[D3 LM] Market Research (generally open)

[Agasha Sorato]

Sorato had told Hikari he wanted to learn more about the fishing and sea farming trade in Tango Province, but then yesterday had been taken up by mountain hiking and child-wrangling. Checking the weather forecast in the morning today, he times his monorail trip to the coastal suburb so as to wait out the worst of the rain... and brings his new umbrella, too, just in case. However, by the time he gets to Tenjin Town it's bright and humid, steam almost visibly rising from the walkways above the town's canals.

He makes his way to the docks slowly, on foot, observing the life of the town around him and stopping to chat with some of the fresh catch vendors about their trade. Lacking access to a kitchen in his dark little embassy guest room, he wouldn't have any way to prepare any of the abundant stocks of live shellfish or shining raw fish, so unfortunately there's no point shopping for those, but he does patronize a few of the stalls selling grilled tentacles on skewers and dumplings with cooked fish bits inside.

Mindful of the rumors he'd overheard on the public transit the past few days about commotions and strange figures on the docks, he also keeps an ear open for anything that seems out of the ordinary. If there are crime problems or unfamiliar local traditions in this area, that would need to be noted in any proposal to his family about getting involved in the aquaculture business here.

[Boogiepop]

It seemed that Sorato had serendipitously timed his visit to the town just as the residents emerged from their humble abodes. Life on the island can struggle with the tropical rains at times, but little stops them from continuing as normal once the rain dissipates. There are some people who are seen pulling some debris from the waters and fixing a few homes that had the short end of the stick when it came to the recent downpour.

There aren't many non-Crab who are present here, Tenjin Town being a mere footnote in the island's marketing campaign when they sent out the infosheets with the governor's invitation. The few nameless restaurants and food stands were an attraction enough to visit, however, as long as people can tolerate the seafood industry that was practiced on the balconies of many homes here.

Out of the population of the heimen here, there was a visible Crab officer who seemed to be offering a few glances over the resumed work but offered little in the way of direction or accounting. Might have just been passing through. He was rather tall, looking much like a Hida in profile.



The Phoenix did catch his attention as he moved through a few labourers on the platform bridge, all while refusing to change his unwelcoming look to accommodate.

[Agasha Sorato]

Sorato certainly isn't bothered by the fish and other sea products hanging up for processing, or being dried on baskets and racks on people's balconies. Matching up the real thing in various states of preparation with the catalogue of useful species he'd read in the planetary encyclopedia occupies his mind for a while as he ambles along the canals, finishing off his paper basket of fish dumplings along the way.

Out of the population of the heimen here, there was a visible Crab officer who seemed to be offering a few glances over the resumed work but offered little in the way of direction or accounting. Might have just been passing through. He was rather tall, looking much like a Hida in profile.



The Phoenix did catch his attention as he moved through a few labourers on the platform bridge, all while refusing to change his unwelcoming look to accommodate.

Despite the Crab officer's stony looks, Sorato offers a polite if casual bow. "Good morning, Crab-san. It's become quite a fine day." Now that the rain has stopped trying to drown everyone, that is.

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

Despite the polite greeting, this does little to soften his features. There was a clear look of continued disdain and suspicion in his expression. There was ample opportunity for him to walk away from his interaction without saying another word. Visitors and tourists weren't going to be relevant. However, a small collision of carts that happened nearby would stop him from continuing on his path so easily.

He huffed in annoyance as the heimen were quick to pick up the live blue crab to return them to their foam box storage, while the other car had to contend with flopping fish that escaped their bucket prison.

"Phoenix-san, what are you doing here?" Now that he stood closer, this man seemingly had the rank of gunso with the identification of 'Kaiu Takeo' on his uniform.

[Agasha Sorato]

"Visiting the dockside market," Sorato answers mildly. "Enjoying some of your island's delicious seafood. I hope that's all right..." he focuses on the man's name badge for a moment, "Kaiu-gunso." A nod acknowledges the officer's rank, even though he's already bowed earlier.

A dazed crab staggers into a collision with Sorato's shoe. With a bemused expression, he bends to pick it up--from behind, correctly avoiding the front claws--turns it to and fro to get a closer look at its back and underside, and then deposits it, still flailing, back into a foam box.

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

The Kaiu offered no such help to the locals as they quickly pick after their harvested ocean loot. One heimen would offer a momentary deep bow by the unexpected aid of the Phoenix for the one crab he picked up. Overall, the locals were able to make quick work of their cleanup here and resume as normal.

Despite the way cleared, the Kaiu would remain, especially now that the Phoenix had the misfortune of having his attention, making no secret that he would consider the Agasha an invader of sorts by his rather firm stares alone. He wouldn't acknowledge that whatever perfectly normal thing Sorato was doing was fine with him and seemed to move further in with his next line of questioning.

"Are you looking for something?" He would ask. The inflection of his words would indicate that it wasn't so much of an offer to help but more that he wanted the answer.

[Agasha Sorato]

Sorato's brows draw together a bit. He hadn't quite expected to find himself subject to interrogation on this casual morning trip. Still, it's not as if he's doing anything wrong here, so he shouldn't have anything to worry about, right?

Wiping his crabby hand dry on his trouser seam, he explains, "I am visiting for the governor's investment conference. My name is Agasha no Atsumaru Sorato." Another little nod-bow. "My usual duties are ecological surveys and agricultural support. I'm interested in learning more about fisheries and farming on Shiawase Island. I was told this is where most of the catch is brought in, so I've come to look around."

After a moment's consideration, he adds, "I also heard the rumors about a fuss on the docks at night, though. Anyone would be curious about that." Mentioning this might be a mistake, but on the other hand, as he'd discussed with the Spider courtier the other day, you can't learn anything new if you don't ever talk about it.

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

"I'm sure," the Kaiu said, seemingly having not even acknowledged his introduction nor the official reason for his visit. Now that the Agasha might have a longer than momentary interaction with him, it seems that Kaiu was dressed for some sort of outdoor duty rather than a strictly commanding gunso one, rugged fabrics without much in the way of frills other than his rank and name. The way that mud clung to his boots and the dirt on his clothes would indicate he wasn't exactly going to be marching into the lounge any time soon.

"I know about that," he would answer back abruptly, scarcely before Sorato could finish his sentence. "It's no mystery. Merely a group of adults playing children's games."

[Agasha Sorato]

"Oh? What sort of games?"

It's probably obvious that the gunso's quick-and-ready answer surprises Sorato a bit. If he had any expectations about the sort of response a security officer might give to his not-quite-a-question, those expectations were more along the lines of Don't be concerned, nothing happened on the docks or maybe Routine investigations are still ongoing.

"Does this often happen here? Adults with the time to play children's games at night?" He remembers his run-in with Yoritomo Ochiba and considers that, after all, anything's possible.

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

Takeo sneered at the question with obvious disdain and gave a rather uncouth spite at the sea. It almost seems increasingly clear that this man was potentially born into the wrong timeline as a Crab or he was always destined to be some flavour of unpleasant.

"Feh, too flamboyant to be cultists, something of an acting troupe. It's all a waste of time and an embarrassment to the Crab," He said with a glare toward the docks in the distance.

[Agasha Sorato]

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sorato tries to sound appropriately solemn, following Takeo's gaze and looking toward the docks himself. "As a visitor, your island's cultural traditions seem very appealing--the beach culture, the local foods, the First Market. I can see how some things could be extra work for the security services, though." He rubs his chin. "Cultists? You mean a religious group? Some minor Fortune?"

Just as islands and other isolated places developed unique variations of flora and fauna, they did sometimes develop unique variations on human practices and beliefs. Sorato has come across examples before, a few times, from the Starfall colonists' numerous elemental shrines to the forest temple on Asakaze (though he'd later heard that there turned out to be something really wrong with that sect, actually).

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

Sorato gushed about the island and its traditions, but that had little effect on the hard shell of this Crab. He merely gave a shake of his head, finding the words seemed somewhat insulting than flattering, as it seemed. "All a colossal waste of time, Phoenix-san. Proper Crab should do their duties and want nothing else in life. A great fucking lack of that around here."

Before there could be a pause to ask what he was talking about, he would turn his attention toward the land itself, Mount Jinsei was perhaps the largest landmark in that direction.

"No, something else. A group with fantastical beliefs to make them feel better at night. Not so different like the Fortunes, I suppose," he would murmur the last bit under his breath.

"They can sell you on that shit if you visit the Temple of Light." He thumbed the vague general direction of the location. Well, considering his knowledge of the land, it was more accurate than lackadaisical.

[Agasha Sorato]

"I see. I might do that, for my curiosity," Sorato says mildly. "It looks like you've had a long morning already, though, Kuni-san," he adds with a glance at the man's muddy field togs. "No emergencies, I hope."

[Boogiepop]

Kaiu Takeo

He merely looked directly at the Phoenix and let out a gruff clearing of his throat. Sorato likely mean the other K family in the Family. Takeo was probably going to react the same way, even with the correct Family name being addressed. There was no right answer with this unpleasant man, it seemed.

"Oh, no emergencies here, Phoenix-san," he said on the matter. There was a very momentary glib inflection with those words. "Just a lot of people taking space, as far as I see."

With that, he merely continued on his way.

/exit

[Agasha Sorato]

Sorato shrugs. Sometimes people were prickly and that's just how life is. He can't control it, and in this case it doesn't really do him any harm. He waves politely as the man leaves, then continues his explorations of the docks and fish markets, making occasional scribbles in his densai about things he wants to remember. When something especially catches his attention, like a tub of sand eels or a tank of young, live crystal shrimp, he'll stop and look more closely for a while, sometimes asking the heimin proprietors questions. There's not much he could do with fresh, raw fish while staying in a hotel, but he might buy a bottled tea or other small item, if available, to show his appreciation for their time.

((probably Fade to Browsing, unless something else notable occurs?))

[Boogiepop]

/Fade to Browsing!