Mingmei university

((I missed that, sorry.  Fixed above...plus bonus Kansai-ben content!))

Sato wordlessly lights a cigarette for Kingfisher and then turns to face Sam more fully.

"Forgive me, Sam-san, I am unused to being asked so many questions.  You are clearly able, or this group would not trust you to lead their Matrix operations.  However, it is important that we have an even exchange in order to establish trust and I had felt I had offered a lot already."

"Tell me something about yourself - why have you adopted this...profession...versus what most people would consider a safer and more remunerative career to make use of your considerable skills?"

KingFisher reaches into her backpack and brings out some soy snacks, a second bottle of vodka.
She listens to Sam and Sato speaking, sharing her little feast with her companions.

Chougou takes a soy snack thankfully, he hasn't eaten anything all day. He worries about how much his friend is drinking though because it seems to have been getting more and more lately.

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Sam gazes at Sato, thoughtfully, for a moment before breaking eye contact. He is used to dealing with bullies, but is not accustomed to being apologized to, or treated kindly by someone who had been being mean to him.
Some of the agitation appears to drain from him.
Still looking at his feet, rather than making eye contact with Sato, he says "I, um, graduated from Weymouth with an, um, engineering degree. But I, uh. I couldn't find a job. I got a bunch of, um, interviews. But never any callbacks. So I um, moved back here and uh, kind of, um, fell in to running."

KingFisher nods her head in understanding.
"I can understand that. I was an orphan who became a runner when the system wouldn't hire a SINless elf orphan. What about you Sato?"

Satō leans back and sucks through his teeth.  For a moment, his face shows pain and grief, before settling into a resigned expression.  He speaks with some reluctance:

"Shaanai...I am a long way from my home...and I am sworn never to return.  I can't say I'm a 'shadowrunner' really as you all are the first I've encountered...more of a 'community activist' helping to solve problems in my district." ((characters who are familiar with Desnan culture would pick up the hint that he is involved in organized crime...likely Yakuza, as they often characterize themselves as ninkyō dantai or "chivalrous organizations"))

As you are all sitting around the bus stop, despite having a perfectly functional van with which to ride home on, you all get a group call from the others on your commlinks...

((will be continuing on the main thread in a moment...))

Uhm, yeah...Chougou goes and gets in his van after remembering that he had it. He invites the others to follow

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Sam walks with Chougou back to the van.

KingFisher watched the boys go and shrugged.
She looked at Sato.
"You guys must be tough as a trolls boot soles, but I'm honestly terrified.
I always thought I'd be ready if I had to face death. A bullet from the roof tops, a knife in the back in a crowd, a blast from a combat mage, or being bludgened by a spirit.
This is the first time I've ever encountered anything that can just unmake me.
Just one touch ...and I'm gone. No armour will protect me, no spell can prevent it, no prayer will alter my fate. "

Taking a moment to take another drag on the cigarette.

"When I was younger I had a crush on this girl, I thought I was madly in love with her but that's young love eh. She was 2 years older then me and I thought she was such an amazon. Tall, slim, blonde hair, golden skin. I don't know where she came from but I thought she was like something out of a trid fantasy you know.
Anyway, she went on a run. A real milk run babe, she called it. Go to some building, pick up some guy, change his appearance, bring him to the docks. End of. An hours work tops and 300 NuYen paid up front. Easy as it comes chummer.

Only. She didn't come back. There wasn't a body, there wasn't a crime scene to hear about. She just didn't come home. Johnny Law didn't care, no one did.
I got the key for her room to put it right again.
What a dump. Dirty underwear thrown all over the place, remains of last nights dinner on a table. A half written letter on a touch pad for her boyfriend. His picture by her bed.
I Cleaned up the mess, updated the letter with the news we thought she was dead as we hadn't heard from her in a week. I tried to get on with my life.
But it's hard when there's no closure. No funeral, no weeping mourners to share your sorrow.
Just a punk kid who thought he was hard because he had a leather jacket with armoured panels.
That's why I want to get all my stuff in order. I don't want someone else to have to pick up the crumbs of my life. See the dreams I had that never came true, the romances that ended in heartbreak, all the little things I put off while I was running the shadows but never went back to.
"
Taking another swig from the vodka bottle before closing the lid and putting it back in the backpack.
"I'm not going to have a job after this, or somewhere to live as I can't pay next months rent.
We're going to sit around the table and talk tough Sato. Trying to persuade ourselves and each other that we're REAL runners. That THIS fiend is going down. We're going to be Street Legends chummer. The real deal. I don't think we are  Sato. This thing is going to just touch us once, and we're a pile of meat on the floor. No chance to heal up, no good byes, just gone.
I hope it's going to be quick but my instincts tell me it's going to be two heartbeats of unbelievable agony. Sure we have a chance, a slim chance, a fools chance.
I'm so terrified of this terrible fate I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep it together through the briefing."

Finishing the cigarette she taps it out and stands up.
Pulling the loose fitting dress from the backpack she pulls it over her head and travels with Sato.