[ closed ] action stations

[kaientai]

Who ⬤ sakamoto ryouma + others
What ⬤ catch-all for meetings to arrange the big idea ryouma's working on
When ⬤ shortly after the funeral + during the kappa support efforts
Where ⬤ various locations
Content Warnings ⬤ none expected, but will update as needed!

☆ lan wangji + wei wuxian
☆ miyamoto musashi
☆ okada izō

Comments

☆ lan wangji + wei wuxian

[kaientai]

[ ryouma is here on business but since he's here meeting members of his own faction he can at least let himself relax a little while he's at it. it's not like he's going to have a lot of time for that in the future with the amount of work he's taken on for himself. not that ryouma ever complains about having things to do.

he's chosen to meet at a japanese-style restaurant, the interior done up in a traditional fashion with paper doors and tatami floors. even so, the place has a casual atmosphere judging by the noisy conversations and music playing on the lower floor. as expected guests, they're shown to one of the rooms on the second floor — which is where ryouma is waiting for them. he's already poured himself a cup of the sake that's on the low table, but there is also water and a fresh pot of tea. after the last meeting at konoha, the peaceful quiet of a familiar atmosphere is very welcome. it seems to be fairly well-insulated in here from the noise going on elsewhere in the building too, so no need to yell for once. ]

Sit! Relax! Help yourselves! If you're hungry, the kitchen's open, of course.

[ ryouma is a little too wound up to eat, but he wants the others to know they have the option.

he has no idea what he's dealing with yet. ]

[strikingchords]

[he doesn't get any immediate inkling of what he's in for from Lan Wangji, at least! he arrives a few minutes early, though not too early -- an immaculate guest. he accepts the cup of tea with a polite murmur of thanks. he sits across the table from Ryouma with posture that princes would envy. his face is smooth and expressionless. he acts in every way like the serious-minded polished acquaintance that Ryouma has been coming to know as a reliable fellow member of the Sutoku Alliance.

even when Ryouma's second guest walks in, he doesn't show a crack, at least not one that someone who didn't know him well would see. he just goes even more still for a moment, eyes very intense on the newcomer's face. then he breathes in and out, even and measured, and takes a sip of tea.]

[laughitoff]

[Wei Wuxian's poker face is not nearly so good; he shows up in the doorway right around on time, but he stops quite obviously in the doorway, an even more obvious rainbow of emotions crossing his face. anger, guilt, confusion, even an hint of eagerness--there and then tucked away again, though not fast enough, and poorly. at least his lingering limp means he can disguise how stiffly he walks over, and excuses his somewhat impolite sprawl on a third side of the table.]

Ah! Well. Maybe I should have expected this? Good evening, you two.

[this is fine this is fine this is fine this is fine this is fi--

he's pouring himself sake to try and make it at least a little bit fine, oh my god.]

[kaientai]

[ speaking of poor poker faces, ryouma observes all of this with a look of mild confusion, his cup frozen halfway through raising it to take another sip. will wei wuxian's head burst into flames? whatever he's going through right now, ryouma wonders if he should be concerned. ]

You two know each other then? I guess that saves the trouble of introductions, huh?

[ he finally takes that sip at last, after what feels like an obvious question because it definitely seems like more than a two-month-old grudge. he's just going to laugh a little because maybe that's helpful right now to diffuse... what is this even? it's always hard to tell with wangji. still, ryouma isn't worried; navigating other people's situations is always infinitely easier than navigating his own, which he prefers to do never. ]

[strikingchords]

[Lan Wangji looks back over to Ryouma. a single heartbeat of surprise and intensity is hardly enough to set Wei Wuxian's hair on fire, even for exaggeration's sake; if Ryouma hadn't been observant (and perhaps, had reason to have more experience than an ordinary human at these things...) he wouldn't have caught any reaction at all. he simply doesn't know Lan Wangji well enough to read it.

Lan Wangji's face is as quiet and blank as an empty window again, regardless. he observes Wei Wuxian's immediate descent into alcoholism and looks back to Ryouma to nod again slightly, not commenting on either Wei Wuxian's struggle bus or Ryouma's confused attempt at rolling with an awkwardness he's clearly picked up on.]

We know each other.

[laughitoff]

[who says he needs reactions from anyone else to burst into flames. he's capable of self-immolation, thank you very much! a veritable expert at it! a cup of alcohol down his throat drowns the most immediate risk of it at the table, though. he takes a breath once he's swallowed, managing a smile that doesn't look sick, and clarifies:]

From home. A few years' history, as these things go. I'm desperately curious to know what business you need us both for now, actually.

[it's the truth. they have, how do you say, very dissimilar skillsets.]

[kaientai]

[ it's mostly the spectrum of human emotion wei wuxian was going through over a small glance that has him curious anyway because ??? what. then again, his best friend threatens to throw him in the sewers over a compliment and he's fine with it so what does ryouma know about appropriate reactions to things? ]

Ah. Not to worry, I understand. A good friend of mine is here also and it's a little... er... complicated?

[ understatement of the year. but yes! good! to business! ]

Anyway, I have an idea that I think can help us put an end to this war but it's not going to be easy. [ but that's hardly news, right? ] That's why I asked you both to come here because we're going to need to make the most of whatever connections we've made since we've been here. Maybe together we can reach the right people to make this work.

I intend to do this with as little bloodshed as possible, but I get the feeling I don't have to talk either of you out of that from what I've seen. Some people simply have a hard time considering the possibility of change without conflict, is all.

☆ musashi

[kaientai]

[ choosing where to arrange this meeting wasn't easy at first, but then ryouma recalled a certain fondness for noodles which is why they're meeting at an udon restaurant. somehow this manages to make him a little nervous too, because fellow heroic spirit or not it's still daunting thinking he's going to just sit down with miyamoto musashi. well, he's offering a free meal to go with this too.

it's a classy-looking place — a bit fancier than ryouma normally goes for, but he's deliberately come here to tamamo territory for this and it's an establishment that prides itself on providing its customers with a beautiful experience. highly rated on whatever passes for yelp around hell. there's plenty to look at but ryouma wouldn't be able to tolerate too buttoned-up an atmosphere for too long, so it's otherwise relaxed and casual in here.

ryouma's already ordered sake for the table because ryouma's never sat through a meeting where he didn't. ]

[ryototsukai]

[ Hell, it was fancier than she was used to, as well. Her regular place was a cart, after all, run by a delightful tsuchigumo. But hey, if Ryouma was paying, she wasn't going to question it.

There was an inherent trust that came with them both being part of Chaldea... even if she, herself, only barely seemed to be part of it sometimes. But she still knew Ritsuka, and trusted their judgement above all. If Ryouma was good enough for Ritsuka, he was good enough for her, and that was all that mattered.

She does arrive eventually, her arm still slung up. But she smiles brightly when she spots Ryouma, waving with her good arm.

She had a feeling she knew what this was about... ]

Hey! I hear this place makes amazing kitsune udon. Which makes sense, right? [ A giggle. ]

[kaientai]

[ the bonus to all of this is that he gets to scope out a little of what the other side has to offer, which is helpful. intel and all that good stuff. he's also not above giggling at the little joke himself, which helps set him more at ease. he really does think too much sometimes. ]

It does! Sorry if it's a little much; I don't get out around here a lot so I'm trying to see what's popular. It relates to what I invited you out for, actually, but I'll get to that in a bit. Get into any trouble after the funeral?

[ given the immediate brawl and all that. ]

[ryototsukai]

I'm in no shape for fighting, so I got out as soon as I had a way out.

[ She said that, but he knew she'd been down below getting into various skirmishes... But they both supposed that was different. No one had ordered her to brawl at a funeral, after all. ]

I was gonna ask you the same thing... Is the Daitengu really back? Were they ever dead to begin with?

[kaientai]

[ ryouma just smiles because it's true that he knows but he also knows he has no business commenting on anyone doing the exact same thing he would've done. only not with the fighting part, when he can help it. ]

As far as I can tell. I'm guessing there's no shortage of people trying to get answers and I'm not exactly first in line so I know about as much as you do right now. As for my personal theory... no, I don't believe they were ever really dead but what do I know? Or maybe that's wishful thinking because I'm curious what else they know.

[ you get called out by name, you have a few questions. ]

Whether what I've been up to is trouble or not is a matter of viewpoint, I suppose, but I've been trying to work on a solution to the current state of affairs.

[ryototsukai]

Well, my ears are open to it.

[ He knew that, of course, or he wouldn't have called her there. ]

Buuut... that doesn't mean the boss lady is. It's a stalemate down there, sure, but only because neither side has decided if it's worth it to push in even more force and just shove the other out.

☆ izō

[kaientai]

[ this meeting feels a lot less like one than the others so far, even the more laid-back affair within his own faction. it's not necessary to make those kinds of gestures here, it's more important that it's comfortable.

he chooses an izakaya in shuten territory, meaning the drinks are strong and so are the flavours in the food, of which quite a bit is meat. it's got a western-style feel to the place, trying to lean into some kind of diner aesthetic despite having a menu that has a lot more japanese-style dishes than anything else. the low lighting and chill music makes for a nice atmosphere, at least.

ryouma's seen to the drinks already, ordering one for each of them since he already knows he can't keep up when it comes to that. otherwise, he's content to sit and wait, leaning his chin on one hand and closing his eyes. he's awake; just enjoying a few minutes to himself while he's in a mood to appreciate it. being idle was a lot more irritating when he felt like he was just running around accomplishing nothing at all. it also helps that you can smoke in here. ]

[heretic_blade]

[ Izō is, of course, a little late. Not that he'd been trying to be late, it just happens more often than not. Someone with a little bit of rank should probably be more punctual, but that's neither here nor there. This is a meeting with a friend, right? Nothing more than that.

The setup already tells him it's more than that. Suspicion instantly sets in as he takes a seat across from Ryouma. Not that he's going to turn down a drink right now. ]

So what th' fuck d'ya want?

[ Get right to business. He's not in the mood for talking around the point. ]

[kaientai]

[ ryouma brightens at the sound of izō's voice, straightening up and smiling at him. poor mood or not ryouma is set even more at ease by it. ]

Hello to you too~ [ he laughs and gives izō what he wants. it's true, there's no point in talking around it anyway. ] I have a proposal I need to take to your boss and I was wondering if you could help me do that, is all. Since I'm asking, figured I'd treat you since I'm asking you to do me a favour.

[ just zero to high level negotiations like that. it's FINE. ]

[heretic_blade]

[ Majima would beat the shit out of him if he caught wind of Izō doing something like that, certainly. He almost spits his drink out at the pure audacity of the request. ]

What th' fuck?! [ He lowers his volume at least a little bit. ] Ya don't ease into anythin', do ya?!

[kaientai]

Well, I mean—...

[ he just laughs out loud. surely no one will think he's plotting anything at all with his idiotic expression. ]

Too much? I don't expect it to be that easy, but that's the eventual goal.

[heretic_blade]

Yeah, it's too fuckin' much! At least yer bein' honest about what ya want outta me...

[ Izō huffs. ]

Jus' usin' me for favors, ain't ya?

☆ meowjima gowo

[no_kyouken]

[ Ryouma's name did not escape him, even if he didn't react at the time. Izo explained it all badly, so Majima still thinks of these people as 'weird ghosts' but it does the trick. Majima -- middle school drop out that he is -- does not have any further historical context beyond whatever manga he saw versions of the Bakumatsus in, so his knowledge ends there.

So he tracks down the weird ghost by asking around Sutoku town until he finds him. ]

Ryouma.

[ The snake Shuten definitely doesn't look any more impressed than he did the first time, but here he is! ]

[kaientai]

[ ryouma prefers it that way, honestly, because then there's less pressure involved. he likes to joke about the daitengu knowing who he is but ever since that day he's felt like there are expectations there hadn't been before.

at least if majima is unimpressed he can only go up from here..? he's also well aware that could also do a lot worse.

ever since earning his promotion and working on "official"-type business, ryouma has kept a little office space for himself for exactly this reason, at least until he can establish something more permanent. it's a small, interior room meaning there are no windows but that probably means it was cheaper and ryouma makes good use of the free real estate three and a half blank walls provides (which is to say there's a lot of random shit taped and pinned to the walls already). otherwise, there's enough room for a desk and some chairs and other basic things one would expect to find in an office.

seeing he has a visitor(!!) ryouma brightens up, despite the fact that majima does not look especially thrilled to be here. ]

Ah, so you found me after all! Wasn't too hard, was it?

he should have called him sakamoto there for sure (weary)

[no_kyouken]

[ He shuts the door behind him and leans against the wall, arms crossed. In the parlance of yakuza meetings, no windows means no snipers so it's a pretty good spot for it. ]

Nah, ya get around. People know ya.

[ Which... is vaguely a threat, mildly posed as it is. ]

noted! not that ryouma would mind either way but i get it lmao

[kaientai]

Good! Just how I've always liked it. [ a real man of the people, after all. ] If people need me, then they know where to find me. Just like you.

[ big smile. yes, he knows what comes with the territory considering he is more or less retracing his footsteps around here in all the worst ways. now, as then, he doesn't care about the consequences. ]

[no_kyouken]

[ Majima is so put off by this cutesy attitude. He's never seen it on anyone where it wasn't fake as fuck, so it's just tiring in his eyes. ]

I talked to Toraguma, I can take your pitch.

[ Lost a little of his Osaka-ben there didn't he. ]

[kaientai]

[ right to the point! given what's going on underground, he can appreciate the efficiency. ]

Well! Isn't that good news? Figured you wouldn't drop by for any less though, so I was hoping.

[ it's very obvious majima isn't here for the company. ]

But you already know I'm not familiar with your customs so if you have a particular method to all this I respect that and I'm willing to follow your lead on that. Don't exactly want to blow this thing because I offended the wrong person, after all.

Otherwise, I'm good to talk.