[Day 9 - Midnight] Eriko Event: On the Case (Closed)

[Matsu Eriko]

Eriko gave Hide a glance and frowned, her expression turned a bit pensive as the gears in her head started to turn on the matter as the others talked.

"Yes, I definitely get the feeling this is about some bigger score." She nodded at Sakura. "It's always been about a bigger score with the True Scions and I was just in the way this entire time. I'd hate to be a walking and talking exposition here but I can spill the beans of whatever I can. I owe you that much for everything you've done for me already..."

"This data core relic that I had recovered a while back from a deep space salvage was said to have a full catalogue of secrets, a bit of a black book of who and what in the galaxy some centuries ago. As it turns out, one of my ancestors was involved with something on it, I'm not entirely sure as to what yet." She dug in her coat pocket and pulled out what looked like an old tsuba, which design was of intricate traditional flowers etched around a Crab that held up its claw high and crossed like the Kuni mon. Hide would recognize that design from the daisho recovered from the Kiyonami on Asakaze. "Of course, the True Scions probably saw the all the potential Koku in my Family's legacy."

"Supposedly, Kuni Emi had been researching something dubbed the 'Essence of Toshigoku'...Locked away and kept in secret in a vault. The coordinates were on the data core but most of it was unreadable due to it being damaged to heck. I've been trying to find someone to decipher it for a while. Now that it's in their hands and they're going to a place like that. I'm sure they've likely found it..."

[Usagi Rei]

Stamping out the last of the cigarette he'd been smoking, Rei grimaced. "That sounds super bad. That's super bad, right?"

He glanced around at the others.

[Matsu Hide]

Hide remembered holding that daisho as she found and presented it to Eriko back at that derelict ship. “Kuni Emi’s a name I remember well but haven’t heard in a whole. So your ancestor has a lot to do with this, too, huh?”

It made more sense now. Why would Eriko have risked her life again and again for this thing? The personal touch to it had definitely put things into perspective.

“Essence of Toshigoku? Hmm. Any idea what that could be?”

[Matsu Eriko]

"It does sound pretty bad, huh? I doubt it's going to be puppies and rainbows once they find it. I'm sure it's probably the 8th artifact called the 'Essence'. They've never found a way to trademark these things..." She shrugged with a sigh. "All the jokes aside, I don't know. Apparently, a little something they dredged up from a holy lake, far older than even Emi herself. It's said that a really bad feudal war happened long ago, so bad that all the blood spilled into a lake that was previously blessed by a divine Hantei Emperor."

[Miya Nishida]

"Well." he said, looking serious. "Whatever demon, devilry or the like this thing contains, it is clear that it cannot be left in the hands of a few outlaws." He took a drag of his cigarette, "I'm just afraid the gears of bureaucracy will be too slow to get there sooner than the True Scions finish their digging.

[Hotaru Sakura]

"Not ominoous at all." She sighed, then glanced around between the group. "I'm not much of a fighter, I'll only drag you down, but if I can help anything in preparation, I'm all yours Damn Gusai punks always rubbed me the wrong way." She sighed. "Please don't die folks."

She smiled at the suave Imperial. "Well, I guess it's just up to some top samurai to handle it in their free time, neh?"

[Kuni Koyuki]

Glancing to Rei, Koyuki makes a small gesture using the way she holds a cigarette between two fingers in an attempt to signal for one. Meanwhile she looks across those assembled. Letting their faces sink in as much as the information was. With everything that had been said, it was clear that this wasn't something Eriko would likely give up on no matter the danger and yet she couldn't not pose the question.

"Are you going to do it then? Follow them into the Desolation despite all the danger?"

[Matsu Eriko]

Eriko nodded at both Sakura and Nishida. "To be honest, you've done more than enough with your assisted gumshoeing. This was easily not something I could do over the course of one night or even this week alone! Thank you, minasama. Sure would have been a different story if I lone wolf'ed this." She gave a quick wink at Hide on that note.

"Well, yeah," Eriko said without hesitation, making it sounds like it was the only obvious thing to do at the moment. "It's been a back and forth between the True Scions for a while and I'm not going to let them get the best of me when they're out to steal pretty much my stuff. I'm sure someone can write me up at the end of the day but I'm still going to do it."

[Kuni Koyuki]

Everything circling around her, it was a bit like her heart was being suddenly pulled apart. Yakumo, Moriko, and then these two before her that she'd gained a great deal of fondness for. Like looking at the person you could have been standing before you, and seeing how happy they were. There wasn't anyway that Koyuki could bring herself to let these two walk off into that and hope for the best. Maybe she was broken, but neither of them had to be.

Are you sure? Sounds an awful lot like you're just a slave to the past aren't you. Trying to throw yourself away for others like that. What about what you want?

She'd failed one team once already, not this time.

"Then you will not be going alone, as I will be certain to follow. Whatever it brings I will make sure that we at least survive this. Fighting an enemy in a dangerous territory is hardly something I am unused to," she adds, arms crossing over her midsection. Plagued by the ghosts or her own conscience trying to eat itself there's that determination in her eye as she forces them out best she can. A constant battle.

[Miya Nishida]

Don't worry Eriko-san, I've already arranged for a replacement for myself" he said, taking a drag on his cigarette and looking over at Koyuki who seemed to want one too, but was probably begging Rei for it. "I have found a quite capable fighter to assist you, "he looked over at Sakura, "A ronin named Yurei, perhaps you know her?"

[Hotaru Sakura]

"Hope you pay er good Miya-sama, my girl ain't cheap." She smiled, then turned to Rei, thrusting a finger out at her. "You make sure my girlfriend gets home in one piece. I already had to patch her up once after a certain Imperial hired her." She glanced towards Nishida. "No offense Miya-sama."

[Matsu Eriko]

"Very much appreciated, Koyuki-san. I wish I could say I have things to trade when it comes to Winter Court to make it all even. You do have my thanks and maybe a voucher for a free bubble tea in the future." She smiled in Koyuki's direction before looking at Nishida and Sakura. "Your money and this Yurei-san will also be appreciated."

[Matsu Eriko]

"Anyway...We'd better not stick around here and give those True Scion bastards the opportunity to jump us this late at night. Let's head back while we still can. I'm sure their friends are not dumb enough to follow us back to the other district." She gestured away as she took a few steps away to coax everyone to do the same.

"Get some shuteye and we'll meet up at the gates at night. I'll find us a magistrate who'll turn around and let us in, just get ready for tomorrow, eh?" She said to Rei, Koyuki and Hide in particular.

[Usagi Rei]

Rei gave a vague sort of wave, smiling. "Yes. Good idea. And good work, everyone." He brushed a hand through his hair. "Yeah, a good night's sleep and ready for tomorrow. I've had about enough excitement for the evening." Rei wasn't aware of how ironic that would be.

He frowned, considering. "Yurei's a good choice to bring in. Perhaps one more?" He glanced around, looking for suggestions.

[Matsu Hide]

“Well, we do have Akodo Reki-sama we could ask. Something tells me if we mention pirate assholes she would enjoy the chance to shoot a few.” Typical Lion response to the mention of pirates of potential Mantis origin.

[Kuni Koyuki]

"It has been so long since I donned my armor," she says, more to herself than anyone else. Hand coming down to rest gently against the back of her sidearm like it somehow links her back to the memory. Flashes of moments. Time when she'd been focused on the task and not lost in the foggy maze that was her own mind. Simple things that annoyed her back then, like how Tats always walked off from the group while he was plotting something out for them and forced everyone to follow. How the armor used to nick her side a little with a pinch from a minor dent suffered in battle.

Lost in that reverie for a moment, she almost misses her turn off. "Stay safe, everyone."

Then Koyuki walks down a different road, and seeks out some public transit that would bring her back to the embassy for the night.

/exit Koyuki.

[Usagi Rei]

“Well, we do have Akodo Reki-sama we could ask. Something tells me if we mention pirate assholes she would enjoy the chance to shoot a few.” Typical Lion response to the mention of pirates of potential Mantis origin.

Rei smiled at that. "She's a good shot. And a good tactical mind. And I think you're right. She might enjoy it."

He gave Koyuki a vague sort of wave as she left. "I should get going too. Unless there's anything else?" He looked around at the remaining individuals.

[Matsu Hide]

“Nah, you can head home and get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long one.” Hide gave Koyuki a wave before turning her attention back to Rei. “Thanks again. Really looking forward to seeing you shoot. Just don’t come in a terrible shirt like the last Hare I met, okay?”

A little joke to ease the tension, of course.

[Usagi Rei]

“Nah, you can head home and get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long one.” Hide gave Koyuki a wave before turning her attention back to Rei. “Thanks again. Really looking forward to seeing you shoot. Just don’t come in a terrible shirt like the last Hare I met, okay?”

A little joke to ease the tension, of course.

Rei did a double-take.

"Wait. Tell me you're talking about Ujina Jin. He's my cousin." Rei grinned. "I hope there's not another Hare wearing terrible shirts like the ones he wears."

[Matsu Eriko]

"Wait, are we talking about Ujina Jin, now?" Eriko said stepping back as she was prepared to make her leave. "That's him! Or one of them at least. The worst shirts you couldn't believe. I mean, it's not bad if that's all you packed but no, he literally pointed at his shirt and went 'hey, Kuni-san, this is a pretty awesome shirt, right?'. That's when you know a man doesn't have taste."