6||0|2410|0|yes 0|0|0|||1||The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|Gryphon||23:46:50|10/27/2012|There was originally supposed to be a follow-up to the S4 intr%27acte %5Bi%5DIn for a Penny... %5B%2Fi%5D%2C which inevitably would have been called %5Bi%5D... In for a Pound%5B%2Fi%5D. In the course of development it fell by the wayside. Much of it was later repurposed as the bulk of the second issue of %5Bi%5DRaven%3A Blood Ties%5B%2Fi%5D%2C %22Alternative Learning%22%2C but some - partially realized text%2C partially unframed dialogue - ended up not finding a home anywhere.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis takes place during Kate%27s sojourn on Ishiyama%2C following the Art of Noise%27s 2409 summer tour%2C while Utena is off aboard %5Bi%5DChallenger%5B%2Fi%5D working on Operation Counterweight and Gryphon is still hiding out up at the cabin on the Shinguuji estate outside Sendai. The second sequence is referenced directly in %5Bi%5DBlood Ties%5B%2Fi%5D%2C when Koriand%27r arrives at the cabin with a hangover%2C a message for the Chief%2C and no conscious memory of having said any of the things you see here to Kaitlyn. %28That%2C in particular%2C is a subthread that didn%27t end up being taken up later%2C though it is still entirely possible that she holds such opinions and has not seen fit to mention them to anyone else. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0AMahalo%2C%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr%5D%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Btt%5D%5Bpre%5D%09%09 FRIDAY%2C SEPTEMBER 18%2C 2409%0D%0A%09%09 KANZAKI FILMS MAIN STUDIO COMPLEX%0D%0A%09%09 OHJI%2C EMPIRE OF MORITA%2C ISHIYAMA%0D%0A%0D%0A%09Kaitlyn finished filing the papers for her various projects%2C%0D%0Alooked around her office%2C and smiled. She figured she%27d done a pretty%0D%0Agood week%27s work. The score for %22Beautiful Warriors%22 was nearly%0D%0Afinished%2C she and the Kanzaki Films house orchestra were working well%0D%0Atogether%2C and everything was on schedule to start shooting %22Zatoichi%0D%0Avs. Wolverine%22 in a month.%0D%0A%09She picked up her green music notebook from the desk%2C tucked%0D%0Ait into her briefcase%2C and left the office%2C whistling part of the%0D%0Aheroic entrance phrase for %22Beautiful Warriors%22. The transition in%0D%0Athe middle of it was still bugging her a little - in her head it%0D%0Asounded really cool%2C but in practice it came off more like a stumble.%0D%0AMaybe she%27d come back in tomorrow and - %0D%0A%09%22Kaitlyn%2C dear%2C there you are%2C%22 came the voice of the studio%27s%0D%0Aowner. Sumire Kanzaki%2C looking neat and trim as always in her stylish%0D%0Abusiness clothes%2C came down the hall with a smile of greeting and%0D%0Aoutstretched hands.%0D%0A%09%22I was just looking for you%2C%22 said Sumire. %22What are you%0D%0Aplanning to do this weekend%3F%22%0D%0A%09Kate looked puzzled. %22N-not much%2C%22 she replied. %22I w-was%0D%0Athinking of c-c-coming in for a b-bit tomorrow and - %22%0D%0A%09%22No%2C no%2C no%2C%22 said Sumire%2C gesturing. %22That won%27t do at all.%0D%0AYou%27ve been working so terribly hard for me since you came here%2C I%0D%0Afeel guilty. You%27re supposed to be -relaxing-.%22%0D%0A%09%22It%27s b-been fun%2C%22 Kate protested%2C a bit haplessly%2C as Sumire%0D%0Awound an arm through hers and started elegantly dragging her along the%0D%0Acorridor.%0D%0A%09%22Well%2C that may be%2C but still%2C%22 Sumire said. %22You%27ve been%0D%0Aworking much too hard. You need to take a little time off and relax%2C%0D%0Aso I%27ve made a few arrangements.%22%0D%0A%09%22Arr-r-arrangements%3F%22 Kate wondered.%0D%0A%09Sumire nodded firmly. %22Mm-hmm. It%27s all taken care of. Jean%0D%0Aand Anne are on a train to Sendai as we speak. You and I and Kori and%0D%0AKanna are going to my little place in the country%2C where we will eat%0D%0Adecadent food%2C ransack my wine cellar%2C and generally shirk our%0D%0Aresponsibilities for seventy-two hours. Give or take.%22%0D%0A%09Kate blinked at her in mild befuddlement%2C then asked the only%0D%0Aquestion she could think of%3A%0D%0A%09%22D-did you w-w-warn Sendai%3F%22%0D%0A%09Sumire laughed and pushed the studio admin building%27s doors%0D%0Aopen with a flourish%2C not breaking stride as she swept Kate down the%0D%0Amarble steps to the street.%0D%0A%09%22Where would be the sport in that%3F%22 she asked.%0D%0A%09Before Kate could form an answer to that%2C Sumire bundled her%0D%0Ainto the back of the long%2C gleaming Kanzaki Black Phantom limousine%0D%0Awhich stood waiting in front of the building. The auburn-haired%0D%0Awoman%2C the richest and most powerful industrialist on the planet%2C shut%0D%0Athe door with a wink through the window at her moderately baffled%0D%0Afriend%2C then walked around the back of the car to the other side.%0D%0A%09As she went%2C Sumire employed the quick-change skills she%27d%0D%0Amastered over years on the stage. By the time she reached the%0D%0Adriver%27s door and climbed in%2C she was wearing a trim black chauffeur%27s%0D%0Auniform%3B she was just settling the peaked cap on her head when she%0D%0Aslid behind the wheel and threw Kate another wink over the back of the%0D%0Aseat.%0D%0A%09Then she fired up the powerful car%2C put it in gear%2C and with a%0D%0Apuff of black smoke%2C they were away.%0D%0A%09During the several years of intense living that had followed%0D%0Aher return from a sort of semi-functional mental fugue state%2C Sumire%0D%0Ahad pursued a number of exciting occupations. %28To call them hobbies%0D%0Awould have been to seriously diminish the fervor with which she%0D%0Aundertook them.%29 For one of them%2C she%27d used her connections with the%0D%0AImperial government to take the combat driving course normally given%0D%0Ato members of the Emperor%27s personal guard.%0D%0A%09Kaitlyn sat back and enjoyed the ride. As a member of the%0D%0ANekomi Institute of Technology Motor Club%2C she had done her share of%0D%0Arace-type driving too. When she was driving herself%2C Kate preferred%0D%0Aunlimited rallycross to road racing - that was more Juri%27s speed - but%0D%0Athis was fun all the same.%0D%0A%09She turned the plan for the weekend%2C such as it was%2C over in%0D%0Aher head a few times%2C smiling.%0D%0A%09Then she took out her music notebook and a pencil and went%0D%0Aback to work on that damn phrase.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28...%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%09Kaitlyn%2C as was her wont%2C lost herself in her work as Sumire%27s%0D%0Acar steamed out of the capital and into the mountains north of the%0D%0Acity. She didn%27t pay much attention to the scenery and none at all to%0D%0Athe route. Only when the car rounded a corner and slowed considerably%0D%0Adid she rouse from her reverie over her music notebook and take a look%0D%0Aat where they were.%0D%0A%09By now the sun was sinking amid the craggy peaks of the%0D%0Amountains to the west%2C painting the alpine vista with oranges and%0D%0Areds. Kate climbed out of the car when Sumire opened her door with a%0D%0Abow and a wink. She stood for a moment%2C surprised by the chill in the%0D%0Aair after the warm weather down in Ohji%2C and took in her%0D%0Asurroundings. These were big%2C imposing%2C bulky mountains%2C not the%0D%0Arelatively gentle peaks of the mountains near New Avalon. Not for%0D%0Anothing was this range often called the Ishiyama Alps.%0D%0A%09The car was parked in front of a small metal building without%0D%0Amarkings aside from a %22NO TRESPASSING%22 sign on the door. Sumire%0D%0Aopened the limo%27s trunk%2C pulled out a pair of suitcases %28one of them%2C%0D%0AKaitlyn noticed with a combination of surprise and amusement%2C belonged%0D%0Ato her%29%2C shut the trunk again%2C and led the way to the building. There%0D%0Ashe unlocked the door with a keycode%2C elbowed it open%2C and followed%0D%0AKate inside.%0D%0A%09Inside the building was a red tram-like vehicle about the size%0D%0Aof a van%2C with wraparound windows and no obvious front or back. It%0D%0Asat next to a platform%2C rather like that of a train station.%0D%0A%09Smiling and humming%2C Sumire went to a control panel on the%0D%0Awall%2C punched in another code%2C then threw a large switch and thumbed a%0D%0Abig green button. The far wall of the building hummed open%2C revealing%0D%0Aa snowy slope stretching up and away.%0D%0A%09It all came together for Kate then. She boarded the tram with%0D%0ASumire right behind her%2C then watched with quiet amusement as the auburn-%0D%0Ahaired industrialist closed the tram door and set the car in motion.%0D%0A%09It ground along%2C slowly at first and then picking up to a%0D%0Adecent pace%2C and when it emerged from the shed%2C everything became%0D%0Aclear. The tram was a cog railway car%3B they were climbing the side of%0D%0Aone of the mountains. Kate bent low and peered upward through the%0D%0Acar%27s front window%2C but couldn%27t see their destination%3B the side of%0D%0Athe mountain was too steep. She considered leaning out of a side%0D%0Awindow%2C but decided against it.%0D%0A%09Instead she turned to Sumire%2C who was smiling at her%2C a%0D%0Amischievous twinkle in her dark eyes.%0D%0A%09%22You%27ll recognize it when we get there%2C%22 she said%2C and Kate%0D%0Aknew where they were headed.%0D%0A%09%22The C-C-Crimson Lizard%27s lair%3F%22 she asked.%0D%0A%09Sumire nodded. %22I%27ll bet you thought it was just a stock%0D%0Aexterior%2C%22 she said%2C her smile broadening. %22No%2C it%27s real enough. I%0D%0Ajust redecorate a bit when we shoot a sequence up there.%22%0D%0A%09%22You h-had it b-built for real%3F%22%0D%0A%09Sumire laughed. %22I spent several decades as a reclusive%0D%0Amadwoman%2C%22 she said frankly. %22It%27s a mountaintop chateau accessible%0D%0Aonly by air or its own private cog railway. How could I possibly%0D%0A-not- have built it%3F%22 She looked reflective for a moment and added%2C%0D%0A%22It seems to me I had a plan in place to go up there and blow the%0D%0Arailway up behind me. Fortunately%2C by then I was sunk far enough into%0D%0Aapathy that I never bothered.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%09The ride up took the better part of an hour. By the time they%0D%0Aarrived at the top it was dark%2C and Ishiyama%27s two moons were out%2C one%0D%0Aa waxing crescent%2C the other just past the first quarter.%0D%0A%09Kate stood on the flagstoned%2C snow-swept little plaza at the%0D%0Atop of the cog railway%2C looking at the building with a little smile%0D%0Aon her face. It looked just the way she remembered it from the%0D%0Amovies%2C a Swiss-style chateau plunked down among thoroughly suitable%0D%0Asurroundings.%0D%0A%0D%0A%26l%3B meanwhile%2C at Schloss Kanzaki... %26r%3B%0D%0A%0D%0A%22A slumber party%21 I have read of this tradition%21 We will disrobe%0D%0Ato our underclothes and share our darkest secrets in a bonding%0D%0Aexperience that enhances the strength of our eternal sisterhood. Yes%3F%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22... Something like that.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%28a large quantity of what Sumire describes as %22barely acceptable%0D%0Aplonk%22 later... %29%0D%0A%0D%0A%22I do not wish you to take this amiss%2C however%2C I feel obligated to%0D%0Ainform you that I find your father immensely desirable.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22... must understand that to the people of Tamaran%2C and the royal%0D%0Afamily especially%2C he is a sort of mythic figure%2C almost like a god.%0D%0AAlso%2C I once bypassed the content security systems on the palace%0D%0Acomputers and read the expunged portions of the famed journals of my%0D%0Arevered ancestor Kaliand%27r. They were... what is the phrase%3F Oh yes%21%0D%0A%27Some kind of hot.%27%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Kate snorts expensive red wine%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Cwedge%3E the last bit said with the trademark %22Oh%2C I remember%21%22 cheery smile%0D%0A%0D%0A%22I have been told that I very much resemble the revered Kaliand%27r in%0D%0Amany ways. I do not believe Mother knew I had read the missing%0D%0Ajournals when she told me that.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22W-w-wait. Isn%27t Z-Z-Zoner also a m-mythic f-f-figure on T-Tamaran%3F%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Well%2C yes. But he was not -quite- so close to my ancestor. And%0D%0Aanyway%2C he is dark and creepy. My sister has always been obsessed%0D%0Awith him.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Your ch-chances%2C eh%3F W-well... it h-h-HAS b-been a while since D-Dad%0D%0Ahad a g-g-good c-case of alien p-p-princess. Y-you%27re awful y-young%2C%0D%0Athough. H-he%27s k-k-kind of self-c-conscious about that k-kind of%0D%0Athing these d-days. Oh%2C and you%27re s-s-sort of a d-d-descendent.%0D%0AHe%27ll have a hard t-time with that too. I d-dunno%2C Kori. It%27d%0D%0At-t-take some d-doing.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22I am most willing to do.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22%2Asnrk%2A I b-bet you are.%22%5B%2Fpre%5D%5B%2Ftt%5D 1|1|0|||1||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|Verbena||04:06:26|10/28/2012|I am so giggling maniacally over this whole thing. %0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A--------%0D%0A%0D%0Athis world created by the %0D%0Ahands of the gods%0D%0Aeverything is false%0D%0Aeverything is a LIE%0D%0Athe final days have come%0D%0Anow%0D%0Alet everything be destroyed%0D%0A%0D%0A--mu 2|1|0|||||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|BZArcher||20:15:08|10/28/2012|Yeah%2C that was way too cute to lose. %3A%29 3|1|0|||1||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|Prince Charon||20:50:36|10/28/2012|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-12 AT 00:03 AM (EDT)]%3Agrinning joyfully%3A Thank you for sharing this.%0D%0A%0D%0AHmm%2C I need to go reread the two main Sakura Taisen parts.%0D%0A%0D%0AEDIT%3A Huh. I%27m sure I%27ve read a UF fic where Koran works with Ironhide%2C and now I can%27t find it. Help%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A%93They planned their campaigns just as you might make a splendid piece of harness. It looks very well%3B and answers very well%3B until it gets broken%3B and then you are done for. Now I made my campaigns of ropes. If anything went wrong%2C I tied a knot%3B and went on.%94%0D%0A%09-- Arthur Wellesley%2C First Duke of Wellington 4|2|3|||1||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|Gryphon||00:22:27|10/29/2012|That%27s a mini%2C Lost Technology. It%27s in one of the later omnis.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 5|3|4|||1||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|Prince Charon||21:24:14|11/04/2012|Thanks%21%0D%0A%0D%0A%93They planned their campaigns just as you might make a splendid piece of harness. It looks very well%3B and answers very well%3B until it gets broken%3B and then you are done for. Now I made my campaigns of ropes. If anything went wrong%2C I tied a knot%3B and went on.%94%0D%0A%09-- Arthur Wellesley%2C First Duke of Wellington 6|1|0|||1||RE%3A The Cutting Room Floor%3A In for a Pound|JeanneHedge||17:43:24|11/05/2012|I do love the Kaitlyn-Sumire scenes%2C few though we%27ve seen %28%22Kaitlyn%2C dear%2C ...%22%29%0D%0A%0D%0AOr maybe I just love Sumire...%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AJeanne%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Btable border%3D%220%22 cellspacing%3D%220%22 cellpadding%3D%220%22 width%3D%2280%25%22%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd align%3D%22center%22 width%3D%2210%25%22%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.jhedge.com%2Fmisc%2Foldowl.jpg%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btd%5D%5Bfont size%3D2%5D%5Bb%5DJeanne Hedge%5B%2Fb%5D%0D%0A%5Blink%3Awww.jhedge.com%7Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.jhedge.com%5D%5B%2Ffont%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bi%5D%5Bfont size%3D1%5D%22Never give up%2C never surrender%21%22%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%5B%2Fi%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5B%2Ftable%5D