A Name On the Wind [Ryoichi, Open]

The smile didn't fade, but Anis' hands curled tightly into fists, the knuckles cracking from the force. She was glad she was wearing gloves, or....would her nails go through her hands? After everything, she was inordinately durable, but that durability was everywhere. Her vs Her was quite the contest. Still, that was for later. She put a lot of effort into keep her smile looking as good as possible so nobody noticed.

"We" she started, her voice sounding a little shrill. It was nice, that she could see this coming and put a kinky bit gag into it's mouth to pull it backwards. Before Vandenreich, these episodes ran free as a wild horse. "We" she tried again, her voice more normal this time. "Should recruit everyone we can get our hands on! Meni and Doctor Sibonion and the cow farmer I met that one time, and Helle! She is evil but she is also useful!"

Nero offered a warm nod in response to his thanks. From the look in his eyes alone, he could tell Ryoichi had his daughter's best intentions in mind. If it was within his ability to do so, he'd make sure they reunited---and inwardly wish he could be there to see it. He took a moment to glance over to Anis and noted her suggestion, but the discernible shift in her voice left him a little worried.

Brushing his worry aside for now, Nero took a moment to reflect on Ryoichi's words as his magenta gaze was drawn toward the photo he presented. Almost immediately, the first person that came to mind was... wait a minute... it couldn't be... was that small child... Natsumi? The star-shaped eyes alone stuck out like a sore thumb.

But he didn't say anything immediately, not at first. Only when he found his body lifted off of the ground did his mind recognize the immediate correlation. A field of reishi. An ability to manipulate objects and individuals around them with their minds. If the names matched up, he knew exactly who his daughter was.

Furthermore, the memories of their conversation rapidly flooded his mind. Everything she said, what the Duvalier did, those experiments... In reality, all of that was true. And this man was living proof of that. As he floated in the air, eyes slightly stunned with shock, he gazed at the man as he waved a hand.

"Ryoichi... Could I have a moment with you? Alone, if you don't mind? I think I might know who she is. There's a girl with star-shaped pupils just like hers who goes by the name of Natsumi Asakura."

Ryoichi might not have seen any faltering in her smile, but the stilted verbal language, as well as her body language, gave off warning bells that something was wrong. He couldn't figure out what was wrong, or if it was even fully accurate, but, a small amount of energy gathered at his palm, ready to defend himself or Nero if something did happen.

"Let's...not do that," Ryoichi said with a lighthearted smile. "Don't wanna make it seem like some kinda witch hunt, especially not after what she's been through. Gatherin' up like that's bound to spook 'er."

Then, Nero asked if they could speak to him alone. An eyebrow raised as he gave a quiet nod as Ryoichi set Nero down next to him. At first, he was concerned that it was some bad news about his daughter, that she had gotten into some major trouble with a crime organization or a country military. But, rather than that, it was good, the thought that Nero might know his daughter made his eyes go wide.

"Natsumi Asakura, huh?" He asked, stroking his chin. "So, if this is her, she hasn't been going by her birth name...chances are she might not remember it."

He couldn't confirm if this was actually her, but, the starry eyes were something you didn't see in basically anyone else. Even if it was a high chance, he needed to temper his excitement.

"Okay, that just brings us back to square one," He said. "How do I even approach this whole thing? Especially if she doesn't know or remember the full story?"

"She's a witch?" Anis would ask, totally innocently as she watched the two walk off to skulk. Well, that was fine, Anis could do her thing while they did her thing. So she would pull out her phone and send a text to Natasha about this Natsumi Asakura and her starry eyes - literally, not metaphorically. And also one to Doc Sibinion. And also one to Meni. All three emphasising that the woman was not a Witch but Anis was interested in hearing about if they knew her. Helle was evil, so Anis didn't have her number. She'd have to go in person later.

"Hm..."

That was a good point. How did he approach her? According to Ryoichi himself, he had been out of commission for a while, and since his time with her only amounted to four years, he didn't expect Natsumi to trust him at all. After all, she did strike Nero as the woman that'd create some irrational thought that he was an enemy or a Duvalier-associate trying to kidnap her. Rubbing his temples softly, his thoughts would land on Natasha, Natsumi's current caretaker.

If there was anyone Natsumi trusted most, it was her. Maybe he could approach her first, and then Natsumi, or approach them both? This definitely wouldn't be easy, but he was optimistic. He'd go through his phone and present a photo of Natasha during the few times he'd see her and Natsumi shop together at the local markets.

"In my mind, if there's anyone that can make your goal easier, it's Natasha Miller. She's one of the sweetest women in this city and has a heart of gold. Very understanding, too. I'm sure she'll be a little suspect, but if you present her with what you did with me? I'm sure she'll do her best to help you."

Ryoichi noticed Anis moving out of the corner of his eye, but, all he could see was a phone. Was she texting someone? Seemed like whatever had been plaguing her before had gone away, that was good. Ryoichi kept a small amount of energy ready on the off-chance that something happened -- for all he knew, that text could have been a bad omen.

Nonetheless, it didn't stop him from listening to what Nero was saying, as well as keeping an eye on his expressions and body language. Then, a new name came out: the person who was taking care of Natsumi, Natasha Miller. At first, he wasn't entirely sure about this mystery caretaker, but, then Nero produced a picture. For the first time in over a decade, Ryoichi finally saw his little girl. The woman she was with, presumably Natasha, was a damn fine-looking woman, but he was utterly captivated at seeing his daughter.

There was no denying it, that was her. She had gotten so big, she still had those twin-tails from when she was little, and of course, those stars in her eyes. The gaze of the older man softened as he gingerly reached to take Nero's phone and bring the picture closer to him. Even if she was bigger and older, his heart couldn't lie. He knew this was her.

In a furious rush, Ryoichi handed Nero back his phone, before quickly getting his notepad back out of his pocket. The normally careful, yet absentminded writing was almost manic as he quickly wrote down her new name, the name of her caretaker, as well as a series of notes of what he remembered and observed from this conversation. He looked up at Nero with a wide, proud smile, before reaching forward and patting him firmly on the shoulder.

"Thanks for that, Nero," Ryoichi said, unable to contain the emotion and excitement in his voice. "I'll look into this."

He was quick to turn and face Anis, still beaming as he went to shake her hand. "Thank you, too, Miss Anis."

"You can see the future?" Anis would exclaim, looking at Ryoichi thanking her before she even told him anything. "That's great! Then we shall go see her right away!"

Anis would turn to head to Natasha's place, her brain not at all clocking onto the fact that Ryo was just being polite about her offer of assistance. After all, in a world of infinite spiritual powers, seeing the future wasn't that far fetched.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance, Ryoichi. And I also hope Natsumi recognizes you. If she does, I want pictures, alright?"

Nero patted his hand atop Ryoichi's as he nodded his head in response. Judging by Anis and Ryoichi's mannerisms, it seemed that they planned on heading in the same direction. As much as Nero might've wanted to join them, he held enough of respect for Natasha to not overwhelm her with so many people at the door. As such, he offered a bow to both of them as he turned back to Anis with a wave. He'd need to catch up on lost time with her one of these days. For now, he felt nostalgic and wanted to share a fun story with his grandfather.

"See you around. Also, Anis! We should catch up one day!"

And with that, and a burst of Steigen, he was off.