The music seemed to echo all through the lower levels and up to the higher ones as well as the source of the entrancing tune merely stood in play upon the stage in the far back where many upper classed people were seated. The violinist didn't seem to pay much mind to the array of senators watching her play her instrument. Her attention was on her music instead of the crowd her father had brought together for the evening to discuss politics due to the upcoming elections for governor for the state of Kansas. While she often tried to play people over with kind words and good behavior, deep down she hated the political scene and wanted out of it. Sadly for Michiru, she was stuck in her predicament having been forced by her father to play once again for a special audience. She had lost count of how many times she had become a source of amusement and a source to break the ice with her father's employees and business associates. It was growing on her nerves but she never showed it out right.
Finishing up her song, she finally took the time to open her dark blue eyes and scan the crowd slowly for a moment. A mental check list was soon being worked through as she glanced from face to face to see if anyone around the place was new to her. It didn't take her long to spot an odd individual at the bar seemingly staring in her general direction. It caused the usual fake smiling woman to have a genuine smirk slowly crossing across her lips. Michiru took the time to move off the stage to put her beloved instrument away before deciding to slink away to investigate the new face for her own curiosity and sanity as well. Somehow she managed to mingle well with the other patrons at the upscale saloon before making her over toward where Haruka was seated soon noticing the stranger had gone back to his drinks. Of course with the amount of baggy clothing the woman wore, it was natural for even the violinist to assume what was not always true.
Glancing up to the mirror behind the bar, it didn't take the rider long to notice a beauty moving toward her direction. The woman's reflection revealed to the drifter long dark sea green hair along with deep ocean blue eyes, however that wasn't what first caught the blonde's attention. It was the simple fact the woman was wearing a dark emerald dress that seemed to fit every curve the right way. Clearing her throat rather quickly hearing the sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floor, Haruka poured a quick shot and downed her fourth drink not needing a slip of the tongue to dig herself a hole in the strange town she had found herself staying in for at least a night.
"I haven't seen you around here before. You must be new to Dodge." murmured Michiru softly toward the drifter.
Haruka blinked a bit before registering that she was in fact speaking with her. Turning, she looked the woman in the eyes with dark green ones. "Yeah, I'm not staying too long though. I have work I need to get back to in the morning."
This caught the violinist's attention and only caused her to pose more questions toward the one she assumed was male. "Oh really now? Just what is it that is your job then?"
"I'm a Pony Express rider, Ma'am." Haruka answered calmly reaching behind her duster into her chest pocket of the coat to remove the badge soon showing it to her. Often than not, people believed her to be lying as she didn't seem like a quick enough rider like William Cody. She often had to show the badge to prove she was in fact not a liar. After holding it out for a good period of time of five seconds, the woman calmly placed the badge back into it's place safe inside a buttoned chest pocket of her beaten down duster.
"Oh, so you are. Must be rather exciting, no?" Michiru grinned. The rider had gotten her full attention but whether or not that was a good thing had yet to be noticed.
"It can be at times. I'm not going to lie but it's not as poetic as it sounds either." explained the rider calmly soon moving away from the bar. "Perhaps you'd like to sit at one of the tables and carry this conversation on?"
The blue eyed woman soon smiled and gave a soft nod before walking with the gentleman to one of the empty tables which just so happened to be in eye shot of Michiru's father. She took the time to simply escape from her normal world to enjoy a story from a traveling rider who she quickly found herself wanting to learn more about in order to keep away from her father's business arrangements for that evening. Her attention was all on this mysterious figure that had wandered into Dodge City. While the town could often be riddled with some risky characters, some locations in the city were more high classed and often was not seen with the likes of trouble makers.
Haruka on the other hand was keeping her emerald eyes on everything within the room and noticing just where everyone was. Turning to look back toward Michiru, she grabbed a chair pulling it out for the woman. Michiru smiled and gave a look of thanks to the drifter as she took the offered seat. She had not been expecting such manners from someone that looked like they just crawled out of a trail run. It was a rather interesting change of events but she was focused on learning about this man.
"So, may I get your name? You have me curious about you yet again, Stranger." murmured the gowned woman.
"My name is Haruka. There really isn't much to be curious about, Miss. I'm just a rider and I tend to stick to myself." explained the blonde calmly.
"Surely you must have some tales venturing through Indian lands."
"I can tell you it's not easy getting through Indian territories fully intact. I just grit my teeth, spur my horse and pray to god I make it through before I become an arrow coated pin cushion."
The governor's daughter chuckled at the explanation and image the rider had given her. So this Haruka fellow did have a sense of humor after all. Michiru was grateful for that as many of the conversations she had in the past few days involved dry stuck up government officials. The woman never could stand stiffs like that at all so it was refreshing to speak with someone new who seemed to travel quite a bit. It gave her a perspective away from the hell she was stuck with for the time being at least. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to last as a figure from the political group noticed just where Governor Kaioh's daughter was and who she was seated beside. He slowly made his way to their table and interrupted their conversation quite clearly by clearing his throat. The blonde glanced up keeping her hands visible not wishing to cause any problems for the moment at least.
The gentleman leaned down and glared toward Haruka. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to step away from Miss Kaioh, sir."
"May I ask as to why? Oh wait, let me take a simple guess and assume it's due to my attire? You must think me a murderer or something to that effect?" the blonde growled.
Michiru grew a bit tense but she was faintly amused to see how the situation would play itself out. The Pony Express rider wasn't about to be showed away so rudely and she calmly rose standing at her full height allowing her duster to shift a bit behind her. Her green eyes narrowed on the man but it seemed he was growing fearful and he quickly went to grab Michiru's arm. He grabbed a bit to hard which only caused Michiru to grimace and get up half tempted to smack the man but knew better. The gentleman was one of her father's bodyguards and therefore was one of hers by association. Noticing the treatment of Michiru, Haruka struck out with a hand grabbing the man's tie and hoisted him up faintly off the balls of his feet forward toward her.
"I suggest you ease up on your hold on her, mister." snarled Haruka. If it was one thing she hated about men it was their manners toward women the majority of the time.
"Let me go!" snapped the male releasing Michiru only to belt Haruka across the mouth.
The sound of a fist connecting with skin sent a chill up the ocean blue eyed girl's spine. She quickly moved to the side of Haruka as the blonde collided with the floor roughly. Upon hitting the floor however, the man that struck her realized that the drifter was not a man at all but rather a female. The governor's daughter quickly moved onto her knees alongside Haruka who was slowly sitting up touching her bloody lip.
"You fucking asshole...I just try to defend her honor and you blind side me." growled the blonde before feeling something soft to her bleeding lip. It took her a moment to register the handkerchief dabbing at the wound. "Thank you, Miss Kaioh but you may wish to step back a moment."
The rider slowly got up off the ground only to take a few steps forward away from Michiru to keep her out of harm's way. The gentleman remained where he was but was quick to aim another fist in the woman's direction having a feeling she was about to hurt him something fierce. As his fist went toward her face, she dodged and ducked only sending a sharp fist blow to his gut. The blow sent all the air out of his lungs and opened himself up to being grabbed by the back of the jacket and pants he wore. One minute the man had his feet on the floor, the next he was airborne for a time only to slam right through one of the fancy tables causing a stir with the governor finally taking notice of all the commotion.
"Now, I suggest you stay the hell where you are, mister, before you try and man handled a woman of Miss Kaioh's stature again." grumbled the blonde who turned to offer a hand to Michiru to help her to her feet.
The woman took the extended rough hand and slowly got to her feet before moving in close to Haruka. She raised a hand to softly touch the swelling lip of the now known female rider. Haruka tried to avoid the touch but remained still knowing full well the girl wouldn't harm her in the least. After all, she was merely trying to stop the blood from drifting as well as inspecting the injury. Sighing, the blonde finally looked down into the ocean blue eyes of hers and she managed a faint smile trying to put her at ease as to what had happened until a crowd formed around the rider. The political figures had walked right over to where the duo stood after seeing a colleague go for the ride of his life into a solid table. The way their features were fixed it seemed they were not impressed and were rather appalled at what had happened though they were placing the blame all on Haruka.
"Step away from my daughter this instance!" boomed a deep and rumbling voice. The man it belonged to slowly made his way forward until his dark brown eyes were visible to the Pony Express rider. Governor Kaioh was a tall man nearly standing at six foot two inches high but he was built rather strongly as well from what the blonde could see. It was obvious to everyone within the saloon he was not happy and was boiling mad as he grabbed his daughter's right wrist and jerked her away from the stranger.
"I don't know who you think you are throwing one of my men through a ta-" he was quickly cut off.
"Governor, sir, I had every right to throw him through that table as he was rough handling your daughter. I did no wrong just minding my business and entertaining her with a few stories of my travels. I was civil with her and anything but disrespectful like that bastard." retorted Haruka swiftly. She wasn't about to stand there and get scolded like some child without defending herself. They were all lucky the bodyguard didn't get too much rougher with Michiru or else the undertaker would be prying him out of the wooden debris pile his unconscious body was dreaming in.
Glaring toward the blonde, the man balled his hands into tight clenched fists. "Nonetheless I don't take kindly to people in your social standings, mister."
"For your information you old bat, I'm a female." countered Haruka before clutching her own hands into fists. It was taking everything in her not to deck the woman's old man right then and there. Something deep down was keeping her patience at bay long enough to buy the man time. After all, decking such a highly known figure in a state wasn't the brightest idea for anyone to have. Her statement seemed to have merit as the Governor took a second look over of the rider in front of him. He never would have realized Haruka was a woman if she hadn't had admitted it to his face when she did. Unfortunately, his tempter flared at being insulted for the last time by such a low ranked individual.
"Someone go get the Marshall. I want this no good drifter locked up for the night." he snapped darkly. One of the men nearest the doors bolted out of the building and down the street to go and fetch the Marshall. All the while, Michiru looked helplessly to Haruka for a moment trying to figure out just how to help her case. She wasn't guilty of being arrested for anything except having a low and colorful vocabulary for a governmental figure to observe.
"Father, you can't arrest her for standing up for me. She did the right thing as mark was hurting me. He forced me away when I was just talking with that Pony Express rider." remarked Michiru quickly trying to say something before being silence by a dark glare from those brown eyes of her father. Mentally cursing, the elegant woman glanced toward Haruka with an apologetic look in her eyes. Haruka noticed it and gave a mild nod in her direction before folding her arms in front of her small chest noticing a bit of blood on the gray button down shirt she had on. She wasn't about to flee as that would just make whoever the Marshall was more suspicious and give them better cause of holding her for longer than hopefully a night.
"Jak's just gonna love hearing this..." grumbled the blonde beneath her breath and she closed her green eyes.