(semi-open) blessed thistle.

[medicative]

Who ⬤ Sutoku Alliance members
What ⬤ Coming together to meet and plan
When ⬤ Mid September, after mingle
Where ⬤ Konoha
Content Warnings ⬤ None yet.

[the message that she sends to all their Lost Souls is brief, to the point, requesting their presence at their headquarters at the designated time for a semi-official meeting. that Emily's full of nerves in sending it and arranging these things is not palpable through a text. it's optional, so she hopes it helps.

thus, it is that she's there, waiting at the faction headquarters, dressed in kimono and with a chalkboard - long story - behind her. Ryouma's backing her up, so she assumes people will give a passing thought to what she says. she'll give everyone enough time to arrive - as many as want to come, really - and when she has their attention, then she speaks.]

Thank you, everyone, for taking time out of your schedules to come today. What I have to say will take a moment, so please, hold your questions to the end.

[she's reminded of the meeting that Ryouma had held for the Stars - except this one is on a grander scale, because there was no way around the fact that Iron Bear had shown his hand to them all.]

It is no great secret that soon enough, we will be called upon to head out to the Wastelands in search of the Iron Bear, for his headquarters, for the one himself, and for the young woman he's kidnapped and held hostage. The bounty offered for her return is considerable, and I won't pretend it's not a factor in motivations, but beyond that - her father has ties to us. Does it not then seem apt if we are the ones going forth to bring his daughter back home? Does it not seem like our duty, to look after our own? The strength of the Alliance, from what I see, is built on our choice to band together - our disparate parts, bound by choice, and thereafter looking to each other on the strength of that chosen commitment.

[a breath, and she continues.]

But we will need much, to enact this. And it is nothing any of us can do on our own - so I turn to you all, that you might find some task you can give your assistance to and then contribute to the larger whole.

[hence the chalkboard, which she turns over to reveal a list of concepts, of necessary items that she's drafted.]

Information is both our clan's specialty and the item we need the most of. Where are we going? What are the conditions? What will we need to survive there? What are we expected to face? As much relevant information as we can stand needs to be procured. Supplies and transportation need to be arranged and put together so that we can have a chance of not dying in the desert. Who is going with who, and what that means in terms of travel. I personally will be heading out to the Wastelands, with my goal first and foremost being Miss Ringo's rescue. To that end, I need a specific team willing to concentrate their efforts on that. You will be answering to my direct command. Others may form their own units at their discretion.

[Emily nods, looking over at the gathered bunch.]

There is one significant catch in this, and I know, we're all tired of hearing that. But if you intend to fight the Iron Bear...he is promised to the Shuten Clan so that Toraguma can deal with him as he sees fit.

[and before anyone can get upset for that -]

In exchange, I've been promised that we will be the ones to rescue Miss Ringo. I doubt every Shuten will be held to this, that those willing to act in their own interest or merely unknowing of what has been agreed upon will certainly circumvent this. All of this is to say that if you wish to claim the Iron Bear's head or capture, I will disavow your actions. Publicly, if I must. Be smart, be safe, don't get underfoot, aid where you can - and do not tell me if you wish to pursue him to your own ends.

[so in other words, do what you want, but don't involve her if you're going to counter what she bargained for. in every public way, she must only worry about the kidnapped girl.]

If you decide against this, if it is not something you wish to give anything to, then I invite you to leave at this very moment - and no one should bar your way. Choice, again, is the lynchpin for us. But if you decide for it...then talk amongst yourselves, and come to agreements. Of course, I am here for any direct questions you wish to voice.

Might I remind you all, however, in this endeavor, it would be to our benefit if the other clans didn't have a keen eye into our internal affairs.

[now, from the way she folds her hands, bows her head slightly, it's clear the floor's now open for people to go forth and talk as they please.]

---

ooc notes:

• this meeting is not mandatory for any alliance members! it's just to give a plot based avenue of exploration for anyone interested. i know an ooc element of organization will be needed as well as all of us looking towards october when we'll likely get more info about what the mods have for the big plot happenings - consider this just getting ahead of the curve!
• there is a handwaved header below, for those who want to simply drop off whatever information/opportunities/questions their character has and not engage in an ic thread about it. feel free to utilize this as you wish.
• everyone is free to respond/threadjack/etc. emily is far from the only person with knowledge on these affairs, and she's hoping to generate discussion about them to see what else can be dug up.

Comments

handwaved.

[medicative]

(for when you just want the facts, not the thread.)

[medicative]

- Emily will be choosing her team of people for the Wastelands from volunteers. ICly, she's going to have two strict requirements - no people under the age of 20, and they have to agree to listen to her out there, no buts about it.

--EDIT: this applies to Emily's personal team and not Wastelands teams in general. For this, she will be choosing people based on who approaches her directly to engage in discussion, and not assigning anyone during the meeting itself so that people have time to think over what they want to do out there. PM me if this is something you want and you need to discuss how to meet her, or just hit up my inbox.

- She's going to make arrangements for medical support because she knows you guys. That's a given when it comes to supplies.

- She can't stop you from texting your cross-faction soulmates but she would really prefer you did not for once.

handwaved; amelia steinbeck

[recluserose]

During this meeting, Amelia is diligently taking notes like a scribe, first in her pen and paper notebook and she will also transcribe a copy on her phone's note app. If anyone asks for them, she'll forward it privately to the Sutoku members.

Since she is without her magic, she will not venture out into the Wastelands, but will take note of who's going and who's staying behind.

She'll even draft up a list of recommended supplies, where to buy them, and price comparisons; keeping it to Sutoku businesses since you never know if the Tamamo and Shuten will sideeye them unnecessarily.

matoba - staying inside the city stuff!

[worldbent]

- Matoba is volunteering to stay behind in the city and keep an eye on the safety of things here while other Lieutenants head into the Wastelands.

- He has a suspicion that this whole kidnapping may in part be a ruse to lure Lost Souls out of the city so that the Haniyasu (or other gods in league with them) can make another attempt to attack the city.

- For any others who end up remaining in the city, he will be making clear that he expects those forming squads under Cloud's training to start doing patrols- with a particular emphasis on the Alliance's Underground territory.

- The Wastelanders must have connections here, and they need to start looking to root them out. Anyone who gets info to this effect is urged to report it to superiors ASAP.

- He also asks that anyone with experience with magic/curses/spiritual abilities keep alert for any traces of out-of-the-ordinary behavior or auras within the city.
---

- and lastly on an OOC note, I'll be on hiatus next month when this plot is likely to go down, so I might not be super available as a heads up!

soundwave - wastelands volunteer

[peacewithouttyranny]

- Soundwave volunteers to venture out to the Wastelands. Though he makes it clear that he suspects that this whole kidnapping thing could be a trap to lure Lost Souls out of the city, he still wants to put his effort on rescuing Ringo regardless.

- He can transform into a car, so he's his own transportation. That said, his vehicle mode is the size of a power wheeler, so he can't give anyone a ride unless they're willing to sit on his roof. Supply wise, he'll procure his own oil rations before the journey.

Enterprise - handwaved

[lucky_e]

- She'll be dropping off this information. To help give a bit more detail and background for the Iron Bear and Kaberou.

- Enty is more than open to traveling into the wastelands and will volunteer to do so and join other groups heading out.

- As of writing this she's regained her skill "Lucky E". And is skilled with a bow.

handwaved for during meeting

[semilethal]

-donnie is very blatantly recording this entire thing on his wrist computer, as well as any conversations that happen thereafter, for his archives

-he is kind of also staring at soundwave in abject glee for a lot of this too, regardless of his involvement

[softshoes]

Yujin is a squishy normie and won't be coming along - he'll be taking care of the clinic in Emily's stead. If any volunteers need last minute medical accommodations, he's your dude.

He'll also be sharing this info from rubbing elbows with the richie rich during the Tanabata event: "Kaberou's issues with the Iron Bear go back to him shutting down one of the cash flows that the pirates were using to fund their raids."

Most of the questions he raises in this meeting have to do with keeping the peace: he trusts Emily's deal and is for the rescue & capture, of course, but not at the price of turning the Alliance into a scapegoat. again. Just diplomat things.

[psionicmolotov]

- kimmuriel will likely not be venturing out into the wastelands because he is not kitted out for Classic Adventuring (tm) so he will be patrolling for spooky bullshit back at 'home'

- however he will be helping with supplies and boring but essential things like 'making sure nobody runs off without water or food' and possibly drafting up some containers that are practical to carry into the wasteland! he will also offer his services in modification once again; if you need more pockets to carry things, hide weapons, or give your weapons an extra trick in battle he will be available for that

- if you want weapons to have coatings that knock enemies out or paralyse them to varying degrees of effectiveness he can also do that as long as you're not a narc

tamamori - staying in the city, but needs journalist-related help from those leaving

[fuckdogramagra]

- He's mostly here because he's a budding reporter and wants to notate as much as he can for his Lost Souls compendium/glossary/history(?)/featurecreep-laden guidebook. He might jot down the things you say if they sound cool enough or important enough. Fellow notary Sutokus, let's unite and trade notes after this...

- Tama is absolutely of no use to those going out to the Wasteland, and he's not going to pretend he is. He's going to stay behind and hope nothing weird will happen (though, he'd agree with Matoba-'senpai' about suspecting an attack on the city...though with way, way less good reason behind it)

- However, he IS going to request that someone takes notes while out there! Intel on the wasteland is crucial information that those in the city lack- and that means crucial information for Sutoku to have! If anyone wants to get paid in sweets and coffees (and maybe money, he can't promise much) to write a book report about their Mad Max adventures, just comment under this.

wastelands volunteer

[dressedtothe]

- 9S will volunteer on account of being a scout back home. He doesn't have as many of his scouting abilities as usual, but he's also an advanced android and doesn't really need supplies in the same way flesh and blood people do. He can survive out there without any kind of fuel or power source.

- While fighting isn't his forte (esp with the power nerfing), he listens to orders well and can function as non-combat support. Also, whatever he witnesses can be recorded as memory data and played back for others who weren't there.

- though he's technically 3 years old, he's also an android (therefore 'born' adult) and will absolutely insist that shouldn't be a reason for him not to go.

- if he's tasked with staying behind, he'll complain but do it.

[adversus]

- since she has a tamamo roomie, she took this meeting outside of their apartment. she could kind of tell the seriousness of it, so there's that.

- can volunteer to go to the wastelands if Ryouma doesn't need her guarding him! she's highly trained to fight, and has military training up her sleeve, so she might be good for the wastelands.

- she will train people that want to go out to the wasteland to help, even if it's in some small measure.

[nightcalled]

-Kou is here to take notes and get more information and see how things lie. He's not going to volunteer to head out into the wasteland just yet, but he will be interested in hearing about the place, its dangers, and why this particular event is so important - beyond the gang ties, obviously.

handwaved because i forgot to put it here oh no

[passthrough]

- Otegine is volunteering to head out to the Wastelands. He'll be insistent that he's figuring out his own supplies (for some reason) but is willing to do some digging as far as access to things like the proper provisions and upkeep for what's going to end up being a pretty rough trip.
- Otherwise he is staying pretty silent during this meeting. It's a lot of information and he is just one simple spear.

handwaved > cloud

[identitycrisiscore]

• Cloud is, naturally, volunteering for the Wasteland trip. He is one of the few here with his own set of wheels, is kitted out for this kind of excursion, and there is only two people in the Alliance he currently trusts to handle the monster that is the Hardy-Daytona.
• Cloud will be making it explicitly clear to anyone who is planning to go out and be a hero in the Wastelands that he expects to see them at the Cloudy Wolf for exercise drills. No excuses.
• Without giving away who he's getting training from, he's going to be doing some training of his own so that he's more prepared for this than the Kaigo no Bou. No, he isn't discussing further details right now. This ain't about him.

yuri - wastelands, also looking for a driver/suggesting a plan

[playfoul]

at the meeting, yuri will offer to procure weapons for any new recruits that need stuff. he won't say from where but he's got a foot in the black market and could potentially get ahold of dangerous stuff (but I'd want to clear it with the mods if what you're looking for isn't basic).

the rest of this happens after the town hall, but for the sake of ooc plotting I'll throw it out here/we can assume there are follow up discussions?:

yuri is volunteering to help emily, and he'll likely join the wastelands team.

he has got his hands on kappa tech that can make a person or small vehicle invisible. yuri thinks that if sutoku finds ringo, this gear should go to helping secure her escape. he'll suggest that sutoku designate their best driver to be the one to take the invisibility gear and receive ringo, while everyone else acts as decoys. yuri has had uh 1-hr of driving lessons with kim so he won't be making use of this please take it...

handwaved - sabo - wasteland volunteer

[vivens]

- sabo will be likely be down to volunteer himself to go into the wastelands but also equally fine to stay behind if it looks like too many combat ready people are heading out into the wastelands. he's flexible in terms of where he can be.

- if there's any kind of concern about food supplies, he does work for nero and thinks that he'd be open to provide them some provisions. or, at least, hopefully be able to arrange something.

- otherwise, he's going to vibe and listen to a lot of what is being said here.

handwaved - jimmysaul

[slippin]

(sorry this is so late...had to deal with a long rl saga of [redacted for being boring]! but now it's finally over!)

- Jimmy is in attendance (he doesn't believe anyone here when they say something's optional...) and very subdued by his standards, as well as observably tense (fidgety, distracted) at the meeting's outset. He relaxes some once multiple people start talking about staying behind in the city.

- There are a few logistical things he'd bring up, but only if LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE DOES (so if I hit on a talking point someone else would run with...please, it's all yours), he would love to not discuss this.

THOSE THINGS INCLUDE:

- Network access in the wastelands...presumably not a thing, but how far does the city's network extend?

- Is there another way to communicate? Both between wasteland groups and people back in the city. (He'd suggest walkie talkies or something, he's not a tech expert and also he is from 2004.)

- Backup teams/search and rescue 🙃 How long is this operation expected to take, when should people be sent in to collect the bodies, SOS signals, that kind of thing

- Probably should prepare for people attempting to contaminate/sabotage/puncture the water supply with bullets

- he knows this goes against everything they taught you in harvard business school, but please!! don't take notes on a criminal enterprise unless you are using some kind of zodiac killer cypher (if you are the zodiac killer, please don't tell him)


I'm down to do a more detailed handwave/thread the nitty-gritty of this if anyone feels the urge!

[kaientai]

[ ryouma has enjoyed stepping back a little from things and playing the supportive role for a bit. he's sure emily is a lot more pleasant to listen to, anyway! still, he has a few things to add so he might as well get them out of the way. ]

I have a particular interest in some specific information that we're sure to uncover lookin' for intel on Ringo and Iron Bear, so if ya plan on gettin' out there and diggin' up that kinda thing, come talk t' me.

[ which, speaking of ringo... ]

I know that Ringo is a focus in this, and her safety is important, but remember that's not our only goal. If ya ain't workin' with Emily, there's plenty of other things we could use help with. I'll be stayin' in the city because we'll still have plenty to do here while everyone's busy out there, so I could use some help myself.

Can't say I expected things t' go down exactly like this, but this is the perfect time t' strike! It's like ridin' a wave, so we've gotta seize this opportunity. If we succeed here, the others will think twice about underestimatin' us in the future.

[ because at some point, this became about respect and he's not letting it go until he's satisfied. ]

[lucky_e]

I might recommend looking more into the relationship between the Iron Bear and the father. The daughter seems to be more collateral or bait.

[At least from what she understands and has been able to piece together. Most of this seemed to be more on a personal level thus far. Ringo-chan had simply been a potentially unwitting bystandard.]

That said, I do agree that we should still use this as an opportunity to further strengthen our base at home and potentially help expand the clan's influence further beyond what it currently is.

[That... is also something that is more up to the Daitengu to decide. But showing a bit of initiative in those regards wasn't a bad thing.]

[softshoes]

[Without the authority of rank, and with his personal affection for Dr. Dyer, Mikotoba is loath to make too many waves here-- but negotiations like these are, undeniably, what he is used to. He's seated somewhere in the middle of the crowd, and he waits for a couple other members of the clan to make their own voices heard before he slowly rises to his feet.]

Thank you for organizing this meeting. [says Mikotoba, offering Emily a bow.]

I have two concerns. First, the more pressing of the two: will the members of the Alliance be sufficiently protected from the Iron Bear and his men on this mission, should they-- or any other rival bounty hunters-- resist with force? Do bear in mind that other clans will be acting as well. [He furrows his brows and looks Emily directly in the eyes for this one, as if to ask: do you plan to get yourself killed out there?]

Secondly, will cooperation with Toraguma's men put any strain upon our relationship with the Enma and the Tamamo? Certainly, it will do us good to foster trust with Shuten, but we must consider the potential repercussions. I should hate for Tenkohime to believe we are taking sides.

[kaientai]

[ ryouma cuts in here because he has a thought. ]

I shouldn't think it'll strain anything seein' as nothin' about this was ever a joint operation. We were aimin' for this lot anyway, it just so happens our target happens t' be somebody Toraguma-san has history with, so we're just playin' that to our favour by not gettin' involved and lettin' them take out our biggest obstacle.

[ he smiles here, and it's probably not his nicest smile but it's not directed at mikotoba either as much as the topic. ]

We also don't have any specific agreements with the Department of the Enma that we're violating, that I'm aware of. In fact, the less the Department is involved, the better for all of us.

[sacrilegiousact]

[Akira crosses his arms, he's quiet for most of the meeting, listening rather intently to the points others make and only occasionally offering his own thoughts, keen to keep his head down.

However, there is one point he does feel he needs to speak up about, and when he does, his voice is clear and firm, like despite how quiet and young he is, he is used to taking command when necessary.]

I have one major concern.

Our priority is to rescue Ringo-san unharmed, that I can agree with. But what bothers me is Ringo-san's father announced a reward for Iron Bear's head extremely publicly, and not once did her ever mention a reward for his daughter's return.

If she is being held hostage, Kaberou's actions are the fastest and easiest way to get her killed or otherwise hurt. So, either he knows more about the situation than he's saying, or he didn't think this through at all. [Or he doesn't care, which probably isn't fair, but Akira's faith in rich influential public figures is next to zero.] If he's one of ours, we should be able to get more details before rushing in.

[fuckdogramagra]

I guess in theory it could just be a grief-stricken parent behaving irrationally... [ Tama's been fiddling with his dozens of phone charms for most of the meeting now, at this point to prove he's not texting. ] ...for what it's worth, I don't trust him either. Something about this situation is strange, especially that he didn't go directly to Daitengu with this.

[ He really...really wishes he hadn't been so drunk during the abduction. All of his researching doesn't mean much if he isn't present to record things as they happen. ] It must be something to do with Iron Bear himself. That's all I can think of, personally- the only thing that would have someone acting this way is fear, be it for their own skin or some other reason.

[shikanoinheizou]

[For all intents and purposes, Heizou appears something of a wallflower in this meeting. The young detective flits around the edges of the room and between small groups, hovering but never quite joining in, his brow faintly furrowed as he jots down scribbled notes in a leather-bound notebook tucked into his hand.

Unlike his complete disinterest when it came to the Alliance's 'junk sorting' venture, he hasn't come here just to be idle for ten minutes before deciding that it isn't somewhere he wants to be.

Well aware of being completely new here, without the weight of his reputation from home and with no one to lend support to his significant claims when it comes to his abilities, he's keeping more to himself than he usually does in more one-on-one situations and simply listening, piecing together bits of information from each point in the room that he stops to linger at and each snatch of coversation that he overhears.]

A delicate situation, to be sure... [Heizou murmurs to himself as he scratches the top of his cheekbone with the end of his pen. His notes are chaos to anyone but himself - a spiderweb of thoughts sprawled across both pages, linked together with messy lines and question marks - and he stands a little off to one side as he mulls things over.] There's certainly something more going on here...

[But what? The task Ryouma had set him comes back to mind - I also need t' find the people under him. His second, mostly - and Heizou gives a small shake of his head. The web of agreements and alliances isn't of any concern to him, but he does realise that he can't really strike out on his own with this.]

No, no... it's not enough. Not yet.

[aceslow]

[ Kim - with a similar, though far less nice notebook cradled in his glove-clad hands - can't help but notice someone else jotting down all of the speculation that's going on in the room, feasible and unfeasible alike. This is not unusual for a clan such as theirs; they are in the business of intel-gathering and their superiors have as a result gravitated towards with a tendency towards anal-retention, though Kim prefers to call it meticulousness. Still, the attention he's paying to Heizou means that he can't but help overhearing the kid mumbling to himself. ]

Nobody has all the pieces right now, [ he says, heedless of the fact that he wasn't being spoken to anyway. ] That's the point of this brainstorming session. Sometimes the best way to test a theory is to bounce it off of someone else. What did you have in mind?

[semilethal]

[yeah, so. with no tech, no weapons, and no mystic powers, donnie is less than eager to go into the wastelands. he want that money, he do want that big dolla dolla bills, however he only has one (1) brother here and that brother is likewise hobbled. going after the bounty had seemed like a much more viable idea before he started working and not frantically scrabbling for an immediate solution.

so, instead, time to treat this more like a fun problem-solving exercise rather than a serious excursion. not that he doesn't take his problem-solving exercises seriously, he's just not that invested in the outcome considering he feels it doesn't affect him in any way.]

Yeah yeah, save the girl and get the bad guy sure. The biggest problem here is provisions, not who needs to be fought and who really actually wants rescue. Water is heavy.

[psionicmolotov]

While what is truly going on is important, I agree that at least some time should be spent on working out how much each team can carry, and how much they must carry. We have seen well enough that merely being in Hell does not save someone from pain or exhaustion, and I doubt that the wilds beyond 'civilisation' will be any more merciful.

[ He's commandeering a table nearby for this exact purpose and is already beginning to sketch out what looks like some kind of pack. His pen moves with the rapid efficiency of someone who is used to drawing blueprints.

He glances up at Donnie and gestures at the mostly-empty paper. Look at all this free real estate. ] What are you thinking?

[aceslow]

[ For the most part, Kim sits silently during the meeting, listening to everyone else's thoughts and concerns on the matter. His connections to those in other clans are so strong that he still cannot feel invested in inter-clan conflict -- but he doesn't disagree with what Emily is saying on a purely organizational level. It's no secret that while Sutoku has its fair share of combatants, as all clans do, most of them were hand-picked for their expertise in information gathering. Going after the culprit directly had never been something Kim wanted to do. To secure Ringo's safety, on the other hand, is of the utmost importance. If he were still a police officer, perhaps he would feel differently, but he's in the business of arresting people, not killing them. And here, they have no such opportunity.

Finally, he sets down his pen and notebook in his lap, prepared to speak. His voice is low, gentle, but it seems to demand both people's respect and attention nonetheless, provided you can get past the thick French accent that colours his words. ]

I spoke with the Daitengu earlier this month. Unsurprisingly, they asked me to ensure that my Kineema is fully kitted out for the journey ahead. I'll be making alterations up until we're called to task, but it should be prepared for when it's time to head out. I will be driving, of course, but my vehicle can only fit so many people inside. If anyone else requires some instruction on pursuit driving skills, I can assist there as well. As for the excursion itself...

[ He frowns. ]

I have no designs on the Iron Bear's head, of course. But I have no doubt that his forces will be out in full. They don't fight like a regular crime family, or at least like none I know -- there is some sense of... religious fervor in them. Almost cult-like in their faith in their cause, whatever that cause happens to be. It's wise to be prepared for the sort of single-minded fight they'll put up, devoted to the detriment of their own well-being. We can prepare for that, at least, though my research into the Wastelands has been largely fruitless; all of the locals are petrified of it, and that's about all they'll share.

And finally... there is Miss Ringo herself. While she's on poor terms with her father, she would rather be with him than with her captor, I'm sure. But we may look like just another group hoping to hold her hostage. If there's anything we can keep on our person to earn her trust and to assure her of our goodwill, we should secure that well before heading out.