Island The Azure City, Chongqing

[Einsauer]

- "That sounds strange. Were you able to ask Yuki or Bo why they were leaving so suddenly? From what we heard, they are regulars customers so isn't unusual for them to act that way ? Especially if they were in good spirits ? Why would they leave without Stein too ? It's even more curious, why would they leave without the man they are supposed to escort trough the town ?

The man's brow furrowed. "Like I said, sir: I don't know if they took the dwarf. He's measured with a yardstick and can run across the bar in the blink of my eye." He paused. "He normally pays the tab, generously too, however yesterday Yuki paid...And the rush they were in; those two things tipped me off that something might have been off."

Do you have any idea where they might have gone or what could have caused them to leave like that?"

The man seemed to genuinely think on the question. "And it's safe to say you've been to the World Government Embassy?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically before pondering a bit deeper. "...Possibly the Lower Azure City Book House?" He responded. "It's where Yuki worked, still works whenever she gets the chance. She's a town favorite."

- "Mate ! I did not se ya yesterday ! The bar was so full ! I partied with a dwarf half my index and was pushed away by a burly mink, I then went to look for the little guy all night, did you saw him perhaps ?"

The man's head perked up a bit as Shaarib spoke, the flow of words giving life to the drunkard. A thoughtful smile spread across the mans face as he thought of yesterday, it was in-fact pretty festive. His head wobbling in all directions as he seemed to process genuine thoughts for the first time in a while.
At the mention of the mink, the man's face soured. "Urgh, Bo- I can't shtand that guy. He'sh thrown me up against the wallsh here more timesh-" He paused to let loose a mixture of a gag and a hiccup before continuing. "-than I can count. Forget that guy!"

This guy seemed to be a lost cause...

As Shaarib and Baast would consider their next words or actions, the doors to the Tea Shop swung open and a group consisting a large male raccoon-mink and two human women in each arm walked in. He seemed in good spirits and pantomimed tipping a non-existent hat towards Shaarib and the drunk, and then those at the bar.

"Wei, the ladies and I will have our usual!" He hollered over before sitting at a rounded booth immediately near the entrance. The raccoon man, wore the clothes of a commoner but they were extremely well-made nonetheless; he wore countless small satchels and bags all across himself.

The bartender gave a stern look to the suspected marines and then turned to begin making the raccoon patron's drink order. Mixing together multiple bottles of alcohol into a shaker before straining them all into large clear glasses; revealing a bright orange liquid inside. Then setting three small glasses of a clear liquid beside them all and walking the tray away from the counter and over to the entrance.
It seemed the bar-owner was done speaking on the matter.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# Panther gritted his teeth together. It looked like the dwarf’s plan went accordingly and he was able to ditch his escorts for a minute. They were back to square one and had to walk back to the City. They were acting as tourists and couldn’t be seen running at breakneck speed in the city. Shaarib spoke about making a visit into the Temple of Seiryu. Their only problem was that they didn’t have much time on their hands. At nightfall they needed to barricade themselves. The Vice-Admiral briefing left a bad taste in the 169th mouths. Zombies were not a good omen. The mink smiled at the barman and flipped some coins at the man before turning his back and looked at his boss.

Shaarib went from one booth to another. The skypiean saw a raccoon Mink enter and sit at booth with good company. He got up brusquely and feigned the overdose of alcohol. The marine, let himself fall in booth and yelled at the Mink with his childish voice :

- « YOOOOOO ! C-Can I join y’all ? M-m-my date d-disa-disappeared on me… Have you seen her ? Yu-yu-yuri? » He shook his head violently « No it was Yugi ! »he said looking at the barman for confirmation before waving his hands in the wind « Eh, I don’t care ! Let’s drink my friend ! »

 

[Einsauer]

He got up brusquely and feigned the overdose of alcohol. The marine, let himself fall in booth and yelled at the Mink with his childish voice :

- « YOOOOOO ! C-Can I join y’all ? M-m-my date d-disa-disappeared on me… Have you seen her ? Yu-yu-yuri? » He shook his head violently « No it was Yugi ! »he said looking at the barman for confirmation before waving his hands in the wind « Eh, I don’t care ! Let’s drink my friend ! »

The large tanuki-like mink recoiled a bit from the drunken display put on by Shaarib. His gleefully squinted eyes popped open for a moment while he and the ladies avoided letting Shaarib crawl onto them.
The mink and the human women looked at each other quizzically as the marine rambled on.

"Yuki?" Asked one of the women to the other. They shrugged at each other, and the mink looked over to Wei, the bartender, for some sort of assistance. It seemed that they, at least the women present, personally knew Yuki.

Panther gritted his teeth together. It looked like the dwarf’s plan went accordingly and he was able to ditch his escorts for a minute. They were back to square one and had to walk back to the City. They were acting as tourists and couldn’t be seen running at breakneck speed in the city. Shaarib spoke about making a visit into the Temple of Seiryu. Their only problem was that they didn’t have much time on their hands. At nightfall they needed to barricade themselves. The Vice-Admiral briefing left a bad taste in the 169th mouths. Zombies were not a good omen. The mink smiled at the barman and flipped some coins at the man before turning his back and looked at his boss.

The bartender nodded to the panther-mink and slid the coinage over to a small till box on the opposite side of the counter. He seemed about ready to bid the men good luck, when he noticed the Vice-Admiral.

"Hey! Enough of that!" He hollered over to the veiled Skypiean. "Don't start bothering Tea Shop VIPs!"

The mink looked from Wei and then at Vice-Admiral Hassan with a friendly smile. "My name is Jiàgé." Came the calm introduction. "What's yours?"

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

"Hey! Enough of that!" He hollered over to the veiled Skypiean. "Don't start bothering Tea Shop VIPs!"

The mink looked from Wei and then at Vice-Admiral Hassan with a friendly smile. "My name is Jiàgé." Came the calm introduction. "What's yours?"

# Shaarib hit the table angrily and nearly broke it in half. A soldier of the world government was lost god nowhere, and the barman was trying to prevent them to get information. VIP clients or not, Shaarib's salary was enough to buy the damned place. The Skypiean spun on one foot and took a pause before yelling once again.

​

- " Who am I ? WHO AM I ?! Don't you recognize the Su-Su-Sublime ! The star of Orange Town's theater ! The Beautiful and GREAT Kallavan ?! I don't wear that veil for nothing mate... When I show myself, people drop dead... You know why ?" did he said after another pause " BECAUSE I'M DROP DEAD GORGEOUS !" continued the Skypiean laughing " A shame that woman couldn't profit of such beauty.... Dear friend Jia Jia, she broke my heart in pieces ! PIECES ! I thought I finally found the one..." finished the marine by letting himself fall on the one the siege, dramatically.

Baast tinkered with his pouch and threw a bill on the counter. Their boss had decided to make a show and they needed to let him run point. They had to get information and from what he perceived, the women seemed to know Yuki. How come a popular woman like her, be lost for that much time.#

 

[Einsauer]

# Shaarib hit the table angrily and nearly broke it in half. A soldier of the world government was lost god nowhere, and the barman was trying to prevent them to get information. VIP clients or not, Shaarib's salary was enough to buy the damned place. The Skypiean spun on one foot and took a pause before yelling once again.

The women flinched away, the large mink (now fully captivated by the raving drunkard) leaned a bit closer, rather than recoiling, the women falling from his grasp and getting behind their companion's arms. The large, furry brown arms leaned onto the table when it was clear it wouldn't collapse beneath his weight.
"Wei, the ladies and I will need more drinks!" He hollered over.

- " Who am I ? WHO AM I ?! Don't you recognize the Su-Su-Sublime ! The star of Orange Town's theater ! The Beautiful and GREAT Kallavan ?! I don't wear that veil for nothing mate... When I show myself, people drop dead... You know why ?" did he said after another pause " BECAUSE I'M DROP DEAD GORGEOUS !" continued the Skypiean laughing " A shame that woman couldn't profit of such beauty.... Dear friend Jia Jia, she broke my heart in pieces ! PIECES ! I thought I finally found the one..." finished the marine by letting himself fall on the one the siege, dramatically.

Jiàgé perked up and clapped his large oven mitt-esque hands for the dramatic performance that the star had just put on. It seemed that the raccoon had quickly become a fan of the awe-inspiring Kallavan quite quickly. "Ladies, we are in the presence of performative royalty." He said enthusiastically.

The women seemed to relax a bit while they waited for their second order of drinks, as the prior platter had spilt over during Shaarib Hassan's performance.
"How far did you travel to get here from Orange Town, artist Kallavan?" The raccoon asked, clearly unaware of the world beyond this large island. It was apparent he didn't realize Orange Town and Chongqing were in the same sea.

Baast tinkered with his pouch and threw a bill on the counter. Their boss had decided to make a show and they needed to let him run point. They had to get information and from what he perceived, the women seemed to know Yuki. How come a popular woman like her, be lost for that much time.#

The bartender sighed, took the currency with a gentle nod and began cleaning glasses. "The rush will start soon." He warned Baast calmly of the impending swarm of bargoers. "People get in and get out before curfew."

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

"The rush will start soon." He warned Baast calmly of the impending swarm of bargoers. "People get in and get out before curfew."

​

Shaarib heard the barman and decided it was time to get serious. The day was soon coming to an end if people were going to rush to the bars. He got up and began dancing to impress the gallery. The mink had asked a question but the marine decided to act like he did not hear anything. Shaarib slowly got closer to the trio when he finished his performance and opened the veil to let them see his face. His eyes, were shining and like promised, Shaarib let out a haki blast strong enough to knock out the VIP. He then smiled at the girls and said with seriousness :

- " Ma , ma, girls, I think it's time we been able to be honest with each other." the temperature in the bar dropped as he paused to look at them in the eyes "I need to know all the info you have on Yuki, we are to think she's in grave danger. If you don't find the lost trio, it's going to cause a huge incident. And we do not want that riiiiiight ? " said the Vice-Admiral his lips curling upward " I think our host is tired of us already ... Do not worry blond guy, we are going to pay for the damage... The girls too... The raccoon will wake up before the curfew do not worry about it... I just need infos...." finished Shaarib crossing one of his legs over the other.

 

[Einsauer]

Shaarib slowly got closer to the trio when he finished his performance and opened the veil to let them see his face. His eyes, were shining and like promised, Shaarib let out a haki blast strong enough to knock out the VIP. He then smiled at the girls and said with seriousness :

The centralized burst of conqueror's haki hit the raccoon-mink like a runaway cart. The already sleepy eyes blissfully shut, so peacefully it seemed to be a natural occurrence rather than a forced state of temporary lethargy. The women flinched away from the Skypiean marine once more; they were once more yanked from their transient feeling of safety.

- " Ma , ma, girls, I think it's time we been able to be honest with each other." the temperature in the bar dropped as he paused to look at them in the eyes "I need to know all the info you have on Yuki, we are to think she's in grave danger.

The two girls exchanged nervous glances; one woman with pink and one with black hair, they seemed to be trying to piece together everything being presented to them so suddenly. The aura shifted from frantic to ominous on Shaarib's command; both of the women looked to the bartender and the other patrons for some sort of help; they were unsure what to say to this man.

If you don't find the lost trio, it's going to cause a huge incident. And we do not want that riiiiiight ? " said the Vice-Admiral his lips curling upward " I think our host is tired of us already ... Do not worry blond guy, we are going to pay for the damage... The girls too... The raccoon will wake up before the curfew do not worry about it... I just need infos...." finished Shaarib crossing one of his legs over the other.

The taller of the girls, the one with pink hair, spoke first; clearly the bolder of the two. The rose-haired woman seemed mildly irritated. "How is any of this our responsibility?" She snapped. "WE don't have to find Yuki, YOU do."

The black-haired girl spoke next. She seemed very worried for her friend, Yuki.
"I don't think either of us have seen Yuki in at least a few weeks. She apparently stopped by the book house to entertain an old favorite. She stopped showing up as much when she started getting creepy notes a while back!"

The pink-haired girl's demeanor shifted to a similar state of worry to match her friend. "That's right!" She exclaimed. "She kept getting weird notes about her 'forgetting who she was' and 'forgetting her groom'."
"What do you need to know, Kallavan?"
Wei, from across the room, leaned onto the bar a bit to hear slightly better. He seemed fearful for the missing woman, just as the girls were.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

The taller of the girls, the one with pink hair, spoke first; clearly the bolder of the two. The rose-haired woman seemed mildly irritated. "How is any of this our responsibility?" She snapped. "WE don't have to find Yuki, YOU do."

# Shaarib looked at the woman and the smile grew until it reached his ears and the man began to laugh so hard the room was shaking. Despite being afraid, one of the women find the courage to try to flip things around. She was feisty and Shaarib always preferred when people spoke their minds. Honesty and respect were the only things you owed to give. Shaarib wiped away the tears with one of his hands and said :

- "Miss, to be honest, I don't care about them that much. They are not under my responsibility, even if they were... The consequences aren't going to fall on my head..." he waved his hands trying to find his words" I'm...ummm... a little too important in this time for that. So don't try to act tough.... I can kill any of y'all without leaving this chair or moving an inch. I just like mysteries ya know..." He then looked at the other woman and continued " Please, tell us what you know."

The black-haired girl spoke next. She seemed very worried for her friend, Yuki.
"I don't think either of us have seen Yuki in at least a few weeks. She apparently stopped by the book house to entertain an old favorite. She stopped showing up as much when she started getting creepy notes a while back!"

The pink-haired girl's demeanor shifted to a similar state of worry to match her friend. "That's right!" She exclaimed. "She kept getting weird notes about her 'forgetting who she was' and 'forgetting her groom'."
"What do you need to know, Kallavan?"
Wei, from across the room, leaned onto the bar a bit to hear slightly better. He seemed fearful for the missing woman, just as the girls were.

The Vice-Amiral tilted his head to the side, he was intrigued. His threat did the work but now the information given was more than weird. Yuki seemed to be suffering from a stalker. If she had a troubled past and the government let her follow Stein around ? This was better than nothing, now if they could know more about this stalker...

"Ma ma, Forgetting her groom ? Was Yuki married ? Did any of y'all know her for long ? Imma need her last known address, hers and maybe the one of the groom too..."

#

 

[Einsauer]

- "Miss, to be honest, I don't care about them that much. They are not under my responsibility, even if they were... The consequences aren't going to fall on my head..." he waved his hands trying to find his words" I'm...ummm... a little too important in this time for that. So don't try to act tough.... I can kill any of y'all without leaving this chair or moving an inch. I just like mysteries ya know..." He then looked at the other woman and continued " Please, tell us what you know."

The pink-haired woman's face seemed to say she had more of an argument at the ready, but she was too smart to let her tongue betray her or her friends. She assessed the priorities and arguing with this imposing man while her friend was in danger was firmly at the bottom of the list.
The dark-haired woman seemed to already be scouring her memories for any helpful information to save her friend, Yuki.

"Matron Wēn..." She started. "The mother of the book house gathered all of us girls to let us know Yuki would be stepping away for a time. At the time she said that Yuki had seen a much expected rise in the social status; that she would be serving as an ambassador for the Azure City." She recollected. "Then a month or so later Matron Wēn gathered us again to go over new safety protocols for us girls. She told us about the eerie notes that Yuki had been receiving. She gave us some new rules: When leaving the capital, you may not accompany a guest alone; that's why Kimi is here with us."
The pink-haired woman lifted her hand slightly to signify herself.

The dark-haired girl's eyes widened and she quickly retrieved a small cream-colored piece of paper, the size of a playing card, from her bra. "We all got vivre cards that the Matron may use to find us!"
"I don't know if Yuki received one, since she somewhat parted with the book house, but it's possible!"

As this realization came out, a gathering drone of loud conversation and laughter could be heard approaching the front of the Tea Shop. The women looked up at the doors, and then the pink-haired girl quickly scrawled an address on a napkin using an eyeliner pencil. "Just ask to see the madam of the house, if you imply you're looking for an evening's entertainment she'll likely see you quicker. Tell her Kimi and Marie sent you and explain the situation; if she can help she will." She said in a hurried hush, clearly picking up on the implied urgency of secrecy.

As a group of ten or so human men barged in the bartender shouted over the the unconscious raccoon, loud enough for the newcomers to hear. "I think you've had enough, Jiàgé!"

The men chuckled at the unconscious raccoon and then went about their business, pushing around and through the disguised marines to order their drinks for the early-evening.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

"Matron Wēn..." She started. "The mother of the book house gathered all of us girls to let us know Yuki would be stepping away for a time. At the time she said that Yuki had seen a much expected rise in the social status; that she would be serving as an ambassador for the Azure City." She recollected. "Then a month or so later Matron Wēn gathered us again to go over new safety protocols for us girls. She told us about the eerie notes that Yuki had been receiving. She gave us some new rules: When leaving the capital, you may not accompany a guest alone; that's why Kimi is here with us."

"We all got vivre cards that the Matron may use to find us!"
"I don't know if Yuki received one, since she somewhat parted with the book house, but it's possible!"

# Shaarib clapped his hand loudly, he was satisfied with the information he had. Although they were workers, their matron cared about them enough to create a vivre card for all of them. She even created protocols for the girls when they were out of town. The Vice-Admiral scratched his chin pensively. The world wasn't made of nice people like that, maybe the matron just wanted to be able to find her girls. With a vivrecard on each of them and a sister monitoring. The workers knew they couldn't run away. The Skypiean got up, dusted his attire, closed his veil, and put some cash on the table for the inconvenience. The clients were about the enter, the marines had overstayed their welcome.

As this realization came out, a gathering drone of loud conversation and laughter could be heard approaching the front of the Tea Shop. The women looked up at the doors, and then the pink-haired girl quickly scrawled an address on a napkin using an eyeliner pencil. "Just ask to see the madam of the house, if you imply you're looking for an evening's entertainment she'll likely see you quicker. Tell her Kimi and Marie sent you and explain the situation; if she can help she will." She said in a hurried hush, clearly picking up on the implied urgency of secrecy.

Even though his face could not be seen, Shaarib had the brightest smile on it. The girls he had threatened minutes ago, gave him a direct access to the matron. They really cared about the missing escort. He caught the napkin and whispered to pink-haired girl :

- "If y'all need anything, go straight to the Embassy and ask for Lieutenant Mina. Just tell her "Fallen Sky" owe you aight ?"

He looked back at the others and with a head nod, they were ready to leave. On their way out, Shaarib the asshole he was, decided to cut straight through the human group that came in. What would they do against 3 mountains ? The marines walked out, the sky had lost its blue shade. The sun was about to set.
The local street food stands were full, they had to stop for steamed buns and dumplings, they were even gifted cups of warm tea. As they strolled down the streets, the city changed once again. In front of the shops, the merchants had lighted their traditional lanterns. They could see some artisans at work, crafting delicate fabrics. They apperceived others closing their shops afraid of missing the curfew. The population was walking fast, everyone had something to do. Shaarib looked once again at the dress Kimi and Marie gave, they asked around once or twice earning looks from the civilians but they didn’t care. They arrived and Genjo was the first one to get in. Incense embracing them. The young man approached the first hostess they saw and did as instructed. #

 

[Einsauer]

He looked back at the others and with a head nod, they were ready to leave. On their way out, Shaarib the asshole he was, decided to cut straight through the human group that came in. What would they do against 3 mountains ?

All awake and sober eyes fell on the strangers as they left the Tea Shop; the women in the booth on either side of the sleeping mink, the newly-arrived men, and Wei all watched the mysterious and powerful figures made their leave. Shaarib and the company he claimed were hard not to notice. Shortly after their exit laughter and drink orders could be heard from within the establishment, meaning the bargoers were not too perturbed or suspicious of the disguised marines.

Shaarib looked once again at the address Kimi and Marie gave, they asked around once or twice earning looks from the civilians but they didn’t care.

After perusing the local delicacies once more, the group of grizzled marines ventured back, more-or-less, in the direction they had come from working their way out of the poorer outskirts of Gongmen Town and into the heart of the city, making only a few small changes in pathing as directions were suggested by those asked.
By the time they would arrive at a district aglow with lantern light, more than readied for the impending night the sky was beginning to shift from the dulling blue to a beautiful mix of pink and orange. The night wasn't too far away, along with curfew...

They arrived and Genjo was the first one to get in. Incense embracing them. The young man approached the first hostess they saw and did as instructed. #

The first woman they ran into was a blonde, long-armed woman, her double-elbowed arms adorned in jeweled bracelets and pearl beads. As Genjo would approach and speak to the woman her own eyes glazed over.

Before Genjo could say much of any of importance his voice was drown out by her outburst of cooing at the adorable young marine; drawing the attention of nearby hostesses to do the very same. Before even a full minute of being within the book house Genjo was swarmed with adoring fans.

Spoiler: Technique(s) Used

Group Hug! - A powerful technique that multiple users can stack. The user grapples an adorable target and entraps them in their loving arms. [x8]

Spoiler: DPR

Fatal.

Luckily, while this was happening a sultry purr of a voice rang out:

"Welcome to The Lower Azure City Book House." The voice came from a beautiful older woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and smoking from a long, elegant cigarette-holder. "Can I help you gentlemen?" She asked the group (aside from Genjo).

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

# The situation unfolding in front of soldiers, was delirious. Genjo had always been a shy kid, the boy always had a talent for fighting and incredible physical abilities but Shaarib and the others never considered the man a magnet. And Genjo sure was popular, a horde of beautiful women kidnaped the blond. The group of soldiers laughed and pointed at the kid.

"Welcome to The Lower Azure City Book House." The voice came from a beautiful older woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and smoking from a long, elegant cigarette-holder. "Can I help you gentlemen?" She asked the group (aside from Genjo).

Shaarib walked forward and opened his arms wide.

- " What a fine establishment ! My compadres and I came for an Evening Entertainment. It looks like the entertainment chose our blond friend over us... " The Vice-Admiral came close to the matron and lighted his cigarette with hers, Shaarib body was wide enough to cover the action from curious eyes, he unfolded the napkin to relay the message and crushed it under his palm. " The Great Kallavan had acquired tastes, I want something more exotic... and I think you might have what I've been looking for..." continued the marine releasing a puff of smoke in the air. "I won't say no, if you could show me something interesting in a more "private" environment miss.... " The man let out a sound of stupor " Ma , Ma, I completely forgot my manners! What is your name miss ? "#

 

[Einsauer]

# The situation unfolding in front of soldiers, was delirious. Genjo had always been a shy kid, the boy always had a talent for fighting and incredible physical abilities but Shaarib and the others never considered the man a magnet. And Genjo sure was popular, a horde of beautiful women kidnaped the blond. The group of soldiers laughed and pointed at the kid.

Genjo was corralled into the horde of giggling women and pulled off into a large room through an open doorway, only blocked by thin curtains. This room had multitudes of incense sticks burning; all the same or complimentary of one another. The room smelled 'expensive' somehow, these women had mastered the art of seducing the olfactory senses.

The heavily perfumed building leaked its scent into the surrounding streets and smaller businesses, intertwining them into their own district of sorts. This very room was quite possibly the main source of the area's uniquely beautiful aroma.

Lavish furniture was strewn about tastefully; a second-story that wrapped around the circular wall and was visible from beneath; a luxurious golden banister lining it. There was no clear way up from here to the second story however...

Shaarib walked forward and opened his arms wide.

- " What a fine establishment ! My compadres and I came for an Evening Entertainment. It looks like the entertainment chose our blond friend over us... " The Vice-Admiral came close to the matron and lighted his cigarette with hers, Shaarib body was wide enough to cover the action from curious eyes, he unfolded the napkin to relay the message and crushed it under his palm.

The well-dressed lady, seemingly non-native to Chongqing (as well as her fancy clothes), seemed impressed by how forward Shaarib was. She nodded at him before ashing the tip of her cigarette into a small glass ashtray being held by a young lady beside her.
As Shaarib began to speak she came in close to him, almost into an embrace before gently taking his cigarette and putting it out.

"I ask you only smoke our brand of cigarettes here." She had a pouty frown, despite her advancing age the woman seemed well-trained in flirtation. "The smell of lesser, common cigarettes clashes with our famously unique aroma." She handed him a luxurious, lavender-colored pack of cigarettes (embossed with gold). "A gift." She said.

She pulled away a bit and brought the hot ember of the burning cigarette tip to Shaarib's nostrils; should the vice-admiral take the smell in it would be positively pleasant.

" The Great Kallavan had acquired tastes, I want something more exotic... and I think you might have what I've been looking for..."
"I won't say no, if you could show me something interesting in a more "private" environment miss.... " The man let out a sound of stupor " Ma , Ma, I completely forgot my manners! What is your name miss ? "#

"If you seek exoticism, you have come to the right place, Mr. Kallavan." She said lightly gesturing around herself. "I am the madam of the house; I am Matron Li An Wēn; you may call me Li An if that pleases you though."
She looked to the young woman holding the ashtray. "Go prepare tea for this handsome, mysterious gentleman and I." She placed her wide-brimmed hat on a coatrack's hook and looked over her shoulder at Shaarib Hassan.

"Follow me, we can discuss business in my office." The matron said, implying he follow alone and leave his soldiers to their own devices.

@Cross

 

[Emperor Cross]

"I ask you only smoke our brand of cigarettes here." She had a pouty frown, despite her advancing age the woman seemed well-trained in flirtation. "The smell of lesser, common cigarettes clashes with our famously unique aroma." She handed him a luxurious, lavender-colored pack of cigarettes (embossed with gold). "A gift." She said.

She pulled away a bit and brought the hot ember of the burning cigarette tip to Shaarib's nostrils; should the vice-admiral take the smell in it would be positively pleasant.

Shaarib scratched the back of his hat, the matron surprised him. He caught the cigarette pack and inspected it quickly, by turning it in all the sense and opening it to see what was inside. The packaging was luxurious, it made the soldier wonder if he was worthy of such gift. He grew up in two different civilizations but both of them despised luxury. Skypiean didn't even understand how surprising were the Shandorans ruins. The matron exhaled smoke in the Vice-Admiral's face and he played her game. He inhaled it but used his fruit's power to wash his lungs immediately after. The tobacco was more potent, Shaarib exhaled it threw his nostrils and nodded to the matron.

"If you seek exoticism, you have come to the right place, Mr. Kallavan." She said lightly gesturing around herself. "I am the madam of the house; I am Matron Li An Wēn; you may call me Li An if that pleases you though."
She looked to the young woman holding the ashtray. "Go prepare tea for this handsome, mysterious gentleman and I." She placed her wide-brimmed hat on a coatrack's hook and looked over her shoulder at Shaarib Hassan.

"Follow me, we can discuss business in my office." The matron said, implying he follow alone and leave his soldiers to their own devices.

Shaarib made a hand sign to his two partners, Iboo, the fishman had to keep his eyes open. In case anything happened to Shaarib or Genjo. Shaarib wasn't worried but in this job, he had too. Matron were usually information brokers and a lot of people saw the Vice-Admiral turn into a phoenix. The Shandian wasn't weak, but he was still used by sea, an ingenious way to use Kairoseki was all Li An needed to put him down. The birdman followed the matron and when they entered the office, took his veiled hat. He needed to give something to gain back. The man's hand went through his braids as he sat on a chair.

- "You probably recognized me already... I'm not going to say it... We still need plausible deniability. I think we both know why I came here today. One of your children got lost yesterday, she was supposed to be escorting a dwarf named Stein. Nobody saw them. " He lifted his index "Little birdies told me that you keep a Vivre Card of each of them. So I came to see if the intel was true... I need to know if you have a Vivre Card of Yuki and to ask you if I could borrow it for a day. " He raised a second one" Don't worry, I know how it work... To receive, I shall give, and you don't seem to need any money. So give your price and shall take it miss Li An" finished Shaarib taking out a cigarette from the pack and lighting it"

 

[Einsauer]

As the two entered the room, decorated in burgundies and lavish shades of red, the matron (leading ahead of Shaarib) flicked on electric lights loosely disguised as lanterns, to match the aesthetic. Three 'bear skin' rugs dressed the floor; one of which being the entire pelt of a Lapahn. The shelves of the office were all stuffed with ceramic jars. She sat down and gestured for Shaarib to do the same; there were no 'chairs' in the traditional sense; only loveseats and hanging basket-like seats.

"You probably recognized me already... I'm not going to say it... We still need plausible deniability.

"Yes, you're the marine that arrived yesterday morning..." She remarked, proving Shaarib's hunch about this woman's ability to gather certain information quickly was formidable.

" I think we both know why I came here today. One of your children got lost yesterday, she was supposed to be escorting a dwarf named Stein. Nobody saw them. " He lifted his index "Little birdies told me that you keep a Vivre Card of each of them. So I came to see if the intel was true... I need to know if you have a Vivre Card of Yuki and to ask you if I could borrow it for a day. " He raised a second one" Don't worry, I know how it work... To receive, I shall give, and you don't seem to need any money. So give your price and shall take it miss Li An" finished Shaarib taking out a cigarette from the pack and lighting it"

The older woman took the rest of Shaarib's statement in before taking a short drag of her fancy cigarette. "I fear you may have misjudged me a bit, sir."

"These girls are my family." She said somberly. "I would go to enormous lengths to protect them."
She stood up from her chair and walked over to a dresser, opening and removing from it a black box with an enormous ivory-gilded lock of brass.
She removed a key from around her neck, hidden in a red ribbon and used it to unlock the box and fetch a piece of paper from within. She sealed the box and set it away before returning to the desk.
Li An sat on her desk, directly in front of Shaarib (should he be in front of the desk). She held out the paper; the name 'Yuki' elegantly scrawled at the bottom. The paper was in fine condition, meaning Yuki's life was not in immediate peril as of yet.

She gently held it between two fingers.

"You're right though, there is something I want..." She said before handing the paper to him. "I want you to kill this kidnapper after you instill the fear of the gods into him." She said, with an eerie tone of sweetness. "Promise me that, 'Mr. Kallavan', and the vivre card is all yours until you find my Yuki and bring her back safe."

@L'Empereur

 

[Emperor Cross]

The older woman took the rest of Shaarib's statement in before taking a short drag of her fancy cigarette. "I fear you may have misjudged me a bit, sir."

"These girls are my family." She said somberly. "I would go to enormous lengths to protect them."

# It took a severe amount of control for Shaarib's eyes not to widen. The matron was not a jailor but a protector. In her voice, you could distinguish the love she had for her children. Shaarib took another puff of cigarette, the woman had listened to his monologue, he had to reciprocate the effort. Li An left her chair, opened a huge box and took out a piece of paper : The Vivre Card. Contrary to Shaarib's belief, the card was in an excellent state. The escort was safe, which hopefully meant that Stein too was safe.

"You're right though, there is something I want..." She said before handing the paper to him. "I want you to kill this kidnapper after you instill the fear of the gods into him." She said, with an eerie tone of sweetness. "Promise me that, 'Mr. Kallavan', and the vivre card is all yours until you find my Yuki and bring her back safe."

The Vice-Admiral took his time before answering, he looked Li An right in the eyes, he needed to have proof of her faithfulness. The Skypiean, formed an o with his mouth, exhaled three round clouds of smoke toward the woman. The Vice-Admiral laughed and got up, taking two steps to get closer to the matron. He took the card and


- "I hope so... I know my first appearance to the population of Azure City was not a favorable one but instilling fear and killing is my domain of predilection... What I fear is the repercussions of said action... I'm not in politics nor do I know a lot of the internal politics of this country. A promise is a promise. I will kill the wrongdoer.... I just won't care about the consequences....I came here to kill the Leviathan Pirates and it seems the more I learn about this country, the more I want to leave...." Shaarib clapped his hands together and turned toward the exit " Thank Ya Miss ! Kallavan owe you one." finished the soldier leaving the office.

He walked down the corridors and found his partners waiting for him at the bar. Genjo's face was covered by lipstick. His ears were still red... The kid looked like he was properly snogged. Shaarib and the band went outside, the streets were empty, they were minutes away from the curfew.

- "Iboo, Bast... Genjo and I are going to leave ya by yourselves. I received the package and Genjo and I are going to deliver it. " said Shaarib by winking at the two giants. Usually, he would've gone alone but he needed someone else to know the location the Vice-Admiral was going at. Shaarib would enter alone, Genjo would return immediately to the Embassy and if by the time, the sun rose, Shaarib wasn't home, they were going to raid the place.

The Vice Admiral took Genjo by the arm and ran into another street with him. The kid followed suit, In the skypiean hand's was the Vivre Card and he followed it to the best of his ability. By the time, the company arrived at the location, Night had fallen. #

- " Ma, ma... who would've thought..."

 

[Einsauer]

The Vice-Admiral took his time before answering, he looked Li An right in the eyes, he needed to have proof of her faithfulness. The Skypiean, formed an o with his mouth, exhaled three round clouds of smoke toward the woman.

Li An's stoic and beautiful face analyzed the dark-skinned face of the Skypiean man before her, judging his trustworthiness as he judged hers. As he exhaled the rings, she brought in the last one into her nostrils; it seemed she was a fan of her fancifully scented cigarettes...Or possibly just a fan of Shaarib's.

The Vice-Admiral laughed and got up, taking two steps to get closer to the matron. He took the card and...

The woman held tight to the card for a brief moment as he went to pluck it from her hand, allowing the card to tear (somewhat cleanly) down the middle. She took her half and gently tucked it into her exposed cleavage.

- "I hope so... I know my first appearance to the population of Azure City was not a favorable one but instilling fear and killing is my domain of predilection... What I fear is the repercussions of said action... I'm not in politics nor do I know a lot of the internal politics of this country. A promise is a promise. I will kill the wrongdoer.... I just won't care about the consequences....I came here to kill the Leviathan Pirates and it seems the more I learn about this country, the more I want to leave...." Shaarib clapped his hands together and turned toward the exit " Thank Ya Miss ! Kallavan owe you one." finished the soldier leaving the office.

Before the door shut, the matron chimed to the Skypiean one last time. "Be sure to visit here after you are successful... I would hate for you to leave Chongqing without a proper reward." Li An spoke with a hint of seduction, but carefully choosing her words to imply that there was no room for error; Yuki was too important to her.

He walked down the corridors and found his partners waiting for him at the bar. Genjo's face was covered by lipstick. His ears were still red... The kid looked like he was properly snogged. Shaarib and the band went outside, the streets were empty, they were minutes away from the curfew.

- "Iboo, Bast... Genjo and I are going to leave ya by yourselves. I received the package and Genjo and I are going to deliver it. "

A slough of women whined and groaned at the announcement of Genjo's impending exit.

"NooooOO```!"

"Don't leave, Genjo-tan!"​

"Please stay a little while longer!"

​

All the same, the Vice-Admiral took his soldier, Genjo, and made for the exit to the building; his other men left behind to their own devices. The women sulked for a brief moment before beginning to entertain the idea of the strong marine men left in Genjo's wake.

Shaarib and Genjo hastily rushed through the streets, due to their immense speed only needing a few moments to get truly fresh air, unperverted by the, admittedly pleasant, thick perfume. The perfect egg-shell colored piece of paper would flick in Hassan's hand and he would move in kind; chugging along through the quieting streets with his comrade right behind him.

There was still a dull glow in the sky, curfew was mere moments from beginning; but occasionally the two would pass a slower and/or more carefree citizen working their way home before the sun fell behind the horizon. The two marines rushed wordlessly, with the only immediate goal on the Vice Admiral's mind being to get to the end of this invisible trail...
Unimpeded by anyone, the duo moved across the entirety of Chongqing it seemed, moving eastward the entire time. Eventually they would continue their journey out of the city proper and into a rough path carved through brush and thin, but tall and plentiful, trees.

By the time, the company arrived at the location, Night had fallen.

The vivre card flicked off the path, the movements getting a bit more dramatic; they were extremely close; was she being kept outside in the woods?

As Genjo and Shaarib reached the end of the vivre's trail they crossed in a large opening, with only a single landmark to note...A crucifix: and bolted to it was a shadow-coated mink, a gazelle or ibex of sorts, but with a large horn protruding from his head. The shadow's head hung low, possibly dead or unconscious: the card led here, but Yuki wasn't anywhere in sight. Nobody aside from the crucified mink was in sight.

The night's air was thick with impending fog...

@L'Empereur

 

[Emperor Cross]

- " Ma, ma... who would've thought..."

They found the mink hanged on a crucifix, his body bruised. They had beaten the escort to unconsciousness. Maybe he was dead, but they had to try. Shaarib began to unscrew the Ibex. It was harder than he had anticipated, and the wood of the crucifix was old and brittle. Too much strength would destroy it. But Shaarib was determined to pay his respect to the soldier. As he neared the top, a sudden gust of wind blew, and the crucifix began to sway. Shaarib’s grip tightened on the wood, and the cross broke with the mink falling down on the ground.


As the body lay, bruised and broken, Shaarib looked at it and engulfed it in that blue fire he was so proud of. For an instant, the surroundings were illuminated. It was the best he could do. If the flames were not able to wake the Ibex up, nothing would. Shaarib took the body and put it in another place. If the Vivre Card was pointing to this place. They were going to dig a hole into the ground.

• « Look if he’s breathing or not Gen’. I’m going to dig up that woman if she isn’t here, we will have to open the belly of that guy… Vivre Card are never wrong… If it happens to be the latter, that would mean that the dudes here are freaky as fuck… »

The Vice-Admiral took out one of his dials, and with the Eisen, he created a shovel made out of the iron cloud. With another movement, he began to dig hoping to find the goddam woman.

 

[Einsauer]

As the body lay, bruised and broken, Shaarib looked at it and engulfed it in that blue fire he was so proud of. For an instant, the surroundings were illuminated. It was the best he could do. If the flames were not able to wake the Ibex up, nothing would. Shaarib took the body and put it in another place. If the Vivre Card was pointing to this place. They were going to dig a hole into the ground.

The mink's seemingly lifeless body burst into a dance of blue regenerative flames, the fur-covered body remained motionless as the mystical fire overtook it...It seemed as though the phoenix's powers may have been fruitless in this dire situation. As the light fog continued to thicken around the two (and the body), Shaarib made his decision: he would search the area for the woman, starting with the ground.

• « Look if he’s breathing or not Gen’. I’m going to dig up that woman if she isn’t here, we will have to open the belly of that guy… Vivre Card are never wrong… If it happens to be the latter, that would mean that the dudes here are freaky as fuck… »

The Vice-Admiral took out one of his dials, and with the Eisen, he created a shovel made out of the iron cloud. With another movement, he began to dig hoping to find the goddam woman.

The Skypiean man would feverishly take scoop after scoop out of the soft ground before a struggled cough would catch the attention of the marines. The mangled mink hacked up a large amount of blood-dyed spittle. It wasn't farfetched to assume this Ibex-man was mere moments from passing over into death's domain.

Without wasting a single word, the mink quickly choked out: "Please- Tell me you're the rescue party." His voice sounded like it might have been rough and deep before being brought to the brink of death, right now it sounded dreadful. The mink's eyes were still bleary as he took in Genjo (the closer of the two).
"The Jiangshi..." He paused in a failed attempt to gather himself. The mink reached for his missing antler, clearly feeling the pain in his head.
"...They took Yuki. They might have gotten Commander Stein too, I don't know; the little bastard took off and we gave chase." He grimaced. "Yuki and I got attacked here."

With slowly recovering eyes he looked at Shaarib. "What are you--" The immediate thought of this being a grave crossed the mink's mind. "Wait, I'm not dead!" He, the mink likely known as Bo, exclaimed, but his body seemed to say otherwise: it was clear, by his mangled limbs, this man wasn't going to be walking anytime soon (not even with the gift of the phoenix). Even with perfect care, this mink would teetering upon a tightrope between life and death for some time, should he survive the night...

...The fog grew more, so anything beyond the surrounding trees was clouded in mystery.


@L'Empereur

 

[Emperor Cross]

Without wasting a single word, the mink quickly choked out: "Please- Tell me you're the rescue party." His voice sounded like it might have been rough and deep before being brought to the brink of death, right now it sounded dreadful. The mink's eyes were still bleary as he took in Genjo (the closer of the two).
"The Jiangshi..." He paused in a failed attempt to gather himself. The mink reached for his missing antler, clearly feeling the pain in his head.
"...They took Yuki. They might have gotten Commander Stein too, I don't know; the little bastard took off and we gave chase." He grimaced. "Yuki and I got attacked here."

Shaarib stopped digging, the mink was alive... The skypiean heard a faint pulse and did not believe in it. The body had too much damage, what people didn't understand was that Shaarib's healing wasn't without drawbacks. By "resuscitating" the Ibex, Shaarib had precipitated his demise. When he ate the fruit, he came to learn more about medicine and tested how far and how fast, the damage could heal. The more damage you had, the more the flames used your stamina. The Vice-Admiral had decided to sacrifice the mink for the success of their mission and he didn't even remember the escort's name.

- " We are the rescue party, we need to know where they went...Point out a direction...We need to save them.... soldier....." The birdman voice died

Shaarib knew that the next answer was probably the last, he wanted to speak more but the more would not come, anything would be simple flimsy excuses or lies. They all knew how it was going to end. The fog around them was getting thicker, tonight's smog was different than the night before, it was more potent. The Vice-Admiral was afraid he had made a mistake by bringing Genjo with him. He couldn't let the blond go back alone. At first he had thought Jiangshi's were simple-minded zombies but now it was a whole different thing. They were kidnapping people and they were able to be smart enough to crucify someone. Shaarib was sure, the green-eyed jiangshi had a connection with all of this. He was so sure he could put everything he owned on it. Now another problem was how this trifling fog had been able to manipulate a Vivre-Card.

From one of his pockets, he took an ancient and worn book, you could see how old it was because some pages had turned yellow. Shaarib began to turn the pages for the right verse for the situation. They had to pay their respect... It was going to happen soon and our hero never was able to manage this type of thing. They were lucky they had already dug a hole into the ground.