thenearshore | [semi-open]

Entry tags:

[semi-open]

Who: Archer and you
What: M32 [closed to Ginia] and open prompts
When: Nov 16th to 26th
Where: Near Shore, Dún Dealgan - Caster's temple
Summary: Archer keeps himself and his fellow shinki busy with investigating the cult during Caster's prolonged sleep, brings his god up to date with everything that's happened once he's awake, and puts his analytic skills to use.

[M32 - That Old Black Cult Magic; closed to Ginia] starts Nov 16th

[Archer never does anything in halves. That's why he's going to check all the possible leads on the cultists. Checking if the draining blight circle during the yearly gods' meeting was caused by them takes priority. Archer considers the possibilities carefully.]

What do you think about pretending to be some kind of officials checking the security software in the whole area?

OTA Near Shore Nov 16th-17th

[For someone with such striking look Archer can blend in remarkably well when he makes an attempt. He's dressed in casual clothes - black coat over a button up shirt and pants, topping the look with simple black frames. While it's clear he went for a simple salaryman look, he looks anything but ordinary.

Come bother him?]

OTA Far Shore Nov 18th-26th

[While Archer can be usually seen around the Far Shore, especially in the Western District that he tends to patrol quite often, he's even more elusive than usual. If met in Western District he's accompanied by one of Caster's big white dogs and seems more approachable ~~and less scowling~~ than usual.]

[closed to Caster] Nov 24th; Dún Dealgan

[Archer gives his god enough time to check on all of his shinki and do some other things before approaching him. He puts a new, silver-and-blue laptop in front of Caster and drops a CD right next to it.]

Do you want a summary of all that happened so far? [that prolonged sleep took two weeks, and Heavens always keeps them busy.]

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Work. Isn't that always the case?

[Ginia gives a thin smile over the edge of her glass as she sips.]

But I'm at this bar to get away from my boss and coworkers. What about you?

Same, Emmy, same.

[His smile in return is broader than hers.]

But I won't have to put up with mine a whole lot longer.

[There we go. Ginia feigns surprise and a friendly smile.]

Getting a promotion or changing careers?

[He clearly thinks his expression is suave and mysterious. Really, it's more like a squint than anything else.]

It's not set yet, but you could call it a change of careers, sure. You'd be amazed.

[...Well, he's trying. Ginia leans forward, relaxes her smile to give the impression he's just the most fascinating and charming man! She reaches out and gives his hand a very light pat.]

I'm happy for you. I keep working hard and praying but

[She glances upward and shrugs, smile turning wry as she finishes her message.]

no one is listening.

They never do.

[He scowls briefly, in a flash of what looks like real temper.]

Don't bother praying to them.

[A real touchy subject then. Ginia considers him for a second longer as she picks out her next words. Is this a man desperate for change and willing to do whatever it takes knowingly, or is he being taken along for the ride?]

Who should I pray to then?

Don't pray. Not right now, anyway.

Not unless a god shows up who's worth it.

[He picks the glass up and toasts her with it.]

And may that happen soon.

[His words and certainty are chilling. Ginia fights the urge to glance at Archer to make sure he's hearing everything. However, she trusts in her exemplar and there's nothing Mitsui's done she can't handle.

So she continues her role, interested and demure, harmless. Ginia raises her glass to him.]

How will I know when the new god is here?

[He laughs, smugly, and takes another gulp of the drink.]

Oh, everybody will know. Don't worry about that.

[Cryptic. Eerie. Definitely concerning. However, as much as Ginia wants more information, a complete stranger wouldn't press more. So Ginia leaves the topic as is, playing up the angle of being new in town and looking for his suggestions on where to eat, places to go, hinting at being open to company. All in the name of building a map of possible locations to watch him at.]

Another round of drinks?

[She offers with a smile after her glass if empty and his is getting low.]

Sure. I'll buy this time, Emmy.

[He flashes her a smirk, and waves a hand at the bartender, calling the guy over. He starts to order...

... one drink, and then glances to the side, spots Ginia, starts as though remembering what he's doing, and adds:]

What are you drinking?

[Hadn't Archer said something about how the cultists seem to have a hard time noticing them? Ginia's kept up her presence the whole time to not go unnoticed by him, but when he orders a drink and seemingly forgets she's there in a flash, it comes as a brief shock and a reminder she needs to keep him engaged.]

Chuhai. You're such a dear. Maybe we'll run into each other more often since we're in the same area?

I'm here a few nights most weeks. Maybe we will.

[He settles back into his seat, and produces a business card holder from his pocket, extracting a card. It reads:

Mitsui Ryou.
Sales and Marketing - Kubo Advertising Company

A work number, work email, and mobile number are all listed.]

Just give me a call if you're here and want some company.

[He holds out the card with an expectant air.]

[Business cards, right. It's a part of Japanese culture she's observed and realizes belatedly there's an expectation on her end to produce a card. As Mitsui pulls out his card, Ginia reaches for her coat pocket, pauses, pats it down, then checks her other coat pocket and inside pocket before giving a defeated smile. Oops! Forgot her business card holder, what can you do?

She takes his card with a small bow of her head, looking over the information before she tucks it into her inside coat pocket.]

To fortunate meetings and new relationships.

[Ginia raises her glass in a toast, smiling past him toward Archer.

To success in their investigation.]

[His smile sags a little into a flash of sullen disappointment as she doesn't produce a card in return, but he comes up with a smile anyway.]

To new relationships. So, if you forgot your card... can I ask for your number? In case I'm here and looking for someone to talk to?

[Ginia pulls a pen out of her pocket and writes her phone number on a napkin and signs it as "Emmy." Will he remember? If she texts him later, will it work? There's time to ponder that later as she slides the napkin over to him.]

[He still looks suspicious, but he thanks her as he folds the napkin and tucks it into an inner pocket.

He'll change the topic to work stories after that, and finish the drink before he bids her good night and heads out.]

[Ginia listens attentively, sharing some of her own fabricated stories. Overbearing managers, nosy coworkers with annoying habits, generalized enough to be true without getting caught up in lies. She sees him off and remains at her spot, letting her presence fade until she's just another woman drinking alone and easily ignored. It's then she rejoins Archer, taking a seat across from him again.

She pulls out his business card and hands it to him.]

I guess now we find out if he remembers who I am if I text him to set up another meeting.

Indeed. [Archer taps the business card.] You will need a card too, something to help him remember you.

[For such a short time the situation looks promising so far.]

I'll look up companies large enough and with enough international reach a foreigner wouldn't be out of place working there. [And look into getting an email and another phone number set up just in case.]

What's our next step? There's plenty of surveillance footage to look through and it'll take some time for me to scrub through everything. There's translating the spell tags too. We also know some places to watch Mitsui at all.

Good idea. [having a phone with connected email is a norm nowadays, so she definitely needs one.]

It's fine to call it a day. One of us can start the surveillance tomorrow. If the guy isn't very suspicious we can bug his flat to check how he gets orders.

[It is a good start. Knowing the name and company the cultist works for gives them another lead to follow. Social media hold a lot of information if one's willing to dig.]

Maybe you should handle surveillance in case he notices and remembers me. [Not that she doubts her ability to stay at a distance, but just in case one of them need to get close, he's the better choice.]

I can go to the library and also stop by Shun's to see how he's doing. He might have some insight on whether things like this have been seen before.

Let's go. [Archer nods briefly. It's a good start, and if such good luck continues they may find more cultists to shadow. Then he looks straight at Ginia and sends her a warm smile.] Good job, Ginia.

[There's a hint of color on Ginia's cheeks at his smile and praise. She ducks her head and smiles back, warmed by his encouragement.]

I didn't do anything you couldn't have done, but thank you.

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boneofsword - 2018-07-23 14:01 (UTC) - Expand

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