Down To Brass Tax: The Kairi Itami Bounty is dicussed, amoung other things. (15/09/2403)

Kairi and Lya had returned to their usual selves now that their injuries had been healed and the effects of Genbu’s drain had worn off.  The latter feeling had also worn off for their rescuers, who were once again enjoying the full effects of their ethereal channelling capacity.

The large group would make it into a highly secured area within the Imperial Palace of Itami in Genaisa, where they would meet the young woman who had set the bounty, the younger sister of Kairi Itami Jr., Zann Itami.  The young woman would be accompanied by three perfect tier members of the Itami Royal Guard and would be found sitting at the end of a rather long table.  As the group made their way in, Rueben, Rayne and Ryuu would take seats at the opposite end of the table, while Setto and Ran made their way towards Zann to greet her, having not been back to Genaisa for a few weeks.  Cloud and the Juggerknot would opt to stand as things got on their way.

Zann would greet everyone formally, drawing replies in kind before she got down to the business of handing out the bounty.  As was expected, Setto and Ran would care little for the money, being royalty naturally afforded them with near inexhaustible resources at the discretion of their parents, a sentiment shared by Ryuu who tended to have most of his expenses taken care of as long as he remained in his father’s good books.  Rueben would also forego his claim to the bounty, stating that he was not motivated by the reward when he undertook Kairi’s rescue, but more so compelled by his familial ties to the larger Itami.  Rayne on the other hand, interestingly enough, would accept the bounty, along with the Juggerknot and Cloud.

Cloud’s claim to the bounty did not sit well with the Juggerknot or Rayne however, who didn’t think that the young Stryfe really deserved the reward given the way that things had gone down.  The Juggerknot would be the first to point this out, explaining that it was the Itami team that fought off Takeshu, completing the task that Kairi and Lya had set out to do, thus allowing them to leave Pandora without any further obligation.  Rayne would agree to this, sharing his side of the argument, but like the Juggerknot, he did not press the issue too far.  Zann would find these claims to be interesting, turning to her older brother to get his version of the story.

As it turned out, Kairi had no intention of leaving the Arc until Takeshu had been dealt with, as he had travelled with the native of Yatsuno for such a long time that he felt it was his responsibility to foil his schemes.  Lya nodded her confirmation, causing Zann to turn her attention to a particularly annoyed Cloud as he wondered why this was even being pressed.

Cloud would explain briefly in his annoyance, that he was the one who had been stalked by Takeshu upon his arrival in the Temple and explained the he had set traps in attempts to dispatch his pursuer.  Cloud would further explain that he had refrained from engaging in the final battle because it was not his mission to dispatch Takeshu but to rescue Kairi and Lya, so he did not see how fighting a Heiarch fragment would have helped him achieve this. 

Zann smiled briefly before turning her attention to Kairi to see if he had any suggestions, but the large channeler didn’t seem to care much about how the bounty was split as long as the Itamis got their fair share.   As far as Kairi was concerned, they had completed the task that he was obliged to carry out, that was the defeat of Takeshu.  Granted they had not succeeded completely, but their efforts were valiant enough to gain his approval, so in his mind they had earned the reward.  Whether or not Zann also deemed that Cloud was worthy of the reward mattered little to him.

This would influence Zann’s decision heavily, as she decided to split the reward disproportionately.  Rayne and the Juggerknot would receive the larger portion of the bounty, while Cloud received a small commendation for his attempt.  The Itami team would be credited with the rescue.

With this resolved, Cloud would be allowed to take his leave, while the others stayed behind so that Rueben could discuss some business that was more pertinent to their faction.  Rueben would begin by formally extending an invitation to Setto, Ran and Kairi to join the faction, an offer that was met with a snide smirk from Ran and general scepticism from Setto and Kairi.  Their Terran cousins did not have the greatest reputation, having done little during their stint with the Demai, and while Ryuu’s combat reputation was very noteable, he was not one that seemed accustomed to military life.  This fact made the thought of working with them somewhat uninticing for the three channelers, two of whom had undergone intense Royal Guard training and the other who seemed to be a natural born prodigy when it came to manipulating Veranos.

Rueben expected these reactions however and would go on to elaborate his points, explaining that the faction was not a rigid military unit but simply an alliance of people with similar goals.  He acknowledged that Kairi had lost a great deal of love for the Itami people, but explained that in the future, things like Pandora would not have to happen as he would have people who he could call on for assistance.  Rueben would go on for some time driving his points home, but in the end he was not able to properly counter their scepticism.

In the end Ran would shrug, willing to be loosely affiliated with the faction as long as it did not cramp his usual life style, admitting that even if he was not affiliated he would still find himself assisting the Terran born Itamis on missions which were in the best interest of Malaikin and its allies.  His statement forced Setto to concede to that point, submitting a tentative acceptance of affiliation with the faction.  Kairi however would not be too convinced by all of this, and Rueben’s further offer for him to lead the Field Team instead of just being a member only served to deter him even more.  Interestingly enough, it would be Ryuu that would be forced to step in now.

“Hey man, we did save your skin back there, even though you didn’t really ask for the help.”  Ryuu stated casually now.  “How about this, we give this thing a trial run and if you don’t like it after a couple of weeks I’ll personally fatten up your pockets and let you be on your way, no strings.”  Ryuu suggested, drawing a glare from Kairi.

“I’ll clear ensure that father doesn’t interfere.”  Setto added, more intrigued with the prospect of working with his brother than anything else.

“What do you have to lose anyway?”  Ran added, drawing a look of annoyance from the powerful Veranos master.

It would take some time for him to come to a decision, but with some coaxing from Lya, Kairi would agree tentatively.

Outcome: Kairi Itami Jr. has agreed to take on the role of Field Commander for the Itami faction, and in doing so he has taken on the capacity to make a few changes to the faction itself.  Setto and Ran have agreed to affiliate themselves with the faction but due to their obligations and pre-existing rank in the Itami Royal Guard they will not fit into the regular command structure of this faction.

Kairi Itami bounty is complete.