Courtship Display 8
darthcourt10
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Yellowhammer
Courtship Display VIII
Magical Diet, Magical Chiyoda, Tokyo
Spoiler: The Tokyo Diet
RCMMP Chief Superintendent and Auror Wei Ying walked past a group of four dozen protestors being kept away from the steps to the Diet by a line of hassled Aurors. As she skirted them, she sighed and could feel the tension in the air. The voter on the street was angry.
"Hm, that's new," she muttered to herself as she surveyed the placards and signs the protestors were waving with automatic habit from her decades as a policeman. "I wonder what that is about?"
She focused on one of the signs being waved showing a Nundu of all things chasing a rather fat politician in a red robe out of the Diet building in an endless loop.
'Political Nundu, The Protest Candidate That Can't Be Ignored?' Catchy slogan certainly and there has to be a story behind this. At least it beats the normal death threats against the local crop of village idiots.
At least the local hotheads were waving signs and chanting slogans versus thrown rocks or Blasting Spells. That never ended well in her experience, even if it was because your team had won the Cup. Or in the case of Vancouver in 1994, had lost the Stanley Cup in Game 7. She mentally winced at the memories of the riot.
"Auror Ying, is that you?" The expected shout from her left was right on time and she turned, her face showing clear 'surprise' at the sight of Delilah de Breuil dressed in a nice robe waving at her.
"Del, what are you doing here?" Ying's voice was clearly that of one old friend meeting another as she walked over to Delilah. "Your office said that you were on vacation when I called them four days ago to see if you wanted to meet up and talk."
Delilah grinned after they hugged in the middle of the square, ignoring the hustle and bustle around them, which no doubt included a few snoopers. "Well according to Accounting, either I burn my vacation time backlog by heading out of the office, or they will hire a Hit Wizard to get me to use it. It is making them look bad."
"Ahh, I see," Ying commiserated, "well this is a working vacation for me. The ICW wants to have me help the Aurors here track down Colombe du Chasteler since I'm the subject expert on her. Nasty piece of work that she is." Mischief glittered deep within Ying's dark grey eyes as she continued in that grave voice, "Ottawa also wants my observations of the mood here, unofficially."
Delilah grinned smugly, "I know exactly what you mean. I'm supposed to meet a friend here for lunch. If you want to tag along and meet her, I'm sure that she would be a useful person to know."
"I think that I will." Ying's voice was thoughtful, showing no indication that she and Delilah had planned this 'accidental' meeting all along. "I am just spinning my wheels until they develop a few leads. Damn du Chasteler has that nasty habit of causing trouble then dropping off the face of the planet before we can track her down and capture her."
Delilah nodded as a witch in her 30s approached them and adjusted her glasses. "Konnichiwa de Breuil-san."
Delilah turned and bowed in greetings. "Konnichiwa Miyata-san. May I introduce my classmate from Ilvermorny, Chief Superintendent of the RCMMP Auror Wei Ying?"
Ying bowed in turn and spoke in slightly accented Japanese "Konnichiwa, Miyata-san. Your government called me in to assist with the manhunt for the criminal Colombe du Chasteler. I'm the ICW expert on her and for my sins I was the one to construct a suspect profile for her. I was just speaking with Delilah-chan about our observations of Japan." Ying chuckled as they began to walk toward the primary Floo exit portal. "Ottawa likes to be kept abreast of events, and they generally are interested in the same thing the Yanks like Delilah-san are."
Delilah grinned. "You are just still sore I led Thunderbird to victory over Horned Serpent in our class's final House cup standings. But yes, I always like to hear your observations, since you are quite insightful for a Canuck from the frozen North. What's that saying, ahh yes, The RCMMP Always Gets Their Being."
"Indeed we do," agreed Ying, "Although some chases are harder than others. I miss fieldwork, honestly. I'm half inclined to request to go out and see what can be seen alongside the locals. I really am led to believe that du Chasteler might try a strike at a second Reserve before too much longer." She put her hands behind her neck and cracked it.
"Tell me about it! I miss getting a chance to do fieldwork like we did back in the 1880s against the White Lotus Triad up and down the West Coast. Instead I am suffering from Bureaucrat's Bottom and Swivel-chair Spread. I never should have agreed to take that promotion to my office." Delilah agreed with poorly-hidden wish for a field assignment once more. Come into my parlor and take the bait Naomi Miyata.... With that she rubbed her lower back to work out a knot.
Naomi nodded slowly, her mind whirling behind the polite mask. "I see... perhaps you would like to join Delilah and I over lunch and we can discuss that? I know some people in the Civil service who can perhaps assist you with processing the paperwork to do a check on a few Reserves alongside my inspection tour. We are as interested as Auror Wei is to catch du Chasteler-san, if for no other reason to demonstrate that the mistaken perceptions of governmental incompetence are the results of a few bad apples. Surely you have some?"
Ying grinned, "Oh my yes. Jock, oh you don't know him, Miyata-san. He was Auror Shaw back then and my junior partner before a possessed Canada Goose took off his leg. He wound up assisting Minister Wojcik in Magical Creature Handling and the last time I spoke to him, he told me about Councilor de Santis' granddaughter deciding to fall for a loup-garou she met at a hockey game...."
-------------------------------
Azabu Tansumachi Tenryoan, Roppongi Grand Plaza Second Floor, Tokyo
"Thank you and please come again!" The manager's bow was quite abject and the unwritten addition "But not too soon, preferably after I retire so you will be the new guy's problem!" was as clear as if he had spoken it.
Ying and Delilah both returned the bows and walked out of the steakhouse. "That was a good meal. Even better that we were not interrupted this time. So, now what after I put in the request to join her fact-finding surprise inspection as an ICW rep checking to see if du Chasteler plans to attack the reserves alongside you so we can report to New York and Ottawa?" Ying mused.
Spoiler: I called WHO?
Delilah grinned smugly. "Now you get to meet our aunts and make the social rounds." She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi? Mou, I'm onna phone!" A soft childish voice came over the speakerphone. Delilah's smug look was replaced with dawning horror.
Delilah spoke firmly like she was addressing a small child. "Kyoshu, call Umi to the Phone please." The revolver crossed her fingers as she made her request.
"Umi-chan! Telephone...wait why am I holding the phone, Moshi moshi?"
"Kyoshu, it's Delilah de Breuil. Call Umi to the phone please?" Delilah spoke with forced patience in her voice.
"Umiiii! Telephone! Wait, mou.... Moshi moshi?" Delilah facepalmed.
After the sixth iteration of 'telephone', a new voice that sounded like nothing so much as a harassed mother of two joined the game. "I'm here Kyo-chan, just give me the telephone? Moshi moshi."
Delilah muttered "At last!" silently. "Aunt Umi, I'm in the area and was hoping to drop by. Ahh is Akutoku there?"
"No, she's with Chisuheri. I'm trying to get this potion order done and you caught me adding the sarugami fur to the mix." Umi spoke, "I don't suppose that you can watch Kyo-chan and Nameless?"
Delilah bit her lip. "I can as long as you don't tell Akutoku I'm back in Japan."
"I'll see you at the family house then. Ja ne!" Umi's voice was that of a prisoner who had just gotten a pardon.
"Right, we will need to Floo to Kyoto..." Delilah started to walk and stopped dead. "Ying, what's wrong?"
The dao looked at her with a slightly maniac shocked look. "Your father's family is Japanese?"
The revolver nodded, "All us Muramasas are Japanese of some form. I'm Japanese-American. Sis is Japanese-Belgian and so on."
Ying turned white as a sheet.
-------------------------------
Yokosuka Public Library
Spoiler: Hachiko and Moriko
(This one is the 'main' Hachiko/Moriko theme)
Hachiko Miyata smiled at Moriko Ibuki as his girlfriend came to the check-out desk with an armful of books. "Moriko-chan! Thank you for coming by when I called."
The unawakened natural-born Okami shipgirl gave a toothy grin at her boyfriend. "I couldn't resist visiting my Hachiko-chan." She leaned over and Hachiko gulped at the visible cleavage in her keyhole neckline blouse "What's up?"
He walked from behind the counter and guided her to a private reading room. "Yesterday, I found these in my pocket after work," He pulled out a pair of coupons to the Chojukan ryokan hot spring inn that were marked 'buy one night, stay for a weekend!' and handed her them, "but, I can't possibly afford to go. As much as I want to take you to it. So please take them so Sachiko-san can visit with the boy she likes?"
Moriko's heart fluttered as she realized that he was giving up his chance for a romantic getaway with her to make her crippled baby sister happy. Then her jaw firmed. "Hachiko-chan. I know that you wish to make your own way, and not rely on handouts, and I respect that. I know that you distrust good fortune that falls into your lap like these romantic couple's getaway coupons, and put your brother and others needing you first and I love you for it. But I want to see you spend some time upon yourself too."
She placed the tickets on the table. "I will buy one night at the ryokan for two. I will also ask Suzume-chan to babysit Aki-kun so you have time for yourself. She owes me for some things so she will agree to host him for the weekend and help him with studying. In return, will you use these to pay for the other two nights in an Onsen?"
Hachiko closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I have a little money that I can take with me for train fare and perhaps some shopping? It... Has been a long time since I have had anything resembling a vacation."
Moriko leaned forward and caressed his cheek as she stared through his glasses into his eyes. "It has been too long for me. I have money from the JMSDF so if we find some bargains, we can get some souvenirs. I wonder who will provide a bento to eat on the train though?"
Hachiko smiled brilliantly as he gazed into her eyes. "I can prepare bentos for us, Moriko-Chan. Weekend after next?"
Her return smile lit her face up. "Weekend after next once I ask for vacation and speak to Suzume-chan, Hachiko Chan."
Their lips met in agreement and they melted into each other's embrace.
In a distant office above a literally divine karaoke club Ame-no-Uzume the Alarming Heavenly Female's sunny smile widened noticeably as she checked a relationship status upgrade alert on her phone's apps.
Courtship Display VIII
Magical Diet, Magical Chiyoda, Tokyo
Spoiler: The Tokyo Diet
RCMMP Chief Superintendent and Auror Wei Ying walked past a group of four dozen protestors being kept away from the steps to the Diet by a line of hassled Aurors. As she skirted them, she sighed and could feel the tension in the air. The voter on the street was angry.
"Hm, that's new," she muttered to herself as she surveyed the placards and signs the protestors were waving with automatic habit from her decades as a policeman. "I wonder what that is about?"
She focused on one of the signs being waved showing a Nundu of all things chasing a rather fat politician in a red robe out of the Diet building in an endless loop.
'Political Nundu, The Protest Candidate That Can't Be Ignored?' Catchy slogan certainly and there has to be a story behind this. At least it beats the normal death threats against the local crop of village idiots.
At least the local hotheads were waving signs and chanting slogans versus thrown rocks or Blasting Spells. That never ended well in her experience, even if it was because your team had won the Cup. Or in the case of Vancouver in 1994, had lost the Stanley Cup in Game 7. She mentally winced at the memories of the riot.
"Auror Ying, is that you?" The expected shout from her left was right on time and she turned, her face showing clear 'surprise' at the sight of Delilah de Breuil dressed in a nice robe waving at her.
"Del, what are you doing here?" Ying's voice was clearly that of one old friend meeting another as she walked over to Delilah. "Your office said that you were on vacation when I called them four days ago to see if you wanted to meet up and talk."
Delilah grinned after they hugged in the middle of the square, ignoring the hustle and bustle around them, which no doubt included a few snoopers. "Well according to Accounting, either I burn my vacation time backlog by heading out of the office, or they will hire a Hit Wizard to get me to use it. It is making them look bad."
"Ahh, I see," Ying commiserated, "well this is a working vacation for me. The ICW wants to have me help the Aurors here track down Colombe du Chasteler since I'm the subject expert on her. Nasty piece of work that she is." Mischief glittered deep within Ying's dark grey eyes as she continued in that grave voice, "Ottawa also wants my observations of the mood here, unofficially."
Delilah grinned smugly, "I know exactly what you mean. I'm supposed to meet a friend here for lunch. If you want to tag along and meet her, I'm sure that she would be a useful person to know."
"I think that I will." Ying's voice was thoughtful, showing no indication that she and Delilah had planned this 'accidental' meeting all along. "I am just spinning my wheels until they develop a few leads. Damn du Chasteler has that nasty habit of causing trouble then dropping off the face of the planet before we can track her down and capture her."
Delilah nodded as a witch in her 30s approached them and adjusted her glasses. "Konnichiwa de Breuil-san."
Delilah turned and bowed in greetings. "Konnichiwa Miyata-san. May I introduce my classmate from Ilvermorny, Chief Superintendent of the RCMMP Auror Wei Ying?"
Ying bowed in turn and spoke in slightly accented Japanese "Konnichiwa, Miyata-san. Your government called me in to assist with the manhunt for the criminal Colombe du Chasteler. I'm the ICW expert on her and for my sins I was the one to construct a suspect profile for her. I was just speaking with Delilah-chan about our observations of Japan." Ying chuckled as they began to walk toward the primary Floo exit portal. "Ottawa likes to be kept abreast of events, and they generally are interested in the same thing the Yanks like Delilah-san are."
Delilah grinned. "You are just still sore I led Thunderbird to victory over Horned Serpent in our class's final House cup standings. But yes, I always like to hear your observations, since you are quite insightful for a Canuck from the frozen North. What's that saying, ahh yes, The RCMMP Always Gets Their Being."
"Indeed we do," agreed Ying, "Although some chases are harder than others. I miss fieldwork, honestly. I'm half inclined to request to go out and see what can be seen alongside the locals. I really am led to believe that du Chasteler might try a strike at a second Reserve before too much longer." She put her hands behind her neck and cracked it.
"Tell me about it! I miss getting a chance to do fieldwork like we did back in the 1880s against the White Lotus Triad up and down the West Coast. Instead I am suffering from Bureaucrat's Bottom and Swivel-chair Spread. I never should have agreed to take that promotion to my office." Delilah agreed with poorly-hidden wish for a field assignment once more. Come into my parlor and take the bait Naomi Miyata.... With that she rubbed her lower back to work out a knot.
Naomi nodded slowly, her mind whirling behind the polite mask. "I see... perhaps you would like to join Delilah and I over lunch and we can discuss that? I know some people in the Civil service who can perhaps assist you with processing the paperwork to do a check on a few Reserves alongside my inspection tour. We are as interested as Auror Wei is to catch du Chasteler-san, if for no other reason to demonstrate that the mistaken perceptions of governmental incompetence are the results of a few bad apples. Surely you have some?"
Ying grinned, "Oh my yes. Jock, oh you don't know him, Miyata-san. He was Auror Shaw back then and my junior partner before a possessed Canada Goose took off his leg. He wound up assisting Minister Wojcik in Magical Creature Handling and the last time I spoke to him, he told me about Councilor de Santis' granddaughter deciding to fall for a loup-garou she met at a hockey game...."
-------------------------------
Azabu Tansumachi Tenryoan, Roppongi Grand Plaza Second Floor, Tokyo
"Thank you and please come again!" The manager's bow was quite abject and the unwritten addition "But not too soon, preferably after I retire so you will be the new guy's problem!" was as clear as if he had spoken it.
Ying and Delilah both returned the bows and walked out of the steakhouse. "That was a good meal. Even better that we were not interrupted this time. So, now what after I put in the request to join her fact-finding surprise inspection as an ICW rep checking to see if du Chasteler plans to attack the reserves alongside you so we can report to New York and Ottawa?" Ying mused.
Spoiler: I called WHO?
Delilah grinned smugly. "Now you get to meet our aunts and make the social rounds." She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi? Mou, I'm onna phone!" A soft childish voice came over the speakerphone. Delilah's smug look was replaced with dawning horror.
Delilah spoke firmly like she was addressing a small child. "Kyoshu, call Umi to the Phone please." The revolver crossed her fingers as she made her request.
"Umi-chan! Telephone...wait why am I holding the phone, Moshi moshi?"
"Kyoshu, it's Delilah de Breuil. Call Umi to the phone please?" Delilah spoke with forced patience in her voice.
"Umiiii! Telephone! Wait, mou.... Moshi moshi?" Delilah facepalmed.
After the sixth iteration of 'telephone', a new voice that sounded like nothing so much as a harassed mother of two joined the game. "I'm here Kyo-chan, just give me the telephone? Moshi moshi."
Delilah muttered "At last!" silently. "Aunt Umi, I'm in the area and was hoping to drop by. Ahh is Akutoku there?"
"No, she's with Chisuheri. I'm trying to get this potion order done and you caught me adding the sarugami fur to the mix." Umi spoke, "I don't suppose that you can watch Kyo-chan and Nameless?"
Delilah bit her lip. "I can as long as you don't tell Akutoku I'm back in Japan."
"I'll see you at the family house then. Ja ne!" Umi's voice was that of a prisoner who had just gotten a pardon.
"Right, we will need to Floo to Kyoto..." Delilah started to walk and stopped dead. "Ying, what's wrong?"
The dao looked at her with a slightly maniac shocked look. "Your father's family is Japanese?"
The revolver nodded, "All us Muramasas are Japanese of some form. I'm Japanese-American. Sis is Japanese-Belgian and so on."
Ying turned white as a sheet.
-------------------------------
Yokosuka Public Library
Spoiler: Hachiko and Moriko
(This one is the 'main' Hachiko/Moriko theme)
Hachiko Miyata smiled at Moriko Ibuki as his girlfriend came to the check-out desk with an armful of books. "Moriko-chan! Thank you for coming by when I called."
The unawakened natural-born Okami shipgirl gave a toothy grin at her boyfriend. "I couldn't resist visiting my Hachiko-chan." She leaned over and Hachiko gulped at the visible cleavage in her keyhole neckline blouse "What's up?"
He walked from behind the counter and guided her to a private reading room. "Yesterday, I found these in my pocket after work," He pulled out a pair of coupons to the Chojukan ryokan hot spring inn that were marked 'buy one night, stay for a weekend!' and handed her them, "but, I can't possibly afford to go. As much as I want to take you to it. So please take them so Sachiko-san can visit with the boy she likes?"
Moriko's heart fluttered as she realized that he was giving up his chance for a romantic getaway with her to make her crippled baby sister happy. Then her jaw firmed. "Hachiko-chan. I know that you wish to make your own way, and not rely on handouts, and I respect that. I know that you distrust good fortune that falls into your lap like these romantic couple's getaway coupons, and put your brother and others needing you first and I love you for it. But I want to see you spend some time upon yourself too."
She placed the tickets on the table. "I will buy one night at the ryokan for two. I will also ask Suzume-chan to babysit Aki-kun so you have time for yourself. She owes me for some things so she will agree to host him for the weekend and help him with studying. In return, will you use these to pay for the other two nights in an Onsen?"
Hachiko closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I have a little money that I can take with me for train fare and perhaps some shopping? It... Has been a long time since I have had anything resembling a vacation."
Moriko leaned forward and caressed his cheek as she stared through his glasses into his eyes. "It has been too long for me. I have money from the JMSDF so if we find some bargains, we can get some souvenirs. I wonder who will provide a bento to eat on the train though?"
Hachiko smiled brilliantly as he gazed into her eyes. "I can prepare bentos for us, Moriko-Chan. Weekend after next?"
Her return smile lit her face up. "Weekend after next once I ask for vacation and speak to Suzume-chan, Hachiko Chan."
Their lips met in agreement and they melted into each other's embrace.
In a distant office above a literally divine karaoke club Ame-no-Uzume the Alarming Heavenly Female's sunny smile widened noticeably as she checked a relationship status upgrade alert on her phone's apps.