double your minis double your fun

SOLO MINI:

[17:42] <Odin> Your comm registers a number dialing it on your "Only dial this in an emergency" number. Caller ID identifies it as Erek, that gaijin reporter with a disturbing tendency to keep arriving on big things. Unfortuately, this tendency gets him in trouble far, far too often.
[17:43] <Odin> If he's calling you at this time of night, he's in trouble. Again.
06[17:43] * Oishi answers. "This is Satomi."
[17:46] <Odin> A shaky, pained voice answers your answer. "Hey, uh, Satomi? I uh *cough* ow... need a hand. You don't... (muffled) christ, is that my rib? (End muffle) know the Yaks, do you?"
01[17:47] <Oishi> "Not personally, but I know of them. Are you in a fight again?"
[17:50] <Odin> "Uh... was. They uh, beat me. Beat me bad." There's a pause. "Had a meeting... they had some information. Buncha.. low level thugs. Worked me over, stole my cred and the data. I... I called Docwagon, but could you... *cough* get it back? Dumbasses shat where they eat. Literally."
06[17:51] * Oishi sighs. "Alright, but you owe me a bowl of ramen for this. Where are they?"
03[17:52] * Oishi is now known as Satomi
[17:55] <Odin> "Noodle shop. Corner of Dale and Oak, over in uh, Renton. Three of them that I saw, before they broke my glasses. Hey uh, thanks Satomi, alright? I owe you more than a bowl."
06[17:55] * Satomi nods. "We'll start with that, then." She pulls on her driving helmet and heads out with her motorcycle to the location (making sure her sword is inside of it before she leaves.)
06[17:59] * Satomi also sends a message to her mom on the way. [Okasan, I'll be having dinner with a friend tonight. I'll be in after that.]
[18:00] <Odin> It's a hole in the wall noodle establishment sandwiched between two much larger department stores. The store you're looking for is clearly and cleanly marked with neon signs proclaiming it as "Lucky Tsao's" in English and Japanese. Japanese import motorcycles in conservative colors vie for space with each other right out front. The door is closed and the windows are boarded, but there is a flickering "Open" sign winking on and
[18:00] <Odin> off.
06[18:00] * Satomi parks her motorcycle in the group, popping her nodachi out of its compartment and strapping it onto her back. She trades her helmet for her face-disguising mempo, and walks inside.
[18:06] <Odin> When you walk into the cluttered store, your nose is filled with the wonderful aroma of a ramen master had at work. Behind the low slung bar, you see an old man working hard at his stove. One customer, an Ancient elf looks up at you, before grabbing his bowl and walking out past you. "Have fun, darling" he says as he exits. The three Yak's sitting at another table stand up when they see you. "<There is no hope you only want
[18:06] <Odin> noodles, is there?>" One of them asks. The other two draw steel.
01[18:07] <Satomi> <You must be the spineless criminals who attacked my friend.> She draws her own steel.
[18:09] <Odin> A heavy pan clatters loudly, like a judge's hammer. "<Not here! Outside!>" the old man demands. The Yak who hasn't drawn his weapon speaks again. "<Ah, the reporter. Unfortunately, he could not meet the new price the information required."
06[18:10] * Satomi motions outside. <I have all the payment I need in my hands>.
06[18:10] * Satomi walks outside into the parking lot.
[18:14] <Odin> They follow you. The two of them, you notice, have no little finger on their left hands. They wield a wakizashi with both hands. Sighing loudly, the last one draws a katana. His hands are untouched. They spread themselves around you, holding themselves at a distance, not quite willing to attack just yet.
06[18:15] * Satomi steadies her long sword in front of her, closing her eyes to take a deep breath, and then opening...
[18:15] <Odin> <You carry yourself with honor. Before we must kill you, I would like to know who you are.>
01[18:16] <Satomi> <My first name is Satomi, I have not earned the right to claim my family name back yet.>
[18:19] <Odin> <It seems you know us well enough. I will not waste breath. Your trip to the next life will be quick, Ronin.> He boasts, but still hesitates to attack. That blade of yours is far larger than his... but still, three of them, and only one of you.
03[18:24] * Odin changes topic to 'Satomi, WakA, WakB, Kat'
06[18:30] * Satomi strikes quickly, attacking the yakuza on her left. While he brings his sword up to take the edge off of the hit, it still leaves a deep gash in his shoulder and chest.
06[18:32] * Satomi turns the first strike into a sweeping hit from around the back, cutting deeply into the yak on her right.
[18:34] <Odin> Their tiny blades and weak hearts barely manage to move your blade before the heavy metal cuts them. The first one you struck tries to attack you from the side, while your blade is still cutting through the flesh of his compatriot.
06[18:36] * Satomi blocks the strike with the flat of her sword, using the length of the blade to her advantage.
[18:38] <Odin> The Yakuza with the wakizashi who was cut second finally hits the ground, sword clattering out of his hands. His leader tries to bisect Satomi using the full force of his weapon.
06[18:38] * Satomi bats his attack out of the way easily, and with contempt.
06[18:43] * Satomi swings around, launching a probing attack at the wounded yakuza, which is batted aside, before moving to her real plan
06[18:44] * Satomi swings down overhead, forcing him into a position he really doesn't want to be in...and then capitalizes on it, following up with a horizontal strike that neatly cuts him in two at the waist.
[18:46] <Odin> The finely honed blade neatly bisects his spine, and all that troublesome meat in between. His unbalanced stance means he leans back.... before his upper half flops backward, as blood goes EVERYWHERE.
[18:48] <Odin> A sword hits the ground, as the last Yak gives up. <You win!  I surrender! I will give you the money, and the information!> He sinks to his knees as he holds his hands up, and out, not daring to run away.
06[18:49] * Satomi flares her nostrils, but draws herself back in. <Fine, hand it over to me quickly. And if I see another of your friends giving my friend or myself trouble, I might start thinking how much of a mistake mercy is. Do you understand?>
[18:52] <Odin> "Hai! Hai!" He rushes over to his fallen leader in the pool of his own blood, pausing to look at you for a brief second as he pulls out a blood stained credstick and an untouched optical chip from his jacket. He gives them to you slowly, gingerly, with shaking hands. A gurgle reminds you that the third yak is still alive, although not for much longer without immediate medical attention.
06[18:53] * Satomi takes the chip and the credstick. <If you act now that one might still be saved. But my part here is done.>
06[18:53] * Satomi flicks the blood off of her sword, before sheathing it and stepping inside, bowing an apology to the noodle man.
06[18:54] * Satomi then takes off her mempo and sits down, ordering a bowl of ramen. [To: Erek- I got your money and the information back, meet me at that noodle shop.]
[18:55] <Odin> A steaming hot bowl is ready for you before you even order. <A shame. Fools, but fools who ate much.>
06[18:55] * Satomi nods. <There is little that can be done in this. Still, one is alive, and another might survive if his friend is smart enough to call DocWagon. They may yet buy more noodles from you.>
03[18:55] * Georgia ([email protected]) has joined #Seattle72
[18:57] <Odin> <Oh? I see.> Erek calls in his affirmative, and then that Ancient comes back in. He whistles jauntily, as he sits at your table, propping his boots up on the table. "Pretty fancy moves out there."
01[18:58] <Satomi> "You were watching then. You are good at being inconspicuous, I did not see you at all."
[19:00] <Odin> "Yeah, well I could tell it'd be a hell of a show, but I didn't wanna get caught up in it all. Gramps, can I get a bowl for the road?"
06[19:03] * Satomi nods, going to start eating her ramen.
[19:03] <Odin> The old man practically chucks a bowl at the elf.
[19:05] <Odin> The ancient then spends the next fourty minutes before Erek arrives trying to flirt with Satomi. He'll stop if there's any hint of approaching violence.
06[19:05] * Satomi mostly ignores him for 15 minutes, then shoots him a glare at the 16 minute mark.
[19:10] <Odin> Erek comes in the door, arm in a splint, bandaged all over, and with a new cybereye. Before he showed up, you heard the sirens, and the sound of DocWagon at work. No sign of Lone Star.
06[19:11] * Satomi pats a stool on the other side, on her second bowl now.
06[19:11] * Satomi sets down the credstick and optical chip in front of that seat. "Here they are."
[19:11] <Odin> "So uh... that blood in the street, that your work?"
01[19:11] <Satomi> "Of course."
[19:11] <Odin> (He missed the DocWagon festivities.
[19:12] <Odin> He blanches. "Well. T-thanks. They were assholes anyway."
[19:12] <Odin> He indicates his arm.
[19:12] <Odin> "Seriously. I owe you for this."
06[19:12] * Satomi nods. "They said something about a price for it? Were you buying it?"
01[19:12] <Satomi> "Or was that a euphemism."
[19:13] <Odin> "I was! They quoted me one over comm, and another in person! I didn't have that kinda scratch, so they thrashed me and took the cash anyway."
01[19:14] <Satomi> "Ah, that explains it then. So what were you buying?"
[19:15] <Odin> "A store was behind on their uh, protection money. So they uh, took it. And found the talismongers expense reports were... interesting. Very... expensive stuff getting moved. Smelled like a story."
01[19:16] <Satomi> "Ah, I see."
[19:17] <Odin> "Yeah...." Hes slotted the chip in his comm, and is already looking through it. "Well. That's interesting."
06[19:17] * Satomi keeps eating. "By the way, the next ones are on him." She speaks to the noodle man.
[19:19] <Odin> "Who the hell orders an.. an... unattuned NEXUS? As a Focus....!?"

[16:14] <Odin> ***Back in the Noodle shop, in the evening light of a city ruled by greed and corruption***
[16:15] <Odin> "I'm not... I mean, I'm not a mage, but doesn't that go against every rule of magic?"
[16:16] <Odin> "The more technological something is, the worse it is for magic, right? I mean, I know the trids get shit wrong all the time, but they gotta be right about that one."
01[16:17] <Satomi> "As a general rule, yes, but there have been a lot of advancements in both magical technology and technological magic goods."
03[16:17] * dirkleton ([email protected]) has joined #Seattle72
[16:18] <Odin> "Right, right, but.... a computer? That's... That's just weird.
[16:18] <Odin> "
01[16:20] <Satomi> "It is, but it could be a mega going into a new field. Or just seeing what they can pull off. R&D is like that."
[16:22] <Odin> "Man, there's something here. My uh, journalistic instincts are kicking in. It's gotta be big!" Erek's always on the verge of the next big scoop, but somehow the material never materializes. He still refuses to talk about the "Bugs in the sewer system! Everytime someone goes down there, they get infested!" scoop he had a few months back.
[16:23] <Odin> "Why would they contract out though? R&D, that's the kinda stuff you wanna keep in house, keep the other corps from sniffing out where you're at...."
[16:23] <Odin> "Unless... unless it's a double blind? No, no, maybe they needed the materials...."
[16:27] <Odin> He starts spinning theories, each one sounding a little more out there than the last.
[16:30] <Odin> "Still, thank you, again. Couldn't have done it without you."
01[16:30] <Satomi> "Then maybe it's a smaller corp, one that wouldn't have the materials or ability, but would have the money to buy one."
01[16:30] <Satomi> "And it's no problem."
[16:31] <Odin> "Oh! Of course! How could I not see that!?"
[16:34] <Odin> "Hah! Excellent! Now all I need to do is figure out who would do such a thing... And more importantly, why!:
[16:38] <Odin> HE claps you on the back with his good arm. "Can you feel it? That's the feeling of a STORY!"
01[16:44] <Satomi> "It feels like you hitting me on the back instead."
[16:46] <Odin> "Hah! Well, I'm almost done with my bowl here. How much?"
[16:46] <Odin> The old man quotes him a price about twice as much as the Japanese menu states.
06[16:53] * Satomi smiles. "I'll get that. Just give me the money for it."
[16:54] <Odin> "Anything you say, gal." $20 nuyen is credited to your account.
06[16:56] * Satomi pays him the Japanese rate, but adds a good tip to the total.
06[16:56] * Satomi pockets the rest.
[16:58] <Odin> <Hah! I like you, Samurai. Consider yourself welcome here, anytime you'd like.>
[16:58] <Odin> The old man says, eyes twinkling as he bows at you.
01[17:00] <Satomi> <I'll consider it an invitation, grandfather.> She smiles back at him.
[17:01] <Odin> "So uh, just in case those creeps had friends, can I hitch a ride back with you?"
01[17:03] <Satomi> "I told them that if they come after you, I'm considering it a personal challenge, but sure. Where do you need to go?"
[17:05] <Odin> "Just back to my place. But uh, would you really do that for me? Would it turn into like, one of those blood feud revenge matches where you walk into the fortress of the local Obayan and kill absolutely EVERYBODY?"
01[17:08] <Satomi> "If I'm lucky, sure."
[17:10] <Odin> You hear him whisper "That's so totally fucking awesome" under his breath.
06[17:14] * Satomi mutters <Fucking gaijin> under her breath.
[17:14] <Odin> One extremely awkward motorcycle ride with him holding on with his one good arm for dear life later, and he clambers off, shaking a little. Looks like motorcycle vibrations and a broken arm don't mix all that well. Ah well, he'll live. "T-thanks! When are you going to get in trouble and need me to bail you out?"
03[17:15] * Spindly is now known as Suriel
01[17:17] <Satomi> "Probably never. See you later!"
02[17:19] * Odin ([email protected]) Quit (Ping timeout)




DUEL MINI:


01[19:21] <Satomi> ANOTHER TIME:
[19:22] <Georgia> Oishi gets a comm from a fellow team member--Georgia. [I'm free for the forseeable future. Would you like to spar, Oishi?]
01[19:23] <Satomi> [Sure. Do you have a place for it? I can ask my sensei if you don't.
01[19:23] <Satomi> ]*
03[19:23] * Spindly is now known as Shiva-Mohan
[19:24] <Georgia> [I've scouted out a few places that would be fair for it, but if you have an actual dojo that would be preferred.]
01[19:25] <Satomi> [Well, it's not very big. Your places will probably be better.]
[19:26] <Georgia> [Ah, especially if you would like me to use my full capabilities. I've found an abandoned construction zone in the Barrens that people steer clear of--would that work?]
01[19:26] <Satomi> [Sure. Send me the location and I'll meet you there.]
[19:27] <Georgia> An address pops to OIshi's commlink.
06[19:27] * Satomi finds a nodachi-sized bokken, and goes to her motorcycle to travel to the location.
[19:29] <Georgia> It's as Georgia described--an abandoned construction zone, stable enough but avoided by squatters due to being open-air. Anything of value has long since been looted, though there's still scraps and fragments of metal about. Georgia herself seems to have arrived first, bundled in a long coat against the cold. She bears no obvious weapons.
06[19:30] * Satomi dismounts from her motorcycle, locking it and putting the key into her pocket. She has a wooden sword the size of her nodachi on her back. She nods to Georgia.
06[19:31] * Georgia returns the nod. "We spar until one of us gives up, I think. How would you prefer I be for this?"
01[19:31] <Satomi> "At your strongest, is my preference."
06[19:31] * Satomi draws her wooden sword.
[19:32] <Georgia> She nods... and sheds her coat. Under it she has simple, nondescript clothes... and she focuses for a moment.
[19:33] <Georgia> Where a pale elf stood, now stands a dragon--a small one, but a dragon all the same, all thick scales and thick muscles, white as a ghost and with pale blue eyes. Her mouth opens for a moment, and a curl of smoke drifts forward as she flexes her claws. "Then let us begin."
06[19:33] * Satomi looks surprised for a moment, then smiles. "I did not expect this, but I am ready."
06[19:34] * Satomi suddenly charges, swinging at Georgia with a pair of strikes.
06[19:36] * Georgia brings up one forepaw, blocking the first--but the second goes through, impacting on her scales. She lets out a soft grunt. "A strong blow." She smiles draconically... and brings her other paw up, snarling.
[19:38] <Georgia> She follows up with a snap of her jaw, extending her neck to try and catch Satomi unawares...
06[19:41] * Satomi blocks the first snap, but the second barely catches her, knocking the wind out of her with the force of Georgia's jaws.
01[19:42] <Satomi> "Quite strong." She grimaces. "I am not sure if any of my ancestors have fought dragons."
06[19:45] * Satomi shifts her stance, and charges back in, cracking Georgia on her skull with the bokken, and breaking it in the process.
[19:45] <Georgia> "I'm only a Drake, not a true dragon, but still, I hope to provide a suitable chal--" *CRACK*
[19:45] <Georgia> And she falls... quite unconcious.
06[19:46] * Satomi blinks, looking at her broken bokken. Well, at least she's not bleeding.
06[19:46] * Satomi sits down next to Georgia and waits for her to wake up.
06[19:49] * Georgia wakes up after about an hour with a groan... and a sigh. "I... need to work on my non-spelll fighting quite a bit," she rumbles... shifting back into her elf form and putting a hand to her head. "You're very good, by the way."
06[19:49] * Satomi nods. "Thank you. I thought you would be using more spells though. Not that you don't hurt even without them."
[19:51] <Georgia> "Next time, I will." She smiles a bit, grunting. "But... well, I'm trying to be a little less spell-happy. The last time I provided ample amounts of magical support in such a matter, I spent two weeks in the hospital and they weren't sure if I would live."
[19:51] <Georgia> "I don't fear dying, but the medical bills... well."
01[19:52] <Satomi> "Ah, before I arrived then. You are a rather...large target in that form."
[19:52] <Georgia> "True enough. It's useful, though. If nothing else, it and an invisbility spell means I don't have to rely on public transport." She chuckles lightly. "And, as you said--I hit hard in it."
06[19:53] * Satomi giggles at that, but steadies herself. "So what did you wish to learn from our sparring?"
[19:56] <Georgia> "Mostly? How much harder I needed to practice." She flexes her hands a bit, thinking. "And to get to know you a little better."
01[19:56] <Satomi> "I see, and what did you learn there?"
[19:57] <Georgia> "I have quite a bit to go, personally." She looks over to Oishi and smirks a bit. "You're more than a natural fighter. And you've got a lot of anger inside you, I think. But you use it well, and you don't let it control you."
01[19:58] <Satomi> "Quite accurate. As for you..." She thinks. "You're strong, but you lack knowledge of your limits. Or what is limitless within you."
06[20:00] * Georgia nods. "I'm... aware of a few things that are limitless, when it comes to it. None of them are things I would particularly like to embrace... but perhaps I should look more."
01[20:01] <Satomi> "Well, I enjoyed our sparring. Would you like to continue with it? I think you'll be a bit big for my sensei's dojo though."
[20:05] <Georgia> "Certainly, though I'll need a bit." She chuckles, rubbing her head. "And yes... I am a little big for most buildings when I'm in my dracomorph form."
[20:05] <Georgia> "Still, I'm not helpless outside of it. And I'm a much less attractive target."