The Shylzani: Bam’e Dangeon

>> The lights on the arrivals landing pad of the main port begin to flash and spin in circles, indicating an incoming arrival <<

Ennios Vargos (EnniosVargos Resident) glances up as an engine noise grows louder - by the sound, a ship-to-planet shuttle rather than a ship in its own right - then returns his focus to the maki roll in progress.

Kaori Jo takes another sip of coffee, smiling as she watches Ennios work. He doesn't look like her grandfather, but the movement of his hands as he uses the bamboo mat to work the layers of nori, rice, mango and salmon into a neat roll brings back contented memories.

"Myeong Mai be with you."

Kaori Jo has felt a familiar mind approaching and looks to her left, unsurprised to hear Ikki Touson's voice as she turns. "And with you, Baronness. How is your day?"

Ikki is exceedingly elegantly dressed, in a purple gown with a rich sheen and elegant golden embroidery under layers of sheer silk. Kaori, on the other hand, is wearing a decidedly comfortable blouse and leggings - good enough by normal standards, but definitely at the bottom end of what the High Priestess would consider suitable for a Myeong Gai out in the public eye.

Baroness Touson grins. " so far my day has been good, thank you." smiles " how has your day been?"

Ennios looks up from his knife-work and bows slightly. "Baronness. An honour."

He finishes slicing the roll into rounds and carries it, neatly plated with a dollop of wasabi, over to Kaori's seat.

The landing pad lights slow down and turn off as the shuttle lands. This is a shuttle from what was known as the Crimsen Empire Flagship, the ship aboard which Empress Hae Ri was a frequent guest. The shuttle still displays the insignia and the Crimsen Empire.

"Would you like anything, Baronness?" he asks. "Today's special is retoro sushi - sushi made with a very nice red tuna from the waters around Sanctuary Island."

Kaori puts down her coffee cup and picks up her chopsticks, mixing a bit of the wasabi into the tiny bowl of shoyu and daintily dipping the first round of her roll into the mixture.

Baroness Touson: moves over to take a seat. "I think I will try the sushi. Looks delicious."

"The retoro? Coming right up." Ennios does his little bow again - he's been practicing in case of imperial visits - and returns to his workstation. Opening the rice cooker, he scoops out six little ovals of sticky rice which he arranges on a plate, carefully pats a different grade of wasabi on top, then tops it with slices of healthily red tuna which he cuts from a steak. He pours shoyu into its tiny bowl, then carries the plate to Ikki and sets it down with a flourish. "And to drink? Tea, coffee, beer, sake, soju?"

"Thank you, I will have the tea."

Kaori feels another mind approaching - not one she knows this time, and from the direction of the terminal rather than the downtown shuttle pad. She looks around. A woman in a gold corsetted dress with a big old book attached to her hip is standing in front of the arrivals building, looking - not exactly lost, but perhaps a little misplaced.

Crisha Ra pauses to look around the place, thinking it has been over 20 cycles since she been here. "Hmmm." She clears her throat for a moment to see if she is noticed, notices the sushiya and walks towards it.

Kaori smiles at her, then moves her current helping of maki to her mouth.

Crisha decides to sit on the far side so she may observe.

Ennios turns his attention to the new customer. "Welcome to Oldtown and to Be Daring Sushiya. What would you like? I can recommend today's special - an excellent red tuna sushi."

The newcomer says, "I will take you best ale with a shot of your best whiskey."

Ennios blinks. "We have Kirin beer, and can give you a shot of sake or soju to go with it." He gestures at the beer cooler in front of the drinks counter.

"That will be fine. I just need some time to collect my thoughts. The trip from Synthgai was very long."

Baroness Touson: listens closely while nibbling on the sushi.

"Synthgai?" Ennios asks with interest in his voice as he goes to the cooler to get a bottle. "No pirates en route, I hope." He opens the beer, fills a small clay cup with sake, and puts them both in front of the new customer. As another customer walks up, he smiles - it's turning into a decent afternoon's business. This one is another regular, though today, unusually, she's wearing a long hooded robe, showing no skin other than face, hands, and decolletage, and has a drawn expression.

Captain Siera Gama: walks up quietly and takes a seat.. "Hello everyone." She winks at Kaori in particular.

Kaori Jo glances at the robed woman. "Hello," she says. "Have you also just arrived?"

"I'm Commander Gama...no one seems to recognize me out of uniform. But it's me." She beams.

Kaori grins. That should put any notion Gama may have about the strength of her telepathic capabilities to rest. "Hello, Gama. You've been growing your hair, too."

"I know right? Those wig shops work wonders." She chuckles. "Bartender. Rum and Coke please."

"No rum," Ennios reminds Gama. "The owner likes to keep it traditional - more or less. Sake, soju or beer. Or all three, mixed, if you want to live dangerously." He glances at the Synthgai arrival to see how she's treating her two drinks.

"Make it a hot sake then. My stomach can't live more dangerously than that" Gama smiles.

"And we have an excellent red tuna special sushi today, if you're hungry - or the nabe's almost ready if you'd rather have something hot."

"Since I'm a vegetarian just give me as much meat as you have." Gama laughs. "No, just kidding. That red tuna sounds excellent."

Ennios nods. "Good choice. And hot sake. Coming up."

Crisha: observes quietly, briefly trying to catch the eye of all seated around the bar one by one. as if she is searching for something or someone.

Captain Siera Gama notices the stranger and smiles

Ennios sets a clay bottle of sake in a vat of hot water, then starts spooning out rice and wasabi and slicing tuna.

Kaori presses gently against the newcomer's mind, seeking general feelings rather than thoughts - but only for a moment as the stranger noticeably looks at Kaori with intense eye contact and a threatening expression.

Kaori lets her eyebrow quirk briefly, realizes the slight impressions she was starting to read have been blocked off, and lets a small surprised smile cross her lips. "Anyway - a long trip from Synthgai, you were saying?" she asks.

"Yes... have you been there?"

"I haven't," Kaori replies, glancing briefly at Ikki who of course has been there. "What's it like?"

"There are as few things I remember about Synthgai." Ikki muses. "It is a very heavy industrial planet filled with Synths and all kind of androids that work around the clock."

Ennios carries the plate of sushi to Gama, then checks the temperature of the sushi bottle. He places it on a small tray with a clay cup, and brings it to Gama as well.

Gama pours a bit into her cup and tastes it. "This is good sake."

Ennios bows slightly. "It's the same variety I served the evening the Empress stopped here. We don't have a lot of alcoholic variety, but we're careful about what we do stock."

Ikki is still talking. " This might be of some interest too. There are a few islands where the human population lives. Empress Hae Ri and Baroness Ling have a nice island paradise on Synthgai."

"No agriculture?" Kaori asks. "Though I suppose with a population of mostly synths, not much food needs to be produced."

Crisha, who still hasn't introduced herself, says, "Don't forget about the Emissary."

"Emissary?" Kaori asks. She catches a hint of something that might be awe, or maybe fear, but it's quickly cut off. Whoever this woman is, she has good mental reflexes. Kaori waits for a spoken explanation of the Emissary, as it's clear she won't be able to get a telepathic one.

The Baroness fills the gap. "What I have heard of the Emissary - Rumor has it, the Emissary coordinates all the android and synth work assignments through something like a hive mind arrangement."

"Like a central processing unit?" Kaori asks. "Are all the synths just one complex of computer terminals?"

Siera Gama sips and listens for anything of use to her...

Kaori holds her coffee cup out for a refill. Ennios provides it, and takes away her empty plate at the same time.

Crisha takes the book off her hip for a moment and stands it on the counter, slowly opening it up to a page she has marked. On the back cover are two words that can't quite be read: Th... Ar..iv...

Kaori leans forward to get a better view. "That's old," she observes, curious.

"Yes have you heard of The Archivist?"

Kaori shakes her head. "No. Please tell me more."

Crisha says, a bit stiffly even though she's the one who's drawn attention to the name, "You will need to do your own research. I can only talk about the Archivist to those who are approved by her."

Gama suddenly breaks her own silence. "Not even...for money?

"I think I've heard the title," Ennios says as he puts coffee beans into the grinder. "She's sort of a vague legend where I'm from - a nervous sort of legend. If she's the same Archivist."

Two attendants with the Crimsen Empire insignia on their jackets quickly drop off a data crystal giving it to Crisha then run back into the terminal, and presumably to the shuttle in which Crisha's arrived.

Crisha turns and nods, placing the data crystal in her pocket.

Kaori watches the backs of the two. Crimsen Empire...not Olenji Cycrim? Her face stays smooth.

Siera Gama raise an eyebrow; wondering what data could be so important as to require two attendants instead of a single courier. She decides that it must be critical...

"Where is a nice hotel?" Crisha asks. "Do I need to go into the city still?"

Ennios gestures in the direction of Old Town's newer half. "There are a couple of decent ones within a ten minute walk - not as nice as you'll find in the Palace Quarter, what we used to call the city centre, but comfortable. Avoid the one called Redwing, and you'll be all right." He scratches the back of his neck, half-unconciously. "I made the mistake of booking into Redwing my first night here - not what you'd call a good choice!"

"Uh ahem..." Gama speaks up suddenly to Crisha. "Perhaps I can accompany you. I am Gama. Did We meet briefly a few days back." Gama's sly smile makes its appearance. "The streets are not safe to travel alone sometimes and I could keep you company," she volunteers watching carefully for Crisha's reaction.

Kaori keeps her eyebrows smooth although Gama's intimation of probable danger is a bit overstated, thanks to a high population of telepathic priestesses in residence around the shrine.

Crisha smiles. then quickly drinks the last of her beer and sake. "Time to find a place to stay for a few weeks." She stands and nods slightly to everyone."Thank you, Vargos, this was wonderful." She places a small stack of coins and a credit chit on the bar.

Ennios Vargos looks at the coins without much surprise; they're Crimsen Empire currency, but it will take time for all the old currency to be taken out of circulation. The chit is for 500 Cyhnon credits! He adjusts it to reflect the actual price of the food and drink, thumbs his acceptance and passes it back to her. "You'll have to work hard to spend that much on food here," he observes.

Crisha looks over at Sierra and says "I am sure no one will bother me."

Siera bows to Crisha politely but keeps her cat-like stare focused on her as she sips her cooling sake.

Ennios pockets the remaining coins as the stranger leaves. "Still a substantially oversized tip," he says to the air.

For a moment Siera almost decides to follow Crisha but then thinks better of it.

"So what is this Archivist legend, Ennios?" Kaori asks.

The chef shrugs. "Variations on a theme - some young person with more guts than brains is looking for an adventure with a lot of profit - gets information from the Archivist for a price - finds more than he or she's bargained for and ends up rich but regretting it."

Kaori smiles at Ikki. "I hope that's not how you and the Empress are feeling about the improvements in your rank and income." She considers the story. "That sounds like a useful legend for parent trying to encourage their children not to expect too much out of life, or trust strangers too far.

Ennios looks around his reasonably reliable little domain. "We tend to be a low-income, high-risk sort of planet," he says.

Gama sips her sake and finishes the last of her tuna. She can't help wondering what was in the communication that Crisha received from the two agents.

Kaori sets down her coffee cup. "I suppose I should be getting back to the palace," she says, tucking the rather strong flash of thought from Gama into memory.

Gama finishes the last half-glass of lukewarm sake quickly. "Oh er I should be going too. Kaori can I walk you to the shuttle port?" She puts a 50 credit coin on the counter.

Baroness Touson: looks around. "Time for me to be going, too."

Kaori glances at the shuttle stop just a few meters away and laughs. "Yes, let's all go together."

"May you find Unity in the Chaos" the Baroness says to the chef with a small bow.

Ennios tucks away the coin and offers change to Gama as he says, "You too, Baroness."

Siera waves to the Baroness and holds Kaori back a few steps. She whispers,

"What do you think the critical info was about?"

Kaori shakes her head. "No idea. But their advertisement's clearly of the old Empire - not the new one." She steps onto the shuttle.

Siera head follows her inside. She whispers to Kaori, "Keep me updated and I'll make it worth your while." More loudly, she says, "Uh good nite and sleep well baroness."

Baroness Touson smiles. "Thank you, you too."

"Say hi to Kelsy for me," Kaori calls back.

"I will." The captain shoulders her way back down the steps to the pavement.Seeing Ikki and Kaori through the window, she waves goodbye.

solares >> Shuttle [White] whispers: Preparing for takeoff...

solares >> Shuttle [White] whispers: Departing. Next stop: Shylzan City Palace

Kaori takes the seat across from Ikki, whose gown contrasts oddly with the public nature of the transport. "You're not taking advantage of the palace chauffeurs," she observes a little while later, as the two walk together towards the palace.

Baroness Touson: " sometimes it is best to mingle."

Kaori nods. "Yes - palaces have sharp limitations. And - you noticed the uniforms, and the money? Crimsen Empire. The money may not be a surprise, or it wasn't to Ennios, anyway, but the uniforms...should have been changed by now, surely."

Baroness Touson speaks with restraint. "It would depend on the speed of how information travels."

"She'd come from Synthgai, if she was being truthful. The news would have travelled no distance at all," Kaori points out.

"One would think so." The Baroness bows. "May you find unity in the chaos."

Kaori returns the bow. "May you find unity in the chaos," she echoes, and enters her room.

Crisha Ra considers what will be her top priority with the Bam ‘e Dangeon

The Sushi Bar in the Old Town District has become a favorite gathering place for locals and visitors.