Scene #3985: The Shadow of Guilt

Owner	Pose
Himei	The border town of Lissing! This area of the Multiverse is away from the Confederate/Union war front, but the two worlds here have their own conflict, making travel a little... tedious. They've been Unified enough that getting passes to travel the roads is not hard, but considering the current state of war(fortunately COLD war at this particular time), the various checkpoints are pretty suspicious. This can somewhat be gotten around by arrival by air! Either way, the 'town' is what would be a city to many people. It's not huge and sprawling, but it has a good amount of development, and it also has only a few ways in. Being near a war border, it has fortifications and emplacements which are kept in shape, though it looks like the actual guns on them haven't been used in some time... they're /too/ shiny. As one of the people who heard about the call for help, mysterious and undetailed as it was, Himei is driving herself, along with anyone who wants a lift with her. She's also stopping at the checkpoint into town, which has a large sign requesting nicely that visitors leave their weapons at the checkpoint and refrain from violence inside the town. The way it's worded is more like a polite suggestion than any law, and the guards actually don't seem nearly as uptight and concerned as various other checkpoints along the way.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Since it's relatively unfamiliar territory for her, Yuna has elected to take the offer of a lift with Himei; Elner is tagging along as well, mostly so that Yuna can transform if the situation requires it. Fortunately, the robo-faerie is tiny and doesn't take up significant space. The sign at the checkpoint requesting that visitors check their weapons before entering town just prompts a slightly raised eyebrow from Yuna. "I wonder if that actually stops anybody ... ?" the blonde wonders, although she glances down at herself to confirm that she's in her civilian clothes. Maybe this will be a fairly relaxing investigative visit, without anyone getting shot at. It would be nice, too. Yuna's still out of sorts from the second stage of Operation Rei-Go - and to those who know her reasonably well, it shows: she's not as cheery as usual, although she can put on a friendly smile nonetheless. A mission to assist the locals, without any need for combat, would be very welcome to Yuna at this point.
Setsuko Kaminagi	'Leave your weapon at the checkpoint.' Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Even if her circumstances were not so special, Setsuko would be hesitant to go into this situation unarmed. A single-word distress call like that is concerning, to say the least. But more important than that, is the fact that the swordswoman's blade is, spiritually speaking, a part of her. It has become a component of her existence. So rather than go through the difficulty involved with trying to get a checkpoint officer to accept her official Union paperwork on the matter, Setsuko simply flies high over the checkpoints. She'll wait somewhere further in for Himei and the others; in the meanwhile, she closes her eyes, feeling the area out with her sense for battle. What battles have been fought here? How long ago, how violent? What battles yet remain in this place's future? How soon, how desperate? It's worthwhile information, both tactically and educationally.
Kushiko	Air travel is a pretty prudent endeavour, particularly for one sort who, through other intelligence contacts and the like, has decided to present the affair as something for her Tenno to investigate further; particularly with the last message being only 'Help', well.. that provoked a certain call to action for at least one Tenno. Yet the nature of such air travel as provided by the Liset was one that the Tenno was cautious about overexposure with. It was cloaked before and as it dropped into the atmosphere, the spade-like ship careening towards the border town of Lissing, only to momentarily uncloak--a cylinder beneath the ship revolving once to reveal a humanoid-shaped recess, and it's occupant, a sleek, feminine figure that had to be wearing some kind of power armor, and from the rear compartment leapt an animal--an impressively tall hound with batlike features to his.. hers? snout and ears amidst it's furry, black-purple coat. Because not long after that brief drop off just out of sight, Valkyr and her companion kubrow also disappeared from sight. The checkpoint was something they'd both get past; her weapons were concealed through energy, so when she might reappear again, odd as she might look be, she would seem strangely unarmed. Setsuko, once the demigod picks up on eventually, might just clue into that. Maybe.
Guest Psyber	"Hoo boy, this is gonna be a while," Psyber says, stepping out of Himei's car and towards the checkpoint. The half-angel was more willing to carpool with her than usual, due to his car being in the shop and being on his way back from teaching classes anyway. The half-angel sighs a bit and steps up to the checkpoint. First he reaches to a holster on his belt and takes out a 1911, putting it on the counter of the checkpoint. Then he reaches to the small of his back and takes out a second pistol and puts it down. Then, from an underarm holster, he removes a revolver to add that to the pile. Rolling his eyes faintly, he flicks his wrist and a combat knife slides out of the sleeve of his coat and is set down on the table. There's a bit of a bored sigh from him before he then reaches towards the interior pocket of the jacket and takes out a set of silver knuckles and puts down down too. Rolling up a trouser leg, he takes out a bowie knife and sets it on the counter. Next to it, he puts a smaller pistol from the opposite ankle. Finally, he clicks open his briefcase and reaches in, taking out and setting down a final pistol and then clicking the briefcase shut with some finality. "There."
Sakura Haruno	Sakura had taken the ride with Himei, but she'd come prepared this time for one of her assorted fears. As they drive, she's got a ribbon wrapped around her eyes, acting effectively as a blindfold for the ninja while she curls up in the backseat and tries to pretend they're not moving. At least they weren't flying this time. Her weapons are actually hidden for once, all in a pouch strapped to the back of her calf, effectively invisible from outside the car to the guards. They may have other questions about why the woman is quite so strange, but it should be easy enough for Himei to explain away. Sakura won't talk to the guards unless prompted by one of the others in the car.
Himei	It turns out that the 'polite suggestion' on the sign is... actually just that. They eye Psyber very carefully, but seem satisfied, and Himei turns over her pistol as well. Himei keeps her Rune though. They don't attempt to search the car. They get a curious look toward Sakura, but Himei just says she doesn't travel well and that seems to be good enough. The guards then direct to a few good hotels based on price range, recommend a restaurant or two, and suggest seeing the local rose gardens which are quite famous. "That was weird," Himei mutters as she drives on through. "So. I guess we can grab a room for the night, but any ideas on where to start? Looks pretty... typical to me. If nobody else has ideas I'm going to go try shaking up the local underworld." Kushiko's entrance is... um. Boring? The security here seems /pretty/ lax for a border town like this, especially considering all the gun emplacements. Apparently the other side hasn't tried to take this place in /quite/ some time. It's a simple matter to sneak in cloaked and find a way to any portion of the town at all.
Himei	When Setsuko lands and begins walking, she'll draw a few looks. The sword is pretty obvious! Also, it seems like her nationality isn't that common here either, so she's pretty obviously from out of town. Nobody seems hostile or anything. Far from it! If she walks nearby, one or two will even give a polite nod of greeting, though nobody will approach unless she approaches them.
Guest Psyber	"I dunno, I'm gonna grab a room, get some room service, and probably poke around in the middle of the night," Psyber admits, folding his hands behind his bed and kicking back in the passenger seat of the car, "Not like I need weapons to hunt anyway. I'll have to remember to pick those up on my way out, though." "Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions and down to just follow what the group is doing for once."
Kushiko	It hadn't gone unnoticed by the Tenno, unnamed as Kushiko was to the Multiverse at large, that things seemed.. lacking, in terms of security. The Lotus showed up in her peripheary. "Stay alert. The distress call might have been a deception. Look for clues, and if you can, shadow the other group that arrived. I'm detecting one of those from the Grineer ship that was scuttled." With that said, she blipped out for the moment. Valkyr on the other hand, remained cloaked and hidden. Sure, there was some faint traces of Void energy but only those who knew to actually /look for it/, might pick up on it. And for those with natural ways to detect that might feel something is a little bit off in regards to where she's at. But nothing harmful, at least. Kind of like an itchy nose that's just at the edge of sensory. Knowing Setsuko Kaminagi was here was one thing; actually properly shadowing her would be another matter altogether, especially given that, even with the lax security, the Warframe would probably stand out like a sore thumb. Accordingly, she moved--not so much to directly follow after the Union group that arrived, but instead towards a building, firing her Rip Line; an energy cable attached to a grappling hook. It wouldn't actually take her all the way up, no. No, it would more or less sling her upwards; the Kubrow on the other hand darted between buildings, rebounding and bounding up walls in order to rejoin her as she attempted to get a better vantage point; partly to assess the Union group coming in, and to assess a general mapping of the town itself from that place. It was then, as she crouched, that the cloak would momentarily fade as Valkyr's tail flicked once or twice. Damn near noiseless, though she might be somewhat unlucky if someone around her looked up.
Sakura Haruno	"I don't really mind either way." Sakura will state, as they seem to have largely slowed down. "I can probably try to get information from the local hospital, see if anything unusual has come in lately. If you think they'd recognize any of my credentials, at least." She'll move a hand to the ribbon, starting to unwrap it now that they're in town properly and all. "Other than that, trying to knock something loose from people is something I can help with, but I'm better at looking intimidating than I am knowing the right questions to ask or anything like that."
Setsuko Kaminagi	After a moment or two with her eyes closed, Setsuko takes a step off the side of the roof she's landed on, dropping to the ground. Those who nod to the scarred warrior woman, receive a nod in return, but for the most part she pretends as if her nationality, armament and sheer 'presence' aren't drawing stares, and simply moves on. Her first destination is to meet up with Himei, Psyber and Sakura, and she speaks as soon as she's within earshot. "Whichever you all think is a worthwhile plan. I'll be keeping my blade with me, so it might be best I stay out of sight. I can do that from the rooftops or the air, if need be." She pauses, then looks up to the rooftops. "I... don't think I'll be alone, either." Said as much for 'whoever is on the rooftops' as for the group. Looking back to Psyber specifically, she adds, "There's something strange here. I can sense several fights over the past... year, or thereabouts. Small ones. Fights that ordinarily wouldn't leave an impression that lasting. But they were... violent. Very violent." Her face pulls into a faint frown. "And I can sense a similar fight in the near future. But that one's uncertain. It may happen, may not."
Yuna Kagurazaka	"Why wait until the middle of the night to go poking around?" Yuna inquires. "I mean, if anyone in this town is actively keeping secrets, won't they be more readily alerted in the middle of the night when honest people are sleeping? If we can find who sent that distress signal, it shouldn't make that much difference what time of day we find them -" "Why would a distress signal be as heavily encrypted as this one was?" Elner asks, somewhat pointedly. "... I don't know," Yuna admits. Setsuko mentions sensing a possible fight in the near future, though, and Yuna grimaces, "Hopefully 'not,' but we'll know more about the circumstances when we get there, won't we?"
Himei	Himei nods slowly when she hears the status from everyone else. She locks the car and frowns at Setsuko's news. "Right... well, I'll probably check out the hotel and see about getting anything from the locals there." Conveniently putting her out of the picture unless needed! "I think they'll recognize your credentials, Flowers. I mean... they seemed fine with my Union ID." She gestures toward the guards. "But if Setsuko's sensing that, be careful, everyone. Keep in contact." Those are all good questions, though! And going to the hospital is probably a good start. Himei does quickly question the local help about the nearest hospital, which gets directions for anyone heading that way.
Yuna Kagurazaka	The fact that the guards specifically recommended checking out the rose gardens didn't totally escape Yuna's attention, and while it's possible that they're just a tourist attraction - which raises its own set of questions - she has to wonder why the guards mentioned those in particular. So while Yuna is somewhat curious about the hospital, once the group is checked in, she and Elner head for the gardens instead, after confirming how to stay in contact with the others just in case anything comes up. And in Elner's case, the robo-faerie can both communicate independently of Yuna, and - if something untoward happens - teleport her back to the should-be-safe space of the hotel room.
Sakura Haruno	Flowers will nod at that. She'll start out with the hospital, that being her area of expertise and all. She'll head that way whether anyone comes with her or not, though if she's alone she may look like relatively easy pickings for robbers and the like. Looks can be decieving that way. On her way there, she'll dig her Union Medical credentials out of her bag, and head for the main desk of the hospital. Given the cryptic nature of their mission, she was going to try for a slightly different approach than normal. With a vapid smile on her face, she'll try to find someone who looks like a middle manager.
Guest Psyber	"Rule of the game," Psyber says to Yuna pretty honestly, "The bad stuff comes out at night as a general rule of thumb. It's not ironclad, but a lot of monsters and particularly violent people opt to operate under cover of darkness instead of in the daylight to avoid visibility and reduce their chance of attracting, well..." Psyber points to himself vaguely to finish off his sentence. He looks up to Setsuko, "So minor violent outbursts that were so violent they left a larger impression than they should have been. Can you tell if they were one-sided battles or two-sided?" Psyber then opens his eyes and presses his face up against the window, "OH MAN. ARE WE IN A PURGE TOWN?" His eyes go wide with a curious wonder.
Himei	YUNA: Heading to the rose gardens provides... well, evening is starting, but that just makes for a nice lighting in the gardens, which are /indeed/ a very impressive sight. Numerous types of roses are about, many already full in bloom. It's very odd, since they shouldn't bloom for another few weeks, even the hybrids. They all look incredibly healthy, so one can only imagine what the gardens are like in the full bloom of spring. There's a gardener tending to them even now, who gives Yuna a quick look. He probably identified her as out of town as well, but this IS a tourist attraction. "Can I help ya?"
Himei	FLOWERS: The hospital does accept the credentials, though they have to wait a bit to get them confirmed. Ten, fifteen minutes, that's all. It's easy enough from there to meet up with someone, who seems a little nervous and mopping his brow. "Yes, yes... can I help you, miss... Haruho?" Obviously he only glanced at the papers he was handed.
Himei	Setsuko heads to the rooftops! And Kushiko already has Valkyr poking around there! Nobody seems to notice... or perhaps, someone notices and nobody CARES about it. Doing so is... well. It's not showing much of interest other than standard traffic patterns. In fact, people seem remarkably courteous when driving! Especially since it's the evening and they're probably tired and want to get home. Setsuko's battle sense, though, just keeps getting more and more certain the longer she lingers, and closer too. Almost like the battle is seeking /her/ out, even moreso than conflict normally does.
Himei	"Can I help you, sir?" A female voice asks. A young woman has caught Psyber peering through the window, and she's feeling very awkward about asking him what the hell he's doing there. Tourists. Heh.
Sakura Haruno	"Haruno. Call me Sakura, please. The Union sent me to help with your, ah, situation." The ninja will make little airquotes at the last, implying that it's something she doesn't dare even explain out loud. She's not lying, exactly, because they were sent to help with someone's situation and it might well be this guy's. "Descretely." She'll add. "So I just need you to go over everything unusual that's happened lately, okay?"
Guest Psyber	"Yeah yeah yeah!" Psyber says, half-excitedly at the fact he might actually be somewhere fairly interesting, "Tell me about this town. Is this one of those towns where you guys have a Purge? You know, one night a year where you all just cut loose and break all the crimes and that's how you keep peace the other rest of the year, or month, or whatever?" He asks curiously, seemingly unreserved about asking a complete stranger if she engages in Murder Night on a regular basis. "Or I guess, if you don't wanna answer that, tell me what's up with this area? How come you guys seem so passive for a place that's supposed to be right in the center of a war zone."
Kushiko	<"Tenno. I'm receiving scattered pieces of information. Something about a rose garden."> The Tenno makes no sound, no facial gesture other than a slight canting of her--as far as Valkyr looks at least--head, towards Setsuko. That is an awfully big 'dog' next to her, Setsuko may notice. Same as before, it seems, but in better light and outside of combat, it could be a small horse. But the Valkyr Warframe on the other hand, bereft of direct conflict as yet, attempts to utilize a scanner of her own; in lieu of overhearing and shadowing others from a rooftop, she's going to see if she can pick up on a terminal to perhaps hook into and obtain more information. The rose garden and a nearby hospital alike are pinged on her own map for places to venture towards, perhaps. She breaks into a quick sprint, sliding and then launching her body upwards, only to glide--shifting her weight and energy altering the way gravity seemed to hold onto her to cross to another rooftop to land quietly once more.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna smiles, bowing politely to the gardener. "I just arrived in town with some friends," she explains, "and the guards at the checkpoint on our way in mentioned visiting the rose gardens. I was wondering why they'd single these gardens out to tell a visitor of; Surely a town like Lissing has other tourist attractions besides the gardens ... although," she admits with a smile (one she doesn't have to consciously put on, yet), and a very slight blush, "this place really is lovely, even this early in the springtime. Are you the senior gardener? Surely one person can't take care of all the rosebushes here ..." It's quite possible that she's gushing a little bit; what girl doesn't like roses? (Particularly in Yuna's case, since roses are associated with her heroine, Polylina!)
Himei	Psyber's conversation is a little strange, because the girl looks... very weirded out by being asked that directly. "What...? No! No, nothing like that! Everyone is just really nice! We all decided that fighting and the war was pointless, and now we take in our wonderful neighbors and live together. There are even magic classes at the local college now!" She... looks around /very/ nervously when she says that. "Please don't start anything here, we really like it being peaceful. Good day sir!" The woman swiftly turns and walks away, after stammering that all out.
Setsuko Kaminagi	It isn't long after she's gone up on the rooftops that Setsuko falls into step with the Tenno and her Kubrow. She follows along in silence for the most part, letting her own senses do some work themselves; but after a short while, she brings a hand up to the earpiece in her right ear, deliberately speaking loud enough for the Valkyr to hear. "Kaminagi. The battle I was sensing? The longer we're here, the more certain it seems. And it almost feels as if it's... seeking me out. It's hard to describe."
Guest Psyber	"Ah haaaa..." Psyber says vaguely, watching the woman when she reacts in her incredibly flustered way. Sure, he expected some sort of upset response when he asked about the ritualistic murder and societal purging, but this seemed slightly different. So Psyber decides to test fate a bit more. By disturbing the peace, "Aww hey! I just wanna know why it suddenly got super peaceful! Which horror movie is this!? I've seen them all!" "IS IT THE HAPPENING! ARE THE PLANTS CONTROLLING YOU? LIKE IN THAT M NIGHT SHORYUKEN MOVIE!?" He shouts as she leaves, not really following her.
Himei	As for Flowers, well. The manager rubs at his forehead. "Situation? We don't have any situation! Nothing unusual in the hospital of late. We never get anything unusual unless there's an accident. No bad accidents lately!" He clears his throat and straightens his tie. "No thank you, Haru...no. Haruno. Yes, anyway. The /hospital/ doesn't get anything strange," he says. "Nothing happens that the /hospital/ needs to help with. No strange events at all that the /hospital/ can help with! We're only here to keep the living alive, after all!"
Himei	Yuna's question has the gardener laughing! "No, I don't do this all myself! I'm just the only one on duty right now, my partner this shift ran to get dinner for the both of us." He smiles, nodding his head. "But they are really easy to take care of. Ever since the peace started here, they've been growing so much easier. About a year ago. Some people say that it's because they're picking up the good vibes!" The way he says that, though, says that he doesn't actually believe this.
Sakura Haruno	Flowers will take a moment to catch on, because she's kind of bad at picking up on subtlety from other people even if she's okay at lying herself. She'll pause, frown, and then tap her identification. "Really. It's unfortunate that they sent me all this way for nothing, then." She's speaking slower than normal, trying to figure out how to ask. "..Is there anything someone from out of town should be certain to see before they head out? I'd hate to have come all this way for nothing."
Kushiko	In response to Setsuko's transmission, it is not Kushiko, nor Valkyr, but another voice, a brief vision of the visage of the Lotus for those with those kind of A/V connection. <"Understood. We are detecting.. strange anomalies."> Probably nothing to do with Psyber. Probably. <"Tenno, stay on guard. Something is not right here. Something.. may be happening soon."> That much could actually be heard by others. Was the Lotus watching? Short answer: yes, thanks to the systems on the Warframe. Mission control, for sure, at least for the Tenno.
Himei	Psyber shouts after the woman, and everyone is /quickly/ scooting away, leaving the half-angel alone on the street. Weird. Except... it doesn't feel like he's all that alone. After all that, there's an intense feeling of being watched, and a subtle, growing 'pressure' of sorts as the light begins to fade.
Guest Psyber	"Awww," Psyber repeats the chorus of his last set of statements, putting his hands in his pockets. The outwardly loud and crowd-clearing set of statements may be beneficial, though, as he can feel the sense of pressure building up around him. He scowls a bit and then rummages in the pockets of his coat. He forgot he actually voluntarily left his weapons behind. There's a flash of red in his eyes as he focuses enough to actually tune in his paranormal sight from 'passive' to 'active and looking for anomalies', and he begins looking around.
Himei	By this point it is also easy for Setsuko to detect something going on. Kushiko's sensors... well, they don't exactly /pick up/ anything, but odd blips, minor glitches will pick up. Setsuko will keep feeling that presence build, especially as the light dims. Yet... then it suddenly begins to recede from /her/ and veer off. The sense of an incoming battle becomes /much/ more certain, it just isn't directed at her now.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna raises her eyebrows a little. "Well, people do talk to their plants to help them grow, I wouldn't put it past roses to thrive in a positive emotional environment ... especially if you believe that plants, as living things, have souls of their own." She doesn't sound like she's joking about that, either. "Or maybe it's something more mundane, like ... I don't know, peacetime allows fresher air and cleaner water than when the infrastructure's under strain from nearby fighting?" And while Yuna engages the gardener in conversation, Elner is flitting along the avenues and alleys of the rose garden. Elner doesn't have a terribly detailed botanical database, but the little robo-faerie is scanning the roses and comparing them to ... oh, common garden roses of Yuna's version of Earth, for lack of a better point of reference. Anything that's distinctly unusual will be noted, catalogued, and - when time permits - shared with the other investigators.
Himei	"Well..." The manager says to Flowers. "The rose gardens are pretty lively and popular. They have other flower gardens nearby. The funeral home gets vibrant displays." An odd place to mention, in a hospital. "You could take a look, but I think the director ran off to the /morgue/ to discuss something, and might not be back yet." He scribbles down the address of the funeral home and the morgue, along with directions to the gardens and the other two locations.
Kushiko	The Valkyr's head turns slightly, the pulsations of light, lilac-pink color about the armor flickering and pulsing as she moves. She may not have the battle sense, but there's a tension the Tenno senses, feels. It's enough to warrant her reaching behind her, and gripping something that starts invisible, but energy fills it out in a smooth fashion. A rifle is pulled from her back, as does a sidearm reappearing at her hip, and a strange blade of some sort, energy shimmering along it's length like a hard light construct. It.. resembles almost an alien bone of some kind, cast and hewn in orchid tones. Broken War, Boltor Prime, and a lever-action sidearm, the Vaykor Marelok. The Kubrow, Kiras, her fur seems to raise, a huffed kind of grunt escaping her as she tenses up. Something's tweaking the Tenno's companion sense of imminent battle.
Himei	"Maybe," the man replies to Yuna, going back to trimming. "Well, they make for a pretty nice sight, and if there's one thing you learn quick around here, it's not to question good fortune." He doesn't elaborate on that point. "Just enjoy it, I guess." Elner's scans will pick up... well, they're 'normal' roses, just vibrantly healthy. Some unusual hybrids but nothing out of the ordinary for the Multiverse. The earth, however, has an abundance of minerals, including some acidic proteins that are rarely found in most fertilizers, and a fairly high iron content as well.
Setsuko Kaminagi	Setsuko's frown deepens as they proceed. Once again, she reaches up to her radio, speaking for the benefit of both her Union allies and the Warframe beside her. "Be advised. combat situation has... changed targets. I'm not sure how else to say it. Battle is almost certain now but I don't seem to be the target anymore. All forces be ready for attack." Per her own advice, she finally reaches to her side, a quick and smooth motion that puts Zanjintou in her right hand. There is a quick glance sideways, a nod to Valkyr (and, by extension, Lotus). They're gonna have work to do.
Sakura Haruno	"I do like flowers gardens. Roses have never really been my style, though. Thank you." She'll tap the papers, considering for a few moments before starting to head off. While she could continue to ask questions of people, she's really much better at getting answers out of dead bodies. They mostly just lay there, after all, rather than continuing to lie there as people do. As such, she'll head off towards the morgue after making her farewells to the man who had helped her, continuing to not notice all these signs of imminent battle that everyone else is getting. She's just going to go visit some dead people.
Himei	Psyber's supernatural vision is active! And it... oh. Oh it picks up SOMETHING. There are minor enchantments all over the place, but they're largely harmless sorts of things. Simple enchantments... mostly. That gathering oppression is something more. It's still in pieces, but it looks like there's something really starting to coalesce in the shadows nearby, as if drawn to Psyber... or perhaps something that he did.
Himei	As the targets change, it becomes easier for Setsuko to pin down where it's happening... back toward the hotel where they split up. The glitches in the Warframe systems also fade, but it may now be much easier to recognize anomalies now that they've been exposed. And all signs point to Psyber having drawn the presence toward them somehow.
Himei	Getting to the morgue is easy. Getting INTO the morgue is... actually also surprisingly easy. Only one person is there, though he quietly informs Sakura that the funeral director just left about thirty minutes ago. Yet he swiftly glances over her Union ID and opens the door for her to take a look. "We only have one recent arrival. Domestic dispute." The body is stored in the cold storage, and that is opened up and rolled out to view. It's in a shopping bag. A few lumps show where the remnants of bones are, so whatever blender it was put through wasn't /that/ good.
Kushiko	Those were paticularly.. troublesome in a sense. The Lotus sure as hell didn't like it; it reminded her a little too much of a certain incident not too far in the past. The stabilization of her data feeds from Valkyr's sensors brought new relief to her, though for Valkyr--and by extension, Kushiko who occupied the frame--was focused like a laser on the point of origin. A nod towards Setsuko similarly. With that in mind, she changed direction; towards Psyber went the black and orchid-hued Warframe, gesturing for Setsuko and more or less pinging Psyber's location on her mapping subsystems. Which should show up on Setsuko's system privately as a means of communication, but she steadies her grip on that rifle of hers after giving it a quick onceover. The Kubrow on the other hand, offers a slight wuff and lowering down, readying to go into a run at a moment's notice, following closely.
Yuna Kagurazaka	The combination of minerals and acidic proteins might be a residue of some kind from the fighting that's supposedly happened in the area, but there certainly doesn't seem to be anything abnormal about the roses growing from it. Elner continues scanning the area anyway, just in case there's something to be detected. Meanwhile, Yuna nods to the gardener, smiling. "They are beautiful to look at ... is it okay if I take some photos while I'm here? I don't know if I'll still be in the area at peak blooming - although," she adds with a slightly wry look, "I can't imagine the gardens looking much more beautiful than they do right now ..." Assuming it's okay to take pictures, Yuna pulls out her phone and uses it to snap photos as she explores the rose gardens further.
Sakura Haruno	"Did the funeral director happen to mention where they were going?" She'll ask, before going to look at the 'body'. This isn't enough to gross her out - it would take quite a lot to gross the medic out - but it does catch her by surprise as she looks down into the bag. "...This was a domestic dispute? Did they catch the one who did it?" She actually could figure out gender from this fairly quickly if she were willing to run chakra and hands through it in front of the man. Which she's not, so she'll just be vague.
Himei	Taking pictures of the roses is fine! It's easy and even expected! They even have a gift shop with extra film, for those who don't have digital cameras(it looks like the tech isn't quite up to camera phones being ubiquitous here, though cell phones are common). Elner's scans pick up so many more minerals... but it's getting to be a disturbing ratio. It's uh... getting more and more obvious that the roses are being irrigated heavily with blood that is probably too close to human for comfort, though that shouldn't cause them to bloom so well.
Guest Psyber	Psyber's eyes glow ruby as he looks around, picking up the enchantments and the various sights around him. He can't pinpoint the oppressive feeling, but he can generally feel it gathering around him. He rolls up his sleeve and slowly unfastens a Silver Watch that he has around his wrist, turning the face inward and wrapping the wristband across his knuckles, "Well, well." "Maybe I should have kept at least one gun, but at least this will even the playing field a little for you. If you're quick about it, I mean. I'm pretty sure the others," Particularly he thinks of Setsuko and her new friend who are roaming around, rolling his shoulders a bit and sighing. His hands come up into a boxer's pose, "So. Kill me fast before the others get here." He's not sure who or what he's speaking to, but if he can provoke it into attacking him, he can help people get more information.
Setsuko Kaminagi	There's a small nod from Setsuko; she doesn't have anything so high-tech as a visualizer or the like, but she can sense the changes in her own way regardless, and she's grateful to have someone to move with. She can keep up with Valkyr easily enough, and they've got a direction to head in now. That direction also happens to be 'towards Psyber'; she can guess a thing or two about what's going on from that alone, but there's no use making assumptions until things happen.
Himei	Who did it? The coroner shrugs, "Probably the same one that always does when they have to scrape them up." It's an evasive answer, Flowers might notice. It also speaks volumes, since it implies this is not the first time someone has ended up this way.
Yuna Kagurazaka	It's likely a good thing that Yuna isn't picking up on the 'fertilizer' bit at this point - or rather, that Elner isn't sharing the accumulated data with her just yet. There's the old bit of folklore that burying a corpse under a cherry tree makes the blossoms redder, but Yuna doesn't really believe that - and these are rosebushes, not cherries, after all. In fact, Yuna seems more preoccupied by playing tourist than anything, snapping a generous abundance of photos, especially when a particularly gorgeous array of rose blossoms presents itself for her attention. There's a piece of her, though, which wonders when the gardener's assistant is due back with supper ... she's keeping an eye out for him (or her), in fact.
Sakura Haruno	"They have to scrape them up a lot, then?" Flowers will ask, drumming fingers on the edge of a table before making a decision to press the man. "And.. where can I find this one who's been doing this? If this is something that's been happening a lot." She's not here to not fight whatever's blending people into little bits. Especially if the town isn't even able to upgrade from shopping bags to tupperwear for their liquified bodies.
Himei	Yuna's picture-taking gets some nice pictures! And Elner gets some good data about the roses. WHERE the blood is coming from would be the mystery, since it doesn't look like it's coming through watering or the like. Kind of disturbing really. The other gardener is a girl, actually, and arrives shortly thereafter with dinner. The two sit down to eat not far away, but this one seems more willing to say... some things. "Enjoy them? They're kind of... blooming more lately because people forget why we're at peace sometimes."
Himei	The coroner looks at Sakura with a shrug. "Where? The city. This is what happens when anyone gets violent here or seems to be a threat. Please, if you're going to want to find them, don't do that here. I would very much appreciate being left out of this." Unlike the rest of the town, he has no trouble stating things a little more up front.
Himei	Setsuko and the Tenno will be heading toward the 'disturbance' and will get to see the tail end of this engagement... not to mention BOTH senses, mystical and technical, starting to pick up the rapid buildup of some kind of energy. Psyber gets to see it happen. And to FEEL it. The surge of power coalesces, and with a yawning stretch of the shadows... the shadows sharpen. Literally. The edges become bladelike, slashing violently toward Psyber as he gets out his 'watch' and prepares to fight. It's forming into a shadowy being, a creature that fights with shadow and darkness itself... but it's easy to see why running is difficult. At the same time, it blasts a flurry of images and sensations, a telepathic assault that seems to compact the lives of numerous soldiers into one moment. Their training, their kills, the terror of war, and their own deaths. A bloody and violent rain that transmits feelings of anger and sorrow all at once.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna blinks curiously at the other gardener. "There's a special reason why the city is at peace?" she wonders. Hey, she's ostensibly a tourist who just arrived today; if she can't be clueless about something like that, who can? But before she can hang around long enough to get more of an answer out of the girl, Elner's sensors pick up VERY anomalous activity from elsewhere. "-- I'm sorry," Yuna abruptly apologizes, bowing to the two gardeners. "I got so absorbed looking at the roses that I forgot I need to meet my friends for dinner; it was nice meeting you, I hope we can talk some more soon!" She bows again for good measure, and takes off running; Elner's probably mapped out the best route to get to Psyber's location in a hurry, and while she's cutting through an alley, Yuna transforms into her Light Suit. If she can hop on the Rooftop Express and shave her travel time down even further, she will, but she's not about to let anything stop her hurrying to Psyber's location as quickly as she can get there.
Guest Psyber	Psyber half-lids his eyes. The wave of images hits him and the half-angel seems to pause for a moment, taking a couple milliseconds to re-orient himself against the wave of new imagery. And when it seems like the blade might strike down on him with that shadowy assault, the half-angel abruptly hops backwards and slides along the ground. He shifts his stance to a more upright position, "Cute trick. I can see why it catches most people. But I live with those sights every day. What you are, though, is a really nasty infection. And you need to get excised, I think." He looks at the watch on his hand that he's using as makeshift brass knuckles, "Unfortunately, I don't have the tools on hand to do that. So I'll keep you entertained a while longer." He has to hope the Tenno, Setsuko, and anyone else responding has a bit more capability to attack this thing, since he's functionally weaponless and mostly resolving to just kite it around for a while.
Sakura Haruno	Flowers will frown and nod at that. "If you don't want it here, I suppose." She'll state, before starting to walk out of the morgue, considering how to make this particular approach. Of course, she's also unaware that everyone else is busy getting ready to be ambushed and such, and she's not necessarily wanting to make it try to attack her. So instead she'll talk to the empty air. Given her past, she's a little self-concious about it, but hopefully noone will look at her too strangely as she heads outside. "You won't be able to keep doing this now that we're here, you know. Why don't you come out, and we can try to work something out more peacefully? You seem interested in peace, after all."
Kushiko	One of the devices, the pieces of gear that Valkyr--no, most of Kushiko's Warframes carry that, besides the usual data pulled from her suit telemetry is a scanner for her Codex. (The Codex in this case being a lovely compendium of data and 3D isometric projections) This device could produce a proper 'active' scan to glean more information from an invasive array of penetrating scans to log their physical appearence and whatever data it could. It wouldn't get /everything/--multiple scans tend to be necessary for that sort of thing. But it would be something she could not really dabble on. With that.. manifestation, that element that was unknowable to technological senses, and.. something else, to the Tenno, she did not waste as much time on the scan. Three seconds tops to lock onto whatever she could. Because as soon as she verified some of that, the sight of the creature doesn't so much draw a visible pause from the Tenno; the lack of facial features tends to do that. But the Boltor Prime is swapped out. Something about the creature of shadow screams at an ancestral sense of propriety, somehow. Because she howled. The shape of Valkyr implied a woman, but the voice was not just a voice, it was power, it was a voice that raged against an ancestral wound in primacy that could be felt not unlike what just surfaced near Psyber. Energy wreathed her, a convocation of lilac-pink energy sparks and trails that radiated from her form--her forearms bore four sets of three energy spines each, floating just above the limbs from in angled placements parallel to one another. Solid energy extended from each of, and through her fingertips as she hunched over from her cry. A power that could only be known as Hysteria was brought forth by the Warframe as the need for intelligence gave way to the need to take down an enemy and defend an ally. Without hesitation, she leapt, and moved. Careening through the air, rebounding off the edge of a building and spiralling like a razorblade of energy from her energy claws to sink them into the shadow that just emerged, turning loose another howl of energy even as she landed--Warcry--something that would bolster a nearby ally--such as Psyber and perhaps Setsuko if she drew close--with energy that could bolster morale and armor and attack speed in equal measure.
Setsuko Kaminagi	If the shadowy creature unleashes telepathic blasts which contain all the pain and sadness of war, then the blade which shortly follows the howling Warframe's whirling dance of death could very well be the physical version of that same attack. It is War given physical form, a perfect blade that epitomizes the concept of 'an instrument of death on the battlefield'. Where Kushiko's approach is wild, graceful and meandering, Setsuko's is efficient, cold and straightforward. She hits the ground and moves with inhuman speed, the katana in her grip flourished only once before being brought up to a ready position. The Tenno's energies suffuse her, all of it flowing up into Zanjintou itself, setting the blade seemingly alight- -and as Setsuko moves smoothly past the shadow in the Valkyr's wake, her blade lashes out three times, one-two-three. Center of mass, neck, and a diagonal cut from what passes for a shoulder to what might be a hip. "TOH!"
Himei	Sakura will talk to air! Some people give her weird looks, but she should be used to that from when she used to talk to herself a lot more. Unfortunately, nothing fully manifests... but her chakra sense will be able to pick up a subtle pressure. Something heard her, and it would doubtless be uncomfortable to an untrained sort. No wonder nobody talks about it. It doesn't seem /hostile/ at least.
Himei	Yuna will get a half-answer! "Mn? Well... nobody who wants to cause trouble is left," the gardener starts, but wasn't going to go much further than that anyway. What else she sees will be covered shortly!
Sakura Haruno	Flowers would truthfully be fairly vulnerable to the sort of assault on the mind that it had unleashed on Psyber; luckily, she's also not really here to threaten anything. The people giving her weird looks will probably be weirded out more as the pinkhaired woman continues to speak to the air, feeling that presence that's putting a slight pressure on her. "Come on, I know you're there. You shouldn't continue with this any more. I'm sure your intentions are good, but if you take good intentions out so much as to do that over even the slightest issues, people won't be able to really grow any better. Come out, so I don't have to do anything silly to get you to come out." More silly than talking loudly to the air, and demandingly, because she's doing both now no matter how crazy she looks.
Himei	Psyber confronts the... ghost? Creature? Manifestation? Infection? It lashes out violently, the 'blades' quite sharp. No wonder it could blend anyone that caught its attention. Blades slash out, flickering in and out as the shadows /move/ and shift. By now, everyone has vanished... the civilians wisely ducking into whatever cover they can. The anger and sorrow are tinged with desperation, a burning need to /eliminate/ that anyone sensitive to such feelings can feel. The Warcry seems to make it 'flinch' somehow, and also gives Psyber some extra power to dodge and dance with the blades slashing at him. More turn up toward Setsuko when she comes down, lashing out violently. But... they aren't as fast as the War God. The divine blade, empowered by Hysteria, slashes out in those quick three strikes. It CAN be hurt, and though the strikes don't seem to contact anything physical, the 'blades' retract into the shadows as the energy signature wavers and shifts. It starts to disperse a little, drawing backward before breaking apart. Yuna will have the opportunity to see where, as the 'shadow' retreats in a specific direction which passes right by her. It looks like it's injured enough to sulk away in the rose gardens. This also causes the presence Flowers is talking to to retreat suddenly, the pressure easing up abruptly. It wasn't fully manifested, but being injured definitely forced it to withdraw. As the battle scene, brief but decisive, begins to calm, Himei walks out of the hotel. "I have a splitting headache."