Chapter 1: The Blind Phoenix

Her appearance was artful, her manner graceful. She moved through the party as if she had her own gravitational attraction.

Her id said her name was ‘Ashleigh MacFarland’ and it, like everything else about her it was an artful forgery. One of several owned by the woman whose every facet was an artful forgery.

Behind the Mask, Sumomo sighed. ‘I warned the Elders that things would be quite after the Juno scandal. They’re all going to be tight lipped until that all dies down. Little pay, no real intelligence gains, and the most snooze-worthy party of the season. ‘

Lacy gracefully sashayed into the high-end bar where she was meeting her most important "student." Her dress was perfectly chosen to seem classy and appropriate, but also revealing and enticing at the same time.

Rich businessmen were not unlike other clients in some ways. They did want to practice their English like any other student, but they were also very happy to pay higher rates to do so in the presence of beauty. She had heard some even say it was seen as a status symbol to be out with an attractive foreigner, especially one with as unique a look as Lacy. She could use this to her advantage. Not for the money, although, she will put that to good use ... this dress was expensive! ... but, her goal was ACCESS.

The afternoon sun was tinted through the windows to keep the bar cool. Its subdued rays reflected off a large aquarium that lead patrons from the entrance into the main lounge. She smiled and winked at a blue angelfish whose vibrant colors matched her unusual eye-catching hair. Only the most observant shinobi might also have noticed the water seemed to rise up the side of the tank, ever so slightly, as though the water was pulling towards Lacy as she walked by. The gentle wave that it caused quietly lapped back and forth between the glass once she had passed.

Her smile broadened once she saw her client, "Ah, Suzuki-san, it is a pleasure to see you again!" She bowed and let the excited businessman help her into a chair.

The afternoon was mostly filled with sushi, sake, and small talk in broken English, but Lacy had a gift for making even the most simple conversation exhilarating by being extremely engaging and interested in everything her clients had to say while including some very subtle but effective flirtations: a slight touch of the hand, or "accidental" brush of legs when re-positioning.

Choosing her moment, she casually asked what Suzuki's plans were this evening, knowing full well that he had been invited to the big reveal party.

"Well, actually, I have been invited to the special celebration of Tesla's new luxury sports car, hosted at the headquarters of their new Japanese division," Suzuki said very proudly.

"Really! Oh my god, I love sports cars! You are SO lucky, I would LOVE to be able to go to that event!"

A huge smile illuminated Suzuki's face, "If you would join me tonight, I would be very happy to take you as my date."

Hook, line and sinker ... Lacy thought to herself.

Inside Tesla's headquarters was the real target of her industrial espionage mission. The plans of a new type of battery that has the potential to revolutionize the electric car industry. The Hirasaka Agency would be very interested to get their hands on those plans, so that Japanese automakers would not be left behind.

The party at Tesla's headquarters was extravagant, even more so than Lacy had expected, however, she made sure not to forget about the reason she was here. About half an hour before the scheduled 'reveal' ceremony, she excused herself from Suzuki's side to "powder her nose." Moving her way through the crowd to parts of the building away from the fanfare, she was frustrated to find security guards posted at all the doors and hallways beyond the reception area. Eventually one of the guards even questioned her.

"Oh, I was just looking for a second ladies room, the line-up is so long," she innocently replied in her best Japanese.

The guard smiled and pointed down an empty hallway to the side.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she rushed down the hall as though it was urgent.

Inside she noticed a ventilation hatch in the ceiling above one of the stalls. Pulling her dress up over her head, her sheer and lacy undergarments had already begun their transformation into a thick inky fluid spreading across her body and re-solidifying as a sleek opaque jet-black body suit that seemed to suck light into oblivion. Combing her bright blue hair back into a tight bun she pulled the newly formed hood and mask up and over her head. Her purse had turned inside-out to become a matching black body-hugging backpack that she stored her dress, heels and other useful items inside before opening the vent and jumping into the duct.

Flowing through the complex system much like a scuba diver exploring an underwater cavern, she emerged from a similar ceiling vent in the the R&D room she sought. Having bypassed all the guards, she now only needed to avoid the sensors of the security system that was activated whenever the room was left empty.

Throwing a small pouch of powder in front of her, thin smoke exploded in all directions revealing the beams of the scanning sensors. Acrobatically tumbling through the air, while nimbly avoiding the shifting beams along the way, she made it to a computer on the far side of the room and quickly began hacking. Navigating to the information that she needed she was suddenly prompted by a password manager. Smiling she entered the credentials she had stolen with the help of one of her other "students."

Unfortunately, her smile vanished as the screen turned solid red and an alarm began blaring.

"F@&#!"

Trying not to panic, she smashed open the computer and ripped out the hard drive ... I know a few techno-wizards who should be able to extract the info ... but as she tucked it away into her pack, she heard the door on the other side of the room open.

The poor unsuspecting guard didn't know what hit him as Lacy leapt across the room in a few quick strides. She landed on him from above, her powerful legs briefly finding a flying triangle choke that turned into a flip and throw with her momentum. The helpless guard crashed against the wall in an unconscious heap.

Sprinting out of the room she dove through the first window she saw, glass shattering outward. She must have been 50 stories up, the ground rushing towards her, but she calmly reached into her pack and grabbed her zip line gun. Within moments, she was safely swooping into the shadows of the night ...



... Suzuki was being hurriedly escorted out of the building with all the other guests. The alarms had initially caused chaos in the party upstairs, but security had got everyone under control and were funneling everyone out. He was anxious because he had completely lost track of Lacy. This could look really bad if word got out that he had left a date behind in a time of crisis. The shame brought to his business could be ...

"Suzuki-san! Over here!" Lacy, back in her evening attire, was excitedly waving from a few meters away in the crowded street.

"Oh, Lacy-san! I'm so happy I found you, I was worried something had happened to you."

Squeezing between the crowd, Lacy was able to reunite with Suzuki and explained, somewhat truthfully, that the alarm had gone off just as she was leaving the washroom, so she wasn't able to meet him before being pressured outside by security with the rest of the crowd.

As they walked away from the party down the busy street, they looked just like any of the other party goers heading off to explore the night life of the city after their evening plans had been prematurely ended, except a very keen eye might have noticed Lacy's grip on her purse was a tad firmer than when she had arrived ...

Takezo had been standing perfectly still for about an hour mentally going through every move in precise sequence that he would be using in regards to his next performance. So focused was he on each of the moves down to their minutest detail that he was already perspiring from the intensity of this part of the workout but in his mind's eye he had not even stepped upon the stage. He was currently going over each detail that would lead up to him taking the stage. For the outcome of the actual performance was intricately tied to the events leading up to that performance. However this was not about planning every contingency as that was impossible, it was a matter of intricately knowing each element such that adjustments could be made on that day to allow the performance to maintain the highest level of quality something he demanded of himself and was known for. This level quality went into every part he performed from biggest to the smallest. This particular performances would be one of his smaller parts one that other performers would not have put the kind of focus and energy into that he does due to its minor nature.

However, Takezo never felt any role was too small, nor was any role, no matter how small, insignificant. Each piece had its place and the delivery of each element played intricately into the overall experience by the audience even if they perhaps did not consciously percieve the significance of a bit part. Still even a bit part if poorly delivered would subconsciously be noticed and that would detract from the overall enjoyment. This dedication to detail was reflected in all his performances, be they on the public stage or in the shadows as a Kūkija.

.......

The Oni had been tough but they eventually put it down, and Takezo played is part in the team effort. Now while he had not been one of the primary assailants, his job had been equally important to bringing about the final successful outcome. Regardless there would be no fanfare or specific recognition as that was not the way of the Kurama Shin. They all understood the nature of what they did and why they must always pull together as a team even when performing at an individual task. Each element and each task no matter how small was equally important to obtaining the final over arching goal. The only recognition one could expect from a mission was one of reprisal for a botched performance of one's duties. This was different than failure for there could be many reasons for failure but a botch was due to being unprepared and that can cause the unnecessary loss of vital resources, such as team members if it was not a solo endeavor.

Cycle 1 - Scene 1: Lacy - Drama Scene

After receiving her mission from Agency Headquarters, Lacy researched and planned out her route to the research facility in her spare time between tutor sessions that same day. By nightfall, her English lesson obligations were complete and she was ready to use the cover of darkness to infiltrate this new Tesla building.

Dressed in her jet-black ninja bodysuit, she swooped high above the streets of the city using her zip lines and aerial skills. However, about 10 mins from her destination she noticed something that immediately brought her to a stop, another shinobi was nearby!

While red is supposed to stand out, somehow the white mask and red kimono-like outfit seemed to blend right in to the darkness.

At least, until the mask seemed to cock sideways and stop.

"The odds of this meeting being a coincidence are quite long, but I will ask anyway. What do you seek?"

Initially thinking the figure a statue, a work of art installed upon one of the buildings, Lacy almost goes right by during her excursion towards the Telsa research facility, but instead she stops, feeling drawn to it for some reason. She can feel something special, but by the time she realizes that feeling is the presence of another shinobi, it is too late. She is startled by the sudden movement of the head as the mask turns towards her and speaks. After recovering from the shock, Lacy relaxes and moves closer to get a better look and then smiles in amazement, "Wow, that mask is exquisite, the detailing is so ... beautiful!"

Realizing the figure had asked her a question she shakes her head to snap out of it, "Well, what I was seeking is not important," Lacy seems to be enthralled by the stranger, "for what I see before me is much more intriguing! I'm sorry, I don't believe we've ever met, but your reputation preceeds you." Lacy pulls her hood down to reveal her brilliant blue hair and big bright 'innocent' eyes. "My name is Lacy," she says with a smile, "and I have ALWAYS wanted to meet a Guardian."

"Ah, you are quite sweet. My cousin made it."

Sumomo gestures at Lacy's outfit. "You have a nice outfit yourself. Quite traditional, but functional I assume?"

Lacy smiles and says, "Looks can be deceiving," as her sleek pragmatic ninja suit suddenly takes on an inky fluid-like property and begins to transform it's shape. By the time it re-solidifies, Lacy is wearing a matte black kimono with silky black embroidery so that the pattern is only visible a bit at a time, when a fold catches the reflecting moonlight. A keen eye would make out the pattern to be stylized tentacles of a squid or octopus.

"Shall we get to know each other better over some tea?"

The two shinobi wander off into the night in conversation. Lacy is happy to have finally met this Guardian Oni that she has heard so much about, although she is frustrated that she is unable to delve into Sumono's hidden secrets using clever conversation and charm, at least for now ...