Orient Town Restaurant

(Another week gone by, another post... good god i´m slow XD)

Es noticed the differences between the waitress and Kageo quickly- she wasn`t quite as furry as him, her face and limbs at least were completely hairless, similar to that Kokonoe person. Thinking nothing at all about oogling an attractive waitress like that, she turned back to Kageo as the meal was more interesting.
"Well, have a nice meal, Kageo."

Safe to say she had never tasted anything like that before- even the rice, ususally dull and taste-neutral, was somehow an experience of its own. Still, Es couldn´t keep her eyes on her own dish and kept watching the waitresses in their very short skirts walk around with bright smiles, and some of the colorful guests all around.
Strange. Es seemed to have an obsession with beastkin waitresses.

The notice of his companion's eyes on the beastkin had not been a surprise to him at least by the notice, he had nodded to her and smiled. "You as well, Es-chan, have a great meal." at some point he'd let it go and had let off a small silent few words, something of good fortunate as it seemed. He was quite happy to turn to the meal, like a good kaka his focus was mostly upon the food before him. As he drew up the chopsticks and began to pick at the rice slowly, his eyes drifted. Unable to help his own feline curiosity, he watched Es, watching the waitresses; he'd easily noticed the beastkin waitresses, but had never done more than show them the respect of a nod or smile. He also tipped quite well, knowing that it could be rough trying to make a buck and keep it. He imagined that it was because she was not familiar with beastkin so much, perhaps that or the design of their clothing may have seemed odd or intriguing to her.

"It is strange. Those feline waitresses seem to have an unnatural attraction to the human male customers. Can you think of a reason why?"
Es looked over to her Kaka friend, stopping the process of stuffing her face with rice to ask this question. She was not familiar with the concept of sexuality or intercourse, having never quite understood Toyas facination with her. although she didn`t mind it. She simply never had anyone to talk about it, and felt no need to. However, with her curiosity peaked, she did notice this oddity.
"It seems to affect me too. The way their ears twitch and their tails swipe is catching my eyes, whatever i want it or not."

The reason why? Well he knew it as well as the other male customers, despite ignoring it on the visible effect it would have on his body. Such things were rude right? (Even if that's the idea while on the job) Shaking the thought from his head, he'd give her a verbal answer that she could grasp easily. "Well that is a bit of a simple, it is the movement of these limbs that draw the eyes of the customers. It is an appeal that it carries, the enjoyment of felines or in other ideals the exotic draw of watching a female with extra limbs. Customers will tip better often" He did realize that the reason wasn't really clear on its own, but he decided to just give her a little more information, in hopes of evening her out her understanding.

"In this case, Es-chan, the waitresses carry an appeal, something about thing is intriguing to us as the customer. Which is the relative gist of why we look." he did repeat himself, but was also making sure that his eyes fell back to his food, he hadn't wanted to make a very big deal about paying attention to anyone except his friend and/or his food at the moment. It was troublesome being a male of notable age some days.

Es blinked, looking at Kageo with a certain dumbfoundness.
"But... why do we look at other females? Is it because they are pretty, or because they are dressed like that?" She said, looking at the skimpy waitress uniforms with a questioning look.
It didn´t dawn upon her that the question would be wierd, but she did remember to keep eating as else it would be cold, and that would put Kageos goodwill to shame.
"I am sorry if i ask too many questions. I haven't been out much."
After a bit of more objective looks, she noticed a few other things.
"Its interesting to see how their chest bounces. One wonders how long these clothes continue to support them... is it normal that they do not wear underwear? Because one of them seems not to."

The kaka had been sure to bite his lip a few times, since her mention of these particular observations made it all the easier for him to notice at least the swaying tails, the lack of britches upon one of the waitresses; while taking a moment to adjust his mental settings the kaka's eyes had briefly glowed a soft green before he cleared his throat to speak up on it. "Well Es-chan, I should say you make a point, so I will do my best to explain." Well what a fine kettle of fish this was right? He proceeded without having to use any colorful language. "We watch them because they are pretty and the clothing they wear is meant to draw our eyes to them. While not a common practice, even lacking undergarments will be used sometimes as a further lure to the sense of patrons." he had to do some quick thinking and took a few seconds to conjure up the finest way he could of saying this without trying to explain sexuality itself as a subject over their meal. After taking a quick bite and mentally rehearsing his statement in his head, upon swallowing the contents of both rice and some meat, he proceeded on the subject at hand.

"Your keen observations lead me to make another slight point about those in this business of waitressing. It is easier to gain tips from the typical male clients this way or most certainly earn attention from them." He wasn't sure if he answered all of her questions, but he tried still to keep it polite on a subject that he purposefully avoided. It was far too easy to be reminded that he was a male amongst all things, where being both that and a kaka was a difficult thing.

Es didn`t understand half of that, but she got a bit. They were trying to make more money.
Was that like those "whores" she sometimes heard about that were selling their bodies for a night for a fixed price? Probably. Although these waitresses were apperantly more respected than the later.
"I see, i think. Then we should tip them too since we`ve paid so much attention to them, yes?"
She really couldn´t pull her eyes away from one of them. Upon closer inspection, her tail and ears resembled more a fox, thus making her a kitsune... Es had no idea why she paid so much attention to her.

That was kind of the detail, though he wanted to make another, cursing to one point his own squeamishness about explaining such a subject. He was never good with a topic that he himself had no practical knowledge of. Though theory did well enough, just to the point the time. "Typically one will tip based upon service more than appearance, but it doesn't hurt to tip extra for looks as well." was it that Es found these women's extra limbs to be appealing? He was sure that it was, he'd gone through a lot of trouble to ensure that he was drawn to nothing but the food. While he gazed over to the kitsune woman, he had been too gazing at and much longer than he'd thought he would be.

(Coming from Kokonoe's Personal Laboratory)

In a flash of light, Kokonoe had traveled forward in space and teleported to a quaint little restaurant in Orient Town. She noted that the placed smelled of puffer fish and peking duck, the latter scent reminding her of her old student Litchi Faye-Ling.

"I wonder if she still runs a clinic here." She thought as she scanned her surroundings for Kageo. She didn't want to admit it out loud, as she did with other things, but she missed having her and Lotte around to do her errands, among other things. "Perhaps if things didn't turn out the way they did..."

She immediately shook those thoughts away. There was no room for regrets. Not in the road she chose. It was their own fault for messing with the Boundary, and whatever happened was their mess to deal with...right?

It took her about two minutes, but she finally caught sight of a certain modified Kaka agent she was also quite fond of.

"Kageo-kaka!"

Es dropped her fork and widened her eyes- warping away wasn't a feasable idea right now, Kokonoe would notice that instantly.
So, instead, she took a dive under the table as soon as she felt the distortion of space time that Kokonoes transport coming.
Under the table, she was then totally quiet, waiting for her chance to escape.

Having heard the Professor call his name and it not be over the communications feed in his mind, he was both stunned and shocked at once; but had quickly taken a chance to breathe. He realized that Es had ducked under the table. It was easy for him to remember Es's earlier statement and he was not planning on breaking his word. So acting almost completely normal, as calm as he could manage; he responded in a calm tone to his superior.

"Yes Professor? I had not expected you would come all the way out here, has there been a change in mission standing?" up to this point, he'd done what he could do from his end and without much success; with Tager as more the big guns this seemed to be a normal thing. But he couldn't help but wonder what brought her to the field? And of course what's more right to his location? He was suddenly rather curious about what her answer would be.

If she had sensed Es' presence earlier, Kokonoe did not show it. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

"First order of business: Tager hasn't been answering his comms for the longest time now." She explained as she paced around the table "I know that guy's a tough sonuvabitch. I made him that way myself. But the fact that neither he nor Hakumen have been keeping tabs with me..."

Now that she mentioned it, she never ASKED Hakumen of the Six Heroes to keep in touch in the first place. It was merely a general assumption on her part.

"At any rate, since you're the only field agent here at the moment, You got two missions;" She continued as she readjusted her spectacles "One, find and secure the Azure Grimoire. This was Tager's mission and I cannot stress the importance of that one enough. Two...find out what happened to Iron Tager."

Iron Tager had failed to complete the mission of bringing in the deadliest criminal in all of the history of the world to this point? He had never received a transmission, originally as Tager's backup this was the thing that was crucial; he had received only the word that he was tracking down Ragna the Bloodedge. Someone that the kaka already encountered. But after a chance to scan even the calm power levels of the SS-Criminal, he knew that he wouldn't win an open fight. It wasn't a close fight, the retrieval might be plausible of he were deceased or perhaps already beaten. But who could have managed that? She mentioned Hakumen, the very mythic Silver knight who was a hero of the early Dark War? "Providing the first objective, are there any parameters I should undertake? Granted Professor, the SS-Criminal outclasses me in every aspect, would you prefer I engaged him outright?" 

The second objective was far safer and perhaps a bit easier to conduct for him, there were no questions regarding how he would carry out the search for Iron Tager. But with Ragna the Bloodedge as a mission all to himself, possessing superior combat ability, there was little the chance that an A- ranking combatant would have a chance of claiming victory when fighting someone of Ragna's caliber.

Hidden from sight, Es tries her best to wait for the right moment to crawl away. As much as she`s tempted to tickle Kokonoe´s naked feet, she knows better than to tempt the demon. Unfortunately, the way they`re sitting its not very easy to crawl away, so she stays where she is right now, her face toward Kageo`s legs so that her breath won´t give her position away.

"Yeah, you'll definitely be no match against the Grim Reaper on your own." Kokonoe said as she concurred with his statement "Which is why you're going to have to find Tager first. While Ragna the Bloodedge can fight you two individually, I seriously doubt that sucker can handle both of you at once."

As soon as she finished speaking, she took a seat in front of her subordinate and brought the laptop she had with her out "I'll be within the area and act as your mission control, like usual. You are to keep in constant communication with me at all times, are we clear?"

There was a moment of hesitation within his word, but he knew that she had not wished to send him on a failed mission. The kaka gave her a firm nod, gently nudging Es with his tail, prompting her that it would be time to move soon for her. He had already guessed that she was trying to keep out of sight. He wanted to help her and with his tail, he'd hoped to give her a good chance to scoot off without being noticed. "Crystal, Professor. If I may infer on Agent Tager's last known coordinates? I can better trail my search for him, since I well aware of his electromagnetic interference and scent. A sector will allow me to maximize the search effort."

Well the idea of still engaging Ragna the Bloodedge was not something that he was one to favor, but he wouldn't question it, she wished him to find Tager first, something that he could actually do and was certain that tracking him down wasn't going to be too much trouble; given his faith in the Red Devil's strength and general demeanor, he knew him to make proper decisions under due stress of any kind.

Es nodded silently towards Kageo, her intetions clear already. While Kokonoe looked at him, she looked ahead, and without fear, she started to crawl towards the next table, intending to leave the restaurant by going from place to place until she reached the door.

That was, of course, if the cat wont find her first.

"Last I heard, he just entered Kagutsuchi's- what the hell?"

Kokonoe did a double take as her laptop began emitting a strange beeping noise. She immediately stopped to check on what exactly was going on.

"Holy shit..." The cat beastkin scientist said in disbelief, her amber eyes widened due to the shock and her trademark lollipop dropping from her agape mouth "These readings...there's a murakumo here?!"

"But that can't be!" she thought in her head. The only Murakumo units she knew were Nu-13, which to her knowledge had not been smelted yet, Mu-12 who, for all she knew, was destroyed when Take-Mikazuchi blew up the facility she was held in, and Lambda who in her lab. The rest, as far as she knew, were in the graveyard deactivated.

"What could this all mean?!"

The kaka looked up at her and appeared surprised, while he was hoping that Es had made some headway, he'd placed his paws on the tables. "But that's...impossible, Professor. The Murakumo are...aren't they in hold with the NOL? It cannot be." while she'd revealed only a little of what she was to him, Kageo imagined the readings were coming from her, but he would only hope that the blond would make her move and disappear into either the crowded streets or find a way out of here.

"I mean...such a powerful being undetected before this time? It's not plausible, they are well...you know better than anyone the danger." he was just stating the obvious and trying to see about what her reaction would lead to.

Wheeping quietly, Es turned to crawl as fast as she could, trying to escape. If she would warp, Kokonoe would know she was there... and would likely be able to follow. But if she continued like this, she would be found...
Feeling overworked with the decision, she went behind the nearest table and hid there, hugging her knees and hoping the Professor`s device wasn´t accurate enough to pinpoint her location.

"Of course I do!" Kokonoe said as she analyzed the readings, sweat creasing her brow as she typed furiously "But I'm telling you that it's here! And you know as well as I do that the data doesn't lie!"

The Chief Scientist of Sector Seven kept a close eye on her readings, finding that not only was the Murakumo here, bu it was also on the move. She had to find the source before it slipped through her fingers.

Kageo had to stall and he knew it...he only hoped that Es would get the vibe to go, once he did just this, as he took some false readings...something that he was sure would stir things up. "Professor, isn't this Murakumo in Sector K of the restaurant? I mean you see if you break things up into groupings, the Northeast side of this building's location and start nearest the kitchen...it should be pretty simple to break down. I mean, the data compiled seems to read this signal closer to that direction...err right?" the hapless babble of his was merely filter data he got from wrong degrees in scans, a malfunction within the ACS radar system that he happened to let reactive in order to throw off his own senses. It was not a lie, with his own purpose. But rather his way of keeping word to a friend.

Es´s body shivered a bit as Kokonoe seemed to be chasing her through data and possibly more. If she wouldn´t move, it´d be over, and she would probably end up on an operation table of some kind.
It was risky, but she was out of options- Kageo began to lie for her sake, and she didn`t want him to get in trouble. So, in the end, all she could do was engage the spartial transfer with a random input of data, and hope it wasn´t an active volcano nearby.
Sparks and noise gave off her location at last, then she vanished in a black gape in space time, which closed up behind her.

------>GET TO THA CHOPPA (aka exit into a random location, Kokonoe can follow if she likes.)

"...Very well."

Kokonoe sighed as she picked up her laptop and began walking. She sensed something was off with Kageo, but chose to ignore it. For one, he must've had a good reason for lying (a task she would enjoy getting out of him later) and two, she had more important matters to handle.

Also, the presence suddenly disappeared, rendering her laptop silent.

"The readings disappeared anyway." She sighed as she began walking out the door "Remember your mission, Agent Kageo: Find Iron Tager, then secure Ragna the Bloodedge."

Without giving another word, she walked out the door with the NOL Headquarters as her destination in mind. She knew that's where the action will be, and she wants to be there when it happens.

"And if I run into Terumi," She thought as her lips curled into a sinister grin "All the better."

(Leaving for the Cathedral)

As he let off a gentle sigh, knowing that he'd be one to answer for it later, he'd deactivated the loused readings, a lousy infective data could do a lot. While he was sure that he was caught in that quick offset, it was no time for hesitation. He paid for the check, left a tip, and finished his meal and headed off. All without managing to be too savage with his pace. It was a nice thing, though a little unfortunate that his and Es's meal was cut short. But he counted the blessings of Es's escape, looking up as he left the restaurant he'd smiled a little. "The trouble was worth it...keep doing well, Es-chan. Now to the mission." his murmurs falling upon none but his own as he left the restaurant, placing his cloak's hood back up; did he take off and headed down the road. Litchi's clinic was a good place to check, most people and information would pass through there normally. Maybe Linhua had heard something?

(Exuent)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>