[D6 MA] Plan of action

[Susumu Sumiko]

Sumiko had listened to each question, nodding as they seemed sensible. The Lion speaking up had Sumiko interjecting.

"If Kitsu-sama is concerned for her own safety I'm sure Soshi-sama will understand her wanting to step back" Susumu replied with a smile in the direction of the Lion woman "none here will judge you for it."

She turned back to Kioku.

"However I do have some questions regarding the environment we are traversing into. Through Dai-sans videos I've been able to identify what manner of creatures seem to frequent the lands around the Desolation, something my set of skills can bring to this group" another quick look at the Lion before looking back to Kioku as she continued "and I have a question regarding the connections to Gaki-Do. Is there, or I suppose was there, a portal or other link to the Realm of Gaki-Do prior to the destruction of the laboratory in the vicinity of the lab? Gaki-do is one of the worse realms to have creatures passing over from as I'm sure you are aware."

[Hotaru Sakura]

Sakura listened.

"Thst is partially why we are here Kitsu-sama, to discuss the possibilities. Thiy topic seemed to have escaped the notice of anyone hugher up, so I feel it is our duty to Uphold Compassion here, and do what we can."

She shrugged. "Of course, there is gain of our ow here as a possibility. I won't deny that. Like everything on the World of Dreams, it is a complex topic."

She let out a sigh.

"Furthermore, my presence might be debatable. Gaki-Do,you see...it hungers for me. I am very glad to join any expedition, but I might also pose a risk. I am haooy to leave this up to a vote."

OOC: Sakura has cursed by gakido

[Dai]

Dai watches the tennis match of comments before adding his own, "Kitsu-sama's concerns are not without merit. If we run into a human threat, or other predator of the mortal realm, I can be of some assistance but even then I am not a soldier. When it comes to the ghosts and spirits I feel no shame in admitting my approach has always been running or hiding."

He looks to Sakura with sympathy, "Thus either we want a smaller group less likely to attract the latter or we're going to need those who do have the skills to fight and to fight demons."

[Kitsu Kanna]

Kanna batted an eyelid at the Firefly's comment.

"A gain of our own? I thought this was a Scorpion-sanctioned mission?

I can understand the governor not wanting to engage his own men in this mission for many reasons, ranking from the practical to the political. But the district is still Scorpion property, and anything we could bring back owned by the Scorpion. While we can suppose the local authorities will be thankful, even generous, if the expedition manages to salvage important documents and samples, I'm not sure to like all these mercantile innuendos.

Reassure me Dai, you're paid with good koku for your help? Not with a finder-keeper promise?"

Kanna didn't really expect that this question will be answered honestly.

[Soshi Kioku]

Snip

Snip

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The Soshi will hear the exchange with great attention and interest, nodding her understanding now and then. After Dai speaks, she turns first to the Kitsu.

"Kitsu-san, first of all I want to thank you deeply for coming here and offering your help. I certainly understand your concerns, and as I have said to some of you before, I do not want to place you in unnecessary danger - and even less do I want you to do something you are unsure about." A polite, but heartfelt nod. "I would be very glad for any help you may provide. If you know and trust others whose skills would be helpful, that help would be welcome. That said, I believe, and hope, that fighting won't be necessary. I... hope you should attract less attention once inside the laboratory. And while being fit may help move about, depending on the current state of the building, other skills may be even more important. Although, as Susumu-san said, if you still feel uneasy about this, you shouldn't feel obliged to participate - and I thank you for your interest in helping regardless", she says with a calm, even friendly half smile.

"With what I know in mind, I expect dealing with systems that may have gone haywire, a good eye to find things that may be in a state of disarray, and knowledge of genetics, spiritual matters or possibly other topics would be important skills." She then adds with a slight grin. "Complimenting an angry lord, as you said, probably not - but I know other areas of expertise are often important for courtiers as well. I trust you would know better than any whether you might be helpful there. And if not... your expertise might be of great use later, if I do manage to recreate the Olms", she adds with a thankful smile.

Turning to the others, then.

"Hotaru-san, as I mentioned, prior to hearing the latest news in the SENN and from yourself, I had no real hope of finding anything there. With this new information I... have mentioned the possibility of retrieving something that may be of interest for the sanctuary, but little more than that for now. To be honest, I have my doubts whether those higher up would humour my hope beyond some small financial help for this endeavour - some of which I'll use for the vehicles." Then to Kanna. "Any other research of interest you happen to find and salvage will Scorpion property indeed. Not something the authorities were expecting to have back, but still the clan's property. The clan would certainly be happy for whatever is recovered, though.... we can find ways to negotiate and show my thanks - and the clan's - for your efforts.

Turning then to Sumiko, then Sakura again."Susumu-san, while the work we did touched on spiritual matters, as you might expect - as genetic research often does -, we did not, to the best of my knowledge, deal with any research related to connections between realms or keep specimens other than those from the World of Dreams fauna and flora and domesticated animals on site. So, in short, I knew of no portals or links to Gaki-Do or other realms prior to the accident. This means previous spiritual connections were restricted to the spiritual work with the samples. We do know the whole destroyed area has ties to Gaki-Do now, though... so at least some understanding of spiritual matters may be a good idea."

Then, to Dai. "So... Dai-san's concerns are valid, although if you do have to deal with any spirits, it might be better to avoid direct confrontations. Gaki-do spirits can be very dangerous, and as I said I would not want you to run unecessary risks." A slight smile. "I value your safety, and would much prefer to see you all get back safely"

Then, looking at each of them in turn. "This is probably a good point to ask - do any of you have knowledge of genetics, spiritual or theological matters? These are the themes most directly related to the work we did, so it would be important for identifying the correct samples, and maybe other things. If not... do you know and trust anyone with that experience that might be willing to help?"

She seems thoughtful for a moment. "If not... I..." She closes her eyes for some seconds, as if trying to control some type of emotion inside. "It... would... not be easy for me to be there." She closes her eyes again, clenches her fists. "I... fear I might hold you back if I... can't...." Her fists clenched tightly, she shakes her head slightly "But... if we have no others with this sort of experience... maybe"

Turning to Sakura, then. "I... definitely understand your concern, Hotaru-san. Even more so given my own situation..." Then, looking at the others. "I think... this should be a decision taken by those who will join the expedition. On both accounts, Hotaru-san's presence.... and my own."

[Dai]

"Either a large team with defenders or a small team to infiltrate swiftly and stealthily. I can work with either. But I do not have much to offer when it comes to knowledge and learning." He shrugs slightly, "Such avenues are rarely open to one such as I."

[Soshi Kioku]

"Either a large team with defenders or a small team to infiltrate swiftly and stealthily. I can work with either. But I do not have much to offer when it comes to knowledge and learning." He shrugs slightly, "Such avenues are rarely open to one such as I."

"A large team... I don't think more than 4 or 5 people would be feasible. And again, I think going in ready for a fight might cause more problems than help... although someone with experience dealing with spirits could indeed be a good idea."

Looking towards Dai. "A smaller team... how many people would you consider for a quieter approach, Dai-san?"

[Dai]

Dai nods, "Four or five would be on the larger side though manageable if a vehicle route is clear. For small I would think two or three depending on the skills they had."

[Soshi Kioku]

Dai nods, "Four or five would be on the larger side though manageable if a vehicle route is clear. For small I would think two or three depending on the skills they had."

"Two... that might be risky if something needs attention or action from multiple sources... but if you feel confident, it might be possible. Again, this is a decision all involved should have a say in.", she says, nodding to Dai, then the others.

[Utaku Yesugen]

"There's wisdom in me both staying behind with the vehicle and heading along with the team," Yesugen said. "That being said, could always have additional members on standby if the infiltration goes awry."

[Soshi Kioku]

"There's wisdom in me both staying behind with the vehicle and heading along with the team," Yesugen said. "That being said, could always have additional members on standby if the infiltration goes awry."

"Keeping someone on standby somewhere in case help is needed might be interesting, Utaku-san... but if so, I believe waiting somewhere inside might be a better idea than outside. I believe it should draw less attention from spirits wandering the area - although Dai-san probably knows more than I do in that regard.", she says, looking towards the ronin.

[Dai]

"Yeah I wouldn't recommend waiting outside in the open. The longer you're out in the open the more spiritflies you tend to attract." Realizing other people likely have no clue what he means he pulls out his Densai and scrolls through the last episode until he gets to footage of the butterflies/moths.



"They're harmless on their own - but they're a dinner bell to the other predators in the wastes. Similarly I'd recommend we go in before dark if we can both for visibility for the driver and to reduce how obvious the glow of these little bastards is. Not sure if the spiritual threats need to see the glow, to be honest, but mortal ones do."

[Kitsu Kanna]

"Are you sure you're from this world Dai-san? Most people here seem rather enthusiast at disregarding Akodo's teachings, sleeping through the day and living by night, no matter the consequences.

Joke aside, any reason not to go at dawn, when the body is refreshed, the mind's clear and the ordinary predators of the dark have gone to sleep?"

[Dai]

He grins slightly at the Lion, "As with every world the mice play when the cats sleep - whenever that may be. As for dawn, other than the time it may take for Soshi-sama to gather a vehicle, I am not opposed as long as the sun is up."

(OOC: Dai is unavailable EM but sun isn't really up until MM or later anyway)

[Thimacek]

Let

Us

Get

This

Party

Started!

OOC: Folks, with us nearing day flip and the possibility of Kiyoshi being involved, I'd like to make sure we have the necessary decisions (how many and who will go, and what time slot this will happen in) by tomorrow morning my time (GMT -3) at the latest - let's say, 12 hours from the time of this post.

Some things that have been said in one place or another, and some new things:

On time slots
- To have things start happening, I'm planning on setting up the D7 thread as soon as possible tomorrow.
- Looking over your schedules, it seems the Oshidama Party (LE) is the last time slot any one here's used. That means EM is out of the question.
- As some have said, having the event in an early time slot means that, should something happen, anything else you do during the day may have to be retconned. Again, I don't expect this to happen, but I can't guarantee it won't.
- A timeslot during the morning may make sense IC, but take the risk above in mind.
- A timelost during the afternoon would be a compromise, still risking the Event slots, but letting you do things before the mission. Let's say LA.
- The other option would be after the events (EN), freeing up the whole day. But that's a night slot.

- So can you go ahead and decide between these three?
- If we do not reach a decision by 12 hours after this post, I'm going to go with LA so we can get things moving.

On who will be in
- I will agree to handling 6 people if you decide everyone should go. Less is okay (although with all involved here, I'd hope for at least 3!)

- If we do not reach a decision by 12 hours after this post, I'll post the relevant thread and ask for those who want to participate to post.
- I'll give you 4 hours to post your participation (i.e. up to 16 hours after this post) before starting, so we can get this moving during the 1st day of D7.

On the scene and ghosting
- The way some parts of the scene will be handled, I'll ask you to write your actions in turns. PCs do not need to act in the same order each round, but once someone has taken an action, they cannot take another until all the other characters have done so. This is why ghosting will be important!

- For that reason, in any case, but ESPECIALLY if we have 6 people, please remember to leave general ghosting instructions, and add ghosting instructions to specific things as they happen whenever you can.


And last but not least - Hope you have fun!

[Thimacek]

He grins slightly at the Lion, "As with every world the mice play when the cats sleep - whenever that may be. As for dawn, other than the time it may take for Soshi-sama to gather a vehicle, I am not opposed as long as the sun is up."

(OOC: Dai is unavailable EM but sun isn't really up until MM or later anyway)

"I should be able to get the vehicle ready by the morning, if that's when you decide to go." She grabs her Densai, swipes and types some things, then looks at them again. "I'll transfer a meeting point to your Densai or Comm now. We can change that later if needed, but it's good to have what we can ready."

OOC:
She sends the location of the Twin Beans café, as mentioned in the PM. Just as fluff, as the thread will be in the Desolation.

[Dai]

(Dai is in. Time slot preference order: LA, MM or LM, EN)

[Susumu Sumiko]

Turning then to Sumiko, then Sakura again. "Susumu-san, while the work we did touched on spiritual matters, as you might expect - as genetic research often does -, we did not, to the best of my knowledge, deal with any research related to connections between realms or keep specimens other than those from the World of Dreams fauna and flora and domesticated animals on site. So, in short, I knew of no portals or links to Gaki-Do or other realms prior to the accident. This means previous spiritual connections were restricted to the spiritual work with the samples. We do know the whole destroyed area has ties to Gaki-Do now, though... so at least some understanding of spiritual matters may be a good idea."

Then, to Dai. "So... Dai-san's concerns are valid, although if you do have to deal with any spirits, it might be better to avoid direct confrontations. Gaki-do spirits can be very dangerous, and as I said I would not want you to run unecessary risks." A slight smile. "I value your safety, and would much prefer to see you all get back safely"

Then, looking at each of them in turn. "This is probably a good point to ask - do any of you have knowledge of genetics, spiritual or theological matters? These are the themes most directly related to the work we did, so it would be important for identifying the correct samples, and maybe other things. If not... do you know and trust anyone with that experience that might be willing to help?"

She seems thoughtful for a moment. "If not... I..." She closes her eyes for some seconds, as if trying to control some type of emotion inside. "It... would... not be easy for me to be there." She closes her eyes again, clenches her fists. "I... fear I might hold you back if I... can't...." Her fists clenched tightly, she shakes her head slightly "But... if we have no others with this sort of experience... maybe"

Turning to Sakura, then. "I... definitely understand your concern, Hotaru-san. Even more so given my own situation..." Then, looking at the others. "I think... this should be a decision taken by those who will join the expedition. On both accounts, Hotaru-san's presence.... and my own."

There was a few nods.

"So it wasn't directly working with Gaki-do, but the destruction could have ripped a hole through. Creatures from Gaki-Do can be very dangerous, but they're usually tied to the punishment in the realm world. For example..."

She motioned to the image Dai brought up.

"These may seem harmless, but if you're wearing silk you're in a lot of danger. These spirits are forced to eat silk for the rest of their existence as punishment for forsaking maintaining their household in order to pursue their own agenda. As Dai-san says, they could attract worse creatures, so I would perhaps recommend not wearing silk. Other spirts have different punishments, and it would be nearly impossible to recite every single one of them."

She looked back to Kioku.

"I've got a general good knowledge of most things from my previous studies. If there is still working systems I could also likely connect and operate those without too much trouble. If the camera systems within the lab were all part of the same network I may even be able to get whatever remaining cameras working and remain as a watchpost, relaying information and watching for threats."

[Thimacek]

(Dai is in. Time slot preference order: LA, MM or LM, EN)

(OOC:
Updating with Sumiko's message so it's all in the same place.

- I'm fine with LA timeslot (or any timeslot but EM)
- I'm fine with the extra person

Sumiko will be going 100%

Will answer IC after I get some sleep! )

[Kitsu Kanna]

"Well, I'll let you specialists deal with it then. You don't win wars by sending on the frontline people who have yet to learn in which direction to fire their gun."

---

(Kanna won't be partaking in the event)