Description: The Ladies' Team needs a 4th. Can May Lee Jinju fill that spot? Rose seems to think so... but there's always a catch.
[OOC] Rose opens log, will also set
[OOC] MayLee says, "Sweet, okay"
The hunt for a suitable 'young' woman to be the fourth member of the New and /Improved/ Ladies' Team is a vast one. After all, there are no shortage of young women fighters in the world--of varying talents and dispositions. It's certainly true that, between Rose, Chun-Li, and Vanessa, they ought to have enough combined strength to face nearly anything (or so the theory goes), and that a 'cheerleader' might be what's called for...
But Rose has her doubts. So she's looking for an actual fighter, someone who has the skills to pay the bills. She needn't be a fiery superstar of a fighter--but she will need to be competent. Rose has meditated on this... but she's also made use of some modern technology. Fight tapes are a wonderful thing. Being charming (and beautiful) enough to get someone to find out what you want is even better. So she'd reviewed some fight tapes, found a candidate, explained her potential choice to Vanessa and Chun-Li, and received their approval.
Now all that remains is the assent of one May Lee Jinju. To that end, May Lee has received an envelope in the mail, much lik ethe KOF envelope, only sealed with a lavender wax and with a flowing, lavender script on it, bearing her name; inside, a card with the name and address of the YFCC and a date and time--this date, and this time.
Rose waits inside the YFCC, during the late afternoon/early evening, when the place is abustle with young fighters practicing, sparring, working out, receiving instruction; despite the chaos she is but an island in the stream, the flow of energies eddying past her.
Getting not one but two mysterious envelopes was a recipe for disappointment for May Lee, who in each case experienced a brief fluttering of pride and hope that she'd /finally/ reached the point of being so well recognized as a fighter and heroic figure that people were going to begin sending her fanmail. With its markedly scantier details, the lavender-sealed letter proved to contain a touch more in the way of hope, as while it contained no /overt/ praise, it was pretty, and certainly, someone had to have put at least a little bit of effort into preparing and sending her that particular card.
Of course, then she made the mistake of showing it to Chae Lim, who determined through some dubious science that she the letter's sender might be some kind of female admirer looking for a bit more than an autograph from the Heroine of Korea, which made the whole thing difficult to sort out.
Maybe the /next/ time she gets a mysterious envelope, it'll have a picture of someone dressed up like her or something; it would certainly be less complicated.
Regardless of her uncertainty, though, May Lee slides into the YFCC at the appointed time; no /true/ heroine would flee from a date with destiny(or an admirer), even if said heroine has to spend the entire run from her home to the YFCC figuring out how to tell destiny/her admirer that she's flattered but not /exactly/ what it/she is looking for.
"Okay!" she shouts, waving the card to and fro above her head like a crazy woman. "I'm here, I made it, I didn't get scared or intolerant and not show up or anything!"
She flashes a bright, if somewhat unsure smile at--well, anyone who happens to look at her, to punctuate the last.
Quite a few people -do- in fact look at her, but it's mostly cursory evaluation, not to say that it isn't friendly. However, May Lee's gaze must, necessarily, be drawn to Rose, who stands by the receptionary desk, some twenty yards in from the door, her traditional gypsyish outfit standing out amongst all the dogi and combat outfits that people are wearing. Too, her air seems to just draw attention; she is the co-founder of the YFCC, but she hasn't, generally, been seen amongst its walls much, until lately.
If May Lee had wondered at all who had invited her here, that wonder will soon be put to rest as Rose starts moving, with an easy grace, her heeled shoes clicking on tile as she walks forward. "May Lee Jinju," she says, without preamble--her eyes twinkling, as if she can sense some of May Lee's thoughts on the mysterious envelope and what it means, "I have a proposition for you." She stops there--and stops in front of May Lee, perhaps just out of arm's reach, her gaze searching the Korean Heroine's, as she waits for her reaction.
[OOC] MayLee says, "Are there like any pictures or anything like that of Rose in the YFCC, since she's a founder?"
[OOC] Rose says, "Sure :)"
"Okay!" May Lee exclaims as soon as the word 'proposition' leaves Rose's mouth; her hands dart before her, palms facing the mysterious Italian in a clear 'STOP' message.
"First, I should tell you--I'm flattered! And you're really a very nice and beautiful and capable woman and I /really/ like your scarf even though it's yellow instead of red and your hair must have taken you /so long/ to get like that but I kind of sort of sometimes have a boyfriend and also he's closer to my age and like he's a boy, like, I mentioned that, right? Right, so, anyway, like I was saying, I'm really flattered, but--"
Before she can get any further, her eyes drift away from Rose's face - which is really nothing more than a defense mechanism because by this point she can barely manage to remember her pre-prepared talking points /and/ maintain any kind of eye contact - and end up glued on a portrait of a dark-haired woman with exotic features wearing a yellow scarf and a red dress.
May Lee's eyes return to Rose. And then they're on the portrait again, and then Rose, the portrait, Rose, the portrait--
And then May Lee pales. Her eyes gradually make their way back to Rose, but it'll be a good fifteen, twenty seconds before they actually make it there because in the back of her mind she's banking on being blessed by spontaneous henshining and a kaiju attack or something to get her out of this situation.
Rose does not bust out laughing. It would be undignified. However, Vanessa would likely be rolling on a mat, right about now, were she here to witness this. Indeed, the sparkle in Rose's eye does not abate one bit; she smiles, composedly, letting May Lee's thought processes go thorugh that microcosm of panic, fear, embarassment...
%tThen her expression settles into a more serious one, as she turns away from the Korean TKD artist, gesturing towards a door off to the side--the view through the window suggests a smallish conference room, apprpraite for 3-5 people. A variety of snacks and drinks are out--nothing too lavish, but enough to ensure that one will find something they like. "If you please, Miss Jinju, follow me. I -do- have something to ask you, and it is something of some importance." Without waiting for a response, Rose glides over towards the room, her heels clicking once more, that deep purple hair rippling as if in a wind, briefly. It's only a few minutes' walk towards the door, just enough time for May Lee to wonder.
Rose isn't going to reveal her plans too soon, but she does add, casually, once about halfway there, "How has training with Kim Kaphwan been? He is a fine man, is he not? And a most exceptional martial artist.. I've been watching some video of your exploits, May Lee." Just after that, she reaches the door and opens it, gesturing inside.
"After you."
"He's a very fine man! The finest--!" May Lee exclaims as she jogs to catch up with Rose; she has to jog because she was stuck standing there dumbstruck for a few seconds when Rose initially left. Even after shutting herself up after that last comment - complete with hands slapped over her mouth - she manages to keep running, though she looks about as goofy as she's sounded over the last several seconds.
Rose nods; he certainly is a fine man, in many senses of the word. Ushering May Lee inside, she closes the door, one of those heavy, sound-absorbing schooltypes of doors, which actually just whispers closed, thanks to the pneumatic doorstop.
Once inside, Rose gives May Lee a long look, a more measuring gaze, most of the cheer wiped from her expression, leaving her looking somewhat more neutral. Now, she goes quiet, just scrutinizing the Korean girl.
She waits, and waits, and waits, and finally, she gestures--and as if by magic, but simply sleight of hand, another envelope falls onto the table, in front of May Lee.
A KOF invite.
"I believe you have received one of these, have you not?" she asks, though she very well knows the answer already.
Boy, if May Lee was uncomfortable about meeting Rose /before/, being stared at for a long stretch of time is only making it worse. At first, she just fidgets, subtly shifting her weight from foot to foot and scratching her nose and most importantly, keeping her eyes locked on Rose because if this is some kind of /staring contest/ she couldn't bear to let herself lose after giving up so much face /already/.
After a couple of minutes have passed with no change at all, she starts to wonder if maybe this /isn't/ a staring contest--after all, what kind of mysterious purple-haired woman would take a young, enterprising heroine into a conference room for one of those? Maybe it's some kind of audition, like Southtown's Next Top Fighter, and now is her chance to impress Rose, and so--
In a controlled flurry, she performs a series of rapid rotations ending with her right arm extended towards Rose and her index and middle fingers held up in a peace symbol; her scarf flutters behind her despite the lack of any kind of breeze to hold it aloft, and subtle glints bounce off of the rim of her goggles and her teeth, which are bared thanks to the heroic, beaming smile she casts towards the gypsy.
She holds this right up until Rose actually drops the envelope in front of her, for lack of anything better to do.
When the envelope /does/ go down, she quickly blinks, scrambles to scoop it up and rips the paper away to get at the invitation inside; after turning it over in her hands a few times to be sure that she is, in fact, seeing another KOF invitation, she squints up at Rose.
"Well, uh, yes, and I don't /think/ I need two, since I can't--"
Beat.
"Wait--"
Another beat passes. Gears click into place. A lightbulb goes off inside of her head, and then the heroine is springing forward to throw her arms around Rose with a cry of joy.
"Yes! Yes yes yes, I accept! I thought Master Kim was gonna ask me, but, oh, this is really cool too!"
The motions are... interesting, and actually draw an arched eyebrow from Rose--but that's not the reaction she's really looking for. But she gets it, soon enough.. and it's the reaction she wanted. Rose's lips quirk upwards at the corners, watching the gears click, metaphorically.
"You're not wrong, May Lee Jinju, but you're not entirely correct, either." Hey, these things never come without some sort of catch, don't they? Rose takes a bottle of iced tea, twisting it open, taking an elegant sip of the brewed liquid.
"You'll have to convince Vanessa--if she approves you, then Chun-Li and I will be satisfied... So, this is my charge to you, May Lee Jinju. Find Vanessa, and..."
Rose's lips quirk again.
"Impress her."
As soon as she draws away from Rose, May Lee's right hand snaps up against her forehead in a sharp salute; her back also goes rigid, even her legs and head straighten just so.
"Ma'am! Yes ma'am! I'll impress the /pants/ off of her!" she declares, trying her best to give a look of serious determination despite being incapable of ridding herself of a smile.
With that, she's gone, racing from the conference room and, ultimately, the YFCC; she has a /mission/ to complete, now!
[OOC] MayLee thanks for the scene
[OOC] Rose grins :) thanks. now go find Vanessa and tell her I sent you
After May Lee goes bounding out, Rose waits an additional thirty seconds, then draws a slim cellphone from a pocket, and simply types, 'Sending her your way', then hits send... and smiles that cryptic smile, once again.
Log created on 19:28:39 10/18/2010 by Rose, and last modified on 21:44:48 10/18/2010.