"Thanks for your time and consideration! I look forward to hearing from you!" Arianna rises, a bright smile plastered on her face as she shakes the hand of the manager to whom she had given her résumé. Her fangs flash lightly in the late afternoon sun as she turns and moves out of the shop. No one is hiring, and it's being made painfully clear. Blue eyes lift to the sky once she is outside, and a sigh escapes her lips. This job-hunting thing is going nowhere, and one place even turned her down because of the permanent facial markings on her face. Though it would shame her to cover them, she had offered such, but the owner insisted he would still be offended because he would know "such monstrosities exist upon your face!"
Never mind that there's a tattooing parlor in the back of the shop. Arianna is certain it had something to do with her being a woman, but with the overwhelming scent of baby powder and old, she didn't really want to work there anyway.
It is almost the agreed-upon time to meet Kiba again. They'd split up to hand out résumés. Even though it would be nice to be hired by the same company or shop, the chances are slim. Either one of them would be lucky to get a call at this point, if his luck had been the same as hers. She allows her hand to drop and pulls a bottle of water from her pocket, taking a slow drink. The cool water soothes her throat, especially after all the talking and attempting to sell herself – in so many words – to potential employers all morning. Finally, she can put off returning no longer. Arianna begins the trek to the front entrance of the park. She wonders what luck her brother has had, but she isn't surprised to see he is already waiting as she turns the corner. After glancing both ways, Arianna darts across the street and resumes moving down the sidewalk toward him. It isn't long before his eyes fall on her, though it's a given that he caught her scent long before she came into view.
"Oi, Ari!" He pushes off the brick column housing the gate and trots toward her. He had taken a different approach to the task at hand. What that approach was, though… Arianna wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Probably walking in and demanding to be hired, Arianna can't help giggling softly to herself, the blue in her eyes flickering with amusement. Glad to see his sister is in a decent mood after all this, Kiba flashes a grin at her as he stops to stand just in front of her.
"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I didn't really have any luck." His dark brown eyes lift up to the clouds for a moment before dropping back to her. "I mean, I tried, I promise you that. But-"
"Kiba, it's fine," Arianna gives him a slightly tight smile. "I didn't have any luck either."
They gaze at each other for a moment, the plastered-on smiles slowly dropping from their faces. Arianna's eyes begin to grow sad once more, and she whispers, "Kiba… what are we going to do?"
Oh no, here come the tears again. Kiba hates the tears with a bloody passion. Without thinking, the slightly taller male lifts his hand to cup her cheek, though the other remains deep within his pocket. He offers her a half smile, half smirk. "Hey, I know it's rough. We'll figure it out. We can try this again on the next set of shops tomorrow."
"Yeah," her voice is small, and her faint smile doesn't come close to reaching her eyes. He can always tell when she forces her smiles. It's something about the way the red fangs on her cheeks move. "We'll try again tomorrow with another set of shops."
He can still smell the tears about to start falling, so Kiba leans in and does the only thing he can think of doing: he kisses the tip of Arianna's nose and laughs softly as she scrunches it. He then presses his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into her eyes. The hand on her cheek slides back through her hair to hold her close.
Neither of them notices the stranger who has stopped to watch them across the street.
"Hey, no need to cry, sis. I mean, at least we're still together. No one can take that from us, right?"
Arianna sniffs softly and murmurs, "Yeah… I guess they can't. I don't… I don't know what I'd do without you, Kiba."
"You'd have a hell of a time making a go of it and always be bored out of your mind," he grins gently at her. "You know I'm always going to be here for you."
"I do, yeah," her smile grows slightly and becomes more natural. He's managing to cheer her up a bit, even if she doesn't feel like smiling.
"I love you, Ari."
"I love you, too, Kiba," she murmurs, eyes softening and the tears beginning to fade. "You big mutt."
"I may be a mutt, but you're a raving bitch."
"And I'm damn proud to be one!" Kiba chuckles huskily, glad to see her spunk returning. He opens his mouth to retort, but both of their attentions are jerked toward a man walking across the street toward them while slowly and loudly clapping.
"Bravo, bravo." The man drawls out. Kiba's smile instantly fades, as does Arianna's. Neither of them likes the scent coming off this man. It's not exactly dangerous, but it's something their instincts demand they flee from. Arianna speaks first, despite being minutely younger than her brother.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Kiba can sense the venom and disapproval in her tone, and it makes him inwardly shudder. It always means trouble for Kiba when she turns this voice on him, but this guy seems to not even notice… or care.
"Who I am matters not. However, you might be interested in what I have to say." He stops a few feet from them. At least he has sense enough not to approach a visibly snarling canine. Arianna places a hand on Kiba's arm to keep him from attacking the man outright.
"You have about two minutes to tell us what you want," she speaks firmly and without any sense of discomfort, "before I set my brother loose on you."
"Why the harsh welcome when I'm only here to offer you a job?" Their demeanors change slightly, and a decidedly lecherous smirk crosses the man's face. "I can see that got your attention."
Kiba's eyes remain narrowed, and he's about to tell the guy to fuck off somewhere else before Arianna steps in ahead of him. "What line of work are you in?"
"Sweetheart, I'm in the entertainment industry," he leers at them. "And the two of you are perfect for a segment I want to complete."
"That didn't answer her question!" Kiba snarls before Arianna can stop him, but the man only laughs.
"Quite observant for a raging pack of late-teen hormones, aren't you?" The siblings exchange a glance. This guy is rude and bold, but both of them realize that jobs don't just… offer themselves often. Blue and brown eyes return to the lecher before them.
"Are you going to tell us what you want or continue to beat around the bush?" Arianna is just as sick of this guy's games as Kiba, and she won't take much more of it.
"Ah, so the bitch is interested," he drawls, instantly setting Kiba on edge.
"DON'T YOU CALL HER A BITCH, YOU BASTARD!" Arianna steps between Kiba and the man, her presence barely enough to keep her brother from bounding forward and clawing out the man's eyes and throat.
Though, that doesn't mean Arianna doesn't wish to do the same. "Call me that again, and next time, it won't just be him lunging at you."
The man only laughs, which sets both of them on edge all over again. "Fine, fine, I'll make my proposition. You two seem fairly close for siblings, and that's what I'm looking for."
Kiba's eyes narrow, and Arianna growls. "Explain."
The man's laughter is dark and almost… perverse. He drops the façade and smirks. "Sweetheart, I'm a porn producer, and I'm looking for a pair of siblings to fill a spot. Actors just can't fake the bond between true brother and sister. And I want you.
"BOTH of you."
Kiba's first instinct is to growl and yell. His hands land firmly on his sister's hips, as if the man before them is going to forcefully take her away from him. "LIKE HELL WE'RE GONNA SELL OURSELVES TO YOU!"
But Arianna simply narrows her eyes. "… And why us?"
"You two have the close bond I'm looking for," the man shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets. "And I could believe for a moment that he was going to kiss you."
Kiba can't stop himself from butting in with a loud snarl. "What I do with my sister is none of your fucking business, you pervert!"
"Au contraire, indeed it is my business," he almost purrs as his eyes flash, "especially when I'm offering to pay you so generously."
Before he can yell again, Arianna places a hand over the hand on her left hip, a wordless indication for Kiba to shut the hell up. "Define 'generously'."
"For amateurs, we usually pay a low rate," he speaks as his eyes slide up and down her fit and curved figure. "But since I've been seeking out a good pair for this project… I'll pay each of you double."
"Double what?"
"Well, it sure won't be minimum wage!" The man's laugh sends a chill down both of their spines. "Tell you what, you don't have to decide right now. Talk it over, and if you decide you're interested…"
They watch as he pulls a card from his pocket and hands it forward. Arianna takes it slowly, eyes never leaving his form. The man turns and begins walking in the other direction, calling over his shoulder.
"Come for an interview. I doubt you'll regret it."
The two of them watch until he disappears from sight, and only then do they relax. Arianna looks down at the card in her hand, and Kiba looks over her shoulder. It's a plain white business card with the business name and contact number.
"'Entrances, Inc.'?" Kiba stares at it. "What, is that a joke about sex?"
"It could be a reference to the industry mesmerizing its viewers, too," Arianna muses.
"I don't think we should do it."
"… I think we should go for the interview."
"WHAT?!" Kiba yanks her around to growl, nose pressing against hers again but this time, not in a comforting manner. "How could you even consider something like that?!"
"An interview isn't an agreement!" She growls back at him, eyes flashing. "But really, can we afford to throw this offer away without examining it more closely?! No one else in town is hiring, and few people are willing to hire shinobi for work they can get done by a regular person! After everything that has happened in the past few years, don't you think we should at least give it the benefit of the doubt?!"
Her words are harsh and shut him up entirely, but he takes a step back and continues to glare. After taking a breath to calm down, Arianna steps forward and reaches up to brush her fingers across his cheek. Her voice is much softer this time. "Let's just see what it's about… and if you are still against it, we won't do it… okay?"
Kiba growls lowly but finally leans into her touch, grunting, "I'll go… but I'm not going to like it."
