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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Comments

PHASE TWO

[goei]

[Directly on the other side of the bridge is still pretty dark and quiet, however the bright lights of the Gion District are visible just down the road. While the residential district was far from dead quiet and dark, it seems so in comparison to Gion. Awash with latern light, Kyoto's most affluent and influential fill the streets, mingling with vendors and of course, immaculately dressed geisha on their way to and from the teahouses they work at.

These streets are much more crowded, and the district is huge. It seems finding the demon here might prove difficult. Is there anything you'd like to look or attempt to do in particular?]

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti has never been in a place like this but also he is already on the move because he thinks fast. He will be immediately making a beeline to the teahouses to check those out and see if there's going to be an opportunity to enter. ]

Perhaps looking over here will merit something helpful?

[ Nyoom...people are free to follow as always, of course. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Rich people... Sunrise seems to pause for a moment before deciding to follow after Argenti quietly. She will let people with better social skills than her handle them, thank you.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Oh my god, Argenti, you can't just wander off again.

But McGillis has established that at least some of the rest of the group have it together, so he's fine leaving them alone. To the teahouses it is! ]

[goei]

[What these three will observe is that the teahouse they've approached looks extremely fancy. Nothing that an average joe could waltz into like the bar back in the area they arrived in.

In fact, one of the maids standing near the doorway glances at them in a way that feels like a warning. It will not be so easy to enter any of these business it seems. You could try to talk to her but well... we know how well that went before.]

[idealitas]

[ Oh, so that's where the bridge leads. It's quite beautiful.

Like the flavor text said, though. It's would be harder to find a demon here with the bustle and noise.

For now... He's going to try and listen in on what those affluentual folks have to say. Given what they know npw... Perhaps the wealthy are more likely to stay the course and back the Shogunate? Thus they could be targets. Or perhaps they worry of more self-centered matters. ]

[goei]

[He can do this thing. They are very important so they don't even give this odd group a second thought. This is what he will overhear;

I mean regardless of what side you fall on... it's hard to take the Ishin Shishi seriously. Aren't they all a bunch of Western hicks?
Sure, but that Kinnou-tou group from Tosa might be actually dangerous, they've got that Sakamoto Ryouma...

Plus I hear their man Kawakami is so fast he killed a man in broad daylight!

Tch, well that certainly sounds like a bunch of thugs to me. Why should we listen to them?

The politics sure do be politicsing around here.]

[idealitas]

[ Thanks? Somehow this group is getting somewhere despite how ragtag and sorta dead they are. ]

...

[ He'll take note of this, that's sure a take of it all, but not unexpected. Thug groups... And there. That's the Ryoma individual.

Outta curiosity, where are they frequenting or about to go? If they're just idling about, he's gonna head back. ]

[goei]

[They are just idling about! It seems they've just left an establishment, all being varying levels of drunk.]

[kandata]

[There's so many people here...! Kirumi thinks for a moment, and goes to a side of the street, standing where she won't obstruct anyone.

She stares at the citizens' faces, trying to look for anyone who may be nervous, afraid, or more cautious. They're likelier to know about this demon's whereabouts! She's not approaching yet whoever fits the bill, though, she's just searching]

[goei]

[There are a lot of people around here! un(?)fortunately everyone seems to be enjoying themselves here despite the freaking revolution that's apparently going on. Seems they're too rich to care.

The only people that don't seem actively relaxed are some of the geisha and other staff of the establishments, but that might just be due to them working.]

Re: PHASE TWO

[beathollow]

( she's going to eavesdrop around the teahouses, pretending to be reading the signs and considering her options with great care. (rolled a 16. )

[goei]

[The signs are just what you'd expect them to be so I shan't bother making them up since she's really just using it as an excuse to snoop;

I keep seeing strange dark men out of the corner of my eye...
What, like foreigners? Surely not in Kyoto.
No! No like, they barely seemed human at all.
Maybe you've had too much to drink...

Curious!]

[beathollow]

( hm...

...

if she's still feeling watched? if so, can she see anything out of the corner of her eye? )

[goei]

[She is still feeling it distantly! And you know what? Actually... just out of the corner of her eye, further in the crowd, there seems to be a dark shadowy figure similar to the man on the bridge. (18)

What shall Mafuyu do about this?]

[cirquedesang]

[The streets are brightly lit and crowded, so the first order of business will be to find an establishment with a louder crowd coming to and from it, and then ducking into a side alley to eavesdrop on the guests outside and, hopefully, at a window or two to get the vibe inside as well.]

[goei]

[Celeste is able to approach the building just fine, but when he tries to duck into a side alley, a large imposing man, presumably a bouncer, stands in his way and glares menacingly (4). Guess he thinks Celeste is trying to creep on one of the geisha?]

[cirquedesang]

[You know what, fair enough!! He'll put his hands up in an attempt at a placating gesture and try playing the "I barely speak the language and also am lost" card. Clearly he just took a wrong turn! No harm meant! Sorry, sorry!]

[goei]

[If he's backing off, he's free to go. The bouncer stays where he is to watch and make sure Celeste is leaving.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ ...everything here looks so fancy. Well. With others going to lurk around teahouses and stalk rich-looking people, Eli decides to shadow a few of the geisha going to and from their places of work and see if they have anything to say amongst themselves (17). ]

[goei]

[Surprisingly unobtrusive for Eli! He can follow them without being noticed.

They mostly don't seem to be saying anything of note, chatting about the maiko training under them and an upcoming festival... However then one of them says;

I'm just glad our teahouse isn't the one the demon is lurking in...

But further conversation doesn't suggest either of them know where the demon is.]

[fullmoonmutt]

Tch, so he's in a teahouse, but...

[ Looking up and down the street full of freaking teahouses. Which one?! He isn't going to try anything wildly drastic like ripping each and every one's door open and yelling for Izou (he wants to!!!!), but he will turn to go listen near as many as he can, searching for a familiar voice.

It won't help much, though (3). ]

[beathollow]

( with kirumi, celeste and yi sang nearby just in case, mafuyu's splitting from the regrouping- and from the crowd! oh mr shadow man, where are you? )

[goei]

[Just a little bit of looking around and she'll spot the figure! They're lurking on the edge of a crowd near one of the other teahouses. Just standing there. Maybe only that guy on the bridge was a belligerent dick?

When she approaches the shadow, it speaks;]

I can't believe that Sakamoto saddled me with such a ruffian as a bodyguard… Are you going to set that demon straight?

[beathollow]

... That's the plan, yes. But if there's anything more you could tell me, that would be appreciated.