Hidden Seas Shopping Center

Kabuki's words trailed off, but hearing the part that pointed out that she had more up her sleeve intrigued Frio, and made him blush even more. He was doing his best to keep up, but his child like nature, and appearance probably wasn't helping much. Then PeekingMan made his transition and offered greater rewards... or a letter. It took the lion only a moment to make the decision. The game had already been going on pretty long, and though the host was right about them having fun, they hadn't guessed a single letter yet. On top of that it was only a matter of time before the jig was up for them. So with that in the back of his mind, Frio stood up straight and puffed up his chest in an attempt to look masculine, and proud. He said, "Since you're putting the choice on me, I think this time we will guess some letters.... how about.... S, and E?"

He glanced over towards Kabuki hoping she would approve of his selections, and choices. He stepped closer to her, she gave the frosty leo a comforting feeling, and probably saved their asses with her improve skills. He whispered, "Thanks for the help, that was a close call huh?" The words slid off his tongue as he looked into her eyes, still trying to get a read on her real emotions from the previous event.

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

Layla was in fact a little surprised that Yoshitsune couldn't find the light. "Hun... is the light broke in this room?" She stumbled towards him, landing on him, her breast pressed up somewhere against his body as she fell, would he catch her? Or would she fall to the ground?

Yoshitsune knew more about what the NP tended to get up to around the end of the year than Kabuki did, having rewatched the recordings a couple of times while Kabuki wasn't around, but Kabuki had at least enough knowledge to know PeekingMan had a point. Thankfully, he dropped the issue; Kabuki wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her robe in relief. They'd won a little something too; she was going to suggest they go full letters rather than splitting it with rewards, since they needed the letters to achieve their ultimate goal of recovering their client's stolen blueprints, but it seemed like Frio was already thinking along those lines. She found herself staring at his blushing face a little longer than she meant to, with a grin stuck on her own face... she found Frio's bashfulness cute and a welcome change from Yoshitsune's overly forward behavior. "He'd be disappointed if he realized I hadn't actually thought anything up yet," she realized, causing her to break her gaze suspiciously, as though she'd just been caught in a lie.

The letters he picked showed some understanding of these kinds of word games, which was good; she nodded approvingly, putting back on her toothy grin. That said, she still found herself getting a little flustered as he complimented her on her quick thinking... not just because it was a little embarrassing, but also because they needed to remember how carefully PeekingMan was watching the two of them.

Quote (Kabuki)

Let's remember that we've got cameras and microphones on us! If he understands what you meant by 'close call' we'll be in trouble. I'll try to mislead him!

"Ha ha ha, yes, of course! I was worried when you almost said the letter Z instead of E!" she joked, not managing quite the feat of acting she'd just pulled off a moment ago, partially evident by the way her hair remained black even as she was laughing. "Well, we need to maximize our time. With that in mind, I'm going to take a quick peek in this locker while we wait for PeekingMan to reward us," she added, going over to the locker and placing one hand on her hip, while quickly opening the cracked door using her other. It was perhaps a little less cautious than she ought to be, but they didn't have time to stand still and chat if they wanted to beat Dart and Surf, who appeared to be racking up letters at a dangerous rate.

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

"No, it is not broken! It is just... hiding from me!" Yoshitsune answered in a testy snap. In the darkness, Yoshitsune was still feeling around for a switch, not for the intention of getting anywhere with Layla in the dark, but just because he legitimately couldn't find it. He was so frustrated that even once Layla bumped into him from behind, at first, he didn't register anything but annoyance. "Rrgh, it is pitch black! Is this the closet I have wandered into? Curse these curtains!" he called out, grabbing hold of what he assumed was the hanging curtain brushing him and instead tugging hard on Layla's robe, in an effort to jerk it off the curtain rod and sate his anger. When it didn't give like he thought it would, he began to realize something was wrong, but it'd probably take a reaction from Layla to clue him into what he'd just done.

"Look at you, acting like a cool guy when guessing 'E' of all things. 'E'!" their host chided, as though there was some obvious mistake made on Frio's part. "Although I ought to have some attachment to the letter, I never like to make things too 'easy!' Well, 'E' it is. Not the best, not the worst, more letters to come but let's see the first!"

Their host brought the camera drone's monitor to eye level of the pair and displayed his hangman puzzle. The blanks, excluding the one already provided 'K,' rapidly flashed different characters before two came to a stop, the others settling back on underscores:

Quote ()

_ _ _ _ K
_ _ _ _ _ _ E
_ _ E
_ _ _

"Hows about it? Feeling any flashes of inspiration... or just inspired to get back to the flashing, yuk yuk? Well, what's less important than if you're ready is that I'm ready. And... Oh! Kabuki's already on the move again, I see... yeah, take a look in there! A locker like that is bound to have some interesting equipment, right...?"

When Kabuki opened the locker, most of what she'd find was empty shelves, slots serving as clear indentations for the hanging of weapons that instead held nothing at all. In fact, the only thing to see was right in front of her face... a .GMO data package right in front of her face, which would be hidden from Frio unless he'd moved in shoulder-to-shoulder with her in the narrow space in front of the locker:

Speaking of things that weren't too easy, figuring out PeekingMan's phrase using just three letters out of nineteen wasn't possible at the moment. "Check... Outside... The... what? Check outside the what?" Kabuki murmured quietly to herself. "Car? Bar? Aiyaa... nothing really makes sense." Frankly, she doubted Frio would have a better idea than she did, so she held her thoughts to herself for now.

She'd continue stewing it over as she came to the locker, barely thinking about what she'd find inside even as she opened it. For that reason, she was pretty lucky that a trap wasn't ready to spring on her this time; instead, there was simply a .GMO hidden inside. The last thing she wanted to do was throw on a suspicious .GMO before thoroughly inspecting it. On the other hand, the least sexy thing she could do right now would be to hesitate, inspect the passage, or worse, decide she didn't want to put it on. "Headfirst into action!" she gave an internal mantra, before equipping the GMO, faster than Frio would even be able to get a peek inside the locker.

Once it was off, she went from robed to essentially wearing a swimsuit with some swat gear. She mused that it could even be a swimsuit, given how PeekingMan had suggested they head out for a swim earlier... not that she intended to go swimming at all if she could help it, seeing as no amount of stripping down would stop her from being a fire-element navi. That said, Frio had gotten a pretty good look at her butt earlier, but now he could see everything else, from her lean waist and abs, her bare hips and the under-side hugging swimsuit she now wore, rather than her almost comically modest flowered panties. Even her forearms and legs were bare where previously there had been socks and gauntlets. Pink lines traced the entirety of her body, disappearing under the few places the suit covered.

Ironically, the only pieces of extra coverage she'd received she planned to remove. "Well OB~VEE~YUS~LEE this helmet has to come off," she informed both Frio and PeekingMan alike, pulling it off and giving her voluminous hair a glamorous toss, once on each side, till it settled about back where it was. Kabuki and full headgear would never mix. As for other things that didn't work particularly well given Kabuki's unique assets... "And it's a little hard to breathe while WEA~RING this thing," she continued with a wink of one now-exposed pink eye inside its socket. Kabuki further unstrapped her chest protector, allowing it to fall to the floor, before kicking it to the side with her bare foot. It didn't go very far before hitting a wall, not even really "out of the way" given that the office wasn't very large. With that out of the way, Frio and all of the viewers would have a much better look at her explosive bust. "Hee hee... If I'm mall security, normally I would be STRIP SEARCH~CHING other people! So why do I feel like you're STRIP~PING me with your eyes, Frio?" she asked, leaning forward a bit with an intimidating bounce of her chest and putting on a big, sharp-toothed grin.

Suddenly, her expression changed, to a startled look. She pounded one fist into her palm and shouted. "AIYAA! I have it! Think OUT~SIDE the box! The AN~SWER is think outside the box!" she told Frio first, then jumped up and down a bit and looked at PeekingMan. "I know the AN~SWER! That's it, isn't it?!" After she'd spoken it, she immediately regretted it... "What if somebody else heard that?" Kabuki realized. "And now that I know it, what do I even do with it? Will PeekingMan just give himself up? No... that wasn't even the deal, was it? This puzzle was just a hint of some kind, wasn't it?! Aiyaa, it's just another puzzle! I've still got to think of how to use the clue!" she realized, trying to remember if she'd seen any boxes around here. The only thing that came to her were the present boxes from earlier... but how could she apply that? "Something written on the outside of the boxes, possibly? Did we ever get a chance to look at the boxes underneath the wrapping paper?"

Quote (Kabuki)

Boxes, Frio! Do we know about any boxes! We've got to think outside the box... and think about boxes!

Friio's letter guess led successfully into a few more reveals to the puzzle. He was stumbling to form anytupe of guesses based on the amount of letters they had unlocked so far. It seemed like he wasn't very good at the game itself. "I can't even put a phrase together, yet you're going at it like it's noghing." He pondered but nothing came to mind sill, when all of a sudden Kabuki once again started a trip down sexy boulevard.

The activation of the .GMO combined with the shedding of her outer layers held the young Navi's gaze in a trance. The swimsuit like outfit squeezed into her body, showing him completely how lucious it actually was. Frio couldn't look away, and his breathing was heavier then normal. Each breath realesed a visable chill, as if he was breathing hot breath on a winter day... except opposite that. He got a grip on his breathing only to suck his bottom lip in slightly revealing one of his fangs.

Then she tantalized him with her flirtatious remarks. With modesty Frio attempted a response, "Uh... uh... the suit has a very... breathtaking effect." The party took a different direction once Kabuki yelped out what she believed to be the answer to the riddle. "Think outside the box, huh? I would never have guessed that....". The one thing stopping him from exploding in joy was the fact PeekingMan had said earlier that even if they guessed it correctly he didn't have to tell them.

Quote (Frio)

Boxes you say? We did see those big gift boxes earlier when we were coming in.... or maybe we missed something with the travel guide? Maybe we can go back and look at the boxes first? Then go from there?

Frio sent a discrete message in return just Incase someone was close by listening in. "You can lead the way..."

---

In the real world things were talking a turn into even more untraveled ground. In his clumsily stumbling around Yoshitsune had managed to grab and rip down her bathrobe, causing it to slip just below her uncovered breast. Though she had been egging on flirtatious and somewhat sexual behavior all night, this seemingly sudden unsuspecting attempt at stripping off her robe in the dark triggered something in Layla.

Flashbacks to some of the hideous antics that went on during her spy training from years past seeped into her mind. With a slight stumble, probably from the alcohol, she slid both of her hands outwards feeling for the Man's wrist, once she found them she gripped them, pulled and used her hip to propel him upwards as she continued to sling him hard into the ground, or furniture beside them. The force wasn't as hard as she probably intended, again due to the nature of the alcoholc but it was sure to sting. She continued holding him down, "What the hell man.... please tell me that was an accident..."

PeekingMan let out peals of delighted laughter as Kabuki played along with the little surprise he'd planted in the locker. "Oh, joy! My favorite is when they're uncomfortable and play along any way, but this straight-up sexy stuff is a close second. You made a couple of big improvements, hahahuh-?!" The Navi's voice suddenly caught in his throat as Kabuki took a crack shot at guessing the puzzle.

The camera remained silent for a while, hovering severely, before PeekingMan's voice rang out again, the humor sounding drained from it. "Well. Looks like you've got more than justice and rocks in your head after all, Kabuki. I know I said I wouldn't necessarily confirm it, but I never said I wouldn't confirm it... and that is, in fact, the rule of the game. So congratulations! Gee, wow, great! My fans watching are definitely gonna love that you guessed the hint in just two letters... But!" their host shouted, suddenly turning back on his enthusiasm, "That doesn't mean we're done yet! In fact, seeing as you're still racking your brain, I'm guessing you haven't quite processed just what that hint means, have you...? Kekekuhuuu... That means you're still in my game, for now, and we might still have some fun yet! Tell you what. I'll say the same rules apply as before for a new puzzle. No letters to start to help you out, but you get a reset on your vowel quota and all that, and even better, this one is more like a direction than a hint. So, if you want, you two could search all the leads you can think of, while your competition gets closer and closer... or, now that you're feeling nice and fired up, you could just do some more fun games! Play along, solve another puzzle using your weirdly proficient word puzzle skills, and it'll just be a matter of bringing it on home! Up to you, but uh... if you are gonna just try and use the hint yourself, please try and keep it interesting, please? My audience is fired up now, I can't just let them watch you guys wander the mall banging your heads on things, y'know? Hahmmm..."

With that, the camera would float down in front of the pair with a new word puzzle displayed, all blank underscores waiting to be filled on the screen:

Quote ()

_ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _
_ _ _ _

The more Frio got into Kabuki's act, the more she felt embarrassed doing it, to the point that she actually protested when PeekingMan spoke up. "I am just PLAY~YING! I am not the PROM~MISC~SKEW~USS type who does things like this for... I-I mean, I am, and you'd better...!" she trailed off in her harried defense, realizing that she had finally given him pause for once. She rubbed the back of her hair and grinned. "Ah, well, I'm certain they will join me in CEL~LEB~BRATE~SHUN! I always share my joy, HOW~WEV~VER I can!" she finished with a pose, jumping and doing a wheel kick, then ending with legs spread and knees bent, rotating her head and extending one palm. A classic, albeit with a lot of extra eye-candy given her current attire.

Things took a turn for the annoying as PeekingMan, first off, correctly guessed that she had no idea how to use the new clue, then secondly, revealed a new, ominously lengthy hint for them to decipher. "Oo, I oughtta WAN~DER your mall, BANG~GING you in the head!' she responded, waving one fist towards the monitors, before slowly lowering it, as she remembered that those monitors had never been functional in the first place. She refocused her fist-waving at the camera.

The new clue offered the opportunity for speculation, but not much else yet. She cooled back down to her darker form and thought about the implications. "Hmm... Under the mall? Above the mall? Under the pool? 'You Must Swim Under the Pool?" she thought to herself, her brain working on overtime. She had a responsibility to be reasonably brainy, to offset Yoshitsune's lack of common sense, but she was no puzzle master. "I think the best we can do is guess some more letters. To do that, we will need to complete more games," she notified Frio, then sent him a message as well.

Quote ()

At this point, more letters might make this easier than hoping he hid something on one of his boxes. We know we can get letters just by doing his sleazy challenges. I say we try to find a big one so we can get a bunch of letters at once. The best thing to do would be to find the pool. I'm sure that place is littered with games, I'll bet... I don't like the water but I will find a way to deal with it.

I have a feeling he will throw a hissy fit, but we should head back to the tour guide and grab one of those pamphlets, if there is one in decent condition. That will tell us how to get to the pool.

Provided that Frio was willing to go along with that plan, she would return to the main area of this floor... then stop in place, remembering that thr means they used to get up wouldn't work to help them go down. "No good... should we take the elevator?" she asked, already walking in that direction. Dart and Surf had seemed to imply they had to do something embarrassing to ride it, but completing games was also part of their objective right now. A game mid-elevator-ride would be killing two birds with one stone.

-----

"Layla, is that yooooo?!" Yoshitsune began, still with no grasp on the situation as he was forced to relinquish his hold on the "curtain", due to some unseen assailant tossing him across the darkened room in some kind of judo toss. In ordinary circumstances, they would be in a sparsely decorated room with wooden floorboards and futons, for the authentic Electopian experience. That would mean not much for him to crash into.

Unfortunately for him, circumstances were not ordinary. They were currently stumbling around in the darkened VIP room, which had all manner of expensive furniture spread around in artful arrangement. Yoshitsune not-so-artfully rearranged a lamp and a small statuette of a crane, which fell to the floor and broke at the neck with a shrill crack, as he collided with the opposite wall.

The lamp turned on mid-fall, illuminating the rest of the room, with itd ornate, king-sized bed, blood-red satin sheets, matching couch and love-seat, giant-screen TV, coffee and drink station, shower room, so forth, so on, including the curtained closet he thought he touched earlier (it was actually a few feet further tham where he had settled, just behind Layla).

In his addled state, Yoshitsune imagined some sort of ninja attacking him in the darkness, and Layla's question made no sense to him. "That was no accident!" he answered, choosing his words exactly wrong. "It was a ninja, hired to assassinate me!" he continued, sounding as though he was using maybe the lamest excuse ever concocted by a perver to get out of a bad situation.

He shook his head and finally collected himself... then squinted, trying to refocus his eyes in the light. "If i'm not mistaken... that is...? he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes and trying to ascertain if he eyes again and trying to see if he was correct in thinking Layla's robe was down past her bare breast.

Frio was in fact enjoying the gameshow up to this point. The interaction between he and Kabuki was sudden, and unexpected before hand, yet that didn't take away the fact that it happened to be a thrilling pleasure. He found himself wishing his shape had been molded after that if an older looking lion... and not that of a young cub. Disheartening thoughts of seeming uncool, or showing a lack of maturity caused his mindset to waviour.

He glanced at his partner. It crossed his mind that though he was having fun, maybe she wasn't. The way she became defensive towards PeekingMan's constant jabbing. On top of that, when it fake to their actual mission... she seemed way more focused on the goal then he did. Maybe it was his playful persona that kept him intrigued in the games, or possibly, the overly attractive company he shared this adventure with. The frosty Navi gulped, then spoke, "Um, I'm all in for a few more games to earn a few more letters... that is, if you wanted to anyways." In most of the games she seemed to get the most attention and worst parts thrown in her direction.

Quote (Frio)

Yea, let's head back to get one of those. I think it is a fine idea. Is everything okay? I mean... doing all these games and stuff?

Moments later, unless PeekingMan intervened and pushed them in a different direction, Frio and Kabuki would find themselves facing the elevator. Frio could hardly imagine what would possibly be instore for them once they entered. "I'll go first." Frio said, stepping forward to touch the down arrow button to the side of the door. He patiently waited for the doors to open so he could step in, hoping Kabuki followed suit right behind him.

---

Layla tightened her grip on one of the young man's arms, and held it pinned right behind his back, this allowed him slightly free motion with the rest of his body, since he could probably shake her off in her half drunken state. Only to be dumbfounded by his response of ninjas. "No dumbass, it was me. Why would you be the target of any type of an assassin?" She stumbled back, releasing his arm if he hadn't chose to break free himself.

As her runp met the ground below, her exposed breast bounced up and down like two water balloons on a trampoline. Then it struck her, the light was on, and Yoshitsune's eyes were locked in on one thing. Her pale white, round boobs. Quickly, she used her feet to push herself backwards, running her back against whatever was closest, in an attempt to escape his eyesight. She pulled the robe up as fast as she could in an attempt to cover herself back up. "Was this your idea? To take advantage of me in this dark room? Do you even work here!? Or did my uncle send you to take me back?" The end of her statement might come off as nonsense to Yoshitsune, who was probably trying to finish the current or come up with a whole new excuse to overcome the current situation.

”Nope! No dice! And I’m not sure I’m gonna even tell you if you guess it through freak luck, either. I admit you got the best of my puzzle earlier, but I intend to milk this one for all it’s worth, heh hm…” their host quickly rebuffed Kabuki’s chain of thought. ”But yes, more games. That sounds like the ticket! I’ll get out of your way.” PeekingMan did just that, maneuvering his camera from where it hovered in front of the door they’d entered, allowing them to return to the third floor plaza.
 
The pair made their way to the elevator, reluctant, but determined. It didn’t seem PeekingMan intended to stop them, at least not before they got on his ominous elevator. Frio hit the button, and the two didn’t wait long before the doors opened with a cheery chime.
 
In that time, though, a familiar pair came dashing out of the surf shop they’d entered earlier, although they looked a little different for the brief time they’d been away. In order to reach Kabuki and Frio quickly, Surf was riding her board through the air towards them in the lead. She appeared to be dressed in a long white tee shirt, revealing tanned arms, legs, and barefeet that her surf suit had hidden earlier. Taking up the rear, Dart was running behind. One of her arms held her shades in place while the other carefully pinned together a blue and yellow towel she’d wrapped around herself (or, knowing PeekingMan’s rules, possibly had wrapped around her).
 
“Hold the door, dudes!” Surf called, sliding to a stop and hopping off her board as the elevator arrived. One watching carefully might notice the slick motion accompanied by a certain freedom of motion at the chest which her tee only barely hid. If she caught anyone looking, she’d flush a bit self-consciously, but continue regardless. “We’re going down too.” As she paused in front of them, it’d be possible to read the graphic on her shirt: “I visited HIDDEN SEAS SHOPPING MALL and all I’m wear-“ If anyone’s eyes traveled that far, Surf would redden even more, crossing her hands over the lower half of the shirt and wringing it nervously, preventing any further reading.
 
For her part, Dart didn’t mince words with them, shouldering her way through into the door. Anyone interested would be able to get a better look at her pale, glamorous body, offset a bit in its attractiveness with the Navi’s tight-lipped frown, looking as though she thought she could will the other Navis not to address her just by ignoring them. Her towel had a design of blue waves in front of a gold silhouette of the mall with “HIDDEN SEAS” at a dynamic angle. It was also notable that no straps covered her exposed shoulders. Anyone trying to get a look at her tall legs or exposed cleavage would quickly want to stop: from her clenched teeth, it was clear she was a time bomb waiting for the slightest provocation to go off. She quickly hit a button to move the elevator, not even waiting for her partner.
 
Seeing this, Surf started and quickly began ushering Kabuki and Frio into the elevator, a hand at each of their backs. When the four were crammed inside the small space, with only enough space for maybe one and a half other Navis comfortably, they’d a moment to observe the button for “1” on the control panel by the door had been lit. The other labels were “3,” “2,” and “B.” “You two lucked out, dudes,” Surf spoke up, forcing on a crooked smile that seemed determined to work through the strangeness in light of their close proximity and relative lack of clothing. “That perv-o had one of his games on this elevator before, but we already cleared it. So…”
 
She remained in awkward silence for a moment as the door closed. The cameras which had moved in behind the four snapped to two corners of the elevator’s ceiling, graciously halting their fans and fixing themselves. After that…
 
… The elevator remained still. At this point, the riders might recognize there were no buttons to open or close the doors, or to call for help.
 
Surf had just opened her mouth to speak when grating laughter poured from the camera-bound speakers. ”Gyahahaha! Of course not, numbskull! Why would I rob you folks of another prime opportunity to earn more letters?”
 
“You fool,” Dart growled. “How are we possibly going to play one of your disgusting games when we’re packed in shoulder-to-shoulder? There’s no room!”
 
”Oh-ho, ye of little imagination! There’s all kinds of fun people can get into at close quarters! And I haven’t had the chance for four of you to play a fun game at once, so there’s no way I’m going to pass this up. So, Dart and Surf already know this, but I’ll explain it for Kabuki and Frio. I know how bored people get in elevators. The music, the stops, the uncomfortable experience of small talk with strangers… that’s why I’m cutting through the worst parts of it and going straight to the only good part: naughty business! So this game is based on that concept. My cameras are monitoring to make sure you all take advantage of this special opportunity, a private space with only the four of you. But you know how they say time flies when you’re having fun? The opposite is true, too: when you’re not having fun, time stands still! The only way to make this thing move and eventually get off is to keep having fun! Do something that’ll make you give a little gasp when the door opens, okay? Hooheeheeee! I bet some of your imaginations are working hard now!”
 
There was a bit of awkward shuffling as the announcement came to an end and the elevator remained silent. However Dart and Surf had moved it before, they apparently weren't prepared to go straight back to it. One with sharp senses would probably be able to hear and feel the elevated beats of the hearts of the two would-be bounty hunters in the elevator as they waited for someone to make a move.
 
From where she was positioned in front of Frio and beside Kabuki, having pushed them in, Surf cleared her throat, shifting a bit and crossing her arms behind her head, glancing at the camera in the corner over her with a face that was clearly fighting very hard to keep its cool. The pose might be interpreted as care-free if one wasn’t aware of the situation. In context, it might more accurately be described as defenseless.
 
Dart, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Positioned behind Kabuki and beside Frio, she looked wound up completely tight, her arms crossed at her chest and a cross frown plastered on. Her eyes couldn’t be seen behind her shades, but Frio could feel her scanning him nonetheless, as though daring him to try something… That said, occasionally her lip could be seen to tremble, as though she was on the verge of saying something and couldn’t force it out, causing her to stiffen it and clam up again.

Kabuki realized, from Frio's own worried expression, that she was letting her distaste for PeekingMan and his shady business get in the way of their cheerful game-player personas. That'd be bad for everyone involved, partially because she'd be a buzzkill both in regards to the mission and in regards to their own fun time (not really a date, she reminded herself, just a mission), but also because Frio's character here required him to indulge himself, and he wouldn't want to if he thought she was uncomfortable with it. "I was being cowardly... I can't let anyone smell the stink of fear on me!" she reminded herself. The actress resolved that she'd have fun showing her butt to the camera in increasingly compromising situations or burn out trying.

Quote ("Kabuki")

We're good, Frio! We've got a huge advantage now, with that first clue we managed to guess. Now is the time to press the advantage!

And I have to admit, it is a little fun. It's kind of like we're on a date, isn't it?

She felt a bit bashful writing that last part... Kabuki figured maybe she was being presumptuous. Frio was sort of a young buck compared to her, at least judging by his appearance. He might think that was a bit too forward... but she hoped that it'd have the opposite effect of reassuring her ally that he was still free to act boldly for the sake of the mission. Thankfully, PeekingMan was leaving them alone, at least for now, so that she could focus on the elevator ahead of them. From the brief glimpse she'd gotten of Surf and Dart earlier, they'd been forced into another game on the elevator. However, she had no idea what sort of game, so it was difficult to prepare, regardless of that prior spoiler.

Just then, Surf and Dart shot out of the surf shop, each wearing provocative new garments that seemed as though they might be "what you see is what there is" types. That was an embarrassing thought, but not so distracting that Kabuki managed to avoid a suspicious thought entering into her head: "Isn't it kind of odd to come running out of the surf shop already in a hurry for the elevator? Are they running away from something?" Then again, it was also perfectly likely they had just run into a trap and were eager to get away from it.

She'd be interested to see how Frio reacted to more girls in skimpy clothing being added to the mix, especially because the elevator had now become standing room only. Although she was feeling sympathetic to the two of them, she wasn't thinking clearly about the situation: they might be sans-underwear, but for all she knew, so was she, and her outfit was more revealing than either of theirs at a glance. "You two have SOOVE~VEIN~NEERS, I see!" she joked, trying to lighten the mood, although Dart probably wouldn't appreciate it. "ALL~BEE~YIT not the free kind," she added.

Adding to the tense atmosphere came PeekingMan's declaration that there would, in fact, still be a game on the elevator, despite the girls' earlier efforts. Kabuki had several conflicting feelings to juggle at this point: a part of her realized that Frio must be feeling cornered now, being the only man in this situation and thus probably the one who felt the most pressure to act. Seeing how Surf was raising her arms into a vulnerable position seemed to confirm that; she couldn't see Dart behind her, but it could be that Dart was doing the same. Seeing that reminded her of the other aspect of her situation: that they were still competing for points. Surf probably knew that surrendering herself like that was a pretty good way to get points. That made her feel competitive, since they were still in it to win it. However, within that context, she still wanted to win in a way that wouldn't piss off the others too badly. Saying "Frio, sick em!" wasn't likely to win her any points with anyone.

For that reason, she theorized that the best way to win in this situation would be to do something that'd still get her points, but would be interpreted as playful enough to still be fun. "Ha ha ha, never you WORR~REE, my comrade and opponents! I have already thought up a way to move this ELL~LEV~VATE~TOR without sacrificing a single shred of my own dignity! I will use the power of wind MAN~NIP~PULE~LATE~SHUN to move it!" she announced, then raised her hand, sort of like Surf was doing. In it, however, was one of her folding fans. Rather than releasing fire as she normally would, she simply flapped it fancifully, creating a windstorm around the four of them. While they might hope she meant she was going to use the force of the gust to move the elevator, the truth of the matter was that all the wind would likely accomplish would be some terribly interesting effects given Surf and Dart's unfortunate state of dress. "GO~MEY~NAH~SAI, girls!" she laughed, although her own position holding her fan above her head was plenty vulnerable as well. Frio would have to go self-directed on this one, whether he wanted to be respectful to the others, go pervy to try and win points, or just enjoy the show as an innocent spectator and bide his time.

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

Rubbing his arm tenderly as Layla released his arm, Yoshitsune was forced to admit to himself that it was no ninja that had attacked him; rather, Layla had easily judo tossed him clear across the room moments ago. Not good for the ol' masculine ego. His first indignant impulse was to explain exactly why he had theorized a ninja might attack him. "It is because I am a highly renowned aaaah-" he started, almost letting his meaningless but so far well kept secret slip. "Renowned, highly aaaah-dept stagehand," he finished, looking both directions. "And is it really so crazy to think that ninjas might come after me?" The truth is, even if she knew he was an actor, it still didn't mean that a ninja attacking him would have made any sense at all. "A-And anyway that is neither here nor there next to the fact that you are attacking me!"

Things went from bad to worse as Layla posited several different theories as to why he might go after her. "Oh, I see why you are confused. Yes, I understand why you might draw those conclusions," he continued, his nose bleeding hard from the combination of being thrown into the wall and staring at nice boobs. "My tour earlier ought to have made it clear that I work here. I assure you, I am not in the employee of your father. If you need further proof, look at the very involved mission that my navi and yours are undertaking together; surely you do not believe that is part of the self-same plot?" he asked, trying to put on a serious expression while wiping his nose into the black sleeves of his garb. "The truth is, you won a contest, have enjoyed a bevvy of free drinks and bathhouse service, and are now being shown the luxury suite, where I, in a perfectly understandable mistake, have mistaken your robe in the dark for a curtain and ever-so-slightly displaced it," he finished, with striking self-assurance and more than a little indignation. "So, if it will please you, I will now... stand up... and make my way to the door... and then leave... to get an ice pack," he spoke slowly, raising both hands above his head, a little blood still showing at his nose, while he edged along the wall towards the door, worried she might come in for a second helping of revenge against him. "And then return to continue providing excellent service because as I said I am a well-regarded bathhouse attendee and stagehand."

Frio could take solace in the fact that his date-like outing was going a lot better than Yoshitsune's was.

((OOC:  Not finished yet... posting to save progress))

"A date."  Frio thought to himself with a blush.  At that moment, he felt something swelling inside of him.  It was an overwhelming sense of pride, a drive not to let Kabuki down.  His cheeks were slightly red once again.  The more time they spent together, the more his inexperience showed.  He had never spent much time with other female Navi's besides a few of his instructors in the past, much rather a date.  He breathed a sigh of relief as he finished the message, and decided that would be the last he thought against the matter.  Completing the mission would be the main focus moving forward.

With a smile he drove forward, and the duo became a squad of four before entering the elevator.  "It looks like yall had a good time in the shop."  He said slyly, knowing that his statment would probably strike a nerve... if not it would only be moment's later till PeekingMan popped back up and stuck one of his own, because now the four were locked in the elevator, in very close quarters, forced to entertain another one of their watcher's shameless games.  Frio felt himself getting warmer,blushing yet again, in the presence of the three hardly dressed women. Many different images flashed in his head on how he could possibly help move their current predicament forward, but as usual it all pointed at him having to sacrifice some of his decency. 

Then Kabuki made her move, the windstorm stirred.  The blades of wind worked their magic and attempted to create even more wardrobe malfuctions for the other two ladies.  It was here that the lion Navi had to make a choice.  He could pounce towards one of their opponents, or make another move towards Kabuki.  Waiting, to see if a different opprotunity arose might be his best bet.  He wasn't one hundred percent certain, but there was something in the air... something that was telling him, better not act towards Dart or Surf He didn't want to further excite the image that Dart had created of him.  For now, he would sit back and wait, though that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the show.  A huge smile crossed his lips as he watched Kabuki's current performance, his eyes bouncing back and forth in front and to the side, showing keen interest in how the wind effected the other two. 

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

A slight tremble overtook Layla, her back still rested against the wall. She closed her eyes, and slowed the fast, heavy breaths that escaped her lungs. Then, vigorously the young women shook her head, as if she was trying to rid herself her of certain images.

“You’re right... I’m sorry for attacking you... I’ve been having a good time, I’ve been drinking, I let thoughts of what I came here to escape cloud my judgement. Of course it was an accident.” She had already pulled the robe up, but she took a moment to position it back to where it properly traced the shape of her body.

The girl stepped forward towards the door where Yoshitsune inched away, but also where her bags were. Her sets were deliberately slow, because she could read the slither of distrust he may feel towards her. If he hadn’t flat out ran out the door, then she’d reach her suitcase, and open it. If he was the nosy type he’d see the clothes Layla had changed out of before the bath were folded neatly atop an all white latex suit, as well as a bevy of countless outfits and undergarments. She grabbed the scarf from earlier, and quickly resealed the bag.

“May I?” She stepped towards Yoshitsune, and lifted the scarf towards his nose, in an attempt to wipe the blood away. She was close, close enough for him to smell the liquor on her breath, her robe protected chest pressed against his, as she gently wiped away, “I had no right to act as I did, I mean just moments ago I was letting you rub my ass was I not?” She finished wiping and stepped away. “So how about this, go get cleaned up, and instead of you taking me to dinner... I’ll treat you, im sure there’s something in the surrounding area that caters to your liking?”

“These aren’t souvenirs, and we didn’t take them by choice,” Dart protested Kabuki’s ribbing. “These are part of PeekingMan’s twisted games.”
 
“Something’s a little different about yours too,” Surf replied to Kabuki with a smirk. “Wasn’t it a little more colorful?”

“No, it was completely different,” Dart reminded her, putting one hand on her hip while keeping the towel pinned with the other. “I’m sure the swap is also part of the game.”
 
Surf sighed as they all boarded the elevator. Things started frosty for a bit, but Kabuki quickly found a way to lighten things up. Her ability to create a draft in a closed elevator caught the other two women by surprise, as both of them had clearly been expecting someone to try and lay hands on somebody else. Surf, in particular, still had her arms crossed behind her head, and looked down in alarm as she felt the rising air carry her shirt with it. Her eyes widened as the hem fluttered, ultimately flapping high enough to give Frio a look at a bikini bottom hidden beneath. It actually got high enough on the back that he could see there was, in fact, no evidence of a top. By that point, though, Surf had finally let out a girlish yelp and began holding it down in the front. Doing so gave Frio a better chance to look at the bottom, if he chose: a black-lined piece with a decorative panel featuring a setting sun over an ocean. Around the round edges of the half-revealed sun, though, there was a cutout instead of a panel, meaning skin was visible. The freckles of the young woman’s body stood out on her tanned skin, which, perhaps surprisingly, was pretty well-tanned all over, with little evidence of bikini lines.
 
Dart, on the other hand, made an immediate effort to hold her towel tight and clench her legs together, meaning only the edges of the already-tight cover fluttered in the breeze. “You shameless woman!” Dart shouted at Kabuki. “I should have known you’d resort to underhanded tactics. I’ll put a stop to your display immediately. If you don’t put an end to it yourself, prepare to feel the sting of one of my darts. We’ll see how well you hold that fan when paralyzing poison-“
 
“Dude, head in the game!” Surf growled at her through clenched teeth… then turned to give Frio a bright red grin, working to catch his eyes with her own before glancing down meaningfully. “Oooh oh nooo! I can’t defend myself! I hope Frio dude doesn’t, uh, t-take advantage of that, somehow!” she shouted in a cheesy wail. There was actually an easy way she could defend herself, if she merely grabbed both the front and back of the shirt to hold it down, one in each hand. Instead, she held the front down, leaving her back completely exposed and pointing her round bottom towards Frio to boot.
 
Dart watched, her own face becoming more red, before shouting and producing a dart in one hand. “Don’t test me!” she shouted, squinting one eye behind her shades as she moved the dart back and forth as though calculating the trajectory to hit Kabuki’s fan-holding hand… but could she really even hit a shot like that, in this situation, with a strong wind affecting her throw?
 
The group could feel the elevator moving, the momentum joining the updraft of wind force. A chime rang out as the elevator apparently passed the second floor and kept going…

Kabuki judged that her tactics had been highly successful: the elevator was moving and although she wasn't in a great position to see what her efforts had revealed of Surf, she got the idea it would be something crowd-pleasing. On the other hand, other elements were not so great: Frio seemed to have gone a little cold fish, based on how Surf was testing him and Dart was ignoring him. Worse, Dart was planning to hit her with some kind of tranq dart, which she figured would be slightly painful, mildly annoying, but most importantly, disruptive to efforts both to win clues and to move the elevator.

"What is the MAT~TAR, Dart? Afraid you won't cut the MUS~STARD on a close IN~SPECK~SHUN?" Kabuki teased, mostly to keep earning points, although most people's sexy talk didn't involve wailing the word "mustard." It also only just occurred to her that she was sorely missing the opportunity to bust out poses; the elevator was a little small for any wheel kicks, elaborate arm flourishes, or wild hair tosses.

Instead, she focused on the task at hand. The actress flicked her wrist and began to drag her fan horizontally in the air, making a wave-like motion. The navis would feel short bursts of air coming from the back of the elevator, propelling whoever was in the back corner (Frio) forward through small pushes towards those in the front (the girls).

She wasn't sure if that was going to be powerful enough to actually move him, but she hoped he would get the hint about not being a bystander. In this situation, Kabuki and Surf were going above and beyond; what would decide the winner would be the participation of their other teammates, she figured.

On that note, though, she didn't want Dart to participate and even less so if it meant using her namesake to stop the plan. She couldn't see Dart from her position, but the bounty huntress seemed to be a very, painfully literal person and very tonedeaf to how her rigid behavior hurt her in this competition. That meant that she really wasn't bluffing about the dart.

Hopefully, Frio could think up something to do about the dart. Just in case she couldn't, Kabuki continued to try taunts that might guide things in a way that would show the darter that her dart was a non-starter. "If you don't like your SOU~VAN~NEER towel you should just drop it! I was actually wearing armor earlier that I got rid of because I am CON~FEE~DENT about my body! Are you wearing that because you have something to hide, like you missed some TRAY~NING days and have a CHUB~BEE BELL~LEE?" she asked, knowing it wasn't the case. Expecting someone's pride to yield to reverse psychology was a little cliche, she admitted, but it might be a decent backup in case Frio didn't intervene.

---

Yoshitsune's eyes were doing some darting as well, as the young man briefly ogled Layla's open suitcase, before returning to the girl's face. He was too deep into this to go for small prizes any more, and while he'd love to see every detail of how a foreign girl dresses, he had already learned much more interesting details about this foreign girl that overshadowed any such knowledge. Plus, he didn't want to risk another judo toss.

As Layla approached, he watched her like a deer in headlights. He was at once pleased and satisfied with her apology, then a little guilty that she had to apologize after he had been the transgressor... then satisfied again. After all, he had hurt her pretty badly, and physical pain was number one on the list of daily occurances he had molded his lifestyle to prevent.

As Layla cleaned his bleeding nose and pressed her softness against her, he couldn't hide a small, audible sigh of happiness. [I]This is it... This is the life of a true man,"[/i] he thought to himself joyfully, as Layla helped him like a mom treating a child's injury after a scuff at recess.

Her next words made his eyes bulge, which would be hard to hide from this distance while not wearing his black veil. There were two ways he could read the statement. The first: that he was being invited out to eat, at a place of his choosing, at a table alone with a beautiful girl, on what could really be called a date-like event. It was a grand prize; an opportunity too good to be true, but near impossible to pass up.

If that was the grand prize, then the second possibility was the high-risk, high-return mystery box... What if he read into the statements further? She didn't want dinner (other plans for tonight, perhaps?). She wanted him to clean up (a bath, perhaps?). Then she wanted to know if there was something in the surrounding area (her VIP bedroom, perhaps?) that catered to his interests.

[I]"An impossible choice! I am Benkei on the bridge: I must choose to flee and live well or stay and die gloriously,"[/i] he thought to himself, sweating bullets. The blood was running from his nose again, despite Layla's best efforts. He decided to edge into the conversation carefully, like a driver trying to judge if their car's hood is going to scratch the vehicle in the next slot as they pulled in.

"Ah, yes... well... you are new to the area and... there are many things I would like to show you. Many things that have my interest, as you put it earlier. Perhaps we could... walk over here for a moment... and I will point them out to you?" he asked stiffly, pointing towards what could either be interpreted as the bed or the window. The bed was luxurious for this environment and just waiting for two bodies to do whatever one does in a VIP suite. The window, on the other hand, overlooked the trees enough, here on its mountain perch, that one could see out to the small town close by and even pick out some of the names of restaurants and stores. If she headed to the window, he would be able to point out restaraunts he had always wanted to try but never had the zenny... If she headed towards the bed, well...

Kabuki's fan waved in front of her face, Frio could feel the pulses of wind behind him. Each one seemed to give him a nudge forward. He could have resisted if he wanted, but he could sense that he needed to participate in the elevator festivities, less he risked losing favor of his companion, but now... he risked crossing a comfort boundary with another. Dart prepared to fling a projectile of the same name towards the wind bringing actress. The lion's eyes slanted as he caught sight of the weapon in her hand. "That's not very playful if you ask me." He grunted, then placed a palm on the floor.

His NCP program had time to recharge from it's earlier usage, and he didn't hesitate to use it's power once again in the elevator. A thick, cold, sheet of ice burst from his hand, and covered the elevator floor in it's entirety, even the the walls had some ice on them due to the close quarters situation. Frio walked with confidence towards Surf, who was playfully luring him in. The ice proved no issue for him to walk perfectly normal over, once he was close enough the Lion Navi bent froward slightly, only to thrust his pelvis area forward in a hard fast motion attempting to make contact with Surf's bathing suit clad booty, and send her slipping and skating into her partner in an attempt to both play, and fix the issue of the weapon.

----

Layla took his words, and started walking slow, in the direction of the bed. It would look as if she was about to take a seat on the edge, when all of a sudden a slight roar could be heard from somewhere in her area. It was her stomach... letting the room know that before anything else happened, the lady needed to be fed. "Oh... excuse me. I'm hungry." Layla blushed as she was sure Yoshitsune had heard the aggressive sound her body had let off. Instead of taking a seat she headed to the window instead. She glanced out over the trees, and her eyes fell upon the small mountain town, tracing the name of a few buildings here and there. "Again, pick whatever it is you want to eat. Don't hold back on my behalf." She turned to wink at him, and motioned him to join her at the window.

“There will be no close inspection,” Dart insisted, still lining up her shot. “My immobilizing venom is designed to render even the fastest and hardiest of criminals helpless. You won’t be lifting so much as a feather any time soon.”
 
“Haha, that’s so funny, why would you have venom for stopping criminals, dude?” Surf muttered without humor, too busy with her own situation to try and keep her partner in line. Neither she nor her partner, however, were ready for the next moves of the other contestants, who, thinking on their feet, prepared further environmental hazards to create new developments.
 
Kabuki started by changing which way the wind was blowing, which was intended to move Frio into action. In action, it really served more as a call-to-action for Frio, reinforcing a direction he’d already had in mind to go. With his target still enticing him with her racy bikini, Frio advanced and gave a mighty pelvic thrust, intending to send Surf skidding… Only, that didn’t quite pan out. While the surfing Navi wasn’t quite as suited for the terrain as Frio himself, she shared his properties: she kept her footing with an effort, leaving the two of them standing awkwardly. Frio would have his business nestled against Surf’s for as long as he chose to do so, or at least until the elevator came to a stop. For her part, Surf didn’t say anything, a surprised variation of the previous grin she’d adopted holding on her face as she remained clenched in place.
 
Kabuki might be happy to see this development if it hadn’t been for her own. Dart was focused on her throw, and didn’t notice the wind or ice that had formed a new hazard around her. Once the wind hit her back, it easily sent her skidding forward, right into the wind generating Navi. Dart let out a cry as she inadvertently tackled Kabuki. The force of her impact wasn’t great, but it was plenty to propel Kabuki, who didn’t share her ally’s ability to retain friction on ice.
 
The resulting crash left them in a pile at the front of the elevator: Dart was lying on top of Kabuki, her dart and her shades discarded on the ice where they’d been. The Navi’s revealed eyes were dark where the whites should be, a flickering display like a targeting display moving two reticles in a dizzy spiral as she seemed temporarily dazed. Her towel had opened up in the scuffle, but it was still draped over her from behind, so only Kabuki would have a view of what Dart had been eager to hide: the Navi’s pale, well-proportioned body was hidden by a red, one-piece slingshot swimsuit. The outfit seemed scant enough to barely cover what it absolutely had to, were it not for the peculiar accent that it included stickers below the swimsuit on both sides of the chest and across the front of the bottom, featuring a well-lit mall and an invitation to “Come and see!” in cheery lettering. It looked like it would take Dart a moment to get her wits back, forcing Kabuki to either move her or wait.
 
”Bahahaha!” their host’s grating laughter, which appeared to change by the laugh, rang out. ”You guys are too funny! Well, as soon as you all get untangled from each other, why don’t Kabuki and Frio help themselves to a couple of letters? Dart and Surf, you… hm… I’m thinkin’ I’ll give you two, also. This was a pretty hard ride for you, wasn’t it Surf?”
 
Surf still said nothing, blushing bashfully and hurrying out of the elevator now that she no longer had to move it. “Dart, you coming?”
 
“I… I’m not sure I can move,” Dart announced, frowning as she remained in place. “I… may have grazed myself with that dart. Wait… Give me a second.”

"Oh ho ho! A girl like you has to ward off plenty of would-be CRIM~MIN~NALS, I'm sure! Like MOLE~LEST~TARS!" Kabuki half-joked, trying to support Surf in her efforts to explain away Dart's bounty hunter equipment.

Once things got moving, her pink eyes lit up wide in their sockets, as she saw (and felt) the elevator suddenly covered in ice. "Ack! This could prove bad for those of us without pants! I just have to make sure not to fall over..." she warned herself, not wanting to imagine what the icey floor would feel like on her entirely bare legs. "I have the balance of a kabuki actress! I can stand and balance myself on the toes of one foot alone! It can't be that hard to-!" she tried to convince herself, before Dart muddied the equation by knocking into her, leaving them both in a pile.

Even as she was disoriented and her white skin darkened to brown, curiosity bit her, and she was unable to avoid staring for a while at Dart's interesting outfit. Her pink eyes narrowed as she closely read the stickers on her rival's breasts. "Come and see...?" she asked quietly.

An unwelcome cold slapped her back into reality, as she felt chills running up every part of her that had connected with ice. Regardless of the ice, she tried to push herself up, failing a few times and ending up back on her butt. Once the elevator blessedly began to open, she would spill out quite literally onto her back, with her glossy black hair splayed around her. As such, she really only caught Surf leaving the elevator, not seeing what Frio and she had ended up doing to move said elevator.

"Aiya... These are the just desserts of dirty tactics," she informed Dart, as if her strategy had been noble. "I will help you up," she reassured the poorly hidden bounty-hunter, standing to her feet while also dragging Dart up with her.

This would have two unfortunate effects. The first was that she had failed to secure the other lady's towel before rising with her, so it was unlikely to hold its place on her body. The second was that now, Kabuki became aware of the effect the cold was having on her body, which would be poorly hidden given the skintight suit she put on earlier. Blushing, she pulled Dart closer in, pretending that she was trying harder to support her elevator buddy, while actually just using the girl as a human shield to hide the distinct outline of her chest over-sized chest. She brightened back up to white and pink as she struggled to keep Dart's dead weight in place, smashing the girl up against her breasts. "W-Well, er, I'll let you pick some LET~TARS, my friend, while I coax our PAR~RAL~LYZED opponent back to feeling! Um... like this?" she asked, slapping at one of Dart's cheeks half-heartedly.

---

Yoshitsune felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest (or perhaps his nose) as Layla looked for a minute as though she intended to invite him into bed. Instead, that fantasy passed, and she came next to him to observe the town. "This is also fine," he reminded himself. "Yes. Quite fine," he reconsidered, regarding Layla's form as she stood next to the window.

With difficulty, he tried to take his mind off of Layla and picture food instead. For a moment, he pictured hands kneading a large, round wad of dough, then realized that he hadn't done enough to change the subject in his mind yet. He shook his head, swishing the bangs of his bowl-cut hair, and refocused himself. "Sushi. I would like sushi. I have not had fresh fish in quite some time," he answered excitedly, suddenly realizing that food was plenty appealing on it's own. "Well, except for the leftover buffet sushi here at the inn... But that hardly suits an Electopian pallet that is as refined as my own," he scoffed internally, forgetting all the times that said sushi had been the highlight of his work day.

It didn't occur to him that Layla might not be the sushi-eating type. If someone had informed him that folks with Sharoan complexions often didn't appreciate Electopian cuisine that way, he probably would have some crude remark prepared for Sharoans in general, rather than taking the dating advice to heart... But for good or for ill, the navi who would offer such advice was currently involved in an awkward hug on the net that was pooling most of her attention.

The fact that Surf didn’t budge once Frio attempted to make her slide into her buddy caught the leo Navi off guard for just a moment, then still pushing his man part area into her behind he said, “Right... Surf... obviously you’re an aqua Navi.”

Again being new to such a situation, Frio felt himself rise slightly as her rump stayed flush against him. She didn’t budge, he didn’t budge, he was glad Kabuki was bush dealing with Dart, as he was unsure how she would react. Finally the elevator came to a halt, as did the awkward position. Surf took a stroll out of elevator. Frio found himself unable to relax, And couldn’t clear his head. The sudden drop in temperature seemed to take its effect on his partner’s body, and though after stumbling once, she was able to poorly hide behind Dart’s limp body.

It was once again time to choose. This time the reward was two letters, and Kabuki gave him the gift of choosing. Hopefully his guess would fill in enough blanks in order to give his witty companion the know how to guess again. First he gave a loud chuckle as Kabuki ran one of her hands across Dart’s cheeks. “Hmmm... Frio... Leo... L... and E. PeekingMan, I want to pick the letters L and E.”

---

“Sushi sounds good. I’ve never had it, but I’m not a picky eater, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to to try.” She smiled. “Go get ready, I’ll get dressed, and be waiting for you here.”

She waited for him to respond, then assuming he gave his okay she walked with him to the door and sent him on his way. “Don’t take to long now. I’m a little hungry.” She smiled, as her stomach gave another light bellow, crying out in hunger. Once he stepped off she would close the door, and head over to her suitcase.

She gave the white spy suit a look, and wonderd why she even brought it. It’s something of her past she wanted to forget, but recent events kept her clinging to the past. She grabbed it and tossed it carelessly on floor beside the bed, as well as many other articles of clothing. Shits, skirts, pants all went flying into a small pile as she searched for something to wear. Finally she settled in a black dress that had a hint of sapphire shimmer if the light hit it. She dropped the towel and slid into the dress, it fit tightly all over and started just above her breast, modestly concealing her cleavage, dropping all the way down to her ankles. On the left side, there was a slit running from her upper thigh downwards. She topped her dress of with a pair of black sheer nylon stockings that came to her mid thigh ending in a sapphire lace. She slid her feet into a pair of matching blue heels, sat on the bed and waited for Yoshitsune to return.

As Kabuki fought her way out from under Dart, trying and failing to rise, Dart slid forward onto her face, just barely covered by her towel, her pale legs splayed behind her. She grumbled something at Kabuki’s offer for help. “I’ll be fine like this until I can crawl out. I’m actually completely numb, so the cold isn’t- hey!” She began to protest as Kabuki’s helpful nature and need for shelter kicked in, leading the actress to scoop her off of the floor. “Hey! N-n-no no no! This is unacceptable!” she cried in vain, squirming weakly in Kabuki’s grip as she tried to free herself. The reason for this was likely obvious: while the swimsuit she was wearing hardly protected her modesty from the front, it was at least aided by the stickers fashioned after greeting cards. As would now be clear to everyone, there was no such protection on the rear, leaving the bounty hunter’s full bottom, the shape of which had been somewhat masked by her outfit earlier, on nearly full display. “Drop me or cover me or d-d-do something, you idiot-!” she began to plea, stopping but showing the same urgency in her eyes as Kabuki began fruitlessly slapping her in the face.

Surf had been watching Frio with some consternation, his apparent inability to his reaction making her even more embarrassed, but reacted to Dart’s plea. “I’ll take her off your hands, dude,” she told Kabuki, freeing Dart from the other Navi’s grasp while one of her hands was still occupied with slapping. Surf set Dart on the floating surfboard she’d just summoned. The bounty hunter’s pale, nearly-naked back was still completely visible, and she continued to shout at Surf until the other Navi swiped the towel out of the elevator and draped it over Dart’s lower body. “So, about those letters…”

“Let’s take our guesses somewhere private,” Dart commanded with ice in her voice. “We’ve already seen how Kabuki and her pet lion feel about fair play. If we hang around, they’ll be sneaking glances at our screen’s letters… and who knows what else,” she added, pointedly.

Surf gulped, glancing back at Frio again, giving him another sheepish gap-toothed grin, then looking back to Dart with her half-cocked smile. “Say, but you ought to be pretty happy with how things turned out, right?”

“In what way?” Dart asked flatly, both in posture and tone.

“Well, you know, dude! You ended up on Kabuki, she has that nice bod and you’re into-“

“I’m not. Again.”

“Oh. Right,” Surf agreed, not sounding entirely convinced. “Well, we’ll just be over here for now…” With that, she headed back where the presents had been before, talking to Dart in a low voice.

“Slipping! Slipping!!” they could hear Dart shout, causing Surf to scramble and re-adjust the towel again. She chastely held the shirt down at the back now, as if concerned another gust of wind might be coming when she wasn’t prepared.

”All right! Letter time,” their host spoke up again, his camera hovering around in obvious attempts to find a good angle on Kabuki as he spoke. ”’E’ and ‘L’ are a couple of nice, safe guesses. But will they be enough to help you find what you’re looking for? Let’s see the board!” The camera hovered over to the two to reveal…

Quote

_ _ E
L _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ E _ _ _
_ _ E
_ _ L L

The voice was silent again for a moment before the sound of clicking teeth rang out and it and spoke up again in a quiet grumble. ”Crap. That’s probably enough for Kabuki to get it, isn’t it…”

Kabuki's quests in the name of justice seemed to have a way of leaving a trail of bodies: namely, hers and other women's naked ones. She reflected upon this as Dart's very white hiney was revealed to PeekingMan's discerning viewers. "Wh-Whoopsie... Don't worry! I'm sure this is not the worst situation someone on this program has found themself in... Probably," she reassured Dart, losing her pink glow as she struggled to find anything reassuring about the situation. "Thank you, my friend!" she sighed heavily, before surrendering Dart to Surf and crossing her arms over her chest in what she hoped was a casual gesture. She would wait for her body to reclaim its ordinary heat.

In the mean time, Frio threw out some more letters, utilizing some... innovative techniques for coming up with his guesses. Regardless of what one thought of those methods, ok ne couldn't argue with results: myriad Es and Ls dotted their camera overhead. She tried hard not to get too excited at PeekingMan's grumble of dismay; the puzzle had practically fallen into her lap again! But as her skin began to flow and her hair trimmed from black to pink, she calmed herself, to avoid bursting into any animated kabuki poses that would be best saved for when the cold had died down.

"Your guesswork is as EXCELL~LLENT as your mane, my friend!" she praised Frio, unable to stop herself from kicking her legs in a dance, but still holding her arms where they needed to be for now. "So could it be... 'The last or left door... something... the mall?" she mumbled, suddenly realizing the answer was not as neat as she had hoped. "AIY~YAA!" she cried in defeat, moving her hands now to scratch at her voluminous pink hair irritably. "I am FRUST~TRATE~TED! None of my guesses will fit! Not 'under,' nor 'below', nor 'above' nor 'BEEE~HIND!'"

That being the case, she would probably need to keep using her own behind for a while longer. She pondered where to go next... but also, Dart and Surf's parting words. They had mentioned the possibility of someone else seeing the screen... and wasn't there an invisible navi on one of the other teams? Definitely something to watch out for. "My friend, please scout AY~HEAD for a moment!" she urged him, then once he was clear, raised one fan. With a shout, she summoned a large patch of coal around her feet. If the invisible man had decided to steal a look, he would end up dealing with a hot foot for his trouble.

Provided nothing of that sort happened, she'd wave over to Frio. "Haha, DIS~RE~GARD my outburst, friend! I am being PAR~RAN~NOID!" she would laugh it off. "Please keep going to the IN~FOR~MAY~SHUN booth and see if you can find a map that would show any series of doors somewhere in the mall, where we could try the left or last one!"

If there was anyone hidden, however, she turned and made to quickly tackle the source of the cry.

-----

"Sushi it is," Yoshitsune agreed, suddenly eager at the prospect. "I shall change for the occassion!" With that said, he endeavored to hurry, before Layla changed her mind on treating him.

... Only, when he reached his room, he was reminded that he owned almost no dinner-worthy clothing. He had clothes for lounging on his off days, about eight different black, shapeless garbs for his work, and then some old costumes from when he had acted bigger roles in the past. "Very well... I will overdress! Kabuki!" he spoke to his navi. On second glance, she appeared to be very much underdressed. He gawked for a while, wondering if he ought to have been paying more attention this whole time. "Dear sister, where is your modesty?"

She answered in message form, seeing as she couldn't afford to yell about justice any more as a competitor. The message read only: "modesty takes backseat to justice."

"Wise words. On that note, I need to pick out an outfit that will impress Lela. Please give me your input, as a woman, on which is most admirable," he insisted, discarding whatever trouble she found herself in. He held up two changes of costume on hangers.

"The left one"

"Excellent," he responded, holding it up to the mirror. It was an outfit modeled after an Electopian nobleman from the feudal era, with a long golden hakama and waist-tie, a red robe shirt, and a miniature black cap in a rectangular shape that he would leave aside because it was out if fashion (but the rest of the outfit was fine, of course). He finished by stepping into round-toed black shoes, not as fancy as the rest of the outfit, but he had lost whatever footwear was supposed to come with it.

In this case, the man had ended up leaving his lady waiting on him to change, but he was a resplendant sight when he finally appeared... if a bit dated. He knocked to announce his arrival, then stepped in. Immediately, he began admiring her new outfit... he had seen a lot more of her earlier, of course, but it was still hard not to feel something looking at the slit running up the leg of her dress, revealing her stark white upper thigh.

"Milady, as we prepare for our dining experience, I suddenly recall that we must maintain a certain distance to the inn if we wish for our navis to remain jacked in. But never mind- I will pull her out now!" he announced, beginning to jack Kabuki off the net.

A few messages flashed on his screen, each a bit uncharacteristically blunt coming from his ordinarily kind and well-spoken sister.

"Ah... on second thought..." he muttered, then held his PET to the side of his head. "How long?" he hissed. The next message stated "not long," but he found it hard to trust. "Very well..." he sighed into the machine.

Yoshitsune produced a menu from one sleeve like Kabuki might a folding fan. He always kept one such on hand, just in case he felt like fantasizing about food. The other sleeve had a girly magazine in it, but that would remain hidden for now. Sitting in the bed next to Layla, he unfolded it in his lap to hand her one side of it. "These are your options. We can plan our meal before we go!" he beckoned Layla, perhaps neglecting how his obvious excitement could be directly tied to his destitution.

Frio's way of choosing may have been something new to the audience, and his companion, but then again, cat like creatures tend to be a little weird sometimes. The lion boy was happy with the success of his guesses, as well as the praise Kabuki gave him. He ran one of his hands through the long mane that surrounded his face in attempt to not just stand still looking awkward. "Maybe if we can get one more letter then, you will be able to figure out the whole puzzle?" He tilted his head sideways and looked at her, before she told him to check ahead.

Frio cautiously put distance between himself, and the actress, losing himself in thought as he pondered what the third and fourth words might be. He hadn't been able to come up with anything, then snapped back to reality when Kabuki shouted with her attempt to locate a hidden sightseer around them. He crouched down, keeping a steady look in her direction, ready to pounce back to her on the first sight of trouble. If nobody was revealed, then Frio would lead the way back to the booth they had visited earlier, this time in search of a map.
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Layla wasn't very discouraged by the fact she had failed to think about the issue of not being able to leave for food until their Navi's had completed the mission at hand. So her brain began to search for alternate ways to fill their bellies. "Would it be possible that they have a delivery guy?" He eyes thinned, as she chopped the beginning of his name off. "I am getting pretty hungry Yoshi." She glanced over the menu, until she located the part that addressed deliveries. "Ah it looks like were in luck. What do you want, I'll order it. " She paused, "Is there anywhere nice for us to eat? Or are we just gonna have a little date night in here?" She giggled.