John says, "OOC Okay, we gonna do big breakfast in Chaos now."

John says, "OOC Assuming everyone's alive enough :)"

=====
=====

Moonshade turns and departs.

Motoko slips on her shoes and puts Ironwood round her neck in its bead
necklace form.  She glances at Mutsumi.  "Well, that went... well, I
suppose."

=====
=====

Beowulf says, "OOC Pretty much. :)"

Kanna OOCly says, "I'm good, for a couple hours."

John says, "OOC We can probably assume Moriya and Mitsune arrive first, as
they both slept well and woke"

Kanna OOCly hehs.

John says, "OOC Woke without anything hanging over their heads."

Moriya OOCly says, "Right."

==================================
==================================

The rest of you arrive at the same time so the GM doesn't have to make any
funky decisions.  Miki has arranged a private dining area for your group
to have breakfast and discuss what to do about Daffyl now.

Moriya and Mitsune are already at the breakfast table, eating and
chatting. Moriya looks rather happier than he has for the most part over
the past few days, but his demeanor still has a solemn edge to it at
times.

Jacqueline enters the kitchen, looking utterly like nobody Moriya and
Mitsune knows, wuistling casually and grabbing up some breakfast grub. "Yo
Poetry."

Breakfast consists of lots of pancakes, fruit, bacon, eggs, sausage, and
other stuff.

Moriya looks up, stares at Jacqueline, then blinks. "Disguised,
Jacqueline?" He pauses again. "When did you get here?"

Beowulf appears, rubbing sleep from his eyes, as it looks like he didn't
sleep all that well last night.

Jacqueline says, "yesterday evening.  Just being cautious." 
*munch*munch*munch*

Moriya says, "Ah." He turns. "And Uncle Beowulf, too? Good morning."

Kanna enters, clad in her usual gear, the long bundled wrapping of Knife
slung on her back.  She looks somewhat pensive, blinks at the byplay, then
shrugs and looks over at Bey.  She reaches over with her free hand and
squeezes his shoulder.  "... long night, bey?"

Yumi enters with Lily, Miki, Madoka, and Rally.

Moriya asks, "...Aunt Kanna?"

Thoric trails along after Beowulf, looking silent and haggard.

====
====

You page, "(fyi, the gaby manifestation is stuffed in her bosom, still.
:)" to Akemi.

====
====

Naru, on the other hand, seems to be in quite good cheer.  "Hi,
everyone!"

Jacqueline that doesn't look like Jaquieline says, "Yah, family reunion
here."

Motoko comes in with Mutsumi, wearing mostly black, with Daffyl's Eye
hanging prominently around her neck.  "Good morning, everyone."

Moriya looks faintly bewildered. "What, is King Tylor going to show up
next?"

Beowulf smiles a bit at Moriya and the rest. "Good morning, folks." He
sighs and looks at Kanna. "Delayed reaction from last night."

Beowulf says, "And thinking about what we've got ahead of us, now...
there's a lot at stake."

Kanna nods.  "Hey, Moriya.  Heard the various news... and nah, just
taking personal interest in this entire mess, for various reasons."

Kanna nods.  "Yeah... had problems sleeping last night until I decided to
take a soak and talk with Duchess Yumi."

Mutsumi waves cheerfully to everyone.  "Good morning, everyone!"

Motoko spots Naru and Thoric, and comes up to them.  She bows very
deeply.  "Cousin Naru, Cousin Thoric.  My deepest thanks for helping to
obtain Daffyl's Eye."

Moriya scratches his head. "Er. I see." He glances over at Mitsune. "I
guess we missed a lot of stuff when we headed off early."

Jacqueline grunts and continues attacking her brakfast sausage.

Naru says, "No problem.  That's what family is for."

Beowulf can't help smiling as Mutsumi comes in. "Good morning,
sis-of-sorts."

Kanna sits, and starts claiming much much food for herself.

Thoric says to Motoko, "You're welcome.  I couldn't stay home with
Mother and Grandfather in danger."  He rubs his eyes.  "Ugh, I feel
like...bad.  Didn't sleep very well."

Mutsumi waves to Beowulf.  "Hi, Beo-kun!"

Miki stares rather intently at Jacqueline and whispers something to
Rally.

Motoko says to Thoric, quietly, "I was very sorry to hear about your
mother's... harem."

Thoric tries to speak, then just starts crying instead.

Kanna eats, ravenously.  "There's always fast-time in the Keep or Bey's
Bag if you need more time to collect y'self.  Though -- oh -shit-."  She
winces, and closes her eyes.

Jacqueline blinks.

Motoko blanches, then wraps her arms around Thoric.

Moriya sighs softly, and puts his utensils down.

Beowulf says, "...damn." And wishes he could think of something more to
help comfort Thoric.

Naru looks a little embarrassed, and stands there with the look of
someone who wants to do something and doesn't know what.  Thoric leans on
Motoko and cries very loudly.

Jacqueline remains silent, knowing all too well how Thoric feels.....

Beowulf moves over to Naru. "Give him a hug, Naru," he whispers.

Mitsune whispers something to Moriya.

Kanna opens her eyes again, and looks over at Thoric, her face drawn,
looking like she wants to go over and help, but with the mass of people
there as it -is-, well..

Motoko says, "I--uh."  Motoko pats Thoric on the back, looking rather
uncertain.  "I'm so sorry, Thoric."

Naru gives Thoric a clumsy hug.

Rally comes over to Jacqueline.  "And you are?"

Jacqueline blinks.

Beowulf just stares up at the ceiling, eyes narrowly focused on nothing.
"Damn the fates for setting this up. *DAMN* them."

Jacqueline takes a moment to shift her face back in proper form and
smiles at Rally.  "Sorry, going incognito.  I'm not exactly loved around
here."

=====
=====

Moriya whispers back to her.

Moriya OOCly blinks.

Moriya OOCly says, "You know, Michelle's harem is also Atsuko's harem."

John says, "OOC Yes."

Kanna sighs, and reaches over and squeezes Bey's shoulder again.

Kanna OOCly says, "Why yes, so it is."

Moriya OOCly says, "And Moriya knew that Michelle had been taken, but
not...."

Moriya OOCly says, "Retcon my reaction."

=====
=====

Moriya sits bolt upright. "What?"

Thoric tries to speak again, but nothing coherent comes out.

Moriya asks, "The, the...Aunt Michelle's...my grandmother's--" He leaps to
his feet. "My grandmother! Is she all right? Why wasn't I told?"

Rally says, "Ahh.  Right, Princess Jacqueline."

Motoko tries to guide Thoric over to a chair in the corner, realizing that
having everyone look at him is probably not helping.  She starts as Moriya
jumps up, and goes paler.  "Gods, I didn't even think," she murmurs. 
"Thoric... Thoric, do you know what happened to Lady Atsuko?"

Jacqueline says to Rally, "Sorry I disturbed you."  She sees the
comotion escaate and frets.

Kanna blinks.  Her eyes widen as her mind finally links up those salient
facts.  "... -dargh-.  DOES anybody know??"

Thoric manages to spit out, "I don't know, the house came down in flames
around us, and..."  He sobs more, then pulls himself together.  "I think
she got taken.  But I didn't actually see it."

Moriya freezes.

Moonshade finally comes in. "Heyo, ev..."  She stares at the knot around
Thoric."

Moriya whispers, "Baa-chan."

Motoko gets Thoric to sit down, if she can, then goes to get him a glass
of water.

Beowulf blanches, then shakes for a moment. "Damn," he says in a
whisper. "I didn't think of that either."

Moriya starts to shake a little.

Thoric sits down and stares at the floor.  Mutsumi comes over and hugs him
as well now.

Mitsune puts an arm around Moriya.  "Don't worry, we'll get her back
too."

Kanna grits her teeth. "... shit and fucking damn."  She takes deep
breaths, and tries to recenter herself, as it's likely going to be that
they're going to need ONE nominally level head around here soon.

Moriya says, "They're dead. I'll kill them all."

Mitsune says, "Moriya..."

Beowulf takes a deep breath, than another, visibly trying to calm
himself. "They're going to pay."

Moriya says, very slowly, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Motoko gets water for Thoric, then comes over and stands by his chair,
holding it in her hand and looking very uncertain.  She watches Moriya
nervously, biting her lip.

Mitsune says, "I didn't even think about it."  She sounds embarrassed.

Kanna pulls out one of her sketchbooks, flips it open to a blank page, and
says, "If they -all- die, we'll -never- get answers out of them. Vengeance
will not bring justice."  She starts writing.  "But I do agree the need
for rescuing our loved ones, taking down the Serpent's Horn permanently,
and healing Daffyl, and retreving Merehallow."

Thoric takes the water, drinks it all in one chug, then gives a deep
sigh and hands it back to Motoko.  "Thank you."

Moonshade comes over to Jacqueline.

Moriya sits down heavily, staring at his plate.

Moriya asks, "What am I going to tell Father?"

Jacqueline says, "hey sis.  Moriya's gramma might be prisoner of the
Serpent's Horn."

Kanna says, "I'd only learned of capture of Cousin Michelle and Davros
yesterday, and I was still processing the implications." She keeps
writing.  "Unfortunately... they were much, much worse that I had
originally thought."  She purses her lips, looking down at her sketchbook.

Moonshade says, "Damn, they're just after everyone."

Kanna says, "That she's safe, alive, and rescued."

Kanna says, "Because we WILL do this.  Count on it."

Motoko takes the glass back, touches Thoric's shoulder briefly, then
goes over to Moriya.  "They took her prisoner.  They would have known who
she was.  We'll rescue her, just like we will with Davros and Uncle
Saionji and Aunt Michelle."

Moriya just sits there, still staring.

Mitsune wraps herself comfortingly around Moriya.

Motoko puts her hand on Moriya's shoulder and just keeps it there,
sighing heavily once.

Beowulf wobbles on his feet, looking horribly guilty. "I should have
made the connection, Moriya. I'm sorry."

Lily comes over to Thoric, whispers in his ear, then comes over to
Beowulf.  "Hi, honey."

Miki goes and gets himself some food, then says, "Well, as the oldest
person here, I'm calling this meeting to something resembling order."

Beowulf looks at Lily, trying and failing to smile. "Hello, Lily. What a
morning this has been."

Beowulf tries to pull himself together and turns to Miki.

Kanna nods, closing her eyes.  "As should have I."  She mutters, rubbing
her hand against her brow, and then going and vertiably demolishing her
meal so she can pay attention in time.  "We're all ears, Uncle Miki."

Lily kisses Beowulf on the cheek, then goes to get some food.

Moriya closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths.

Jacqueline nibbles on a breadstick, but otherwise remains silent and
attentive.

Motoko turns to Miki, looking forcedly calm.  She keeps her hand on
Moriya's shoulder.

Moriya finally opens his eyes again, and looks at Miki. "All right," he
says, very quietly.

Miki says, "Alright.  The basic situation is that the former guardian of
Justice and Merehallow, a child of the Serpent named Daffyl, has taken
control of a branch of the terrorist organization known as the Serpent's
Horn and is using them to carry out his revenge for slights both real and
imagined.  He's blood-cursed Morgan, and is apparently after the rest of
those who helped her steal Merehallow from him, namely, Thoric, Saionji,
and Mutsumi.  His minions have attacked House Alars, nearly killed Lord
Kunou and taken Merehallow from them.  They attacked Saionji and took him
as well.  And they devastated Michelle's estates, carrying off her and
possibly Lady Atsuko in an effort to get Thoric, who escaped.  They also
struck at House Tremere with the help of traitors inside Tremere and
kidnapped Davros, which means they have at least one spikard, his. "

Kanna nods.  "Which spikard is his?  That's something I wasn't aware he
had, originally."

Kanna takes notes during this.

Motoko says, "They may have had a recent setback after Lord Loewen of
Helgram turned his estate in the Courts into a gigantic trap for them.
That was yesterday."

Motoko says, "The spikard is Breath of the Dragon, a shaper, creator and
controller of energies."

Jacqueline twitches at the word 'spikard' but otherwise remains silent.

Kanna mmmmmms thougtfully at that.  "I see."

====
====

You page, "From what I know of Gaby's Mad Fire Demi Jewel Skills, would
she be a natural counter to Breath of the Dragon?" to Akemi.

You page, "(as she -is- the FireJewel and Fire Pattern, and presumably
able to dampen/reshape/etc shadow energies and stuff.)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Yep." to you.

You page, "Thought so. :)" to Akemi.

====
====

Miki continues, "House Nurgal and House Helgram have both offered us
military assistance.  King Tylor has authorized me to lead a portion of
the Trained Bands of Amber City and of the Army of Amber into Shadow if
necessary.  We also possess all of our combined resources of those of us
gathered together here.  Thoric and Mutsumi possess some knowledge of what
Daffyl's home shadow looked like originally, although things may have
changed.  And thanks to Beowulf and his team, we've recovered Daffyl's
missing Eye."

Motoko says, "My knowledge of it begins with it being held by Princess
Fiona of Black Unicorn Amber.  The false Nanami who replaced my
grandmother for a time took it from her after her death.  Davros acquired
it after Moriya--"  She pauses.  "Killed the imposter.  I expect it is now
in the hands of Serpent's Horn's most capable mage, perhaps the artificer
Davros."

Miki mpds.

Kanna nods.  "I will keep that in mind."

Beowulf's eyes widen at all of the military force described.

Motoko glances to Miki.  "I expect things have very likely changed. 
Based on how quickly they were able to link Davros's trump to the...
other Davros after taking him, I suspect the Shadow has been fast-timed.
 There was a great deal of activity going on around Daffyl's tower in the
vision I had from the Serpent.  A fortress may have been built around it,
perhaps even an entire city."

Miki nods.  "The leaders of the Serpent's Horn seem to consist of the
swordsman Kenshin, who likely now weilds Merehallow, a woman named 'Eowyn'
who claims to be from Amber (it remains unclear why they would accept an
ex-Amberite into their anti-Amber organization), and a mad artificer named
Davros, who builds golems.  As Motoko just pointed out, we can't be
certain of the conditions there."

Kanna asks, "I take it from the strikes on Tremere and Helgram, they've
increased the size of their forces?"

Miki says, "Or how large a force they may have, although they have yet to
deploy more than a few hundred people at a time.  They likely still
possess several powerful magical batteries which when used properly, can
make an explosion big enough to level a several block radius."

Motoko says, "Daffyl has apparently been consolidating the cells of
Serpent's Horn into a single force under his leadership."

Beowulf nods slowly. "I didn't have a very clear picture of what we
would have to do, beyond getting the Eye to Daffyl." He pauses, then
continues in a quiet voice. "I reached an avatar of the Serpent,
presumably Daffyl, twice when I tried trumping Saionji and Michelle; I'd
be willing to take the chance again and try it a third time, if it gets us
past all of the defences."

Motoko says, "I have attuned to Daffyl's Eye.  It might be possible for me
to teleport to him using it.  However, we know nothing of what conditions
are like there, and I could be killed or taken prisoner by Serpent's Horn
before I could return it to him."

Miki looks thoughtful.  "An interesting idea.  We could probably use
Aeris' capabilities to hook a large number of us together into one trump
contact.  We cannot be sure that Daffyl will actually be answering trumps
himself, however."

Kanna nods.  "I would almost suggest hellriding to the prisoners and
seeing where it would take us, allowing us to scout along the way, but
that would eat up time.    But, on the flip side, jumping stragiht into
the middle..."

Mutsumi says, "Well, if we wanted to scout, I could get a party to a
nearby shadow fairly easily."

====
====

You page, "Hm... Kanna's had to deal with hostage situations before, on
occasion... what's generally the best way to reach and extract captives if
negotiations fail/don't happen." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "It depends on the situation.  The big problem here is that
you need more info, as you don't know where or how the hostages are being
held, what the guards are like, or anything." to you.

You page, "*nod* Which is why scouting/detection methods would tend to
come first, I think..." to Akemi.

====
====

Beowulf shakes his head. "If Aeris does try to hook together a large
group for a trump contact, she should set them back at one remove from me;
if it is danergous, or a trap, I should be the only one to take the risk."

Motoko says, "And I have no idea what effect the return of Daffyl's Eye
will have."  She closes her eyes.  "Merely that it is what my beloved
instructed me to do when I meditated upon this matter after the attack on
House Alars.  Daffyl needs to be made whole.  What shall change when he is
made whole, I do not know."

Motoko says, "And even if he suddenly declares to his followers that
Amber is not the enemy and that we should not fight any longer, that is no
guarantee they will obey."

Jacqueline opens her mouth as if to say something, pauses, then remains
silent.

Miki nods.  "Regretfully."

Beowulf nods to Motoko. "You've put your finger on the biggest question
mark I've had about this, yes."

Kanna nods.  "We need more information."  She frowns.  "If we're to get
them out intact, with or without confronting Serpent's Horn and Daffyl
directly..." She pauses, and looks at Beowulf and Motoko.  "... agh."

Yumi says, "If they are smart, they will likely try to bar the use of
Pattern around their fortress.  Fortunately, with Chaosian aid, we won't
necessarily need to use Pattern to approach it, but it would likely make
scouting attempts more difficult."

Kanna nods.  "Would demi-jewels or Flawed Jewels, such as Daffyl's eye, be
able to work around that, or would they be barred by the lack of Pattern?"

Motoko's eyes go hard, almost frighteningly intense.  "Once Daffyl is
restored, I will attempt to summon the true Serpent, if he does not appear
of his own volition to gather again his wayward son.  Serpent's Horn shall
be dealt with as befits those who steal away my Soul and my family, and do
harm to what I treasure."

Yumi says, "I believe that the Jewels would be able to override such
things, or at least Daffyl's own Eye should have the capacity."

Kanna nods to that, and makes a note in her sketchbook.

Beowulf looks thoughtful. "What would happen if we tried trump spying on
Saionji's or Michelle's trump, and it were still cross-connected to
Daffyl?"

Motoko glances at Kanna.  "The Eye is a maker and render of barriers.
Coming as it does from Daffyl, I think I should be able to use it as a
very effective counter against any barriers or wards he has placed around
the Shadow."

Jacqueline opens her mouth to answer Kanna, then hears Aunt Yumi's
response and nods.

Kanna nods to Motoko.  "Even better."

Miki says, "If they can redirect trump calls, probably it would make
Daffyl aware he was being spied on, andhe'd try to jam the trump. 
Although it might at least give us a brief glimpse."

Motoko says, "Usui, the trump master of House Helgram, tried that;
Daffyl did some damage to him almost instantly."

Beowulf asks, "Although if he then jammed the trump, that would
eliminate the chance of reaching him that way..." He blinks at Motoko.
"Some damage?"

Motoko says, "He was trump-spying on Soujiro of Helgram when he attacked
Uncle Saionji, and Daffyl struck back at him when Soujiro presumably
trumped or teleported back to Daffyl's Shadow with Saionji as a prisoner."

====
====

You page, "From this news, I'd have to say trying to trump in direct
would be a Bad Thing? *wl* Or even observing, given all the
Davros-reroutes?  What could cause it -- a Trump Master of their own?" to
Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Likely a trump master, or perhaps Daffyl has enough
control of his shadow to do such things." to you.

You page, "*nod*" to Akemi.

====
====

Motoko says, "I suspect Soujiro will be in a leadership role, probably
replacing one of the two leaders who Serpent's Horn lost at House Alars.
He was the head of Lord Loewen's security forces, and is likely quite
formidable."

Yumi says, "Soujiro is very deadly."

Beowulf asks, "Hm. Struck back at him, how? A mental attack, a physical
one, or a burst of energy?"

Motoko shudders.

Motoko says, "A mental attack.  He described it as 'the Serpent spitting
into his Third Eye'.  He seems to have recovered since then."

Beowulf nods. "Right. So it shouldn't have any direct effect on someone
not in the trump link?"

Miki says, "Mental attacks typically won't spill over."

Motoko says, "I have no idea.  Given that I am currently attuned to the
Eye and bear it, I would think I would have to be at the forefront of any
attempt to reach Daffyl by trump.  And any plan must have making sure the
prisoners are rescued safely as the first priority."

====
====

You page, "And quick pondering... out of the folks here, who would most
benefit wielding Knife, since Kanna can't really handle Beryllina and
another two handed weapon. *wl*" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Naru has no special weapon (Thoric has Frostrazor)...hmm,
I'm thinking Naru might be the best choice." to you.

You page, "*nod* What about Moriya... what does he usually carry?  I
know he has that Powerful Sword Jones of his... :)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "HE usually fights with Baby Ilvig, a shifting weapon. 
He'd be another good choice." to you.

You page, "*nod* It's a tossup -- I think it depends on who/what he
might have to face." to Akemi.

You page, "Same with Naru." to Akemi.

In a page-pose to you, Akemi nods.

====
====

Yumi says, "We need to get information on the layout of the place. 
Dangerous as scouting into it is likely to be."

Kanna nods.  "They either have a trump master of their own rerouting
control, or Daffyl could easily have enough control of his Shadow to
handle the reroute himself."

Kanna says, "Which means probably getting in close and -then- scouting to
get info, yes."  She purses her lips, looks rueful, and makes a few more
notes.

Motoko says, "It is possible that when we reach the Shadow that I would be
able to use the Eye to bring down all the trump barriers, at which point
we could rescue the prisoners by trump.  But we do not know enough about
how they are being shielded to guarantee success."

Beowulf says, "I agree, rescuing the prisoners is the first priority. I
just don't have much idea of what to do beyond the first step of getting
the Eye to Daffyl..."

Beowulf sighs. "It does look like we're going to need to do some
scouting, though."

Beowulf looks like he'd obviously hoped that getting the Eye to Daffyl
would solve most of their problems.

Motoko says, "We have, I think, two objectives that must be
accomplished, the first being to rescue the prisoners, the second being to
return the Eye to Daffyl to ensure he ceases to be a threat.  Nearly as
important is retrieving Merehallow from Kenshin, and dealing with the
Serpent's Horn forces."

Miki says, "To do that, we're going to need to somehow infiltrate some
people into the fortress, in order to determine where the hostages are
being held, and to get enough information to make a better plan."

Kanna says, "I agree.  Though in the clinch, we'll probably have to deal
with all four at once." She looks wry, and then hms.  "And to hopefully be
able to out if things go Fubar rapidly."

Mutsumi says, "If we want to try trumping Daffyl to give him his eye
back, I can simply make a trump of him."

Beowulf...'s and blinks. "A very direct and clear idea."

Mutsumi says, "As I have met and observed him."

Moriya finally speaks. "If we try to trump Daffyl to give him his eye
back, we should use a Chaosian with whom Daffyl has no prior acquaintance
with. No one that would make him suspicious."

Kanna hms.  "Uncle Miki?  What, if anything, is 'Eowyn' bringing to the
party in the Serpent's Horn?"  She tilts her head.  "That's... direct,
yes."

Motoko closes her hand round the Eye.  "Once we give Daffyl his Eye
back, we may be able to enlist his cooperation," she says slowly.  "The
ultimate insider, as such.  He would know where they were holding the
prisoners, and likely have a great deal of control over the Shadow.  I am
simply very uncertain as to what will happen when the Eye has returned,
whether it will be a whimper or a bang."

Beowulf says, "I suspect being trumped at all would probably make him
suspicious."

Miki says, "'Eowyn' is another swordswoman of some skill."

Beowulf says, "If he didn't have a reason to want to accept the contact,
he could just refuse it; we'd almost need 'bait', of a kind." He looks
embarrassed.

====
====

You page, "Extrapolation... if eye is returned and if it had been used to
draw a Flawed Pattern... would that cause the destruction of that Flawed
Pattern and shadows cast by it?  (IF there's a Flawed Pattern related to
it.)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Yes, it would." to you.

====
====

Motoko quietly points to the Eye round her neck.  "Bait," she says.

Beowulf says, "The tricky part would be to get across the fact that we
have recovered his Eye, before he just mentally blasts you."

Mutsumi says, "I'd think he would sense his eye."

Beowulf nods to Motoko. "But would he be able to sense that through an
attempted Trump connection, before he accepts it?"

Motoko says, "And even if not, I suspect the Eye itself would give me a
considerable defense against any attack Daffyl would make against me."

Kanna mmms quietly.  "-If- Daffyl's Eye has been used to draw a Flawed
Pattern, then its return will cause the destruction of that Flawed Pattern
and the shadows cast by it.  But that may very well be unavoidable in this
case if we want Daffyl to be restored to Sanity."

Motoko says, "I think the danger is that any trump contact with Daffyl may
alert Serpent's Horn, causing them to simply eliminate the prisoners if it
seems Daffyl has somehow turned against them."

Jacqueline says, "Um..... er.... if it destroys the shadow, I guess we'd
better make sure we save the hostages first....."

Beowulf blinks in surprise. "Did Daffyl's shadow have a flawed Pattern in
it?"

Miki nods.  "I think we had best rescue our hostages first."

Beowulf nods and sighs. "Things are never easy... right."

Moriya says, "We could, perhaps, ask one of our Chaosian allies to send a
brave soul into Daffyl's shadow under the pretext of wishing to join the
Serpent's Horn, and as a mark of good faith, bring him his eye. Motoko
could use her link to the eye to observe what is going on as this
happens."

Mutsumi says, "No, but I'm wondering if LENG might have one, since
that's where the Eye was..."

Kanna says, "That's the thing, I have no idea wether it -has- an
associated Flawed Pattern to it..." She pauses.

Moriya says, "Preferably from House Alars, as undoubtedly, Soujirou
knows most of the people of House Helgram, and a poor choice may tip him
off."

Motoko says, "I would fear that anyone bringing Daffyl's Eye would
instantly have it taken from him or her by Serpent's Horn.  And who it is
that returns the Eye may have significance itself."

====
====

Jacqueline twitches at the word 'alars'

Moriya OOCly says, "Oops. Not Alars, but Nurgal. Retcon."

Jacqueline says, "OOCly reeetcon :)"

====
====

Beowulf agrees with Motoko.

Jacqueline says, "well... you could always send it directly to
Daffyl..... but I guess if someone being there is important...."

Beowulf says, "I doubt there's a flawed Pattern in Leng, though; it
would likely have blocked the Pattern use I did there, and also
interfered with their Outsider magics."

Mitsune looks thoughtful.  "We have something else we can use as bait for
Daffyl's band of freaks.  Risky as it would be...they do want Justice.  We
might be able to use it to get them to commit a large part of their forces
into an attack to get it, during which time we could rescue the hostages."

Kanna hehs a bit, softly.  "At this rate, I have to wonder if we'd need to
have one of Morgan's bloodline return Daffyl's Eye... or some other
symbolic gesture."  She shakes her head, and hrms.  "A way to confirm
wether or not there's a Flawed Pattern associated with the Eye would be to
walk the Pattern and then teleport to one if it exists, then trump or
magic back quick if it exists.  To deal with that concern."  She hms, and
nods at Mitsune.

Jacqueline blinks

Motoko says, "I do not see it as a concern."

Kanna says, "Very well, then."

Motoko says, "The Serpent told me to return the Eye of his son.  I will
return the Eye of his son."

Jacqueline says, "oh. direct words. okay."

Beowulf asks, "So. If we're going to send in scouts, who would be best
suited?"

Jacqueline idly fingers the bundle on her back.

Kanna says, "Eyaaah, that's probably about as High Up as you can get
it."

====
====

You page, "(how ironic... Kanna was just ON a scouting mission. :) Hm...
who WOULD be suited, for that matter?" to Akemi.

====
====

Miki says, "We will probably want to send at least one shapeshifter, two
or three people who can fight well, a magus, and a trump master.  One or
more of the above will need to be someone who can use Logrus, as we'll
need to use that to get in most likely."

Moriya mulls quietly. "My thinking is, at this point...first, scout out
the shadow in some way. Then we use Justice, perhaps, to draw off a large
number of their forces as a diversion. At that point, we try to rescue the
hostages and give the eye back to Daffyl. Trumping Daffyl is likely the
most direct, least risky way of doing the last."

Beowulf nods. "Any Power in particular that would be more likely to be
detected by them? Most of us have Pattern imprint, I believe."

Jacqueline . o O (So much for taking a backup role.....)

Miki says, "We will have to take our chances with them detecting
Pattern's imprint on our souls, although it would be best to not use it
inside the fortress."

Motoko says, "I do not think I can be a part of any scouting party, as the
Eye and my attunement to it would draw Daffyl's attention almost
instantly."

====
====

You page, "(using tactics and what I know of folks -- who among this
group would be good for the scouting party, given Miki's parameters?)" to
Akemi.

====
====

Jacqueline says, "ah.... might I suggest one other person attune to the
jewel?  if motoko gets in trouble, she can communicate to anyone else
that's mentallly linked to the jewel, and it can't be blocked like trump
can.  A safety precaution, so to speak."

Miki continues, "Our best warriors present are Beowulf, Kanna, Moriya, and
Moonshade.  Mitsune and Jacqueline are probably our best shapeshifters. 
The Serpent is watching for Mutsumi, which leaves only me, unless we
borrow Usui from House Helgram, inthe way of trump masters.  Yumi and Lily
both can handle the magical end of things, and can use the Logrus to get
the group in."

Miki says, "I think that's a good idea, Jacqueline."

Beowulf nods once to Miki, then nods again to Miki and Jacqui. "A
question -- what happens to someone's attunement when the Eye is
returned to Daffyl?"

Jacqueline looks genuinely clueless.

Miki says, "We don't know; as far as I know, it would be broken."

Motoko nods slowly and fingers the Eye almost covetuously.  "I suppose
having a second person attuned to it would be helpful."

Miki says, "I would suggest that Jacqueline attune to it, as she has the
most experience among us with these jewels."

Jacqueline blinks slowly.

Jacqueline looks a bit doubtful of the wisdom of that idea, but says
nothing.

Motoko says, "It is possible that I could meditate upon the Serpent
again and ask for his advice.  Things have changed greatly since I spoke
to him of this; my Soul has been taken, and my family, too."

Jacqueline . o O (Why not? let's shave off more years of my life.)

Miki says, "My suggestion is that we send in Beowulf, Kanna, and Moriya as
our fighting contingent, keeping Moonshade in reserve here.  Myself,
Jacqueline, and Yumi to serve as the powers division of the party.  If
Jacqueline attunes to the Eye, she can then use it to communicate with
Motoko, who can indicate to those who remain behind if things go wrong."

Jacqueline suddenly looks less doubtful.

Miki says, "I am inclined to think that useful as they would be, we
probably either should not take construct manifestations, or not use
them unless things go to hell, as Daffyl likely has enough power to
notice the conduits connecting them to the constructs."

====
====

You page, "an sound, tactics-wise?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Sounds good to you." to you.

====
====

Miki says, "If we are fortunate, we may well be able to rescue the
hostages."

Jacqueline seems to frown greatly at this.

Jacqueline asks, "Um.... would this include pattern-fueled giant robots
made by Uncle Mo?"

Beowulf nods to Miki, and makes sure he knows how to turn the Aeris
manifestation off.

Kanna nods.  "I would be inclined to think the same way.  Silent running
as much as we're possible to accomplish.  I suspect that the giant robots
would need to be saved until the final assault, if any, Jacqueline."

Miki says, "Such things are not exactly subtle.  Would be very useful when
we do the assault."

Jacqueline says, "oh... well.... I mean, I am the distraction, and if you 
need a distraction a really big pattern fueled robot....."

Jacqueline says, ""well... you know

Beowulf nods to Jacqui. "Right. At the final assault... not when we're
scouting."

Miki nods.  "Yes, should we need a distraction, that would make a good
one."

Jacqueline says, "of course."

Motoko says, "The distraction could also serve the purpose of a trap. If
we can draw off a large portion of their forces to attempt to retrieve
Justice, then pincer them with an army from House Nurgal or House
Helgram..."

Miki nods.  "Another good idea."

Moriya blinks and frowns. "Shouldn't we be discussing this with Nurgal's
and Helgram's generals?"

Miki says, "Once we have some idea of our approach, yes."

Motoko says, "We will when the time comes."

Jacqueline raises an eyebrow, wodnering if she might meet Lord Lowen
because of this.

====
====

You page, "If Moriya's in the scouting attempt... would it be better for
him to carry Knife as we go in, or to have Naru carry it while they're
waiting for the scout attempt to return or fubar?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Best he take it in, in case he needs it.  If worse comes to
worse, you could use it to escape via Dimensional-Travel :)" to you.

You page, "... That's VERY drastic, y'know. :)" to Akemi.

You page, "(as we'd be going -between- universes with all those damn
-outsiders-... -.-; )" to Akemi.

====
====

Miki pauses.  "Best you not bring Justice in with us, Jacqui, as they
would likely sense it."

Jacqueline nods.  "Losing it again, yeah, wouldn't want to do that...."

Jacqueline says, "..."

Kanna nods.  "In this case, I offer the Knife to Moriya."

Moriya asks, "The what?"

====
====

John says, "OOC At this point, how much longer does everyone have?  If all
our scouts will be on long enough, we cans tart tonight and finish
tomorrow.  Or we can just finish planning tonight."

Moriya OOCly says, "I'm good for a few more hours. 1, 2am or so."

Motoko says, "OOC:  Same here."

Beowulf says, "OOC I can probably go for another hour, two max."

Beowulf says, "OOC IOW, Midnight Central."

Kanna OOCly says, "I'm good for prolly a half hour or so,  so I don't
think we'll be able to get to actually scouting."

====
====

Kanna unslings the wrapped bundle from her back, and hands it over to
Moriya.  "The Knife.  Potent against Outsiders, a decent two-handed blade
in itself... and if worse comes to worse, we could try escape across the
dimensions, though I wouldnt' recommend it."

Moriya accepts it, blinking. "I see." He unwraps it. And stares at it.
"Yes. I see. It's...a large butter knife."

Motoko says, drolly, "A worthy blade at last?"

Kanna quirks a smile.  "It's power is not to be denyed, Moriya.  I've seen
it cleave Chaosians and other creatures easily."

Moriya hefts it a little uncertainly. "Well...I suppose so. For as long as
Aunt Kanna lets me borrow it."

Beowulf says, "Well, it is one of the three legendary Utensils of
prophecy..." He smiles a bit.

====
====

John asks, "OOC Okay.  Since Phil has to go to bed soon, we'll do the
scouting expedition tomorrow.  Phil/Drew/Rod/Travis, can you all do 7 my
time, 8 Eastern tomorrow?"

Kanna OOCly says, "Yup."

Beowulf nods.

Moriya OOCly says, "I should be."

John says, "OOC And tonight, we'll just do some char interaction stuff
once the planning is over."

Motoko says, "OOC:  I won't be here until 10-10:30 EST due to my trivia
league, but since I'm not scouting, that doesn't matter much."

John says, "OOC Ahh, the universe is convenient to us, then, Alan :)"

====
====

Kanna chuckles a bit at that.  "I'll give you more information on it
later, after this, just in case one of the worst cases come to pass."

Moriya nods, still looking at the Knife. "All right."

====
====

You page, "Didn't expect that? *wg* :)" to Shizumaru.

Shizumaru pages, "Not really. :)" to you.

You page, "Hey, Kanna's a realist... she can't handle a one-handed and
two-handed weapon at once.  So, given the possibility of patternblades ont
he other end, she has HER counter with Beryllina... so Moriya needs
something comparable, as it's also a primal damage weapon." to Shizumaru.

In a page-pose to you, Shizumaru nods.

====
====

Motoko looks down at Daffyl's Eye.  "Jacqui-chan, just say when you want
to attune to m--the Eye."

Miki says, "Very good.  Jacqui, I suggest you go with Motoko and attune to
the eye.  I am going to go and contact Helgram and Nurgal and King Tylor,
and make some preparations.  If the scouting party will meet at my room in
three hours, then we'll be departing."

Jacqueline says weakly, "well... any time that's convenient, really."

Beowulf nods to Miki.

Miki says, "But first...I'm going to actually have some breakfast.  Eat
up, everyone.  Armies march on their stomachs, as Drake would say."

Kanna chuckles softly, and eats more.  "I can go for that."

Motoko rather lacklustrely gets herself a plate of food.

Beowulf smiles slightly at that. "Right. I wonder if they have any
cornmeal pancakes?"

Mutsumi brings Thoric some food.  He begins eating quietly.

Lily says, "I don't think so, though I could try changing some of the
regular ones for you."

Beowulf goes over to Miki. "How did the final sealing of the trump font
work out?"

====
====

You page, "Oh, question... once two days have passed, would Beryllina have
learned the Amber Gunpowder Bullet ammo type?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "You discover that Beryllina is unable to make Amber
Gunpowder." to you.

You page, "... D'oh!  Feh. :P Interesting, that.  At least I've got a
couple boxes of bullets...." to Akemi.

You page, "(to check myself, it's learned -other- ammo types just
fine?)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Yes." to you.

You page, "Verrrrrrrry interesting.  Defeinitely gonna want to carry a
speed-loader more regularly, now." to Akemi.

====
====

Miki sits down with his food.  "It went quite well.  We won't have to
worry about that for a while."

Moriya wraps the Knife back up and slings it gingerly across his back,
then stares at the food in front of him. "I've already had some," he says,
softly. "I'm afraid the rest of my appetite is gone."

Mitsune says, "If your stomach growling gives everyone away, they won't be
happy with you."

Jacqueline mostly keeps to herself, nibbling away at her food.

Beowulf smiles at Lily. "Thank you, love, but I can always cook some. I
just... well, I'll want something I can keep down this morning."

Moriya stares the food some more, sighs, and halfheartedly starts to eat
again.

Moonshade gets a huge plate and plops down to stuff her face.

Moriya asks, "When was Aunt Michelle's estate attacked?"

Beowulf finds something relatively mild and starts eating, if not
exactly with pleasure, at least with industry.

Thoric says, "Six days ago."

Kanna continues eating, fueling herself up.  She pauses at that, and
winces.

Moriya's fist clenches around his fork. "Six whole days. Thank you so much
for remembering about my grandmother."

Beowulf moves over to back up Thoric. "Hey. He's had a *lot* of things to
worry about with his own family. If anyone's responsible for not notifying
you, it's me."

Moriya resumes eating rather sullenly.

Motoko eats quietly, looking rather alone despite being surrounded by
other people.  But she looks up at Moriya's word, briefly, and the corners
of her mouth twitch towards a scowl before going carefully neutral again. 
She goes back to her food, slowly and methodically.

Naru comes over to Jacqueline.  "How are you, Jacqui?  I heard your
expedition to the Akashan League was a success."  She pauses, glances over
at Moriya, then turns back to Jacqui.

Jacqueline turns to Naru, pauses, pales, looks vaguely ill.  "Erm....
agh....."

Jacqueline facepalms with one hand.  "I... er.... no.  No, I'm sorry. I...
I don't think I can talk about it right now," she adds weakly.

Moriya murmurs, rather darkly, "I wasn't blaming Thoric. Not alone."

Thoric sits and stares silently, then says, "I was rather busy dealing
with the fact that my Father is a bloody corpse and so are all of his
friends, and my Mother is in the hands of a bunch of murdering
psychopaths.  Of course, if you had actually TALKED to your Grandmother in
the last few months, you might have been able to figure it out.  Did you
know Mother had to tell her that her son was in jail in Chaos?  No one
even bothered to inform her."

Moriya puts down his fork. "Ah. Yes. Of course."

====
====

You page, "(agh. -.-; )" to The_Prof.

The_Prof pages, "Yah. ;_; Moryia does have a point, but Thoric has even
better ones. x.x" to you.

The_Prof pages, "And now I'm feeling even guiltier about not talking
with him more on the Leng trip." to you.

You page, "(or us on Kadath, though that was BEFORE all this. -.-; )" to
The_Prof.

The_Prof pages, "Yah. Dang it, I wonder why Moriya's been so uptight
lately, or if it's Drew?" to you.

You page, "(no clue.  IC, things have been hitting worse and worse for
him, what with the Chaos situation, etc -- also, IC, his dad's locked up,
his mom's in seclusion, and his Grandmom may have been captured."" to
The_Prof.

====
====

Moriya asks, "We've all been very, very, very busy, haven't we?"

Motoko's hand tightens round her breakfast fork, and her jaw clenches.

Moriya says, "I should have talked to her, yes. My fault."

Moriya says, "I'm sorry for seemingly singling you out, Thoric."

====
====

You page, "ANY way to defuse this situation Diplomatically, or am I
hosed if I even speak up? *wl* )" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Probably best to get them out of the room." to you.

Akemi pages, "Ie, seperate them." to you.

====
====

Moriya says, "And I really am not hungry anymore."

Jacqueline frets and says in a surprisingly firm voice, "Let's put this in
perspective.  Your loved ones are still ALIVE.  And we WILL rescue them. 
Blame is pointless here."

Thoric says tightly, "Apology accepted, Moriya."

Thoric twitches a bit.

Kanna nods.  "Moriya?" She gets up from her chair.  "I'm done with my food
too... best to give you the info I've got on the Knife now before we
rendevous for final prep for the scouting."

Jacqueline cringes and turns to Thoric.  "Oh... thoric... I... I'm
sorry... I forgot..."  She

Mutsumi says, "Exactly.  We can't afford to turn on each other."

Moriya stands. "Yes. Please excuse us." His voice is still carefully
monotonic.

Thoric says softly, "You only just found out, Jacqui.  I know what you
meant.  My mother at least, is still alive."

Kanna nods, and leads the way, making sure Moriya exits the room with her.
 (and moving to a seperate location, I think? *wg*

Jacqueline says, "I... I know how you feel, Thoric... though I know it's
not any consolaion." She gives his hand a small squeeze.

============================
============================

John says, "OOC Drew, Phil, go to Arden."

Shizumaru has left.

Arden

Beyond the Wood Door

[Exits: Skippy, Main Room. ]

Contents:  Shizumaru, Damasq, camera, Caliban, Moriya, Lyra, Michelle, and
afp.

Moriya has left.

====
====

You page, "(oh, is the Knife a spellbreaking weapon too, or is that
something I would have needed to see via experimentation.)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Yes, it can slice through magical defenses." to you.

You page, "And once I'm THERE... what can I do to help Moriya bleed off
the steam and anger and frustration and stuff and be in a better mood come
the scouting mission? :)" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Sparring with him might be nice. :)" to you.

Akemi pages, "Always a good way to bleed off frustration." to you.

You page, "Heh.  Hopefully with NORMAL weapons, not the Massive
Apocolyptic Ones..." to Akemi.

=============================
=============================

Mitsune tags along with the two of you.

Kanna and Moriya exit the breakast room, and realizes that she's new in
Chaos and has no idea where they -could- go.  So, she turns to Mitsune and
Moriya.  "Moriya?  Mitsune?  Know of a decent place we can talk about
this?  Like a gym or somesuch?"

Moriya nods, and leads them to such a place.

Kanna follows Moriya, then.

====
====

Kanna OOCly says, "(is the GM going to describe a suitable Gym-like
place?)"

Loewen says, "OOC I was going to let Moriya desc it since he picked it out
:)"

Moriya OOCly says, "It's a gym. Run with it. :>"

====
====

Upon arriving, Moriya turns to Kanna. "So what can you tell me about
this Knife?"

Mitsune whispers, "I...I...I got the knife," then giggles.

Kanna goes, and removes her pack, leaving Beryllina and her other
weapons on her body.  She glances over breifly, to see if the Gym has any
-normal- decent weapons around.  "Well, first off... it's akin to the
damage potential of a Patternblade or Logrusfoil, save geared against
Outsiders instead of Chaosians or Amberites."  She glances towards
Mitsune, eyebrow arched.

====
====

You page, "(is that normal for Mitsune? *wl* )" to Akemi.

You page, "(ot, wait, this IS Mutsune, not Mutsumi... I haven't really had
THAT much chance to interact with Mitsune before. :)" to Akemi.

====
====

Moriya unbundles the Knife and looks at it appraisingly. "I see. Kafuin
would love to be able to study this closely."

Kanna nods.  "Lian's planning to as well... perhaps they could
collaborate.  She just hasn't had time yet.  It's also capable of
breaking through magics, like the Patternblades and Logrusfoils.  But."

Kanna says, "There's also one other ability that the Knife has, that
those blades don't as far as I know.  One that I -haven't- dared test yet,
due to the inherent risk."

Kanna says, "The ability to slice open and seal shut dimensional
gateways between the universes."

Moriya pauses in his study of the Knife. "That's quite something. Could be
very useful when the Day of the Dead comes."

Kanna says, "Sharp edge cuts open a gate, blunt edge closes one.  Given
that it was designed to fight -Outsiders-, it's most powerful against
sealing the gates used for them to enter from Outside... its effectiveness
would go down against those maintained by a Primal Power, such as Trump,
Logrus, or Pattern."  She quirks a slight, sad, smile. "And yes, I suspect
my mom's had that thought... -I- certainly have... of trying to use it to
scout between here and the Lands of Hel."  She sighs.  "The thing being,
the transit cuts between into the Void, most likely, where the Ousiders
-rule-.  Not quite a safe way to travel."

Mitsune asks, "How do you control where you're..ahh."

Kanna says, "And also, you need a good solid image OF the universe
you're going to, and not many of us -have- that."

====
====

The_Prof pages, "Drat... wish I'd had more time to get you more info on
the Void." to you.

The_Prof pages, "I did tell you that you could operate in the Void if you
were protected by a suit imbued with Patthern/Logrus, right?" to you.

You page, "Don't think you did, though you could always remember given I
hadnded Knife over to Moriya, and come and remind me." to The_Prof.

====
====

Kanna says, "I've heard of Motoko and Beowulf's visions of Hel's lands,
but I doubt secondhand info would help.  Also, it depends on how close
they are to conjunction."

Moriya nods thoughtfully. "Hmm, I see."

Kanna says, "All these things in sum make me -very- reluctant to try and
give it a test run."  She quirks her mouth upwards again.  "As I don't
have that many places known to me across the universes."

Moriya says, "We'll have to test it later. Preferably by Beowulf or
Motoko, if what you say is true."

Kanna nods.  "My basic theory on the original purpose of the Knife was to
be able to kill Outsiders when they broke through in places, and then
bring the fight -to- them, sealing the gate by which they entered."

Moriya steps away from the other two and starts swinging the Knife
around, to get a feel for its weight and balance.

Kanna says, "Ironically, I haven't actually gone -against- Outsiders
with it, just more normal foes... though Shinobu Minor weilded it a bit
while we were in Akasha (and that had the Byhakee), and Ruka did for a
while, and that was up against other foes."

The weapon is much lighter than it looks.  Unfortunately, it isn't well
weighted for fighting, as it has the balance of well...a giant butter
knife.

Moriya makes a face. "I may have to attach some weights to this so that I
can handle it better."

Still, it's fairly well suited for your style of fighting.

Kanna watches Moriya as he swings it.  "Sadly, I don't know what the
creator of the Knife had in mind when he made it in -that- form; but who
am I to question the will of the Elder Gods?" She quirks a smile again.

Kanna hrms, and goes looking for a weapon or two that the Gym might
provide for its folks here.

There are lots of staves and wooden swords.

Kanna hrms, and goes and grabs a stave for herself, and a wooden sword for
Moriya.  "Hey, Moriya?"

Moriya looks up. "Yes?"

Mitsune perches on a jungle gym thing to watch the two of you.

Kanna offers the wooden sword to Moriya.  "You up for a little
one-on-one?  It's been too damn long since you last trashed my ass." She
grins.

Moriya smiles slightly, puts the Knife down after re-wrapping it, and
accepts the sword. "Certainly, Aunt Kanna."

Kanna hands the wooden sword to Moriya, shifts Beryllina down to its
smaller sheathed dagger form so it won't get in the way, and
experimentally spins the stave she's chose.  "Well then.  Let's have at
it."

Moriya twirls the sword, and then 'sheathes' it in his left hand, at his
side, taking up a battou  (sword-drawing) stance. "Shoubu."

=====
=====

You page, "Definitely through this entire combat, putting Kanna's 'Move
Reading' skills to work, as well as her Staff skill, her Martial
Arts/Weapons Skills to work.  Physical strength for speed in dodging
blows, tactics linked to Move Reading." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "You think Moriya has improved since your last fight,
though so have you.  Are you going to try a more aggressive or more
defensive strategy?" to you.

You page, "Probing defensive strategy.  In the end, I KNOW he's
kickbutt, but I can prolly fake-out how much I've improved for a little
bit." to Akemi.

You page, "Of course, the -intent- of this all is to get Moriya to blow
off steam, so eventually it'll go to much more intense. :)" to Akemi.

====
====

You page, "'Shoubu' would be 'begin'? *wg*" to Shizumaru.

Shizumaru pages, "It's like saying 'en garde'. :)" to you.

====
====

Moriya stands there, patiently, waiting for Kanna to make a move.

Kanna twirls the stave again, slipping easily into a ready position on the
balls of her feet, fluidly.  The stave in a posture that could either be
ready for attack or defense, she shifts to Moriya's right almost
immediately, with a probing attack.

Moriya steps away to dodge, then whips the sword out at Kanna's wrists.

Kanna gets rapped on the wrist.  She barely notices it at all.

Kanna quirks a grin.  "Smart, Moriya... but..." She shifts her grip, now
twirling the stave with her hands somewhat further apart as she slides
down lower, out of the way of any incoming blows, going for a sweep on
Moriya's legs with the staff's end.

Moriya tries to jump over the sweep and tap Kanna on the top of the head
with the sword.

Moriya successfully does so, although this does leave him potentially
vulnerable to a follow up attack.

Kanna rolls on the ground, twirling staff upwards for a strike at
Moriya's back while getting out of the reach of his sword.  "Owch.  Owch I
say!"

====
====

You page, "Shifting to more agressive defense now, as Moriya's scored two
hits on me, linking to move reading to protect against them." to Akemi.

====
====

Moriya tries a very elaborate move involving blocking Kanna's staff by
standing on his own sword and pushing it down to block the blow, then
using the repulsive force of the staff to vault away.  Kanna's sheer
strength, however, buggers up the second part of this manuever, sending
Moriya flying up to smack face first into the ceiling, then to fall down
to the floor.  He manages to land on his feet, and _technically_ the staff
never hit him.  Sure wasn't fun.

Moriya grunts, wobbling slightly. "Mmmm. That didn't quite work as well as
I'd hoped."

====
====

Akemi pages, "If you're gonna go for an aggressive attack, this may be
your best chance while he's wobbly." to you.

====
====

Kanna backs up a bit, staff held at the ready.  "Fancy move, Moriya...
Din't think you'd try -THAT-..."  And with that, she shifts to a more
agressive posture and swing, aming for arm or side, you're not quite
sure...

====
====

You page, "Mostly going for a wrist strike to disarm if feasable, side
along ribcage if not... reigning in strength so that it doesn't DAMAGE,
but it sure will sting...  Keeping on guard for retaliation once I'm in
range." to Akemi.

You page, "(and yes, this is a tad more agressive, yes. :)" to Akemi.

====
====

Moriya falls back and to one side, managing to dodge the blow, then
strikes the backside of the staff with his sword, adding to its
momentum.  This leaves Kanna open enough that he manages to whack her in
the right leg.  An effort by him to follow up with an arm swat, however,
gets parried as Kanna successfully anticipates it.  During all this,
Moriya has to give ground before her press to have room to manuever.

====
====

You page, "So, hm.. what's my mental tactical analysis so far of Moriya
with respect to me? :)" to Akemi.

====
====

Moriya hops backward to get a little additional room, then moves into a
semi-crouch, left side forward, holding the blade horizontal, while he
sights down his left hand hovering near the blade. He smiles slightly.

====
====

You page, "Okay, what's he about to do with that move? (tapping Move
Reading).  Gatousu?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "You sense he's going to bluff with a high thrust, and then
go for some kind of other strike.  But he's so good, it's hard to read his
moves...You might want to try making a side move to not be where he
expects you to be." to you.

====
====

Kanna arches an eybrow, readying her own staff as well, twisting it
about so that it's in readiness, hands spaced wide apart, rocking on her
left side forward as well...

====
====

Loewen says, "Brief pause. OOC"

You page, "Okay, side move chosen is to move -fast- to -his- Left,
dodging down low low and pulling hands closer together on the staff so
that it's used more as a bat or baton for an upwards swing at blade, arm,
or side." to Akemi.

=====
=====

You page, "Having fun? :)" to Shizumaru.

Shizumaru pages, "Yup." to you.

You page, "Yay! ^_^" to Shizumaru.

====
====

Moriya abruptly lunges, aiming straight for Kanna's chest...and then
suddenly drops to the ground, rolling forward.

Okay, and GM interprets the instructions and...

====
====

You page, "(oh boy.  We'll prolly hit each OTHER, bodily. :)" to Akemi.

====
====

As Moriya lunges, Kanna moves off to his left, and shifts her grip in such
a way as to bring the staff around like a bat for an upward stroke at arms
or torso.  However, Moriya drops low and rolls forward as she does this,
trying to reorient his planned thrust to strike where her legs are now. 
Kanna, however, is still moving.  The result is that Kanna smacks the air
over his head and he misses her, rolling off and getting to his feet.

Moriya springs up, back into a ready stance. "We outmaneuvered each
other, it appears."

Kanna rolls back up vertical, -grinning- from ear to ear.  "Hard to hit a
moving target, eh, Moriya?"  She nods, staff back at the ready.  "Want to
call it a draw, for the time being?  Though I suppose all the tags you got
on me before this would concede the sparring to you...."

Moriya nods, and straightens up, sheathing the sword in his belt. "We can
stop for now. I should go and meditate to regain my balance." He looks a
little tired. "This whole morning has been unsettling for me."

Kanna nods.  "I... can imagine."  She pauses, and shakes her head. 
"Correction, no I can't, but I can think of equivelents."  She sighs, and
sets the staff aside, stepping forward to exchange a warrior's handshake
with Moriya.

Kanna says, "All that aside... it's been way too long since we've done
something like this." She quirks a slight, sad, tired smile.  "I enjoyed
it, though."

Moriya clasps Kanna's arm firmly, then steps back and bows. "Yes. I
needed something like that myself."

Kanna bows back, formally, as equals.  "Glad I could help."  She stands.
 "See you at Uncle Miki's final breifing in a few hours?"

Mitsune drops down off the jungle gym.  "That was pretty impressive."

Moriya nods. "And thank you also for the use of the Knife for this
mission." He goes over to gather up said item. "I'll be in my room in the
meantime."

Moriya says, "Thank you, Mitsune."

Mitsune asks, "You wanna be alone or would you like some company?"

Moriya thinks about this. "Give me an hour alone, I think. I need to
clear my mind. I'll go find you afterward--is that good?"

Kanna nods.  "Thanks, Mitsune.  You're welcome, Moriya, I hope you put it
to good use." She smiles slightly.  "I'll be in the room I'm sharing with
Naru until then."

Kanna goes, and grabs up her pack, slinging it on her back, and shifting
Beryllina back to its normal sheathed Cavalry Saber form.

Mitsune says, "I'll be off with the others, then.  See you two!"

Moriya waves, and heads off to his room.

Kanna waves to Mitsune and Moriya, and heads off to her own temp
quarters.

===============================
===============================

Kanna OOCly says, "And I'd say with that, we split up? *wg*"

Moriya OOCly says, "Yeah. I think I'm done for the night, unless John can
think of something else for me to do."

Loewen says, "OOC Unless you joined the poker game, Can't think of much to
do with you at the momento."

Kanna OOCly says, "It's it for me as well... didn't inted to stay up
this long, but Moriya needed it. :)"

=====
=====

You page, "And, in analysis, now that Kanna's sparred with Moriya
again... how do the two compare? *wg*" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "You'd say you have nearly 4 times his physical strength and
he has close to twice your weapon skills." to you.

You page, "What about Tactics and Martial Arts?  or was that not tested in
this bout?" to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Wasn't a lot of tactics (use of the environment) or
Martial Arts (as you both fought armed)" to you.

You page, "Ah, okay. *nod* makes sense.  WEll, I imagine my weapons
skills are still better than they -used- to be... prolly time to start
buying it up evenly now.  So, if I could get it to a more physical contest
by disarming him, I'd whip his ass, but he's still got more than enough
Weapon Skills to prevent that." to Akemi.

Akemi pages, "Yep." to you.

=====
=====

Moriya OOCly says, "Moriya is probably going to avoid Thoric for the
moment, although will talk to him later. That's the reason he's going to
meditate...hm. Well, probably he'll try to talk to him before meeting up
with Miki, so perhaps that."

Loewen says, "Well, right now, I'm running Thoric dealing with other
folk.  ^^;;;"

Moriya OOCly says, "Well, go ahead and do that until Prof has to leave, or
something, and we can do that then. :) Unless it's too late by that time."

Loewen says, "Soon as we get Jacqui attuned to the eye on her return, I'm
going to bed, I think."

Moriya OOCly says, "Okay."

Loewen says, "As I don't want to stay up too late."

Kanna OOCly says, "ahwell... to bed for me, now."