The Zoo

Opening

The session opens as everyone gets their assignments. The groups split off to tackle them. Katrina grabs a pair of keys and heads to the parking lot outside. Kate and Moki follow.

As Kate and Moki get in, Katrina pulls out and they drive off. She keeps her focus on the road and asks Kate and Moki if the trip was eventful. They say it was. She continues saying she wanted to touch base as she feels like the groups will start to see bigger and scarier things. Kate mentions she feels she's being pulled in a number of directions. Katrina says this is par for the course in this field.

Moki asks about the zoo, and what's so special about it. Katrina responds that it's one of the first properties Adventures and Ventures bought as a means of information exchange. Kate says she wants to get some information from the place and if her leads run dry, she may have to meet the founder.

Moki asks Kate what she wants out of meeting her father. She responds that she wants to know what her father's thinking. She doesn't feel he's bad. While he may not have been a good dad, the more Kate and Moki did their own adventuring, she understood what her father might have been feeling. She questioned if he simply didn't want to be a dad. Moki wondered if he didn't want his power -- he left his pact and weapon behind. Perhaps he didn't want the power.

Eventually, Katrina pulls up to the zoo and enters the ticket line. The booth looks somewhat like a tiki hut. The group gets out. Kate runs through the queuing lines. Katrina walks up to the booth and sees a small pudgy halfling girl in full safari gear. She asks what she can get Katrina. Upon making eye contact, her eyes go wide and her demeanour changes. She asks what she can do for her. Katrina asks for the deluxe package for 3.

The halfling, Darline, exits the booth and leads the group along a bridge. She seems to be excited that people are getting the deluxe package, noting it's been so long since this has happened.

She leads the group to a sectioned off employees only area. Katrina takes the lead and guides the group through a pitch black tunnel. The only thing that can be heard while walking through it is everyone's footsteps. They finally make their way out revealing balcony over a breathtaking vista.

The balcony has a few chairs to sit and some tables to sit at. Katrina takes a seat at one of them. Darlene gestures for Kate and Moki to join at the table. There's a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice and 4 wine glasses. Katrina takes the bottle, pops the cork and pours herself a glass. Darlene hands Katrina some papers before leaving. Katrina reads the paperwork.

The bottle seems to move on its own as Moki's unseen servant -- her yokai self -- pours herself a glass, and takes a seat beside Moki and drinks from her glass.

Kate and Moki ask if they're supposed to be celebrating or something. Katrina simply says to wait for it. Kate tries to read what Katrina is, but Katrina quickly rolls the paper up and swats Kate away.

Katrina eventually pipes up, asking if Moki's girlfriend is going to be a problem. Moki responds that ideally it's not, but Moki wants to make sure she's safe. Katrina nopes her, saying that those they're up against will use that against her.

Katrina then asks Kate if her father issues will be a problem. Kate responds they won't be. She mentions that she'll always be around for missions at the company. The bad news is once she starts looking up loose ends, she won't know who might come snooping.

Katrina then asks the pair what their plans are after the mall. Moki mentions she's still a conductor, and that she's got work to do in the music industry. Though she wouldn't turn down a job if there's time available. Kate mentions she thinks she likes the adventurer lifestyle and may in fact make it her career.

Katrina then asks if they would return to any semblance of a normal life after the mall. Moki says yes, noting her partner, career, and goals. She mentions she would be fine with treating adventuring as more of a hobby than her main focus. Kate says she'd not return to normalcy, mentioning that she was miserable before all this.

Katrina then asks about the shards. Moki mentions she doesn't mind holding onto hers if they need to be guarded. Kate also mentions she doesn't trust the resources outside the three of them and Skab. She notes that they're parts to something very powerful.

Katrina mentions that the group will only see things like the bass pro shop or the seaworld even more often. Kate and Moki understand this. Katrina then looks up to ask what the two would do if they were up against something they couldn't take. The two notice a hint of killing intent.

A magic mouth appears beside Moki, asking if Katrina is threatening her. Katrina responds that it's not a threat, just a question. Yokai Moki squints.

Kate responds that she doesn't know. Pointing to the idea that people probably join adventuring groups, so they don't face that alone. Moki responds she can't plan for it. She'll cross the bridge when she gets to it.

Kate and Moki catch a glimpse of the paper, noting that both their names are on the papers. They also note the wine bottle's name, "Calico".

Katrina stands up and speaks with a completely different voice, as disguise self is dismissed and the form changes to a minotaur who had a suit a size too small on him. He introduces himself, saying he wanted to see the kinds of people his daughter was with.

Katrina shows up from behind and mentions she couldn't do the interview herself. She also mentions that they need some people who are official at the company. Katrina's dad reveals the forms as a form for an adventurer license.

Kate is ecstatic at the news, Moki seems a little mixed at first, until Katrina explains that all their operations would be seen as extreme vigilantism without an adventuring license. Moki states she's not above that. Katrina then mentions that on paper the business needs to look legit. Moki puts two-and-two together realizing that she can leverage the same guise for her own path in the music industry. This changes her attitude.

Katrina's dad mentions that the interview is not over. Katrina mentions she can't vouch for the pair completely and that there is a physical component. Darlene returns with a play mat and lays it out. Kate and Moki are shrunk down onto the mat. Moki shakes hands with her unseen servant as they trade places. Yokai Moki forms her sword.