Owner	Pose
Okibi	It had been a good day for Hana, for the Okibi. The yakuza in Gotham's Little Japan were scrambling to make up the money they had lost recently, to rcoup their losses in people and their gambling parlor. So, they had needed to put the fear of Heaven in a Tong boss and the Blazing Flame was just the right person for the job.     Paid well in cash after the job, the pale girl had headed home, but to one of the quiet places she had in reserve - no sense in having a wiseguy follow her to her usual apartment. A quick stop at a ramen stand and a bodega to pick up some groceries for breakfast, the girl finds herself at her door, unlocking it with her key. It's a little row house on a quiet side street, brownstones all along the whole block.
Laura Kinney	It was a rather auspicious decision not to go to her regular apartment, as someone did indeed track Hana Yoshida that day. Keeping a very safe distance behind, thanks to not needing sight to track a target, X-23 was following after Okibi. The two have met on several occasions in Japan, luckily by happenstance, having gone for the same target. Which meant there was no need for a quarrel. They had a chance to assess one another's abilities, and while a fight could have been interesting to their respective creators as a measure of their respective weapons. It was also foolish and wasteful. That is why Okibi could be someone for X-23 to approach. It's about the time Hana has her keys in the lock, that she can hear a familiar if somewhat distance voice, "can I come in, Okibi-san?" It is far too calm a voice, and devoid of intent, to be anyone carrying ill intent.
Okibi	Hana whirls about at the voice. "Kohai!" she gasps, very un-ninja like. She looks behind the younger girl, to the rooftops, to anything that might hold more potential foes. Her eyes blaze green a moment and her fists clench, but she does nothing aggressive.     Quite the opposite, really... she turns again and opens the door and peers in, holding out a palm towards Laura to halt her as she looks for signs of entry. Then she makes a further sign, beckoning the other girl inside, and quickly. She's ready to slam the door and secure it as soon as 23 is through.
Laura Kinney	"You're not a mission," X-23 reassures Okibi, after all in their world, one never knows. "I am free," she notes a second later, before querying, "are you?" She heard something to the affect, but as aforementioned, one never knows in their world. She waits patiently when motioned to, and quickly enters with the same ease, sidestepping past the door, clearing the way for Okibi to lock it quickly. "Hunted?" She asks short and to the point.
Okibi	"<Did they send you?>" Hana asks in Japanese. She's perfectly capable of speaking English, but this she does in Nihongo. "<Did they, Laura-san? Department Three, I mean?>"     No attack comes from Laura, though, so she relaxes a bit as she turns again and locks the door securely. there are a number of deadbolts and the frame is metal. She sighs and moves for the kitchen of the small apartment - a tiny living room with a laptop computer on a desk, a bookshelf with a few titles in Japanese, Russian and English; a kitchette with a table and three chairs; there's a closed door - possibly to a bedroom. Hana puts her grocery bag on the table and sits in one of the kitchen chairs. She seems weary. "Why do you think you never see me in Japan?" she asks. "They're looking for me there. But... but I think they have not told the Americans or anyone else that I am out in the cold. They dare not."
Laura Kinney	Laura, of course, as Hana would know, is perfectly fluent in Japanese, her Sensei communicated with strictly in Japanese since she was 4, so she answers in the same language, "<nobody sent me. I escaped. There is no guiding hand, I seek to remain off grid.>" When she realizes the concern was an upcoming fight, Laura adds, "<I respect your abilities too much, Hana-san, I would not alert you to my presence if I needed to face you.>" As Laura follows Hana into the kitchen, she nods at her tale, "makes sense. One does not broadcast a loss. Lost asset is weakness."
Okibi	Hana brushes her heavy ebon hair back from where some of it had threatened to get in her eyes. "Hai." and she pushes at a chair with her foot. "Douzo." she offers. "You are on the run as well?" that gives her a touch of a amusement. "Technically, as they say, I am not 'on the run', not here. My mother was an American and so I am a perfectly legal citizen, free to do as I like." but she shakes her head. "Still, sometimes the Department sends people to watch me... melted puddles of protoplasm are difficult to identify, though." She considers Laura for a long moment. "'...off the grid', you said? You need refuge?"
Laura Kinney	Laura moves somewhat roboticly, as she takes the seat offered her, she offers no thanks. There's not much meaning to manners and decorum where she was brought up. "Yes," she answers the question very briefly. "I am not sure I am any citizen at all...I am a weapon," she notes somewhat forlorn. At the last question she just nods, "I move a lot. Having a place for cover, would be nice."
Okibi	Hana rubs her forehead. "Ie." she says firmly. "You are not. You say there is no 'guiding hand' on you. Therefore, you are no longer a weapon unless you chose to be someone's weapon, kohai." She leans forward to dig in the grocery bag and produces a box. She opens it and produces a foil-wrapped rectangle, which she sets before the other girl. It reads 'Pop-Tarts - Strawberry'. "There. Something to cheer you up."
Laura Kinney	Laura remains silent and expressionless as she contemplates Hana's perspective, "a weapon is still a weapon when not in use," she remarks, looking down at her arm in contemplation, before looking back up at Hana. "One day, though. Maybe. I have a name, it's a start." Looking at what she's given, she mutters a muted, "thanks," picking up a single poptart and nibbling on it. She does seem a bit overwhelmed after a single bite, looking over at Hana, "sweet. Very sweet."
Okibi	"Hai. Sweet. They enjoy that here. One gets used to it." Hana replies, with a smirk. "I disagree with you, though - a weapon is only that in the hands of one that wishes to attack or defend. A sword without a hand is just a thing. It cannot harm anyone unless it is wielded. Bullets in a loaded firearm do not shoot themselves, the trigger must be pulled." Hana sighs. "But that is for you to decide. The rest of these things... identification, money, clothes... these are details that are easily rectified." and she peers at Laura once more. "Why me?"
Laura Kinney	Laura seems to be willing to take Hana on her word, that one could get used to it, and continues to eat the poptart despite its overbearing sweetness. She listens to Hana provide her perspective, but shows no signs of accepting it or not. At least she's not arguing the point this time around. "You are similar. You understand. That is why."
Okibi	Hana nods, perhaps a bit sadly. "How sad for you, if you are like me." but she shrugs. She knows the truth. "Everything tells me that I am signing my own death warrant, but..." she motions to the apartment. "If you wish, you can stay here. I can give you the spare keys." A beat. "Here." and she produces a standard white envelope, filled to bursting. That she slaps on the table, green notes peek out. "You can buy what you need with this. The fool overpaid me anyway." she rises, this time to put away a few things - eggs in the refigerator, pancake mix, cans of premium tuna. She pours herself a glass of orange juice and a second as well, this she sets before the younger girl. "Remember this, though - classes have begun again and if you are on the street during school hours you may draw attention. Better to only go out in the evening, or claim that you are home-schooled. We should come up with a cover story for you, as well."