"Your boys certainly know what they're doing," the otter commends. She's thoroughly bound to the chair by sports tape; her shins are secured to the front legs, her forearms to the armrests, and her torso to the back. "Certainly, I'm not going anywhere," she adds, lightly testing her bonds. "It's a tad tight around the chest though. Not really an issue; I can breathe easily, just not deeply. That aside, this actually feels surprisingly pleasant."
Hanna pulls up a second chair; sitting on it backwards, she leans on the back and settles in front of the otter. "Glad you're enjoying it."
"I take it you'll gag me once our conversation is done," the otter guesses.
"Doesn't make sense to gag you before, does it?" Hanna chuckles.
"True," the otter smiles in return. "The name's Chika Ueno."
"I go by 'Fire'," Hanna replies.
"I guessed that," Chika smiles.
"You're being remarkably calm," Hanna commends.
Chika tries in vain to shrug. "As soon as your heavy grabbed me, I knew there was no escape; no sense getting worked up over it. After all, why hurt myself? I knew he wouldn't hurt me; given his obvious strength, he's surprisingly gentle."
"I try my best," Xander responds, bowing slightly.
"And so polite too," Chika flirts with Xander; Xander blushes slightly.
Hanna snaps her fingers in Chika's face. "Stay focussed," she insists, her smile disguising her mildly menacing tone.
"Worth a try," Chika sighs. "He is cute though, that much is true. So, what do you want to know?"
"We're looking for Mamushi," Hanna explains.
"You don't want to know whether I'm after the Elemental Crystals? Or whether I'm working for Mamushi or not?" Chika asks, a little confused.
"We know you're after the Crystals, and we heard you report in to Mamushi. Which of course means you're working for him."
"Ah yes, should have guessed you'd heard that. Unfortunately, I don't know where he is; he's always kept his location secret from me."
"A shame," Hanna sighs. "Oh well, guess we'll have to take matters into our own hands. Wood, gag her. Metal, Earth, see if you can trace the signals. Water, when Wood has finished, find somewhere to put our captive."
"Somewhere where I can't fall over please, cutie," Chika smiles at Xander, who blushes once more; once Maria has finished gagging her, Xander slides the otter to one side, laying her gently on her back. "Thank you sweetie," she winks; the words are heavily muffled by the gag.
"Want a cushion?" Xander asks; Chika nods. Xander looks around and spots a suitable cushion on the sofa; he retrieves it and places it under Chika's head. "Better?" Xander asks. Chika nods, smiling warmly; she closes her eyes, lets out a soft sigh, and begins to snooze.
Hanna watches the whole exchange; once Chika is snoozing, Hanna shakes her head in amusement, then turns her attention to Rob and Danny. "How's the signal tracing going?" she asks.
"We're getting something," Rob reports. "It's not much, but if we can do the same from Tsuchidokutsu, we should be able to get within a few square miles."
"Nice work," Hanna compliments. "Now, let's get out of here."
