[D7 MA Kochako Fried Chicken] Drop! the Chicken

[Asahina Hinata]

He prodded at his face.

"Oh this is weird. I can't feel my lips and . . . "

His eyes went wide and he just about managed to cover up before sneezing loudly.

"Oh . . . ears popped . . . ouchies."

[Yūrei]

He prodded at his face.

"Oh this is weird. I can't feel my lips and . . . "

His eyes went wide and he just about managed to cover up before sneezing loudly.

"Oh . . . ears popped . . . ouchies."

"That's completely normal."
She resists the urge to pay the Crane and tell him it will be alright.

"Bet everything's clearing up in there? I've heard some Scorpion take it before a mission to clear their head...but I hope those are just rumours."

[Asahina Hinata]

"It's . . . it's certainly cleared out my nose and . . a . . a . . aaaaa . . . "

He sneezed again. Even louder.

"Oh ouchies, I didn't know my ears could pop again so soon!!!"

He absently reached for a piece of chicken . . . would it be the same one again?

[Yūrei]

"It's . . . it's certainly cleared out my nose and . . a . . a . . aaaaa . . . "

He sneezed again. Even louder.

"Oh ouchies, I didn't know my ears could pop again so soon!!!"

He absently reached for a piece of chicken . . . would it be the same one again?

Yūrei hand blurs forward and a quick bit of legerdemain sees the potentially fatal spicy chicken replaced with a tasty thigh.
"That's your body assuming it's been under attack as heat and pressure rise and...well I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that's just a normal reaction to incredibly hot hot sauce."

[Asahina Hinata]

He was finally regaining his healthy . . . paler colouring.

"Wow . . . well that was worth experiencing . . . once I think. Oh . . ."

He took an experimental bite out of the chicken thigh, without thinking as per usual. Some careful chewing later and he looked disappointed.

"Maybe a little longer, that didn't taste of anything!"

With no immediate eating to be done, Hinata tried some questions, with a nagging feeling that one of the lectures at the Embassy had had something to do with ronin. If only he hadn't daydreamed through most of them.

"So what does Yurei-samaaaa do here?"

[Yūrei]

Snip

"Just Yūrei-san, please. I'm honoured enough by your presence."
She arches an eyebrow slowly at the question. Surely the Crane didn't have Hinata...of all people...no, no definitely not.

"I assist clan samurai with their problems, especially returning information or objects. Business gets very busy over the Winter Court, very busy indeed."
She swallows for a moment before continuing.
"I've been doing it for several years now, so I suppose you could say I'm a veteran."

[Asahina Hinata]

"Oh . . . I guess you get a lot of work then?"

Something tugged at his memory again, there had been a lecture on ronin and he was sure there was something on his densai about it. He tugged it out of his bunny backpack and opened up the file with one hand, while idly chomping on fries with the other.

On finding a ronin willing to work for us . . .

DO NOT talk loudly and/or shout across the room
DO NOT use your own money, that's for you
DO NOT discuss the targets or renumeration packages (listed after) in public
DO find out what they are willing to do
DO attempt to discuss the matter quietly and privately
DO offer them the first target as listed
DO offer them the first renumeration package as listed
DO NOT invite them back to the Embassy
DO let the Ambassador know what you've done . . . please.

He made no move to cover up what he was idly reading while chatting.

[Yūrei]

Snip

"Oh yes, quite a lot."
A muscle twitches in Yūrei's cheek as she tries not to peak at the densai, but no ronin is made of stone.

"You know, Asahina-sama. Hypothetically, if you were to ask what I was willing to do, as a ronin, willing to work for you, I'd say it would be information retrieval."
With an innocent look.
"Just in case that question ever comes up."

[Asahina Hinata]

"Oh . . . really?"

He scrolled through to the Information Retrieval page.

Target of Priority: Alpha
Yasuki Kaori
Proprietor of a Villa on the Artificial Islands
Known affiliate of the Grey Carp Conglomerate
Known associate of Lord Greymane, Crab Privateer
Suspected to be in possession of papers of interest into both of the above.

"Like this? I don't really understand all of this but the Embassy is quite keen on getting it done!"

[Yūrei]

Snip

Yūrei hurriedly tries to cover the page from any onlookers with a an empty fried chicken box

"Uh yeah, exactly like that Asahina-sama."
Is he playing me?...No, nobody takes hotsauce like that unless they're genuine.
"If you wanted and the embassy was able to uh, account for my expenses, I could go get that done...for your Clan?"

[Asahina Hinata]

"Oh wait, I have something about that as well. Let me find it."

He stuffed his mouth with another piece of chicken and scrolled through to the right page. Unfortunately he was rather too keen and the densai scrolled on two extra pages while he was turning it for her to look at.

Renumeration Package Three

120 koku from dead drop untraceable account
3 koku per relevant paper (/ooc 3 per info point) in unmarked Scorpion koku scrip
1 Daidoji Combine Arms 50/50 Night Vision system, identifying numerals removed
1 Kimono by Designer Kakita Ronoa

"Oh this is good chicken, I can taste it again."

He appeared completely uninterested in what was on the densai screen.

[Yūrei]

Snip

Yūrei's mouth drops open and she just stares for a few moments.

"Uhhh...uhhhh.uhhhhhhhhhh."
She swallows dryly and takes a swig of her drink.
"You've come well prepared, and you drive a hard bargain. I would be honoured to assist for say, whatever might be listed under a hypothetical remuneration package three?"

[Asahina Hinata]

"Three mmmmm?"

He looked down while grabbing another piece of chicken.

"Oh, OK. Yeah that's great!"

And so the educational short on 'How not to hire a ronin for espionage' continued.

[Yūrei]

Snip

Yūrei matches him chicken for chicken. Anyone monitoring the two for surveillance must have a very strong stomach.
"So I'd help you out by going..."
She grabs a straw and points at the section about the villa
"...There, and getting." she moves down to the section about papers "That, and then the embassy would swap it for." tapping the remuneration "This? I appreciate you being so organised Asahina-sama."
She smiles across at him."

[Asahina Hinata]

Hinata looked suspiciously at what appeared to be a corn on the cob . . . but blue . . . he shrugged and ate it anyway.

"Great, that you're so understanding Yurei-sannnnn. I'm really not very experienced in this stuff, so the Embassy gave me those help screens."

[Yūrei]

Snip

"Well, it is pretty complicated. And you have to be subtle."
Brightening
"But that means you've actually done it really well. See, the trick to offering someone a job discretely is that nobody knows. And even you didn't know until you read about it, so nobody would have been able to guess."
Supportively
"It's unorthodox, but it worked, you've done well. And now uh, I have to do well by you too."

She eats in silence for a few moments before blurting out.
"IjustwantedyoutoknowIthinkUsagiDropisreallycool."
She takes a breath and a sip of her drink

[Asahina Hinata]

He blinked and then a big happy smile covered his face. That was quickly stuffed with chicken.

"Oh thanks! Do you have copies of our albums or something? I can sign them if you want?"

[Yūrei]

Snip

"Oh no, I've got..."
What had she got? She quickly goes through her pockets.

"You wanna sign my-"
Gun? No, also too phallic. Knife? Too sinister. Candy wrapper? It would just rub off..ummm

"-Gym...socks? I promise I won't wear them again!"

[Asahina Hinata]

That got her a wide eyed stare.

"Oh that won't do. I've got some fan stuff back at the Embassy. I'll get you something from there and sign it just for you!"

[Yūrei]

Snip

Yūrei slowly stores the socks in her pocket
"Uh, yeah, that's a great idea! It doesn't have to be anything special, just..it would be really cool."

Apologetically
"I've had a busy day, so I completely forgot to have something worse singing on my, Susumu Yakumo-sama signed my dress the other day though! I thought your performances at the concert were amazing!"