[Heroes of Our Time] Scenario 1: And So Our Adventure Begins

lordofthestorm

lordofthestorm

A Great Big Goose, Clad in Orange
Nagasaki, Japan. Even though, at one point, this city was blown straight to Yomi in the final days of WWII, the city has risen again from the ashes. It also serves a port of call for quite a few PMCs, even though it's only one or two. Japan had a kind of a hands-off policy concerning PMCs for a while, but now they're starting to open up the market slightly. Kind of like a test run.


But what Japan lacks in action pertaining to the Age of War, it more than makes up for action of a different sort...for those who know it's there.


And so, whether by divine mandate, or Fate, or even just for the hell of it, you now find yourself in this city. It's been raining for the past couple of days, but now it's begun to let up. And yet that prickling sensation in the back of your head tells you that the peace that comes with a normal day may very well shatter at a single touch.


So...what's up with you lot?
 
Renna sits in a tea house nearby to her hotel and looks out the window at the light drizzle while she sips at her cup. While she loves working, it is good to be able to take some time off and just be a tourist. That is, when she's not hunting titanspawn. She takes a deep breath but smells nothing out of the ordinary. Only humans around. Thats fine with me. It lets me enjoy my tea in peace. She smiles up at the waitress as she refills her cup. "Thank you." She tried speaking the few words of Japanese that she knows, but all it did was embarass her as the person she was talking to started to rattle off in high speed gobbledy-gook. Lesson learned.


She glances over to the bird on her shoulder, carefully concealed under the effects of her illusion perview. Having a second set of eyes looking out for trouble can't hurt, just so long as this bird-brain keeps quiet. Renna breaks off a litte bit of cookie and slips it to the raven. Its good to keep the help happy.

Renna is also carrying her .44 concealed under the same illusion that is hiding the raven from plain sight. I like the Subtle Knife.
 
Finally, the sun had decided to show itself a bit. Was about time, Koyomi was stuck in between two tours and had had not much to do in the recent days. She killed time like she could playing game, writing songs and reading her manga collection, but she yearned for something else. And so, for today, she would take this rare chance to spend the day outside.
 
One good thing about spending three decades in the care of Her Majesty's Prison Service is the time to learn a number of languages that you'll probably never use. It's something to pass the time, though, and thankfully for Brianne Japanese has been one of her early acquisitions. Her...benefactor had requested her presence in this place, although the message been minimal at best. She wasn't one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, though, so here she was.


Pistol at her hip but hidden by one of her father's gifts, she slowly makes her way down the street, eyes naturally drifting to the high points that she would post herself if the situation arose.
 
He sat at one of the cafes in downtown Nagasaki, seated outside, drinking one of the local energy drinks. His eyes scanned all about, taking in the sights of people, advertisements, and vehicles as they went by. He sniffed the air, noting all of the scents. Those were always so different in each location, and yet in many ways all the same. Whether it was fear, excitement, arousal, marking territory, or sickness it was all the same. It was usually the foods that tended to change the most.


He'd been in Japan for several months now, picked up to teach English and Literature, and for a hefty sum no less. It helped that he also spoke the language, with quite a few others that also helped with some of their foreign students. The culture was nice enough, although it took some adjusting on his part. Thankfully he only had classes two times a week, which gave him plenty of spare time to do anything else he wanted.


The large blade, a testament to the danger of going against his older brother, stayed at his hip appearing as a small blade and well within the legal limits of Japanese law. His attire looked like something from the manga Vinland Saga, making up him look very much like the Viking or Giant he was at heart. And with so many cosplayers in Japan it was considered normal clothing, and made hiding weapons, amongst other things, on his person without raising suspicion.
 
That had been a waste of time. As Thomas stalked out of the Sakai Group's main office he ran the meeting over again in his mind, trying to think of anything he could have done to change the outcome. But no, the moment he walked into the conference room the managers' eyes hardened against what they probably saw a foreign interloper. Never mind that a partnership would have made them a Name in global manufacturing solutions. No, they were only even speaking to him because their board insisted. And as soon as the translator walked in, their decision was made.


As he places a hand into his pocket to retrieve his hotel keycard, he brushes a small statue, one of five on his person, and almost sighs audibly. He had booked a room for a week on his father's insistence, assuming Osiris expected the negotiations to drag on. After being there, though, that was clearly never a possibility, but given the shiver that just went down his back, perhaps he should wait before declaring the entire trip a wash. Though in that case he should probably pick up his other attache -- the slightly overlarge one just big enough for a short, curved blade to fit snugly inside -- before finding a place for lunch.


One stop to the hotel room, a shower, and a change of clothes later (It wouldn't do to ruin his best suit fighting any titanspawn that decided to ruin his meal), Thomas was feeling refreshed and almost eager to deal with a more esoteric challenge. At least in his Father's circles it was tolerated, if perhaps not encouraged, for one to dismember or otherwise injure those that insulted one's self or wasted one's time. And until Osiris's purpose in sending him here was revealed he could communicate with waitresses and other service personnel in the more cosmopolitan areas just fine with a wallet full of fancy plastic. Come to think of it, wasn't there a lovely tea house that his cab driver had pointed out on the way to the hotel? His mood substantially improved, Thomas saunters down the street to find that establishment.
 
"Ah...Jing San, Ohayou Gozai Mazu, Youkozo Nippon He" (Jing, sir, Good morning and Welcome to Japan)


"Arigatou, Yuori San", Jing replied with a foreign Japanese accent to Mr Yuori, a Yakuza, an acquittance of his father's previously clandestine business.


Yakuza , also known as Gokudo , are members of traditional organized syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them Boryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "Ninkyo Dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". They are very prevalent in the Japanese media and operate internationally with an estimated 500,000 members, and the numbers are still growing in the Age of War.


There are three principal Yakuza families in Japan, and Yuori belongs to Yamguchi Gumi, the most powerful clan in the current time. The Yamaguchi family is successful to the point where its name has become synonymous with Japanese organized crime in many parts of Asia outside of Japan.


Ah...Toyota Legend, the latest Japanese built of Toyota model...Nationalism


"We have changed all our limousines from the International brands to Toyota Legend. It is the Japan's finest production" Yuori explains with pride.


Jing nods, "Surely...It is."


The journey from the Haneda Airport to the Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel, a 6 Star Hotel, took about 2hours, due to the terrible traffic jam. Jing sat in quietly listening and nodding as Yuori recollected their few generation of family dealings, subtly suggesting the prospects of working together again. Jing understood where he was driving at, but choose to play dumb for a while until he arrived at the hotel.


"Thank You for the ride, Yuori San. If Yamaguchi would like to do business with Jing Tien Corporations, please call our new CEO, Mr. Long. He will be please to discuss further with you. One note to take is that we have redirected our business focus to something more legitimate." Jing gives a wide grin,"It has been a pleasure talking to you"


Jing is happy that the conversation is over. He is not in the right frame of mind to talk business, or he never had. He is here in Japan for a short holiday trip and hopefully some Titanspawn hunting. He didn't expect the lieutenant of Yamaguchi clan to show up. It must be Long's idea. Never mind he thought. Now in his bed room, he takes out his latest model of Macbook Air, and Google search for areas of interest and read through the latest news in Japan. He might just get lucky to discover any mystical abnormality that suggests clues to the next Titanspawn to hunt.


Hmm...Nagasaki Prefecture... Here I come.
 
Arion: You make your way to the tea house, which has begun to level off from the lunchtime rush. A waitress shows you to an empty booth near the window. Across the way from you pick up the sight of a young woman, thanking the waitress with some clumsy Japanese. She seems harmless enough, being alone at the table.


Sherwood: The tea didn't have any smells out of the ordinary, but suddenly something else crosses your nose, something only you can smell: it's a dry, dusty smell, almost like you just walked into the desert, and somewhere you can hear wind blowing, even though the only thing in the sky is the light drizzle. Looking up slightly, you can see the outline of a new figure in the booth across from you.


Wuming: You get your wish soon enough. Your Googling turns up quite a few things in Nagasaki, news reports sandwiched between usual reports on the PMCs fighting foreign wars elsewhere in the World and ads for the memorial for the atomic bombing in the final days of WWII. There have been reports of strange occurances, namely attacks on people by something indescribable. But what catches your eye is that the people that are attacked are taken to the hospital, being treated for fatigue as well as their wounds from the attack. Coincidence? Not likely.


There's also a report of weird smells that the police are doing nothing about in one of the residential areas in the editorials. The writers are complaining that it comes out of an old mansion in the area, one that most people said belonged to this one guy from nearly 30 years ago that not a lot of people like. It may merit investigating, at least.


Midboss, Fox, Coyote: As you walk outside, you can feel yourselves being drawn somewhere in the city, somewhere near the main thoroughfare. You can't really explain what the feeling is, it just feels like there's something there, calling out to you. If this were an RPG, you'd probably have some kind of marker in the sky, calling out to you. Something akin to the light from the Gods of Metal.


As you begin to converge, suddenly, a scream rings out. "Thief! Stop him! He's got my purse!"


A quick glance to the east, and you see the thief in question on the run, quickly heading across the street. If you hurry, you might catch him!
 
"The hunt begins!" He yells aloud with great excitement and took off running, a wolfish grin to his face. He looked like a giant on the warpath, the gleam of excitement in his eyes.
 
Raven's eyes narrow as she looks over the new arrival. I sense you, Highlander. Another Scion here, in this tea house. What are the odds? Perhaps Mother is working some of her magic. There must be a reason for the two of us to be here. She takes her time looking over the man sitting across from her. Should she approach him? Can you picture the conversation? 'Hi! I'm a Scion, too. What god is your mom or dad? Yeah, that wouldn't be any problem. But we are both here. Why not see what he has to say? Taking her cup of tea with her, she stands up and slides her way across the room and sits across from the handsome stranger. With a disarming smile and her cute English accent, she says, "I couldn't help but notice that you are not from around here. My name is Renna, but my friends call me Raven." Her hand goes to the raven-shaped broach at her throat. "What's your name?" With that, she takes a sip from her tea.
 
Brianne's feet take her where they will, the tuggings of Fate drawing her to this spot for whatever reason. She eyes the purse-thief and the...viking? chasing after him, then chuckles. "Is this really what you want of me, Father?" She shakes her head and follows after the thief, hand drifting towards the hidden pistol.
 
Well the day suddenly got interesting. Nothing like a small pursuit to get some much needed exercise. Rather than simply running and ploughing her way through the crowds, the jumped up in the air, over the street, and bounced from lamppost to lamppost, planning to swoop him from the air.
 
Okay. This is going to be a extended-resisted roll of Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 7, for all of you. I expect you to win, though, given two of you have dots in Epic Dexterity. Good chance for some stunt dice here. Good luck, and may the best Scion win.
 
Thomas quietly orders his tea and looks around the room as he waits. A nice place and not as overdone as he would have expected. Though he did have a suspicion that the prices reflected the quality of the atmosphere more than the product, but then most places did. And here was an interesting piece of that "atmosphere" taking a seat right across from him.


The beginnings of a smile form on his face as Renna introduces herself. The response is calm and almost musical, a far cry from the sharp tones he is accustomed to using at work, "Thomas. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Raven. And just as I was starting to wonder how to keep myself from growing bored in a foreign country for a week now that my business has fallen through."
 
"It then begs the question, what is your business? If you don't mind me asking, of course. Personally, I'm in show business. I do stunt work, and I've made a few action films that haven't done all that well at the box office. Right now I'm on vacation. And you dont need to call me 'Miss Raven'. Its like Sting, Madonna, or Cher, just Raven is fine." She takes another sip from her tea and eyes Thomas with a smile.
 
Jing put on his black slim fit trench coat, with red screaming loudly on the sleeves and lapels, over his No Brand grey T-shirt and black jeans. He packs his Macbook Air into his custom made leather sling-bag, carry it over his right shoulder and left the cozy room. After handling over the card key at the concierge, he saw Yuori's men, three of them sitting at the lobby, he pelted quickly out of the hotel while they were laughing away in their private conversations.


Outside the hotel, Jing surveyed the streets and found what he was looking for; Sushi. He dashes across the traffic jam road to the tea house, and enter the venue to receive sweet welcome, in Japanese, simultaneously, from the three waitresses currently serving customers, "Welcome to Hongo Teahouse, we make the best tea and Sushi in town. Enjoy yourself"


Jing walks straight to the counter to make his selection.


Sushi...Yummy!
 
(No idea how to roll on this site, and not sure what this stunt is worth.)


The thief's scent filled his nostrils, it wreaked of fear, excitement, and a bit of confusion. Fenric smiled a bit more, his strides getting longer, almost leaping the closer and closer he got. And he knew that the thief would tire out long before he ever did. "I'm coming to get you little man." And he leapt to close the distance between them, a running leap that would make any Olympian proud as he cleared a little over 40 feet, ready to land to continue the chase or to pounce on the thief once he was within reach.


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


As I have forgotten how to add a spoiler tag here is the die roll. http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3570819/


3 successes, no stunt dice added. (2 from roll +1 Epic Dex)
 
Thomas' smile widens in return, "Raven it is, then. My business is, appropriately enough, business itself. So many otherwise profitable and useful ventures fail due to apathetic or incompetent management. I take over such companies at the request of their investors. I undo the mistakes of my predecessors, place them on stable footing, then help them choose a replacement and move on. Certainly nothing as exciting as cinematic stunt work." He nods his thanks at the waitress bringing him his tea and takes a sip. Adequate for tea and more than he had expected from a simple tourist stop. "It must be taxing to stay in shape for such work, as well. No doubt you deserve this vacation."
 
Unlike her gigantic associate, Brianne doesn't seem to move at any faster pace than those around her. Even so, she moves through the crowd smoothly, sliding out of the way of the sidewalk's occupants even before the mortals realize that she would have been in their way. It was an interesting dance, one she enjoyed to take. She even hummed a little as she continued on after the thief, smirking slightly as she watches the giant leap after the thief in a most impressive manner. "Another one called, perhaps? Now I see why you wanted me here, Father..."

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3570536/
Successes: 6/7
 
Raven continues to sip at her tea. "You'd be surprised at just how dull and boring stunt work can be. Lots of prep time to set up each shot to make sure that no one gets hurt, then thirty seconds of excitement to cap off your day. I've just been lucky enough that I haven't been seriously hurt doing what I love. I don't bruise easily." She chuckles at the memories that well up inside of her. "So! I'm from England, just in case you hadn't guessed from my accent. Home for me is a flat in London. Where are you from? I picutre that your family is from somewhere in Egypt, if I'm not mistaken."
 
"Yes, the . . . the family does come from Egypt. Save for my father, we are not close, though." Thomas' expression stiffens at the mention of his family. Bad memories of his early years coming to fore. A small shake of his head clears the cobwebs and returns him to the discussion, "These days I prefer to think of myself as a 'citizen of the world'. It sounds far more dignified than 'overworked transient who sleeps at the office more often than not'. When I am not busy, I do have a home in Delaware, large and empty though it is."
 
Thief=1 success.


Brianne: 5/7


Koyomi: 2/7


Fenric: 2/7


The theif trips, but just barely escapes Fenric's shoestring tackle. However, Brianne is closing fast, and so he puts on a slight turn of speed.
 
Raven's eyes soften at the sight of the tension in Thomas. "I'm sorry if I touched a delicate subject. Sometimes I talk without thinking about what I'm saying." She sits and wonders if it was just chance that brought the two of them here together, or if their parents were at work, behind the scenes. Which god is your parent, Thomas? Mother or father? And why do I have this urge to ask him directly, just to see the reaction?
 
The little rabbit runs, and something in the back of Brianne's mind makes her wish that she had a bow on hand to pin its little cotton tail to the ground. Alas, no such luck, and using her gun at this point would be unwise at best. She continues on through the streets, watching for the giant to make another leap.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3571964/
Successes: 3 +2 from Epic Dex
 
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