IZOU'S PALACE

[goei]

KYOTO BAKUMATSU PALACE
You find yourself in historical Kyoto at night. The city is shadowy and beautiful, elegant but hostile. It's a sophisticated city, but you don't belong there and it knows it. Everyone knows it. You are being watched.

Worst of all, a terrible demon haunts the streets of this powerful capital city.

Eli Walsh, Kirumi Tojo, Still Sunrise, Argenti, Yi Sang, Celeste, Mafuyu Asahina, and McGillis Fareed, do you dare journey into hell?

 

♪♪♪

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PHASE ONE

[goei]

Some of you while walking around town will find yourselves encountering something strange. Turning a corner, your view shifts completely. Day changes to the middle of the night with the moon high in the sky. Paper lanterns illuminate streets lined with traditional Japanese buildings. Gingko trees and bamboo sprout up between buildings. Only the one major road is paved.

While somewhat sparse, people are passing by on the street, mostly dressed in traditional clothing, though a few here and there sport bits of western clothing. Either way, they're clearly not the typical town residents and seem in good spirits. Most seem to be journeying home in what seems like a mostly residential area, but some businesses seem to be still open and have more of a crowd around them.

What do you do?

[beautifulknight]

[ Well, this sure is happening, isn't it? ]

Hmm...it is clear we have multiple avenues to search and explore. I was considering heading over to one of those businesses. Who wishes to accompany me?

[ Argenti is about five seconds from running straight in the direction of the businesses, so this is just probably a comment before he does that or for anyone to follow him before...he does that. He usually works alone, ok. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

I'm not going anywhere with you, ya murder happy psycho.

[ Sorry, Argenti. You've created a very specific idea of yourself with that meeting confession. ]

Anyone who doesn't want to go with a guy who might stab you in the back, you can tag along with me to some other place.

[ ANYWAY, YEAH, HE'S GOING TO ANOTHER OPEN BUSINESS OPPOSITE OF WHERE ARGENTI GOES. Tag along if thy wisheth. ]

[vogelfrei]

... I'd volunteer myself, but I stick out like a sore thumb here.

[ EXTREMELY CONSPICUOUSLY LARGE WHITE MAN NOISES???

... also he would absolutely stab everyone in the back but like. Neither here nor there, nobody who knows this is present right now. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

Eh? I mean, usually, I'd agree with ya, rich boy, but if this is like the other one, these folks probably won't notice.

[ Eli isn't as large, but the whole yellow eyes and wolf teeth thing might... be a little more alarming than being a giant white man, you know, normally. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Sunrise sort of just, looks at Eli, looks to Argenti and, oh, he's already got company, so she doesn't have to worry about him. ]

I will follow, then.

[fullmoonmutt]

Oh, hey. [ Uhhh. ] You... you never told me your name, actually. I'm Eli.

[ cry idk if she uses sunrise or tabira ]

[beathollow]

--Again...?

( oh no her head hurts so much already. but- he's right... )

... Oh, there he goes.

( while argenti does that she's going to take a better look around the area. does anything stand out? is there anything that would give her a sign as to where specifically they are? )

[goei]

[Nothing is immediately jumping out obvious like a godzilla standing around or anything. Mafuyu likely can tell at least that this is Japan from the architecture, dress, and signage written in Japanese, as someone... from Japan.

If she inspects or looks for something more specific she might find further information.]

[beathollow]

( she's going to keep with the group for right now, but! noted!








why does she have to be an honors student who probably knows all the things about japan's history!!!!!! )

[idealitas]

I shall...

[ ... And there Argenti goes. To the rest then, also to finish his thought: ]

Accompany him.

[ He'll run to catch up, coat fluttering behind him. It feels a little familiar, streets like these. Any businesses that would stand out? Yi Sang grew up in a district that was like South Korea (and then taken over by the equivalent of Syndicate-backed yakuza, it's a long story.) ]

[kandata]

[Kirumi doesn't really inform the rest, she just goes after Yi Sang and Argenti. Three people going seems about right]

[goei]

[Argenti, Yi Sang, and Kirumi approach a well lit business where inside people seem to still be drinking, eating, and conversing!

Outside the well lit establishment are multiple banners with Japanese text on them, which Kirumi should be able to read such as "UDON", "YAKITORI", "DANGO", and "GYOZA." A sign over the door proclaims it as "MORIYA IZAKAYA." The other two can probably still glean this is some sort of restaurant or bar from the view inside.

There's also an advertisement for a local sake brand in the window, which even Yi Sang can probably recognize just from the illustration of the bottle and sake cup! Many people are drinking, both sake and beer.

In fact, next door is what's clearly a liquor store from the window display, though it currently seemed closed as it is not lit up at all. On the other side is a small park, where some drunks are filtering out to get some fresh air.

Is there anything you want to investigate in particular?]

group two ig

[fullmoonmutt]

Alright, let's check out, uhh... that place.

[ Eli has no idea what any of these shops are, but he's going to one that looks open and is the opposite of where Argenti and his group have gone. He points it out before gesturing for Sunrise, Mafuyu, and McGillis to follow along. ]

Re: group two ig

[beathollow]

( yeah let her get a read on the signs real quick. )

[goei]

[This business is a little quieter than the one Argenti's group went after, but there's still a fair amount of people milling about! Most traffic seems to be people going in rather than coming out. Others are loitering out front, some even seem to be saying their farewells for the night before going inside.

A girl out front clearly working is advertising to passersby that they still have rooms available. And hot baths!!

Mafuyu will likely recognize this as a traditional Japanese inn, a ryokan. The only sign out front identifies it as "MATSUYAMA RYOKAN." Greenery surrounds the building on both sides, likely to make a scenic view for their guests. You might even catch a glimpse of a rock lined pond around the back.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli looks between this place and Mafuyu. ]

Uh, is it... an inn?

[beathollow]

Yes, it's a ryokan- a traditional inn. They're good visits, actually...

GROUP TWO RECONVENES

[vogelfrei]

[ Once everyone is collected from different ends of the lobby, McGillis is shoving our little group back out in the streets. ]

Alright, status report please. The obvious thing is that nobody here is responding to us, even though they appear to be generally aware of our presence. We won't get anywhere by questioning, but we may need to mind how we come across and not startle people having informative conversations.

For my part, I heard that the 'demon' we may be after picks its victims across the river primarily. We might want to head over after we exchanged our information with everyone.

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Status report...? The fuck? Eli bristles, wanting to snap at McGillis about how he's not the boss! He can't tell them what to doooo! However, this is not the time for being a rebellious little shit. Amazingly, he has some sense. ]

This demon thing also goes after folks who support whatever the hell the shogunate is. We could probably lure it out by being loud about how much we're for that.

[cleansewithfire]

I heard some things about the demon too, but I do not recognise the names, so...

[ She pauses like she's trying to figure out how to deliver what she overheard, before deciding she's not going to try interpreting that conversation and just repeat it in exact words.

It's probably an Experience to hear because she's still speaking in that even, flat tone of hers. ]

"You know that upstart Sakamoto is the one giving the demon orders."

"It's not him! It's someone else."

"Whatever, those Satcho people are all the same in the end."

...They do not seem to have a good opinion of "Sakamoto" and "Satcho".

Re: GROUP TWO RECONVENES

[beathollow]

( mafuyu arrives! with a newspaper. )

I was able to acquire this, but with the promise that I return it once I'm done showing "my father's friend". ... So, McGillis.

( congrats, you're "father's friend" now. )

The dating shows it to be set in the year 1863, during the Bakumutsu conflicts. I believe this world is born from Okada Izou, as he is a prominent figure from this era. However... since I was confronted by that older man believing me to be a thief, I've felt as though I'm being watched.

I would suggest being on our best behavior around me, and I cannot be involved in anything else that may be disruptive.

Relatedly, the woman at the inn also ignored me completely, so there are other things in play as well...

~EVERYBODY~ RECONVENES

[vogelfrei]

[ After Mafuyu has lead Celeste back (or Celeste has lead Mafuyu back? McGillis isn't clear on that anymore) and everyone else has likewise assembled, it is time for a beautiful Team Meeting. McGillis has declared himself the head of this meeting because he's extremely used to running investigations, having worked for military audit. It doesn't even occur to him that anybody might take offense with this. ]

Alright, we've covered some ground and now know significantly more than we used to. For one, this is the mindscape of Okada Izou. The setting of our little play is the Kyoto of 1863 - a town on Earth, in Japan, for those unfamiliar.

Currently there is a conflict with the government, the shogunate. Plenty of people are still loyal to it, but it is in the process of being overthrown. Izou was aligned with the anti-shogunate faction in life.

There is a demon, or someone wearing the moniker 'demon', stalking about on the other side of the river, slaughtering pro-shogunate entities. We tried to cross the river, but we were confronted by an entity that told us we need to be more people to be a match for the demon. Thus, we reconvened. Whether the demon is Izou or not, it seems like our best lead to get to him right now.

[ He turns to Team Argenti's members, looking at them one by one like a good leader. ]

How did your side fare?

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti doesn't exactly consider himself the type to really head meetings; he is more accustomed to working by himself, and when he's worked in groups he hasn't been heading things, simply doing his own thing. So no offense taken.

...For now. ]

I see. So this must be where Izou grew up...

[ He folds his arms, in deep thought. Is he joking or serious? He sounds serious so he must be...right? The rest, he decides to speak upon. ]

Miss Kirumi mentioned that the Shinsengumi seem to be rather well-established, and I do recall having spoken with Izou about the topic relatively briefly. As well as that her initial timeframe was between 1863 and 1869, so the former does line up well with that guess. If she wishes to add more on her end, she certainly can, however.

We too have heard about the demon; nothing all that much new on our end, beyond a good sir from our team being attacked.

[ Gesturing to Céleste, fellow trouble-causing - but in some ways, not as much trouble-making - Frenchman. ]

[cirquedesang]

[Little bit of column A, little bit of column B, McGillis, but the end result is the same... and anyway, Celeste is also not at all the sort to head meetings, preferring to listen and observe himself, so there's no objection to McGillis taking the lead from him, either. Sure, the little gaggle of mostly-foreigners is surely drawing some attention, but it's hard to discern whether that attention is worth paying mind to... or if it even exists at all, considering the lingering feeling of being watched.]

And he has mentioned once to me about being the one to cut down those trying to lead Japan down the wrong path - though whether popular opinion was with him on this matter he did not say.

[Given what he's (just now) heard about this part of history, and what he knows from his own, it was probably complicated to say the least.]

But, yes, a young lady turned into what seemed to be a doll when she was startled. I almost feel bad for her, with how easily we handled it, but perhaps this, what did you call it, mindscape? Is preserving it's fighting prowess for the demon we've yet to face.