Description: Van's put out a call for mercenarie and other unsavories... And SSetsuka decides to hear what the girl wants. It's a job, after all...
When you're trying to hire assassins, mercenaries, and people who do the kind of work that the 'law' generally frowns upon, being subtle, and being discreet, are two very good things. The problem is... the two goals are mutually opposed. You have to ask if you want to hire--and asking means people will, inevitably, talk. Even if it is amongst that 'community'... the more that talk, the more will hear.
Van Mitsubishi has been making those inquiries, and though she's been as discreet as possible, people -still- talk. It's late--for sure, the sun's down, and the warmth it's bequeathed to the planet has faded, the chill creeping up from the earth, in the wake of the rising heat. The room is dark; whatever moonlight shines will -not- reveal the presence of another. And yet, she is here, seated casually, her kodachi, her favored weapon, held loosely and lovingly in her left hand, already released from the security of the grip of the scabbard... yet not drawn. She waits, lazily, and yet alertly...
People talk, and those who hear... sometimes take action. Investigation didn't reveal much, and yet... and yet. A high school girl seeking mercenaries? That... is too strange to pass up.
Van's room holds a small collection of weapons, gathered from various parts of the globe. They're tastefully arranged, though, and the room is hardly crowded, but it's pretty easy to reach a weapon from any point in it.
A long day for Van, and she's rather tired.
She opens the door, and walks into the room, pulling a pencil from her sleeve and flicking it backwards towards the light switch. Naturally, it misses. She frowns, turns around, and switches the light on the normal way, then turns back.
And sees Setsuka. She takes a step backwards, bumping into the wall, and looks rather startled, really. As if she didn't expect to see a assassin sitting in her room.
"Mitsubishi-/san/," says Setsuka, with a rather predatory smile. But she doesn't act, just yet; in fact, she reclines backwards, as if relaxing. "Good evening." Is it disturbing, to find a woman with a sword... -in your room-? Probably. That's the whole point... she wants Van off-balance.
"Please, sit," she says, motioning towards the chair at the desk; she herself appears to be seated on the bed, one leg tucked under the other. "And do not be alarmed. Were I here for violence, the lights would still be off." That's fact--Setsuka does not give up tactical advantages easily, and she is better-equipped to handle darkness than some.
"You have been... making certain inquiries." No, Van didn't contact her directly... and yet she found out. "I am here to ascertain the... gravity of these inquiries." And, perhaps, to offer her services...
page van=%N just looked at you.
Van stares at Setsuka through her explanation, then grins, relaxing immediately. She might not trust this random swordswoman too far, but this is her ground, she's no longer suprised, and it's not like anyone would send assassins against her. That she knows of. "You know, when I said it would be nice to come back home to a see a girl waiting in my bed, this wasn't quite what I had in mind." She kicks the pencil up to her hand, sticks it back in her pocket, and walks over to the chair.
Reaching the chair, she spins it around with one foot, then sits on it backwards, resting her hands on her chin. "Regardless. I don't have anyone I want to kill at the moment or anything like that. I'm serious, but some of my missions may seem... silly. Being rich and spoiled has made me capricious." A pause. "Plus, I wouldn't want to hire someone for something more... serious, that I didn't trust."
She tilts her head to one side. "But I'm not being much of a host. Would you like some tea?"
page van=%N just looked at you.
Setsuka's self-control is admirable; she doesn't quirk an eyebrow at Van's casual quip. "Tea would be appreciated," she says, after a moment. The explanation of what Van is trying to do... "Whether you trust me or not is not my concern, unless you try to assassinate my reputation." It is something she takes seriously. The blade is seated more firmly into the scabbard, the blade lowered to her side. "Nor do I particularly care about your goals. Know only this--if you hire me then I -will- complete any mission I choose to accept." And she does look pretty serious about that.
"But I will not accept any mission." She has a rigid code of honor and conduct--she has to, to help keep her 'other side' in check... for her own survival. "Nor will I hire on for any permanent station." Not that she thinks Van can, you know, -afford- that... but she makes her terms clear.
"Whether you believe what I have just stated is up to you, of course."
Van stares at Setsuka for a long moment with furrowed eyebrows, as if trying to eke out her weakness through sheer mental power. Finally, she shrugs. "I find myself more than half inclined to believe you."
She stands up, and walks over to a small wooden cabinet, taking out a sealed glass jar filled with green tea of the highest quality, if one knows such things. She also takes out a couple of microwaveable glasses, and, filling them with water, sticks them in the microwave and turns it on high. She turns back to Setsuka. "However, I am a little curious. Why do you trust me to such an extent?"
Setsuka's head tilts to one side, the young woman looking curious. "Who said I trusted you?" That is an interesting assumption on Van's part--that Setsuka trusts her. The fact is... she really doesn't. But trust -is- important to a business relationship... which she and Van have not yet entered into.
"Your position in this... endeavour... is surely more precarious than mine." A smile, sweet and yet malice-tinged at the same time. "The first lesson is this: Never assume trust... you know far less of me than I of you. Truth, I did not come to visit violence upon you..." In a single fluid movement, she stands, and steps, face to face with Van.
"But you show a lack of discretion. I could be here to trap you..." What Van has said, so far, isn't -damning-... but it is incriminating. She has... a long way to go, one might say. Setsuka's smile returns, slowly. "Fortunate for you I do not often dissemble in such ways..."
"Tea could be poisoned. Any mission could be setup. You have the advantage in that - in theory - I did not dig around just to find you in particular, true. But someone who doesn't specifically target you isn't any more likely to have your interests at heart." Van smiles back, and walks back over to sit down to her chair, swivels it so it faces Setsuka, and sits down.
She pauses. "Granted, you could be here to trap me. But the only person I know who might attempt that is Rei, and I wouldn't really mind being trapped, then. Now, it's possible I have an enemy I don't know about that, but I've already thought that out. I could take it slow and dance around it, but when it comes down to it, you'd sooner or later get the same information. Therefore, the most logical way of handling things is to give you the most damaging information I'd give you, and see if you betray me, because it amounts to the same thing, but isn't wasting my time."
"Plus, you seem trustworthy, within certain parameters." A pause. "So. How do you feel about making kids cry?"
Setsuka fades back from her up-close position, and nods. "The tea could be poisoned." It may already be poisoned--you have no idea how long Setsuka was in your room, after all. She could've been there long enough to do just about -anything-... and yet... trust.
"It would serve no purpose to poison me, however. You are still looking for... candidates... for your missions. And it would be foolish to assume no one would miss me if I disappeared. You would be cutting off your source of manpower."
Again, it's that issue of trust. Setsuka has been forthright about who she is and why she is here; she expects that Van is doing the same, even as she expects Van to be checking her out, once she's left. "Making children cry? In what way? Taking their toys? Their blood? Their parents? All three? Perhaps something else? I care not who my targets are. Emotional pain... is just as delicious as the physical."
"Mmm. I suppose I could have some vendetta against you specifically and this could be a needlessly complex plot to get revenge... but that seems to have a somewhat small chance." Van lets out her breath when Setsuka gets back out of her face. Even if you're stupidly trusting, having an assassin stand face-to-face with you is a little imposing.
As Setsuka talks of enjoying pain, Van smiles, seeming to regard her with more favor. "Well, one child in particular. I'd like to have him cry, and I want as little damage to him and his family as possible. The less obvious and legally troublesome, the better. I just want him sad." She pauses for a moment, then makes a slight gesture. "I want to comfort him, you see."
After a moment, the microwave goes off, and Van stands back up, pacing over to the microwave. She removes the cups of boiling water with her hands and transfers them to the top of the cupboard - albeit very quickly. That done, she adds the tea to the water, reseals the jar, kneels, and places it back inside the cupboard.
She digs around in the cupboard a little, pulls out a picture of Sanel, and tosses it ovebr to Setsuka quite accurately. "Seems like something we'd both enjoy. So... how much do you charge?"
She takes the photograph out of the air, studying it for a moment. It's... quite a challenge. "To simply... make him cry? Mmm." Setsuka eyes the picture again, clicking her tongue. "I can cause him pain without serious injury... but your words imply that you do not want that..." She rubs her chin a little. This -will- be tricky.
"It will take some time. Proper psychological damages require research. It cannot be done in less than a week; at least two weeks would be ideal." The sum... the sum.
"For such a simple job... five million yen." Or, roughly $5,000. It is, after all, a no-kill, no-harm job... so without Setsuka's martial talents coming into play, she really can't charge as much. It'll do for a couple weeks' worth of observation and some psyche-out tactics. And, besides... low low low introductory offer.
Rising, she produces a small rectangular business card, out of nowhere, and places it precisely t the corner of Van's desk. "I will contact you later with payment instructions and my plan."
Notably--she hasn't taken the tea. Maybe it -is- poisoned. Maybe she poisoned it. "You will have your results, Mitsubishi-san." And then she's just... walking out the front door. Or so it seems... she's certainly walking out the door of the dorm, at least.
Van watches Setsuka as she looks over the picture, taking a sip from her tea. "You are correct in your assumption. I don't want anyone involved to figure out what I'm up to, least of all him." She grins openly as Setsuka walks away. "I'll look forward to hearing from you."
Leaving the tea untouched... Now that Setsuka's gone, Van takes a sample from each cup so she can send them to a poison lab, then carefully disposes of the remainder of their contents. After all, trusting someone is only a useful move when you're in front of them, so there's no point in taking needless risks....
Log created on 00:14:08 06/14/2008 by Setsuka, and last modified on 00:47:15 06/20/2008.