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Tomoe The Dark Lady and her minions have captured the lovely Bar Maid from the nearby town, which the 'heroes' at least Bolt and the Priestess seem intend to rescue. The Bar Maid has been well treated given fairly nice quarters but she's got into the kitchen and has been terrorizing the Dark Lady's staff about food. The cooking orcs are getting lessons i8n how to prepare actual food and she's unwittingly improved the forces of darkness 'moral'

However it's time to ask her some question and she's down in the kitchen doing her best impersonation of a certain infamous earth Chef. She's barking orders at the staff like she's a drill Sargent.

Tomoe feels she's had enough time to settle and now its time to ask questions so interested parties have been asked to come and speak to the Bar Maid.
Yuuki Konno     Having heard that her friend was looking for some help with the prisoner, Yuuki decided she should show up early. She did, after all, capture that prisoner. She's more than a little responsible for the current mess, so she has a responsibility to be involved and help how she can.

    Right this moment however, she's zonked out on the conference table. Having settled in to wait for others to show, some of her recent activity caught up to Yuuki. Now she's apparently sleeping peacefully, head down on her forearms, her breathing deep and even. Not for long of course. Excessive noise will surely wake her up, at least if it happens in the conference room closest to the prisoner's quarters. And since when is anyone from this particular group particularly subtle?

    In fact the shouting going on in the nearby kitchen combines two of Yuuki's interests: trouble and food. She groans to herself, head still down. "Keep it down." she mumbles, not entirely coherently.
Xiaomu The Dread Fox Xiaomu missed a certain amount of the Dark Lady's early exploits, and has been making an effort to compensate for the lost time, so with word of an interrogation to be held, the sage fox from Shinra has swung over to her allies' base of operations.

She also brought snacks. Not just fried tofu, but also some onigiri and a six-pack of canned coffee. The latter in particular goes well with her mood - things have been extra-hectic lately, at least in some of her stomping grounds, and she's hardly even had time to eat lunch, let alone sleep. Not like she's in any real danger of keeling over from insufficient food or slumber, just ...

Okay, the snacks are MOSTLY fried tofu, because foxes and their comfort food.

With Yuuki rousing from her peaceful slumber, Xiaomu glances from the imp to the kitchen and back, and slides a still-wrapped rice ball over to the Absolute Blade, along with a can of coffee. "Might be able to warm that up if you're deft with fire magic," she says, "but it's actually made to taste good cold, so give that a try first."
Josuke Higashikata Josuke actually wasn't making that much noise. Though that silly 'dark priest' outfit he's wearing is loud enough, visually speaking. He's supposed to be evil, and they're going to be talking to someone who thinks he's evil. Wouldn't do to break character, right? Though when he sees Yuuki's predicament, he does something very un-dark priest-ly. He frowns worriedly.

As Xiaomu gives the rice ball and can of coffee to Yuuki, Josuke asks, "Are you okay?" He's never seen (or heard) Yuuki be anything but chipper. He doesn't know that she just got up too early; he's concerned she might be sick. He can't fix that, after all.
Staren     Staren, for his part, doesn't ACTUALLY want to be seen as evil. Since they're trying to convince the barmaid they're not, he's just dressed normally. Although, possibly, an assassin cloak and a labcoat send other messages anyway... He just takes a moment to get situated, seeing who's here and peeking his head into the kitchen to see what all the shouting is.
Tomoe The Bar Maid gives Yuuki no mind she's got work to do. Really it's to keep herself sane but there's an army to feed and not pissing off her captors would be a good idea. She's still confused why Dark Lady Tomoe hasn't shoved her in the dungeon or tortured her. So Yuuki gets no real reply as she yells at the staff seemingly finally done her batch of cooking for the moment. Maybe the Bar Maid poisoned Yuuki but as Josuke and Xiaomu arrives she wanders out with some food of her own to sit down at one of the table and it's uncanny she looks like Tomoe, she's built like her, hell she kinda walks like her it's really odd and she just gives the entire group a wary look.

"So just what the forces of darkness want to day? Going to threatnb me? Drop me in the dungeon or threaten worse?"
Yuuki Konno     While there are occasions Yuuki can be non-chipper, they're rare enough and in fairness this isn't one of those rare occasions where she's melancholy. She shows THAT easily enough by beaming at Xiaomu and snatching a coffee can, abruptly apparently full of energy again. "Thanks!" she chirps.

    She's like that, after all. Going full-burn until she crashes hard. Josuke hasn't seen her crash because Yuuki hasn't been in a safe spot with nothing whatsoever to do. Her friends from Beacon would surely have seen it, and a number of those used to Aincrad would've seen it too, but only between adventures as it were.

    She blinks at Josuke, surprised. "Long day?" she suggests tentatively, still grinning. The grin falters as she hears what the barmaid has to say. "Hey that's not fair!" she complains loudly. "You want worse treatment? Maybe we should give you back to the heroes so they can claim you as a prize!" she threatens. Not at all seriously, of course... she would never offer up another person like that, and she can't even make the threat while maintaining a serious facade. But she does know how the 'heroes' tend to act, as if anything they do in the service of heroism entitles them to their desired reward. She should know, having done her fair share of murderhoboing.

    "Still... what you were doing in there smells pretty good." Yuuki concedes. "I think we can spare you THAT fate at least!" she says, grinning broadly once again.
Kirito Kirito originally intended to be pretty helpful and start chatting, but the state of the kitchen has him too busy sampling some of the new dishes to pitch in just yet. He's set aside most of the terrifying dark armor and is currently lounging around in just his usual attire minus the strategic armor plating.

    Hardly looks like the demonic black swordsman dark general at all. Under the mask, his face is just FAR too darned soft and youthful to make any kind of fearsome impression.
Staren     Staren rolls his eyes at the question. "Have we ever done ANY of that?"
Josuke Higashikata Josuke can understand that. Particularly if Yuuki's been dealing with a 'prisoner' -- heavy on the airquotes -- who thinks she's going to do Thus-And-So to her! So he nods to Yuuki's words. There isn't really a reason to doubt her. "Let me know if I can help," he offers, with a smile.

The words of the barmaid though, get a blink. He opens his mouth to say no, and ask why they'd do that... but then remembers they're supposed to be evil. "...Well, that wouldn't be very efficient, would it?" he asks. It's true, it wouldn't. She's been a big help so far, and even on only that basis, there'd be no reason for them to hurt her. "Besides, that's messy. I prefer not to have to resort to that kind of stuff." Which is also true.
Xiaomu "I was just thinking that we'd eat lunch," Xiaomu says to the bar maid, with as ominous a smile as she can muster on the spur of the moment. (Given the week she's been having, that doesn't take as much as you might imagine.) "A dark, dastardly meal, neither breakfast nor dinner, perfect for consumption while we attend to some unfortunately overlooked business ... like what *you* can tell us about the Heroes."

She leans across the table, slowly pushing a still-sealed package of fried tofu to where it can rest in front of the bar maid. "Eat up. You'll need your strength before we're through with you."
Tomoe Tomoe says "You would have done so by now.." She nots for a moment before she looks back at Kirito who is arriving and to Yuukis as she foes to dig into her food. "Yes, your Dark Lady fed her monsters slop no wonder they kept raiding our farms and towns! I'd do so too with food that bad."

She makes a face nd zhe pauyses to yuuki "Soups on go bother the Goblin at the line if you. "What do you think happend to Grandia?! Your Lady burned and enslaved it."

there's no such town on the maps in the game zone it's likely back story.

"So a weak stomach for your jobs. About the heroes? Bolt I have known since I was a kid save for the Priestess of Titina."

She notes "The others I havce no idea where they came from other than they are from near the world tree. If it strikes me they are just outcasts like myself a Salamder who doesn't wish to follow Lord Eugene."

She peer at the food and cautious takes a bite...
Yuuki Konno     "Hot soup?" Yuuki asks rhetorically. She's already moving, showing that even if she was half asleep a minute ago she's wide awake now. Possibly due to Xiaomu's can of coffee.

    She's a bit slower walking back, so as not to spill her fresh bowl of soup. "This IS good." she notes, talking rudely through a mouthful of food. Perhaps surprisingly to the barmaid, Yuuki's revealed her face for the first time. Her dark face scarf, normally wrapped around her face like a bandit's bandanna (or a ninja mask naturally) is now a fashionable shawl, and Yuuki's revealed for all her fresh youthful innocence. It'd be no surprise to anyone in the league of Evil of course, but it might well be disarming for their guest.
Josuke Higashikata It's hard for Josuke not to wince when the mention of a town being burned and enslaved is mentioned. "...Did you used to live there?" he asks, quietly. He doesn't know how long ago this was, but it couldn't have been too terribly long if someone still remembered.

This is really giving him a run for his money, trying to pretend to be evil, to pretend that he wasn't bothered. Seemed like the mask was already slipping. But then, he isn't really sure what they're supposed to do here, so...
Xiaomu The only qualifier which keeps the offered fried tofu from being 'perfectly normal fried tofu' is the fact that it's Xiaomu's favorite brand, and it earned its status as her favorite for a *reason*. It tastes very good, with just the right amount of crunch around the soft, chewy inner layers of each piece. It doesn't taste greasy or heavy, like some lesser brands do when straight out of the package - although that's probably due in part to the fact that Xiaomu gets it as fresh as she can from the manufacturer.

As to the bit about Grandia ... well, Xiaomu remembers full well why they have to do this in the first place - Tomoe got written into the script of a quest, the 'heroes' are supposed to be the good guys who overthrow the Dark Lord, and you can't overthrow a Dark Lord if one doesn't *exist* to be overthrown. Presumably the sacking of Grandia was part of that quest's background.

"So you're important enough to these heroes that they're likely to come for you, and you don't actually know anything about them?" Xiaomu asks as she unwraps a package of fried tofu for herself. "I wonder if we might have overestimated your value to them."

She slowly sinks her teeth into a piece of fried tofu, and can't quite stifle a very appreciative noise. Still, if you're as terrified as a good prisoner would be in the midst of the villains' lair, that could sound more predatory than it ... y'know ... actually *is*.
Staren     Staren blinks. "She... burned and enslaved a town? That doesn't sound right..." CARDINAL imposing plot, he supposes.
Tomoe She makes a face for a moment but seems pleased at the mention of her food being good. The monsters here seem very happy with her, given they were eating grey quality f level food? Getting up to C level green quality food was a world of difference and their moral had bene up as of late. She looks to every one lfor a moment. "Brick did and he was a Paladin of Oberone to begin with but with him betraying Lady titania and being cast out from the world by all the Fairy races?"

She shrugs a bit at that.

"Brick and the Priestess are from here same as me, Misty is a regular adventurer in these parts she's told me a lot about what you did to her masters and her fellow students."

She looks at Xiaomu for a moment but pauses at the predsaoty tone and slinks back a bit at that.

She wil eat the fodo shes' offered though least she offend these dangerous people.

"look what do you want to know??"

she also gives Josuke a hard look for a moment as well.

"The rest I think are from the World Tree or near about, free agents who don't follow their nations either."
Yuuki Konno     Yuuki's a bit confused at talk of what 'they' did to Misty and her ... her dojo? but she's somewhat distracted by conversation. Fortunately that quiet conversation, going on by a magic radio, is enough to clue her in that not everything the barmaid says is going to be what REALLY happened. Also fortunately, she's got soup! It hides any amount of silence.

    She does finally speak however. "Actually I have a question." she states. "What's your name? I can't just call you 'hey you barmaid' right?" she asks. Then she brightens. "Oh! Also who are your parents? Because you look a LOT like my friend here." she beams, gesturing at Tomoe proudly. "I mean a LOT like her! You could be sisters! Do you have any evil in you?" she asks, grinning.
Staren     Staren becomes increasingly exasperated as a radio conversation reveals noone here has an actual endgame plan here. There is, perhaps, ONE clue that might lead to a non-terrible end. He turns back to the barmaid. "We have these magic pendants of different colors. How are they connected to your friends?" A direct question he really doubts she has an answer to, but even a remote chance is better than nothing.
Xiaomu "There *is* an uncanny resemblance," Xiaomu remarks, looking between Tomoe and the bar maid. "For all we know, you were meant to be the Dark Lady instead of her ... but that's not how it played out, so here we are."
Tomoe The Barmaid look to Xuaony for a moment and pauses there at that. "I have nightmares about Your Mistress and him."

She looks right at Josuke for a moment she shudders for a moment at it all and shakes her head. "How could I be that I wouldn't enjoy being like that why would you even think I'd want to be like that hussy."
$R Tomoe turns red and then just shoots daggers at the bar maid.

"I am ... Deidra Longwing."

She says looking to Yuuki for a moment.

Tomoe also looks back to Yuuki "Sisters?!"
Yuuki Konno     Yuuki looks back. "Come on, dress you in ..." she pauses, looks over the two women. Considers her words carefully. "... In the same outfit, no one could tell you apart!" she claims. Okay so maybe she's exaggerating a bit, but if anyone knows twins it should be Yuuki!

    "And... don't call her a hussy! That's rude." Yuuki adds, almost playfully. "She's not, you know. She's just dressed like one!"
Iria Mostly she's been in the background keeping to herself, but Iria has been here doing what she can. Sometimes the girl is a bit of a quiet person, but other times she's chatty. As of this moment, Iria looks to Xiaomu and says, "Just goes to show you that, even in the virtual worlds, anything can happen." She smirks a little while folding her arms.
Josuke Higashikata Josuke notes the look at him and... looks away. He is, sadly, not used to outright LYING about his motives. But when the barmaid introduces herself, he offers quietly in return, "My name's Josuke." Not exactly the horrible, scary, impressive name that a 'dark priest' might have, is it? But it's just easier for him to deal with her as another person than as a prisoner.
Xiaomu "A pleasure to meet you, Deidra," Xiaomu replies with a smile, raising a can of coffee to her as if toasting, then tipping it back -

Correction, With an EMPTY can of coffee. The sage fox glowers into the vacant can, sets it aside, and gets up to raid the kitchen for something suitable in the way of beverages. "You want 'hussy,'" she remarks as she goes, "there's this evil kitsune where I'm from, she practically makes the Dark Lady's fashion sense look prudish ..."
Tomoe Tomoe looks to the Bar Maid and she looks to Tomoe and they just stare they can't argue but they will not admit it verbally o they will not admit it. The Bair Maid however stops for a moment as she looks at Josuke and pauses "Such a strange name for one like you. I don't understan why y ou ... treated me so well?" She pauses for a moment "A Fox spirit I heard of thsoe but they are not very comon outside of the floating castle..."

Deidra blanches at this, and Tomoe has a look of horror on her face.

"Still Brick and my friends just wants to help want to stop you before you ... take everything these villiages have done nothing to you!"
Tomoe Deicra Longwing pauses for a moment "Pendants they ...wait Brick told me of a dungeon crawl in which they found various powerful oddly coloured artifacts." She titls her head a bit. "What would that matter to you?" She notes to staren.
Staren     So. They need to play the villains, but... if they're hoping to win the heroes over after the quest is done, they should try to be affable and sympathetic.

    Surprisingly, Deicra DOES have a clue about the pendants. But how can he discuss them in a way that will encourage her to talk AND fits the narrative of them being villains? That's a puzzler. He looks at her for a moment, then just looks lost in thought.
Xiaomu "Colors can be surprisingly important," Xiaomu states on her way back, looking at Deidra. "And get used to seeing foxes."

She sets her tankard down, then settles back into her seat from earlier, her gaze spearing into the bar maid. "We're *everywhere*, in case you hadn't noticed ... but then, that's the point, and the Dark Lady will help us spread our rule far and wide over your world. We'll do our best to be benevolent invaders, but you *don't* want to force our paws."
Iria "She's got a point, you know," Iria comments in reponse to Xiaomu's comment about forcing the paws. "We're not ones to back down easily, I'll have you know." The smirk from before has been replaced with a frown as Iria scowls a little and narrows her eyes.
Josuke Higashikata Josuke tilts his head at the mention of the name seeming strange. "Under everything else, whatever clothes we're wearing, whatever lives we lead, what is anyone here but a person?" he asks. It's a vague question, since he doesn't say how far they've gone.

Besides that, he hasn't bothered to think of a 'dark priest in willing servitude to the glorious Dark Lady' sort of name. Whoops?
Tomoe Dedira is lost in thought too and she looks at STaren for a moment she also eyes Xiaomuy about the fox comment.

"I have not seen monsters than behave like these here in the castle before they had always proven to be mindless before."
Staren     Another question comes up. Staren looks to Deidra again. "So. To avoid further misunderstandings, because it's just AWKWARD when we get accused of burning down a village... We are from other lands ourselves, and the Dark Lady has done so much in so many lands, she can't remember it anymore. What exactly has she done HERE? I mean... look, if her army raided a village and the last survivor confronts us and we don't know what he's talking about, it's just gonna be awkward on both sides here. So, what's she done in this land, exactly?"
Tomoe Deidra says "She razed the town I mentione sunderd the nation of Uthlix and has been building her power to menace the world tree to target Queen Tiotanta and some whiper she is the bastard daughter of Oberon come for revenge upon all Fairies for her father's fall from grace." She looks confused at some of starens words but she's listening, some of it is just not making sense to her.