242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on May 24, 2020 19:58:19 GMT -4
Well when that weird little chat invite had appeared on her phone Marceline had not expected it to lead to a business opportunity so quickly. Now of course, she needed to maintain a level of… aware care, as she knew the type of people she would be dealing with. Either this was some elaborate sting, or she really was dealing with some form of criminal, and though she was one herself you could never be too careful in this line of work at the end of the day. She’d scouted the place out a day before their meeting, done a bit of research, and learned about the potential investment she might be making here. Now, sure, having an investment in the Japanese equivalent of a brothel in some circles was hardly going to do her ‘brand’ any favors, but she was a dab hand at working the paperwork trails at this point, so as long as she had another little ‘notch’ to add to her empire… she was curious to see what might come of today.
On the day of the meeting she’d dip into a little alleyway a few streets away. She’d come dressed in a rather simple outfit, if only because she knew she’d be discarding of it soon enough. Pulling up her phone, she looked through some images of the usual ‘faces’ she used to make sure they were fresh in her memory, before activating her quirk. A halo formed above her head, and with a flick of the risk esque motion, it flowed down over her body, a brief burst of light from her little hideway, easily going unnoticed within the natural color of the red light district. Her hair replaced with a wilder style as her quirk applied Gel just right while also shifting it’s pigments to a bright blonde shade, the fine adjustments layered ontop of her skin trying to give her a more ‘sharp’ figure rather than the flowing features she usually held, and her simple shirt and skirt replaced by a spunky red dress and heals, as well as one of those “feather neck pieces” draped over her shoulders. Very fitting for the red light district, and an easy enough disguise to take for her meeting today.
(Basically Panty from PS+GB)
Stepping into the establishment, the garish décor immediately struck her eyes, resisting the urge to recoil at the lack of modern style. Some efforts had clearly been made but it was certainly to the effect of ‘polishing a turd’. Places like this could work but it seemed very half and half, undecided in what it wanted to be, and quite personally Marcie didn’t like the feeling of walking through a circus-esque environment when coming to a place designed for such.. intimate activities. Her eyes caught the female employees littering the loby, but she stepped up to the main desk, noting a few changes that could even be made there. She’d done her research on such establishments and how Japanese culture treated them afterall, some ways to make the clientel feel more… private.
“Hello? I’m here for a meeting? You may have me under Mystrem…~” She chimed in a cool yet faintly sensual voice, making sure to remove her accent and shift her tone a little to aid her current disguise. As she waited for the person working the lobby to gather any information she needed she idly looked about the room, just taking in any other workers lingering about before giving the woman dealing with her her full attention again, walking with her and riding the elevator to the top floor, a long hallway with a heavily locked door ahead of them.
“I take it your boss likes their privacy.” She teased idly, waiting for the locks to come undone and walking inside to see what she could make of a potential future business partner.
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50 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Noelle Weaver on May 24, 2020 19:59:01 GMT -4
I CAN'T FIND YOUR SILVER LINING ► Behind the desk would be a rather tall slender woman, dressed in a nice white blouse and pencil skirt. Although her fashion choices were a bit too "sexy secretary" for the type of job she held. She has pale white and blonde hair which was tied back into a tight bun. She honestly looked completely normal with the exception of her clothes and the fact that her eyes where an unnatural green color and the whites of her eyes where pitch black. The woman would just obverse the guest for a bit with an arched eye brown before looking down at her computer, clicking on a few things. "Ah yes... you do have the penthouse suite reserved..." She would speak after a few moments. "If you would please follow me." The receptionist would say, stepping from behind the counter in some very high heels to match the rest of her borderline over the top outfit. The receptionist would saunter over to the hotel, pressing the call button and after waiting for the guest and the elevation, press the button for the top floor. The short ride up would be in relative silence. Any question that would be sent her way would just be met with silence or a quick "I'm not the one to ask." But the short ride would drag on for Mystrem due to her emotive host, and after what may feel like forever the 7th floor was reached. The 7th floor instantly seemed different. For one is was just a short hallway with some painting and side tables against either side of the wall. This part of the building seemed a bit newer, like it was heavily renovated within the past few years but the receptionist would pull out a key and unlock the door, holding it open. "Take a seat by the fireplace, Rapture will be with you shortly."She would motion to a pair of plus arm chairs facing a fireplace, a small table rested in between the chairs. The receptionist would take her leave shortly after. But this part of the hotel not only actually seemed like it had a theme in mind, it looked much more like a modern apartment than a suite. It was full of pillows and cushy furniture. A few paintings and pictures where hung up on the wall and what seemed to be a full kitchen was on the far side of the room. The entire space seemed to wrap around the hotel, taking over the top floor of the hotel. A few more moments would past before Noelle would enter from the other half of the apartment. "I apologise for my lateness, I had some matters to take care of that dragged on a bit longer than I expected." Noelle was dressed in a long flowing skirt, and a blouse with out a back. Although the latter was to accommodate for six black large wings and would be folded against her, they didn't leave much room for any type of fabric back there. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she would walk barefooted across the place. However, she would walk right past the arm chairs and towards the kitchen, starting to pull items from different drawers cabinets. "Would you care for some coffee? I would offer tea but I don't exactly have any. I do have some lovely pastries I ordered from a coffee shop not to far from here if you would like any. No point in conducting business if we are both uncomfortable."
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242 Posts
0 EP
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Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on May 24, 2020 19:59:58 GMT -4
Well so much for the warm reception. Seemed the woman running the front desk was all business. Not even so much as sensual banter despite her attire. Hm. Something to note down but… she was mostly just here to invest. She shouldn’t suggest too many changes… at least so soon. Hook the fish first, then worry about the finer little details like this. Marceline took a slow breath, bouncing back and forth on her heels as she waited for them to arrive at their destination, shown into the penthouse suite and bowing her head gently in thanks, shifting her currently blonde hair back over her shoulder as she moved to take a seat, the feather shrug worn over her shoulders eased to rest over her lap for a moment, her gaze reflecting the roaring fire as she just rested for a moment…
This could be some odd form of trap but… she felt she was good enough on her feet to see the signs when they came. Why not lower her shoulders a little. So long as she was ready to move if needs be…
“Hm?” Lifting her head as the woman who supposedly ran the show here finally arrived, Marcie held a spunky little smile across her sharper features. She did well at playing to the role of whatever disguise she chose to wore so she definitely suited the spunky blonde look she’d adopted for the night, crossing one leg over the other as she got comfortable in her seat. “Oh not at all.~ We all have business to attend to so I take no offe-“ She paused as the woman blatantly walked past her, wondering if this was some odd ‘criminal hazing’ to take her down a peg when she thought she was blatantly being disrespected, but let out a somewhat relieved puff of air as she recognized what was actually happening. “Oh, coffee’s fine. What coffee place was it?~” She asked curiously, wondering if it was of her own branch in the back of her mind. ‘Labelle’s’ hadn’t taken off everywhere yet, but it was still nice to hear if or if not it had caught someone’s attention. See what sort of clientel her store attracted.
her eyes traced over the black beautiful wings, recalling the unnaturally green eyes of the woman who led her here. Was this place quirk themed perhaps? With the owner having such a blatant quirk it wasn’t a hard leap to assume she may be employing such people as a form of sanctuary, but it was also a potentially rude assumption to make. One she wouldn’t voice without more evidence. “As for a pastry… no. No.~ Got to watch my figure afterall.~” She’d offer a hand as the woman returned from the kitchen, still sitting down however tho rising faintly from her seat. “Mystrem, though I’m sure you’re aware.~” She didn’t mean any offense by remaining sat… buuut it did let her feel more comfortable and at ease… which in turn helped her feel like she had more power in this situation.~ “A pleasure.~”
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50 Posts
EP
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Total
30 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Noelle Weaver on May 24, 2020 20:00:17 GMT -4
I CAN'T FIND YOUR SILVER LINING ► Upon hearing that her guest would be ok with coffee, Noelle would grab two mugs and place them on a tray. She would turn on an electric kettle and would let it heat up some water before pulling out a bag of coffee beans and a coffee grinder. Setting it to fine setting, she would pour her beans in and let it go. She would then pull out her filter and a beaker-looking piece of glass wear and would set the filter in, do a quick test with the water, before dumping it out and placing her now ground beans in the filter. Taking the kettle, she would pour the water into the center before making small circles in the grounds. Letting it sit for a moment she would finally respond. "Are you sure? They are really tasty!"Obvious excitement behind, she would pull out a carry out container, taking two apple danishes and two lemon bars she would set them on mini plates and put them on the tray. She would get them anyway, if she didn't eat them, well more for her. Returning to the coffee she would do one more set of circles with the water, making sure to get all the grounds soaked. After everything had dripped down, Noelle would remove the filter and pour the coffee onto the two mugs. Carefully placing them onto the tray, she would go to her fridge and pull out some milk and cream, placing them on the tray. Finally, she would load up the almost full tray with small bowl full of sugar and two spoons. "But I got them from one of my favorite places downtown,a place called Eden's Corner. Same place I got the coffee beans from actually. I go there so much the owner gave me a bag as a gift."Carrying the tray over to the the chairs, she would place it down on the side table between the two chairs before sitting down herself and picking up the milk and creamer to mix in her coffee. "I do hope Corinne wasn't to terribly rude to you. She is such a sweet girl when she lets her hair down. But other than that she is straight business. She would kill me if I told you this but she is swearing those clothes cause ink exploded on what she was normally wearing. We do sell clothes here but obviously they lean towards a certain subject matter. It may of soured her mood today. But I thank you for meeting me at such short notice, It's not often I get interest in the hotel past a few obvious notes."Sipping her coffee, Noelle was proving to be rather... lax, seeming to simply enjoy the company itself. "So were there any questions you had or concerns? Simply due to the nature of the hotel, a lot of foreigners are either nervous to the idea or completely unwilling to invest in them. And for records sake, I am strictly talking about the hotel and nothing else."
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242 Posts
0 EP
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Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on May 24, 2020 20:00:33 GMT -4
“I’m quite sure. I’m more the type for a light bit of fruit or perhaps a slither of light cheesecake. Pastries just don’t really do it for me anyway.” She’d watch across her side as the woman she was meeting with made their coffee, unable to see much from here but curious as to her process all the same. It wasn’t exactly the fancy blends Marceline was used to but she was happy enough that the woman seemed to be showing some clear sense of care as she made it rather than just throwing coffee powder and hot water into a mug of some sort.
When she returned to their little ‘meeting area’, Marcie took the milk and seemed to load it into her coffee, certainly not showing much restraint with it. She wasn’t a fan of the bitter taste of a typical coffee and so to the dismay of more refined palettes around her she tended to ‘ruin it’ with an overly generous helping of milk. Not that she really cared. With her own spoon she’d even heap sugar into it. When being served by her personal cafes she could just request a less bitter blend, but with a hand made coffee like this she made do by just putting more of what SHE liked into the mix. Even if it did look a little weird to those who were used to a restrained ‘splash’ of milk and 1, maybe 2 spoons of sugar tops. “Well this smells delicious thank you. As for your pastries… tempting, but still no sorry. But I do very much appreciate the offer.~” With the milk helping the coffee cool faster, she went straight for a sip, humming in delight as she rested back into her chair, eyes drifting across to her potential business partner as she spoke.
“Oh I see… well the first thing we’d have to do is make sure we have more clothes she’d agree with. We can’t have the first face your customers see be a grouchy one afterall.~” She spoke with no offense aimed at this ‘Corinne’, she had a reason to be so stiff afterall if she’d been forced into an outfit she didn’t appreciate. Marcie knew from experience how rude she could come off when she was forced into an outfit she didn’t like. It was rare, but it happened. “But no no I can understand that. Don’t worry. I’m sure if we can get business rolling the general mood around here should rise. A bit of light security, remodelling… everything should look up, and your girl’s should remain safe in the process…~” She chimed, eager to see this place do well. Sure she could invest in a place that already worked but…~
“Strictly about the… oh. No change to the staff I take it? Fair enough, I had no plans to do so.~” She shrugged casually, taking another sip of her coffee as she sank back into her seat. “Well firstly I could help invest in a little remodelling… cards on the table, if you let me funnel a bit of laundering through the expenses I would VERY happily pay for whatever your looking for. The work you’ve done on remodelling already is a step in the right direction so I don’t need to question your eye too much… I might however suggest a more… ‘confidential’ lobby arrangement. I’ve done my research on the matter. With the formal nature of Japanese men they tend to prefer their faces not be seen even by the staff when indulging in such acts. Many love hotels or hostess services have a ‘front desk’ with a curtain. That way the parties can communicate without seeing eachother’s faces. A good start perhaps…. And we can have a look at what the state of your general rooms are later… all in all so long as we do a bit of renovation… maybe work on advertising throughout the red light district… I don’t think there’s too much I can ask you to change…~” She lifted her drink for another sip before continuing. “Though I must ask… assuming I’m correct, any reason we can’t talk about the staff? Again I don’t intend to, but I’d like help painting my mental picture of your character.~”
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50 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Noelle Weaver on Jun 6, 2020 15:40:27 GMT -4
I CAN'T FIND YOUR SILVER LINING ► Noelle would just shrug as Marcie would reject the pastries. "More for me in the end." Noelle would shift a bit, getting comfortable. While one of her legs rested normally on the ground, the other rested across her lap. She would watch carefully as her guest prepared the cup to her liking. While Noelle agreed with the milk at least, she wondered if there was more sugar than coffee in it now. But the angelic woman would place her coffee down, helping herself to a lemon bar as she listened. "My experience found that most people who come here don't mind being seen, but if you think it is for the best we can consider a more... private reception area. But before we continue I like to know my guests a bit more." Finishing her treat, she would pick up her mug once more. Noelle would stare into her fire place for a bit as if thinking. "What do you want from all of this. I am not naive enough to think you are just going to throw money at a hotel because you like it here. So what is it you want? Profits? My hotel barely gets enough to stay a float and I hate making my girl's work. They are going through enough as it is. Access to my girls? Nah. I am not getting that vibe off of you. But I have been wrong before. If I am going to honest with you I can't quite figure you out. You accepted to this meeting rather fast. Yet if you wanted a simple money make scheme there are a million other lucrative businesses you can invest in."Sipping her coffee, she would continue after a few moments. "But I can not expect you to spill your guts and how we met in the first place sadly counts for the type of people you tend to mix with. But a few people know a lot about me there so it would be wrong for me to withhold anything on my end. But I'll make it simple, my girls stay, they are family and I help them. Once they get on their feet they can leave or return on their own preference, I am not forcing anyone to stay but I am not forcing anyone to leave. We all came from the same stock for a lack of better terms. It would be wrong to just abandon them. In fact if it wasn't for them we wouldn't even be having this conversation."She did her best to speak bluntly, she was rather inexperienced with business propositions. So she was focusing on what felt best to her. Talks with Shadowbringer aside, not much has really changed. "But circling back to the rooms, a majority of them are considered themed. While we do offer simple intimate nights, occasionally couple decide they want to experiment. I would hate to lose that aspect of the hotel to have all stock rooms."
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242 Posts
0 EP
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Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jun 8, 2020 9:23:33 GMT -4
“Mmmm… I’d bet that’s a bit of confirmation bias there dear. Sorry.~” She offered a sweet smile but when it came to ‘working people’ that was definitely her talent. She was no psychology expert by any means but she knew how people tended to think on a broad level. Psychopaths and the like? It wasn’t like she’d ever be able to pin them down… but the average joe? Typically putty in her hands. “The clients you receive are used to your standards. The clients that want elsewise won’t even come here.~ Simple as that. I mean sure you may get by on your current clients, sleezy drunks or businessmen just looking for a careless romp but… the high end clients? The ones who’s wallets you can take for a ride? They like a bit of privacy…~ At least in my experience.~”
Her brow rose however when the conversation took a turn, and suddenly she was the one being questioned as to her motives for being here. Definitely interesting that the woman was being so cautious. It was clear by now she was running this business more out of necessity for the girls she cared about than she was for her own sense of profit, which Marceline definitely didn’t mind. Keep your friends well fed afterall...~
“As for my reasons… I’m quite well off already, if I’m honest. But I want to play this game out as best I can. I know the rules and I know how to work around them. You can’t clean dirty money without a business to clean them through and… as dirty as this business may be, I can assure you in Japan it’s a quite legal form of income… and a VERY easy business to launder money through. You deal primarily in cash, you deal with customers who’d prefer their details aren’t recorded beyond how many came in and how many left. You need a lot of rennovations we can fudge the expenses for… while it’s certainly not my ‘brand’ of establishment, for someone like me who has a lot of money already, and simply needs it cleaned… well, you’re a veritable cash cow.~” She had an almost prideful smile at that statement, chuckling. “Ironically… the more money I ‘waste’ fixing this place up the better, cause all that money slooooowly turns to clean bills I can spend on my other businesses, or just on the things in life I like. Your girls want a medical plan? I simply miss a decimal point in the expenses and suddenly they have one while I clean a handful of money alongside it. If your girls want a bonus, same deal. Within reason, of course…~”
Now of course, such an arrangement was easily sounding too good to be true. So Marcie brought things back to reality. “Its of course a complicated process though, so I’d have to be around for a while or… learn to establish a bond of trust between the two of us… and besides. With how we met, it’s clear that you have contacts with the larger criminal world in some form or another… why not ensure that I spread the trust. I spend time with you, I launder money through your business, good word spreads… don’t get me wrong I’m a kind hearted person but… when I see advantages like this, I like to use them to their fullest too…~”
of course, business was business, but Marcie did like to put herself in people’s good books were possible. Life was just more interesting that way.
“I can assure you I won’t be toying with your girls, and if we can assure eachother a mutual sense of trust in such a relationship, I can make sure they’re getting ‘out of the game’ so to speak sooner rather than later… sound good?~”
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989 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
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Post by Maya on Jul 27, 2020 11:16:45 GMT -4
Marceline: 24 EXP Noelle: 16 EXP
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