(Toshiba's Investigate: 1d20+18 = 25)

Let us speak, briefly, of prostitution. And let us begin, in a logical fashion, with the people who are not prostitutes. Many a penis-haver has had his heart and mind snared by the lure of a geisha, her coy smile, a sparkle in her eyes, a careless whisper that never quite confesses - but it is understood that behind such facade, there can never be anything more than a sly game, a trick played on someone who pays to be tricked. No, you will not see a geisha naked, you will most assuredly not touch her and you had best corral your loins lest you be kicked out on the spot. No, the geisha stands inviolate.

Except...well, frankly, just because you cannot have sex with a geisha does not mean people don't want to have sex with a geisha. Being that principles rarely put food on tables, you'd be a fool to leave that money in their purse where it does you no good, and so we enter the spectrum from no-shit actual chaste geisha via "one man, one night" along Mistress Lane and through the eternal discussion whether someone with geisha training who does prostitute herself is still a geisha, all the way down to prostitutes who just dress up as geisha.

It is somewhere in these shades of grey that Toshiba and Sidewinder now find themselves, ironically enough in the excessively colorful Madame Kiki's Teahouse. Frankly, it looks more like a bawdy dream of a house of ill repute, with decadent trimmings and a little indoor pond (plus deer scarer!) that would be ruinous if not sustained by the upscale clientele of the capital's bureaucrats, who make sure to turn their faces away when Toshiba and Sidewinder enter. The merest glance of it all makes clear that this place is out of a vagabond's price range, but if Toshiba's instincts do not steer him wrong, this might just be the kind of place Firebolt would like to spend some coin in.

And if not here, then in one of the half dozen similarly upscale brothels within the three block radius of Cherry Grove.

"Gentlemen," Madame Kiki greets them. It's not her real name, and the more than conservative kimono leaves doubts as to whether these are her real curves, but the bright eyes and toothless smile are undoubtedly those of a shrewd businesswoman. "I take it you are here to enjoy some tea?"

"Ah, we are meeting a... friend... for tea," Toshiba answers. "Somewhat of a rough sort, not unlike me and mine companion here. He may go by 'Firebolt'? I speak no falsehood when I tell thou that such information would quench our thirst more than any tea."

"If your friend is here, you will surely find him," Madame Kiki says, her smile not moving. "Two for tea, then?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Toshiba replies, looking around and wondering how places like this would change with the encroachment of the Hanse and the inevitable changes befalling the Empire.

Quote:

"Takao," she says. "I wish to...apologize. I put you in an awkward position of having to speak out on whether I should go see mother or not, and I want you to know that...what happened afterwards...it is not your fault."

She pauses for a bit.

"I wish to tell you something, in confidence," she says. "When I was...asleep, I...I felt her, a whisper in my dreams. Something that...something that does not belong, but not an enemy. A weary ronin on the road who will keep his blade sheathed if you let him share your fire." Her eyes begin to mist up. "I felt it, inside her. She's...she's dying without me. Don't ask me how, but I know this."

Tears fall as she draws in a sob.

"What fool am I," she croaks, "that I do not hate her for what she's done?"

Confronted with the crying young woman, Takao does not know how to react. Awkwardly, he takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze and murmurs:"There, there."

He lets the tears fall, and after Himiko has calmed down a bit, he replies:"There is no need to apologize. What you wanted was natural, and we knew that it might be dangerous."

"Your mother is a complicated person, deeply entangled with the spirit world. It is hard to tell where the human ends and the spirit begins, and where deceit ends and truth begins. Your mother has shown herself to be a skilled manipulator time and again. I have no doubt that she needs you, but I dare not speculate if this is the need of a mother or something more nefarious. I'm sorry. I wish I had more consoling words to offer."

Admiral Duck Sauce wrote:

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Toshiba replies, looking around and wondering how places like this would change with the encroachment of the Hanse and the inevitable changes befalling the Empire.

Toshiba can immediately tell that this is one of those classy places because nobody mentions paying up-front, probably so he can be taken for all he's worth and then some with an outrageous bill once he's good and soused. A young lady is summoned whose cut of kimono is, if not indecent, then at least adventurous, into the bowels of Madame Kiki's Teahouse, a short walk where you gather that her name is Aki and that it's an honor for her to make your evening comfortable and diverting. Further classiness: the sounds emanating from the private booths behind fine shoji walls are whispered poetry and demure giggles, not those of a more...passionate nature. Having been shown to their booth, Toshiba and Sidewinder settle down while the hostess Aki recuses herself to fetch the tea leaves and hot water for a fresh brew.

Coming off a similar show of quote-unquote hospitality in Lady Sarano's mansion, Toshiba and Sidewinder use the time to discreetly inspect the booth for shenanigans of the hidden compartment/tunnel/nozzle varieties, but shortly emerge satisfied that there is no such foul play involved here. Aki shortly returns and begins to arrange the large metal pot on a bed of hot stones, adding the tea leaves and then standing up for a showy, if well-practiced standing pour of the hot water. As the fragrance of green tea floods the booth, the young lady bows demurely and sits down opposite Toshiba and Sidewinder.

"The tea will be ready in a few minutes, gentlemen," Aki says. "Pardon my forwardness, but I heard you mention that you were seeking the man they call Firebolt. Is he your...friend?"

---

MikeS wrote:

Confronted with the crying young woman, Takao does not know how to react. Awkwardly, he takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze and murmurs:"There, there."

He lets the tears fall, and after Himiko has calmed down a bit, he replies:"There is no need to apologize. What you wanted was natural, and we knew that it might be dangerous."

"Your mother is a complicated person, deeply entangled with the spirit world. It is hard to tell where the human ends and the spirit begins, and where deceit ends and truth begins. Your mother has shown herself to be a skilled manipulator time and again. I have no doubt that she needs you, but I dare not speculate if this is the need of a mother or something more nefarious. I'm sorry. I wish I had more consoling words to offer."

Himiko nods as she fetches a handkerchief from beneath her kimono and dabs dry the corners of her eyes.

"I have come to much appreciate your lack of pretension in these things, Takao," Himiko says. "Strange though it might be, it does console me to hear you admit you do not know my mother's heart. I feel less the fool for it." She pauses for a moment. "To have one High Lord for a father and another High Lady for a teacher is...intimidating. Their pity is far more painful than any disapproval. Neither has pressed me to do anything except to follow my heart...but my heart tells me to try to be what I cannot be. A wildflower, but one that will never be picked. A detective, who can never see the truth before her. Their praise comes cheap, and they speak with conviction of things they don't understand. But you, Takao, you...you see past these things. You are honorable, and honest, and plain, and I cannot put into words how happy I am to know you."

It's kind of a shame that Takao's distracted from Himiko's heartfelt words by the nervous shouts of the driver; yes, they were going very quickly, but even so they should not be quite at Lord Shira's estate just yet.

"Takao?" Himiko says, wrinkling her nose. "Do you...do you smell this, too? It smells like -"

Like a fire in the distance.

"Takao?" Himiko asks, shrinking back with a short squeal when a blast of cold, smoky air hits her - Takao's opened the door to get a better view of what lies ahead.

"Takao?"

Shira Manor is burning.

---

Ken, the guard at what used to be Herr Maseo's Woodworks, hasn't been relieved from guard duty for twelve hours. Probably because ninja are secretly terrible at labor management and Herr Maseo's payroll paperwork is a mess. But that's okay, really. He's totally fine with that. Why, if he goes home, his wife might think he was fired (again), or they might actually replace him while he's gone. Again.

Look, Ken's not a loser or a pessimist or something like that. But in this economy? You gotta show some hustle if you like getting paid.

That said, twelve hours do leave their mark on a man's awareness, and it's only after a yawn that forces his eyes closed for a second or two that Ken spots the approaching figure in the darkness - a man covered head-to-toe in black, with a sharp white sash running diagonal across his chest.

"Authorized personnel o - ACK!" Ken cries, as the Swordsman aka Lord Shira cold-cocks him with the legendarily hard sheath of the legendarily sharp sword Ryusei, the Shooting Star. Ken takes a long tumble off the short bridge and makes a splash in the harbor waters below, crying out for help once he manages to surface again. By the time Kirika and Yukio - as well as the few remaining factory guards - answer the call, Shira's made it halfway from the gate to the factory buildings.

"We met once," Toshiba replies to Aki. "We hit it off straight away but lost contact soon after. I would wish him as a friend, or at least rekindle our business relationship."

Aki nods. "And your...business relationship...would be discreet? No noise, no spectacle, no damage to our furniture?"

"Perish the thought," Toshiba says.

"In that case," Aki says, "you will find him upstairs in the Cherrywood Lounge. Your tea and I will wait here, if you wish to go see him." She smiles. "If your business should become in any way disagreeable, please do take it outside. Madame greatly dislikes undue noise and...stains."

"Thank you, Aki," Toshiba answers, getting up from their place and motioning Sidewinder closer. "Trap?" he whispers.

"Like that would stop us," Sidewinder whispers back, wearing a broad grin.

"Himiko, I ..."

Takao is interrupted by the driver's shouts, and moments later, he has opened the door of the carriage and is staring at the burning Shira Manor.

Briefly, he looks back at Himiko. "Your father could still be in there," he says, and then he rushes off into the night.

But before going very far, he says, quietly enough that Himiko can't hear, and to no one that anybody could see:"You watch the girl. I'll be back shortly."

Toshiba and Sidewinder don't need to look very long to find the way upstairs - the hallway is kinked to generate an impression of coziness and intimacy, but it's really just a long linear stretch of booths leading to the stairs, which coil upwards in a decadent display of carpentry and decoration. The upper level of the teahouse, then, has a much more open design, a wide hall with several sunken, semi-secluded booths and tables all adorned with fanciful names and colors in an effort to guide drunks most efficiently to their bookings. The Cherrywood Lounge turns out to be another one of these, off to the back of the hall and divided from the main by silk curtains held in place by a wooden arch made of many pieces of cherrywood, all styled to look like two cherry trees next to each other with their falling blossoms painted on the curtains. On one hand, it's cute, on the other it's a bit like gluing bits of dead Emperors together and lacquering them to make a statue celebrating the Throne's long history.

Inside the lounge, Toshiba and Sidewinder find one (1) drunk brigand and five (5) teahouse girls who look like they're trading off having to sit next to the brigand and having their posteriors fondled for exactly as long as it takes to extract "tips" from his purse. This is aided by the fact that -

"Private partburpy! D'you bring wine? I as'ed for wine!"

- that "Firebolt" Kusanagi is drunk off his ass. And no, that is not a gonne in his pants.

"Say the word," Sidewinder mutters.

---

Kirika runs between the man with the white sash and the factory, plants her feet and raises her off-hand while her other grips Crane's Dance tight. "Lord Shira, stop!" Beside her, Yukio plants her feet, too, ready to back up her love if needed.
"Out of my way, Kamura!" Shira growls, not breaking stride.
Kirika pulls Crane's Dance - scabbard and all - from her obi, and with a flip of the wrap, secures the scabbard to the tsuba. "No," Kirika growls.
Shira finally stops about ten paces short of Kirika. His feet lightly shift position, but his hand is not at his sword - yet. "Let me make this simple," Shira says. "Hand over my daughter, and I will let you keep your head."
"Do you know what Ikishi was doing to her - what you let her do to her?" Kirika says, her eyes narrowed.
"This is not a discussion, Kamura," Shira says, hand now gripping his sword. "Release my daughter. I won't ask again."
"Where would you take her?" Kirika asks. "Where would she be safe?" She pauses. "We have removed Ikishi's needles, Lord Shira. She is awake."
"WHERE IS SHE?" Shira shouts.
"She was being taken to your mansion, Lord Shira," Kirika replies. "But you are not well. My friends...they spoke of the Lord Shira I met when we arrived at the capital. But you, the man standing before me, you are not him. Who are you? What has Ikishi done to you?"
"Who did you send with her?" Shira asks, utterly ignoring the questions about his own state.
"Takao, and some of my people," Kirika replies. "Ikishi will have a most difficult time getting to her again."
"That would be a greater comfort to learn from Takao himself - your people do not interest me, Kamura," Shira says, easing off on the sword just a little. "Come with me, then. If you speak the truth, you shall have my apology. If you try to deceive me...this will be the last moon that shines on you."
Kirika, on the other hand, does not lower hers in kind. "Not before you tell me what Ikishi has done to you," she says. "You are...you change from time to time I see you, Lord Shira. And I need to know if I am dealing with High Lord Shira, or the White-Sashed Swordsman that tried to kill Hiro, Yukio, and myself more than once."
"She took my daughter from me," Shira says. "Is that not enough in your eyes?"
"How many parents and children did you take away for Ikishi, Lord?" Kirika replies. "I have seen your work, and it does much more to inspire distrust than simple victimhood can counter."
"My time of judgment is not far away," Shira says. "Draw what comfort you wish from this, and think what you want to think of me. Right now, if there is any truth to what you have told me, you will come with me." He taps his sword again. "Unless you prefer to keep standing in my way."
Kirika lowers and secures her sword. "If you are honest with what Ikishi has done to you, and you help us stop her, it might be further away than you think."
"I care not a bit," Shira says, hand tightening around his sword until it almost looks like he might squeeze through the scabbard and let Ryusei drink. "You've delayed me enough. Come with me. Now."
"We can talk and run, Lord," Kirika replies, already walking past him with Yukio at her side.
Shira's reply is to fall in behind them, letting them lead three paces while positioning himself on Kirika's weak side - no doubt ready to launch one of his lightning-quick lunging cuts. "My boat is tied down at the berth," he says tersely. "Do not tarry any further. My patience is tested enough as is."

With grunted instructions to Kirika and Yukio, Shira leads them through a few shadowy alleys between warehouses and manufacturies to a lagoon-side quay, where a floating contraption in the rough shape of a boat is moored. Its body is long and slender, with two outriggers for stability, while the rear is taken up by a complex machine that looks like a swarm of hundreds of little precision parts nesting around a central boiler. "Get on," Shira orders.
"Looks like it might explode at any moment," Kirika replies. "May Yukio accompany us?" Kirika asks.
"Hrm," Shira says. "That would simplify things," he adds, leaving open the precise nature of the things that would be simplified. "Both of you, then."

Yukio reaches for Kirika's hand and squeezes it tightly; Kirika returns the squeeze and helps her love onto the boat. With everyone loaded onto the boat, Shira quickly undoes the mooring line, then uses a wooden pole to push the boat away from the berth. With seperation achieved, he sits down in front of the engine and throws another lever. The engine's sputter grows louder, and the boat eases into speed, gliding forward through the water until it finally reaches the speed of a swift clipper, a feat that has its nose planing out of the water and throwing an alarmingly intense wake to either side.

"Now, Lord," Kirika shouts over the engine and wind, "My question! Ramma, Yu, both had been...touched by Ikishi's skills in one way or another! What did she do to you?"
"She courted me for three years and bore me a beautiful child!" Shira replies. "But Himiko was not like other children, and Sumiko not like other women! I admired her mind, her thoughts of greatness, her ambition! Even before Yoshihiro's madness, he was a most unworthy Emperor, and she sought to change it - so did I! Her work on me needed no poison, no spirits...just years of spinning her web around my heart. When I first glimpsed the strings, I had long been caught in it already! You have no children, do you, Kamura?"
"No, Lord," Kirika replies.

(Kirika's Sense Motive: 1d20+18 = 37)

There is no doubt in Kirika's mind that Shira truly believes as he says - that he is not under Ikishi's sway other than her blackmail and emotional manipulation via their past relationship and Himiko. And yet, if that were truly the case, how would it account for the difference in body language between the man in black and Lord Shira, even now that he has no more reason to try to disguise his identity from her? There must be something else going on. Kirika's musing on this is interrupted by the acrid smell of smoke, and indeed, a glimpse ahead in the night shows a column of smoke rolling over the lagoon in the wind and blowing towards them.

"Is that..." Kirika asks.
"No..." Shira mutters, almost too soft to be heard over the engine. "NO!" he cries, his hand tightening around the throttle lever, as if pressing it into the body of the boat could make it go faster than its already traveling.
"Lord Shira, what is going on?" Kirika demands.

The boat pieces into the cloud of smoke, cutting your sight down to mere meters, and after a few seconds of this, Shira reluctantly eases off the throttle, knowing that going this fast without being able to see ahead is a really bad idea. (Fun History Fact: Fog Lights first came into use on automobiles during the late 1920s.) Even so, it doesn't take long before the vague outline of a great fire shines through the heavy smoke.

"My home," Shira growls. "Pray that you had no hand in this, Kamura."
"I swear to you I and none of my allies did not," Kirika replies. "Love, be ready to move to find any survivors."
"Of course," Yukio says, once again gripping Kirika's hand. The boat crawls through the thickest part of the smoke until the western shore of the lagoon comes near, at which point the natural depression of the shoreline provides a sort of wind wall that redirects the smoke cloud above itself - and exposes a small canal, just wide enough for the engine-boat to enter. "Whoever did this," Shira growls, "their lives are forfeit." He taps his sword. "You will not go hungry tonight, Ryusei."
"We might be better talking first, then cutting off heads," Kirika replies. "Dead bodies will not tell us what was done."
"You deal with your enemies as you wish," Shira says, guiding the boat down the canal at entirely inappropriate speeds. "I shall deal with mine as I see fit."

The boat continues to thunder down the canal as the estate draws nearer - until the canal seemingly comes to an end at a small hill. Shira throttles the boat to a crawl, then retrieves the wooden pole again and climbs forward to the nose of the boat. With a thrust of the pole, he seperates the heavy fabric curtains that do an admittedly pretty good job at passing for a moss-covered hillside. The boat crawls through the parted curtain which drops back into place behind you, leaving you in near-total darkness. A few clicks are heard from Shira's position at the bow, then the last spark manages to light up the lantern mounted to the nose, casting an eerie - but far-reaching - shine down the brickwork tunnel ahead.

Shira climbs back towards the engine, sits down once more and throttles up again. "Not far now," he says.
Kirika tightens one hand around Yukio's and the other around Crane's Dance.

The canal stretches for what seems like about three minutes at half speed before it terminates (for real this time) in a cavern with a small pool in the middle, just big enough for a single berth. The cavern is clad with brickwork and lined with a network of painted metal trusses and rails, as well as heavy winches running along these rails - no doubt to lift the boat out of the water for repairs or maintenance, or move other heavy equipment. Boat facilties aside, there is also a small "office" area with a desk and a shelf full of scrolls, as well as a "training" area with a wooden dummy and a set of weights, plus a bed and what looks like an assortment of medical supplies. Shira clearly takes this whole "second identity" thing a bit too seriously. With practiced ease, he moors the boat and shuts down the engine.

"Follow me," he says, climbing out of the boat and into his quote-unquote lair.
Kirika cautiously follows behind Shira, helping Yukio out of the boat as she goes. "Watch your step, love."
"And your head," Shira adds, ducking under some of the metal that keeps the cavern stable. Though its very existence is quite impressive, the cramped nature of things is readily apparent. Shira leads the way down a winding brickwork tunnel with several sets of stairs, until you finally reach a heavy metal door at the end. Shira puts a gloved hand close to the handle, then draws it back. "It's hot," he says. He turns to Kirika and Yukio. "The fire has reached my chambers. There's another exit to the woods, but we have preciously little time to spare."
"Then let's not spare any," Kirika replies.
"Shield yourselves as best you can," Shira says, detaching his sash to wrap it around his hand as makeshift protection. With a deep breath, he grabs for the handle and yanks on it.

---

Takao rides the last half mile on the step outside the carriage's cabin, all but deaf to Himiko's pleas for answers. As soon as the carriage pulls into the estate's landing, Takao jumps off and tucks into the roll, coming out running for the mansion - with another, almost silent series of steps beside him.

Quote:

"You watch the girl. I'll be back shortly."

And so the other footsteps stop, in favor of some rustling in the trees leading back to the carriage. One problem handled, a far larger one burning bright in front of him, Takao redoubles his efforts as he sprints towards the main building, blocking out the sight of fleeing servants, the panicked neighs of the horses in the stables, everything -

(Takao's Notice: Roll 1: 1d20+16: 1d20(9) 16(16) = 25)

Everything except a flash of yellow and black darting out of a roof hatch. One that couldn't have been RZA, who - stubborn as he is - couldn't have recovered from his torture at Ikishi's hands anywhere near fast enough to be back to ninja-jumping through the night a mere day later. So another Killer Bee. This revelation is underlined by the burst of fire that erupts from the rooftop hatch mere seconds later, casting more harsh light into the night - and the treetops around the mansion, where small glints of metal can be seen for a moment before the darkness conceals the arsonists once more. And yet, this isn't Takao's worst problem - the screams and sounds of battle still coming from inside the manor claim that spot.

Bloody fucking hell.

Quote:

"Private partburpy! D'you bring wine? I as'ed for wine!"

- that "Firebolt" Kusanagi is drunk off his ass. And no, that is not a gonne in his pants.

"Say the word," Sidewinder mutters.

Toshiba isn't Takao. He doesn't have much in the way of honor, but as much as he just wants to cross the room and simply draw a knife across Firebolt's neck and be done with it, he holds a moment. Firstly, it wouldn't be that easy. Firebolt was fast, and chances are he's as fast as either Toshiba or Sidewinder even if he's drunk - fast enough that ending it here and now wouldn't be a simple prospect. Then there's Madame Kiki. Toshiba did promise her not to spray arterial blood all over the teahouse.

"Firebolt," Toshiba tries on. "Get thineself a drink to go. Let us converse outside."

Takao did not slow down. He could deal with the arsonists later. For now, there were still people in that building, people who might need his help.

He did spare a quick glance back to the carriage. It was not conspicuous , with the raging fire up ahead, and Takao was confident that Kagemaru could handle the lesser ninjas.

On he rushed, redoubling his efforts, barreling through burning shoji screens and leaping over fallen rafters. While he wasn't as acrobatic as the ninjas, their sure-footedness had rubbed off on him, and he hardly acknowledged the obstacles.

"Buddy," Firebolt manages to enunciate, his eyes seemingly growing sharper as he starts to register the fact that Toshiba and Sidewinder are neither lost patrons nor part of the staff, "whatever you gotta say to me you can say right here. And knock that fancy shit off before I shove thine head up your ass." His eyes narrow particularly on Sidewinder. "So, you two assholes gonna stand there, or am I gonna hear some names?"

---

(Takao suffers 10 points of Fire damage passing through the burning mansion.

Takao's Reflex save: 1d20+10 = 18 SUCCESS!)

The flames nip at Takao at every turn, but to a man who has trained his whole life to evade the blows of enemy swordsmen, the gusts of fire seem all too easy to evade - when he isn't driving right through burning shoji on the most expedient route to Shira's chambers in the inner sanctum. In the main hall, ancient wall tapestries burn brightly, and the beams holding up the roof groan and hiss as the fire eats at the very structure of the mansion - only a matter of time until the roof will come down and bury everyone still inside. Takao's keen eyes spot a total of six Killer Bees in the hall: two are dead on the ground, blood seeping into their uniforms, while a crippled survivor is trying to crawl away while his racing heart sprays spurts of blood from the stump where his left arm is only barely still attached. The three remaining ones, however, are still in the fight with Shira's faithful retainer Yoshi - in fact, they're about to end it, as dances behind his back and buries his dagger in Yoshi's back, forcing a weak grunt from the old samurai's lips. Yoshi's feet can no longer hold him, and he tumbles to the ground, while the largest of the three standing Killer Bees bends down to snatch the sword from Yoshi's hands, clearly intending to finish off Shira's right hand with his own blade.

Toshiba wishes that he'd just watched the teahouse until Firebolt left. Instead, he's stuck calling out this gonneman in front of everyone. Head's already up mine ass, thanks.

"The Blue Oni stands before you. Your business with Lady Ikishi is at an end. If you wish lucrative new employment, however, we would make use of your skills and knowledge in a manner that does not require drowning your memories in liquor and barely-interested women."

Firebolt's face darkens. "Bitches, leave," he growls, and the tea-girls are only too happy to comply, apologetically squeezing past Toshiba and Sidewinder.

"Let's get just one thing clear, Oni," Firebolt says. "You don't get to walk in here acting like King Shit just because you think I'm scared of a couple of knives. You got me good last time, but today you got no mystical ninja bullshit backing you up - just a second-rate gonneslinger. Yeah, Sidewinder, I know your name. Rare honor, you're fucking welcome."
"You best watch that mouth, Kusanagi," Sidewinder snarls.
"Or what?" Firebolt says. "Get a clue. You can't fight me or drag me out with you if you don't want Kiki coming down on you. Only way you're getting me out is if I want to, and right now I don't fucking want to. You wanna hire me? Fuck you, I don't work for pansies. You want me to snitch on a client? Fuck you, I don't snitch. You wanna pay me off? You're wasting your fucking money. This thing's gonna be over before I'm back in shape anyhow, and my money's on the Lady. And if that happens, you'd better hope you're dead before she gets her hands on you."

The images from Toshiba's shadowwalk-vision flash before him again - distant, less vivid, but still clear.

"Now," Firebolt concludes, "you two clowns gonna smarten up, or do I need to be ready for something stupid?"

We tried it your way, Kirika, Toshiba thinks.

Firebolt's lips have almost finished spitting out the second syllable of stupid when the Oni snap kicks the table, shattering liquor bottles and sending a spray of boot-flame into the resulting chaos.

Kiki can bill me.