tushanshu_logs | All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this town

Characters: Pepper Potts, Yami no Bakura and you!
Date: Throughout May
Location: Sky Sector, Jade Dojo, and around the city.
Situation: Things have been tumultuous lately, what with Milyn and Meisheng and the police force and family reunions. They don't look to be getting much less tumultuous any time soon.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will add to specific starters.

A. Jade Dojo | Mid May | Bakura
Pepper is a loud person. It's a defining feature of her personality. The past few weeks have been... a little too noisy, even for her. The house hasn't exactly been bustling, but with everything that's happened in the city, it isn't quiet either. Plus, the family reunions (good and bad) had rattled them all in one way or another. The three of them together could, at times, be a recipe for a downward spiral of angst.

It's not terribly late when she decides to leave the house and head for the dojo, but it's late enough that the place will assuredly be empty. She hangs her coat up properly this time, and walks to where the swords are kept. Maintenance on the weapons would have already been done for the day, but she takes one down anyway, picking up a stone with her free hand and sitting carefully on the floor at the edge of the sparring mat. Folding her fingers against the stone, Pepper slowly runs it along the blade, hoping to replicate the meditative rhythm Bakura employs.

B. Fire Sector | Mid May | China
Well, things are moving right along on the government front. Or at least on the police front. But the problem of the cultists remains, and since China was so helpful in revealing one cell, she might be able to find others. There's more, though; more that China could be helpful about for her own gain as well as giving the government another boost. So, despite Pepper's dislike of the mage, she's going to see her again. With enough exposure, hopefully errands like this won't require several hours of mental preparation. The knock on China's door is far less annoyed than the last time the redhead stopped by.

C. Around Keeliai | Throughout the month | Open
With the growth of the fledgling police department, they're going to need a central location. The Sky Sector seems like the best option still, and so Pepper can be found scoping out possible options, asking about building sizes and functions. And for anyone who asks, she'll also explain why she's looking at buildings in the first place. Most of the time, she just gets skeptical looks, but some of the kedan engage in conversations longer than a minute.

Sometimes, she just wanders. Retail therapy occasionally features as the primary cause for an outing, especially at the start of the month. It might be obvious to anyone who has shopped with her before that she's not as enthusiastic as usual, likely because of the disappearance of her dad at the end of April. A few times, she might even be caught staring blankly into space while sitting in a cafe, a rare thing for her. Still, there's work to be done and a government to build, and she tries to keep busy - it's not difficult to achieve.

(OOC: let me know if you'd like a specific starter! :D)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"He is, in a way. I think being a parent just makes you feel differently about things. Like I'm not properly protected if he can't see what's protecting me. I've always wanted in on fights and he's always wanted me out of them - parents protect their children to the death, and kaa are a little outside his gut-reaction zone for knowing I'm okay," she elaborated. Then she laughed, practically a snort, and lifted the sword off her lap.

"Either that or he just thinks I'm going to be more trouble than I was before learning to use one of these and I'll run after any criminal that moves. He still doesn't know I went after Whiplash with literally nothing," she said, shaking her head. "Children'll protect parents to the death, too."

Bakura's smile in response to that is, for all its brittle pain, a genuine one. "Sometimes beyond, biahbenat," he said. "Sometimes beyond."

Then he shook his head, looking again at the sword she held. "Did you tell him all the things you're accomplishing here?"

She doesn't have to say more - he gets it. He probably understood better than anyone ever could.

"Yeah. He's basically a federal cop, so he knows the ropes when it comes to policing - obviously he's a little worried I'm attracting attention I wouldn't want but it's a little late for that. I keep telling people that if anyone tries coming after me they're not only going to have a really hard time, but they're gonna regret it a lot." Pepper smiled more broadly this time, some of the homesickness and the sadness ebbing away. "He wasn't super surprised that I'm getting into trouble like starting a government."

"Of course," Bakura agreed. "If there's anything left of them after dealing with you, they're going to have a very unhappy set of companions on your heels. You truly believe that's what the kedan need, however?"

"I think they need something that isn't Yunxu or anyone like him, and something that isn't Eshai, either," Pepper clarified. "And I think the kedan could be real game-changers on this planet if they're given the chance to govern themselves."

She looked out into the empty space in front of them, pensive.

"Yunxu wasn't a choice; he was a default. I just want them to have options and to know they have options, and to know they can change those options."

"And should their options be something that we recognize as a very poor decision?" he raised an eyebrow. "What if they elect to keep Yunxu in power? Especially if it's by a very close margin against those who wish him removed? Democracy is a terrible system, by the way, and I say that as someone who came from a very unpleasant monarchy."

Pepper laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a mess sometimes. But if that's who the kedan end up choosing... well, then at least it's a choice. Our job would be to make sure it's not a close margin because of fraud or corruption or whatever, and then let term limits take care of the rest. I mean, we'd have to get term limits in place to start with, but I don't think that'll be too hard of a sell." She hummed thoughtfully. "Just because someone gets elected doesn't mean they get to play tyrant - there need to be checks and balances and representation and judges for this to work, even if it'll never be perfect. The point and the hope is that everyone keeps trying to make it a better system, and that's something I'm totally on board with fighting for."

"From an objective standpoint," he mentions, "you have to realize that it comes across as still giving Foreigners the ultimate say in who rules the kedan. Certainly some of them will see it like that as well."

"They might," she has to agree. It's a careful line to walk and sometimes they're all going to stumble. This whole thing with Milyn was a prime example.

"I'm hoping 'we' doesn't mean just Foreigners. There have to be at least a few kedan who can be as impartial as it's possible to be - honestly I'd rather keep Foreigners as far out of it as possible and as soon as possible. Like... making shoes and then letting someone else fill them."

Bakura hummed. "Hopefully the kedan will see it the same way, biahbenat," he replied. "But if you think of some way I can help..."

"Hope is good," Pepper said, smiling. She knew that Bakura was not a fan of government (to put it mildly), and for good reason, so his offer to help was both surprising and welcome. "I'll let you know. Keeping me on my toes about everything is a pretty decent place to start. And this," she adds, gesturing to the dojo in general and by extension all the things she's done here: learning to fight, learning magic, having a place to vent. "So basically just keep doing what you're already doing unless I come up with something better."

"That much I should be able to do," he acknowledges. "No doubt you'll have plenty of ideas come up later to spring on me," he adds, smirking.

"Probably. Gotta return the favor and keep you on your toes, too," she replied, bumping him with an elbow. "I should probably head home, try to get some sleep. Thank you, again, for letting me come here."

All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this town

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