Meeting the Landers: Sumeragi Youta

Takamatsu, the capital to the Sumeragi Clan. While its dock regions may be largely warehouses and market stalls along a main road - a second main road crosses it and reaches towards the protected hillside of the nearby castle. Of all the Mac Anu homesteads, this one looks to be the least defended by walls. Not that it doesn't have any, but rather that it looks almost... like the kind of architecture that declares a bold challenge.

Rather than siege equipment, there's guards that stand on the walls. Bold flags hang down from its stone sides, as Mikage and Jazuhanzu approach it. The Japanese elements to all the housing, buildings, and even the castle itself are very prominent in this area of Mac Anu - where others might have more european looks due to all-encompassing stone walls.

It took some petitioning to be given an audience. Luckily, most Adventurers are not bothering too much with the heads of various kingdoms. When they finally are allowed into the castle, they may note that this regent is just as the rumors suggested... different from the others. Blue hair, white cloth with what can only be described as 'fantasy style', is leaning sligtly and sitting with one leg over the other, leaning on the two handed scabbard-and-sword of his weapon while staring at them.

There's a few pyres going, and a few female Undine bow to the ladies as they step in - who have clearly just come back from some kind of scouting mission based on their attire. There's multiple water features within the throne room itself, one of them being used by an Undine who is listening to everything going on. No doubt some kind of advisor.

"Yo!" Is the greeting that Mikage and Jazuhanzu get. "You Adventurer bastards! Come closer so I can see you better!" There's a boldness and bemusement to him that... just screams 'Yakuza Warlord'. He's speaking impolitely, but his expression and his mannerisms let the two quickly know that 'bastard' is being used as a term of endearment here.

In general, Mikage is not the sort of person that normally goes on expeditions that require a great deal of tact or diplomacy. However, she is the sort that gets invested in storylines, which means that her curiousity is enough to have sparked her to look further into the sort of people that might have information about the strange object they are seeking and where in the Undine lands it might be found.

This is her first visit to Mac Anu, which means that the Were Fang looks over everything with some measure of wonder. She has the hood of her cloak pulled up, if only to ward off eyes of Landers who might be wary of her kind. Her gear still looks as if it has seen travel, but has at least been cleaned, boots polished, laces replaced where they needed to in order to look presentable. Even Rama had gotten a groom, much to his dismay. The lynx pads next to his master, nose twitching at unfamiliar smells.

The 'Yo' of greeting is enough to get a look of surprise, one that only deepens as the man continues to talk. "Uh..." Finding the right words has never been her strong suit. So, Miki just steps forward, bowing her head in some measure of polite greeting. "Thank you for being willing to meet with us." She looks distinctly awkward at having to do any speaking in such a manner. Rama, on the other hand, is just staring at the man, ears perked.

Like Mikage, Jazz would not consider herself the soul of diplomacy, but here she is. Curious looks around leave the Undine Maid(en) being easily distracted. Several times, she nearly allows herself to be separated from Mikage, though chin links make it easy to avoid the consequences of this. When they're called over, she too is caught off guard by the informal 'Yo'. There is a pause, then she offers up a 'yo' of her own. Then, a little bow of her own as she follows Mikage's initial lead.

The head of the Sumeragi Clan seems to take great joy in the discomfort of the people in front of him. The polite greeting just makes that grin of his wider than it was before. "So - a Were Fang and an Undine. Adventurers truly come up with the strangest hunter parties!" At Jazuhanzu's offered 'yo', he rises up and slings his sword over his shoulder. Seems he's not that keen to keep sitting on his throne, coming down two steps...

And then slams his sword's scabbard to the tile, and places both hands on the handle of his blade. He's somewhat on the talls side, for an Undine. He certainly manages to tower a bit above them. "Enough with the prostrating! What do you two want? Need someone's ass kicked or something? We do protection for a pretty good fee if you need to cross the ocean. We dragged enough of you bastards out of Ezzo while having to deal with that shit-snake Leviathan." He motions his hand behind him in the general north-eastern direction.

Then, as if something jogs his memory, he goes; "Oh wait, you guys are the ones who wanted to go slumming underwater, aren't you? What do you want to go to our old hide-outs for? Those shitty humans and the Zorah Clan have taken most of what is cool down there already."

"We're not a..." Mikage is about to explain that she and Jazuhanzu aren't technically a party, but it seems like that might not be best to contradict him. Instead, she just shakes her head, drawing her hands up to pull her hood down. Since he had already figured out her identity as a Were Fang, there is no need to continue to hide it. "I've been in stranger groups."

Rama's fur bristles a little as the scabbard is tossed to the tiles, making a sound that has him arching his back ever so slightly. "Easy, Rama." Miki murmurs, holding a hand out to try and calm the feline. "Neither of us were from Ezzo, and I think we can take care of ourselves on an ocean voyage." Though the Ranger isn't fond of the open ocean, she has never had any trouble fighting off the common monsters that attack the sailing ships. Leviathans aside...

At the question, she gives a look towards Jazuhanzu, perhaps unsure just how much she wants to give away about what was found. "We've got a lead that we found during a quest. Something that might be potentially hundreds of years old. But I don't think either of us is very knowledgeable about the Undine territories. At least... I'm not." She admits, not knowing how much her companion is aware of.

A brief sideeye at Mikage when she starts to object is followed by a casual shrug of her shoulders. She doesn't seem to want to challenge that assumption herself.

"I am Jazz," she offers to the other Undine, explaining, "That's us," she tells him, the tips of her tentacles twitching as they rest against her shoulders. "I'm Jazz. This is Mikage," she offers, gesturing at the Were. "And for what its worth, thanks for your help with the Ezzo business. It was a mess all around. And no, we're not. Despite the tentacles, I haven't exactly been down by any of the old cities." It's not like a lot of Landers have either, given the dangers involved. "And anyone I asked told me 'if you want to have a chance to find the rarest of rare treasures, Sumeragi Youta is your bet." She glances over towards Mikage again, then back to the Undine.

Youta seems... remarkably observant. Mikage might have noticed how his gaze had snapped to her neck immediately - no doubt because she was wearing a hood. "I don't care if you are a wolf in disguise, or an orc. If you can fight, you're alright by me. I think your sort were the best thing those shits in the Ninetails Dominion ever made." Which is definitely a different opinion than what some of the Lander rulers hold. Of course, most of them are more... conscious about their words when referring to Were Fangs.

He glances down at Rama, and then back to Mikage again. "Yeah? A lead on something hundreds of years old underwater? No fucking shit. All that shit down there is fucking ancient." He seems to be having a jolly good time, rather than telling her off at all. "Got some millenia old shit down there too. It's at least ten times as old as the hundred year old shit. But it's still all shit. Some of it is good shit though." He points out.

He shifts his posture, rising up properly and rolling his shoulders for a moment, swinging that thing on his shoulder again and begins to kind of just... pace in front of the two of them. "Cool. Yeah. Jazz and Mikage. And you're welcome." He motions his hand.

But then she goes ahead and compliments him, and he thumbs his thumb right into his chest. "Damn right they are! Sumeragi Youta! Finder of shit underwater!" He then looks back to the two of them. "So, what do you need found? You probably can't afford me personally, but I can at least point you the right way and send one of my Family with you. There's of course a... finders fee. Our Kingdom after all. But I'm sure you Adventurer bastards can pay up on that too."

"I'm neither, but I'd like to think I'm a damn good fighter." Mikage had come in runner up in the tournament, though that might not be something known amongst the Landers. The girl crosses her arms over her chest, still watching him with a quirked eyebrow and a curious expression.

"Well, exactly how old this shit might be is still something we're not sure about. We don't exactly have an exact date." As he goes about introducing himself, she smirks, "Well, if that's true, then I guess you are the right person to talk to. Since you seem very knowledgable about shit of all types."

Miki isn't about to promise anything by means of payment, at least not upfront anyways. Instead, she looks to Jazuhanzu, raising a brow in her direction. This is her quest, afterall, and she isn't about to let precious information go if it isn't needed. All she offers is a slight motion of her hand, inviting the Undine to speak.

As Sumeragi Youta thumbs his chest, Jazz just sort of stares at him for a moment and then nods. She adjusts the pointed hat on her head and explains, "We're seeking a specific kind of crystal for a specific client. I'm sure you understand how it is -- discretion is required and all that -- but they requested a very specific kind of blue crystal. Now, as I said, everyone who we spoke to told us that it could probably be found in the old Undine Kingdoms, and everyone who we asked about *those* told us that you're the one to ask. While you're no doubt insanely busy with your own work, we're hoping you could tell us more about it -- they seemed sure you'd know what we were talking about, or have seen something like it before in your travels and travails." She brings her hands together in front of her, clasping one hand's wrist with the other. "A guide would certainly be welcome. I don't have any experience in the old kingdoms myself."

Youta wasn't at the Tournament himself, or he might have recognized her. It generally isn't wise for a regent to leisurely go to an arena full of armed people of a semi-allied semi-adversarial Kingdom. That said, he halts for a moment in his pacing and lookes Mikage over. "Alright - alright. I can see what you're working with. I believe you." He admits, as if eyeing her somehow told him of her strength. Perhaps it was simply her build, or perhaps he could sense the magic coming off of her. Landers certainly do not appear to have access to INSPECT like the Adventurers do.

"I'm going to need shit about the shit in order to tell you shit about where the shit might be found - /Shit/." That last one used as punctuation. Seemed he really liked using that word. Or at least for that sentence. "So you bastards better come up with that information fast, otherwise I'm going to just kick you two out of here and we'll both have wasted eachothers' time."

He looks to Jazuhanzu, placing one hand at his hip at seems almost impatient as she explains the situation. "Guide or not, we have many Kingdoms. And 'a crystal' isn't useful information yo. Like, what color is it. How big is it. What's its shape and function? Those morons from back in the days used to use crystals for fucking everything okay? -Fuck-. You bastards got a drawing or something? Otherwise, you'll just end up in the wrong place and become sharkbait for nothing."

There are times where Mikage seems to have quite the offensive mouth on her, but this guy certainly takes the grand prize. There is another flick of her eyes towards Jazuhanzu before she adds with a hint of her own frustration leaking through her words. "A blue crystal. About this big." She motions with her hands, then goes on to describe the shape using her memory of the hologram they'd been shown.

"We believe it might have been used as part of a protective shrine on an outlying island." It's certainly more specific than what she had said before, but also vague enough that it would be difficult to track down exactly where they are talking about. "And how about cutting it out with that specific kind of shit. I don't exactly take kindly to threats."

Though Miki isn't a tank, she is the front-line fighter in her own party, which means she tends to get rubbed the wrong way when people get agressive towards her or her friends. "My research says that the Bibilan dungeon might be a way of gaining access to some of the Undine ruins. I've been in there before, and it was pretty dangerous, though not to the lower floors."

Wait, was he threatening them? Jazz didn't even notice. Perhaps this is the sort of interaction she's a little innured to. She glances over towards Mikage, giving a nod. "Fairly large," she concurs." She outlines the shape of it with her hands in a quick set of gestures, eyes narrowing in thought. "You have?" she says to Mikage, glancing over her shoulder, but then she's nodding.

Her eyes are back to Sumeragi. Let's see if that suffices. She's curious to how he'll take Mikage's retort.

"Yo, we cool - alright?" Youta answers Mikage almost immediately when she shows offense to his earlier 'threat' of kicking them out. The man then proceeds to crack his neck a bit - pulling his head to the left, then to the right. Rolling his shoulders a few times. It's all posturing. But with his INSPECT indicating his level is significantly above theirs, perhaps it's not unearned posturing.

When Mikage offers up some information, he notes; "You know your stuff. Bibilan's a good place for land-folk to go first, as it means their Bubble spells and what not can last longer. Diving straight from the surface is a /total pain/. But Bibilan gives good access, Yo." He nods his head each time he says 'yo'.

He then listens to the description they both come up with, and follows the outline Jazuhanzu offers. "Oh yeah! Hey, I know that one. That turd-eating Leviathan guards that one like it's its fucking child or something. Fuck, I can get a guide to show you there, but you better come with a fucking army... and be okay with them all dying while some other party steals that shit, because unless you come up with a better plan than that fucking Adventurer craziness, you ain't taking that thing anywhere. That shit's near the north-eastern part of the Fourland Dukedom - closed to the Zorah."

There is a certain amount of bravado there that Mikage brings to the table. Even if it is likely that this Lander could mop the floor with her, it seems like a bad idea to let him know that. "Yeah, we're cool." Rama gives a little huff through his nose at that, settling near her feet. There's almost an expression on the lynx's face like: 'I got groomed for this bullshit?'

"There's a giant skull that leads down into it on the coastline of Alne, though that might not be the only way in." Mikage explains, "A group of us went down with Fukasa. She was hunting a trident drop." She shakes her head then, "We didn't explore it fully, and I certainly didn't see any exits out to open water."

Her eyes shift back to Youta when he seems to recognize the crystal they are after and this time, she swears under her breath. "That's... more of a protective force than I think we were bargaining for. We certainly don't have armies at our call." There is a questioning look to Jazz, as if wondering if she has any bright ideas.

"Damn. That sounds like a very serious understaking." Jazz's twee voice undercuts the soberness with which she replies. She raises her hand and puts it to her chin, stroking it in thought.

"We'll need to confer with your guide, scout it, and then see if we can't develop a plan to extract it. It sounds like this is going to take some doing, but it may not be something we can do right away. If its as dangerous as you say, we might have some time to work out the details." She glances over at Mikage, giving her a nod.

"And it's only one of a kind, then?" She makes a face, scrunching it up. Cutely, of course.

"I can offer you a guide to at least check it out. But you're dealing with a fucking Leviathan up there, you bastards." The leader of the Sumeragi Clan declares to the two of them. Poor Lynx. Indeed, he got groomed, only to have to listen to this asshole. But at least this asshole seems to be inclined to help the Adventurers.

He likes their style.

"I'll have something arranged. Just bring me something back from Bibilan when you come back or something. Don't worry about the price of a simple scouting mission like that. If you ain't get something out of it, then it isn't a proper business transaction, you know?" He motions his hand at that.

"But yes, that fucking crystal is one of a kind. Think it's called the Right of Waystone. Some god damned Relic made by those Alv Bastards some hundreds of years ago. Supposed to keep giant monsters like those asswipe Leviathans at bay. Seems like it's guarding it, instead of scaring it away though. So good luck with that shitty piece of equipment. Probably needs to be powered or some shit." He rolls his eyes at that. "Fucking good luck."

"Well, a scouting mission will give us more information than we had before. So it's at least a step in the right direction." The fact that a robot with massive weapons couldn't destroy a Leviathan, tells Mikage that this may very well be a lost cause, but there's no reason to give up without at least taking a look at what they have to deal with.

"Maybe if you can make friends with our informant, they might have some suggestions on how to lure the Leviathan away from the prize..." Miki hadn't been back to the island since they had left, largely due to the long boat voyage that she is not wanting to repeat anytime soon.

Then, to the mouthy Lander, she inclines her head, "Any help you can offer would be appreciated. I'm sure if you send a guide with, they'll be able to find something down there worth their while for the trip."

"Agreed," says Jazz to Mikage. "My efforts on that front may soon bear fruit, though I've no idea just what kind. Hopefully, it's not a durian."

She half-bows towards their Agressively Frinedly And Loud Lander 'friend'.

"If it can keep the Leviathins away, they no doubt won't give it up easily... but that does make me question why it hasn't been simply destroyed. When you say 'they' are guarding it, do you mean something like Sahuagin, or something else?" she asks, seeking clarity there.

"You always get some monsters with the Leviathans. Looking for an easy snack. The Leviathan eats the larger creatures in the ocean, and the bottomfeeders eat what's left. More often than not, they get eaten by the fucking thing though." Youta explains for Jazuhanzu's sake. "So you always are going to have to deal with that." He explains, before motioning for them to depart. "I'll get my scout to hit you up soon and get you some information about where you are going. You bastards better stay in town for the next twenty-four hours, so they can find you." He expresses to them, while Mikage and Jazuhanzu try to come up with a plan right in front of him.

"Have a good night." Youta then remarks, turning and bringing his blade back onto his shoulder and wanders back to his throne.

"Right..." The man certainly makes it clear that they are dismissed. "Thanks." His way of dealing with people seems to draw out a more curt sort of response from Mikage. She rolls her eyes as he wanders off in the other direction, then she motions to Jazz. "Let's go, before we wear out our welcome anymore than we already have."

Rama... well he just gives another snort in the direction of the sword-wielding man, then turns and walks away, his nub tail up and a haughty expression.

"Hm," is what Jazz says, distractedly, to Mikage as she wheels around to follow her.

"I'll get back to the outlying island in question soon. I have to take something there anyway, I'll try to glean what I can from them then. Perhaps we ought to ask Akatsuki for help on the scouting front..."

Smol ninjas and Smol Undines, unite in smolidarity once more!