[IC] Midas Touch: A New Flame

[ZeroNumerous]

June 11th, 8:15 AM

The morning sun rises over Nagoya much like any other day in the rainy season. A dark cloud bank remains over the city, and the fog and mist from last night's rainstorm drifts through the streets as if it owned them. The mid-June rainy season often brought troubles like deep fog and driving rain to Nagoya, but like much of Japan: The city endured quietly. Naturally, no place endured better than Nagoya's Amon Reactor. The massive black tower looms above the fog, the city, and even breaks through the clouds above. Its cold steel a constant reminder of how the country has been revolutionized by Midas. No one outside of Midas' science and engineer corps know how the reactors function, but the fact that they turn unused refuse into power is common knowledge. The fact that a single reactor could power all of the Chūbu region and still have enough left over to funnel the majority of its energy across the country speaks volumes of their ability. Naturally, such a behemoth of a machine was unaffected by the constant rainfall during the rainy season. And for members of Internal Affairs the rain was nothing but an annoying obstacle to get around so that one could get to work.

The main headquarters of Internal Affairs is nothing like anyone expects. The squat two-story building sits beside a three-story hotel whose chipped brick walls haven't been washed in decades. On its other side sits a dirty looking noodle shop bearing the name Yamamotoya Honten. To people from Internal Affairs this trio of buildings is home away from home, but to civilians on the street it's simply a decrepit building which still often sees visitors. Of course, to the Japanese the idea of Internal Affairs conjoins up images of ruthless thugs in black suits, high-tech machinery, and security checkpoints all over the place double and triple checking identities. In reality, anyone can just walk in from off the street, skip past the purple-haired old woman working as the receptionist, and head upstairs right into the main offices of Internal Affairs. And, in fact, this is often the trip agents take early in the morning. No doubt anyone working for Internal Affairs did that very same thing. Some give the ancient receptionist, Morimaya-san, a greeting or a word of hello, but few give her more than the cursory nod that always fails to go noticed due to her terrible eyesight. Which always results in Morimaya asking the person to stop, come over, and show her their badge. In the end, a bit of courtesy likely goes a long way to getting inside.

Past the receptionist stand the crowded offices themselves. Small wooden cubicles, each with a computer and several with multiple paper files, denote where most desk agents spend their time. Most of Internal Affairs' work involved paperwork, and the bulk of its employees were situated to deal with the oppressive bureaucracy. Of course, there are still those employees who are clearly not bureaucrats, and plainly lack the basic common sense to be desk-jockeys. Most of those employees are kept on the second floor, far away from troublesome questions of their "normal" co-workers.

Ignis

The second floor of Midas' Internal Affairs division is surprisingly loud, annoying, and filled with children. Internal Affairs is always on the look out for new talent, and unfortunately that talent often comes in the most surprising of packages. Some are kids barely out of high school, others adults who should know better, others still aging relics like Oldboy; but all of them skilled enough to be gifted an invitation--or forced to accept an invitation to continue living. Naturally no one spoke of where they came from casually, and such secrets were shared only between those closest to you. Even kids knew enough to do that. Most of the field agents wore the same outfit: Crisp, well kept black suits, black sunglasses, and black hard-soled dress shoes. Others add frills, wear sneakers, gloves, or do other pointless things to personalize their appearance. But everyone looked the part of the government lackey. Few played that part well.

Ignis finds himself at his desk this early in the morning. Being a field agent often meant being out in the field. But there are some days where the paperwork weighs more than the bureaucrats can support, and that's when even field agents have to do their share. His desk was, like most field agents, set out in an open room back-to-back with another desk like something straight out of a film noir. It's heavy and oak, clearly intended to not be moved after set in place. But any agent with the right knowledge, and the willingness to really put their back into it, could rearrange the whole room if they desired. Unfortunately for Ignis, his desk was shared with Pyrite. The blond-haired and empty-headed woman who was lucky to come to work with her socks on, let alone apprehending targets or eliminating enemies of the corporation. She had only been at the company for a few weeks, but already made a name for herself by accidentally dropping and discharging her gun into a target. He was gravely wounded when the bullet miraculously ricocheted off his ribs and into his lungs, and Pyrite accidentally knocked him unconscious by reaching for the gun she had dropped. The desk opposite Ignis' own looked like a hurricane had come through recently: Papers strewn about, several folders laying open and unread, and the a few drawers were half-open as well. Of course, the owner of said desk is no where to be found, but the mess seemed to persist despite her absence. As for where Pyrite herself was: Anyone who had been at the company for more than two days knew the exact answer to that question. If it was before lunch, then she was getting chewed out by Boss or Oldboy, depending on who was in the building at the time. If it was after lunch, then she was at the shooting range in the basement trying her best--and failing spectacularly--to not look like an idiot.

Regardless of where his "partner" was, however, Ignis had paperwork to finish up. Or, hopefully, Boss or Oldboy had something that needed to be done. Even getting coffee would be better than paperwork. Or he could try to catch up on the latest office gossip.

Captain

The second floor of Midas' Internal Affairs division is surprisingly loud, annoying, and filled with children. Internal Affairs is always on the look out for new talent, and unfortunately that talent often comes in the most surprising of packages. Some are kids barely out of high school, others adults who should know better, others still aging relics like Oldboy; but all of them skilled enough to be gifted an invitation--or forced to accept an invitation to continue living. Naturally no one spoke of where they came from casually, and such secrets were shared only between those closest to you. Even kids knew enough to do that. Most of the field agents wore the same outfit: Crisp, well kept black suits, black sunglasses, and black hard-soled dress shoes. Others add frills, wear sneakers, gloves, or do other pointless things to personalize their appearance. But everyone looked the part of the government lackey. Few played that part well.

Tetsuo finds himself alone at his desk. Most of the others in the office are busy with paperwork, which is to be expected, and his "partner" is no where to be found. Said partner, a sniper who used the code name "Courier", often came in late so one could hardly find such a disappearance surprising. Usually Courier arrived fifteen to twenty minutes after the day starts, and while most would get fired for that a chakra-user had the kind of job security that most people would kill for. Before Tetsuo can figure out where exactly Courier is, or really dig into his paperwork, a familiar and pretty face approaches the agent. Amy Vallen, the British secretary for Boss, walks toward Tetsuo's desk with a brisk gait and a couple of sheets of paper in her hand. The pretty-looking foreigner stops in front of Tetsuo's desk, carefully places the sheets in her hand on his desk, then smiles at the Yato. "Miss Fujiwara has a job for you. She seemed really irate about it. I'm told you're supposed to pick up four others, and come to the front door in less than an hour."

Courier

Cold air buffets the Hyuuga like an angry god. The rainy season often brought high speed winds, and today was no different. An icy cold blast of air pushes Juri on toward Midas' Internal Affairs office. The squat building looks like nothing special. A box filled by a bunch of people propagating the bureaucracy of Midas. Of course, Juri isn't the type to really do anything like that. Not that anyone really noticed the Hyuuga unless she was carrying around her rifle. As Juri gets closer to the Internal Affairs building she realizes that she's not the only one late, or at least the only one outside the building. A black-suited white-haired woman that bears an angry aura that repulses people walking down the street. She's standing in the alcove created by the Internal Affairs building, watching the rain, and seems to be smoking a tiny fraction left of a cigar. Beside her stands a blond-haired woman in a single-breasted suit with a very frilly blouse beneath her suit's jacket. Her blond-hair is done up in a ponytail, and she's looking at the white-haired woman rather meekly. Naturally Juri recognizes the white-haired woman as Fujiwara, her direct superior, and the blond-haired frilly girl as Shirokawa Naomi. As Juri approaches she can see Fujiwara is talking, but can't hear her over the driving rain. Nonetheless it's probably something about how Pyrite screwed up something, or got someone shot. Of course the blond-haired woman meekly tries to defend herself against the accusations, but those defenses are also lost in the maelstrom of noise surrounding the Hyuuga.

By the time Juri gets close enough to hear the duo Pyrite has already slunk back inside with her head hung low. Fujiwara gruffly greets the Hyuuga with a nod and a grunt, but doesn't say anything unless she tries to go inside. "Hold on. We need to talk Courier." The stress on Juri's code name likely aimed to prevent Juri from getting too comfortable. "You need to come in earlier, you know? Even I have my limits." Fujiwara frowns, then takes her cigar out of her mouth. Smoke bellowed from the sides of her mouth as she spoke, and for a moment she looked like a dragon wearing a human's flesh. "There's a problem you'll need to deal with this morning. Take this one seriously." Fujiwara spoke as if it wasn't a warning or a request, simply an order expected to be followed.

Merry

The second floor of Midas' Internal Affairs division is surprisingly loud, annoying, and filled with children. Internal Affairs is always on the look out for new talent, and unfortunately that talent often comes in the most surprising of packages. Some are kids barely out of high school, others adults who should know better, others still aging relics like Oldboy; but all of them skilled enough to be gifted an invitation--or forced to accept an invitation to continue living. Naturally no one spoke of where they came from casually, and such secrets were shared only between those closest to you. Even kids knew enough to do that. Most of the field agents wore the same outfit: Crisp, well kept black suits, black sunglasses, and black hard-soled dress shoes. Others add frills, wear sneakers, gloves, or do other pointless things to personalize their appearance. But everyone looked the part of the government lackey. Few played that part well.

Merry is left on his own like most mornings. Few people associated with priests willingly, fewer still were ninjas willing to associate with priests, and even fewer still were Internal Affairs agents who spoke with priests. His desk partner, a purple-haired woman known as Evergreen, didn't seem like she was coming in today. Then again, the few times she came she just talked about how annoying it was to talk to priests. She wasn't a very nice person, and definitely the kind who needed to come and cleanse her soul. But talking to her about things like that was like talking to a brick wall. Perhaps, some day, she'd be willing to forgive herself of her sins. Of course, that doesn't mean that Merry was without work. A neat pile of paperwork had been left on his desk that morning, and most of it pertained to a situation developing in Hong Kong. Something about members of a terrorist cell known as Redana making reappearances. Apparently six or seven of them tripped a Do-Not-Fly warning, but escaped Hong Kong International before they could be apprehended. Capturing them would be important, but it's unlikely that they would remain on the run for long. The reports spoke of Doll and Smith being assigned to the case two days ago, and at least Doll was competent.

[Zanos]

Ignis

Ignis holds an unlit cigar in one hand, his other held a pen lazily resting on a form. He looked more in place in the room than many of the other agents. His overcoat and hat hung on a post next to his desk, still a bit damp from the rain, his hair combed back as he always kept it. In contrast to his partners desk his papers are nearly immaculate, with everything being exactly where he could find it. He sighs and shakes his head at the mess opposite of him. Most incompetent agents got sorted out the first time they faced a target who could fight back, which she had miraculously managed to avoid. But someone saw enough in her to keep signing her paychecks, and he didn't mind as long as she kept her mess off his desk.

The children and the noise, on the other hand, gave him a headache. Younger recruits tended to have little experience and a sickening overconfidence, and it was too early to deal with.

Deciding against the cigar, he slips it backs into the case in his chest pocket and stands up. As unfulfilling as paperwork was, it wasn't going anywhere, especially without some coffee.

He walks down to the break room, hoping somebody had already made a pot.

[Bad Situation]

Tetsuo is alone at his desk when the foreign secretary finds him. A tall, muscular man hunched over an oversmall desk methodically filling out paperwork and marking up documents like an obedient little desk jockey. It's an amusing sight, especially to the agents who have had the opportunity to work with him before. If the cramped cubicle and inconvenient workspace bother the hulk of a man however, he makes no indication of it on his face. By the time the British/Japanese woman steps into his sanctum, he's finished with whatever report he's working on and meets her gaze with his steady, amicable smile.

"Vallen." He nods at her approach and announces his recognition but quiets down and laces his fingers together to hear what she has to say.

"An irate? This early in the morning." Tetsuo chuckles darkly at the thought but shoots Amy an easy grin, "You mean more irate than usual, then?" The Yato flips through the remaining paperwork sitting on his desk absentmindedly before earmarking one of the pages to hold his place and slides it to the right side of his desk, his unofficial 'to-do' pile. He picks up the sheets presented to him by the secretary, scanning their contents before sliding his chair out of his desk hole and standing up to his full height. "Did the Boss say anything about the job and who I need to bring or it is all in here?" he asks, gesturing to the documents in hand.

[Cespenar]

The Hyuuga walks up to the pair, enjoying the weird weather that buffets and pushes her. Her neck-length black hair was already damp from the walk, but the black jacket she usually avoided to wear hung from her shoulders today, providing some cover against the wind and rain. She nods at Fujiwara, but keeps her smile from expanding too much and getting on the older woman's nerves.

"Sure, boss," she replies after listening to her words. As she tries to head inside for the second time, she calls back. "When didn't I?"

Passing by the old lady Morimaya with a genial nod, she quickly makes her way to the second floor and to her desk.

"Wow, hell of a weather out there," she says to Tetsuo as greeting, but her face tells that she actually enjoyed it. Hanging her jacket behind the chair, she looks around for a while and leans on the edge of the desk, close to her "partner".

"So. Boss told me of a 'problem'. You know anything?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Captain

Miss Vallen just laughs. "Don't let the Boss hear you complain about her, or she might throw you on desk duty with Collateral." The last word is said almost like a curse, and she looks toward the man's empty desk. He had a week off, but even without his presence the man's past was enough to make the secretary glare in that direction. When Tetsuo asks about the job the glorified secretary just shrugs. "It's a need-to-know, and I didn't need to know. I was just told to give this to you and tell you what I told you." Vallen turns to leave just as Courier finally gets upstairs.

The documents are dossiers on four individuals and a particular organization:
Unknown Male (http://i.imgur.com/enjvtqK.jpg)
Nationality: Korean
Age: Unknown
Height/Weight: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Notes: Cameras caught him leaving Okinawa with Savage, but information is proving scarce about the target. Presume dangerous and in league with Savage. Likely in Hong Kong. Media Blackout; Kill on Sight

Hall, Emma (http://i.imgur.com/KZ38eFV.jpg)
Nationality: American/Japanese
Age: 17
Height/Weight: 5'0; 114 lbs
Occupation: Former security consultant
Notes: Former white-hat security consultant for Midas. Disappeared with unknown circumstances two days after William Savage escaped, but before he left for Hong Kong. Presumably with Savage and other members of his cell. Media Blackout; Capture alive

Muraguchi "Edge" Midori (http://i.imgur.com/bQMITVL.jpg)
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 5'3; 136 lbs
Occupation: Officially Unemployed
Notes: Former member of Internal Affairs. Suspected contact with Savage caused morale issues. Went AWOL two days after Savage escaped. Presumed hostile, and burned as a result. Extremely dangerous assassin skilled with bladed weapons. Take extreme caution. Media Blackout; Kill on Sight

Savage, William (http://i.imgur.com/d3kCfPA.jpg)
Nationality: British/Japanese
Age: 34
Height/Weight: 5'9; 168 lbs.
Occupation: Unemployed
Notes: Suspected serial killer involved in several disappearances around the Okinawa area. Apprehended by police after brawl in bar, later escaped via unknown means. Last seen boarding a flight to Hong Kong. Media Blackout; Kill on Sight

Hóng Lóng
Member Count: Unknown.
Notable Members: William Savage.
Operation Black Dragon: Hong Kong based Chinese terrorists calling themselves Red Dragon launched a covert raid on a Midas engineering group servicing the Hong Kong Amon Reactor. The HKAR hasn't been targeted yet, but we suspect Red Dragon will attempt something given that the engineers were all captured and highly sensitive information may be in their hands. Your mission is to find Red Dragon, exterminate them with extreme prejudice, kill William Savage, and recover the files taken by the group. If recovery is not possible, then destruction is acceptable. Failure will cost millions of lives.

Courier & Captain

Juri heads up onto the second floor without any problems. Morimaya recognizing her despite her "bad" eyesight, and buzzing her through without any trouble at all. Once the sniper gets to the second floor she's greeted by the sight of her desk partner talking to the pretty secretary, but Vallen leaves by the time Juri can cross the distance between herself and the duo.

Ignis

Cassius finds the break room surprisingly empty. Except for, of course, a familiar blond-haired agent staring blankly into a steaming cup of coffee. Pyrite just sits there slumped over her coffee as if it were the last warm thing left on Earth. A freshly brewed pot of coffee, likely made by Pyrite given how her cup was still steaming, sits on the coffeemaker. Given how incompetent she's been since being employed it's hard to expect her coffee to be any better, and the fact that she isn't drinking it--instead just staring into it while lost inside her own head--speaks volumes as to its worth. When the break room door closes Pyrite jumps up and looks to the door. When she notices Cassius the agent relaxes a bit, then smiles and waves. "Good morning sir! I, uh.. I just got back from being yelled at by Fujiwara-sama. She really went all out this time." She looks at her coffee, and a speaks in a surprisingly dull tone. "I think she hates me, but that's okay."

[Bad Situation]

The Yato shivers at the thought. "I think the Boss isn't petty enough for that kind of punishment. Besides, she knows I've got nothing but respect for her.

With the conversation now winding down, tetsuo's eyes flick toward the documents. He whistles low as he runs down the dossier, stopping only to nod at Vallen when she turns to leave. Quite the job to leave in his hands. Two former employees and a raving serial killer on the loose, not to mention the unidentified Korean running around with Savage. No wonder Fujiwara was so pissed. Snorting, he folds up the documents and stuffs them into the inner pocket of his jacket. He meets "Courier" halfway into the cubicle but says nothing to her when she approaches, merely reaching around the woman for the sword leaning against the wall. He pries the blade free a few scant inches to examine the steel before nodding to himself in satisfaction. Juri would of course, notice the gesture as one of the rituals her partner would often partake in before a mission.

Before she can say anything however, he confirms whatever suspicion the Hyuuga might have. "We've got a job. Meet me in front of Fujiwara's in half an hour. And please, take this one seriously."

He quickly brushes past the sniper after this, ignoring anything she might have to say and peers out into the sea of cubicle walls that made up the second floor of the Internal Affairs office. He opens his mouth to speak up through the typical office din but promptly closes it when he realizes the pointlessness of the gesture. Instead, he accesses his chakra and lights up his enormous pool of spiritual energy, sending spikes of his killing intent through the air. Hoping that he's managed to get everybody's attention he shouts, "I've got a mission and I need three more. If you can stomach the thought of dealing with a pissed off Fujiwara, meet me at her office within the hour. Details can wait. If more than three of you show up, I'll pick whoever seems best suited for the job. It goes without saying, but I want only the best."

Without another word, he silently marches to Fujiwara's office, Shinzanmaru in hand.

[Cespenar]

Juri throws her hands in the air in mock outrage.

"Why is everyone telling me to take this seriously? I mean, seriously, people."

So, apparently she got the job down pat. And expectations are low. Where better to go from here? Hah. If every job was this easy.

She yawns, feeling that a cup of coffee might just be the thing. She heads for the break room, encountering Ignis and Pyrite.

"Heya."

As she pours her coffee, she speaks to nobody in particular.

"So, if you haven't heard already, 'Cap'n' recruits a group for a job. Something 'serious', they say." Raising the fresh filled cup to her mouth, she turns to the two agents, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

[ZeroNumerous]

Courier & Ignis

Pyrite remains face-down in her coffee when Juri comes in, and just sighs when Juri talks about the mission. "Captain would never pick me, so it'd be a waste of time to apply." Then, as a few seconds pass, the blond woman jumps up--and spills coffee all over the table. "But! If I go on this, and I don't screw anything up, then the Boss won't be angry at me anymore!" She fist pumps twice in super quick succession, then runs out of the break room into the cubicle sea.

She immediately runs back inside to clean up the spilled coffee, then dashes back outside.

Juri finds the coffee surprisingly tasty. The taste of a hint of roasted chestnuts evokes a sense of winter time, and the warm thoughts of family. Where did she get this kind of coffee?

Coffee Drinkers get a +1 morale bonus to Will saves for an hour.

Captain

While most of Midas is busy with their own work they do stop when Tetsuo steps in front of the roiling sea of people and their cubicle islands. After listening for his job the older group of agents go back to their work, but soon the Yato is swarmed by a crowd of fresh-out-of-school young adults who think they're special. Tetsuo doesn't recognize any of them as chakra users, while the chakra users he does recognize are either in the field or indisposed. The Yato does have about fifteen non-chakra users he could call upon, but whether he needs it or not remains to be seen. Of course, most are competent members of Midas, and decent shots. Or, at very least, capable enough to be selected for Internal Affairs right out of training. But awash in this sea of competency is one bad egg, and she's currently shoving her way through the crowd to stand in front of Tetsuo.

Pyrite salutes the Yato, and stands totally rigid. She then shouts out her intention at a way too loud volume for even Internal Affairs."I would like to apply sir! I may not look like it, but I have a robust body able to take any kind of punishment! I-I mean you can be really rough with me and I won't be hurt! No-I mean-I won't cry no matter what you want to do to me!" Pyrite just digs herself deeper and deeper, and she likely doesn't mean any of the innuendo. Hopefully.

[Zanos]

Ignis

Ignis pours coffee into a mug, sips it lightly."Morning Pyrite. I figured that's why you weren't at your desk." He pulls out a chair across form her and takes a seat. "If the Boss hated you, you would know. Maybe it's an experimental motivational technique. The more work you get done, the less she'll yell at you."

Ignis raises his hand briefly response to Juri's greeting. "Morning. I heard. Could have sent a damn email, already enough noise around here."

After Pyrite sprints out, he adds in his thick German accent, "That girl is going to get herself killed at this rate. Probably have to fill out a bunch of paperwork and make my own coffee. I'll check out what's going on. Better than doing paperwork, and if it's bad enough to piss off the Boss the bonus is bound to be good. What about you, Courier? Up for killing some 'bad guys'?"

[Overlord Rion]

Merry's feet were propped up on his desk as he flipped through the paperwork. Unlike a lot of the other employees, Merry had been up since 5 AM to get in his daily meditation. See, being Merry was a great thing. Sure, he killed people, but that was always his last resort. Since he couldn't really heal people's bodies, he considered what he did a sort of "pre-healing." He took out the bad guys before they could cause more damage, more pain, more hurt. He had tried to explain his point of view to Evergreen, but she brushed him off and then complained about him. Well, not him specifically, but he couldn't remember if there were any other priests in IA.

He felt as if he should say something about the Hong Kong situation, but two days was probably a little soon to ask about it. Ah, whatever. No point in stirring up the pot when he wasn-


"I've got a mission and I need three more. If you can stomach the thought of dealing with a pissed off Fujiwara, meet me at her office within the hour. Details can wait. If more than three of you show up, I'll pick whoever seems best suited for the job. It goes without saying, but I want only the best."

Oh, Captain. "That would explain all the bad mojo in the air. I swear, he could at least try not to be so angry." Since he was alone, Merry spoke out loud. Well, Captain wanted some help, and Merry was only too happy to oblige. He leaves a quick note for Evergreen. She would probably just throw it in the trash, but he would get through to her eventually.

[Cespenar]

Juri looks like she's about to comment on Pyrite's antics, but apparently can't catch her in between to actually speak. She stands there with the cup of coffee on her hand instead. After a moment she manages to speak.

"Wow. This coffee is really good. Right?" She glances at Ignis, and spends a couple more seconds enjoying the cup before responding to the older man.

"I dunno. She does a good job in missions. Different parts of the brain, I guess. Or something."

"Oh, me? Well, these jobs are so easy money that I can't afford to ignore one. I mean, it's probably the same with you, right?"

[Zanos]

Ignis takes another sip. "Better than most. Never drank for the taste, but it's a good brew." Ignis stands up from the chair, walking towards the door of the break room.

"I get by. Money's not a big problem, but more's always better than less. Captain said to meet him in an hour, but I'm not keen on spending an hour scribbling if there's a mission in the works. Might as well see what the fuss is about."

[Cespenar]

Juri nods, sympathizing with Ignis' practicality. She follows him with the comfort of a schoolchild who has already given her test and now is practically invulnerable.

[Zanos]

Ignis walks towards the source of the noise, spotting the crowd gathering around Tetsuo. "Damn kids", he curses, although his normal speaking volume wouldn't carry very far with all the noise. He gives Tetsuo a mock salute, hoping to catch his attention over the crowd. Then he spots Pyrite.

"Oh? She's quicker than I thought. Must really want this mission." He chuckles a bit. "This should be good."

[Bad Situation]

Tetsuo glowers at the audience, letting some of his Yato rage bubble up to the surface, trying to weed out the ones not worth his attention. When the clumsy operative pushes her way to the front however, his firm glare breaks and it takes everything he's got to refrain from sighing out loud. He roughly clasps a hand on her hand and gives her hair a messy ruffling, ignoring her series of unfortunate innuendos. "Pyrite, this is a serious mission. I know you want to prove yourself to the Boss but a single good mission isn't going to get you into her good graces. You can't just put your mind to it on a single mission and hope that it's enough to make up for all of your failings. You need to be putting your all into every one of your missions, got that?"

The Yato pauses though and finally does let out the sigh he's been holding in.

"...that being said, you're the only one out of this lot that I have any experience working with. And the only one who has experience in the field, period. You're in."

He gently sidesteps the young woman and proceeds to slowly barrel through the crowd of hopefuls, splitting apart the mass of young Midas operatives like a steadfast stone in the middle of a coursing river with his heavy and purposeful gait. "And the rest of you! I said meet me outside Fujiwara's office. If you can't listen to basic orders, then you have no right to be on the mission!"

As he pushes his way to Fujiwara's office, he meets Ignis' gaze and nods respectfully but quickly snaps his attention to the sniper hiding in the shadow of the well-groomed German operative. He gives her a hard stare and jerks his head in the direction of the Boss' office before finally breaking away from the crowd.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The crowd separate in the face of Tetsuo's obvious displeasure, but Pyrite proves much more resilient. She frowns when Tetsuo lectures her, and as the lecture builds up she starts to look sadder and sadder. She looks ready to cry by the time Tetsuo reverses his statement and accepted her on the mission. Fortunately, accepting her causes her to smile widely and hugs Tetsuo. "I promise I won't be useless! I'll do whatever is necessary to succeed!" The hopeful Midas operatives separate, and Tetsuo overhears lots of them grumbling about nepotism. Whispers of the Captain and Pyrite being a couple are already spreading through the crowd, and even more whispers mocking Pyrite and proclaiming the mission a failure. Of course, it's likely that none of them realized that Pyrite was a chakra-user or else they wouldn't have been mocking her behind her back.

When Tetsuo, Juri, Cassius, and Hideyoshi head to the Boss' office they find it surprisingly empty. The door is open, and the four of them are easily able to go inside, but neither the Boss nor Oldboy are anywhere to be found. The familiar office is exceedingly spartan, having nothing but a western dark mahogany desk--likely sent by the Corporation rather than bought by Boss--and a western style high-backed chair behind it. The Boss' jacket--a dark suede lined with fur--draped across the back of her chair is the only sign that the office belongs to her at all. There are no other chairs in the room, and the only other bit of furniture is a bookshelf. The shelf stands empty sans one book: Midas Rules and Regulations; Volume 1, Thirteenth Edition. The second and third of the three book series are no where to be found. Naturally attempting to rifle through the Boss' desk proves fruitless as all of her desk drawers are locked. Upon entering the office Pyrite stands in the corner. She immediately looks as if she had belonged there, and she seems guilty of something. Or perhaps that's simply an illusion created by the fact that she stood in that very same corner for all of her lectures, or perhaps she simply adopts a guilty look out of reflex even when she's not being yelled at.

---

A few minutes pass before Fujiwara enters her office. The young-looking woman scans through the assembled group with a decidedly neutral expression... That is until her eyes settle on Pyrite, then she becomes visibly annoyed. "Vallen tells me that rumors say she's weaseled her way into your pants now, Captain." The Boss moves around the assembled group toward her desk. "I hope your new found romance does not get in the way of your mission's success." Pyrite blushes deeply at that idea, and seemed to have actually not heard and of the whispering behind her back. Or perhaps hearing it from the Boss just makes the whole thing more real. "Captain, share the dossiers you received with your team." She waits for the information to be disseminated before she opens a desk drawer, pulls out a small remote, and points it at a nearby wall. A panel slides away, and a TV pops out. Immediately the TV begins playing video from a CCTV showing William Savage, Edge, and the unknown Korean male escorting a timid and scared looking Emma Hall away from an airport. Signs visible in the shot are Chinese, so it's likely Hong Kong.

"Four days ago Red Dragon, the terrorist cell, flipped Edge. She extracted William Savage from a detention center, then two days ago she contacted Emma Hall. A few hours later the three of them met with the unknown Korean at Naha International, and then flew out of the country to Hong Kong. Do-Not-Fly flagged them when they landed. Hong Kong police were notified, but the four of them had already left by the time they arrived. They disappeared, and we believe elements of the defunct cell Redana and Red Dragon have assembled in order to start some sort of strike against the Amon Reactor in Hong Kong. HKAR reports all clean and no unusual activity, but several engineers were captured by men flying Redana's colors two days ago--right around the same time that William and his group arrived in Hong Kong." Boss clicks the remote again, and the TV switches to stills of each of the four targets.

"Operation Black Dragon will commence when you leave this building. The goal is the elimination of Muraguchi Midori, William Savage, and the unknown Korean male. The capture of Emma Hall is preferred due to her expertise, but if her extraction cannot be guaranteed then silencing the information she has gained is of the utmost importance." Fujiwara looks to Cassius, Juri, Pyrite, and Tetsuo in turn. "I do not need to stress how important this operation is.. If Redana or Red Dragon elements find some sort of structural weakness--or worse, some way to overload these reactors--then hundreds of millions will be out of power. It will become chaos, or worse. Higher ups believe that the death of these three will break the back of Red Dragon, but I am not so foolish. There is some sort of puppetmaster behind William Savage. He's smart, but not the type to go after a reactor. Try to find out any information about the man behind the man. Furthermore, in addition to the official mission parameters I'm giving you a personal order to find out who flipped Edge. I want to know who has their hooks in my organization, so that I can eradicate that person."

Fujiwara crosses her arms under her chest, and looks at the assembled team. "Any questions?"

[Zanos]

Cassius closes his eyes and chuckles once at the Boss's comment about Tetsuo and Pyrite.

He remains calm as he flips through the dossiers, but his brow furrows when he reads Edge's dossier. "A burn notice? What a mess. Any force restrictions on this one?" He shuts the dossier and passes them to the next person. "And when does our plane leave?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Fujiwara just shakes her head. She responds to the question in a cold voice. "Higher ups would tell you to kill her with extreme prejudice, and that collateral damage will be forgiven in Edge's case so long as she's dead. I hope that things will not come to that. As I said, I want to know who flipped her. And I'm still not happy with collateral damage."

When the plane question comes in Fujiwara responds in her normal blank tone. "We have a private plane heading out from Chubu International in an hour. We'll be expediting you through security, so you just have to get there. A pilot will be waiting for you under the name Fujiwara."

[Cespenar]

"Besides, being trapped behind a desk like old Collateral would cramp your style, Ignis," Juri says with a smirk.

She handles the dossier and skims the files within, turning her attention to the job.

"Don't we have any more info on Edge? Skills, personality, etc.? She was one of us, after all?"

"Also, will we have any backup or assistance once we get there? Because the reactor business kinda ups the ante a bit, the way I see it."

Almost always, one could count on Courier for trying to milk the situation and push boundaries.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Fujiwara shrugs her shoulders. "Afraid not. What you've got in that dossier is what we were told from the higher ups. Even I don't have information on the lot of you except what I inferred." Fujwara shakes her head at the mention of backup. "Unfortunately not. If this leaks to the wrong people, then the situation will only become exacerbated. Thus, we're operating on a strict need-to-know basis. Even your pilot won't know your identities."

[Cespenar]

Juri looks skeptical on the whole "we don't have files on you" deal. She clicks her tongue as if she's bummed out, but otherwise doesn't seem to have further questions.

[Zanos]

Ignis crosses his arms, clearly not particularly amused by Juri's comparison. "Unlike certain agents I respect the chain of command."

He turns one hand up to his face, rubbing his meticulously trimmed beard as he thinks. "Live capture of a flipped agent will be difficult. Non-lethal pacification is certainly not my specialty, but we can't afford Edge's death if he might have information about a compromise of internal assets. A leak could be even worse than the attack they're planning."

Ignis gives the Boss an informal salute, but also doesn't appear to have anything else to say.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Pyrite's voice is heard for the first time since Fujiwara entered the room. "What if Edge can be flipped again? Are we even certain she flipped? This dossier says she was presumed a traitor, but is she really our enemy?"

Fujiwara looks at Pyrite and shrugs. "I suppose she could be undercover. I'll leave field actions up the operatives on the mission."

With that said, Pyrite goes silent once more.

[Cespenar]

Juri rubs her temples and shakes her head, as if this whole thing was too complicated to think about.

"At least I can shoot the other two without much thinking," she muses, as if only to herself. Those that did jobs with her would remember, however, that she is not that heartless.

[Bad Situation]

Tetsuo listens in to the conversation quietly, his face as impressively neutral and genial as the moment he walked in. When everyone has quieted down and gotten their little snipes at each other in, he finally sighs and snaps himself into a sharp salute, speaking up for the first time since he's entered the office. "Understood, Boss. I'll act at my own discretion, then. Can we expect contact with you or the office for the duration of the mission?"

Whether his question is answered or now, he backs away from the desk slowly and dips his head slightly in a formal bow, "If there's nothing else for us, I'll go on ahead to make arrangements with the quartermaster."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Fujiwara nods. "You can expect a check-in call from Vallen every 24 hours. Standard operating procedure for this one: You got two missed check-ins before we assume you've been compromised and react accordingly." Everyone there knew what that meant: Two missed calls meant getting burned, and that meant a life on the run living off the grid... Or worse; getting hunted down like a dog by your old friends. "Do your best to keep in touch. I would hate to have to come and find you myself."

The boss finally sits down at her desk. "Dismissed. Remember that you have an hour to catch a plane." As the group starts to filter out Fujiwara says one last thing. "Oh, and Captain? Remember to keep your personal life and professional life separate." Why she didn't chew out Pyrite as well was completely unknown, but the blond-haired walking disaster zone blushes deeply at that.

When the group is finally outside the office Pyrite looks at the Yato. She seems surprisingly on edge, and clenching her hands together in what seems to be a nervous tic. "Uh... It's just a big misunderstanding. Right? The Boss will get everything sorted out. I hope."

The group is left to prepare for their mission on their own. It takes less than thirty minutes to get to Chubu International from the "prime" real estate that is the Internal Affairs office, and with Midas connections expediting the security process it'd only take 35 minutes total to get from the office on to the plane. So that leaves each individual 25 minutes of preparation and last minute requisitions from the quartermaster.

[Overlord Rion]

Shortly after the meeting begins, Merry attempts to quietly enter the office and says nothing. Assuming he doesn't get chewed out for being late or some other slight (imagined or not), Merry makes his presence known as the meeting adjourns. "Morning everyone, sorry for being on the late side. If you'll have me, I was going to offer my assistance.

[Zanos]

Ignis stares back at the priest as he joins in. "I thought timeliness was close to holiness, or something? As long as you make yourself useful and don't pray at me I can't say I care much."


After the meeting, Ignis chuckles at Pyrites comment. "Didn't seem like that was about the two of you. You got any history with Edge, Captain?" He turns from Captain to Pyrite, "Still, if you don't want rumors to spread, either true or false, you might want to avoid hugs in the middle of the office. Especially with those damn kids around. They love to talk about everything, especially things they don't know anything about."

Ignis checks a couple of the more obscure pockets sewn into the inside of his clothing. "I do need a couple things from the Quartermaster before we head out."

[Bad Situation]

Captain stops short of the door, turning around to fix Fujiwara with a warm but guarded smile. "You know me too well to be asking me something like that, Boss." He gives her a curt nod before sharply turning away from the woman and exits the room with the same stoic face he wore walking in. When the older German ninja speaks up, Tetuso only shakes his head and snorts at the thought, "I've had all of one mission with Edge. If you could even call it that. It's more like our mission objectives just happened to be overlap, and we coordinated to the extent that we didn't get in the other's way. We didn't talk and I didn't really see her fight."

He shrugs at Pyrite's worries, seemingly indifferent to the office gossip. "The only ones taking the gossip seriously are the one's whose opinions don't matter. Besides them, it's just idle chatter. I doubt anybody actually cares or is going to take the rumors for truth." The Yato swordsman gets a wistful look on his face, "It's just teasing, otherwise. I used to do it all the time with my cousins."

He's silent thereafter but on the way to the quartermaster he suddenly brightens up and says to Ignis, "Ah, I think she uses bladed weapons. Edge, that is. I hope that's useful. Anything else you'd like to ask?"

[Cespenar]

Juri chuckles briefly to Tetsuo's bladed weapons comment. He could do deadpan halfway good. After a moment, though, she looks contemplative.

"So, there's a good chance you'll cross blades with her. Do you think you could take her? Or is she, like, out of our league or something?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Pyrite follows Captain, and incidentally Ignis, down to the quartermaster. "You're right sir. I shouldn't take that kind of gossip seriously. It's totally useless!" She laughs, but a familiar voice interrupts her laughter.

"What do you mean gossip is useless?" Vallen, Fujiwara's secretary, materializes from the undulating sea of bodies that is the office floor. She seemed to have been following the group for awhile based on her next words. "Gossip is that Edge got burned, and this operation is about that." A sly smile creeps across the glorified secretary's features as she baits her statement carefully. Pyrite reacts with obvious surprise, and with her bait taken Vallen pounces. "But gossip also said that Edge came in around the same time as the Captain. They're even saying that the good Captain burned her intentionally to cover up his sordid past..." Vallen smiles at Tetsuo as she says that, then hands him a manila envelope. It's sealed, and very light, but Tetsuo's codename is clearly written in big blocky letters on the front. "Need-to-know, for your eyes only."

"Rumors are that Edge came from the JSSDF too. They say she cut up her whole squad to leave. They even say no one survived that rampage." The smile on Vallen's face doesn't move, but Tetsuo realizes what that smile truly means. It wasn't being cordial or nice, but rather a statement that said: "I know about you".

Pyrite looks at Captain, then back to Vallen. "W-what?! No way! She's that kind of evil person? To kill your honorable companions...! It's unforgivable!" Vallen's smile softens at that statement, and she turns her attention on Juri.

"By the way, Courier. Oldboy told me to pass on a message", Vallen puts on her best Dutch oldman voice, "take this one seriously and I'll get you some ice cream."

---

Inside the envelope are a series of photos. He recognizes all of them except one: The photos start with a mugshot of Edge, then Muraguchi Midori, being arrested. What follows is a photo of Mayuzami, Atsuko, and himself in the JSSDF. They were posing with the rest of their unit in front of an airplane. But hidden in the back row, circled in red ink by someone, is a familiar-looking plain-faced Japanese woman making a peace sign and smiling widely: Muraguchi Midori. The other photos are of Tetsuo, Atsuko, Mayuzami, and Midori in various combinations at unit gatherings, during PT, in mess, and even one photo of Tetsuo and Atsuko on a date alone. In each photo with Edge the woman is highlighted in red. The last photo, the one Tetsuo doesn't recognize, is of a blood stained Mayuzumi. Her body is cut to thirteen pieces, and Tetsuo lies face-down in a pool of her blood beside her. But a red circle draws attention to two figures running away in the background. One is a familiar black-haired Hyuuga, and the other is Muraguchi Midori.

---

Whether Tetsuo reads his message or not, Vallen excuses herself and goes back to work. With information that good, and the ability to sift through gossip for the right intelligence, it's easy to see why Fujiwara doesn't send her into the field. The group arrives at the quartermaster and find it surprisingly empty. At least, that's how it appears until the balding middle-aged man wearing stained mechanics clothing pops up from behind the bullet proof glass. He looks at Tetsuo, Cassius, Juri, and Pyrite. He settles on the blond-haired disaster zone. "Still can't give you grenades kiddo. Boss' orders." Pyrite frowns at that, and the quartermaster turns his attention to the others. "Need something?"

[Zanos]

Ignis raises an eyebrow at the secretary as she enters. His expression softens somewhat as he finds her information valuable, but he still retains the grizzled look of an old agent."Good intel, thanks Vallen. She answered most of the questions I would have asked you, Captain. Boss said Edge was dangerous, but that kind of carnage isn't something you see too often. Butchered everyone, eh? An extreme way to leave, but thorough, I suppose. I would hope command kept a closer eye on agents with records like that." He pauses, addressing Vallen in a lighter tone. "Don't suppose there's any nasty rumors in the air about me?"
[/COLOR]

After Vallen departs, Ignis turns back to Tetsuo, "I hope whatever's in that envelop and your history with Edge doesn't change anything. Maybe you hate her or sympathize with her, I don't really care. Your past isn't my business until it puts the mission or myself in danger. I just need to know that you're up for at least attempting to capture. And putting her in the ground if we can't manage to get her alive."

He turns to Pyrite, switching to the tone of a father speaking to their wayward child. "It's good to know that you feel so strongly about this. But you should also know that burnt agents aren't only dangerous because of their skills. See, people don't leave positions in MIA for money or power or security. Going AWOL pays pennies and the health insurance is even worse. If they smell any sympathy, they'll exploit that. Especially when they realize they're outnumbered, they'll switch to trying to talk things out. What they say isn't important. What is important is that they're trying to manipulate you to alter the situation in their favor." He smiles, but there's no particular joy in it. "Earplugs help."

-----

When they get to the quartermaster, Ignis rubs his beard. "A med kit would be a good start. Let's see...a gas mask, tear gas grenades, some smoke grenades, and some of the weaker exploding tags should do it."

Gas Mask 9(900)
Smoke Grenade(6) 10(1200)
Tear Gas Grenade(6) 12(2k)
Medical Kit 15(5k)
Lesser Paper Bomb(5) (5*400 = 2k)

[Cespenar]

"Nah, our good Cap'n wouldn't," Juri replies to Vallen's gossip of Tetsuo burning Edge in order to cover up his past, and her voice is full of equal parts skepticism and sarcasm. Would he?

Nevertheless, as Vallen passes on Oldboy's message, she snaps her fingers as if finally hearing a good enough offer. She turns to Tetsuo, deadpan, her tone chiding.

"See, this is how you negotiate. You gotta learn a bit from him."

***

After Ignis lectures Pyrite on managing rogue operatives, Juri puts a hand on the girl's shoulder while he isn't looking, and mouths "Never mind him," grinning afterwards.

[Overlord Rion]

Okay, so I have an hour to catch the plane. Everything should be set up at home, I already left Evergreen a note and...I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I just can't put my finger on it. Oh well! At Ignis going to the quartermaster, Merry just shakes his head. It was pretty nice being a low equipment agent. He could just bum equipment off the others if he really needed to. "Perhaps Edge can be talked down. Then again, they wouldn't have called Captain in if Edge could be talked down." Merry could only sigh, and head towards the plane.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Vallen just grins at Cassius' questioning of the organization's movements. "Whether they watch people like that or not is hardly the right question to ask. Rather than watching, shouldn't you be wondering what their contingency plan would be? After all, no butcher ever really changes their nature. So naturally Internal Affairs would take steps to ensure people like that can't do as they please, right?" Vallen switches to a genial smile. "So I'd take those rumors with a grain of salt. After all, Internal Affairs wouldn't let someone who committed wholesale slaughter walk freely. It's just bad business." A shrug is all Cassius gets when he asks about rumors about himself. The glorified secretary was surprisingly silent, but that odd stress on her prior words tells more tales than her shrug.

---

During Cassius' initial lecture Pyrite listens with rapt attention, but in mere moments she's wearing a familiar dumb-founded look once more. It quickly becomes plainly obvious that she has no interest in what Cassius is talking about, or perhaps she simply didn't understand it? Regardless, Juri's attention brings the incompetent girl back to reality. "A-ah... I just have to be careful and shoot first, right? I don't think I can do something that cold."

---

After everyone has requisitioned what they needed from the quartermaster then they're free to proceed to the airport on their own terms. They find Chubu International a bustling airport filled with masses of people rushing about to get to their gates. Searching through the crowd proves annoying as it shifts and moves in unpredictable ways. The quintet eventually find their pilot, an older man with a well groomed beard in a Hawaiian shirt and slacks, holding a makeshift cardboard sign that reads "Fujiwara" in big blocky black letters drawn in sharpie. Once they approach their pilot he verifies that they're the Fujiwara group, and leads them off to Gate C. The group gets through security with nothing more than cursory questions, and it's plainly obvious that influence from Internal Affairs expedited the process. Eventually the pilot leads the group to a small gold-and-black Lear lacking any identifying company markings. Their pilot leads the group inside, goes through the most basic of safety protocols, then closes the dor and heads to the cockpit. The group is left in a small but plainly luxurious private jet with eight black leather seats facing one another in four groups of two. Four sets of phones are built into the walls of the cabin, along with four slide-out tables for meals or laptops. A long black carpet spreads down the aisle separating the seat pairs, and a bathroom door is plainly marked in the back. A sturdy metal door separates the cabin from the cockpit, and the group seem to be secluded. After a short series of pre-flight checks, and one final check-in with the tower, the Lear lurches into the sky quickly.

Around an hour into the four hour flight the jet's wall-phone buzzes loudly. Whomever picks it up is greeted with a familiar and gruff voice. "You're in the air", Fujiwara says without bothering to confirm who's speaking, "that's good. I was worried someone, like Courier or Pyrite, had gotten you delayed." Silence follows, but it's quickly broken by a sharp inhalation of air announcing a drag on what is likely a cigar. Then Fujiwara starts speaking again. "The company has set up an apartment for you lot. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, looking right at Green Island; it's a nice place. Don't screw it up. You'll have to share it. Figure out how on your own. Besides that, I've arranged for a meeting tomorrow morning at oh-900 Hong Kong time with one of my Triad contacts: His name is Li Jun-Wai, but I'm told he goes by the name Little Li now. He'll be able to get you in touch with some of the seedier elements in the city, and from there you can find a way to Savage. Oldboy set you up with a meeting around the same time with an old friend in the HKP. Captain Shen Liu Le is in charge of homicide for Hong Kong Island. She'll be in the know if William Savage goes back to his old tricks. Furthermore, Doll and Smith are in the area searching for the lost engineers. You could try getting in touch with them for any helpful info they might have." Another silence, another drag, and immediately Fujiwara starts speaking again. "Meet with both of your contacts, and do whatever you have to do in order to find Savage. You're on your own from here on out." Fujiwara waits for any questions or comments.

[Zanos]

Cassius sighs at Pyrite. "Just shoot when we shoot, and you should be alright."

-----

Cassius picks up the phone, pressing the button to switch it to speaker when he hears Fujiwara's voice. As he listens he checks his gear, making sure his grenades and other gear were firmly secured inside his long coat. An old and well-kept piece of clothing, but a keen observer would notice the suspiciously symmetrical patches on the chest and shoulders that looked like they once had something covering them. Once content, he speaks up. "Two meetings at the same time? You want us to split up to cover them?"

[Cespenar]

Juri examines the plane with an appreciative look. "Eh, at least they spend," she comments to whoever is nearby.

As the Boss throws yet another stone at her during the flight (which she could hear thanks to Ignis), she takes it with the same ease just as before.

"I'm offended, Boss. Truly offended."

After she listens to Fujiwara's full speech, Juri throws a glance at the others, herself finding the briefing pretty clear.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Pyrite looks ready to cry when Fujiwara voices just how little confidence she has in the blond-haired agent. Nonetheless, Fujiwara ignores Juri's complaints and addresses Cassius' question. "Yes, those are the earliest either of those two will be able to meet with you. It's extremely important that you start sniffing around as soon as possible. Any further questions?"

---

Whether anyone fields any further questions or not the Lear eventually makes its way to Hong Kong International. A swarm of people canvas the immense airport, some civilians and some security, and its hard to imagine how Savage and his entourage escaped security without leaving a trail of corpses behind them. After some security checks, which are just as slack as the previous ones, the group are left on their own. A text hits everyone's phone, and checking it reveals it's the same for everybody.

Address 28 new praya, kennedy town, hong kong. Manhattan heights Apt. 313. Keys @ front desk. Name fujiwara. Good luck <3

Following the address (http://i.imgur.com/dmfQnS6.png) reveals that it's a large western-style apartment complex overlooking the sea, just as Fujiwara said it would be. The pristine building has a front desk. Big golden words reading "Security" are plastered across the front of the desk, and a man sits behind it. He's wrinkled and bald, and his rotund little frame tells a story of a life of easy living. He wears a uniform his belly has clearly outgrown, but he smiles and greets the group. "Greetings" He speaks in English while looking toward either Cassius, Hideyoshi, or Tetsuo. He seems to ignore both Pyrite and Juri, and the blond-haired agent pouts at being ignored. "My name is Guang Pai. How can I help you?" The man remains smiling and waits for a response.

[Zanos]

Cassius nods back at the man. "Greetings to you as well. We've rented a room already, should be under Fujiwara."

[Cespenar]

Juri puts a hand on Pyrite's shoulder, partly to comfort, partly to set up her sarcasm.

"Don't mind the guy. He can't help if it's still the Middle Ages in this place."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

A strangle clouded look passes across the man's face, and he seems to enter a fugue state at the mention of Fujiwara. A shaky hand reaches below the counter, and he takes forth a set of four card keys taped to an folded piece of paper. His hand rises shakily, but then he suddenly thrusts it out toward Cassius like a spear. "You.. Message.. Golden touch?" He speaks in a slow confused tone. He suddenly spasms and shakes, the keys and paper dropping to the floor with a clatter of plastic, then falls back into his chair like a deflating balloon. The man seems to shrink as he collapses inward, and it quickly becomes obvious that he's dead. Searching his body reveals a seal burned into the flesh on his back.

The technique looks like a variation on the Soul Domination Seal, and appears to have been modified with blood sorcery. It's likely the source behind his strange behavior, and potentially what killed him.
Further investigation shows that the seal has, in fact, been modified with a second seal written around the first. It appears to be a variation or expansion upon the Impure Resurrection technique, but it's hard to tell precisely how the technique had been modified. What is sure is that this seal killed him.

The card keys are for apartment 313, and the letter they're attached to seems to have been written twice: Once in Korean and once in Japanese. The Japanese writing is an oddly girlish script distinctly different from the hard strokes of its Korean text. It's addressed to "My Enemies".

I hope this little message finds you in good health. It is not that I wish for your end, but rather for the death of many others. I have left this message with a clear purpose: Do not pursue us any further. However, I am not an unreasonable man. I realize that you must pursue us for your job. To that end, I propose a trade: I need Emma and Savage for events unrelated to you. If you leave them in my care, then I would be happy to turn over your ex-compatriot and divulge the information I have concerning the terrorists Savage has crawled into bed with. You get to complete your mission of killing the traitor to your organization, and I get to complete my own goals. I will send a message on the 12th with information on where to meet me. I will only meet with the one who understands this phrase: Falco alopex. She wishes to see you.

[Zanos]

Cassius raises an eyebrow as the man begins behaving oddly. His face remains neutral as the man dies, and he bends down to pick up the keys and the note. "No easy paycheck today." A dark expression descends on his face as he reads the note over several times. He sighs. "Looks like our leak is a lot worse than the Boss expected. They knew where we were staying. Either our phones are tapped, Vallen has a loudmouth, or the leak is further up the chain than we thought." Ignis doesn't voice his suspicions that one of them could have leaked information, but does look at each of the others in turn, gauging their reactions.

He passes the note along for someone else to read, pulling his cigar case out of one of his coat pockets. He lights a cigar with a snap of his fingers and takes a long drag from it. "Shame we don't have any intel on that Korean. Based on that note this is probably his work." He gazes back at the body. "Gotta do something about that, first."

[Cespenar]

Juri watches the man die with slightly opened eyes.

"Wow. Overkill, much?" She snorts a laugh, but it comes off a touch more irritated than casual.

Taking the letter from Ignis and reading it out loud, Juri glances at the older agent, thinking about his assessments.

"It sounds like they think the extent of our mission is Edge, though, looking at that offer. Maybe the leak isn't as high. But it sure is a problem."

[Bad Situation]

Tetsu is silent as they enter the building, his face thoroughly schooled in grim stoicism, and the only action he takes in response to the dramatic death of the security guard is the removal his sunglasses. Given the strange manner of the man's death, fuinjutsu was likely involved. That or some highly complex genjutsu. He was out of his depth in either case but it wouldn't do to panic over nothing. If the enemy knew what room they were staying in it wouldn't be much of a stretch to expect some kind of surveillance set into the building itself. When everybody has said their piece he calmly takes the letter from Juri's hands and calmly intones, "Search the perimeter. I doubt we'll find any obvious bugs lying but in any case, I don't think it would be wise to leave things unsettled."

He makes a shot of pocketing the letter, folding it up neatly and sticks it into his coat as he looks around the room. Gathering everybody into a tight circle he makes some signs in JSL for the group's eyes only, "From here on out, we work blind. Report to Fujiwara only enough. Check in only. Can't afford leak. Find new lodgings."

Stepping back from the sudden group huddle he clears his throat and admits, "There's no point in keeping this hidden from you all. The letter is addressed to me. The kestrel was my late fiance's favorite bird, which is what the letter is referring to."

Tetsu hums at the thought and if the Yato swordsman is shocked by the revelation any it certainly doesn't show on his face, "Though, it appears that she may not be as tardy as I had initially assumed."

He's clearly feeling well enough to joke about it at least.

[Overlord Rion]

Merry can only sigh as the man dies. He leans over the man and performs a quick prayer, closing his eyes as he does so. And so the death begins. I had been hoping for a little more time before I was neck deep in it. He listens to Tetsuo's warning, and nods in agreement. "Well, any ideas?" Merry is half mumbling, more talking to himself than to anyone in particular.

[Cespenar]

Juri nods silently and in a professional manner that few people outside her teammates has seen. She begins to comb the place for bugs as per Tetsuo's order, even if they'd probably have to find new lodgings.

"Or it could be a trap, but that wouldn't keep you from going, would it?" she comments after a while.

I don't know, bunch of Spot checks? Or taking 20 for 34, possibly eating up 2 minutes?

[Bad Situation]

Tetuso responds without preamble, "Of course. I understand that it could very well be a trap but the consequences of dismissing our only lead into this investigation are such that I can't ignore this provocation." The large swordsman takes a seat on the edge of the bed and looks down at the corpse, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "And I can't very well abide by somebody willing to bring innocents into this, just to drive home a message. What about you?"

Regardless of what Juri says in response he jerks his head in Cassius' direction. "You're a Katon-specialist, aren't you? You should dispose of the body. Or if you think you can eke out any more information out of it, seal it up and we can investigate more thoroughly after we find more secure lodgings."

After a moment, he blinks. "Where's Pyrite?"

[Cespenar]

Juri doesn't take the "innocents" bait, but muses about the situation instead.

"What about you meet up, agree to take his deal, take Edge, and then we spring our trap, getting the others as well?"

When Tetsuo mentions Pyrite, Juri twitches her head around, confused.

"Wha? Is she gone?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The blond-haired disaster zone subconsciously raises a hand when her name is mentioned. She was surprisingly quiet and unaffected by the death of the doorman, but she couldn't have made it this far without having seen death before anyway. When Juri asks for her Pyrite finally looks up, and speaks. "Well, we still have to meet with the Boss' friend and Oldboy's friend, right? I mean... Boss will likely be upset if we don't pursue all our leads, and putting our eggs in one basket seems wasteful." Pyrite looks at the dead man. "If this is a trap, then it's not really a lead and is just a waste of time. If it isn't a trap, then it's the quickest lead we have. Either way, it's a gamble right?"

[Zanos]

Cassius takes a quick look around the room, searching for anything hidden. As he goes he responds to Captain. "Who told you about that? Well, should work. See if he's got a card or keys or something on him for the employee area, I'll do it there. We should get out of here and talk afterwards, I'd rather not lurk around a homicide any longer than I've got to. Don't know who could walk by."

[Cespenar]

Juri looks around and suddenly claps her hands in a conclusive manner.

"So, first things first, we should leave and find somewhere to stay, right?"

Unless anyone refuses, she leads the group out after Cassius finishes his job, then fiddles with her smartphone to locate a low-key hotel nearby, and go there.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Cleaning up the body proves easy enough for Cassius, but Juri hits a minor snag with Google. It takes her ten minutes to find a hotel far enough away and with enough bad reviews to make it an acceptable stopping point. An hour long cab trip brings the quintet to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The gaudy golden lettering for its sign seems flaking in spots, and the Ls have fallen off entirely leaving it as nothing but the "Cosmpo itan Hote ". The hotel itself is built on top of a parking garage, and the whole building smells of oil and rubber in a way that is entirely unsettling to the stomach. Across the street sits a row of headstones of varying sizes and variety, as if the presence of the graveyard was trying to make to hotel even less successful, or perhaps its lack of success stems from some sort of divine punishment for disturbing the rest of the dead. Regardless, the place is the only hotel Juri can find with less than 1 star. The colossal failure of a sleeping area sports a aggregated rating of .75 in fact, across three different travel websites, from over 300 unique reviews. Heading into the hotel requires traversing the parking garage on foot, which is easy but the building is as claustrophobic and dark as a mining tunnel. Eventually they group arrives in front of a bored looking teenager in sweats and a tank-top sitting behind a concierge's desk playing with her smartphone. Without letting the group get a word in she immediately launches into an explanation. In very hurried Chinese. She immediately follows it up with equally fast English. "Rooms are 713 HK, 92 US, a night. We have a free continental breakfast at 7 am, no wake up calls, no maid service before noon, and we have free booklets for tourist locations." She never looks up from swiping at her phone. Probably a new Fruit Ninja ripoff.

If the group stays, then she finally looks up with an odd mix of surprise and apprehension that anyone would want to stay in the hotel. She provides keys--Pyrite insisting on a separate room for the ladies--and leaves the group to figure out how to get up on they're own. They're split across two rooms: 401 and 402. Fortunately, the hotel--like its appearances and review would suggest--is totally devoid of people roaming around.

[Bad Situation]

Tetsuo shrugs noncomitally but looks Cassius dead in the eye and speaks in low voice, "You don't have the look or feel of a warrior, so definitely not a taijutsu user. And back in the office, you lit your cigar with a snap of your fingers. The only people who do that are overeager kids looking to make an image for themselves or somebody experienced enough with Katon that the use of chakra for such a mundane task is second-nature."

"And your codename is Ignis," he adds in a deadpan.

"Anyway, we'll pursue other leads but with the situation being what it is, I can't be too sure that our Korean friend hasn't gotten to the Boss' contacts already. Hell, at this point we can't even be sure that isn't some kind of trap. We're playing it by ear at this point." He pointedly ignores Juri's suggestion that they plan a trap but discretely flashes her the sign for, "later," and lets her return to looking up a hotel they can stay at.

When they arrive at the "hotel", Tetsuo pays for their rooms in cash and leads them to his own lodgings. After a few moments spent securing the area he gathers everybody up and starts with, "So, what do we know?"

[Cespenar]

Listening to Tetsuo and Ignis' banter, Juri pats the former on the back, congratulating him. Leaning on him even further, she breaks into a cheesy grin.

"Ooh, nice delivery. You do learn from me."

***

When Tetsuo asks what they know, Juri starts to shoot small sentences in consecutive order and opens up her fingers one by one, with the preamble "Correct me where necessary.

"Okay, so, summary time.

-Red Dragon flipped Edge. She got a team together.
-Red Dragon and Redana plan to attack the Amon Reactor.
-The Korean seems to be apart or above them, and seems to be using them to his needs.
-He is trying to short-change us with a deal, offering only Edge and the terrorists.
-We have two contacts to meet, plus Doll and Smith.

-Also... our good Cap'n's girl seems to be alive.
-Aaaand, there's a leak.

Anything else?"

She holds up seven fingers, urging the others to fill in as well.

[Overlord Rion]

Merry chuckles at the quips between his coworkers before his expression turns into one of thought. "Seems like a decent summary to me. Cap, Iggy? Anything to add?"

[Zanos]

Ignis flicks the remains of his cigar into the street. He gives a half grin at Captain's joke, but doesn't say anything else as they walk into the hotel.

---

"Sounds about right to me. We can meet with our two contacts tomorrow, we can split up to meet our two contacts tomorrow." He cross his arms, frowning at Captain, "And you aren't going to meet the Korean alone."

[Bad Situation]

Tetsu laughs, "I never said I would, did I?"

The Yato sits down on the edge of the bed, bouncing up and down on the likely ruined springs, and ***** his head to the side. "Besides, the letter said he'd only meet with me. Nothing that says I can't bring along an entourage. When we receive word on the whereabouts of our meeting, Juri can scope it out and get a read on the situation. Until then, we play it safe and meet with the contacts we do have."

He looks around the room, "Any objections? I'm open to suggestions."

[Cespenar]

Juri nods, satisfied that Tetsuo didn't try to insist going alone.

"So, how're we splitting, Cap? And what about Doll'n Smith?"

[Zanos]

"I'll meet with the Police Captain at HKP. Got more experience with officials than criminals. Any volunteers to join me?"

[Bad Situation]

Tetsu drums his hands on his cheeks, frowning as he wonders about the various people they still needed to meet with. "How soon can we meet with Doll and Smith? I'm all for meeting with them as soon as possible but depending on how tomorrow goes we might not have a chance to see them at all. I'd like to confirm their situation but it has to be done today..." He mulls on the situation a bit longer but with a resigned sigh he jerks his thumb at Juri, "You're with me. Merry, you should go with Ignis, in case things get physical and he needs backup. And Pyrite...will come with Juri and I. It'll be easier to locate our contacts with a third pair of eyes."

[Overlord Rion]

Merry claps a hand down on Ignis' shoulder when Captain gives out his assignment. "Looks like we're gonna be buddies this time around! I'll leave you in charge until stuff gets out of hand!"

[Cespenar]

Juri gives Cassius a look.

"Smart move Ignis. Keeping in the clean while the rest of us got to mingle with the Triad."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The night passes quickly, though the hotel rooms are drafty and the cars outside blare their horns and rev their engines at all hours of the night. Sleep proves troublesome and hard, but eventually comes to those who doggedly chase it.

Morning comes slowly, and by the time the sunrises most guests have gotten little sleep. Early morning showers prove to be a little on the cold side, but at least it wasn't ice water. After breakfast--the one supplied by the hotel amounting to burnt pancakes, undercooked eggs, and surprisingly edible toast--the group splits up. On their way to their various locations everyone in the group receive their check-in calls at 6 AM. When they answer the English-sounding secretary on the other side speaks rapidly and without pausing. "Good morning! Still alive and on our side? Good to hear. I'll be phoning again at 9pm Nagoya time tomorrow evening!" She doesn't give anyone time to ask questions or stop her and hangs up immediately. A precaution against anyone listening in--physically or electronically.

Merry and Ignis

The Central Police Station, an hour's drive away from their current rat-infested hideaway, stands on prime beachfront property as a square and decidedly spartan structure. Big golden lettering spelling out its name are scrawled across the front, and a couple of police wearing the HKP's uniform head out of the front to walk their beat. If Merry and Ignis head inside, then they find themselves standing in front of a uniformed dispatcher who looks at them with a concerned look on his face. However, if they ask to speak to Shen Liu Le then he explains that the Captain was waiting for them. The duo are escorted deeper into the building by an officer, and after a short period of walking they find themselves staring at a small office door with the name "Captain Shen" on it. Beyond the door they find a very small office decorated with photos of a family--small children, then teenagers, and now adults--along with a woman worn down by the passing of time. She looks to be in her fifties, but the hard life of a beat cop is clearly written in her wrinkled forehead and the grimace she gives when the duo step into her office. She motions for the two of them to take a seat, closes the seemingly brand new laptop she was using, then looks them both over. After a minute or so, Captain Shen sighs. "That old bastard tells me you're looking for terrorists. I respect that; keeping the peace is important. But I'm also told to give you extrajudicial leeway in protecting the peace. I don't like that. Why are you two above the law when we're supposed to be working on the same side?" She looks to Merry, then to Ignis, clearly expecting some sort of answer to her question no matter how rhetorical it seemed. After all, if she knew Oldboy then she should know that no one except chakra users like them could force either of the men to obey the law anyway.

Courier and Captain

Pyrite grumbles loudly about the hotel, and complains that she couldn't get any sleep, that the hot water wasn't working that morning, and that her pancakes were burnt. The trio of Pyrite, Courier, and Captain are left to their own devices. The 9 am meeting time comes and goes, and it seems like the Triads stood them up. That is, until a call comes in on Captain's cell around 9:30. The voice on the other end is decidedly masculine, gruff, and surprisingly young for one of the Boss' friends. "Oi. A mate Little Li ain't seen in forty years called him yesterday. Said s'e wanted Little Li ta meet with some suits who're 'er underlings, ya? Little Li, 'e the type to 'elp out friends, so 'e says ya. S'e told 'im to call this number, so 'e tells me to call you. Little Li has some friends coming today, and will be at the Kowloon waterfront in an hour. Don't be late, ya? And Little Li will cover you for lunch." The man waits for a confirmation, then hangs up without further discussion. A taxi could get to the waterfront from their hotel in 30 minutes, and then the group would have plenty of time to wait for the Boss' triad contact. However, things get complicated when another call comes in for the Captain. This time, it's a voice he recalls intimately.

"H-Hello? Tee? I-I was told.. I-I thought.. I wanted to--H-He let me talk to you again." Atsuko's some spoken voice waits with baited breath for any confirmation from the other end. If she gets any response then the Hyuuga continues onward. "I, uh, I don't have long, and I have to give you a message. We'll be at, um, we'll be at the underground mall on Ice House Street for an hour, then he'll leave. There's a korean restaurant there. It's, um, it's Lung Kai. I... You haven't forgotten what I look like, right? You'll find me. I believe you will. He'll be there if you come, and he said that I can come with him if you're alone, so... I want to see you again."

[Cespenar]

Juri eats bits of the pancakes that Pyrite leaves off as well as eating her own, commenting about her complaint while doing so.

"Come on, it's not burnt, just a little crispy. It's supposed to be that way."

***

Later on, she fumbles around in her mouth with a toothpick as they wait for their contact.

"Ditched by the Triad. Wow. You'd expect this nonchalance from the officials, but, I mean, yeah," she drawls lazily.

After the double phone calls, however, she perks up a bit, if only to shake off the boredom.

"Who's that?" she asks curiously, meaning the second call (assuming Captain already tells her the first).

[Overlord Rion]

Merry simply shrugs in response to Shen's query. "Your guess is as good as mine. The fact that we were called in at all should show just how serious these terrorists are. "I'm going to obey the law as much as I can while I'm here, but I can't guarantee the rest of the group will. Anything to add, Iggy?

[Bad Situation]

When the first call comes in Tetsu answers with his typical stone-faced professionalism, scratching a few things down on a small notepad he keeps in his breast pocket. He doesn't say anything to Juri but shoots her a look as he exchanges pleasantries with 'Li' before showing her what he wrote down on the pad. Besides a few messy, almost illegible notes, one word is written clearly and circled several times: Contact. After Li hangs up he sighs and speaks up, "We're meeting at the Waterfront at 1030. We should leave now to scope out the locale before we need to meet our contact, Li. Let's g-"

When the phone rings a second time, once again from a number he doesn't know, he frowns. He clicks his tongue when he flips it open and immediately regrets it when he hears her voice. His hand clamps down hard on his handrest and he has to bite down him on his tongue to keep himself from asking too many questions. There wasn't any point. It was clear enough that somebody was on the other line with her. Slowly steadying his breath he chooses to simply say, "I love you," and hangs up the phone. After the call the large man sinks down low into his seat, emotionally exhausted. She sounded stuttery. Almost nothing like the woman he knew before. Was she afraid of something? Of him? Or was this just the makings of another elaborate trap?

When his partner broaches the question the stone-faced man nicknamed Captain disappears and in his place a younger, gentler looking man takes his place, "The love of my life." And just like that, the moment gone. The Yato sits himself and sighs, running a hand through his hair in clear annoyance. "Korean guy wants to meet within the hour too. With me. Alone. Any later and he and Atsuko will be gone."

He pinches his nose. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this but: We need to split up."

[Cespenar]

Juri is taken momentarily aback by her stoic partner's honesty -- she expected him to try and wave the subject off, but apparently it was too big of a deal to do that. She swallows back a quip that came close to her tongue, and sighs instead.

"The leak is at work. They arranged this so we have to split and you'd go alone to meet them."

She shakes her head.

"This is way too risky, but make your call and I'll go by. They will spring something on you for sure, though, if not a physical trap, then an emotional one."

[Bad Situation]

Tetsu shrugs, "I don't much like the idea of walking into what's probably a trap but I'm going. I'm not going there to make deals with terrorists but if they have information, we need it. And hopefully, they'll let something slip." The Yato sits back up in his seat and smirks at the Hyuuga, "You seem awfully worried about me though. What's wrong? Afraid you might lose your personal punching bag?"

[Cespenar]

The Hyuuga leans back as well, loses her serious attitude just like that, and makes a "so-so" gesture with her hand.

"Yeah, I mean, I can dodge more stuff from the higher-ups with you around, so I guess you have your uses."

"Not to mention all those nights, of course."

She keeps a relaxed smile on her face as always, not showing even a crack.