Grief In the Shell: Madokapunk IC Thread

[strawberryman]

[Ward 13]
(Waltz Tower Floor 42 - Nadica's Apartment)

Nadica spits out some coffee. "I thought you were well-informed, don't you know she basically hates my guts? I don't think she'd even pick up the phone. She probably hates me more than her even-" She gestures to Leysa. "Because at least she's a 'real mashou'. I'm just an immortal blabbermouth techie. How well do you think that conversation is going to go?"

[Ward 2]
(Wishcraft HQ - Conference Room 12)

Rio does not seem to get the joke. "...I wouldn't do that though." Then she thinks about it a little longer. "Oh."

She signs the last piece of paperwork with that deadpan reaction out of the way. "Mom has a college fund for me... but it's up to me if I use it for that now?" There were a few silly purchases she could think of to pop in her head, but... probably best to keep those at the back of her head.

[Kuroimaken]

[Ward 13]

Snake takes a deep breath and points out, "I need Leysa off the radar with me, and I doubt she has the most stellar thoughts in regards to one of the first and most prolific mashou soldiers ever." Namely, he killed a lot of people. Why is probably unimportant to the Sinhunter.

"Just make it happen. We're running out of time."

[Dorizzit]

[Ward 13]
Waltz Tower Floor 42 - Nadica's Apartment

Leysa stretches.

"Well, now that we've tried to round-robin responsibility for calling her...since she apparently doesn't like either of us and probably wouldn't like you-" Nadica and herself, then Snake, respectively, "I'll just do it. I got her contact info a few years back in case a situation like this ever came up."

She flips out her phone and begins punching a message in.

"Besides, if they do have me tapped, this might be a good opportunity to lure out pursuers. It's not like they can catch us out when we aren't expecting trouble."

Spoiler: Message to Zhen

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Need your help with something urgently. Life and death on a large scale. Details in person. Let me know when/where you can meet.

~Leysa

[strawberryman]

[Ward 13]
(Waltz Towers - Nadica's Apartment)

Nadica shrugs, but offers a nod of acknowledgement to Leysa for handling that contact. "Well, meeting over then? Go get those bastards. Like Ms. Meteor said, the clock's ticking."

[Old Mitakihara]
(Fourtower)

Zhen's been pounding the pavement fairly hard on this mashou murderer case.

Fourtower, one of the residential centers of the Old City, is a standing relic, a blueprint of the soaring towers of Neo-Miki proper. Four linked formerly-business centers, the complex has been settled in by those citizens of the old city for something resembling civilized life. Apartments, restaurants, stores... To the political center that is Kuruha Station, Fourtower is the economic center. As such... there were a lot of people to question. First, she started with the parents of Meena Miskra. Not much to be gained there, the girl was out on patrol, keeping an eye out in the area surrounding Fourtower.

Then, she questioned the staff at the Fourtower Clover bar. Oshiro Emi was just celebrating with family, and left on her own. So far as anyone knew, she wandered around the area before heading towards her home. But of course, she never got there. So either she was intercepted as she was wandering, or on the way out.

Those two were easy, as well as a majority of the victims that were part of the Arcana Network upkeep. Many of them had homes in or near Fourtower. But... Ueda Cho wasn't leaving Fourtower. She was last seen at Kuruha Station. Though as a movie star, perhaps she only openly left Kuruha, and came to or by Fourtower for another reason. That was what stuck out to Zhen, and figuring out this discrepancy was her priority for much of the nearly full day she'd been working on the case.

Then... she gets a text as she's questioning a jewelry store owner whom she was pretty sure had gotten some of his pieces from a fence. But petty thievery was a bit below the mystery in front of her, so she avoids bringing it up, just storming off a bit irritably when the man stops trying to shill his goods to her at an outrageous price after confirming he hadn't seen Ueda.

Zhen looks to the text with tired eyes. It was not terribly surprising that Leysa had her information, however that it came up in this manner is. There's a twinge of annoyance in the back of her head as she taps out a response.

Spoiler: Response to Leysa

Show

If it is of more importance than a murderer of mashou in Old Mitakihara, then I can be found in Fourtower. I will be on Diamond Lane, 35th floor.

[Dorizzit]

[Ward 13]
Nadica's Apartment

Leysa taps her phone patiently while waiting for a response from Zhen. When the message arrives, the looks up at Snake.

"She's willing to talk, at least. Fourtower, Old Mitakihara. Let's hit the road."

She glances at Nadica before leaving.

"Keep us posted if anything new happens."

[Old Mitakihara]
Diamond Lane, Floor 35

Leysa and Snake arrive astonishingly fast for two people making an effort to keep a low profile. Within a few minutes of arriving, they locate and head straight for Zhen.

[Selinia]

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 2]
[Wishcraft Headquarters, Conference Room 12]

"Of course, dear. It's yours. In fact, I might encourage allocating it elsewhere. You have more than earned it. The fund was a sound investment when it was made, but tuition should be no issue for you now. Even if you choose to attend a school outside of those provided by Wishcraft, your mashou status should grant you enough scholarships to make it essentially free. Tokyo University itself would jump at the chance to enroll a magical girl. Especially one as bright and beloved as you."

"And even if that were not the case," Haru adds, giving a sympathetic smile, "Of all the problems you might face growing up, I can assure you that money is not going to be one of them. We can go over the details of it later - or now if you really like - but even your opening wave of appearances is going to leave you quite well off. So, since you ask, was there anything you had in mind particularly for the money?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Old Mitakihara]

Snake at least arrived separately, since travelling in a group was more conspicuous. It was best if Leysa wasn't associated with him just yet.

But he was around, and no doubt the Sinhunter would pick up on him in short order. It was the general public he wanted to avoid.

[strawberryman]

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 2]
(Wishcraft HQ - Conference Room 12)

Rio fidgets, a bit embarrassed. "...I've always wanted to go to MagiCon. It's going to be soon, and platinum-tier passes are expensive. But I've always wanted to." Of course she doesn't even think of the fact that she'd probably just be able to get in free. "...plus all the exclusive shops and stuff."

[Old Mitakihara, Fourtower]
(Diamond Lane, Floor 35)

Zhen turns to Leysa from questioning a... rather scantily dressed, tan Indonesian woman. Zhen is all business, but we'll leave it to the imagination what the potential witness is saying. Zhen goes from speaking flawless Indonesian in a very irritable tone before turning to her fellow mashou, eyes narrowing.

"...so you came." She doesn't seem terribly pleased. "...very well. We will have a seat at First Tower Cafe, and you will have until I finish a cup of tea to explain what is more important than what I am doing here. And only then will I decide whether to help you." She gestures to a cafe front a few meters away, stepping in, ordering a simple green tea, and sitting at a table in the corner.

...sure, she's difficult to work with, but she'll likely see the importance of this, right?

[Dorizzit]

[Old Mitakihara, Fourtower]
Diamond Lane, Floor 35, Cafe

Leysa takes Zhen's hostility in stride, apparently not bothered by it at all. She just nods and follows Zhen over to the cafe, taking a seat and hunching over the table to get closer while staying just outside of Zhen's personal space. She gets a black coffee when prompted for an order.

When the drinks arrive, Leysa folds her hands in front of her mouth, blocking any possibility of her lips being read. A hilariously primitive form of espionage by modern standards, but extra caution rarely hurt.

"An extremely violent black ops group working for the Japanese government either has or is about to have the ability to artificially create mashou. The best case scenario is that they abuse this to make themselves all but unstoppable. The worst case is a second Magic War."