[Some time has passed since Kyon and Kyoko came to China in search of Reiji Ozora and, ultimately, the Sword. So far they've had little luck, but maybe (just maybe!) that's about to change. Hey, it could happen.] [It's morning and they've just gotten up! Kyoko is still rather pale and full of the shivers. Them drugs, they sux. Anyhow, they're in their room at the hotel.] [Session Start!] * Kyon comes out of the bathroom, dressed in a long-sleeved dark grey shirt and jeans, his hair still wet from showering. "Ready to go down?" * Kyoko is sitting on her bed. She's wearing a red mini-skirt and a shirt with yellow and white horizonal stripes. She mumbles at Kyon, her mouth currently holding a ribbon while her hands gather her hair into a ponytail. "Mph!" * Kyon shakes his head quickly, grabs a light jacket from one of the hanger in the room, and opens the door before looking back over his shoulder at her wordlessly. * Kyoko finishes tying her hair and stands up. She's looking to have considerable more energy than earlier. Probably, that's a good thing. "Where are we going today?" she asks as she hurries to catch up before he closes the door on her or something. * Kyon heads out the door, and stalks down the hallway to the elevators. "Newspaper office, then we'll go back to checking local universities. Businesses and government didn't work. Got to finish off academia." * Kyoko tilts her head as she follows. "You really think we'll find something?" [Sho does not come out of the elevator as you reach it.] * Kyon shrugs quickly, and stabs the elevator button. "Got to try to find out." He smirks. "Maybe something will find us." [They head on down to the lobby!] * Kyon strides quickly over to the front desk and tries to get the attention of one of the clerks. [He succeeds as one of the clerks comes over. ""] * Kyon nods quickly. ">Can you direct me to the nearest newspaper office? I'd like to place an ad. Or, do you know if I can do that online here?<" [He consults a guy who knows better and within a few minutes, gives Kyon directions.] * Kyon nods his thanks, then checks quickly to make sure that Kyoko is following as he stalks towards the door. * Kyoko does follow! ( Gimme an awareness check, +4 ) 2d6+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6+4) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 11. [Shortly, Kyon and Kyoko arrive at the post office, a large, many roomed building with a big printing press in the basement.] * Kyon looks at the sign outside, stops for a second, then heads into the building. He looks for an advertising counter or customer service. [He finds one!] * Kyon stalks over to it, and looks at the clerk. ">I'd like to place an advertisement. Can I do that here?<" [The clerk, a chubby 40-ish woman with thick wire-framed classes, looks up at Kyon and blinks several times. "" >Help Wanted. Just a short ad would be enough. Also, if you have a website with your newspaper, I'd like to place one there, as well.< [She nods. ""] * Kyon nods quickly. ">That's fine. Do I dictate it to you, or do I need to fill out a form?<" [She produces a form. ""] * Kyon shrugs quickly. ">I'm already here. I'll just take care of it here.<" He takes the form and moves away from the counter towards Kyoko to fill it out. [She nods and goes back to what she was doing.] * Kyoko blinks at Kyon. "What are you planning?" * Kyon grabs a pen and sits down to write. "Got to be creative about this. Might as well see if we can't get the person we're looking for to come to us." * Kyoko blinks and takes a seat next to him. * Kyon fills out the form in efficient Chinese. >Young, efficient professional sought to help deal with lost artifacts. Interest in stars and astronomy a plus. Help us turn a page in our search! Interested applicants should call Queen of Wands Ltd at 090-6625-4797.<" * Kyon fills in his personal information, then brings the form back to the counter. ">Is this all right?<" [She nods.] * Kyon takes out his wallet. ">How much will running the ad for a week in the paper and on the website cost?<" [She quotes a figure. It's pretty expensive, yet not unreasonable.] * Kyon pauses for a moment, calculating it in his mind, then pays for it and puts his wallet away. ">How long until the ad is on the website, by the way?<" ""] * Kyon nods quickly. ">Well, the payment should go through immediately, so I look forward to seeing it soon. Thank you for your help.<" He nods tersely to the woman, then heads back past Kyoko towards the door. [She nods.] * Kyoko follows Kyon out. "Is this really going to work?" * Kyon shrugs quickly. "The reading said we had to be creative. Ad's more creative than just hunting. Going to do that, too, but I want to cover the bases." I... guess.... * Kyon looks at her sidewise. "Just being exhaustive. It's here somewhere. Push long enough, and it'll come out." * Kyoko nods, though she doesn't look sure. * Kyon cocks his head, then turns to the side and leans against the wall by the post office. "What?" * Kyoko folds her arms behind her back and also leans on the wall. Though for her it looks less 'I'm cool' and more 'I'm exhausted'. "I just can't help but feel we're going about this wrong." * Kyon looks down at her sidewise. "Right. So here's another creative option. What do you suggest?" "I don't know... Is there anywhere we can find more information?" What kind of information do you want? To find my brother! * Kyon snorts. "Forgot that was the goal. What sort of information do you want to find that we're not looking for already? How would you do it?" * Kyoko furrows her brow. "Well... On the Sword? Maybe something having to do with World War II?" * Kyon closes his eyes. "Could go to a museum on the war. That work for you?" * Kyoko shrugs. "I... guess?" * Kyon shakes his head quickly and opens his eyes, looking at her irritatedly. "Make a decision. What do you think we should do?" * Kyoko thinks. "Let's go. It's worth a try, right?" * Kyon nods quickly. "Right. Can go there next, then." He pushes off the wall, and heads down the street. [45 mins. later, they arrive at a museum.] * Kyon looks around when he gets there, trying to see if there's anything interesting around before he heads in. ( Gimme an awareness check, +1 ) 2d6+1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6+1) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 11. [There's nothing particularly interesting outside.] * Kyon shrugs quickly, and stalks up the stairs to the door to the building. * Kyoko follows like a lemming. [And you reach the museum! It's a fairly general museum, but it does have a large exhibit on the country during the Japanese occupation.] * Kyon checks a floor map, and heads to that exhibit. He looks at the first display there he comes to. [It's on the second floor, just after the Communist revolution. There's a map right outside.] * Kyon walks over to it, and waits for Kyoko to go into the exhibit proper. * Kyoko goes in! Though she looks confused. Probably because she doesn't read Chinese. ( Gimme another awareness check! ) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6) and gets 12, a CRITICAL FAILURE!!! "Looks like your thread just got cut. Sorry." (Heh. DR possible there?) ( Yeah ) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 8. [The exhibit is large, occupying two hallways and a corner of the building. Little surprise, most of it is focussed on China rather than Japan: Wweapons the Chinese used, what the Chinese captured by the Japanese were treated like, how they resisted, etc...] * Kyon walks through it slowly, reading the signs as he goes. "Interesting stuff." * Kyoko looks over a bayonet. "Is it? I can't tell." * Kyon looks back at her over his shoulder. "Need a tour guide?" * Kyoko hurries to catch up with Kyon. [Kyon, meanwhile, reaches the corner room, and finds (finally), articles from the Japanese during the time period.] * Kyon glances over the papers to see if there's anything that jumps out. ( Gimme a mind roll. ) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 10. [Nothing in particular stands out from there.] * Kyoko meanwhile peers at items taken from a Japanese outpost, including a uniform, equipment and miscellaneous junk. * Kyon reads through a few articles quickly, anyway, then walks back to Kyoko. "Any of your family involved with this?" * Kyoko blinks a few times at Kyon. "No..." She frowns. "At least, I don't think so..." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "I had some family in Manchuria. Made it back okay, though." He looks over the materials in the display case coolly. * Kyoko furrows her brow. "I think..." She points at a book in the display, what looks like a troop roster. "I think I know this name." * Kyon looks down at it to read it. [The particular name Kyoko is pointing at reads Masayuki Honda, SGT.] I'm not sure why I know it, but it seems familiar. * Kyon looks over at her sidewise. "No one I've heard of." He walks back to the room with the articles and scans them for the name. [After some searching, he does find the name! It's under an article entitled, "A Change of Heart?", which gives an account of Honda's behavior after Japanese aggression ceased: he attempted to help those impoverished by the war. This sparked unfavorable reactions from both Japanese and Chinese.] * Kyon reads the article, then brings it back to Kyoko. "This spark anything?" * Kyoko looks at it intently. "Umm... I can't read it." * Kyon rolls his eyes, then translates it into Japanese for her. * Kyoko furrows her brow. "Not really." * Kyon shrugs quickly, then looks to see if there's a curator or docent around. [There just happens to be one! Woo!] ( And gimme another awareness check, +1! ) 2d6+1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Kyon (2d6+1) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 8. [Well, there is a curator there, a balding man in a suite, with a tiny mustache.] * Kyon stalks over to the curator. ">I was wondering if you had any more information about this man? I find the story very striking.<" ["Hmmm?" He peers at the article. ""] >Any information you can give me would be helpful. Is the man in question still alive?< [""] * Kyon raises his eyebrows. "" [""] [""] * Kyon nods quickly. ">They must be quite impressive in their philosophy, to have such an effect.<" [""] * Kyon nods quickly. ">Anything else of interest about this story that I might want to know about?<" [""] * Kyon cocks his head, and tugs a pen out of his pocket. ">All right. What's the name of the temple?<" ( It's the Ohgoddontmakemenameit temple ) [""] (Heh. I had to ask, sorry.) * Kyon jots it down on a pad, and shoves them back in his pocket. ">Thank you for your explanation.<" He bows tersely, then heads to return the article before going back to Kyoko. [""] * Kyoko looks at Kyon expectantly. * Kyon cocks his head towards the exit, then rolls his shoulder. "Looks like we have a lead. That guy was probably an Arcana. Went to this mountain temple." Oh. That would make sense. Yeah? Why's that? Why else would I know him? * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Not worth thinking about. We're going here next." He stalks off, heading out of the exhibit. [Session End!]