[Operator]

Updated post with relevant information.

<@Team> The Yakuza are not warm to magic and the Awakened in general, Nadir. The common belief is that they will steal secrets from your mind; for the sake of our safety, let us do nothing that would suggest we have such capabilities in our entourage. Poker faces are paramount.

Also, you will want to take a seat if one is available.

[Redwulfe]

@Operator: you know the Yakuza mistrust magic greatly and they will not trust anyone that uses it. If they know that your team is using magic they may react badly. Especially when they are trying to be secretive and by popular belief Mage steal secrets from your mind.

kanaga sits quietly stair at the man across from him. he seems to be studying him for signs of weakness and is waiting for something that is not know to those sitting at the table. Minutes seems to go by like hours. After about 5 minutes a woman walks in from the other room carrying a tray. She is dress in a traditional kimono and her makeup and style suggest that she is a geisha. on her tray is a two small bowls and a teapot with several utensils. She sits off to one side near operator. And she starts to prepare a tea. Her movements are precise and almost ritualistic. Not only does Operator recognize the ceremony but the specific variation that is being used, one to cement a contract or deal. The tradition is specific and the ability of those partaking is a sign of the contracts validity. It is at this point that Operator realizes that his compatriots may not know what to do and that the metahumans in his party should not participate. Kanaga continues to stair at Operator ignoring the others at the table as the woman finishes the preparations and passes the bowl to Operator.

[Redwulfe]

Operator instructs the gathered on the proper proceedure for passing the cup of tea from person to person, how to turn the bowl, and to pass past the metahumans amongst you. kanaga sits and watches closely. after the cup has been past the woman takes the tray and cleans the utensils before leaving the group. Kanaga then speaks and though his speech is in Japanese the rooms node translates for those who are subscribed to it. "It is good that you have come here. I have a task that is in need of outside assistance. it is imperative that what I wish to tell you does not leave this room. What I ask of you is within the confines of the law and I wish it to be kept outside of their knowledge. An associate of mine has had something very precious to him stolen and he wishes it returned. It is a person and the people, who we do not know, behind this should be brought to our attention but I do not ask you to deal with them, as we wish to do this ourselves. I will pay you 45,000 for this task. Before I give you any more details I wish to know if you are acceptable to this.

[Operator]

Operator sat in relative silence, careful not to regard Kanaga with any kind of visual contact that would be taken as a challenge. There certainly was potential for exaggeration on finer details of Kanaga's ascension, especially among a culture of people who were staunchly conservative and opposed to sudden changes. Due to that lack of absolute certainty, Operator was intent on showing Kanaga due respect. His kawaruhito depended on his example of professional behavior to see another day, at least while in the oyabun's presence. He played his part in instructing Jace, Nadir, and Korbin on the finer parts of the tea ceremony without giving Slip or Nina any outward acknowledgment.

When their host began to speak in native Japanese, Operator listened intently. Halfway through Kanaga's explanation, he sent a hasty message to his team's private PAN.

<@team> I am relieved that he is not asking us to soil our hands, yet we are not out of the fire. Our window is short, so I must respond quickly. Are you willing to accept this task?

[Ethan]

Nadir tries to follow Operator's instructions precisely and hopes he didn't insult someone's neighbour's grandfather by his inexpert handling.

<@team> I don't suppose we can actually ask what the item is beforehand, huh? I'm in.

[Triggvi]

@Team> I am have feeling that  accepting the mission is not an option. If we don't we most likely not leave the room alive. I guess I have no choice.

Korbin is keeping his poker face up.

[Teyl_Iliar]

@Operator>So far he hasn't said spoken of anything distasteful, which means he is omitting something, or he doesn't want to tell us. Either way he's not telling us the whole truth about something. But at this point I don't think I've got any choice either but to accept. I'm with you Op.

[Sichr]

Sitting calmly, on the place as far from Yak as possible, Nina is watching the show and feeels a bit disconected. Those people obviously have strong traditions and cultural herritage. Like her own people do. Both herritages were cripled by oppression in the past, but some parts reamins strong and solid. And with this kind of culture, there comes the hatred also. Grandfather told her stories about great dance, about Thunder Tye, about war against USA...and about painfull and bloody path to freedom...and flood of innocent blood, injustice and tyranny of native tribes in those days...And tribal supremacists, whose only option was to kill or exile every non-natives.
But there were people like Thunder Tye, or her grandfather, who led their units to help innocents threatened by Mt. Rainier eruption...the same think is that not every Sioux is a great fan of concentration camps...
Japanese had a lot of metahuman blood on their hands. Places like Yomi, San Francisco...just sad examples. Well Nina heard that the new emperor is different...so maybe there is some hope...but not for men like this one, she thought, watching Kanaga executiong his tea rite.
Her UWB Radar gave her complete map of the stucture, position of electric, gas and water lines, crackles in the walls. positions of guards, their weapons and cybernetic augmentations. She had a lot of time during the discussion to look for possible exits, if something goes wrong...as she expects that...
When she read Operators message, nothing changes. Sphinx is a fragin` Tir`Na`Noggian Lord of dance in comparsion to Nina`s torpidity.
Its not necessary to ask. Only safe way out of here there is if they are convienced that we cooperate. And if what you say is true, I possibly will cooperate. I`ll trust your judgement.

[Operator]

Operator watched the reactions of his party, turning briefly to regard the reactions of the fellow male humans in his entourage. He also took note of the expressions Slip and Nina bore through the corners of his eyes; Kanaga would surely take it as a slight if they were given any direct attention.

Satisfied, Operator turned to the oyabun and addressed him in a calm, pleasant tone of Japanese. "Hai. Kanaga-san, you have our cooperation and our discretion."

[Redwulfe]

Kanaga bows slightly and within moments Hisoka enters and places a data chip on the table in front of Operator, and then leaves. Kanaga continues, This has the information we have on the woman that was taken, her name is Keiko, she is Shotozumi-san's daughter and very precious to us, as you could guess. We need her returned to us and we wish the names of those involved in her obduction. We wish this done before our enemies, other then the ones that have perpetrated this crime, have time to realize she is gone. No one may know that you have been hired to do this, or find out you are on this task. You will receive payment upon completion and the information on contact is on the chip. Any questions you have can be addressed with Yamaguchi-San outside. You are free to leave, please use the back door.

[Operator]

Operator palms the chip, nodding quietly and bowing once their permission to leave was granted. "Thank you for your time, Kanaga-san." Rather than slot the chip immediately, he would first verify that there was no sign of rootkits, tracers, or other malware embedded in the data. If that wasn't possible, there were still other means of viewing the chip's contents in a relatively safe manner.

<@Team> Keiko Shotozumi. I feel apprehensive about that name for reasons I cannot recall. If you have questions, let us speak with Yamaguchi-san and have them addressed before we leave through the back door.

[Teyl_Iliar]

@Operator>I'm wondering two things. One, who has the resources to go after this girl? Two, Who's crazy or suicidal enough to piss off This Oyabun? I figure it's just basic legwork, but I have a feeling though that you should ask my questions, there seems to be a lot I don't know about how to properly speak to these Japanese.

[Sichr]

Right now, Nina will just follow Operator and waits for full translation.
@Team: What is comming to my mind right now is that we would need to see the crime scene of kidnapping. Saving the girl is nothing my moral code would be against, so im In with all my efforts.

[Triggvi]

@Team> Word on the street was that Sato was the knife and the Oyabun of the Shotozumi-gumi, the largest Yakuza clan in seattle and was the hand behind Sato Kanaga's rise to power.

[Operator]

I've got a long shift tonight, I'll be out for the evening. Operator will translate the runners' questions for Hisoka and speak on their behalf for the same reasons strict tradition was observed in the tea ceremony.