Finding Old Friends [Finished]

[Dark]

Well, that about settled things now, didn’t it? Minh had never been so grateful for intuitional female-speak before in her entire life. And with that settled it was time to beat a gracious, totally believable, completely misleading retreat.

Of course, she was a little bit unsure how to go about the art of subtle misdirection—that was Mnemosyne’s area of expertise, not Minh’s. Minh only had two settings—completely oblivious madwoman and righteously indignant—and neither one of those were particularly ideal for the task at hand. Not that she’d ever really let a minor setback like that hold her back. After about ten seconds of careful deliberation she decided to play on her strengths, and settled with righteous fury.

Drawing on previously untapped reservoirs of rage, she channeled her ire towards bristled fur and raised her voice in an unhappy yowl.

Time to make a scene.

With a rush of creativity Minh proceeded to tell them, rather colorfully, exactly where to shove their chauvinistic, male egos. Then, brimming with what she hoped was the wrath of a wronged woman, she made her exit.

[Bee]

"Well," said Mnem, glancing after Minh in a brief moment of incomprehension. She had planned a more quiet departure. A few chosen words, a tasteful exit. She should have known that wouldn't be Minh's style. Not that the spectacle hadn't been amusing. In any event, she decided to play along. She didn't want to give the duo a hint that Mnem and Minh would be tailing them, after all; their aims would be easier to accomplish if they didn't suspect anything and didn't constantly glance over their shoulders.

So she put on her best sneer, and spat, with the considerable amount of venom she was able to conjure, "There's little I can add to that. Fare thee well, darlings. Perhaps one day Minh and I will venture out on a stroll and happen upon your remains."

With that, she tilted her head up at a haughty angle, turned about sharply, and trotted after Minh.

[Trebias]

Elias for once found it difficult to get a word in. When the women-folk stormed off, he barely sputtered and told Whip, “Useful additions or not, that’ll be a no, then.” He dropped his voice to a barely audible whisper. “We’ll probably be needing to shake ‘em, then.” For the good of both groups, really. It was doubtful the ladies knew the Marshes like he and Rai did, and they wouldn’t be taking one of the nice tour trails, which were dangerous enough. Shaking the two would make the going easier for Whip and El, and safer for the two who very well wouldn’t know some of the more subtle things to look for in the wilderness, book-smart or no.

They’d do well up in the courts, El reckoned, with the way they were already accustomed to looking down their noses at people and telling other people how to do their own jobs, apparently. If they survived that long, he added to himself. Elias wasn’t the friendliest Card out there, but he knew not to antagonize a high ranking citizen belonging to a suit known for hurting other cards. But, they hadn’t asked him.

[seraaches]

Shinrai gave a deep sigh, a mixture of annoyance and relief. He gave a small nod of agreement; passionate storm-off or not, he didn’t trust either of the females alone and together were certainly a force to be reckoned with. As much assistance they might have been was fully offset by their inability to accept orders even when it was obviously in their best interest. He still was unwilling to let them loose only to die in the Marsh, no thank you. The two Marsh dwellers would have to make plans to cover their tracks when they left the city. For now, however…

”Well, El, let’s get you something to eat and retreat to the suite to make our plans. We’ve got a lot to accomplish and a short amount of time to do it.” With that, Shinrai led the way away from the café and towards a small food shop a short distance from his suite. His ears were flicking and focusing on everything around him, uncertain if the women would follow them now. He really hoped not, but it was difficult to know just how Minh and Mnem’s minds worked.

After procuring some meats for the canine to consume back 'home', the horse hustled his friend to the suite and gladly closed and locked the door with a sigh. The spartantly furnished apartment would hardly be a surprise to the other man; it was, after all, comparative to the cabin Rai lived in back in Josiggy Marsh.

[Dark]

Minh peeked out, ninja-like from the alley she’d taken refuge in after storming off, and observed the interactions of Elias and Shinrai. The two hadn’t apparently quite believed their retreat, but at least they were leaving it alone for the moment. It was a small blessing, at least. But now that the retreat was finished, Minh wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed.

She had always been too obvious for her own good, so how was she going to ever manage being stealthy? For the sake of their mission, however, she would have to try. And, come on—genius. How hard would it be to learn?

And then there were supplies to buy and pack; and information to steal. That, at least, she could do. The acquisition of hard-to-come-by items had always been a gift of hers; she could have been a trader if her interests hadn’t leaned more towards chemistry and a different sort of vocation.

She turned to Mnemosyne, “So, uh… what now?”

[Bee]

"So," said Mnem, "we follow."

There was no way she was letting those two go off without a tail, not when they had insulted her in such a manner. Besides, more likely than not they would need to save the day at some point, and just thinking about the expressions on their faces when such an event occurred was enough to tickle Mnem's funny bone but good.

They'd need their own supplies, though. Mnem was used to having a more substantial entourage when she ventured to places of questionable repute, but she was certain that between her cunning and Minh's crazy they would be able to handle themselves.

"We know where Shinrai and Elias are staying," she told the feline. "We'll use their downtime to get ourselves ready. I might be able to fish out a few of my old Capital City contacts who are familiar with the Marsh." Her primary Marsh contact had long since vanished, and Mnem suspected he was dead. Terribly pity, really. He had been able to procure her some fantastic tea.

[Dark]

Right-o. Good battle plan. She’d known there was a reason she kept Mnemosyne around besides for her non-existent grocery-procuring skills.

There was still the matter of getting around undetected, but in the interest of preserving what little bit of sanity she had it was probably in everyone’s best interest that she leave the sort of cunning to Mnemosyne. She’d focus on the more practical side of things, starting with packing.

She started brain-storming out loud, “Only the essentials, now: sturdy pack, canteen, Rambo-knife, sleeping roll, and fire-starters for each of us. Non-perishable food stuffs, because neither of us are exactly crack-shots when it comes to hunting. At least, I’m not—I don’t know about you—but there was this one time I went camping with my brother… Yeah. We’ll need a skillet; you get to cook. And reference books on geology, fauna, and flora. You’ll need specimen containers… Am I forgetting something? Oh! No expedition is worth a lick of salt without a sturdy length of rope; can't forget that.”

Yeah.

[Bee]

Mnemosyne watched Minh segue into a rambling monologue with a trace of curiosity that vanished utterly when the feline hit "Rambo-knife." This was just something that mad people did, she supposed. Minh was given to narrating her actions and thoughts as though relaying the information to some secret party that desperately needed to know what type of experiment she was performing on a bander or what she planned on carelessly throwing in a blender for lunch. It was the sort of thing mad people did, she suspected. She was apparently addressing Mnem, but the canine knew she wasn't, really.

She agreed with most of the list, in any event. And she didn't mind cooking. Preferred to do it, in fact. She didn't want the sort of toxic swill Minh might be tempted to call a meal.

"I suggest we get to it," she said, trying to pull her friend back to reality. "We have much to do and less time in which to do it. First--food."

[Dark]

((OOC: So we’re on hold with this until Trebias-dear is once again released, yes? S’okay if Minh and Mnem do a little set-up at least?))

[seraaches]

(( You may as well, dears.... <333 ))