Scene #8534: Work For An Axe I

Owner	Pose
Zero Kiryu	The corporate (or, as some would put it, mafia-esque) structure of the Concord has led to a number of quirks with regards to their equipment. To begin with, the concept of standard-issue is for subordinate members only; rank-and-file hired security and executive assistants. The equipment issued to true members -- that is, yourselves -- is the good stuff, always. One of the quirks built in to that good stuff, as it pertains to radios, is pagers. A sharp up-and-down beep that draws attention to itself signals that a fellow member, or officer, has some priority business that needs handling now. It is rarely triggered, because it is ordinarily the case that members of the Concord are quite self-sufficient and outside assistance is icing on the cake. Or insurance. Today, the sharp BEEP beep BEEP is attached to a particular title: Director Kuran. It reads Messy local-world issue needs a quick, smooth solution. Come to Expedition Room VI if you are prepared to assist. There is an 'Inbound?' prompt that sends a return signal, positive or negative. Expedition Room VI, located just below the executive office suites in Elysium Apex, is a conference room that just so happens to have an artificial warp gate built in to the head of it. It is currently opened, primed, and ready to go with a press of a button. It is for sending, presently, not receiving. Zero Kiryu stands near it, holding a manilla folder -- a true paper dossier, that looks almost anachronistic in a place like this -- which he is inspecting with some small amount of agitation. It is only once everybody who has responded with a positive Inbound signal has arrived that he begins to speak. "There is a minor crisis unfolding on the Director and I's world. In summary we have been working for some time to bring vampires and adjacent beings out of a 'Masquerade' situation, for reasons that I am sure you can understand," he begins. Implicitly, what he means is that 'hiding the mighty' is simply not the M.O. of the Concord. "There are numerous forces set against this, within human and vampire society alike. During a summit in Agnafit, an unknown party deployed an assassin we believed to be a feral vampire, but who escaped too competently to fit the label. This individual successfully killed one of Director Kuran's envoys, and injured another two of our associates. "We've tracked this individual to a harbor in Agnafit, where she appears to be lying low. The assumption we're operating on is she'll attempt to blend in at a ferry and disappear to an island or across the sea entirely. Her live capture is necessary to ascertain her identity and employer. If the endangered dignitaries have no culprit, it will set things back considerably for us. It must be done cleanly, and it must be done with an eye towards preserving our local 'masquerade'. We're aiming for a controlled break of that situation so that the general populace does not immediately attempt to go to war with vampires." Taking a deep breath, he adds, "The envoy that was killed by our mystery culprit was the father of one of our close associates and friends, Maria Kurenai. She is not a part of this operation, but she will most likely appear regardless. If relevant you are to prevent her from killing the target, but you must not hurt her." Briefly, he projects an image of Maria into everyone's minds. She is a petite young woman, with purple-grey hair and lavender eyes. The psychic projection of Maria is directly compared to the physical Zero in front of you now; she has a near-identical height and build to Yuuki, being slim and just shy of a full foot shorter than Zero. "As vampires go, Maria is relatively frail, but she is very skilled. Particularly at tracking and remote observation." In other words, if necessary, handle-with-care, but don't underestimate.
Zero Kiryu	Zero turns and walks around behind the warp gate. The sound of paper being laid against a solid surface can be heard, followed quickly by the clink of glasses. When he steps back around, Zero has five small vines emerging from his wrist, each grasping a cordial glass which contains red liquid that is absolutely some kind of blood. Each of them is placed on the conference table at the center of the room. "If any of you wish for supplemental empowerment for this mission, which you may keep after if you please provided that you continue to observe the accompanying conditions of non-interference towards myself, the Director, and the First, drink one of these," he says. Each cocktail contains an allocation of powers that molds to the deficiencies of the drinker, but the default package for this mission is: Immortality···, Incapacitation··, Regeneration··, Immunize··. The actual taste of the blood has more to do with people's impressions of Zero; if they're unsure of him they'll be unsure how they like the blood cordial. If they like him, they'll like it. If they dislike him, it'll taste foul. The vines retract back into Zero's body, as he no longer needs to juggle all of these little cordial glasses. He says, "If there are no questions, I'll activate the warp gate."
Yuuki Kuran	Kuran Yuuki, Director of the Concord, is a figure of note in most of the Concord's Partner-class for being the person who is most often the final approval for personal development and factional development projects. Interactions up the chain were generally met with warm positivity, most-if-not-all of the resources requested, and interested requests for progress reports. The only mildly annoying thing for the diurnal was that Director Kuran primarily did all her emails in the middle of the night, and so everyone would get project updates at midnight or so like it was noon. Just inside the meeting room, past Zero with his folder, is the Director herself, dressed for what appears to be the stage of a visual kei concert as the lead singer and not the mafioso-corporate mystery engagement the Partners have been paged to address. Black lace in ornate cross-and-ring patterns wrap neck, shoulder, collar, and wrist, while a long black dress implies hanging flowers with ruffles and span. The dark fall of her brown hair is artfully scattered about her, blown into falling strands that arrange about her just to add a little volume and extra complexity to her nocturnal fashion. Her sleepy red-brown eyes gaze droopily at the door, and her closed-lipped smile rests faintly upon her. "Thank you, everyone, for coming without any notice before. I was to handle this matter personally... but the Concord is not about 'one' way of doing things, but the best way. So I welcome you all, and your assitance, in this matter." Yuuki's soft-voiced tone gains a slight husked edge as Zero pulls out whole vials of his blood-as-offering, her eyes sympathetically reddening and brightening. "It's very important that we move... with care. We have forever to get it right, but that means we must work for tomorrow's night, and just just to-day."
Raziel	Raziel answers the signal with an affirmative. Raziel, known as a former vampire knight and current ghost vampire knight is predisposed to both Zero and Yuuki. Though issues in his world are taking most of his attention, he does spare time for those who need his aid in their Concord. Stepping into the office through the miniature warp gate he nods to the already ready Zero. 'Rare that it is that the Director herself requests aid on such short notice, rarer still that she requires it. Whatever was to happen it must be dire indeed... and I found myself of sound mind to indulge her request.' Raziel himself would be quite different than Zero would remember, instead of the ragged half-corpse he once was, he was restored to a physical form very similar to the one he held in life. Tall, handsome, with two wings folded behind him. His lack of a shirt is normal given the culture of the vampires he is from. His eyes still have the glowing, ethereal quality to them as before. The energy of the Reaver still hangs around his right arm. Though it gives a more ravenous and dangerous feeling these days than the passive one before. More than that too, his hands are claws as well as his feet. Despite this, his pants are high quality, and he wears a cloak over one arm displaying the heraldry of his clan proudly. Raziel takes an interest in the briefing. The vampires coming out is a good step, though avoiding a war with humanity is also a good idea. He is sure that Yuuki's kind would come out on top, but it's neither guaranteed nor would come without bloodshed. His own world is a monument to the kind of hell that could break out over such things. The worry of the rouge operative catches his interest, especially with the desire for revenge on her father's killer. Raziel... well let's say he is all too sympathetic to such feelings, given his betrayal and resurrection. Sympathetic to this young woman's plight I was, because not too long ago I harbored such desires as revenge. Though the feelings have cooled, I have not let go of the feeling quite so easily... nor did I think that she would either.' He's also cooled on this given what is happening in Nosgoth. With the offering of blood, Raziel pauses. 'With great shame, I had to reject the offered gift, while something quite rude in normal society, I still remained a wraith.' "I can not imbibe it, unfortunately. While I am much restored to myself... I still remain a wraith," and worse, unable to return to a body without the aid of others at this time, goes unsaid.
Timespace Riders	A nice breakfast in the dining room of Sougo's house-slash-clock-repair-shop is interrupted by an urgent BEEP. Sougo and his retainer both reach for it, their hands brushing against one another. "My Demon King..." Sougo smiles, having reached it first. He gently frees his hand from Woz's, reading over the message. The two are in the Expedition Room promptly, after breakfast is over, having replied 'positive.' Which is to say, Sougo answered positive. He has no idea what or who an Inkbound is. He and Woz end up in the Exploration Room with the usual billowing entrance afforded by Woz's mysterious scarf. Woz is dressed as he always is. Sougo wears a canary yellow button up, khaki pants rolled at the hem to reveal a houndstooth pattern, and a pair of trendy brown hiking boots. The two share a look, when Maria's image is projected into their minds. The Demon King nods--either reinforcing Zero's request that she not be harmed, or affirming his confidence that he can stop her without doing so, if it comes to that. "'Supplemental empowerment...'" Sougo places an index on his chin, eyeballing the cocktail. "Mm... sure! That sounds like it could come in handy. Especially is Maria shows up. Come on, Woz, let's try it," he says, to Woz, who is much less gung-ho. Accordingly, Sougo likes the taste (he doesn't even bother questioning what he's drinking) and Woz finds it rather hard to definitively nail as 'enjoyable' or 'not.' After finishing, Sougo asks, "That was good! What was it?" Woz purses his lips and looks away. "Blood, my Demon King," he says, having basic powers of perception. "EH?!" Sougo's buffoonish look of shock and exaggerated palms-to-the-temples gesture is received sedately by Woz. The retainer continues, "I shall hold certain measures in reserve," gesturing to the ever-present tome tucked against his side, lifting it slightly, "Should the assassin somehow escape our dragnet." After Sougo has had a moment to chill: "Um, sure, I think we're ready, Zero!"
Kukuru	After the time Kukuru's been having lately, seeing something addressed to her from Director Kuran is something of a relief. Not a complete relief, of course, since something involving Yuuki must be serious, but it's relieving in the sense that it's (probably) not going to be as heartbreaking as everything else. A quick snack and drink later, and she arrives in the conference room decked out all fancy-like, even going as far as wearing a dark green suit jacket and skirt with heels and hosiery instead of her usual floofy getup. Her hair's still the usual mess it is, of course. It doesn't make it any harder for her to listen to Zero's and Yuuki's briefing, though, as she focuses intently on absorbing as much of that information as she can and trying to commit it all to memory. "How terrible... Maria must be real torn up over this. Don't worry, the last thing I want is for her to get hurt more after all that happened. To lose your father because of some stunt like that..." Frowning slightly, Kukuru lets out a discomforted noise before shaking her head to get it off her mind. That comes roughly in time when Zero heads around the warp gate to bring out the glasses of blood. It doesn't take much convincing for Kukuru to take one of those offered cocktails, of course. "Aw, thanks Zero! Thanks, Yuuki." She smiles warmly at the two, then sips it slowly. Flavor isn't an obstacle since her fondness for Zero is a known factor already, although she does have to do a double take once she's halfway in and finally realizes what she's actually drinking around the same time Sougo does. Without missing a beat, she gets up, fishes a bandage out of her pocket, then starts fussing over Zero to try and figure out where he had to get that blood from. "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something that won't cause you two any problems, Yuu-ki. Do we have any visuals on the... Um. The target? Or something of hers that she left behind when it all happened?"
Zero Kiryu	"It's fine... to refresh what I'm extending you already," Zero asides to Yuuki, when he notices the glow of her eyes. It is, in the end, not how he prefers to do things but the cordials are there and they don't have enough people to drink all of them anyway. Raziel gets a curious look. He recognizes the wraith, though the body is certainly new. It makes things a little less awkward, for certain. The absence of a shirt is also only natural when you have wings. It'll probably be parsed as 'outsider' traits, rather than anything local. Seeming to pick up on Raziel's thoughts towards Maria, he inclines his head and makes a vaguely affirmative noise. He's not too thrilled with having to restrain her, either. At the same time, Yuuki's priorities simply loom larger in his mind. A lot more people are going to get hurt if this explodes, and there will be time to punish the offender later. //I can not imbibe it.// Another nod. Zero suspects that this particular 'blood' could be ingested even by a ghost, but he doesn't feel inclined to push it. Raziel has trouble enough as it is with patrons, if he's not misremembering, and another could be trouble for him. It is odd, to Zero, to offer it as well. Regarding what he just drank -- though Woz answers the question -- he replies to Sougo, "It is not entirely blood, though much of it is. I thought it would be more tolerable than eating a fruit with a difficult texture." Heart. The texture is 'heart'. Kukuru starts fussing over Zero. He looks down at her. "Wrist. But it's been closed for a while. Don't trouble yourself, I heal naturally quickly. As you do, too, now." There's not even a sign of a scar, if she goes looking. "And no, she didn't leave anything behind. We know the general area that she is in," he adds, moving away.
Zero Kiryu	The artificial warp gate in the expedition conference room is square-shaped, with a portal that is around eight feet tall. It is situated not in the 'wall' but a few feet ahead of it at the head of the table, behind which there is a counter on which materials can be placed prior to their use in meetings here. To the right side of the warpgate is a keyboard-and-monitor interface, the monitor of which can double as a touchscreen. This is how Zero uses it, pulling up a series of addresses and selecting one. It reads: 59.3293° N, 18.0686° E, Signature 9781421508221 For those familiar with Latitude and Longitude, and modern-approximate Earths in general, this location corresponds with Stockholm. The warpgate fires up with a flare of red light, the "missing" interior segment through which the rear of the room can be seen vanishing as the portal to its opposite number flares to life in what looks to be a basement at the destination. Zero leads the way through, flipping a toggle to the left as he goes. The lighting in the basement doesn't quite match what anyone would expect of a building with electricity; it is soft with faint fluctuations, gas lamp lighting that punctuates the edge of the room at set intervals. Despite this there is a modern telephone on the wall beside the warp gate, and curving up a spiral staircase into the level above brings the group into a front-facing room of what must be a nice home for the area. Outside the buildings are tightly grouped across the way, narrow brick streets and sidewalks running up and down either direction. There is a prominent square down the street to the right, which is the direction Zero points the group. "Follow the signage for the harbor. There will be boat symbols, but it looks like this..." He produces a paper version of the same type of sign from inside his jacket, passing around copies. The lettering is Japanese, but somebody actually fluent in Japanese will not fully understand what the hell it's trying to do. The language-savvy may eventually realize that Japanese symbols and syllabary have been blended with some offshoot of the Swedish language, resulting in... this. Although the geography roughly matches a 21st century Stockholm in broad strokes, there's obviously been several thousand years of changes both natural and man-made, and the buildings of those prior eras are -- if they exist at all -- buried as ruins are beneath Rome. "You're looking for a young woman who is traveling alone. She is diminuitive, blonde-haired, blue-eyed. May be displaying abnormal behavior, but certainly has a posture and gait that is different from an ordinary person's," he explains, even if he has done so before in response to specific inquiry. The walk to the harbor area is unremarkable. There are a lot of people, but they tend to be taller; the 'small' qualifier on this description will probably be the most helpful. The problem is, then, that the ferry terminal area is large and airport-like, with a wide spread of sitting areas and surrounding eatery stands. There's a very even blend of East Asian and Nordic food stands; the weather is nice enough that hot and cold dishes are about equally favored. At least one semi-specialty stand serves both Svið and Hákarl. The most popular stand, with a long line, is selling Karelien pies with azuki bean or sweet potato filling along with the usuals for that particular food. It's late enough in the day that overall activity in the terminal is obnoxiously high. There aren't that many ferries left, and commuters are going to be taking the last ones home soon.
Zero Kiryu	[Kukuru]: The world around you is a busy place. There are patterns in play here for you to pick up on, but sorting through them all is difficult. Your senses are keen, but putting all the information together is confusing. What rises out of the chaotic pattern dancing around you is a strong sense of relative imminent change. There is one ferry that will be boarding soon; people are impatiently gathered near its expected terminal, long before it will be necessary to do so. It will take a while to offload the passengers and load them on. There is another that is a good hour or two out; those people are here early, and taking their time. They have the travel jitters, in some cases, but that's excitement, not a need to hurry. You have somewhere between 40 minutes and two hours unless your quarry put themselves out in the open very early, and you're not sure which it is. [Raziel]: Your senses are not suited to picking up on this task. It is not that they are bad, but rather, that this world's history runs unexpectedly deep. Step sideways into the spirit world and there are ghosts on ghosts on ghosts on ghosts. This world has ended more than once. Even if you knew that there was some spirit to find who could tell you something, finding them would be like searching the sea for a particular octopus. It's not impossible, but your chances just looking are better. [Sougo & Woz]: You are in the unique position of being able to walk through the past and see what really happened to trigger the need for this hunt at all. The assassination was a messy one of claw-and-fang, and the person who committed it seemed absolutely ordinary before she arrived at the summit. The best lead you get on her is a more specific idea of her appearance-- 4'6", athletic, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, though liable to be dressed in something hooded. There's no sign of who convinced her to do this or how she was tipped off to ways to break security, though. It must have taken place outside the city. Curiously however, though the woman is skittish for the short while you could follow her, she doesn't really have the demeanor of an assassin. Her routine in town was normal for a visitor, though her flight from the attack was suggestive of some ongoing personal episode that she wasn't altogether checked in for. Woz has a more interesting time of it. This whole situation is a singular ruler -- Yuuki Kuran -- trying to repair a wrongness in her domain. The most instructive part of it for interacting with it is this: Almost nobody they will encounter cannot be an ally. There is a dark man on a boat who cannot be negotiated with, and several points of contact where short-term conflict cannot be avoided. Everyone's trying to look out for themselves. The horizon is a frightening thing, and here, truly, there be monsters. But to help a fellow ruler can only help Zi-O. Right? [Yuuki Kuran]: The worst part of it all for you is that if you'd been there you would be able to scent her blood. Even if she had made it out of the room, you'd have been on her before she'd made it ten meters into the city. Viewing the same things through the eyes of witnesses, through senses infinitely duller than yours, has limited this possibility. You'll be able to positively ID her when she's flushed out, and you, too have a good idea what she looks like. More importantly, thoughts of this woman ARE there, hovering in the peripheries. Snatches of a glance by passers-by on the way to the terminal, somebody who passed her in the bathroom in the terminal itself. One of the ambient feelings you latch on to that feels relevant is all too familiar-- hunger. It's not your hunger, either.
Raziel	Raziel appreciates Zero's understanding of the situation and simply lets it lie right there for the moment. Once bitten, twice shy, so the saying goes and Raziel is not immune to such feelings. He follows through the artificial warp gate, though unsure of its location because he is not familiar with Earth's geography. 'Upon standing in that other city, my sight into the spirit realm was overwhelmed by the specters of others. Far beyond what I was used to, it seems that the sheer number of ghosts that resided here was astronomical, far beyond that of the humans here. So it seems I would have to conduct my search in the physical realm.' Raziel's eyes squint for a moment before he closes them and rubs his eyes. After a moment he seems to stop having distress and settles onto his task. With the description he has, he begins hitting the harbor area. Anywhere else in the city would be foolish to look, because she could be anywhere... but they knew where she was going to go. He also approaches the various boats themselves, trying to see if they had let someone on board and also see if they could delay entry to the woman they sought. Of course, he offers the resources that the Concord has to offer as a down payment for such a service.
Kukuru	"Oh yeah, you do! Hehe... Well, as long as it doesn't get infected." Kukuru lets out a relieved sigh at Zero's reply, overall still feeling better at hearing that than about the lack of physical evidence to track their culprit down with. While he gets the warpgate ready, she takes a moment to fuss over Yuuki as well. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" Kukuru asks with that usual concerned tone of hers, somewhat weakened by the fact that she has to turn her head away to stifle a yawn herself. Regardless, she slips something else out of her pockets and offers it to Yuuki in case she needs the extra coverage: Shades! Normal-looking ones, even, in case she needs something to block the redness from being visible. As she follows Zero out of the basement and towards the harbor, Kukuru's attention is already being dragged in so many directions. Her enhanced senses might very well be a detriment initially, even, as she finds herself drawn every at once with only one body that can follow any of them. The sights, the scents, the potential tastes, everything comes together in just the right way that she needs a moment to actually stop and collect herself before she can plot out her next move. One ferry, boarding soon and leaving soon after that. The next ferry, which may or may not actually have their culprit depending on if she left with the earlier one. No names nor specific scents to follow, only her size and two colors to work with. Different mannerisms from regular people, too, which might be easier to notice now that she's aware of what to look for. The fact that there's far more tall people than short around here also helps ease Kukuru's mind somewhat. Finding someone her size or smaller should be relatively easier, but she can't be too careless with so many variables to try and keep track of. It still takes a few minutes, though, for her to finally figure out what to do: Stakeout the check-in/boarding area for the next ferry. With her enhanced eyesight, Kukuru doesn't even need to be too close to just watch the area for people coming and going while seated near one of those eatery stands. If her target hasn't boarded the ship already, then she'll have to head through there eventually, right? Kukuru just needs to keep reminding herself of the criteria she's looking for, occasionally muttering to herself aloud and glancing at her phone to try and blend in a little more.
Timespace Riders	"Thank you, esteemed Zero, for your consideration." Woz is the one who thanks him, because Sougo is trying to puzzle out what Zero meant and failing to arrive at 'heart.' The two of them follow Zero through the warpgate in good time. Sougo, in particular, seems interested by the apparent anachronism on display here, his brown eyes landing on the lamp, before he scratches his head at the comparitive modernity of the phone. "Huh..." Given a copy of the signage to look out for, his brow knits in confusion. He is an avid student of history, not a linguist-- "Oh," he says, making an educated guess based more off of the location than the syncretization of languages (Sougo does not know any form of Swedish), "Is Japanese the lingua franca of this world, or something?" Both Sougo and Woz seem to take attentive note of Zero's description. This is relevant, when they both take to their respective means of investigation. Sougo, in the past, is a mute observer, following the diminutive assassin around with his hands in his pockets, watching everything play out. Who is she, how did she get in? Without being able to directly look at her past, and see the path that she trod through time, it's impossible to say. The story is constructed instead of bits and pieces. "This is the assassin?" Sougo asks, his voice not carrying to any actors or entities present by necessity of the workings of his power. Looks can of course be deceiving, but she doesn't look like one. He isn't exactly an expert, mind--but shouldn't they be confident and purposeful, rather than skittish? Woz, meanwhile, carefully peruses the tome at his disposal. It probably looks a little strange, not the least for his attire--but especially so for the fact that the pages of the book, whose title eludes reading, are completely blank to the casual observer. Waiting in line at the most popular food stand affords him plenty of time to do this. The book is closed with a definitive thump, once he has a decent read of the general atmosphere of this place, and his eyes scan the harbor, sweeping across the terminal. Indeed, helping Yuuki could only help Sougo--and the most prudent way that he can see to do that right now, as he waits, is to get to a higher point. If the assassin is so dimunitive, then she'll surely blend in much easier at ground level. Woz fluidly steps out of line and easily filters through the throngs of people, in search of a place where he can observe the comings and goings of the harbor from higher up.
Yuuki Kuran	The matter was twice-personal for Director Kuran, because it was not simply that her envoy was attacked - the injury was a loss for her, forever, and it was no sacrifice in the name of a a kinder, gentler world. Maria, a sickly girl who had chosen a dangerous path towards 'better', now was without a father. To say that Yuuki was 'momentarily' melancholic would be to play only on the Director's outside appearance - the fall of her eyes, the slowness of her breath, the tight way her smiles trail off. She knows, when she is being watched. Sees from many angles, inside and out, and so the Director puts on a show for all but one. Zero knows - she can't really hide it from him. As always, she wished it had been her to suffer the consequences, to bear the pains of a moment. Now, she had to call on assistance - or, rather, Zero did, and Yuuki declined to complain in the following moments. She takes a vial from Zero with a pale close of her black lace-backed hand, and smiles thinly-and-honestly. "I think I might, then. If you're offering. It does smell sweet, and I am in the mood for something sweet." Yuuki admits, and then is through the warpgate shortly after. Idling while Zero explains the signage and greedily drinking down the blood-vial with the eager wiggles of the vessel to struggle every drop past her lips, she looks down (and then back up, she had to drop her chin from throw-back and Kukuru is taller than her) at the proffering of eyeglasses. Having just shot back a whole phial of red, her eyes are fully carmine aglow -- so she takes the glasses with a nod and lift of the lenses to her nose. "Thank you, Kukuru. I had forgotten my own pair, and we will be outside." Yuuki asides. "I should be asleep now, really, but..." The sunglasses'd Director pumps an arm and displays a slender bicep swell with a goofing air. "... I'm used to staying up late!" She affirms. And she is. Thanks to Kukuru's sunglasses, Yuuki can meander around the waiting area at a sightseer's pace, more morose than confused. This wasn't a level E's work. There wasn't enough thrashing hunger, borne claw and fang. There was reluctance, and so reluctantly, Yuuki paces the loooong line for aizuki bean karelian pies all the way to the end and stands in the back. A survey of the people eating - of hungry folks - was where she naturally gravitated. That, and a pie. She was still hungry!
Zero Kiryu	+Raziel proceeds through the spirit terminal and approaches the ferries. They're large, 21st century vessels with sleek white hulls and nicely-lettered titles on the side; another reflection of the cyclical devastation that this world has experienced. He catches the first of them in the process of offboarding, during which time the gate agent is reasonably available. His appearance only gets mild looks of concern, the kind you'd expect an outsider to get. The gate agent, on having the situation explained to him seems reluctant... but he's evidently reasonably receptive to bribery. He agrees to delay boarding if this woman is seen. If she has a valid ticket though, he advises, he can't really do more than delay her. Kukuru finds a spot to stake out near the boarding area for the 'soonest' ferry. There aren't a lot of people around who are as short as her; Yuuki is about as short as people typically get here, and even the average woman's height is a little bit above that. In this regard, Kukuru herself stands out rather a lot. There aren't a lot of mobile phones here, curiously, though there are some. The signal is a bit sketchy; the radio does better for some reason. People who are 'doing something' for entertainment out here tend to be congregating at alcohol stands or reading something else-- books, magazines, the like. There is a small woman at the karelian pie stand, now near the front of the line. Another short woman with light hair, though it's hard to compare her to others from here, is in the process of getting a drink from a tea stand. Sougo & Woz investigate each in their own ways. One other thing that Sougo might observe is a certain baseline erratic tendency; as he observed, the woman just doesn't really seem like an assassin. If he gets close enough to examine particular details he WILL discover that her hands are calloused in a way that is consistent with handling a polearm, but none is visible at any point in the timeline, and none of the wounds were caused by one. They were all claw and bite wounds. Getting an overhead view of things is possible through... a series of offices suspended near the top of the structure, looking down on the surroundings. All managerial suites. They're quite far up, making it a bit of an obnoxious look-down, and people side-eye Woz for being there, though he looks important enough -- like some kind of executive assistant -- that he passes for belonging. Actually attacking from here will be a nuisance, though... But he does discover something useful for getting a better idea of what's going on. There is a map of the Baltic Sea; if there was any doubt it is confirmed for him that this is what was once Stockholm; the island that was (and to Woz, is) Gotland still has a major port, along with Helsinki, and a few others. The closest ferry route goes to Gotland (Kvaland, it's called here) while the longer ones go out towards more distant ports. The island of Aland appears to no longer exist. There are three major candidates for the target. The first is near the front of the karelian pie line, the second is in the tea stand line, and a third has a hood pulled up and is reading a trashy romance novel over by the terminal that Kukuru and Raziel are scoping out. Yuuki Kuran smells her target not far off. The memory of her scent is an echo, but scent is a powerful thing, and vampires have a hell of a nose. There's at least two other familiar scents muddying it a little; one is Zero, which is coming from one of her accessories, and the other is Maria. Maria is a little farther away. The trashy romance enjoyer can probably be ruled out. The problem, then, is that if they've accurately determined their target is the young woman in the pie stand line... there's a LOT of people around her. This stand is popular, and the smell wafting off of it more than justifies it.
Zero Kiryu	Zero nods at Woz. He knows that chewing through muscle tissue is gross, having done it, once, a long time ago now. "I'm only aware of what Japanese is because I've visited other worlds. No, listen closely," he replies to Sougo, and sure enough if Sougo stops and listens to the actual words without focusing on understanding them he will notice that the same thing is going on with the spoken language. It uses Japanese sounds, but the words don't line up. It wouldn't be mutually intelligible normally, though a Japanese reader could figure out what's being spelled (if not necessarily what the words are) in the written form at least. He watches Yuuki drink greedily of the cordial, expression dropping to a rather flat one. Since he doesn't accompany the group directly, relying instead on those who have accepted his power to be "entry points" for him if he needs it, he speaks from the back of her mind: Yuuki... I switched to black shirts to accommodate this. You didn't have to go that hungry. That was several years ago, now. Proving that, in fact, his tendency to invoke history at her was not solely limited to the worst argument they ever had.
Raziel	Raziel nods to the gate agent. "Your assistance is appreciated and will be rewarded," he assures. "Text me at this number when she is delayed and I will arrive quickly," he says, attempting to be reassuring. With that, Raziel moves towards one of the nearby benches to sit down. It would be best to remain as inconspicuous as possible and wait for their quarry. This does take him next to the girl with the hoodie reading the novel, but he does not suspect her at this moment of being a potential suspect. Instead, his eyes are turned outwardly, trying to keep tabs on the people around him, those at the gate, and where his allies are. When Kukuru indicates that there are two maybe's, he hooks his head in their direction. Taking time to try and get a better look.
Timespace Riders	Sougo listens, when Zero points out the blending of languages is verbal as well as written. Maps available in the harbor paint a fairly different picture compared to the Sweden of his world--right down to the utter absence of a particular island. As for Woz... It really is true that a self-assured attitude, reflected in posture, can carry one very far beyond where one ought to be barred from entry. As can a clipboard--or, in Woz's case, a sufficiently important looking book. From on high, ignoring side-eyes, he peers out over the sea of humanity, standing just far enough from the edge to make looking up at him a difficult affair. <Tac-Concord> [4] Kukuru says, "I think I've gooot... Two maybes! One at a pie stand, and another one waiting for a drink. What about all of you?" <Tac-Concord> [4] Woz says, "Three individuals here match descriptions provided by Zero Kiryu and my Demon King. However, one may be ruled out." <Tac-Concord> [4] Woz says, "Observe the lines at the tea and pie stands." <Tac-Concord> [4] Sougo Tokiwa adds, "Is that right? Well... her hands are callused. Like the kind you see in people who have spent a long time learning to use a weapon. If there are two people who might fit the description... I have an idea!" Woz's hand drifts to his scarf, ready to fling it outwards and step through space at a moment's notice--it's better to stay here and retain the element of surprise, for now. Sougo, meanwhile, takes initiative. There are, in the teeming throngs of people, two Sougo Tokiwas. One of them heads to the pie stand, the other to the tea stand. And both of them put on an emphatic display of friendliness towards the given suspects. Each Sougo acts like a long lost friend, and each of them, as part of that display of friendliness, goes for a two-handed handshake. In particular, the Sougo at the pie stand adds, as part of his overtures, "The pie's on me!"
Kukuru	Mental note: Make sure Yuuki gets enough sleep after all this is done. Kukuru doesn't have time to write it down anywhere yet, though, as she gets two potential leads! Actually figuring out her approach is the next tricky step, though, since Zero did mention the necessity of preserving the local masquerade. That rules out just grabbing her and jumping away somewhere, and even if she could get a hold of the target... Who knows how strong she could be? Better not to risk putting her and everyone else on alert over such a maybe yet, especially without knowing which one is the real person they need to snag. Hearing Sougo mentioning the calloused hands, however, gives Kukuru some more information to work off of! Namely, the one at the pie stand being their most likely suspect. <Tac-Concord> 4 Raziel says, "Zero, did you say it was a feral attack?" <Tac-Concord> 3 Zero Kiryu says, "We thought so, but it doesn't line up properly. She escaped too competently at the time to be a feral." <Tac-Concord> 4 Raziel says, "Because of how he was killed, correct?" <Tac-Concord> 4 Kukuru says, "If he got torn up by hand and with bites... Oh. Then maybe she'll still...!" Getting up from her seat, she passes right by the hooded person with the trashy novel without a second glance, instead taking a somewhat roundabout path to the pie stand. It takes some concentration and willpower not to fixate on the delicious smell of the pies, and it only gets harder as Kukuru gets closer to that stand, but her mind focuses by the time she's close enough to idly glance at the menu like any other person curious about buying a pie. The real focus, however, is on that person's gait and their movements to try and detect signs of lingering injuries and traces of blood, especially around her mouth and hands. Kukuru just needs to hope Sougo can keep her busy long enough to get a good read on all that while pretending to just be loitering and glancing at the menu.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki had gotten into the pie line to get a pie - but she had done a pass of the line to learn the length of it. If she had been trying to blend in then she would get a pie. It's just natural! She's hungry. Even if Zero makes a big deal about it. Like he always does, levering at history. 'You offer my favorite thing, sweet, in little glasses. And you wonder why I don't chase an appetizer with a full meal?' Yuuki's mind-voice effects laughter that echoes around in their shared headspace, and bounces out to the Concord Partners in attendance, though the barb back is mostly for Zero: 'I wanted a pie.' She didn't, before she got here, but now that she's here, of course, she does. To the Partners in attendance, Yuuki's mental voice carries on. 'And I think, so does our target. I smell the blood on her.' Of course, then, Sougo splits the difference and goes for both apparent targets which allows Yuuki to remain in the line, watching the approach to the more likely target carefully. And-- Maria? Yuuki is distracted by the presence of her friend, looking around -- and then checking the air for birds. Was Maria on a hunt of her own? Revenge? 'Everyone, be ready take her alive, no matter the attacker. De-escalate whatever happens.' Yuuki comments quickly in the back of the Partners' skulls, immediately reading the situation as far more complex than initially guessed.
Zero Kiryu	Raziel tries to get a better look at the young woman in line. Much like the one reading a trashy novel, she's dressed in a hoodie with the hood up. She's also wearing sweatpants and slippers, and doesn't really have any baggage. Everything she's carrying on her is liable to be in her pockets. She could've checked her baggage, but that appears to be done at the terminal gate in this place, and security sensibilities aren't really very intense. Under his observation she gets to the front of the line. The young woman has good posture, an overall confident body language, but when she moves and has to handle things physically she's shaky. It becomes more obvious when she exchanges money and actually gets her pie and a cup of water. In fact, she drinks half the cup of water in one swallow before she even tries to move away. This, truly, is the key element of Raziel's observation. This lady is ravenous and it isn't getting better. Then she immediately orders a second pie to go with her first-- which happens to be around the time that Sougo approaches. Her hands are already full, so she doesn't go in for the handshake, but she looks at him in surprise. She swallows the half-an-azuki-bean-pie that is already jammed in her mouth. "Riding a hare a little, aren't you?" She replies, confounded. The young woman at the tea shop allows her hands to be shaken. She does not have callouses; she has no imperfections at all. There is a sort of bewildered quality to her expression, but she's surprisingly accepting of this invasion of personal space. She does, however, have to tuck a cane under her arm to accept it. "I don't mind unusual people, but... what are you doing?" The tea shop suspect wonders. Unlike the pie shop suspect, there's nothing really off about her posture or the way she moves, but she smells really nice. Evidently nice enough to have had eyes on her before Sougo approached, because there are some rather agitated-looking people in line behind her now. Kukuru moves in and begins to analyze the pie shop suspect. She doesn't have signs of injury, and curiously enough she doesn't have any physical growth in her teeth that is suggestive of fangs. What she does have is every sign of withdrawal from something pretty intense, however-- and she's terribly dehydrated to boot. There's also a structure located in her left arm -- some kind of implant -- of questionable purpose. Some sort of autoinjector, she thinks. The tissue around it periodically tries to grow in on it, but is repelled by something. Yuuki Kuran has a telepathic conversation in the pie line. That she takes special note of Sougo intercepting the tea line girl also gets her a good look at said girl, who is definitely Maria Kurenai. She knows that cane and she knows that it contains a sword. Her quick glance-around for birds reveals gulls hovering around the vendor area in specific. She'd probably been narrowing the list of targets the same as they had-- and the benefit of the doubt was strong, because the gulls harassing people for food is simply normal.
Zero Kiryu	'I suppose that I will more routinely serve you tiny appetizers, then,' Zero answers Yuuki, unperturbed. He does not blame her for wanting those pies, though. He can smell them from several different vantage points even though he is back at the building with the warp gate, and they smell amazing.
Raziel	Raziel despairs that he can not taste the pie more now than before, that smell is wafting towards him, and his eyes are focused on it making it impossible to ignore. Truly, whoever is at the center of this assassination will rue the day they caused this inconvenience to him. Standing back up, Raziel approaches the pie stand from the girl's six. He wants to remain out of sight until he edges closer. Eventually, he pretends to stand in line, watching things unfold, Sougo has things handled for the moment... but if his suspicion is right... this is a tragedy waiting to happen. Woz and Kukuru can likely get this girl out of range, which means... His eyes keep a look out around them, there is one more person to watch out for, who would want vengeance on the assassin. Right now, he is honor-bound to deny her request. Not a thought he likes, but given his own situation... He stays in wait, waiting for something to happen, and will attempt to either head off Maria, or shield the mysterious assassin should he not be able to head her off.
Yuuki Kuran	As soon as she smelled the familiar scent, and felt the presence of her longtime friend, Yuuki became worried enough to begin ordering about the Concord. Oh, she wanted a pie, of course - her heart was set on indulging in both the sweet potato and aizuki bean pies, two each to be carried away and enjoyed. The line moved, though slowly, with Sougo and the 'target' at the head. Patient, and spotting the harassing Esper-held gulls about, Yuuki has to arrange things just-so. 'Living truth.' Yuuki's mental voice repeats, after indicating to Kukuru and Woz to make moves to seperate their target from the line, ideally to a third location with their teleportation powers. Both the clever vizier and the loving mother would be able to do it kindly... it was just a matter of timing and preparation. Thankful for her many knights standing ready, Yuuki focuses on expanding her presence, sweeping the line and surrounds with a calming warm-blanket feeling - a suggestion of ease like the gentle fall of snow through a window. Wistful, and above all, observatory, letting the world pass one by. It'd be the most ideal state for the whole crowd to be in, while the Concord smoothed out their little hungry assassin from the pack. 'Perhaps an appetizer will calm our soon-to-be guest as well.' Yuuki muses in the back of everyone's skull. Looming like a shadow behind everyone's eyes, the Director lives up to her name simply in the intensity of how she impresses on everyone the importance of an effortless and clean operation, a simple cloth wipe-up of this stain.
Kukuru	More observations start coming in courtesy of Raziel, and directions come in from Yuuki on what to do that all culminate in Kukuru having another idea! She's positively beaming as that new plan hits her, too, as things seem to be lining up just about perfectly for the time being. All that's left is to actually get her out of this place before Maria can do anything, and before her hunger rages out of control. "There you are!" She calls out excitedly to Sougo and the Pie Shop Lady, approaching them with a light-hearted smile and a bounce in her step. "Can you come with me, please? There's some paperwork we gotta fill out-" she says, while winking at the Pie Shop Lady somewhat unsubtly and gesturing away from the main lines and other targets. "-before we can get you on board, and then we'll get you on right away with everything you'd ever wanna eat and drink for being lucky customer one hundred thousand~" The lie is rather terrible, but somehow, an errant thought starts pushing at the woman's mind. It's telling her that she can trust this strange lady and her friends. Nobody deserves to go hungry, after all, and they'll know just how to take care of whatever this terrible feeling is, even if it's in the wrong direction. As if to prove the veracity of her words, she even slips a bottle of water out of her pocket with a Concord subsidiary's promotional branding on it. Somehow, it's still cold. It's also vaguely citrusy.
Timespace Riders	Tea Shop Sougo grins awkwardly after the handshake, scratching the back of his head. "Oh! S-sorry! I thought you were someone I went to school with," he says. "We were really good friends, but she transferred out my second year when her parents moved to a different country." This Sougo isn't oblivious to the agitated looks in the line. "You look a lot like her, is all! Anyway--I don't wanna hold up the line. Sorry to bother you!" He excuses himself and disappears around a corner, there to travel into the past to meet with the girl in line at the cake stand, who he's very reasonably certain is their suspect. Pie and Cake Stand Sougo does occasionally glance over at the tea shop, just out of curiosity over why there were so many eyes on that girl. Was it really just because she smelled nice? Most of his attention, however, is on the girl with her hands full. "Riding a hare... I haven't heard that one before," says the one remaining Sougo with some interest. "I guess maybe I mistook you for someone else," he admits. "But--Ohh! Wow, number one hundred thousand... that's pretty lucky! Congratulations! Um... you look pretty hungry, and I know you're not who I thought you were... but if it's not too much to ask, do you mind sharing a little of the, um, prize with me? I had a long flight here and I haven't eaten much..." Woz disappears from his vantage point, ducking out of line-of-sight of any side-eye sorts, behind a blind corner of the managerial suite, to teleport back down to ground level (the ferry itself). As Sougo and Kukuru usher her along, he is waiting on the ferry, just past the embarkation ramp, with his book open. As she passes, he blows, sending a glittering cloud of intense relaxant powder her way. "Apologies," he says as would an absent-minded reader, without looking up. "I didn't see you there."
Zero Kiryu	The young woman at the pie shop swallows the second half of the pie down and is in the middle of taking the second when things start to get weird. Her alertness shoots up abruptly, and Yuuki notices that she tenses on her left side to reach for... something. It might then occur to her that this is a person with a routine weapon, and one with a mode of concealment very similar to Artemis's-- a leg holster of some kind holding a collapsible. Only, she doesn't actually have one. The instinct to go for a weapon is simply wasted. Across the way, Maria Kurenai observes Raziel moving to check her. She glances towards Yuuki. Then, untucking her cane from beneath her arm, she looks at Tea Shop Sougo with a gentle-if-not-entirely-reassuring smile and says, "I'm not in the habit of wild flailing. You can relax." Then, she pays for her tea, takes it, and walks away. Immediately afterwards every seagull in the terminal screeches and starts trying to steal from the pie shop and its customers, causing a huge uproar that is centered on that location but is not actually centered on the group trying to move their target around. There's also more than a few people pacified by Yuuki's presence who simply space out as the jerk birds of the sea steal their pies. This is a terrible thing. The target winds up to punch Kukuru in the face when she approaches, which is odd for somebody who supposedly can just produce claws, but the waves of pacification fall over her and the parts of her that are mid-change seize up at the command of vampire royalty besides. She makes a strange, strangled noise-- and then is more directly commanded about how to behave, and falls in line. "Sure, I don't mind..." drones the multiply-controlled woman to Sougo, who isn't even really aware of where she's going at this point. Her half-a-cup of water tumbles out of her hand and spills on the floor. By the time the pacification powder is applied to her, the young woman is only really responsive the way somebody is when they are very very tired and very drugged for some illness or another. She mumbles something to Woz. He gets the impression that she doesn't normally respond to that kind of 'accident' in quite so friendly a manner. The ticket agent looks EXTREMELY uncomfortable at what's going on, but looks to Raziel for instructions on what he wants done when the group gets to the gate. Maria Kurenai skips ahead of them and stands smartly in front of the ticket agent, leaning unnecessarily on her cane. "Don't worry, I'm paying for their tickets. Let them aboard." She proceeds to do so, boarding herself ahead of the group and their captured quarry. The tickets that were bought for them, it turns out, are all first-class.
Zero Kiryu	'Are you requesting that I do so?' Zero asks Yuuki, of 'feeding' their guest. It sounds like something he wouldn't have considered himself in these circumstances.
Raziel	Raziel was expecting many things... Not what happens. Maria leaving, peacefully is one thing. The distraction to allow his allies to make the perfect escape with their target is another. He falls in line once he can't see Maria, aiming to provide an escort with the others, as their goal was the boat, he would be necessary. He holds a hand up to the Ticket agent, "Change of plans, you will still be compensat-" for only Maria to appear and pay for their tickets as well. He shares a glance with Yuuki, more wordlessly asking her if she trusts the intention of the woman. Or more properly, does she handle revenge this well?
Kukuru	The temptation to swat at the birds is strong, but Kukuru's pretty sure one of her companions is doing it on purpose. Still, for all those birds to steal so much food and get fat on it later... Such a waste of meat. If the target winding up is supposed to frighten Kukuru off, she doesn't look it in the slightest! Her patience ends up being rewarded when all the mind-addling efforts wind up making the situation look far worse than it actually is, but she doesn't seem to mind even when approaching the ticket agent. "Don't worry. She'll be okay once we get her something to eat!" She reassures the ticket agent, leaning forward to sort-of-whisper. "It's one of those fad diet things. I told her not to, but..." She waggles her hand noncommittally as though that means something, then dips down briefly to get the lady's arm over the back of her head for extra stability. What does end up worrying Kukuru, though, is Maria coming by to pay for everyone's tickets. It only lasts for a little while, though, before she realizes that first class means they really will get to eat the really good food she promised the target! More importantly, getting to eat that stuff themselves, too. "Aw, that was nice of her, wasn't it?" She smiles pleasantly at her companions while adjusting her hold. "Anyway, let's help her get settled in first. She must be tired after all that. Where's the..." Kukuru pauses. What /would/ be the quietest and best place to bring this lady to get some privacy, anyway? "... Restrooms?
Timespace Riders	Woz is quite used to unfriendly receptions. Muted variations of such are only slightly a novelty. He files in behind Sougo and Kukuru. Sougo heaves a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he says under his breath. Discretion is quite hard for someone whose normal means of interaction (save temporal hijinks) quite loudly and emphatically announce themselves. The arrival of the girl from the tea shop--Maria--isn't unnoticed. Does she know? Better to err on the side of caution and ask his questions in the way he's become quite accustomed to. The one and presently only Sougo travels back in time to look directly at the suspect's past. How did she get past the summit's security measures? More importantly--was she in control of her own actions at the time? The Sougo of the present appears to hitch, as if space dropped frames for a second. He is otherwise peering wistfully off the rails of the ferry's first class accomodations.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki has time and space to watch, in the pacified line, their target go for a weapon - and not find it - then go for a swing of a closed fist rather than the claws they should (ostensibly, did) have. But Kukuru had said there was a device in them, and had seen the flat-toothed mouth of the hungry girl well enough for Yuuki to share in Kukuru's insight. Maria, who Yuuki keeps on shooting sunglasses'd looks at while she converses with Tea Shop Sougo, sics a storm of seagulls to flail for her onto the crowd, causing a tremendous distraction as the evil birds snatch up pies from docile civilians and make off with many delicious offerings. Kukuru, and Woz, affect their moves, and stack on more mental bindings so their target is as gulled as the birds swooping hungrily. Yuuki falls in with Raziel moments later, with a to-go bag of pies (she didn't wait) held in both hands as she steps towards the ferry. The question of the Knight is pressing, and so she grants him a gaze with the corner of her glowing-carmine eye and a gentle smile. "She is the daughter of the deceased, Raziel. And my friend. She may have whatever she wants, within reason - if there is a plot, then she will join us in removing it." Yuuki has faith, and authority besides. Using it would be a far bridge, but for the sake of such a delicate situation Yuuki would be willing to use many tools. Chief among them was the sweetest blood available - 'When we are joined on the ferry, since you brought extra, offer one to Maria and our guest. It will ease their hungers for a moment and bind their sharpest claws to what we need.' It was not just the blood, not specifically, but a glass of red smoothed many things in vampire society. Joining the Partners - and Maria - in First Class, Yuuki finds a novelty coming to rest besides Sougo off the rails, leaning her arms over the railing and gazing across the horizon-line. "I will need much from you, Sougo." Yuuki admits, lightly. "I do not have so many of those 'heroic Riders' to call on. Knights, as a royal would, but few Riders. Will you save my world, Kamen Rider?" The Director asks softly. "I fear that if this goes... badly, then even forever won't be long enough."
Zero Kiryu	[Sougo]: She didn't. Rather, there is no appearance that anybody handed her the keys to the building, or that she had a map she memorized, or anything like that. It's a lot more like she "already fit the habits" of somebody who belonged there, even though she didn't. In particular, the man who actually engaged her in a fight and drove her off doesn't react to her presence when she first appears among the security detail. There's a timestamp where he suddenly pays attention to her, which coincides with a pale glow to her eyes and the growth of short talons on her fingers -- though not, notably, fangs -- and the lack of a fatality in her biting attack appears to be at least in part because she didn't have those fangs. That is to say, although this woman wasn't part of the security detail, it was sufficiently plausible to them that she was until some 'trigger' occurred that drew their attention to her just a moment too late to stop a fatal strike. [The Present] Maria smiles at Yuuki, faintly. When the group advances onto the ferry, they find that the first-class section is... empty. Nearly entirely, so there's no need to seek out a sketchy place to do whatever. The only other person there is Maria Kurenai, who is in a row seat in the back with her cane leaned against the seat. There is a single seagull hanging out with her. She may have planned for having her own private space to begin with, and may have already known where this was going if she was watching with seagulls for hours beforehand. A twist of vine hidden on Yuuki's person sprouts outward abruptly into the form of Zero Kiryu, who takes the burden of restraining the captive in one of the chairs with a series of not-so-thorny vines. The only person still here is one bartender at the head of the ferry's first class lounge who looks at them, looks at the vined-down woman, and then goes back to cleaning glasses. Zero produces one of the two cordials and helps the dazed, restrained young woman drink it. She coughs lightly, and then a lot of her previous symptoms seem to go away. Slowly, her awareness begins to creep back into her. Immediately afterwards, Zero walks to the back where Maria is hanging around, raising the other vial between two fingers. They're talking, but distant enough it can be hard to hear what they're saying. The name 'Ichiru' comes up a few times.
Timespace Riders	"I know," says Sougo to Yuuki, with the kind of weight that comes from someone who's only recently realized the burden they've taken on. Realized, and accepted. "And I will," Sougo answers Yuuki, staring out over the water. "I would, even if I wasn't in the Concord." He smiles faintly, turning his head to look at her. "Good kings don't turn a blind eye to the world outside their kingdom. I want things to be better for everyone, you know?" "The fact that I am in the Concord... well, that's just a bonus, I think." He shrugs his shoulders softly. "'If things go bad...' we'll handle it, and we'll do better than the best, and no matter what, we'll all have each other to call on." The sounds of Zero's vines gnarling has him looking over his shoulder. It looks like their suspect is firing on all cylinders again. He takes a steadying breath and prepares him for what's to come--not just interrogating, but asking the right questions. The questions Maria would need to hear the answer to. She probably feels she's due revenge, and he can't blame her, nor, following recent experiences, does he expect he'll be able to blunt that emotional rresponse. Redirecting it, though... Sougo smiles wanly, and turns, his back pressed against the railing.
Kukuru	The first-class section being empty actually makes things far more convenient, and now Kukuru doesn't even need to find a bathroom! Maybe later, but for now, she's content to let Zero handle restraining their target with those vines. That leaves Kukuru to check on all the Concord members one at a time and even offering them the most vital of ship-bound treats: Motion sickness pills. Maria, of course, doesn't get ignored, and Kukuru even beelines towards her once she's made sure everyone that wants those pills gets them. "He-llo, dear. Thanks for the tickets, and... I'm sorry." She holds her arms out to her sides, as if offering a hug and providing it if she gets a clear indication that it's wanted. "Please, believe in us. It shouldn't take long, okay?" She doesn't state outright what 'it' is, but a glance back at the target might be an indicator there. "And then... We can help."