Description: If you are looking for ominous foreshadowing of things to come you shouldn't look here. This is not a clandestine meeting between two evil underlings preparing for more evil schemes and plotting in the future. There's nothing really very interesting here. One person does drink some tea, though. The other doesn't, but she doesn't care. She's too busy not being ominous, and not foreshadowing anything.
It's been a long time since Kurenai was contacted by Marz. Perhaps long enough that the memory of the Thailand central base had faded. Maybe Marz had perished during the Southtown Wars. There's really no way that Kurenai could know for sure; it isn't as though the Dolls are public figures.
But any such thoughts were dispelled this morning when a simple message, in the clipped, clinical tones of the Shadaloo Doll had been left on Kurenai's primary contact number. Arrive at the Yin Tai Teahouse, 9:15 am sharp.
The Doll has dressed how she imagines the 'youth of today' dress. This is quite amusing, given that she *is* the 'youth of today'. At least, technically. A large, baggy tie-die t-shirt, a beret, bright red, and a pair of fashionably-torn jeans. The outfit is finished off with a pair of chunky sneakers.
If it wasn't for the fact that Marz looks quite serious, and has a business file in front of her, and a laptop bag by her table, she might be able to pull it off. As it is, though, she looks like a geek trying to look like a hippy. In other words, she stands out.
It's been quite some time since Kurenai's been in the public eye in almost any respect; weeks since her last Saturday Night Fight, and even longer since she was tasked with anything. But she hasn't exactly been idle--she's been occupied with other things. It hasn't done much for her fighting skills, though, and lately she's begun to worry about those... so she actually kind of hopes Marz has something -exciting- in mind for today.
'9:15, Yin Tai...' she murmurs to herself, as she walks, casually--dressed like 'the youth of today', only, far more successfully than Marz. That is, she doesn't stand out, wearing her own shirt--a black one, with a yellow, Legend of Zelda Triforce design, and her own slim jeans--also black, but with panels of light grey along the inside and outside seams, providing color contrast--and white sneakers. Okay, maybe she stands out one way; she's still got her yardstick slung over her back.
Deciding to have a little fun with Marz, because why do things if they're not fun, she literally drops in on the girl--hopping up to a streetlamp and, from there, dropping neatly into her seat with a light *whump*.
"It's 9:15, I'm here. Did you order my chai?"
"I am glad you are not late."
If Marz is at all fazed, she doesn't show it. But, that's probably to be expected. Most of the dolls are somewhat muted, but Marz is downright icy. "I did not order your drink, however. Please. Feel free to get me one, too."
Now that Kurenai is here, she opens her file, and begins to produce photographs. She's not too concerned about people watching them; schoolchildren are not known for their spy-like surveillance skills, and she hadn't seen anyone.
The photos she is laying out depict various Gedo High personalities; most notably Megane, who seems to feature more than others. Though Daigo, Edge.. and many others are amongst the people who have raised Marz's concerns. She's not elaborating right away, though. Letting the tension build.
Kurenai'd already cased the joint; two potential problems, but nothing glaring, so far. Besides, the pictures are not of super-secret stuff... at least to the outside world. No missile silo sites or known insurgents or the infamous jackalope here. Kurenai busies herself for a moment; pulling a notepad out of nowhere, and a pen, she writes 'large chai tea latte, hot, extra spice, three biscotti, to table 12' on it--then tears the sheet neatly off. Considering it for a moment, she folds it, quickly and neatly, into a rather well-constructed paper airplane; her tongue peeking out just slightly, she turns towards the doors, aims, squeezing her left eye shut... and lets fly.
The papercraft zings, straight as an arrow, to land precisely in front of the barista. There, order made. Then she turns back to Marz.
"Who's the guy with the glasses?" she asks--tacit indication that she recognizes the rest.
Marz actually looks a little disappointed. Her lips pursing into a thin line. "I had hoped you would be able to assist me with an analysis of him." She states, "But I suppose he is too smart to have reached many eyes. His name is Megane, and he is a very interesting individual."
She folds her hands onto the table. "I am going to be enrolling in Gedo High soon. This is going to require that I relocate my operations to Southtown rather than Thailand. I am also going to be relying on the support of the Darkside Student Congress should things not go as planned."
Kurenai doesn't speak 'til her order comes out; then she's cupping her mug, sipping latte, and looking blissful for a moment. "Mm? Oh, well," she says, offhandedly, "I haven't been keeping up with much lately." This isn't true, of course--her job... no, her *duty*... is to keep up with things, for Yurika's sake--but she has to maintain appearances. "Megane, huh? Kind of an oddly literal name, that."
She presumes it's a nickname, but maybe it isn't. "Enrolling at Gedo? That's a dangerous bit. Then again, might do you some good... those rough and tumble people are gonna toughen you up some." And they're not too bright, for the most part. Might serve a spy well. "But..."
She turns briefly serious, "You understand I can't pledge our support just like that. Have to talk to the woman in charge, y'know.."
Marz shakes her head, "No. That answer is not acceptable to me." She states, producing, from her pocket, a small watch. Silver, with a red band. She lays this on the table. The girl is, quite solemn. She rarely had the opportunity to head up her own projects, so she had no intention of letting anyone else impede her. Even if it is due to proper protocol.
The Doll's eyes drift up to meet Kurenai's. "I estimate that fully three quarters of those in Gedo High who could be considered fighters are above my ability to easily deal with. Perhaps one third would be able to incapacitate me easily in single combat, and there are even two or three individuals who could pose a serious risk to my life and limb."
She leans forwards, then. "I believe that I will be able to complete my mission without too much risk. However. Our primary operations are geared towards eliminating NESTS and preparing for the King of Fighters tournament. It could be several hours, even days, before a distress call is responded to by my superiors. I require your assistance. The watch contains a tracking system to a distress beacon in my beret. If it begins to beep, I need you to come and help me."
And, then, after she's explained herself a bit, the doll's features soften. She actually looks a little desperate. If she didn't get an immediate answer, after all, she would have to return to Thailand. She couldn't risk an ambush this far from home which might compromise her operation. And she really didn't want Cammy, or the others, to have any reason to call her preparations into doubt.
"... Please?"
A sigh, the gust of air causing ripples across the surface of her latte. She meets those eyes steadily, as Marz talks--says more than Kurenai might expect. "Gedo -is- a dangerous place. It's true that many of the students there could, potentially, rip you apart with relatively little difficulty..." Pause.
"... and they -are- known to be a rambunctious, wild, and often needlessly violent people who react with hostility to anything they don't immediately recognize..." Maybe the pink math whiz is just teasing her 'friend' now. She sighs, again, as Marz makes her entreaty. Dammit.
"Look, I'll take the watch. I'll do what I can. But... I can't /promise/. There are.. loyalties that rank above friendship. I'm sure you know this. If Yurika-dono needs me, then she has me, no questions asked. But.. I'll /try/."
Marz's expression gradually hardens back to the frosty chill that was the norm. She isn't certain what the purpose of Kurenai's words are; she knows all of it to be true. She didn't understand /why/ so many children in Southtown were gifted with abilities above and beyond the norm. But it was an undeniable fact.
"The majority of the individuals who go to Gedo High are never going to amount to anything. Fighting talent alone is not enough to make a mark on the world, even just the world of fighting."
She lets that sink in, begging the question; why bother? "This, is the only mercy to their existence. However. There are some individuals who go to that school who may be able to turn their talent to assisting our mutual purposes. Neither of our Masters have had much luck infiltrating Gedo. I am certain that you can see why it is necessary, right now, to try and exploit every resource we can. If you assist, I will ensure that your part is well known."
A slight smile tugs at her lips. Genuine, which is rare for Marz, and therefore quite small, strange. "You may also convey my operation to Yurika. If she pledges more assistance, I am sure that she will be rewarded properly. We have not forgotten about her, after all."
"No, you're right. But remember that they may not be out to make a mark on the world. You just want to be careful that they don't want to make a mark on your -face-, Marz." More latte; it helps calm her, as she sees Marz go back into frost presence. It's a bold gambit, and similar to thoughts that Yurika and Kurenai had been having--the schools are a vast, mostly untapped resource...
"Tell you what. YOu should speak with Yurika on this matter, Marz. It's... a subject she'd be interested in." And the DSC and Shadaloo -are- supposed to be allies, aren't they? "Gedo is a tough one; they've always been independent and stubborn. They're sure to be a thorn in the side of anyone... and if they ever grow up and get organized, they'll be scary. Daigo is an impressive leader..."
Finally, the ninja picks the watch up, and straps it on. "I'll do what I can, Marz," she repeats, before tossing back the last of her chai tea latte. "I'll do what I can."
Marz shrugs slightly. "Megane has some respect there. I have cultivated his curiosity. I intend to capitalize on it, at least to the extent that I doubt any of them are going to want to hurt me. At least, immediately."
She shakes her head a little, though. Sighing. "It... may be worth my meeting Yurika. Perhaps. But with luck, things will progress smoothly." There's a moments hesitation, and then she continues, darkly.
"I hate Southtown. The first time I came here, I was almost killed. The second time, I was faced with impossible situations. This time, I am here because it is what my Lord Vega requires. Even if he doesn't know it. We have many elite agents, but we do not have a great deal of mid-ranking fighters. Those drawn to Vega's power are those who can truly see how far beyond them he is. The Darkside Student Congress also requires more, does it not? I am not aware of any great victories in your recent past."
It's, a harsh analysis. And wrong on at least one level; yes, there were a lot of 'elite' level fighters in Shadaloo. But not because they accepted Vega's power, it is because they were forced, or because they hoped to steal it for themselves. Marz knows this, although she doesn't want to share it. She DOES want to get more people who could be convinced to be truly loyal to Vega. Because... well. She'd seen that he isn't truly invincible. And the recent rumblings she'd seen and heard struck fear into her heart for his safety.
"The DSC is..." She pauses. How to put it. It's such a delicate thing, secrecy. "We have our own agendas, of course. Yurika-dono has her own way of looking at things..." As does everyone, one supposes; no big surprise there. Picking up one of her biscotti, the pink-haired ninja regards it for a moment, then bites the end off. She chews noisily (hey, these things are baked -hard-), reducing the item down, then swallows. Ugh, need more tea.
"I actually quite like it here, but I haven't had quite the same experiences... though back when, Elle Belmounte did sort of try to get me killed. It was an object lesson, though, one I took to heart very strongly. As for the DSC's 'victories'..." She smiles, wryly, "Are we going to have a talk about Thailand?" she says, gently.
Marz shakes her head slightly. "Ms. Belmounte assisted my view of the current generation. It is in no small part due to her that I am making this move. Or, any move. Before, I was content to follow orders and maintain my duties."
She matches Kurenai's eye levelly, not angry, as such, but, there's definitely an intensity in them that there hadn't been before. "I hope you understand, Kurenai, that I have spent the majority of my life obeying orders. It wasn't until Vega's actions in Southtown that I thought it may be worth... offering an opinion, rather than simply information. That opinion was ignored. As a result, we were in a poor position, and we were betrayed by NESTS."
She leans forwards just a little bit more. Uncomfortably close even across the table, she's almost standing up. "I like you, Kurenai. I feel that you and I are very similar, in several ways. But. We serve different Masters, and I fear that if I speak to Yurika directly, I will be forced to question what her overall agenda actually is. We need unity if any of us are going to survive the next few years. Because I have seen what is coming next. And although my advice is being ignored, I am still going to do everything I can to stop everything we have worked for being destroyed."
Log created on 08:31:48 12/18/2010 by Marz, and last modified on 11:20:08 12/18/2010.