days time."

/for clarity the Scorpion pay Yurei 100 koku, 5 koku's worth of mostly legal designer drugs for creative use, 2 Bayushi Ironworks Calabash-5 sidearms and 1 Bayushi Ironworks 'Nightfall' combat knife in exchange for 16 information points.

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 21, 2022 9:03 am

Snip

Like she was opening a box of chocolates
"Awww, Bayusi-sama. You shouldn't have."
Pointing at the side arms
"Those are my favourite, how did you know?"

With a smile she reaches into her pocket and slides a small drive over to the Scorpion, exchanging it with the backpack.

"This Spider Man sounds like a menace! Hardly the friendly neighborhood samurai you'd hope for."
setting her now empty glass down.
"I am genuinely thankful you'd be willing to hire me again so soon Bayushi-sama, it's a sign that our relationship can be mutually beneficial. But I've received an...unusual offer for another family issue during that time period. And it's quite...considerable."

"Well, there are indeed lots of pressing family matters going on this season and all the clans seem eager to solve them, but do remember that the Scorpion make the best friends one can have when mutual respect is acquired." She slides the backpack towards Yurei and grins.

" I don't wish to insist. I value loyalty. If you find yourself doing the same, we could perhaps meet again two days from now and examine our options again. This way we can both get a feeling of the market in the meanwhile. What say you?" Another grin. "You could also take into account that I'm pretty adorable and funny and you like meeting with me, no?"

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 21, 2022 10:25 am

Snip

Yūrei snorts
"Don't forget confident, I'm a big fan of the way you carry yourself."
Chuckling to herself

"Guess that's just part of being a courtier. Another meeting works for me, we can test things out and see how they stand. A delayed job may be eventually successful. A rushed job is rushed forever."
Eyeing Senshuken's energy drink

"Speaking of rushing, can I ask what you've been getting up to? Call it living vicariously through a younger, cooler me."

"I'll be heading home to change to something rather uncomfortable and then to a somewhat boring gathering." She shrugs. "I'm working irregular hours. The burdens of being a confident courtier." She adds and chuckles.

"How about yourself, if I may ask?"

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:32 pm

snip

"Whoever decided anything stylish should also be uncomfortable ruined a lot of evenings for samurai everywhere. I think I'll be attending the gathering as well, although I have no idea what I have to wear."
She did have all those spare LEDs lying around....

"Me?" Her expression darkens for a moment "Oh, you know how it is. Saw my parents, met up with some friends, lots going on. Sometimes I think it might be too much excitement." she sighs slightly and consciously relaxes "It's the World of Dreams, it always finds a way to surprise you."

"Maybe we will see each other later then and the gathering won't be so boring for me?!" She doesn't seem to be waiting for an answer to that and grabs her helmet so that she can leave, but stops.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I? I should stop trying to be at the driving seat in each and every case." She places her helmet on the bar again and grins. "You were saying about your parents, I believe? How are they like?"

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 22, 2022 10:00 am

Snip

"Oh no, if I had a fast bike you can bet that I'd be taking any opportunity to jump on it and race around. I suppose then it's the getting off it that would be difficult. Although maybe at some point you could slow down and smell the roses? Just to keep things fresh if nothing else. If everything is going by in a blur you'll miss it."

Senshuken's question draws a grim smile out of Yūrei
"They've been better, I think. I don't like where they've set down roots, lotta bad folk in that neighborhood."
She lets out something that is probably a laugh and not a half choked down sob before signalling the barkeep over for another drink, checking to see if the Scorpion wanted something.

The analogy about the blur actually makes a lot of sense. That's exactly how Sparkle, the fastest samurai alive kept losing by his archenemy for an entire season a few years ago. She seems pensive for a few moments.

"Are they old?" She asks after managing to focus on the conversation again. "Don't ronin have retirement plans? In monasteries?"

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 23, 2022 5:38 pm

Snip

"They'd be in their 40s now, I guess."
Considering Senshuken
"So yes, incredibly old, super old." She shakes her head at the second question. "Maybe, if being a monk is how you want to do it. Most of us don't make it that long. Retirement would be a nice problem to have, although I don't know what I'd do with myself."

Yūrei ends up as pensive as Senshuken
"Maybe live somewhere safe, with a little garden that grows food for me. Although that sounds kinda boring."

"Nah, they're not that old for parents. Mine had me in their forties. There's plenty of time for them to have a new baby Yurei." She chuckles.

"Yes, that's indeed boring. At least you'll have company in a monastery. I recently met a monk who is absolutely gorgeous! I would date him if I dated tall people. That's the kind of people you want around you after retirement. Tall and strong enough to do the chores and pretty enough so that you can spend your day looking at them while they do those chores. But retirement doesn't sound cool enough if I have to be honest."