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?

 

♪♪♪

Comments

[vogelfrei]

Is there a kind of common room inside, like you'd find in Western inns? Then we might want to listen in to some conversations there. It's a decent method of getting current information when you are new to a place.

[ This sounds like movie logic, but it's actually lived experience for once. McGillis is going to guide the group to the entrance - if there isn't a dining room then they can at least eavesdrop on the lobby. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Sorry, were you expecting Sunrise to wait? Once she heard it was an inn, she went straight in to take a look. ]

[goei]

[Sunrise...

Well! It doesn't seem like the worker out front has any issue with her going in? So that's good. There is in fact a sort of lobby/common room area! A few people are hanging about, including a woman at what seems to be the front desk. In a doorway just beyond her there seems to be a communal dining room but right now it is dark as dinner was likely served hours ago!!

In one corner two men are drinking green tea and playing shogi. In another, a couple is chatting quietly. Other people pass through on their way to their rooms or the bath.

Is Sunrise going to try to go further in, listen in to anyone, or speak to them? Is anyone joining her?]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Wha... There she go. Eli takes off after Sunrise. They can't split the party, come on! He falls in place alongside her, looking around, keeping his ears peeled for any information that sounds familiar. ]

[vogelfrei]

[ ALRIGHT THEN, IN THEY GO.

Since the lobby is not so large that they might lose sight of one another, McGillis doesn't feel bad about pretending he doesn't know them when he enters. Maybe it'll be useful later on if people don't realize they came together.

He'll approach the front desk. ]

A single room for one night, if you still have openings.

[goei]

[The woman at the front desk makes eye contact with McGillis as he talks, however she then says nothing and turns her attention back to some other task without saying anything in response.

Eli was right after all!!! No white men allowed!!! (Just kidding.)

Speaking of, if Eli wants to listen in, there will be a roll. Does he have any particular strategy to listening in or do you want a flat roll?]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ ...oh, maybe they do notice. Eli wasn't expecting McGillis to get shunned that badly. Whoa. Sadly, that means Eli will be ignored similarly. He's also white, my dudes, and he looks way more shady than Mr. Dapper-as-Fuck McGillis does.

Uh. Um. Maybe he'll just slide on into a seat as quietly as possible near the couple chatting quietly, but definitely with his back turned to them (18). ]

[goei]

[Eli is so freaking stealthy!! The couple does not notice him at all. It seems like the woman is a little nervous, as she complains;

Oh, but I'm so worried about that demon…
The man, clearly excited for this chance to console his lady friend, places a hand on hers, smiling reassuringly.

Oh Tomoe-chan, haven't you heard? The demon only strikes at those who support the shogunate. Modern minded people like us are safe.
Apparently there's a demon??? Eli how do you feel about the shogunate.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli doesn't know what a shogunate is, but if a so-called demon is only attacking people who support it, well! Deciding to immediately become unstealthy, he turns in his seat to announce loudly, ]

Yeah? Is that so? Well, I love the shogunate, and anyone who doesn't can shut the hell up!

[ Maybe he should have run this plan by the others here with him first, haha, oh well. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ While Sunrise doesn't disagree with the concept of this plan, she does think that fighting in the inn would be, to put it mildly, very inconvenient.

So she's going to try (attempt) to cover Eli's mouth, which probably looks a little silly considering she's like 9 inches shorter, but luckily Eli is sitting. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli would have gone on, but Sunrise appears and puts a hand over his mouth, which prompts him to stop his nonsense. ]

Wh?

[ What? Hello??? ]

[goei]

[Well, whether it's because of Sunrise covering Eli's mouth or not, the couple simply turns to look at Eli before getting up and trying to walk away.

You gonna try to bother them more?]

[beathollow]

...

( well, she's a japanese girl, so maybe she should try instead? with her most "perfect girl" smile, she speaks with warmth and energy unlike her usual quiet monotone. )

Excuse me, ma'am? May I have a moment of your time?

[vogelfrei]

[ ALRIGHT.

The eye contact means she's at least seeing him, which makes this more inconvenient than merely being invisible would be. McGillis does step aside to let Mafuyu handle it and--- what the fuck.

He did not know she could sound like that. From one moment to another, McGillis sees Mafuyu in a very different light here.

As for himself, he is going to approach the two shogi players. Are they going to pay him any mind at all if he steps in close? ]

[goei]

[They do not seem to notice him! If McGillis wishes to listen in, he can get a +1 to the roll. Does he wish to do that or does he want to do something else?]

[vogelfrei]

[ Let's roll! McGillis rolled 15, so with a +1 that gets us to 16! Pretty decent! ]

[goei]

[He is able to snoop successfully!! This is what he overhears;

My wife says she saw the demon herself.
Not very likely, she'd be dead!
No, no, she saw it from far away, across the river.
Ah... closer to the Gion district? I did hear the demon mostly kills in that area
Hah! Probably punishing them for their vices!

Definitely information that's for sure.]

[goei]

[The front desk lady looks at Mafuyu, but same as with McGillis, after a moment she turns away again without saying anything.

She doesn't even make any sort of face when she snubs them! It's almost like she simply cannot engage with them. Hooray for it not being racism!!!!!]

[beathollow]

Hm...

( at least she gets to drop the act immediately. she'll let mcgillis do his listening in before reconvening. is there any newspapers or anything...? )

[goei]

[There's one on a nearby table!

Is Mafuyu looking for any info in particular?]

[beathollow]

( politics, current events, and a confirmation of the era! )

[cleansewithfire]

[ Hm, that's an interesting response from the front desk...

While Sunrise lets Mafuyu handle the front desk, Sunrise is going to try listening in on the men playing shogi.

...Granted this is also going to become her watching them play, because she can't help being curious too. ]

[goei]

[Would Sunrise also like to roll to listen to the shogi men separately or just also be snooping with McGillis?]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Separately, because let's be real this might have actually started because the shogi board looked interesting to her.

(and then she rolled a 20.) ]

[goei]

[Good lord. Well, after what McGillis overheard, Sunrise hears the men continue with this;

You know that upstart Sakamoto is the one giving the demon orders.
Tch, I knew he was bad news from the start.

A man passing through with a towel over his arm interjects;

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

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

Did we find some racism after all??? Hooray!!!!]