As soon as she laid eyes on the stage, Divina knew. It called to her mission partner. She could hear it. And Kabuki's announcement only confirmed what she already deduced. "I had the same thought. It must be fate at work!" ...Though, the operator raised a good point. "...Yes, we probably should get permission first. But with lovely ladies like us asking, how could they say no?"
...Of course, Yoshitsune raised another good point. Regular kabuki wouldn't cut it here. They have to try another angle...and stripping was about as effective an angle as they could get here. "Strip kabuki...that's a new one. But, I know you can do it! If anyone can pull it off, it's you!" ...Really, Kabuki's body shape made it look like she was pretty well suited for stripping as well as acting, so it wasn't hyperbole.
She floated behind Kabuki as she headed for a staff member, ready to help out. After all, two Navis would be more convincing than one. Still, she let the other Navi take the lead, since it was her show. Not that she couldn't help the cause. "Yes, this is all about providing a unique experience for all your guests, right? You have to admit, strip kabuki would be pretty unique. It'd really make the bath house look like it goes the extra mile."
The other Navi's thumbs up, if anything, actually made Divina a bit nervous about the plan. Now it kinda looked like the actress Navi was getting into it...hopefully she wasn't cracking or anything. Just remember, eye on the prize. And the prize was the continued existence of currently unlucky souls. She gave a small nod back to her, though there wasn't any particular meaning to it. She was a little afraid that anything she tried to convey would just make her jump off the deep end...
An Appeal to the People
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Though she might have been secretly wishing for it, alas, Kabuki was not in any sort of easily-dispelled dream; it wasn't hard to catch the attention of one of the star-bearing staff members, but slaps in the face would not be on the agenda unless one of them were to ask for them... at which point, all things considered, it seemed likely the serving staff would be glad to oblige. Rather, however, the woman stood before them, hips swaying back and forth slowly to the music and holding one arm neatly under the very generous expanse of her chest; whether she was pushing them up to embellish, or simply supporting what could possibly be an uncomfortable amount of otherwise unsupported weight, was anyone's guess.
She looked back and forth between Kabuki and Divina, a small, slightly sultry grin on her lips and a happy glow in her eyes as she listened to them make their request. The slightly erratic delivery seemed to wash over her easily, though her eyebrows jumped ever so slightly at the sudden peaks of volume. After a moment she nodded, smiling more broadly.
"Oh sure! We have a number of performers, of course, all very skilled at delivering their personal shows, compliments of the house, but there's usually a few guests who really get going on knowing that a lot of people are seeing or watching them have their fun. Here at Koushoku house, we like to... accommodate," her voice paused as she gave a soft sigh, punctuating the word with a slow movement of her hands over her hips and down to cover her groin for a brief moment that did far more to draw attention to it than to hide. The moment was over almost before it began though, and she continued past the innuendo seamlessly. "Everyone as best we can, so the stage area is free to use by any guests who wish to, so long as they don't interrupt an act already in progress by our staff." She looked towards the stage, then back at the two women before her, biting her lip as her eyes wandered over the pair.
"Mmm... If the two of you... wish to be seen and watched, then of course I'm sure we can..." She paused again, letting out a long breath that had a vague hint of moan to it as she grinned. "Fit you in, soon!" There was a certain amount of her behaviour that was probably put on, but even so, there was no questioning that her cheeks and indeed much of the skin all the way down to the top of her chest was flushed a bright pink that was decidedly not a part of standard house decoration. Professional or not, this staff member, at least, enjoyed her work. Double entendres aside, she gestured towards the left hand side of the room, near the stage.
"If you head down to the left over there, you should find either Joel or Shana, near the stage stairs. Just let them know that you'd like to go up, and they'll take good care of you, I promise!" Provided the ladies had no other questions for her directly, the woman would bow her head politely, hands low and to the sides, before moving away; by chance, the moment it was clear she wasn't helping Kabuki and Divina any more, she was almost immediately called on by a nearby trio to share herself with them for a time, and headed over to them.
Meanwhile, the routine on stage was reaching its climax, or rather, it was reaching a point where climaxes might actually become a part of it sometime in the near future. It was still dancing, but the song lyrics had been replaced now with artful and timely moans, and once the last of the clothes had come completely off, the dance moves themselves had begun more and more to resemble rhythmic simulations of the things the woman had previously been singing about. It was still hard to actually see anything directly, at this point; their movement and positioning was cleaver and precise, though the further it went on, the hazier the line became as to whether they were 'simulating', or not. It was probably going to become a much clearer 'not' in a minute or two. More people were watching the show more attentively, now that it was getting to the juicier parts, and there were a few pleased cat calls and cheers from the various groups, though truthfully a large portion of the gathered navis were still mostly doing their won things, and simply watching it as an aside.
If they did, indeed, decide to make their way towards the stage, they would find a lone male navi, looking toned and athletic with his hands joined behind his back, watching the stage show with an idle grin. His chest and torso were particularly pleasing to the eye that liked that sort of thing; just the right level of tone and visible definition, without looking over muscled. Like the other staff in the main room, he was completely unclothed, bearing only the red star on his shoulder, and thus, with his hands back, it was quite clear that he was more than ready to be of service to any guest that asked... and like most of the men they'd seen, very well equipped for the task. For now though, he seemed to have a job waiting by the stage stairs; most likely this would be the 'Joel' that the other woman had mentioned.
She looked back and forth between Kabuki and Divina, a small, slightly sultry grin on her lips and a happy glow in her eyes as she listened to them make their request. The slightly erratic delivery seemed to wash over her easily, though her eyebrows jumped ever so slightly at the sudden peaks of volume. After a moment she nodded, smiling more broadly.
"Oh sure! We have a number of performers, of course, all very skilled at delivering their personal shows, compliments of the house, but there's usually a few guests who really get going on knowing that a lot of people are seeing or watching them have their fun. Here at Koushoku house, we like to... accommodate," her voice paused as she gave a soft sigh, punctuating the word with a slow movement of her hands over her hips and down to cover her groin for a brief moment that did far more to draw attention to it than to hide. The moment was over almost before it began though, and she continued past the innuendo seamlessly. "Everyone as best we can, so the stage area is free to use by any guests who wish to, so long as they don't interrupt an act already in progress by our staff." She looked towards the stage, then back at the two women before her, biting her lip as her eyes wandered over the pair.
"Mmm... If the two of you... wish to be seen and watched, then of course I'm sure we can..." She paused again, letting out a long breath that had a vague hint of moan to it as she grinned. "Fit you in, soon!" There was a certain amount of her behaviour that was probably put on, but even so, there was no questioning that her cheeks and indeed much of the skin all the way down to the top of her chest was flushed a bright pink that was decidedly not a part of standard house decoration. Professional or not, this staff member, at least, enjoyed her work. Double entendres aside, she gestured towards the left hand side of the room, near the stage.
"If you head down to the left over there, you should find either Joel or Shana, near the stage stairs. Just let them know that you'd like to go up, and they'll take good care of you, I promise!" Provided the ladies had no other questions for her directly, the woman would bow her head politely, hands low and to the sides, before moving away; by chance, the moment it was clear she wasn't helping Kabuki and Divina any more, she was almost immediately called on by a nearby trio to share herself with them for a time, and headed over to them.
Meanwhile, the routine on stage was reaching its climax, or rather, it was reaching a point where climaxes might actually become a part of it sometime in the near future. It was still dancing, but the song lyrics had been replaced now with artful and timely moans, and once the last of the clothes had come completely off, the dance moves themselves had begun more and more to resemble rhythmic simulations of the things the woman had previously been singing about. It was still hard to actually see anything directly, at this point; their movement and positioning was cleaver and precise, though the further it went on, the hazier the line became as to whether they were 'simulating', or not. It was probably going to become a much clearer 'not' in a minute or two. More people were watching the show more attentively, now that it was getting to the juicier parts, and there were a few pleased cat calls and cheers from the various groups, though truthfully a large portion of the gathered navis were still mostly doing their won things, and simply watching it as an aside.
If they did, indeed, decide to make their way towards the stage, they would find a lone male navi, looking toned and athletic with his hands joined behind his back, watching the stage show with an idle grin. His chest and torso were particularly pleasing to the eye that liked that sort of thing; just the right level of tone and visible definition, without looking over muscled. Like the other staff in the main room, he was completely unclothed, bearing only the red star on his shoulder, and thus, with his hands back, it was quite clear that he was more than ready to be of service to any guest that asked... and like most of the men they'd seen, very well equipped for the task. For now though, he seemed to have a job waiting by the stage stairs; most likely this would be the 'Joel' that the other woman had mentioned.
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All of Divina's encouragement spurred Kabuki onward while she was still motivated by justice, then faded into the background of general dream-like impossibility as she began to doubt everything. "A goddess, encouraging nude bathhouse staff to allow me to strip on stage while performing kabuki? It's all just too nonsensical!" the actor thought to herself, stifling a chuckle. Unfortunately for her, however, the scene unfolded in such a way that no additional hints were provided towards the scenario's nature as a dream, casting an ominous, lengthening shadow of doubt over her theory that all of this was a flight of fancy. Further unfortunate, it appeared that all of the staff members were really dedicated to this being naked thing, as she was completely unable to find one that was wearing anything besides the star used for identification. Her smile began to go from genuine to fake as she held it from shear force of will. "O-Oh! Don't mind me. I surely won't interrupt the act in progress. In fact, I'm starting to think that maybe it would be best for all involved if I just didn't act upon my initial request at all! Ah ha ha ha! Just joking~" she finished, clasping her hands together and bowing stiffly. She wasn't really joking at all, but she couldn't quite allow herself to go back on her promise.
Kabuki thought to herself that her situation was plenty nerve-wracking already without their new acquaintance constantly making sex puns, which caused a shiver to run through her every time they appeared in the conversation. Either the girl who was working with them really enjoyed sex puns, really enjoyed kabuki theater, really enjoyed the look of Kabuki's body, or really enjoyed being a helpful employee; whatever the case, she looked like she was getting aroused just talking to Kabuki. "Thanks then! I'll go get one of those two," Kabuki finished, turning away immediately following as if not to think any more about what the staff member was going to help that particular trio with.
"That woman was very helpful. There really are good pairs on the net," Yoshitsune remarked, nodding again despite his light-headedness.
"Pairs?" Kabuki questioned.
"People. I said people, like earlier," Yoshitsune clarified with impressive acting skills, almost but not quite drawing any listener to the conclusion that he hadn't actually just made a Freudian slip.
His navi was just hopeful enough to believe it now and nodded along. All other things aside, now that she had the green-light on her kabuki strip show, she was going to have to think up a way to convey both her own unrefined sexuality and a request for necessary justice into one show. She had very little time to think about anything else, with her show drawing ever closer. Half of her wanted to watch the show in progress for inspiration, and the other half, which was quite capable of hearing the moans coming from on stage and seeing the repetitive pelvic motions out of the corner of its eye, insisted that there was only so much she could draw out of that show, if she wanted to come out of this with her self respect partially in tact. "Brother..." she murmured, clutching her chest to her heart with a pained expression as she walked to the stage-side area. Yoshitsune didn't respond. "Brother... You know, I've never been ashamed to show you anything... and furthermore, we share the kind of bond where... I don't necessarily want to keep my body or my feelings secret from you either," she announced suddenly, putting on a serious face. "So... although I wanted to show all of it to you under different circumstances... know that I won't be embarrassed or ashamed if you watch me now! In fact, it will give me strength to perform! Actually, really, I want you to take in every detail, so that we can form an even deeper relationship! Not as sworn brother and sister, but as-!"
"Sister, I apologize, I was fully focusing on that on-stage show in an effort to glean any tips that might help you in your upcoming efforts," the operator interrupted, showing a profound lack of tact as blood oozed out from beneath the towel he was clutching to his nose. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Kabuki pouted, showing a rare moment of impatience with her sworn brother. At this point, the navi wasn't sure whether Divina was going to the stage with her or not, so she decided not to ask so as not to pressure her. After all, it was one thing for a kabuki actor to put on a saucy strip kabuki show and another thing entirely for a goddess to end up roped into it. "Wish me luck, Divina!" and thus, she approached Joel...
... Which was a hard thing for her to do, given that she was intensely intimidated by his fully erect equipment, which he, like the other staff members, had no problem at all showing off. "A-Ah-Ah! Excuse me! You're Joel, right? I'm Ka-Ka-KA~BU~KIII, and I would like to perform my strip kabuki sequence next, if you don't mind! It's a scintillating event which is guaranteed to make your hair stick straight up! The ancient theater which remains popular in Electopia to this day, joined with an erotic and imaginative adult twist! I guarantee you have seen nothing like it before and it would be a shame, nay, TRA~VES~TY, if I did not share it with the others assembled here!" she introduced herself, glowing white-skinned and red-haired while grandstanding as much as she could. Puffing herself up like that was a good coping mechanism for herself right now. It really helped her to think that she was about to do something not only heroic, but also imaginative and groundbreaking, rather than that she was about to do the first dirty, attention-grabbing thing that had popped into her head.
Kabuki thought to herself that her situation was plenty nerve-wracking already without their new acquaintance constantly making sex puns, which caused a shiver to run through her every time they appeared in the conversation. Either the girl who was working with them really enjoyed sex puns, really enjoyed kabuki theater, really enjoyed the look of Kabuki's body, or really enjoyed being a helpful employee; whatever the case, she looked like she was getting aroused just talking to Kabuki. "Thanks then! I'll go get one of those two," Kabuki finished, turning away immediately following as if not to think any more about what the staff member was going to help that particular trio with.
"That woman was very helpful. There really are good pairs on the net," Yoshitsune remarked, nodding again despite his light-headedness.
"Pairs?" Kabuki questioned.
"People. I said people, like earlier," Yoshitsune clarified with impressive acting skills, almost but not quite drawing any listener to the conclusion that he hadn't actually just made a Freudian slip.
His navi was just hopeful enough to believe it now and nodded along. All other things aside, now that she had the green-light on her kabuki strip show, she was going to have to think up a way to convey both her own unrefined sexuality and a request for necessary justice into one show. She had very little time to think about anything else, with her show drawing ever closer. Half of her wanted to watch the show in progress for inspiration, and the other half, which was quite capable of hearing the moans coming from on stage and seeing the repetitive pelvic motions out of the corner of its eye, insisted that there was only so much she could draw out of that show, if she wanted to come out of this with her self respect partially in tact. "Brother..." she murmured, clutching her chest to her heart with a pained expression as she walked to the stage-side area. Yoshitsune didn't respond. "Brother... You know, I've never been ashamed to show you anything... and furthermore, we share the kind of bond where... I don't necessarily want to keep my body or my feelings secret from you either," she announced suddenly, putting on a serious face. "So... although I wanted to show all of it to you under different circumstances... know that I won't be embarrassed or ashamed if you watch me now! In fact, it will give me strength to perform! Actually, really, I want you to take in every detail, so that we can form an even deeper relationship! Not as sworn brother and sister, but as-!"
"Sister, I apologize, I was fully focusing on that on-stage show in an effort to glean any tips that might help you in your upcoming efforts," the operator interrupted, showing a profound lack of tact as blood oozed out from beneath the towel he was clutching to his nose. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Kabuki pouted, showing a rare moment of impatience with her sworn brother. At this point, the navi wasn't sure whether Divina was going to the stage with her or not, so she decided not to ask so as not to pressure her. After all, it was one thing for a kabuki actor to put on a saucy strip kabuki show and another thing entirely for a goddess to end up roped into it. "Wish me luck, Divina!" and thus, she approached Joel...
... Which was a hard thing for her to do, given that she was intensely intimidated by his fully erect equipment, which he, like the other staff members, had no problem at all showing off. "A-Ah-Ah! Excuse me! You're Joel, right? I'm Ka-Ka-KA~BU~KIII, and I would like to perform my strip kabuki sequence next, if you don't mind! It's a scintillating event which is guaranteed to make your hair stick straight up! The ancient theater which remains popular in Electopia to this day, joined with an erotic and imaginative adult twist! I guarantee you have seen nothing like it before and it would be a shame, nay, TRA~VES~TY, if I did not share it with the others assembled here!" she introduced herself, glowing white-skinned and red-haired while grandstanding as much as she could. Puffing herself up like that was a good coping mechanism for herself right now. It really helped her to think that she was about to do something not only heroic, but also imaginative and groundbreaking, rather than that she was about to do the first dirty, attention-grabbing thing that had popped into her head.
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...What was it with these people and these innuendos? By now, that was drawing Divina's attention more than anything. And it was starting to annoy her. It was fine here and there, given the atmosphere they were going for it, but when they were barely able to go two sentences without one...it was really laying it on too thick for her taste. The next person to do it was probably going to risk having a certain goddess of happiness getting called out on it, for the sake of her own happiness.
At any rate, she had no questions, and let the girl go off to...well, it was pretty obvious what. Once it was just the two of them, she slowly floated over to the male Navi over by the stage, since Kabuki was having a chat with her operator. She noted that Hikari had basically gone silent...and wondered why. It wasn't like she was entirely unfamiliar with the whole concept of sex. Maybe she just had nothing to add? Or maybe she was talking with her mission partner's operator. It wasn't a big deal, but it was curious.
She eventually reached the Navi, who she had confidence in saying was the Joel the other woman mentioned. "Um...hello there!" The smoothness born from the convictions of a goddess. "My friend over there, will be requesting to get on the stage in a moment. But, before she does, I have a request..." All right, she could do this. Don't be intimidated by certain aspects of her. He was here to please, after all. "...Please, PLEASE don't use any double entendres! It was cute and all at first, but it gets annoying when people can barely string together a coherent thought without using one!" ...Wow. That came out angrier than she intended. But dang if she didn't feel a whole lot better from it. "...Sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. But I feel lighter than air now!" This being said by a woman that had been hovering the entire time...but she increased in height, and leaned back, until she was laying on her back at around 'Joel's' chest level. She pointed herself over at Kabuki, and watched her head over upside-down.
Unfortunately for Divina, she forgot to ignore gravity, so the back part of her dress was perpendicular to her body...which meant anyone could look at her rear, and see that she had some sort of gold colored cloth covering the goddess's most sensitive areas. And since her front had done the same, pretty much the entirety of her legs were visible as well, though her boots came up near her thighs. Of course, some people probably found that all the hotter...
She didn't notice one bit of this, however, and simply smiled as she let Kabuki do her thing. She actually had a good feeling about this idea's effectiveness, as it looked like the actress Navi was going to put her soul into it. The lighting left much to be desired, though...but that was nothing that a goddess's blessings couldn't fix. She wasn't the star in this production, but that didn't mean she couldn't do some behind the scenes work, after all.
At any rate, she had no questions, and let the girl go off to...well, it was pretty obvious what. Once it was just the two of them, she slowly floated over to the male Navi over by the stage, since Kabuki was having a chat with her operator. She noted that Hikari had basically gone silent...and wondered why. It wasn't like she was entirely unfamiliar with the whole concept of sex. Maybe she just had nothing to add? Or maybe she was talking with her mission partner's operator. It wasn't a big deal, but it was curious.
She eventually reached the Navi, who she had confidence in saying was the Joel the other woman mentioned. "Um...hello there!" The smoothness born from the convictions of a goddess. "My friend over there, will be requesting to get on the stage in a moment. But, before she does, I have a request..." All right, she could do this. Don't be intimidated by certain aspects of her. He was here to please, after all. "...Please, PLEASE don't use any double entendres! It was cute and all at first, but it gets annoying when people can barely string together a coherent thought without using one!" ...Wow. That came out angrier than she intended. But dang if she didn't feel a whole lot better from it. "...Sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. But I feel lighter than air now!" This being said by a woman that had been hovering the entire time...but she increased in height, and leaned back, until she was laying on her back at around 'Joel's' chest level. She pointed herself over at Kabuki, and watched her head over upside-down.
Unfortunately for Divina, she forgot to ignore gravity, so the back part of her dress was perpendicular to her body...which meant anyone could look at her rear, and see that she had some sort of gold colored cloth covering the goddess's most sensitive areas. And since her front had done the same, pretty much the entirety of her legs were visible as well, though her boots came up near her thighs. Of course, some people probably found that all the hotter...
She didn't notice one bit of this, however, and simply smiled as she let Kabuki do her thing. She actually had a good feeling about this idea's effectiveness, as it looked like the actress Navi was going to put her soul into it. The lighting left much to be desired, though...but that was nothing that a goddess's blessings couldn't fix. She wasn't the star in this production, but that didn't mean she couldn't do some behind the scenes work, after all.
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Whether it was through tactful training, or perhaps just experience working with people in similar environments, Joel was quick quick to pick up on both ladies' discomfort and uncertainty, and modified his pose enough to make his more masculine attributes somewhat less overt. He smiled and had opened his mouth to begin greeting Divna as she used Kabuki's stumbling confessions to her operator to get the first word in, but he paused as she rushed through her request ahead of him. When she finished, the slightly open-mouthed paused became another reassuring grin, and he nodded.
He didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't appreciating the view Divina was offering, but responded to her just as calmly and smooth-toned as if they'd been having a cup of tea. Well, save for the subject matter, of course.
"Yes, I noticed the pair of you chatting to Chanetelle. Please allow me to apologise on her behalf, and from all of Koushoku house. I could imagine that, if one was already growing weary of our word-play, Chantelle's enthusiasm for it might well push one beyond the limits of sanity. Again, my apologies." For a gathering of this nature, it might at first seem strange how formally well-spoken most of the staff seemed to be, but at the same time, it was probably required of them to a certain extent, especially in keeping up with the image of a professional luxury bath-house. Others had shown they could drop the formality when they wished, and Joel was apparently no different. He nodded a few more times, giving a slightly different smirk that flashed teeth only briefly and looked far more natural on his face.
"But anyway, if you and your lady friend want to use the stage and engage in some enjoyable exhibitionism, then I'm the right navi to speak to. We always welcome couples who wish to show themselves off or be appreciated as they enjoy themselves. Let me just have a quick look and see where 'Passion Dream' are up to." Evidently this was the name of the three person act on stage still, as Joel turned from Divina to look at them. As predicted, or perhaps feared depending on one's perspective, the show had ventured well into full adults only territory and the trio were feeding off the energy of those watching them as they raced ever more fervently towards the crescendo of their no-longer-acting act. Unfazed, Joel turned back.
"They'll be done soon." All things considered, his reassurance probably wasn't entirely necessary at this point.
Kabuki joined them a moment later, having failed to obtain the desired emotional support from her operator, and Joel nodded to her as well. The unique way in which her nerves tended to show made it hard for anyone else to grasp fully how intimidated the actress was, but the fluctuations in her volume and her slight stuttering did make his head tilt slightly, a little surprised. His concern for her nerves gave way to raised eyebrows and a much more honestly startled expression as Kabuki spelled out her proposal more clearly. He nodded slow and thoughtful, his serious contemplation of the request slightly at odds with the peaking, breathless gasps coming from the stage behind them.
"That would be something to see. Truth to tell, it's very unusual that any of our guests have an actual act or show to present. Mostly we cater to those who simply have a taste for being watched, seen, or shown off to many during their activities. If you actually have an act you'd like to put on, then by all means, you're very welcome to." The music was subsiding now, the three on stage winding down and Joel knelt down to retrieve three towels and three bottles of water from a compartment under the stage stairs. He continued to speak as he did, though. "I should prepare you; we're a professional bath-house, and we offer many services, but we aren't a theatre, and this isn't a play-house, after all, so, I can't make you any promises about the quality or captivation of those watching. Most are here to celebrate enjoyment with each other, and the stage is merely an aside or a distraction."
The three actors had spent a few moments collecting themselves and thanking those who had watched and called, and repeated the name of their act for good measure, and were now making their way down the stairs. Joel bowed his head to Kabuki and Divina
"If you'll excuse me for just one moment, ladies." He turned and handed each of the trio a towel and water bottle as they passed, and they clearly needed both. The sheen of fresh perspiration on all of them marked the routine as, understandably, a very energetic endeavour.
"Good show guys. I think it went over well. Ah, Herc, you have a request by name from a client who has hired room 319, once you've had a drink and cooled off, and Jade, Violet wants to know if you'll be able to cover her shift in massage tomorrow evening. She said she'll throw you an assistant hire token if you say yes." One of the males, presumably 'Herc', nodded and quickly excused himself, leaving the room by a more stealthy and subtle side door, while the woman sighed and rolled her eyes in between taking long drinks from her water bottle.
"Oh alright. I could use the extra shift. Tell her I say okay. Catch you up for drinks after we finish up tonight, Tray?" The other male beside her nodded before they both, too, headed off. One would be forgiven for stopping to ponder what all of these employees actual names were, because by this point, it was becoming clear that they were all using 'work' names. Refreshments and messages delivered, Joel turned back to Divina and Kabuki.
"I'm very sorry about that. All the hundreds of little gears that must turn in order to keep a house like Koushoku well oiled and gliding smoothly." After a moment he winced and bowed his head again. "Ah, I'm very sorry again. I promise you, that one was entirely accidental." He brightened again after a minute, provided the goddess of happiness hadn't exploded pent up pun-rage all over him, and clasped his hands together. "Anyway, the stage is now free. For guests showing off, we normally simply employ straight stage lights for best visibility, as are on now, but if you've got a show that has any special requests, I can take you—" He was cut off briefly as one of the settings nearest the stage emanated a rising series of high-pitched gasps, which turned into a string of rough, nearly guttural curses, followed by another exceptionally vocal cry. Joel closed his eyes for a moment and waited for the sounds to return to general room level before he continued, as calm as though the interjection had never happened. "I can take you back stage and you can tell our stage-hand what you need in terms of lights and music. If normal lights will do, though, you can head up whenever you're ready." He gestured with one hand to the stairs which led up the side and out onto the stage properly.
"Normally, I would be obliged to ask and offer if you would like some company and assistance on stage, to fill whatever service you might require, but if you'll pardon me for second guessing, would I be right in thinking that two beautiful ladies as yourselves have no need or interest in male company for the moment? I can fetch Shana for you, though, if you wish. She's a natural, and she's very good at following instruction." Exactly what the latter remark might mean in this context was up for grabs, but for all of his casual grin, he might well simply have meant it in terms of stage and acting direction.
He didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't appreciating the view Divina was offering, but responded to her just as calmly and smooth-toned as if they'd been having a cup of tea. Well, save for the subject matter, of course.
"Yes, I noticed the pair of you chatting to Chanetelle. Please allow me to apologise on her behalf, and from all of Koushoku house. I could imagine that, if one was already growing weary of our word-play, Chantelle's enthusiasm for it might well push one beyond the limits of sanity. Again, my apologies." For a gathering of this nature, it might at first seem strange how formally well-spoken most of the staff seemed to be, but at the same time, it was probably required of them to a certain extent, especially in keeping up with the image of a professional luxury bath-house. Others had shown they could drop the formality when they wished, and Joel was apparently no different. He nodded a few more times, giving a slightly different smirk that flashed teeth only briefly and looked far more natural on his face.
"But anyway, if you and your lady friend want to use the stage and engage in some enjoyable exhibitionism, then I'm the right navi to speak to. We always welcome couples who wish to show themselves off or be appreciated as they enjoy themselves. Let me just have a quick look and see where 'Passion Dream' are up to." Evidently this was the name of the three person act on stage still, as Joel turned from Divina to look at them. As predicted, or perhaps feared depending on one's perspective, the show had ventured well into full adults only territory and the trio were feeding off the energy of those watching them as they raced ever more fervently towards the crescendo of their no-longer-acting act. Unfazed, Joel turned back.
"They'll be done soon." All things considered, his reassurance probably wasn't entirely necessary at this point.
Kabuki joined them a moment later, having failed to obtain the desired emotional support from her operator, and Joel nodded to her as well. The unique way in which her nerves tended to show made it hard for anyone else to grasp fully how intimidated the actress was, but the fluctuations in her volume and her slight stuttering did make his head tilt slightly, a little surprised. His concern for her nerves gave way to raised eyebrows and a much more honestly startled expression as Kabuki spelled out her proposal more clearly. He nodded slow and thoughtful, his serious contemplation of the request slightly at odds with the peaking, breathless gasps coming from the stage behind them.
"That would be something to see. Truth to tell, it's very unusual that any of our guests have an actual act or show to present. Mostly we cater to those who simply have a taste for being watched, seen, or shown off to many during their activities. If you actually have an act you'd like to put on, then by all means, you're very welcome to." The music was subsiding now, the three on stage winding down and Joel knelt down to retrieve three towels and three bottles of water from a compartment under the stage stairs. He continued to speak as he did, though. "I should prepare you; we're a professional bath-house, and we offer many services, but we aren't a theatre, and this isn't a play-house, after all, so, I can't make you any promises about the quality or captivation of those watching. Most are here to celebrate enjoyment with each other, and the stage is merely an aside or a distraction."
The three actors had spent a few moments collecting themselves and thanking those who had watched and called, and repeated the name of their act for good measure, and were now making their way down the stairs. Joel bowed his head to Kabuki and Divina
"If you'll excuse me for just one moment, ladies." He turned and handed each of the trio a towel and water bottle as they passed, and they clearly needed both. The sheen of fresh perspiration on all of them marked the routine as, understandably, a very energetic endeavour.
"Good show guys. I think it went over well. Ah, Herc, you have a request by name from a client who has hired room 319, once you've had a drink and cooled off, and Jade, Violet wants to know if you'll be able to cover her shift in massage tomorrow evening. She said she'll throw you an assistant hire token if you say yes." One of the males, presumably 'Herc', nodded and quickly excused himself, leaving the room by a more stealthy and subtle side door, while the woman sighed and rolled her eyes in between taking long drinks from her water bottle.
"Oh alright. I could use the extra shift. Tell her I say okay. Catch you up for drinks after we finish up tonight, Tray?" The other male beside her nodded before they both, too, headed off. One would be forgiven for stopping to ponder what all of these employees actual names were, because by this point, it was becoming clear that they were all using 'work' names. Refreshments and messages delivered, Joel turned back to Divina and Kabuki.
"I'm very sorry about that. All the hundreds of little gears that must turn in order to keep a house like Koushoku well oiled and gliding smoothly." After a moment he winced and bowed his head again. "Ah, I'm very sorry again. I promise you, that one was entirely accidental." He brightened again after a minute, provided the goddess of happiness hadn't exploded pent up pun-rage all over him, and clasped his hands together. "Anyway, the stage is now free. For guests showing off, we normally simply employ straight stage lights for best visibility, as are on now, but if you've got a show that has any special requests, I can take you—" He was cut off briefly as one of the settings nearest the stage emanated a rising series of high-pitched gasps, which turned into a string of rough, nearly guttural curses, followed by another exceptionally vocal cry. Joel closed his eyes for a moment and waited for the sounds to return to general room level before he continued, as calm as though the interjection had never happened. "I can take you back stage and you can tell our stage-hand what you need in terms of lights and music. If normal lights will do, though, you can head up whenever you're ready." He gestured with one hand to the stairs which led up the side and out onto the stage properly.
"Normally, I would be obliged to ask and offer if you would like some company and assistance on stage, to fill whatever service you might require, but if you'll pardon me for second guessing, would I be right in thinking that two beautiful ladies as yourselves have no need or interest in male company for the moment? I can fetch Shana for you, though, if you wish. She's a natural, and she's very good at following instruction." Exactly what the latter remark might mean in this context was up for grabs, but for all of his casual grin, he might well simply have meant it in terms of stage and acting direction.
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Kabuki found herself watching Divina float around in the air as she approached; she was also an occasional flyer herself, of course, but she didn't often deign it proper to go upside down herself, for reason of modesty (also because it's very difficult to get a series of stage-wires to turn one upside down). Divina was apparently, as a goddess, excluded from rules of modesty, and had no problem spinning around so that her underwear was shown off to the gathering. She found herself with two thoughts: firstly, "maybe it's supposed to be treated as an undersuit and not underwear" and secondly "if she doesn't mind showing off her underwear, why am I the one doing a strip show?!" Regardless, it was too late to propose such a change in roles and it would be sort of weird for a champion of justice to ask a goddess to do this sort of thing for her anyways. She kept her mind on her own act and as far away from the show in progress as possible... she didn't want the content of the two to run parallel at all.
Getting the news that she had the go-ahead to use the stage was both good and bad news for Kabuki, for reasons that have already been explained at length. Although, as an added bonus, it sounded as if her choosing to put on an act herself would be something of a rarity here, which meant that she might be able to draw more interest than the average showing. Or maybe she'd draw less interest since she fully intended not to handle any penises with any part of her body during the strip show, which might be off-putting for some in the audience. Even once Passion Dream descended the staircase and exchanged a friendly, work-related conversation with Joel, the kabuki actor found herself staring at the shadows rather than making eye contact with them. Perhaps it was just a further mechanism for reassuring herself that she wasn't going to have to give herself up for the sake of the act.
Joel continued with his offer as Kabuki began pondering if there was some way to distract herself from hearing the sounds of sex; stopping oneself from looking was hard enough, but blocking out the noise was almost impossible. While he spoke, she found herself nodding absently, until he mentioned a theory of his that caused her to eyes to widen in surprise. "Oh, ha ha ha! No, no, my friend and I aren't here like that! I can see why you'd think that we would be, but no, we aren't, not at all!" she defended, shaking her hands and hoping that Divina would back her up on that point. She coughed into her sleeve, then crossed her arms, now that that awkwardness was out of the way. "Well, for kabuki theater, I will need music, but I'm guessing you don't have a shamisen handy or a ko-tsuzumi back there! So it would please me best if you would utilize this song from the Blood-Red Hanamichi. I have performed it many times before and heard it countless more! It is ingrained into the very lines of my brain. Please, accept this data and present it to the music-man backstage," she finished, presenting Joel with a data packet containing an acoustic version of the song for her kabuki solo. "More actors would be grand, but it would be difficult to teach the routine right now and I'm afraid that time is of the essence for me. Nay, the stage is my destiny! It simply cannot wait!"
Having pumped herself up, her last action before ascending the stairs to a new form of stardom would be to place one hand upon her ally's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry! I'll capture everyone's attention and they will hear my words! That which they do not hear they will feel within their soul!" she promised, then strutted to the top of the stage, waiting not even for Joel to deliver the music backstage. Though, to avoid miscommunication, she stopped at the top of the stairs and peeked over her shoulder. "Joel! When you hear the wood of my fans tap together, you will know it's time for the act to begin!"
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Once upon the stage, Kabuki found herself miraculously "in-the-zone," feeling less intimidated than she had been on the way up. After all, she was a seasoned veteran of theater. She'd endured bad shows and celebrated good shows, fought audience disinterest and celebrated standing ovations. Having seen the ups and downs that the theater had to offer, she reasoned that this wouldn't be too different. The only difference this time around was that she had lives resting in her hands, depending on her to get the support of the people in the audience... but that would only motivate her to work harder. She faced out to the audience with her big grin still shining, a trait that wasn't exactly natural for an actor in kabuki, where people tended to favor stern frowns. She figured that trying to act like a bad-ass probably wasn't what she needed to do here. "KOU~SHO~KU! People of the KOU~SHO~KU!" she sang out, extending one palm out towards the audience and bracing her legs. Her body gave a brief flash from dark to white and her doll-like lines blasted red light, an effect that would hopefully draw some attention if her well-projected voice somehow failed to do so. "I bring to you the ancient art of kabuki, passed down in Yoka for generations! A pulse-pounding story of heroes and justice that will boil your blood just as the night's festivities shall! I will also offer to you my very flesh, served in elegant portions throughout the show, like a succulent feast! Rice, soup, fish, bread, and sizzling steak, all presented to you in tantalizing succession!" Calling her nudity "sizzling steak" was already making her blush a bit. "Prepare your ears, your eyes, and most importantly, your hearts!"
Figuring she'd given Joel enough time to hand the music packet to the guy backstage, Kabuki suddenly pulled two fans from her coat sleeves, opening them with blinding speed and extending her arms out sideways. She brought one up above her head, the other down below her waist, then folded them and clapped them together at her chest twice in succession, signalling for the music to begin. Now she had to pray that they'd gotten her signal, as the only thing that would make her present situation more embarrassing than it already was would be her music failing to start when she needed it to, cutting the legs out from underneath her act before it had even began.
Throughout all of this, Yoshitsune was tragically inattentive. He might pay attention once the act became more steak and less sizzle, so to speak, but for now, Hikari was proving to be very distracting for him.
Getting the news that she had the go-ahead to use the stage was both good and bad news for Kabuki, for reasons that have already been explained at length. Although, as an added bonus, it sounded as if her choosing to put on an act herself would be something of a rarity here, which meant that she might be able to draw more interest than the average showing. Or maybe she'd draw less interest since she fully intended not to handle any penises with any part of her body during the strip show, which might be off-putting for some in the audience. Even once Passion Dream descended the staircase and exchanged a friendly, work-related conversation with Joel, the kabuki actor found herself staring at the shadows rather than making eye contact with them. Perhaps it was just a further mechanism for reassuring herself that she wasn't going to have to give herself up for the sake of the act.
Joel continued with his offer as Kabuki began pondering if there was some way to distract herself from hearing the sounds of sex; stopping oneself from looking was hard enough, but blocking out the noise was almost impossible. While he spoke, she found herself nodding absently, until he mentioned a theory of his that caused her to eyes to widen in surprise. "Oh, ha ha ha! No, no, my friend and I aren't here like that! I can see why you'd think that we would be, but no, we aren't, not at all!" she defended, shaking her hands and hoping that Divina would back her up on that point. She coughed into her sleeve, then crossed her arms, now that that awkwardness was out of the way. "Well, for kabuki theater, I will need music, but I'm guessing you don't have a shamisen handy or a ko-tsuzumi back there! So it would please me best if you would utilize this song from the Blood-Red Hanamichi. I have performed it many times before and heard it countless more! It is ingrained into the very lines of my brain. Please, accept this data and present it to the music-man backstage," she finished, presenting Joel with a data packet containing an acoustic version of the song for her kabuki solo. "More actors would be grand, but it would be difficult to teach the routine right now and I'm afraid that time is of the essence for me. Nay, the stage is my destiny! It simply cannot wait!"
Having pumped herself up, her last action before ascending the stairs to a new form of stardom would be to place one hand upon her ally's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry! I'll capture everyone's attention and they will hear my words! That which they do not hear they will feel within their soul!" she promised, then strutted to the top of the stage, waiting not even for Joel to deliver the music backstage. Though, to avoid miscommunication, she stopped at the top of the stairs and peeked over her shoulder. "Joel! When you hear the wood of my fans tap together, you will know it's time for the act to begin!"
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Once upon the stage, Kabuki found herself miraculously "in-the-zone," feeling less intimidated than she had been on the way up. After all, she was a seasoned veteran of theater. She'd endured bad shows and celebrated good shows, fought audience disinterest and celebrated standing ovations. Having seen the ups and downs that the theater had to offer, she reasoned that this wouldn't be too different. The only difference this time around was that she had lives resting in her hands, depending on her to get the support of the people in the audience... but that would only motivate her to work harder. She faced out to the audience with her big grin still shining, a trait that wasn't exactly natural for an actor in kabuki, where people tended to favor stern frowns. She figured that trying to act like a bad-ass probably wasn't what she needed to do here. "KOU~SHO~KU! People of the KOU~SHO~KU!" she sang out, extending one palm out towards the audience and bracing her legs. Her body gave a brief flash from dark to white and her doll-like lines blasted red light, an effect that would hopefully draw some attention if her well-projected voice somehow failed to do so. "I bring to you the ancient art of kabuki, passed down in Yoka for generations! A pulse-pounding story of heroes and justice that will boil your blood just as the night's festivities shall! I will also offer to you my very flesh, served in elegant portions throughout the show, like a succulent feast! Rice, soup, fish, bread, and sizzling steak, all presented to you in tantalizing succession!" Calling her nudity "sizzling steak" was already making her blush a bit. "Prepare your ears, your eyes, and most importantly, your hearts!"
Figuring she'd given Joel enough time to hand the music packet to the guy backstage, Kabuki suddenly pulled two fans from her coat sleeves, opening them with blinding speed and extending her arms out sideways. She brought one up above her head, the other down below her waist, then folded them and clapped them together at her chest twice in succession, signalling for the music to begin. Now she had to pray that they'd gotten her signal, as the only thing that would make her present situation more embarrassing than it already was would be her music failing to start when she needed it to, cutting the legs out from underneath her act before it had even began.
Throughout all of this, Yoshitsune was tragically inattentive. He might pay attention once the act became more steak and less sizzle, so to speak, but for now, Hikari was proving to be very distracting for him.
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"Wonderful!" The one-two combo of no more innuendo and approval of Kabuki's request elated Divina, who celebrated by spinning back into a right side up position, and landing on the floor to stand. ...And, still blissfully ignorant of what she'd allowed others to see. She otherwise remained quiet as he warned them about the audience, though by the time he was done with that, she was smirking as she twirled her staff with her hands. "Oh, don't you worry about that!" She entirely failed to elaborate, which may or may not have been more suspicious than if she spilled the beans on her plan to get everyone's attention. They'd all see soon enough, anyway.
While some would find seeing the backstage antics a turn-off, it actually fascinated the goddess. She thought it was interesting to see the workers in a more benign light, to the point where she was perfectly willing to overlook a certain slip of the tongue. "Oh, don't worry about it. I think it's actually pretty neat to see people of...such a profession, in a less intimate light." Granted, neat was probably not what the bathhouse was going for...
"Wha?!" Shoot, someone actually did think they were...together. "No no no! We're just friends, nothing more!" She let Kabuki handle the details of the show, since she herself wasn't exactly the goddess of kabuki theater. Not that she couldn't help out, though. Not by a long shot. She nodded at the other girl's reassurance, though as she turned to head out to the stage, she started twirling her staff in her hands again. Notably, this time, the orb atop it was glowing slightly. "Yes, Kabuki. Yes you will."
As Kabuki walked onto the stage, Divina raised her staff high, and an orb of light appeared high up on the stage, though still low enough for most to notice it without trouble. When the actress let off her own light, she had it drop down, and used it to enhance the effect. That should draw some eyes. Still, she felt bad that this was all she could do. Right now, she was little more than a glorified lighting technician. But as someone without training in the Electopian performing arts, she was fortunate that she could even do this much to aid her. All she could do was watch, and add some pizazz to the show.
While some would find seeing the backstage antics a turn-off, it actually fascinated the goddess. She thought it was interesting to see the workers in a more benign light, to the point where she was perfectly willing to overlook a certain slip of the tongue. "Oh, don't worry about it. I think it's actually pretty neat to see people of...such a profession, in a less intimate light." Granted, neat was probably not what the bathhouse was going for...
"Wha?!" Shoot, someone actually did think they were...together. "No no no! We're just friends, nothing more!" She let Kabuki handle the details of the show, since she herself wasn't exactly the goddess of kabuki theater. Not that she couldn't help out, though. Not by a long shot. She nodded at the other girl's reassurance, though as she turned to head out to the stage, she started twirling her staff in her hands again. Notably, this time, the orb atop it was glowing slightly. "Yes, Kabuki. Yes you will."
As Kabuki walked onto the stage, Divina raised her staff high, and an orb of light appeared high up on the stage, though still low enough for most to notice it without trouble. When the actress let off her own light, she had it drop down, and used it to enhance the effect. That should draw some eyes. Still, she felt bad that this was all she could do. Right now, she was little more than a glorified lighting technician. But as someone without training in the Electopian performing arts, she was fortunate that she could even do this much to aid her. All she could do was watch, and add some pizazz to the show.
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A small grin and one raised eyebrow was all the answer Joel gave to the two women both fervently reassuring him that hey were not, in fact, and intimate couple. Likely he had seen a great many individuals eager to deny their intimacy here, and chances were their unified reactions left him thinking that, perhaps, someone was protesting a bit too much. Either way though, he nodded and murmured a quiet 'of course,' and a simple apology, still smiling warmly.
He accepted the music from Kabuki, then reached up to draw a line about one ear, as though tracing an imaginary ear piece.
"Some music coming your way, TurnTable. Performer will tap her fans when it's time to start the track." He turned away slightly as he spoke, and a moment later the data packet winked out of sight from his hand, undoubtedly sent back to where they had the facilities to play it through. With a brief nod he let his hand fall again and turned back, but Kabuki was already climbing the stairs. He shrugged softly, then glanced to Divina, apparently surprised that she wasn't, also, going up.
"You just wish to watch then?" He leaned in slightly, grinning with a more amused smirk than his formal welcome smile. "You know, technically, I'm supposed to tell any new performer that, if they should get nervous of the audience, they should just try to picture everyone in their undersuits. Most seem to appreciate the ironic reversal, but I get the feeling your lady friend will not need the help." Shaking his head slightly, he stepped back again, resuming his position by the base of the stair.
"Anyway, if I can be of any further service to you, or help you more enjoy the gathering in any way, please don't hesitate to let me know." He bowed slightly, then turned his attention to look up at the stage and see what Kabuki was up to; apparently he'd taken enough of a read to guess that, offer or not, Divina likely wouldn't be asking for any further services from him for now. He did glance back at her briefly when she added her own flair to the stage lights, but seemed to take it in stride as acceptable and returned his gaze to the stage a moment later.
A few intrigued eyes drifted back to the stage as Kabuki strode out, curious to see what the next act might be. Many more looked in her direction as the more dramatic theatrics began; regardless of setting it was the natural inclination of people to feel like they ought to look towards a stage when it became the source of sudden light and sound.
As she introduced herself and began her pitch, a number of groups seemed to leave off what they were engaged in, turning to face properly in genuine interest, but just as many spared her only a cursory glance before returning to their other pleasures. Much like her own operator, a good many would probably tune in closer the steamier her act got. All fears aside, the bath house stage was at least capable enough of following the basics of technical showmanship, and the music began on cue for her when she tapped her fans. The stage was now hers; what she would do with it to both attract the attention of as many as she could, but still also get their story and message out, was the real question now.
Down in the more dimly lit area of the hall, and olive-skinned male approached Divina and brushed her lightly on the shoulder by way of attracting attention. He had dark hair that fell in waves to his shoulders and a more or less average physique; no Adonis, but no slouch either. He was wearing one of the house's red towels about his waist, but wasn't bearing the star on his shoulder. Another guest, then. Once he was certain he had her attention, he grinned.
"Evening, beautiful. Are you alone for now? My partner and I noticed you, and we were wondering if you'd like to come share some joy with us for a bit?" He seemed congenial enough, but even if she was a goddess of happiness, there was little mistaking what the casual offer was.
He accepted the music from Kabuki, then reached up to draw a line about one ear, as though tracing an imaginary ear piece.
"Some music coming your way, TurnTable. Performer will tap her fans when it's time to start the track." He turned away slightly as he spoke, and a moment later the data packet winked out of sight from his hand, undoubtedly sent back to where they had the facilities to play it through. With a brief nod he let his hand fall again and turned back, but Kabuki was already climbing the stairs. He shrugged softly, then glanced to Divina, apparently surprised that she wasn't, also, going up.
"You just wish to watch then?" He leaned in slightly, grinning with a more amused smirk than his formal welcome smile. "You know, technically, I'm supposed to tell any new performer that, if they should get nervous of the audience, they should just try to picture everyone in their undersuits. Most seem to appreciate the ironic reversal, but I get the feeling your lady friend will not need the help." Shaking his head slightly, he stepped back again, resuming his position by the base of the stair.
"Anyway, if I can be of any further service to you, or help you more enjoy the gathering in any way, please don't hesitate to let me know." He bowed slightly, then turned his attention to look up at the stage and see what Kabuki was up to; apparently he'd taken enough of a read to guess that, offer or not, Divina likely wouldn't be asking for any further services from him for now. He did glance back at her briefly when she added her own flair to the stage lights, but seemed to take it in stride as acceptable and returned his gaze to the stage a moment later.
A few intrigued eyes drifted back to the stage as Kabuki strode out, curious to see what the next act might be. Many more looked in her direction as the more dramatic theatrics began; regardless of setting it was the natural inclination of people to feel like they ought to look towards a stage when it became the source of sudden light and sound.
As she introduced herself and began her pitch, a number of groups seemed to leave off what they were engaged in, turning to face properly in genuine interest, but just as many spared her only a cursory glance before returning to their other pleasures. Much like her own operator, a good many would probably tune in closer the steamier her act got. All fears aside, the bath house stage was at least capable enough of following the basics of technical showmanship, and the music began on cue for her when she tapped her fans. The stage was now hers; what she would do with it to both attract the attention of as many as she could, but still also get their story and message out, was the real question now.
Down in the more dimly lit area of the hall, and olive-skinned male approached Divina and brushed her lightly on the shoulder by way of attracting attention. He had dark hair that fell in waves to his shoulders and a more or less average physique; no Adonis, but no slouch either. He was wearing one of the house's red towels about his waist, but wasn't bearing the star on his shoulder. Another guest, then. Once he was certain he had her attention, he grinned.
"Evening, beautiful. Are you alone for now? My partner and I noticed you, and we were wondering if you'd like to come share some joy with us for a bit?" He seemed congenial enough, but even if she was a goddess of happiness, there was little mistaking what the casual offer was.
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Although the opening wasn't a 100% hit across the audience, Kabuki counted herself fortunate that the crowd at least appeared open-minded enough to lend their eyes and ears to the act before it got rolling. Besides, every actor had to be prepared to see a few amongst the viewers chatting with friends or playing on their PETs in real theater; net theater was no different in that respect. From here on out, Kabuki would have to modify her words and speech, transferring from her ordinarily odd and noisy pattern to an equally odd and noisy one, but one with hundreds of years of tradition. Although it was not often done, she had decided that she would narrate her own play henceforward as the only actor on the stage. Her voice came out not as a pretty song or graceful Shakespearean poem, but as the roller-coaster-like rising and falling waves that composed the speech of a kabuki play. She began to pace the stage as she spoke, holding her fan in front of the lower half of her grinning face in a coquettish, mysterious way. As her voice rolled out, alternating highs and lows, her body similarly reacted with brief glows of white and red, her hair occasionally standing outward and changing color itself.
"KOU~shou~ku!
I am a simple girl. I live a simple life.
BUT I have a heart and BO~DY! A body BUUUURST~ing!"
She paused here to perform a mie, the characteristic pose that would establish her character. There was only one way to play it when it came to her role in this play; she braced her legs into a V, dropped both fans, tilted her head down slightly, and grabbed her kimono's him beneath her jacket, along with the jacket's collar in the same grasp. She wrenched them apart and away from her breasts, temporarily allowing them to bounce out of her robe. It was revealed that she was not, in fact, naked underneath, but instead wore a strapless pink bikini, decorated with a pattern of white and yellow flowers across the right breast. It didn't seem terribly secure, although it wasn't clear how it held on. Her bosom was bouncing so strongly, through the weight and motion, that it seemed as though the top could slip at any moment. The exposed skin was indented with black grooves, running beneath each shoulder to her back and collarbone; when exposed, they began to glow red, as if reacting to the new eyes upon them. She stayed in this pose, quiet, while the percussion instruments in her music clapped with increasing rapidity, then slowly mellowed out. Once they'd weakened back to their regular pace, she shut her robe and continued, now moving with steps that were timid and tip-toed, occasionally exposing glimpses of her thighs beneath her robe due to the long, sneaking movements.
"Buuuurst~ing! Buuuurst~ing hearts and bodies!
You all crave pleasure because we all crave pleasure. Even a simple girl craves pleasure.
KOU~kou~shou is a house of pleasure! Even a simple girl can give you that pleasure!
Here, a simple girl escapes her ordinary life. But her ordinary life is threatened by evil!
One LIVES by day! One LOVES by night.
Can we enjoy our LOVE when LIVES are threatened!?"
Saying this, she clasped one hand to her face and stopped suddenly, so flicking her other free arm upward in a gesture of disgust, then flicking it towards the ground, such that her arm came free of her jacket. The smooth, athletic curve of her back was exposed to the audience, where they could see that her bra was held by a simple, large knot at the back. Her defined, brown shoulders glistened in the light Divina had cast above the stage. Coming up soon, she would have to use some of the special techniques native to kabuki theater, which were used to change costumes... only, she wouldn't be replacing, only removing.
"RED in the house of RED!
Bold is red, the color of HEEEE~ROES!
Do you not see RED? Does injustice not boil your blood just as LOVE does?
Fiends dwell within a VIII~O~LET house! A VIII~O~LENT house!
Threatening LIVES and LOVE!
LOVE! LOVE is BEAU~TY! And LOVE is LIFE!
To threaten ONE is to threaten the other!
And we are..."
She paused here, hunching forward and clutching both hands to her face. Unseen perhaps by some in the audience, but apparent to others, gleaming wires shot out from various spots on the walls and curtains, attaching themselves to her coat. Her strong back twitched up and down as if in pain, while she closed her pink eyes tightly in a tense expression, clenching her sharp teeth together. After a few moments of this (kabuki theater poses always lasted a few moments longer than one might imagine, the music burst into volume again and the wires lifted her into the air. Purposely, they were off sync, jerking one arm up first, then the other, like a puppet and causing the forearms to dangle limply in the air. Her head then jerked up, showing her vibrant eyes shining from their sockets, from which red light now poured as well. She furiously ripped her arms free of the coat, leaving the crimson inside of the shark-tooth print article waving above her head momentarily like a banner and casting aside the gold cord from her waist. She dropped to the floor, then hopped up again, extending one palm towards the audience and shifting to stand on one leg, pressing the toes of her raised foot against her opposite calf. After holding that pose and waiting for the music to depreciate again, she hopped and returned to two legs. She stalked the stage now with one arm held behind her back and the other outward, gesturing towards the roof with an upturned palm.
"WOOOOOOR~EEEE~AAAAAARS of LOVE!
AI SEEEEN~SHI!
TO~NIGHT we satisfy our bursting bodies! For SOON, I say SOON!
SOON comes the time to act! A WAR for LOVE!
A simple girl calls an assembly for all able bodies!
If you LIVE for LOVE! If you LOVE to LIVE!
Join me in a war, not of swords, but of VOICES!
Billowing from RED HEARTS!
Your RED HEART...
Your RED HEART feels LOVE, and your RED HEART can save a LIFE!"
She paused here with a sweetly smiling expression, lifting her face along with her arms. The strings discreetly lifted the gloves from her hands as she extended her fingers towards the heavens, then slowly brought her arms out to the audience. The swell of her breast rose, squished together by the curves of her upper arms. Her face grew redder as she bent one knee, slowly lowering her body, and pressing one hand behind herself to steady her leaning back. Keeping the pose, she unwrapped the bindings at her shin-guards using her free hand, patiently and carefully. Once they were lose, she shuffled closer to the edge of the stage, propping both hands behind herself and grinning out at the crowd while the armor fell from her legs, one falling to the side and the other off of the stage. She pressed both hands to the butt of her kimono, holding it in place as she lifted her legs skyward, with one set of toes pointing upward and the other falling short to point instead towards the wall opposite herself. The strings assisted by pulling her socks free of her ankles and toes, revealing the brown/white alternating pads of her feet to the audience; the major lines were engraved like the rest of her body, causing a new, red light to glow softly on and off with her breathing. She rolled her head back onto her shoulder now in an almost drunken looking way, grinning towards the audience and allowing her pink eyes to settle into crescents, giving her a look of contentment. Her long hair slowly fell over her breast and shoulder as she shrugged deeper, causing her under-robe to give slightly and fall away from one shoulder.
The music has settled into a long, quiet period of low drum beats and widely spaced string thrums, like the beating of a heart. Thus relaxed, she slowly climbed her way to her feet, although she kept the smile. She fanned herself with moving, now walking with theatrically wobbling movements, ones that followed a pattern while still looking drunken.
"To LOVE is to LIVE! But to LIVE with JUSTICE is LOVE~LI~ER STILL!
You can become drunk on LOVE... But also on JUSTICE!
The two together are a PEEEEEERF~ECT HIGH!
To all interested in ex-pe-ri-en-cing that EU~PHOOORIA!
To all interested in ex-pe-ri-en-cing that NIIIIR~VAAAAH~NA!
Let's fight together with our VOICES and our BODIES!
Not in VIOLENCE... but with LOVE!"
Speaking thus, she made grasping motions at her own shoulders, as if a shiver of ecstasy was running through her. If anyone was looking hard enough, they'd probably think her grinning face, with her eyes settled into thin lines, was funnier than it was sexy. With each jerky grasp, she further disheveled her robe, running her long hands beneath it and exploring her own body. Finally, she settled into another mie, throwing her head back and clasping one hand to her shoulder and the other to her hip, with a slight lean to her legs. The strings gently ran from high point to low point, extending the robe away from her body and then slowly dragging it downward towards the floor to pool at her feet. Most of her body was exposed now, with the lines, like the patterns of a dolls joints, tracing her entire frame, throbbing with red beams of light. Her well-toned abdomen, thighs, and upper arms were all displayed. The hills and valleys of her body, which faded from tanned brown to pale white and then back, were hidden only by the pink bikini she wore. The lower half indeed matched the upper, with a relatively modest area of coverage; unlike the top, which tied, this was all one tightly held briefs-style piece, with the same white and yellow flower pattern up one side. It was nothing terribly risque, besides the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction given the top. This sort of thing would be suitable to wear as a swimsuit if one desired.
So caught up was she in her act now that she managed to avoid contemplating her current situation, standing half-naked in front of the audience. What she did need, however, was some affirmation that she was being watched, enticing or enchanting at least a handful of people out there, and not being booed off the stage. She used this pause in the song while everyone would be focusing on her body to look amongst the audience and see how their attention was holding up, as well as to gauge their reactions.
Yoshitsune was no help at all; unfortunately, he was entirely distracted from the task at hand.
"KOU~shou~ku!
I am a simple girl. I live a simple life.
BUT I have a heart and BO~DY! A body BUUUURST~ing!"
She paused here to perform a mie, the characteristic pose that would establish her character. There was only one way to play it when it came to her role in this play; she braced her legs into a V, dropped both fans, tilted her head down slightly, and grabbed her kimono's him beneath her jacket, along with the jacket's collar in the same grasp. She wrenched them apart and away from her breasts, temporarily allowing them to bounce out of her robe. It was revealed that she was not, in fact, naked underneath, but instead wore a strapless pink bikini, decorated with a pattern of white and yellow flowers across the right breast. It didn't seem terribly secure, although it wasn't clear how it held on. Her bosom was bouncing so strongly, through the weight and motion, that it seemed as though the top could slip at any moment. The exposed skin was indented with black grooves, running beneath each shoulder to her back and collarbone; when exposed, they began to glow red, as if reacting to the new eyes upon them. She stayed in this pose, quiet, while the percussion instruments in her music clapped with increasing rapidity, then slowly mellowed out. Once they'd weakened back to their regular pace, she shut her robe and continued, now moving with steps that were timid and tip-toed, occasionally exposing glimpses of her thighs beneath her robe due to the long, sneaking movements.
"Buuuurst~ing! Buuuurst~ing hearts and bodies!
You all crave pleasure because we all crave pleasure. Even a simple girl craves pleasure.
KOU~kou~shou is a house of pleasure! Even a simple girl can give you that pleasure!
Here, a simple girl escapes her ordinary life. But her ordinary life is threatened by evil!
One LIVES by day! One LOVES by night.
Can we enjoy our LOVE when LIVES are threatened!?"
Saying this, she clasped one hand to her face and stopped suddenly, so flicking her other free arm upward in a gesture of disgust, then flicking it towards the ground, such that her arm came free of her jacket. The smooth, athletic curve of her back was exposed to the audience, where they could see that her bra was held by a simple, large knot at the back. Her defined, brown shoulders glistened in the light Divina had cast above the stage. Coming up soon, she would have to use some of the special techniques native to kabuki theater, which were used to change costumes... only, she wouldn't be replacing, only removing.
"RED in the house of RED!
Bold is red, the color of HEEEE~ROES!
Do you not see RED? Does injustice not boil your blood just as LOVE does?
Fiends dwell within a VIII~O~LET house! A VIII~O~LENT house!
Threatening LIVES and LOVE!
LOVE! LOVE is BEAU~TY! And LOVE is LIFE!
To threaten ONE is to threaten the other!
And we are..."
She paused here, hunching forward and clutching both hands to her face. Unseen perhaps by some in the audience, but apparent to others, gleaming wires shot out from various spots on the walls and curtains, attaching themselves to her coat. Her strong back twitched up and down as if in pain, while she closed her pink eyes tightly in a tense expression, clenching her sharp teeth together. After a few moments of this (kabuki theater poses always lasted a few moments longer than one might imagine, the music burst into volume again and the wires lifted her into the air. Purposely, they were off sync, jerking one arm up first, then the other, like a puppet and causing the forearms to dangle limply in the air. Her head then jerked up, showing her vibrant eyes shining from their sockets, from which red light now poured as well. She furiously ripped her arms free of the coat, leaving the crimson inside of the shark-tooth print article waving above her head momentarily like a banner and casting aside the gold cord from her waist. She dropped to the floor, then hopped up again, extending one palm towards the audience and shifting to stand on one leg, pressing the toes of her raised foot against her opposite calf. After holding that pose and waiting for the music to depreciate again, she hopped and returned to two legs. She stalked the stage now with one arm held behind her back and the other outward, gesturing towards the roof with an upturned palm.
"WOOOOOOR~EEEE~AAAAAARS of LOVE!
AI SEEEEN~SHI!
TO~NIGHT we satisfy our bursting bodies! For SOON, I say SOON!
SOON comes the time to act! A WAR for LOVE!
A simple girl calls an assembly for all able bodies!
If you LIVE for LOVE! If you LOVE to LIVE!
Join me in a war, not of swords, but of VOICES!
Billowing from RED HEARTS!
Your RED HEART...
Your RED HEART feels LOVE, and your RED HEART can save a LIFE!"
She paused here with a sweetly smiling expression, lifting her face along with her arms. The strings discreetly lifted the gloves from her hands as she extended her fingers towards the heavens, then slowly brought her arms out to the audience. The swell of her breast rose, squished together by the curves of her upper arms. Her face grew redder as she bent one knee, slowly lowering her body, and pressing one hand behind herself to steady her leaning back. Keeping the pose, she unwrapped the bindings at her shin-guards using her free hand, patiently and carefully. Once they were lose, she shuffled closer to the edge of the stage, propping both hands behind herself and grinning out at the crowd while the armor fell from her legs, one falling to the side and the other off of the stage. She pressed both hands to the butt of her kimono, holding it in place as she lifted her legs skyward, with one set of toes pointing upward and the other falling short to point instead towards the wall opposite herself. The strings assisted by pulling her socks free of her ankles and toes, revealing the brown/white alternating pads of her feet to the audience; the major lines were engraved like the rest of her body, causing a new, red light to glow softly on and off with her breathing. She rolled her head back onto her shoulder now in an almost drunken looking way, grinning towards the audience and allowing her pink eyes to settle into crescents, giving her a look of contentment. Her long hair slowly fell over her breast and shoulder as she shrugged deeper, causing her under-robe to give slightly and fall away from one shoulder.
The music has settled into a long, quiet period of low drum beats and widely spaced string thrums, like the beating of a heart. Thus relaxed, she slowly climbed her way to her feet, although she kept the smile. She fanned herself with moving, now walking with theatrically wobbling movements, ones that followed a pattern while still looking drunken.
"To LOVE is to LIVE! But to LIVE with JUSTICE is LOVE~LI~ER STILL!
You can become drunk on LOVE... But also on JUSTICE!
The two together are a PEEEEEERF~ECT HIGH!
To all interested in ex-pe-ri-en-cing that EU~PHOOORIA!
To all interested in ex-pe-ri-en-cing that NIIIIR~VAAAAH~NA!
Let's fight together with our VOICES and our BODIES!
Not in VIOLENCE... but with LOVE!"
Speaking thus, she made grasping motions at her own shoulders, as if a shiver of ecstasy was running through her. If anyone was looking hard enough, they'd probably think her grinning face, with her eyes settled into thin lines, was funnier than it was sexy. With each jerky grasp, she further disheveled her robe, running her long hands beneath it and exploring her own body. Finally, she settled into another mie, throwing her head back and clasping one hand to her shoulder and the other to her hip, with a slight lean to her legs. The strings gently ran from high point to low point, extending the robe away from her body and then slowly dragging it downward towards the floor to pool at her feet. Most of her body was exposed now, with the lines, like the patterns of a dolls joints, tracing her entire frame, throbbing with red beams of light. Her well-toned abdomen, thighs, and upper arms were all displayed. The hills and valleys of her body, which faded from tanned brown to pale white and then back, were hidden only by the pink bikini she wore. The lower half indeed matched the upper, with a relatively modest area of coverage; unlike the top, which tied, this was all one tightly held briefs-style piece, with the same white and yellow flower pattern up one side. It was nothing terribly risque, besides the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction given the top. This sort of thing would be suitable to wear as a swimsuit if one desired.
So caught up was she in her act now that she managed to avoid contemplating her current situation, standing half-naked in front of the audience. What she did need, however, was some affirmation that she was being watched, enticing or enchanting at least a handful of people out there, and not being booed off the stage. She used this pause in the song while everyone would be focusing on her body to look amongst the audience and see how their attention was holding up, as well as to gauge their reactions.
Yoshitsune was no help at all; unfortunately, he was entirely distracted from the task at hand.
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"Yeah, she probably didn't need that advice anyway. I'd be shocked if she didn't love the stage." Genuinely, legitimately shocked. "But I'll let you know if we need anything else. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to concentrate." And thus Divina began her short, but hopefully illustrious, career as a lighting technician.
Before it could resume, however, she managed to draw the attention of someone. She barely even so much as looked at him, though. She had a task, and she aimed to complete it, no matter what. She didn't have time for eye candy. "Uh, hi. I'm flattered and all, but I'm busy right now." Hopefully, he'd take the hint of her non-interest and go look for someone else. That wasn't the sort of happiness she was trying to spread at the moment.
The goddess Navi looked on as Kabuki's performance began in earnest. As she began to light up, she used her own abilities to enhance the actress's glow, though not so much as to distract those watching. She also placed a bit more emphasis on the red light; after all, red was the color of passion, so that might go over better with the crowd. ...Wait, was she bringing out the goods already? That was kinda q-oh, wait, she had something under that. And yeesh, she'd never really noticed just how busty she was. She was hardly flat, herself, but Kabuki was just huge. Not to the point of making her feel inadequate, but...yeesh.
Aside from that, however, Divina never lost focus, and worked tirelessly to make the lights as eyecatching as she could. Notably, aside from the initial sphere, she wasn't really creating her own light, and focusing more on enhancing the light the stage and Kabuki herself were giving off. Doing too much would draw the eye away from the increasingly scantily clad woman, and in this sort of place, that would be bad. Best to just accentuate, and let the performance serve as the star. Admittedly, this was kinda new to her...to lurk in the shadows, instead of being front and center. But her thoughts on the matter didn't really matter, given what was at stake here. She just needed to remain there and help, and that was what she intended to do.
Before it could resume, however, she managed to draw the attention of someone. She barely even so much as looked at him, though. She had a task, and she aimed to complete it, no matter what. She didn't have time for eye candy. "Uh, hi. I'm flattered and all, but I'm busy right now." Hopefully, he'd take the hint of her non-interest and go look for someone else. That wasn't the sort of happiness she was trying to spread at the moment.
The goddess Navi looked on as Kabuki's performance began in earnest. As she began to light up, she used her own abilities to enhance the actress's glow, though not so much as to distract those watching. She also placed a bit more emphasis on the red light; after all, red was the color of passion, so that might go over better with the crowd. ...Wait, was she bringing out the goods already? That was kinda q-oh, wait, she had something under that. And yeesh, she'd never really noticed just how busty she was. She was hardly flat, herself, but Kabuki was just huge. Not to the point of making her feel inadequate, but...yeesh.
Aside from that, however, Divina never lost focus, and worked tirelessly to make the lights as eyecatching as she could. Notably, aside from the initial sphere, she wasn't really creating her own light, and focusing more on enhancing the light the stage and Kabuki herself were giving off. Doing too much would draw the eye away from the increasingly scantily clad woman, and in this sort of place, that would be bad. Best to just accentuate, and let the performance serve as the star. Admittedly, this was kinda new to her...to lurk in the shadows, instead of being front and center. But her thoughts on the matter didn't really matter, given what was at stake here. She just needed to remain there and help, and that was what she intended to do.
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Even though only a handful were attentively watching Kabuki on stage to begin with, the unusual nature of her performance began to draw more eyes, mostly out of curiosity than anything else. A few more left off their more vigorous pursuits in favour of slower or subtler activities that let them pay attention to the show with at least one eye, while a few more still settled in to watch, their interest sufficiently piqued for now.
Amongst those who watched, some seemed at first confused or uncertain about the lilting, wildly variable delivery of her performance, but a couple, likely more familiar with the art form, nodded in appreciation. Unfortunately, if Kabuki was expecting to have a good deal of momentum off the bat, she was to be disappointed; no obvious shouts or adulations came from the room during her first establishing mie, save the 'normal' sounds of those still occupied with other activities. A few more eyes turned to watch as the first rends in her clothing were made. Without other stage-hands to do the removal in seamless stealth for her, it was a little more ragged and rough than it could have been, but for the audience in question that might actually have been a positive change. A few whistles and whoops came from the crowd, though they silenced quickly.
There were also, unfortunately, some of the more expected modern calls; old favourites such as "Take it all off!" and "Get the girls out!!", but again, in this context, Kabuki might be able to take them as compliments... maybe? Though it was a little bit more complex to match the ebb and swell of the lighting effects with the erratic pace of the show's music, the extra oomph that Divina supplied to Kabuki's glows and the existing stage effects did succeed in drawing a few more eyes, at least briefly.
Gradually, Kabuki's words drew dangerously close to political matters but, as was a tradition almost as old as the theatre itself, the broaching and spreading of political calls and opinions, against those who might quash them, was a trick well suited to the plausible deniability of a show. A scattering of the more attentive individuals in the audience noticed the cues right away, and turned their attention more fully to watching the display, one or two even going so far as to politely shush their partners and friends so that they could listen for any further context. Others realised that something deeper was happening in her thinly veiled story; talk of red and purple made that clear enough, but didn't pierce any further than that. Others still picked up the concept of something deeper, certainly, but shrugged it off as political commentary and nothing more.
As the story went on, those listening closely followed along; some might well have known about the events that had taken place and tied one with the other, but even those who weren't aware of them were beginning to understand that a call was being made, rather than a commentary. The more of her clothes that came off, the more eyes she drew, though those who only looked up as she shed her modesty down to little but her bikini weren't really listening to her story unfold.
By the time Kabuki struck her second mie, perhaps about half of the room were at the very least looking in her direction, though it was impossible to tell how many were truly hearing her story, and how many were simply enjoying the show, and were eager to see more. At least one was, though: from somewhere towards the right of the room, one navi stood and cupped hands to his mouth, calling out.
"Kou-Sho-Ku! Kou-Sho-Ku!!" It likely wasn't the right call to make specifically, but it showed that the man was familiar with proper practice for complimenting, and, in lieu of knowing Kabuki's own name, he could probably be forgiven for thinking that she was a house performer; the level of professionalism, coupled with her own red probably had most people watching thinking the same.
Either way, a few of the individuals who were watching closest could be seen surreptitiously murmuring to others nearby who were less informed about current events, or the link Kabuki was making. Something was, gradually, passing around, though from their current positions, neither of the ladies bearing the message could really tell if it was what they wanted.
Behind Divina, her interested party frowned softly, then shrugged. He looked a bit disappointed, but not overly.
"Pity. Ah well, I hope you enjoy your time, and if you do find yourself at a loose end, we'd be happy if you'd come and say hello." He returned the way he had come, making eye contact with someone further back in the room and shaking his head, with a small helpless gesture of his hands. Nearby, if she noticed him, Joel had been watching the performance as well, and as her tale unfolded, and he took on board the political swing of it, Divina might see his features growing unsettled and slightly nervous. When one of the audience members guessed that Kabuki herself was representing the house, his eyes darted to the guest first, then back to the stage, and he bit his lip. It was probably understandable: without knowing how far Kabuki meant to go in her entreaty, allowing her to be taken for expressing the views of the house, especially when she could well be inciting factional war, was probably not going to be taken well. He seemed torn, uncertain whether to step in or not, but for the moment he didn't do anything.
Amongst those who watched, some seemed at first confused or uncertain about the lilting, wildly variable delivery of her performance, but a couple, likely more familiar with the art form, nodded in appreciation. Unfortunately, if Kabuki was expecting to have a good deal of momentum off the bat, she was to be disappointed; no obvious shouts or adulations came from the room during her first establishing mie, save the 'normal' sounds of those still occupied with other activities. A few more eyes turned to watch as the first rends in her clothing were made. Without other stage-hands to do the removal in seamless stealth for her, it was a little more ragged and rough than it could have been, but for the audience in question that might actually have been a positive change. A few whistles and whoops came from the crowd, though they silenced quickly.
There were also, unfortunately, some of the more expected modern calls; old favourites such as "Take it all off!" and "Get the girls out!!", but again, in this context, Kabuki might be able to take them as compliments... maybe? Though it was a little bit more complex to match the ebb and swell of the lighting effects with the erratic pace of the show's music, the extra oomph that Divina supplied to Kabuki's glows and the existing stage effects did succeed in drawing a few more eyes, at least briefly.
Gradually, Kabuki's words drew dangerously close to political matters but, as was a tradition almost as old as the theatre itself, the broaching and spreading of political calls and opinions, against those who might quash them, was a trick well suited to the plausible deniability of a show. A scattering of the more attentive individuals in the audience noticed the cues right away, and turned their attention more fully to watching the display, one or two even going so far as to politely shush their partners and friends so that they could listen for any further context. Others realised that something deeper was happening in her thinly veiled story; talk of red and purple made that clear enough, but didn't pierce any further than that. Others still picked up the concept of something deeper, certainly, but shrugged it off as political commentary and nothing more.
As the story went on, those listening closely followed along; some might well have known about the events that had taken place and tied one with the other, but even those who weren't aware of them were beginning to understand that a call was being made, rather than a commentary. The more of her clothes that came off, the more eyes she drew, though those who only looked up as she shed her modesty down to little but her bikini weren't really listening to her story unfold.
By the time Kabuki struck her second mie, perhaps about half of the room were at the very least looking in her direction, though it was impossible to tell how many were truly hearing her story, and how many were simply enjoying the show, and were eager to see more. At least one was, though: from somewhere towards the right of the room, one navi stood and cupped hands to his mouth, calling out.
"Kou-Sho-Ku! Kou-Sho-Ku!!" It likely wasn't the right call to make specifically, but it showed that the man was familiar with proper practice for complimenting, and, in lieu of knowing Kabuki's own name, he could probably be forgiven for thinking that she was a house performer; the level of professionalism, coupled with her own red probably had most people watching thinking the same.
Either way, a few of the individuals who were watching closest could be seen surreptitiously murmuring to others nearby who were less informed about current events, or the link Kabuki was making. Something was, gradually, passing around, though from their current positions, neither of the ladies bearing the message could really tell if it was what they wanted.
Behind Divina, her interested party frowned softly, then shrugged. He looked a bit disappointed, but not overly.
"Pity. Ah well, I hope you enjoy your time, and if you do find yourself at a loose end, we'd be happy if you'd come and say hello." He returned the way he had come, making eye contact with someone further back in the room and shaking his head, with a small helpless gesture of his hands. Nearby, if she noticed him, Joel had been watching the performance as well, and as her tale unfolded, and he took on board the political swing of it, Divina might see his features growing unsettled and slightly nervous. When one of the audience members guessed that Kabuki herself was representing the house, his eyes darted to the guest first, then back to the stage, and he bit his lip. It was probably understandable: without knowing how far Kabuki meant to go in her entreaty, allowing her to be taken for expressing the views of the house, especially when she could well be inciting factional war, was probably not going to be taken well. He seemed torn, uncertain whether to step in or not, but for the moment he didn't do anything.
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Even without being able to see Joel to the side of the stage, Kabuki had some idea that political controversy might be swept up by her words so far; she'd accounted for that, however. If the red bath-house got upset with her for doing so, then so be it, but she'd already decided that the lives of the SPs were more important than her own modesty; surely, they were more important than her good relations with the bathhouse brothel as well. A genuine grin spread across her face as she heard an audience member shout a cheer for her; that gesture would be appreciated at a traditional event, but here at her one-woman improv performance, it was heaven-sent as a booster for her own morale. She figured it just might give her the energy she needed to get into the 'sizzling steak' of her performance, which she'd alluded to earlier. Watching her trot around in her bikini might be stimulating enough for some guys, but she had a feeling that the audience members wouldn't have come here if they only wanted to see her model her underwear. The red lights from above that aided her similarly seemed to signal where her act was going to have to head in order to keep the attention of the crowd.
The pose had given the actress a good period of respite to gather back her energy, although the sweat continued to glisten on her body as she marched across the stage. She retrieved both of her fans, which she'd dropped earlier, and began a stiff-hearted, textbook shuffle across the stage with them, speaking quickly to the crowd in a booming voice. She stopped at various points with the clacking of her fans' wood, holding a pose after each step with one elbow bent above her head, one leg arced almost ninety degrees and in front of her, and her fans held in opposite directions. Her words were snapped
"CAPTI~VI~TEEEE? Criminal!
Captivity is criminal!
LOVE is FREEE~DOM
DEEE~CEP~TION? Criminal!
Deception is criminal!
LOVE is TRUTH!
MUUU~RDEEER?! Criminal!
Murder is criminal!
LOVE is LIFE!
FREE, TRUE, and VIII~BRANT with LIFE!
THAT is worth fighting for!
THAT is worth protecting!
THAT... is worth...!"
This pause lasted a bit longer, as the music began slowly to deaden. Kabuki took in a deep breath and held it, knowing that this was certainly a point of no return from a kabuki performer to a flasher. She held one fan into the air, gently released it, and fanned it further upward by quickly flapping the other fan. It spun as it slowly ascended towards the roof. At a certain point, she attached her strings to it in order to allow it to began a descent of supernatural slowness, as though it was a leaf carried by the wind. While it did, she clasped her free hand to underhook the tight point at the center of her wrap-around bra, jerking it up with tantalizing slowness. It seemed to resist her efforts, holding tightly at the most critical point, when it was tugged nearly away from exposing the forbidden area of each breast. Just when it finally came free, the fan that was held mid-air quickened its decent, remaining unfolded so that it just barely covered each of her breasts... From the front. From the side, there was no real helping the fact that she'd just exposed herself. For anyone wondering, that portion of her body was anatomically correct, with the exception that all of it changed colors along with her mood, making it somewhat surreal to watch. Having yanked off her bikini top now, she released it and let it float gently to the floor.
"... A~AAANY COST!
For what is LIFE when we LIVE as cowards?!
What use have we for HANDS that do not serve JUST~ICE?"
Kabuki paused here, displaying her hands quickly towards the crowd and squishing her breasts between each of her biceps as she did. The fan momentarily raised up from her torso, which was not overly scandalous, given that her arms were covering (and her hair might as well, if it fell right). Once she brought her arms back in, the fan replaced itself.
"What use have we for EYES if they turn away, BLIND?"
She raised both hands behind her head and, as if forbidding herself to cheat, rolled up her hair behind her head into a hairdo reminiscent of a geisha, then tied it there using some of her invisible thread. That was either a trick of net-magic or something she'd practiced a lot for quick wardrobe changes during performances. The end result, however, was that her hair would no longer get in the way of the audience ogling her, from the back or the front.
"What use is our HEALTH if it is POI~SONED by EV~IIIIL?!"
Crying thus, Kabuki raised both of her hands above her head and turned around backwards, spreading both legs into a V shaped while the fan circled her body freely. She figured there were probably some ass-men out there as well, and she hadn't given them much service yet tonight. The pose also showed off the tone of her back, which was impressive to look at, especially given that the curves of her body were marked with red, glowing indentations. The pink bikini on her lower body looked almost out of place, against the pale whiteness of her skin and the rest of those lines, each gleaming vibrantly red.
"And what use are WE?!
If we serve only OUR~SEEELVES?!
A lonely life!
A wasted life!
SELF~ISH~NEEEESS... IS NOT PERM~IIIT~ED!
NAY! I now... GIVE!"
After speaking those lines, Kabuki hopped again, still with her back to the crowd, and raised one leg in an imitation of one of the poses she'd done earlier, only from another direction. She whipped both hands out sideways, then quickly brought them down and into the sides of her bikini. The actress performed something like a wheel kick, in the process smoothly removing the only remaining garment from her body and baring her bottom to the crowd. It was a rather pleasant bottom, if you liked the sort of thing. The action had also revealed that one of the indentations bisected the halves of her lower body. It made one wonder if or how certain actions would be performed, if one was given the opportunity.
The white of her face was now as red as the glowing of her lights. She was certainly feeling the performance and under other circumstances might feel rather proud of herself, but none of that would erase the embarrassment of appearing fully nude in front of a crowd of strangers... and her operator, who was most certainly watching every second with his eyes glued to the screen, she incorrectly reasoned. Although the jury was out as to whether there was anything R-18+ to see at her behind, Divina and Joel (and possibly the crew in the back) were getting occassional glimpses of the front as well, which was bisected just as the back was. With her skin fully exposed, she looked almost like a doll, full of those indentations. The bouncing of her naked breasts would remind them that, if she really was a doll, she was a pretty erotically designed one.
After retrieving both of her fans, she turned back to face the crowd, now having her embarrassed face more under control and grinning. She held one fan to hide her upper body and the other to conceal her lower, occasionally swapping them as she trekked sideways across the stage, but only when her leg was raised for modesty or her arm happened to pass by her breasts for coverage.
"I give my RED, BUUUR~NING SOUL to each of you!
MO~EEE~RU! MO~EEE~RU!
KOU~SHO~KU! If your SOUL BURNS, as mine does!
If your HEART and BODY both ACHE!
BUUU~RNING and AAA~CHING to see JUUU~STICE!
Heed my words this night!
And at the end... what awaits you...!"
With the music reaching its most feverish drumming, Kabuki stopped and faced the crowd. The actress held both legs tightly together and her arms close to her body, each bearing a fan in one palm. She brought one fan to her face and the other to her lower body, covering her upper body only with her upper arms.
"IS... EUUUU~PHOOO~RI~AAAAAH!"
Kabuki shouted, slowly closing her fingers to fold her fan and reveal her face. With the drums still pounding, she bent her knees, keeping her lower fan held in place and steadying herself with her free arm. At this point, she precariously managed to keep her breasts in check, but she stopped with her lower body very close to and pointing towards the crowd, amazingly avoiding having her knees or arms shake while holding that position.
"AAAND NIIIIIIIR~VAH~NAAAAAAAAH!"
As her final act, she snapped shut the fan, so that her lower body was hidden only by the downward turned line formed by the folded wood of the fan. Apparently, regardless of how doll-like that hidden indentation looked, it was pretty important for her as a woman to keep it covered (even if other performers would spare exposing or even allowing something into it on-stage).
"Thank you! Thank you all, KOU~SHO~KUUU!"
With that final cheer, she unfolded her fans again to cover herself and gave a stiff bow, giving them all a flash of her admirable upper body cleavage when she did, which remained hidden only by the fan pressed against it. She scampered off the stage the way she'd came, perhaps revealing more of her nervousness to the audience than she ought to have. Kabuki ran straight for Divina and plowed into her, sweeping her ally away from the audience and behind the stage curtain. She'd dropped her fans to hug far too tightly around Divina's chest, smashing her naked upper body into Divina's toga. "KYYY~AAAAA! I SUR~VIII~YEEEVED! Now surely the heavens will favor me. I can die in peace!" she announced proudly. "I am going to cry! Or maybe vomit. Lend me your shoulder, please!" she begged, burying her face into the goddesses' shoulder. Divina would have to hope she was going to do the former, not the latter. And furthermore, that Kabuki wasn't really planning to die now. The actress' exclamations were so loud that, unless some awful din had started up elsewhere, the party-goers nearby would probably hear everything she'd just said.
The pose had given the actress a good period of respite to gather back her energy, although the sweat continued to glisten on her body as she marched across the stage. She retrieved both of her fans, which she'd dropped earlier, and began a stiff-hearted, textbook shuffle across the stage with them, speaking quickly to the crowd in a booming voice. She stopped at various points with the clacking of her fans' wood, holding a pose after each step with one elbow bent above her head, one leg arced almost ninety degrees and in front of her, and her fans held in opposite directions. Her words were snapped
"CAPTI~VI~TEEEE? Criminal!
Captivity is criminal!
LOVE is FREEE~DOM
DEEE~CEP~TION? Criminal!
Deception is criminal!
LOVE is TRUTH!
MUUU~RDEEER?! Criminal!
Murder is criminal!
LOVE is LIFE!
FREE, TRUE, and VIII~BRANT with LIFE!
THAT is worth fighting for!
THAT is worth protecting!
THAT... is worth...!"
This pause lasted a bit longer, as the music began slowly to deaden. Kabuki took in a deep breath and held it, knowing that this was certainly a point of no return from a kabuki performer to a flasher. She held one fan into the air, gently released it, and fanned it further upward by quickly flapping the other fan. It spun as it slowly ascended towards the roof. At a certain point, she attached her strings to it in order to allow it to began a descent of supernatural slowness, as though it was a leaf carried by the wind. While it did, she clasped her free hand to underhook the tight point at the center of her wrap-around bra, jerking it up with tantalizing slowness. It seemed to resist her efforts, holding tightly at the most critical point, when it was tugged nearly away from exposing the forbidden area of each breast. Just when it finally came free, the fan that was held mid-air quickened its decent, remaining unfolded so that it just barely covered each of her breasts... From the front. From the side, there was no real helping the fact that she'd just exposed herself. For anyone wondering, that portion of her body was anatomically correct, with the exception that all of it changed colors along with her mood, making it somewhat surreal to watch. Having yanked off her bikini top now, she released it and let it float gently to the floor.
"... A~AAANY COST!
For what is LIFE when we LIVE as cowards?!
What use have we for HANDS that do not serve JUST~ICE?"
Kabuki paused here, displaying her hands quickly towards the crowd and squishing her breasts between each of her biceps as she did. The fan momentarily raised up from her torso, which was not overly scandalous, given that her arms were covering (and her hair might as well, if it fell right). Once she brought her arms back in, the fan replaced itself.
"What use have we for EYES if they turn away, BLIND?"
She raised both hands behind her head and, as if forbidding herself to cheat, rolled up her hair behind her head into a hairdo reminiscent of a geisha, then tied it there using some of her invisible thread. That was either a trick of net-magic or something she'd practiced a lot for quick wardrobe changes during performances. The end result, however, was that her hair would no longer get in the way of the audience ogling her, from the back or the front.
"What use is our HEALTH if it is POI~SONED by EV~IIIIL?!"
Crying thus, Kabuki raised both of her hands above her head and turned around backwards, spreading both legs into a V shaped while the fan circled her body freely. She figured there were probably some ass-men out there as well, and she hadn't given them much service yet tonight. The pose also showed off the tone of her back, which was impressive to look at, especially given that the curves of her body were marked with red, glowing indentations. The pink bikini on her lower body looked almost out of place, against the pale whiteness of her skin and the rest of those lines, each gleaming vibrantly red.
"And what use are WE?!
If we serve only OUR~SEEELVES?!
A lonely life!
A wasted life!
SELF~ISH~NEEEESS... IS NOT PERM~IIIT~ED!
NAY! I now... GIVE!"
After speaking those lines, Kabuki hopped again, still with her back to the crowd, and raised one leg in an imitation of one of the poses she'd done earlier, only from another direction. She whipped both hands out sideways, then quickly brought them down and into the sides of her bikini. The actress performed something like a wheel kick, in the process smoothly removing the only remaining garment from her body and baring her bottom to the crowd. It was a rather pleasant bottom, if you liked the sort of thing. The action had also revealed that one of the indentations bisected the halves of her lower body. It made one wonder if or how certain actions would be performed, if one was given the opportunity.
The white of her face was now as red as the glowing of her lights. She was certainly feeling the performance and under other circumstances might feel rather proud of herself, but none of that would erase the embarrassment of appearing fully nude in front of a crowd of strangers... and her operator, who was most certainly watching every second with his eyes glued to the screen, she incorrectly reasoned. Although the jury was out as to whether there was anything R-18+ to see at her behind, Divina and Joel (and possibly the crew in the back) were getting occassional glimpses of the front as well, which was bisected just as the back was. With her skin fully exposed, she looked almost like a doll, full of those indentations. The bouncing of her naked breasts would remind them that, if she really was a doll, she was a pretty erotically designed one.
After retrieving both of her fans, she turned back to face the crowd, now having her embarrassed face more under control and grinning. She held one fan to hide her upper body and the other to conceal her lower, occasionally swapping them as she trekked sideways across the stage, but only when her leg was raised for modesty or her arm happened to pass by her breasts for coverage.
"I give my RED, BUUUR~NING SOUL to each of you!
MO~EEE~RU! MO~EEE~RU!
KOU~SHO~KU! If your SOUL BURNS, as mine does!
If your HEART and BODY both ACHE!
BUUU~RNING and AAA~CHING to see JUUU~STICE!
Heed my words this night!
And at the end... what awaits you...!"
With the music reaching its most feverish drumming, Kabuki stopped and faced the crowd. The actress held both legs tightly together and her arms close to her body, each bearing a fan in one palm. She brought one fan to her face and the other to her lower body, covering her upper body only with her upper arms.
"IS... EUUUU~PHOOO~RI~AAAAAH!"
Kabuki shouted, slowly closing her fingers to fold her fan and reveal her face. With the drums still pounding, she bent her knees, keeping her lower fan held in place and steadying herself with her free arm. At this point, she precariously managed to keep her breasts in check, but she stopped with her lower body very close to and pointing towards the crowd, amazingly avoiding having her knees or arms shake while holding that position.
"AAAND NIIIIIIIR~VAH~NAAAAAAAAH!"
As her final act, she snapped shut the fan, so that her lower body was hidden only by the downward turned line formed by the folded wood of the fan. Apparently, regardless of how doll-like that hidden indentation looked, it was pretty important for her as a woman to keep it covered (even if other performers would spare exposing or even allowing something into it on-stage).
"Thank you! Thank you all, KOU~SHO~KUUU!"
With that final cheer, she unfolded her fans again to cover herself and gave a stiff bow, giving them all a flash of her admirable upper body cleavage when she did, which remained hidden only by the fan pressed against it. She scampered off the stage the way she'd came, perhaps revealing more of her nervousness to the audience than she ought to have. Kabuki ran straight for Divina and plowed into her, sweeping her ally away from the audience and behind the stage curtain. She'd dropped her fans to hug far too tightly around Divina's chest, smashing her naked upper body into Divina's toga. "KYYY~AAAAA! I SUR~VIII~YEEEVED! Now surely the heavens will favor me. I can die in peace!" she announced proudly. "I am going to cry! Or maybe vomit. Lend me your shoulder, please!" she begged, burying her face into the goddesses' shoulder. Divina would have to hope she was going to do the former, not the latter. And furthermore, that Kabuki wasn't really planning to die now. The actress' exclamations were so loud that, unless some awful din had started up elsewhere, the party-goers nearby would probably hear everything she'd just said.
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So far, so good...or about as good as could be expected, considering Kabuki was basically down to swimwear. As she paused, Divina took the chance to look over at Joel. He didn't seem too happy, but hadn't stopped it...yet. She could make sure he didn't, though. "Don't worry. Once she's done, I'll make sure to tack on a disclaimer that she's not with the house. And, I assure you, anything she may ask of the audience is strictly non-violent. I wouldn't be supporting it if it was. I'm strictly a peaceful goddess!" Very few could so effortlessly and casually call themselves a deity, but she had that rare blend of humbleness and actual belief that she was a higher power.
Anyway, the actress was starting to act again, so she should...oh dear. She was gonna do it, wasn't she? ...Yep, she was. Fortunately, since she took her sweet time with it, the goddess Navi was prepared. As the bikini top was pulled off, twin white light balls escaped from it, spiraling higher and higher, until they melded with the larger ball up top. The effect did not end there, though, as though it was almost unnoticeable at first, the ball of light shone a ray down upon Kabuki. As it spread over her increasingly nude body, it began to change color; first from white to pink, then pink to red. It all turned out to be impeccably timed, as once it was red, she was going on about burning red souls. Which meant...the grand finale. Red orbs started to circle the classically trained Navi, increasing in number...and suddenly, they broke formation, sailing over the heads of the audience, and bursting as red flame. Or at least it looked like red flame. It was still only light, so as it fell down onto the crowd, it would be about as harmful as someone shining a weak flashlight on them. Only without the spots.
And that was the end of the performance. As Kabuki thanked the audience, Divina dissipated her light effects into nothing. She had some confidence that it'd draw some people to their cause...but the same could not be said for the now scarred actress, as she ran right into her with a big hug. Letting her staff levitate, the goddess slowly but surely returned it. "There there...you were wonderful. But, just promise me two things. Don't vomit, and don't die. Not necessarily in that order, mind you." No one wanted to see a goddess covered in someone else's puke, though. ...Or maybe someone did. Some Navis had bizarre tastes..."It's over. Just take a deep breath...and relax. And then, once you're feeling better, you can put your clothes back on." ...That last part probably wasn't going to help. Too bad she couldn't just hit a key to get rid of it. Oh well, further consolation, go! "But seriously, you did great. It took a lot of guts and dedication to do that. I'm very proud of you." So, (hopefully) crying naked woman on her, pressing her bosom right into hers. This was new. And awkward. She could only hope that she regained her composure soon. Though, deep down, she truly was grateful that Kabuki was willing to go to such lengths. Even as a goddess, she wasn't sure she had the confidence to pull off something like that...it reaffirmed to her that she wasn't really dealing with a normal run-of-the-mill mortal here.
Anyway, the actress was starting to act again, so she should...oh dear. She was gonna do it, wasn't she? ...Yep, she was. Fortunately, since she took her sweet time with it, the goddess Navi was prepared. As the bikini top was pulled off, twin white light balls escaped from it, spiraling higher and higher, until they melded with the larger ball up top. The effect did not end there, though, as though it was almost unnoticeable at first, the ball of light shone a ray down upon Kabuki. As it spread over her increasingly nude body, it began to change color; first from white to pink, then pink to red. It all turned out to be impeccably timed, as once it was red, she was going on about burning red souls. Which meant...the grand finale. Red orbs started to circle the classically trained Navi, increasing in number...and suddenly, they broke formation, sailing over the heads of the audience, and bursting as red flame. Or at least it looked like red flame. It was still only light, so as it fell down onto the crowd, it would be about as harmful as someone shining a weak flashlight on them. Only without the spots.
And that was the end of the performance. As Kabuki thanked the audience, Divina dissipated her light effects into nothing. She had some confidence that it'd draw some people to their cause...but the same could not be said for the now scarred actress, as she ran right into her with a big hug. Letting her staff levitate, the goddess slowly but surely returned it. "There there...you were wonderful. But, just promise me two things. Don't vomit, and don't die. Not necessarily in that order, mind you." No one wanted to see a goddess covered in someone else's puke, though. ...Or maybe someone did. Some Navis had bizarre tastes..."It's over. Just take a deep breath...and relax. And then, once you're feeling better, you can put your clothes back on." ...That last part probably wasn't going to help. Too bad she couldn't just hit a key to get rid of it. Oh well, further consolation, go! "But seriously, you did great. It took a lot of guts and dedication to do that. I'm very proud of you." So, (hopefully) crying naked woman on her, pressing her bosom right into hers. This was new. And awkward. She could only hope that she regained her composure soon. Though, deep down, she truly was grateful that Kabuki was willing to go to such lengths. Even as a goddess, she wasn't sure she had the confidence to pull off something like that...it reaffirmed to her that she wasn't really dealing with a normal run-of-the-mill mortal here.
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As Kabuki's performance continued, something interesting, and potentially worrying, began to occur amongst the folk watching her show and listening to it with any attentiveness. Of course, the more she stripped, teasing slowly bit by bit, promising without giving as each action seemed like it would be the moment of revelation, deftly cheated for a few seconds longer, a few more eyes were drawn and a few more of those watching grew steadily more excited. Certainly, too, the unusual cadence of her performance did an apt job of grabbing attention, even if it was just because the show was clearly not the normal fare one might expect. More worrying, however, were the whispers, passing quietly back and forth, between one patron and another, explaining or questioning, not about the show itself, but about the meaning within.
If any of them had been able to hear what was whispered, it might show that enough of those listening were at least partially aware of recent events in the district, enough to understand what the performer was referencing, and enough of them were quietly explaining to those around them, that gradually all but the most distracted and enthusiastic guests were paying attention with at least half an eye; if not to Kabuki herself, then to another guest filing them in. The house staff were not blind to this, and Joel wasn't the only one growing increasingly concerned.
The shout from before had cemented in most guest's minds that Kabuki was, in actuality, representing the house, and that her message was synonymous with their own views... that the call to attendance was a call made by Koushoku itself. Some had begun trying to reassure guests that the lady on stage wasn't employed by the house, and was simply an independent performer, but more often than not their efforts were met simply with 'knowing' nods or other such gestures; the sort that said 'of course I know you've got to say that', while they continued to assume their involvement.
By the time the actress reached the crescendo of her performance, Joel's fingers were clenching and flexing anxiously at the foot of the stairs. Clearly he had decided that the show needed to be curtailed, but was all too aware of the difficulty of drawing a halt to this sort of stage show, once it was this far progressed. There was no disguising how frustratedly helpless he was feeling, eyes glued to the stage and mouth fixed in a worried grimace, somehow managing to watch without actively appreciating Kabuki's form in the slightest. Just as he had apparently decided to call curtain on the act, however, his attention was diverted by a timely moment of divine intervention.
While Joel didn't seem even the least bit reassured or believing of Divina's reassurances, his hospitality training nevertheless betrayed the poor navi into hearing her out and addressing the woman, rather than acting as he had meant to.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. There's a delicate balance in this district, and something like this... If I had known this was what you both intended, I should never have allowed her the use of the stage. Now please, I'm very sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I must..." By this point, however, it was too late. Under most circumstances, it would be considered a benefit of being a navi, that no amount of anxiety or worry would rob a male of his physical usefulness, at the moment however, clearly stressed and worried, it only lent his enduring 'preparedness' a somewhat comical light... especially as he turned very swiftly back to the stage, only to find himself too late to stop things.
As Kabuki concluded her performance, the reaction from the crowd was very mixed; many had, obviously, simply been watching for the eye candy, and amongst them some were quite appreciative of what they'd been given, but many more were disappointed at not getting more than she'd been willing to give. There was some applause, though it was polite more than warm, and a couple of shouts of the house name from others watching. There was also a lot of quiet whispering and hurried conversations. Many seemed to have assumed that the house was deliberately taking this moment out from raw eroticism for a very deliberate reason, and that lent the message more urgency and importance.
Though in this particular case Kabuki had failed to communicate anything to do with a time or place for people to meet, there seemed to be enough bits and pieces of knowledge about the incident, and the planned execution, that the possible windows were quite slim. Some would likely be assuming that it would be dawn, when the stand out was supposed to happen, but chances were, if they managed to gather enough people in time, the crowd itself would alert anyone who had the wrong time in mind.
Amidst the general murmur after the act, two navis stood side by side and each raised a fist to the air; one was wearing a sheer, gauzy sarong that was a pale green in colour, while the other bore a serious of curling, flowing tattoos across his arms and chest, also in varying shades of green.
"Seishin will stand with Koushoku this night!"
"Seishin stands as well!" They called out, one after the other, then promptly disappeared from the area in twin puffs of stylised green smoke curls. Joel's face visibly paled as he witnessed this, his features falling from worry into outright fear. He tried to catch Kabuki's arm as she rushed past him, but between shock and nerves failed to catch her, instead following after to interrupt the brief girl-on-girl moment.
"Do you two have any idea what you've done now?" Gone was the calm, smooth voice of a pleasure servant, replaced instead by a much more real, much more normal voice of a navi terrified of what all of this could mean for him personally. "It's bad enough you took advantage of out hospitality to spread politics, but you've gone and spoken for us, when you had no right to do so. We can't take that back now, don't you understand? There's no way the house can rescind the words you put in out mouth, and still save any sort of face. This could ruin us completely." He made a sound of extreme frustration, clenching his fingers together then flexing them out again, and looking like he wanted to grab at his own hair. "Those were the heads of house Seishin, you know, the ones who booked this function with us and invited you all here? Now they think we've... wait... they invited all the guests. There's people here from every faction, even a couple of Kōzuke supporters." His eyes narrowed then flicked between Kabuki and Divina. By this point he was probably on the verge of assuming the former's distress to be entirely a sham. "They invited you both here. This was a set up, wasn't it? They wanted to stand against Kōzuke, but they wanted someone to use as a scapegoat if it all went wrong. That's low. We've always been cordial with Seishin, why do this to us now?"
His eyes passed between them, still, seeking an answer he clearly didn't expect to actually get.
"Maybe I don't understand, but you both need to come with me right now. I need to let Matron know about what happened here, even if she'll probably fire me for it, and you are both going to have a lot of explaining to do besides." In a moment, he was re-clothed in a long red towel robe, with the house name emblazoned on the breast and he reached out with the intention to take both of their hands in one of his own.
There was something of a dilemma to this; to all intents and purposes, the girls' work was done, for the red house, so them leaving the area now mightn't be a problem... but being detained over their actions could be problematic on its own; after all, they only had until dusk fell and the torches were lit: an interrogation might carry them long into the night.
If any of them had been able to hear what was whispered, it might show that enough of those listening were at least partially aware of recent events in the district, enough to understand what the performer was referencing, and enough of them were quietly explaining to those around them, that gradually all but the most distracted and enthusiastic guests were paying attention with at least half an eye; if not to Kabuki herself, then to another guest filing them in. The house staff were not blind to this, and Joel wasn't the only one growing increasingly concerned.
The shout from before had cemented in most guest's minds that Kabuki was, in actuality, representing the house, and that her message was synonymous with their own views... that the call to attendance was a call made by Koushoku itself. Some had begun trying to reassure guests that the lady on stage wasn't employed by the house, and was simply an independent performer, but more often than not their efforts were met simply with 'knowing' nods or other such gestures; the sort that said 'of course I know you've got to say that', while they continued to assume their involvement.
By the time the actress reached the crescendo of her performance, Joel's fingers were clenching and flexing anxiously at the foot of the stairs. Clearly he had decided that the show needed to be curtailed, but was all too aware of the difficulty of drawing a halt to this sort of stage show, once it was this far progressed. There was no disguising how frustratedly helpless he was feeling, eyes glued to the stage and mouth fixed in a worried grimace, somehow managing to watch without actively appreciating Kabuki's form in the slightest. Just as he had apparently decided to call curtain on the act, however, his attention was diverted by a timely moment of divine intervention.
While Joel didn't seem even the least bit reassured or believing of Divina's reassurances, his hospitality training nevertheless betrayed the poor navi into hearing her out and addressing the woman, rather than acting as he had meant to.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. There's a delicate balance in this district, and something like this... If I had known this was what you both intended, I should never have allowed her the use of the stage. Now please, I'm very sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I must..." By this point, however, it was too late. Under most circumstances, it would be considered a benefit of being a navi, that no amount of anxiety or worry would rob a male of his physical usefulness, at the moment however, clearly stressed and worried, it only lent his enduring 'preparedness' a somewhat comical light... especially as he turned very swiftly back to the stage, only to find himself too late to stop things.
As Kabuki concluded her performance, the reaction from the crowd was very mixed; many had, obviously, simply been watching for the eye candy, and amongst them some were quite appreciative of what they'd been given, but many more were disappointed at not getting more than she'd been willing to give. There was some applause, though it was polite more than warm, and a couple of shouts of the house name from others watching. There was also a lot of quiet whispering and hurried conversations. Many seemed to have assumed that the house was deliberately taking this moment out from raw eroticism for a very deliberate reason, and that lent the message more urgency and importance.
Though in this particular case Kabuki had failed to communicate anything to do with a time or place for people to meet, there seemed to be enough bits and pieces of knowledge about the incident, and the planned execution, that the possible windows were quite slim. Some would likely be assuming that it would be dawn, when the stand out was supposed to happen, but chances were, if they managed to gather enough people in time, the crowd itself would alert anyone who had the wrong time in mind.
Amidst the general murmur after the act, two navis stood side by side and each raised a fist to the air; one was wearing a sheer, gauzy sarong that was a pale green in colour, while the other bore a serious of curling, flowing tattoos across his arms and chest, also in varying shades of green.
"Seishin will stand with Koushoku this night!"
"Seishin stands as well!" They called out, one after the other, then promptly disappeared from the area in twin puffs of stylised green smoke curls. Joel's face visibly paled as he witnessed this, his features falling from worry into outright fear. He tried to catch Kabuki's arm as she rushed past him, but between shock and nerves failed to catch her, instead following after to interrupt the brief girl-on-girl moment.
"Do you two have any idea what you've done now?" Gone was the calm, smooth voice of a pleasure servant, replaced instead by a much more real, much more normal voice of a navi terrified of what all of this could mean for him personally. "It's bad enough you took advantage of out hospitality to spread politics, but you've gone and spoken for us, when you had no right to do so. We can't take that back now, don't you understand? There's no way the house can rescind the words you put in out mouth, and still save any sort of face. This could ruin us completely." He made a sound of extreme frustration, clenching his fingers together then flexing them out again, and looking like he wanted to grab at his own hair. "Those were the heads of house Seishin, you know, the ones who booked this function with us and invited you all here? Now they think we've... wait... they invited all the guests. There's people here from every faction, even a couple of Kōzuke supporters." His eyes narrowed then flicked between Kabuki and Divina. By this point he was probably on the verge of assuming the former's distress to be entirely a sham. "They invited you both here. This was a set up, wasn't it? They wanted to stand against Kōzuke, but they wanted someone to use as a scapegoat if it all went wrong. That's low. We've always been cordial with Seishin, why do this to us now?"
His eyes passed between them, still, seeking an answer he clearly didn't expect to actually get.
"Maybe I don't understand, but you both need to come with me right now. I need to let Matron know about what happened here, even if she'll probably fire me for it, and you are both going to have a lot of explaining to do besides." In a moment, he was re-clothed in a long red towel robe, with the house name emblazoned on the breast and he reached out with the intention to take both of their hands in one of his own.
There was something of a dilemma to this; to all intents and purposes, the girls' work was done, for the red house, so them leaving the area now mightn't be a problem... but being detained over their actions could be problematic on its own; after all, they only had until dusk fell and the torches were lit: an interrogation might carry them long into the night.
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By the time the performance was over, it was extremely clear to Divina that things were spiraling out of control...mostly because things were spiraling out of control. 'Joel' seemed to be on the same wavelength, though perhaps not unreasonably, he was slightly more freaked out. She, however, managed to stay calm, knowing more about the situation than him. "No. We're not with them, or any house. We simply snuck in here, with the sole purpose of spreading our message." She closed her eyes for a moment, looking for the right way to say what she was about to. "...And quite frankly, I find the whole thing going on here in Yoka to be childish and asinine, and if this is all it takes to create an incident worthy of your panic, you all need to take a serious look in the mirror! ...That said, I'm not about to cause a tragedy from trying to prevent a tragedy. Here." The goddess Navi moved Kabuki from her shoulder to his. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a situation to diffuse...goddess style!" Before he could respond, she floated up, and over to the stage.
Once she was floating in the middle of the stage, she immediately created three balls of light. One went to her right, while the other two went up and down to the left. She took a deep breath...and triggered a great flash of light, that anyone in the room not completely blind would notice. As it softened, a representation of her emblem appeared behind her for a moment, before fading. Seemed she was better at lighting for herself than others. She continued to hover around a foot in the air, her eyes focused squarely on the crowd. Much like Kabuki, the bright lights of the stage didn't bother her. "Attention! I'm currently with the woman that just performed...and I don't think everyone properly understood. We are not with Koushoku, or any other of your nonsense houses! While I am loathe to admit it, we tricked the house into thinking our intentions were more...innocent, for lack of a better term. This was done without the knowledge or consent of anyone but ourselves. We are merely outsiders, seeking to right a wrong that we discovered. Therefore, if you wish to aid our PEACEFUL protest, and we sincerely hope that you do, come at dusk. The more locals at our sides, the greater our chances of success. We shall rescue the lost souls without having to resort to violence! We desire nothing more than that, but also nothing less!" She looked over the area, making sure everyone had seen and heard. She wasn't above shining a light onto people to grab someone's attention, either. She was resolving this matter now, and no force on earth was going to stop her.
Once she was floating in the middle of the stage, she immediately created three balls of light. One went to her right, while the other two went up and down to the left. She took a deep breath...and triggered a great flash of light, that anyone in the room not completely blind would notice. As it softened, a representation of her emblem appeared behind her for a moment, before fading. Seemed she was better at lighting for herself than others. She continued to hover around a foot in the air, her eyes focused squarely on the crowd. Much like Kabuki, the bright lights of the stage didn't bother her. "Attention! I'm currently with the woman that just performed...and I don't think everyone properly understood. We are not with Koushoku, or any other of your nonsense houses! While I am loathe to admit it, we tricked the house into thinking our intentions were more...innocent, for lack of a better term. This was done without the knowledge or consent of anyone but ourselves. We are merely outsiders, seeking to right a wrong that we discovered. Therefore, if you wish to aid our PEACEFUL protest, and we sincerely hope that you do, come at dusk. The more locals at our sides, the greater our chances of success. We shall rescue the lost souls without having to resort to violence! We desire nothing more than that, but also nothing less!" She looked over the area, making sure everyone had seen and heard. She wasn't above shining a light onto people to grab someone's attention, either. She was resolving this matter now, and no force on earth was going to stop her.
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Kabuki was sequentially excited by the distinct vows of some powerful looking people claiming they wished to join her cause, offended by the red house's apparent concern for maintaining the status quo at the cost of justice, and surprised at being moved off of her partner and onto Joel. That new position didn't suit her at all, and she quickly bounced back and away, now covering herself with her arms. Kabuki resolved to at least partially clothe herself before thinking any further about the intricacies of the situation; using her invisible wires, she guided her pink under-robe robe back from the stage and onto her back, then shrugged her arms into it and drew the cord around her waist. With none of the other garments, it looked a little as though she were wearing a bathrobe herself.
Divina had gone on damage control, which the actress appreciated, but she found that her face held a fierce kabuki frown; she was personally offended that there was even a need to explain herself. For one thing, it sort of ruined the mystique of her act to have the message spelled out after she performed, but that was just a point of personal pride. More importantly, the fact that Koushoku was so dedicated to the current balance of power that they were overlooking the justice she so clearly spelled out for them had enraged her. "Well, perhaps I should be thankful that they're only proposing I speak to their madam and not locking me up to execute like the purple house did to those SPs," she reminded herself.
It also occurred to Kabuki, listening to Divina speak, that she sincerely hoped she never got on the goddess' bad side.
Although she really had no desire to get caught up speaking to a madam about the issue or anything of that sort, Kabuki acknowledged that to try to cut and run would only be more dangerous. She'd be operating within the vicinity of the red house all night, and even if Koushoku didn't stand to lose anything from a business perspective (they might, she wasn't sure), they would probably be indignant at the undercutting of their authority. With that in mind, she fought the urge to flee like the heroic legendary bandit she now thought herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't just keep ignoring Joel. "See? The goddess, Divina, has explained everything! That ought to be enough, right?" Kabuki laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "There's no reason to keep us here when there is JUUUS~TICE to uphold! Justice comes first! Don't you agree?" She was getting the strong impression that justice was seen as secondary to business in this affair, however.
Divina had gone on damage control, which the actress appreciated, but she found that her face held a fierce kabuki frown; she was personally offended that there was even a need to explain herself. For one thing, it sort of ruined the mystique of her act to have the message spelled out after she performed, but that was just a point of personal pride. More importantly, the fact that Koushoku was so dedicated to the current balance of power that they were overlooking the justice she so clearly spelled out for them had enraged her. "Well, perhaps I should be thankful that they're only proposing I speak to their madam and not locking me up to execute like the purple house did to those SPs," she reminded herself.
It also occurred to Kabuki, listening to Divina speak, that she sincerely hoped she never got on the goddess' bad side.
Although she really had no desire to get caught up speaking to a madam about the issue or anything of that sort, Kabuki acknowledged that to try to cut and run would only be more dangerous. She'd be operating within the vicinity of the red house all night, and even if Koushoku didn't stand to lose anything from a business perspective (they might, she wasn't sure), they would probably be indignant at the undercutting of their authority. With that in mind, she fought the urge to flee like the heroic legendary bandit she now thought herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't just keep ignoring Joel. "See? The goddess, Divina, has explained everything! That ought to be enough, right?" Kabuki laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "There's no reason to keep us here when there is JUUUS~TICE to uphold! Justice comes first! Don't you agree?" She was getting the strong impression that justice was seen as secondary to business in this affair, however.
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The downside with dealing with someone who believed they were a deity, was that they rarely left you a chance to respond, no matter how idiotic or ignorant you personally though they were being. Such were Joel's troubles as Divina attempted to scold him, sounding to his ears, like a child trying to tell her mother how to bake. If he didn't react to her admission that they were gate-crashing, it was likely because the claim that they were unaffiliated with any house, and had simply slipped in to spread very particular political propaganda of their own accord, was really far too ludicrous a claim to take seriously. He tried to grab her hand and stop her from reclaiming the stage, but found himself suddenly with an armful of actress instead. Kabuki didn't stay there long, of course, but long enough to prevent him from stopping Divina. She also redressed herself swiftly and reclaimed her composure, reverting from distressed sobbing to cool and severe with a speed that more or less confirmed to him that it had all been an utter sham, and a well executed act.
On stage, Dinvina's methods of clarifying weren't, unfortunately, doing her many favours. The bright flash drew attention, certainly, but more than anything it dazzled and affronted, and caused a good deal of grumbling from many sections, as folk who had been attempting to return to enjoying themselves were rudely forced to acknowledge the stage again in away that was hard to ignore. While the various house staff that had been attempting to disown Kabuki to their guests had been med with polite and knowing nods, Divina's fiercer, blunter disclaimer seemed to strike many as a case of protesting too loudly. Others had noted the quick backing of Seishin, and their subsequent departure, so to see such a disclaimer now, after they had left, could only look suspect.
Though she wasn't being received particularly well, a large portion of guests had, indeed, already decide dot support, and now they were clearer about the time and place, at least. There were almost none amongst the crowd who actually believed the assertion that they weren't with the house, and calling the old and proud bath-house families 'nonsense' only upset people more. Those that didn't do their best to turn away and ignore her seemed more inclined to the belief that if she was going to stand on the stage, then she ought to be entertaining. Calls came up ranged along the, admittedly fairly narrow spectrum, between telling her to show her tits, get her kit off, or to put certain items in certain places.
Try as he might to keep cool, Joel's professional demeanour cracked steadily the more both women spoke down to him and reprimanded him over matters that they were both, to his mind, demonstrating very little understanding and a great deal of ignorance about. He did his best to keep a pleasant outward appearance, since they were still in the function room, but the sharpness in his voice made it clear how angered he was.
"Perhaps I agree with what you want to do, perhaps the Koushoku family would agree as well, but that's pretty damn irrelevant now. Do you really think for one minute that blathering on about how you don't really speak for us, now, after the fact, is going to do anything at all? Very convenient that you both waited until after Seishin had backed our 'commitment' before even trying to say anything of that nature, too. I mean, come on... You're a flaming Kabuki actress, aren't you? You can't possibly fail to understand the powers in play here, or the why something like this could literally lead to our house's destruction, can you? Or is all of... this," He waved one arm, gesturing to what was more or less all of Kabuki, "just a put on as well?" Exasperated, he seemed to feel the need to explain in greater detail, in some effort to hammer home the seriousness of their actions.
"This is a political power struggle, not just a squabble over customers, and you've committed us to an act of open and direct hostility against Kōzuke. Call it a peaceful protest if you want, that doesn't change anything about the action in a political light. You can't take it back, we can't take it back. No-one can take this back, especially now that Seishin has been oh so quick to second us as the figureheads of opposition. It's done now, and there's nothing the family can do that will save face for them if they don't follow through now. Surly you understand that? We've always opposed Kōzuke, but we cannot hope to stand direct and openly against them on a level footing. They would crush us out of business, and destroy the family to their last relative. You know it has happened before... and now, thanks to you, we can't back down from the confrontation. If you have any illusions that something like this won't lead to navis losing their lives, then you can't possibly be what you dress as, because no-one in that life could possibly be so naïve" He stopped, pausing for breath. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed deeply; he had never raised his voice at all, but the words themselves had still been fierce. He glanced back up to Divina and pointed in her direction as his eyes snapped back to the woman in front of him.
"Now you get that friend of yours down off that stage right now, or so help me I'll lock you both in our drunk room for a week." He clearly had words for the goddess as well, and wasn't going to just swallow them because she'd rushed away onto stage before he could. Another of the house staff had noticed Joel struggling to deal with the cause of all of their concern and slipped forward to man his post at the base of the stairs, recalling a house robe over her previously naked form, just as Joel had.
On stage, Dinvina's methods of clarifying weren't, unfortunately, doing her many favours. The bright flash drew attention, certainly, but more than anything it dazzled and affronted, and caused a good deal of grumbling from many sections, as folk who had been attempting to return to enjoying themselves were rudely forced to acknowledge the stage again in away that was hard to ignore. While the various house staff that had been attempting to disown Kabuki to their guests had been med with polite and knowing nods, Divina's fiercer, blunter disclaimer seemed to strike many as a case of protesting too loudly. Others had noted the quick backing of Seishin, and their subsequent departure, so to see such a disclaimer now, after they had left, could only look suspect.
Though she wasn't being received particularly well, a large portion of guests had, indeed, already decide dot support, and now they were clearer about the time and place, at least. There were almost none amongst the crowd who actually believed the assertion that they weren't with the house, and calling the old and proud bath-house families 'nonsense' only upset people more. Those that didn't do their best to turn away and ignore her seemed more inclined to the belief that if she was going to stand on the stage, then she ought to be entertaining. Calls came up ranged along the, admittedly fairly narrow spectrum, between telling her to show her tits, get her kit off, or to put certain items in certain places.
Try as he might to keep cool, Joel's professional demeanour cracked steadily the more both women spoke down to him and reprimanded him over matters that they were both, to his mind, demonstrating very little understanding and a great deal of ignorance about. He did his best to keep a pleasant outward appearance, since they were still in the function room, but the sharpness in his voice made it clear how angered he was.
"Perhaps I agree with what you want to do, perhaps the Koushoku family would agree as well, but that's pretty damn irrelevant now. Do you really think for one minute that blathering on about how you don't really speak for us, now, after the fact, is going to do anything at all? Very convenient that you both waited until after Seishin had backed our 'commitment' before even trying to say anything of that nature, too. I mean, come on... You're a flaming Kabuki actress, aren't you? You can't possibly fail to understand the powers in play here, or the why something like this could literally lead to our house's destruction, can you? Or is all of... this," He waved one arm, gesturing to what was more or less all of Kabuki, "just a put on as well?" Exasperated, he seemed to feel the need to explain in greater detail, in some effort to hammer home the seriousness of their actions.
"This is a political power struggle, not just a squabble over customers, and you've committed us to an act of open and direct hostility against Kōzuke. Call it a peaceful protest if you want, that doesn't change anything about the action in a political light. You can't take it back, we can't take it back. No-one can take this back, especially now that Seishin has been oh so quick to second us as the figureheads of opposition. It's done now, and there's nothing the family can do that will save face for them if they don't follow through now. Surly you understand that? We've always opposed Kōzuke, but we cannot hope to stand direct and openly against them on a level footing. They would crush us out of business, and destroy the family to their last relative. You know it has happened before... and now, thanks to you, we can't back down from the confrontation. If you have any illusions that something like this won't lead to navis losing their lives, then you can't possibly be what you dress as, because no-one in that life could possibly be so naïve" He stopped, pausing for breath. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed deeply; he had never raised his voice at all, but the words themselves had still been fierce. He glanced back up to Divina and pointed in her direction as his eyes snapped back to the woman in front of him.
"Now you get that friend of yours down off that stage right now, or so help me I'll lock you both in our drunk room for a week." He clearly had words for the goddess as well, and wasn't going to just swallow them because she'd rushed away onto stage before he could. Another of the house staff had noticed Joel struggling to deal with the cause of all of their concern and slipped forward to man his post at the base of the stairs, recalling a house robe over her previously naked form, just as Joel had.
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The situation only grew more chaotic and spiraled further into disapproval (on various fronts) when Divina explained herself. In hindsight, Kabuki sort of wished she'd stopped Divina from going onto the stage; as a veteran of bathhouse war politics, she knew that stating things out in the open was never the right way to go, and as an understudy of a certain famous eccentric thief of legend, she knew that running away with the bird in hand was usually better than beating around the bushes for more. At the same time, she admired Divina's frankness, thinking to herself that Yoshitsune probably would have as well if he'd been watching. Like Divina, he couldn't be bothered with the politics and doublespeak associated with these sorts of concerns and probably would have tried to go straight to the source... although, she'd probably have talked him out of that herself. "Too late to do anything about that," the actress admitted to herself.
As Joel pulled up his soapbox, so to speak, Kabuki found her broad shoulders sagging inward a bit. After all, looking at it from his perspective, he had indeed been tricked and if blood was on anyone's hands for the events, he could very well be the one on the chopping block for allowing herself on stage. He accused her of being an actor on a few more levels than she had originally implied, further asserted that she had her hands in forces she couldn't comprehend, and had made a mess of a complex balance of power, not to mention potentially getting others killed. However, Kabuki was the big sister type; she could weep over her loss of maidenly honor and so forth, but when the time came to assert herself, she'd do that as well. It takes a certain level of assertiveness to get on stage and do strip improv kabuki in the first place, after all. "I'm sorry that I couldn't come up front with this and that your house has been caught up in this hair-brained scheme. But when you talk about people dying...!" she quivered momentarily and then began to glow red again, a bit coming now from beneath her robe as well, "that is FOOOL~ISH~NESS!"
She raised onto one leg again and extended one leg, frowning deeply and squinting her eyes. "I know I wasn't very clear before, but people are already dying! People already HAVE died! If you know about this political war, then you must already know that as well!" she scolded, maintaining her pose as she spoke. "A good man has been murdered by those people and several of those close to him, innocents, are also about to be killed. Others have probably already been killed in the shadows! More will be murdered! Their blood and data will soak into the bathhouses around all of us, AN OOOSH~EEE~AN OF MURDER! Nothing will stymie it as long as corrupt puppeteers control the situation! You are saying what I've done is wrong because innocents may be harmed, but how many more will be harmed if the status quo is not changed? If no one steps up to change it?!"
Although she was professionally offended at the implication that she might not be a real kabuki actress, or worse, might not have the soul of a heroic kabuki, she didn't rush to the defense of her character. That would really cheapen her main point, for one, but also wasn't relevant in light of the real issue. She wasn't about to yield to the demand to go put a leash on Divina either, of course. Divina understood the justice of her cause and Kabuki was now determined to make sure it was clear to everyone; to restore not only her honor, but also, to make the path to justice accessible to those who were in a position to lend their aid and save those whose lives hung in the balance. Settling back down onto both legs again, she held her hands out to each side and approached Joel slowly, hunching her back. Once she reached him, she straightened up to her full height again. "If the red house doesn't have the strength to stand up to the purple house alone, then we will simply have to unite all houses against them. If blood is spilled, it will be tragic, as is any blood spilled. But how much more tragic is the unquantifiable river of blood that flows steadily beneath the caves, unhampered and without dam? I am sorry that you had to abide my deception. However, you and I can abide DE~CEP~TEE~OOOON! What we cannot abide is EEEE~VIL!" she cried, keeping close to him. "And despite how this may seem, we are not evil. We are united in a cause that is good, one which only works if we all stand united. Including you," she spoke more quietly now, smiling hopefully as her hair faded back to black and her skin returned to brown.
"Indeed, this plan cannot work if we do not have your support. The support of as many of you as are willing," she continued, noticing the other man approaching to assist Joel. "Not just your house; you specifically. So... let our decision, at least, be one, so that we are not divided against each other. I will make a gambit! I value the lives of the future innocents, the ones who will be oppressed without voices, who will die in the shadows, who can never know freedom, but it is as you say: I may have doomed others with my actions, attempting to save them. Now that you've heard my speech, I have no choice but to surrender myself to the vote of you, my audience. I understand that I am the villain in this story: a wretch who sewed deceit, entered amongst you all, and now drag you into the flames with me in what could be a fruitless war. However, I believe I am also the protagonist: if the goddess Divina and myself did not rally men against the machinations of evil, the exploitation and murder of innocents would continue forever, given this history which has apparently continued so long that I cannot grasp its scope, if it is as you imply. I am both just and guilty, but only you, the audience, can interpret my role in the story."
The navi extended her grooved hands out, with the fingers closed but the palms pressed against one another. "If you judge me a misanthrope, a criminal, or simply a fool who made herself a devil, grab my wrists and I will go peacefully with you to the one in charge, as you demanded of me. However, if you judge my actions as right, please, embrace my hands and commit yourself to helping us, allowing my friend and I to fly from this house to the next. The night draws quickly to its close and if we cannot rally more of the houses before the time of the execution, that river of blood will find new liquid running from source to basin, and stopping its flow will become more difficult than ever!"
On her way to the stage earlier, Kabuki had found her knees knocking because of the possible loss of her honor, of her pride as a woman. Although honor was motivating her even now to some extent, she realized that there was no more time for ego. She'd been "acting" when she joined Uprising; she was a cocky navi looking for a chance to play hero wherever she could find it. She realized how selfish that motivation was. The true driving factor needed to be the lives of those about the be executed, nothing less. Only then would she have justice on her side. Tears started to well in the sides of her sockets again as she realized what failure would mean... after all, she didn't think her 'rivers of blood' claim was misplaced. Not only would the SPs die, but if the purple house surmised that they could get away with it, if Divina's followers and Uprising all found their efforts to be useless, then it was entirely possible that they might lose their chance to end the tyranny of the purple house forever.
Kabuki squinted her pink eyes shut in spite of herself, clenching her sharp teeth together in an expression of weakness. If Joel didn't accept her hands, then regardless of who was right or wrong, he would ultimately be correct: she would have condemned not only the SPs, but also other innocents who would now join Uprising's demonstration, to harm. Realizing that Divina might see what she was doing and come to her rescue again, she shook her head, speaking to the air around her. "Do not interfere, Goddess... if this ends in my sacrifice, then that is just another part of the play. It is only natural for a kabuki act to end in sep... seppuku..." she gulped, unable to smile despite her joke. The tears inside her sockets managed to escape from each corner, starting to roll down her cheeks. The grief of the situation was that this might end with more than her sacrifice. If she went down here, she might very well be taking all of those Uprising hoped to save down along with her. "But whatever happens... do not abandon JUUU~STICE!" That was her way of subtly saying that if things did go south, Divina ought to leave immediately before the men of the house had the opportunity to apprehend her, or else their mission would certainly be failed.
As Joel pulled up his soapbox, so to speak, Kabuki found her broad shoulders sagging inward a bit. After all, looking at it from his perspective, he had indeed been tricked and if blood was on anyone's hands for the events, he could very well be the one on the chopping block for allowing herself on stage. He accused her of being an actor on a few more levels than she had originally implied, further asserted that she had her hands in forces she couldn't comprehend, and had made a mess of a complex balance of power, not to mention potentially getting others killed. However, Kabuki was the big sister type; she could weep over her loss of maidenly honor and so forth, but when the time came to assert herself, she'd do that as well. It takes a certain level of assertiveness to get on stage and do strip improv kabuki in the first place, after all. "I'm sorry that I couldn't come up front with this and that your house has been caught up in this hair-brained scheme. But when you talk about people dying...!" she quivered momentarily and then began to glow red again, a bit coming now from beneath her robe as well, "that is FOOOL~ISH~NESS!"
She raised onto one leg again and extended one leg, frowning deeply and squinting her eyes. "I know I wasn't very clear before, but people are already dying! People already HAVE died! If you know about this political war, then you must already know that as well!" she scolded, maintaining her pose as she spoke. "A good man has been murdered by those people and several of those close to him, innocents, are also about to be killed. Others have probably already been killed in the shadows! More will be murdered! Their blood and data will soak into the bathhouses around all of us, AN OOOSH~EEE~AN OF MURDER! Nothing will stymie it as long as corrupt puppeteers control the situation! You are saying what I've done is wrong because innocents may be harmed, but how many more will be harmed if the status quo is not changed? If no one steps up to change it?!"
Although she was professionally offended at the implication that she might not be a real kabuki actress, or worse, might not have the soul of a heroic kabuki, she didn't rush to the defense of her character. That would really cheapen her main point, for one, but also wasn't relevant in light of the real issue. She wasn't about to yield to the demand to go put a leash on Divina either, of course. Divina understood the justice of her cause and Kabuki was now determined to make sure it was clear to everyone; to restore not only her honor, but also, to make the path to justice accessible to those who were in a position to lend their aid and save those whose lives hung in the balance. Settling back down onto both legs again, she held her hands out to each side and approached Joel slowly, hunching her back. Once she reached him, she straightened up to her full height again. "If the red house doesn't have the strength to stand up to the purple house alone, then we will simply have to unite all houses against them. If blood is spilled, it will be tragic, as is any blood spilled. But how much more tragic is the unquantifiable river of blood that flows steadily beneath the caves, unhampered and without dam? I am sorry that you had to abide my deception. However, you and I can abide DE~CEP~TEE~OOOON! What we cannot abide is EEEE~VIL!" she cried, keeping close to him. "And despite how this may seem, we are not evil. We are united in a cause that is good, one which only works if we all stand united. Including you," she spoke more quietly now, smiling hopefully as her hair faded back to black and her skin returned to brown.
"Indeed, this plan cannot work if we do not have your support. The support of as many of you as are willing," she continued, noticing the other man approaching to assist Joel. "Not just your house; you specifically. So... let our decision, at least, be one, so that we are not divided against each other. I will make a gambit! I value the lives of the future innocents, the ones who will be oppressed without voices, who will die in the shadows, who can never know freedom, but it is as you say: I may have doomed others with my actions, attempting to save them. Now that you've heard my speech, I have no choice but to surrender myself to the vote of you, my audience. I understand that I am the villain in this story: a wretch who sewed deceit, entered amongst you all, and now drag you into the flames with me in what could be a fruitless war. However, I believe I am also the protagonist: if the goddess Divina and myself did not rally men against the machinations of evil, the exploitation and murder of innocents would continue forever, given this history which has apparently continued so long that I cannot grasp its scope, if it is as you imply. I am both just and guilty, but only you, the audience, can interpret my role in the story."
The navi extended her grooved hands out, with the fingers closed but the palms pressed against one another. "If you judge me a misanthrope, a criminal, or simply a fool who made herself a devil, grab my wrists and I will go peacefully with you to the one in charge, as you demanded of me. However, if you judge my actions as right, please, embrace my hands and commit yourself to helping us, allowing my friend and I to fly from this house to the next. The night draws quickly to its close and if we cannot rally more of the houses before the time of the execution, that river of blood will find new liquid running from source to basin, and stopping its flow will become more difficult than ever!"
On her way to the stage earlier, Kabuki had found her knees knocking because of the possible loss of her honor, of her pride as a woman. Although honor was motivating her even now to some extent, she realized that there was no more time for ego. She'd been "acting" when she joined Uprising; she was a cocky navi looking for a chance to play hero wherever she could find it. She realized how selfish that motivation was. The true driving factor needed to be the lives of those about the be executed, nothing less. Only then would she have justice on her side. Tears started to well in the sides of her sockets again as she realized what failure would mean... after all, she didn't think her 'rivers of blood' claim was misplaced. Not only would the SPs die, but if the purple house surmised that they could get away with it, if Divina's followers and Uprising all found their efforts to be useless, then it was entirely possible that they might lose their chance to end the tyranny of the purple house forever.
Kabuki squinted her pink eyes shut in spite of herself, clenching her sharp teeth together in an expression of weakness. If Joel didn't accept her hands, then regardless of who was right or wrong, he would ultimately be correct: she would have condemned not only the SPs, but also other innocents who would now join Uprising's demonstration, to harm. Realizing that Divina might see what she was doing and come to her rescue again, she shook her head, speaking to the air around her. "Do not interfere, Goddess... if this ends in my sacrifice, then that is just another part of the play. It is only natural for a kabuki act to end in sep... seppuku..." she gulped, unable to smile despite her joke. The tears inside her sockets managed to escape from each corner, starting to roll down her cheeks. The grief of the situation was that this might end with more than her sacrifice. If she went down here, she might very well be taking all of those Uprising hoped to save down along with her. "But whatever happens... do not abandon JUUU~STICE!" That was her way of subtly saying that if things did go south, Divina ought to leave immediately before the men of the house had the opportunity to apprehend her, or else their mission would certainly be failed.
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As she noted the reaction to her speech, Divina could feel her heart being torn in two, unable to determine whether she was more angry or disappointed in how people were dismissing it. But one thing was becoming crystal clear. "...Is that what it takes? If I strip down, will you understand my sincerity? Baring my soul, amongst other things?" She reached up behind her neck, to where her dress presumably came undone...for a moment, anyway. Soon after, she pulled back, frowning at the crowd. "No! Perhaps you'll understand the gravity of the situation if you're deprived of what you seek! But, who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind when we get together later...!~" Her words ended up surprising even herself, as she was being completely sincere, and not just leading them on. Perhaps if they found it in their hearts to forgive her, she would apologize by granting them a glimpse of a true heavenly body.
With a wave, she floated off the stage and returned to Kabuki and 'Joel' just in time to hear part of his little speech. She could feel her frustration towards the whole house system rising, but managed to bite her tongue just hard enough to refrain from exploding on the matter. Instead, she hopped up, and sat on the side of her staff. "If you're done speaking, I have a few words before we go. First of all, don't even think I'm so naive to think that there won't potentially be casualties. I plan on doing everything in my power to prevent it, but I'm not omnipotent. And yet, therein lies the great contradiction. If we sit on our hands, there are casualties anyway. Those that have happened, and those that will happen. No matter how you look at it, blood will be spilled. And whose fault is it? ...Everybody's. Kozuke's for doing the act, but also the other houses for letting such a foolish power struggle escalate to this point. And those that know about it, but do nothing to end it. Power attained by atrocities is not true power. Any power I wield today...I'm proud to say that it has been gotten without violence. I simply speak what I believe to be true, and let my actions support that, and through that alone I have gotten the support of others. So don't even pretend to think that various horrors are necessary. They're not. The houses have simply deluded themselves into thinking that it is. Now...with all that said, what words do you have for me? I'll listen to them, but I don't have all day." Not that anyone would know that, given how wordy she'd just been. She was entirely aware of it, but it was simply how she spoke. She wasn't going to apologize for speaking her heart. It'd go against everything she had just said.
And speaking of which, she had a bone to pick with Kabuki. She looked at the actress, and grimaced. Seriously? Without missing a beat, she reached over, grabbed the scruff of her robe, and yanked her back up. "Seppuku? Really?! I have no intention of sitting around and letting you make such a pointless sacrifice! A life, be it Navi, SP, human, or deity, is immeasurably precious. To throw it away so casually is just...just..." The goddess's frustration managed to boil over just enough that her eyes went from 'sad' to 'on the verge of crying'. She just couldn't believe that lives were being regarded so flippantly. "...Completely foolish! It's the biggest slap in the face imaginable for the ones that bestowed upon you that life! I won't allow it!" By now, it looked like if she uttered another syllable, she'd start crying...and she just might. This was really hitting one of her buttons now: the sacrifice of one's life.
With a wave, she floated off the stage and returned to Kabuki and 'Joel' just in time to hear part of his little speech. She could feel her frustration towards the whole house system rising, but managed to bite her tongue just hard enough to refrain from exploding on the matter. Instead, she hopped up, and sat on the side of her staff. "If you're done speaking, I have a few words before we go. First of all, don't even think I'm so naive to think that there won't potentially be casualties. I plan on doing everything in my power to prevent it, but I'm not omnipotent. And yet, therein lies the great contradiction. If we sit on our hands, there are casualties anyway. Those that have happened, and those that will happen. No matter how you look at it, blood will be spilled. And whose fault is it? ...Everybody's. Kozuke's for doing the act, but also the other houses for letting such a foolish power struggle escalate to this point. And those that know about it, but do nothing to end it. Power attained by atrocities is not true power. Any power I wield today...I'm proud to say that it has been gotten without violence. I simply speak what I believe to be true, and let my actions support that, and through that alone I have gotten the support of others. So don't even pretend to think that various horrors are necessary. They're not. The houses have simply deluded themselves into thinking that it is. Now...with all that said, what words do you have for me? I'll listen to them, but I don't have all day." Not that anyone would know that, given how wordy she'd just been. She was entirely aware of it, but it was simply how she spoke. She wasn't going to apologize for speaking her heart. It'd go against everything she had just said.
And speaking of which, she had a bone to pick with Kabuki. She looked at the actress, and grimaced. Seriously? Without missing a beat, she reached over, grabbed the scruff of her robe, and yanked her back up. "Seppuku? Really?! I have no intention of sitting around and letting you make such a pointless sacrifice! A life, be it Navi, SP, human, or deity, is immeasurably precious. To throw it away so casually is just...just..." The goddess's frustration managed to boil over just enough that her eyes went from 'sad' to 'on the verge of crying'. She just couldn't believe that lives were being regarded so flippantly. "...Completely foolish! It's the biggest slap in the face imaginable for the ones that bestowed upon you that life! I won't allow it!" By now, it looked like if she uttered another syllable, she'd start crying...and she just might. This was really hitting one of her buttons now: the sacrifice of one's life.
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Joel's expression remained flat and controlled as Kabuki pleaded and reasoned with him, and Divina returned to add her own brand of ear-boxing. The atmosphere from those watching the stage sounded disappointed, but quickly settled again, as most guests returned to their other activities. The stage show was just the side entertainment after all. If Kabuki's words seemed to strike home to a certain extent, they also visibly spiked his ire at the same time. Small flecks of fire began to creep from the corners of his eyes and his right hand twitched as though it wanted to be holding something. By the time the Divina got to the point of asking whose fault it all was, however rhetorically she had begun, Joel cut her off.
"Enough." He reached out to take a hold of each woman's wrist now that they were close enough, and a moment later the three of them were all transported from the function hall.
The place they were taken to was quite clearly still a part of the same bath-house; the same rich red furnishings were the predominant theme, even if the room itself was a smaller one that seemed far more like a combined office and waiting room. The walls bore several tastefully artistic nudes, and two long, low seats with plush cushioning were set against the side walls. The door behind them was closed, but in front of them an imposing redwood desk sat unoccupied. Two doors at the back of the room, behind the desk, seemed to lead in different directions, but they, too, seemed to be closed for now.
Joel released their hands now that the short transport was one, and began to pace restlessly. His fingers twitched in agitation as he did, and there was enough space for Divina to convey her disapproval of Kabuki's attempted sacrifice before he burst out again.
"Whose fault, you ask? Whose fault? For inciting another direct house-to-house conflict which may well lead to our own utter annihilation? For causing an inevitable falling out and vendetta between our house and Seishin, with whom we have always been friends? For all the lives that are lost as a result of these things? You. You are responsible for that. The blood that follows these actions lies squarely on both of your hands." Even though Divina had apparently had more stern words for him, Joel no longer seemed interested in listening. He rounded on her, one finger extended.
"Your words carry the weight of a sigh on the wind with me, oh goddess," there was an unmaskable trace of disdain in the title. "So save them. You must truly believe yourself to be a divinity, if you would call a generations-long struggle which has cost near countless lives and seen the complete destruction of two very old great houses, "Childish and Asinine", and to imply that such is not cause for concern or fear. Just what sort of a goddess do you claim to be that you flagrantly support deception and trickery, dishonesty and treachery, then turn around and claim that you do so to protect life, and get yourself all worked up over how important lives are... when moments ago you were so very dismissive of such losses simply because it suited you to be so? Be silent; you make only meaningless noise." The pointing finger became a sideward cutting motion with his hand and he turned from the goddess, clearly done with her, whether she was done with him or not. He turned his attention to Kabuki instead, where, apparently, he had felt there had been at least some sort of understanding.
"As for you... If you really aren't from Seishin, which I doubt... did it never occur to you that we are a house that stands against Kōzuke, and if you had come to us with your plan, we would certainly have agreed to support, if enough other strength could be mustered as well? I cannot speak for our Matron, but you would have had my sword in a heartbeat." His frustrated anger continued to rise and this time as he began pacing again the small curls of fire in his eyes grew more prominent.
"Most people don't know what happened recently. The clients, the locals, the customers... Mostly, they know that we are rival bath-houses that simply compete for their zenny. There were seven once, did you know that? Even a lot of the house employees who aren't strictly related to any of the old families, only know a little of the blood and treachery that runs underneath the competition. But I know. I know better than most what this damnable struggle has cost, and I know that you cannot paint one house a villain and pretend the others are not. Every house is steeped in its own machinations, and even house Toranjento isn't blameless, no matter what they say."
"In the past thirty years, there have been two major risings; immutable and irreconcilable conflicts between the most powerful and influential house of the time, and another. It was not always Kōzuke, and both times the cost was levied in the blood of a great house. I was not born of Koushoku, and I did not always wear the red stripe. Once I bore Yellow. Then, when balance could not be attained, nor agreement met, we sought to crush each others' patronage. When neither could, they sent their assassins to us." His impassioned raving was clearly triggering some deeper wound, because his voice quavered between infuriated, and the border of tears. "And I fought them. I did not have any choice but to fight them, no matter how dear or beautiful." This time when his right hand twitched, the object he had been unconsciously grasping for sprang to his hand, in the form a long, finely crafted sword with a waved blade, that burned with a yellow flame. Fortunately, he wasn't pointing it at either of them. "I fought, and I killed, to protect my house, and to protect our honour... but even so... even so I could not save our lord and lady. For all I sacrificed that night, they fell, and the house fell, and the shame of that failure forfeit my life." His teeth were clenched and his breathing was heavy in an effort to maintain his composure. "I was forbidden from reclaiming my honour then; taken captive and refused an honourable death. Instead, the Matron of Koushoku condemned me to live, and to bear the shame of that failure in a new life, if I would devote myself to her house anew." He stopped, turning back to them; this time when he pointed it was with his flaming sword, though the tip of it remained well over a foot distant from either of them.
"So before either of you think to waltz in here and make light of our struggle, to joke about how silly or petty it all seems to you, to talk down to any of us like we are children... you had better take one damn moment to weigh your words against all that has come before." The flames on his sword glowed brighter in time with the emphasis of his words, a visual punctuation of his anger born from distress.
"Perhaps we would have followed you, if you had asked. But you have deprived this house of choice, and set us up as the figurehead as well. If a woman would consent when asked, but a man grabs her off the street and forces himself without asking, it is still rape. You two have done no less to our house. If she would have agreed, but was not asked, she is no less defiled and violated afterwards. And then you mock us, insult us, blame us, and defile the memory of what has been cost with your words."
"That's enough KenmoeteMan. Calm yourself." The voice that interrupted him was feminine, but rich and deep, and it came from a brief bolt of red light that dropped over the large chair behind the desk. When the light beam cleared, a woman sat at the desk with her arms folded under a very ample bosom that looked to be on the border of bursting free from the sides of the robe that contained it. As it was, her modified kimono was open down to her navel, revealing the entirety of her cleavage and only seeming to obscure her nipples by hope and prayer. The woman's skin was a creamy pale tone, though her hair and eyes were both a dark crimson colour and her makeup matched the theme. She didn't look happy, but she was certainly calmer than Joel... KenmoeteMan... whichever they wished to think of him as now. The man himself turned to face her immediately, dropping to a formal knee with his sword to the side. Fortunately, the burning flames of it didn't actually seem to scorch the thick carpet at all. She glanced at him without looking directly at either of the other women in the room. "Tell me what transpired."
"Matron. I have failed you, and failed our house, and the result may lead to our ruin. My life is already forfeit to you, even taking it in your name would not restore honour to me... I do not know how to serve you in this." His voice had calmed slightly, though he still sounded quite overwrought, but the Matron just smiled.
"Serve me first by telling me what transpired. If I deem you must be punished further, after that, I will do so."
"Yes. These two infiltrated the house gathering under guise as guests. They sought the stage merely as exhibitionists and performers, and I allowed them. They spoke to all gathered in our name, pretending to represent us, and in doing so, they committed us to a direct confrontation with Kōzuke over the execution tomorrow. No sooner had they declared Koushoku to be staging this confrontation, than the heads of house Seishin stood to say before witnesses that they would follow behind us, following as Koushoku spread-headed the conflict. They have committed us to our doom, Matron, and I can see no way that we might preserve our honour in this, and yet survive. It is my fault, Matron. I allowed them to do this." At the end of his terse words, he raised his head to look at his mistress, and if either Kabuki or Divina were looking, they would be able to see tears in his eyes. She nodded to him, then finally turned her gaze Kabuki and Divina.
"Is this true, young ladies? Tell me... are you simply thrill-seekers sneaking in where you oughtn't be, saying words of nonsense that you do not understand? Because... if you are, then I will have no choice but to take you as being unaffiliated with any house."
"M-Matron...!?" Kenmoete started, sounding shocked. She repeated herself more firmly.
"If so, I will view you as unaffiliated with any house. I will view the sheer impossible coincidence of your timing and the support of Seishin as simply that; a coincidence." She took a deep breath, chest heaving dangerously.
"There is a balance of power here, and it is a delicate and dangerous game to maintain it in way that houses do not come too directly into open conflict. More than just business, lives are lost in this struggle, but the alternative is outright turf war, which would cost many countless more. You know this, but I must explain as though you didn't. You have upset this now, by calling for a very direct confrontation, in our name, and alone we do not have the strength to survive such a thing. Let us suppose for a moment that you represent house Seishin... in such a case this would look purely like a play to get our house completely destroyed. Doing so would also destabilise Kōzuke's influence, even if they gained direct power. Many would view that as a fair trade." She unfolded her arms and stretched, very nearly causing her breasts to fall out of her top.
"I do not wish to sever our cordial ties with house Seishin, and would rather find out more clearly their intention before responding... so, for now you are to be treated as ignorant and unaffiliated fools." Her fingers tapped on the desk. "You are fools, however, who now have our support, whether we wish to give it or not. So... if this truly is more than simply a ploy to destroy us, where do you go from here?" The Matron arched an eyebrow expectantly, but a moment later her gaze twitched to the side. "Hmm... And now I learn there is another girl decrying the same issue, in many of the minor Kōzuke-supporting establishments.... and many countless other foreigners all over the district. What goes on here?" Her gaze drew down. "The girl... she is with you. You will tell me of her as well." Neither of the last two statements left any room for being taken as questions or requests.
"Enough." He reached out to take a hold of each woman's wrist now that they were close enough, and a moment later the three of them were all transported from the function hall.
The place they were taken to was quite clearly still a part of the same bath-house; the same rich red furnishings were the predominant theme, even if the room itself was a smaller one that seemed far more like a combined office and waiting room. The walls bore several tastefully artistic nudes, and two long, low seats with plush cushioning were set against the side walls. The door behind them was closed, but in front of them an imposing redwood desk sat unoccupied. Two doors at the back of the room, behind the desk, seemed to lead in different directions, but they, too, seemed to be closed for now.
Joel released their hands now that the short transport was one, and began to pace restlessly. His fingers twitched in agitation as he did, and there was enough space for Divina to convey her disapproval of Kabuki's attempted sacrifice before he burst out again.
"Whose fault, you ask? Whose fault? For inciting another direct house-to-house conflict which may well lead to our own utter annihilation? For causing an inevitable falling out and vendetta between our house and Seishin, with whom we have always been friends? For all the lives that are lost as a result of these things? You. You are responsible for that. The blood that follows these actions lies squarely on both of your hands." Even though Divina had apparently had more stern words for him, Joel no longer seemed interested in listening. He rounded on her, one finger extended.
"Your words carry the weight of a sigh on the wind with me, oh goddess," there was an unmaskable trace of disdain in the title. "So save them. You must truly believe yourself to be a divinity, if you would call a generations-long struggle which has cost near countless lives and seen the complete destruction of two very old great houses, "Childish and Asinine", and to imply that such is not cause for concern or fear. Just what sort of a goddess do you claim to be that you flagrantly support deception and trickery, dishonesty and treachery, then turn around and claim that you do so to protect life, and get yourself all worked up over how important lives are... when moments ago you were so very dismissive of such losses simply because it suited you to be so? Be silent; you make only meaningless noise." The pointing finger became a sideward cutting motion with his hand and he turned from the goddess, clearly done with her, whether she was done with him or not. He turned his attention to Kabuki instead, where, apparently, he had felt there had been at least some sort of understanding.
"As for you... If you really aren't from Seishin, which I doubt... did it never occur to you that we are a house that stands against Kōzuke, and if you had come to us with your plan, we would certainly have agreed to support, if enough other strength could be mustered as well? I cannot speak for our Matron, but you would have had my sword in a heartbeat." His frustrated anger continued to rise and this time as he began pacing again the small curls of fire in his eyes grew more prominent.
"Most people don't know what happened recently. The clients, the locals, the customers... Mostly, they know that we are rival bath-houses that simply compete for their zenny. There were seven once, did you know that? Even a lot of the house employees who aren't strictly related to any of the old families, only know a little of the blood and treachery that runs underneath the competition. But I know. I know better than most what this damnable struggle has cost, and I know that you cannot paint one house a villain and pretend the others are not. Every house is steeped in its own machinations, and even house Toranjento isn't blameless, no matter what they say."
"In the past thirty years, there have been two major risings; immutable and irreconcilable conflicts between the most powerful and influential house of the time, and another. It was not always Kōzuke, and both times the cost was levied in the blood of a great house. I was not born of Koushoku, and I did not always wear the red stripe. Once I bore Yellow. Then, when balance could not be attained, nor agreement met, we sought to crush each others' patronage. When neither could, they sent their assassins to us." His impassioned raving was clearly triggering some deeper wound, because his voice quavered between infuriated, and the border of tears. "And I fought them. I did not have any choice but to fight them, no matter how dear or beautiful." This time when his right hand twitched, the object he had been unconsciously grasping for sprang to his hand, in the form a long, finely crafted sword with a waved blade, that burned with a yellow flame. Fortunately, he wasn't pointing it at either of them. "I fought, and I killed, to protect my house, and to protect our honour... but even so... even so I could not save our lord and lady. For all I sacrificed that night, they fell, and the house fell, and the shame of that failure forfeit my life." His teeth were clenched and his breathing was heavy in an effort to maintain his composure. "I was forbidden from reclaiming my honour then; taken captive and refused an honourable death. Instead, the Matron of Koushoku condemned me to live, and to bear the shame of that failure in a new life, if I would devote myself to her house anew." He stopped, turning back to them; this time when he pointed it was with his flaming sword, though the tip of it remained well over a foot distant from either of them.
"So before either of you think to waltz in here and make light of our struggle, to joke about how silly or petty it all seems to you, to talk down to any of us like we are children... you had better take one damn moment to weigh your words against all that has come before." The flames on his sword glowed brighter in time with the emphasis of his words, a visual punctuation of his anger born from distress.
"Perhaps we would have followed you, if you had asked. But you have deprived this house of choice, and set us up as the figurehead as well. If a woman would consent when asked, but a man grabs her off the street and forces himself without asking, it is still rape. You two have done no less to our house. If she would have agreed, but was not asked, she is no less defiled and violated afterwards. And then you mock us, insult us, blame us, and defile the memory of what has been cost with your words."
"That's enough KenmoeteMan. Calm yourself." The voice that interrupted him was feminine, but rich and deep, and it came from a brief bolt of red light that dropped over the large chair behind the desk. When the light beam cleared, a woman sat at the desk with her arms folded under a very ample bosom that looked to be on the border of bursting free from the sides of the robe that contained it. As it was, her modified kimono was open down to her navel, revealing the entirety of her cleavage and only seeming to obscure her nipples by hope and prayer. The woman's skin was a creamy pale tone, though her hair and eyes were both a dark crimson colour and her makeup matched the theme. She didn't look happy, but she was certainly calmer than Joel... KenmoeteMan... whichever they wished to think of him as now. The man himself turned to face her immediately, dropping to a formal knee with his sword to the side. Fortunately, the burning flames of it didn't actually seem to scorch the thick carpet at all. She glanced at him without looking directly at either of the other women in the room. "Tell me what transpired."
"Matron. I have failed you, and failed our house, and the result may lead to our ruin. My life is already forfeit to you, even taking it in your name would not restore honour to me... I do not know how to serve you in this." His voice had calmed slightly, though he still sounded quite overwrought, but the Matron just smiled.
"Serve me first by telling me what transpired. If I deem you must be punished further, after that, I will do so."
"Yes. These two infiltrated the house gathering under guise as guests. They sought the stage merely as exhibitionists and performers, and I allowed them. They spoke to all gathered in our name, pretending to represent us, and in doing so, they committed us to a direct confrontation with Kōzuke over the execution tomorrow. No sooner had they declared Koushoku to be staging this confrontation, than the heads of house Seishin stood to say before witnesses that they would follow behind us, following as Koushoku spread-headed the conflict. They have committed us to our doom, Matron, and I can see no way that we might preserve our honour in this, and yet survive. It is my fault, Matron. I allowed them to do this." At the end of his terse words, he raised his head to look at his mistress, and if either Kabuki or Divina were looking, they would be able to see tears in his eyes. She nodded to him, then finally turned her gaze Kabuki and Divina.
"Is this true, young ladies? Tell me... are you simply thrill-seekers sneaking in where you oughtn't be, saying words of nonsense that you do not understand? Because... if you are, then I will have no choice but to take you as being unaffiliated with any house."
"M-Matron...!?" Kenmoete started, sounding shocked. She repeated herself more firmly.
"If so, I will view you as unaffiliated with any house. I will view the sheer impossible coincidence of your timing and the support of Seishin as simply that; a coincidence." She took a deep breath, chest heaving dangerously.
"There is a balance of power here, and it is a delicate and dangerous game to maintain it in way that houses do not come too directly into open conflict. More than just business, lives are lost in this struggle, but the alternative is outright turf war, which would cost many countless more. You know this, but I must explain as though you didn't. You have upset this now, by calling for a very direct confrontation, in our name, and alone we do not have the strength to survive such a thing. Let us suppose for a moment that you represent house Seishin... in such a case this would look purely like a play to get our house completely destroyed. Doing so would also destabilise Kōzuke's influence, even if they gained direct power. Many would view that as a fair trade." She unfolded her arms and stretched, very nearly causing her breasts to fall out of her top.
"I do not wish to sever our cordial ties with house Seishin, and would rather find out more clearly their intention before responding... so, for now you are to be treated as ignorant and unaffiliated fools." Her fingers tapped on the desk. "You are fools, however, who now have our support, whether we wish to give it or not. So... if this truly is more than simply a ploy to destroy us, where do you go from here?" The Matron arched an eyebrow expectantly, but a moment later her gaze twitched to the side. "Hmm... And now I learn there is another girl decrying the same issue, in many of the minor Kōzuke-supporting establishments.... and many countless other foreigners all over the district. What goes on here?" Her gaze drew down. "The girl... she is with you. You will tell me of her as well." Neither of the last two statements left any room for being taken as questions or requests.