Kore: Note to self, shorten chapters . . .
Kai: Damn right! You had to split that last one up!
Kore: Hey! Where the hell did you come from? And where's my new assistant?
Kai: ::looks around:: Oh, I don't know . . . I haven't seen him around . . .
Kore: Bullshit Hiwatari! Where is Takao?
Kai: Hey! I said I didn't know!
Kore: Then why do you look so damn guilty?
Kai: . . .
Kore: Ah, screw it. This chapter is rated PG-13 so we should be rather safe. Time to slow things down a little bit.
Kai: Kore doesn't own Beyblade in any way, just her ocs and this plot.
Kore: On with the fic!
Chapter 9:Touchdown
Theme Song: None (Any suggestions, my faithful reviewers?)
~ St. Petersburg International ~
In Lee's opinion, the plane couldn't land any sooner. Between Kevin waking up from his drug-induced sleep, Gary's snoring, and Rei and Mao's meeting of the Mile High Club, Lee was ready to just roll over and die. He didn't even want to fathom the return trip. The mere thought of it evoked terrible visions of hell at his hands.
As he and his companions exited the boarding ramp into the waiting room, his sharp gold eyes scanned the crowd for someone who looked familiar to him. Seeing no one, his eyes flicked over to the line of chauffeurs standing patiently in a line holding up signs embossed with their charges' names. Not a single one held his or any of his companion's names. Oliver said that he would provide an escort and limousine from the airport to his mansion for them but didn't give much detail beyond that.
An exiting passenger bumped into his shoulder and another pushed past. He nodded to the rest of his group to go and start heading for the baggage claim. They followed him down the terminal, chatting away amongst themselves. Lee wasn't in the mood for talking. He was just plain stressed out and it showed on his weary, lion-like face. They went down the escalator and made it to the baggage claim without further incident. He scanned his ticket and found the appropriate baggage carousel. The five stood by the carousel and waited for their bags to fall down the chute.
Out of sheer boredom, Lee glanced around. The crowd around them parted as three women pushed their way through. The one in front seemed to be the leader judging by her dress and how she carried herself. She was obviously of Chinese descent. She had creamy skin, gently slanted eyes that were currently narrowed in annoyance, and beautiful black hair with green streaks running through it was pulled up into odangos with a blue ribbon securing each [A/N: Think Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi minus everything else but the hair style.]. She wore a long black trench coat that was securely fastened so he couldn't see what she wore underneath, just a dark blue Mandarin collar poking out from the coat's collar. Two other women flanked her from behind. The one to the right had startlingly blue eyes and chocolate skin. Her trench coat was open slightly revealing a crisp cerulean collared shirt and long black slacks. Her black hair was pulled back in a bun with a clip. The woman on the right appeared to be the youngest from what Lee could gather. The woman seemed to be Hindu, judging by the red dot in the center of her tanned forehead. She wore a black trench coat as well but hers was fully open. A bright blue shirt was visible, as was her black cargo skirt. A black and gold trimmed sari could be seen. The woman looked no older than 15, a girl then, the dark-skinned one looked about 20, and the apparent leader perhaps 18 or 19.
The lead woman shoved aside a guy who was too busy goofing off and had stepped on her foot. She backed up her action with a very rude curse in Mandarin Chinese, which made the rest of the White Tigers and Rei look around. The woman straightened out her coat and approached Lee, out of breath and fuming. She looked them all over and drew herself up.
"Tsang Rai, Kon Rei, Kon Mao, Yang Gao, and Ren Kiki I presume?," the Chinese woman asked briskly in fluent Chinese.
"Yes, that's us," Lee replied in his native tongue," You are our escort, I presume?"
A small smile broke on the Chinese woman's face. She nodded.
"Yes, we're your escort. Forgive my bluntness but we're running a little behind schedule due to traffic. We've already picked up your bags and the limousine is waiting outside."
The three turned and the White Tigers plus Rei followed them outside, the chilly winter wind stinging their faces. A dark green limo stood out from the rest of the black and white limousines lined up at the curb. As the group of 8 approached, a man dressed in a black tuxedo with green accents tipped his chauffeur's cap and held the door open for them. Everyone piled into the limousine, the White Tigers ogling at the elegant interior making the boarding process slower. Lee shoved Kevin in with his foot when he stopped in the doorway. The Chinese woman behind Lee chuckled a little. She and Lee were the last ones in, sitting on the forward facing seat while everyone else was seated on the lengthways seat and the one that faced the rear. The limo revved up and rolled away from the curb and into traffic.
"Since we are underway and I didn't have the chance earlier, I'd like to make proper introductions for myself and partners," the Chinese woman said," To start off, I am Shang Fang Zhi but you may call me Fang Zhi or Jade, whichever is easier. I am a co-leader of the Gemstone Mafia and work for Enrique Azria."
When she finished, the dark-skinned woman spoke up, her Swahili accent quite noticeable in her English.
"I am Crystal Waters, a native of South Africa. You may call me Crystal. I too work for Enrique Azria as a member of the Gemstone Mafia," she said with a nod of her head.
The last one, the young woman or girl, spoke up timidly.
"My name is Ratna Apsaras," she said while fidgeting with her sari," Everyone just calls me Pearl though. It's easier to remember anyways. I work for Enrique Azria too."
Just then, Kevin leaned forward and ogled at Pearl. His eyes zeroed in on her forehead and he rudely pointed to her red dot.
"You oughta have that big ol' pimple looked at, ya know?" he said.
Silence. Dead silence. Everyone stared at Kevin, the Mafia with angry eyes and the White Tigers with horror. Lee scowled angrily.
"What?" Kevin asked," It's the truth! That pimple is HUGE!-"
Lee grabbed Kevin by his ponytail and yanked him back, causing him to squeak in surprise.
"Fai chai! Mo lie mao. {Retard! No manners.}," Lee growled. His gold eyes shot up to Pearl who was starting to tear up a little. A faint hiss issued from Fang Zhi in the seat beside him but in Kevin's direction. "It's not a pimple! Now apologize to her!"
Kevin did as his captain told him and muttered an apology. Lee let go.
"If it isn't a pimple, then what is it?" Kevin asked rubbing the back of his head.
"It's a religious symbol," Rei provided," and its proper name is a bindi. Followers of the Hindu faith wear them to remind themselves of their faith."
Lee crossed his arms and nodded.
"You'll have to excuse Kevin," Lee growled," His powers of tact are all but existent."
Pearl sniffled and nodded. Jade was ready to kill Kevin anyways as was Crystal judging by the venomous looks they were giving him. Mariah sensed the steady tension between the women and her fellow White Tiger before the guys did and quickly broke it as best as she could.
"We seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot," she said," I'm Kon Mao but everyone just calls me Mariah. This is my husband to be, Kon Rei."
"They already act like they're married," Lee grumbled.
"And I assume that you are Mariah's brother?" Jade whispered smugly. Lee gave her a look that affirmed her statement. She smiled a little.
"Yang Gao," Gary intoned," Call me Gary."
"I'm Tsang Rai," Lee said," but people call me Lee. I'm captain of the White Tigers team which includes everyone here except Rei. He's a Bladebreaker now. And the one with the big mouth is Ren Kiki. Call him Kevin or loud mouth or idiot or whatever is appropriate at the moment."
The joke at Kevin's expense seemed to break the ice. They broke up into little groups to chat. Mariah and Pearl were engaged in a serious discussion about fashion. Mariah was just bowled over by the beauty of Pearl's sari, which cheered her up. Crystal chatted amiably with Rei and Gary about cooking. Kevin didn't speak at all. Lee turned to Jade and chatted with her.
"So, what do you do for a living?" he asked.
"Let's just say I do security work and leave it at that," she replied with a short laugh," What about you?"
"I beyblade for a living. The White Tigers are a world-class team, you know."
"Oh?" she said with interest," What is your bitbeast's name?"
"Galeon," he replied proudly taking out the black blade and showing it to her. "I take it you blade too?"
"Every now and then," she said, showing him her dark green blade. Emblazoned on the bitchip, was a fearsome looking cobra. Strangely, as soon as the blades faced each other, the bitchips flashed and grew warm in their owner's hands. "My blade is Jeobra, a cobra bitbeast."
Lee nodded. They pocketed their blades and continued talking. Lee found Jade to be a very intelligent woman and rather attractive as well. Her sparkling green eyes had hints of gold upon closer inspection, making them even more beautiful. He didn't say this of course. Jade was mildly impressed by Lee. His leadership of the White Tigers, his slight sarcasm, and emphasis on manners was a definite plus to her. Lee was rather easy on the eyes as well. Tanned skin, a fanged smile, glittering gold eyes, and black hair were a nice combination.
After 10 minutes, they arrived at Oliver's opulent mansion, the black wrought iron and icy gates creaking open. All jaws were dropped for those who had never seen it before. The large domed and turreted building looked like a cake with the snow piled here and there and the sun reflecting off the icicles hanging from the eaves. There was a covered carport in front of the font doors. Off to the side, there was a smaller building that was presumably the car garage. A large fountain that split the driveway was frozen over and glistened in the sunlight. Tall shrubs along the driveway were covered in snow and frost, glittering like sugared divinity [A/N: Divinity is a delicious white rolled candy in this case.]. The limousine rolled around the fountain and came to a gentle stop under the covered front door. The driver stepped out and held the door open for them. Jade exited gracefully and went to the front door. Two servants dashed past and started unloading the White Tigers' luggage and taking it inside through a side door.
The large oaken front doors swung open to admit the new arrivals. They were standing in an elegant foyer that was pleasantly warm. When the doors shut behind them, another servant appeared and took their coats for them. Jade undid her coat and handed it to the servant, emptying her pockets as she did. Lee could see then the snug dark blue Mandarin style dress she wore underneath. Loose black pants could be seen though the slit that stopped just short of the top of her thigh. Her black boots were exchanged for her warm Mandarin slippers.
When everyone was done, another set of doors swung open to admit them into a larger room. Garlands were festooned along the grand staircase banisters and along the walls. Big red bows were tied to the tops of the posts and columns and a sprig of mistletoe hung over every archway. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, a definite improvement over the frigid environment outside. Standing in center of the marbled room beneath the elegant crystal chandelier was a woman dressed in a black dress with green accents. Her hair was black and long, with streaks of brilliant gold down to her waist and one side pulled up with a pin and decorated with a poinsettia. Her eyes were like shimmering nuggets of gold in the smooth tan riverbed of her face surrounded by the black waterfall. She was about Mariah's height and had an air of royalty with an aura that commanded respect.
"Welcome to the winter mansion of the Marquis Oliver de Sade," she said in a polite voice with a cryptic smile," I will be your Hostess, Soledad Torres, captain of Team Zenith. You may call me Sol. "
She gave a polite bow, which everyone reciprocated.
"The Marquis has requested that I give you a tour of the mansion. Please follow me and don't worry about your bags. The servants will take them to your quarters."
With that, Sol took them on a tour of the mansion before leading them to their rooms in the White Marble hall. Each room in the White Marble hall was done out in white marble with pink and green furniture and whatnot. Mariah and Rei were happy to be sharing a room but Lee wasn't. After an encouraging look from Jade, Lee shrugged it off and went into his own room.
~*~ ~*~@ ]
Kai: Damn right! You had to split that last one up!
Kore: Hey! Where the hell did you come from? And where's my new assistant?
Kai: ::looks around:: Oh, I don't know . . . I haven't seen him around . . .
Kore: Bullshit Hiwatari! Where is Takao?
Kai: Hey! I said I didn't know!
Kore: Then why do you look so damn guilty?
Kai: . . .
Kore: Ah, screw it. This chapter is rated PG-13 so we should be rather safe. Time to slow things down a little bit.
Kai: Kore doesn't own Beyblade in any way, just her ocs and this plot.
Kore: On with the fic!
Chapter 9:Touchdown
Theme Song: None (Any suggestions, my faithful reviewers?)
~ St. Petersburg International ~
In Lee's opinion, the plane couldn't land any sooner. Between Kevin waking up from his drug-induced sleep, Gary's snoring, and Rei and Mao's meeting of the Mile High Club, Lee was ready to just roll over and die. He didn't even want to fathom the return trip. The mere thought of it evoked terrible visions of hell at his hands.
As he and his companions exited the boarding ramp into the waiting room, his sharp gold eyes scanned the crowd for someone who looked familiar to him. Seeing no one, his eyes flicked over to the line of chauffeurs standing patiently in a line holding up signs embossed with their charges' names. Not a single one held his or any of his companion's names. Oliver said that he would provide an escort and limousine from the airport to his mansion for them but didn't give much detail beyond that.
An exiting passenger bumped into his shoulder and another pushed past. He nodded to the rest of his group to go and start heading for the baggage claim. They followed him down the terminal, chatting away amongst themselves. Lee wasn't in the mood for talking. He was just plain stressed out and it showed on his weary, lion-like face. They went down the escalator and made it to the baggage claim without further incident. He scanned his ticket and found the appropriate baggage carousel. The five stood by the carousel and waited for their bags to fall down the chute.
Out of sheer boredom, Lee glanced around. The crowd around them parted as three women pushed their way through. The one in front seemed to be the leader judging by her dress and how she carried herself. She was obviously of Chinese descent. She had creamy skin, gently slanted eyes that were currently narrowed in annoyance, and beautiful black hair with green streaks running through it was pulled up into odangos with a blue ribbon securing each [A/N: Think Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi minus everything else but the hair style.]. She wore a long black trench coat that was securely fastened so he couldn't see what she wore underneath, just a dark blue Mandarin collar poking out from the coat's collar. Two other women flanked her from behind. The one to the right had startlingly blue eyes and chocolate skin. Her trench coat was open slightly revealing a crisp cerulean collared shirt and long black slacks. Her black hair was pulled back in a bun with a clip. The woman on the right appeared to be the youngest from what Lee could gather. The woman seemed to be Hindu, judging by the red dot in the center of her tanned forehead. She wore a black trench coat as well but hers was fully open. A bright blue shirt was visible, as was her black cargo skirt. A black and gold trimmed sari could be seen. The woman looked no older than 15, a girl then, the dark-skinned one looked about 20, and the apparent leader perhaps 18 or 19.
The lead woman shoved aside a guy who was too busy goofing off and had stepped on her foot. She backed up her action with a very rude curse in Mandarin Chinese, which made the rest of the White Tigers and Rei look around. The woman straightened out her coat and approached Lee, out of breath and fuming. She looked them all over and drew herself up.
"Tsang Rai, Kon Rei, Kon Mao, Yang Gao, and Ren Kiki I presume?," the Chinese woman asked briskly in fluent Chinese.
"Yes, that's us," Lee replied in his native tongue," You are our escort, I presume?"
A small smile broke on the Chinese woman's face. She nodded.
"Yes, we're your escort. Forgive my bluntness but we're running a little behind schedule due to traffic. We've already picked up your bags and the limousine is waiting outside."
The three turned and the White Tigers plus Rei followed them outside, the chilly winter wind stinging their faces. A dark green limo stood out from the rest of the black and white limousines lined up at the curb. As the group of 8 approached, a man dressed in a black tuxedo with green accents tipped his chauffeur's cap and held the door open for them. Everyone piled into the limousine, the White Tigers ogling at the elegant interior making the boarding process slower. Lee shoved Kevin in with his foot when he stopped in the doorway. The Chinese woman behind Lee chuckled a little. She and Lee were the last ones in, sitting on the forward facing seat while everyone else was seated on the lengthways seat and the one that faced the rear. The limo revved up and rolled away from the curb and into traffic.
"Since we are underway and I didn't have the chance earlier, I'd like to make proper introductions for myself and partners," the Chinese woman said," To start off, I am Shang Fang Zhi but you may call me Fang Zhi or Jade, whichever is easier. I am a co-leader of the Gemstone Mafia and work for Enrique Azria."
When she finished, the dark-skinned woman spoke up, her Swahili accent quite noticeable in her English.
"I am Crystal Waters, a native of South Africa. You may call me Crystal. I too work for Enrique Azria as a member of the Gemstone Mafia," she said with a nod of her head.
The last one, the young woman or girl, spoke up timidly.
"My name is Ratna Apsaras," she said while fidgeting with her sari," Everyone just calls me Pearl though. It's easier to remember anyways. I work for Enrique Azria too."
Just then, Kevin leaned forward and ogled at Pearl. His eyes zeroed in on her forehead and he rudely pointed to her red dot.
"You oughta have that big ol' pimple looked at, ya know?" he said.
Silence. Dead silence. Everyone stared at Kevin, the Mafia with angry eyes and the White Tigers with horror. Lee scowled angrily.
"What?" Kevin asked," It's the truth! That pimple is HUGE!-"
Lee grabbed Kevin by his ponytail and yanked him back, causing him to squeak in surprise.
"Fai chai! Mo lie mao. {Retard! No manners.}," Lee growled. His gold eyes shot up to Pearl who was starting to tear up a little. A faint hiss issued from Fang Zhi in the seat beside him but in Kevin's direction. "It's not a pimple! Now apologize to her!"
Kevin did as his captain told him and muttered an apology. Lee let go.
"If it isn't a pimple, then what is it?" Kevin asked rubbing the back of his head.
"It's a religious symbol," Rei provided," and its proper name is a bindi. Followers of the Hindu faith wear them to remind themselves of their faith."
Lee crossed his arms and nodded.
"You'll have to excuse Kevin," Lee growled," His powers of tact are all but existent."
Pearl sniffled and nodded. Jade was ready to kill Kevin anyways as was Crystal judging by the venomous looks they were giving him. Mariah sensed the steady tension between the women and her fellow White Tiger before the guys did and quickly broke it as best as she could.
"We seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot," she said," I'm Kon Mao but everyone just calls me Mariah. This is my husband to be, Kon Rei."
"They already act like they're married," Lee grumbled.
"And I assume that you are Mariah's brother?" Jade whispered smugly. Lee gave her a look that affirmed her statement. She smiled a little.
"Yang Gao," Gary intoned," Call me Gary."
"I'm Tsang Rai," Lee said," but people call me Lee. I'm captain of the White Tigers team which includes everyone here except Rei. He's a Bladebreaker now. And the one with the big mouth is Ren Kiki. Call him Kevin or loud mouth or idiot or whatever is appropriate at the moment."
The joke at Kevin's expense seemed to break the ice. They broke up into little groups to chat. Mariah and Pearl were engaged in a serious discussion about fashion. Mariah was just bowled over by the beauty of Pearl's sari, which cheered her up. Crystal chatted amiably with Rei and Gary about cooking. Kevin didn't speak at all. Lee turned to Jade and chatted with her.
"So, what do you do for a living?" he asked.
"Let's just say I do security work and leave it at that," she replied with a short laugh," What about you?"
"I beyblade for a living. The White Tigers are a world-class team, you know."
"Oh?" she said with interest," What is your bitbeast's name?"
"Galeon," he replied proudly taking out the black blade and showing it to her. "I take it you blade too?"
"Every now and then," she said, showing him her dark green blade. Emblazoned on the bitchip, was a fearsome looking cobra. Strangely, as soon as the blades faced each other, the bitchips flashed and grew warm in their owner's hands. "My blade is Jeobra, a cobra bitbeast."
Lee nodded. They pocketed their blades and continued talking. Lee found Jade to be a very intelligent woman and rather attractive as well. Her sparkling green eyes had hints of gold upon closer inspection, making them even more beautiful. He didn't say this of course. Jade was mildly impressed by Lee. His leadership of the White Tigers, his slight sarcasm, and emphasis on manners was a definite plus to her. Lee was rather easy on the eyes as well. Tanned skin, a fanged smile, glittering gold eyes, and black hair were a nice combination.
After 10 minutes, they arrived at Oliver's opulent mansion, the black wrought iron and icy gates creaking open. All jaws were dropped for those who had never seen it before. The large domed and turreted building looked like a cake with the snow piled here and there and the sun reflecting off the icicles hanging from the eaves. There was a covered carport in front of the font doors. Off to the side, there was a smaller building that was presumably the car garage. A large fountain that split the driveway was frozen over and glistened in the sunlight. Tall shrubs along the driveway were covered in snow and frost, glittering like sugared divinity [A/N: Divinity is a delicious white rolled candy in this case.]. The limousine rolled around the fountain and came to a gentle stop under the covered front door. The driver stepped out and held the door open for them. Jade exited gracefully and went to the front door. Two servants dashed past and started unloading the White Tigers' luggage and taking it inside through a side door.
The large oaken front doors swung open to admit the new arrivals. They were standing in an elegant foyer that was pleasantly warm. When the doors shut behind them, another servant appeared and took their coats for them. Jade undid her coat and handed it to the servant, emptying her pockets as she did. Lee could see then the snug dark blue Mandarin style dress she wore underneath. Loose black pants could be seen though the slit that stopped just short of the top of her thigh. Her black boots were exchanged for her warm Mandarin slippers.
When everyone was done, another set of doors swung open to admit them into a larger room. Garlands were festooned along the grand staircase banisters and along the walls. Big red bows were tied to the tops of the posts and columns and a sprig of mistletoe hung over every archway. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, a definite improvement over the frigid environment outside. Standing in center of the marbled room beneath the elegant crystal chandelier was a woman dressed in a black dress with green accents. Her hair was black and long, with streaks of brilliant gold down to her waist and one side pulled up with a pin and decorated with a poinsettia. Her eyes were like shimmering nuggets of gold in the smooth tan riverbed of her face surrounded by the black waterfall. She was about Mariah's height and had an air of royalty with an aura that commanded respect.
"Welcome to the winter mansion of the Marquis Oliver de Sade," she said in a polite voice with a cryptic smile," I will be your Hostess, Soledad Torres, captain of Team Zenith. You may call me Sol. "
She gave a polite bow, which everyone reciprocated.
"The Marquis has requested that I give you a tour of the mansion. Please follow me and don't worry about your bags. The servants will take them to your quarters."
With that, Sol took them on a tour of the mansion before leading them to their rooms in the White Marble hall. Each room in the White Marble hall was done out in white marble with pink and green furniture and whatnot. Mariah and Rei were happy to be sharing a room but Lee wasn't. After an encouraging look from Jade, Lee shrugged it off and went into his own room.
~*~ ~*~@ ]