Description: Our lady of the sea decides to gamble a little... and offers her services to a most unlikely person.
Of all the places Bonne Jenet has called home, for however brief and flighty a stint, there's nowhere quite like Southtown for opportunism and rumour-mongering. The self-professed, yet-unchallenged Pirate Queen has, of late, been as quiet as a stowaway rat. To the residents of the fighting city she's been inconspicuous in the extreme, tucked away on a pleasure yacht moored a little way up the coast, coming in occasionally to Southtown harbour for supplies. But she's been listening, watching and receiving daily updates from her boisterious crew.
Downtime has done them all some good, and now Jenet's getting back into the swing of things.
Step one: collect underpants-- or in this case, track down the local sources of wealth and establish friendly 'business relationships' with as many as possible.
It can hardly have escaped the notice of the canny criminal that the particular relationship enjoyed by the Kirishima and Imawano clans has been flaring up again, what with the TRIUMPHANT RETURN of Justice High's beastly headmaster. A situation which could quickly escalate, and cause tremors throughout Southtown, if it hasn't already. But there's a real quandary here... Ninja creepy girly-man versus ninja giant bear. However is a girl to pick sides?
It's for this reason that Bonne arrives one day outside the gates of Justice, clad in her most expensive and scholarly outfit. Admittedly, she only purchased this outfit half an hour ago, but she looks the part; expensive gold-piped black dress trousers, an opulent white silk shirt with a frilled front - partially covered by a tight black officer's jacket, left unbuttoned to ensure maximum rack potential - and a pair of high leather boots with four-inch heels. And what else but THIS one minor detail has been overlooked; a plumed tricorn hat, decorated much like the trousers. Piracy may not be a full-time career, but it influences one's style PERMANENTLY.
"Excuse me!" Jenet calls to the first senior pupil she spots, smiling a million-sterling smile and thrusting her chest forward juuuust a little, "I'm looking for Principal Imawano, could you direct me?"
The student - a tall, proud-looking young man in Justice High's peculiarly militaristic red-coated uniform - looks up from skimming a textbook while walking to...somewhere no doubt important on campus, and looks up at Jenet with a helpful smile. "Yes, ma'am?" he asks. Eyes dart down as Jenet emphasizes her assets, but he seems almost startlingly unphased by the attractive display! In fact, aside from noticing it, his eyes remain nailed to Jenet's gaze in a polite manner, almost as though he is without a sex drive - or, perhaps more chillingly, is already among the acclaimed corruption-proof super-elites this school is lauded for generating! "Yes, ma'am," he says, turning to gesture at the enormous main hall of Justice High. "He's in the main building, in the administrative wing on the west side. It has his name on the door, and there's a couple signs pointing that way, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding it!"
Never let it be said the lady marauder is slow on the uptake. As the student deftly sidesteps her emergency backup plan - 'If They Don't Obey YOU, They'll Obey Your Chest' - she files the information away under J for Justice High, and S for Sex Appeal. Namely, not to rely on the latter while dealing with the former. She can proceed to treat this less as a failure and more a lesson to bear in mind when dealing with the esteemed headmaster.
"That sounds simple enough," Jenet replies to the student with a humble dip of the chin, fingering the brim of her hat to further pronounce the gesture. Not quite the bow called for in Japanese etiquette, but it might establish her with a dominant air, rather than merely rude. She can hope. "Thank you very much. I'll be sure to mention how helpful you were." Smiling a final, warm smile, she turns gracefully on her heels and starts toward the door...
To stand, a few minutes later, at the desired entrance. She knocks politely on the door, and pauses to smooth her hair while she waits to be called inside. Assuming the invitation is given, she'll push open the door promptly - call it brisk, and businesslike, though not arrogantly so - and step inside to give, this time, the low bow she denied the student.
Piratical flair dies hard, however.
Said bow will come with a distinctly western flourish, palms up to either side. Not to mention a positively twinkling gaze and a wide, bright smile as she rises.
The student nods, gives that grin again, and says, "You're welcome, miss," before turning back to resume his walk, chuckling because everyone knows that people who try to mess with Raizo Imawano get eaten.
Time passes, and Jenet ends up at Principal Imawano's door. The carpet is scorched and scuffed outside, but the door itself is brand new, and when that thundering voice calls "Enter!" she'll find that the interior is still glossy. This office was repaired extremely recently - within the last couple weeks, actually, since Saishu KUsanagi swung by and set the place on fire. It is well-appointed, but not excessively so, and generally just looks about like you'd expect the office of the principal of one of the most prestigious institutions in Japan to look.
Raizo - in his typical brown business suit and purple mark of office around the collar, white shirt and tie, and overall otherwise massive appearance - looks up as Jenet enters, and cocks an eyebrow, although it lacks any actual hair. "Ma'am," he says, rising. He bows of his own, favoring a more Japanese form. "How may I help you?"
He tries to remember if he's seen her before, and who she might be, if not. His eyes are acute, examining her frame for anything telling, be it hostility or merely something he might recognize, but it is the eye of a sharp, analytical thinker, not the heated gaze Jenet is no doubt more accustomed to.
It's just as well the woman is a fine actress. Her initial sweep of the room is exactly as she expected, the placement for her pre-planned greeting also precisely so. Raizo himself is, however, a whole different kettle of fish. First impressions suggest he has at /least/ a half foot of height and two hundred pounds on the curvy piratess, but being towered-over and grossly outweighed is hardly unusual in itself. Not least in light of his appearance\; in short, exactly the beast of a man she has heard about.
A lesser being would pause, let her mouth hang open...
B. Jenet is made of sterner stuff. Maintaining the warm smile as intended, keeping her grace, she straightens up and stands tall, right hand sliding habitually to her right hip. Why should she be concerned anyway? Imawano clearly holds himself with dignity and politeness despite his monstrous visage, and those eyes-- he's an intelligent man. What else could he be, under the circumstance of his position?
"Less," she begins with similar intelligence in her own blue eyes, "How you can help me, but how /I/ can help /you/." Raising her eyebrows she settles back on her heels, bursting with self-confidence. She has noted the disrepair outside the office, and has one more string to her bow as a result. But, as the principal does not yet know this, she rattles on without uncertain pause, "My name is Bonne Jenet. I'm in international trade and espionage. You've been having problems lately, Mr. Imawano, and people are beginning to take notice. Can I first warn you that you may be deeper than you believed? Allegiances are being made, and it may be time to jump on the bandwagon."
His body is like a mountain and his voice is like a landslide, but Raizo Imawano's mind is a far sharper thing than his size might attest. She's here for something, wants something, but what, /what/...
Her words are the key. His eyes narrow a little. She knows something. More than he does, maybe - maybe not. She may think she knows more than she does, even. This situation...too many factors. The whole business...
"Have I, Miss Jenet? I suppose there have been a few more disturbances than usual at Justice since my recent return from business abroad. I'd credited it to my reputation preceding me." He gestures to a comfortable seat across the desk, saying, "Please, have a seat."
He sits down as well, folds his hands on the desk - wow those fingernails are long, aren't they? - and if he can, meets Jenet's eyes with his own crimson gaze. "You are here with a proposition, Miss Jenet. What do you have for me?"
Forget all you know, or think you know.
Advice that would never be heeded by a woman who used to be Genette Bahn, daughter-heir of one of England's most successful businessmen - a man legendary in international merchant trading circles. The piratess knows of what she, at the least, pretends. And the more you know, or the more you pretend to know, the more you tend to find out and the more you tend to profit. If a little good can be done for the economy in the long run, all the better.
And power-hungry maniacs are rarely good for the economy. It's also true that, without any foreknowledge of his position, from what the eye alone can intuit, Raizo would make a good businessman. Fearsome of aspect, intelligent and analytical, a firm leader... she's chosen well.
As the principal responds to her opening gambit, Jenet nods her acceptance of the offered seat and moves briskly to take it, slipping around its edge and seating herself comfortably before she even considers talking again. Etiquette is to be observed, in dealings such as these. Crossing one leg over the other, she removes her hat and lays it in her lap, fingers overlapping to lie lightly atop it a beat later. "Thank you. I do indeed have a proposition, though it may be.. vague to begin with. I've been on the fringe of matters myself, and might be a little hazy on the details."
"You should know, Mr. Imawano, that I've had dealings some might term 'shady'," Better to have these things out in the open, after all, "When my hand has been forced in the matter. Haven't we all, who move in esteemed circles? But, whatever the source of my knowledge, your opposition has been far more motivated in establishing himself allies among those willing. After the events in your recent past, I would have believed you to be more careful..."
She smiles and catches herself straying into insulting territory, attempting to dispel the slight with a shy downward glance, "I apologise if that comes across as too forward, or presumptive. Surely you realise these are trying times for us all--- and therein lies the brunt of the matter, Principal. My business is being affected by your opposition's movements, and I would benefit from an allegiance myself. I have contacts... but none with the interest you have. At least," her smile widens, spreading to her eyes, and she leans forward conspiratorially, "Not yet."
A solid method of working...when not dealing with a paranoid old ninja.
However, for the moment, the old man does not seem to have taken offense to whatever bluff Jenet may be running - although she should definitely not assume he has not seen through it, if she knows what's good for her. It's dangerous, making assumptions about the mental abilities of old ninjas like Raizo Imawano.
Raizo grunts, listening closely. "So you say that your associates are being inconvenienced by the existance of my...current troubles, and you therefore have an interest in assisting?"
The old man slowly leans back, thinking. He hasn't been COMPLETELY subtle, it's true - but aside from that one chase of Momo wossname from Taiyo the other day, there has been relatively little evidence of his attempts to gather information on Kurow. Perhaps she thinks the enemy is Rugal - or perhaps she's just bluffing. She hasn't named the problem, after all...and may be trying to bait him into giving more information than he otherwise might.
If she is, he doesn't fall for it. "I suppose these issues might be troublesome to those of a less idealized persuasion, at that. You must understand, however..." His gaze hardens, his face twisting just a little into a very serious look. "...that I will never do anything to tarnish this high school's reputation of my own will. Bearing that in mind, Miss Jenet...what do you have in mind?"
Bluffing is an art that becomes progressively more difficult when performed on those older, more experienced and more canny than oneself. Jenet enters this situation knowing only that she has nothing to incriminate her in this matter; she is not significantly allied to anyone she knows to be involved, or even to any she suspects might well be involved. And were she pressed, her knowledge is admittedly scant. Thankfully she can assume there will be no elaborate torture brought to play here... by all accounts, Raizo is an honourable man.
Taking advantage, then? Perhaps. But everything in the young woman's manner suggests amiable willingness to help, and a fair grasp of subtlety. She's hardly burst in to the fine principal's office flinging chi and proclaiming herself his own personal Jesus, after all.
"My associates, and myself. Southtown can be a claustrophobic place - the harbour, perhaps most of all. And I might as well disclose that my operations are predominantly conducted on the rolling oceans," she allows a little poetic discharge, pleasure glinting in her gaze when she so much as mentions the sea she so loves, "Though I've dabbled as a hostess and diplomat for various businesses. You might say I'm for hire - usually. In this case, we have a mutual interest in preserving Southtown as a place of free enterprise."
She stills for a moment, watching for any reaction from the large man before she continues. A lot rests on her assumption that his troubles involve - in some way - similar goals to those which landed him in his last predicament. Events which can now be relayed in some detail by most moderately gifted black market informants. "Any shipments coming in, or out, of Southtown, I may be able to monitor or control. My family is well-connected, and my staff well-trained. In addition..." she chuckles, briefly lifting one hand to examine her painted nails in a show of false modesty, "I'm gifted enough to defend myself from those who would seek to prevent my interference."
"Furthermore, Principal Imawano, I'm a relative unknown in Japan. If I were to be implied in anything untoward, by any seeking to tarnish your name, how would they know me or prove my involvement? Justice High has an established reputation - as does your family. Your name would go untarnished so long as you allowed it to."
Indeed, she didn't - a point that has won Jenet her audience today. Raizo would be fairly upset, if she'd ruined his shiny new office on the first day he occupied it.
"I see," Raizo says, quietly. "You make a decent offer, Miss Jenet. However..."
The old man wants to stand and pace, wants to get the blood pumping, to THINK, but with his stature and position, doing so may seem rude. Instead, he shifts again in his chair, muscles straining somewhat against the confines of his business suit as the aged master of Imawano-ryu clawfighting again sits up straighter. "As you may know, Southtown has something of a dubious history with regards to...possible corruption. It's not well-known, but men of my position are familiar with the rumors. Add to that Justice's own severe troubles several years ago, and...I must be quite careful of who I associate with. I'm sure a woman of your intelligence understands." And he has no doubt she is brilliant. Maybe a little of a gold digger, but that is not a stupid person across from him, just the same...
"Still. You offer me some potentially very useful services. I doubt I'll be able to keep you on retainer - I doubt you have any interest in such a thing anyway..." One giant hand comes up to stroke at his beard, thoughtfully. "But I may just be able to use your services, eventually, Miss Jenet. I believe in an incorruptible future, as you must know if you have done any research on this facility or my goals. But I also know perfectly well that questionable men must often be fought with questionable methods."
'Gold digger'. If only he knew. But he cannot, and will not so long as the scheming blonde can keep her part below-radar, if significant in its way. She'll have to tread carefully- she can see his eagerness to battle whatever threat he faces, as well-concealed as the extent of his excitement is.
"Southtown needs cleaning up," the woman agrees none too tentatively, chin dipping in a brisk nod that voices her own concerns, her own excitement. And this is not false.. she has competition, competition which could not only endanger the possibility of profit but turn her own venture into something far more dangerous than intended. She agrees again to his next remark, a slower and more sober nod punctuating his remark- that care must be taken. She couldn't agree more.
Below the immaculate surface, Jenet is pleased as punch. Her assumptions would appear to be at least partially correct. Raizo's enemies do have interests in shipping and supply - interests which must veer toward the dark and guarded, and therefore they are indeed infringing on her own territory, as she knew SOMEBODY was. He has not outright stated any more than she'd believed he would, as a secretive man himself, but enough has been revealed to make her own offer worthwhile. Or seemingly so; there lingers always the chance that the piratess is the one being played here. Luckily she has little to lose.
When Raizo fingers his beard, Jenet drums the fingers of her right hand against the far brim of her hat, only lightly so as not to disturb his thoughts. The gesture merely illustrates her own concern, and that her mind is working alongside his. His subsequent answer to her proposal draws a tiny smile, the expression of a cautious business partner being welcomed into the fold. "Eventually will do just fine. These things take time, and time, while precious, is a commodity we have in supply... at least for the moment. I'll leave you my details, and start paying a closer eye to any 'questionable' activities."
Her fingers dip down past the brim of the hat, reaching underneath and twisting momentarily before she withdraws a business card, relatively straightforward and unadorned with any flashy logo. Businesslike. Sensible. Less 'flashy' than her choice of dress might suggest she would go for. Reassuring, perhaps? Passing it across the table without further prompting, she adds, "Should I have any news, will I come in person, or contact you remotely?"
Alas for Jenet, the fact of the matter is far less helpful for her - Raizo has no earthly idea who she thinks his enemies are or who hers are. There is a failure of communication, one Raizo can sense but chooses not to close. It is easier, for now, to simply let her get what information she wills, because in all actuality, anything Jenet may find will be of some use to the last surviving patriarch of Imawano.
Raizo nods at Jenet's explanation, and reaches over to claim the business card, again showing the enormous, claw-like nails, filed to a razor's edge, at the end of each finger. He regards the card with some thought, before opening a drawer and carefully filing it in an index there. "Call before coming, I think. I won't necessarily always be here. Just ask for me. If I'm not here, my assistant will get in touch with me...if she can." Looking back up, Raizo's crimson eyes meet Jenet's again, and he says, "Needless to say, the actual information should only be given directly to me."
Ah, now when thoughtful regard is directed toward said business card? Raizo will note a lot more than he would with a cursory glance. For one; the lack of a fixed abode, merely the name of a luxury yacht moored off Southtown. The very place Jenet has been enjoying these last few, relatively uneventful months. Aside from this, there are two mobile phone numbers - personal, and business, in reality treated as much the same thing - and two separate radio frequencies listed on the back. Once again, personal and business.
'International traders' work in mysterious ways.
"Needless to say," Back to their conversation - enlightening or befuddling as it may alternately seem - and the woman echoes the beastly principal with a further nod of her head. Information is a valuable resource, as she is sure they both are aware. Information leads to far greater reward, in the long run, than deals struck for base wages or percentages. Jenet holds Raizo's gaze for as long as it takes- though she'll relent first if this takes more than a few seconds, maintaining eye contact long enough to convey the trust and respect required and desired. Then, she moves to stand.
"If you have nothing further to add, I should leave. Evenings are a busy time for me- paperwork, you know," she vaguelys waves a hand, at the same time lifting the other bearing her hat, which she places atop her smooth blonde hair. "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Imawano. I'm sure we can mutually benefit, somehow." She laughs at the last, making light of a comment which could be taken many ways; he knows next to nothing of her, after all. But mystery, and intrigue, can be handy bedfriends to keep.
Of course, their eventual goals are more similar than Raizo would believe, if he knew the full story... that Captain Jenet believes in an incorruptible future too.
One where she's insanely wealthy, and comfortably retired.
Raizo is working with a dubious person. He knew this pretty soon after she walked in, but...
...well, one supposes it was inevitable. He'll end up working with Daigo again at some point, he's sure, and while /he/ knows the boy's a fine young man, it's not like the rest of the world agrees. Alas - the life of an incorruptible super-elite is filled with people who don't understand why you do things. Woe!
For now, Raizo nods, quietly, at Jenet, and stands as she does. "Of course," he replies, not really believing Jenet has touched a piece of paperwork in the last ten years. "Thank you for coming, Miss Jenet. I suspect working with you will prove useful to us both." She seemed almost eerily happy to let him dictate terms...was this a trap? Did he make a mistake? Or is this just...an ally, who really does just happen to be a criminal?
He can't ask, of course. That would hardly be right. He'll just have to...wait and see.
"Farewell, Miss Jenet," Raizo says, watching her. His face is hard to read, but perhaps a smart woman like B. Jenet will be able to see some of his fears in that thoughtful gaze. "Have a pleasant evening."
Regretabbly, no individual is truly free from corruption if they choose to move in the greater world. Raizo's goal is an admirable one; whether one aspires to his ideals or not. He has a dream, a dream he believes in and fully intends to turn into a reality. Certainly on another path, he and Jenet could be at odds or perhaps would never have encountered one another... but times are ever strange.
Bonne does not offer a hand as she leaves - for the first time betraying some underlying fear or intimidation where it comes to the hulking Imawano. She bows again though, after she has stepped around her seat. "A pleasant evening also, and a pleasant weekend, to you, sure as I am you find little time to properly relax." A hunch, or a canny reading of the man. Only Raizo can know for sure, and while Jenet was sure from the outset that she sensed a fear, a need, in the demon headmaster... this is something she cannot yet know for certain.
It just seemed likely. The criminal underbelly is a dangerous place- Kurow, Rugal, whoever the predominant enemy should be, they are worthy enough to inspire trepidation in the very best of men. Meeting his gaze for the last time before she turns to leave, the pirate queen attempts to read only what she can, and nothing more. Business is what matters, and eventual profit. She hardly aspires to the empathic...
Merely to the wealthy.
"Good evening, Mr. Imawano."
In a swish of blonde hair and extravagant clothing, she's gone.
What happens next, remains to be seen.
Log created on 14:08:58 08/18/2007 by B.Jenet, and last modified on 12:24:52 09/05/2007.