[Day/Time: Unknown!] [Weather: Same!] [Kaede is awoken by an annoying monkey alarm clock, shrieking "OOK! OOK! OOK!" Loudly. He grumbles, reaches out and manages to shut the damn thing off.] [After another minute, he gets out of bed, grabs some clothes hanging on a doorknob, and heads into the bathroom of the small compartment.] [We won't go into the details, but about fifteen minutes later, he's finished dressing: slacks, shirt, shiny shoes and sport coat. Then he turns to the mirror to tie his tie.] [The face staring back at him isn't his own, but rather a man in his early thirties, with a thin mustache and a bit of a double-chin. He ties his tie then puts on a fedora, adjusting it until it looks juuuuuuust right.] (Anybody who wears a fedora is awesome, just not as awesome as anybody in a top hat.) [Once he's satisfied, he gives himself a thumbs-up. "Here's lookin' at you, Tsumioji."] [Kaede steps out of the bathroom, and almost instantly there's a bright light. A rather pretty woman is sitting up in the only bed in the room, the light coming quite literally from her hand. She squints. "Mmm, Masaki? Is it morning already?" Look, Kaede got laid after all!] ( Too bad he missed that part of the dream! ) ( I'm giving 1-1 odds on past Kaede being a pimp.) (Any takers?) [Kaede goes over to the small kitchenette in the room, taking advantage of the light, to brew a quick cup of coffee. "Yeah, I gotta get to work. I've got a lead on that samurai, remember?" after turning on the coffee pot, he moves back to the mirror in the bathroom and sticks an honest-to-God "Press" tag into the band in his fedora.] (No bet. Hey, is he a journalist? OMG he is!) (See, if he was a pimp, that would have been a feather.) (True) [The woman yawns, making an elaborate motion out of it. The light from her arm wobbles as she does so. "That one who's been killing the criminals around town?"] [Kaede nods, returning to the kitchenette and grabbing his coffee. "That's the guy, yeah." He chugs down his coffee in one gulp. "Alright, Tomoya, I'm heading out. I'll..." But before he can finish, the phone rings.] [It's one of those old-fashioned rotary phones, too. How the heck do you use one? Doesn't matter, Kaede just picks up the receiver. "Masaki Tsumioji here."] ["Mr. Tsumioji," comes the voice from the other line. It's an old woman's. "Or should I say, Two of Pentacles?"] [Kaede sets his mug down. A line of thought runs through his head. {Oh great... What do they want?}. "Yeah, that's me. I presume this is Minazuki?"] [Irritation in her voice: "You will address me as the Queen of Wands, thank you."] ["Right, right. Well, Ms. Min... Erm, Queen. What do you want this fine summer morning?"] ["I understand you're writing an article about the samurai appearing around the city?"] [{How did she find out} "Yeah, that's right. I'm getting close to figuring out who he is, too. Maybe by the end of the day-"] (She's an old Japanese woman. They know all!) [She cuts him off: "You are to cease working on the case immediately. The samurai is none other than Judgement, and the matter is now Council business."] [Kaede nearly yells into the phone. "What?!"] ["You've heard me. Cease pursuing any information about the samurai or the murders immediately."] ["You can't do that! I've been working on this one for a week now, and - "] ["Mr. Tsumioji, might I remind you that this is Council business? Keeping the order comes before any individual concerns. If you pursue this case any further, you will be acting directly against the Council. You know what will happen then."] [Kaede grinds his teeth, but reluctantly says, "Alright, alright. I'm off it. You have a nice day." She starts to reply, but he slams the phone on the hook. "Damn old bag. I oughtta..."] [The woman in the bed asks, "The Council's giving you a hard time again?"] [Kaede grumbles. "Minazuki told me to stop my work. AGAIN. This Council's been nothing but trouble ever since we joined. I wish we never had met any of the bastards."] ["It's not like we had a choice."] ["No. It isn't, is it? That's the worst thing about it. I'd rather not have these stupid powers if it meant I didn't have to deal with the Council, especially Minazuki."] [Tomoya leans forward, more awake now. "Why does she hate you so much?"] ["I'm too 'Western' for her."] ["Well, we are at war."] ["Yeah, and it's not going so well for us. I don't care what the papers say, we're on the verge of losing. We may as well get used to the Western lifestyle, because it's going to happen to Japan eventually. You mark my words."] [Tomoya lets herself fall back on her pillow. "You don't have to convince me. I'm going back to bed. It's going to be a busy night at the club."] [Kaede moves over to the bed and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't work too hard, y'hear? And don't let any strange men take advantage of you. You're my baby doll, remember."] [She chuckles. "Go to work, big boy."] [Kaede heads to the door and opens it. He looks back at Tomoya, tips his hat, and heads out.] [And that's all for now!]