Summary:Babs brings information to Ken about the Yakuza Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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As much as Barbara might like to see Ken, she's been keeping her exposure to him at a minimum. He's had a really good look at the way Batgirl fights and has picked up on some of what Babs is hiding.
It's not that she's avoiding him but with the christmas and holiday period, she's not had regular lessons though she's had some.
Tonight is the first time in over a week that she's returning to the dojo, coming through the door quietly and removing her shoes.
Kennuichio is sweeping as often he is when she arrives. He looks up and then looks at the small clock hanging over the door. Five minutes early as is her habit. "Hello Barbara-san. Welcome back. I trust your trip went well?"
That was what she'd told him anyway. That she had some business to attend to. No need to just not show up after all.
"Would you care for tea before we begin?"
"Konnichi wa, Kennuichio-san." Babs answers, moving her shoes to be neat against the wall. "Thank you. Quite well, yes." She'd been short on the details, because of course she had. "I trust you have had a pleasant and peaceful time while I was gone?"
She sighs and looks out the back and then to the mats. She shouldn't, she really shouldn't - she'd let Ken get too close as it is. "Yes, please."
"More or less." It was a bit… active in truth but nothing that he could not deal with. The sensei motions for Babs to follow him and heads into the next room. By now she is familiar with the steps. The motions. He is very precise. Almost the way he is with his sword work. It displays a mastery of the topic, really.
Soon enough he's serving them both tea and kneeling down at the table.
"It is nice to have you back."
Babs watches Ken as he moves. The actions are very familiar by now, yes. "How so, less?" Oh, she knows. She knows why it's been less. She's been there for a lot of it really. "I see things have been … unsettled here, in my absence."
Taking a seat in the cushions, Babs lets out a long sigh. "It is good to be back, Kennuichio-san." Nothing ever seems to bother Ken. Few things tend to bother Babs, unless its her wards or the fact that Ken knows more than he should about her recovery.. "I have not forgotten that I owe you a dinner for having to cancel our Christmas lunch at such short notice." beat "Have you heard from our mutual friend, lately?"
"Batgirl? Yes. She is part of the reason that things were less. Well, not per se but it involved her. Things have been rather busy. It has been in the papers, I am sure." Ken says as he starts to sip the tea. Right temperature. Right mixture. Everything is right. And rather delicious.
"I am happy of course to reschedule." A dinner would be rather nice. Though not tonight obviously. They're both busy.
"Did you hear from your friend while you were away?"
"Yes, it has. Been in the media, I mean. If it wasn't so worrying, it would be fascinating. I don't know how you do it, Kennuichio-san." In that she's not lying, really. Even as Batgirl - she has to work to keep calm.
"I heard from Oracle, at the least, yes. They asked me to look into someone for you." Reaching into her bag, Babs pulls her tablet and starts the screen, handing it to Ken when he settles.
The name on the file that's displayed is Nobuo Fujimora - a businessman, resident in New York but with ties to the Yakuza.
"They didn't say why, but they wanted what leverage I could get on him. There's a list of there of all the cases that the SIPD have open on him. He's into some very bad business, Kennuichio-san."
"Ah good." Ken says with another sip of tea. He smiles slightly, which is a rare sight. "I do it very carefully. It helps that unlike your friends I do not have to bother much with secrets. People know what they know about me and I deal with them as that is."
The swordsmaster takes a breath and lets it go in a long, slow rush.
"Tell me what he has? We may need to move quickly on this."
"I don't mean the secrets. Everyone has then, Kennuichio-san." Barbara says quietly, hands folded on the table in front of her. "I saw … there was some para-normal disturbance … that seems to have targetted the Guardians of the City. You are, I believe, one of those."
Kens smile draws one from the redhead. It's genuine and he might get the feeling that she doesn't share them often.
"There's the antiquities of course. Your Yakuza friends are into that very deeply. But it's this that I find the most troubling." Flicking the screen a few times, she comes to a case file. How on earth, Barbara Gordon got this information is a good question. "No one can prove it, but they think he's tied up in human trafficking. No hard proof, but lots of circumstanial evidence or just … bad coincidence."
"Human trafficking…" Ken frowns deeply at that. "I will ask my own contacts to try to confirm that. If that is true, it is not to be tolerated." It isn't as though the Yakuza are any more honorable than any other group of criminals. They're violent and unprincipled or at least amoral. But there will be a fair few that find this disgusting and might be willing to point someone at those responsible.
"I seem to be one of the guardians yes. Or at least a sufficient thorn in their side that they prefer to target me. I will be honest, this makes it even more dangerous around me if you wish to consider how that might affect you."
"There's no proof, Kennuichio-san." Babs points out. "Just lots of circumstances that are suspicious. This young man was seen entering Fujimora-sans place of business for an interview, left and got a coffee at the coffee shop near there. No one saw him after that."
Another flick. "This young woman went to a promotion the business put on. Was seen going to a movie afterwards. No one knows what happened to her after that." There's several examples like that. Nothing concrete, but Fujimora, or his business, has been in contact with every missing person.
"I'm looking into the missing people, seeing if I can find anything on them. That's going to take me a little a while. I need to speak to friends and family, and the like, as well as looking at their social media and … other records."
Green eyes meet Kens when he makes his last statement "I'm the daughter of a police commissioner, Kennuichio-san. I'm a target for many things. It's dangerous. Do you want me to reconsider coming here?"
"The Yakuza itself is significantly less concerned with proof. Suspicion and good circumstantial evidence will be enough to go to them and apply pressure." Kennuichio says rather simply. This is serious and he will definitely impress upon his contacts just how serious it is.
"No, I do not. I rather enjoy having you come by, Barbara-san. However I would be a poor sensei if I did not tell you that the threats to me have changed, and therefore the threats to you may also change." Actually no, but he has absolutely no reason to know that. And only a little bit of reason to suspect it.
"I'll get you what I can then. What we have here is flimsy, but enough to get me looking. It's not usually the Yakuza way though, is it? Trafficking?" Babs takes up the mug and wraps her hand around it before sipping it. "Give me a few days and I'll get it to you."
Kens admission has Babs looking at him and letting out a sigh. "I … like coming here too, Kennuichio-san. I find I rather enjoy your company. Threats aren't unusual in my line of work, or because of who I am. If I was to let them run my life, I'd spend it locked in a tower."
If only he knew.
"It is not but one must be careful to make too much of their honor. They are criminals and there are those among them who can justify near anything to themselves." Ken might speak from experience there though he was never involved in that.
"However I think I can play on those who hold themselves to a higher standard. This will not be difficult. That is a very low bar to clear."
Which… well. Is true.
"I am glad you enjoy coming here. I have found that I look forward to our lessons. You are an apt student, and very pleasant company on top of that."
Ken says 'they' but Babs knows he is, or was, part of that. The green eyes watch him carefully, reading him. "I wasn't though it helps to understand the organisation one is investigating and when you have an anomaly to note it. It's usually a leverage point at the very least."
"Well then, Sensei-san, if I am an apt student, shall we continue with the lesson? Or was there something more you wanted to discuss?"
"Yes. Let us continue with the lesson. I look forward to seeing your form today." Does he? Well. He does she can tell that. But does he have other reasons beyond the interest of teacher in a student. He had, after all, gotten a fairly good look at her fighting.
And he definitely knows his own techniques when he sees them.
"After our stretches, we can begin…"