Sakura sat on one of the couches, waiting for Rei and his...plus one? To arrive. Her mind was running on the night before, and her earlier talk with her...friend? Who's a girl? Earlier that day.

Maybe what Rei is asking for would be a nice distraction.

Indeed, it wouldn't be long before Rei, looking as sharp as always, walked through the front door to the embassy, wearing his usual fashionable modern business attire. His gaze instantly found Sakura; he cast her a smile.

He wasn't alone. With him was a Kuni.

"Good morning, Hotaru-san." Rei said, bowing. "Have you met Kuni Koyuki? Kuni-san, this is Hotaru Sakura." Rei introduced the two, perhaps unnecessarily, he wasn't sure.

Sakura bowed to the both of them deeply.

"Ie, I have not have had the pleasure." Speaking of pleasure brought some memories...which led to some others, but Sakura pushed those feelings away.

"Hotaru Sakura, well met Kuni-sama." She glanced up, intrigued by the strange Kuni makeup.

"Usagi-sama mentioned you would like some help with the library? I recently reorganized it, so I am happy to help with anything."

Carrying a tray of coffee's she offers a more perfunctory dip of her head in return, not as a aim to lack respect but she definitely didn't want to spill that hard-won caffeine all over the floor, or herself really. Noticeably, Koyuki's gaze regards the woman with no lacking attention to the detail of her presentation. Not staying overlong, exactly, but there is a certain piercing to that gaze that seems as if there was something she might find amiss she would. Still, the woman offers as much of a friendly, "A pleasure, Hotaru-sama. As Usagi-sama said, I am Kuni Koyuki. As he did not, I serve as an attaché to the embassy staff in the House of Stone. "

Glancing quick to Rei, she does add on after a bit of a nod and indication to move in more toward the library as she explains, "We are researching a spiritual matter. A subject of interest came up, and I am uncertain as to what might cause such an effect. I was hoping something in your library might lend us a better idea of where to be applying ourselves."

Rei had tried to take the tray from Koyuki, but hadn't been allowed. "Right this way." Rei gestured with extended arm before leading the way, keeping a measured pace.

He also glanced at Sakura. "I know the library here is quite extensive. I also know that your research skills are better than mine, no shame to myself. I was hoping you could help us out?" He smiled at her, his usual every day charming smile.

Sakura eyed the coffee with an unnatural hunger.

"Well met Kuni-sama." She didn't mind the gaze. She had worse gazes in her life. Koyaku did have pretty eyes.

No distractions!

"Sure Usagi-sama. I'll do what I can. If you can fill me in on the details, I'll see what I can find."

"We are concerned with a situation regarding a human which repels spirits, or.. ghosts. Something of this nature. That is perhaps the place to start with the task ahead," she says, walking along with them. As they near a table that can be used for their purpose Koyuki bends down to it and sets the tray down. Claiming up two of the cups more directly and offering one to each of the other two, but first one going to Sakura.

"Ah, I see...some kind of spirit-repellent? Hm...didn't the Komori invent something like that... I wonder." She started looking through the books, cross-referencing with the Realm Encyclopedia that the Kuni and Hare brought with themselves. Perhaps she found something?

OOC:
D7 MA Spirit Realms/Int, mca embassy phantom rank, VP for +1k1, +2 WW, +2 spirit realms encyclopedia, looking for anything that repels ghosts, 2 CR | 6k5+4 ⇒ 52 (TN: 30)

Adding on while she searches and things, "They appear to be intimidated by whatever it is. Something that would cause them threat perhaps? I had remembered something.. vaguely about it but it-" she shakes her head, a bit annoyed on that bit, "I cannot quite recall. I feel as if I am exhausted of it."

Hmmmmm

Sakura hummed while working. Off-key.

"The only thing I can find is...spirits and ghosts are afraid of are...bigger spirits. Nastier. Probably older as well."

She looked up with a smile. "Is that heplful?"

Rei looked at Koyuki. "That does help." His lips pushed together for a few moments.

"I think we all need to dig a little deeper. Don't you, Kuni-san?" He asked, nodding towards Sakura.

While Sakura intently search, Koyuki shares a glance with Rei but starts a little pacing for all of two seconds before she starts bringing over books to aid with the womans research. Leaving no time for Sakura to even ask for a book. Always right there, with one open and ready for her to keep searching from whatever collection they might have had.

When they finally hit something, enough that Sakura had something of a lead Koyuki is quick to her side. Nodding to Rei as she was already two steps into the very thing he suggested. Leaning down beside her, as to speak someone more discreetly (it was a library after all) she faces the woman so that the words seem clear as day.

"Bigger spirits. Interesting. So.. how would such a thing become apparent around a man? Ghosts?" Possession, is an unspoken idea but she bites her lip and- "Possession of some form? Something that might attach itself to a person or.. become a person?" she asks, the tone of her voice betraying her own brain piecing things together.

Hm.....

"Let me see if there's anythinkg about that in Toritaka Tetsuo's "Of Monsters and Men", volume 6 and Three Quarters. It's the seminal peace on such literature. At least, it's referenced and cursed most often. After that, perhaps Kitsu Kai-ren's "I wish to speak to your possessor: A tale of bewitchment and bereavement" is another such book."

She leafed through them. "A curious topic, Kuni-sama, Usagi-sama." She left it at that for now.

OOC: Asking in PF

While Sakura flips through pages, chasing a thread, Koyuki spares a glance to Rei. Insisting her drink some of the coffee by taking a sip of her own before she realizes that's not what she meant to suggest at all. Walking up more directly she sets her cup down on the table beside where he was between him and Sakura, then shifting to his other side to put him between her and Sakura. From there she frets with the edge of her sleeve a bit. Biting her lip, she finally forces herself to a decision, "That.. good enough?" she asks, quite unspecific.

"I'm not-" she shakes her head- "shit," she lowers her voice even furhter. "If I'm missing something we should be saying, say it. I- she trusts you," she says, not naming that joint contacts name but the inflection in her tone said everything.

Rei's lips pressed together as he considered for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Hotaru-san... do you think you could assist us with a news search as well?" He leaned forward, his voice dropping lower. "Perhaps we'd better search all incidents involving deaths related to the Desolation from about five years ago. However, there's a particular item we're looking for. I'll point it out when we find it."

Sakura busied about, moving books and reading through them, seemingly ignoring the discussion between the two.

With a sigh, she put away the book she was reading, but leaving a bookmark at the relevant part. Moving towards a computer, she powered it on.

"Usagi-sama, Kuni-sama... I will not pry the context from you." She turned her eyes towards the pair. "But I just want to let you know, I am quite discrete, if it need be. I was a ronin after all. A gossipy ronin doesn't live for long."

She sat down at the chair. "So, what is it exactly I should be searching for?" Whether that would be just the items Rei mentioned, or the larger story, Sakura left to them-

Rei grimaced. "Ummm... let's say we're looking for prominent deaths around that time. Front page news items, so to speak."

He gave Sakura a smile. "It's not because of you that I'm being vague, I promise. But we can't be too careful when looking for information..." Rei made a vague wave with one hand.

Sakura nodded, and started typing into the search enginer (or spy engine, as the Scorp called it).

OOC:
D7 MA, Use Computer/Int, looking for prominent deaths around the time of Desolation, 1 CR for something deeper than the front page news | 6k4-5 ⇒ 20 (TN: ?)

Sakura's research turned up...some info.

"Well, the Desolation had a high death toll, and now just among the lower classes. A lot of people died there. A lot. Most of the higher ranking people were researches or engineers."

"Right." Rei said, pressing his lips together. "This wouldn't have been the desolation itself. Ummm. Maybe very high profile mysterious deaths about that time?"

He leaned closer. "We're looking for the death of the Lord Magistrate's wife. If you can figure out how to find that."