Nakahama

The rain having tapered off, Kisha arrives with the Hope of the People, awaiting some challenge about which she had been messaged previously. Yes, the message was a bit cryptic. Yes, it was stylistically challenged. Yes, there might have been some need for additional proofreading. But the message was clear enough, and so she is where she is...

Speak of the oni and she shall appear.

Okay, Sumie wasn't an oni and no oni were spoken of, she just wanted a cool intro for her appearance on the beach. Wait, is that the media personality who has been offered some broadcast on the local informator channels?! Gross! Huup! Huup! I'm going to hurl.

Despite her personal misgivings, Sumie would merely stroll up to where Kisha was waiting with her drone in hand. She would look coolly at her and say. "That communicator number is a burner, name's actually Doctor Badass, not Kaiu Kayda. So anyway, does your Flying Battle Carp have a story?"

"A short one only, I'm afraid," Kisha replies, giving a short bow. "Miya Kisha," she'll insert before continuing.

"I've only recently come into the sport, introduced by Yasuki Taraka. She's the one who named the drone: Hope of the People. It's maybe a little grandiose, but I'm given to understand that plays well around here."

She'll look at "Dr. Badass" and her drone and ask "And what of yours? What's its story?"

"Hope of the People? And what sort of hope does it give to the people?" She arched a skeptical brow at the name.

"Sooo, mine is called Pointless. Pointless, as in it made some people's lives pointless. It's a used Battle Carp with a bit of history to it. You see, it has a body count of two," she said with a slow nod, as if it were a bombshell on its own. "And I'm not talking about the sort of sexy body count, obvs. There were two deaths kind of associated with this drone. I'm not going to go too much into detail, but I'd like to think that this drone was vaguely responsible for it when a father died and a son self-deleted after it was gifted to the latter."

She gave a hapless shrug. "I'll get to the point...Look, I'm not saying that there are going to be yurei popping out of this thing without warning and potentially something. But, I fully acknowledge that there's the possibility of yurei popping out and doing just that. I don't control them, obvs! Let's just know that it could be a thing here."

"Then it's good that there's a big, scary Kuni here to keep us all safe," Kisha replies, all sweetness.

Sincerity to the effect of 22 (https://sakkaku.org/r/20070), in fact.

"Of course, I'm sure local authorities wouldn't be so blithe as to let something that spits spirits go about unmonitored and unchecked. Nor yet a murder weapon. But I'm not surprised to hear such stories; there's always something like that, always someone talking about some nebulous threat or another."

She shrugs.

"Maybe this one's different, though."

"Uh-huh..." Sumie murmured back at the Miya, not having much of a retort, more disappointed that she wasn't exactly impressed or intimidated by the claim.

She wasn't so sure if she would do anything to keep Kisha safe in that situation. Actually, she might be hoping that the yurei awaken in her Flying Battle Carp. Not by her doing or anything. Just more of a coincidental occurrence...Okay, do your thing and kill her. Easy points.

"So anyway, let's just get to getting through this match. I'm ready to battle," she said as she placed her Battle Carp on the ground and sent it buzzing up in the air, ready to fight!

***

Day 6 - Late Morning, Investigation/Perception on Miya Kisha! | 3k3 ⇒ 19 (TN: 22)

Day 6 - Late Morning, Piloting/Agility, FBC Battle Time! | 4k3 ⇒ 23
Day 6 - Late Morning, Piloting/Agility, FBC Battle Time! | 4k3 ⇒ 15
Day 6 - Late Morning, Piloting/Agility, FBC Battle Time! | 4k3 ⇒ 17

"Right!"

Kisha responds in kind, sending Hope of the People aloft after Pointless. Once again, her drone shoots upward, rocket-like, in what seems it will become a signature opening, and Pointless is caught in the downblast of the drone's engines.

Kisha reverses course, and Hope of the People plummets towards the ground, passing so close to Pointless that it flips the other drone with the force of wind swooping past.

The Miya's wrists twist upon the controls, and Hope of the People neatly severs the strands keeping Pointless's banner attached, and the forlorn pennant flutters to the ground as Kisha lands her drone safely by her feet.

She will turn to Sumie and bow.

"Thank you for the match," she says, "and for the opportunity to improve."

~~~~~
First Pass 24, https://sakkaku.org/r/20105; 1/0 Kisha
Second Pass 54, https://sakkaku.org/r/20106; 2/0 Kisha
Third Pass 22, https://sakkaku.org/r/20107; 3/0 Kisha

And that's game!

Not far away from the two women, Senshuken has been watching the duel. Once it's over she approaches and claps her hands for the winner.

"An excellent exhibition!" She says with a grin. "Do I face the winner for an overdue rematch or have two matches instead? The only thing better than a drone duel is fighting two of them!"

She bows. "Bayushi Senshuken. We met briefly on the World of Dreams a few months ago, Kuni san. Miya san. I hope that Nakahama is treating you well."

"It has been so, thank you, Bayushi-san," Kisha replies, bowing to the incoming woman.

"And I'd be pleased to go again with you," she continues, "although I'd not begrudge Kuni-san did she want to go ahead."

The Miya will angle her body to include both of the others in the conversation. Small things matter.

Sumie would struggle to maintain control on her drone, showing little practice with the toy. She was really banking on the Flying Battle Carp to awaken as a nemuranai show its true potential. Ugh! Okay, yurei do your thing! Do your thing! Any time now! Come'on yurei, kill her! Tear her arm off and beat her with it! Kami-damnit!!!

"Ugh, lame!" Sumie hissed out when she was defeated by Kisha. Very clearly complete outclassed, even!

"Whatever, it's been whatever," she said to the Scorpion dismissively as she was fetching her fallen banner after landing her drone. "So, I kind of meet a lot of people in my line of work. I'm a healer and badass doctor, so...I guess if you're standing here, I didn't take your communicator at least. You two can go, I might see if I can jostle something awake in Pointless...Stupid do something."

She paused for a moment and looked around, almost expecting to see someone hide in the shadows. "...say, none of you have haters or secret ancestral enemies right? It would be good to know if we ever have a match again. For reasons!"

"Me?" Kisha lays a hand on her breast with a quizzical expression on her face. "Who would hate a Miya? Especially across generations?"

She shakes her head.

"Can't help you there, Kuni-san."

She'll turn to Senshuken and give a short bow.

"I guess it's us, Bayushi-san," she says, and withdraws to allow the Bayushi space to launch.

"No no. We met at a gaming conference, I believe." Senshu offers back to the Kuni while preparing her drone for take off. "And of course I have ancestral enemies. I am a Scorpion and I come from the line of Bayushi Shoju no fortune." She shrugs. "I just don't know them so I don't worry. If they decide to come, it will be quick."

And the Pinky Swear with the attached Scorpion banner is in the air! "Let's do this, Miya san!"

D6, drone dueling Vs Kisha, piloting/agility plus bonus from engineering rolls, 1st roll | 6k4+2 ⇒ 29

D6, drone dueling Vs Kisha, piloting/agility plus bonus from engineering rolls, 2nd roll | 6k4+2 ⇒ 34

D6, drone dueling Vs Kisha, piloting/agility plus bonus from engineering rolls, 3rd roll | 6k4+2 ⇒ 34

D6, drone dueling Vs Kisha, piloting/agility plus bonus from engineering rolls, 4th roll | 6k4+2 ⇒ 35

D6, drone dueling Vs Kisha, piloting/agility plus bonus from engineering rolls, 5th roll | 6k4+2 ⇒ 33

"Hai!"

Kisha replies in earnest and sends the Hope of the People aloft like a rocket once again. Senshuken is clearly wise to the follow-up, and when the Miya's drone drops, the Scorpion's lightly avoids, and it deftly maneuvers atop the Hope of the People. Beads of sweat dot the Miya's brow as she flicks the controls, and while she is able to pull out from the obvious peril, she is unable to avoid the more experienced pilot's clever pivot, and the banner of the Hope of the People falls to the ground.

Kisha lands her drone and bows to the Bayushi. "That was a good match!" she says, slightly out of breath. "How do you do that last part?"

~~~~~
First pass, 43, https://sakkaku.org/r/20141; 1/0 Kisha
Second pass, 19, https://sakkaku.org/r/20142; 1/1
Third pass, 23, https://sakkaku.org/r/20143; 2/1 Senshuken
Fourth pass, 42, https://sakkaku.org/r/20144; 2/2
Fifth pass, 30, https://sakkaku.org/r/20145; 3/2 Senshuken

Now that Senshuken brought it up, Sumie's memory jogs a little. "Pretty sure we met at what was supposed to be a sexy party. Or a gathering where people dressed in sexy costumes. Or at least some gathering that boring people thought was sexy. I lost track. News flash, it wasn't. Ugh!" She gave a roll of her eyes.

"Completely tidy backgrounds with no enemies? Ugh, lame! Challenges don't have quite the same suspense then. It's more fun if one of us is battling the possibility of being literally stabbed in the back. I'm totally out," she said as she picked up her ball...no, her Flying Battle Carp, and went home.

/exit

However the Kuni acts, the Miya will still do what is right, and so she gives a shallow bow and says "Carry the Fortunes, Kuni-san."

After Sumie leaves, Kisha will turn back to Senshuken and ask "What was all that about?"

The Bayushi also offers a bow to the departing Crab and then she just shrugs. "I think that Kuni san takes offence when she loses. She believes that she is the mistress of every game in the entire Empire."

She waves her hand dismissively and smirks. "How have you been, Miya san? Is Nakahama treating you well?"

"It has been, truly," Kisha replies. "I've gotten to meet a number of excellent people here, the cuisine is equally good, and the scenery leaves little to be desired. The chance to take part in things is also welcome, even if some of the events have struck me oddly. But that's as much me as anything else, really; I'll admit to being shaped in particular ways. The fact that I think some things are strange to me doesn't mean they're actually strange, though, or that they're bad; I'm just not used to them, just like most people anymore aren't used to riding a horse or anything.

"What about you? All well on your side of things?"

"I actually like the place quite a lot." She replies. "There are interesting people and places around and quiet enough without being boring. I might stick for a while once court is over." A shrug. "We'll see. May I ask what you find strange? And which world you come from?"

"I'm from the homeworld, originally," Kisha replies. "But I've been largely itinerant for the past few years. Younger Miya get to do a lot of traveling, as you might expect.

"But for what's strange to me? Well, the First Market was unusual--though I enjoyed it. The cooking contest was, well...I like a good meal, but I'm not as apt to make one happen as might be. Not nearly so good at it as you; how did you do it?"

She shrugs. "Honestly I just thought of what I would like to offer to the judges. What sensations I wanted to trigger. I tried to picture the result and feel it at the edge of my tongue."