Unlikely Encounter [Closed / Anna]

[Kagami Ayasaki]

"Kagamin-kun."



"Yes, boss?" Kagami was busy getting herself ready for another evening at the host club. But it seemed fate had other things in store for her tonight. She turned to face her boss, Yuki. Usually, owners and producers of host clubs were guys, but this one was a woman. Probably, she wanted to make a safe space for women as well, especially with the advent of all these disappearances.



"We have a new client in town," Yuki said, flipping her hair casually. "This one looks special or important, at least. We don't usually get foreigners in these parts. She's quite the beauty, and she was asking for the most popular host around here. So, that task falls upon you to give the newcomer a good time here, got it?"



"Understood, boss." Kagami bowed as Yuki smiled, tossing a towel at Kagami to hold like a butler.



"Great. Make sure she becomes a returning customer for as long as she's staying here in Kanehira, OK? We'll get a good reputation if we can impress beautiful foreigners like her."



Kagami nodded and made his way out from the back rooms of the Swan Song host club and out into the open. The lights were a dim purple, giving it a strange atmosphere that made the host club a mixture of classy, but with the aura of a nightclub, still. The music wasn't loud like most typical host clubs, but rather the tracklist was composed of jazz, bossa nova, and the like. Definitely a place for older women to hang out and have a good time. One of Kagami's coworkers elbowed her playfully.



"Heh, Kagamin-kun, looks like you got that beauty over there. Good luck, she seems tough, the kind of lady who'll punch your lights out if you get into a fight with her" he seemed to say in warning. Kagami nodded but smiled casually, making her way over to a lady with piercing red eyes who was seated in what was easily the most extravagant corner of the club, plush red couch and all.



Kagami bowed towards the Westerner there.



"Pleasure to meet you, Miss! I'm Kagami, I'll be attending to you tonight. Care for a drink?" Kagami greeted politely but adding a casual coolness to the way she carried herself, bowing and holding the towel carefully.

--

 tags: Anna Myers

[Anna Myers]

This really wasn't the kind of place Anna would normally go. She'd been to strip clubs and similar with some of the boys back home, but this was...considerably different. She'd heard of the concept of a host club back when she was just touring in Tokyo a couple years ago, but hadn't had time to fit a trip in. Now she was in the considerably smaller and less tourist-y Kanehira City, and only just hearing about one such place called Swan Song in town. She wasn't a tourist now. Rather, she was 'on extended leave' while investigating the rifts in the city and the ruined world on the other side. But that didn't mean she couldn't take opportunities to do things she hadn't been able to before when they came up.

Of course, she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do at a host club, but the front desk staff seemed so impressed with her that she couldn't help but get carried away, asking for the best they had. Hey, if this was going to be a one time thing (and it probably would, since while she didn't mind a nice, handsome man she was definitely more interested in girls), then she might as well splurge a bit. The man at the front bowed to her and asked her to follow him, while a woman who had been standing nearby and clearly listening quickly walked off into the back.

Anna nodded in return, idly wondering if the woman was the manager of the establishment, and turned her attention to the atmosphere of the place as she entered. Visually, it looked like one of the more upscale clubs she had visited back home, with some...obvious omissions, but rather than the painfully loud mishmash of bad music, she was treated to smooth jazz. "Love the music," she remarked in English, then turned her attention back to the man as he led her to a plush red couch and invited her to take her seat.

Thanking him, Anna did so, sitting herself comfortably on the couch and bobbing her head ever so slightly with the music until someone showed up. The man (man?) had something of a cool air to him, but was otherwise very polite. Quite the looker too, although something seemed just a little off.

No, not the eyepatch. Actually, Anna barely noticed that part.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Anna," Anna said. Her Japanese wasn't perfect, but two years outside of a major tourist area meant she'd have to pick up on a lot more than she'd come in with, and fast. All in all, Anna thought it was pretty good for a second language. "I would love one. Whatever you recommend."

[Kagami Ayasaki]

Kagami bowed politely when the lady introduced herself as Anna, saying that she would indeed like a drink. Kagami smiled when she realized that Anna's Japanese actually wasn't that bad for a foreigner, though she internally debated the prudence of asking about it. Regardless, Kagami chirped up and smiled. "As you wish, Miss Anna~ I'd be more than happy to serve you one of my specials," Kagami smiled, though she didn't actually invent the drink she was about to serve Anna, rather she read about it online and discovered it had never been served here. She had gotten into alcohol out of a sheer interest due to how her mother had drowned herself in it, Kagami studied what made it so addicting, and ironically turned what had scarred her into another asset.

"I'll be right back with your drink" Kagami grinned as she went off to the back to prepare the drink - She usually always kept some strawberry syrup and red burgundy chilled beforehand, while the No. 1 Pimm's she usually used was always cold or chilled so she didn't worry much about that. Quickly combining the ingredients, she poured it into a flute and topped it off with some champagne. She hastily but carefully garnished the top by putting a lemon twirl on top. Putting the completed drink on a silver tray, she also put a glass of water for herself next to the drink before returning to Anna.

"Here's your drink!" Kagami exclaimed, putting the crimson drink down on the table before Anna while holding the glass of water herself once she put the tray aside. Kagami also took a seat next to Anna. "Hope you like it. So how's Japan been treating you, Miss Anna? Or have you been here a while already?"

[Anna Myers]

Anna looked up with a smile as Kagami returned with a very red-looking drink. She wasn't sure what to expect, yet. Most mixed drinks that came out that color used a lot of either cranberry juice or grenadine, but this was an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar recipes. She accepted it with a smile and a "Thank you," and took a sip. She took it slow, mulling over the taste almost like a connoisseur would to try and figure out what was in it. Champagne on the top, definitely, but after that she could taste gin. But it was a very fruity, somewhat spicy gin, mixed in with a syrup with a distinct strawberry flavor. Definitely not a drink she'd had before, but despite her usual distaste for gin it was surprisingly good.

"Not bad at all," Anna said, taking a quicker sip. As the host asked about her time in Japan, Anna considered for a moment how to answer. She hadn't exactly been sworn to secrecy regarding her reason for staying in the city, but her CO had at least warned her to be careful who she told. He had a point, too - she'd either come off as crazy or start a panic if she told everyone.

Ultimately, she decided to say just enough to gauge the host's reaction. "I've been here for a couple years, actually," she said. "Was visiting on vacation back when that big earthquake hit around here. Actually, I was supposed to fly home that day. I ended up caught up in the mess that followed that, so I wouldn't call myself a permanent resident, but I'm still here for the time being." Ah, that painted a rather negative picture, didn't it? "That aside, I love it here. I miss some of the comforts of home, but this is a wonderful country."

Kagami Ayasaki

[Kagami Ayasaki]

Kagami smiled as Anna seemed to like the drink, saying it wasn't bad at all. Though the woman seemed to think for a moment how she was going to speak, Kagami made no suspicious note of it. She then proceeded to say that she had indeed been around for at least a couple of years, initially on vacation but due to the big earthquake, she got caught up in some mess just before she was about to return to her home. Kagami surmised that Anna too, was getting into the incidents that happened ever since that earthquake. Kagami had a big grin on her face. "I'm glad you're finding the time to enjoy yourself amidst the incidents happening around town," Kagami said. "I'm personally trying to ask around to see if I can get more information about the mysterious disappearances."

Kagami looked more serious, gazing intently into Anna's eyes. "I don't mean to intrude, but one of my friends seems to know more than she lets on, but she won't tell me anything. I think she's trying to protect me. Would you mind sharing anything you know about these disappearances? It can't be a coincidence that they started happening since the earthquake, and most certainly no coincidence that they're happening more frequently as of late."

"Of course, if you don't want to share anything, that's fine too, I guess. I'm still more than happy to listen to anything you'd like to chat about!"

== tags: Anna Myers

[Anna Myers]

"Ahh, you know what I'm talking about, hmm?" Well, sort of. Anna suspected that most people wouldn't know any more than what could be figured out by looking at the news. Missing persons cases all over town ever since the earthquake, and a lot of rumors about considerably weirder things happening behind it all. But apparently someone else that this guy associated with knew more. It was hardly a stretch to assume that she wasn't the only one, but she was probably the only one actually qualified to deal with this kind of crisis.

Not that that stopped anyone in any fantasy or sci-fi story ever.

"Well, if you really want, I could tell you what's going on," Anna said. "I ain't really supposed to go telling it to just anyone, but if you're already trying to investigate, it's best you know what you're getting into."

She leaned in closer to Kagami. And as she did, everything started to add up even more. Though dressed like a man and at least trying to act the part, her face, voice, and even some of her mannerisms were way too feminine. But she hadn't leaned in to inspect her. Rather, she continued in a low voice that could only just barely be heard over the jazzy background. "Those rumors going around about a mirror world or whatever and monsters? All true. I was heading to the airport when the earthquake hit, and stopped by to see if I could help. And...I ended up falling in, so to speak. Without my training, I'd probably have ended up as just one more missing person back then."

[Kagami Ayasaki]

"I do, sort of" Kagami said as Anna asked if she really knew what she was referring to. Well, truth to be told, Kagami did suspect that something was going on behind the scenes but she was really ignorant to what it was outside of rumours and hearsay. Anna soon affirmed that she doesn't usually explain what goes on to simply anybody, but it was probably best to inform Kagami if she was already trying to investigate to make sure she knew what she was getting into. Anna soon shuffled up and leaned closer to her (eliciting a blush from Kagami as no one had ever leaned that close into her before) simply to whisper some of the details about the disappearances.

When Anna explained that it was true that there was a mirror world or alternate dimension with monsters in them, Kagami's expression seemed to be more grave than usual. Anna had to say that without her training, she would have become a missing person, too. Kagami turned to face Anna. "I see... Well, it's kind of scary to think about, but I guess what I've been hearing adds up now. It can't be a coincidence that it's only happening in this area," Kagami sighed, responding also in a whisper. "But if it has monsters, how can I go in to investigate... Sigh..."

[Anna Myers]

"Hm..." Anna pondered Kagami's predicament for a moment. "Honestly, you're better off not. The other side looks like a battlefield, worse than anything I've ever seen. And if it is a battlefield, then there's one thing I can definitely say. Humanity lost." She let out a sigh as well. "That said, as long as people are able to fall in and disappear, it's a threat that needs to be addressed somehow. If you really want to investigate, I can take you in myself sometime, but you'd have to promise to stay close to me and do anything I tell you to."

Anna leaned back again. "That said, I still don't recommend it. But I figure I'm better making that offer than risking you not listening and wandering in on your own." Would it have been acceptable under normal circumstances? Not a chance. But Anna was not 'officially' under orders on this, so she had some freedom to do things her way. And she knew all too well that telling someone not to do something was a good way to get them to do it anyway.

"Ah, maybe I should introduce myself properly, so you know I'm not just trying to talk myself up. Senior Airman Anna Myers, United States Air Force."

[Kagami Ayasaki]

Kagami blinked as Anna mentioned that it was a bad idea for this. Apparently the other side looked like a terrible battlefield, worse than anything she had ever seen. And apparently if a battle did take place there, humanity lost. Kagami looked forlorn. If people were really disappearing into this area, there was no way they would just be 'missing persons.' They would most likely be dead. When Anna offered to take Kagami in herself, Kagami nodded.

"I know it's dangerous and I know I should be taking your advice and not associating myself with it, but it's impossible for me just to sit by and watch these deaths happen, if what you say is really true. I have to see it for myself. Even if it means I have to cling right to you." Kagami said it up front. If Anna had forced her to stay out of it, it was likely Kagami would go look for it herself anyway.

Anna probably knew that already. She then introduced herself properly as Senior Airman Anna Myers of the USAF.

The USAF?!

"Y, you're part of the USAF?" Kagami said in a low voice in exasperation. "Oh, my god~!" Kagami blurted out in broken English. "S, so cool!!" Kagami looked back at Anna with glinty eyes.

"If you could really take me there, I would... Really appreciate it..."

[Anna Myers]

Ah, that...that was a surprise. Anna hadn't expected Kagami to react quite so...positively. Back home, the military were respected (although to her irritation, the Air Force tended to be the butt of many jokes among other military branches) but she'd never see someone fanboy over it quite like this before. Or fangirl, as the case may have been. "Ahaha...oh, if the boys back home could see that reaction," Anna said, somewhat awkwardly. "Okay, I'll do it. Give me a good time and place, and if there's any rifts or what have you that I can find, I'll take ya. What I said before stands, though. You stay close to me, and do anything I tell you to. Even if I tell you to go back and get as far away from the rift as you can."

She smiled. "If you can agree to that much, you should be fine for a short adventure. Think of it as a field trip, into hell," she said with an oddly excited grin. Despite the severity of the situation and the risk she was taking, Anna oddly found herself looking forward to this.

Enough of that subject, though. Anna didn't come here to talk about work. No, she'd come here to...well, actually, it was just for the experience, but didn't people usually go to these places to relax and spend time with someone? Something like that, at least. She studied Kagami for a moment, wondering if she should mention what she was suspecting.

What was the worst that could happen, if it stayed between them?

"By the way," she said, leaning in and whispering again. "You're not really a guy, are you?"

[Kagami Ayasaki]

Kagamin fidgeted. "A good time and place? Wow, you'll do it?" Kagami was pretty excited. Smiling, she looked into Anna's eyes with a serious expression nonetheless. "I'll do whtever you say," Kagami nodded. "You're better at this than I am, of course. That said, I'm free pretty much on a few days of the week. Like Mondays. As for a place... I know the area pretty well at this point, I'm not really sure where a convenient place for you to meet would be" Kagami continued, speaking with a low voice.

After it was settled, Anna soon leaned in and whispered by asking if Kagami was not actually a guy. "Ehh..." Kagami sighed. "Only my boss knows," Kagami whispered back. "No one else here knows. I'd be out of a job if this blew out of proportion. Please don't tell anyone. I won't ask how you figured it out, and I'm not sure I wanna know"