As so it happens, when Rei check his communicator to rely on the message to Mariko, the call ended and she was no longer on the other line. Any calls to her would seem to go directly to her voice mail instead of being picked up.
Before the dread of this implication would have a chance to completely take hold of Rei, there was a beep that broke the silence in the room. The panel of the communication system came online and there was a simple message on the display.
1 Uɴʀᴇᴀᴅ Mᴇssᴀɢᴇ ғᴏʀ Rᴏᴏᴍ 912
GM-Hat
Yasuki Rogue Trader • Advocate of Great Hats • And Plushies! • Really-Really • Experienced 3
Gritting his teeth, Rei did his best to control the sudden surge of adrenaline that he felt go rushing through his lean form. It wasn't easy. He wanted to dash out into the hallway, see if he could find Mariko right away. Warnings be damned, his hand started to reach for his sidearm.
The beep came just in time.
If anything, Rei's jaw tightened. But he understood that this was probably part of it. Rushing out would only delay him getting the information.
Reaching up with a slightly shaky hand, he pushed the button to play the message.
The elevator would prove to be the quickest way down to Room 407 and much like the ride up, they were summoned quickly and took him down much faster to the fourth floor. The doors would open and the level was barren. The hotel was naturally occupied by a number of guests but there was a great emphasis on privacy that made the business feel like it was a ghost town. There was a lone vacuum drone down at the end of the hallway and that was about it.
The room itself wasn't far from the hotel and Rei could get there in a brisk jog. Much like in the previous room, there was an item from the vending machines that kept the door ajar so that he could be granted access without a keycard. This time, it was a sealed cup of instant noodles. Rei would be greeted by a short hall that lead to the bedroom at the end of it, the door of the bathroom on the side. There were some ruffled sheets on the bed with a pillow on the floor. At least, all he could see from the end of the entryway.
GM-Hat
Yasuki Rogue Trader • Advocate of Great Hats • And Plushies! • Really-Really • Experienced 3
No, no no, no no no no no no no no no. Breath ragged, Rei moved quickly into the room. Damnit, he'd promised her. He'd known it was a bad idea to go separately, but he'd let her push him into it.
Dread rose like the bile in his throat as he pushed forward, deeper into the small space. He needed to see. To know. A desperate part of him hoped. A vulnerable part, ready to be dashed.
It would only take him a few strides to make it to the bedroom, which had the unfortunate blocking to ensure anyone at the door could not see anyone on the bed. He would turn the corner of the room to see the bed itself with...
...nothing but tossed sheets.
Click.
The interior lights of the room would light up to provide some clarity on the situation, a slender hand turned on the light panel to the room. Mariko would emerge from the dark confines of the bathroom, dressed in the same way when Rei left her and looking alive and well. There was a sly and mischievous smirk on her painted lips as she step out into the light and leaned against the wall, feeling rather satisfied with her little plan.
"My hero..." She would say in a cool and breathless tone.
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
Confusion warred with relief as he nudged at the sheets. She wasn't there. But then, where was she? Was she-
The light flickered on. Rei spun, his hand going for his sidearm, going so far as to dip into his jacket. But as always, his senses were fast. Pale eyes narrowed, then widened as he recognized... Mariko. Alive and well and as gorgeous as ever. And as smirking as ever, that too.
Mariko would be rewarded by a look of complete surprise on Rei's handsome features. Followed by complete relief, his feet taking him a step closer without even thinking. Followed by embarrassment, anger, a whole confusing swirl of emotions. "Mariko..." He finally managed, in his surfeit of emotions skipping right over given name to dropping the honorific. His voice was shaky, he was still breathless.
He took another step closer, shaking his head. Rei's face was flushed, his chest still heaving; he'd run as fast as he could. Hoping to save her... He wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her or choke her. Maybe both. He shook his head again, grinning, then met her gaze with his.
"Mariko-san. You have no idea how glad I am that you're okay. But also, what the ever-loving fortune-loving fucking fuck?" Rei said, laughing.
Mariko gaze was sure to centre itself on Rei, attempting to catch every little reaction and breath her at the revelation that she was not only alive but potentially that she was working with her captor. Or, was there even a captor? She didn't hide that amused and predator glint that found its way to her eyes, perhaps the same sort of look that any Bayushi would give when someone fell into their trap. Her movements were deliberate as she sauntered over to the door and her heel gave the cup of noodles on the ground a nudge so that the door would close fully and give them some much-needed privacy.
The sound of the door closing was almost like a pin dropping in the middle of a tense moment.
Of course, she understood that despite being in control and Rei running with all sorts of heated emotions, he could be more capable of anything than her at the moment. She was sure to make it clear that she wasn't intending to make a hostile move as she made her way slowly to him, closing the distance. Her hand would find itself around Rei's shoulders, if he would allow her, and leaned back slightly with him as her anchor to give him a lookover. She unabashedly put her hand on his chest, his short breaths were evident but perhaps she was more interested in feeling his heartbeat. It was something she had to know. There was a smirk on her lips as she couldn't help but find amusement in this, seeing the results of her handy work.
"There's no stalker, Rei," she would reassure him without any formality, wanting to soothe him with her soft words. "Only me. It was all me."
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
Even as Mariko smirked at him, Rei's investigative mind was putting together the little clues. The gap in messages once she'd made certain he was there. The little tests she'd given him along the way. The clever way she'd made sure that he was the first one to the room. Questions and answers swirled around in his confused mind, unable to form into complete thoughts. "Why... why..." The normally suave agent couldn't manage to ask everything he wanted. What was...
The door shut. They were alone. Rei took a deep breath, looking at her. All thoughts clarified. All senses engaged. All on her.
He watched as she came closer, eyes tracing down, then back up, his pale eyes almost burning with intensity. Tension was evident in his broad shoulders as she slipped her hand around him. His arms slid around her waist in response, acting on primal instinct, supporting her as she leaned back. A shiver went through his well-muscled form as she put her hand on his chest, felt his breathing. Felt his heart. It beat fast with adrenaline, slowly residing fear... excitement... anticipation... for her. Yes, for her.
"You." Rei whispered, his voice rough. His hand came up, gently brushing across her lips, her cheek, into her hair. "You..." His lips curled up as his hand settled at the back of her neck, held with a pressure both gentle and firm.
He brought his lips to hers roughly, kissing her with all the passion he could muster, arms tightening around her. One kiss became two, then three, lips moving with increasing need, strong hands beginning to explore her form, as Rei desperately sought an outlet for an evening of worry for her on top of an already powerful attraction.
"Rei..." Mariko would murmur under her breath when Rei placed her hands on her. She didn't shirk away from his hold, perhaps it came expectantly after she coaxed him to the same gesture. Now that she was finished with her plans, she await to see how he would react. Perhaps, it was her judgement. The touches were welcomed but the uncertainty she felt in him did inject a sense of suspense that she wouldn't admit. A bit of danger, even. There was no further script here. Her gaze would attempt to look down as his hand touched her lips before looking back at him with a daring expression in her eyes that seemed to ask him 'what are you going to do now?'.
Mariko gasped as their lips met unprepared for the full intensity of the kiss but only at first, soon sharing this raw emotion that she brought in him and having it transferred to her. Her hands gripped back as he held her tightly. First, she fought to keep up with him and soon she fought to get more out of him. She held onto him and brought herself closer, putting her body against his. It wasn't enough, she wanted more. Her hands moved to the collar of his jacket and yanked his clothes free of him without giving any quarter to giving up any passionate affection for her hero. Or, was it a villainess receiving her just desserts? This was sweet revenge that she would happily accept.
/Fade to Black
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
It had taken some time before passions were thoroughly spent, elements of passionate affection and sweet revenge both playing a part. But finally, for the moment at least, Rei found himself lying on the bed, breath and pulse slowly stabilising, Mariko next to him. Despite the heat of his skin, Rei's arm was around her waist. Enjoying the sensation of having her close, or worried that she might suddenly vanish in a poof of sinister smoke, it was hard to say.
Still, the corners of his lips were definitely curled upwards. Yes. Yes yes yes.
Shifting, he brought his face in line with hers. Even after everything, his eyes were still a little wide. A little vulnerable. "Mariko..." He whispered, his lips quirking. "I... don't know where to start." He said, chuckling softly, his hand gently stroking her back.
There were still a lot of thrills to be found after the discovery of Mariko's ruse and she very much enjoyed exerting those passions with Rei. Those raw sensations, made possible by awaked need and their assertion, felt like the sublime expression on both their parts. Mariko wasn't going anywhere and she draped herself atop him as they cooled their passions for the time being.
Her hand was placed on his neck as he turned to look at her, her expression attentive as she lovingly stroked his warm skin. She supposed she had a bit of answering to do. "...I thought you would appreciate the thrill and it was very thrilling." She would say before leaning in to plant a quick kiss on his chin, her expression saying that she felt little wrong in what she did.
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
Some of Rei's feelings still stung, but Mariko's attention, her tender affection, did a marvelous job of soothing him. He chuckled softly as she kissed his chin. "I won't deny that. It certainly was thrilling. And this..." He gave her waist a little squeeze, pulling her against him for just a moment, grinning as he did. He wasn't ready again yet, but he also wasn't done with the gorgeous actress, not yet. "Well, I won't deny that it added a fairly hefty dose of spice."
His gaze softened. "But... maybe just once, eh? For our next date, we can still find some thrills and absolutely wreck a hotel room without me thinking that you..." Rei swallowed, memory of that dreadful feeling rising up for a moment, then he smiled again. "For my heart's sake if nothing else." It was beating steadily now, perhaps a little quickly as they cuddled together, his hand now stroking her skin tenderly.
Mariko giggled out loud at the squeeze, potentially Rei inadvertently hitting some ticklish spots of her side as she was pulled closer. Her hand casually stroked his side. "I'll admit that I might have gone a bit overboard with all of the dramatics but it wouldn't have felt the same if there wasn't some suspense to it. Some danger, even." Her eyes lit up for a moment when she said those words, certainly finding much spice in playing with those elements. While she knew that she could act well in those situations, there was admittedly some joy in having someone buy entirely into and bounce that internal reality between each other.
She blinked and studied his gaze with a bit of concern, that was obvious in her eyes. Unfortunately, she had gone into this without realizing some of his past trauma. While she pretended that he would be convinced, concerned was a whole different matter. "Of course...Was this something you wanted to share on our date?"
Admittedly, she had thought secrets could have waited until after the fun, not knowing all of the sore spots she inadvertently hit.
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
Rei hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I probably should. It's something I think you definitely need to know." He smirked then, his eyes glinting playfully. "But don't think that means I'm nearly done paying you back for tricking me like that. Far, far from it." His fingers slid teasingly over the curve of her hip, hinting at the flames of his passion gradually returning.
But not yet. Rei took a deep breath. This close, every microexpression, every change in breath or heartrate, every line of tension in his bare form would be visible. Nothing hidden. Or... almost nothing. The one thing he'd never shared with anyone. But even now, some remembered pain was visible in his pale eyes.
"Not long after I was stationed here, I met someone. A beautiful woman. Bayushi. I might have a type." A quick smile at her, fading just as quickly. "She was a singer at the Golden Frog. One day, we bumped into each other as she was leaving and I was arriving, and we got to talking. We hit it off. One thing led to another, as they do." A little shrug, one shoulder rising and falling. One hand idly toyed with her hair as he talked, running it through his fingers.
Tension started to build, muscles tightening, jaw clenching just a little. "We were engaged. We got a pet together. We had the blessings of both our clans, who made some sort of deal off it. And then, we were married." Rei swallowed. "Technically, I still am."
He looked directly into her eyes. "Only, I haven't seen her since that day. She... left." The tension was at a peak, writ across his handsome features.
"Whoa. Hey now..." Mariko would murmur under her breath with a small smile when she felt Rei's hand on her side, trying to negotiate her way out of a potential ticking. She shifted slightly as she tensed if he wanted to make good on his promise anytime soon.
Her expression would turn serious as she listened to Rei's rather peculiar situation. She supposed that she wasn't so appalled to be sharing a bed with a married man, although a man married to another Scorpion did add a slight prickliness to the circumstances. Crossing another Scorpion (albeit former) did have some potential connotations. She let out a deep sigh at the end of the story, giving Rei a few blinks. "I see...And she up and disappeared like that?"
She glanced off at the wall for a moment and swallowed a breath before speaking once more. Her head turned to look at him once more with a sympathetic look, especially on the topic of losing someone. "...I can also see how I might have unintentionally hit a sore spot with my game. Not quite my intention..." Although, she did debate with herself whether or not she would have still gone through with this, knowing the circumstances in advance.
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
"Like that." Rei agreed, smiling without humor. "For a while, I wondered if it was something I did... but no. I'm confident it wasn't. But it did give me a lot of sour memories. Not knowing what was real and what wasn't..." He closed his eyes a moment, sighing.
They opened again at her not-quite an apology. "Worth it." Rei said, smirking. "We tease a lot, so I don't know if I've directly told you how unbelievably gorgeous you are. If I haven't..." Smirking playfully, Rei leaned in, kissing her tenderly. And then again, a bit more firmly, his hand beginning to stroke her flank...
Wait. He pulled back, gasping a breath. "So if we can find a way to do this without me thinking that you're gone forever, well I'd like that." His lips curled up again. "Because I'd very much like to do this again."
Mariko frowned faintly as she placed a hand on Rei's chest, moving in slowly in a comforting gesture and resting her head on his shoulder. "There are a lot of stories in the city but that's kind of a new one..." she murmured on the matter, that was a confounding conundrum that she would rather think about at a later time. So many questions and she was sure that Rei had gone through them a thousand times as a diplomatic attache.
She smirked back into the kiss and her body was coaxed to lay on his again...just until he abruptly pulled back.
"Uhm...ahah." She gave him a confused blink before laughing, resting against him once more like before. "I think I'm a bit more high profile to truly disappear like that. Even then, you'll probably see me in some theatre or some stupid commercial. Again, do you mean what we're going right now? Or are you talking about that little dramatic episode of a starlet in distress?"
Scorpion Clan • Courtier • Actress • Dangerous Beauty • Notable Lineage
Honour: Untrustworthy • Status: 2 • Glory: 5
Carries: Purse, Communicator, Cigarette Case, Fan, Mask
Run by GM Boogiepop / Art by Joanne Kwan
Rei closed his eyes, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair before kissing her on the top of the head. "At least I managed to surprise you, too." He chuckled softly. Resting against his chest, she could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, the lean muscles of his form gradually relaxing as she comforted him. "You are. But that didn't stop me from coming out here, from sprinting down the hall."
Grinning, he looked up at her, hands sliding around her waist. "I meant what we're doing right now, yeah. And another date. Oh boy." He grimaced, then grinned up at her. "Am I going to have to top this, somehow? Wow. That's going to be a tall order." He was mostly joking... but he was also thinking.
The grin slowly receded into his usual playful smile. "I'm not sure if I could handle another episode, no matter how great the ending." He tilted his head. "So. Any big things I should know about you? Or should I find out the hard way?" He rather suspected she would say the latter. It seemed to fit her.
