6 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
27 Years
Female
"Nike"
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Post by Ishtar Waldstein on Jan 22, 2021 21:44:26 GMT -4
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Japan was different.
Over the years, Ishtar had traveled to and from it. Her stays never extended beyond a week, but she had come to appreciate it for what it was. Still, she would have been lying if she said it was a place she had ever desired to live in for an extended period of time. She could feel her way through general conversation and the culture itself wasn't terrible, but she couldn't say she loved it like many did. Ultimately, at the end of the day, a mission was a mission and she'd see it through to the end, no matter what.
To think people said she was a bad soldier.
Seated in a bar in Kabukicho, some seedy place that reeked of smoke and dashed dreams. It had become a place that she had grown fond of during her time of Japan. It was quiet, discreet and no one asked questions. Sitting at the bar, she sipped away at cheap liquor, her gaze locked firmly on the scarred, wooden countertop. There were old water stains from drinks that had formed rings in the wood over the years, and she could only wonder how many people had been in her position.
An elbow on the bar, she continued to sip away at the liquor. She had to go and find 'Mystrem'. She needed to get better established within Japan and the word on the street was that they knew the people worth knowing. Placing her glass on the table, she let out a soft sigh, still gazing down at the countertop.
She had heard word that this was a place that 'Mystrem' apparently showed up to frequently, but it appeared she had lucked out so she'd have to simply continue her search. No problem, really. It'd give her further incentive to get out and scour the city for the Quirker who was potentially the key to kicking her mission off.
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 23, 2021 10:06:08 GMT -4
Apparently someone had been looking for them. Now wasn't that always a delight? Marceline had been trying to spread her name more without her face, and apparently the idea that Sonya had started, offering out favours, was starting to get a little fire under her. This idea that some big criminal on the scene might always be there to help, and with the old Ishtar (a seperate villain to yourself) left the scene, she was quick to fill the void and make sure to start collecting goodwill and favours. Of course, she'd never promise the world like Sonya did... but having a few debts to collect on here and there never hurt.
When whispers got back to her this new person on the block was searching her out though? Well she had to make sure to give a good impression. Now she wasn't so foolish as to present herself on a first meeting. No no no, she'd learned her mistakes in being too open with her identity, but with cutting most of those who knew her real face from the picture, she was just making sure to be extra cautious now. As she approached the bar with her bodyguard Sam in tow, she stopped before the steps that lead down to the basement bar, raising her hand and smirking back to the redhead behind her as a halo generated atop her hand.
"...Both of us?" The stern looking red head would ask, a deep sigh flowing out of her as she crossed her arms. She knew the disguises were part of her job but that didn't mean she had to like them.
"Both of us.~ It helps give the impression that we're a larger organization rather than a tight, highly profitable little unit. Wouldn't you say?~" She watched Sam's expression give in to the idea, before raising her halo up and expanding it over both of them before descending down. Sparks from the halo generating the skin suits they'd each use as disguises. For Marceline she went for a spunky young look with bright blonde hair, a red spaghetti strap dress and red heels. Her companion Sam taking on longer hair, deep blue with pink internal highlights and a more gothic style dress. The bodyguard crossed her arms again, shooting her boss a glare.
"... Really?"
"Hey. No one will know it's you.~" She chimed with a cheeky wink before finally heading down into the bar, easing the door open. With a subtle flick of her wrist she added an empty vodka bottle to her disguise, generating the glass bottle in her hand and letting out a loud- "WOOOO!~" As she entered the bar. Sam behind her groaned softly as she followed behind, giving a far less enthusiastic 'wooo' from behind. "S'friday night bitches! Who's gonna get me a refilllll!~"
As a bar that criminals could frequent it wasn't exactly a party atmosphere, but they were calm enough to accept that some drunk party girl had managed to stumble her way here looking for a drink. Putting on an act, Marceline stumbled a step here or there as she made her way about the bar, messing with a few of the patrons and teasing them to see if they'd get her a drink, making sure she was just sloppy enough in her act to make sure they found her more annoying than pleasant. When one guy did try to take her up on the offer, Sam was quick to slip in trying to play the 'sober voice of reason' and guided Marceline to the bar. She'd long since spotted the woman who fit the description she was looking for, so as they came to the bar, they aimed for her. Sloppy blonde Marceline crashed into the bar on her right side, while Sam turned about, resting her back against the bar on the woman's left.
"Yeeeeeah can I get two shots of vodka?~ Thaaaaaaaaaaaaank you!~" She chimed out to the bartender, waiting for him to turn away to get the bottle before she turned her eyes on the silver haired woman. The fake drunk act immediately vanished as a shot glass was slid into her palm, drumming her nails against the shot glass. "So... I hear you're looking for my boss. Mystrem.~" She offered with a smile, most of the bar not bothering to pay the 'sloppy drunk' any attention now as she had her little conversation with this silver haired woman.
"I hope you don't mind but she prefers to send her-" She gestured between herself and the disguised Sam on the woman's other side. "Employees for a first meeting. I'm sure you can understand. Important woman, can't be having a face to face with every new kid on the block who's asking around for her so..." She rested her cheek into her hand, Sam on the other side just keeping a constant eye on the bar. "How can Mystrem help you today?~"
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6 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
27 Years
Female
"Nike"
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Post by Ishtar Waldstein on Jan 23, 2021 19:04:08 GMT -4
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Noise.
It was loud and boisterous. Sudden, like an alarm when a base was under attack. Her mouth twitched as she heard it, head tilting to the side as she listened. She listened and listened. She wasn't a regular to the bar -- she didn't know the people, nor did she know who frequented it. Something was off, however. Over the past few times she had visited the bar, the mood had always remained sullen.
Never once had she known it to carry a party atmosphere.
It was small but known. Out of the way but findable.
Her face scrunched up, her grip on the glass tightening. The footsteps -- the trajectory of the sound and the noise. Louder and louder, closer and closer. She listened, taking in the noise and sifting through it. The footsteps were clumsy and messy -- the other? Far too careful. No, not careful. Ideal. Intentional. She'd hung out with drunkards before -- she carried them home or accompanied them on their benders.
Her eyes narrowed, gaze locked on the liquor in her glass. For a brief moment, a spark came off of one of her fingers.
"Too perfect." That was her initial comment -- her immediate response. She betrayed no emotion as the two sandwiched her, her grip on her glass loose as she raised it and took a drink of it. Still, it seemed as though Mystrem had sent an envoy to greet her. Communicating by proxy wasn't a surprise to Ishtar; it made sense, in all respects. At the very least, it helped her believe she wasn't dealing with an amateur at the very least.
Maybe there would be some merit to this after all.
"Looking for information. About the area, heroes, villains, vigilantes. People and places of interest. More importantly, gangs -- big or small. Ex-cons. Yakuza or former Yakuza. Anyone who has nothing to lose." She spoke casually, placing her glass back down on the counter as she kept her eyes on it. She hadn't looked at either of them -- her focus was on the glass. Nothing more, nothing less. If they were Mystrem's proxies, then it was possible they had quirks of their own. Or, perhaps, they were simply in over their head -- just puppets having their strings pulled.
At the end of the day, it was irrelevant to Ishtar. So long as she was able to complete her mission, she'd deal with who and whatever she had to.
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 23, 2021 19:29:14 GMT -4
"Ooooo... she's the sharp type it seems.~" Still playing a bit of the party girl vibe even as she dropped a portion of the act, Marceline still made sure to put on a different persona. This blonde disguise was more playful, a party girl, snide and cheeky. Marceline herself was more elegant and reserved, and other disguises had quirks of their own. She did small, subtle things to ensure that if she and this woman ever truly met face to face, her voice, her speech patterns? Neither would be immediately recognizeable. Deciding to enjoy herself, she even took a shot of vodka she'd ordered as she glanced across to Sam, who was still keeping an eye on the rest of the bar from behind her shades.
"Seems so... though as much as I prefer some straight forward business I don't think this is something we can take back to Mystrem now is it?" She turned slightly to rest more of her wight into the bar from her side, copping her hands together and taking a more front on approach with this young woman between them. Now, if this girl had a quirk neither Sam nor Marceline herself could likely take them without some major difficulty... but best not to let her in on that now hm?~
"I don't think so nooooo..." She swirled her second shot glass with a cheeky smile flashed back at the woman between them. Now while she could easily get a favor owed by arranging a time and a drop point, and practically dropping a file of such information in this young woman's lap? Well... what was the fun in that?~ Marceline didn't accrue her power for fame, fortune, or charity sake... she did it so she could have fun with it. "Being someone's tour guide dosn't really seem up the boss' alley so... let's shift the question a little shall we?~"
Turning in her stool the blonde Marceline swung one of her legs over the other and rested her elbow into the bar, her fingertip running along the rim of her shot glass, circling it slowly over and over as she let out a long, slow breath. "We know what you need now. You need information. You need to be caught up on the scene but... that's not what you want. Or at least, if you wanna be EXTRA pedantic, it's not why you want it.~" She raised a finger so the woman didn't interupt her too soon, her hands slowly lowering and linking infront of herself as she relaxed.
"You want a favor, maybe you wanna pay for it... but you're a new face on the scene, looking to be in the know. You're not asking for an easy gig, or a job, or tips on who to join... you're looking for a lay of the land. Before I can even see if the boss would consider this... she'd wanna know if you're an investment. So~ new face on the scene, looking for info... once again the big question iiiiiiiis~" She pulled back on her stool, spreading her arms out like she was presenting the word invsibly between her hands. "Why?~"
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6 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
27 Years
Female
"Nike"
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Post by Ishtar Waldstein on Jan 23, 2021 20:35:30 GMT -4
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"It would be impossible for me to complete my mission without having sufficient information." It was as simple as that, really. Before any mission, she was given a briefing. Scouts would go out, locate people and locations of interest. Given the nature, she'd be given access points, guard patrol timings. The minutiae of it all would determine whether or not a mission was a failure or a success. Knowing where or when someone would be would decide if a document was stolen without anyone knowing, or if she'd be returning to base covered in blood, document in hand.
"I am not acting entirely of my own volition. I have been assigned a task to complete here in Japan, and it is not easily accomplished without knowing who is who." She was keeping her cards close to her chest; she wouldn't say on who's behalf she was acting on, nor would she say the full extent of her mission. She knew how these things went; to play all her cards at once would put in the disadvantageous position. No, she knew how to go about this -- she couldn't forfeit the small modicum of power she still had.
She reached over, finally looking at the drunken blonde. Her index finger and thumb took hold of the edge of her shot glass, taking it right out of the girl's hand. Then she was drinking it, downing the vodka in one seamless gulp. She placed the glass on the table, never breaking eyesight with the blonde. She was watching for a reaction; observing her body language and seeing how she would react to it all.
"Assuming I'm correct, in one way or another, your boss is listening in on this conversation, aren't they?" Be it through a quirk or mere technology, she wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. It would make sense -- especially considering how she was probing for information. She couldn't help but feel like Mystrem had to be listening in, in one way or another. It made sense, in her mind. Perhaps some sort of telepathic quirk? "The word 'investment' is vague. If they want to know if there's anything for them to gain from this, then I can provide money and international connections -- to an extent. The people who sent me here have their hands in pockets across the world." Something to offer, but still not revealing her full hand. Ishtar was a woman who was trained to act -- diplomacy and discussions such as this weren't her forte, but she had been given some minor guidance on how to handle such matters.
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 28, 2021 8:30:23 GMT -4
The fact she seemed to be working under someone peaked Marceline's interest, but not enough for her to risk asking. People could get defensive when you start poking into their business and she was definitely going to be careful around that herself. This definitely seemed like an interesting individual afterall, if a cautious one in her choice of words and the information she revealed, so Marceline would be careful in how she approached her going forward, how she probed for information, and make sure she had the chance to see how this delicious little egg hatched so to speak.
She smirked a little wider still as she spotted the woman taking her shot glass and downing it for herself. Bold too. She could be disrespecting the people who were going to provide her with what she wanted, but she didn't even seem to care. maybe it was a statement, maybe it was as simple as wanting a drink she didn't pay for. Either way this young woman continued to hold Marceline's interest, and shifting in her seat she sat up a little straighter to give her more of the attention she was earning. If she was looking for a reaction, it certainly seemed to be a positive one.
She also made an... interesting assumption, and one not far off the mark. Marceline and Sam shared a glance between them before focusing back on the woman between them, the blonde Marceline giving a slow nod as she confirmed the assumption. "In a manner of speaking... yes.~ At the very least I can assure you she'll have an intimate recording of it to view should things go south.~" She hoped to imply that perhaps Marceline didn't have the time to be watching every little meeting and may have to do so later, keep things mysterious, but with Marceline herself very much at play here they wouldn't have to hesitate to speak on her behalf.
"We'll let you know now money isn't really of interest to Mystrem. She's very easily able to aquire physical items herself. Moreso she is looking for... " Entertainment was too playful and risky a word to use, even if it was pretty close to the truth. She swirled her hand about, trying to almost physically grasp the word from the air before settling on a choice with a pleasant hum. "Ground work...~ She'd rather spend her time on someone who may... stick around, keep things interesting. Lay a foundation for a stronger set of returns in the future. You're average drug dealer? Of no interest to her. An up and comer with a quirk that could flip the tables and start his own empire? She's all in. You say you work for someone else hm?~ I'm sure I can sell her on those international connections... personally I'd like to return to her with more, but I think for now at least we can get you what you need to get started...~"
She dipped her head across to Sam, and from the inside of the gothic dress she'd been forced to wear she ended up producing a notepad, placing it before the woman between them, as Marceline herself seemed to generate a pen almost from nowhere hereself, writing down on the pad a simple address across town, and specific instructions of how to get into what would seem to be a disused apartment, and a specific piece of furniture to adjust. "24 hours, that's your drop point. You'll be able to find a flashdrive getting you up to speed on many of the local gangs, organizations, and their big names.~" She raised a hand. "Nothing... deep~ Surface level. Stuff anyone who's been here for a year or so may have, maybe a bit of advice on how to approach or avoid them. Enough to get you grounded. If you do not retrieve it within 48 hours, we will. All we ask, on Mystrem's behalf of course... is you keep in touch.~"
She added a number to the bottom of the page, a string that could easily be related to a brand of burner style phones. "If you need anything else don't be afraid to call.~" With that, she'd start to shift out of her stool, but remain close to the bar as she asked. "Anything else?~"
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