Hidden Seas Shopping Center

Frio glared at at Dart in distaste at another one of her incoming scrutinizing statement. Even if she was partially right... Frio was more friend then pervert. He couldn't help what his eyes were drawn to, though that didn't matter any longer since the Lion and Kabuki entered into the information booth side by side. They were greeting by a Heel Navi, who Frio had dealt with back in his time in Sharo. He knew how shady this particular type of Navi almost always seemed to be... how fitting they would meet in the realm of this sketchy game show.

At the offer, Frio reached out and grabbed a pamphlet, and gave much consideration to the Navi's offer. The fact that he offered the third floor means that something important had to be up there... or something dangerous... No matter. Kabuki had already said that is what she was interested in out of the purple Navi's offerings. A cat's curiosity ran circles around Frio's head as he pondered the choices. Then Kabuki reinforced the fact that there was an option only available to him. He couldn't resist the suspense. Not having a clue as to what great sights would be available to him he finally said, "While she wants to see the third floor, I think I want to see what you got to show me."

Kabuki's operator exploded out of no where with an abrupt comment about slapping her ass. The image flashed like a GIF through Frio's mind. It would be quite pleasant but again... he wasn't the type to pursue such lustful actions. No shame in looking at her covered backside that gave her robe a nice curved appeal, but Kabuki didn't welcome the idea... and Frio wasn't to hasty to jump on board with the idea either. "Tha.... that's ridiculous... I mean we only just met... and... and..." A red tint covered the young lions pale face as he couldn't push the thought out of his head, though his refusal stayed for the moment.

All of a sudden in the real world. Layla had put down about three of whatever fruit flavored cocktail Hideyoshi could have managed to get for her. The alcohol combined with the heat of the water caused her skin to a light shade of red... matching her Navi's embarrassed face. It had been a long time since she had consumed a beverage... so it didn't take much to run through her mind and body. She floated over to the young man so that they were right beside each other... her towel had dropped slightly lower, showing a little bit more of her breast, but still covering the most important part of her goodies. "HEY! Why you talking bout slapping asses out here?" She hiccuped once, "You get me another one of these here drinks... and you can slap my ass." Layla was half drunk, and in a playful mood, something she hadn't thought possible after the previous day's events.

"No swimming? What a bummer..." the voice droned, slumping and facing down to its feet to show the disappointment it had no inflection or recognizable face to express. "Who comes to this mall and doesn't go swimming...? Oh well. The third floor tour it is, Kabuki." The Navi fanned some identical pamphlets it had withdrawn from below the desk in one hand, allowing Kabuki to take one (they all appeared identical). But let's wait a moment to hear what your partner wants to see, too."

While Kabuki and Frio had gotten their hands on some pamphlets, it didn't seem they'd be an especially useful source of information. The brochures clearly displayed happier times for the mall, shown brightly lit from the outside with water features across the front lawn. More interestingly, all of the text in the pamphlet had been redacted with a black marker, from descriptions to the table of contents to page numbers, even any text that appearing in the photos. Floor plans of the mall could be seen, although the first page of the maps was entirely inked in obfuscating ink. The legend had been entirely marked out: not only the text, but even the graphic icons themselves. There were, perhaps, some interesting pictures to see: as one might imagine, the photos showed the mall full of active storefronts, reflecting rows of businesses that were now shadows of their former selves; there was a photo of what looked like a huge indoor pool, and what looked like an elevated outdoor stage; certain businesses could be recognized, like a more ordinary burger joint in place of the one now bearing PeekingMan's namesake.

While the two might spend a bit casually reviewing the pamphlets, the Navi heard Frio's request. "What I've got to show you...? I assume you're talking about the 'great sights' to see here at the mall. Hmm... well, let me-"

The synthetic voice paused as Yoshitsune interrupted with a first crack at guessing the riddle PeekingMan had given them. The obnoxious Navi's voice rang out in a sharp guffaw in response, coming from the flying camera. "Nice try, buddy, you were close! Of course, the actual answer was 'SMACK Kabuki's FAT ass,' better luck next time, hee hee hee! In all seriousness, though, let's not rush to assumptions! I never said I filled in all the 'K's' with my freebie. I'm also under no obligation to tell you when you've gotten the puzzle right. So maybe you've actually got it? Seems like a good enough reason to give that guess a shot to me, Frio! Anyway, back to your information-"

"As I was saying," the present Navi continued, leaning forward on the counter, "There's plenty of things to see in this mall, but I think you're partner is best qualified to show a couple of great sights." As the less-than-helpful attendant was speaking, another mysterious hand had dropped from above: without any noise from propulsion until it was practically upon her, it was difficult to anticipate. This one landed on her shoulder than quickly boosted itself up to the side of her head, curling three fingers and extending the pinky to her lips and the thumb to her earguard. If Kabuki tried, she'd find she could pull it off, but upon being released, it would determinedly find its way back. Speaking into the thumb would cause her words to play over a number of the closest speakers in the mall. "As part of a Co-op Challenge, you can enjoy being an honorary tour guide for the day! Our buddy Frio will let you know a couple of great sights he wants to see, and you can show them off with a bit of entertaining commentary befitting an actual tour guide. There is a time limit on this, so please don't take too long, you two. While you think on that, I'll go ahead and get you guys your tour of the third floor..."

While Frio and Kabuki might still be processing what he had just laid out, the show wasn't slowing down. Reaching below the desk again as though he were going to bring out more pamphlets, the camera-helmeted Navi actually pressed a button beneath the counter. Immediately, the floor panels beneath the two depressed and then shot into the air, loaded by previously unseen springs, which propelled the two high into the air. While the two were airborne, a network of at least eight more hands shot into the air, with four coming below each of the Navis and grabbing for one each of their limbs. Each of the Navis might manage to dodge some of the grabs, but they'd probably find themselves regretting it: it soon became clear that the floating hands were the only things that would be keeping them airborne, and without them they had a long fall to look forward to.

In whatever state of grabbing was achieved, the Navis would find themselves drifted over to the nearby third-floor banister and dropped rudely onto the floor. They'd find, alarmingly, that all of the lights were off on this floor with the exception a select four: a couple set up near the elevator exit (it seemed Surf and Dart may, improbably, still be inside) and a pair of spotlights that fell on them. "Sorry, we're working on getting the lights on up here," PeekingMan's voice came from the camera that had followed them. "For now, why not work on those sights? Oh! And here's a little tip for the trap."

The hands that had floated them over deposited another 500 zenny for each of the Navis, then skittered or shot off in a variety of directions.

"I already said, we just met... I could never cross that line unless she permitted it." Frio stood up straight, kept his chin high, and puffed out his chest in what he thought was a heroic fashion. "What do you mean you don't have to tell us if we guessed right? What is the point of guessing then?" His eyes locked in on the camera as if he was staring straight into the eyes of PeekingMan himself.

The HeelNavi spoke again giving his response to what Frio had requested, while another of the hands made its way to Kabuki's hear. "Watch out..." It was too late, even he could see that it would be futile to fight the hand away, as it'd just keep returning. Frio wouldn't have much time to calmly think of away around the predicament, as the two were launched high into the sky, and basically saved by more hands. Once they were dropped, in mid air, Frio punched the inside of his left hand, using one of his signature moves. Normally a multitude of frozen spikes would sprout from the earth below, but this time he slightly altered its shape, to create a frozen slide that would hopefully catch them on their way down, giving them an easier landing then PeekingMan's minions had intended.

Once they were finally on the darkened third floor, a few thoughts ran through Frio's mind. This was obviously an intent to have Frio push his new friend into revealing her goodies. It put the lion in a tough spot. Of course he'd like to see, but it wasn't in his nature to want it in such an ill perceived manner. At the same time, he had to remember where they were, and what they were doing... so playful thoughts began to cross his prideful mind. "Okay PeekingMan, I'll play your game. If that is what you want. Kabuki... could you remove your coat and show the crowd your lovely robe please?"

If she obliged, he would continue and move into something he knew was of interest to a select few individuals... yet would hopefully be modest enough to keep his theatrical friend from embarrassment, while also maintaing Frio's integrity, because he was not one who cared for this particular request. "Now, I'm sure that's not quite enough for you and the fans... so Kabuki, how about we see those feet. Would you mind?" He glanced at her, in an attempt to read her face, before sending another transmission.

Quote (Frio)

Hope thats not to bad buddy. I tried to keep it PG.

It was perhaps telling that Frio didn't seem to be discounting the idea of spanking Kabuki's bum right out; rather, he seemed to want to table it until the two of them got to know one another better. Kabuki supposed that wasn't altogether a bad thing, but it was embarrassing to think about. She tried to play it cool and pretend she wasn't thinking about it either, nodding along with him to show that she agreed that this wasn't the right time to start slapping ass.

Yoshitsune would ordinarily be paying a lot of attention to Frio's smitten behavior with his navi, but he was currently in a situation which actually seemed quite favorable to slapping ass, something he'd given a little thought to before but never found himself in the right situation to do. One could argue that there were few better asses to slap than this one. He ended up riding a rollercoaster of emotion, first told there would be no ass slapping, then informed that, well, there could be, for the price of another drink. Yoshitsune had thought it was pretty strange to see cocktails in the bath to begin with, and may have said as much during the second drink, but at this point, he figured it was only gentlemanly to give Layla as many on-the-house drinks as she wanted. At this point, though, he wished he'd grabbed some bottles from the kitchen so he could mix the drinks here; jumping up over and over again was getting tiring.

Her new offer was amazing, given that he'd spent a long time trying to court a certain priestess just for her gender, apparent availability, and proximity. Here, in maybe around an hour, he'd accomplished roughly what he'd spent that whole time trying to do. He was so excited about the prospect that he nearly forgot to grab up his towel as he shot up from the water. A bit red-in-the-face, but not from drunkenness, he sat back down, grabbed up the towel, then jumped back up with the towel over his groin. "One moment, Layla!" he excused himself, wrapping the towel frantically as he jumped out and ran to the kitchen.

Kabuki had no time to pay attention to that, being preoccupied with worrying about how the booth attendant would choose to honor their requests. She pondered it as she looked over the pamphlet; it had been blacked out so as to afford very little information, unfortunately, but that in itself was worth thinking about. Looking at the various attractions made her feel nostalgic and regretful; why couldn't this be a gameshow at a normal mall, free of PeekingMan and this eerie mystery surrounding his occupation of the Hidden Seas Shopping Center? "Ooo, I'd like to give you a whack in your FAAAT~HEAD!" she responded, rolling her pink eyes inside their dark sockets. "Or BIIIG~HEAD, whichever." She could mock it all she wanted, but she had to admit, it was quite the revelation that the hint wasn't necessarily given as a normal hangman puzzle... she really hoped that Yoshitsune's guess wasn't the correct answer.

Frio continued to fight for her dignity, which was all well and good, but a moment later she wished that both of them had been worrying less about her modesty and more about the onset of more troublesome hands; one grabbed her and hooked her in spectacularly uncomfortable fashion. Out of instinct, she tried to yank it off, but it was a slap in the face (literally) as the hand retaliated against her efforts. A moment later, they were both shot into the air, into what Kabuki perceived to be an even worse situation, with myriad hands showing up to subdue them. She supposed she ought to be thankful that they'd stopped the flight, but she couldn't help but be nervous with that many floating hands on her person. Frio had his own plan to get down once they were released, but in this case, Kabuki felt more comfortable generating a breeze to guide fall along. The sleeves of her outer robe fluttered as she semi-gracefully descended to the third floor.

Unfortunately, although she'd been promised she'd get to see it, there wasn't really much to see... or maybe there was, but it was all hidden. She sighed, thinking about how nice it would be if the lights turned on and revealed the real PeekingMan hiding in one of the corners of the room. The little bit of zenny was a small consolation for the state of her nerves. It sounded like the situation was about as she feared, and one way or another, she'd be the one pressured into showing something worth seeing up here on the third floor. She half-hoped Frio would just go along with PeekingMan so that they could get more hints and get closer to meeting the guy, but another part of her was still hoping he'd figure out a way out of this stipulation.

Her ordinarily booming voice, which always benefited from good acoustics, came even louder and more omni-present from the speakers on the third floor. "Don't worry, there's all kinds of IN~TAAAR~REST~TING things that I can show you! L-Like, er, one of my FAV~VOR~RITE dances! We might even be able to bring people back into the SHOP~PING SEN~TAAAR!" she joked, spreading her arms and giving an excited grin. She ended up stuck that way, her face frozen for a moment as he revealed he was going to ask her to strip down to her robe for starters. Her hair regained its black color, but she kept a smile on her face, as she somewhat sheepishly complied. "I suppose I can do it since you're the one asking," she agreed, undoing the sash that held together her outer garment. "Aaaah, well!" she coughed, trying to brighten back up to pink. "I know we all appreciate my KA~BUUU~KI costume, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to dress a little LIGHT~TAAAR," she giggled, setting down the sash, then summoning two fans. She fluttered them in the air with practiced motions, humming a light rhythm as she did and keeping one hand high, about bust level, while the other went low.

She jumped and kicked one leg, at the same time waving her arms in a wheel, creating a trailing pattern with the sleeves. As the sleeves eclipsed her front, she pulled her arms free of the coat, then used her fans to breeze it gently towards Frio in a somewhat flirty gesture. Provided he moved the coat off his face, he'd see her in her somewhat form-fitting pink under-robe... it wasn't the kind of thing she'd normally wear in public. It was an under-robe for a reason, after all, and the fabric was a little thin. It also looked rather soft and altogether very appealing to touch. Compared to her coat, it was a low-key in terms of pattern, but exciting in term of how little it did to hide her shape. "A-As for the COUP~PULL~OF~SIGHTS you wanted to see, I-" she started, already transferring both folding fans to one hand so she could grasp the plunging upper hem of her robe. Before she could open it up, he revealed what he wanted to see next.

The brow of her doll-like face raised up slightly, or more like, the sockets around her pink eyes expanded upward slightly. "My... feet?" she asked, darkening back to black. Again, she had mixed feelings: on one hand, he'd come up with a pretty inventive way around her having to show it all this early. On the other hand... she was now under the interpretation that he was such a foot fetishist he'd forego breasts for feet. She'd never met someone with that kink, but she knew they existed... and it might be fortunate in this situation if he was that way. "Alright... feet it is," Kabuki nodded. "Um... towards the camera then... How do I get both feet towards the camera?" she asked mildly. "Ah, okay... I can...!"

She sat down and stretched out her legs in front of herself, smoothing down her robe at the knees. Quickly, she unlatched the metal boots and set them aside. "I guess I'll have to do the gauntlets later. It'll look a little incongruous if I don't," she chuckled awkwardly, now showing her black-and-white patterned socks. Taking a deep breath, she removed them one at a time, peeling them away from her feet. Now that they were uncovered, the serrations on her feet were visible, forming grooves that traced the lines of her feet. The grooves circled the pads of her feet, with a faint pink glow thumping beneath the surface. She wiggled her toes, unsure of quite what to do. "Aaah, a better look, then!" she complied with what she assumed was everyone's desire, leaning down on her back and raising both legs into the air slightly, so that her feet were up. It was a little clownish, but had the added benefit of the viewers that the wide split in her robe's lower portion opened up, revealing the skin of her shins and even her thighs, before she blushed and held the slit of the robe closed, realizing how the camera was likely to try to angle. "Aaaah, yep. Th-Those are my feet! That's what you wanted to see, right?" she asked, lifting her head slightly to look over the swell of her breasts at Frio's face.

She sent him a message just to show she was on board.

Quote (Kabuki)

Yep! Sure, I get it! I hope he goes for it.

Yoshitsune returned around that time, carrying not only a cocktail, but also a silver thermos. "I've got it!" he cried excitedly as he re-entered the room, causing several people to raise eyebrows and turn to stare at him. Ignoring the others, he hurried back to the bath, then sunk back down into the water, throwing off his towel with reckless abandon. "Your cocktail! Now, ahem, I believe we had a contract?" he continued, putting on a serious face. Thankfully, the child and his parents had left the bath, perhaps sensing which way the wind was blowing, but the rest of the crowd was still in the bath, staring. He felt himself growing redder. "Am I doing this right? Does she want to do... that... right here?" he asked, unsure of what he would do if she actually offered up her backside for a spanking. He was suddenly conscious of the blood running from his nose, and just as importantly, rushing down below. He grabbed the towel that he'd thrown away a moment ago and carefully placed it back over his lap under the water, trying to keep his serious face on as he did.

"Ah c'mon, buddy," their host begged through the camera, "You gotta look a gift horse in the mouth? I said a 'guess' would fill out all of that letter, I never said I filled out all the K's to start! And I never said you got to make a guess I'd confirm either. Maybe it's just a hint to fill out and then you know it? It's legit! But okay, spoilsport, I'll confirm the answer is in no way related to Kabuki's ass. Okay? So you can stop thinking about it. Put Kabuki's ass out of your mind... Did you stop? Well, you work on that... And Kabuki, why, that's a bit forward, don't you think? Let's worry about who will be whacking who and where later... hehehee~...""

After Frio and Kabuki had filed their complaints once more and PeekingMan had responded with taunts in kind, the duo found themselves lifted and deposited, with each managing to soften their own landings through their own unique means. Unfortunately, while the host had been pretty generous in avoiding any rough grabbing, he wasn't helping them out much on the "sights" front. The two reluctantly moved to start giving PeekingMan more of what they figured he actually cared about seeing. Whether she wanted it or not, with the hand broadcasting alongside her head, Kabuki's voice would be broadcasting through the small part of the mall around them. With the camera searching for angles, the spotlight, and the booming broadcast, it was easy to picture Kabuki's performance being broadcast to others around the Net, rather than the more intimate affair she or her partner could be hoping for.

PeekingMan had remained quiet for most of Kabuki's show, but couldn't help but let out a giggle when Frio mentioned his second request. "Feet, huh? Hadn't pegged you for the type, but not a bad choice! I've got a lot of traffic here that's plenty interested in the feet." He shut up and conveyed his further interest through the positioning of the camera, which got an adventurous shot from over Kabuki, panning down and backing up so it could face between Kabuki's legs just a bit too slow to catch her robe still open. "Not bad! You two might have more wits and talent than I expected, though that's not a high bar to clear... Well, I'm eager to see what happens next, but I'm sure you two have things you'd like to see as well. So, I'll accommodate..."

The two had apparently earned the right to see where they were going should they stay on the third floor: whatever lighting problems had been plaguing their host before, they were suddenly resolved. Various light displays came on around them, again seemingly acting as highlights on a variety of storefronts of interest. The lit storefronts included a wide glass display full of mannequins in a variety of holiday themed lingerie (the kind of thing that might remind one of a certain Mafia Navi's yearly bash, if they watched that sort of thing), a pink neon cursive sign displaying "InterLace" above; a small store with a couple of decorative surfboards set out front, wrapped in flashing red and green lights; a simply labeled "PARTY STOP" that two people had apparently fought to decorate, the small shop covered felt bats, spiderwebs, fake snow, and tinsel; a security office, the door cracked half open as an eerie light flashed on and off inside; and an opulent storefront with a glowing neon diamond sign over the door and tinted windows, located right next to the security booth as thought it had needed extra protection. If they weren't too distracted otherwise, either of the two might also notice a light was briefly illuminating what was labeled as a stairwell access door: the light flickered and then shut off again, remaining dark.

Besides that, the elevator area was still lit, and it was just arriving: when the doors came open, the pair would spot Surf having pressed her partner, Dart, against the back of the elevator, pinning her there with one hand beside her while the other rested on her shoulder. Any further analysis than that would be impossible, as both members of the pair turned to see the door open, then quickly jumped apart from each other.

PeekingMan's voice came from the camera that had been following Surf and Dart: it seemed it had lowered its volume, quite likely to prevent Kabuki and Frio from listening in. If they cared to, they'd be able to see Surf's lips move as she addressed the camera, beginning with her mouth open and ending with her teeth clenched. Her face fell in a frown when she saw the result on the display.

The hand that had been at Kabuki's head dismounted, scurrying off across the floor and leaving another couple of packets containing 750z each. Meanwhile, as Kabuki and Frio watched, the duo quickly stumbled out of the elevator, each looking a little red. Besides that, they also looked surprised, whether Kabuki had gotten back to her feet or not. "H-hey, dudes! I thought you said you were checking out the first floor...? You change your mind?"

"They were planning to ambush us here! What a cowardly tactic. Luckily, we were alert," Dart told her, frowning sourly. "Also, why is Kabuki no longer wearing her coat?"

"How about we skip the interrogations, buddy?" Surf told her partner with a crooked, conspiratorial grin. "Unless you wanna-"

"N-no, that's probably best," Dart agreed, shutting up and stiffening.

"So, where are you guys going now? Don't say the that place with the wicked boards, or we're gonna be-" Surf started, speaking to Frio comfortably before reddening again as she seemed to realize something. She shifted her focus from Frio to Kabuki. "You know, probably better to pick something else, right? You two said you were going somewhere else anyway..."

Frio took in more of Kabuki's shape as she dropped her coat. There was no doubt that she was a lovely female Navi in a uniquely exotic way, though she appeared a bit older then Frio's child like appearance, perhaps he could get a newer, older form next time he was upgraded... was one of the few thoughts that went through his mind as he gazed at her. Feet wasn't really his thing, but sure enough everyone else probably thought it was now, so he shrugged and acted like he was interested in the request he had made, running his gaze from Kabuki's face, lowering down to her brestline and even further down to the tip's of her toes. The redness in his cheeks would be well hidden do to his icy colored fur. "Well now that is over, shall we move on to the next locat...."

At that moment the elevator door opened to reveal two of the team's acquaintances in Dart and Surf. Frio tried to read into the situation before they exited the machine. Frio pondered, thinking they were either having some sort of intimate moment or a heart to heart conversation... but little could be filled in since he was so far away. Then another one of PeekingMan's minion like hands made an appearance, leading Frio to think even more. It wasn't until the duo arrived that Frio once again gave his piercing glare at Dart after another one of her abrasive comments. "You must really think we... well I am a no good scum. I am molded after the majestic king of the jungle, I would not, and shall not need to use underhanded tactics. No ambush here, and to answer your question... Her robe is missing, obviously as another one of PeekingMan's stupid games." If Kabuki had dropped the coat, he walked over to pick it up and offer it to her, unsure if she would take it, with how the game show had been going, it probably wouldn't be long till it was removed again.

"I was actually considering the security office, but the Party Shop might not be a bad idea either." His curiosity had been struck once again. "A place like that could be hiding something fun, but for some reason I feel like the Security Office might be more informative to us. What do you think Kabuki?"

Back in the real world, Yoshitsune had returned with another cocktail for the woman he was probably looking to have some type of fun with himself. She didn't know where the night was going, but the liquor, and relaxing hot springs had eased her mind, and put her in a playful, relaxed mood. "Hmmm... You really want to slap it now?" She teased leaning back, raising the lower part of her right leg above the water. Droplets of water dripped back into the natural pool. "This is such a nice evening, how can you make it better?" The leg dropped back into the water, and she drifted over closer to him, starring directly into his eyes. Tiny beads of sweat covered her flushed forehead, she inserted the straw slowly between her lips, and took in another mouthful of alcohol, never removing her eyes from his.

The host had managed to talk everyone into forgetting about Kabuki's ass, supposedly, but the subject had somehow surprisingly moved on to her feet. Ridiculously, Kabuki ended up on her back with her legs in the air, a position which she only later realized was really suggestive of more than just showing off the soles of her feet, but she was thankful nobody else really appeared to be picking up on that part of it. Well, except for the camera trying to get a peek up the skirt of her robe, that thing knew what it wanted. "AI~YA, that's quite enough of that," she complained, grasping the cloth down with both hands.

Before she had a chance to get up, straighten herself out, and see the sights, Dart and Surf re-emerged out of the elevator. Realizing her compromising position, she got back up to her feet as quickly as she could manage, still pink in terms of her lightning and red in terms of her otherwise pale face. "Hehe, yes, let's not talk about LAUN~DREEE, dirty or otherwise," she agreed, accepting the outermost part of her outfit back from Frio with a few gracious nods. "Frio is not just a lion, he's also a consummate GEN~TULL~MAN! I thought for sure he was going to ask to... w-well, N-NEV~ARR~MIND about that," she giggled, putting back on the garment quickly. Like Frio, she had some suspicion she wouldn't be keeping it on for long.

... Especially once she saw her options for next locale. The lingerie store stood out and she found it hard not to suspect she'd end up in there at some point; shopping for lingerie was a little much even for a man and a woman who were a couple, let alone relative strangers, but she doubted the boundaries of decency would apply. Besides that, though, there were quite a many options, so hopefully she'd manage to get out of that. On the other hand... the lights didn't seem to be working in a lot of the store, so as long as the place she went had good lighting, she supposed she ought to be thankful for that small blessing. Thankfully, Frio provided her a good path. "Yes, I think that's a GOOD EYE~DE~YAAAH! The SEC~CUR~RITT~TEE booth seems to stand out! So you two can sure go ahead and check out the SURF SHOP if you are interested," she agreed. "SAY~YO~NA~RA!"

She'd eagerly follow along with Frio, finding herself in a good mood again. "Well, I doubt the SEC~CUR~RITT~TEE is going to be anyone with our best interests in mind, but it will be interesting to see if anyone's paying attention," she chuckled. Part of her also had a thought: if nobody was watching, was this supposed to tempt the players into stealing from the jewelry store, which might have big prizes? She couldn't be any part of that, one way or the other... it'd be too contrary to the justice she was so big on, as well as making a terrible example for Yoshitsune.

Not that Yoshitsune was seemingly like a paragon of moral conduct himself right now. This courtship thing was turning out to be more difficult than Yoshitsune had thought... or rather, it was back tot his vision of the status quo, rather than the easy, well-within-reach goal it had seemed for a moment. Whatever the case, it was definitely making him sweat a bit. Even the simplest question seemed to be giving him difficulty. "Uh... A-As your attendant for the duration of this reward period, I wish to make you comfortable in any way possible. That includes meeting any expectations you may have of me," he answered diplomatically, doing his utmost best to avoid revealing how much he wanted to touch Layla and how little he cared what the other guests thought about it.

He kept her eyes, but crossed both hands in front of the lower half of his face, almost as if he was trying to stop himself from crying out, though the real reason was that he was trying to hide his bleeding nose. "Well, milady," he continued, speaking through his hands. "There are many things that we could do... that I could do for you, that is." Once he'd brushed his nose clean again, he discretely hid his hands again, placing them respectfully in his lap, as he could no longer put the one on Layla's side anywhere else without touching her. "If you're enjoying the bath, I can provide you with snacks and drinks," he ventured, though if he was being honest, it was probably best if she didn't have any more, but recommending that was probably pretty counter intuitive to her continuing to enjoy herself. "If you're ready to get out, I can-" he continued, just barely stopping himself from making some truly ridiculous suggestions, "er... well, really, it's pretty customary once you've finished in the public bath to take a brief stop by the seated tubs over on the wall," he suggested, gesturing with one arm towards where others were sitting, mostly naked, dousing themselves with the small tubs. "I'd be happy to assist you, there, if you wanted," he offered, boldly, though even he was having a hard time imagining her accepting such a suggestion without balking at it. he really would be happy to assist, though. "I could pour your water while you scrub your hair, or wash your back for you..."

Thankfully, Kabuki attention wasn't with them, or she'd probably point out what unusual bathhouse etiquette that would be for two relative strangers.

"I'm only being careful," Dart replied to Frio, straightening her eyewear and looking down her nose at the younger lion man. "You may call yourself a king, but in a situation like this, your man half is as dangerous as your lion half. Also, what jungle? We're in a mall, if you haven't noticed!"

"Well, yeah, I figured when I saw Kabuki on her back it was part of one of his wacky challenges," Surf interrupted. "Of course, she always seems to be busting out a gnarly pose, but you gotta call a spade a spade."

"What? What spade?" Dart hissed at her ally in a whisper, seeming to think this was a code being used for her team's benefit.

"Ooooh brother," their host's voice suddenly boomed. With the two teams in one location, PeekingMan apparently hadn't bothered to appropriately adjust the audio. Thankfully, as he continued, it was back down to a reasonable level. "Seriously? You're giving it back to her? And you, you're putting it back on? I'm beginning to think you lunkheads are messing with me on purpose. Are you really so dense you don't get the purpose of this contest? You really think my audience wants to see you two play footsies and pick flowers and braid each other's hair? Is that really the vibe I've projected here?"

Just to make it clear who was being addressed, PeekingMan used the temporary convenience of having Surf and Dart's camera present to put a camera each in Frio's and Kabuki's faces. "Listen up, dum dums. You can't keep jerking me around like this. It's okay for you two to be bad at this: I get it, you're a couple of virgins, or goodie two shoes, I guess? I mean, I don't get why you're here, but whatever. But you have to at least try and play along! If you don't, I can't promise you I won't get antsy and start playing my own game... Kehehe..."

Surf sighed as the camera returned to her, then turned a sympathetic smile back to the other contestants. "Well, I'm gonna let you two deal with that how you want, and I'm not gonna be around when you do it. But hey, I've got respect for the lion dude, not taking advantage in this kind of situation! Just don't hold it against me if I aim to win this thing."

"Naturally," Dart added with a sour frown. "You two should know we've already earned the opportunity to guess one letter, filling out a blank! That letter was-"

Surf clapped a hand over her ally's lips and began to drag her towards the surf shop, laughing dryly. "Do you really wanna win, dude?! What is your problem...?!"

The quarrelling pair headed for the surf shop, taking their camera along and leaving Frio and Kabuki alone with a single proxy of their irate host. The two had made up their mind to investigate the security booth. "That's an interesting pick... leaning on that courageous king-of-the-jungle justice mumbo jumbo, huh? Most people would avoid this one..."

A flickering light was just a flickering light, especially in a mall with as many apparent lighting issues as this one, so the pair might not be paying it any mind in their choice. Regardless, the danger in the scene would become a bit more apparent as the pair opened the door completely. The office was not immediately visible at all, instead obscured by an array of bamboo spears that was practically a solid wall. Some looked slick with a Navi's internal data. Slowly, they spears receded back into the walls: monitors which lined them and hidden panels slid down and fastened shut as it became possible. "Whoopsie! My bad, you weren't supposed to see that... This is the room HiddenMan was snooping around in before we started the competition. But don't worry, it's safe now! Everywhere is fair game to explore now, and It'd be way too boring to make Navis jack out the same way twice in one show..."

With the spears retracted, the room was revealed. The office was relatively small, with an "L" shape. The door opened looking down the stem of that L on three walls lined with monitors, most of them off (considering spears had been jutting from holes behind them, they were likely fake). The ones that weren't off buzzed with meaningless static. The consoles ahead of them were also mostly dark, leaving only a couple of things to see: a huge, attention grabbing red button affixed to the right console that read "ACTIVATE SECURITY" in black text, and a red metal hand lying on the floor. The hand quickly flashed something between its knuckles that briefly glinted in the light... a key, or some sort of token? Regardless, it shuffled into the darkness beneath the desk, meaning one would have to follow it to learn the secret. There was also an unassuming, armed black swivel chair in the center of the room. Looking to the left down the leg of the "L," the walls were mostly bare, although from some torn scraps they seemed as though they once were home to posters or taped lists. The only remaining thing to see was a secure locker on the back wall, housed with an outward-swinging double cabinet door, with a key set in its turn lock. Besides that, the fluorescent light continued to flash ominously above.

Layla, admist whatever games she wasn't playing of her own had managed to catch part of PeekingMans booming complaint. She gently moved through the water, keeping her glass held high as to not cause a splash to spoil it. "May I create a private link to both of our Navis?" She requested, and if he agreed she would start a private voice connection with Frio and Kabuki. "I haven't exactly been following the mission hand and hand, but Frio, maybe you should relax and play along a little better... before we leave empty handed. You as well Miss Kabuki, this evening should be one full of fun, don't hesitate to mix it up and be adventuress." With that said she sat her PET back down, and floated back over to Yoshitsune. "Like this." She projected her words to the device first, and then to Yoshitsune, "Go ahead, give it a rub." The pale skinned girl faded away from him, and just under the water, she lifted the back of her towel just enough to reveal her plump round bottom, that was a light shade of pink and red from the heated water. "I know we said slap, but the water would get in the way don't ya think? So maybe later." She turned her neck so she could see his face, and give him a wink.

Since Frio wasn't in the PET, and because he hadn't been following along with his operators mischievous conduct, he had no idea what was happening, and felt it best to ignore her antics and continue to focus on the mission. It probably wasn't smart to keep pissing PeekingMan off... even though it was kind of fun to toy with him in retaliation to how they had been treated. It was time to focus and crack down. "It won't happen again." The Navi frowned, before bidding farewell to Dart, and Surf. "Maybe we will catch up with y'all after the security office."

Once the duo arrived at their destination and Frio caught sight of the trap like spikes that had pierced through HiddenMan, he heroically stepped forward, twisted his left arm backwards, into a makeshift hook that would serve to halt Kabuki's movement. His arm was held out at about chest level, so if she was to close and had to stop sort of abruptly, then unintended contact might occur.

When the spikes receded, and their host gave his explanations the Icy Lion lowered his arm, and stepped inside examining the room. His eyes immediately dialed in on the large red button. His cat like nature once again showed its face. "PeekingGuy what is this button?" Frio's voice echoed towards the closest speaker His finger hovered over it, as if he was dying to push it.

Then he seen the hand dash away with a shining object. "Should we go after that?" He pointed with his left hand, the one that wasn't swirling around the button. He was waiting for the responses before moving forward, but an intense urge pulled at his inner workings. He wanted to push the button...

"Private... Yes, we should, privately-" Yoshitsune agreed dumbly, completely missing the context of Layla's words. "Oh, yes. A private link, go ahead," he reconfirmed, hearing her this time and sniffing back a trickle of blood. He'd been paying even less attention than she had been, so he wasn't entirely sure why he was opening said channel... but it seemed like a normal thing for partners to do on missions, so there was no reason to refuse. Still, unwarrantedly criticizing Frio was something he could get behind. "I agree. Play along... it would be foolish for you to waste the opportunities you've been given with my sister," he nodded along absently, having paid no attention to anything he'd done so far. "And yes, my sister, you should take this opportunity to have fun... wait..." he murmured, rubbing his chin and wondering if he was encouraging something he'd regret later.

Before he had an opportunity to think about it too far, he was suddenly on the receiving end of a very tempting offer of... receiving Layla's end, which he'd do just about anything to put his hands on. As he glimpsed it, only slightly obscured by the water, he reflected that so far, all it had really cost him was running back and forth from the kitchen all day and being on his best behavior. "Sometimes, good men are rewarded," he reflected, praising himself so that he could feel pride on top of all of his other good fortune. While she'd lifted a pretty good ways out of the water, he submerged further down in it for modesty's sake, trying to make his own lower body, which was without the benefit of a towel, less obvious. "Remember, Frio: a gentleman does not take unless offer, nay, but nary shall he refuse an offer given of friendship," he spoke with as much preposterous grandiosity as he could put into accepting an offer to grab ass. He didn't want to encourage Frio to do anything with Kabuki, but right now, he was much more interested in justifying his own misadventures. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

Perhaps overly eager at this unique opportunity, Yoshitsune immediately graduated from rub to grab, squeezing at the softest point of the mound of one cheek. He cupped one finger to the outside and the fingers underneath, with the diligence of one who's thought about this sort of thing often. He wasn't sure if courtesy still mattered in something like this, but he avoided putting his hand too close to the center point... as any gentleman with a new lady acquaintance would. Layla might be surprised to find that he wasn't employing both hands; if she continued looking backwards, the reason would be obvious. Yoshitsune's eyebrows were twitching hard, his eyes squeeze into an expression of intense concentration, as he used his whole hand to hide his lower face. At first, it might look like this was because he was embarrassed or stifling a gasp or exclamation, but from her brief time knowing him, she probably would be able to guess the real reason. If she hadn't yet, a trickle of red coming from beneath the palm confirmed it. As if worried to miss out on anything and providing she hadn't retracted her offer yet, he'd move on to squishing the left cheek in the same manner, with the same right hand. This would put his thumb in a more dangerous position, but not far enough out of position to be ungentlemanly, of course.

There was no way to really hide what they were doing; some of the other guests were getting the hint and starting to give the shared tub some berth now, moving out to other parts of the bathroom. The two older gentleman, perhaps thinking that, this being a public bath, they were so entitled, stayed and murmured to one another; one who was most noteworthy for his unfortunately receding scalp-line nodded continuously, while the other, a very fat man, chuckled incessantly. Even if Layla was enjoying Yoshitsune's response, that would likely take some wind out of her sales, unless her level of kinkiness was the type to surpass freely offering her butt to young men and further to extend allowing smelly old men to watch her do it.

Pulling back her head from the cameras and clenching her teeth, Kabuki reflected over the contest so far and the attitude of everyone participating and overseeing it. At first, Kabuki felt a little guilty for letting Frio down so far, and for that matter, for making Layla and Yoshitsune step in to offer advice. However, once she saw what her operator was up to, to what extent she could hear, her thoughts were replaced by a bit of indignant spitefulness. "Brother... I think it is you who is not taking the mission SEER~REE~YUSS~LEE!" she complained, then grabbed the lapel of her outer tunic and opened it back up, exposing the breast of her robe once again. She finished untying and throwing it down onto the floor, a few steps away from where she'd put it back on in the first place. "Then I guess you won't mind if Frio and I pick up the slack and behave in a manner that is EN~TAR~TAIN~NING for the audience too?!" she protested, hoping to spark a pang of jealousy in him.

Unfortunately for her, it'd take a lot more to that to take his mind off his current situation. Kabuki found herself growing red-faced with the thought of what he was getting up to. "I'm SEE~REE~YUSS! The next time we get an opportunity, I want you to take it, FUR~REE~YO! We are going to make Yosh- er, Hideyoshi, regret not paying ATT~TEN~SHUN to the fabulous, prize-winning public sexiness we're about to display!" she announced, unfolding one of her fans and striking a pose, standing on one leg and moving the flag in a wave-like motion towards her partners. She continued grinning for a moment, then realized that out here, in transition from the center of the third floor to the third floor guard shack, was not the easiest place to start her sex-pedition. "Hm... To be CON~TIN~YOOD!" she revised her statement, folding back up the fan, crossing her arms, and following along with Frio.

She also couldn't help but think that it'd be best for their real mission if everyone worked together, sharing the letters they received, but Dart and Surf weren't actually part of said mission... although they seemed to have be here for ulterior motives as well, they weren't truly "allies." It'd be unsafe to give too much away and she expected they probably felt the same way... Especially Dart, who showed an unhealthy sense of suspicion for Frio in the best of times. If they wanted letters, they'd have to get them all on their own. She bid the two navis a simple goodbye instead.

The actress had been worried something embarrassing would be waiting for them inside the guard shack again, but when she saw what was inside, she changed her opinion: another pair of pervy hands would have been welcome in comparison to recently used, pointed spear-tips. "Aiyaaa..." she murmured quietly, then stepped forward, intending to move inside... instead, she bumped into Frio's arm with her sizable chest. It was a passing moment of contact, and she froze up instead of finding a way to turn it into something more exciting. "Whoopsie..." was all she managed, smiling apologetically.

Kabuki thought she might be foolish to trust the words of PeekingMan when he said the place was no longer dangerous, on one hand, but on the other, she had to admit that spearing them again the same way after promising it wouldn't happen wouldn't make for very good television. Then again, in her opinion, her lying on her back and showing off her feet wasn't prime-time viewing either, but apparently, somebody wanted it. For now, though, she was willing to take the risk for the sake of advancement. She noticed with some interest that the strange monitors all around actually housed devices to be used against intruders. That made her wonder if all of the odd decor she'd seen all over the mall was intended to hide similar implements, to thwart the efforts of anyone going outside the rules.

Those, if PeekingMan was to be believed, were not a threat at the moment. The other items of interest in the room: a honking big button, an agitating flickering overhead light, a locker with a key already helpfully shoved in, a hand guarding something on the floor, and an ordinary office chair (in hindsight, that last one wasn't exactly "of interest"). "That hand has captured my ATT~TEN~SHUN as well! Don't worry, I will dive right in AFF~TAR it!" she agreed, mostly ignoring the big button for now. Nobody would be silly enough to hit a big "ACTIVATE SECURITY" button without knowing the consequences, right? Especially not with dangerous spear tips that could be considered a "security system" all around them, waiting to be reactivated. She tabled the idea of a dive, given that she was rather tall and diving into a small space like a cartoon character would only end in her bumping her head. Instead, she approached at a reasonable pace, got down on all fours, and when she realized that wouldn't get her low enough to reach the hand, instead got down far enough so her chest was smushed against the floor and her haunches in the air. The robe stayed in place, but still provided a very snug look at her own derriere.

As she bit her lip and felt around deeper beneath the console for the mysterious hand and its glinting treasure, she remembered that, out there, seemingly, Layla was seemingly getting an ass massage from her dear brother... She had to step it up. With her face still hidden beneath the desk, she moved one hand to straighten out the back of her robe, but pushed it aside instead, revealing the big/fat ass that had been the subject of a lot of speculation earlier in the contest, clad in salmon-pink panties with a lighter pink cherry-blossom pattern across. They were relatively ordinary, like a bikini bottom, but presented rather fully and up in the air, with the chair behind the desk offering a perfect place to view or touch them from. Her buttocks were currently white, with the legs and lower back lined with gleaming red lines that disappeared tantalizingly beneath the fabric of her undergarments. It was a toss up whether the hand beneath the desk or Frio's hand would do something embarrassing (or threatening, like pushing a big red security button) first, which had her anxious from the sense of suspense.

PeekingMan didn't respond to Frio and Kabuki's new conviction to give him more of what he was looking for, but in the case of their host, that might be preferable. Surf and Dart said their goodbyes, a bit more awkwardly as Kabuki had loudly declared her newfound enthusiasm for "prize-winning public sexiness." With that, there was nothing but their own lack of coordination, any nerves they might have to get over, and the quickly receding lances stopping the pair from entering the security office.

The camera followed along, attempting to keep close to the ceiling upon entering and get a bird's eye view. "That button? I dunno, FrioGuy, maybe it activates some kind of security? That's just my best guess... anyway, you guys could use some security with how dangerous this place seems, right? Give it a push, why don't you? Hmhmhmmm..."

While Frio gave the dubious idea of pushing the button his attention, Kabuki took initiative to investigate the hidden hand. "Woah! That's a lot of woman fitting in a small space, folks. Will Kabuki's search pay off...?" the host trailed off, a poorly disguised hint of mirth in his voice.

From her position, Kabuki would realize just how dark it was underneath the desk: even still, she would see the splayed fingertips of the hand, laying palm flat against the floor. She'd barely make out the gold-colored object in the corner behind it. No sooner would she register that than a new pair of hands would make themselves known, zipping in from the right like unexpected vermin in a crawlspace. The flat hand receded back, covering the object; the newly-arrived pair slapped an area-appropriate pair of handcuffs on Kabuki, leaving her in a worse version of a position she'd already encountered once during this event. The hands seemed to scuttle aimlessly a moment with only one wrist caught: it seemed they hadn't expected Kabuki's other hand to currently be occupied adjusting her garment. Quickly, one hand used shackled the other cuff to its partner, linking it and Kabuki. With the connection established, the cuffed hand let out a short jet burst to carry it up into the darkness, clamping onto the back of the desk: if he knew to look for it, Frio might see four fingers hook from an opening in the back of the desk hooked onto the top. This appeared to be the hand's effort to keep her under the desk.

Meanwhile, the hand had retrieved the object from the back of the desk and moved out of the darkness, springing up onto the desk and turning over its palm to Frio, revealing a key. "Oh, well this one is convenient! I bet Kabuki knows what that key is for. You can just give it to her and move on to my next kooky trap, like that button you like so much... or... you could make her ask nicely for it? Or, maybe you just take your time... Hey, you being king of the jungle and all, you're familiar with how this works in the animal kingdom, right? I don't watch too many nature shows, but this is, uh... 'presenting' behavior, maybe?"

From its overhead view, the camera was clearly looking for some interesting footage. "This oughta- huh? Hm... Hmheehee... Well, folks, this is an interesting development. Contestants, ignore my little outburst for now. Keep playing the game. I'll give you an update on some exciting new information when I've had a chance to mull it over..."

It should have been near impossible for Layla's skin to grow any redder. Yet as Yoshitsune took the offer to touch, and turned it into the opprotunity to grasp at the plumpness of her behind, and realizing that the two gentlemen probably had eyes on them as well, her face brightened atleast two more shades. A tingle had shot through her body, the unusual arousing feeling of having one of her more intimate places explored by the alien hands of another human. Though she wished he would be a little more gentle, she could not deny herself the pleasure of the moment.

As soon as she turned her head, a look of amusment crossed her face as she noticed his nose was leaking once again. She waddled forward, moving away from his touch, then turned to face him. "That's enough for now... don't you think?" She giggled. "In fact... maybe I would like to transistion into doing something else. How about I take you up on the seated tub suggestion. Is there one a little bit more private?" Her hands moved behind her so she could readjust the towel so that it covered her butt once again.

In the net, Things in the security office were heating up per say. Frio's natural curiosity kept his finger looming around the big red button. With how the show had been going, the button was surely to bring nothing but trouble.... but would it be entertaining trouble? He was so close, centimeters away from pressing the button in, causing who knows what to happen, when he happened to see Kabuki's round pantyclad booty. The thought of pressing the button wisped away, as now he had to think... had she presented it like that purposely. Their operators had chimed in, and told them to better play their part... so was this the part?

He wouldn't have time to fully consider his options as there was some movement under the desk, resulting in Kabuki being somewhat stuck in her frantic position. PeekingMan offered his own suggestions, most of which went against his prideful nature. He could go with the first option, in which he grabbed the key and just gave it to her, but there was no entertainment value in that. The lion gulped, in a sense it could be said that the Navi was swallowing his pride. Assuming she had told him what was going on under the desk, then Frio would have a concept of what the key was needed for. He didn't notice the fingers on the end of the desk, because his eyes were mostly fixated on the large bottom in front of him.

He reached out to grab the key, if the hand didn't jerk away or toy with him, then he would take the key in one hand. "COUGH...COUGH..." Frio cleared his throat, then held the key up high facing the closest camera. "So Kabuki, it seems that I have a soloution to your problem, but it wouldn't be fair to the people watching.... for me to just give you this key would it? Especially after you went out of your way to postion yourself in such a fashion. So In exchange for this key, I will take enjoyment in giving you a spanking." His face was a little reddened by his outburst, and decision. He wondered what Layla would think, better yet, how her adventures were going with his Kabuki's operator in the real world.

With his free hand, the Navi pulled back, cupped his palm, and with a speedy stroke, gave the right side of Kabuki's rump a hard smack. His eyes moved from the jiggle, watching to see if her skin produced a pinkish complexion, then moved down her legs, eyeing the colors that seemed to change based on the Navi's mood. . "That's one." He said, pausing for a moment, in an attempt to gauge her response... unsure of how she would take it.

Yoshitsune might very well have raised some protest to being cut off his supply, but the current state of his bloody nose, as though he'd just run extra hard into a wall, made it clear that somebody ought to put the brakes on it for a bit. He grabbed a towel and broke bathhouse etiquette a bit by smearing the blood from his face on it, which, while rude, was still less gross than if he'd left his face coated in it. The teasing look on her face made it even harder for him to quit, though.

"It is as you say," he agreed, although he alone thought that more would be appropriate. "But I understand that you are eager to try out other amenities. However, I must warn you that the tubs I mentioned earlier are only small, upturning buckets and, alas, are quite public. However," he coughed, pausing to dab at his nose again with the tip of the towel. "There are individual washrooms including bathtubs in each of the private suites." He didn't mention just how small the tubs were, as no room in the inn had what one might call deluxe accommodations, not even for VIP prize winners. Also, "private suite" here was a pretty fancy set of words for what amounted to a small room with a small closet, small bathroom, and various small furniture pieces. "Whenever you're ready, I could show you to your room."

The two guys on the other side had apparently given up on watching now that Layla's offer was on pause; they were getting a little pruny besides, but hopefully, Layla wouldn't subject herself to visually confirming that. Ironically, they'd ended up in pretty private quarters as the last of the voyeurs moved over to begin toweling in the dressing rooms. Of course, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't show up a moment later. For now, Yoshitsune waited for Layla to make a decision, which'd give him a chance to cool down for a bit... Layla might be waddling, but he'd probably be walking even funnier if he tried to exit the tub with dignity right now.

"Aiya!" Kabuki cried out in annoyance, although not because her honorable brother was getting a boner from some overly flirty and forthcoming newcomer while she was unable to intercede. Specifically, she'd ended up with one of her hands locked under the desk, making the already impossible task of comfortably extricating herself even more impossible. Of course, she hadn't been planning to pull herself back out until she gave Frio a chance to do... something... but she'd have preferred to have the option if she wanted to. She had more complaints she'd like to make, but none of those would be particularly conducive to the type of character she'd promised to play earlier, so she kept them to herself.

"I mean... aiya, i wonder how I am going to get myself out of this PRE~DICK~A~MENT?" she sighed making a show of swaying her hips slightly, as if she was simply wiling away the time rather than trapped underneath a desk. "I hope this doesn't color everyone's perception of me as an actor," she suddenly thought to herself, regarding her hammy performance, but she had to turn her attention back to the task at hand. Part of her expected him to simply hand her the key, as that would be a nice thing to do, certainly, but he'd shown earlier with the foot display that he was interested in winning the game as well by providing the audience a show... she figured it was more likely he'd continue to follow that path.

If he was nervous, thankfully, it wouldn't be nearly as easy for Kabuki to see that as it was for Layla to see how Yoshitsune was affected. With her head stuck underneath a dark desk, nothing short of contortionist behavior would allow her to see any more than the lower part of his legs. "You're right... I'm concerned with FAIR~NESS as a subset of justice!" she agreed, falsely. "Just let me know what I will need to-" she started, talking over him for a moment, before she heard him clearly and trailed off. "Spanking?" she thought to herself, her grooves glowing red with embarrassment or perhaps excitement at the thought. "Oh, right... It's probably like the foot thing again. He's not really in to that sort of thing, he just wants to entertain everyone." She reasoned, though her reasoning might be faulty in this situation. Either way, she was sure there was a market among the audience for that sort of thing.

"How MORT~IF~FYE~YING! Even more so if I happen to EN~JOY myself as well!" she responded, this time, with a bit of truth. She didn't expect she'd like this sort of thing, but... she did need to do everything in her power to make Yoshitsune jealous. Also, Frio was a handsome sort of lion person who'd treated her well up to this point. If he really did want to do it, that was fairly flattering as well... Plus, there were actually more obscene things he could have chosen to do already. Additionally...

All additions aside, Kabuki was unprepared mentally (having no visual cues to watch for) when Frio's cupped palm connected strongly with her buttocks, causing her to lean forward just a bit and nearly hit her head on the back wall. As the glossy, rubber-like doll-flesh of her bottom bounced, she clutched her upper body closer to the floor, then unconsciously leaned back into position, this time with her legs a little less parted. The red lights on her body were thrumming, while the white, geisha-like color of her skin rapid glowed slightly pink from his touch. There was no trace of the brown that came from her relaxed state. Traces of glowing lines were visible even beneath her panties now, following the shape of her buttocks and framing the cheeks. "A firm stroke IN~DEED! H-How many do you think I must EN~DURE before the key is won?" she asked, feeling heat on her face as well as her bottom. "Or is that the wrong QUEST~SHUN? Am I earning harsher punishment with IN~SO~LENT questions?!" she gasped. It was hard for her to imagine what that would be, but she couldn't stop playing along.

It also didn't escape her attention that something was likely happening in another part of the mall that had captured PeekingMan's attention, even while he had this show to watch. That was probably worth looking into... if only they had some way to look into it. Then again, maybe they did? She sent Frio a message with her suspicions.

Quote (Kabuki)

Take a look around the console and see if there appear to be any monitors that do not look like they open up into spears. If there are real monitors, see if there's a way to activate them... we might be able to use cameras, allowing us to find out what the other contestants are up to.

Oh, and don't worry about me! Be as tough as you need to be! I may not look it, but I'm capable in many ways besides just my acting! You can think of me as someone you can depend on, even for things like this!

She found herself rambling a bit and hoped Frio wouldn't pick up on the emotion in her message, as her mixed feelings showed through her words. Of course, it was also quite likely that, given this unique chance, Frio wasn't about to turn his eyes elsewhere any time soon, nor to limit himself to any specific criteria Kabuki could fulfill to allow her escape.

"Oh? Ohohoho?" the voice of their tormentor/benefactor rang from his camera, poised over the two to get a look at the action. "These two have certainly changed their tune, hm...? But how could they not, when your host is serving up such a spicy situation...!" PeekingMan let out another self-satisfied titter, coughing on the tail end and giving it a rest. "Well, folks, since we're finally getting something more entertaining than the sound of my voice, why don't I shut up a bit? If Kabuki loves justice so much, let's see Frio deliver some swift justice right now, heeheee..."

As he promised, the host did shut up while Frio worked up the courage or swallowed his pride as necessary to proceed. In spite of his best efforts, there was a sharp titter as Frio finally delivered the first strike. "Attaboy! Hey, you're not gonna let her go with just that, are you? Oh man. I don't know if this looks fair, but it sure looks good, dohoho! Don't mind me and my announcement: you two keep improving those rich rewards, and I'll check back in when you've seen fit to release your prisoner, okay...?"

There was feedback from a mic feed cutting off, as their host appeared to be waiting with anticipation for them to proceed. In all likelihood, the two would want to either plunge further into their current course of action or put an end to it as quickly as possible. In case Frio could take his eyes off of Kabuki long enough to take a better look at their surroundings, though, they'd find that, disappointingly, there really weren't many working monitors. There were certainly enough of them that, if they were working, they'd likely command a complete view of the mall. As it stood, though, the monitors were almost entirely blank. The few that weren't showed only static ... Were they blank because they were all fake, or blank because they were off?

"How about you show me to my room, so I can get freshened up. All this liqour and fun has made me hungry." Layla hiccuped in a cute manner. "I believe you said I only got to choose one thing, so how about you treat me to dinner." She made sure her towel was still snug before lifting up out of the water.

Frio did pause for just a moment, his gaze lifted to the monitors. He scanned them meticulously from the distance, but it didn't look like they would be any use... unless there was a way to turn the static away and get an actual picture. Not wanting to leave the fun behind any longer he snapped back to focusing on her raised bum.

((I don't know... from here I can't really tell if they would be of any use to us. Unless you have any ideas on how to fix the static issue.

Hmmm tough you say? Don't mind if we put that to the test, you know for the show and everything?))

The lion swung a cupped right palm once more, striking it across her right cheek. Then his left plan connected with her left. He found the shape combined with her unusual colorful lines mesmerizing. He wondered what she thought of his actions, not only that, but what she thought of her situation in general. Two more strokes connected, one from each hand to corresponding cheek. "I don't know Kabuki... Better yet...". Frio looked up to find the closest of their host' speakers. "PeekingMan, how many do you think the key is worth?"

While the Navi waited for a response from either Kabuki or PeekingMan, he coated each of his palms with a sheet of ice, and places both hands on her cheeks. Too the camera, and watchers it would look as if he was getting more touchy touchy with his friend, but he intended more then just that. He hoped that if the slaps had been a little rough, then the icy would provide a nice, cooling, and soothing sensation.

For the first time in a while, Yoshitsune's cheapness (born from his relative poverty) began to overpower his lust, as Layla suggested he purchase dinner for the two of them. Truth be told, he almost never ate dinner at the bathhouse, given that his meager salary and inability to hold onto it mostly lent itself to TV dinners and cup noodles. Holding out hope that he would be able to expense the dinner later and have it reimbursed as the cost of entertaining the contest winner, he pressed his hands together and gave an obsequious smile. "Of course! It is about that time, is it not?" he agreed, waiting until she was out of the bath (and watching closely) before rising out himself and rewrapping his towel as quickly as he could manage.

The two would have to go back through the separated cubby areas and dress back, either into their original clothes, as Yoshitsune had opted, or into a bathrobe, which was considered okay, this being a bathhouse and all. It didn't seem like Layla was going to bump into anyone during her time.

Yoshitsune figured the time would allow him to cool off, and for a while, he was right... until he checked the screen of his PET for the first time in a while. "S-Sister! Is Frio assaulting you?!" he gasped, jumping to the worst conclusion right away.

Kabuki didn't want to break up the act, so she just gave a simple shake of her head to say "no." Right now, she was somewhere between upset that he'd seen her this way, because it was embarrassing, and pleased, because she had, after all, been intending to make him jealous.

Once the situation became clearer to him from a bit more studying, his shock turned to envy and anger, as she'd hoped it would. "Unacceptable! I cannot watch this!" he raged, then continued watching intently, wiping blood away from his nose with the moist towel he'd set aside a moment ago after repressing.

None of this was a deterrent to Kabuki, who was in the middle of receiving private messages from her partner. She did her best to answer...

Quote (Kabuki)

I have no idea, but I would imagine this room may be semi-important, if HiddenMan was snooping around and the host became incensed enough to attack him. We should search everywhere we can in the room, including that locker in the back. We may even need to push the button, against my better judgment.

As for the show, I

That was as far as she managed to get before Frio continued with his part in their act, now alternating hands to ensure complete coverage. Kabuki felt herself becoming more out of her element, feeling glad that her face was hidden as her pink eyes squinted and her sharp teeth clenched with each strike. Ordinarily, she liked things that made her feel young, but at heart, she was more the older sister type than anything... and this was not the type of thing older sisters tended to endure.

Each hit produced another satisfying jiggle of her unusually smooth and oddly elastic pale flesh, which was getting a little closer to matching her inset lines in coloration. The continued glow of her pink mane and those aforementioned lines showed Frio that whatever she was feeling, the process was getting a reaction... she didn't tend to light up when she wasn't feeling anything.

She broke her silence when he placed his cold hands upon her palm and began to rub in a discrete layer of frost, leaving glittering flakes across the large expanse of her bottom. "AIIY~EEE!" she cried out at first, but once she realized that it was working to take the sting off and double a massage, she softened up her time. "A-Ah, ahem, EX~CUSE me! That is actually a rather lovely SEN~SAY~SHUN! Ah! The coolness, I mean," she added, feeling flustered as she realized it had ostensibly sounded just now like she had professed to liking having her ass rubbed down.

It sounded like Frio was looking to PeekingMan for guidance, though she didn't know if PeekingMan was going to snub him on that account for the sake of not intervening or oblige him for the sake of liking this sort of thing. At any rate, she'd let them hash it out among themselves... she could think of some ways to proceed, but saying them out loud was a little beyond her. Kabuki was hoping PeekingMan would avoid going to risque, or else she could end up giving out more than she meant to offer when she showed her panties.

Yoshitsune still had his eyes locked on his PET screen as he appeared outside the changing room, ready to show Layla to her room. His earlier attentiveness seemed to have diminished, his short attention span now choosing to prioritize watching the on-screen antics of Kabuki and Frio. "Yes, the room... follow me," he responded slowly then headed to the staircase to show Layla upstairs, motioning for her to go up first... an odd choice for a host, but a sensible one for somebody paying more attention to their PET than where they were going. Layla was going to have to give him incentive to go eyes forward, if she cared about this situation.

The show's host remained silent as Frio gave Kabuki some more rough play. While it might be nice to pretend the cheeky observer was giving them some alone time, that would be impossible while his watchful eye-in-the-sky was continually angling for a better view. When Frio addressed him, his sing-song voice rang out again. "That's a good question, Frio. I could watch this all night, but seeing as how you're cooling down, though, I'd say you've probably got the mood well set. There's a whole mall full of desks to get Kabuki under, maybe let her off easy for now? She might even appreciate it! Heehehe... Anyway, Frio Guy, you're the one with the key, you say when she's earned it."

The camera went quiet again for just a bit, just long enough for Frio and Kabuki to possibly decide a next course of action or start up a conversation before interjecting once again. "So! Let me tell you about a cool proposition I've got, just for you two. A loyal fan gave me a hot tip that the NetPolice were trying to send some goons in to spoil my fun tonight... but seeing as there aren't cops kicking down the door of the mall, I have to figure they sent in somebody undercover. An uncommonly slick move on their part! Applause, applause... Well, I was wondering if you guys have any idea who was sent here by the NetPolice. Maybe the six of you chatted a little bit before you came into the mall...? Let's make it a little interesting. I'm worried you lot are gonna take too long to get to solving my riddle. As much as I'd like to watch you all spending a day entertaining me here... You guys tell me who among the six here was sent by the NetPolice, and I'll give you three letter guesses for my riddle, right here! Surely you've got some information to share, hmhmmm? If you don't, I'll try asking another pair. You've got a little time, so think about it. Meanwhile, have fun...!"

Another click would indicate the host had gone silent again, but after a short buzz he'd pipe up again. "Oh yeah, one more word to the wise! Surf's team has gotten two letters by this point, but, y'know, no pressure!" Another click, and finally PeekingMan gave them a break.

Quote (Frio)

What do we say here? We can't give ourselves up... and we shouldn't lie about some else...

Yet again, PeekingMan and his shady game challanged Frio's integrity. If they didn't think carefully about how they would get out of their current situation, then they would be in trouble. Blowing their cover could result in more then just failing the mission. "Ah well I think my friend Kabuki has had enough." The cooling sensation vanished from Frio's palms as he released the flow of icy energy. He handed the key to his tangled up friend so that should could reach down and undo the hand that was cuffed beneath the desk. "That wasn't so bad now was it?" He held out his hand in order to help her get back to her feet.

He was still unsure of how she really felt about his actions, even with the colorful lights that streamed through her body, he couldn't be sure to understand their meaning. He decided to just play it cool for the moment, and lock eyes with the actress Navi. He hoped she could give him guidance for their current predicament. He waited for her to give a response before moving forward with PeekingMan's offer

Back in the real world things were a little less exciting at the moment, Layla followed Yoshitsune back towards the changing rooms. While in there by her self she took the moment to take a deep breath. His company was fun and a great escape from the reality she'd face back home. His funny gestures amused her deeply. The liqour weighted her conscious slightly, but it'd take quite a few more to have her completely drop control of her decisions. "I wonder where he thinks this night is going? Hell I don't know where it's going myself." She giggled, and took a moment to check the PET.

The situation was interesting to say the least, but she decided it was best not to stick her nose in again. Her earlier antics may or may not have boggeled the duo down. She sighed, stood up, and draped herself in a bathrobe? Choosing not to change into what she had on earlier seeing as she was planning on wearing something else for the dinner. The robe was a little small, and seemed to still show off her well shaped proportions, as well as a good line of clevegae on the front.

She stepped out of the room, and said "You must have gotten out here fast. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." She flashed him a smile. "So are you ready to take me to my room so I can get ready for dinner?"

Kabuki wavered for a moment between whether to point out that she would indeed appreciate it or whether she ought to keep playing along, before the decision was made for her and Sparks gave her a respite. Oddly enough, once she was free and had a good chance to put her robe back down, she felt somehow a little more embarrassed from having her face seen again. She wondered what type of grin she put on as she responded, "Ha ha, y-yes, it was an IN~VIG~GOR~RATE~ING experience! Maybe we'll do it again some time!" Her face glowed brighter as she debated why she'd thought that an appropriate footnote. Her pink eyes seemed to evade his own as he tried to grab them, and for a bit, the lack of experience hidden beneath her womanly exterior was painfully evident.

PeekingMan made the rare save on Kabuki, although the situation she'd pulled them into wasn't much easier. "Shimata... We can't let him know that we're the NP plants, any more than my yelling about justice already has... But we can't put it on the other teams either! Such dishonorable methods will not serve," she thought to herself, now with a new topic to turn her mental faculties toward. She needed a good bluff quickly, and it seemed like Frio was fresh out. He was a good guy, but probably honest to a fault... he didn't seem to have much of a poker face. She was the same way, but to her credit, she also had some acting experience. "I've just got to act my way out of this!" Kabuki resolved, working quickly to come up with the best diversion she could manage.

"Do you really think NetPolice officers could be here?" she asked, fading back to a more serious black color that showed she was not enthused with the subject. "I don't know who your informant is, but doesn't it seem like they might be someone with connections to one of the player groups here, trying to get somebody disqualified to better the chances for their own group? I mean... for the NetPolice, being a little prudish is part of the job descriptions, right? You've seen what we're all willing to do on camera, and trust me, it only gets crazier from here on out!" she promised, beginning to brighten back to pink. "Why, when you see the kind of lewd things I have planned for our next encounter, you'll know there's not a chance I have any police AFF~FIL~LEE~AY~TION, or I might have to arrest myself for IN~DE~SENT exposure!" she chuckled, giving her ally a promiscuous wink. "It took me a little while to get ACC~CLAM~MATE~TED, but now that I am, you'll be amazed what I can do!"

Turning her eyes back to the blank monitors, as though looking to PeekingMan, she pulled out a fan and waved it below her chin idly. "By that logic, if one of the teams is offering up another as NP conspirators, those are the ones I'd be suspicious of. Feel free to give us extra points if you act on that information!" she giggled slyly. It wasn't really a perversion of justice if she ended up hurting one of the groups that tried to sell the others out, after all.

-------------------------------

Yoshitsune noted that his navi was still getting along very intimately with Frio, which only made him antsier than waiting on Layla did, as though he was in some kind of race. He wanted to have as much fun with Layla as possible and then get back to Kabuki, or to have both at once, not to have to surrender his navi to Frio's perverse whims just because he was busy elsewhere.

Once Layla showed up, the sight of her in a pure, white bathrobe, which hugged her hips almost as enticingly as the towel had but without the view of her thighs, was still keeping him plenty on edge, just outside of the nosebleed zone. "I am very used to changing clothes quickly. It is part of kabuki theater," he explained with brevity. "Yes, to your room," he murmured. It was lucky she'd punctuated the statement with "so I can get ready for dinner" or else he'd have entirely forgotten what Layla intended to do after she reached her room. "Follow me."

The trip upstairs was uneventful enough, with him having at least enough discipline to go in front this time. The VIP room, despite its name, was near the back of the hallway, inconveniently far from the staircase. It was, at least, useful in terms of privacy, and giving them plenty of space to install a larger than normal room. He entered first, holding the door open and attempting to be a gentleman. Once she was inside, however, he found himself fumbling for the light switch. "Rrrgh," he grumbled, turning on his PET's screen for a little light. Unfamiliar with the VIP room, he had no way of knowing the light switch wasn't in the same placement as the usual rooms, and he found himself groping at the wall uselessly with stubborn pride that he knew right where it should be. Layla probably would not have expected to end up in the dark for this long; how she'd react was her own business, but if she wanted to help Yoshitsune with the light switch, it was just on the other side of the door.

PeekingMan gave Kabuki and Frio their brief moment of communicating openly without trying to hide their intentions or tie themselves in knots to please him. Anyone could tell he wouldn't stay patient long, though. "Frio? Kabuki? Anything to tell me?" he piped up again, mild, but prodding."

He stayed quiet as Kabuki spoke, the hovering camera and flickering light not giving any hint as to whether or not he was buying what she was selling. When she'd said her piece, PeekingMan's laughter rang out again... an odd laugh, but then, his were never quite normal. "Pfha! You've clearly never seen the good NetPolice vids I have. What do you do around the end of the year?! Anyway, I'll take that blank check to the bank and take you at your word. Besides, even if you two were sent here by the NetPolice, I bet you've forgotten all about them now that you're having so much fun! Don't worry, what happens in NetVegas stays in NetVegas. I won't report it if you don't, puhehehee..."

The non-present Navi cleared his throat and continued. "So, about your reward. You didn't earn three guesses, but I'll let you two know I was greatly entertained by your performance. I'm hoping for even more as you try to win more of my prizes! So, you two should be getting a sweet reward from your cooperation challenge, but normally it wouldn't be a letter prize. However: I am instituting a change to keep this thing moving! From now on, all challenges will offer fun rewards. However, when you score high as you two just did, you have the option to get a letter and decrease your rewards a bit. Furthermore, if you do even better than you did this time, I'll let you trade in all the rewards for that challenge for two letter guesses, in case you think you're really behind the curve. This change is being given to everyone, so hopefully it'll light a fire under the whole competition. Even a moron will be able to guess my riddle with that many! Oh, and by the way, the cut will come from your shared reward for the event, so I'll just pick one of you at random to make the call. This time it'll be, mm... you, Frio. Next time Kabuki'll choose and so on so forth. The last thing I'll tell ya is you don't get to learn what I was gonna give you until you make your choice... will you sacrifice unknown goodies for a chance to help your poor puzzle solving skills?"

There was a sound like their host was sipping something (obnoxiously loudly) before an exaggerated smack of satisfaction. "So! I've talked for long enough. Let's see this new get-up-and-go of yours, eh? Tell me what you want, I'll give it to you, and you can either hang out in this cramped little room some more or check out the rest of the mall, hehe. I'm eager to find out which of Kabuki's faces is her mask... that side who likes juuuust-ice, or the side that thinks maybe a little dirty play under the table isn't so bad after all... And Frio. Will yours be the hand that delivers comfort, or the flat palm of swift decision?... Bahauheheee!!"