The Tablet

[Mellie]

The only source of news in all Setsuwa is The Tablet, and this is its headquarters. The Tablet allows people to tour their building, look at their incredible printing press machines and at all of the reporters hard at work slinging mud at whomever they deem too worthy. The building itself is made of steel only - well there are a few things they call neon lights along it as well that light the place with different colours of light other than ones usual firelight.

[Kiku]

Kikuriku burst into the front doors of the Tablet, a newspaper-like place where the news is conjured up and delivered to the mass public. He was not very happy at the moment, thought it was not particularly the fault of the person he was looking for. No, he was looking for answers, and this person here is the only lead on those answers. Because Kiku had missed the New Years' bash balleramma thing, he had not got a chance to witness it. He needed the information that this reporter most likely had. The inside story of this cat fight. And perhaps some pictures.

The problem was, however, Kiku had no idea who he was looking for. He knew that it was most likely a woman that he was looking for, but he couldn't tell if she was young or old, hot or ugly, real or fake. Judging from her name... Daisy... Kiku thought to himself while he walked through the hallways of the Tablet, She's probably an old cat lady, who wears a hood, and has more wrinkles than I've had self-attained orgasms. At that moment, an elderly woman walked by, wearing a long dress with a headscarf that covered only the hairline. As she looked at Kiku, she gave him a passing nod. It was clear to Kiku that this woman indeed, did have a lot of wrinkles covering the whole of her face, as well as her exposed arms. A lot of wrinkles indeed. Not enough. Not even close.

With his last experiment failed, Kiku began to wonder how he was going to find this woman. Well,[/i] Riku said, speaking from deep within Kiku's soul, You could always ask that lady, over there by the light. It would be subtle, and you wouldn't have to disrupt all these reporters who are doing their jobs and such. Subtle eh...[/i] At that exact moment, Kiku knew exactly what it was that he wanted to do.

"DAISY WRIGHT"

Kiku shouted, loud enough for the entire floor to hear, and maybe the floor above as well. "Do you know Daisy Wright? I'm looking for a Da-is-y Wright." He began weaving in and out of the isles, asking each individual person if they knew her. A lot of the time, he was just getting awkward stares, but he knew that it would be a matter of time before the Editor in Chief, or some other higher-up in the news chain, came down and got her so that Kiku would just shut up. Loud, obnoxious people are not very often good for business.

If this doesn't work, I'm going to have to whip out my big weapon. Really? I am all for needless violence, but is the G4 really necessary? The Frostbite would be a lot... cooler. What are you talking about... I meant my penis.[/i] Suddenly, there was silence inside Kiku's head, a normally rare occurrence that has become all to common over recent months. Regardless, Kiku knew that he needed answers. He needed to know exactly what went down between the two women that completely changed his life in a single day. He needed to know what went down between Tehodis and Cherry, and if he was a factor in it at all, which he most likely was.

Finally, he needed to know if there was any feelings left inside Tehodis' heart for Kikuriku Gouken...

[Violet Macar]

Daisy had been out to lunch. In celebration of her incredibly well-selling article that included such fantastic juice on someone who seemed unsoilable her boss had offered to take her some place nice. And it was nice. People came up to her, claiming to despise her and everything she stood for and she would turn to them with a dazzlingly white smile and thank them for their kind words. After all, if people weren't coming up to her and telling her what a horrible person she was, how would she know she was doing her job correctly?

When she had returned, however, there seemed to be a bit of chaos that had gotten whirled up. People looked frightened or at least startled and Violet cursed herself. Why had she gone out to a nice lunch? She could have missed the story! Or maybe... She did miss the story? Oh flibbertigibbet and flim flam freaking floozy I can't believe I'd miss it right here at home base and--

"Um, Miss Wright," Somebody sheepishly told her, tapping her on the shoulder to the get the attention that their voice most certainly didn't demand. She turned to them, seemed taller by a mile when she was actually far shorter when she was the red-headed Daisy. "Yessum?" She asked, expecting to be asked to give an autograph. "Somebody's here to see you." She opened her mouth to ask who when the man pointed over her shoulder. She turned about, only to see a man with brighter red hair that Daisy's own going up to everyone and asking them something to which most of them shook their heads and scrambled away.

"And a good after-the-lunch-hour to you," Smiled Violet diplomatically, grabbing a cup of coffee that had been prepared for her. She always got a coffee right after lunch. Sipping it, she walked closer to the man, everyone else deciding to keep their distance - the man did seem rather crazy, after all. And me likey the crazy. Best stories come out of the best crazies. "I sorify that I was not in my office today, please..." She walked past him going to the door labelled with the name "Daisy Wright" and pushing it open with her foot and shoulder. "Come in, make yourself comfistab. Coffee?"

She went to her big purple (Violet, actually) feather-stuffed chair behind an oak desk and made herself comfistab. Glancing in the mirror she took note that she had changed into Daisy quite perfectly today. The skin was the right, healthy shade. The hair was as red as strawberries and the lines of her face were so rounded. The green in her eyes stood out against her face and... The freckles. Those were always the hardest, but the freckles were all in the right place. That was the one thing she always reprimanded herself for. If she had not given Daisy so many freckles, she might have managed to change perfectly every time.

"What can I do you for, dangler?"

[Kiku]

It was thrilling. Exhilarating, even. It was finally time for Kiku to check one of his lifelong fantasies off his mental list, for he was about to fulfill it right at that exact moment. Something that not many people would be able to say they had done, but now, Kiku would be added to the short list of people who could proudly say: "I showed my penis to a bunch of strangers at their working place." That was, until someone came from behind him and told him that they were sorry for not being in their office, and to go be... comfistab...

What the hell is comfistab... that doesn't sound very comfortable at all. It actually sounds rather painful...[/i]Riku thought to himself inside Kiku, who silently followed the woman's orders. He noted that her hair was red, like his but not, and that she had a lot of freckles. Inside her office, she asked him what she could do for him... and then called him a "dangler". Wow, okay, that's it. This woman drives me insane already. She's making up words. What the shit is a dangler? Wait wait wait, Riku... this gives me an idea. I've always wanted to do this...[/i] Suddenly, a smile came across Kiku's face. He turned to the woman who he was sure was Daisy.

"No-zee on the coffee. Listen Daisy paisy, let me give this line to you straightzie. I need the rundown lowdown on what went down downtown at the ball. I know you know what I want to know, I need to know what Tehodis and Cherry were rif-raffing about, who they were ruf-riffing about. I need all the detizzles and I need them pronto, thanks toots." It seemed that Kiku got a little carried away, because at that exact moment, he gave Daisy's rear end a little tap with his hand. It was not intended, as Daisy wasn't overly attractive to Kiku, but the whole personality just seemed to call for it, and before he knew it, his hand had already left her surprisingly tight bottom.

So it seems we're going to go with the whole "kill everyone in sight" option until we get what we want then, huh. Riku said, seemingly in equal disbelief as to what had just transpired. Hold on, Kiku responded, I have a feeling that there is a chance that this may be somewhat salvageable. I might not have screwed the pooch entirely.

"Ya see here, I've got loads of the info, mounds of the news mulah in this matter, and I would low low low love to give you some of that infosheezee... or, anything else you might want." Kiku added a wink to that last little bit. He didn't know why. He didn't really want to sleep with her. He wanted information on Tehodis. He also wanted to sleep with Tehodis. Perhaps his want to sleep with Tehodis led to his wanting to sleep for information on her? One could only hope.

(Bad post FTL)

[Violet Macar]

(ooc; Are you kidding me Kiku? I loved it. :D )

While she waited for the red-head to answer, she got herself prepared. She opened up her desk, pulling out a sheet of parchment and one of her various quills. Laying them both flat, quill atop the parchment, she charmed it so that the quill would write down everything. And, it would stay out of sight hidden behind a great big vase full to the brim of daisies. She found quite quickly that it was a fantastic idea to be so prepared with this one. What he was saying... Well it made her grin and want to double check if the quill was getting everything. He was a man after her own heart using these fantastic words. Even if he groped her, it didn't matter. She was far too enthralled with what he was saying.

When he had finished however, she found herself without much rope. At the moment, he was holding all of the cards - the infosheezee (what a fantastic word!) as he put it. What did she have? Well, nothing. What she had in the papers was most of what she knew, and she had some photographs from one of the Tablet photographers at the event that hadn't been run - but that had more to do with space than anything else.

"Sorif-" She stopped herself, realizing what a great opportunity this would be to use some new words and sounds, "Danglizzle (the -izzle really did make it pop) I have to tuh-tuh-tuh-tell ya, that I hold all the kings, pings and aces right here. So if you're so despy-espy for some little bits and bites and right wrongs and all that... 'riff-raff'?" She spoke quickly, expecting that someone who used such words could easily keep up with a high-speed conversation. Moving, she got out of her chair, heading to the front of the desk and leaning on it, standing right in front of a chair she gestured for the boy to sit in.

"I'm soriffic, but if you want a detizzle you're gonna have to spill the bill, fork over the pork and re-lease the po-lice because my infosheezee is gonna be your reward for the poop scoop you're digging with. Hope you're picking up what I'm laying down, I know you should, but soul-dangle I just don't known if you can-can." He was certainly an inspiration, a muse. She was the talented artiste, and he was her tittivation.

[Kiku]

(Sorry for the delay. I totally typed a post for this at skewl, and it just didn't send in or something...)

My God... you must be joking me. Someone actually understood that gibberish that just came out of your mouth? I think you may have actually found the perfect woman for you Kiku. As much as he hated to admit if, even Kiku agreed with Riku. The girl, Daisy, was fun, she was crazy, and she was sly. She didn't just give up the info on the first try, which made this whole deal a lot more fun. She knew she had a bit leverage here, so she was using it. It was pretty sexy, even if it was frustrating Kiku. He needed the information; was he the one that Cherry and Tehodis were fighting over?

That had Kiku wondering for a moment. If Tehodis was indeed mad at Cherry for the events that had transpired over a year ago, that must have meant that she still had feelings for him. That she still wanted to be with Kiku, and that she would still want to give "them" a chance. This was vital information. It could have just been a spat between two girls, and the identities of those girls was a coincidence. Even if that were the case, some pictures of the catfight would be good for Kiku too, as he could not imagine Tehdois getting into a fight at all. It was a scary thought, making someone so innocent as Tehodis so mad that she would throw a punch. Kiku shuddered at the thought. He needed to know, and only Daisy could tell him the truth.

"Slick, honeybuns. You may hold all the mean Queens and the Bingly Kinglys, but I have something that you don't. This Joker holds the joker, the trumpety trump, the card to beat all cards. And to get that card, you're gonna hafta do a little something ba-something for me. Are you batting what I'm pitching? Feeling what I'm laying down? You can either tell me the little deets and dats that I want to know, or you can take off what you've got on, and we can movezie all this stuff on your desk and make the beast with two backs. One of these two ways is the only way you can get your cute little hands on what I'm selling." Kiku leaned in really close, and smiled. "And trust me, you want what I've got."

Do you think she knows that I mean the sex? What do you mean I said that she wants what I've got. I meant the sex She wants your sex? I don't think you made that clear enough Kiku. It sounds like you were talking about the information. Fuck. Kiku internally cursed himself, all while keeping the sly look on his face. He couldn't let Daisy know that he was crazy. At least, not yet. Kiku stared at Daisy with a fiery passion in his eyes, slowly moving things on her desk to the side, giving him enough room in case she were to pick option B.

Or, even if she didn't. Maybe she'd want both?

[Violet Macar]

She liked this guy. He was on her same wavelength. As he spoke, she sat in her chair, leaning back and listening to the fantastic words that were coming out of his mouth. She checked once to ensure that her quill was in fact getting down everything that was needed to be put down on parchment - Also known as every fantastic word he let fall out of his mouth, it was and she was excited for going over it and learning some new lingo to impress and use as if it were her dying breath. He was wrong though. He didn't hold a trump card, not in her world. To him, she held what he needed, and she wasn't one to give information for nothing. She would only give information for fame, or for information.

"Sensating temptating... She muttered, standing up out of her chair and moving to the other side with a plan in her mind. He wanted information or sex for his little bite of info - and he didn't realize how with both of those items she held all the power. She stood before his chair, running her hand along his shoulder and down his chest slowly. She moved forward, straddling him with her arms around his neck. Stealing a kiss, she rubbed against him slowly before moving to his ear. "It's just to sad-bad batty that the only ding-dazzle of your's that I'm desper-resperate for is not worth the snip-snaps I have or the little bites of info that might make-and-break that whale-tale in that pulchritudinous little red-head of your's... And it's not worth this beast either," She licked his ear slowly, sucking the lobe briefly as she let her hands roam. "You might want to find yourself opening your closet, spilling your beans and expressing yourself if you have any needing want for the things I would live to give in a diff-tiff life."

[Kiku]

Kiku couldn't believe it. He had thought he had the trump card in this situation, or at least enough of an edge to get this woman to budge a little, but to his surprise (and delight), she still had a few tricks up her sleeve, or maybe her dress. Kiku wanted to learn more, wanted to experience this woman more and more. He was getting excited in multiple ways, but he knew he needed to keep his composure. He wasn't about to crack just yet. He knew that he could still squeeze some information of her. At least, he had hoped he could. It was unlikely that she was as iron of a wall as she let on.

Suddenly, she was on top of him, kissing him. He had to hold back the urge to run his hands all over her, and rip off all her clothes. Surprisingly, it took a lot for Kiku to hold back. Usually, just thoughts of Tehodis would quell all feelings for another woman. But there was something about this one that he couldn't quite place, and he wanted her. In many ways. But mostly sexually.

Focus Kiku, we came here with an objective, and we're going to complete it before we get into anything. I know Riku, I know. It's just... hard to focus with her on top of me like this. Kiku was struggling internally with himself not to give in to his desires, but then the unthinkable happened. Daisy began whispering in her ear, and he was brimming with excitement. She wasn't overly hot, but she was using everything she had to be sexy. And it was working. Kiku could barely hold himself back when she began sucking on his earlobe. It wasn't something that had happened commonly to him, but it was pretty well a sign that she could be a kinky little girl when given the chance. However, it was time for Kiku to take control. He put his arms on her waist, and lifted her, laying her on her back on her desk, leaning into her ear with smile on his face.

"Well well Miss Daisy Paisy, if you're going to tease, you better please. I see you're as stern as a wall, and you're not movin'. Well, I'm as hard as a rock, and I want you to. Seems we've got ourselves a dingity doozle of a doozie right here. I've gots the infoshizzem, you've got the infosazzle, and we both want it from each other. The infosang, that is. I want to give you what I'm packin, and I know you wanna take it all. But we need to reach a compromeezee. So tell me if you're batting what I'm pitching. I'll give you some of my awesome info for each piece of your clothe- I mean, le infomation zat you give to me. Either we have a deezee or I'm walkin freezee. I don't really want to give this story to some flimpity flamsy reporter because..." Kiku leaned in, really close to Daisy's lips. "They aren't as exceptionally exciting as you."

At that moment, something had struck him. Internally, he felt a tug in his chest, and Kiku thought he could smell the familiar scent of the woman in blue whom he had so longed for. He couldn't tell why he was smelling it now of all times, but it did make Kiku uneasy. And Kiku never liked to be uneasy...

[Violet Macar]

He took control, and it was something that caused her to frown. That wasn't how it worked. She was in charge. Not him. Typically she would do whatever to get information, but not when she knew she had something else that he wanted. Besides, she was Daisy Wright. People knew her as the kind of girl to take control of situation - not to manhandled and romped on a desk. So, she brought her knees up to her chest, flexing them forwards when they were up to push the redhead back down onto his chair with her neon green high-heels.

It was nice to know that he had come to her because she was the best - but it was also something she knew. She was more annoyed than anything since he seemed to think that she needed him or his information. He was unnecessary. She had every way of finding out without him, so if for whatever reason he decided to split like a hair, she would find other ways of finding out what it was all about. However, if he played the good dog part well, he would be rewarded for making her life simpler. That was how it worked. Not bit for bit. It was tit for tat and he had just a little titillating tit while she had the tatandronomous tat.

"I'm terraid you don't know how the cake is baked around this little nib-nub-niche. You," She say up straight, poking into his chest and letting her feet fall to rest on his thighs, "Came to itsy-bitsy me and not the other which-way around. The only way I'm washing your hand is if you do mine first. I've got the infosheeze you want and I don't need your tit when it's never a slow day up in this joint. So if you want your back scratched... or well, rubbed as the case may be, you've gotta give or you've gotta get. I'm the plenipotentiary in this little sitch and so you're the one who's gotta pitch the ball. Do you feel it now?"

[Kiku]

At first glance, Kiku thought that he was out of options. That Daisy Wright, this reporter lady that he had never heard of before, had him cornered. Perhaps she really was as good as Ichabod had thought she was. However, this little battle of wits was far from over. Just because it seemed like Daisy had the upper hand, Kiku knew that he had the power to turn the tide. He just needed the right moment in order to do so. He could be crazy, like he had been known to be before, or he could straight up just kill her; however, with Kiku slowly becoming a changed man, it seemed a little too barbaric. At least, too barbaric to do in the middle of a business establishment: Too many witnesses.

"Mmmm, Daisy, you know what I like, and how I like it. But listen, I needs to know that your lips are only opening for me. And I can't talk here, this infanmation is so tip top tippity toppity secret that I've got people peepin' everything I do and snatchin' up everything I say. They probably know I'm here, and that could put you in de-de-deep trouble. The scary kind. The dead kind. I gotta gotta, just gotta know that you're willing to walk this walk and talk this talk with me, alone, in a safely safe location. Then, we can pop the top of this little candy stand and expose everything and everyone who has secrets." As Kiku was speaking, he wrote down the words "Tristan Cowell" on Daisy's desk with magic from his finger, and then whisked it away after it was only there for a second. "You will know all the infoshiznizz and bizznezz of all the big name boppers, and all I want to know is a teeny tiny bit in return, Savvy?"

Kiku was lying through his teeth, although not entirely. It was perfectly logical that Ichabod had people watching Kiku's every move in order to make sure that Kiku kept to his end of the bargain. So, there was truth to his words, and as such, Kiku was not lying, not totally. The fact remained that the rest of the conversation would have to take place in a secure location, where the two of them could be alone, where no one would hear her scream...

[Violet Macar]

Violet was not born yesterday. She was not even born just the day before that. She wanted the information, yes, but she was not willing to risk further wounds. Magic could only do so much, and the many bullet holes that peppered her body from her attempt at good gossip not too long ago. She liked risks, yes. She loved them, in fact. But she was not stupid, and she wasn't certifiably crazy, and thus she would not risk her hide so soon after it was nearly shot off.

She removed her heels from his chest, hopping off the desk where he had written a tantalizing name, and then grabbed him by the arm. She raised him from his chair and shoved him towards the door. "You don't seem to picking up what I'm dropping. Obsitutely you're more obtuse than my eyes first explaired me. Why don't you mosey on ovrah-dee here when you're... old enough to pick up the pieces of what I've smashed about what and where is not comfortably safe. See the decorative pieces, furni and all that jazz? Walls? Fire can hardly wag it's ugly forked tongue at 'em. See the windows? You flick that glass with a couple of your kid-digits, and you're blown back. See those gappy-things under the door, and around the metal-open-close-thingies? Not a sound is going to nosey it's way on overett here. We're not stinge here at Tab. Not after what happened to the last girl, Violet. So, have a nice walkabout home again. See you when you've grown a bit. Kay?"

[Kiku]

She was good. Or rather, she was suspicious and cautious. Both of these were possibilities as Kiku realized that his plan of luring her away from the building would fail. Perhaps she had fallen for something like that once before, or perhaps this "Violet" person was fool enough to fall for it. Either way, Daisy wasn't having it, no matter what, and that made Kiku a little upset. However, she was being a little... too cautious for his tastes. He would have to make her pay for that, but not here. If what she said about the defenses of the Tablet were true, it's not unlikely that they have some sort of defense for an internal attack as well, and who knows how many security guards or trained fighters were in the building. Riku loved a massacre, but Kiku wasn't about to let him enter a battle where the odds of survival are smaller Roksana's chest.

"Alrighty Miss Daisy. Poor little young Kiku doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to little ol' Tablet. I'm sure you know all about the mizz-moles and the tittle-tattle-tales round these parts. But that is the least of your worries, Miss Daisy. When the shizazz hits the fizzazz, come find me. I'll be looking forward to showing you how I've... grown." Kiku said, and with a smile, he left her office, making his way towards the exit. Alright, that wasn't a complete failure. Sure, she's probably going to just think that I'm full of shit, don't know anything, and go on like she normally would the rest of the day. But I'm sure that she will remember my face and-... At that moment, Kiku felt a familiar feeling... a feeling where he was falling. Falling away, losing control. And that's exactly what was happening. He had lost control.

Finally able to control his body once again, Riku continued to exit the building with a giant smile on his face. ...-And when she sees my face again, I'm going to kill her. Riku laughed sinisterly as the doors to the Tablet closed behind him, holding inside his next victim.

Daisy Wright: Journalist.

And maybe, just maybe, Riku would bring the whole building down around him, with thousands of dead bodies at his feet...

[Violet Macar]

She stayed dramatically silent as the boy made his equally dramatic exit, and then when she heard the door shut she broke into a smile and pulled out several pieces of parchment. The plan had come to her only a few seconds before, after she had finished speaking. It was perfect though - at least to her. Things had been a bit dry around the water cooler today, and her big piece was a long way from being done... However, little scoops (no matter how fake) were a wonderful thing to sprinkle.

She wrote quickly, inspiration striking with every vowel. The page was filled swiftly with her shorthand, and as soon as she signed the bottom she hopped out of her desk and ran to the door. Before flinging it open, she calmed herself, not wanting to seem too excited in case the boy was still hanging around. Then she yanked the knob and stepped out, looking around quickly for the red head.

She didn't see him, and so she continued with her plan. Offering up smiles along the way, she eventually came to a stop in front of a small cubicle. Sitting within was a young man with tanned skin, long ears the size of her own hand and a couple of horns on the top of his head. He looked up, sliding on glasses to see who was at his desk, he smiled at the sight of Daisy. "Hey Joe-blow, do you think you could get a name for me?" He nodded, a curious grin on his face as Violet - Daisy to him - told him exactly who she was looking for. When he began his search, she went to the editor and knocked lightly before opening the door without a second thought. "Daisy," He greeted, looking up from an article splattered with red ink, "What can I do for--"

"Run this," She said with a smile, sliding the parchment on his desk. She had moved so quickly that some of the ink was smudged from not having time to dry. It was fine, though. He was used to it from her by now. For a moment, the boss looked at her, then down to the parchment. "Anything you say," He finally told her, taking the parchment and adding it to the top of a large stack with a smile, "Just give me a chance to read it first, alright?"

(ooc: le end)