An Appeal to the People

For all that Kabuki and Divina were only recently acquainted with the depths of intrigue and savagery that passed back and forth out of sight of the common people, here in this small region of the Yoka nets, they were both quickly honing in on the ways things worked, and their responses tot he pointed questions and statements of the Blue house elders showed a level of cunning in the matter that both women would probably feel less than positive about displaying. Even so, times were what they were, and if the situation called for some slightly more manipulative spin, it seems both of them were will to make that concession in the name of their higher goal... assuming, of course, that it did turn out to be the higher one.

The case they both ended up making, on the fly and interdependently of one another, nevertheless came out as an appeal well suited to the old me of the blue house; it was a case for personal profit, of seized opportunities for self-interest, and of making the most of the potential misfortunes of one or more of the other houses. It was unlikely either woman was proud of the course, but it was hard to deny the necessity of pitching their case so, when time was in such short supply.

One way or another, their words gave the three elders pause. This was actually a bit difficult to distinguish from their other forms of oppressive and impenetrably silent stares. After what must surely have felt like another age worth of waiting, the master on the left looked across to his colleagues. In itself this wouldn't have been unusual, but it was markedly the first actual motion any of the three had truly made since the women had entered the room. He didn't speak, but stared intently at the central master, then the one on the right. Possibly there was some sort of silent communication going on, held private from Divina and Kabuki. The middle navi also turned his head slowly to the right a few moments later, before both he and the right most one looked back to the left. Finally, all three turned to look forward again.

"If you agree they ought be punished, who better than the wronged, to do so?"
"You say otherwise, and so we wonder who you would have punish them."
"Who you would see the programs in the hands of when all is ended."

"We wonder, but we do not ask:" The unified line came with an inflection that said they weren't finished.

"Your motives are untrustworthy."
"The girl, Uprising; her reasons, too, are suspect."
"We have no reason to trust or rely upon your words."

"And yet..." This fourth utterance was not spoken by all three, for a change, but instead was a murmur that carried across the room, voiced only by the elder on the right. As hard as it was to read any emotion at all into any of the three, it was as close as any of their faces had come to appearing troubled.

"The facts you present; these are true. The result, then, of inaction, is also inevitable."

Silence fell again, before all three men drew a long, unified breath.

"We will Deliberate."
"We will Judge."
"If we deem action of value to Honourable Musabo, then, and only then, will we act."

"Leave us now. This audience gives much to discuss, and leaves little time." This time when the trio finished speaking, there came the sound of a small gong, seemingly from nowhere, and the doors behind them opened. The two door-guard retainers, burly physique and all, stepped in to stand at either side of Kabuki and Divina, just to make sure they departed when dismissed; any resistance or further call outs would be met only with a firm hand, and silent disregard, until they were left standing outside the large double doors again, once more on the brightly lit side.

Whether they had succeeded in their goal or not was hard to guess at: they'd certainly given the old men something to think about, and they'd even gone so far as to acknowledge that not supporting would be bad for them. At least, one of them had, sort of. Either way though, it seemed like they weren't getting back in now. Almost on cue, their earlier guide reappeared from the stairway, approached and bowed low to them.

"Greetings again honoured ladies! I hope you enjoyed the honour of sharing audience with our most honourable masters. It is a service few request, but it pleases house Musabo to show its guests how open and personable they are always willing to be!" Another broad smile and another low bow might possibly allow both women to grow concerned of his exact phrasing of that. "Where else in our fine establishment might I guide our two such honourable guests, now that your initial urgency is dealt with? Perhaps you wish to relax? Or maybe you might like to view the recreational offerings of our sub-ground floors? We cannot offer the same breadth or spread of service in those avenues as Koushoku house is accustomed to serving, I'm afraid, but I assure you, they are more than pleasing for most, and we have never taken complaint!" Well if nothing else could be said, they certainly pressed a hard sell. At most, the audience had taken no more than fifteen minutes of their time; they weren't late yet, but they were cutting it fine.

Divina's words were mostly in line with Kabuki's own this time, which made the actress feel more confident. After all, what better reassurance on your words than knowing that a goddess agrees with you? That said, she was well aware that Divina was tougher on violence than she was. Not unlike Shakespeare's works, kabuki plays traditionally featured either comedy or tragedy... and the tragedy, of which Kabuki was well-versed, tended to be full of bloody battles and even bloodier seppuku. It was therefore ingrained in Kabuki's programming to accept a culture of violence, while not accepting injustice. "Well, Divina can be plenty scary, pacifist or not," Kabuki thought to herself.

It sounded like the three blue fellows were buying what they were selling, which was certainly good news for Kabuki and Divina. Having achieved her desired result, getting the ear of Honourable Musabo, she gave another deep bow, and then followed the escorts back outside. Once she was certain the doors were closed and they were out of earshot from the bodyguards, she looked back and forth for any further sight of the judgmental oldsters watching her, then reached out her hand for a high-five. "NAAA~ILED IT!" she announced, grinning from ear to ear and glowing red. "I'd say we have-!"

There was little time to relish the opportunity for a high-five or to say what she reasoned the two of them had; their original guide showed back up, ever eager to offer them the amenities of the blue house and win their interest. She really, really didn't want any services comparable to those she'd seen at Koushoku, but more than that, she knew that anything she did want would bear a cost, and she had no zenny to pay any of that with. Furthermore, based on what she'd seen earlier, enjoying the services of the house would cost more than a little zenny. "Ah, what I wouldn't give to relax! But unfortunately, as you said, we are here as a matter of 'UR~GEN~CY!' Now that our initial urgency is completed, we find ourselves whisked from one locale to the next, out of Musabo and into the streets to observe the outcome of the manifold efforts made throughout the night by us and other like-minded individuals. It's a shame, to be sure, but we really must take our leave. Thank you for all of your courtesy!" She gave another deep bow, hoping he'd appreciate the sign of respect (he might appreciate the gesture for other reasons, given the open, breezy nature of her robe), but then grabbed Divina's arm with one of her serrated, vaguely mechanical looking hands and aimed the two of them for the door. Of course, in reality, they still had a few minutes left to themselves, but she needed an excuse to get out of the house before their guide realized just how offensively broke she was.

While Divina could've gone on about who should punish them, the house elders brought their meeting to an abrupt end. She figured there wasn't really any point in them lingering, either...there wasn't anything else that couldn't be discussed later. "We understand. You have our thanks for giving us audience." She performed another curtsy, then hovered out. They'd done all that they could...the rest would have to be up to them to reach the right decision.

Once they were out, Kabuki was quite pleased with what they'd managed to do. The goddess Navi wasn't entirely convinced of that, at least not yet, but they certainly didn't do poorly. Even as she noticed their guide approaching, she responding with a smile and a return of the high five. ...What? Even deities shouldn't leave people hanging.

Even after all that, the old man wished to offer them services. She couldn't decide if that was dedication, or just that it was a slow night and he had nothing better to do. Kabuki seemed eager to leave...and while she agreed, she still had a few words for the guy. "Yes, it's almost time, and we should really be there to aid the cause. Still, a deal's a deal, and that goes extra for a goddess. After things reach a conclusion, I'll be back with my followers, and we'll take the full guided tour." With that, Divina found herself being grabbed, and adjusted to the door. Yeah, they needed to get over to the purple house, and now. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be going. See you soon!" She went from being pulled, to doing the pulling, to start the whole building exiting thing. After all, it wasn't like she didn't want to get out, either.

Divinely sanctioned high-fives aside, both women were courteous, yet firm about their need to depart, when their guide returned to offer them more service. They wasted no time in slipping past him and making back towards the door they had come in, and he didn't chase after them as they swiftly descended the stairs, back the way they had come. Instead, his features fell from obsequiousness into vague displeasure as he watched their backs. He turned to the door guards, made a small gesture with one hand, then a thin bolt of blue light winked him away from the upper floor, and back to the lobby ahead of them, guards in tow.

Having rushed on down the stairs and made for the door, the two resistance raisers wouldn't have seen this, however, as they passed by the change area they had rushed through earlier, the same distressed girl was still haggling at the counter, though now she was looking progressively more uncomfortable and uncertain. Her body language had switched form disbelieving and defiant, to something more submissive; her head was down and she had one hand gripping firmly at the straight elbow of her other arm, half-hugging herself.

"By... By downstairs... you mean...? Ah..." She was biting her lip and staring at the ground, only sparing occasional glances for the navi behind the counter. He nodded with a look somewhere between faux-appologetic and firm. "But... but, it's anonymous, right? No-one would know? And... and it's not risky or anything... I can just, you know... hand and mouth... right?" Another small nod.
"If that is all my lady wishes to do, then it may take longer to clear her debt... but that is acceptable, of course."

That conversation sounded far more suspect than it had when they'd passed the first time, but if Kabuki and Divina were still in a rush to get to the door, and out, then the voices would fade from their hearing as soon as they passed back through the archway to the steam rooms again.

After a brief pow-wow of camaraderie with her ally, Kabuki prepared to head back out of the blue house. Of course, as was often the case, further injustices were always sliding out of the shadows, falling onto the thick stack of injustices that had already revealed themselves to form the foundation of the bathhouse district's prosperity. Here, a woman had (Kabuki assumed here, given context clues) been tricked into utilizing a spa service without realizing the exorbitant cost associated and, rather than being asked to wash the dishes, was now being advised to perform either one long session or several installments of sexual acts. It was possible her wild imagination was just getting the best of her, but Kabuki somehow suspected she'd be right to assume the worst in this case.

Uninspiring decor was one thing Kabuki could easily forgive, seeing as she'd been around it her whole life. Greed was easy as well, as she believed all men were at least partially motivated by their own self-interest, even if she didn't believe it was to as great an extent on average as Yoshitsune tended to think. Even manipulation she could have turned a blind eye upon if needed, but in this case, manipulation and greed had twisted into some twin-headed serpent: not only manipulation, but manipulation to an unthinkable outcome. The red house had been pretty scandalous with its promotion of sexual relations between strangers, but what was (possibly) being suggested here was... hard to even fathom. What kind of foot bath ends in being told to use your "hand and mouth" in a shadowy basement to repay your benefactors?

As she'd pondered it all, Kabuki's hair, insides, and even eyes had all begun to flame red; her first impulse was to do what came naturally and flick a fiery fan at everyone she deemed to be a worker here, then grab the girl and escape. Unfortunately, that course of action had two problems: one, it would ruin the already precarious truce they'd made with the blue house on behalf of Uprising's efforts, and two, it would probably not work, given how much of her arsenal and abilities she'd lost since heading away from home with Yoshitsune. Instead, she decided that a white lie would be the appropriate choice. There was still a lot that could go wrong and she wasn't entirely certain she'd covered all of her bases in terms of damage control, but then again, she didn't really have a lot of time to think. The girl might be about to dig herself even further into a ludicrous verbal contract. Still holding tight to Divina's arm, she assumed that Divina was thinking what she was thinking and carried the goddess along with her.

"AAAA~YAAAH!" she interrupted, waving her free arm above her head, her chest bouncing to and fro as she ran back to the room they'd past in order to stop the proceedings. "I almost left without collecting one of the most important members of our mission later tonight! What a TEEE~RRRI~BLE gaffe!" she giggled, now lowering her arm to grab hold of the girl's hand in an overly familiar way. "We spoke to this girl earlier tonight and that event we talked about is about to start very, very soon! I'm sure we can talk more about whatever payment there must be for services rendered after the CRIII~TI~CAL proceedings?!" she begged, bowing deeply to the server again and giving him more of a look than she meant to. "We simply must be going! Immediately! If there are any problems, please bring them up with that little old fellow who led us up here! Oh, and if he doesn't understand, please ask him to take the issue up with the house's masters, who we just met with earlier. Alright? AAAALL~RIGHT!" she finished, beaming from ear to ear with sweat now dripping from her hair... sweat that had not been generated from time in a hot room or sauna. Without waiting to hear an answer (or give the girl time to complain or correct the story), Kabuki attempted to nestle the girl's chin down into her breast to shut her up, then skitter back outside with her as quickly as possible.

Even if this worked (which was seemingly increasingly unlikely), the worst part was knowing that there could be a lot of other folks in the bathhouse facing the same situation. They didn't have time to save them all right now, though, and they weren't even close to prepared to pull a coupe. She really hoped that Divina agreed with her plan so far and wasn't considering sending any of her supporters to this place once the time was up.

Together with Kabuki, Divina raced down the stairs, plenty ready to leave and get over to the purple house. Unfortunately, it was never that easy, as...something arose. The girl from earlier was still there, but her situation appeared to have become much more dire. As much as her first instinct was to believe it was an innocent misunderstanding, recent events made it hard to just accept as such...and yet, it almost seemed TOO easy a mistake to make. Like the fates were daring her to make a move. She was a bit torn by the situation. It went against everything she taught to simply ignore the situation. But if she wasn't there for the rally, it'd be harder to coordinate things with her followers. What to do...

...But she actually didn't have much time to ponder, as her fiery friend suddenly dragged her along to the scene, followed by a big lie that they really needed her. While slightly puzzled at first (and slightly wincing, since lying was one thing that hadn't worked for them thus far), she quickly adopted a more decisive, stern look. "Yes, we do need her...or more specifically, I need her. All followers of me, the goddess Divina, that are in the area must be at the purple house when the rally starts. We need to provide security, and ensure that it's a peaceful proceeding. And with the numbers we may be getting, it's an all hands on deck situation. But worry not, she'll be back here with me and the others immediately afterward, and then we'll have all the time in the world to sort things out!"

Despite her outward confidence, however, Divina wasn't very thrilled at trying to lie their way out of a mess. It hadn't worked before; what made Kabuki think it would work now? But then again, she'd be a crummy goddess of happiness if she overlooked someone in need of saving...

The conversation about exactly what services the young girl would need to perform for Musabo to clear her unexpected debt was cut short by an equally unexpected intervention. Both the woman, and the navi behind the counter opposite her paused in their contention to look in Kabuki's direction as her exclamation rang through the small area. In the short stun that followed, there was little either of them had the presence of mind to do as the actress bustled over, grabbed hold of the poor girl and swiftly laid claim to her.

"But... I—" Was about all the young lady managed in confused voice, before Kabuki's silencing manoeuvre quieted her again, while both the actress and the goddess made quick assertions of their need to whisk her away to safety. The fact that the girl was holding her swimwear in a bundle, and was herself fully dressed again in a simple kimono probably did nothing to save her any embarrassment from the move, but she was either too weak or too surprised to offer any actual resistance on the spot. The navi manning the change counter seemed equally perturbed, though his reaction was to attempt further objections. Despite this, however, he seemed far too unwilling to actually leave his post and pursue them, simply calling out that they couldn't just leave, as the trio promptly did just that.

The young lady they had rescued stumbled a little as her unexpected benefactors hustled her back towards the entrance, and it wasn't until they were moving back through the steam room paths that she caught her feet properly and began to trot alongside them under her own force again. She managed a glance about herself, and her worried expression only grew, but it returned to a look of confusion and bewilderment as she tried to get a better view of her rescuers. In between glances, she ran one hand over an ear and through her long, straight black hair several times. It was probably a nervous tick.

"I, um... thankyou, I think. I'm sorry, who are you two? My name's Muzaitora, but, um, nanny just calls me 'Muse'... I think there's been a mistake; I don't know anything about any special events... and if it's anything like having to work shifts downstairs, I don't think I want to! Oh, nanny warned me about this place. She told me to be careful and read everything, but they were so friendly! They're going to charge us for this again now, aren't they? Oh this is just the worst. I don't want to work downstairs, I don't... I'm, I'm not like that, I don't do those things!" Hope of a possible rescue seemed to have perked the girl back up from the edge of broken giving in, back to worried desperation as they moved along the raised walkway.

The amount of time the ladies had to explain the situation to the girl would vary greatly depending on how quickly they walked; by the time they exited the women's steam room and came out into the lobby area again, they were met by their guide from earlier, and two more burly guards standing between them and the doors out, and the scene would most likely take precedence from other conversations. The little man's oily smile had a somewhat more sinister and less pleased look about it now and his bow to the duo-turned-trio was perfunctory at best.

"We hope you have enjoyed your time here at Musabo House, honoured ladies, but I'm afraid you cannot leave just yet. First we must settle the small matter of your accounts." He extended one sleeved hand to the side, and his gnarled, withered fingers were suddenly holding a scrolled list.

"House entry cover fee, 200 zenny, times two. Guide services rendered, 500 zenny, times two. Entry to the women's steam rooms, 200 zenny, times four, for two visits each. Use of the house change facilities, 150 zenny, for one. Meeting our honourable patrons, 2000 zenny, times two. And of course, service gratitude of twenty percent, 1270 zenny total for the combined account, bringing your total to 7620 zenny, or 3810 each, if you would prefer." His eyes slid over the Muse and a second scroll appeared in his hand, leaved over the first. "And I believe your account was standing at 2040 zenny, young lady, but of course, the extra visit to the steam rooms brings that up to 2280 now." He looked back and forth between the women for a moment, and his eyes narrowed, as though he already predicted an unwanted answer to his next question. "Now, how would you like to settle your accounts, honoured ladies?"

No doubt all of these charges were, in fact, displayed somewhere to be read, but if their other signage had been any guide the women would probably have needed a fine-toothed comb and a deliberately cynical eye to find them in amongst the advertising. This did, unfortunately, leave them with a problem of how to proceed, or at the very least, how to get out of here. Muse had shrunk in when being confronted with her own bill, and was now more or less trying to hide behind the other two, and would probably be of little help. They could always try to talk their way out of the bill, but it seemed a fair bet that these sorts of underhanded extortions were how the house remained afloat in the first place, so it wasn't too likely they'd allow the women out without some form of payment or binding deal... of course, talking wasn't necessarily their only option.

Unlike last time, this act of goddess sponsored deception seemed to work for the most part, successfully taking the girl with them. But while she was grateful, the rescuee was more than a little confused...Divina certainly understood why. Once more using her staff as a floating chair (which was starting to become a tic of her own), she went ahead of the others slightly, and turned to face the new face. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Muse! You don't need to worry...the only thing you need to do for us is stand around. Your presence is all that we need! Though, if I may ask-"

Unfortunately, that was about all she could get out, as they bumped into more staff. The goddess Navi was fortunately able to stop before literally doing so, though for a moment, the old man ended up with a rather nice view of her butt, until she backed off and turned around. The talk of 'accounts' didn't overly surprise her, but the amount...er, did. "...What?!" ...That was about all she could get out at first. But the gears in her mind started to turn, and an idea formed. It was one she didn't really care for, but it was the only one that was neither time consuming nor got on Blue house's bad side. "Just a moment, please."

Divina lowered herself to the ground, and brought up a screen in front of her. The sound of buttons being pressed could be heard...though she actually wasn't doing anything. Well, at least not physically. A few moments later, a NormalNavi wearing a short pink scarf appeared on the screen. "Bonjour!...Ahh! Ma déesse! How may I be of service?"

"Hello! ...There's no really easy way to ask this, but...could I borrow 9900 zenny?"

"9900? Zat is a rather spécifique amount...may I ask for what?"

"Well-"

"No, on second thought, do not tell moi! It iz not for me to savoir! I shall transfer it immédiatement! And of course, none of zis borrowing non-sens! Please accept it, and spend it as vous désirez!"

"Thanks...I hate having to ask, though."

"Do not worry about it? 9900 zenny, it is but, how you say...a drip in ze bucket! I am only heureux that it can go to such a worthy cause as yours!"

"Well, I do appreciate it greatly." ...Actually, that background looked familar. Was he...? "Wait, are you in Yoka?"

"Oui, oui! I suppose you did not see moi when I arrived...but I have done all en mon pouvoir to build support for ze cause! I was on my way back to ze pourpre house when you called!"

"Great! I'll see you there, then!"

"Of course! Until zen, rester en sécurité, ma déesse!" Click! And no more NormalNavi.

"Even by my followers' standards, that is one devoted guy..." ...Oh, right, she had bills to pay. And conveniently, her personal account had just been debited just shy of 10 grand. Which, of course, all made its way into her free hand. "Here, 9900 zenny. That should settle things with all three of us."

"I am KAAA~BUUUU~KIIII~! Set your sorrows aside, for I am a HAAAAR~BIN~GER of boisterous laughs and good-natured chortles!" Kabuki introduced herself, then reflected that perhaps she shouldn't have. Divina may have intentionally withheld her name. After all, they were basically pulling a jailbreak right now, and the last thing they needed to do was advertise themselves as they did... even though that, in itself, was sort of appealing. "You can't build your brand as a phantom thief of justice without leaving a calling card!" Kabuki reminded herself. "This special event is to be a triumph of JUS~TICE! The insurmountable wall of hopeless tragedy breaks, yielding to our efforts, and out flows a CAAAS~CADE of BOOO~UNTI~FUL RIGHT~EOUS~NEEESS!" No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than their good times were cut short, with the three of them running into a face that she'd really hoped to avoid encountering again for the rest of her life.

Kabuki was nervous, but more than that, she was full of fiery conviction. No play worth anything could ever end with its hero forced into shady manual labor just before its big climax! The heavens would not allow it. Realizing that not just Muse's safety, but also her own and Divina's, were on the line, Kabuki began pondering for the best angle she could exploit to get the three of them out of this situation. "I'll just get them the same way we got those elders: I'll use their greed and ego against them! First, I'll look down on them for being so petty and I'll say, 'did you see where we just came from?' I'll show him the big smile on my face and ask, 'just how many people leave the room after speaking to your elders with the look of having made a successful business proposition?' And without consulting them first, you're going to charge me and Lady Divina,' emphasizing Lady, 'with petty fees? In doing so you'll ruin a fruitful deal we've sewn with your masters! For a measly ten-thousand zenny, you will cast aside ten times the amount! Each month, you'll check your income tab as the business of competitors grow around you and you'll rue the day you incorrectly judged this situation... If you have access to the company tabs at all, that is! You may find yourself unemployed, looking in!" Yeah, if she said all of that, it'd be sure to have a huge impact, she figured. "If that old man was smirking as he read out a two-thousand zenny consultation fee with those elders, he must have an idea that they're fearsome! Evoking their authority will be effective here!"

Kabuki's smile widened, her sharky-teeth unclenched, and her long tongue began to roll out the first syllable, but before she could begin stringing her adversaries along, she realized that the time for any such bluff had past. Her most high apparently had friends in high places, which was only fitting. "N-N-Nine point nine THOUSAND zenny?! Just like that!? Maybe I should see if she can fund Yoshitsune's quest for self-discovery too so he can stop complaining about the cafeteria food all the time and I can quit pinching pennies," she thought to herself, grinning and pressing her fingers together thoughtfully, with dollar-signs flashing in her big pink eyes.

That said, the only down-side of this plan was that she really didn't want to give the blue house a single zenny if she could help it. In this case, however, she really couldn't afford to be picky about the ultimate administration of justice, even if it meant buying out evil. Still, half of her expected the old man to keep pushing... she wasn't sure if his desire to put his hands on large, unwarranted quantities of money would lead him to snatch up what was in front of him or if he'd try to push his luck further. In fact, she wouldn't be entirely surprised if he was trying to force them down stairs one way or another... How many navis would shell out for a chance to do dirty things with a literal goddess and a respected, talented kabuki actor with an excellent kimono-figure?

With time of the essence and cold hard cash the simplest way to move forward, an act of swift divine intervention, slightly supported by certain followers, saw the Musabo house greeter presented with a sum of money that, in all honesty, he probably hadn't been expecting to be paid right off the bat.

The moment of surprise wasn't his alone to partake of, apparently: Kabuki was both startled and contemplative of the cut and dry solution, and if the actress was a little shocked, then Muse was positively stunned. This in itself was something of a feat, given how thrown off she had initially been by Kabuki's dramatic introduction on the walkway earlier, but now her eyes had widened in a way that only amplified her doe-like innocence and she began to shake her head softly at the idea of this pair of strangers paying her own foolish debts as well as rescuing her.

Unlike their newest acquisition, the little man accepting payment recovered much more smoothly, receiving the funds and covering his surprise with a low bow that very nearly touched his nose to the ground.

"Truly it has been a pleasure to serve each of your honourable selves this day, gracious ladies. Your patronage honours Musabo House, and we shall be overjoyed to see your return later, once your other business has been conducted. Why, after your next visit, I'm certain you will both qualify for our valued patron acknowledgement cards! They offer substantial discounts and service perks for many of the options here at Musabo house. We hope to see all three of you again soon!" He offered a smaller bow to each of the three women in turn, though he ducked notably deeper towards Divina, being that she had been the one to actually pick up the tab.

When he rose, his left hand darted out and gave to sharp clicks, causing the imposing guards to blink away again in simultaneous blue lights. Without any further issues, the little old man slid neatly to the side allowing the three to leave before they somehow managed to acquire any additional debts.

Outside, Muse seemed every bit as eager as the others to get away from the Blue house, though when they were only a short distance away, she took a hold of Divina's hand, dropping to her knees on the soft, damp ground with her head bowed.

"Please... it is too much, good lady. I am in your debt already for your kindly intervention and rescue, but to pay for my foolishness, too... your selflessness shames me and mine, and my honour debt to you is two fold. It is too much generosity for a poor and common girl, without means of her own, to bear!" True enough, she seemed to be working herself into quite a state over the debt she felt her honour owed to Divina now... but they also didn't really have that much time to worry about calming the girl: true to their efforts, a crowd was gathered now, with many milling about but most concentrated nearest the grand steps that led up to the entrance of the purple house. They bore colours of all the houses and, as proof of uprising's own efforts, a goodly smattering of those visible were, indeed, in purple stripe. There was a murmur of conversation over the whole clearing as house representatives and those in the know explained to the less involved local folk some of the things that had been kept hidden from them for so long. Even if their goal failed today, Uprising could count this unavoidable bringing of light and truth to the people as a success.

Apart from the gathered crowd, almost directly across the open commons area from where Kabuki and Divina came from, a small cluster of navis dressed in pure white robes stood watching the rest. They were on the rise that descended gently towards the great house that the girls hadn't managed to secure; The white house, decorated with its cherry trees, had apparently heard of what was going on, but it was hard to tell whether they were putting in a show, or deliberately standing apart, to suggest the opposite. The representing navis stood in an orderly cluster, all watching the steps, though none of them chatted or spoke; they simply stood still, and watched.

With the evening well and truly fallen now, the air had grown quite chilled, and a soft breeze began to blow across the commons, lifting what remained of the day's steam and leaving the air itself snap, cold and clear. Whether or not Kabuki and Divina managed to calm or mollify the young girl they had acquired, they would need to hurry along to the steps of the Purple house: Dusk had fallen, and the moon had risen, and one by one the torches around the commons area were beginning to light. It was time.

Provided the women managed to make their way there, they would find Uprising herself waiting for them at the base of the steps. As they'd first met her, she was standing with a wide stance, one fist on her hip and the other holding her banner proud, the base of it planted near her foot and angled outward to wave clearly in the breeze. She was facing up the steps, and so would have her back to them more or less no matter how they approached, but a cursory inspection would show that her outfit was a little bit roughed up and scuffed in places, even if the girl herself seemed none the worse for wear. If anything the matron of Koushoku had said was true, her evening had been far less cordial than theirs, all in all.

Kabuki's head shot rapidly around to face all parties involved, first at Divina, who had managed to produce the inflated sum they needed to escape the situation, then at the Musabo tour guide, who had accepted it and then gone back to business, as though he'd never threatened to send anyone down to a shady basement. The fact that he was even encouraging them to come back again later, as if there was any chance they would (especially with no less than three other bathhouse options in the same area, baffled her even further, causing her to screw up her pink eyes and stare with a gaping frown. Her bewildered face stayed on as she watched Muse groveling before Divina, although this didn't really surprise her; the disbelief on her face was just a holdover from previous events.

Really, it was Divina who deserved the credit for getting Muse out of the house, and Kabuki couldn't speak for Divina or her religion, so she decided to keep her mouth shut and let the goddess address those concerns, most likely with the same graceful, "all in the name of happiness" speech she normally did. Once she was done, Kabuki added, "Of course, one thing all of us like-minded women of justice should feel obligated to do is to see tonight's proceedings unfold! I wasn't lying earlier when I said that serious events were about to unfold here. We should see what comes of them!" she announced, turning to where Uprising was waiting. "Although... You may wish to see them from a location most comfortable to yourself and unassociated with the agents of change behind said events unfolding. So, allow us to part at this time and address our employer. AAAAR~I~GA~TOU!" she finished, striking another pose that was poorly thought out given the coldness of the air and the wind whipping about. The actress gave another big sneeze, then hugged her robe around herself. "L-Let's get this over with," she murmured, speaking awkwardly as though she had some mucus gumming up her throat. Reinforcing this point, she snorted in hard, then gave an apologetic bow.

Once they were separated from Muse, Kabuki would head with Divina over to meet Uprising. She'd already made up her mind to ignore the white house, because not only did they almost certainly have some nasty baggage associated with their organizations like the other houses (perhaps their indifference here was already bad enough), but she didn't think there would be time to win them over regardless. Upon reaching Uprising and seeing her standing upon the steps, Kabuki thought for a moment that it was sort of funny how Uprising always looked like she was posing, as if she was trying to act cool or draw attention, but then Kabuki realized how hypocritical that would be coming from her and promptly erased the thought. "KON~BAN~WA! It is good to meet with you again!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together once and bending her knees bowlegged, then arching her back slightly into an unusual bow. She'd set aside any misgivings she had over her employer, as, in Kabuki's mind, she'd probably just not been completely informed of the situation, just as they hadn't been. But all things considered, she believed that the night would unfold with a net gain for justice... and really, she was just tired of being so darn skeptical of everything. "I hope you found success in your goals tonight! We have finished securing the support of the blue house, Musabo, although they're such unsavory folks that it pains me to say we bothered. I don't know how long term your goals in the area are, but they should probably exclude any long term dealings with Musabo, if you're looking to establish anything... er... GOOD?" she barked the last word, trying to find something more eloquent to exclaim but failing. "However, we stand ready to see the conclusion of tonight's events! Unless, of course, there's something else?"

At this point, another slight worry on Kabuki's mind was that Uprising would be angry at them for some of the things they'd done so far: her stripping naked in the red house in the name of the mission, their upsetting the balance of power at the red house for the sake of the mission, their consorting with the callous criminals that were the blue house elders, or their adding in the extra objective of pulling Muse out of the blue house after procuring that uneasy alliance with said house. "It all worked out, though! Surely," she reminded herself, with a quick nod, bobbing her blazing read hair about her head. Whether it worked or not, however, was a question she hoped to learn the answer to once and for all in a few short moments.

Though her plan of paying their way out had, unsurprisingly, gone off without a hitch, Divina couldn't say she was overly happy about it. It just further showed how selfish this entire area was. Not now, but sometime soon, she should come back for a...divine intervention. That said, she was still rather amused at the mass surprise of having the bill payed off so easily. Was it really so hard to believe that a goddess couldn't help them in their time of need?

But as the old man bowed to each of them, her eyes narrowed a bit at him. At this point, it seemed so ingenuous that it was almost patronizing them by even bothering to do it. "Yes. I'm sure you do." She was SO done with this house.

Once they were outside and on the way back, the goddess Navi stretched her arms out, though it was probably more a symbolic gesture than any actual requests from her muscles. As she lowered them, however, she found her hand being grabbed by the newcomer, who proceeded to...thank her? It seemed like a thanks, but she spent most of it berating herself...which, at this point, was really not the way to show her gratitude. Kabuki might've expected a silky smooth speech, but..."Oh, stop it!" She swiftly drew her hand back into her own possession, and, also notably, stopped hovering and walked alongside her. Though her tone and words came across as icy, her expression made it look like she was more hurt than anything. The whole honor thing was REALLY grating on her by now. "That's something I just can't understand about this place! You owe me nothing. Hear that? Nothing! Nada! Zilch! You can attend the rally if you want, but if you don't, you don't have to! Why is it so difficult for the Navis here to comprehend the idea of doing something without asking for anything in return?! Honor without kindness is nothing but being selfish!" She stopped there, before she'd need a paper bag to breathe into.

Which was good, because now they were back at the purple house. Every color was there, but the amount of purple actually concerned Divina a little. Based on what she'd seen today, most people serving a house were either loyal, or at the least bound by honor to them. She found it hard to believe that all of them were there to aid the protest. She should do something to make sure it was a safe, non-violent protest. But, she also wanted to talk to Uprising...hmm? Hey, that pink scarfed Navi over there...aha! That solved that. "Hey!"

"Bonsoir, ma déesse! 'Ow may-"

"I don't have much time, so please listen. I need you to go around, to each of the other members of the faith here. Tell them to keep an eye on things, and if anyone's acting like they want to start something, to contact either me or you immediately. I don't want this getting violent."

"Consider it fini!" Into the crowd, he went...it'd be asking a lot of anyone, but few could sneak around a busy place like this as well as him. He'd do it, no prob.

"Thanks!" All right, where was Uprising...wait, there were some Navis from the white house. At least, it looked like they were. She'd go over and ask what brought them there, but there just wasn't time. She'd have to settle for the fact they were there.

It took a moment, but the two lady Navis reached the flag bearing Navi without further incident. She didn't entirely trust Uprising, but...well, now she'd see if her lack of absolute faith in her was well-founded or not. "Hello, Uprising! Looks like you managed to convince a good number of people with purple stripes to join the cause...how'd you pull that off?" Actually, regardless of what it was, she was curious about the explanation. She and Kabuki had, by and large, gotten their support by going straight to the top. How would you get the support of rank and file like that, when you were actively going against their superiors?

Before either of the stand-in revolutionaries could get to their employer for the evening they first had to deal with poor Muse, but the press of time didn't really allow either woman to be particularly delicate about doing so. The goddess' stern words made the young lady cringe in on herself, and she didn't seem to have much of an answer in the face of the divinity's chastisement of their way of life. It wasn't that the girl herself wasn't clever enough to have a discussion on the matter, but rather that the system was so intrinsic to her that questioning it didn't seem to make any real comprehensible sense to her. One thing Divina might need to learn, though, was that telling someone who perceived that they had an honour debt that they, in fact, did not, never helped; that casting aside the debt a person felt they owed as being without any value at all would generally only be taken as cruel and hurtful, and elevate the debt itself further as well.

So it was now, with Muse, and as Divina's frustrated words rained down on her, she cringed away, squeezing her eyes shut. When she was sure it was over, the girl managed to look up, blinked the sudden tears from her eyes, murmured another shaky "I'm sorry," then swiftly fled into the crowd and disappeared from sight. Still, if they had wanted to be rid of the girl, they had certainly succeeded in that aim.

On their way over, as they threaded through the milling throng of people, Divina took some calculated precautions against any of the less-expected supporters from getting violent, but fortunately for all involved what her various devotees would find upon scoping out any of the purple-clad citizens was that most of them were indeed there to support and stand against the previous decision of their choice of house; they weren't happy about it, but any questioning or tactful eavesdropping would reveal them to have been begrudgingly compelled or sworn to turn out and stand, whether they wanted to or not, and none seemed about to break their personal honour and cause problems, now that they were here.

When they finally arrived, the last of the area's torches had just finished lighting up, and Uprising was taking several long, deep breaths, apparently preparing herself for whatever was still to come. She looked back over her shoulder at the pair, but didn't seem willing to turn her posture away from the front steps of Kōzuke House completely. Even so, she smiled softly to see them both well and present.

"You have returned. Thankyou." There was a small incline of her head as she acknowledged them both, before the girl turned her attention back to the front doors, at the head of the steps. "The people have gathered here tonight; the truth reveals itself: the actions of the few at the head of the system are not in the interest of the common folk. The voice of the many will lift against the yoke and the shackle, and together we will show them that they do not control us."

There was a moment's quiet, before a soft sigh escaped her. Her stance remained firm, and any in the crowd would only see the woman standing strong, but as close as Kabuki and Divina were, it was much easier to tell that she was actually very tired.

"You asked how I fared? I did as I needed to, and when I encountered those who would rather see the system dominate the will of the people, and crush them, I gave those individuals a choice: they could stand with the rest of the people who would gather to speak out against this injustice, or, if silence was what they preferred, they could hold their silence forever more. Most swore oath to add their voice to the chorus of the many, when given the choice." It seemed as though the girl wasn't willing to be any less cryptic than that over her methods, because she drew another breath and switched her train of conversation back to Kabuki and Divina's own efforts.

"A great many have flocked here, thanks to you both, and thanks, too, to the many voices that follow you in turn. What we do here tonight could never have been accomplished without the help of every single navi that came to assist; lending their own two hands, and their one voice, to this united cause." She hesitated. "I... I do not hold with organised religion, but I thank you, all the same. If it is the will of the people to unite themselves under one, and that one does indeed represent their unified voice with truth, then what cause have I to disagree?"

Talking seemed to be keeping the anarchist's mind off something else, because she seemed more than willing to chat, now that they were simply awaiting... something. Either that, or she was putting off beginning the final stand.

"You sought the houses themselves, not just their guests. I am surprised you managed to secure their support like that. I wasn't expecting that, but, they have come, and brought with them both guests, and family. It is greater than I had dared hope would rally to us, even if many of the bodies arrayed at our backs aren't local to this region." It seemed as though she had run out of topics to talk about, at least for a woman so to the point as Uprising seemed to be. She shook her head.

"We are not finished yet. The stand must be made, and it is here, more than anywhere else, that I fear I will need your help, and your support. Even when faced with this chorus too great to silence, there will be sacrifices that must be made to ensure the outcome we need. It is a price I will pay, if I must, but I am glad that both of you are here now. Shall we put an end to this?"

As long as Uprising had the go ahead from Kabuki and Divina, and they had nothing else pressing to speak to the girl about, she stepped forward, placing one food on the first step of the grand entrance, and raised her flag high. As it twirled once in her raised arm, she turned her body to look back at the crowd assembled behind them, features grim and eyes blazing brightly.

"People of Yoka! You have come here this night because a great injustice festers in the gut of your quiet home!" Her voice carried out across the area, but a useful trick of whatever she was doing to project stopped her cry from being deafening to those closest to her. "Many of you knew nothing of the darkness, the treachery, that festered beneath the surface here, but now the veil has been lifted from your eyes! Now you have seen what lies beneath, pulling strings in darkness! Now! Now you stand, with me, tonight, because none of us wish to stand by, or stay silent, while this cold, heartless system turns its gear and crushes those without voices. You have voices! Each of you here tonight has a voice that can shake the foundations of this machine, and tear it down!" The murmur of the crowd had hushed when she first turned around, but gradually it was growing into an approving swell. Uprising flourished her banner again.

"Raise your voices with me now! Every one, standing together. Cry out with me, and tell them that you will not be silent! Tell them that you will not be cowed! Cry out, people of Yoka, and tell them that this injustice will not stand!!" This time when Uprising pumped her arm high, she let out a wordless shout of affirmation, quite clearly putting her whole breath and body into the call. It was answered by a fierce response from the crowd, the supporters answering her rally with shouts of their own. If the representative peoples of the purple house itself didn't cry out with quite the volume or enthusiasm of the others, they still did raise voice, at least. The chorus continued for many long seconds; long enough for uprising herself to draw breath and let out a second shout along with them, before it began to subside again.

As the clamour died down, Uprising turned back to the steps of the purple house and planted her banner again. If Kabuki or Divina were watching the closely, they'd be able to pick out the signs of an adrenalin rush like no other coursing through the girl. She was breathing hard, but her lips were drawn back to something approaching a snarl.

"Kōzuke! Come out! The people call you to stand before them! Show yourself Kōzuke! You cannot refuse us!" Silence fell as the assembled crowd awaited the response to her challenge. The seconds stretched, until the sound of a large gong sounded over the commons. There was a groan as the large doors of the great house swung open all the way.

What emerged was not a single navi, but a small procession, filing out to fill the landing at the top of the steps. The uniform of the Kōzuke house servants was excessively fancy; at base it was the expected purple, but contained many fine cuts and trims, with a deal of detailed artistry and patterning picked through it in gold and silver. The effect made even the servants look more like minor nobility than staff. At the centre of the procession, eight navis bore a heavily gilt palanquin, draped in rich purple curtains, which they brought to the front and centre of the upper landing, before kneeling and setting it down. Once it was grounded, they each pushed in their handles and stepped away as the contraption began to shift and change its shape. The top opened and lifted up, while the sides split outwards and folded around on themselves, while what had presumably been the interior seating rose up and shifted forward. The end result was that what had been an overly ornate palanquin moments ago was now an even more ornate and excessive throne with a high back and rich purple cushioning.

The navi seated on this monstrosity was, for want of a more tactful description, huge. He was dressed in many layers of luxuriant robing, which had probably used several bolts of cloth, given his bulk. He easily filled his over-sized throne, but his large gut was matched by very thick, strong-looking limbs as well; heavy feet in thick purple cloth boots were planted firmly on the ground, while his arms exceeded the length of his thrones arms enough to curl over the ends comfortably. There was a myriad of jewellery on his fingers, to the point that it was a wonder his bling didn't get in the way of everything. His skin was a pale olive colour, and the features of his face were bluff and fierce; black hair that was cropped short matched the equally dark pupils of his eyes as he glared down the stares at the trio of women standing before him.

"I know why you are here. Speak your demand for all to hear, and I will answer." Expectedly, his voice was very deep, and rumbled with the weight of a rock-slide, but he sounded distinctly displeased by everything he was seeing, despite the impressive show. Uprising face up to him, but her fingers had tightened on her banner to a white-knuckled grip.

"The people have heard of your treachery, and they will not stand by while to commit further murder on top of your already bloodied hands! The Support Programs in your holding will not be executed on the morning. They will be released, now. The people of Yoka demand it!" there was strain in her voice; she knew she was walking a knife's edge, and even those listening from the crowd would be able to hear it. In response, the Kōzuke boss looked down at her, then out over the assembled crowd. He seemed to weigh his options, gritting his teeth, then turned his furious gaze back to the girl that was challenging him. His eyes moved to Kabuki first, then to Divina, and his fists tightened on the arms of his throne. At last he looked up to the crowd, and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"All that had been decreed was done in accordance with the laws that govern our houses. Though it is unfortunate, our rules demanded the planned execution, not I. However, House Kōzuke is magnanimous and forgiving, and so, if it is the will of the people here, of course, we shall show our kindness for all to see: their lives will be spared!" This pronouncement sent a great cheer up from the crowd, but as the chorus drowned out everyhtign else, the leader of Kōzuke looked down to the trio before him again, and spoke. His words were much quieter and fierer now, clearly menat only for them, while the crowd was too busy cheering to hear.

"But this affront will not be without cost. I will have my tribute, and my restitution. If they are spared, then you will offer up something to me in exchange." Uprising's am trembled as she gripped her banner. It was a surprise the pole didn't crack under the force of her grip, but even so, she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod to the man at the top of the stairs.

Once he had seen her action, he raised one hand high, seeking quiet, and the cheer gradually died down.

"They shall be released, but the matter is delicate, and stepping around the rules for the sake of the people's wishes needs care. Your voice in this, who has spoken for you all, I invite to join me for an evening meal, and we shall discuss the terms by which those support programs may be freed. It will be done; you have the word of House Kōzuke on this." Apparently this marked the end of his public audience, because the leader clapped his hands once, and his carriers from before stepped in again. Pressing similar buttons as before, the elaborate throne, still with its occupant ensconced, transformed itself back into the more mobile palanquin, before the entire procession packed up and retreated back into the doorway. Once they were gone, the crowd sensed that things were more or less over, and gradually they began to disperse, but Uprising turned to her friends.

"I have to go inside, to secure their release. I fear what he will demand, but I must still go. Whether it is your mission or not, I cannot ask you to accompany me in this; I cannot ask it of you, but, I would appreciate the support, and if you choose to come with me, I would accept, and gladly.

Her face was serious again, and she seemed not only to have calmed down from the earlier rush, but, if either of them were looking for it, the young woman seemed more subdued than they had yet seen her. Her tiredness was more apparent than before, and there was a tightness of worry at the edges of her eyes, but it was just as clear that she was trying hard not to let either actually show.

Kabuki thought to herself, watching Divina's reaction to being told she was owed a debt that was impossible to repay, that she'd never heard of any god or goddess so averse to being worshiped. That said, she did agree with her message, which was that everyone needed to stop leaning on traditions, respecting old rules that only made people's lives worse, and living in fear of authority rather than celebrating the individual. After all, if all of Yoka Net was still stuck in the old ways, she wouldn't be able to act; traditional kabuki theater hadn't welcomed women since it had abandoned having harlots act in their plays. A homogeneous male acting pool was seen as bringing honor and respectability to the art, despite the fact that it would have excluded people like that. Seeing as she figured herself a prodigious kabuki actress, she found that evidence enough that the old ways needed shaking up. That said, there was a 5% of her that didn't agree with Divina; she really would have liked the girl to consider her civil duty to JUUUU~STIIIIICE and join the demonstration. Hopefully, though, the girl would look back on the events of the night, reflect on Divina's words, and accept the goddess' graciousness. Hopefully she wouldn't resort to that ancient, feudal, distressingly lethal method of honor reclamation that so many characters in kabuki plays did.

Once Muse left, Kabuki had a brief face to face meeting with the mysterious patron that had allowed herself and Divina, along with Muse, to escape the blue house. Unfortunately, there was literally no time to introduce herself, as the navi was wholly occupied with doing Divina's bidding. That was admirable, Kabuki believed, but the guy's loyalty, especially given that Divina apparently expected nothing in return and they expected nothing in return, was beginning to look as though it was bordering on cult-like, she had to admit.

Finally, she met back with the woman of the hour, Uprising. Her chest swelled with pride as she beamed, basking in the glow of praise for their above-and-beyond work. "It was nothing, if done in the cause of JUUU~STICE and GOOD!" she responded, pressing one hand to her knee and bowing the leg while raising one palm skyward and looking after it. "Let us now strike the final blow, in the name of RIIIGHT~EOUS~NEEEESS!" What came next was very much to Kabuki's tastes; Uprising's speech whipped the crowd that had gathered into a frenzy. Kabuki figured that if Uprising ever got tired of freedom-fighting, she could have a good career in the theater, given the small girl's uncanny ability to project her voice. The actress shouted along with the crowd, angrily demanding that the purple house leaders presented themselves; she whipped her red hair around herself furiously and bared her sharp teeth and long, snaking tongue, with her pink eyes glowing harshly from within the black crevices above her cheeks.

When the house leader finally appeared, Kabuki had another deja vu moment: wasn't there somebody in the news who was a fat bad guy who rode upon a throne, oppressed the weak, and ran a bath house? The name wasn't coming to mind, but it sure seemed familiar. After failing to recall the name, Kabuki refocused her attention on the man, who was now looking at her in turn. She clenched her teeth and pondered shouting something herself, but it wasn't really her place to speak for Uprising, and the man's attention quickly shifted to her allies. "This affront? He ought to be planting his face into the ground and BEG~GING the FOOOR~GIIIVE~NESS of his people, not demanding that they lower themselves to repay his so-called graciousness!" Kabuki hissed, but again, she dared not shout (any more than the few words which naturally came out as shouts due to her speech pattern). Uprising would do that enough for all of them and they'd be breaking enough rules and traditions here without trying to yell over one another to do it. She thought to herself that when "rules" outweighed the wishes of the masses, that sort of undermined the rules themselves and ought to make one question whose interests they really protected; a point that Divina was likely pondering herself, if not voicing.

Uprising indicated that she intended to accept, which caused Kabuki to tighten her lips with an uncertain frown, her hair fading back to black. "In my humble opinion, we ought to have the leverage to force him to meet with us out in the open to discuss it. I don't at all like the idea of going inside to speak with him there. Who's to say he doesn't execute us outside of the public eye and immediately move on to plotting out how to explain that we got violent inside and he had to act in defense of himself and his employees, while determining how to explain that the execution is back on schedule. Perhaps I'm being pessimistic, but he certainly doesn't sound like he plans to concede without a 'sacrifice,' apparently one greater than all of the effort we've already put into informing him of public opinion," she murmured. "As to whether I will accompany you, I certainly shall; you needn't ask, as I was going to offer to do it myself. I want to see the night to its resolution and I certainly don't want you in there alone, however small of a help my company may be. Let's proceed inside immediately. Perhaps even his men can be made to see reason, as the many customers and the houses, to varying extents, have tonight. There may be those roused by your speeches or eager to serve the public good who will not turn their swords against us, even if the leader himself does."

If she thought about it harder, she'd also realize that she ought to get dressed back into some decent clothes before attending the dinner, but that wasn't on her mind. As a result, she'd show up in only her under-robe, which ought to be a nice talking point for any of the guards and servants so inclined, at least.

While Uprising wasn't exactly forthcoming with her methods, Divina could read between the lines...and she didn't like what she was looking at. "...Once this is all finished, we're going to have a little talk. I'd do it now, but we can all agree it's not the time and place for that." But oddly, her employer seemed to be stalling a little. Was she nervous? No, that didn't seem right...at this point, she was probably the biggest mystery here. Curiouser and curiouser. "Yes, let's. Although...mmm, never mind. It's not important."

With the approval of her and Kabuki, Uprising began her rallying cry. She was quite good at it...even she couldn't help but be inspired to action. She joined in as the crowd demanded an audience, though she naturally couldn't quite match her actress friend's theatrics...then again, if she tried, she'd probably end up obscuring the crowd with her light, and that was one thing they didn't need. Just this once, she was just another face in the crowd, albeit one in the front row.

And since she was up front, she had an excellent view of the...procession? They were practically treating him like a king...she would never understand how mortals could be so reverent of other mortals. Especially ones like that, who almost looked like he was trying to use as much wealth as possible on himself. She didn't dare call anyone out on it, though. If she did, she'd jeopardize the whole thing. So, she remained quiet as Uprising stated their purpose. The bloated Navi's response actually made her softly shake her head, though. The laws of mortals only existed because mortals agreed to them. If a law could cause this much unrest, this quickly, it was clearly not a popular one. And without the backing of the many, it was no law at all. Oh, and magnanimous and forgiving? It took all her willpower to not snicker at that...if they were truly that, this whole mess never would have happened to begin with. Still, mission accomplished. She nodded approvingly, but didn't let herself celebrate just yet. She had a feeling it wasn't over.

And sure enough, nope. He wanted to talk over dinner about 'reparations'. Uprising and Kabuki, in their own ways, both weren't entirely sure about it, though both intended to go. Guess they were all going, then. "It wouldn't have mattered if you accepted or not...I would've come along anyway! But, we shouldn't get too reckless." A screen appeared in front of Divina, who started to make some selections on it. "...There. From here on out, all of my sensory input is being recorded and sent to Hikari's PET. If they try anything funny, the whole world shall know of their treachery."

The goddess Navi wasn't done with her menu selecting, and soon brought up the pink scarfed NormalNavi. "I'm going to go inside with Uprising and Kabuki, and see things through to the end. I want you to tell the others that if possible, I'd like for them to hang around, just in case something happens. Just a precaution, of course. But, better safe than sorry." The other Navi wordlessly nodded, and cut the communication. "Well, shall we? I don't think being fashionably late will go over well here. Oh, and Uprising...don't worry. We're all going to get through this in one piece, whether that man likes it or not." She gave her a warm smile to try and cheer her up a little...as regardless of what the mortal Navi did or didn't do before, her intentions were pure. She could see that now. So for now, disagreements didn't matter. They were both on the side of righteousness, and that was good enough for her.

As much as she had acknowledge each woman's greeting and readiness, she had barely managed a small consenting nod to Divina's request for a 'quiet chat' afterwards, before beginning her speech; the slightly opaque wording was probably sign enough that she knew they wouldn't approve, especially since there had been requests for non-violence, but her focus for that moment had clearly been on the present.

Now that the time to move forward was upon them, however, and most of the crowd seemed to be breaking up, the young woman took a few moments to relax a little more as she spoke to her companions, something of her exhaustion showing through a little more clearly now.

"I... I thank you, both. It means much to me that you would so easily and so willingly join me. I believe I can promise you both that our lives, at least, will be in no danger." She sighed and looked up towards the doors of the house, as though contemplating things worse than a blunt threat to her life.

"Even at this stage, there are still rules he must follow, and forms he must obey. He gave word for what he would do, and too many saw, both out here, and from within his own house, for him to risk breaking with it now. I spoke, so he blames me; neither of you will be in any danger, and if we are lucky, his price will fall only on me as well, whatever it is he ends up demanding."

Taking along breath and then blowing it out sharply, Uprising stood straight again, though this still left her easily the shortest woman present, and squared her shoulders.
"Unfortunately, so do we. To demand that he stay and negotiate here, in front of everyone, would be the same as refusing his request, which was made after he 'agreed' to ours. He would refuse, and all would think him right to do so, no matter what other circumstances surround it." She shook her head, the idea of dealing with this last hurdle under the safety of public eyes a far off dream.
"Inside the bathhouse will be his staunchest loyalists. Many of them will already know the full details of everything that went on... probably more than even I do... and still choose to support him, for whatever reason they justify it with. I doubt you'll sway any of them, but, if you do get the chance, well... any help is welcome." Despite her increasingly serious setting, the girl did manage to return the corner of a smile to Divina, both for her reassurance, and for the extra back-up.

Unsurprisingly, the large doors were opened for the trio as they approached, the purple-clad guards drawing them open, and then sliding them shut again after them. Inside, the house looked rather more like a palace, than a recreational facility; there was a great deal of open space, marked by thick, opulent columns that supported rich purple tapestries and hangings. Gold was the continuing theme alongside the more expected purple; if, as the ladies had been told, this had once been the house held by the family that represented themselves with black, then there was certainly no trace of that remaining now.

The entry-way created a straight pathway that led towards what was still recognisable as a reception desk, though the partitioning was low, and served only to guide, rather than obscure; the rest of the main hall existed mostly as eye candy in tribute to the house's wealth, and as space to hang tastefully erotic artwork in the spaces between banners. There were a number of side paths that would lead the women into other areas of the bath-house, but at this point they were, quite obviously, expected, and a pair of plain-faced greeters met, then escorted all three of them forward.

They were taken, without word, to the right and into a separate hall that opened out again after a short corridor. This one contained a long feast table as the centrepiece of the room, and the walls were lined with servants every ten paces, ready to jump forward and assist any guest that had a need. For the moment, however, the lord of the manor was the only one in attendance at the table. He was seated, still on his gaudy throne, at the head of the table, already eating.

Interestingly enough, one might have expected the giant of a man to be ravenously stuffing his face, but in fact his eating manners seemed to be remarkably dainty, especially compared to the positive mountain of food arrayed on the long table. His plate contained mostly well cooked meats, but also a selection of savouries and a deal of interestingly presented fruits. He ate simply with his fingers, but was remarkably neat about doing so, if still quite fast and efficient. As the trio entered the hall, one of the servants stepped forward, staring straight ahead.

"You are in the presence of Kōzuke Kira, honoured lord and master of Kōzuke House!" Words spoken, he stepped back into position by the door; apparently they needed no particular introductions themselves, at this stage. Either he already knew each of their names, or else he didn't care. Looking up, the man set the bone he had been chewing on back on his plate, wiped his fingers on the cloth by his place, then raised an arm towards the three.

"Come. Sit. Eat. You three have cost me much, but let it not be said I am an ungracious host." At his gesture, more servants stepped forward to pull out the chairs nearest the master of the house, with the clear indication that they ought to take their places. Even so, there would remain at least a foot or two of table length between Kira and his 'guests', since even the closest settings on either side were a short distance down from the table head placement. Uprising herself didn't hesitate in walking forward a few paces, but when she reached the end of the table nearest them, she held her banner out to one side, twirling it briefly, then set it down flat to the ground without taking her eyes off their host. If she did indeed use the standard as a weapon, then action would make sense, but there was also the feel that, however proper such a gesture was, it still didn't feel exactly safe.

Regardless, the young girl took her place at the first position to his left. All signs of her previous fatigue and trepidation had been brushed away now; the girl was grim and serious, and quite clearly wearing her game face again. Once they were seated, he began talking without giving any of them a chance to actually sample to food.

"Three foreigners come to our little home here, and they meddle in affairs unfamiliar to them, upsetting the balances of politics that govern the houses in the region, because they think they can see clearly what is right, where all those who live and grow upon it, treat the matter as a delicate web. What am I to do?" He glanced down, picked up a small cherry tomato from his plate and popped it into his mouth, chewing as the appeared to think for a moment.

"I must do as the crowd demands. Anything less would be political suicide, and here, that kind of loss can lead to the much more serious variety. And yet, much work went into achieving the goals which you have now called to be undone. I would have restitution for that." His gazed tuned to Uprising directly and he tilted his head slightly, appraising her. The woman stared back, failing to disguise he coldness she was directing towards him. Kira smirked. "You are the one who incited this. You began the play that lead us here now. You would have four lives from me. What, then, can I take from you to make matters fair?" Casually, he took anther bite of something unidentifiable from his plate, and wiped his fingertips again. "I cannot enforce your deletion, or your accomplices'. You are foreigners to this area, and even then, it would not be an equal payment." He looked between the three of them and his eyes narrowed.

"I cannot have your lives for theirs, so perhaps instead I will require your servitude instead. Zenny does no interest me, in a matter such as this; time, effort, labour, commitment, sacrifice. These are the currencies I will have. A year from each of you, under my colours, for each life spared today." He sat back, lifting the cloth to dab at his mouth delicately, and seemed like he was waiting to hear each woman's response, when a small gone rang through the hall. Kira's brow furrowed for a moment, and a brief look of surprise flashed across his features, before he nodded again, almost to himself. The sound was the herald for a door back behind the table to open, issuing a pair of young girls, each grinning and giggling as much as the next as they ran up to the lord of the house.

One was 'dressed', if it could be called that, in a white chest band that would probably restrain her breasts when she grew up enough to have them, and a pair of high-side white underwear that dipped so low in the middle it was a miracle they didn't show more. Her hair was blonde and done in pig-tails, with white bands and a few other white trinkets and hair adornments, above bright blue eyes that seemed almost a little bit too big for the rest of her head. She was wearing a white lace choker about her neck, which covered a disc that was presumably her emblem, except that rather than any particular symbol the circle itself was simply pure white.

The other girls was dressed in an almost identical way, except for the direct contrasts: her 'clothing' was the same, but her colour theme was black instead. Her hair was black and straight, her eyes a deep crimson, and her emblem was a blank black disc. Neither girl looked visually more than thirteen at most, but on the net that didn't mean much. They ran up to the master of the house, taking hold of one arm each and looking to him as though expecting something, and in turn he took a moment to brush each of their cheeks once, disregarding Uprising, Kabuki and Divina for the time being.

"Sorry girls. I have some unexpected business. Return to your rooms. I will summon you when I am ready." Almost like twins, the two seemed to deflate and pouted softly, but then retreated from the room just as swiftly without another word. When they were gone, Kira turned his attention back to the other women, but as he looked over them, his gaze lingered on uprising this time, and a dangerously contemplative look entered his eyes.

"I've changed my mind!" The announcement came with a suddenness that seemed more than happy to talk right over the top of anything any of the three might have been saying at that particular moment. "One evening is all I will have in servitude from the three of you. This evening you will serve house Kōzuke as I command, however I command, and when the night is through, you will leave here, unharmed, and I will release the programs with you. Are my terms understood?" The last question was a dark challenge, uttered more like a threat than anything else, but he delivered it looking solely at Uprising. For her part, the woman had gone still, and her hands had curled into tight fists against the tabletop. Her jaw was clenched tight as she looked back at the man, and she didn't manage to give an answer right away.

"It's a good thought, but I can't help but think that if stopping the devious machinations of the various bathhouse moguls here was as easy as exposing their evil and debauchery to the net, the system as it is wouldn't exist," Kabuki mentioned to Divina. "Corruption can't grow as large as this unless a great many people are not just consenting to it, but actively protecting it." As much as she wanted to get fired up, she found her hair staying black, as were the grooves in her body. She couldn't get excited knowing that they were walking right into a trap... Moreover, probably a trap that she would be unable to assist them out of. Knowing that Divina's followers were outside the bathhouse would be something of a relief, at least. She'd seen their devotion to the goddess and if anything went wrong, they'd probably come in to help, whether she asked them to or not. "Well, despite how I feel right now, I must admit that lucky is something Divina and I have definitely been so far tonight," Kabuki responded to Uprising, remembering the number of dangerous individuals, likely with careers of violence, that they'd met tonight. "Perhaps it is not luck, but DIII~VINE PRO~VI-DENCE?!" she questioned. She'd finally mustered up some enthusiasm. It always helped to believe you had a goddess on your side.

Uprising's further explanation fit the tone of the night that she hated and that she knew Divina felt even worse about: the idea that every native around this bathhouse area, regardless of whether they sided with the purple house or with Uprising on this matter, would doggedly focus on the upkeep of the houses' rules as a necessary factor in all negotiations and events. "I won't push it if you don't want to," she conceded, although she really wished it was possible to drag the guy back outside and talk to him there. That wasn't an option, for several reasons, chief amongst them their employers wish not to.

The inside was about what Kabuki figured, although she'd personally never been inside so extravagant a bathhouse before. On any other night, she might have been excited, but after tonight's proceedings, she wasn't sure if she was ever going to trust a bathhouse again. After being led by house servants to meet Kozuke Kira, she couldn't help but frown at the way he was carrying himself. It was almost like a visual representation of the house rules. Here was a man who would tell you he values the law of the land, but he would ignore the basic decency that ought to accompany it. Similarly, here was a man who would carry himself elegantly when eating out of respect for his own appearance, but would not wait for guests he'd invited to have their seats before feeding himself. "Someone ought to teach him real manners," she thought to herself, unable to avoid frowning. She sure as hell wasn't bowing this time.

A scoffing laugh escaped her lips as he greeted them. "And you have cost this very community much! But let it not be said that they are ungracious people, considering that they allow you to continue your actions here," she shrugged, now feeling utterly unconcerned with keeping up appearances. She followed alongside Uprising, but had no weapons to set down, ostensibly. She took her seat, but touched no food... ordinarily, she had a pretty ravenous hunger, but she couldn't entirely convince herself that any food here was safe for consumption. She threw up her hands again almost immediately as Kozuke began talking, interrupting him yet again. "If I had a SIN~GEL ZENN~IE for every time I've heard one of you fellows in power here talk about how we don't understand the lay of the land, how the politics here are so very DEEE~LI~CATE! Like a fragile web, you say? What sort of web so stubbornly holds its shape, so violently retaliates against those who attempt to upset its balance? This is not an invisible, silken web, but an obvious steel net, a restrictive device that drags all of the people caught inside of it down. The only ones who can withstand it in the long term are those at the top of the pile," she condemned him, pressing one finger down against the table's surface as she spoke.

As he kept talking, she kept talking, as though her long tongue refused to sit still. "Oh yea, verily, far be it for you house heads to refuse the people what they want! I've seen a woman tricked into sexual slavery over a spa treatment, a man who fears for the lives of his friends so heavily that he can't speak out against the injustices that happen here on a minute-by-minute basis, but yes, the people certainly support this system, ONE-HUN~DRED PER~CENT! You hear their voices and obey!" she joked. Her sharp teeth were bared and she snapped back at his every statement. "YOU incited this! All of you house heads, when you placed the iron torture devices you call 'the way things are' around the necks of the workers and natives here and convinced them to bear with it! You owe them their lives and you owe this community back all of the lives you have taken and ruined thus far!" The actress stopped a thread short of claiming that he really owed his own blood back to the community,but it was the one thing she could think of that he could give that would repay all of the injustice she'd seen so far. "If you need something from me to make this situation FAIR, then I would happily offer you a shotgun, stuck deep inside your-!"

Although she was seething with rage, she stopped her words, realizing that somebody else was coming in now. What she saw only infuriated her further: two women, not old enough to be properly be called "women," eager to indulge in some of that sexual slavery she'd mentioned earlier. In a best case scenario, the two eagerly clung to him because of the wealth he represented or the pleasure of his company as a sexual partner, but even then, girls so young were not fit to make such important life decisions, in her mind. In the more likely worse case scenario, the girls had simply been screwed into a state of confusion, being told like the rest of the community that this was the right way to do things... or there could even be drugs involved. Whatever the case, Kabuki was in no state of mind to hear that she was expected to serve as a servant, neither for one year nor one night.

"You open not your mouth but to spill forward another affront to human decency! I feel myself tainted just to look at you, nearly poisoned to hear you! Your definition of 'unharmed' is nothing less than having thrown away all since of dignity and basic self-worth! It's being brainwashed into following this system, which sees innocent girls RAPED FOR NO~THING, sees young girls EX~PLOIT~ED, sees good women IN~JURED, sees good men WRACKED WITH GUILT, sees others MURD~ERED! There is no offer, none, that could come out of your mouth that I would accept any longer! Because all of it is another angle, another attempt to EX~PLOIT righteous people and turn them into your playthings! It is useless! Listening to you speak is completely, utterly useless!" she cried at the top of her lungs, standing and pushing her seat out behind her while gripping tightly onto the table. "I won't consent to your demands! I won't bow to another LUD~I~CROUS, IG~NOR~ANT rule of the system! I've done it all night, and I'm through with it! I will offer no further courtesy or posture to men who deserve none! I will not bargain with the devil any longer! I cannot speak for everyone here, but... certainly you both agree?! I know the lives of the SPs are important, but it is upon HIM to renegotiate! To show he has a soul! The good people here, they turn the other cheek when evil strikes them! And they turn and they turn and THEY TURN, until their cheeks are black with bruising! Nay, perhaps there is no offer you can make that will be acceptable, for they are not decent, human words that come from your mouth. The meaning of each of them is so backwards, so attuned to malice, that it is offensive to hear them. I seek not an offer, I seek no less than for you to, for once in your life, reveal yourself to be be man and not demon, and release the captives."

Of course, Kabuki had no bargaining power in this situation, but she felt so thoroughly convinced that she was right that it seemed simply inconceivable her words would not prevail. Additionally... "What bargaining power do you even have any further? Can you actually afford not to release those captives? You all stretch these 'rules' of yours so thoroughly and they never snap... but won't they? Can you truly execute those SPs now? With all I have seen in a day, which has pushed me over the edge of calm, how much further till the people of this area, who live day to day with all of your HY~POC~RI~SY and E~VIL thrust upon them, reach the teetering point themselves? Perhaps it's all a fragile web, as you say. Can you afford to publicly execute people, in this kind of climate, knowing that it is indeed 'public' with the information that's now been spread even to consumers, tourists, and those not associated with the execution?" she threatened again. "I KNOW that we don't owe you anything. I know that there isn't a soul that owes you anything, except perhaps for the silent guards and servants whose pockets you line. Therefore, I would say it is 'fair' if you release your captives and swear yourself a Buddhist, renounce your worldly possessions, perhaps consider becoming a eunuch? But I will settle for you simply releasing those captives, as you already know that you must."

There was no point talking sense to the guards, she now realized. If they could watch this man condemn innocents to execution while he contemplated intercourse with his underage sex servants, there was probably no hoping that they'd come to their senses and grow a heart. For that matter, there was probably no hoping Kozuke would, which is why she sincerely hoped he had as little real leverage here as she thought he did.

At this point, Kabuki felt it would be just peachy if Uprising wanted to pick back up her standard and stick it straight into Kozuke. If Uprising wanted to do that, she'd probably find a WindDragon from Kabuki flying right alongside her.

"You never know, Kabuki. Perhaps it's as simple as the fact no one has dared to try it before." The actress's words did nothing to dampen Divina's spirits. If anything, it just strengthened her resolve to see things through. Besides, recording what she saw in there wouldn't hurt anything. That said, Uprising's remarks about the Navis inside did manage to successfully depress her slightly. "...It doesn't matter either way. Talking out here does nothing now. Let's head in and put an end to this."

And in they went. The goddess frowned upon seeing the decor; it actually unnerved her a bit, since of the places they'd seen, this would easily be the one that put her most at ease. After all, the columns, the purple and gold decor...throw in some gray, and it'd almost be a more extravagant version of her temple. But she managed to shake it off, and moved with the others into the dining hall. It was quite vast, but what drew her attention was that the head Navi had started without them. That was it. That was this place in a nutshell. The perfect hypocrisy to describe this place. "Well! It's rather impolite to begin eating before your guests arrive!" He was extremely lucky she managed to restrain herself from being more scathing than that.

The intro further tested her patience, but she endured. Honored lord and master? How did anyone so disconnected and so dismissive of life end up being any of those things? Hmm? The others were headed towards those open seats...she should follow and pay more attention. After seeing Uprising set her flag down, she let her staff float next to her as she sat down. In her case, her staff was just a conduit for her light powers. On its own, it was virtually harmless.

After that, she...didn't do anything. The food did look good, but this was hardly the time for a meal. "You'll excuse me if I don't eat anything. I can't say I'm at all hungry at the moment..." She actually wasn't worried about it being poisoned or anything, though; if she had the place figured right, if he tried anything like that, he'd be breaking the agreement, and that'd leave the house with egg on its collective face.

Speaking of faces, Divina could tell from Kabuki's that she was completely sick of playing nice, and had just started speaking her mind. Though...oddly, she didn't entirely agree with her. "Actually, Kabuki, I think it's an apt analogy. If it was so difficult to harm it, then the actions of three ladies couldn't have led to this." And also like a silk web, every time a hole was made in it, it would be repaired...but it would also be weakened. Eventually, the web would be unable to sustain itself, and collapse. She wouldn't be surprised if that was Uprising's endgame all along, all things considered.

The gong actually didn't just stop the fiery woman from continuing her statement, it also stopped the goddess Navi from trying to shut her up. She was delving into the one thing she absolutely refused to permit. Not even this Navi, fiendish as he was, was deserving of such a fate in her eyes. Though, that continued to be put to the test as two...for lack of a better term, 'servants' came in. Fortunately, he didn't do anything with, or to, them, and dismissed them. Kabuki continued to rant after the proposition was made, but she was honestly tuning that out at this point. It was easy enough to get the gist, which she for the most part agreed with. She let her finish before she herself said anything, since there was no way she could outshout her. Was she done now? Looked like it. Time for her take.

"Truthfully, the very fact you would dare to propose that a goddess should become your slave is laughable. Gods serve all men, not just one. Least of all a twisted, heartless shell of a man like yourself, that lives only to have his ego stroked. Incidentally, how does it feel, to be in the presence of people that don't revere you? Does it make you angry? Humiliated? Sad? I imagine it's quite an unfamiliar experience for you. And while you're considering that, here's my terms. Release the programs to my care, and work to change the rules of the land to where all life is held in the highest regard, and not extinguished to satisfy the egos of the few. And hy my care, specifically? Because I understand that they are not without their own sins. For that, they should, in fact, face punishment. But an eye for an eye leaves all involved blind...an impartial third party should be the administer of justice. And as one who casts a grim eye on the taking of life, I can assure you that I have no desire to go easy on them. Do that, and I will not expose everything that has just transpired to the world. Not just the area you call the world, either. I'm sure the NetPolice would be quite interested in the blatant law breaking you've sanctioned."

At last, Divina fell silent, and awaited a response. She was basically giving him one chance to change his ways...she sincerely hoped he took it. Although, she did catch the end of what her new friend had said..."...Incidentally, castration and converting to Buddhism aren't really things that I would recommend. Just to be clear."

At first, Kira gave little reaction to the small outbursts of dissatisfaction coming from his so-called guests. As far as he was concerned, uprising was the only one behaving like an adult, and so she was the only one he focused on. Each time he said something, the man paused and waited for Kabuki's harsh snap back to end, before continuing, but as it went on, and the actress cried back at him again, and again, and again, a visible tension began to show in the house-leaders delicate motions. They became sharper, and more deliberate, until, once he had outlined his own request, he simply sat back, with his hands on the table, and waited for her diatribe to end.

If Divina was politely and subtly tuning her colleague out, Kira was being far less considerate about it, his eyes wandering and occasionally looking down at his hands while he waited for her to run out of breath. On the other hand, if Divina wasn't quite sold on Kabuki's outburst, it did seem to have something more of an effect on Uprising. While at first the girl had shot worried looks to her ally, and a clear concern that such violent words could still make things go very wrong... the more the actress spoke about her point of view, the more it seemed to restore some measure of confidence to the worried woman.

Divina piped up in a more moderated tone more or less as soon as her more enraged friend ended, and Kira flicked an eye in her direction, one eyebrow raised. When she was done, however, his gaze returned to Kabuki, and his eyes grew darker.

"Savage." The word came out rather like someone picking something unpleasant from under a finger nail. "There is no place at my table for uncouth barbarians who shout and rave like illiterate swine because the world does not conform to the way they wish it. How poor an actress you must be, when you lack all capacity for composure." He raised one hand and gestured with two fingers.
"Guards. Remove this disgusting savage from my presence. I cannot bear the sight of her, nor the sound of her screeching, any longer. I do not care where she goes, simply remove her. She may move about the house freely, and use its facilities free of charge, if she wishes, until our business here is concluded; such is my duty, but I have no desire to see or hear from her ever again."

On cue, two of the servants around the room stepped forward, clearly meaning to guide Kabuki from the hall. If she did not go willingly, however, more guards were quite at the ready to remove her more firmly. One issue was whether Kabuki herself would go easily; it might well afford different opportunities, if he really meant to allow her such free reign. The other was whether her friends would permit it. For her part, Uprising sprang to her feet at the command, firsts clenched.

"Kira! This is not—" He turned his attention to her, Kabuki apparently already forgotten.
"Is the savage's presence important to our negotiations? I release her from any weight of cost, then. The deluded one I release as well. Your cost is all I ask now; one evening, for your four lives." The girl growled under her breath, but held still, white-knuckled fists still clenched. Ultimately, as much as it was clear she didn't wish to, she wasn't going to risk the lives she came to save, and didn't seem about to interfere; if nothing else, she knew that, by the rules he was playing, he would be true to his word as long as they were his 'guests'.

Kabuki was forced to go from fiery red angry to smoldering black angry as she realized that whether they agreed with Kabuki's point, perhaps, neither Divina nor Uprising were really accepting her call to action; furthermore, Kozuke just dismissed all of it, which, while predictable, was no less frustrating for it. Worse, she appeared to have gotten herself thrown out of the party (also predictable, annoying). "That's funny! I've been called both too prone to deceit to be anything other than an actress and too prone to emotional outburst to be an actress tonight," she laughed, although she wasn't really in any mood for joking. Another unfortunate conclusion was that she hadn't really accomplished anything other than restating what everyone already knew to be true to begin with. Still, she stood by her statement that she wasn't willing to do anything that could be construed as negotiating with the man; neither was Divina, but he seemed willing to ignore her rather than throw her out. With no one having taken up arms, Kabuki figured that the situation would only be made worse if she resisted arrest. They were still going to try to talk it over and with Kabuki unwilling to do so, she'd only be a liability at this point. Thus, she allowed the guards to take her arms and addressed Kozuke no further. Yet another great shame of the situation was that she no longer had the option to sacrifice her own body to protect her employer. Kozuke didn't seem to want it.

At this point, she used her remaining time to advise her compatriots as to her feelings on the matter (although she could hardly blame them at this point if they wanted to turn their backs to her as a way of furthering their bargaining position). "Uprising, Divina you must not consent to his terms as they are! I know I said we can't negotiate with him, but even negotiating would be better than accepting what he says. Please promise me you'll do that," she urged the two of them. "And Divina, be careful who you give this to, whether it be in the public or to the NetPolice. He couldn't have grown this powerful if removing him was as simple as presenting information to the police. He's very wealthy and probably has contacts in the police... I'd be very careful and give it only to an officer you know you can trust, if you do choose to go that route. Also... nevermind," she murmured, clenching her teeth and glaring back at Kozuke. She was thinking to herself that eventually, Divina was going to have to consent that there was no peaceful way to do any damage to Kozuke, but she had no doubt in her mind that Divina would argue that point.

More than anything, she wanted Kozuke to be damaged. She wanted him to be hurt. The good person inside of her figured this was because, even if the SPs were released now, they'd failed in the long term: having followed the rules of this backwards bathhouse society and even showed grace in pardoning his prisoners who violated it, the big man might recover from this and be the same powerful figure again the next time they encountered him. They needed to really burn him somehow, something that would leave a lasting effect or weaken him, but perhaps their crossing him had already done that. It was quite possible that unless someone stood up to him and refused to play by his rules, they would never displace him, nor the system. On the other hand, their actions might have planted a seed of revolution that others would act on. It was a faint hope, but a hope all the same.

... The bad part of her just wanted him to be dead. He should be ended like the villain of a kabuki play, taken down by the flashing sword of a hero. It was the end he deserved in her mind. There was a part of her that wasn't even thinking about the lives of those she was saving any more; they were just thinking about the fate owed to all evildoers as heinous as he was. How dearly she wished that she could hold the sword and do the deed. Divina may have tossed aside their friendship if she could know how earnestly Kabuki wanted to delete Kozuke.

She had to get a few more words out, but she was undoubtedly being dragged away by the guards now. "We have some leverage here! Use it!" she reiterated to Uprising. "I'm not done yet, nor are any of us! The injustices of the night are still fresh in the minds of the people; we are at the zenith of power that we shall ever hold over Kozuke. Executing the SPs now would lead to nothing less than a public outcry. That means that we still have time, time to figure out something! Don't let this be done just to be done with it. Fight a little longer... Let's remind him that he has everything to lose and can still lose it! Let's not let him have his way!" she shouted. At this point, it would be useless for her to try to lie or scheme any further; all she could do was hope that Divina and Uprising found a way out of this. It would be truly befitting of a tragedy, the kind she'd acted in many times before, if Uprising had to give up herself to pay what she did not owe to the demon Kozuke... But tragedies like that shouldn't happen outside of plays and the senseless dramas of history.

Inevitably, Kabuki would be taken outside the room. She had no desire to roam around the house, guarded or not... but she might have a duty to do so. She had to help, somehow... She couldn't give up. Short of trying to break the SPs out herself, which would be madness and possibly ultimately counter-productive, there was only one thing she could do: continue to sway the public opinion. Kozuke had just given her full reign to go wherever she wanted here and enjoy any of the place's services. That gave her the access she needed to talk to purple house guests in person. "There's still something I can do to help!" she reinforced herself, pausing to lean against the wall outside the meeting room, covering her face with her sleeve pressed against her forehead and the wall itself. Her hair gradually grew from black to red, her eyes squinting up as she refocused her mission. Ultimately, she wanted to help... but she also wanted Kozuke to really regret what he'd just done. She wanted him to look back and think "that was where I messed up." And she wanted him to truly, earnestly despair. The truly evil, the true sinners, are damned to be judged by Enma and deserve hell. She wasn't sure if Enma worked with navis, so she was going to do her best to make sure that justice was carried out herself. Although, in this case, she might only be able to turn more of his patrons against him, she'd do all she could find the opportunity to.

Kabuki began to shamble slowly away from the meeting room, then gradually picked up her step. "JUUUUUDGE ye not, lest ye be JUUUUDGE~ED yourself!" she cried, once she deemed herself out of earshot of the meeting room. She reset the grin across her face and decided to set to work. This meant finding the biggest, most packed room she could, finding someone who didn't seem like they'd turn her away for singing at them, and then giving them the most damning stories of Kozuke they could. After all, there had been patrons in the blue house who didn't fully understand the evil of the people they were giving their money to. Surely, there were the same sorts of people here: those who, if they just knew how low Kozuke was willing to sink, would not only turn their backs on him, but agree to oppose them. Kabuki wasn't fully certain that publicizing the evils of the purple house would bring them down, even if the information was presented to the police. She did have faith in the people, however, and giving them the facts face to face might be effective enough to continue tipping the scales of balance here until the purple house folded in. She'd be ruining a few more people's nights before the night was over, but sometimes, justice wasn't fun.

She immediately made her way upstairs; if anyone tried to stop her, she'd simply point the guards to the meeting room and ask them to get the exact words from Kozuke's guards, who'd heard the big man say she was allowed to move about the house freely. Once she was up there, she'd find the biggest, most unsuspecting room full of patrons she could and begin the work, with renewed enthusiasm for justice. She had nothing to lose now; Kozuke hated her, she hated Kozuke. She just wanted everyone to hate him as much as she did. The trick would be presenting it in a way that made people want to believe, rather than dismissing her as a crazy, yelling lunatic... though, maybe that's what she was at this point.