#inqevent

yamatai. the moment the strategist pronounced that word, midway through the letter they had just received, a murmur of excitement arose among their audience, along with a couple of gasps. rosa wasn't the only who didn't have a reaction of any kind, but she was probably the quicker to seek it. the reunion wasn't even over and she had already pulled out her phone and done a quick google search on that mysterious name, which turned out to be an island. in japan. cool. with half a smirk, she put the phone back in her pocket just when the strategist was finishing reading the letter; and everyone started to move, heading to their bedrooms, rushing to pack their things. the imminent threat of having to catch a flight was already in the air.

rosalía took it slower than most, leaving the room when everyone else was already upstairs, taking her time to read a couple more articles about the island and the legends on her phone. she could tell why everyone was excited, and she was starting to be as well. then, she decided to text her parents via the family group chat: “finally, we got a new destination. japan! exciting, right? text you when i get there. x”. poor them, they thought she had picked up her job as a missionary doctor, but now for a private organization. she couldn't believe they actually fell for it, like, which humanitarian organization is private? none should be.

humming, she headed to her room, calm as always. rosa didn't own many things, and most of them —souvenirs, photo albums, her portable defibrillator— were never unpacked in the first place. she only had to throw a few clothes in the half-empty suitcase, and she was practically done. what to do now? everyone was busy, she could check as she walked through the condo, and nobody seemed to need help —well, maybe the logicians could use some extra help, but not hers. actually, she knew exactly who'd be up for what she wanted to do in those brief hours before leaving the continent.

“knock, knock”, she said without actually knocking on cam's room's open door, a mischievous smile on her face. “are you done? i thought maybe we could go for a last visit to the london eye and let everyone else worry about our new trip.”

absolutely ! it is truly up to you how exactly you want to go with it, it can be with another muse or a self para — you don’t need to plan it in detail, we will assign the groups next weekend, but we’d like your muse to talk a bit about it ! figure out what they think they should do, and which group they think they’d work the best with ! think of it like this:

THE AUCTION GROUP: will need to be undercover. it’s less likely for them to go and cause a scene with so many people around, so less likely that there will be an actual fight. they can’t go in guns blazing, per se. they need might need to sneak in and out, or mingle with people in case it’s someone else who gets the artefact, and they might need to steal said item from this rich person who got it. generally, this means that members with people skills are needed, people who can blend in well with the crowd, who are well-versed and can get conversations going at such a high event ! and of course, they should get the artifact without ringing any bells ! also, in case of there being only two members of one role ( two medics, two linguistics members ), one will go with one team, and another will go with the other !

THE INFILTRATION GROUP: this group will undoubtedly be more in the center of action. they will literally need to sneak in, get through bodyguards, and figure out the exact whereabouts of the files GORO has left for his grandson. meaning, they will need to be good field operatives. weapon specialists are more of importance here, and so are old criminals with this kind of background. people who have a lack of experience when it comes to field work will need to wait outside, or only those who have to come will attend the group sneaking inside ! once again, each group needs a medic, a linguist etc. so they won’t all be huddled into one group !

THE CATCH — don’t worry ! we will assign your muse to either one of these groups and give a brief info on what they are supposed to be doing. the post will be up in the weekend, and it will consist of detailed info on how the night starts for both of the teams, and which members are going with which group. this is just to get your muse a feel of how the inquisitors work, but we are here to help you on every step of the way ! if we read about your muse wanting to go with one of the groups and also read their reasons why, it’s very likely we will assign your muse there !

    it's been a long day, woojin had a lot of errands to run to, a lot of people to meet so they could at least get their basic gear ready for what was about to come. luckily, his old contacts were quick to get back to him and point at whatever the inquisitors needed, smelling the money from far away. some of them were surprised to see woojin again, and he was pleasantly surprised he had a few 'friends' from so long ago that helped him navigate around the underground network, hooking him up with the new weapons and tech. of course, all of it was illegal and paid in cash, so by the end of the day, woojin had two huge black duffel bags hanging on his shoulders, and his wallet was much, much lighter.

    he parks the rental car a few blocks away, just in case. he has taken a different route on the way back too — it is an instinct at this point — and for the rest of the way, he decides to walk a bit to the hq. it isn’t the best idea ever, he realizes soon enough that so many weapons and ammunition are quite heavy no matter how much he works out, but he fights through nonetheless. on the way back, even though the straps are digging painfully into his shoulders, he wants to do something for the team who has been working so damn long. which is why he stops by to pick up some food, a small chinese restaurant that does take-outs. it is a nice place to rest mid-way as well, and woojin very pointedly ignores the small-army-worth of weaponry that's on the ground whilst he waits.

    around twenty minutes later, fatigue heavy on his frame, he finally makes it to the door, two duffel bags and a considerable amount of plastic bags in his hands. somehow, he manages to get the door open, and shuffle to the living room. the first person he sees, he begins his rant, almost short of breath."i got a lot of stuff.” is an explanation enough, he’s sure — it’s not the first time woojin comes back like a very off-version of santa, with a lot of things he shouldn’t be caught carrying. “can you give me a hand please ? or i am going to eat all this food instead of giving it to you guys—-"

    even after getting proper information on the shibusawa family, there are many things to plan, details to smooth out before the day comes. they have the majority of the week left, but woojin knows that they need to start early, and plan for every little thing that can go wrong. that's how he operates after all; after plan a, comes plan b, and sometimes it stretches further than he can count on two hands. too many variables to think of, it's only then he feels completely confident, only then he can catch some good sleep at nights. and this time, they are only at the beginning of their planning process, therefore they have a lot to catch up. the first thing he needs to figure out in his head is that which strategist will attend which group — and this will surely affect how things are going to be run. woojin learned camille and him have a very... different way of running things, and after many missions spent together, he also learned it's best to divide things from the beginning. that is if they don’t want to be at each other's throats all the time.

    so, his feet carry him around the hq to find the strategist, hoping camille is there and have time to spare so they can get this bit out of the way. they have very particular types of skills as well, woojin as an ex-weapon specialist and camille as an ex-historian — they will need to decide carefully who goes where. only then, woojin can plan to his heart's content, so he really wants to get this out of the way, and perhaps brainstorm a bit about what exactly they are going to do with their individual groups. that last bit he is unsure about, but they have grown and gotten to know each other, so he is hopeful when he finally stumbles upon camille in the living room.

     even though they don't have a long time to prepare, woojin's still glad they have a full week. it could have been much less, he knows — they had to pull full-blown heists in just a couple of days, so this, in contrast, is something they can deal with easier. that doesn't mean there's less pressure on his part, there is a lot to take care of, but he also knows they have time to take care of something if it goes wrong. then again, that means they have to begin early to plan, to divide into groups, and as his job is within the team, he needs to check on the weapon and tech specialists if everything is going according to their plan, or if they need anything he needs to take care of. weapons, ammunition, supplies — it depends on the country if they are easy or hard to find, but japan is not a foreign territory entirely, of which woojin is grateful for.

     he has a mental to-do list to keep things organized, and near the top on that particular list, is to visit cinna, to see how the younger is faring. the moment he read that they'd need to split into two groups and many of them are needed to be on active duty, he knew cinna had a lot to take care of, something woojin is not too fond of. it's not that he doesn't trust his skills, on the contrary, he's sure cinna is one of the best there is — but he also realizes there must be a huge pressure on him that comes with such task. from research to actually being actively in two groups' ears, woojin wants to know how the younger is feeling about it. his feet take him there easily, and he's glad to find the door slightly ajar, the younger sitting on a chair next to the table. he knocks on the door regardless, poking his head in before he speaks. "hey — can i have some of your time ?"

     it's fair to say woojin doesn't know much about blades, or knives, or to put it easier, any kind of weapon salem excels at. he's a simple man in that regard. he has always been around guns, both in the military and after, so he's absolutely terrible at fencing and anything of sort. he does have a few combat knives in case it's necessary, for close combat, but actual blades? he is quite lost. he thought he knew a good amount of them, but the more time spent with salem (and whatever weapon he needs), woojin realizes he pretty much knows jack shit in that regard. so, at first, when salem told him of a weapon he hasn't even heard of, the strategist's first instinct was that the younger was playing him. another one of the pranks before he realized yes, it was an actual blade, and it was something salem needed for some weird reason. and if there's anything woojin prides himself in, it has to be being good at his job. and this was a part of his job description; getting salem what he wanted.

     fast forward twenty-four hours, he knocks on the younger's door, a bit smug to actually have found a seller dealing with the exact weapons salem had been speaking about. it's an old contact he worked with over a decade ago, but more than a few leads proved the man was steady enough, and it was a simple deal in the end, nothing woojin hasn't done before. but he was also told there were even more types of this... specific blade, which is why he opens the door to the other's room to invite him to tag along. "i found what you wanted." since, it was a bit of a challenge from the beginning — or at least woojin suspects it was — he has no qualms salem will understand what he's talking about. it's a short trip to the meeting place, a store with a different front, a place salem can pick out whatever he needs. woojin can't help but think they are lucky to be able to spend so much on weapons, a quick thanks to iuppiter there.

before the letter has finished being read, salem has already planned out exactly how he wants to do his own packing up and preparing to leave. it’s the same as usual, and he never takes along more than he needs ( though, he does spare the room for his favorite chocolate bars ). so, once the meeting is commenced, salem heads straight for the shared bedroom with cinna to grab his shit together. the hacker is nowhere to be seen yet, but he’ll show up eventually, not that salem’s concerned.

being used to packing everything tight together, salem has everything spread out on his bed to roll it up properly, just like his mother taught him. speaking of his parents, he knows he has to call them to let them know his ‘break’ is over. he’d visited them two weeks ago, but he knows the few days he was there weren’t enough for them. some day, on a break of his, he’ll take them on a trip, no backpacking, but right now his focus is the inquisitors. not that his parents have any idea what he gets up to.

as if summoning them, salem’s phone rings it’s generic tone, the one he’s assigned his parents ( his dad specifically ). he rolls his eyes and decides he might as well get this over with, no time like the present after all.

“hey dad,” salem says the second he answers the call. there’s a snort on the other end.

“nothing getting past you, eh kiddo?”

salem scoffs this time and presses the phone between his shoulder and ear. “nope, not at all. i was just about to call you anyway — the group’s heading out again.”

his father hums softly, suspicious as always. his mother’s happy for him having a ‘group’ to backpack with, but his father’s way too smart for his own good. “that’s nice. where to?”

“i hear your suspect,” salem laughs, “tokyo, dad. we’re backpacking in tokyo. might be gone for a few months, but i’ll call as much as i can on the satellite phone, alright?”

he hears his mother in the background tittering on about something. “your mother’s found your old baby photos. she’s feeling nostalgic today… i think you should talk to her before you head out.”

there’s a shuffle and then his mother’s on the line. she sounds teary-eyed but happy to hear from salem. it takes a good thirty minutes of talking to her before she finally decides to pass the phone back to his father, who takes it only after salem’s told his mother he loves her.

“listen, salem,” his dad begins, as he always does when salem’s heading out, “be careful, alright? we worry about you. make sure you have a large supply of your medicines with you. i know you’re a grown man now, but you’re still our son and we’re going to worry about you until we’ve passed on.”

salem pauses in packing his clothes to sit on the bed. across from him is his dresser, the one that has the single family photo he keeps with him at all times. it’s the only physical photo he keeps framed, the rest confined to his memory cards and camera. it’s of the last time he and his parents got the time to take a good family photo, probably over a year ago now. in it, his father is already greying, and his mother’s face looks thin — he knows they’re getting older, and they know he’ll never tire of backpacking.

it doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss them.

“i’m always careful, dad,” salem smiles like he does when he’s readying a joke, but the joke doesn’t come, “i love you guys. i promise i’ll be careful and i’ll call whenever i can.”

once he’s done on the phone, he places it to the side and sweeps his hair up into a rubber band to keep it out of his face. the packing is done an hour later, everything stored away in the proper pockets. his weapons and gear for traversing their usual types of destinations are in another room, but he’ll pack those shortly.

a nondescript RED envelope finds its way to the mailbox of the inquisitors’ condo, a three-story apartment building in london, where most of the members have been resting for the past few weeks. knowing what the red envelope SEALED with an ℐ means, the whispers reach from one ear to another, and soon enough, they all huddle together in the dining room. some members take a seat and the rest of them lean on nearby furniture as they wait for one of the MOIRAI to read the letter aloud, excitement thrumming in their veins as they wait for their new task. 

       i hope all of you have had a good rest in these past couple of weeks. i can imagine you growing restless already, and luckily for you, it’s time to go back to work. i’m sure the information i have now will excite and thrill most of you, if not all. as you all know, my network of connections go a long way, and i have obtained some information that might change the course of history yet again.

      to begin with, i want to talk to you about a man. SHIBUSAWA GORO, an eighty-year-old professor who specializes in japanese myths —- or used to specialize. his research had been revolutionary, a well-regarded historian whose hypotheses were almost too good to be true for mythological stories. from unknown causes, he has passed away a couple of weeks ago, and he had been holding his research behind secured closed doors, for his own eyes only. after his perhaps ‘untimely’ death, all of his belongings have passed to his only next of kin, to his grandson SHIBUSAWA KAURO. he’s the ceo of a trading company, whose stocks are falling and he’s at the edge of bankruptcy. because of just that, he’s looking to sell some items from his grandfather’s collection, which is where you will come in. my sources have told me that KAURO will put some of the valuable artifacts on AUCTION, items that can be priceless, especially if it’s about the famous ancient island of YAMATAI-KOKU. it’s been regarded as an urban legend, a japanese horror story, but from what i’ve heard — the truth might be something else entirely, as it often is.

        it’s very likely that SHIBUSAWA GORO’s research had invaluable information regarding the whereabouts of the island, alongside artifacts that are needed to navigate through intricate traps that might adorn the island. your first mission is to acquire his notebooks and research, alongside the expensive pieces KAURO is putting up for auction. you will need to split into two groups, figure out the whereabouts of GORO’s inheritance, and attend the AUCTION. you must acquire the pieces by all means necessary, and i have no doubts that you will find a way, even if there are higher bidders amongst the crowd.

      make sure to book flights to japan as soon as possible so that you are prepared properly for what’s about to come. after getting the leads from GORO’s research, i expect you to follow them thorough and solve one of the greatest mysteries known to man, whereabouts of THE LOST ISLAND OF YAMATAI. the details of a bank account are written on the back of this letter, anything you might need to succeed. i have full faith in you inquisitors, work as a team and challenge history together.