Koroshi was dressed in a white jacket with gold leaf circles that shone like a discoball, as well as black and white checkered pants that had been dizzingly designed to give motion sickness to anyone with functional eyeballs. Collected in his arms are a series of documents which are sealed with wax and plastic, in the seal of the Otomo.

He would be nice to any staff, but not answer any questions about the purpose of his visit except to say that he would speak to Watanabe Seika or whatever her name was, at her earliest convenience. And that he would wait until it was convenient. As he sat on a cushy chair, a final thought occurred which he scribbled on the back of a paper.

[D10 LA] Honor, Glimmerstone Research, Spellcraft/Intelligence, Cumulative Roll, TN1, 5k4 | 5k4 ⇒ 24 (TN: ?)

The House of Storms staff take Koroshi at his word that he's willing to wait. After all, if he isn't even sure about Watanabe-sama's full name or whether she wants to see him, how urgent can this really be? The clerk on duty takes his time about notifying Seika that she has a visitor, and doesn't communicate to her any particular need to hurry. Koroshi will thus be treated to a longish spell of inoffensively arranged sea-chanty instrumental music and passable tea served by polite but unforthcoming heimin before at last being directed to a bank of elevators that will take him up to the rooftop common room.

There, a small woman in casual clothing is flipping through her densai, seated at one of the tables along the bank of windows looking out at the ocean. She looks up expectantly as the elevator doors open.

"Watanabe-san!" Koroshi exclaimed expectantly as he got off the elevator. He bowed once he got closer and would set his papers down on the table she is sitting at before taking a seat.

"It is most exciting to meet you in person, very exciting. I was glad to see you were in the city. The heavens are just and shine brightly upon those who strive for greatness!" Koroshi yelled into the rooftop as he slammed an amber stone a little larger than his palm onto the table. Glimmerstone.

"Heya." Seika's brows arch at her guest's exuberance, and the corners of her bold-painted lips twitch. "Saburo-san said you're here to see me, Otomo-san, but not much about who you are or what you--" Her eyes track to the object that's just landed with a clonk on the heavy wooden table, and widen a bit. "Whoa! Gentle with that." There's a note of command in her voice that makes it clear this is not a suggestion, and that despite her casual manner this is a woman who is accustomed to being obeyed.

"Worry not, Watanabe-san! The stone will not fracture without much more force than that." Koroshi said with a placating gesture of his hands. "And the souls within do not notice the movements, this one is certain of this."

The Otomo spread his papers out and opened up one of the folders to show her its contents. It contains records of mechanical and spiritual testing of the stone's surface with different materials, from chalk to a diamond blade. "I am Otomo Koroshi, courtier in the service of his most perfect majesty the Emperor (long may he reign). I am here about the stone and what shall be done about it."

"It's not just about whether it's gonna break. It's about respect."

Seika straightens up from her casual slouch among the fluffy cushions into a more businesslike seated position, gesturing for Koroshi to make himself comfortable. She slides the folder of notes over to her own side of the table and leafs through them briskly. "So you've been looking into them too, huh? How long have the Imperial Families known about this?" Have they been sitting on it all this time like the Scorpion have, or is this guy just finding out, like me?

"Watanabe-san, this one will not argue with you about such things." Koroshi smiled at her and opened another folder which he pushed across to her. This one would contain notes on the spiritual inclination of the stone and the souls within. He had identified two spiritual presences, which seemed to point towards Toshigaku and Gaki-do within the stone. Possibly more.

"This one discovered the problems associated with the glimmerstone...two days ago? I have been busy looking into solutions in the time in between. This one is surprised Watanabe-san is familiar with the stone, perhaps she has used one before?" Koroshi questioned with an even bigger smile.

Seika abruptly sets down the papers she'd been leafing through, her palm striking the table with an audible thump.

"Hey. Otomo-san." She hits the honorific with emphasis, social superior to inferior. "If you know what these stones are, then you know what you're accusing me of when you ask me if I used one before. So I'll give you a chance to take that back, okay? One chance."

Her tone is still lacking most of its usual warmth as she adds, "If you're so surprised I'm familiar, why would you even be here, anyway? I'm guessing someone maybe told you I was asking about this too. You don't have to be all coy about it. If you want to break the curse trapping these souls from rejoining the cycle, then we're after the same thing."

"Ah, excellent to hear you have not used one Watanabe-san." Koroshi stopped smiling. "This one was worried he would have to kill you. I am glad we can avoid such unnecessary trouble! Truly the heavens are excellent and shine to light the path forward!"

He clapped his hands above his head and then flipped open more folders for her to look at. "This one apologizes for the question. To determine your knowledge of the stone and its usual use did require some deception on my part, it would have been very difficult to kill you if I had begun with accusations after all! One becomes defensive and then guards get called, very messy, very messy."

The Otomo waved off the idea with a neglectful flap of his hand. "But we avoid all of this and move on to solving this crisis. There are anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 souls lost or trapped in the Desolation. You are an expert of sorts in kami-forges and power generation. That will be important if you look at some of this, and that is why I am speaking to you now. I looked you up, and had intended on explaining what the glimmerstone was. Your knowledge of what they actually are was surprising! And unwelcome, as it suggested to me that you might have used them. So again, apologies."

He flipped open a folder to a specific page with a paragraph bolded.

Many of those who died, were bitter and miserable, harboring dark thoughts as serf forced to work backbreaking hours in dangerous environment might be and so their souls are fated for Toshigoku - where there is no hope of rebirth. Others lived selfishly or dishonorably, likely ending in gaki-so. There might be some souls fated to meido proper, but sorting them out, should one care, is nigh impossible.

Freeing a soul from a stone requires one to heat the alloy to atrociously high temperatures to allow the spiritual matter and mundane to separate. While this is possible to achieve on forges, the experience is traumatic to the souls and might cause some of them linger around afterwards, likely contaminating the forge and thus potentially complicating further operations. Such an operation would come at great cost and would cause a spiritual fallout that would despoil the faculty and lands around it.

Seika stacks the proffered folders neatly in front of her, but does not dig into them yet.

Instead, she taps her communicator. "Hi, Saburo-san. Could you put security on standby for me? Thanks, buddy."

She folds her hands atop the folders.

"Otomo-san. Funny thing. That actually didn't sound like a retraction." There's none of the usual humor in the way her painted lips quirk up at the corners right now.

"Let's get a few things straight, okay? You come to me, in my place of business, and you are not honest with me. You accuse me of being the kind of honorless bastard who anybody could ever-so-reasonably suspect goes around destroying human souls for some... some temporary convenience. And then--and then." She's not smiling now, not even humorlessly. "You tell me to my face you're ready to murder me right here on Mantis property."

She leans in slightly across the table, taking up visual space despite her small stature. "Tell me why I shouldn't have you walked out of here right now, keep these notes you so helpfully brought me... and put somebody who isn't a moron and a huge liability onto this problem."

Not many Watanabe vassals are familiar with the voice that means You've pissed off the Executive Director, you poor sod, better just hope she's not mad enough to call in Cousin Daimyo-sama. Those that are familiar, though, don't forget it quickly, not least because it's so different from her usual affect.

Koroshi takes a deep breath and stills himself to avoid doing anything. "Watanabe-san, this one would wish to avoid having to offer his lord his sword for what would follow. Please accept that I was mistaken in your character and that I acted wrongly because of it. But one cannot undo their words or deeds, a samurai is their actions. I will not provide excuses for insulting you, it is shameful enough to have done so to an honorable samurai."

"That's more like it." Seika sits back a little and nods, still not smiling. "You admit you fucked up big, and now I can forgive you like a big girl and we can move on. Oh," her brows arch, "one other thing, though. It's Watanabe-sama to you, Otomo-san. Or Yoritomo-sama, whichever. My family trusted me with this position, and that means I gotta ask you to respect what's theirs... Imperial courtier."

She flips open the folders again and skims over the highlighted section of Koroshi's notes. "Yeah. Matches what I figured out. That whole area's aligned with Gaki-do, and breaking the souls out without care is gonna send a lot of 'em straight to the Realm of Slaughter, too. What a mess." She turns over a few more pages. "I invoked a spirit of Earth while I was trying to figure out what the hell was up with the stone I had. The kami said something like, they'd have to be released in the right space or else they'd be damned instead of freed. Earth kami are stubborn as anything, but they'll always be straight with you, so it's gotta be possible."

She looks up again from the papers, pinning Koroshi with her Executive Director Stare once more. "If we're working together on this, though, you're gonna have to smarten up quick, Otomo-san. I won't have you fouling my sails, and that means you can not talk to the local authorities like you just talked to me. Imperial or not, they can tie your hands or run you off the planet if you piss them off, and then you can't help anybody."

Yoritomo Seika wrote: ↑

Sun May 01, 2022 6:31 pm

"That's more like it." Seika sits back a little and nods, still not smiling. "You admit you fucked up big, and now I can forgive you like a big girl and we can move on. Oh," her brows arch, "one other thing, though. It's Watanabe-sama to you, Otomo-san. Or Yoritomo-sama, whichever. My family trusted me with this position, and that means I gotta ask you to respect what's theirs... Imperial courtier."

She flips open the folders again and skims over the highlighted section of Koroshi's notes. "Yeah. Matches what I figured out. That whole area's aligned with Gaki-do, and breaking the souls out without care is gonna send a lot of 'em straight to the Realm of Slaughter, too. What a mess." She turns over a few more pages. "I invoked a spirit of Earth while I was trying to figure out what the hell was up with the stone I had. The kami said something like, they'd have to be released in the right space or else they'd be damned instead of freed. Earth kami are stubborn as anything, but they'll always be straight with you, so it's gotta be possible."

She looks up again from the papers, pinning Koroshi with her Executive Director Stare once more. "If we're working together on this, though, you're gonna have to smarten up quick, Otomo-san. I won't have you fouling my sails, and that means you can not talk to the local authorities like you just talked to me. Imperial or not, they can tie your hands or run you off the planet if you piss them off, and then you can't help anybody."

Koroshi smiled and clapped his hands. "Watanabe-sensei then, as you have acted to teach me the error of my actions."

He got down to kneel and offer her the bow of a student greeting the master. Once he gets off the floor and sits back down he continued.

"This one would like to correct one of your assumptions. I am not doing this to help anyone, whether the souls in the glimmerstone, their families, or the Scorpion who are unknowingly committing blasphemous practices. I am doing this because it is the correct action. I say this to illustrate that being stymied by the local authorities will only end in one way. They will move, or be moved." He admited with a shrug. "This one assumes that certain members of the Soshi family know what they are using, and would take action to keep their dishonourable practices a secret. Which is why I am in the Mantis Embassy instead of the kyuden. It is a lot easier to move a great weight with a lever. And that lever would be a ritual or otherwise to free the souls within. Given the option between dishonourable practices that draw unfavorable attention from the Imperial throne or honorable practices that remove a gaping sore upon the city, this one hopes the local Scorpion are willing to be honorable."

The Otomo paused and then figured he had already accepted the Mantis as a sensei. Might as well say everything. "There are some things not contained within these notes. Things that will need a Lion to see. Specifically a Sodan Senzo."

"It's correct, sure. Because if we can pull it off, we're helping these lost souls and their kin. Making a big noise about how righteous you are is pointless if you can't do that."

Seika rubs her chin. "Look, I'll be straight with you here. This has been going on for five years, right? These things trade on the gray market every single day, and this is one of the highest-traffic planets in the Empire. I'm not so sure that somebody in the Emperor's bureaucracy doesn't know about it already. Or, better case, there are some Imperial officers out there who are real bad at their jobs and might not like being reminded about that. What I'm saying is, don't over-estimate how much weight you have to throw around just because your name's Otomo."

She fishes a packet of locally branded chewing gum out of her pocket--Mystery Mint, though she hasn't figured out what's supposed to be so mysterious about it besides Scorpion marketing--pops a tablet free, and slides it across the table in case Koroshi would like one.

"Sodan-senzo... Lion spirit callers, huh? I wondered about that too. Given the state of things these days, I can't really ring up the House of Steel and ask them to ship me one from Kitsu Prime, though." She pages back through the notes. "You mean to contact the souls in the stones? Or you have something else in mind?"

Koroshi accepted the gum gleefully and chewed. "The barrier between Toshigaku, Gaki-do, and Nigen-do is very thin near the Desolation, this is one of the biggest reasons that the souls will find it hard to crossover correctly. Like swimming against a current, one which swirls the wrong direction. A spirit caller could potentially find a thin barrier between Meido and the world of mortals. Then releasing the souls there would push them in the right direction."

He shrugged. "But this would require speaking to one, I am making educated guesses about their powers and training."

"Oh, yeah. Well, they're not the only ones who could do that... they're just good at it."

Seika cracks her gum meditatively.

"And it's gotta be someplace where you can generate starship-alloy smelting temps, huh? That's what you spent this last couple of days working out?" Seika flips open her own densai and adds a few notes. "Well, there's other ways to go about that besides forges. Elemental summoning... star-burial... of course, the problem with that one is we'd have to be really sure it was gonna work right, because there's no pulling the material back out of the sun for a second try, you know?"

"Throwing the stone into the sun would likely end up with ghosts in the sun. This one is not certain what that would exactly look like, but the restless dead are not acceptable to this one." Koroshi replied with a flat line of unhappiness on his lips.

"This one thinks kami-forges might be a little...difficult to maintain in the face of contamination." He shrugged again. "Not impossible, but this one understands you are an expert in kami-forges. So this conversation, Watanabe-sensei."

"I'm somebody experts work for," Seika amends this slightly. "Hm, I mean, stars are what our little manmade spirit furnaces and forges are based on, you know. Pure spiritual power of Fire dancing to the deep patterns of Tengoku at a mass we can barely even comprehend... and all that," she finishes with a little no need to go on, right? wave of one hand.

"I, uh, trained with the Moshi on Dawn. Not the main-branch Yoritomo priests," she adds. "That's how I ended up with our Flarenet project. Solar power generation, without any need for terrestrial spirit furnaces." Her fingertips drum on the pile of notes. "This'll have to have way, way different warding from any power plant or factory, though. And the site... the site is the most critical, yeah. Close to where the stones are would be good, if there's someplace here with the right alignment. But on the other hand... high-powered spiritual experiments in the middle of a highly settled planet is exactly what caused this mess in the first place."

"The gaki in the Desolation are not fun, Watanabe-sensei. This one had the unfortunate experience of having to fight one recently, and they don't seem to like neighbors very much. I would not recommend putting kami-forges near the Desolation without air support." Koroshi frowned.

"This one can begin to look into geomancy for the location, and speak to the Lion. Coordinating with the Mantis of course."

"Whoa, not that close. I just mean on-planet, or at least in-system. Someplace that's not going to require expensive transport or cross any clan borders. Whatever solution we present to the Scorpion... and we are gonna have to present it to them sooner or later, like it or not..." Seika doesn't look deeply pleased about that, either. "The lower-friction it is, the more likely they'll bite quick and follow through long-term."

She swipes to a clean space in the notes file on her densai and scribbles a few more lines with her stylus. Her, handwriting, as best as one can tell when seeing it upside-down, is rather aggressively modern in style but not without artistic sense. "Yeah, you're gonna have better luck with the Lion than me, if there's any luck to be had there at all. Who knows how many spirit specialists they let out of Lion space? Geomantic siting we can both work on, depending. The technical side... phew, I wish I had my whole team here all of a sudden."