A/N
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to two people: The first is my gr8 m8 (space-cowboi) on tumblr, just as a thank you for the chats and legal advice! (I'm a musician who doesn't know jack-shit about law,) And (68bears) on tumblr, for the insanely amazing doodles!
Rainy＊flower - Nitta Emi
There was a knock on the door at precisely 10:25am. Nozomi stood up and from the table to open it, but her walk was more of a trudge.
On the other side of the door stood Umi, wearing a very familiar blue collared shirt with a black blazer. Her hair was tied back, and her septum piercing was obviously turned up into her nose. Her snakebite and eyebrow jewellery stayed, but the studs were smaller and usual, and her earlobe disks were a plain silver.
"You scrubbed up, Umi-chan," Nozomi smiled, remembering the first time she had seen Umi in that exact outfit - the only difference was Umi had taken out all of her piercings when they first met.
The blue-haired girl shrugged, "Might as well look respectable for the lawyer," she then eyes Nozomi's own outfit- A black dress with a leather jacket.
"Better safe than sorry, I guess," Nozomi shrugged and stuck the e-cigarette behind her ear.
"Did you want to come in? Or are we heading off right away?"
"The latter," Umi stepped aside with her hands in her pockets. Nozomi chuckled, knowing how organised Umi liked to be. She put on her shoes and picked up her bag, then left the apartment and locked the door behind her.
"We're going to pick up Rin too," Umi took the keys out of her pocket and lead the way down to that familiar green Fiat that was parked in front of the apartment.
Nozomi pushed the yearning to drive out of her system and plastered a smile onto her face.
"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Nozomi slid into the front passenger seat and buckled up. Umi sighed, starting the engine and indicating to get out of her spot.
"Eli and I were in a rush, that's all,"
"That's no need to imitate some Fast and Furious movie though, Umi-chan. Poor Elichi was as white as a sheet when she recounted the event to me," Nozomi rested her elbow against the window, and placed her cheek in her left palm. Umi turned a bright red as she accelerated carefully.
The artist and piercer soon pulled up the front of Rin's flat that she shared with Hanayo and Maki. Umi parked carefully, then shut off the engine.
When Nozomi knocked on the door, the person who answered was Hanayo. She was wearing a green apron and holding a spoon in her hand. Upon realising what today was for Rin, her violet eyes turned into dish plates, and she bolted back into their bedroom.
"Rin-chan! Hurry up!"
It turns out Rin was still in the shower. Umi's face paled at the thought of being late for their appointment, but Nozomi just leaned against the doorframe and lit up her e-cigarette again.
"Relax, Umi-chan," Nozomi nudged Umi's shoulder, feeling the silent panic seething from her.
"How come you're so calm? Just the other day you nearly started an earthquake in the studio."
"Because we're sorting this out quickly, and we're making developments," Nozomi responded, while Rin showed up in front of them.
Like Umi, Rin opted for a suit, but her shirt was not tucked in and her tie was not done up properly. She also didn't bother to button up the black jacket, and swapped suit pants for black jeans. Umi's eye twitched, and sighed with relief as Hanayo came out of their bedroom to fix Rin up.
"You're not gonna dry your hair?" She asked the apprentice, who shook her head. The damp orange strands were rather stiff from the dampness.
"It'll dry quickly," Rin murmured, then placed a kiss on Hanayo's cheek as Umi stepped aside.
"We better get moving."
It turned out that Umi, despite having printed out instructions on how to get to the law firm, was not good at following the directions.
"Umi-senpai, you missed the left...again…" Rin's small voice trembled with fear as Umi's knuckles turned white to match the steering wheel.
"D-Did I?"
"That's the third time, Umi-chan," Nozomi's aloofness only made the piercer more anxious.
"Fine, I'll get it next time."
Rin was seriously considering to just get out of the car and run to the law firm, but Umi put the locks on when she saw Rin eyeing the door. Nozomi caught the yearning look from her apprentice in the rear-view mirror, and just winked.
"We'll be get there as long as Umi turns now."
Eventually, Umi parked the car and threw her head against the wheel.
"Why is driving in this city so hard?"
"It's just you, Umi-senpai," Rin yanked on the door, wanting to get to solid ground.
The law firm was small in comparison to the others Nozomi had seen throughout her life. It was only a three story building, unlike the towers that shot towards the sky in the cities she had lived in as a child. The building wasn't overly big, and the sign out the front read 'Lantis Law Firm.'
"This is the place," Umi locked the car once she stepped out and placed her hands inside her pockets. Rin was hiding behind Nozomi as the three of them stared up at the building. Nozomi, sensing Rin's inner anxiety, took a step to the right, making Rin jump to the left.
"C'mon," she extended her arm for Rin to link with and grinned.
"Let's go chat to the lawyer Maki-chan has prepared for us."
The reception area could only be described as orange. Orange floors, orange chairs, orange desk, orange letters on the orange wall. Hell, even the phone was orange.
Nozomi was fairly certain if Rin were to stand against the wall for five seconds, she would blend right in. to top everything off, even the receptionist had orange hair.
Upon stating their names and the lawyer they would be seeing, the receptionist asked them to sit and wait on the three-seater orange couch.
"It's very...vibrant," Umi remarked, fiddling with her jacket. The receptionist answered the phone in a cheery voice.
"She reminds me of Honoka, to be quite honest," The piercer mumbled with a tiny frown. Rin had been avoiding everyone's gazes as she wiggled her toes, causing them to rise up and down in her shoes.
"Rin-chan," Nozomi nudged her apprentice's side.
"Nya?!" Rin shot up straight, and the artist let out a little sigh.
"Relax. We'll find out how flexible this all is in a matter of minutes."
"I know, but…" Rin dropped her head and fumbled with her pants.
"If this goes to court, who will believe us?"
Nozomi jolted upright, as though someone had slapped her in the face. Rin did have a very valid point. Who was going to believe them? They were three young women in their twenties who worked in a tattoo parlour. All three of them were covered in tattoos and piercings themselves. If people didn't know them (which was the majority of civilisation,) they'd think the three were a bunch of delinquents.
Nozomi turned back to Rin, pushing the thoughts of everyone staring at her out of her head.
"This lawyer will...hopefully," she gave a wry smile, and a door down the orange corridor opened.
A woman marched down into the reception area. She was rather short, and this was emphasised by the large white coat she was wearing. Her hair was brown, and tied up in an intricate ponytail.
Umi looked on the verge of euphoric tears at the sight of the woman that wasn't at all orange. The woman slapped her hand down on the orange desk, and the receptionist jumped up at once.
"Chika-chan! How's everything going?" Her vice was loud and clear, and also made Rin jump.
"A-ah! Everything is fine, Nitta-sama," the receptionist bowed her head in a sign of respect, then took off a piece of paper from the printer.
"Your next appointment is here, by the way."
"Fantastic!" The woman happily clapped the receptionist on the shoulder and took the piece of paper from her hand. She looked in the direction of the three women on the couch, and blinked.
Nozomi stood up, knowing that the woman was taking in her chest piece, as the woman offered her hand out.
"Nitta Emi, business lawyer. Nice to meet you!"
Nozomi extended her hand out as Umi and Rin also took to their feet.
"Toujou Nozomi, owner of Lily White Body Art. Nishikino's daughter recommended you to me," the artist stood firmly, being taller than the woman in the coat. She was surprised at the warm energy that this woman gave off, and a flicker of hope had come to life in her stomach. Nozomi then gestured behind her.
"This is Sonoda Umi and Hoshizora Rin. They work with me at the studio."
Nitta shook their hands, smiling fondly.
"Nice to meet all of you! Please, step into my office."
Much to Umi's dismay, the office had an orange couch, but apart from that it seemed like a normal room. A shelf of books was behind the large leather chair and mahogany desk, and three chairs were on the opposite side. On the table, next to the computer, was a small, orange dinosaur.
Rin's eyes widened at the extinct reptile, and Nitta caught the youngest girl's excitement.
"You like dinosaurs?" she asked.
"They're so cool!" Rin peered at the little toy with wide eyes. Umi sighed and took a seat on the left.
"Thank you for your time, Nitta-san," The piercer bowed her head as Rin plopped into the seat on the right, leaving Nozomi the middle seat.
"Not a problem!" Nitta herself sat in the leather seat and placed the piece of paper down in front of her.
"Okie dokie, so," she tapped her fingers on the desk and hummed.
"Do you have your papers to state that you own the business, Toujou-san?"
Nozomi reached into her bag and pulled out a green folder. She mentally thanked Eli for leaving it on the table that morning, since she practically fell asleep on the couch reading through them.
"Fantastic!" Nitta shouted with joy, making Umi and Rin jump again in their seats. They were going to have to get used to this.
Nitta flicked through the folder and took out certain papers, lining them up on her desk in an orderly fashion.
"Okay, so you, Toujou Nozomi, currently age twenty-six, opened Lily White Body Art five years ago, correct?"
"Yes."
"And has there been any previous incidents in regards to you owning the business?"
"Nothing as major as this," Nozomi felt her stomach begin to twist. The warmth from the business lawyer was slowly fading away, and she curled her fingers into her palms. Nitta nodded, and flicked over a page.
"So, Sonoda-san started working for you when you started the business, correct?"
"Yes," this time, Umi answered, her voice stronger than Nozomi's.
"And Hoshizora-san has been your apprentice for how long?"
"Approaching three months."
Nitta took out a pencil and circled something on the piece of paper the receptionist had given her. She looked up at Rin and smiled.
"Do you enjoy being a tattoo apprentice?"
"Y-yes, I do," Rin awkwardly looked at Nozomi fo some sort of guidance.
"Rin-chan hasn't been my apprentice for too long, but she's a very eager learner, and her new school designs will make her famous."
Nitta smiled and Umi grinned.
"I must admit, I was a little shocked to have a tattoo parlor come to me, but you all seem so lovely and honest!"
"Thank you very much, Nitta-san," Umi bowed again as Rin got giddy in her seat. Nozomi's eyes twinkled while Nitta sifted through more papers.
"So, on Wednesday, the thirteenth of February, Hoshizora-san performed a tattoo under no supervision?"
All the warmth in the room was gone instantly.
"N-not exactly. Nozomi-senpai did supervise me, it's just...well…"
"A form wasn't signed saying Rin was ready, that's all," Nozomi explained, trying her best to ignore the swirling pit inside her stomach. Umi cleared her throat and pointed to a paper with a blue stamp at the bottom.
"These forms kept track of who did which piece, and also act as terms and conditions, if you will."
Nitta peered at the blue form, then quirked an eyebrow, "Why do you ask if the client has eaten in the last four hours?"
"Tattoos can last anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours, Nitta-san. Having food in your stomach can lower the risk of passing out."
The lawyer's face paled at the explanation from the artist.
"Well, you're the expert," she put the form down and looked at Nozomi.
"The prosecutors are Toujou Osamu and Mrs Minami, they will no doubt have a team of lawyers and those who work in human resources, so building a case will most definitely be difficult. However," Nitta seemed to have caught the pained look on Umi's face.
"There is enough evidence here to get us started. Your business records are not skeptical in anyway, and you have passed all of your inspections with the highest grades."
"I guess that makes us look like a respectable business," Umi muttered.
Nozomi looked down at the floor, her knuckles turning white. Would the evidence be enough?
As if she read Nozomi's mind, Nitta spoke up, "There is a clear consistency, and I highly doubt that this one time will slam your business into the ground Toujou-san."
"Nitta-san," Nozomi's voice was quiet as she flicked her eyes up to meet Nitta's.
"My father has tried countless times to make me go under, as he is less than happy with my life choices."
Rin tensed up at this, as did Umi. Nitta's smile fell and she bit her lip.
"I'm very sorry to hear that, Toujou-san. I cannot imagine what it must be like, but," Nitta placed her hands on the table, eyes full of determination.
"I promise I will do everything in my power to win this case for you."
Nozomi, Umi and Rin left the law firm in a cloud of mixed emotions. They were unsure if Maki was pulling their leg - Nitta was either a genius or a complete idiot. She went through the different case styles quickly, but got off-track faster than she could talk. The lawyer pulled out a few different books to bring up business cases with similar evidence to their current case, but would get even more side-tracked by talking to Rin, who looked as though she was a stack of Jenga about to crumbled to the ground.
The second she was out of the building, Nozomi stuck the e-cigarette in her mouth. Silence hung in the air, save for the occasional car that drove past.
"...Well, we have what we need to do the hearing, at least," Umi was the first to break the silence. Rin nodded, her stance was higher than the previous hunch.
"I'll tell Kayo-chin she'll need to come along."
Nozomi recounted everything that had happened as the synthetic mint flavour filled her mouth. NItta wouldn't be at the hearing, but she would be representing them in court if the case would proceed to go in that direction (she even told Nozomi that she had a hunch it would.)
Want to talk? (tarot-tatas) on tumblr