I don't have an outline for this fanfiction and I don't ever make one for any of my other stories because I just write what comes to mind so some chapters do get a bit weird and I have to go back and fix a few things, so I'm really sorry to everyone who's been following. (Hey, George , author of the Song of Ice and Fire series, does it too). But yeah, for those who have been reading to this point, there are minor changes in previous chapters, and I mean, VERY minor changes, like one name change or a mentioning of an Clansman's age or rephrasing of someone's dialogue, so I don't want you going back and rereading small details like that...unless you want to! But that's up to you, man. Anyways! Here's a super long chapter for you guys. I think you'll like it because you'll get to meet some familiar people. I'll try to put out a list of names and some background of IRIS sometime, but I don't know when I want to do that...but it will happen! Thanks for the favorites and follows!~
December 23rd
At Tres Spades in the Third Spade penthouse, Yukina just finished setting up a photo booth with a winter wonderland theme. She was pleased with the outcome and grabs her camera, looking around the room with excitement, spotting Riku at the refreshments by himself and she quickly trots over to him. He sees her at the corner of his eye but didn't bother to look at her.
"Say cheese!~" Yukina cheers as she snaps a photo, his expression was stern as always; however, she was content with the natural ambiance he gave off.
She was wearing contacts instead of her glasses, atop of her head was a thick headband made of peach-yellow silk and her hair is loosely curled. The majority of her sleeved and collared bodycon dress was a solid gray-purple color. The sleeves and the upper chest part is stripped with thick vertical white lines as well as the collar portion as well. The zipper on her chest matched the color of her headband, and the hem of her garment had frills that were also the same color. She wore ankle high heel boots that laced up with a dark underside and overall they were a light tan in color.
She and Riku were joined by Mamoru and Saeko who were making sure everything was secure in the room, locking bedroom doors so people don't mess around with things. Jazzy Christmas music played in the background and the main room almost sparkled with holiday cheer.
Riku was arranging the snacks and drinks on the table, checking if everything was aligned perfectly, and adjusts his glasses accordingly, glaring at her as she takes photos of the refreshments.
He wore a black and blue pinstripe suit vest over a very light gray dress shirt with a navy blue tie and a silver pin to hold it in place; his dress pants matched his dress shirt and his shoes were black. He also wore a a black watch on his left wrist as an accessory.
"This is the first time I've seen you wear a dress. I thought you would have worn something to fit your tomboy-like personality." He comments and she looks at him with a devilish grin.
"How mean~ I have my girly sides too." She answers.
"Of course." He answers calmly, pausing for a short moment while adjusting his glasses "...you look nice by the way."
His unexpected compliment made her blush but she smiles brightly, a little surprised how he said something like that too her, despite how calm he usually was. He then catches movement at the doors and he sees Yoshio entering calmly. He wore a slate blue-gray jacket over a black suit vest with silver buttons. Underneath, he wore a light cream, dark brown and black plaid collar shirt, neatly buttoned and finished with a black long tie, the end tucked under the vest. His pants were a dark ocean blue color integrated with gray in the front, held up by a dark brown belt with a silver buckle and his matching ankle leather boots were loose but the laces were tied enough to the point they wouldn't slip off easily. He gives a wave to Yukina and Riku, joining them at the food table.
"Yo." He greets the two.
"Nice of you to come." Riku says, nodding his head to him.
"Glad you made it!" Yukina smiles, stepping a little to the side and snapping pictures of him and his apathetic expression while Riku adjusts his glasses.
"Hi hi!~ We're here!" A cheery voice calls from the doors and everyone turns to see Suzuki Nanako and Kamiya Tsukina, both wearing dresses to fit the occasion and carried gifts with them as well as their coats.
Nanako was wearing contacts and had a little bit of makeup on, which was surprising since she never did. Her short hair was tightly curled and her bangs were swept left. She wore a one shoulder dress, the top part being black and the skirt was green with a black belt around her waist; black bangles were on her wrists and she wore black opaque leggings with cream pointed high heels.
Tsukina's pink hair was loose and curled, bunched over her right shoulder gracefully and she had black hairband on with white flowers decorated on the right, flowing along with her hair. She wore a loose, tan colored chiffon dress with a V neckline embroidered with black and red, and her pumps were velvet black.
"Stop! I need a picture of you two first!" Yukina hurries over to the girls and snaps pictures of them happily.
"Wow, this place is looking great!" Tsukina says, looking around. "The casino and hotel itself is amazing too! The Asahina family are banking."
"I'd still prefer Iris though. Casinos are a bit shady." Nanako comments while Yukina shrugs.
"Well, let's not think about it. Oh! More people are here. I'll talk to you two later~" She dashes off to the doors, spotting Raeno walking through the doors, followed by Shuhei, then Yuu, Kanae, Toshiro and Soma.
"Hi everyone! Welcome to the party!" Yukina greets them.
"G-Good evening, Ito-san." Kanae speaks, clutching her coat and a large gift bag with a slight blush. Her silver hair was in a bun, held up by a dark maroon frilly hair band. She also has long piece of hair let loose in the front which curled at the end. She was wearing a long black and white silk dress with diamond shaped straps. Around her arms was a light blue sheer fabric and she wore white gloves that come up the the middle of her upper arms.
Yuu was beside her, wearing a dark gold and deep red one shoulder dress, the strap was covered in roses and it had a sash hanging behind her shoulder. She wore her hair loose in curls, her necklace was golden and she had a bangle to match. Her high heels were also a dark gold color.
"Sorry I'm late. I was helping Shirakura-chan with her dress, but I'm here." Yuu approaches Yukina, who wasn't bothered by her lateness.
"Just as long as you made it is all that matters." She answers, then looks over at Raeno. "Ah! Raeno-chan, it's been a while." She extends her hand to him and they shake.
"It's has been hasn't it? I heard from Wakaba-san that you had quite an adventure in Shizume City." He grins and she laughs.
"It really was!"
"Yo! This place looks great, and the location is cool. Great job everyone." Soma approaches the group, followed by Toshiro and Shuhei. The three men were dressed handsomely and almost similarly. Suit vests over a white dress shirt, the sleeves slightly rolled up, dress pants and leather shoes; however, their vests were slightly different, as well as their ties and pants. Soma's being a navy blue colors with silver rose shaped buttons, his long tie was light gray and his dress pants were dark gray, Toshiro's vest was a shimmering silver and black color with black line designs his bow tie was a lime green color, his pants were black. Lastly, Shuhei's vest was light gray with a faded plaid texture. His long tie was black and his pants were medium gray as well.
"Hoo~ Shuhei-chan, I didn't think you would be here, how've you've been?" Yukina pats Shuhei's arm and he glances away, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Y-Yeah and I've been good. Thanks." He shyly mutters and Toshiro grabs his shoulders with a sneer.
"He had nothing better to do so we made him come for a bit, besides, it's a party. Come on." Toshiro chuckles, making Shuhei a bit more uncomfortable and Yukina grins.
"Eh~ I thought maybe he wanted to come because of a special somebody who came to his rescue a couple days ago." Yukina giggles as she teases Shuhei, his face was completely flushed and he became angry.
"Why you...don't say things like that." He growls and grabs her, putting her in a light head lock but she continues laughing, Soma and Toshiro join in on teasing with Shuhei and he becomes embarrassed, almost regretting coming to the party.
Meanwhile, Murasaki Renka and his wife, Annelotte, enter the penthouse, dazzled by the decorations. The pair originally didn't plan on showing up, but Shizuka insisted. They were matching with a royal blue color scheme, Renka wearing a full silver suit with a blue decorative long tie, his hair styled neatly, while his half French wife wore a blue shin length dress with a sweat heart neckline and short see through sleeves. Her T-strap high heels are black, the heel silver as well as the strap and finally, her light brown hair in a neat, beehive-like bun. They were followed by Midorikawa Kotaro, his black and red streaked hair was neatly styled and he wore a deep red suit with a white and red stripped tie and black leather shoes. He greeted the old married couple in a respective manner and conversed with them before Yukina rushes over to take their pictures.
Watching the handful of clansmen in the penthouse was Saeko, who was observing everyone else from afar.
"Looks like almost everyone's here...well...everyone who wanted to come anyways." Saeko thought of the Hashimoto twins, feeling a little disappointed and places her hands on her hips. She wore a fashionable navy blue military-like dress with black tights and heels. "Seems like Shizuka-san and Yayoi haven't arrived yet...Oh, the Murasaki's are here~" Saeko gasps, looking closer at the couple with excitement and rushes over to greet Renka and his wife, leaving Mamoru behind. He wore a pale blue and red plaid sweater vest over a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up; his skinny jeans are khaki and his loafer shoes are light gray and white. When he sees Saeko leaving, he decides to head over t the refreshments, joining Yoshio, without a complaint.
Approaching the penthouse was Yayoi and Orlando, her hand rested on his bent arm and he was holding her jacket for her.
Once they entered the room, they were greeted by Yukina and she teased them a little before taking a picture of the two together.
"Eh? Shizuka-chan isn't with you guys?" She asks.
"No, but she's on her way." Yayoi answers and she felt reassured.
"Well when she gets here we can start the gift exchange and all. Gosh, I'm so excited!" Yukina smiles with joy and Orlando gives a chuckle.
"The holidays are always exciting, especially when you spend it with good friends." He says and she agrees.
"Well, enjoy yourselves until then, we couldn't really do this without you, Yayoi-chan. Your aunt is very kind to let us use the place." Yukina spreads her arms out and gives a small twirl with joy. "But that's coming from someone who doesn't really know her too well. You might think differently, I don't know."
"No it's fine." Yayoi waves a hand to brush off the topic.
"How about we take a few more pictures? I see you made a photo booth." Orlando suggests and the three head on over to the snow themed drape to take more photos.
Outside of Tres Spades and pulling into the parking lot was Shizuka in her pearl car. She parks, and after a moment of adjustment she locks the doors before stepping out, grabbing a white colored, wide brimmed hat with an apricot colored bow on the band and putting it on her head. Next, she takes her black hand purse in one hand along with a medium sized gift bag .
She shut the door with her free hand and turns to Tres Spades, noticing a few snowflakes falling down when she looked up at the evening sky.
She wore a long champagne colored dress and black leather gloves. It was long sleeved with thick, white, beige and light gray fur lined around the neck and cuffs and there were two slits on the skirt, one on the front and the other on the back, exposing her legs, which she wore opaque gray tights and regular black ankle strap high heels. The longer part of her hair was loosely curled while the other part was neatly flared and styled, and she wore dangling pearl earrings to finish off her look. She didn't bring her guns with her, feeling that there wasn't a need for them.
She walks through the parking lot towards the building, following the small crowds through the rotating doors and greeted with a luxurious lobby with marble floors and golden chandeliers hanging above. She heads towards the elevators and manages to catch one that just opened, a few people walk passed her and she spots a merry couple with ivory masks before taking them off. They both were wearing formal attire and neither one looked familiar to her if they were Clansmen. She then catches a lone stranger wearing a mask and a formal suit soon afterwards, finding the experience strange, she wondered if there was another party going on somewhere else in the building and wanted to receive a mask as well. I wonder if Yayoi knows something about that. She thought.
Once she enters the elevator with a few other people, she takes her hat off so she wouldn't disturb anyone, pressing a button to the floor of the penthouse afterwards.
One by one, people exited and entered at different floors. Soon, she reaches her destination and she puts her hat back on and steps out, her heels click as she walks down a corridor with tall, Gothic windows. She can hear the commotion of the party around the corner, giving a soft smile when she makes the turn and sees opened doors to the penthouse.
She approaches with a bigger smile and finds everyone enjoying themselves and conversing with one another. She spots Yukina taking photos of Renka and Annelotte at the snow drape and walks over to them. The middle-aged couple look at her and give her a warm smile, ignoring Yukina's order of facing the camera and she follows their gaze to investigate what caught their attention with a pouting face until spotting Shizuka.
"Ara, I didn't mean to interrupt such a lovely scene. Do continue and ignore that I'm here." She speaks, gesturing for the shoot to go on and Yukina's eyes widen and sparkle.
"Shizuka-chan you look amazing!" She comments, snapping pictures of her, but Shizuka's gaze was locked onto the Murasaki couple.
"It's good to see you again, Annelotte-san. It isn't everyday I see the Murasaki's together, how delightful." She smiles happily, bowing and they return the gesture.
"It has been a while. You've become such a beautiful young lady." Annelotte giggles, holding Shizuka's hand gently as she looks over her. "You didn't bring a date with you again this year? I thought we might see the lucky one this time but I guess we'll have to wait for another occasion."
Shizuka laughs, replying with "Maybe another time."
"You said that last year too. Ah, I hope you find someone who wouldn't mind your busy schedule and is happy enough just being with you soon. That will be my Christmas wish to you." Annelotte smiles gently, holding Shizuka's hand tighter.
"Don't forget to mention that he has to appreciate your independence and fierce personality." Renka adds with a chuckle.
"I don't think anyone will be good enough for Shizuka-chan, in my opinion. She knows how to take care of herself, but who knows, maybe someone will come around." Yukina comments, putting a hand on her hip.
"I appreciate your concern everyone. Thank you." Shizuka smiles, finding the situation a little amusing.
They continue to converse for a while, until Yukina excuses herself for a short moment to announce that everyone can start exchanging gifts, the room bustles as everyone begins the event.
"Ooooi!~ Ito-san!" Yukina hears a voice calling at her and she sees Toshiro waving for her attention and approaches her happily. "Here you go, I'm your secret Santa, so merry early Christmas." He says happily, handing over her gift. It was a small rectangular box with gold wrapping paper patterns geometrically and tied with a sating navy blue ribbon. It had a little weight to it and she was excited to open it. Carefully, she unwraps the gift, trying not to ruin the paper, revealing a white box and she open it, finding a black 80's retro phone case.
"Wow! This is amazing! I didn't know they still made things like this! Thank you so much, I love it!" She says happily and Toshiro felt a little bashful, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You're welcome." He laughs nervously and he sees Yayoi approaching him with a gift bag, Yukina then excuses herself so she could find her assigned person.
Yayoi's gift to Toshiro was an elaborate case for his gaming console, themed after his favorite video game, which he was very pleased with. After the exchange, Yayoi was then approached by Mamoru, who presented her with a basket filled with boxes of macarons, her favorite pastry. When she opened a box, she finds them in the shape of her favorite animal, ducklings, and she was very grateful as he wishes her a merry Christmas. Soon, Soma pats him on the shoulder, greeting Yayoi as she walks off and handing Mamoru a somewhat heavy gift bag.
"Merry Christmas! I think you'll really like this." He says as Mamoru glances inside the bag, then reaching in to find a 3D star theater set along with a pair of classy 3D glasses.
"Oh. I've been wanting this." He says, his eyes widen but he remained calm and Soma grins happily.
Orlando was Soma's secret Santa. His gift to him was a bright yellow scarf with the words "crime scene do not cross" on it, which thrilled Soma, who found it very witty and Orlando was glad he liked it. He was then approached by Saeko, who hands him a gourmet food and wine gift basket, which excites him, discovering that everything in it was French made, the cheese, bread, wine and chocolate.
"Oh how funny, I bought you a gift basket too, Kurihara-san. I hope that's okay." Tsukina was Saeko's secret Santa and she hands over a large basket. "I didn't know what to get you since you didn't write anything on your wish list, but I know you really like coffee, so merry Christmas!"
"I do! And this is amazing, thank you!" Saeko gasps as she eyes the different coffee flavors and mugs in the basket.
"Wow, that's incredible." Orlando comments, Yayoi joining his side and she was also fazed by the coffee, making Tsukina a little bashful as Saeko continues complimenting.
"Saeko and her love for coffee. You did good right there, Tsukina." Yuu walks up to the group, holding a rectangular box with a removable top. "And as a reward, my gift to you, merry Christmas!"
Tsukina was surprised when Yuu hands her the gift, she opens it to find two matching hair forks. Both were white and had pearls on the ends with cherry blossom jewel-like designs.
"They're beautiful!" She gasps. "I can't wait to wear them, oh my god, they'll match my kimono for new years! Thank you so much Yuu!"
"Hai hai." She replies, feeling bashful.
A few feet away was Raeno. He just received his gift from Yukina, pleased with the back stretcher she bought him since he was always hunched over a desk.
He was Yuu's secret Santa, wondering if it was possibly fate that he pulled her name out of the hat and his heart thudded when he sees her walking away from the group and he makes his way towards her, feeling like a stalker for a moment but no one was really paying attention to him.
"Wakaba-san." He speaks and she turns to him as he holds out a small cube box. "Merry Christmas." He felt even more nervous when she smiles and laughs.
"Wow, who would've thought you'd be my secret Santa. How nice." she teases and he rubs the back of his neck, glancing away as she takes his gift, opening it to reveal a decorative dark blue and golden egg-shaped music box. There were ballet figures painted on the stand and on the sides of the egg, which could be split open to reveal a shimmering nutcracker.
"Raeno...this is gorgeous!" She looks at him and then back at the gift, finding a small wind up key and turning it, releasing it after a while and it begins to play Waltz of Flowers. "Really-this is incredible! Thank you so much! I'll treasure this forever!"
"You're welcome...yeah." He says, seeing her smiling and chuckles.
Not too far from them, Riku and Kotaro exchange gifts, both being each others' secret Santa.
"Merry Christmas, Kazuyoshi-kun." Kotaro cheers, handing him a wooden box with a festive bow on it. Riku maintained a calm demeanor as he opens the box to find a 7 piece set of knives forged after swords from his favorite anime. He shuts it quickly, adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat.
"Thank you very much for this." He speaks calmly and Kotaro can tell he was very happy with it. Riku then hands him a gift bag, "Merry Christmas."
Kotaro digs in and pulls out a neatly folded blanket. It was very soft, and when he unfolds it, he laughs happily, seeing that the blanket was patterned with cute anime-like bears.
"Sugoi na. This really is a surprise coming from you...Kawaii." He chuckles, folding the blanket back up while Riku adjusts his glasses again, feeling embarrassed.
"You're a grown man you know. It was a little emberassing purchasing something like this. Mataku." Riku mutters and Kotaro laughs even more, patting him on the shoulder.
"You can't be too old for anything!" He says. "Thank you for this."
Nearby, Nanako waves over at Shuhei and he turns to her as she hands him a gift card. "Merry Christmas! I didn't know what to get for you since you didn't write anything down on your wishlist, so I'm giving you money to spend on whatever you want." She pats him on the shoulder.
"Oh, nice. Really, thank you." He says, bowing to her and she giggles, nodding her head. Shuhei then spots Kanae, his assigned person, quickly making her way towards them feeling a little overwhelmed with the crowd but seemed to have calmed after approaching the two. Nanako turns and follows his gaze as Kanae joins them.
"Ah, Suzuki-san. Merry Christmas." She hands her a large gift bag which made Nanako excited.
"Is this...oh no you didn't." She sneers and pulls out a large stuffed animal snow owl with big blue eyes. "YES! THIS IS AMAZING! Thank you so much, Kanae-chan!~" She hugs the stuff animal happily and Kanae smiles and softly giggles.
"Well, I guess it's my turn now." Shuhei clears his throat. "Shirakura-san. Merry Christmas." When he spoke her name, she looks at him and sees that he was holding a small gift box out to her. She covers her mouth quickly, feeling timid.
"F-For...for me?" She asks and he nods, motioning the gift to her and she finally takes it, untying the ribbon and removing the top, revealing two phone charms. One had a jeweled crescent moon with a long glimmering diamond chain and the other was similar, but it had a couple of pink roses and with a pearl chain instead.
"So pretty...thank you so much!" She says, her eyes sparkling and he covers his mouth with his hand, glancing away and feeling his cheeks flush.
Finally, Shizuka and Yoshio were the remaining members left. He was reminded of the strange encounter in Shizume City once they meet up, but chose not to bother her with something during the event. He then glances at her gift bag, wondering what she had brought him, recalling that he didn't write anything on his wish list except for, "It doesn't matter." on it. It was the same for Shizuka as well, but she had "Surprise me" instead, which made it very difficult for him as a typical man who didn't understand women.
"Heeh, so you're also my secret Santa? This is going to be interesting." His voice was lazy and his expression stern as always.
"I think so too. Merry Christmas, Ohmiya-san." Shizuka says with a confident grin as she hands him his gift and at the same time he gives a small rectangular box to her.
"Merry Christmas." He replies and peers into the gift bag, pulling out a rectangular dark blue box and slipping the bag under his arm. Next, he flips the top open and inside was a silver analog watch, a black and silver card holder and a black steel bottle opener in the shape of a cat's head. He noticed how the ears came to sharp points and the eye sockets were large enough for his fingers to slip through, which made him wonder if it was a weapon instead. Whatever the case was, he was content with it.
"A...Arigatou (Thank you)." He manages to say, looking at Shizuka.
"Douitashimashte. (You're welcome)." She smiles, watching him as he places his gift back into the bag and she unwraps hers, revealing a wooden box and she slides the top open. There was a pair of black iron chopsticks, one had a fork at the end and the other was a knife, included was a matching colored chopstick rest, which was a tiny man laying down, his torso flat for the utensils to rest on.
"Now this is very convenient. I like the little man here, it's very cute...thank you so much." She comments, seeing Yoshio placing a hand behind his neck.
"Yeah. You're welcome." He replies. "Well, I'll be going then." He waves a hand and turns away while Shizuka nods her head. She then scans through the crowd, watching everyone else showing off their gifts or discussing other matters joyfully. She then sees Yayoi approaching her. Orlando wasn't with her, but after looking around a bit more, she could see him speaking to Renka and Annelotte and draws her attention back to her friend.
"Glad to see you." Yayoi says.
"You too. So, who was your secret Santa, what did you get, and what did you give to your person?" Shizuka questions.
"Ah, it was Fujita-kun and I bought him a case for his gaming console, which had a man in a skull mask with a hood and trench coat atop some rooftops, which looked like London...I think. So mysterious." She begins and Shizuka suddenly recalls her encounter with the masked guests before arriving to the party, but she allowed her friend to finish, setting the thought aside. "And, my secret Santa was Ozaki-kun; he gave me macarons. Adorable, right?" She pulls out a box to show her the pastries. "In the beginning, I suspected Kurihara-san since she asked about my favorite things, but to my surprise, it was Ozaki-kun instead. I should have connected the two since they are good friends."
Shizuka chuckles at the thought of Yayoi getting fooled by someone other than herself
"How sweet. I wonder what Orlando thought about it...was he jealous?" She sneers and Yayoi puts the macaroon box back where it came from and she lightly smacks Shizuka on the arm.
"Stop that. Now, what about you? I hope you didn't give Ohmiya-san something he didn't like. I saw you two together earlier by the way."
"Ah, getting even with me now, aren't you? But no. I was a simple gift set with an analog watch, a card holder and a cat shaped bottle opener which, I might add, could also be used as a weapon. Handy when going to a bar don't you think?" Shizuka asks, feeling confident in herself and Yayoi notices how egoistic she was being and subtly rolls her eyes, soon agreeing with her.
"I see...well it looks like you got chopsticks from him, oh, and they're metal too."
Yayoi points at the chopsticks in Shizuka's hands, taking one and looking at it closer, but enjoyed the chopstick rest even more, just like her friend. Shizuka shuts the chopstick case afterwards and slips it back into the gift bag, remembering about the masks.
"Well, now that that's aside...there's something I wanted to talk to you about, since you know Tres Spades much better than I do."
Yayoi felt concerned and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Did something happen?"
"Not exactly. I saw a few people wearing these pretty masks earlier and I was curious to know where I could get myself one. Is there another party going on in the building?" She asks with a bright smile, but Yayoi wasn't looking very sure.
"A masquerade? I don't think I recall an event like that on the calendar for this month in Kokoa's office...I must have overlooked it." She brings a finger to her chin, sorting through her memories. "I'll have to check up on that."
"Naruhodo." Shizuka sighs. "Well then let's not think about it anymore and just enjoy what's happening here and now."
Yayoi was a little surprised that Shizuka set aside the topic so quickly, but then she realized that she didn't want her feeling troubled at the party. She gives Shizuka a calm smile, soon, she catches a familiar figure approaching behind Shizuka and gives a chuckles, slightly lowering her head, a subtle nod to greet Ace, who was ready to surprise the Iridescent King, wearing the traditional Iris guard uniform and cap for the occasion. The other Clansmen in the room had already begun to notice his presence, but they were aware of the situation and kept discreet.
"Hmm, I think it's my turn to talk to you about something now." She speaks, feeling a little excitement erupting inside of her. Earlier, Yayoi caught Shizuka entering the penthouse and speaking to Renka, Annelotte and Yukina by the doors. She was quick to send Ace a text that he needed to head out from Iris, and here he is at the perfect moment.
Shizuka cocks her head to the side with curiosity and a faint smile. Yayoi then sees Ace pause, his hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants with a grin and she holds a hand out.
"But why talk about it when I can just show you what I want?" She grins and walks closer to Shizuka, taking her shoulders in her hand and slowly turning her body.
"Hah? What are you talking about?" She questions until Yayoi finally has her facing Ace and she freezes up.
"Me. Your royal highness." He speaks with a sly grin, bowing afterwards, and she places a hand on her hip, her lips curling with amusement.
"Well well well, I wasn't expecting to see you until next month." She says as he straightens himself up.
"But here I am. Surprised, right? I told Yayoi to keep things quiet and she was willing to play along." He says and Shizuka glances at Yayoi without budging, who shrugs at her, and reverts her attention back to Ace.
"I'll have to give you guys points then. I really wasn't aware of anything...but welcome back, Kuriyama Ace."
He was pleased to hear that from Shizuka. Soon, the room began to bustle and Ace could hear his name as his fellow Clansmen had become aware of his presence. He was then approached quickly by Yukina, who begins snapping photos of him with sheer excitement. Others soon began to join, except for those who weren't too familiar with him.
While he explained the situation, playfully joking with the other Clansmen, Orlando approaches Shizuka and Yayoi.
"Oh~ Shizuka-chan, I was wondering when you were going to show up. Did you have any trouble on the way here?" He asks.
"Not at all I don't think." She answers, tipping her hat at him as he stands beside Yayoi.
"You don't mind if I borrow Yayoi for a bit?" He asks.
"Wh-What?" She questions and Shizuka grins.
"I don't mind at all." She snickers and her friend furrows her eyebrows at her in disbelief but Orlando takes her away as the two head to the balcony.
"Wow, I didn't think Kuriyama-san would be back so soon." Shizuka turns to see Soma, Shuhei and Toshiro approaching her, the trio standing nearby.
"Almost all the women are around him. Mataku." Soma clicks his tongue and rubs the back of his neck.
"It can't be helped. He's a good person you know." Toshiro comments, making eye contact with Shizuka. "Oh, Takahiro-san. Glad to see you here."
"Eh? Takahiro-san?" Soma looks over, followed by Shuhei who slightly nods his head to her and she returns the gesture.
"Why aren't you three joining the crowd?" She asks.
"I'll give my greeting to Kuriyama later. Not feeling up to it right now." Soma answers, huffing.
"Yeah, me too, only because of all those people around him...ah, but for Shuhei, he's never met Ace so he's an exception." Toshiro points a thumb to Shuhei, who was looking overwhelmed.
"R-Right." He says and Shizuka turns her attention back to Ace and the people around him.
"He's not a bad person and easy to get a long with so introducing yourself won't be so bad." She comments, reassuring Shuhei.
On the balcony, Orlando takes the chance to give Yayoi his gift to her. It was a small ornament of a rose encased in resin and glass with silver and gold framework, seeming to be Venetian inspired.
"It's beautiful, thank you so much." She breathes out and Orlando clears his throat, slightly blushing.
"I'm glad you think so." He chuckles. "Merry Christmas, Asahina Yayoi."
She could feel her cheeks turning red as she looks down, pressing her lips together and holding the ornament close to her chest.
Back inside, everyone had dispersed after greeting Ace and welcoming him back to Japan. Shizuka was still speaking to Soma, Shuhei and Toshiro, until they were approached by Mamoru, who hands them glasses of apple cider from a tray, Ace then draws near, joined by Yoshio, and he also gives the two a glass, walking off with the tray to give other members drinks.
Shizuka and Toshiro greet Ace politely but Soma was hesitant and eventually succumbs to the looks his friends gave him and gives a bow, welcoming him back to Japan and Ace thanks him. It was then Shuhei's turn and he clears his throat as Ace looks at him curiously.
"Sorry..ah...we've never met since I joined the Clan two months ago while you were away. My name is Sumika Shuhei, it's nice to meet you." He bows in front of Ace, who returns the favor.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sumika-san. I am Kuriyama Ace, one of the director of operations for Iris as well as a fill in for our security guards but I often freelance for Glassvale."
"That explains the suit then." Shuhei points out and Ace gives him a grin. "So that means you work with Ohmiya-san too?"
"Right. We're partners in crime!" He grabs the calm Yoshio who didn't seem fazed by his friend's sudden grasp.
"We'll be working with them sometimes, just a heads up." Toshiro comments and Shuhei nods his head, understanding.
Shizuka felt content seeing the men getting along. Soon, she sees Yayoi and Orlando coming their way, glasses of cider in their hands, and joining the group.
"Sate to, mina-san!" Yukina's voice booms through the room and everyone turns to her. "Again, I'd like to thank all of you for coming tonight, it really, really means a lot to me, and even though every year I host something like this, it's still so great to spend time with everyone before we go on break. We've all worked really hard to get deadlines in and all but in the end we managed to do it, good job everyone!" There was a round of applause. "So to conclude this silly speech. Merry Christmas everyone!" Yukina raises her glass and everyone follows her motion, chimes of Merry Christmas echo through the room, followed by clinking glasses, laughter and more cheers.
The night continued in a blur of socializing, friendly games, storytelling and jokes. Eventually, people were already beginning to leave, saying their farewells and good nights. Soon enough, the only members left were those who volunteered to help clean up and Orlando and Ace decided to stay behind as well, even though there wasn't really much to tend to.
"So, as long as nothing's broken, crumbs and whatever is isn't left, we can just leave the trash bags here?" Orlando questions, looking at Yayoi.
"Yes. Housekeeping will stop by later. Kokoa didn't want us messing with any supplies or equipment so we just do the dirty work and they will finish up." She answers, tying a trash bag up while Orlando sets it in the small kitchen for her. The penthouse looked just like how it did before everyone arrived, except that Yukina was still packing her camera equipment with Shizuka and Ace helping her roll up the winter themed drape as she handles the rest.
"We'll be going first." Yayoi announces.
"Hai!~ Have a good night you two!" Yukina chimes.
"We got the tables folded up and we put them back in the closet." Saeko calls from the back of the room.
"Alright, you guys can head out when everything looks good." Yukina answers, zipping up her camera bag. "Thank you for the help you two."
"No problem. Anytime." Ace grins.
"We should get going now. I still have things to pack before heading out to see my family tomorrow." Shizuka gestures to the door, holding onto the drape for Yukina as she slips her coat on. When she mentioned her family Ace was reminded of the boy at The Sunset Pearl for a short moment while the three depart after shutting the lights in the penthouse, closing the doors behind them.
They head down the corridors, reaching the elevators and Ace goes ahead and calls for one for the ladies, waiting for a short while until the doors open and they steps inside, clicking the button to the ground floor and it takes the trio down, stopping on different floors for others who were headed the same way. Shizuka holds onto her hat tightly but gently so not to ruin the brim. She carefully looks at everyone around her to pass the time, complimenting different clothing, hairstyles or eye colors. The majority of the passengers wore formal attire, which calls to her mind about the few people she saw earlier with masks.
On ground floor, the doors open and the passengers flood out in different directions while avoiding others planing on entering. Yukina sticks close to Shizuka, who was putting her hat back on, and Ace follows behind the women, his hands in the pockets of his pants.
After they passed through the rotating doors at the entrance of the building, they were surprised to see snow falling down gently.
"Wow!~ It's snowing!" Yukina cheers, looking up at the dark sky as snowflakes kiss her face. Ace almost felt as if he was babysitting a child for a moment, looking at Shizuka who seemed to be enjoying the falling snow in a more subtle fashion, holding her hand out to catch the flakes in her palm, her hat protecting her face when she looked up. They then head towards the parking lot, first stopping at Yukina's vehicle which was parked in the front row.
"I think if this continues, it'll be a yearly tradition in the Clan, don't you think?" Yukina asks as she tosses the drape in the passenger seat, slipping her camera bag over her head slowly and gently placing it on the floor behind the driver seat.
"I think it's already a tradition." Shizuka answers, smiling softly at her and watching as she steps inside her car and sitting down.
"You think so? I'm glad then...but I hope I won't always be the one hosting it...oh, but there's always the option of pulling names out of the hat." She chuckles to herself as she schemes and Ace huff, his breath sowing in the cool air.
"Just make sure the names are from members who are willing to take on the responsibility. You don't want to force people." He comments.
"Fine, but that's not as fun though." She pouts, adjusting her seat to the right setting so her feet could reach the gas pedal and turns the engine and lights on. "Alright, I'll see you guys back at Headquarters!~" She waves a hand at Shizuka and Ace, who were beginning to step away, returning the gesture and she shuts her car door. After a moment, she pulls out from the parking space slowly and departs.
Shizuka turns to Ace and he motions that they continue forth.
"I had to park in the back so I'll walk with you to your car." He grins as he offers and she gives him a smug grin.
"Well thank you. You've always been quite the gentleman, but did it get you any women while you were in China with it?" She asks teasingly as the two begin walking to the next row of vehicles. Ace follows her closely, leading him to where she had parked.
"You don't make that sound as good as it should." He replies, hearing her laugh with amusement, reminiscing of the days before he left the country and recalling how the Iridescent King liked to play with people. A sadist, he would describe her, but not so evil.
"So, I was with Yoshio in Shizume City earlier today to pass the time...guess what happened to us?" He smirks devilishly as they make it to Shizuka's car.
"Did Ohmiya-san find someone who caught his eyes? Or you perhaps?" She asks but Ace shakes his head, seeing the lights on her car flicker, followed by he sound of the doors unlocking.
"No, we just went out to eat at The Sunset Pearl, and to my surprise, there was a boy working there, a chef actually...and he shared the same family name as you." He opens the door for her and she looks at him as she steps behind it, the door separating the space between the two and she was giving him a Cheshire cat-like grin, resting her arms on the car door, her knuckles underneath her chin.
Takahiro Shinobu, right?" She asks and he was stunned. "Ah, but you might be more familiar with how I call him Shin instead."
"What? So your family owns The Sunset Pearl in Shizume City?" He questions.
"Yes."
"I can hardly believe you. I've seen your cooking...no offense." He declares and Shizuka steps away from her car door, laughing and waving a hand.
"None taken...butwe can have this talk at another time, preferably somewhere warmer than out here hm? What do you think?"
"Sure, I'll just remind you about it in case you forget...since you have a knack for doing so." He replies, moving around the car door as she seats herself inside her vehicle after removing her hat, igniting the engine and it roars awake and she gives him a side glance.
"Well, how hypocritical. I guess that you've forgotten something as well...but I guess I'll remind you since it seems I can never remember a person after meeting them for the first time." She admits her flaw confidently, challenging Ace and he was obliged.
"Ah, but you're wrong on that, I know that if you keep seeing the person you'll never forget who they are. I know from experience." Ace counters, somewhat impressing Shizuka who seemed amused and quiet, but her reply was only
"Hmph...sate, I'll see you back at Iris." She says and Ace felt disheartened, confirming that he still can't read her. Pushing that aside, he nods, shutting the door for her and stepping away, slipping his hands into his pockets. Once she begins to back out, he turns away and heads to his own vehicle a little ways back, chuckling to himself.