Tsukiyama found herself behind the bar with several other bartenders. The bar was filled almost to the brim with patrons, most regulars with some new faces littered throughout. Tsuki didn't remember all the regulars by name, but she was particularly good at remembering the faces, for the most part. Smoking a joint, she sat on a counter above the rest, a good place to see most of the bottom level of the bar. The night had been going smoothly and filled with laughter, no incidents had happened yet and hopefully it would stay that way. Standing back up, she ashed her joint and finished it before teleporting it into the trash. Stretching, she looked at the eager faces ready to watch Tsukiyama make drinks, a special treat that happened every now and then. Tying her hair up, she cracked her fingers and smirked at the onlookers, before the bartenders moved back and also joined in watching the spectacle. Using her Ki ability, bottles and glasses were teleported all over the place, somehow keeping their contents from spilling. A once small crowd around her section of the bar, turned into most of the patrons on the second floor watching the woman. Within minutes, most of the bar had been served, their drinks coming to them as if they suddenly spawned in front of them. The bar cheered as she finished the last drinks and poured a round of shots for the 20 people in front of her. Taking a bow, she waved for the fellow bartenders to come and share, the group and patrons around each taking a shot and slamming their glasses down. Stepping back, Tsukiyama gave a reassuring pat on her bartenders shoulders "Im going to be up there for a bit, okay? Ill come if it gets overcrowded again or if something happens, so dont worry" she yelled over the noise of the music and the bar and started to walk away, teleporting herself to the second floor of the bar. Finding her booth, a spot that oversaw the bar in it's entirety, she pulled tin out of kimono pocket, dozens of more joints within. Pulling out another, she lit it with a zippo and watched the many people either dancing, talking or walking about. She was proud of her bar and what it represented to Sakanoshita. She felt like she was finally in control of what she wanted, and seeing the many happy faces below only added the proverbial cherry on top.

Walking towards Tsukiyama's booth, Yashida had been out gathering intel for the meeting later, the tiny girl following some Forgotten mid-level enforcers that seemed to be prowling the area. They didn't want to have direct conflicts with the rival gang, but it did happen from time to time much to the detriment of the native citizens in the area. Tsuki had been made aware of a group of Forgotten stalking the area, seeming to case the safe zone around the outskirts. This had been a common occurrence in the past, but they had decided to start being more brazen about their presence. They had just burned down one of the clinics, and had escaped Yashida before, but they seemed to be walking much closer towards the Bar and surrounding areas. The tiny woman sat down next to Tsuki, placing her hat on the low table in front of them "They should be walking in any moment, how did you wa-"

"Im good kiddo, thanks for asking, how are you?"

"stressed and growing gray hairs, thanks for asking, now how did you want to handle this?" Tsuki smirked at her protege's quick response, and was somewhat thankful Yashi was a little more serious then she was. "I'd prefer not to have this become bigger than it needs to be..."

"Hey last time it was unexpected, we're being way more careful now, aren't we?" Yashi shrugged, the last time still being somewhat fresh in her mind. "Would it kill you to have a little faith in me, speaking of which, the shows arrived" she tilted her head in the direction of the stairs leading into the bar. Four black and red suited men, decently sized pushed their way through the crowd towards the bar. People recognized the colors for the Forgotten enforcers, starting to move out of the way and creating a path for the men.

The leader of the four towered over the bar and peered down at the bartenders in front of him "where's the old lady?" the bartenders all looked at each other and stood resilient and silent. The man scoffed "do you know who the fuck we work for? Just because you work and live in the Kurosagi bar doesn't mean you wont ever leave this place. The old bitch cant protect you outside the Anzen Chitai, so you best move your asses and bring her here." By now the bar had become silent, even the music stopping, the bartenders began to falter in their silence, but still refused to even acknowledge the group. "Fine fuck it" opening his hand, a Kanabo erupted into existence on fire. The spiked club was roughly as big as him, and he went to swing in down on the bar. Suddenly however, the four were teleported in front of Tsukiyama, her hand coming to catch the club, crushing it and making it dissipate. In unison, Yashida was teleported behind the other three men, hitting all three with her Tachi and increasing their gravity, making them all fall to their knees with their forehead touching the floor almost in a bow.

Tsuki opened her hand, the mans neck suddenly in her grasp and bringing him to his knee's "Do you understand what it means to come here again after the last time? I haven't fucked with your stupid kid boss or your gang, but it seems he cant handle not having control" the man gasped for air and she squeezed harder.

Grabbing at her hands in a panic, he tried to speak "Do...you...know...who...I-" Tsukiyama threw him, and teleported him, making him fly towards her, she axe kicked the man with enough force to leave a small cracked indent in the cement floors.

"Who gives a fuck, you're in my bar and causing a commotion, my gangs word is law here" she brought the mans face close to hers, the once smiling woman now looking menacing enough to kill with just her stare. Letting him go, he dropped to the floor on his back, gasping hard for fresh air. She sat back down in her booth, crossing her legs and arms "why are you here, ten words, that's all you got."

"Big Boss Chonaka...demands you two have a meeting...today, o-" he suddenly was teleported into the ceiling and fell face first into the floor, weakly getting up.

"For a big guy, your fucking brain must be real small, do you know how to count or do you think because you work for the "Big Boss" you command respect? Also what kind of title is Big Boss, stupidest shit I've ever heard in my lifetime in Neo-Tokyo" she took a drag of her joint, teleporting in front of the man and ashing it in his face "tell your "big boss" to stay the fuck out of my zone and we wont have any problems. And if you touch another building here, I will personally come find you. You know who I am right?" she crouched down and grabbed the hair on the back of his head, making them meet eyes "it's not a threat, it's death sentence, got it?" the four men suddenly appeared in the middle of the sidewalk outside the bar, the four of them scrapping themselves off the ground and running away.

""Its not a threat, its a death sentence" wow pretty edgy there now aren't we?" Yashida dropped her Soul Binder, it dissipating before hitting the ground.

"Hey I solved the problem didn't I? And I got something out of the theatrics" she said holding her hand up to reveal her cybernetic. "Should be getting a trace reading downstairs, shall we?" she held an arm out to loop with Yashi's, the small woman sighing and looping her arm in the womans. Tsuki turned to the crowd below "Well? We're not going to let the Forgotten ruin the night right?!" the patrons cheered in unison and the bar roared back to life, music and all. Tsuki and Yashi teleported to the base of operations, well ahead of the others and watched the tracker move across the map of the city on the big screen, starting to talk about their plans for the meeting.

The hustle and bustle of the busy neo-tokyo streets was a constant strain on the senses, a veritable storm of sensations that never stopped. It was enough to drive anyone insane, if they were forced to live in it for days on end. Perhaps that was the reason why buildings crept higher and higher into the sky, as if to escape the mire of noise that rose up from below. In contrast to the busy bar on the ground floor of the building, the 20th floor was mercifully quiet, for the most part. Joseph's room, however, was filled with the sound of grunting.

Pushups, situps, squats, he went through the whole routine. PT was a time honored tradition of the military, it promoted fitness, self-discipline and sharpened the mind. Or so the drill sergeant had told him; he was pretty sure his superior officers just used the time to bully fresh recruits. He usually did his training in the morning, but who really knew what time was morning in the city that never slept? With one last grunt of exhertion Joseph finished his last pushup and rolled over onto his back, breathing hard.

As he calmed his breathing the quietness of the room returned. If he strained his senses hard enough he'd be able to hear a little of the music bubbling up from the ground floor, though he didn't feel the need to do so. On any other day Joseph would have loved to go down and mingle with the rest, have some alcohol and relax a little. But not tonight. There was a meeting tonight, and that meant there would be a mission soon. He needed to keep his mind clear and his senses sharp. For example, the feeling in his stomach told him that he was hungry, and the acrid stench stinging his nose told him that he was smelly and covered in sweat. Joseph chuckled quietly to himself before getting onto his feet and going towards the showers.

One quick wash and change later he was back in his usual clothes, a worn green polo and camouflaged cargo pants. Old habits died hard, after all. He sauntered over to the kitchen to grab a snack, opening a random drawer and picking out a packet of savoury biscuits. As he munched them down he briefly wondered what the rest of the crew was up to. They weren't the most sociable bunch by any means and some of the members were quite standoffish, but they were mostly good people. That made it harder, in a way. Death was the sword of damocles that hung over all conflicts, and Joseph, with his many years of military service, couldn't help feeling its shadow today. But he quickly shrugged it off. Things were heating up between the gangs but they probably wouldn't get that violent so soon. After all, didn't everyone just want to stay alive?

Joseph slowly realised his vision had multiplied. With a frown of annoyance he closed his eyes, the 2 on his face, the 1 on his forhead, the myriad others that dotted his body as well. It was easy for him to forget about his many eyes once his mind wandered. He opened his 2 eyes once again and chucked the used wrapper into the bin. Pre-battle blues were inevitable for an old hand like him but there was no need to worry so much. No matter what came ahead he was about as prepared as he would ever be.

“My, my… Mr. Chantharat, what time is it already?”

Hikari stopped her fingers from plucking the shamisen she had been playing for some moments. The client lazily leaned on his side as he watched the silver-haired lady, clad in her ornate kimono performed some classics. The calming ambient filled the private chamber they shared in this establishment right at the heart of Sakanoshita district. Regardless, the man still showed no sign of drowsiness; he looked as if he had been waiting. He already took his suit jacket off, with his shirt already got loosened and his chest bared.

“Why are you stopping, Tsubaki-san? The night is still long, and I have paid much enough for you to stay until morning, why waste it with sleeping?”

“Indeed, Mr. Chantharat… would you allow me to pour some Sake for you to sip?”

“No more Sake, Tsubaki-san… I don’t want to get drunk, I want to savor this night with you with my eyes open.”

“Well, maybe some tea… to calm the passionate mind.”

“Fine… if you insist.”

Hikari took the ornate teapot she brought along with the set when she previously entered this chamber. The pot bore some shapes unfamiliar for those who had no interest for history. There were also some strange holes around the ornament. Hikari poured the warm liquid mixture inside the teapot into a pair of cups; one she would serve to the client, one for herself. The steam from the light colored green tea in the cup filled the nostrils.

“Please, Mr. Chantharat” Hikari said as her fingers pushed the cup she had just prepared for the man in front of her.

“So graceful, Tsubaki-san.”

Hikari sipped the tea she had on her cup and put it back on the Kotatsu, the low table they shared together. She gave her smile to the client, ensuring the safety of her tea. Chantharat then took his cup and gulped the bitter liquid inside it at once. This put a wider smile on Hikari’s face. That old man banged the low table with the empty cup and walked toward Hikari. His hands were quick to land around Hikari’s shoulders and he immediately tried to pull her kimono down.

“Mr. Chantharat, please don’t rush…” Hikari said as she held Chantharat’s wrists.

“I want the worth of my money paid for your service!”

“I understand, Mr. Chantharat… I was meant to guide you so that this night would not end too quickly for you-”

“What? Now you’re mocking me?!”

“No, please let me guide you, please let me use my charm for you to savor…”

Hikari’s persuasion worked. The client calmed himself down. Hikari then allowed the man to lay his head on her laps. She caressed his head and began her conversation, slowly to induce his emotion and trigger the increase of his heartbeat. It all began with small talks of sharing what they like, their favorite pastimes, and gradually moved to the routines of the jobs. This was where things got serious, something that Hikari had been waiting to come.

Of course, Hikari was not literally one of the hostess in that establishment. This Hanamachi was under the protection of another group; the Forgotten, as far as Hikari remembered. She rarely went against other gangs, either those operating in proximity of Kurosagi’s region or the other less accessible ones, except when Fujino-san asked her to do some job, for or against them. However, Hikari made an exception for this night. Somehow, she found out about this high-ranking staff of The Institute venturing himself deep in Sakanoshita, rather far away from their safe haven in Maebara district. Hikari had been hunting these folks, trying to excavate their secrets and the conspiracy behind their facade, even assassinating their members if necessary.

Through manipulating the database, Hikari had slipped herself pretending to be one of the hostess, someone registered under this Hanamachi with the name Tsubaki. She assigned herself to meet the Institute’s district manager who had booked for a premium service from one of the hostess. With the large number of young women employed under the Hanamachi, they could not notice the additional lady with high customer rating and quality review. Those ratings were bogus, of course; injected by the fake information Hikari added to the database.

That was how Hikari infiltrated herself to have access to this district manager of The Institute. With her charm, she managed to persuade this Chantharat to reveal some internal office politics between the members of The Institute. Hikari gained some information of feuding key members along with the secret projects which The Institute had been undertaking. The talk went quite long, but Hikari had gained enough. She just needed to wait for the poison to work, one she slipped into this man’s bloodstream through the tea she served using an ancient tool called the Assassin’s Teapot.

“Ah… Tsubaki, talking with you is so relaxing, your massage is also great… I feel so calm, even I begin to have my fingers numbed… yes, I can’t feel my fingers, I can’t move them… oh no, I feel sleepy…”

Of course, that was how some dose of fugu poison worked. It paralyzed the victim’s muscles and eventually stopped the heart. The Assassin’s Teapot was filled with two different liquids inside its separated reservoir. One was a humble green tea mixture, while the other had been mixed with the subtle essence of fugu poison. No smell, no taste, but the dose was enough to kill an adult man.

Hikari still remained on her sitting position with Chantharat’s head on her lap. The man had already closed his eyes, but Hikari still had to examine his pulses. The wrist slowly got colder, there was no noticeable chest movement. The man had lost his pulse, the poison had just killed him. Another member of the Institute had just been eliminated. Justice had been served, or so Hikari believed.

“Oh my… I’m late” Hikari said as she looked at the clock. She stood up and let Chantharat unmoving head to fall from her lap and bump on the floor. Hikari then poured the remaining liquid inside the Assassin’s Teapot to the sink and put it inside the pouch she brought along. She tidied up her kimono and readied herself to exit the chamber and brought herself out of the complex. A high-ranking member of The Institute had just died after he ordered a service under the establishment ran by the Forgotten. Hikari wondered what would be the consequence of all she had just done.

@Salsa Verde

Regardless, Hikari had another matter to focus. She took her smartphone out and called a fellow member of Kurosagi. “Uhm, moshi moshi Unagi-chan… I might need your help this time, I would likely be late for this night gathering, so... would you please pick me up around Hanamachi? Thank you, sweetie…”

Hikari walked out of the complex, still without any suspicion raised around the establishment. Subtly, she removed the contact lenses she had been wearing. The feature of her red iris was now revealed, previously hidden by the purple lenses. She opened her umbrella and waited for her fellow to come. Her fingers subtly ran some apps on her smartphone, connected to the net, infiltrated the database, and erased any entry of a hostess with the name Tsubaki; all in a single tap.

The tonic that Tao “owned” was in a five story building next door to the gangs headquarter. The first floor was what people would expect. A tattoo shop, a dive of a grocery store, a pharmacy, and small shops selling things that people might want. Around back was the entrance to the clinic and the chop-shop. On the second floor was the “normal” clinic and offices. The third floor was the trauma area, a surgical suite, and four recovery rooms. The fifth floor was Tao’s office and storage for all the cyberware, medical and surgical supplies. Tao’s office had a desk a bed for those late nights and a small balcony that overlooked the street below. Currently Dr. Tao Zhen and his nurse were performing surgery on a Street Sam brought in by the gang.

There was a metallic clink into a catch pan as Dr. Zhen pulled the bullet out of some woman who was more machine than human. He was careful to stay away from possible cyberspurs or other implanted weapons. He was also careful not to say anything that might be recorded by the patient’s headware. It was the eighth bullet and the last.

Marina handed him some gauze, the hooked needle, and sutcher.
“Polydioxanone?” He asked her?
She nodded her agreement.
He squirted a heavy duty antibiotic ointment into the wound and started to close.
“You have to be careful with this much cyber in a person. Because infections love to hide in the mechanical joints and seams. It can make a person go septic in a mater of days,” he said.
Marina had heard this said so many times she tuned off the next part about making sure everything was sterile before they start and how she needed to care for the wound. It was for the patient still under from the drugs benefit and not hers.

When done, he said, “Room three and keep her strapped so she does not hurt herself.” Street Sam’s tended to wake up still in the fight before they realized the fight left them behind.

He stripped off the gloves and the P.P.E. and threw them in the trash leaving the cleanup to Maryna. She would make sure thing were sterile and the equipment ready to go if they had time before the next trauma came in.
He entered the elevator and headed down to the clinic to get som tea and find out if they were getting paid for this job or was it another freebie.

He walked in to find his office manager Ramira talking to an entertainer with to crying children on her lap. The woman was dressed in a kimono and had bruises on her neck and wrist. Tao thought she would have Ben pretty if she was Korean.
“Good, the Doctor can see you now,” Ramira said leading them to a examine room while giving Tao a dirty look for taking so long to get the surgery done. At times he did not really know who was running this operation.
Two ear aches, a sample of antibiotics and two prescriptions later they were getting ready to leave. Asking about the bruises the woman tried to deflect the conversation while speaking in Japanese. Tao did not change languages, then sighed and swore in Russian. It sounded better when you swore in Russian. He would would report this and the gang would take care of the problem.

Ramira walked in as the door opened giving the woman a small bag of baby formula, some diapers and food. Tao shook his head and walked to get his tea.
“Not so quick, you have a meeting to attend in fifteen minutes,” the office manager said.
He had her print the bills for the surgery he completed and for the care they had given away that day and headed for the club. She handed him yen to get food to bring back for the staff.

As he exited he tried to turn to the left to find two of the junior gang members waiting to escort him to the club.
“I need to go get something,” he said wanting to head for the bookie’s place.
Then Zi Ping placed a hand on his shoulder stopping him.
Again he sighed and swore in Russian. One of the things the Maryan had taught him.
They weaved themselves through the mass of people and down into the club, Tao had his hood up and they were allowed to skip the line to the protests of some of the prospective patrons trying to get in and stuck in line.
His gang sign was done in white with a thin black boarder and it was placed on the back of his right wrist.

He looked up to see the gang leader and held up the stack of invoices for her. This gang was trying to keep him broke. Still somehow they also managed to find what he really needed when it was needed. He waited for the meeting time and for the food to come.

^{Brize Kawara} | _Cash

---

While the net was an intangible, the millions of device that ran the net definitely weren't. The big question on it was this: if someone was setting up a relay for a private network, why would they put it on the side of a building? That's what Brize was trying to solve. Of course, that was just an incidental series of thoughts. What she was actually doing was routine maintenance on a relay. They had multiple for redundancy and protection from physical attack, but she still needed to do routine maintenance on each one at some point. So there Brize was, hanging off of a roof with flashlight in mouth, tools in hand, and rope tied to ankle. If she wasn't getting paid for it, she'd probably be upset. Well, not upset. More if she wasn't paid, she wouldn't think about the relays at all.

As she worked on it, a familiar sight in the Sakanoshita pushed their way through the streets. In truth, Brize wished that the gaggle of enforcers would just walk on by. They had a meeting in an hour, after all. It would be bothersome to deal with them in any capacity. Still, Brize watched as they blundered their way in.

"Ack-"

She watched for a bit too long, as a matter of fact. She ended up slipping away from the relay as she focused a bit too hard on what the people were doing. With a twang, her descent was instantly halted. In a slight daze from the sudden stop, she sighed as she checked her pockets to make sure nothing fell out.

Well, the boss and her comedic foil could deal with the rabble inside. What Brize needed to do was figure out a way to escape this mess of her own design. For now, she'd just... hang in there.

The morning had been a blur. Mostly because last night never ended. The city didn't sleep so much as wake up over and over again in a confused blend of time and sensation, never truly knowing when consciousness stopped and new awareness began. Last night was distinct, tangible, definite, and firmly recorded in her memory; There had been a party, a few of her contacts had invited her to it. She knew they were trying to score. She hadn't wanted to go. She walked the streets instead. The solitude was comforting. It was the solitude of someone walking alone in a place filled to the brim with overflowing life and people, edged with danger and the promise of promiscuity and whispered taboo. Compared to Gearbox and the Broken Lands, Sakanoshita was a veritable oasis of hedonism and feel-good attitude. Compared to life in the high Spires, it was a den of base pleasures, hidden fetish, and quiet money.

It was also the district most plagued by Yokai. Part of her trolled the streets praying she'd finally come face to face with one; come face to face with the fools instigating them; finally come face to face with Shingen again. Part of her prayed she'd finally be allowed to die. Part of her prayed she never encountered any of it. Part of her, still, was angry that she felt the need to pray to anything or anyone and wanted to see fire consume this entire district- and the rest of Neo Tokyo with it. It was gripped in this whirling internal philosophy that some foolish, brave, woman approached Butterfly. It had been subtle, but of course Butterfly noticed it; the turning head, the way her eyes followed Butterfly down the street, the way she turned and followed her in that hopeful light jog. Butterfly had shut her eyes and let herself wonder where this was going. Let herself stop in front of that ramen stall. Let herself run through Shingen's lessons;

She had walked quick. She had bumbled into someone in her haste. She was wearing tight clothes- not likely to be concealing any weapons, but there was a pistol open carried on her thigh. A thigh that was a smooth metal, elegant and modern, and fixated itself into Butterfly's mind. This woman was no threat, but for some reason she had not only seen Butterfly but also followed her. Right as the woman stepped behind her and opened her mouth to speak, Butterfly cut her off;

"Hungry? I'm starved. Hadn't realized how long it's been since I ate. My treat."

"--Yeah, sure, let's eat." She had responded, and Butterfly sat with her. For some reason, in all the blur of light and movement, this moment was like a rock blocking the flow of the river of time. Sitting with this woman, eating this food, learning her name was 'Kelly', learning that Kelly was a hostess; discerning that she meant 'thief' but was too smart to blab about it. Butterfly said she was a driver; Kelly discerned that meant so much more than what Butterfly had said, but didn't pry into it. They ate. They talked. Then, the blur continued. Kelly stayed at Butterfly's side. They walked. They talked. Butterfly's new awareness eclipsed last night's consciousness in the morning.

As she picked herself up out of Kelly's bed, her mind provided her with the information that she had found out just where the metal on Kelly's left leg ended and the flesh of her body began. As she slept, the NanoHive within her had purged the flow of chemicals she and Kelly had imbibed the night before. As Butterfly finally pulled her dark red leather jacket back on over her cropped, loose-fitting, top she sat back down on the edge of the bed and let her eyes wander over Kelly. She wondered what it was about the dyed-blonde hair, the cool metal leg, the calloused hands and the thin-bordering-on-starved woman that had wormed its way into her mind. She wondered what it was about the woman that had made her crave sensation and closeness. She wasn't a stranger to these things, far from it, but the companionship of this woman had hit a certain craving within Butterfly that she couldn't place. Not being able to place her feelings was a danger. Shingen had always told her...

Master yourself, Kemushi, before someone else masters you.

Her eyes flashed briefly, cycling to a deep neon green color. She licked her lips, then rose up silently from the bed. She left Kelly there, without another word and without any contact information. Just the stain of lipstick on her clothes to remember Butterfly by. She left, and the blur returned as she left behind that briefly visited island of stability. Morning turned to mid-day. Mid-day turned to evening. The cycle continued, but another rock of stability appeared in the blur...

---

@OwO

Butterfly stopped, her ankle-length skirt flowing around her metallic feet. She tilted her head upwards, her senses registering the sounds of some bullshit going down within the bar- but it hardly required her attention. The One-Eyed-Wolf was more than capable of dealing with any nonsense that came into her bar. Butterfly had learned that lesson well. She tilted her head upwards, her eyes zooming in unconsciously as they picked Cash's form out, dangling from the side of the building. A slow smile spread on her rough features. She clicked her tongue, her eyes returning to their normal settings, as she took a half step back, then performed a series of deft leaps. Her Leg Skimmers fired, blasting her upwards, then over, then off that wall, then into the air-

And suddenly Butterfly planted her metal feet heavily against the wall, hanging off the relay lightly by a hand. Her katana swung on the back of her hips but remained secure. She felt the familiar weight of the pistol holster on her thigh within the skirt, felt the shifting of her jacket, laden with knives and needles, felt the wind in her hair- tied in a loose but functional ponytail- as she soared.

Felt the rope in her hand.

"What am I worth to you right now?" She asked, smirking, as she tugged the rope several times to 'dangle' Cash in the air softly.

Hiroto Chiba

A giant wearing the face of a demon walked the streets of Sakanoshita. Some regarded him with fear and suspicion, either because of his height, his blood-red eyes or for the oni mask that hid his mouth behind a rictus grin. Others greeted him warmly, smiling at his approach and calling out to him like an old friend. It was always the same when Hiroto went on his rounds; there was a stark difference in reaction between those that knew him and those that didn’t. The former found him intimidating, while the latter knew he was anything but. Normally the former would bother him, make him feel self-conscious in his own skin. Normally he would stop and talk to the latter, make sure they were okay or just catch-up on their lives. Today though he was too distracted with his thoughts to do either.

There was a stirring of trouble in the air, a hint of violence soon to come, and it had Hiroto worried. Word on the street was that the Forgotten had been poking around the area more than they usually did, their enforcers being spotted more frequently; the gang, rival gang he reminded himself, becoming more brazen in the way they blatantly trespassed into the Kurosagi’s Anzen Chitai. He already knew that or course, because Tsukiyama already knew, but people were talking about it and it was Hiroto’s job to listen to their concerns; some were worried about what it would mean for them if fighting broke out, most were ambivalent, some were even excited. All were thinking the same thing though; the area they lived in might be changing hands soon.

The Kurosagi’s presence had been good for them the past few years, but the residents here all knew the truth. Nothing ever lasted long in this city, especially not the gangs. Whatever the outcome was, things were about to change.

Frankly, if it did come down to a war between Kurosagi and the Forgotten, Hiroto wasn’t too worried about the outcome; not for himself or the other members of the gang at least. They were strong. It would mean more hardship for the residents however and that was something he wanted to avoid. They’d tried to make this Anzen Chitai a place where people could be safe after all, place that was a safe haven from the gangs that controlled every other part of the city; except for the fact that this too was technically gang territory and that people like the Forgotten still felt they could wander freely here. No safe haven at all really, but it was still a better place to live than most other neighbourhoods in Sakanoshita and he would like to keep it that way.

If he had known about places like these back when he lived on the streets he might have been to avoid trouble, but he hadn’t and he didn’t and now he was here. There were other children, other orphans like him that needed a place to go and the Kurosagi were providing that. If the Forgotten messed that up, then even if they won and all survived then they would have lost the thing that mattered most to Hiroto.

His thoughts carried him all the way back to the bar, navigating his way back now that his rounds were done for the night. The less commercial parts of Sakanoshita were a maze of dark narrow alleys at times, but he could always find his way by just using the neon signs on the sides of buildings as landmarks to guide his way. It was really the only way to find your way around in the deeper parts of the city; not like anyone knew the street names around here, if they even had any, but the neon was ever present. Each building front a unique canvas of pinks and blues and yellows.

It felt like neon was the districts lifeblood at times, like it ran on the stuff; pretty colours flowing through every street and every building like red flowed through the veins of a body. Like if he cracked the pavement beneath his feet it would begin to weep fluorescent liquid. Something alive yet artificial at the same time.

He stooped as he stepped through the door of the bar, ducking his head low so that he could walk through it at all. Inside it was the usual hive of activity, a mix of music and patrons laughing and cheering and talking. Hiroto walked through it all as carefully as he could, slipping through the crowd with an ease that belied his size as he made his way to the back of the building so he could make his way down to their base of operations. He stopped at only one point, to look at the fresh cracks in the concrete floor; Hiroto turned and caught the eye of a bartender, who saw where he was looking and simply nodded.

“Dammit.” She’d been fighting in the bar again.

Neo Tokyo might be just the furthest thing from the broken lands up North, but on days like these, when blood ran cold on the pavement and bloodlust flared hot in the pit of his stomach, he could almost draw parallels.

Alek flipped over the lifeless body with the tip of his boots, then he leaned over to feel for a pulse. None. Just the silence of a corpse and rapidly cooling skin. Well, then that translated to a job well done. He turned and left, firing off a text to let his client know of the finished deed. Moments later, a soft ping indicated that money had been transferred into his account. A decent amount, but still far less than what he was used to back in his corporate days. The poor bastard was barely worth the bullet he wasted.

But that was just life sometimes, it seemed. The wind howled, and then it calmed. And Alek kept on moving.

He traversed on foot, turning corners quickly and weaving through shortcuts that he had learned by heart in his short time in this city. Technically, he didn’t have to keep taking on contracts now that he was in a gang, and usually there would be steady work there. But he disliked dependence, and he disliked subordination even more. He knew all too well how the hand that fed could also strike, and it was the height of ignorance to work without a backup plan.

Plus, spending money was nice. There was a glass of whiskey somewhere calling his name.

There was a meeting he had to attend first, however.

The bar was easy to find. When Alek was sure that he wasn’t being followed, he hopped onto the roof of the building and let himself in through one of the windows in the back. It was just his preference; the front door was just too crowded, sometimes. He took a moment to check his reflection in the dusty glass, just to make sure he looked presentable. Old habits died hard.

Satisfied, he made his way down to the bar and weaved through the crowd of patrons. The atmosphere seemed just a touch more excitable than usual, and there was this tangy, rusted scent on the air, beneath all the heady stench of human bodies.

Someone had been fighting. Interesting. He wondered, briefly, what the old wolf been up to.

When he past by the bar, he reached over to pluck a bottle from the shelf and an accompanying glass. The bartender saw, but the man knew better than to comment on it. Alek only smiled, a tight-lipped, fleeting thing, before he turned to make his way toward the gang’s base of operation downstairs.

Hopefully it would be something fun this time.

MeiLan | Deiyu

---

MeiLan let the wandering hand pull the zipper on her jacket down a few inches before deftly pulling it away with a coy smile. “Ah ah, Ken-san,” she tutted at the man trying to undress her. “Why don’t we get another round for the ladies? Look half of our drinks are empty. That’s no way to party~” Mei nodded to the group of women in one of the VIP booths who had gathered around one of the big spenders at the bar tonight. It was one of the rare nights that she found herself bored and with nothing to do. So, rather than waste the night away, she had plopped herself in one of the booths with the goal to milk as many drinks from one of the bar’s patrons as she could.

Ken, who at this point had had enough drinks in him to be easily distracted, smiled back at MeiLan. “Of course, Deiyu. How rude of me.” He turned to one of his friend, who was currently chatting up one of the other girls at the bar and ordered him to get another round of drinks. As soon as the friend was gone though, Ken turned his attention back to MeiLan, attempting to unzip her jacket once again. Rolling her eyes internally, MeiLan decided to let him continue his advances, knowing that he would only be disappointed in finding a black turtle neck underneath. She was proven correct when Ken frowned at the sight of the turtleneck, asking, “Aren’t you warm in this little thing?”

MeiLan simply shrugged. She was used to people asking how she dressed especially at the bar where people tended to show off more skin than not. Luckily, she was saved from responding as Tsukiyama decided to show off her mixing abilities to the bar. Though she had to admit they were quite impressive, MeiLan had seen Tsuki’s tricks enough to not be completely mesmerized by them. Instead, she decided she had enough of Ken for the night and used the distraction to take her leave.

Just as she was about to exit the bar, MeiLan spotted the familiar colors of the Forgotten. She raised her eyebrow at the group, wondering how they had the nerve to step into the bar again. Despite knowing that Tsukiyama would handle it, Mei sat herself down at the bar again just in case. Ordering a drink, she turned to watch the fools as they futilely attempted to demand whatever bullshit their boss wanted from the One-Eye’d Wolf.

Shaking her head as the fight concluded, MeiLan finished her drink before heading downstairs. It was about time for the meeting anyways.

_{Interacts with: @Salsa Verde}

---

So there finally Hikari saw the coupe car turning on the intersection and slowed down as it approached her. She could finally close her umbrella, her silver hair was likely enough for the driver to notice that it was her. Hikari did not bring along her cruiser motorcycle, a help from fellow member was necessary for her transport. She had previously reached this place using an executive taxi service that her client ordered to pick her from a previously designated place, already gowned in her kimono. Now that her client was gone, she needed to use another means to get away.

Hearing the words her fellow just said, Hikari responded with her chuckle. “Of course Unagi-chan, I’m bringing my work along,” said her as she put her hips down on the car seat beside the driver. “I have everything I need to impersonate him through his digital biometrics, my software scanned his cards, then there’s his genetic material I got from the trace of his saliva on my lips and more on my neck, then his fingerprints on my skin especially around my bosoms he probably liked to squeeze, and his retina pattern on… well, don’t you worry, I did not gouge his eyes.” Hikari told her fellow all these things casually, sometimes with a slipped smile of prankish nature.

“It’s always comfortable to sit inside your car, Unagi-chan, would you allow me to take a rest? I might have a little session of meditation until you reach the base, or a nap if you prefer the term that Butterfly-san would like to use… don’t let me bother your driving.” Hikari took a long breath, a pair of deep inhale and exhale as she leaned onto the car seat and calmed herself.

“Out of nowhere, the mind comes forth.” Hikari recited a koan, then went into a deep silence.

---

From a fuzzy screen, a dusty, messy head of dull white hair watched 'Mama Tsuki' lay a beatdown on a quartet of gangers from the Forgotten. Lounging on the seat of his hoverbike, Gabriel snickered as he watched the slightly grainy video feed from one of the bar's security cameras. Mama Tsuki rarely came down to the floor, so people-Gabs included, paid attention when she did: and as always, it was always a show. Gabriel paused and replayed the footage, enjoying it a second time before clipping it and sending it off to the networked devices of the rest of the gang.

>Gabs: Guys. Guys.
>Attached file: SC02.mp400
>Gabs: Fucking scrubs

"Oi, kemosabe." a gruff grunt brought Gabriel out of his thoughts. Gabriel didn't need to turn around towards the garage door of the rundown, beat up looking gun shop to see burly old man flagging him down. Without looking up from the his tablet screen, Gabriel flicked one of the bike controls, sending it almost careening into the open threshold. The old man flinched, but didn't dive for cover, he was probably used to Gabriel's shenagins by now. In the garage was a small little hover-pallet, loaded to the brim with boxes and crates, strapped down with heavy duty cables.

"Got everything?" Gabriel asked the man, already in the process hooking the pallet up to his bike before he answered. The pallet contained an eclectic and haphazard shopping list of ammunition, drone parts, mechanical bits, vehicle parts, firearms and other gear. The situation with the Forgotten, as funny as some of them were, was escalating. They were being more brazen about entering and causing trouble around the Kurosagi's little slice of Sakanoshita, and well Gabriel wasn't one to take it lying down. In preparation for what was about to happen, Mama Tsuki had sent Gabriel off to go get equipment they'd need for the upcoming days and weeks, and he gladly obliged- after making his own adjustments to the shopping list of course.

"Yes, yes it's all in there." the old man insisted, "The quality is always top notch, now are you going to pay for it this time? Or is-"

"Mama Tsuki sends her regards" Gabriel quickly interrupted before talk of pay could come up. Fully hooked up, Gabriel flicked the controls on his bike and brought it roaring to life.

"Just send her the invoice and you'll be paid in full!" Gabriel called out before the bike took off across the motorway.

"It took a week for the money to come through last time!" The old man bellowed after the hoverbike, an effort in futility.

The neon streets of the Sakanoshita district were a tumultuous sea of streets, people, buildings and lights. When he first came here, Gabriel hated it. All the sensory input played havoc on his mind and powers. He could see too well, and more than he either needed or wanted to. A man getting mugged, a hooker providing services in an otherwise hidden back alley, literal hundreds of people churning back and forth, it was enough sensory overload to put him in the hospital- not that he could even afford the medical fees.

Luckily for him, the Kurosagi's Anzen Chitai was Gabriel's safe port in the storm. After a short adjustment period, and Mama Tsuki's guidance, Gabriel was quickly a functional member of the gang. Gabriel took well to the life of a gangster, though one could argue the Kurosagi weren't quite as "gangy" as a typical street gang. Not that Gabriel particularly cared. He had the freedom to do practically whatever he wanted, and the backing of an unusually wealthy and dangerous boss to boot.

Pulling up to the combination workshop/bar, Gabriel was quick to deposit his vehicle in the garage before he unhooked the pallet and started pulling it down the stairs. If he wasn't paying attention, Gabriel might've run into the massive Hiroto standing by the doorway. But of course, Gabriel was always paying attention- and besides that, he could see Hiroto long before he even pushed the door open.

He whistled to get the larger man's attention.

"Hey big guy, how about a hand?" the shorter Kurosagi member asked, a casual hand slapping the back of Hiroto's shoulder. With a tilt. Of his head, Gabs gestured towards the burgeoning hover-pallet filled with supplies and materials for the gang that wouldn't quite fit through the door.

@King Cosmos

^{Brize Kawara} | _Cash

---

@Fading Memory

While Brize probably could have gotten herself out using her power and enhanced abilities, she also didn't want to plummet onto concrete if she messed up. She had to make a plan first. Or, in the case of a flying Butterfly, get the help of someone else.

"24,304,512 yen," came Brize's immediate reply, "same for a while, with the majority of it being the value of your tech." With Butterfly pulling on the rope once again and asking for a raised amount, Brize furled her brow in response. A brief look of annoyance washed over her. Just as quickly as the look on her face came, it left after some brief calculations.

"23,304,304 yen."

Still, Butterfly was nice enough to carry her down even with her value being reduced for being an ounce harder to work with than previous days. Though, Butterfly didn't have to carry Brize down like she was a sack of potatoes. She knew she was small and light, but being tossed over a shoulder and brought directly inside of the club was a bit much.

Still, the two of them went inside and prepared for the meeting.

With the clock hitting 10:30, Tsuki stood in front of her gang grinning like an idiot almost. She could hardly contain her pride for the group she had brought together. In a metaphorical sense, this gang was her baby, and she had spent many years planning it out. However, she ended up with something even better then the original plan and a few more members then she had intended. Tsukiyama was confident in her gang, they proved that it was time to move to a bigger movement then just growing the Anzen Chitai they inhabited. She felt she could trust them all to do what was right and to protect each other...well for the most part. She did have an idea of who maybe not to par up for the time being just to make sure no accident's or distractions were to happen. All in all, these were her most trusted friends, allies and companions in Neo-Tokyo.

She sat on a table in front of a huge wall of screens, smoking another joint "Thanks for making it on time tonight guys, I'm glad everyone seems to be doing well...or well enough" her gaze landed on Gab, winking at the man jokingly "I'm going to keep it short before getting to the meat and bones of the meeting, but I've decided its time to make some moves and be proactive with a wound that's been festering and finally starting to pose a serious threat to our zone" she took a drag of her joint and motioned for Yashida to start the mission debriefing. Pictures of the four bosses of the Forgotten came onto the screen "As you know, the Forgotten have started to get a little brazen with their actions now that people are starting to talk about our group of merry band of "outlaws" and this Anzen Chitai. Im sure Gabriel's sent you what happened early tonight, and if my intui-"

Yashida cleared her throat, making Tsuki chuckle.

"Sorry, if Yashi's intuition is correct, this is only going to trigger an even bigger response by the "big guy". So our brilliant lieutenant here came up with an idea, and we placed a couple of bugs on the dumbasses that strolled into the club. These little guys have given us some very important information" she pulled a couple of tiny circle disk maybe the size of a button from her kimono sleeve and tossed them on the table for those that wanted to take a look at the gadgets themselves.


The screens behind Tsuki then changed to pictures of three different locations appeared on the screen. "What you see in front of you are three places we found our tracked muscle heads split off and went too. With the help of some friends of mine, I was able to get pictures and a rough layout of each place, as well as what these places are for the Forgotten."

@vietmyke@RedDusk@Spin The Wheel
Yashida stood up, while Tsukiyama took a seat behind the group, crossing her arms and watching "The First place is known as the Tower, a 50 Floor skyscrapper, and happens to be where the bulk of The Forgotten's Private Network and district wide communications/surveillance servers are located. The Tower is surrounded by a compound consisting of somewhere between 200-300 Forgotten underlings guard and keep watch. Me, Gab, Alek and Joseph will be tasked with infiltrating the compound quietly to sabotage their servers on the top floor, or worst case scenario, level the Tower and get out of there together preferably." Yashida was confident this would be the right group to get in quiet and fast, Joseph excluded and would run Overwatch to help with their infiltration and exfiltration.

@Fading Memory@Salsa Verde@King Cosmos@Meleck
"The second place pictured here, is known as The Kakusareta hōseki, the Forgotten's production warehouse for multiple businesses. The main products being drugs and Illegal Y.G Altered weapons, the factory is one of the main producers for the drugs and illegal weapons coursing through Neo-Tokyo's veins. The factory is guarded by 100 Y.S.G gang members and a nearly endless supply of Y.G enforcements. Based on previous attempts by other ill-prepared gangs attempts, this mission has a high chance of going loud so prepare for an intense exfil. Butterfly, Kiyo, Hiroto and Tao, you all will be tasked with getting in and planting explosives to level of the place or any other way to permanently stop production, its up to you guys. Either way, please keep in the forefront of your mind, if you set off the alarms, you have exactly 10 minutes before you'll be fighting an army, so make sure you guys plan well." She personally wanted to go on this mission but Tsukiyama veto'd it. Tsuki felt that the four would make a team capable of dealing with going loud if possible and would require a certain level of combat power to be able to make it out if it went bad.

@dioscuri@OwO@VeyrinDay
"The last place will be the most intense and most important of the three missions taking place at the same time. Is the Forgotten's bar known as "Death's Glass", it functions as the Forgotten's base of operations and main housing for their top earning Women. MeiLan, Brize and Hikari, you three will be with the Old Woman, and will be serving two purposes. Tsukiyama will be drawing the three bosses and the bulk of their enforcers by calling a meeting, that should draw the bosses from their post at each respective place we're going to be attacking. The idea is that it should leave a small window to get in and out without as many Forgotten being around because of the lack of bosses to protect. At the same time as Tsuki's meeting, you three will be infiltrating their base of operations and extracting information in the Boss Korobei's office. He apparently keeps paper files because he's paranoid about using Akuma Stream. You should specifically be looking for anything that can give us insight on Big Boss Chonaka's compound. After doing so, find and evacuate girls being kept prisoner there and finally plant timed explosives. Once all thats done, meet with Tsukiyama and you guys will exfil together." Yashida sighed mentally, she personally veto'd this idea with Tsukiyama, but the woman convinced her that it was the best way to get any information on Chonaka's compound. At least if Tsukiyama's information was correct, which Yashida was not necessarily confident but ultimately unable to disagree with.

With Yashida done, the screen's turned off and the lights turned back on, Tsukiyama spoke up again "Our plan is do start my groups mission first, and then notify you all when to start with your missions. We plan on executing the plan in two days. Do you guys have any concerns or questions? Now is the time to air out any grievances" Tsuki sat back, giving the floor to anyone who wanted it.

Joseph briefly sank into thought at the orders. So this time it was the gearhead, the cleaner, and the little boss. He had worked with all of them at least once before, and if he had to pick someone to watch his back, Alek was easily lowest on the list. It wasn't his skills - Joseph knew skill, and the blond haired russian had it in spades. He even trusted him quite a bit, in a way. Alek was smart, professional, and thorough. It was where his interests lay that was the concern. He could trust him to do the job right, and do it quickly, and that would have to do for now. The russian was a tough nut to crack, and Joseph had neither the time nor inclincation to look for a nutcracker.

"No problems for me, boss." The gruff military man said in response to her question.
Setting aside the question of allegiance, the question of skills was non-existant. Between his 3 teammates, they weren't lacking in any area when it came to infiltration. He had experience with this kind of mission, and there was nothing else left to say. All they would need to do was scope out the compound beforehand and they would be prepared for anything that came their way. Oh, and he'd probably need to ask for a silencer from Gabriel after the meeting.

Joseph reclined in his chair, relaxing his mind as he looked around the room, waiting for the others to respond.

Alek swirled his drink, watching the golden liquid slosh gently against the frosted surface of his glass. It tasted alright, not quite top-shelf, but not quite the synthetic sludge that burned all the way down either. He rewarded himself just another sip, before turning his attention back to the screen. The mission seemed simple enough, hardly anymore complicated than anything he had done before. The only difference now was that he had a team. The Old Wolf knew that Alek preferred working alone, but he also knew better than to contest her decision. So Alek just shrugged, and carried on drinking.

Besides, he knew his teammates, and they were no slouches themselves. Yashida was basically their second in command. Gabriel had useful skills, and he was entertaining, if nothing else. Then there was Joseph, the sniper. Alek knew ex-military when he saw it, and the man’s gaze was definitely felt.

“So, what’s the projected earnings for this mission?” He did, however, have one question. The most important question, if anyone asked him to be completely honest. An army marched on its stomach, after all.

Hiroto Chiba

It was to be war then.

Hiroto slumped down, his shoulders slouching and his head ducking down even more than it already was. Well, it wasn’t like they hadn’t all known that this was coming. The Forgotten had been picking this fight for a while and most of Kurosagi had been waiting for the moment when the boss would make it official, or for when the Forgotten would force all of their hands. Hiroto hadn’t been one of the ones looking forward to this, he’d been dreading it in fact, but he had still been prepared for it to happen.

Three targets, struck simultaneously. The boss had evidently been preparing for this day, or more likely Yashida-san had been. It seemed like Hiroto was being put on the team dealing with the drugs and weapons warehouses; a stealth mission, for which he was ill-suited compared to the others, but it also had a good chance of going wrong and a fight breaking out and that, presumably, was when he would come in.

He let out a sigh. Fine, he didn’t like it but fighting and taking hits were the only things he was really good at, so that’s what he would do. Taking out the warehouses would mean fewer weapons for the gang members and less drugs on the streets and that was something worth getting his hands a little dirty for.

Of their group, Usagi was the first one to step forward and accept their assignment before she came to stand next to him. She was confident and he wished he could share in that but he couldn’t; they would complete this task and none of them would be hurt in the process, he would make sure of that, but he couldn’t help but worry something would go wrong.

Tao frowned as one gang member took half his sandwich, the half he was eating and another too fries from his plate. Tao had added wasabi to the food to give it some spice and pleasure watching the reactions. He had learned long ago to protect his food. He listened to the briefing and almost choked when he heard his name called out.

He looked at the boss with his normal gang look. Mainly a scowl with words muttered about being used. Blowing something up sounded fun. There isn’t a man alive that does not like a good explosion. It was the added people shooting at you and the fact of what they were blowing up might be a toxic chemical dump that could make people sick in a fairly wide area. He was mostly worried about people shooting at him. One of the assistants slightly held up his stack of unpaid invoices and bills and gave him the stop now look. Her leaning forward a bit distracted his mind enough that he did not really have time to voice a protest.

His mind instantly went to stealing an ambulance, maybe better a fire truck.. What the hell was he thinking?? This was outside of his expertise. Chemistry, was more his thing. Maybe a really hot fire would work as well as an explosion. High temperatures tended to make less toxic smoke and thermite was easy to make.

Tao shot Tsuki a dirty look as his mind went back to flying lead. He sighed dropping some of his sandwich as he went and stood up front with his team member. He had to trust them. The gang let him practice medicine and help people and had saved his life more times than he knew and Tsuki held his markers from the bookies.