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Majima Goro KAMUROCHO - JANUARY 15th, 3PM                          

The Concord was not contacted by Majima. Not directly. Instead, a woman calling herself the Acting Chairman of the Tojo Clan passes the word. She's aware of the events leading to the previous Chairman's death, and would like their aid. There's a man she'd like to have lead the Tojo Clan properly, and she cannot find them.

The man in question is her son, Daigo Dojima. He's known to frequent the local hostess clubs. White puffy jacket, lots of money. Can't miss him, really.

The Watch has not had further word since whomever Big Boss was working with contacted them. However, this *is* the last known whereabouts of the Machinegun Kid. Furthermore, if you're the sort who cares about civilians being crushed under the heel of machinations, this is the town for you. We'll place an exclamation mark just in front of this bowling alley on the west side of town.

The Paladins, however, are contacted first by the Tokyo PD. They are informed in advance that the Tokyo PD has everything well in hand, and that Elite action is likely to incite greater violence than they are capable of handling.
Then, unofficially, in actual, unironic snail mail, an advertisement for a local bar called 'Serena'--an outdated one, judging by the age of the paper, also shows up. It takes about ten seconds to determine that the bar closed before Unification, after a tremendous explosion rocked the Millenium Tower.

Of course, this is Kamurocho. This is the city of shabby neon lights, street fights, and card games about scantily clad women in bug costumes. Three pink dots for three different Elite factions have been placed on the board, but there are no requirements. The entire neighborhood, from its cabaret clubs, batting cages, mah jong parlors, random people on the street waving passersby down for aid with who knows what--all of these are available, and who knows? There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Majima himself, meanwhile, will be up in the northeast corner of Kamurocho, working on the skyscraper. There aren't even any remains of that helicopter that blew up in a nearby intersection.

Command?
Kale Hearthward Kale takes a look at the snail mail when it gets brought to his attention.

"... Huh..." he says when he looks up that the bar has been closed for a long while.

"... This is... oh, I know what this is!" he says. "Yeah, I get it."

He turns and three-points it into the main room's trash can. "It's junk."

---

Some time later, a nameless hitman wanders the streets of Kamurocho in a random pattern, openly-carried sword visibly strapped to his back, exuding a strong aura of 'Hey any yakuza groups, approach me because I'm looking for work and I'm certainly not a disguised Paladin looking to infiltrate your organization'.

Inwardly, Kale bemoans the fact that he doesn't have any leads yet.
Big Boss There is a blonde Brit with a large duffelbag staying at the hostels of Kamurocho. He's been fighting the thugs in the streets for food money, and has been setting up to find the truth of what happened to the Tojo Clan.

Machinegun Kid has been contacting local sources and doing recon. His goal is to find someone who can point him in the right direction of what's happening, without turning himself in to the police. He didn't kill the yakuza boss.

Which means someone else did.
Ben d'Tarkanan      Three people emerge through the warpgate. In the lead, there is the brown-haired rising star of House d'Tarkanan, smiling confidently. Wearing a heavy burgundy long coat, beneath it a finely made tunic and matching leggings sporting embroidery of a vaguely eastern European fashion, he has the distinct look of the old world about him. Especially with the peacebound sword at his hip. His companions are dressed in similar coats, a human man with bronze skin and a tall elven woman with long platinum hair tied back in a ponytail. Each of them bears a unique, blood-red marking that resembles something between a tattoo and a scar--the human man's appears on his hand and disappears up his sleeve, the elven woman's occupies the left side of her face.

     Ben's appears on the back of his neck, hidden mostly by his collar and his hair--but what little shape of that mark is visible resembles rising smoke from some great conflagration.

     Together, they present the energy of some manner of organized crime outfit, for their confident strut, their weapons (a sword for the human man, a pair of matching gnarled ash wands for the elven woman) and the quality of their clothes.

     These three, formed up in that 'fuck with us' kind of way that seems so appropriate to Kamurocho, have come to strengthen ties between the Tojo Clan and House d'Tarkanan. Game recognizes game, as they say. The Acting Chairman's request should be a simple enough way to do so. So it is that Ben gives an order to his underlings.

     "Alright, chums. We're to find this Dojima chap--and as he's known to frequent the hostess clubs," the two Tarkanan goons share a knowing grin, "All we should have to do is fan out and look for him.

     "We're not doing that," says Lia, the elven woman.

     "Yeah, sorry boss," says Breyten, the human man. "This place is dangerous by yourself."

     "So is Sharn!" Ben indignantly replies. In hushed tones, he adds, "Are you forgetting our competition there includes a guild of thieves and assassins?" Neither of his underlings is moved by this rebuttal. Louder, and with exasperation, "Fine, you big babies. Come with me--the first club isn't far."

     Ben, with his entourage, will look for the nearest hostess club. Together, they'll enter in, and Ben will take to the bar. The easiest way to track down someone is to grease the wheels a little--and so, assuming this place has a bar, he'll take a seat there, give the establishment a little business in the form of a drink, and ask, with a 'tip' generously offered, about the regulars. He's looking for a man by the name of Dojima, with a puffy white coat...
Karlan Nobles Kamurocho at night is far prettier than Pramanix expected it could be, especially in the context of not having to worry about the results of a duel-turned explosion of yakuza-based drama. As beautiful as all the lights and nightlife is, though, the events of that night are still weighing in the back of her mind. What really happened? Who could have done if it not him? Would it already be too late?

"Why did you have to come, too?" The woman in the black dress and blue coat mutters with barely-restrained apathy in her tone as she walks ahead of a sharply dressed man in a black suit with an excessively long scarf. Although they both have fancy hats on, neither of their hats hide their anime-white hair and fuzzy ears should any ne'er-do-wells decide to give them a hard time.

"I wanted to see what this place has that would draw you to come back twice. It's certainly a more vivid place than home." The man speaks, tapping his cane softly on the street with every other step while glancing around at a relaxed pace and letting the woman take the lead. Spotting the bowling alley, he lets out a curious noise just loud enough to draw her attention back towards him.

"Have you ever tried bowling before, Pramanix? It's a-"
"No. I know what bowling is."
"... Ah."

It's a little awkward between them. Right in front of that exclamation point, too.
Majima Goro HAWK HERO    *chung*
KALE HEARTHWARD
*chung*

Three cheap-suited men wearing small label pins observe the bird with the sword on his back thoughtfully. Their discussion moves from 'where they're going out to drink tonight' accordingly. The glowing lights of a pawn shop shine in the shadowy alley they're leaning in.

"...Fuck's that?"
    One peeks over, adjusting his glasses. "...Yeah, it's a bird with a fuckin' sword on his back."
"Alright, so, this is the line, right? We ain't gonna try to fuck with a bird with a sword. There's no way he's some fuckin' rube we're gonna shake down."
"Fuck you. Of *course* we are. Think about it for one fuckin' second. Yeah. Obviously he ain't some shmuck. It's probably gonna be a fuckin' fight. But every time you step down, every time you say, 'Nah, I can't take him, he's too strong', you die a little, internally. You're lettin' the world kill you and shove you in a metaphorical grave every time you say no. That guy puts your lights out? You only die once. Now, how many times you wanna fuckin' die, idiot?"

"O-once?"
"Fuckin' right. Now let's dress that bird and serve him up like it's Labor Thanksgiving!"

Kale finds himself facing threemen in cheap suits, rushing after him declaring a demand for his wallet. One has a Chinese bootleg stun gun. It's liable to blow up in his hand. The next one has a wooden sword, and the third guy has what looks like a BB gun. They are absolutely going to attack the hell out of him.

TRIGGERED OPERATIVE *chung*
  MACHINEGUN KID    *chung*
Asking about things in Kamurocho is somewhat complicated. The fact is, most people keep their heads down around here. He gets a great deal of seemingly useless information! For instance, the owner of a local host club called Stardust has been acting strangely lately. The Osaka PD has been poking around Kamurocho--a Tokyo precinct-- lately. The local homeless have been drinking better beer, and the video cameras around town recently got upgraded.

Going through at least one alley, in the meantime, a single crossbow bolt whistles into the bricks behind the Machinegun Kid. It was clearly meant to miss. Whoever shot it is missing. Somebody very, very much cares that he's poking into that business.

Loading ... loading ...
Kale Hearthward "... Huh? Bird? What bird?"

Kale Hearthward is very much dressed up like a nameless hitman! He researched the part (a lot of fictional movies, to be fair) and made sure to get all the details of his professional-business-suit costume right, down to picking out a period-appropriately-inappropriate sword to openly carry with him. His disguise as a hitman-for-hire should be *flawless*.

As the thugs approach and surround him, Kale glances at his reflection in a nearby shop window to see what exactly it is that's giving him away.

In the shop window, his disguise is indeed flawless, and he barely recognizes himself - but it's a bird-man in a suit with a sword looking back at him.

"Oh. I forgot to put on the human illusion."

Well, nothing for it but to improvise madly, then, and hope for the best. He leaps into action - dashing at the one with the wooden sword, trying to yank it out of his hands in passing, divekick onto the side of a wall, and from his vertical perch there launch into a leaping attack to clobber the three into submission!

Just, you know, normal nameless hitman things.
Majima Goro NOUVEAU RICHE NECROMANCER *chung*
     BEN D'TARKANAN       *chung*
Ben and his companions stride through the streets of Kamurocho fairly easily. Yes, there is a brief part where they decide whether or not that this small group of high school deliquents *need* to be put in their place, or whether they hurry past--that's up to them. They're not really a problem.

Luckily, the hostess club--there's a solid cabaret on what is on-the-nose called Pink Street, seems to be the lucky call. Ben and his cohorts are brought in, and of course the application of money goes a *long* way. The waiter refuses, of course, to give out any information about any clients who may or may not be frequenting their establishment. However, the three of them are seated in a spot where they can clearly see a man in his early thirties, dressed as promised, with two hostesses clinging on to his every word. Of course, the expensive champagne, top-end food, and the slowly flowing yen from his wallet probably isn't hurting that.

PHARMACEUTICAL CONTRACTOR *chung*
        PRAMANIX          *chung*

After handily avoiding a tutorial on the basics of Close-Quarters-Bowling, the two are approached by a man in a vaguely despondent state. He's pacing back and forth, staring at the ground, before suddenly noticing the two, and running over.
"Hey! You're...not from here, right? Maybe you can help. In fact--I'm begging you. I found a chicken in my apartment the other day. I don't know where it came from, but while I was walking around town trying to find if anyone lost it, the local bowling place offered to take it off my hands for a promotion they're doing. They paid me for it, and I bought my anniversary present for my wife with it."

He slumps to the ground, "....and then my wife informed me that she bought me a pet chicken for our anniversary, and that it'd be in my apartment when I got home! I can't just ask them to give back the chicken, and if I don't get it back, my wife's going to kill me! Please, can you--somehow, get me the chicken back?"

The man is pleading in a way that implies that this is a perfectly normal thing to ask two complete strangers to do for you. At least Mach Bowl is literally ten feet away.
Tamamo no Mae     Tamamo, the Caster version, slowly makes her way along the streets of Kamurocho, using a bit of fox magic to hide her own fox features and dressed in what amounts to a fancy suit. A pair of square-framed glasses rest upon her nose as she scans the area and then a piece of paper, 'Daigo Dojima. Frequents hostess clubs, jacket and money...' "MIkon..." she mutters, "if this was older Japan, this would be easy. But the neon and fancy..." she shakes her head, "What happened."

    Well, the best place to get info... is the suggested thing itself and off Tamamo goes towards one of the many hostess clubs. And she'll start with.. the one with the most neon lights, fancier it is, the best place for someone with a lot of money to deal with, no? Even if she has to use a bit of her own charm to get in, she was gonna find this man.
Karlan Nobles Before the siblings' awkwardness can seep out into the entire street, their uncomfortable staredown is interrupted by a man and his chicken-based woes. SilverAsh is already approaching the man when Pramanix holds a hand up to stop him, giving the despondent man a chance to actually say his piece.

It's definitely a piece. "Oh dear. What a..." Whatk ind of word would even describe this kind of situation? She can see SilverAsh mouthing 'absurd' over and over from the corner of her eye, and she deliberately avoids saying that while searching for something else appropriate.

"... Peculiar problem." She's trying not to smirk, but she totally does for the briefest of moments while looking right at SilverAsh. "Yes, we'll do what we can. Regardless, you should still speak to your wife about it afterwards. Hiding this the rest of your life won't do either of you any favors."

And so, Pramanix accepts the sidequest despite her brother's reluctance. It's probably because of that, even, considering that she's practically beaming when she moves to practically shove him right into Mach Bowl. "Comeo n, we don't have any time to lose. A marriage is at stake here!"
Ben d'Tarkanan      High school delinquents do have a place--but that place is not 'getting the snot kicked out of them.' It's in organized crime! Finish your education, and we can talk about employment opportunities, kids.

     The real action is on Pink Street. That's where Dojima is found, much to Ben's delight. He does so enjoy it when his work is laid out so cleanly before him! Money has already gotten him a seat in view of this fellow--and given the quite ludicrous amount of money his mark is spending in this establishment, perhaps a little more of Ben's might help matters further.

     "If you please," says Ben, flagging down a waiter. He offers up some more of his funds--enough to cover quite a bit more of Dojima's time with the ladies, and more libations. "You may tell that man there that this is from me."

     "I thought we were trying to get his face *out* of the talent's... assets," says Lia. "What good is that going to do?"

     Ben chuckles. "Lady Lia, there's an Earth expression--you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. If I barged in here to lay down the law on the Clan's behalf, what reason would a man so..." He strokes his mustache with his left hand. "Fond of leisure have to listen to me? I imagine the problem is that he believes he can't tend to his duties and still enjoy his time here. All he needs to see this isn't the case is... a gentle nudge."

     "Wow, boss," says Breyten, nodding and rubbing a hand over his bald head with a thoughtful expression.

     Should Dojima happen to look over, Ben will give him a friendly, informal wave--a little beckoning gesture that says 'let's talk.'
Big Boss Weird but useful intel, and then- a crossbow bolt. MGK moves to grab the bolt, and then immediately dash sfter his attacker. His eyes dart through the streets.

MGK is looking for the most likely building his attacker may have entered to lose him, so he can barrel in after them.
Majima Goro TAMAMO-NO MAE *chung*
  %bb THE CASTER ONE *chung*

ALSO, STILL BEN
Coincidentally, Tamamo and Ben have found the correct hostess bar. Convenient.
The man himself, it turns out, isn't solely alone. A few Yakuza-coded men from other seats occasionally come over to ensure his cigarette is lit, ask if 'aniki' needs anything, and he generally seems dismissive of their existence.

That is, up until the host informs him that someone has bought him more booze and time. His brow raises, and his eyes meet with Ben's. Then his gaze turns over to Tamamo's. There's a look of surprise, at something, and then he sneers. He slowly raises from the table. Game has, in fact, recognized game.

He cracks his neck, adjusts his jacket, and immediately starts moving towards the back exit. His strange, seemingly unwanted cadre of goons hurriedly gets up to follow him.

KALE:
"Kiei!" This is not a difficult fight. Honestly, the local people--whom you might have expected to be panicking, or fleeing, are mostly forming a convenient fence of people to watch the show. These guys are honestly Not A Big Deal.

The three, once suitably clobbered are...surprisingly durable. There's a guy on the ground, but he's moving. One's just grabbing his stomach a bit, doubled over. The third one's kneeling on the ground.
"Alright, alright..." There's a hand of surrender, and the crowd just..disperses. It's like nobody even cares that there's a bird man, in a suit, with a sword. In fact, there weren't even any smart phone photos. Nobody called the cops.

Welcome to Kamurocho.
PRAMANIX: There is a chicken in a cage, right by the cashier for the bowling alley. There is a sign that says, 'GET A TURKEY, WIN A CHICKEN' underneath it. This is, while a *large* bowling alley, by and large perfectly normal. If they ask, the basic idea is to get three strikes in a row to win the chicken. There's a big burly man who has been trying very hard to get the three strikes. He's very, very bad at bowling, but he is Trying His Best.

MACHINEGUN KID: Chasing the attacker is difficult, but possible. He's ducked into a seemingly abandoned building, which is *particularly* convenient, and with careful attention to audio cues, easily determined to have vanished into thin air at this dead end.

Wait, no. There's a tarp hanging off this wall, obscuring an elevator, with an out of order sign on it.
...The elevator, with a button press, is not at all out of order. That said, almost none of the buttons work, except a single one. This is, in fact, almost undoubtedly going to be a trap beyond time and space. Please check your consumables and consider saving your game before continuing.
Lilian Rook     A police force has things well in hand. Uhuh. Right. Other such sarcastic admissions run through Lilian's head upon reading the notification. They aren't worth noting for the fact that they're sarcastic for purely the wrong reasons, having to do with ego and distance rather than any genuinely placed resentment or discontent with the justice system. The main thing is being told that her assistance won't be needed immediately makes her want to take charge.

    Lilian is also the type to do her research though. Having heard plenty of insane Yakuza stories from the retired man himself who now heads a semi-infamous construction company, and with her particular opinions on organized crime, how she plans to go about what she wants is clear enough to her. It definitely isn't working for the police. It isn't working *with* the police. It isn't helping Kamurocho clean up its act, or put peace on the streets. It's exactly one sort of operative activity that she is very much suited to, and deniably trained for, doing.

    An expert 'seer's talents save her a tremendous amount of time in randomly wandering about. A half-day dedicated to scraping news, logs, registrations, and compiling a little metaphorical pinboard for herself goes the rest of the way. She knows about the Tojo. She shouldn't know about Daigo, but she does. There's no way she should know about the club, but she also, definitely does.

    She also knows about the reputation of the streets of Kamurocho, so she's spent a short while at the nearest establishment where she can sit down and keep an eye on it, up to and including 'maid cafe' levels of vague indignity. The fact that known members of the Concord enter is fairly obvious, and results in her flagging down the bill, leaving an excessive generous tip, and then disappearing after rounding the corner, to get a bead on the exit.
Kale Hearthward "Hmmf."

The nameless bird-hitman looks down at the set of downed minions, purloined wooden sword still in hand.

"Is this the sort of talent the best that this forsaken city has to offer?"

"You," he says, picking out a random one and lifting up his chin with the tip of the wooden sword, in a suitably intimidating/dramatic fashion. "Does your boss have need of strength, or does he fancy himself an employer of the week? Is he among the sheep, or among the wolves?"
Big Boss Machinegun Kid enters the abandoned building, and with deduction skills, locates the tarp and elevator. He steps in, straightens his duffelbag, and breathes. Obvious trap, but...

Nothing he can't handle.

Machinegun Kid presses the button, and cracks his knuckles. Showtime.
Ben d'Tarkanan      "Seems like he's not interested, boss," says Breyten with a frown, as Daigo leaves.

     "Really?" asks Lia with an acerbic tone. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

     "No matter, chums. If it's to be a battle of wills, Master Dojima shall find me quite well-armed." His associates move to get up--but he lifts his left hand, ever so slightly, from the table. Wait, until he's out the door, that hand says. When it closes, he nods. "Circle around and hem their exit. I'll approach from behind."

     Despite their well-made clothes, the Tarkanans are quite good at moving unnoticed. Lia shrouds herself and Breyten under a cloak of invisibility the moment they're out the front door, and the two of them creep silently around to pin Dojima's retreat from the nearest connecting alley. Ben, meanwhile, does exactly as he said he would, giving casual chase.

     "Master Dojima, I believe I must insist on a moment of your time." His left arm, slightly longer, slightly paler than the other, comes to rest on the grinning beholder pommel of his bastard sword, just as Lia and Breyten uncloak from their invisibility, arms crossed and barring his way.

     "The Tojo Clan wants for leadership, and I have it on the authority of Master Majima that such a responsibility is eminently within your capability to handle." He lifts his right hand, signaling, both to his goons and to Dojima's, that he won't strike first. "I'm not unsympathetic to your reasons for thus far refusing--ours is a violent and costly manner of means. But..." He smiles wanly. "Surely, the answer to your loss isn't... *this.* My good man, do you think those men would hang upon you as they did, if they didn't think you were capable of more?"
Majima Goro BIRD UP:
There's some back and forth. "..What, for real?" The stomach-gripping guy says. "Every family in town's gonna need muscle. Someone like you ain't heard? The Tojo Clan's goin' under. The Omi's gonna roll in any day now, and it's gonna be a bloodbath." He shakes his head, slowly raising to his feet. "Anyone who's willin' to throw down for this shithole can probably find someone to take 'em in. I ain't sure how the boss'd feel about a bird, but why the fuck not."

"You can't be worse than the guy who got expelled a few years back. Sure. You up for meetin' Patriarch Arakawa?"

MGK:

The good news is, he's opened up to a room containing only four guys in puffy green jackets, in an unpainted, concrete room. There's a map of Kamurocho nailed to the wall, with specific red marks painted over Kamuro Hills, and a few dozen other marks as well. It'll probably be worth looking at in a second.

The good news is, these men are armed with knives. The Machinegun Kid has a gun. This should be easy.

The bad news is, there are benchs scattered around, electrical equipment, and frankly, a lot of explosive material. This is probably not the best time to create a lot of sparks and heat, in this poorly ventilated room.

"DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR!" One yells, brandishing his weapon.
Enjoy fighting the Jingweon Mafia.
Karlan Nobles "A..."
"... Turkey?"

Both of the white-haired duo are confused as they read the sign, stare at the chicken, then read the sign again. It takes a moment before SilverAsh finally lets out an amused noise, snapping his fingers just in time with his sister's continued confusion. "All ten pins struck in a single throw, three times in a row, before his wife tells him to go."

"That does't sound too hard. If I can do it once, doing it two times should be no problem." Pramanix sounds confident as she gets right to work, taking the lane next to the big burly man and offering him a polite smile. Immediately afterwards, she puts her game face on, and she puts on display her immense lack of prowess at the sport she's never actually tried before.

There is a substantial chance she might lob a ball into his gutter at some point.

Meanwhile, SilverAsh remains by the cashier, sliding over an exquisitely sleek and custom-made credit card with his own company's logo lined up with his name. "I'd like to purchase the chicken, if you please."
Kale Hearthward The nameless bird hitman's eyes narrow.

"This Arakawa - he's the one who has set you sheep among the wolves?"

Not-Kale shoulders the wooden sword. "Hmmf. Fine. It is a terrible day indeed that I take the coin of sheep - but coin is coin, and he who turns down coin does find himself wanting for his barley. Bleat on, little sheep, and take me to this 'Arakawa'."
Big Boss No gunplay. Okay. That's not a problem. Kid cracks his neck as the men with knives come at him.

"You're making a mistake. Let's solve this, pardner."

He learned the basics of CQC, after all. One knife comes in. MGK quickly deflects with his duffelbag, before his hand goes out to chop the knife-holding wrist, twist it, disarm him, and knock him out with a quick blow to the neck.

The duffelbag is then smashed into the head of the next. MGK grabs his knife, before plunging it into the man's shoulder, ripping it back out, and kicking him down.

The last two are dealt with rapidly. The knife slices at their wrists to make them drop their blades, before being discarded so he can grab their heads. slam them together, and then stomp legs while they're down.

Hopefully, if they're down, MGK can quickly examine and take a photo of that map with his pocket camera!
Tamamo no Mae     Tamamo just follows behind, a smile upon her face as she meanders through the nightclub. With the men heading out of the back door, Tamamo shakes her head before following Ben and his allies. "Hmm, wonder why he's running?" she mutters to herself, "Wonder if he'll listen to reason, or if he's one of those types..."

    The be-suited fox finally drops her hidden fox features as she leaves, casually walking behind him. "To echo my friend here, we do not mean any harm for you, on the contrary..." she grins, "We believe we can help you achieve your greatness though we understand your time of mourning." She takes a look back, "Though, cheap consorts and cheaper alcohol..." she shakes her head, "I'm sure there is more to what's causing you grief, is there?" beat "Shall you let us assist you?"

    "I'm sure that we can make it worth your while."
Majima Goro KALE:
"... I'm not really likin' this sheep coin shit, but come on."
Kale is lead through the streets of Kamurocho to..a surprisingly boring looking building in the corner of town.
One plain, boring hallway later, he's lead into an office that would almost seem like it handled accountancy, if the man behind the first desk didn't look so..strangely imposing. A sharp, black on black suit. Black slicked back hair. A purple tie, somehow matching.

JO SAWASHIRO             *chung*
ARAKAWA FAMILY TREASURER *chung*

"...Who's this supposed to be?" He tilts his head. "You just bringing people in for the shit of it? What's this shit all about?"
He too does not seem to care much for Kale's unusual appearance, as one of the three men cowers.

"He wants to work for the boss!" He says.

"Yeah? Yeah? We just hiring off the street now? I oughta--"

He's interrupted by a man opening the side door. Older. Definitely older. Gray hair. Goatee. One -incredibly- large scar on his right cheek. A very nice suit.

Kale gets a look. A brow quirks, subtly. "Well." The sound is almost fatherly and kind. "...These *are* strange times, indeed. Who have you brought us today?"

    MASUMI ARAKAWA *chung*
PATRIARCH OF THE ARAKAWA FAMILY *chung*

PRAMANIX:
Shockingly, being bad at bowling is working out exactly as one would expect. It's a fun game, at least, and it's not like the other competition--the strange, large man, is doing any better.

As for the offer to buy the chicken outright, the cashier nervously looks around. "...we've had this chicken for a few days, honestly, it...probably would be okay if I just sold it, I ...guess?"

The price is given. It would be fairly simple to just buy it and walk out, at this juncture.

... Loading ... Loading ...
Majima Goro TEAM RICH SOCIALITES, BEN AND CASKO:

The Tarkanans successfully corner Daigo Dojima into an alleyway, though he's unaware of his being surrounded. His ad hoc goon swarm form in front of him, and he's facing away.

"I don't want it." He says, clenching his fist. "I'm done with people." He says. The men defending him look a little concerned, but don't seem to care much for his dismissal. Knives are drawn.

"If Aniki says he wants to be let alone, you let him!"

Daigo pulls out a cigarette. One of his goons stops everything to light it for him. "...I don't need therapy from a girl with fake fox ears and some silver-tongued guy in a suit. Hey!"
"Yes, Aniki?!"

"You really wanna do the shit I say? Get rid of these assholes!"

The men, eager to prove their loyalty to a boss who doesn't want it, advance on the two. This may require at least a Medium Amount of Effort.

MACHINE GUN KID:

They're skilled fighters, but they're not on the Kid's level. Maybe if there was a dozen more of them, they'd be a problem. He's got time to look around.

The number '33' is prominent in the documentation. There are, currently, twenty-seven marks on the map. They seem to be big, showy spots. Very, very noticable little areas. Something is definitely still in the works, and it's going to be very big. The mark over the Millenium Tower was scratched out, at first, but it appears there's a bigger one on it. There's also one marked on Kamuro Hills.

At the very least, whatever's planned..hasn't happened yet.
Kale Hearthward "I've given up names long ago," says Not!Kale. As the treasurer's voiced his objection, and Arakawa has made his appearance, the bird-man-who-is-not-a-disguised-Paladin has barely moved from the spot he picked to stand in on entering the room. He barely moves at all - legs slightly spread, wooden sword held casually and resting on his right shoulder.

This is, as they say in the biz, a 'bit'. Act a little bit unnatural. Have this sort of... mystique about it, this otherworldly quality.

And then suddenly, his head jerks to the side - moving all at once and then abruptly stopping, looking straight at Arakawa.

"If you must call me something, I've been known as... The Caretaker."

"Because I take care of things."

The fingers holding the hilt of the wooden sword abruptly clench around it - and then relax. It's a small, slight and subtle action, but in the void of no other movement, it might as well be an exclamation point.
Karlan Nobles Despite being utter trash at the game, Pramanix seems to be enjoying herself well enough. Noticing the stranger having his own trouble with the game, she rolls her own ball down the lane (somehow managing to only hit a corner piece) before turning to him with a curious glint in her eyes and a pleasant smile on her face. "It seems neither of us are having much luck with this... How long have you been at this, friend?"

She wipes some sweat off her forehead, then takes her hat off and tosses it back at one of the chairs where she's left her handbag. That, too, misses wide, but she doesn't seem to mind much. "Are you doing this for the chicken, too?"

SilverAsh, meanwhile, nods slowly as he presses two fingers on his credit card. "I understand. It certainly would resolve our own predicament with little risk of failure, but..." He trails off for a while, watching Pramanix trying to chat up the stranger and hurling her hat underneath one of those seats.

"You seem nervous. Is there a problem?" He turns to the cashier next, sliding the card away and back into his own pocket. "You don't have to answer right away. I'll wait until after we're finished here."

And thus, SilverAsh joins the two in the bowling minigame. His dexterity is amazing! His movements are supremely efficient! His aim is also complete shit.
Lilian Rook     It's not hard to find a procession of goons and interlopers exit out the back door. That's what someone does when they want the minimum of space and privacy necessary to talk and potentially throw down without being interrupted by civilians, not what they do when they're trying to hide.

    Lilian heads to the street. She doesn't cross the street. She doesn't enter the building. She doesn't go down a side alley. There's no opportunity to be told to reveal herself. A twenty one year old woman shows up in the back lot wearing a period fashionable knee-length, sashed dress coat, ruffled scarf, black leggings, and a necklace pendant of sufficiently subdued weirdness that it has to be a symbol of some kind. Specifically, she shows up 'inside of Daigo's personal vicinity'; out of arm's reach, but close enough that she would have been breathing down a bodyguard's neck just a second ago. The specific cut of long black hair would pass for local were it not for obviously being European otherwise.

    That, and already, literally automagically, exuding an aura of low-level Fairytale Gravitas. The passive perception of someone who is Important To This Story, with a role layered in mystery.

    She draws his eye without doing anything, then withdraws a hand from her pocket, giving him a subtle queen's wave, then pointing her thumb to the Concord pair. "Are they bothering you?" she asks, essentially rhetorically. "The goons. Not the family. I know exactly how family is." Lilian knows she has exactly as long as it takes Ben's squad to beat up Daigo's bodyguards, so she wastes zero time before arriving at "You know the family won't stop until you're in the role, don't you? It doesn't matter how often or how well you reject them; they'll make you do it one way or another. So what if I told you there was a way to make them happy, and you barely have to do a thing?"
Majima Goro PRAMANIX:
The large man looks at Pramanix, knitting his brow. "Three days." He says, successfully bowling...a seven-ten split. Unfortunate. "You're makin' me lose my concentration, here."
He grits his teeth. "....It's very important I get *that* chicken..."

The cashier looks to Silver. "Oh! It's just..that man's been trying very hard to get it. I don't know how he'd react if I just..sold it to someone else." She smiles painedly, tilting her head in the direction of the man who has, at least, gotten a single strike. Two more!
KALE:
Arakawa's chuckle feels warm. It feels genuine, and he nods. "Ah. You've brought us a mysterious friend, today. I am Masumi Arakawa. ...perhaps, if you'd come by a few years ago, I would have had someone for you to take care of." His eyes close.

"...But he's in America, now. And the closest to another son I have..." He shakes his head. "...Now. What brings a Mysterious Caretaker to my office, today? You're certainly not from around here."
He ponders, briefly, saying something else, but discards it in poor taste, as he crosses closer to look at the nameless bird better.
Jo Sawashiro just crosses his arms.
Ben d'Tarkanan      "Ah," utters Ben, with a knowing smile. So, that's how it's going to be. "The ears are quite real--but I'll allow her Highness to speak for herself, if she cares." With a gentle tug, the ribbons which bind his sword to its scabbard are undone. He draws it--elegant in its simplicity, masterful in its creation. The blade gleams in the light of the alley, long as any straight sword--but the grip is abnormally long, allowing for two hands if the wielder desires. The pommel, a grinning, tentacled, many-eyed monster, stares oglingly at the advancing goons.

     Ben offers his opponents a formal bow. "I am Baron Ben d'Tarkanan, of the Sharn Tarkanans. It shall be this "ass-hole's" pleasure to thrash you all, for the good of the Tojo Clan! Please don't take it personally, chums," he adds, looking up from his bow with a confident smirk. "Breyten, Lia, if you would?"

     Rising from his bow, Ben literally leaps into the fray, landing inches from one of the knife-wielding goons. The pommel of his sword is driven with both arms at his full strength into the wrist of his would-be attacker, in an effort to force the weapon out of his grip. The blade touches gently against the goon's shoulder, sapping his strength as a sickly green energy flows through it, and hot on the heels of that nefarious spell, Ben switches to a one-handed grasp to pick that goon up and swing him about one-handed as a bludgeon.

     Ben fights dirty, and so do his goons. The marks on Breyten's hand and Lia's face light up. Out from the bald human's hand sprays a cone of fist-sized hailstones, bludgeoning the approaching goons from behind as his invisibility spell drops. Lia takes in a deep breath, and a cloud of burning acid is spat. Neither of them appear to be immune to the effects of their own spells, the elf's eyes tearing up, and Breyton's hand frosting over, his skin cracking and bleeding slightly.

     Is that... "Ah, Dame Rook! Hello!" Ben waves cheerily. He is stabbed for taking his eyes off the fight. It doesn't seem to bother him past a grunt and an 'oh, you' chuckle.
Kale Hearthward "I am not from around here," says the bird who's certainly not Kale Hearthwind.

He doesn't elaborate.

"I was told you have work, you have coin. Given the poor showing of your sheep, I am of the assumption that the wolves are nipping at your heels."

His eyes track Arakawa, but he continues to not move much. Inwardly, he's kind of glad he forgot the not-a-bird illusion, it means that if he's poked or prodded the game won't be up as easily.

"If I'm wrong, if you don't, I'll leave and partake of my barley somewhere else."
Lilian Rook     Lilian spares Ben enough time to give him a raised, finger-wiggling wave of his own. Her smile is distant and casual. Her eyes are bright green go signs of 'don't come to school tomorrow'.
Big Boss Once the photos of the map are taken, MGK takes photos of the men, zipties them, moves to the elevator, gets in...

And yhen climbs up the hatch, if there is one, to lurk and see if any more mafia bastards show up. Maybe a leader. If not, he'll leave well enough alone after a while and exit.
Karlan Nobles "That long for one chicken? If you needed a live chicken this badly, wouldn't it have made more sense to buy one instead?" Pramanix asks with an admiring chuckle at the man's focus, conveniently ignoring the fact that she's aiming for the same exact chicken instead of taking her own advice. "Ah.. My apologies, friend. best of luck to you." She bows her head once at the scolding, then grabs another ball from the ball dispenser machine. Pramanix inhales deeply, steadies her aim, then manages...  A spare! Not good enough, but at least she's hitting things more consistently now.

The cashier's words, along with his own aim, have SilverAsh reconsidering the possibility of just buying the damn thing. He doesn't, though, instead taking the opportunity to try and bond with Pramanix a bit more. Besides...

There's something to be learned from understanding how this game works. He throws another gutterball, but seemingly deliberately this time as he squats in place to watch the ball moving down the lane. "So the lane has a mind of its own... I see. Shall we see who wins that chicken first?"

Another ball is taken, and SilverAsh actually throws a perfect strike. That draws a huff from Pramanix, and then she turns to the stranger with a strangely determined look in her eyes while grabbing another ball of her own. "We can't let him win, friend. Do your best!"

This time, she actually manages a strike. Unfortunately, it's by rolling it slowly like an old person.
Tamamo no Mae     Fake... fox... ears? "Such impudence." Tamamo makes a show, an angry flick of the tail, as talismans drop from the sleeves into the awaiting hand, a palpable wave of discontent from the Caster-class servant. "It doesn't have to come to this, but perhaps the brains of these minions are easily swayed by honeyed words." she shakes her head slightly as Ben and his own just jump into the fray and Tamamo just sighs, "Humans. Still haven't changed." she mutters...

    "I am Tamamo no Mae, Queen of the Moon, loyal wife to my Saber..." a pause, "And you, should be taking more responsibility for all of this and proving that you can handle yourself instead of sending your 'goons' at people." Tamamo just keeps on a defensive, dodging knife stabs, retaliating by sticking the talismans on various goons. Some of the stabs land, cutting into her outfit and causing the fox to wince. "Fire."

    The talismans light up on their own, setting those that were stuck on fire. There's a curious look between Ben and the new person that ... just showed up.. right next to their target, "You know her?" she questions, with a response of another stab for not paying attention.
Majima Goro KALE:
Arakawa seems to finish his appraisal.
"The wolves are at everyone's heels right now, Mister Caretaker," He says, turning around. "I don't know if you watch the news, but the Fifth Chairman has died. The Omi Alliance smells blood in the water. If you want to help.. well. I don't need someone to run collections for me, but..." He considers a moment.

"...perhaps you can fly something over for me. Wait here."

Arakawa retreats to the back office, returning with an envelope. "This would do a *great* deal of good for the people of Kamurocho in the hands of a particular man in Osaka. How do you feel about courier work?"

MACHINE GUN KID: There don't seem to be any additional adds coming. He's free to leave the building. Heck, the elevator still works. This probably means there's more than one cell around town--if this little hole was important, they'd have called for backup.

Kamurocho's still just as strange as it was when you left, Machinegun Kid. What now?

PRAMANIX: The look Pramanix gets is withering.
"Yes. *That* chicken. In particular."
At any rate, between the two of them, it should be relatively easy to win the chicken. Decide who gets this chicken and get back to us.

... Loading ... Loading ...
Kale Hearthward "Very well."

The Caretaker takes the envelope, and stashes it in his expensive hitman suit.

"I shall be off, then. I hear the wolves howling."

He turns to leave.
Majima Goro THE DAIGO AFFAIR (Lilian, Ben, Casko):

First, we must handle the swarm of goons.

First, let's get into the good news. It's really, really not hard to get first strike on these guys. They're mortal men, rushing forward on their legs, with the sort of weapons you can legally get caught with and only get a slap on the wrist. The surprising part is not that Ben manages to get that spell off, or that they have no real answer to cones of hailstones from an ambush, or that there's not a lot that a bunch of low-level goons can do about acid clouds on their person.

The surprising part is probably that, despite torn clothes, blood, and battery, they get up. There isn't even concern. This is the precinct of Kamurocho, and one doesn't lose their shit just because invisible people just cast magic at you. You get your ass back up, and you rush back into the fray.

So it's probably good for Ben that the Queen of the Moon is there too.

As the talismans take effect, the men start to fall over, but... they've survived. A few are clearly unconscious, but that one guy there is patting himself out while gripping his stomach. At the very least, they're out of the fight, but...

Daigo's left undefended, as Lilian gives his speech. He grits his teeth, looking Lilian in the eyes directly for a moment. "... Yeah? And how're you going to make the Tojo Clan happy? You going to go sit in that seat for me?" He asks, facetiously. "Take it. Cause I'll tell you right now, it's not cushy shit."

He looks back to the Concord duo, raising his fists. "So, you got a real plan, whoever you are?"
Karlan Nobles Alas, Pramanix's efforts to make a friend in this endeavor don't go quite as planned. SilverAsh's efforts to break down some of that wall between himself and his sister also don't go quite as planned, although she does laugh at some of his more spectacular failures (including one where the ball just gets stuck in the lane).

Eventually, however, SilverAsh co-opts Pramanix's old man roll strategy on a whim, and that nets him the third strike in a row! This, of course, has neither of them feeling particularly great. SilverAsh has a mildly dead-inside look on his face as he approaches the counter for his prize, and Pramanix is still dusting off her hat as she pantomimes various rolling motions vaguely similar to the big stranger's as she follows him over. "Maybe if I had tried that technique...?"
Ben d'Tarkanan      When all is said and done, Ben's clothes bear the marks of several daggers, his jaw a dark bruise, but he is quite unflappable in his answer to Daigo.

     "As I said, my good man. Ben d'Tarkanan, at your service!" He offers another bow, as Lia and Breyten move to regroup with him. "The Acting Chair and Master Majima both believe that you're more than suited to the task of governing." The bastard sword is sheathed, the ribbons tied once more around the scabbard. He straightens the lapels of his heavy coat. "And given that I respect Master Majima a great deal, I am inclined to trust his judgment." He pauses, thoughtfully, stroking his judgment. "I *could* force the issue--but never has there been a family which prospered under the hand of an unwilling ruler. No," he continues, gesturing to himself with a pat of palm over heart. "I, and I'm sure the acting chair, would rather the Tojo Clan be led by someone who not only has it in them, as you do, but who actually wants the position."

     "So, I ask you--for the sake of the Clan--is there anyone else with a familial claim to the station, as yourself, who can be trusted to govern well, who would take to the office with the necessary spirit?"
Majima Goro KALE:
Kale is able to leave without any sort of interference. The envelope's contents are clearly labelled for an address in Osaka--just outside of a town called Sotenbori, to a man named 'Jin Goda'. This will turn out, according to the Paladins' intelligence agencies, to be the Fifth Chairman of the Omi alliance.
The contents of the letter, should the envelope be opened, speak of seemingly very innocuous greetings. There's probably some sort of private code going on here.

PRAMANIX:
The large man is getting increasingly angry as he fails, up until Silver gets the turkey, and the cashier actually cheers excitedly.

Silver is presented with the cage, chicken included, and that's when the large man finally snaps.

"...No. I can't let you have that chicken. I'm gettin' that chicken, even if I gotta take it by force!" He stomps over two lanes, grabbing two very large bowling balls, gripping them tightly and making make-shift fist weapons out of them.

DESPERATE MAN

...You should probably take this outside.
Tamamo no Mae     As men go down, Tamamo smirks. "You okay there, Ben?" moving to give the guy a pat on the shoulder, "I am certain that with your strength, money, and willing to command such, even under overwhelming odds. Those men, strong as they are, would die for you as presented. The Tojo Clan would be better with such a man..." beat "or woman, should you not wish to take it, who would have the drive to make it very successful." there's a side eye look towards Lilian and then back towards the man.

    "Tamamo no Mae, Queen of the Moon, at your service as well." She follows Ben in a bow soon after. "Should you wish, I am sure with us by your side... Ben's tenacity, my mysticism, and your leadership..." she grins, "The family will be strong. Alas, should you hold to your ideals, to give up the throne so to speak. I shall take it upon my own, and show you what you could have had. I am sure that no such family could claim a right to a Queen as their own."
Lilian Rook     Lilian replies to Daigo with a wry smile that makes it abundantly clear; silently, wordlessly, primal brain clear; that she is excruciatingly familiar with how heirs, face, family, and order of succession works.

    "Please. Do you think the Clan is really going to let some strange white woman they've never met inherit the chair? You know very well all the reasons they want you in particular. You know it's not going to go away until you take a stand on it."

    "But that's a very good question." she adds. Lilian begins counting on her fingers, but she emphatically only needs two.

    "I know what's going on, and I know why you don't want to be in that place; a reasonable choice, considering what happened two years ago. Considering I can already see how this is going, and what will happen if left unaddressed, here are your choices."

    "You walk back. Tell them you'll take the position. I leave you with a secure number. From then on, you need only be involved in official meetings as a matter of face. I'll handle all of the logistics, the hard decisions, the Clan maneuvering, and all you'd have to do is push the order through. They will, of course, all be entirely designed to keep you uninvolved and out of harm's way. You can continue pursuing your current state of whatever you'd like to call this method of coping. A dilettante lifestyle?"

    "Or, you can walk back, and with some assistance, convince the currently Acting Chairman to move herself aside for the time being, and I'll sort this whole Omi disaster out. For something I want in return, of course. The point is that the Tojo aren't ready for it, she knows it, she thinks you can lead, I *know*, for a fact, *exactly* how to."

    "In other words, I can make the Omi Alliance go away for you. Then, afterwards, you can consider what you want to do with your life."

    Though it's very much an offer out of nowhere from a mysterious mystery person appearing mysteriously under mysterious mystery circumstances whose motives are a mystery, the pervasive questionability of the entire thing only amplifies the passive supernatural radiation of auspicious mystique. 'Something destined', one could possibly call it. Never at any point is it the slightest question whether she means it. It's too brazenly something out of an urban legend to be otherwise.

    "Oh, tick tock though. I'm not here out of sympathy for Yakuza Clans. The situation warrants my intervention, and if it's not for the Tojo, it'll be for the Tokyo PD, whom I am sure would greatly appreciate the same information.


    She also makes sure to gesture vaguely at the two who have finished beating the tar out of all of his bodyguards. "And I'm not working with them. Though, if you'd like, I could make them go away for you right now." Again, the statement exudes truthfulness. Undoubtable veracity. Given its context, an unignorable, electric, menace.
Kale Hearthward Alright! To Sotenbori!

... Eventually.

First, Kale swaps back out of disguise mode, looking once again like the sort of sword-wielding bird he's supposed to, and then goes to follow up the lead he heard on the radio - about the men MGK tied up, and the map, and whatever else is there.
Karlan Nobles Alas, it had to end in violence. "Why? Is this chicken so important you would resort to violence for it?" Pramanix looks rather upset by that while SilverAsh just lets out a resigned sigh and turns to the cashier.

"Please, hold onto it for me a little longer. My apologies for the disruption." He leaves his card on the counter to pay for the games, then gestures at BALL STRANGER to follow him outside. If he sees the desolate man from earlier, he'll hold up a finger as if signaling... Time? One person? One object? Yes?

It makes sense to SilverAsh, at least, even if it might not make quite as much sense to anyone else. Even Pramanix is confused, although she still takes the time to get her things together before heading out as well and murmuring to the stranger once more. "You don't need to do this. Please, just explain yourself, and we can work this out."

Once SIlverash is good random battle start-point away from the entrance to Mach Bowl, he lowers her stance slightly with one hand holding onto the cane not unlike someone preparing for an iai-esque sword draw. He's not actually going to draw the sword out of that thing, but he's certainly prepared to use the cane as a potent whacking tool with unbelievably potent not-swordplay. Not getting hounded by cops is still very relevant to his interests, of course.

"Show me what you're made of. Amuse me, if you even can."
Majima Goro THE DAIGO MSQ:

Daigo Dojima looks down at the ground. "...Caught in a vice then, am I..." He doesn't seem too worried about being merely outnumbered, as he waves off the remainder of his ad hoc guard. One hand goes to his jacket, clenching the fabric lightly.

"...heh. No, some foreigner wouldn't work. Especially not a foreigner dressed like a fox for some reason," He appends to Tamamo no Mae.

"I'd try to punch this shit out of all of you, but that isn't gonna make it end. You're right." There's a breath.

"...I'm not worried about being in harm's way. I'm just sick of this shit." That's probably the only reason Lilian's honeyed words don't quite sink in perfectly, but he's sounding fairly convinced.

"...But if you've got a fucking clue how to get the Omi off the Tojo Clan's back, that's more important. And I think you might." Lilian definitely has Daigo's attention, at least. "...alright. Hey. Suit guy. That sound fair? Cause I ain't got a clue how I'm supposed to take this beaten up crap and make it work."

He doesn't seem to be really asking Ben's opinion. It's pretty purely spite.

"Yeah. Fine. You all win. I'll get on a taxi to the Tojo HQ. You wanna come along?" Lilian gets a tilt of the head. "You want to head this sinking ship by proxy, you'd better know what you're dealing with."
Majima Goro KALE:
Between the time of the Machine Gun Kid leaving, and Kale arriving, the room has been burned to a crisp. There's a single body left in there--definitely one of the goons. Somebody really, really didn't want evidence left behind, but was willing to take the explosives out first.

PRAMANIX:

The bowling-ball wielding man is no longer interested in talking. His fighting style is fairly simple: He's going to lumber forward, and swing his bowling-ball tipped fists around like the heavy battering items they are. Slow, bulky, probably going to need a fancy move or two to topple.

The man from earlier is visible in the growing crowd of people watching. He looks oddly cognizant of the large man, though visibly perplexed.
Ben d'Tarkanan      "I can't deny that allyship with the Tojo Clan would serve me well! But allyship it shall have to remain, your Highness. I have my own House to tend to," says Ben, smiling at Lia and Breyten, who seem still unsure what to make of their boss, as many Tarkanans surely are. "And designs on leadership of the very same."

     His smile falters, for a moment, as anxiety gnaws at the back of his mind. Something about Tamamo's words, inspiring though they are... There may come a time when Tarkanans would die for him. Can he accept that burden? His right hand reaches up to touch his dragonmark, fingers gingerly brushing against the back of his neck. The voices would have plenty of ammunition, then, wouldn't they? Plenty of angles to drive their daggers in... Think about it later, old chap. Chin up!

     >If need be, I could make them go away for you right now.

     "No need," says Ben, waving a hand casually at Lilian. So that's how it's going to be, is it? "If Master Dojima's pride can withstand your proposal, who am I to intercede? Granted, I'm sure her Highness could make a very good case against his leadership, and in favor of her own, given certain happenings she's been privy to." After having made that little barb, made everything worse by having made this into an open contest now, he makes a show of leaving.

     "Breyten, Lia, let's head back to the City of Towers, shall we? Come along. Your Highness," he says, nodding cordially to Tamamo. "Why don't you go and pay the Acting Chair a visit, and make your bid in person? Perhaps Master Dojima is right--perhaps you won't be received warmly--but someone with your experience might still make a case for themselves, no? Good day to you all!"

     Out of earshot of the alley, Breyten looks confused as the trio of Tarkanans exits. "We're leaving? Just like that?"

     "Of course not, old chap," says Ben between quiet laughter. "You and Lia are, but it serves me well for Dame Rook to think she's dissuaded me. If it's to be a Paladin whose hand guides the clan, I aim to know her motives precisely. Run along, now--I'll join you at my estate later." With the two of them gone, and out of sight of the alley behind the club, Ben adopts his cloak of invisibility.

     He -also- calls upon the power of his mark, which conceals the sound and sight of his footprints or any other mundane signs of his passage. This is worth bearing the barbs of the voices. He must--for Majima's sake, and for that of his beloved Clan. Returning to the alley under two forms of magical concealment, he nimbly leaps over and above the meeting, his hands finding purchase upon the bulky extrusion of an air conditioning unit. Silently, he pulls himself up, vaulting over it to find more substantial footing upon a nearby pipe. From there... it should be a simple matter of waiting for the cab to arrive, phasing through it--say, into the front passenger seat--and listening.
Karlan Nobles At least Pramanix knows she tried. Perhaps as though she knows what will happen, she doesn't come back out right away. Instead, she hangs back briefly to get SilverAsh's card, the chicken, and only then does she come out to watch THE FIGHT.

If the bowling-ball man had expected SilverAsh to be like one of those garishly-dressed money fountains, he will be sorely disappointed. Indeed, SilverAsh takes the opportunity to style on this man while making it look as effortless as possible.

"Art thou mine worthy enemy, or art thou naught but a jester?" His shit-talking draws an irritated look from Pramanix as she comes out of the Mach Bowl, but his focus is entirely on the fight. SilverAsh's cane flicks forward with stupidly fast strikes to the knees, he sidesteps past wider swings to deliver several of his own while looking like he's only swung once, and he even does one of those behind the back parries when he mistakenly believes that thefight's almost over.

At one point, an eagle even swoops down for a divekick to the face in time with a powerful thrust of the cane to the gut before it takes to the sky again.
Lilian Rook     "It's not unreasonable to be angry." Lilian says to Daigo. It's without any kind of contextual smirk, worn or implied. "What happened, happened. For obvious reasons, perhaps not even wrong reasons if that's what you care to believe, but it did, and it's real, and it's not something I'd take well either. I'm not here to tell you what you should or shouldn't feel." Lilian says, in almost chilling honesty. "I'm here because the Omi Alliance needs sorting, and it's better for everyone if the name on the plate is yours, and not the serve and protect. Though I doubt the police want to deal with thirty thousand members either way."

    Then she begins walking. Hand waving something off. Heeled winter boots clickin on the asphalt. "Oh, and don't worry about that part in the slightest. I wouldn't have bothered ask if I hadn't already judged it more than possible. I'm not intimidated by their size. So, let's just leave it at 'this isn't outside the ordinary' for me, for the time being."

    "That means yes, I would very much like to meet your mother~" Letting the sass slide, she also adds, "If you really insist on a taxi, I'll handle it." This of course doesn't mean much more, in any practical sense, than getting one that isn't garbage, compelling the driver, and also paying the bill. As much as she'd have preferred a hotshot personal limo type of thing.
%
Majima Goro PRAMANIX:
The strange part about fighting this man is he clearly has no real training. He's just angry, and decided bowling balls were a good idea. Still, he manages to endure a staggering number of these blows, occasionally wading right through multiple cane strikes to swing at Silver. It takes a while to whittle him down, and even the parries still hurt.

Finally, though, the lumbering giant is brought to his knees, and the man from earlier hurriedly rushes over while Pramanix watches over the chicken.
"Honomura-san? Why are you here?" He bows to the man, then to Silver. "I'm sorry, this is my brother-in-law, I don't-"

The large man drops the bowling balls, looking horrified. "...Your wife got you a pet chicken for your anniversary a few days ago. But--when I went to drop something off, I didn't hear the chicken at all. I hadn't thought anything of it, but when I went to go bowling, I saw they had the chicken! Someone must have stolen it from your house and sold it illicitly to Mach Bowl! They wouldn't believe me, so I've been bowling for three days straight to get it back!"

He pounds a fist into his palm, before the exertion gets him to panting. He waves an arm to Pramanix and Silver.

"...But these two...got your wife's anniversary present before I could. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

The large man, 'Honomura-San', grovels before the nervous man who had started this whole thing.

Well, you don't need a dialogue box to give you choices, Pramanix. Decide what to do.
Karlan Nobles The mystery unravels, and the white-haired siblings are summarily dumbfounded by the chicken siblings. Their gazes flit from the large man to the brother-in-law multiple times as they explain everything, and the bizarre everything of the situation barely even fazes Pramanix as she starts tearing up at that heartfelt apology. She feels so strongly about from that, even that she hurries over to join them.

"It was all a misunderstanding, then. Your love for your brother was so strong you would work so hard for so many days at once... Of course you would be frustrated if someone just came in and snatched out from under you. Please, forgive us, and take..." She starts, pausing just long enough to remember a certain technicality. She turns to SilverAsh slowly, noticing that he's still just staring at the lot of them with the same disbeliving and dead-inside stare from earlier.

He approachs, reaches into an inner pocket, starts pulling out a long sizable thing, and...

"This should cover any medical bills." He sets a fat stack of cash right on top of the chicken's cage before stepping away. Apparently, he does't know how health care works here.

Pramanix, meanwhile, takes that as a sign to set the cage down besides the brothers. "Our apologies, friends. He's..." She doesn't finish that thought, just looking torn on how to even finish that sentence.

Therefore, she doesn't.
Tamamo no Mae     Tamamo shakes her head, "Just a small one." she "However, I'm not 'dressed' as one as an aside." she shrugs, "But you are right, a 'foreigner' won't do, now will it." she gives a small bow towards Daigo and then Lilian. There's a tap of her foot and she turns upon her heel, a turn towards Ben with a small smile, "I think she.." a finger points up, a small attempt at indicating Lilian, "May be able to help you. Though, I think I shall take my leave and check in with the Acting Chair."

    Tamamo gives an idle nod to Ben, "Well, I believe you are in good hands right now. Just don't let them get under your skin, leader by proxy... isn't really a leader." she idly shrugs and smiles, "Have a good evening, I'm sure we'll meet again." the fox smiles, "For now, I think I might have myself a game of mahjong."

    Tamamo dashes off, partially in search for that mahjong parlor and partially to think about her next move. With the news... there might be some destablization she can take advantage of. "Perhaps, a fox shall join this game officially."
Majima Goro PRAMANIX:
    
The strange, tearful reunion is, at least, resolved without the poor husband having to admit his failings. He looks particularly grateful that he was allowed to keep his dignity. He bows to Honomura-san, lifting his hand to pull the large man up to his feet. This...really, only barely works. He's not that strong.

"Haha, listen. It means..so much to me that you tried. Please, come on over for breakfast tomorrow. I'll make tamago kake gohan!" He gives a thumbs up to the chicken.

The chicken makes an appreciative clucking noise.

As the money is dropped, the meek husband looks shocked, before quickly rushing over. "Well! I have to give you..something for all of this kindness, um, what do I have, uh, what do I.."

He passes over a strange looking mah jong tile, before shrugging. "Well! Guess I'd better take the chicken home with me, before anything else goes wrong. Thanks again!"

--- SUBSTORY END
Majima Goro DAIGO MSQ:
     Daigo pinches his nose as Lilian keeps speaking. "...No, they really don't."

As Lilian walks away, he has a moment, as the Caster taunts him somewhat. "...Sure." He doesn't look happy, at least, with his choice of alliance, turning around with a heft to that jacket. He's in a vice, and he knows it. He's just chosen the option left to him, heading to take the taxi to the Tojo HQ.

CHAPTER END. Save your game?