-Oxford - Friday: Part 17-
Kuon was rather impressed by the way Kyoko was handing herself, though it did seem she was pretty clueless when one of the guys were hitting on her. That one threw him the most. She showed no real fear of any of them, as though they were all completely harmless, as long as they didn't get into her personal space, which for some reason seemed more proper for a Japanese woman or maybe even someone who was raised in such a way. He was sure she trusted him enough but she also seemed to freeze up whenever there was the slightly touched, not that it showed on her face but he could feel it during those small moments. It left him wondering how much was trauma and how much was just being proper Japanese.
That was about the biggest thing he knew even before he came to Japan to live in that respect he had Daiki to thank for that knowledge. The man back when they were close was always telling him not to cling onto people, though at the time he just thought it was more of a personality trait than anything else. It wasn't until it was pointed out to him by his father that Kyo and Dachi who had been married just as long as he had been to his mother, never showed such amounts of affection in public it was something else in private and only with close friends and family.
Kuon kept his eyes for the most part pointe upwards, he had noted an unnatural number of cameras. It was almost as if they were covering every square inch of this place. It also hinted that they might have microphones hidden somewhere with the sheer number of cameras he was seeing. The people at the table had ordered drinks but he had noted that Kyoko hadn't touched hers, then again he hadn't touched his own either. Years of living in America he knew that people drugged their drinks. 'Yet would she know about such things?' He wanted to ask but he didn't want to draw attention to them either, besides it wasn't as if they order the drinks themselves it was ordered for them by the others.
"So how many times have you done it?" Kuon wanted to punch the guy, he was already tired of the man and he could tell he had one thing on his mind. Something that didn't seem to cross Kyoko's mind.
"Done what?" Kyoko had barely cast him a look, actually, that was the other big thing he noticed, while she was playing almost a perfect host. Her eyes never really lingered on any of them for very long. It was always outwards looking at the rest of the people. Even though she might as well be looking in their direction. Still, she followed the conversation well enough that no one would really notice.
'People who don't pay attention to details' It was the first thought he had, as an actor he knew these tricks and so much more. He knew these people were just a cover right now, she had no interested in any of them and from what he could tell that included him at the moment.
"Heh, really?" The man said leaning closer against the table as if to take her hands but Kuon had followed suit causing both their hands to touch. While the guy had quickly pulled his back, Kuon had simply smiled one of his boyish smiles at them. This was still not enough to cause the young man to back down from his question any. "How many times have you actually been with a guy? I mean can you honestly say you wouldn't like it if you never been with one?"
Kuon noticed the way her eyes seemed to dull just slightly almost becoming lifeless before she smiled ever so gently at the man even as his friend Kurt was saying something to him about being rude and respecting people's choices. "So does this mean you've slept with a man before?"
"No!" the guy shouted before looking away, "Why the hell would you ask such a question like that?"
Kurt leaned back laughing, "Well you asked her the same sort of question didn't you?" He leaned forward into his friend, "Besides if she slept with any man it would be that guy right?" He looked back at Roman for a moment "and she doesn't give the vibe of being interested in him at all." That threw him slightly, he was pretty sure he wasn't showing or doing anything that seemed to give off any sort of vibe but boredom. "Actually she seems bored." He said leaning back in the booth. "Her questions though..." his eyes trailed towards Kyoko for a moment before looking back towards his friend. "They are interesting don't you think?"
Kuon had thought that as well, it was clear she was using this game to gather information, though he wasn't sure if it was just so he could have a date or if there was something more to her questions. Were they normal customers here? The answer for most was no but Kurt himself said he's been here several times and so had one of the women. The next question had been directed at the others about where else they went, they listed a few other clubs. Pointed out that this was still the best one they have come across, no creeps. There was anyone that they recognized here. Nina had pointed out Kuon himself seemed like someone she had seen repeatedly in a dream which Kyoko to his surprised just ignored. He figured she wasn't one who was easy to be jealous. That said there were plenty of questions that were just directed about the type of people they dated, what they were hoping for when it came to Roman. Most questions that were turned on her she just smiled and redirected it at them. No that wasn't exactly true either she did answer them, she was clearly an honest person but like with the game he had played with her as Ren while she was playing koto.
Kyoko looked at Kurt for a moment before sighing heavily and pushing her to drink that she never actually touched other than to play with the straw some, "Shame, guess our game is over then." She said looking at him. "Shall we then?"
"Who won!" asked one of the women that Kuon never seemed to bother to get to learn her name.
"Well Kurt is the winner," she said smiling sweetly. This threw him for a moment and his eyes turned towards Kurt who seemed just as confused.
"What do you mean Kurt won?" Kuon said under his breath so no one would hear him. Yet he wasn't the only one who was voicing it, several were and Kurt grin was only getting bigger as he looked at the two of them.
"Well, he's the best out of all of them." She muttered under her breath towards him. Which he couldn't deny either if he had to spend more time with any of them, he likely would have chosen Kurt too. She waved her hand slightly, "Regardless I'm not interested in men. So he's all yours." She said motioning towards Kuon who was not finding this at all amusing as much as Kurt was.
Kurt shook his head, "I'll pass." He said with a wave of his hand. "But on the condition that next time you show up, we spend some time together." His eyes darted towards Roman "He can come too."
Kuon stared at him before looking towards Kyoko, he knew she would likely want to come back here. It had simply felt like she was gathering background information tonight. That didn't mean he actually wanted her to come back here 'I'll have to contact Lory about this' and then there were King and Brown he should contact. 'Would it make sense for me to know though?' It wasn't as if he didn't have King's number but he had a feeling that he wasn't supposed to know about them or maybe not exactly where they were. 'Great I really am going to need to talk to Lory.' That he could not see ending well at all, even if nothing bad happened tonight, if he brought up this place he couldn't be sure what Lory would say or do, it could make things worse, and how much did the rest of them know anyway? Keiji seemed to know a great deal, yet there was no reason for him to reach out and talk to him either. Ren Tsuruga was gone and it would bring up the question of why he knew what Kyoko was doing.
"Hm." Kyoko's eyes weren't directed at Kurt at all, but it did seem as if she was in deep thought. Kurt's and his own eyes followed her gaze.
For Kuon this wasn't something new at all, he grew up with women showing their true colors. No, he was very used to this feeling of jealousy if not from men in general due to his looks, from women who desired him. It was worse when the world knew he was Kuu's son. As Ren Tsuruga and even as a man just traveling it was different. There was still the jealousy and the anger when denied what they wanted yet there wasn't that added layer that really showed exactly how rich and famous his family was. It went without question, that in America he was basically royalty and that had been the real problem. It didn't matter how hard he worked all they could see was his parents, Lory had saved him just like Kyoko as a child had done when he was a child. Yet the question always burned in the back of his skull, how long before it all came crashing down around him again?
"No, you get Roman or nothing." Kyoko's eyes pulled away from the woman.
Kurt jumped slightly as the young woman slammed her hands on the table, the rage and jealously having reached its point. To his surprised Kyoko herself didn't seem bothered by it at all. "That's not fair!" She motioned to the other two women next to her, "We've asked everyone one of your questions with the promise of a chance with him" she said pointing at him.
Kyoko sighed softly as she turned her eyes towards the woman, placing a fisted knuckle in her mouth she bites down on it. 'Ah, so it's Marian whose getting annoyed at the woman at the moment then.'
"You then choose that man!" she said pointing towards Kurt. Kuon looked towards the woman before his eyes fell onto Marian who seemed to be biting harder down on her knuckle. "Who exactly do you think you are?"
'Anger...' he thought wondering if it would be out of character to reach out and ease her. Yet she closed her eyes as her hand fell to her sides as she rose from her seat.
"Is that it?" Marian's voice was sweetly kind. Kuon's eyes turned towards Kurt whose eyes were now on Kyoko as if he was expecting something more from her.
Not that he could blame him he too was expecting more, like a lot of swearing in Russian. 'No that's Kyoko who swears in Russian, rants in Russian when she's really upset. Like Mother.' He said leaning on his elbow as he looked at her. 'Marian is overly sweet in her tone and manners.' His eyes slowly turned back toward the woman who was raging inside.
"Is that it?" She slammed her hands on the table again, "Is that it! Is that all you can say? I was willing to..." the woman hands balled up in fists, "How dare you make a fool out of us all. He's not even your boyfriend!"
Kuon noted the look on Marian's face, she felt sorry for this woman. 'Why?' his eyes turned to look at the woman, yes she looked sad, heartbroken even amidst the anger and jealousy. 'What are you seeing Kyoko?' Surely she couldn't be feeling pity for this woman who seemed more than likely to throw her drink at her if she hadn't been standing right next to him. The other two women looked just upset but they didn't have the same anger that this other woman held, but that wouldn't last long if this didn't get settled quickly. 'Besides even if Kyoko knows how to fight, she's already hurt...' he couldn't risk her getting hurt further even if he wasn't supposed to know about it.
Marian sighed softly, "Correct." She said putting a finger in the air, "You were willing to do anything for a chance with him." She placed a hand on her cheek, "Though I will admit he is very handsome but is that really enough of a reason to go after someone? Simply because of their looks?"
"Of course it is." Kyoko's eyes turned towards Nina, "That's called attraction."
Kuon watched Kyoko carefully as she closed her eyes, "That's just lust" her words were quiet but perfectly clear to Kuon. Kyoko opened her eyes as she looked back at the moment, "More so if you can't even understand what I'm saying."
"What did you just say?" The girl sitting next to Nina asked.
"You can't communicate with him. So why are you trying so hard? Why throw yourselves at someone who you don't know?"
Kuon wanted to laugh, he already knew the answer. Yes, lust indeed played a part of it, but women, in general, liked to have a bragging right. They were able to gain something from it, rather fame, wealth, power or in his own personal case something to ease the loneliness inside of them. He didn't want to be alone so when they found someone they liked better he had no issues allowing them to be happy with that other person. He cared about them and so their happiness was important and if they weren't happy with him why would he force them to be at his side just to ease his own loneliness. It wasn't fair to treat people like that. There were other reasons but it was always to gain something. There was no giving when it came to relationships, people in love like his parents just weren't that common.
However, when he looked at Kyoko face he realized she really couldn't understand the answer or the reason. "Even when you do know them, accept everything about them..." she trailed off not finishing her thought but he had a feeling it dealt with Shoutaro.
That man seemed to always cross her mind no matter where she was. He hadn't liked him much when they were children based on what she told him, how she spoke about him. He liked him even less now. Just seeing him made it hard for him to keep his cool, it was only his skills as an actor that seemed to keep him from beating the shit out of him when he had listened to the man during their date. The worse part of it was that Kyoko seemed to forgive him as if she owed him something. What she could possibly owe him was beyond his understanding and worse off the fact that she still thought about him at all bothered him. 'They are childhood friends though... and she did say she accepted everything about him.' He balled his hand into a fist trying to keep his anger in check to not give it away when he felt her eyes on him he sighed even though his gut reaction was to smile at her.
"What does that matter? There are other ways to communicate with people." Nina spoke this time causing Kyoko to turn towards the woman.
"Hm." There was a silence, and he could tell that she wasn't sure how to make this woman understand. Most of all he was sure that Kyoko herself didn't fully understand what the woman was saying and when she did figure it out he worried that it might trigger something from her time as the Blue Rose.
"Let's go, Marian." She stepped away from him as he moved around the table, "They don't get it."
"Where are you going?" Nina's voice almost seemed heartbroken to his ears, like the girls he dated in the past. His eyes darted towards her as he pulled out his wallet going through it. Kyoko's hand rested on top of his and she shook her head.
"You don't understand and that's not really your fault." She lowered her eyes slightly as she looked at her, the sadness that seemed to come off of the woman next to him, made it clear that this was not Marian talking at all. "Someday you'll understand and you'll look back and realize that those feelings you have aren't even lukewarm."
A/N: Tomorrow will have a bit more of what was gathered during these talks but I had a hard time trying to figure out the best way to move them from the Club with the information without a lot of nonsense talking that I figured would be more confusing unless I named everyone -.- and that just seemed like to much work for people we won't be hearing from again.