Who: Mitsuko, Chris and Logan
When: Late afternoon / early evening
Where: Mitsuko and Logan's Cottage
What: Logan gets ready for the Gray-Raokas Dinner Party and Mitsuko has some "girl talk" with Chris

"Logan!" Mitsuko called up the stairs. She was smiling up at her brother. "You better get yourself ready! Chris is going to be here any moment for your date!"

Logan slipped out of his room, his dress shirt half-buttoned and his hair mussed. "It's not a date," he rasped out, his cheeks turning pink. "Maddy just asked us over. Charlie's going to be there and lots of others."

Mitsuko was still getting used to Logan talking-- and thus, talking back-- to her. She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, well, Chris is coming all the way over here to walk with you to Malcolm's, which is a lot closer to her place than yours. That sounds date-like. Now come on! Get ready! Look as handsome as possible."

Mitsuko wrinkled her nose as she went back to the sofa to sit. She couldn't believe what was going on around. Her own shy, nervous brother had a date, the same day as her ice queen of a mother. And she did not. There was definitely something wrong with the world.

At least there was one advantage to Logan taking so long to get ready. If Chris arrived soon, it would Mitsuko a chance to talk to the girl about Hayate. She needed to find out all she could about the vampire, before she made her next move.

Who: Mitsuko and Irei
When: Afternoon
Where: The Cafe
What: Mitsuko is working and takes a break for a friend.

Mitsuko's employment at the cafe (and her uniform) had already had an effect on the cafe. It was even more busy than usual during her shifts. The ratio of men to women also shifted greatly.

Currently, Mitsuko was helping a man with his order. He held the menu of sweets in his hand, adjusting his glasses. "I'm not sure I can quite read this..." The man pointed to the bottom of the menu. "Down here."

MItsuko leaned over to look at the menu closely. "That says 'strawberry tart'." She glanced at the man and saw he was looking nowhere near the menu, but more at her breasts.

With a sigh, Mitsuko stood back up. "Okay, if you don't want actual help with your menu, just tell me you want to look at me." She smiled sweetly. "Or..." She hurried off for a moment. She came back with an instant camera. She held it out to him. "You could take a picture of me."

"Really?" The man said eagerly.

Mitsuko held out her hand. "It'll cost you your watch."

"My watch?" The man repeated. "For one picture?"

Mitsuko sighed. "I don't exactly have a trunk full of film here in Elysium. Supply and demand, you know. Come on... You don't want a picture of me?"

After thinking about it for a moment, the man took off his watch and held it out to Mitsuko. She gave him the camera and made a cute pose, slightly bent over and giving him the v sign. There was a flash and the man smiled happily.

Mitsuko took the camera back and briefly looked at the developing photo. She rolled her eyes and gave him the picture. "Is there any thing else? Do you really want dessert?"

"No no, this is good." The man hurried off.

Mitsuko put the camera away again. She knew it would be a good idea to bring that with her to work. But she would have to find a supply of batteries and film, which she wasn't so sure would be easy to acquire. "Pervert. He could have at least taken a picture of more than my breasts."

She turned and grinned broadly when she saw who had just arrived. "Irei-kun!" She said happily.

Who: Mitsuko and Hayate
When: Morning
Where: The Cafe
What: Mitsuko's first day on the job

Mitsuko felt a thrill of excitement as she picked up the tray of coffee. Today was her first official day working at the cafe.

For the past few weeks, she had been training. She hadn't required that much instruction on how to serve food. She had done it several times before over the course of her life. But she knew her reputation of being a little flighty was fairly well known. Perhaps he wanted to make sure she was serious about the employment.

She was most definitely serious. Mitsuko was actually excited. It felt like she had been drifting for a long time. But now she had something to do, somewhere to go every day. It was definitely a change and it was one she was looking forward to.

She looked down at herself and let out a giggle. She was quite pleased with the uniform Kazuki had made for her. It was a sweet little maid's uniform in black and white. She had accessorized with thigh-high stockings and an apron around her waist. With her ears and tail, it looked like she had just stepped out of a manga.

Mitsuko carried the tray of coffee to a table of young men. She smiled flirtatiously as she set each cup down. "Here you go," she said brightly. "Please enjoy."

"You're new here," one of the men said. "I think I would have remembered you."

"It's my first day." Mitsuko winked at him. "But I'm going to be around here a lot more if you want to come visit."

She turned with a flip of her hair to take care of her next customer.

Who: Mitsuko and Logan
When: Afternoon
Where: The cafe
What: Sisterly advice and a horrible realization

( I have a problem. It's.... It's a girl problem. )

Who: Mitsuko and Kazuki
When: Afternoon
Where: Kazuki's Shop
What: Ordering a uniform and (hopefully) meeting a new friend


It had been a very impulsive thing. Several days ago, Mitsuko had gone to the cafe for some coffee. While she was there, instead of placing her order, she had asked the waiter if she could get a job there.

While Mitsuko had always thought of her "career" as thief, she had various employments in the seven years she'd been on her own. Waitress was a very common one for her. It was a job that didn't change much whether she went, she got to meet lots of people and it kept her busy.

Now that she was in Elysium and had basically given up her thievery, she was finding it hard to keep herself busy. In the old days, she would have just moved onto the next place, to the next adventure. But now that she was in Elysium, she needed to find contentment here.

She hadn't yet started work at the cafe. She was still doing training, however given her experience, it wouldn't take long for her to officially have a job.

Amongst the various waitressing jobs she had, one of her favorites had been at the Maid's Cafe in Akihabara. It was a convenient way for her to conceal her Kitsune identity, as most believed her ears and tail to be her appealing to those who liked KItsunemimi... With the tips she'd gotten, it'd worked well. Mitsuko always liked attention and the cute maid's uniform she had worn certain got attention. So she'd made the suggestion to her new boss that she don a similar costume when working in Helicharis. It had gone over well and that was why she was at the tailor's shop. She needed to get her uniform made so she could start work.

She went into the small shop and looked around for the owner. "Hello?" She called out. She pushed a lock of hair over her ear. She hadn't yet been in the tailor's. She'd been a bit hesitant about it, with her fetish for designer labels. But now that those designers were out of business, she would have to get her clothes locally. She just hoped she liked whoever worked here.

Who: Mitsuko and OPEN
When: Afternoon
Where: The front of Mitsuko's house
What: Mitsuko is learning to be domestic

When people thought of Mitsuko Kamiyama, they usually thought of an attention-seeking wild vixen. Her activities were usually thought to be always crazy and sometimes even dangerous.

Yet this current day, while the wind was blowing hard, Mitsuko was curled just outside the door of her cottage reading. It was slightly cool for reading outside and the wind certainly made things interesting, but Mitsuko didn't like to be cooped up.

Being idle wasn't something Mitsuko was usually good at, but it seemed like she had been running around for so long with all of the troubles that had been going on, it was nice to take a break. Besides, she had something she had to do. She needed to take care of her little brother. She had decided that learning how to cook was a good start to being a better caretaker. Yes, there were a lot of things she could do. Such as trying to talk to him. But Logan had been resistant to that. In Mitsuko's estimation, his current non-verbalization was less muteness and more normal teenager not wanting to talk to his guardian. He had gone out for the afternoon. She'd seen him heading in the direction of Zach's place. Maybe he would have more luck talking to him. So Mitsuko would stick with learning how to make better food for him.

Learning how to cook had never been at the top of Mitsuko's list of things to do. When she had been conning and thieving for a living, it had been very easy to get her dates to buy her meals. Very extravagant things. She also ate a lot of her kills. She did enjoy hunting so. But neither of those things helped her make a good home.

As she begun to read about cooking temperatures, Mitsuko frowned deeply in confusion. It was all new to her. She didn't really understand the concept of making a full dinner very well. But she would press on. She had to. In her head, she could almost hear Shigeru teasing her about 'wife-training' or something ridiculous like that. Certainly, this was a very domestic approach to caring for a moody teenager.

A gust of wind came up and pushed Mitsuko's long, dark locks into her face. As she brought a hand up to brush them back, she lost hold of the book. It caught up in the strong wind and blew down the the path. "Dammit!" Mitsuko scrambled to her feet to run after it.

Who: Mitsuko, Frar and Fror (and later the Council)
Where: Helicharis Marketplace
When: Afternoon
What: Mitsuko's gonna get answers this time

Mitsuko was out in the marketplace, looking scrupulously over some freshly caught seafood from Van'taurë Lake. She was in the mood to make sashimi. While Mitsuko was not good at a lot of cooking, she was quite skilled when it came to serving up raw dishes. It was not really lack of talent, but the scent of cooking animal flesh that made her unable to properly develop kitchen skills.

Mitsuko pursed her lips, looking over the various catches. "Do you have any Tobiko?" At the confused look from the fisherman she grimaced in embarrassment. "Err.... Flying fish roe?"

"Oi." Mitsuko felt someone tugging at her sleeve. "You, Misses."

Mitsuko looked down. "Ehhhh?"

"Leave the fish." It was a dwarf. It took Mitsuko to realize it was the one she had kissed to get information on Frar and Fror. "You wanna know this."

Mitsuko frowned slightly and cocked her head. "What's going on?"

"Know you hadn't found Frar and Fror yet. They've been hidin' in t'caves. But they came out today. They're ov'r there."

Mitsuko felt her heart speed up slightly. "Thanks." She smiled mischievously. "I owe you one."

"If tha' what's y'think..." The dwarf started, but Mitsuko was already on her way towards the two dwarves in the marketplace. Mitsuko smoothed down her short skirt, going into business mode.

"Do I have the pleasure of finally meeting Frar and Fror?" Mitsuko called out.

Who: Mitsuko, Logan and Echo
When: Morning
Where: Helicharis Cottages
What: OMG!WTF!BBQ! Logan speaks to his sister!

There was nothing about Mitsuko that really suggested 'responsible caregiver'. But since the only person she had to care for was seventeen years old, it was all right if she was a bit shaky in her abilities. But she wanted to provide as nice a home as possible. That's why this morning, Mitsuko was attempting to make pancakes.

She was doing a pretty good job of it, carefully spooning batter onto the griddle and closely watching as the bottom cooked, trying her best to flip them over without smearing the uncooked batter on top. It was so far turning out fairly well... At least as long as she didn't take too deep a breath to smell the frying bacon. The scent of cooking meat always made Mitsuko a little bit nauseous. She much preferred her meat raw.

As Mitsuko cooked breakfast, she heard the thunderous sound of footsteps down he stairs. "Ohayo, Logan-chan!" Mitsuko chirped happily. She still had no idea if Logan understood Japanese, but he never seemed to mind her using it around him.

But this morning... Logan looked different than usual. He looked... Panicked. He was dressed in rumpled, paint-spattered clothing. Mitsuko was used to seeing Logan in clothes covered in paint, but it was obvious he had been wearing them all night. His lower lip was covered in blood, from a deep gash on his lip. Mitsuko's eyes grew wide. "Logan? Daijoubu desu ka?"

Logan was panting as he grabbed his elder sister by the shoulders. His eyes were wide, full of panic. "Chris," He rasped. "Trouble."

Mitsuko was too stunned by the sound of words coming from her mute brother's mouth to react right away. She was frozen, almost not noticing when he went tearing out the door.

After a moment, she regained her senses and realized Logan was gone. "LOGAN!" She cried, running after him. "Where are you going?" The scent of something burning hit her sensitive nose. "FUCK!" she ran back into the kitchen and turned off the stove, leaving the burnt pancakes and bacon on the stove as she went to pursue Logan once again.

When she got outside, she saw no sign of her younger brother. He looked utterly panicked. And he had... Spoken. After so much silence, it had to be something big that would get him to utter words. "Logan!" Mitsuko cried out desperately. "Where are you? Come on! I wanna help!"


Japanese translation:
Ohayo = Good Morning
Daijoubu desu ka? = Are you all right?

Who: Everyone!
Where: Just outside of Helicharis at the Festival Grounds
When: 6 PM till ??
What: Autumnal Equinox Festival - It's the first day of Autumn!

ooc: To join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The past week had been nothing but preparations for the coming equinox that would herald the new season. It was a happy time for the forest creatures as they were the ones that spent hours on end setting up the grounds for the joyous celebration. Wooden lamp posts lit with orange flames bordered the area as well as throughout the entire festival grounds. Each attendee was greeted with a flower garland for their head, neck, or wrist if they desired one.

Fairies had decided to attend this festival as well because of the bright colors that had attracted their attention. There were bonfires all throughout the festival as well and they added warmth to the cool night air. The fiery glow that came from each pyre added a comforting feel to the entire atmosphere, and there were many fauns and fae dancing around each one in a happy manner. They were singing songs and laughing joyously as they pulled passers-by into their happy circle.

Musical fauns played their instruments as they marched through the festival. Fae and fairies flew around the traveling group, singing and humming to the music that resonated in the air. A large stage was set up for those who wished to perform in front of a large crowd be it with singing or acting or any other sort of talent they possessed. There were shows held as well, particularly by those who possessed magic and wished to entertain the crowd for an hour or tow.

Food and drink tables were set up nearby to feed the many attendees with whatever they could think to eat. And wine, they couldn't forget about the wine! There were scantily clad fae handing out the intoxicating liquid to everyone with a free hand. The wine this year was extremely potent and anyone with a weak constitution would no doubt get inebriated with just one cup.

The southern part of the festival held the games geared toward the young or simply the young at heart. Barrels were available for those who wished to roll down hills, piles of leaves were created for those who wanted nothing more than to jump and play in them. Colored sparklers were handed out freely and there were even pegasus rides for anyone who wanted to soar through the skies. There were contests here as well, simple ones that had participants bobbing for apples and fruits and curious prizes, searching for toys in piles of hay, and even pinning horns on a wooden faun.

Contests were set up again as they were just a month earlier. Archery contests and wrestling matches, potato sack and three-legged races. There were various game booths set up as well, such as knife throwing and ring tossing. There was even an area set up for pie eating contests and a Dwarven ale contest where participants could try to out-drink a dwarf.

Fireworks exploded periodically throughout the night and the gleeful sounds of the festival echoed all around. Elysium was a joyful place tonight as citizens celebrated the equinox beneath the near-full moon.

Who: Mitsuko and Logan (Narrative)
When: Morning
Where: Mitsuko and Logan's Cottage
What: Mitsuko gets a gift

Mitsuko flounced down the stairs into the kitchen of the cottage she shared with her younger brother. She was feeling much better than she had in days. While things were still shaky (such as not having worked things out with Loki yet), she decided not to let that get to her. Rather, she was going to focus on the things that were going well. Such as the fact she might be getting some more answers as to who had let her nearly take the fall for stealing the Elvish object.

Logan was already in the kitchen, fixing himself breakfast. "Morning, Logan-chan," Mitsuko said, smiling at her brother.

Logan gave Mitsuko a small smile, causing the bruise on his mouth the stretch.

Mitsuko frowned slightly and reached out, touching his face. "When are you gonna tell me what happen there, Logan? You get into a fight with someone?"

Logan shrugged off his sister's question. He abandoned his breakfast, going to the front door.

"Hey!" Mitsuko called after him, looking down at the bowl of cereal he'd fix. "You don't have to take off! At least eat! I won't ask you anymore questions!"

Logan had opened the front door and stopped. He knelt down and picked up the box. He went back into the kitchen and held out the box to Mitsuko.

"What's this?" Mitsuko asked.

Logan gave a small shrug. With Mitsuko now distracted by the gift, he went back to his breakfast in silence.

Mitsuko sat across the table from him and read the note with the box. She smiles. "Irei-kun..." She opened the box and immediately gagged. While she normally wasn't bothered by the scent of blood-- she was a hunter after all-- it was not something her human form really liked. Why the hell would Irei send her a rope that had been soaked in blood? Was it so kind of joke?

Logan peered over curiously but Mitsuko closed up the box before he could look in. "It's nothing," Mitsuko insisted.

She snatched up a pad of paper and pen. She began to write a note. She then tore it from the pad and held it out to Logan. "I need to go out this morning, but I need this note taken to Irei's. Can you take this for me?"

Logan accepted the note. He was going to be heading out that way anyway. He nodded and tucked the note in his jacket.

Mitsuko set the box aside and looked over her brother once again. "...You sure you don't want to talk about that bruise?"

Logan shook his head and went back to his breakfast.

Who: Mitsuko (Narrative)
When: Afternoon
Where: Helicharis
What: Investigatng
Mitsuko was still a little tired and worn down. She had been out of the Medical Pavilion for a few days, but her body was still rebelling against her. She was sleeping a lot, spending more time in her natural fox form. It took time for her body to repair itself and stressing herself out by being in human form did not help matters at all. But she was beginning to feel better. She was feeling well enough to begin her investigation. She still remained far more casual about her appearance than normal. She was keeping a low profile with the recent accusation against her and it was tiring to maintain any illusions past her human form. So she was dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans, her feet bare, a loose brown shirt and a hat to hide her fox ears.

Mitsuko was sitting outside of her cottage, a pad of paper in her hand. She was carefully going over the praeternatural species she knew and which would be powerful enough to break an elven spell. Thankfully, the list was rather short:

Djinn
Dwarves
Witches and Sorcerers
Nymphs

She considered her list for a moment. She nodded slowly as she wrote down another species

Elves

She couldn't discount the possibility one of the Elves was rogue and wanted the object for themselves. Besides, who better than an Elf to break an Elven spell?

She hesitated with her pen, one other species remaining in her head. It was true, she would have had difficulty with traversing the wards herself. But that wasn't to say it was impossible. Finally, Mitsuko wrote down the final species.

Kitsune

Beside the name of her own species, she wrote Okasama. If any Kitsune were powerful enough to break the spell, it was MItsuko's own mother. But, after a moment, she rethought this and crossed out her mother's name. It was ridiculous. There was no way Kamiyama Midori would have stolen Mir'en'Galad.

MItsuko loked over her list. It wasn't a long one, but still... How the hell was she supposed to narrow it down? She couldn't just go around accusing people of taking Mir'en'Galad. That had been what angered her about her own imprisonment. She sighed deeply. Just having a list of species wasn't going to help her at all. Who was she kidding? She couldn't find out who did this.

"Watch your step!" Mitsuko flinched a bit, surprised at the voice. She looked over towards the path towards the marketplace. There were two people walking along. One of them had just taken a bad step.

"Sorry," they apologized to their companion. "I'll still feeling a bit lightheaded."

"It was DAYS ago you had that dwarf ale. You can't still be feeling it!"

Mitsuko frowned deeply. What the hell was going on?

"I'm telling you, I am!" The one who stumbled insisted. "You don't know how strong that stuff was! I mean, I know dwarves are good at their ale, but this was... Incredible! Like nothing else! Downright magic!"

Mitsuko glanced down at her list. The wording of the praises seemed to stir something in her. She got up. "Excuse me!" She called out. "What was that you were saying?"

The two passerbys looked at Mitsuko in a mix of surprise and a bit of mistrust. Not surprising, considering how word of her imprisonment had been spread around town. It would take a while for everyone to realize she had been exonerated. "What do you mean?"

"You had some ale from the dwarves and you're still feeling the effects of it?" MItsuko asked, frowning slightly.

"Not much," the man insisted. "But a little, yeah..."

"How many days ago was it?" Mitsuko asked, carefully pronouncing each word.

"Five days ago," the man replied. "Why.... You don't think I have to go to the Medical Pavilion, do I?"

Mitsuko shook her head. "Naw.... I'm sure you're fine," her reply was a bit dismissive. "Which dwarves are they?"

"Frar and Fror," he replied. He looked over Mitsuko suspiciously. "Why?"

"Wanna see if they have any more," Mitsuko lied easily. She smiled. "Always like to try new and exciting things."

She left the pair to continue to the marketplace. She definitely needed to talk to Frar and Fror about their magical brew.

Who: Theora and Mitsuko (with Loki and Nico possibly)
When: Early Afternoon
Where: Private room in Medical Pavilion
What: Checking in on the patient

Perhaps it was Elune's bidding that brought Theora to the medical pavilion the night before just as Mitsuko Kamiyama was brought in by a young man that Theora knew quite well. She recognized Loki and smiled at him only until she noticed the frantic look in his eyes and the unconscious fox in his arms. "A kitsune," Theora said immediately recognizing the energy signal from the weakened fox. "Quickly Loki, take her to an empty room."

Theora had spent the night tending to the poor white kitsune, watching over her form and periodically healing her until she awoke. The priestess was careful to not use too much of her power on the praeternatural knowing that a body oftentimes could not handle the energy that the priestess held. Small doses for smaller beings, as was the case here. The graceful Elven woman smiled down at the fox, her hands reaching out to stroke the soft white fur. "Wake up child..." she whispered close to Mitsuko's ear.

It was fortunate indeed that Theora was there when Mitsuko was brought in - not only for the priestess's healing abilities but also because Theora had been looking for Mitsuko as well. The Elven lady had heard of the theft of the Mir'en'Galad from the temple's priests, and they had also spoken the fox's name stating that she was the most likely suspect of the crime. Theora was not easily convinced and reserved her judgment much to the priests's dismay.

She sighed softly while watching Mitsuko's unmoving form. Theora did not believe in Mitsuko's guilt knowing whomever did take the artifact held great magic to break the Elven seal. And though the young kitsune held a reputation for being a rogue and a thief, Theora did not believe that she was to blame. And, if the priestess remembered correctly this young woman was the older sister of the half-kitsune they found on their first scouting mission. Surely the white fox would not have jeopardized her well-being or that of her brother's for the thrill that thievery brought. No, Theora did not sense that from the unconscious girl on the bed. The priestess did however have many things on her mind as of late, and she held the desire to speak of them with the young kitsune.

"It is time to awaken, young one..." Theora spoke once more, her voice holding an ethereal quality. The priestess's hand was pressed gently against the fox's neck and it glowed with the healing magic that would return the rest of Mitsuko's strength.

Who: Mitsuko and Loki (and briefly Nico)
When: Evening
Where: Loki's cottage
What: Loki's back!!!!!!!!!!!

The small white fox darted down the path towards the Helicharis cottages. This had come to be a normal sight in Elysium. But for once, Mitsuko wasn't fleeing from someone she had just robbed. Rather, she was desperately trying to get to Loki's cottage.

She had barely arrived in the marketplace when she heard someone mention that Theora had come back. That, of course, meant Loki was back as well. She had immediately transformed into her fox form-- which was much easier to move in-- and retreated back to the cottages. Her body still ached from her encounter with the vampire, but she had waited to long to see him again.

Once she arrived at the cottage, she transformed back into her human form. She took a moment to fix herself up, make sure her hair was in place. She had worn it up today. To shield the bruised bite mark on her throat, she wore a dark blue turtleneck. Not known for covering up so much, Mitsuko chose one that was cut high, exposing her flat stomach and a short skirt, so not to tip off she was hiding something. The bruises on her arms were hidden, but some of her back just peeked out from below the hem of her sweater.

Once she was satisfied she looked fine, she pulled open the door and ran into the cottage. "Hello?" She called out. "Loki?" She bit her lower lip, suddenly feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. She frowned slightly. "You here?"

Who: Mitsuko and Hayate
When: Late night
Where: Wine Bar
What: Celebrations lead to a new meeting

Mitsuko giggled cutely at the joke the troll just told. It wasn't particularly funny, but he had brought her a glass of wine not long ago, so she felt a little obligated. She was perched on the edge of the bar, her legs crossed coquettishly. Besides the troll, there were half a dozen other men of various species surrounding her, making jokes and fetching Mitsuko drinks, all in an attempt to get her to go home with them. It wasn't a surprise to Mitsuko. She had dressed specifically to gain attention, in a provocative green dress and knit vest. She'd curled her hair just enough to make it look deliciously rumpled, like she'd been active in bed recently and was looking to be so again shortly.

Tonight was a night for celebration. Logan had run up to her all excited, holding the letter of her exoneration. There had been hugs and a few tears between the siblings. They then had a nice dinner together in celebration. Afterwards, Logan had gone off to work on his artwork. But Mitsuko was antsy. She wanted to celebrate further.

She had thought about tracking down her friends, but decided to go out alone. Maybe it was a bit of an ironic way to celebrate being proven innocent of theft, but Mitsuko felt like getting up to her old tricks. It would have been hard with Adrienne, Irei or Shigeru present to properly engage in her trade.

Taking a sip of her drink, Mitsuko flirtatiously ran her hand over the arm of one of the men-- Mitsuko dimly recalled him mentioning he was a sorcerer. When she had moved her hand away, she discreetly palmed the watch she'd taken from his wrist.

"Now, boys," Mitsuko uncrossed her long legs and hopped off the bar. "I'll be right back." She smoothly moved across the bar. She wasn't planning to return to the men. She was frankly bored with them. She'd liberated a watch, a ring and an odd sort of crystal. None of the men had been attractive enough to flirt with for sport, only for their valuables. She needed something new to occupy her attention.

Who: Mitsuko and Adrienne
When: Noon
Where: Restaurant
What: Fox and wolf have lunch together

After leaving Irei's, Mitsuko felt much better about things. At least one thing had been settled in her life. There was still quite a bit to go, but... One less thing was still one less thing. Hopefully, it would soon be even less. Mr. Conté had seemed fairly certain a decision would be reached on her innocence soon. She certainly hoped so. She didn't know how much longer she could stand her fate being in the balance. Even if they ruled against her, at least she would know where she stood...

But now wasn't the time to think about that. She and Adrienne had arranged to have lunch together. It had been far too long since they had seen each other. Adrienne was such a dear friend. She was the first person Mitsuko had met in Elysium and from that moment, they had been friends. It was people like her that would help her through these difficult times.

Before heading to the restaurant, Mitsuko went home briefly to grab a jacket and run a brush through her hair. Having settled things a bit more now, she was feeling a bit more self-conscious about her appearance. She was just beginning to feel more normal.

Even with her stop at home, Mitsuko was still a bit early for lunch. She glance inside the restaurant quickly, but saw no sign of Adrienne. So she waited outside the door, leaning casually against the wall. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and drew out a pack of cigarettes-- stolen from Shige when they had gone out-- and a lighter. Mitsuko hadn't considered herself a regular smoker in years, but with the recent stress and hanging out so much with Irei and Shige, she found the vice more and more common.

Lighting the cigarette and blowing out a cloud of smoke, Mitsuko waited silently for her favourite lycanthrope to arrive.

Who: Mitsuko and Irei
When: Morning
Where: Irei and Sascha's place
What: Talking about what happened

Mitsuko was still feeling horrible. The decision of her innocence was still in the air and that kept her emotions frayed. The reappearance of her mother had shaken her to her core. There seemed to have been a separation in her and her friends. She hadn't seen Echo or Adrienne or Shigeru. Nico was still a judgmental asshole. And Irei...

Well, Irei was why Mitsuko was by the Waterfront Bungalows. She hadn't spoken to the necromancer in days. Not since... Well, not since that night. She could still remember the feel of his lips against her, the desire in her body, the guilt that had swelled up immediately afterwards.

She needed to talk with Irei about what happened. At least apologize for running away from him the way she did. Make sure he knew.... Something.

Mitsuko raised her hand to knock on the door. But she hesitated, unsure of what to say. While Mitsuko was usually fearless, everything about the current situation had shaken her. She was no longer sure what she was supposed to do.

Who: Dylan, Mitsuko, and Pietro
When: Morning
Where: Town Hall
What: A conclusion over the stolen artifact.

His footsteps echoed across the floor as he made his way to the small conference room. His heart weighed heavily with each step his feet took through the hallway. Dylan knew there were people who wanted answers about the artifact, and there were some who did not care. They questioned further people, but through much less alarming methods. Visitors to people's houses stopped by the previous afternoon to confirm the stories given to them by their suspects. Partial confirmations were given, but not everything fell into place.

It had been up to him and others to determine whether or not any of their called in suspects had indeed taken part in the theft of the artifact. The decision had not been easy either. Irei Arakaki was written off of the list. There was no way he could have partaken in the theft. As for the two kitsune, things were much more different for them.

Dylan opened up the door to the conference room, saw Mitsuko Kamiyama and her lawyer, Pietro Conté, on the other side of the table. He closed the door behind him and approached the table, shaking Pietro's hand and bowing to Mitsuko in greeting to them both. "I must inform you both that this has been a very hard decision for the summoned jury council to decide upon," he began with the two of them, taking a seat at the table on the side opposite of them. "The artifact is still missing, and there are those who want answers."

His words were cryptic as they sometimes revealed themselves to be for others. "Miss Kamiyama," Dylan said, turning to look at Mitsuko. "If you will, please relay to me your side of the story once more. In detail, truthfully as it happened. As much as I am sure you do not like me, I ask only that you answer this as seriously and kindly as possible. This is important for you to say, and important for me to heed. Therefore, if you will, calmly tell me the events of that night, which you and you alone have experienced and have the ability to tell."

Who: Mitsuko Kamiyama and Shigeru Takemoto
When: Late afternoon
Where: Town Hall-- Dungeon
What: The Genko and Byakko Brats talk about imprisonment and Kitsune issues.

Mitsuko was pacing in her cell. She couldn't believe the events of the past twenty-four hours. First, she was dragged into an interrogation room with an arrogant, speciest Elf. Then she was drilled on the night she wanted to forget with Irei. Then she was placed in this cell and told she had to remain there for twenty-four hours... Longer, if they found anything they could hold her on.

And there was the Kamiyama Midori... Her mother was here, in Elysium. Mitsuko had been wondering about her mother's fate for months now. She had fretted and worried and... She was here. Had been for weeks now. And had not come to see her.

Mitsuko loved her mother... That didn't mean she liked her much. The love was out of biological loyalty more than anything else. She owed the woman for her birth, but that was the extent of her affections. Midori had done far too much, manipulated her in ways only Mitsuko knew.... There would never be any true parental connection between them. Too many bridged had been burned.

Mitsuko stopped her paced, stopping in the middle of the cell. She ran a hand through her long dark hair. Her hand subconscious traveled to her throat, reaching for the Hoshi no Tama that was no longer there. "Inari-sama...." She murmured as she shut her eyes. Mitsuko rarely turned to the Kitsune religion, but in moments like this, she needed to feel some sort of connection, needed some sort of comfort. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and feelings.

She was confused. She was upset. She was.... Downright pissed off.

Mitsuko just wanted to be out of this cell. She wanted to be back at her home. Most importantly.... She wanted to drink. She needed to wash the foul taste of this day away in a sea of alcohol.