01 - At Duncan's

//--GM
Shall we pick up at the new Duncan's, or else-when? I presume that was where Daniel and Oshi intended to take their convalescence until at least the physical scars began to fade.

//--Daniel
Daniel does intend to stay there a bit, yes.

//--GM
Did either of you intend to corner Mandy again? What should Duncan be working on now? Any R&R plans beyond the basic sleeping and eating?

//--Daniel
Daniel would certainly speak further to Mandy, the other folks he knows there, regulars... he's hanging around attracting recruits, touring this end of the city. At some point he needs to Trump his father, and probably also the Queen.

//--GM
It takes you both maybe three days to be right as rain. Besides Duncan, Mandy, and Kaylee the waitress, Oshi meets and Daniel reacquaints with Sally, the other bartender, Willis Bruce, the blues-man and talent coordinator, and Nikki, the coat check girl / numbers runner / "entertainment" coordinator. The other waitresses are new, one working her way through college (Kim) and the other a beauty school dropout (Sandy). Oddly enough, Sandy seems like the smarter of the two. Rip, a fairly imposing dude in black leather, was looking to hire on as a bouncer, but after Nikki arm-locked him and threw him out when he started shit with some guys from another 'set', he's quieted down, content to spend his money at the bar, rather than work too hard to try to earn it here. Duncan uses him as a runner occasionally when Nikki is otherwise occupied or the place gets busy. Most of the other regulars are fairly nondescript, except for the occasional group of bikers looking for a laid-back place to drink and socialize and the odd gaggles of youngsters (college kids, art school students, beautician academy grads, etc.) looking for a little danger and excitement (at least as they see it).

//--Daniel
Daniel gives Oshi some time after the thing with Brand to get her head on straight. He'll hook her up with the local internet & library, gardens, whatever's of interest to her when she's not pursuing her brother's killer.

//--GM
This end of the city has a few good trade schools and a community college to feed the local factories with an 'educated' workforce. A slightly run-down botanical garden sprawls three or four blocks from Duncan's - paid for by an eccentric local tycoon's mismanaged estate - and there's a fairly large and well maintained public library across the street from it. Duncan has a 'safe' internet connection behind the bar that Oshi can use, or he can provide her with something more 'dangerous' if she wants to relocate from the common room upstairs to a room of her own in the 'dorm' across the parking lot.

Does Daniel intend to engineer an opportunity to talk to Oshi, or just wait for a good moment to arise of its own accord? Oshi seems content to spend most of her time keeping an eye on Daniel and Mandy.

//--Oshi
Oshi would likely spend her free time reading alone in the dorm area. The internet would likely be of little interest for her; she's a book kind of girl.

//--Daniel
He'll come and find her sometime around day two, when she's reading or doing something else quiet, give a knock on the door frame and look in. "Hey. 's up?" He leans in and smiles.

//--Oshi
She would carefully mark her place and put the book down beside her before answering. "Hello Daniel. What can I do for you today?"

//--Daniel
He raises an eyebrow. "'What can I do for you today?' That seems a little formal." He drifts into the room and sits on the edge of one of the bunks near her, one heel up, and leans back onto his hands. "We are where we are, and I hoped we could talk about you and Amber, Brand as was, next steps... and what happened with me back in Basin City, when you gave Mandy the scare of her life."

//--Oshi
Oshi just nods. Then after a moment adds: "You may speak."

//--Daniel
Daniel's eyes light up with unexpressed laughter. Around his smile he says, "Okay, first, you've seen a little about how the rumour mill works in Amber and how little facts get shared around. Gerard seems to have taken our 'side,' such as it is, and perhaps Caine has, as well. The queen clearly wanted rid of the threat of Brand, and while he wouldn't do anything directly, I know Random did, too. Where that leaves us with the rest of the family, I have much less idea. Bleys and Fiona attending the poker game? Could have been tacit acceptance, could have been a thinly veiled threat.

"I hope you know, I will support you whatever needs doing in this, but I need to know what direction threats might come from. So, what else has the family promised you? Who has contacted you, and how do they stand?"

//--Oshi
"I do no believe I have been spoken to about this subject by any of your, or our relatives. I spoke briefly to Gerard-san about my quest, but he mostly told me to be careful."

//--Daniel
Daniel purses his lips, but then nods. "Okay."

//--Oshi
Oshi pauses in thought. "As for where I stand Daniel, the answer is as always: With you. All of my actions have been, and will be, on your side. Apart, of course, from my business with Brand."

//--Daniel
A complex expression crosses Daniel's face. "You stand... with me. But I don't know where that is. A couple weeks ago, it meant nothing at all." He blinks several times, and looks directly across at Oshi. "What happened, when you came back, that first time in Basin City? I can't... I didn't tell you how sorry I was to have disappointed you."

//--Oshi
Oshi smiles, probably the first grin of genuine humor you've seen from her, as if what you said is ridiculous.

"Do not be foolish Daniel, there is no need to apologize to me. We all have our demons, mine are in some ways as bad as yours, perhaps worse sometimes. The reason I was so distressed to find you so was..." She pauses looking down at her hands which remain folded in her lap. "It is our duty as friends to help each other with those demons and I failed you. It won't happen again, I will not allow the demons to take you. As when we met you are mine to care for, and I know you will do the same for me in your way."

//--Daniel
Daniel nods, starts to try and say something, then nods again. "Mm. Yeah." He fidgets a bit, before bringing himself to respond. "You have done that for me so many times over. I tried to throw it away. Or, more honestly, I did throw it away. Only Random's changing of the rules kept me alive.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this, except I know you count on me, and I guess I feel you need to know what sort of person it is you're putting that faith into."

Quickly changing the subject, he goes on, "So, do you have any feeling about your mission? About the man that killed your brother?"

//--Oshi
She looks confused. "Of course I do Daniel. How could I not? He was my only family. I feel rage. Complete and almost overwhelming amounts of rage. I also feel a great sadness. And sometimes what I feel most...prominantly is helpless. That is why I follow my path so strictly, I know what I must do to fix the way I feel."

//--Daniel
Daniel grimaces as he realizes his mis-wording. "I understand. I'm sorry. What I meant was, after Basin City, what do you feel about the mission? Do you have any strong sense that it has been completed, or any strong sense that it has not?"

//--GM
So far, Oshi isn't sure. The relief of completion hasn't hit her, but she feels no looming guilt from a failure either.

//--Simone
[Dave, one thing I didn't quite understand from the game: was the guy we killed in Basin City actually the same guy who got away from us in the helicopter in the Kill Brand II episode? And is that the same person the Amberites keep referring to as Sabrand?]

//--GM
[Neither of you really got a good look at Sabrand in person in KB2. However, the *feel* of him is something neither of you would ever forget, and that icky Logrus-y feeling wasn't present when you took out the serial-killer-Brand last 'episode'. As for why they call him that, if he is the real Brand, you really don't know. Maybe he's a Shadow with a more defined identity than the others?]

//--Oshi
Oshi thinks for some time on this then finally answer with a simple, "I will know when this path is at an end."

//--Daniel
He nods. "I think you will." After a moment he adds, "Random and Caine are apparently looking into the situation also. The Queen told me should would have them contact me when they return to Amber, or when Random next checks in with her.

"I think you should ask them what they think Bleys and Fiona's presence in Basin City might've signified. If they're willing to let Brand go, you may find the next time you destroy him or his shadow, it is truly the last time."

//--Oshi
Oshi nods in agreement. "If you think that is best Daniel, I will ask."

//--Daniel
Daniel pulls back a little, realizing belatedly how pushy he's being. "No, of course, this thing is yours. I am here in support. I know... I understand what it is like to live for one thing, when everything else is just a distraction. I just..." He frowns, trying to figure out what he can say that won't be yet another step too far. "I hope you find an end to that piece of your story. Anything I can do to help that happen, just ask me, okay?"

//--Oshi
Oshi shrugs. "I know very little about politics and the such. I would take your lead in this area, if you wished to give me advice."

//--Daniel
"Sure, of course." He laughs a little, "Not like I'm an insider, you realize." He pauses, fidgeting a moment, "Well, if you want me in on those conversations, I'm yours, okay?"

He gives an awkward wave and backs out, letting the door close again behind him.