Chapter 3 | Old Familiar Places | Free Cities (Libertas)

[lone_horse]

WHO: Kiryu, Majima, Coraline, Jon etc. Anyone else he might see around the City.
WHAT: The potential start of a business, possibly even a new trade
WHERE: Free Cities / Libertas
WHEN: near end of Sept into early Oct
NOTES: No warnings to begin with. If you'd like a starter, or to plot for something, feel free to ping me on plurk @ yarnzipan; also I'm trying to get rolling a little more with tagging out so hopefully this month will go better for that!

[open]

If you see Kiryu? It's probably going to be in a bar. The man is barhopping like a fiend, and you might wonder where he's getting the money for it if you didn't know that he knows his way around card games, dice games, pool, darts. That's not even accounting for all the times he's gotten jumped in a back alley nearby one, either by thieves who think they can take advantage of a drunk or angry losers aiming to get their money back. Either way, while he doesn't ever start a fight, he certainly ends a few of them. Enough that the local guard might take notice but he's done this song and dance before in a new town, and he tips well enough (and keeps it out of their bar well enough) that it hasn't gone beyond that. So really, he's doing okay.

Which is why it might be confusing that he's going into the seedier bars, the ones that seem to be having more of a problem getting customers in. After all, it's a trade city: there's always up and down, people who can handle the business and people who can't. Which is why eventually, he finds what he's looking for...

[closed to Jon and Coraline]

It's really only real once he's found the place; after all, a pipe dream won't keep a roof over their head. So the night he comes in with a certain amount of energy in his frame, less of a scowl on his face, they're probably unsure of why. He won't leave either of them waiting for long.

"Do either of you object to spending time in a bar or club?"

[closed with Majima]

As they'd agreed, Kiryu returns to the bar they'd met at the first time, and he might notice that there's a certain energy to the older man as he sits on his stool. He's not rocking or moving or even tapping, but the way his shoulders shift as he sits there drinking his drink, it seems he might have good news. As soon as he feels Majima approaching, he'll turn halfway and start off:

"I think I found the perfect place."

Comments

[the_archive]

Only just back from the Horizon, Jon's still getting his bearings again when Kiryu speaks up.

"Not typically, no." Though he does glance at Coraline before looking back. "Why?"

[not_caroline]

Coraline notices the change in Kiryu's attitude immediately, and swings her legs in from the window ledge she's been perched on to watch the conversation properly.

"I'm very under-age," she says, but there's an undeniable eagerness that says she sure doesn't care. "What's up?"

[lone_horse]

His eyebrow shoots up and drops back down as if to say 'what does that matter?' because honestly, that's never really been anything he's concerned himself with. Someone may have, in fact, punched a statue into rubble when someone made a fuss about him bringing Haruka into such an establishment once.

"Majima-san and I had an idea for starting a source of stable income for us. It would also serve to help us find out information about the merchants around here and the trade deals. And it involves us taking over a club. We were scouting around looking for one that would work, and I found one."

He looks very pleased with himself.

"Have either of you heard of a host or hostess club?"

[the_archive]

"I haven't," says Jon, though he gets a vague impression, enough to put a crease between his brows.

"Is this a business you've been in before?"

[not_caroline]

Meanwhile Coraline's eyes widen in... well, some sort of emotion, she hasn't quite decided what.

"I have, that's like- escort girls and stuff. Doing whatever your customer wants." Granted, her view on it is extremely skewed, since her primary introduction to the concept is anime.

[lone_horse]

There is a pause as he hears Coraline's answer, and he can't help a quick huff of amusement. He shakes his head.

"Actually, there's usually a good number of rules about what's allowed. But the basic idea is a bar or club where you're seated with someone of-" he takes a moment to translate the idea into something less segregated, "of the gender you would prefer, and hopefully to your preferences on who you'd like to spend the evening with. That person is there to chat with you, listen to you, and generally make you feel welcome for the length of the session."

He spreads a hand.

"Different customers come looking for different things. And knowing what a customer wants, catering to it, is where the money comes in. Because a host or hostess's other job is to encourage the customer to order food or drink. They get a cut of the profit for anything earned during their session."

He turns to Jon and nods.

"Both Majima-san and I have run a hostess club and I've worked in a host club. So it's a business model we know well."

[the_archive]

Jon's listened with his brows raised, head tilted in somewhat reluctant curiosity.

"And it's only that, I hope. Without- any sort of upstairs business."

[not_caroline]

"But then it's not a host club anymore," Coraline points out with a grin that crinkles her node, "It's just a brothel."

She looks back up at Kiryu. "Does that mean we'd be working there too?"

[lone_horse]

He dips his head towards Coraline. It's hard to think of not understanding the concept.

"No upstairs business," he agrees, "this wouldn't be a soaphouse or a massage parlor. The objective is to provide a worthwhile night of drinking and entertainment, nothing else. It isn't... sexual or sensual."

He nods to Coraline again.

"I would think that would make sense. I could train you on deciphering hand gestures to help with table upkeep."

He turns to Jon.

"And I thought you might enjoy being one of the hosts."

[the_archive]

Jon blinks, startled, then frowns. If he wasn't sure Kiryu wasn't the sort, he'd assume he was being mocked.

"Do you?"

[lone_horse]

He looks back at Jon and nods.

"Most of being a host is asking questions and listening attentively. People out drinking, for many of them, their greatest wish is someone to listen to them, pay attention, want to hear what they have to say. Make them feel important."

He offers a wry expression to Jon.

"Does that sound bad?" A quick spread of his hands. "I thought it would help you learn interesting information about this world and potentially the secrets of powerful men, if it becomes successful."

[not_caroline]

"You barely even have to try, the way you talk about it they'll be tripping over themselves to tell you things," Coraline chimes in brightly.

She pushes off the windowsill onto her feet. "I've got plenty of experiencing doing like, waitery things. Not dropping big heavy trays and stuff, dealing with rowdy customers. I should be right."

[the_archive]

"It might," he agrees with a tilt of his head towards Kiryu. "Except that I assume people come looking for pleasant company to listen to them."

[lone_horse]

"People come for all kinds of things," he says with a soft huff, not quite a laugh. "Some people like being debated. Other people like someone who makes jokes. People who are cute. Or sexy. Or mysterious. If you know how to lean into your appeal, there will be those who will enjoy your company."

A soft curl to his lips.

"Someone who asks a lot of questions, wants to listen? Very appealing."

[sunshinehan]

It's interesting to notice the subtle hints of differing energy and emotions from Kiryu. Like staring at a puzzle set to figure it out, Kiryu's demeanor was so subtle it took time and practice to understand. Majima wasn't that good at it yet but he could tell when something changed at least. Today was different. He could tell that immediately as Kiryu sat down at the bar next to him.

"Oh yeah? What ya find?"

He asked without further ado. Kiryu seemed eager, as eager as this big, stoic guy ever got, so no sense on wasting time. And maybe this would be way better than anything Majima had found to share as simple possibilities.

[lone_horse]

Today's a good example of just how enthused Mr. Stoic himself could get. This feels like progress as opposed to the seemingly endless shuffle of running and reacting, and he'll tip his head towards the door even though they just met up here.

"I can show you now or after we get a drink."

[sunshinehan]

A drink was in order after the day Majima had but he was also catching onto the excitement of the other man even as subtle as it was. He fidgeted for a moment as he thought about the decision. Then, "What the hell. Let's see this place of yours. It a bar? We can have our drinks there."

As long as it didn't taste like piss. Borderline broke as he was, Majima still had standards.

[lone_horse]

He pauses, and looks back at the bar where they were at the moment. There's a frown as he considers whether that's the best plan but... well, if Majima-nii-san doesn't like it, they can always come back. So he nods and leads the way out.

"I think the location is good. The inside will need work, but that might make things easier since we'd want to change the seating anyway."

But he doesn't want to say much more as they walk. Instead, he looks to Majima.

"Did you have any luck, nii-san?"

[sunshinehan]

Majima doesn't have to turn his head to look at Kiryu, not when he keeps the man on his right side as they walk, but he gave a quick glance anyway.

"Got a back-up or two if yer place doesn't pan out," Majima answered truthfully. But from the excitement Kiryu emitted Majima wondered if it'd be necessary to shop around at all. The place they were going to could be it.

[lone_horse]

Could be. He happens to think so.

The place that they end up seems like a pretty good location: not too heavy on the foot traffic milling around but not far from the central throughways. There'd be enough ways for people to get in and out discreetly without difficulty, and the buildings around it seem to be in reasonably good repair but without large, open storefronts. The sign over the door is is an image of a woman's arms spread wide with a chipped and dinged up rainbow spread between them.

The text reads: The Welcome Arms

"I drank here three nights in a row and they're making enough to make ends meet, but barely that. The owner inherited it... and his interests are obviously elsewhere."

[sunshinehan]

Majima looked over everything as they approached the place, made mental judgments and notes on what he saw. Continued that tend as they entered the place and he saw the interior, too.

"...I see. Sounds like it'd be a good deal for all of us if he let us take over then."

[lone_horse]

He glances over at Majima with a single raised eyebrow.

"That's more your department than mine. At least, judging from what I remember."

He'll do the negotiations if he has to, but it's never been his talent. People come to him for help. He didn't have the deal making power that Majima or Nishiki had.