<div align="center"><a name="user_fuschsiafox"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Fuchsia Fox and an Artifact Absent</strong></span></a></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3f/cb/51/3fcb513183b094b643a10c74bed38b1e.jpg)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Date Toshiro<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>December 26th, 2018 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>Nerissa's Bank | Pawnhouse Zaisan, The Gate<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Nerissa | Mentions: The Papayo<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>An overly large gray hoodie with a Polkadot Stingray emblem (https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.746250090.2683/ssrco,lightweight_hoodie,mens,grey_lightweight_hoodie,front,square_product,x600-bg,f8f8f8.2u3.jpg), black jeans, and his worn running shoes.<br/><hr/>“Well... yeah? Why wouldn't I speak demon? I work with, for, and on demons all day long, I'd be an idiot not to try and know what they're saying to or about me. I just kinda figured it'd be something you would have guessed.” Toshiro stared at Nerissa for a moment as if he was worried that she'd suffered some form of concussion by questioning the linguistic skills of Dr. Date Toshiro. With a sigh as he attempted to adopt a more considerate mindset, he added as he scratched idly at the back of his head, “I guess there's more than few people at SOPHE who don't speak any demon. Way I see it, it's like being a fisherman and not learning to swim.” Looking back and Nerissa with a small smirk of embarrassed appreciation he added, “Thanks for saying you'll be quiet about it. I don't really care if anyone knows what I do for fun, but I'd prefer certain people didn't learn about who I was... who I thought I was doing it to.”<br/><br/>Shaking his head at Nerissa's assumption that he'd get killed for his troubles, Toshiro started explaining, “Look, think of it as a mission. Seven times out of ten whenever I've been on a mission we've gone up against something stronger, faster, and or better equipped than we were.” Holding his arms out as if to emphasize his following point he continued, “But I'm still here! Why?” Not wanting Nerissa to ruin the moment by bringing up SOPHE's roster of talented allies that the twodidn't have, SOPHE's arsenal of spectacular equipment of which the pair had little access to, or Toshiro's usual capacity for remarkably fast running that was currently unavailable to him, Toshiro answered his own question with firm resolve, “Because we look at the goal of the mission, think on how to get it done without getting too hurt, and then we get it done. Easy as that.” It was rarely as easy as that, but the principle had still proven itself an invaluable one in conducting operations for SOPHE.<br/><br/>Looking suddenly taken aback, Toshiro's eyes widened in surprise at Nerissa's mention of Albion making her shoot at him, “Y-you're kidding right? He's still doing the... after I... what in the fuck is wrong with him!? Well I hope you missed because he has it coming after pulling that stunt again! Wouldn't have mattered as there can't be two brain cells to rub together in that thick dumb ass skull of his!” Propping up one elbow on his knee, Toshiro irritably began to drum his fingers on the dashboard as he seemed to consider something on the opposite end of the windshield in irrate silence. After a few moments he couldn't help but smile somewhat deviously as he answered Nerissa's followup question with a mixture of apology and humor, “Sorry for getting angry, it's just... it's such a stupid thing to do. Yeah he did it to me too, something about not taking the training seriously.”<br/><br/>With the grin widening Toshiro ran a hand through his hair before continuing between snorts of laughter, “Honestly he's... he's lucky I'm as bad of a shot as I am, I don't think I could have treated a bullet to the brain, b-but a gut shot?... Oh I was so scared at the time, but... but he made it through all right! Mostly. Damaged vital organs aren't the death sentence they used to be.” Tapping the right side of his stomach and wincing slightly at his own forgotten injury, Toshiro finished as he wiped a tear from his eye and tried to catch his breath, his stomach pain still dully announcing itself through the laughter, “If you ever see him without his shirt, ask him about the scar two inches to the right of his belly button, I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it.” The reality might be somewhat far from that, but Albion could use a bit of humbling, especially if he still thought playing William Tell with his trainees remained a good idea.<br/><br/>Nerissa returned from getting the food that she insisted on paying for by herself to find Toshiro with his eyes shut, but the calm demeanor in which he regarded her return spoke largely towards him having remained awake in her absence. “You're fine, I was just thinking. Did they have the spicy tonkatsu?” Eagerly opening the container that Nerissa handed him, Toshiro breathed in heavily of that delicious savory aroma that burned at his sinuses with its heavenly heat. “Thanks for the food!” Toshiro managed before he eagerly sipped slowly at the broth, the warm oily liquid a welcome balm against the mounting chill of the evening. With noodles still hanging from his mouth as he tilted his head slightly towards Nerissa's mention of the oricots, Toshiro stared at the collection green demon fruits in silence before grabbing one eagerly. After hurriedly slurping down his mouthful of ramen and cleansing his pallet with the cool coffee, he took a large bite of the oricot, partially as a sign of building trust towards his soon to be partner in crime, but mostly because he was being offered a new culinary experience.<br/><br/>“Offn? N'rly...” Swallowing down the mouthful of oricot before dabbing away the remaining juice away from his mouth with a napkin, Toshiro repeated himself, “Not really, usually I have enough time at the lab to study what I want to. This was a special case.” Taking another sip of a coffee, he pulled his tablet from his messenger bag, and with a few swipes on the screen, brought up a series of pictures of the haniwa statue. “Typically we're supposed to spend our time researching things that the higher ups think of as immediately important. Artifacts we quickly realize as dangers, species of demons that might not integrate to well on Earth without special accommodations, sicknesses from the demon world...” Toshiro's face noticeably blanched at the mention of this last topic, but he quickly continued on to his point, “Problem with the statue is, nobody can figure out what it does. Normally this would mean it gets put to the bottom of the list of things we need to look at, but I didn't think that was the right thing to do. Look at this.”<br/><br/>With a few more swipes Toshiro brought up a series of exceedingly complex charts and graphs before explaining, “Now you're an enchanter so I don't have to explain to much, but basically, this statue contains a level of magical energy on par with some of the more powerful demons and artifacts we're keeping secure back at SOPHE.” Tapping his fingers alongside the edge of the tablet with mounting irritation he continued, “But because it doesn't respond to any of our attempts to get it to do anything, some of the research heads figure, 'It's interesting, but we've got better things to spend our time on.' Lack of fucking imagination if you ask me. Could be a part of something bigger, could be we just don't know how to activate it at the moment, but the last thing we should do is just dismiss it. Least that's what I think. The way I saw it, and still see it, if they weren't going to let me have a look at it, I'd have to go around them. And here we are.” For a moment he thought of warning Nerissa against emulating his behavior, but decided that she'd be better at her job if she weren't hamstrung by unnecessary processes set up by bureaucrats and cowards.<br/><br/>All of Toshiro's enthusiasm for the conversation seemed to drain with Nerissa's last question regarding his loneliness the night before. Scratching at his chin in silence once again as he regarded the bite mark he'd made in the oricot, he decided that he owed her an answer after all she'd done and was willing to do for him. “Well it's just... Christmas is day you usually spend with others. Either someone close to you romantically or... well I used to spend it with my family. It was one of the few days of the year my parents would both have off of work to spend with my sisters and me. Problem is, memories of good things in your past make you really feel them when you don't have them anymore.” Toshiro smiled wistfully in recollection, before taking another large bite of oricot.