Description: After crashing the Taiyo High demonstration against her power, the Empress of Ezo finds that another challenger has entered the ring! Or so it seems...
Cautious silence. In the building behind Honoka and her forces, the organizing of Hinata, Batsu, and company continue their discussion, while also attending the returned and wounded sakura. In contrast, the walkway outside is rather quiet. Most are huddled in their homes watching the news, or otherwise trying to stay unnoticed in all the chaos going on. Its a fairly straight path, with a few trees along the sides. The shadows seem darker than usual, somehow, but not to an extent that they completely obscure the path, particularly due to the lightposts set up for safety.
Ten pairs of boots clop-clop onto the brickwork -- a quite marked contrast to the silence of Southtown Village. Honoka herself doesn't look very imperial -- she's eccentrically dressed like a nurse, for the special introduction she'd accomplished just a few minutes prior. And the former circus performer has her ever-present yo-yo at her side, idly 'walking the dog' as she strides confidently. And why shouldn't she be confident, with her guards shadowing her every move?
The pace is brisk, however. The Humvee and its driver are not parked far away, but with the Empress currently wanted dead by a non-insignificant portion of the former Japanese nation... she is not keen on taking chances tonight.
Still. Honoka can sense something is going on -- just can't put her finger on what. She keeps her yo-yo moving despite the ill omen.
From around Honoka, the shadows seem to swirl on occasion. There is no sound, but she and the soldiers can see sudden, short bursts of movement around them of various sizes. A dark figure seems to stand off to the side suddenly, just out of lights reach, before vanishing. Another shadowy figure darts across the grass from their other side, again just outside the light.
After a few dozen seconds of this, a pair of dark purple eyes open glowing in the darkness up ahead, off to the side, though other features are hidden in the shadows. Whoever it is just seems content to stare for the moment.
Honoka doffs her cap, handing it to the closest of her blue-suited guards. Her jet black hair is a marked contrast to the stark white nurse's uniform -- but her bright red highlights stand out like a sore thumb -- the same highlights worn by the Empress during the multiple press conferences following her accession to the throne. She may be making herself an obvious target for an assassin's blade, but with ten adorably hunky gaijin acting as her Imperial Guard, she's not concerned in the slightest.
The Empress's keen vision takes in all the details -- but there are so few. But it is harder, of course, to hide from the mind of a psychic -- she knows =someone= is here, even if she can't ascertain where. "Why don't you just come right on out, sweetie? I don't have all night," she beckons, continuing to stride purposefully towards the Humvee, attended by its own bevy of guards, parked and waiting.
After Honoka says this, another pair of eyes open, off to the other side. Then another, and another, all just out of range. Surrounded by these gazing, glowing eyes, a fifth pair opens, this one in front of Honoka, and walking into view as Munin does as she requests. She holds her hands at her sides, palms open and showing no weapons "That was an interesting display back there. A show of force without using force, as it were..... ". She comes to a halt several feet from Honoka "I have to ask you if you truely know what it is you are up against due to the actions you have taken?"
The guards shadowing Honoka are starting to get a little weirded out by all the glowy eyes and things, but the Empress herself shows... less concern. Even closing her eyes for a moment, and only slowing her pace as Munin appears before her. "I'm pretty sure I know what I'm up against. The country has been -begging- for someone to lead it ever since the War, and I'm the person for the job." She pauses for a moment, yo-yo snaking out once more, before she snaps it back to her hand. "... Oh, I'm sorry, was this a /scheduled/ interview? I have a secretary, by the way... you should probably get in line."
It's at this point that the guards move to completely encircle her -- and the person she seems to be talking to -- rather than just following in her wake.
After slowly eyeing the guards, Munin locks eyes once more with Honoka herself "I'm not here to fight her, if that is your concern" adressing the guards "My purpose here is simply to give you a simple warning. Many have tried what you are doing, Vega among them. Immense military forces, chi powers, psycho-power, Weapons of Mass Destruction. All of it has lost on multiple occasions to people exactly like those 'children' back there in that auditorium. So far, your methods are very different from those of many conquerers before you. To not only spare Sakura, but return her to your opposition speaks volumes, either about choice of tactics, choice of code, or both".
Two of the pairs of eyes slowly closeleaving only empty shadow "I simply bring a message, and one i am sure you already are aware of, but one i feel is fair to deliver nonetheless. Tread carefully from this point on. You ARE being watched carefully, not just by me, nor those you just spoke to, but also far more dangerous people." Two more eyes close, leaving only the individual seen before them standing there.
"People both that seek to use far more precise and far more deadly methods than your own thus far, as well as others like myself that seek to take such people down".
The Empress finally pauses her walk to address the multitude of eyes surrounding her -- the illusionist spawned them, it'd be rude to simply ignore them, after all. But when the eyes all close, she turns to address the one individual standing outside her circle of guards. The ones told to stand down -- the ones to whom the Empress had silently repeated the request. It's not as if she can't summon them into action with a mere thought, after all.
"You're giving me a warning," the Empress notes,-- "which implies one of two things. Either you plan to join me... or you plan to return this country to the stale, inept mockery of a civilization it'd been for decades." She gives this individual a faint smirk. Cocky -- a bit, sure. "I think you'll find my long-term strategy to be ... heartwarming. But I do hope you understand that it will take some time to see the fruits of my labor." Cocky? Sure. But Honoka is a talented stage performer -- she's got some background in putting on acts.
A shake of her head is Munins response "No, i'm giving a warning because i don't know if you expect the level of response, or the abilities of the responders, and while i myself care little about direct governments or the like...." her eyes pulse more brightly for a moment ".... i will only directly become involved against you *IF* you start intentionally taking lives without regard, simply because you can, or out of a desire for further power. It hasn't worked for Vega so far...." She steps back into the shadows behind her, vanishing, eyes closing and leaving no trace of her presence
".... and Vega is a hell of a lot scarier than you".
From behind them, where one of the pairs of eyes had been, theres a final burst of shadowy movement, and then nothing.
The Empress's expression doesn't alter in the slightest -- still that confident, faintly bemused expression, still riding the high of completely infuriating an entire auditorium of rowdy kids. And with Munin making no actionable threats on her person... well. The ascension to Empress involved the wholesale murder of just under a thousand -- an action she can easily let known terrorist Rolento Schugerg take the credit for, considering his culpability in the murders of easily a thousand more in the executive branch. All things considered, the would-be assassin had every reason to initiate hostility against Honoka right here, right now, and by her own words.
And she didn't. Which indicates Honoka's PR campaign seems to be working. As far as Honoka is concerned, this mysterious visitor is no different than the government she just took out of power: action has been promised, yet never delivered. What better time to strike Honoka down than... right now?
A faint smirk tugs at her lips as she concludes the march to her HMMWV. The door is opened for her, and the Imperial "nurse" slides in.
To no one in particular, she calmly states, "Thank you for your warning, citizen."
Log created on 18:23:17 09/22/2014 by Honoka, and last modified on 09:36:03 10/19/2014.