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Samurai, Geisha, and Kishin Eggs?; Kyoto Studio Park
Topic Started: Jul 5 2009, 07:41 AM (259 Views)
Shinigami
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Feel free to write about how you found out about the mission and the trip to Japan. I don’t know the relationship level between Mai and Will, so I’m going to assume “in character” Will has been assigned to Mai as yet another temporary team.


It was morning in Japan, but whether it was a good one, was less certain. The cab drive from Kyoto Airport was a quiet one, with the only noise the steady hum and whirr of the air conditioner as it kept the small car warm. The back seat had been small, and Will and Mai had to practically sit in each other’s lap during the duration of the journey. But still, even the cab had been nicer than standing outside- the cab had been warm.

A small semi-circle of jacket, jumpers and scarves stood waiting as the newly formed team stepped, or fell, from the car. Six puffs of breath formed at once upon viewing the white haired, white eyed boy. They sent a blind boy? they thought. Well, they thought variations of Ninmu o michibiku moumoku no Shounenka but that’s harder to type, and harder to understand. Around them, the Kyoto Studio Park sat, for the moment, quiet but not calm. The group were already within the walls, and around them replica Edo-period buildings stood, looking for all the world that at any moment a samurai, peasant, or geisha could come walking out of one of the houses ready for a day’s work. One of people stepped forward. They wore a heavy jacket that reached down to mid-shins, and underneath at least one jumper.

”Good morning.” the voice said, before bowing. It seemed faintly husky, and the gender could not be determined from either sight or sound. ”We do apologise for this cold snap, the sets are usually still quite pleasant at this time of year. Do either of you need something more to wear? We’ve got plenty of clothes around the place if you’re feeling the cold.” Another person stepped forward. She was clearly female, and despite the chilly weather was wearing only a thin, long-sleeve business shirt, and a tight-fitting dress. Her long, straight, orange bleached hair wafted gently in the wind as she pointed towards a near by building.

The husky voice spoke up again. “I’m afraid Yamanaki-san doesn’t speak very fluent English, but that is the costume store over there, if you’re interested. I assume you’ve been told about the problem we have here, and we would deeply appreciate your technical skills in this area.” The jacket wearer bowed again, before stepping back.
Edited by Shinigami, Jul 5 2009, 07:44 AM.
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Shadow Phoenix
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Mai was a bit surprised the day she got the mission for Japan, she guessed it was only because it was naturally her native tongue. She'd been so excited that she got her first mission that she didn't dare dwell on it, she rushed home so that she could shower and change for bed. She knew it would be a long flight the next day and that they needed to get up early to make it to the Airport, that night she slept well from just thinking that she'd be going home for the first time in so long.

Of course the plane ride wasn't all that pleasant, she sat in front of a four year old who kept hitting her seat the whole time, and behind a fat man that kept leaning his chair back too far. She sighed as she looked over at Will, he seemed to be okay from what she could tell, actually he looked kind of peaceful in her opinion. She smiled as she kicked the guy in front of her, she really hated when people didn't listen to others, she'd even asked him about five times to stop leaning back so far she guessed he finally got the hint now. From what she heard at her mission briefing they were supposed to be heading to Kyoto for the studio park, she guessed the best way to complete this mission was to dress the way the people did there as to blend in and not get noticed as much. But she didn't know how much of a target the regulars were, so maybe it wouldn't be such a great idea.

When they arrived at the Airport in Kyoto Mai was bit surprised that there was already a cab waiting there for them, the drive to the park was silent because she didn't know what to say to Will in the car for good conversation. When they arrived Mai was the first to get out of the car, she immediately pulled her jacket closer to her when the cold air hit her. Mai listed to the introduction of the male/female in front of her, she then eyed Yamanki-san for a moment. She bowed at a forty-five degree angle which was most respective when meeting someone. "Konichiwa Yamanaki-san." She said politely as she came back up to eye level, she then turned to the male/female from before. "I'm pretty fluent in Japanese but I haven't been here in a while so I don't know how rusty I am, oh and I just love costumes I wouldn't mind trying one on just to blend in here." Mai smiled as she looked at the costume shop, although she'd enjoy it she just hoped they wouldn't put her in a princess outfit, she always did hate those. Of course when she did finally leave the costume shop she was fuming a little, they did make her wear a princess outfit, which consisted of deep blues and reds. The make-up artists put her hair down and did her make-up making her look even more the part than she wanted, heck she would have been happy wearing a geisha outfit for heavens sake.
I am the creator of Shadow Kokoro, Kichiro Ace, and Mai Kimiya, may you visit them in good nature.
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Imp of Chaos
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Will was pleased. Not only had it been a good long while since he had last been on a mission, but it had also been a good long while since he had a meister that resonated easily with him. All was well in the world. He sat back in his aeroplane seat. Usually flights were annoying, with a hostess assigned to him, making sure he was comfortable and cared for. It usually grated on his nerves. Not so this time. Having a meister, he was able to get onto the plane covertly, without anyone being made aware of his 'disability'. The plane trip was pleasant and relaxing there-after, and Will amused himself with the cultural pamphlet he had been given specially. It listed a few of the cultural customs, and faux pas that could be committed by ignorant foreigners. Will wanted to memorise these but there were so many that it seemed too much like hard work. He recalled vaguely that the person who gave him and Mai the mission sounded disapproving when she learned Will couldn't speak the language and didn't know a great deal about the place. Fortunately his Meister did, and it wasn't like she could just leave her weapon behind.

When they finally arrived, after landing and the subsequent uncomfortable taxi ride, Will found himself surrounded by people of a foreign culture. Clearly they were making an effort by speaking English, to compensate for any linguistic deficiency that Will and Mai may harbour, but would they be so tolerant if Will accidentally did something culturally offensive? He decided not to push it, and feeling Mai bow followed her movements as closely as he could manage, using all available senses to get an impression of the place, the people and the actions going on around him. Quickly he and Mai were shepherded to what was supposedly a costume shop. They were separated, as the changing rooms were gender specific. Will felt uneasy about this turn of events, but soon realised he could hear what was going on in the female change room anyway, through the thin walls. There were busy noises as the women who worked at the shop dressed Mai up. He could hear exclamations, but couldn't understand them. Some of the words seemed to be English, ones such as pretty, and beautiful, but Will wasn't sure.

His own assistants giggled a lot. Will wasn't quite sure why they were so amused, but their complete indifference to his state of dress was rather unnerving, and a blush crept down his neck to the top of his chest. Will had suffered change rooms where all the boys were piled in together at school, but to have a couple of women dressing him was something else again.

"You royal guard, you samurai, fierce warrior"

one of them explained briefly, growling fiercely at him before laughing. Will chuckled nervously, hoping that soon they would be finished. A few rough tugs and some string tying later, Will was handed his regular clothes, neatly folded and slightly warm from the quickly dissipating body heat they had retained, and was shuttled out of the dressing rooms. He waited for another half hour or so before Mai was also shunted out and the bill was taken down, along with the students' signatures, for faxing to Shibusen. Someone took three pictures, by the sounds of things. It must have been a self-developing style camera, because soon a small glossy piece of paper was thrust into Will's hands, and with wishes for the best of luck in a strangled English, the two students found themselves costumed, ready for action, and out on the street. The shop kept a picture for themselves, and Mai also received a picture.

Will turned to Mai, tucking the photograph he would never see into the folds of his clothes. He would send it in a letter to his guardian along with a report of current events. He would certainly appreciate it.

"What do we do now? If it was ok with you, I'd like to put my clothes and luggage in the hotel... Then maybe spend the rest of the day learning the layout of the town... If you didn't mind guiding me of course."

He smiled shyly. He and Mai had only been partners for a short time. This was their first mission, and only a week had gone by since the events of morgue street. Will was still unsure how to act around Mai, and how she would act when on a mission.
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Watching the pair enter the costume shop, the semi-circle closed in on itself and formed a tight, warm clump. There was constant whispering among in their native tongue, though the occasional snippet escaped the group and was caught on the breeze which continued to pick up strength and chill. "Do you think they will?" and "A blind boy!" could be heard repeatedly, though as already mentioned, in Japanese rather than English. After a few minutes, the circle broke, and the figures went their seperate ways to prepare for the busy day ahead.



Standing in the early morning cold, the pair looked quite the piece. Mai was enthroned deep within several thick layers of high-quality patterned silk kimonos, with the outer layer being lined with (artificial) mink fur for the further appearance of wamth. A wide, navy obi accentuated Mai's thin waist and curvy appearance, while the discretely tall-platformed shoes added a few inches to her height. Will, on the other hand, looked to be straight out of anime. His wispy white hair sat styled and ruffled about his head, and framed his pale blue optics. He was clad in a jacket so such a dark maroon it was almost black, with a simple white jacket underneath, and was only visible around his neckline. On the back of the jacket a jumping carp had been stitched on in white, and was likely intended to show alleigance to a certain television program. He wore the dress-like hakama down to his ankles, which were in turn hidden underneath the toed socks and wooden sandles. A trio of blunt swords hung from his right hip in true samurai fashion, and while they shone like liquid moonlight, could not even cut cheese.

Both now warmly insulated from errant breezes and frigid climates, the trek about town would be far more comfortable- or at least would be once they accostumed themselves to their new footgear. A small map of the amusement park/film studio had been handed to Mai while she was changing, and among other things listed the location of the premier hotel within the compound, and the main tourist attractions. There were two quickly drawn circles on the map aswell, and the small japanese characters next to the circles listed "Attack here". One was within the faux red light district, while the other was on the traditional Japanese bridge which was the pride of the Studio Park.




The hotel itself seemed a simple affair, and was itself likely used for filming. It resembled the traditional single story Meiji-period inn, with sliding screen doors that blocked neither sound, smell nor light and a stone-lined hotspring that had taken months for the design crew to create. The reception area was of a simple, yet austere design, and one could that only the highest quality wood and tarnish had been used. There were no blemishes on the paper screens, scratches on the floor, or dust on the counter. A teenage Japanese girl swept by a partially open door, wearing a tucked-up kimono, a hankerchief on her head, and ran doubled over with her hands pressing a towel to the ground to simultaneously clean and polish. The owner (presumably) of the hotel seemed as carefully tidy as her premise, and spoke in soft, slow tones. It seemed clear she was at lengths to come off as a gentle soul, but her eyes seemed calculating and steely, and left one with the impression they didn't want to cross her.

OOC
 
I'm not sure if you plan to go to the hotel, but I thought I'd describe it now if you chose to~
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Mai looked over at Will before slightly blushing, he actually looked good in the attire of a guard. She fixed herself before pulling out the gold ribbons that they'd put in her hair. "I don't mind stopping by the hotel before learning the layout of the land here." Mai muttered to him as she hooked her arm in his, she wanted everyone to think that he really was her guard. "You know you look cute in your outfit Will." She whispered to him before giggling slightly, it hadn't even been five minutes before they reached the hotel. Mai eyed the owner for a bit before stepping forward to speak with her. "We have a room for Mai Kimiya." She waited for about two minutes before a sliding key was given to her. "This way Will." Mai giggled uncontrollably as she led him down the halls of the hotel.

When she finally opened the door she was awestruck at what she saw, two futons laid out for them to sleep on, a heated table for their legs if they needed to do work later on. She looked out the window only to see a small hot spring right in the back of their room, maybe it was a personal one who know. She jumped around merrily as she did turns making herself dizzy in the process, she wasn't watching where she was going and nearly crashed into Will. It it had happened he would have fell backwards onto the futon that was laid out while she covered his body with her own.

[OOC: sorry so short]
I am the creator of Shadow Kokoro, Kichiro Ace, and Mai Kimiya, may you visit them in good nature.
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Imp of Chaos
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"you look cute in your outfit Will."

Mai giggled. Will turned red(er). He must look very stupid if it made his partner giggle so much. It was probably something a girl would wear... It did feel a little bit like a dress, after all. He wondered vaguely about the swords that were strapped to his side, although he knew they couldn't be too deadly. He sighed,

'at least these clothes protect me from the wind...'

Then he slipped. He felt the world jolt slightly, but with his arm hooked in with Mai's, Will was saved from an embarrassing face-plant. The shoes were just a little bit tricky. Walking to the hotel Will began to notice that a few people seemed to become disheartened upon coming closer to himself and Mai. It was a very definite vibration, that had confused Will the first few times it had happened, but was definitely the feeling of disheartening, or perhaps of disappointment? Those grey area feelings could be difficult to tell apart, and weren't particularly strong, meaning a large amount of concentration was required to hear them clearly. Will frowned, about to mention it to Mai, when they finally reached their accommodation. The manager there was a mystery. Seemingly the nicest person you could meet, Will's soul perception told a different story, although it was difficult to tell, as her mask was so absolutely encompassing that it leaked into her soul, tainting his reading. The whole place smelt fresh and clean. None of the surfaces that Will brushed by contained dust dirt or cobwebs that he could feel, and he just knew, somehow, that the whole place must be in a similar condition of cleanliness. It wasn't just the work of someone with a love of their hotel, it was the work of someone with a fierce determination to have everything perfect. He had to feel just a little sorry for the hard worked cleaners.

'perhaps a cleaning brownie lives here too?'

mused Will, losing his opportunity to question the woman.

'ah well, I'm sure we'll see her again, and it'd be nice to get everything into the rooms before we go around asking questions and getting into trouble.'

Mai seemed very excited by the hotel and Will had to smile slightly, amused by her exuberance. It was nice to be partnered to someone who was so happy. Will was having some small amount of trouble with his new shoes. His usual apparel always included a pair of closed in, well fitting shoes, with soles that would grip well to most surfaces in most conditions. These he considered some of his most important pieces of equipment. He sighed as once more the wooden shoes let him down, almost literally, causing him to trip up on the smooth floors of the hotel. Eventually, however, the two Shibusen students managed to get to their room. Will sighed in relief, taking off the dreaded shoes by the door. Mai gasped at the room, so Will assumed it was pretty nice. He smiled, stretched, and put down his luggage, also next to the door. Will internalised its location before setting off to explore the room. His foot hit up against something, and leaning down Will discovered the futon. It was just the right consistency for a comfortable nights rest. He stood and turned to speak to Mai.

"whi-"

Mai crashed into him, clearly having tripped in her excitement, and sent them both crashing to the futon. While it may have been made for sleeping on, and would be comfortable for such an activity, it wouldn't be Will's first choice of object to break his fall. All he managed was a startled

"oof"

having the wind driven out of him by the impact.

'how is it I always end up being stuck under women?'

Before he could get his breath back, or extricate himself politely from the situation, Will heard the door to the room open.

'I'm here... Mai is also here... so the person who opened the door would be...?'

"I have come to make sure this room is to your liking"

The manager woman.

'bollocks'

Will blushed deeply. After the awkward situation had been dealt with, Will was still left with a blush. They had been informed of the hot tub at their disposal, and of various other amenities.

"Well"

Will cleared his throat,

"How about we hit the town?"

He paused, before realising how that sounded,

"and er... and do some... finding... of the asking about people. I mean asking people, about finding those kishin-eggs, what they know... and the like."

Will began to wonder if the blush was going to be a permanent feature.
Edited by Imp of Chaos, Jul 10 2009, 12:14 AM.
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The small map of the amusement park/film studio sat quietly on the futon, which had fell from Mai during her unfortunate trip. Among other things listed the location of the premier hotel within the compound, and the main tourist attractions. There were two quickly drawn circles on the map aswell, and the small japanese characters next to the circles listed "Attack here". One was within the faux red light district, while the other was on the traditional Japanese bridge which was the pride of the Studio Park.

A close examination of the map would reveal that a block or two from the pair was the artificial red light district.

The it was only the rhythmic clunk of the Shishi Odoshi which broke the silence in the red light district. It looked similar to many of the other streets superficially, but had a number of red lanterns strung across the streets, and many of the Edo-period houses which lined the streets opened onto verandas, rather than stalls or walls. Yellow police tape quartered off the area from casual tourists, but posed no problem to Shibusen students- or atleast Shibusen students who could see the yellow tape. There was not a soul (haha) in sight, or indeed in the block at all, as all acting had been redirected elsewhere since the accident two nights before. A few stone fences were spoke clearly of the higher-class geisha areas, but for Will and Mai, the interest was far from there. In one of the unnamed streets, it looked like a battle had taken place. Several poles had either been sliced in twain, or bore deep cut marks, whilst a number of geta lay hanging suspended through the thin, paper walls. The compacted earth floor of the street had several marks in a small area. Each of them was only quarter of an inch wide, roughly an inch long, and went deeper into the earth at an angle. Someone with a keen eye, and a sharp mind would realise that they were marks from two different swords whose tips had been repeatedly forced into the ground during a cut.
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When Mail fell on top of Will her face went into the crook of his neck, making her nose crash into the cushion. Her chest was meshed up against him when the door opened and someone came in, she didn't know who yet for her face was still buried. She lifted herself up on her forearms before turning her head in the direction of the manager who had a odd look on her face, Mai's face turned a deep shade of red as she looked down at what she was actually on. She stuttered a brief apology to Will as she scurried off his body and into the corner as far from him as possible, she listened to what the manager was saying but still kept her mind on past events that were quite embarrassing when dealing with her new partner.

Finally when the manager left Mai let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, she was pulled to her senses when she heard Will's calm voice and the funny way he corrected himself. He was right they should get started on looking things over, she whisked the blush off her face before rushing over to the map which had fallen off of her when she . . . um . . fell yeah that's it. "Do you think we should start with places that have already been hit, or places that might be hit?" Mai asked him as she looked over the markings on the map, she spotted the red light district and shivered at the thought of going there although she knew it might be a target. Mai squinted her eyes as she wiggled a bit, the outfit she was wearing was starting to itch around her waist. She loosened it a bit before sitting down on a futon which wasn't the she had 'fallen' on earlier.
I am the creator of Shadow Kokoro, Kichiro Ace, and Mai Kimiya, may you visit them in good nature.
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Imp of Chaos
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Will collected his thoughts, scattered as they were, and tried to focus on the task at hand. He felt embarrassed for Mai. People bumped into him all the time, and some did end up falling on him. Lately a majority of those had been girls. He could understand, however, the embarrassment that she must have felt, that caused her to move quickly to the other side of the room. Will couldn't help but wonder though, wether she was embarrassed because she saw him as unattractive or deficient, as his self esteem had taken a dive since arriving at the park.

"Personally I would like to have a walk around the places that have already been hit. I can't really think of where they might go next, so where they have been seems a good start. Perhaps we could walk to the closest, move to the furthest, and then head back here for the night and think about what we have learned? Alternately we could just learn the lay of the land and go hunting tonight if that's what you prefer."

Quietly Will was somewhat down. He felt that Mai might have been less embarrassed if he was better, or stronger, or not disabled. He knew that his doctor had said on Will's last visit that his blood work had come out oddly and that some sort of medication would be sent as soon as possible, but Will seriously wondered if the doctor knew where he was at the moment. He worried about his weakness. He wasn't sure what he looked like, but no one had ever commented on his looks being good or bad, so he assumed he was just average. Will sighed. He didn't usually get down about this sort of thing, but ever since arriving whispers and silences had followed the two students. Will felt that somehow everyone could see he didn't belong here, as he was unable to speak the language, didn't understand the customs, and couldn't even walk properly in the damned shoes. This opened the floodgates for all of his everyday worries, fears, and bad feelings, leaving Will feeling a little upset, and without his usual confidence.

He attempted to put on a smile. It felt natural, like his normal smile did, giving him heart that at least he could still do that much. Will pushed his doubts and confusion to the back of his mind. Right now he and Mai had a job to do, whatever the locals thought of them. Will stood and reached out a hand in Mai's direction.

"So, how about we go for a stroll?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The red light district was eerily empty. It took a small walk from the police tape, which Will needed assistance crossing, as his 'swords' got tangled up in it, to the crime scene. Will could smell a faint coppery scent, and assumed it was blood, although he didn't remember being told about blood.

'I could just be imagining things'

Will tried not to step too heavily, in order to access the scene without destroying evidence. It was difficult as he was still experiencing some troubles with his footwear. He assumed the police had already taken what they needed as evidence, but seeing as it was supposed to fall into Shibusen jurisdiction, there was little that could be learned by ordinary forensic techniques. Will had his soul perception switched on the whole time, but couldn't sense any presence. He had given up on that now though, and his concentration was flagging, as he was instead focused on the crime scene.

"What do you see?"


he asked Mai softly, as his sensitive fingers probed at the slashes in the ground, and tears in papery walls.
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The damage was mostly in a semi-circle, and radiated out from a single house. The majority of the cuts in the ground pointed towards, or away, from the house in a straight line, and a few of the sliced poles supported the house's roof. There was a small, hidden crawl space under the house which the police had failed to notice. Indeed, it was only obvious after one had pulled back the tatami mats of the entrance room to reveal a trap-door, or peered into the single chopped hole in the stairs. The stairs themselves were partially covered in white chalk, where the outline of a human lay. The head, shoulders and chest were drawn across the stairs, whilst the torso and limbs pointed into the house. The smell of bleach was noticeable, but faint, and one could assume that a cleaning crew had managed to clean away the blood. There was only a single entrance to the crawl space, presuming the Shibusen duo didn't make their own, but directly underneath the manhole-cover like trap door, a bloody shuriken lay half-embedded in the dirt below.

It was the stereotypical 4-pointed ninja star, with each equilateral-triangle ponting outwards, and at a 90 degree angle to its neighbouring points. A small hole in the middle was presumably for tying multiple shuriken together, or placing one's finger in. There was dried, brown blood that covered almost an entire face, with the specks of blood curling away in a clock-wise fashion. A critical examination of the direction and area it had landed would reveal that it had created the hole in the stairs, and in turn, assuming it had been powerfully thrown at shoulder height, the owner of the shuriken had hurled it from four feet from the house.

OOC
 
Sorry for the short post. I'm not very good at forensics, but hopefully I've given enough to reply to ^^; You had some nice writing in your post Shadow, keep up the good work in here~
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