Vicious-Carthrat Tanewaki, Badass in training?

[Carthrat]

"Are you really Kaoru?" queries Vicious, arching a knowing eyebrow at her. "I would've thought you'd have more.. manners when greeting a stranger."

Vicious himself doesn't make a move to draw his own sword. In fact, he makes very few movements at all.

[Bean Bandit]

"Are you really Vicious?" The rattled girl glares back, one hand on Yahiko's weapon, but she stops short of ripping it off of his back and leveling it at Vicious. "I'dve though you would be less concerned with manners."

Yahiko stared at Kaoru. "Wait, you know him?"

Karou blinks, looking back at Yahiko, then quickly at Vicious. "I've heard...stories." She replies to the boy, lamely.

[Carthrat]

"They make a conveniant metaphor," he replies, blandly. "As for who I really am, let's just say that I'm being the best Vicious I can be. If I slip up.. well, I won't last long."

"Anyway. Put on the coat Yakiho brought you. You stand out too much, especially in the kimono. I need to transfer your... bail money to the station, and then I'll fill you in on what I know about the situation."

[Bean Bandit]

Kaoru stared, then nodded slowly, seemingly for the lack of anything else coherent to say, accepting the coat Yahiko handed over and fumbling to pull it on. Her eyes never left him, suspiscious, startled and intensely curious all at once.

[Carthrat]

Walking back down the streets, Vicious takes a moment to transfer the necessary money (2.75, as agreed on) to the station, and then proceeds back towards the shellshocked hotel.

"I was told to go to a certain place at a certain time by a certain female," he begins, speaking mainly to Kaoru. "Aside from being intolerably cryptic, she seemed in a hurry, and after a rather... persuasive argument, I did as she asked.

"Lucky I did, I guess, because I found Yakiho there, and Yakiho told me about you. Your mysterious benefactor didn't tell me much else about what's going on... I do know she's trying to gather 'agents' together, to go clean up some mess she made.

"Without our knowledge or consent, of course..."

[Bean Bandit]

Yahiko followed along, and Kaoru, her mood seeming improved by leaps and bounds with the coat on, gave Vicious a wary look. "I seem to have read this scenario before. Somewhere." She commented. "This...uh...'She' didn't say anything else?"

[Carthrat]

"She said that I'm expendable," adds Vicious, helpfully. "And she almost knocked my hotel down with an earthquake because I questioned her divine wisdom."

[Bean Bandit]

"Oh. Well, it's good to know she's easily annoyed. Or maybe you have a way with people." Kaoru gave Vicious a look. "Shouldn't you be seething at the affront to your...um, reputation, or something?"

[Carthrat]

"Nobody knows but you," replies Vicious, tartly. "I'm already ruining my reputation just by helping you."

Actually, I have a pretext for that if anyone asks, lady. But you don't wanna hear it.

"But that's the right idea. I simply cannot afford to *not* think like Vicious would. You, on the other hand, get to be yourself, so to speak. I'm kind of jealous."

[Bean Bandit]

"One, that's not entirely true." Kaoru murmured in low tones, with a sidelong glance at Yahiko, then pitched her voice a little more conversationally. "And I seem to recall that there's precident for...you spiriting..." She gritted her teeth slightly, "...women away for one reason or another."

[Carthrat]

"Good. Maybe nobody will ask, then," replies Vicious, flatly. "Not that I need to answer to anyone on Callisto."

"Look, it's not my intention to do anything horrible. I've been able to play along so far. Tonight, I'm going to call that woman back, and she'll outline... things... to us. Hopefully. In any case, we don't have a choice but to stick together."

[Bean Bandit]

"Remember what I said about Kenshin." Yahiko piped up to Vicious, suddenly, prompting an abrupt blush and an irritated exclamation from Kaoru.
"Stop bringing him up! He's not going to try and get me in bed!" She hesitated, narrowing her eyes. "Are you?"

[Carthrat]

"Yeah, no. Any other stupid questions?"

[Bean Bandit]

Kaoru nodded to herself, relaxing and turning away from Vicious, shrinking down into her coat until the collar swallowed her chin and mouth, streams of steaming breath trailing from her nose. "How did she 'persuade' you?"

[Carthrat]

"First, she was the first person to know what's going on around here," starts Vicious. "We talked over the phone.. she knew my 'real' name, though I guess I'm not using it anymore.

"Second, she's capable of causing seismic mayhem. Actually, she apparently can't do things on a small scale... I figure I could hide from that, if I needed to. But since I'm looking to work out what's going on and what direction I should take next, it seemed as good an idea as any to do as she says.

"But I still don't trust her. Probably like you don't trust me. That's healthy, though."