<@JesseLman> [October 9th. 8:30 PM] <@JesseLman> [After your battle with the Amazons, Venelia came down to the bar and dragged her fallen sisters back up to their rooms, promising all sorts of dire consequences for such an embarassing display.] <@JesseLman> [Whether the embarassment was engaging in a drinking contest with EW or *losing* a drinking contest to EW is left unsaid.] <@JesseLman> [Having done that, she now sits at the bar herself, casually talking shop with EW while making her way through a bottle of incredibly expensive wine.] <@JesseLman> [Redcoat and Mizuki have also found their way into the hotel bar, and have found a table that was not recently covered in drunken Amazons. Always a plus, that.] <@JesseLman> [Mini start] * TheRedcoat sits at the table she found, and sips on a Golden Russian that an appreciative staffer bought her earlier when she briefed EW on the details of the battle upstairs. <@JesseLman> [For the record, all drinks are on Venelia. Good loser, that one.] * Mizuki floats her way inside, glancing at EW and Venelia, then The Redcoat... and she decides to float the Redcoat's way, hovering at the side of her chosen table and looking down at her. "May I have a seat?" * TheRedcoat looks up, and waves a hand at a nearby seat. "Certainly. Are your wounds better?" * Mizuki replies, "For the most part." Her outfit is unmarred. She waits a moment, then sits down in the seat normally, looking across to her. "I will be fine in due time. Ah. Good to hear. * TheRedcoat takes another sip. "Would you like something to drink? The good commander is paying our tab." * Mizuki looks over at EW, then back to The Redcoat. "I don't think I would enjoy it tonight, but thank you." * TheRedcoat nods and leans back in her seat a little. "I must say, aside from the injuries received by our team, this has probably been the best mission we have completed thus far." <@JesseLman> [Venelia raises a glass to the two of you, then walks over. "I have to go tend to my sisters. May Artemis and Athena watch over you both." She looks down at Mizuki, smirks, then pats her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he is not my type." And then she's off.] * TheRedcoat nods again, raising her glass to the commander in return. * TheRedcoat then starts, looks at Mizuki, looks at EW, then looks at Mizuki again, raising an eyebrow this time. "...wait. Are you...?" * Mizuki starts at Venelia's comment, and then looks down and away before murmuring, "I--" and then she cuts off, blinks, and looks back to The Redcoat before asking, "What were you asking? Oh...well, it was just what she said. I suppose she may have been joking. <@JesseLman> [EW is oblivious, being busy regailing the bartender with old war stories.] <@JesseLman> [And drinking. That too.] * Mizuki tilts her head, then looks aside and replies, "There are two ways to read what she says, The Redcoat." She then lets out a small sigh and looks down at the table a moment before shifting the topic with, "You said you'd heard of me, I think. Surprising." * TheRedcoat half-shrugs. "I've spent some time in Japan. Your name came up. A job I was running in Tokyo. * Mizuki is silent a moment, then says, quietly, "Strange. I would be an odd one to intefere in whatever... work you were doing." * TheRedcoat coughs into her sleeve. "It was more in the sense of, ah, a certain contact of mine going over possible--er, over active superheroes in the area." * Mizuki replies, "I suppose my... loose affiliation with the Meguro Masters would do that." * TheRedcoat nods. "A hope was expressed that we would not cross paths. At that point, anyway. Not anything personal, obviously. * Mizuki half-smiles, "Obviously." The smile fades away after a moment as her fingers drum on her staff for a moment, then, "So what was the job?" * TheRedcoat looks down for a long moment, tracing something vague on a cocktail napkin with a finger, before speaking. "...had you...heard anything? About me?" * Mizuki shakes her head slightly. "Not in particular, I'm afraid." She gives her a weak smile. "I have generally tried not to involve myself too heavily with day to day superheroics.' * TheRedcoat hehs a little, still looking down. "I've done the same thing, basically." She looks off to the side in EW's general direction, but not focusing on him. "...well. It's public knowledge, really...like our comrade Dr. Hyde, I...have not always been on the side of superheroes." * TheRedcoat takes a breath, waiting for any immediate reaction from Mizuki before continuing. * Mizuki doesn't really react, saying instead, "Yes, I made myself aware." <@JesseLman> [EW is now helping the poor bartender and cleaning crew get all the tables back upright, grinning widely as he tells a story about being hit over the head with a chair by William Wallace back in the day.] * TheRedcoat glances at her sharply for a moment. "Then wh--" She stops herself, and continues. "Then you also know that I was a thief." * Mizuki nods slightly, before replying, "Which is why I thought it strange I would interfere." * Mizuki half-smiles. "As I said before. I prefer demons and monsters. The spirits tend to care less about money and goods, but a demon rouses most." * TheRedcoat nods to herself. "Well, then." * Mizuki looks back to her. "The weight on your soul is your own. Your path to purification is your own. I do not proselytize. * TheRedcoat shrugs and takes a quick gulp of her drink before continuing. "In the event, then, your group was brought up as the planned out-route may have gone by Meguro-ku." * TheRedcoat coughs to herself again. "Possibly including the river. In which case if your group had become involved, your specific opposition may have...caused some difficulty." * Mizuki nods slightly. "I had supposed so." There's another moment of silence, then she says, "Another life, mmm?" * TheRedcoat nods slowly and drinks some more. * TheRedcoat seems to have relaxed a bit, though, and murmurs into her next sip. "The Eta Funayama sword." * Mizuki 's eyes widen a touch as she says, "Truly?" A moment's silence, then, "I do remember hearing about it... I admit to being often distracted. Other concerns. * TheRedcoat hehs to herself. "I suppose that was a good thing...back then." * Mizuki mms, drumming her fingers on her staff again. Then she says, "As long as you fight with us, I have few concerns." A minipause, then, "I guess you're used to bein' judged." * TheRedcoat snorts and takes another drink. "It is not foreign to me, yes. Speaking of things foreign, have you also not been here long? * Mizuki replies, "I have only recently re-settled here, yes. Not new to the States, or most anywhere else in the world, but don't figure that's what you're askin'. Ah, I see. I've been in this country before, but not for any real extended amount of time. Particularly not in this city. I have only really been here for about three weeks. Close to four now, I suppose. So it was quite a surprise to be drafted to this...team. * Mizuki half-smiles. "You and me both. But necessity makes heroes of us all. * TheRedcoat nodnods and polishes off her drink. "So we hope." <@JesseLman> [EW wanders over, looking remarkably sober for a man who just drank two dozen Amazon warriors into submission. He nods briefly at Redcoat, who he spoke to earlier, then turns to Mizuki. "You impressed Commander Venelia greatly, honored priestess. And Amazon commanders do not impress easily."] * Mizuki half-smiles up at Eternal Warrior, "I... well, that is good to hear." She licks her lips, then adds, "Hopefully that works out well for us, yes?" * TheRedcoat looks back and forth between Mizuki and EW again, but doesn't say anything this time, and just swirls the ice around her otherwise empty glass. <@JesseLman> ["Well, they will certainly not oppose us again; their code forbids it, and whatever their faults, they stay true to the laws laid down by their patron goddesses." He turns to Redcoat. "She also spoke highly of you."] <@JesseLman> ["And of your coat."] * TheRedcoat snerks and shakes her head at the coat comment. "I'm glad. I have much respect for her, and for their code. I wouldn't have enjoyed having to fight them in this, and not just because it would have been quite difficult. * Mizuki is silent a moment as she looks away, then she murmurs, "I only wish she had had as much respect for the kami." <@JesseLman> ["They are warriors of a sort not often seen in modern times. Nor in olden times, truly." He misses that comment from Mizuki as he falls silent for a moment in thought. "I owe you both, and your compatriots, thanks for allowing me to avoid a confrontation with the Amazon commander."] <@JesseLman> ["Doing so might well have brought reprisals from the Amazon royal family, and I had quite enough of that two millenia ago."] * Mizuki smirks slightly. "Yes, well, maybe you should be more careful with the mutual defiling." Then she blinks and looks away quickly. * TheRedcoat shrugs that off, still playing with her ice, then snorts at Mizuki's line. * TheRedcoat picks up a piece of ice with her cocktail straw and starts crunching it because she has no class. <@JesseLman> [EW raises an eyebrow at that, and strokes his beard. "I was... rather stupider in my younger days."] * Mizuki looks back to EW for a moment, then looks to Redcoat before saying quietly, with clear embarassment, "I think it... would be best if I were to start heading back." * TheRedcoat blinks and quickly swallows the crunched ice. "Well, all right." She looks around. "I suppose there's not much here left for me, either." <@JesseLman> [He rubs his forehead. "I shall head out as well; I had best resume my nightly patrols. A safe journey home to you both."] * TheRedcoat nods at EW and then at Mizuki. "I will see you tomorrow, then." She then rises and starts heading out, fumbling idly in her pocket. * Mizuki floats to her feet and nods at the both of them, although she doesn't leave immediately, either. <@JesseLman> [EW waves to Redcoat, then gives a quick bow to Mizuki before heading out. "As I told Henry, once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more..."] * Mizuki watches him walk away, tilts her head, and then whispers quickly, before she floats after the others. <@JesseLman> [And, on that mildly awkward note, Mini End!]