The Encounter [Meiko]

[Tenshi Reach]

Ikebukuro was a nice part of the city, really. The shops were decent, the entertainment had value, and the restaurants were nice. Well, they were if you weren't a Yakuza assassin playing enforcer while leaning boredly against a window. If you asked him, one of the only good things about Ikebukuro was behind the glass he was leaning on, and, at one time, he'd have given anything to be one of the people there. For now, though, he was a man waiting patiently, if appearing bored, for one such person to exit the building. A person foolish enough to borrow from his 'mother' and not pay back what was owed.

Tenshi Reach checked his watch as the students left one-by-one, until only two people remained, to his knowledge, in the building. "Come out, come out, little mouse...", he said to himself, knowing he'd get a call if his target tried to slip out the back. As if bidden by his thought, the man's phone rang. "Let me guess...", Tenshi said as he started walking around back of the building.

"I don't owe you guys anything! I didn't borrow a damned thing from you thugs!", the young man just about yelled as Tenshi came around back, only to be greeted by the sight of his accomplice pinning his target to a wall.

"Really... Is that why I'm here? Because you didn't borrow one red cent? Sorry, kid, I'm not here to buy bullshit. I'm here to collect the three hundred grand you owe my boss. And before you start making a scene, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The people I'm normally after have a tendency to not walk away from our chats.", Tenshi sneered, making a point of unloading, then reloading, a 9mm pistol, "Now where's the money you owe?", he asked.

"Leave me alone!", came the top-of-the-lungs cry from the desperate kid.

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Words: A measly 316.
Tags: You're it!
Notes: [clever comment]

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] It was hard to be heard over the noise level of Tokyo's crowded streets. Unless it was the middle of the night in some residential area (or really, any time of day in a residential area), the noise never stopped. Cars, motorcycles, people everywhere doing every kind of thing. It could be repulsive, to someone raised on silence. In fact, it wasn't the noises she noticed first, busy making her way back from a day actually entirely spent at the studio, but the burning that suddenly began in her thigh and hip. Long experience with pain prevented her from reacting, and she found her eyes drawn to the string as she walked. So, her Fighter, the other half of Peerless (and what an ironic name that was if one took it to mean not being incomparable, but to mean isolated...) was in the vicinity. She briefly contemplated changing her route, then decided against it. Most likely, whoever it was had been assigned a Blank long ago by Septimal Moon, since she had gone officially rogue years and years ago, and wouldn't be interested in "getting her". She'd felt them before, and always walked on, anyhow, hadn't she? It'd be fine. As she rounded the corner of one of the more crowded streets, she heard the scream of a voice she recognized. What on earth-? How had... She placed the voice- Jerome McCarthy, some idiot American who had somehow made it into one of her upper level courses. He was a terrible writer, but had a gift with linguistics. His Japanese was superb, especially for a kid who had only had three years of somewhat mediocre preparation before his exchange trip. From the gossip she heard from some of the other exchange students, he was prone to going out and gambling. Where he got the money... Meiko had suspected yakuza. If he was in trouble here, it had to be yakuza. She sighed, suddenly feeling ill. She had been in confrontations with yakuza before. Not because she wanted to; before, it had always been them attacking her. Typically it was mindless thugs looking for a hot piece of ass and an easy target. They tended to flee the instants she flung one over her head or stabbed one with a hair chopstick. (Of course, there were always some too stupid to realize they had picked the wrong woman to mess with, or who became to enraged to pick the proper instinct to follow, and she usually used spells to handle them. Blindness made for easy take-downs with those powerful legs of hers, and she was always careful how much pain she doled out - enough to be remembered with distaste, not enough to be sought out again). This, though... She leaned against a storefront, pulling her phone out, pretending to read a text message so her sudden break from walking made sense to people, mind racing. She had always erred on the side of the morally ambiguous. Maybe not even the morally ambiguous, but the morally disinterested. She took care of anyone she cared about (not many people had wound up there) and felt a more or less capricious responsibility towards anyone she associated with, which came and went with how badly they had screwed up. And that bedamned string went around behind to where she had heard the scream. Did she really want to get into it with whoever her Fighter was? No decision needing making was ever easy, she reminded herself, and took a deep breath in, then out. Calm, she pulled a coin from her purse, an old coin she kept from a trip to France briefly taken during her masters' degree, a Euro, and flipped it. Heads, she saved Jerome's scrawny Caucasian ass, Tails she went about her business. According to parallel worlds theory, this is the moment a parallel world is created. In this other parallel world, Meiko received Tails and went on her way home and who knows if she ever did encounter her Fighter again. In the world that the other probably sprung from, Meiko received Heads, and sighed. The coin went back into the bag, in the special pocket she had stitched in especially for it. Meiko did not believe in fate, but she did believe that throwing your life to the winds always showed what a person truly want to them. The other Meiko, she valued security and scorned chances a tad more than the Meiko who pulled off the hoodie she had been wearing and stuck it into her bag. She wouldn't be needing that for this. There was a tiny spot near the place her string led to that allowed for putting one's things in storage, with a small yen fee, and it took her barely seconds to have her bag stored. She cut a classic figure, tall and striking, with her pinned up hair, and the simple russet leotard, black skirt, and black leggings she wore, and someone perhaps would have stopped to watch had they been looking - but no one ever really looks at people in the big cities, do they? - but she had more important things to deal with than her looks, other than checking that the knives she had strapped to her thighs before leaving the studio. If her Fighter was one of the assailants in the alley, she rather suspected she'd be needing more of them more often. If she took the thought of interference badly, imagine how much worse it would be to someone fed on the stories of Septimal Moon, their true match finally appears only to be against them in something... This was likely to get messy, wasn't it? Of course. The second scream, words now discernible - "Leave me alone!" - made her want to stalk off on her merry way. Jerome McCarthy might be a talent, but damned if he wasn't the least sensible prick she had ever had the misfortune of being acquainted with, short of her mother. Enough procrastinating; this would either be quick or it would be agonizing, and she had made her decision. At least if she were to die here, it would not be at the hands of someone within Transcendere Fatum. That, and she would be able to laugh into the after-life, if there was one, about the fact that Arashi Arca would be able to annoy all the Chairs even more by becoming one. She had made her peace with death when she joined, and it was with clarity of mind that she spoke. Most Sacrifices couldn't perform spells, good only for taking the pain of what their Fighter could not block, but she wasn't just any Sacrifice, now was she? She was Peerless, beyond compare, and though she might be weaker than any true Fighter (or Mendax), she had surprise on her side. "Steal breath from their lungs to the air, and let their voices not be heard and their limbs not be moved until my piece has been said," she said quietly, the words and the power pouring out easily. She'd never used this before, it was always blinding, or giving herself strength. Though the effort required by spellwork had once left her half-dead when she did it, she was older now, and there was only a moment's pause, as the energy drain hit her, before she walked into the scene, her breathing only slightly heavier than normal from this strain. "You, McCarthy Jerome," she snapped, addressing him as she had often enough in class, ignoring the widening of his eyes, "Are an absolute, irredeemable, head-grounded-firmly-in-your-rectum, feckless, irresponsible idiot." All that in but a breath. He was stuck by the effects of the spell, unable to say anything, but it was quite probable his relief was fading somewhat. She hoped so, because she wanted to box his ears. Actually, it was good that he couldn't speak, or she would have boxed his ears. Her gaze had been not on him, though, but on the two men who had come for what he owed. The accomplice, and her Fighter. She had never planned, hoped, or expected to meet him, but her gaze didn't waver on him. "I actually apologize for catching you in this," she said. "However, he has a paper due next Wednesday that I am awaiting failing him on, and I prefer he not die before then." It was a breathless sort of joke before she really got into it. God she was being an idiot being nice to this kid. But she had plenty of leftover, she knew, since she'd finished her bills recently. "In a moment, you will all be able to move again. I would appreciate not having your weapons at me, or your words, since I am planning on taking pity on this idiot and paying part of whatever it is he owes you. He will have to pay the other part, whatever it is I decide on paying, and I will see about having him expelled for illicit activities," that one was entirely for his benefit, since she had also heard rumors about his family being wealthy and not wanting a scandal, "should he fail to make good on it." His suddenly deathly white face proved the rumors true. "No wonder you lost so much gambling, or whatever it was you did," she sighed, "You've no ability to control yourself. If you start screeching when this wears off, I will box your ears and find a more unsavory group of yakuza to hand you off to, perhaps one of the drunken rabble who thinks I am easy." He blanched further. "So be silent, you," she finished, and she felt what she had done fade away, as felt by slightly easier breathing. Who knew if it had even worked or if she had merely been so interestingly livid at their "victim" from the moment she stalked in that they'd just wanted to watch. "How much does he owe?" To business, now that she was through snapping at the kid. She'd snap at him more, later. And perhaps it was unwise that she was here alone, instead of calling in one of the Guardians, but she couldn't see involving Arca-san or Ryouta in this unless she had to. With luck, it would be assumed she had oh, some sort of powerful Blank in the area or something, someone all busy suppressing his or her presence. Or they'd be too for the money and their job being made easier to care, she figured either could potentially be amenable.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; Meiko how the fuck. HOW DO YOU DO THIS. Tags; Tenshi Word count; 1762

[Tenshi Reach]

"Leave you alone? You don't get it, do you? If I don't get my boss her money, you don't get to live. We-", Tenshi began, his tone a menacing growl that had his fellow Yakuza enforcer flinching. The words were cut off by the sudden inability to move. <... I must have been so preoccupied with the kid that I didn't notice the burning...>, he thought disgustedly, <But what's with... Is that what it looks like? That means she's Hayashihara.>, he continued, noticing that a frayed thread had appeared and seemed to point toward a woman approaching the idiot, <Debtors and renegades... What's next, cops?>.

Tenshi would have laughed had he been able to. Maybe. <Bet you wish you'd just paid up now, kid...>, he thought, listening to the woman's litany. A few more laughs would have been had, indeed, but the time to deal with this approached as the spell she'd cast wore off. "Something tells me you've never dealt with Yakuza collectors before. We don't exactly have debt forgiveness. You're welcome to pay as much of his three-hundred-thousand yen debt as you like, but he won't live long enough to be expelled if he fails to pay his share, whether the boss sends me or someone else, unless he gets real useful real quick.", Tenshi explained. He didn't feel the need to mention more than that, "You seem to know him, and, given his reaction to possible expulsion, I'd say he's more than just some idiot gambler. I don't suppose he's got access to more clams than he lets on?", Tenshi continued, with slight emphasis on the word 'clams'. Seconds later, his phone buzzed with a text message.

'Wlty Amr. fam, hi cls socl btrflis. Went to prty they had 1ce. Try the cvr. Srsly. They will wnt 2 keep this on the dl 2. Mthr bst con, fthr stks me as 2 fed ^ w/kid. Shld b willing 2 pay dbt if kid rngs 2 avd attn. Shd I tell S?' appeared on his phone.

"... Ask for a text, get Greek. Never fucking text me again, Otter.", Tenshi mumbled, then returned his attention to Meiko. "I don't suppose any of those drunks you mentioned had this symbol on them?", Tenshi asked, moving his cloak and revealing the brand on his shoulder, "If they did, you can be assured they won't be disorderly again.".

"Yeah. Reach-san is the only one allowed to be disorderly around here.", the other man spoke up.

"I don't recall asking you. You're my backup, not my comic relief.", Tenshi snapped before reviewing the situation in his head. <Sora won’t like hearing about an outsider wandering into our deal, and the Voices won’t like me running into a known renegade and letting her go. Seeing as either way, I’m pretty well screwed, I’ll go the route that doesn’t involve me pissing off Sora and make this deal. Now I just need to figure out what to tell her…>, he thought, frowning slightly, <She’s going to be pissed.>.


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Words: 504
Tags: Meiko
Notes: Tenshi approves of Meiko's lecture.

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] To Meiko's end, the string looked strong. He looked almost too old to be Mendax, so she could only assume he was as stuck to her as she was to him, unless he were to somehow be the earliest experiment, an unknown success. She doubted that, though. He was much younger than her, to her surprise. She'd never seen a pair with so large an age gap - it had to be almost ten years between them, and that amused her. If they were so incomparable, of course they would be stuck being an odd duck when compared to other units in some regard beyond not actually working together. The observation she made of him before her spell had worn off was quick, but efficient. She'd remember his face, as, doubtless, he would remember hers. "You'd be right," she told the collector, her Fighter, then turned the force of her red gaze on the stupid child. "You ran yourself into more debt than it took me to establish an entire business," she snapped. "I'd ask what you were buying, but I think it's obvious." He blanched further, opening his mouth to speak, then shut it as her eyes narrowed. He'd never seen his teacher in such a mood before; she had moments of irritation and loud declamations of her vexation with someone when they were being blatantly stupid in front of her, but he'd never seen her in what could only be described as a dangerous mood. Of course he hadn't - he had only seen the civilian, not the woman who ran an underground organization while her boss sat in the labs finding the pieces to a puzzle that would ultimately change everything. Of course, some of her position was attributable to her financial support of the organization, since she provided, well...most of it. A good deal of it, though, was the simple fact that she was intelligent, and powerful enough that she could take care of things, whether or not her Guardian was around. "He's a silly rich boy from America," she told them, rolling her eyes at his gasp of indignation. "I have much less polite ways to describe you, which I have already used, and you find that the objectionable one? Or is it the wealth? The full depths of your idiocy make me more inclined to leave you to your doom. If it weren't for the fact that you're talented in spite of yourself, I'd be assuming your parents bribed your way into your university." Her gaze swept back to Tenshi, inscrutable. "Many more than he lets on. He's intelligent in the laziest sort of way." If she sounded disgusted, well, she was. Laziness was one of the most loathsome traits in humanity, behind unrestrained cruelty, stupidity, and attempting to control another. There were others, but those four tended to spring up as the ones she despised seeing most. Thoughtlessness, too; inability to be critiqued... "Given that he normally attends an Ivy League in America without scholarship - oh quit it with the noises of indignation, you've no right to them, and don't speak, I have no desire to hear your voice and I will box your ears - his family is more than capable. Whether they are willing to pay out his ingrate ass..." At another noise, she made good on her promise, slamming her hands on either side of his head, and he clutched his head, looking away from her scowl. She shook her head. "Greek"? ...text-speak at work. She was assured that Japanese text-speak was less abysmal than English, but it was still quite screwy. "Text-speak, I take it," she said, and took a glance at the symbol. "I really have no idea. If they did, it was hidden. They-" She was cut off by his accomplice, the comic, and rolled her eyes. Sounded like Arashi, that descriptor. "The Enforcer". Suspicion hit her - if he was an Enforcer in the yakuza...he probably served similar functions for Septimal Moon. Perhaps her connection to him would prove useful for future endeavors - depending on how it was handled, of course. At present, she was listed as 'rogue', typically used to mean someone who had elected not to join Septimal Moon and discouraged further attempts at recruitment. They rarely actively pursued someone who said no - some, they pursued...violently, typically highly gifted people; others, they pursued more sweetly, generally someone like her, someone who seemed like they would turn into a cash cow. She wasn't sure how much they had since learned of her life - she maintained an apartment in the city, separate from Headquarters, which she used primarily for entertaining, and made sure to be seen near at least once a day, for the sake of her reputation and to misguide the eyes of watchers. "Generally, broken jaws and other limbs are distinguishable." (Had she glanced over, she would have seen the boy's face go dead white). To say nothing of the fact that stabbing someone with hair chopsticks left very unique marks on them, as well. If he had ever seen underlings in such absurdly bad shape after a night out not involving work, she imagined they had been dispatched of in some manner- or that he would have already been hunting to find her. Women that fit her description...well, there was only one woman who looked as she did, childish and intimidatingly elegant all at once. Few people looked like teenagers while in their thirties, after all, and fewer were as immediately distinguishable as she was. Thinking about his family reminded her that she had spoken with his parents before - his mother seemed stupidly indulgent enough to pay his debt off, perhaps, rather than Meiko turning into his taskmistress. Which pocket did he normally keep his phone in... He had to have it on him, and most likely, it would contain his family's numbers. He had no discretion, and, honestly...he was lucky she was here, probably. He was still quietly panicking - he had no concept of how to defuse situations or interact with people who he couldn't order around. His screaming had been a way to try to get out of his problems, hadn't it? Idiot. She was going to find a way to fail him even if everything he turned in was actually done properly. It was high time he had a wake-up call, and if this situation with the Yakuza didn't do it, she was going to make damn sure she made it happen. Hell, even if it did get to him, she was going to destroy him in the classroom. It was past time he grew up.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; Meiko, Queen of Word-Vomit Tags; Tenshi Word count; 1112

[Tenshi Reach]

"Actually, about two-thirds of it is interest. Lucky shit would have owed much more if he hadn't had the sense to realise Reach he-", the other Yakuza interjected shortly before recoiling from a scathing glare from his superior. Said superior cared little for the man's actions, truth be told, but certain things needed to be dealt with from the get go, and the name he had dropped would have been grounds for immediate execution any other time. Though his mood did pick up when the woman continued to tear into the hapless kid.

"So he's some spoiled brat who thinks grades make him rule the world. Cute. I suppose he thought he'd just order us not to collect when he borrowed that money back then? Or was father going to hear of this, and then punish us?", Tenshi remarked, grinning at the violence displayed by the woman, "As for you, idiot, no one wishes to hear your voice. You shall remain silent on pain of excruciating pain.", he continued, with slight emphasis on the spell as he turned his attention to Jerome, the wording purposefully ridiculous, as a way of inviting him to see for himself what it did. Satisfied with his work, he turned his attention once more to his Sacrifice.

"So, you've run into it, too. I'd like to have a word with whatever fool invented text-speak. Maybe sing them a little song.", Tenshi remarked, his subordinate shifting uncomfortably, "You. Quit fucking squirming like some boot picked up off the street. You're Yakuza. Been that way for a few years now, or so I've been told. Act like it.", Tenshi snapped.

"Ah. So it was you who put those fools in the hospital.", Tenshi remarked with a grin, noting the boy's expression and distinct lack of color, "Or, at least, would have, had they found someone with a heart. I have it on peerless authority that they won't be troubling you any further, Hayashihara-Rurōni.", he added with a bow.

"Funny, I don't remember seeing her with a reverse-bladed sword... Maybe she fights with ch-", the jester piped up, “-o… I-I’ll just shut up now.”, he finished at a glare from Tenshi, the realization hitting him that he should be dead, and that the man who should have killed him wouldn’t continue obeying his orders if his own wasn’t followed.

“Smart move.”, Tenshi remarked before turning his attention to his Sacrifice, “You said you’d be willing to pay part of his debt? I’ll need at least half now. Cash. I’m afraid my boss has grown tired of promises to pay, and that’s what it’ll take to convince her that he intends to actually pay his debt.”, he explained, getting back to the matter at hand. <Sora’s probably wondering where I am by now. I need to wrap this up fast.>, he thought to himself, <If she has to get involved, it’ll be more of this crap for a while.>.

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] Meiko was a woman rather gifted with powers of observation, but that was not a difficult thing to spot. Her Fighter's accomplice had name-dropped a little - Reach sounded like a last name, American at that, and the word he'd failed to complete indicated that it most likely applied to the man's superior. Now that she was observing him, he struck her as familiar in a rather...negative way. Well, whatever. She had her chopsticks on her, as well as her knives, and she wasn't in a precarious enough position right now that she'd need her gun. Two-thirds was interest...oh was she going to have fun getting him into trouble with his parents. She'd just pick his pocket for his phone at some point and make sure it came back to him once she'd acquired the necessary numbers for his parents, and let the games begin. Idiots truly did bring out her vengeful side, and she'd be running on it for a little while. The Enforcer's comments brought a slight smirk to her lips. "I'm certain he did. He lives enough in his own world that he hasn't yet realized it doesn't work." She inclined her head slightly at the spell - a useful one, it sounded like, and phrased quite innocuously. "I believe teenagers invented the abomination known as text-speak. I certainly find enough of it in the early papers of the more absurd first-years." His accomplice was uncomfortable, she noticed, and though she kept most of her focus trained on her Fighter, who was the actual dangerous one in the situation, some of her focus shifted to him. She felt her doubts on his excessively dubious character would be confirmed soon enough - he was abysmal at holding his tongue, it was evident, so there was no chance that he wouldn't give himself away on whatever was unsettling him. Her first thought was that he definitely knew her name- not surprising, actually - her second was that they were dead. Well. That was one less problem for her. Or one more, as, a moment after she returned the bow, with a murmured "Indeed" - she knew what to say if she had set for someone to be killed, not what to say when she hadn't, the accomplice did give himself away. She smiled, just a tad too sweet, at the man. "People lose all sense of discipline when drunk, regrettably. Presuming the people in question had it before, which..." She let one of her eyebrows climb a little bit, eyes trained on the accomplice for a few split seconds, before returning her gaze to Tenshi, and her mind to her thoughts. She suspected cash would be required for the start of this, but a phone call would handle the rest and then some. The question was whether she should pick his pocket now, or later, to get his phone. She predicted right. Half now, in cash. She calculated how she'd get that - it wasn't going to be too problematic, as she usually made purchases in cash, and for something that was the price of only half the boy's debt, it wouldn't look at all unusual. "I did, and I can do that. I'll need to get my bag and visit an ATM. I left it in a storage locker nearby, in case this were to be a more...unpleasant confrontation. Well, unpleasant on my end. Mr. McCarthy is silly enough to apparently believe this is the worst it could be for him." His face colored to a blotchy red shade at her words, but he managed to contain himself and not attempt to speak...perhaps for fear of having his ears boxed yet again. "I almost always use cash to make purchases, so this will not appear remarkable." It was true, really. She used her cards to purchase big things, like equipment - and that was usually for her business or Transcendere Fatum, and she kept separate accounts for those and did not mix them with her personal funds.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; ohhhhh my god it's been a long time... Tags; Tenshi Word count; 669

[Tenshi Reach]

"Maybe I should teach him a little lesson in how the real world works.", Tenshi responded with a grin, "I hear people can do just fine with only half a liver.", he added. Pointless cruelty, to be sure, but it was part of the act he put on. Enforcer Tenshi was a showman, after all, from a certain point of view. Well, more of an actor, really, a man meant to become another, to make his audience believe he was someone he was not. In this case, a mere enforcer, rather than the personal assassin/lapdog/occasional bodyguard to the head of his adoptive Yakuza family. Savagery was helpful, as a means of inspiring fear, as was, as he understood, was part of the enforcer's purpose: Scare the shit out of people so they pay. Or stay in line. Or keep quiet. Or a combination of the three.

"It would certainly make sense. Teens these days do seem to lack the attention span for proper writing and grammar.", Tenshi remarked. The attention to the peon Sora currently had him babysitting did not go unnoticed, and the gears in the assassin's head began to whirr and click as it suddenly occurred to him that he may not have found all the fools who had gone out that night. If that were the case, he'd soon find out. A slow, cruel smile spread across the man's face as he contemplated how he'd rectify that mistake if it did turn out to be the case.

"It's a negligible loss. A few worthless peons with no common sense and even less potential. You don't need to worry. They will definitely not be missed.", the man spoke as his eyes followed his other half's gaze. As he suspected, it fell upon the peon he was babysitting. <Why am I not surprised...>. "Is a rather unhealthy position to be in. It's even been known to be lethal in some cases.", Tenshi finished, his tone particularly venomous, mostly for the accomplice's benefit. His venom was rewarded with the strong smell of urine, its owner's face making even the purest snow look black by comparison. "Fucking disgraceful.", Tenshi muttered, returning his attention to the matter at hand. He'd allow the peon some time to think he'd been spared before dealing with him.

"I'm going with you.", Tenshi responded curtly, "The coward and the idiot can stay here. These two will be going nowhere. Their feet shall remain rooted to the ground until I command otherwise.", he continued, again with slight emphasis on the spell. "It's good that no one will notice the extra expense. Last thing you need is to draw attention back to us.", it wasn't the most subtle threat, to be sure, but it was one that was unmistakable in its meaning: If we catch heat, you catch hell.




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Notes: Short post but finally posted?
Word Count: 471
Tags: Meiko, Nameless soon-to-be-deceased peon NPC.

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] "Indeed." Meiko smiled at the boy, doing nothing to quell his fears, privately amused. It was pointless cruelty, of course - exacting just half a liver was too precise and time-consuming to really be a good method of torturing someone, but it was definitely a good way to get a reaction. Kid too dumb to avoid putting himself in this deep a debt definitely didn't know shit about how operations like that would work - besides, he was a humanities student, which meant he was even more clueless. She would be clueless if it weren't for her more recent...exploits with Transcendere Fatum. As their financier and main "face" within the organization, she certainly didn't get into too much of the dirty or distasteful work, but she definitely was aware of it. Some of it pained her, but she supposed you had to pick and choose your demons, and kept her thoughts and future plans to herself. "Many do; I think it often reflects disinterest in the subject. They assume it cannot effect them, because it is not their main subject of study. They have the ability, but lack the will, which is much more important." She'd said as much in some of her classes, in fact, and could distinctly remember some not-so flattering nicknames resulting from her sharp-tongued speeches, as though they thought their opinion of her as a person would have any bearing on how she conducted herself or treated them. She noted her half's intriguing smile, and decided he'd caught onto where her focus had been moving, and...well, they were supposed to be two sides of one, so presumably his thoughts had followed hers. She still doubted that whole "two halves of one" bullshit in some ways - how were some pairs so unilaterally opposed to each other's existence, then? How were there mismatches that made better pairs than even some beautifully matched pairs? - but, given the work it had taken just to begin unraveling the bond, and how much more work it was taking to begin to unravel already formed bonds, it couldn't wholly be discounted, and it seemed at least a somewhat fitting way to express what the two of them seemed like, ignoring their presumably opposing goals. Though she couldn't quite bring herself to believe that someone branded with Peerless would really be entirely in line with all of Septimal Moon's policies, there was no accounting for people, and she had to assume for now- and for the future. Needn't worry. Supposing she had worried about brutes, it would have taken quite a few more - well, that number might have been worrying in her early twenties, while she was still fighting through most of her serious weaknesses (but what else were your early twenties for, if not some sort of fight to streamline yourself?), but not too worrying now, beyond her usual and consistent fretting that someday, one might prove stronger than her in some fashion. "I would have imagined so. Removing yourself from commission through stupid and irrelevant activities is generally a poor decision, and in that business..." She really didn't need to go on - in the business of being a hired thug, wasting your employer's time meant they would waste your life. He'd played to bringing it out of the idiot, and for her part, she gave the man as sweet a smile as she could humanly muster. It didn't help in the slightest, of course. Her own idiot was almost ready to follow suit with the peon, and he had yet to be touched with an actual, even indirect, serious death threat. Meiko nodded at Reach's response; of course he was. He'd want to make sure he wasn't doing something stupid with this, of course - that would obviously lead to similar fates to his peon's former colleagues, and she'd hope the universe hadn't decided to connect her to someone stupid. Although being connected to someone stupid might be a blessing, given the position he was in and the position she was in. "Of course." Another nod at the spell - McCarthy and the Boy Wonder probably would have dashed away the instant the two left, otherwise. They needed a babysitter, and in this case, it was going to have to be a magical one. Her Fighter's words, of course, were hardly unnoticed. The shadow world never wanted to have attention drawn to itself. A reply was unnecessary - he said that as a threat, not something requiring a response. First, though... She very casually relieved McCarthy of his phone, which he somehow managed to not notice, eyes still trained on Tenshi, absolutely terrified, now that he was lacking in both speech and free movement, and stuck it down her bra. Neither of the pair of idiots noticed, still, and she snorted slightly. She inclined her head at Tenshi, then their direction before beginning to walk that way. She didn't particularly care to speak further around the two idiots, and was already trying to figure out what he'd say as they went on their way. Or if he might just remove a potential problem for his other employer and just hack her account or something. While she made no movement that would give her thoughts away, she was already planning around how long she could hold him off, if necessary, versus how long it might take for a Guardian to reach her. Hopefully, she wouldn't need one. Practically, well... Never let it be said that she was unprepared.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; how does she do this? Tags; Tenshi Word count; 919

[Tenshi Reach]

"They assume wrong, but, then again, kids are fucking stupid. Hell, even I've done some some fairly stupid shit in my youth.", Tenshi responded, shaking his head. Though he gave little hint of it, the assassin's remark was almost a commentary on the escape plan that had put him on the path to being an assassin in the first place. At the time, it had seemed brilliant, a simple solution to a simple problem, but time had made him wonder if it had really been such a good idea. Tenshi banished the thought as soon as it entered his head. It didn't really matter, mostly because there was nothing to be done about it now. The past was the past, and what was done was done. Self-doubt couldn't change the past, only screw him over in the present and future.

"In this business, with someone like me enforcing the rules, it's the last thing most of those idiots ever do.", he finished. There was no real reason to. Not even the sweetest smile in the world would have consoled the dead peon standing. Finishing the sentence served only to make a bad situation feel that much more hopeless, which would make the delay between the revelation and his execution seem that much more hopeful, which would make it all the more punishing to crush that hope. Anyone who said Tenshi Reach didn't have a cruel streak had no clue what a sociopath was capable of. Well, borderline-sociopath, for all the difference it really made, in the end.

Tenshi followed the woman without hesitation, alert for any sign of betrayal. While he was confident in her honesty, experience had taught him that only a fool placed 100% of his trust in anyone not on his payroll, and any trust in anyone who was. As they walked, Tenshi waited long enough for the peon in the alley to start to hope again. "Release the fool underling from stillness, but let him go no farther than six steps.", Tenshi muttered. A little more loudly, he began singing, emphasizing, "Hmm, I was tryin' to off the punk. Lead to his belly till he lyin' there coughin'. Did not stop stomping till he lyin' there coughin'.". Even as he sang the rest of the song, one of the idiots in the alley drew his last breath, cursing the name of his superior. After the song was finished, Tenshi dedicated a short prayer to the underling, "May Amaterasu burn your inconvenience from this world, foolish peon.".


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Notes: Short and maybe incoherent, but still a post.
Tags: Meiko
Word count: Can't be arsed.

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] Meiko made a slight grimace at his words. "Who hasn't done stupid things in their youth? Some actions are less intelligent than others, but..." God knows her twenties had been stupid - all that not eating enough during the first few years while she'd scrimped and saved had been excruciatingly bad for her, and fairly dumb, considering that she could have found the same success had she been less severe on her body, but she'd done what she'd done and now she had to deal with the consequences from it, and do her best to prevent the consequences from continuing in too strong a form. As did anyone else who had done something severely stupid. It was a never-ending battle, but the past couldn't be changed, so the battle had to be fought, till death. A somewhat fatalistic view, perhaps, but Meiko was hardly the world's most optimistic person. She was much more of a...pessimistic pragmatist who didn't believe in trying to comfort yourself with things that sounded nice but were unrealistic. Truth and life were hard and difficult, and nothing could get done by someone who thought that they could just play nice with the things that defined their existence. Some people describe life as a race - Meiko would prefer a war, not even a mere battle. Life was composed of thousands of battles, for love or a job or whatever, and no single one could define your existence, but all of them would be the sum of your existence. Her life was a war she intended to make sure her demons never won - the one who lived could not win, because 'winning' would probably mean 'not dying' (at least for most people, she wasn't so sure what it would entail for her, since she felt death was necessary) and not dying was an impossibility. Again, she merely inclined her head at his words, graceful neck barely moved by her action. With any competent enforcer, yeah. Guess he was competent. Though he should be more than that, to be Peerless, but now wasn't the time for inquiring about his abilities or bringing up their connection in the slightest way. She did wonder, briefly, for a moment, though, about how he was perceiving her mannerisms. If he mentioned it, it might be interesting. After all, most people smiled to comfort, but Meiko Hayashihara primarily smiled to frighten. Though it seemed likely they shared that trait... They walked in silence, until he spoke beneath his breath and then began to sing. Though she was instantly even more on guard than she had already been, somehow, she recognized that it was not for her - it was for the Boy Wonder back in the alley. Hn. Sucked to be him - and sucked to be Jerome McCarthy, about to watch a man die. She wondered briefly if his eulogy was part of the spell, but didn't bother to pursue that train of though. Either way, Mr. McCarthy had probably soiled himself at this point, and was going to be panicking until he was released. Just as she liked her idiots. She debated bugging the idiot's parents now, but then dismissed the idea. Inattention around her Fighter could be a death sentence, at this point, and she had too much work to do to waste any time with dying or grievous injury. She'd pester the parents once she'd exchanged the money - or perhaps the mysterious Reach would enjoy discovering who had managed to raise such a dunderhead. She didn't particularly care which of them dealt with it, but also didn't care to bring it up. It would be dealt with, either way.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; things things and other thing Tags; Tenten Word count; 612

[Tenshi Reach]

Tenshi merely nodded in response to the woman's remark, seeing nothing to really add to it. His thoughts did briefly turn to an absurd notion that got a faint smile out of him, however, as he found himself wondering at the notion of all life being a stage, extending it further to wondering if the entire situation had been dreamed up by the gods to some unknown end, until he remembered he was an athiest.

Despite the way he acted, Tenshi was rarely one to let his thoughts show unless there was something to be gained by it, and that included his observations of others' habits. The notion that Hayashihara's smile was also one of cruelty, albiet cruelty wearing a veil of sweetness, had not escaped him. The assassin made a mental note to have Otter put together a file on the woman, then returned his attention to the matter at hand.

----"Time is the kindest thing ever!" -Noewan Evr ----

As the pair arrived at the bank, a female voice caused Tenshi's face to pale, with the noticable exception of two stripes running down his face, one under each eye.

"Why hello, Fusui-san. If I didn't know better, I'd be inclined to believe you were shirking a certain job I sent you to do in favor of a date.", the owner, a woman clad in a rather expensive-looking kimono, her hair held in a bun by two chopsticks, gently stated in Japanese. Despite the seeming lack of hostility in her apparently friendly tone, the two suited men standing to either side of her backed away, their faces slightly ashen despite their calm, businesslike expressions. "Care to explain what you're doing with this woman? She doesn't exactly look like the person I sent you to negotiate with, and I know you're not stupid enough to finish a job and go straight to your personal affairs without reporting back to me.", she continued, her tone unchanged.

"Shit.", was Tenshi's eloquent initial response, "Hello, Sora-sama. I'm in the process of collecting on that debt. This woman has volunteered to pay half the money owed to us. She has also assured me she will see to it that he pays the rest. Discretely. It was a judgement call on my part to accept the offer.", he explained, color returning to his face as he regained his composure, "I was just about to collect the initial payment. With your permission, of course.", Tenshi bowed, then added, "With all due respect, shirking a job for a date sounds more like Baihu than me.", his tone no less respectful, though a slight eyebrow raise accompanied the jab, earning a scowl from the younger of the men.

Sora smiled faintly at them mention of a judgement call. "That wasn't your call to make.", the woman responded as she looked Meiko over. "You can explain the rest of your reasons later. For now, I'd like to hear about this arrangement. Preferably from your new friend.".


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Words: What are letters arranged to form ideas?
Tags: Who is Meiko Hayashihara?
Notes: What is a clever and/or silly remark in which I attempt to explain why I'm doing this as if I'm on Jeopardy?

Also, the whole 'boss lady being at the bank' thing was partly a product of not knowing what to do... Sorry if it sucks.

[Meiko Hayashihara]

[cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; vertical-align:top;width:500px;height:450px; border-radius: 4px 4px 4px 4px; bTable][tr][atrb=style, background:#C8DDFB; width:30px] [tr] It's so easy to make believe, it seems you're livin' in a dream Don't you see that what you need is standing in front of you? [tr][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7] The bank was not one of Meiko's usual ones - she rarely visited them, only going if she needed to withdraw a more...sizable amount of money, such as today. Typically, she went for ATMs, but today wasn't typical, and she would be using a different account than usual. And she wanted to make sure there were plenty of witnesses - not that it could defend her if he did anything spell-like, but she could defend herself if he did. His paling face at the woman was interesting, but she guessed her to be his employer - a correct guess, given his reaction. And the name was familiar to her, to a degree. Fusui. She wanted an introduction? She would get one. There was always the possibility that any one of them knew her face (and she was hardly about to introduce her Fighter to the name she occasionally used for Transcendere Fatum business, which, depending on which group this was, might be more familiar). She bowed to the other woman - low, but not too low (she didn't work for the woman, nor was she in any other situation which would merit it, so it would not be proper etiquette), her face calm, despite her mind racing through different possibilities. "Hayashihara Meiko," she introduced herself. That name, should they know much of her from anything that had stalked her during her late twenties, could easily indicate this this was not even remotely close to a date. After all, the only times she'd really been in the press for anything other than a show was the time a surprisingly cultured papparazzi had seen her with one of her brief romances. That...had been terrifically awkward. Her real name given, she did feel somewhat relieved that her places were protected, and that she was always armed. Standing regularly again, hands still clasped in front of her, she asked calmly, "What would you like to know, specifically? The person in question, in the midst of this, is an idiot, and there are better avenues at getting what you want that won't draw the prolonged attention of Americans. A rich white boy reports problems abroad, and repercussions happen." A blunt, not-too-detailed explanation for what was happening; her motives would still be in question. "The idiot is presently my student, and I would enjoy his parents finally enacting some control over him, rather than widely excusing his behavior." No, she obviously hadn't received an e-mail from his parents before. (She had never responded, and the head of her department had cried laughing when shown the e-mail, which was unusual from someone so reserved). If there were more specific words necessary, Meiko suspected they would not be too public, and merely hoped that would be unnecessary (and had spells prepared in case it became different business than this... As long as Reach thought she was like other Sacrifices he'd encountered, and magically helpless; if he thought that, she could come out okay, as long as he had sensed some other Fighter in the area and thought she had a helper following her - god knows, it was possible, the amount of units in this city, but she didn't want to rely on uncertainties.

[cs=2][atrb=style, background:#E9F1FB; padding: 4px; opacity: 0.7; height: 100px; font: 10px; width: 500 px; width:100px; margin-bottom: -50px; vertical-align:bottom; bTable][tr] [tr] Notes; much game show, very questions, wow (also if you decide to do anything too srs with Sora, do let me know first porfa? Meiko and responses to things can take foreeeeever to figure out sometimes, so) Tags; Tenshi Word count; 536

[Tenshi Reach]

Sora responded to Meiko's bow with a shorter one of her own, then listened to the woman's explanation. Had she been less familiar with Tenshi, Meiko's name certainly would have been indication enough that her subordinate wasn't merely screwing around on the job.

"Repercussions are the government's problem. A rich family whining about poor service can often be placated by letting a few employees go. But one can hardly expect to have one's loan simply forgiven for the sake of service. We still have to make money, after all. That said, I'm interested in hearing about these 'avenues'. I trust such avenues are what brought you and my collector here?", Sora replied with a smile.

"With all due-", Tenshi began, then fell silent at a gesture from Sora.

"Here isn't the place, though. I have some business here. After my business is concluded, perhaps the two of you will join me for a meal? I know of an excellent restaurant near here. Reach-san, I'll trust your judgement, so you may proceed with the part of your decision that brought you here, but I expect you to be waiting for me when by business is concluded. That is an order.", Sora continued, speaking as if she hadn't been interrupted. The way she spoke, the question was almost a statement, as if acceptance of the offer was a given. The remainder of the last sentence went unsaid, but Tenshi nodded to show he'd understood.

"I recommend accepting.", Tenshi advised, his tone containing a note of warning, but not a threat, "Our business is likely to go a bit more smoothly that way. Sora-sama is not one you want to anger."

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Words: Too short
Tags: Meiko
Notes: much Doge, very meme, wow, such witty (Sorry for the shortness. Brain.exe has crashed.)