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October 7, 1878 Monday
So Late it's Morning...kinda...only dark. Secluded Hideaway. Enishi splits the scene, and Soujirou follows, leaving Megumi and Aoshi to discuss what happened and exchange snark. A lot of joking, fondling, and kissing ensue.
Between Asleep And Awake (October 7, the Kite, just outside of Enishi's room) Soujirou has a sympathy nightmare, and finds himself waking in the Kite. He ponders his options, including breaking and entering. Fortunately, before things get too weird, Enishi wakes up and quite literally stumbles upon Soujirou. Not in the mood for small talk, Enishi dispatches Soujirou off to buy breakfast. The sweet buns are delievered, along with a note that Enishi is a "grumpy poopyhead".
October 7 Morning, Yamazaki Store After a dream of strangely appropriate poetry, Oibore wakes and has a bit of a senior moment. Soon enough, though, real life intrudes into his worries in the form of a very hungry piggy-chan. However, since the candy isn't suitable for an old man with almost no teeth, Oibore sets out looking for breakfast.
Oct.7: Early Morning to Morning, Fujita's Office Sano drops in to visit Saitou to report Kaoru's safe return, only to get an earful of insults. The Chou drops in on the fun, too, and Saitou decides to leave those two in a room alone, dropping along a bit of information that makes Sano VERY unhappy. Meanwhile, downstairs, Oibore tries to get into Fujita's office, and when rebuffed by the nervous desk clerk, makes up a 'lie' that he has news of Saitou's wife. And, of course, Saitou just happens to overhear this bit of information.
Now that Sano and the Chou have no Saitou to keep them in check, they exchange words, and then blows, over Shura. The office gets trashed in the process, including Saitou's desk. The Chou wins by a low blow (ouch!) and dumps Sano outside. Shura, who was headed into the office to make her report, sees Sano in this state and decides to escort him out of there instead. Oct. 7: Early Morning, Restaurant Saitou pulls Oibore into a secluded restaurant booth and demands information. Nervously, Oibore tells all, and unbeknownst to him (but beknownst to us), his lie actually is the truth--Tokio is Saitou's wife, and his assessment of her is pretty spot on. Saitou, slightly less worried now, informs Oibore that Ayu is safe. This makes Oibore immensely relieved--and hungry, now that the food's arrived. Saitou, however, isn't in any mood to eat, so he departs, leaving behind news of Enishi's new business. Oibore wryly wonders if he might get a gander at the, ahem, goods.
Oct 7 - Morning - Kamiya Dojo - Engawa in front of the Dojo Kenshin, having had very little sleep the night before, sits on the engawa to think. Almost simultenously, Aoshi, Megumi, and Oibore pay him a visit. After a bit of small talk, Megumi goes inside to talk to Kaoru. Kenshin tries to do some intelligence gathering on Susumu, but before he can get very far he's interrupted by Sano and Shiro. Oibore manages to get his two cents in, but it's an opinion not shared with anyone else. Megumi returns from her talk, overhearing what goes on, and becomes rather irritated that the men are talking about something she considers to be none of their business. Kenshin then excuses himself to speak with Kaoru before the Onigiri of Doom can be offered to him. Everybody else (except Oibore, who's already eaten, thank goodness) gets a stab at Kaoru's culinary creations intead. When Oibore tries a second time to voice his concern about Susumu, he gets a hearty second from Megumi, but the others continue their line of thinking, namely, do they need to Ninja-Proof the Kamiya Dojo? (At the rate the K/K relationship is going...maybe not. *hits both of them with the Clue-Stick of Doom*)
Shirojo's PissedOffFemale vibes go off, and he skips the scene before it gets more awkward. Sano, oblivious, bravely soldiers on. This both annoys and amuses Oibore, who draws parallels between Sano and Enishi. To lighten the mood a little he asks about the wedding preparations (and very nearly also the AFTER-wedding preparations!). When Megumi confesses ignorance, Oibore gives a run-down of the proceedings. Now that he's the focal point of the discussion, Aoshi thinks to ask who this strange old dude is. Oibore doesn't quite answer him directly; Sano knows why, but he's sworn to silence (and also rather distracted by the sight of Aoshi and Megumi together), so he asks what his job at the ceremony is instead. The answer: hold real still.
Megumi doesn't want to waste the Onigiri of Doom, so she inflicts half of it on Aoshi. She touches his hand in the process, making him a bit embarrassed and her confused at his reaction. She decides to return to the clinic, but first, a quick bandage change and checkup for Sano. In the meantime, Aoshi tries to make smalltalk, but it only serves to put Oibore in a rather awkward position, but at least some more introductions get made. Doctorly duties done, Megumi heads home alone, a little disappointed that Aoshi didn't offer to go with her. Awkward silence ensues, and Oibore manages to fall asleep for a bit, until Hiko makes his grand entrance, then wakes up just in time to introduce himself. In the meantime, the lurkers outside sense that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. Somewhat worried that his advice wouldn't be very helpful this time, Oibore excuses himself from the dojo grounds.
Everyone's worst fears have come true: the wedding is off! At Kenshin's request, Sano heads in to talk to Kaoru, while Hiko storms off after his idiot disciple and Aoshi wanders away to do his own thinking.
October 7, 1878: late morning | streets of Tokyo Shirojo visits a toy store manned by former Oniwaban and also catches up on old times with an old girlfriend. Shirojo states that he is happy where he is now, and that Misao is one of the major reasons for said happiness. Taro, the shopowner, greets Shiro heartily and treats him to breakfast. Meanwhile, Soujirou passes by and becomes rather distracted by the toys. With some directions from Shiro, Soujirou zooms down the street and gets the food, and then is back again in a flash to gawk at the wares. Everybody spends a few moments gaping before Soujirou decides to make an impulse buy and asks for recommendations. Shirojo helps by negotiating a lower price in a rather silly manner. Purchase made, and a matching ribbon besides, Soujirou remembers that he doesn't know where Misao lives, but he's not worried. He just runs off again onto the nearby rooftops.
Oct 7, 1878; Late Morning - Wandering Aoshi tries to make sense of the mess, and finds himself losing his composure as he wonders if there's any hope for any relationships in this game at all. He heads towards the Gensai clinic, looking for Megumi, but he has just missed her. Meanwhile, in the general vicinity, Oibore also passes through, thinking back to his role in Kenshin's journey, and wondering if he has any use now.
Late Morning to Early Afternoon, Tokyo Market, Oct. 7, 1878 Misao goes shopping for the wedding feast. In rapid succession, Aoshi comes across her, Kenshin zips by on a neighboring roof, Okina and Omasu arrive, and Hiko storms through shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Misao learns of the kidnapping as well as the cancelled wedding. Soujirou happens upon this mess, too, and his rather non-sequitor mannerisms throws the conversation for a loop. While Okina tries to figure this kid out, Soujirou delivers the toy and some questionable advice. Seeing that Aoshi's about to have an aneurysm, Misao tries to smooth things over, while Okina wishes he had his weapons handy. His plans of stalking Misao foiled for now, Soujirou wanders off in search for lunch. Okina teases Misao about her new "boyfriend", whereas Aoshi quietly ponders murder.
October 7, 1878-- Noon-- Streets of Tokyo Matsu heads home, wondering if she's done more harm than good. Soujirou, having eaten and is wandering the rooftops for something to do, recognizes Raidon. Hidden from view, he observes Matsu and has warm and fuzzy feelings about her. He also experiences what could pass as guilt, somewhat. Kenshin also breezes by on a rooftop, nodding a quick hello to Raidon. On the street level, Yutaro bumps into Matsu and they have a brief chat.
Oct 7 - Afternoon - Keishikan - Fujita's Office Chou directs the placement of the shiny new desk and uses it as a footrest as he peruses through Shura's thick file. By necessity of Dramatic Timing (tm), Shura walks in on him and is understandably furious. To placate her, Chou shows her his own records, but she doesn't seem too impressed. Soujirou happens by and drops in for a quick visit, resulting in Chou finding out about the Kite. While he is thusly distracted, Shura kicks the seat out from under him. Hilarity ensues, but Soujirou's still bored, and Chou has to work, so one WHOOSH later, Soujirou's off looking for adventure again. (Unfortunately, a real-life whirlwind made any further mischief rather difficult.) Saitou returns to the office moments later and orders Chou and Shura to check out the Kite, which is a mission right up Chou's alley (or somewhere...)
October 7 Sunset (Early Evening): A high point above Tokyo Ayu tries to take refuge in a tree, but the squirrels and falling leaves aren't cooperative. She departs for elsewhere, and then returns briefly to think about Shinsaku, before leaving again. Soujirou, having missed kicking ninja butt entirely (foo!), only manages to note the squirrels.
The "Kite" Tea House, Yoshiwara... Late Evening, Oct.7 1878 Enishi officially opens the Kite for business, his encounter with Ayu weighing heavily on his mind. Ayu passes by and recognizes Enishi, but makes no attempt to contact him, as she is tangled up in her own mess. Soujirou, fashionably late, shows up for work. Enishi orders him into new clothes and gives instructions on how to be a good doorman. Chou also shows up, impressed at the new digs, and Soujirou is surprised to see him (and Shura, whom he has suspicions about) there. Chou tries to distract Soujirou by chatting him up, but Soujirou still keeps staring at Shura, so she leaves. As tea arrives, Soujirou and Chou catch up on lost time and discuss the fate of each Juppongatana. Outside, Tokio passes by in male guise to observe the scene. Chou feels himself being watched and alerts Soujirou, causing his PschoStalkerSense to go off. He heads out to have a chat with Tokio. Shura re-enters the scene dressed as a geisha. Chou is completely fooled (among other things). Shura continues the fascade and hopes she can make it through the evening without throwing up. As the small talk continues, Chou gets an incredible sense of deja vu and realizes that this stunning hot lady is none other than the pirate queen. Of course, he doesn't let on that he knows and starts to really lay it on thick.
Meanwhile, Soujirou returns from terrorizing Tokio with her in tow, warning her that Enishi will pick up on her crossdressing sooner or later, but she is nonplussed. After dropping Tokio off, Soujirou heads back to Chou's table and notices that Chou is _quite_ happy. He distracts himself from that line of thought by talking to Shura, who manages to come up with a fake name. Sano also drops in, prompting Soujirou to ask some rather awkward questions. (Sano's reaction causes Geisha!Shura to spill sake into Chou's lap, making at least one of them deliriously happy.) Sano, being mostly broke, just orders some sake after he asks some questions. Soujirou, after a bit of mental handwringing, decides to deliver the sake himself, raising a few eyebrows in the house. He then returns to Chou's table with some questionably helpful advice to Geisha!Shura, which makes her seriously reconsider her career as an undercover police officer.
His fun interrupted, Chou still is in a good enough mood to bestow his sword to Soujirou (yaay!), who in turn suggests a night on the town someday. Enishi returns to canvas the scene and makes inquiries about how to better serve Chou. More than glad to take advantage of the situation, Chou heads deeper into the heart of the Kite and gets some very close and personal hospitality...
Oct. 7, 1878 - Evening/Night/I don't know: Outside the Kite Tokio watches Soujirou approached, quietly freaked out about this strange boy she really doesn't know. Soujirou puts on his scary face and greets her as "Fujita-san". Tokio tries to deny her identity, but Soujirou will have none of that. Faced with the prospect of her family at risk, Tokio decides to deny them, throwing Soujirou into a cycle of indecisiveness. After a consult with his inner demons (headed by the triumvirate of ShiShiO, Kenshin, and Enishi), he decides to ask the real Enishi and more or less threatens Tokio into entering the Kite.
Oct.7, 1878 | Night | The Kite - Enishi's Office Soujirou takes Tokio into Enishi's office and makes introductions. Enishi, with only one very practical question, sends Soujirou right back out to do his job. (Foo!)
Night, Rakuninmura and Beyond Oibore returns to the Rakuninmura and hears a second-hand account from Kuma (that guy with an eyepatch) of what went on there, including some unsolicited color commentary. Before he can feel too sorry for himself, though, Kuma decides to drag Oibore out for a night of debauchery.
Wandering around Tokyo, Midnight to ?, Oct. 7 to 8, 1878 Sano sits around moping; as far as he knows, the weddding's still off. Oibore staggers in, drunk off his rocker from a night of carousing, and recites semi-relevant poetry. Sano, not being in the mood to talk, shuffles off to get his bandages looked at, leaving Oibore to 'talk' with an apparition of Enishi.