Plans, Plots and Schemes [Honey/Open]

[shizubaya]

"No, I don't particularly care that they have an advantage in that market. I pay you people to do one job, and only one job - find out what the other guy knows, and if necessary intervene if it could result in competition." Kurogane said, brusquely walking through the sliding doors of the hotel, black longcoat swaying somewhat with his movement and followed by two larger men who were likewise dressed in black, conservative clothing - unlike Kurogane, however, their hair was cut short. Ignoring the handful of sideways glances that their entrance drew, Kurogane kept his focus on the sleek flip phone he was holding to his ear, silent for a moment before replying to the man on the other end. "Yes, some competition is good for a healthy market, and yes, it'll be difficult getting into the right places and finding the right people, but that's what the group fund exists for. Grease a few palms if you have to, just make sure to get it done and make sure to keep a record of how much you spend where."

Closing the phone and pocketing it after ending the call, Kurogane suppressed the rising irritation he felt at the difficulty of dealing with the new responsibilities that his long time subordinates were now having difficulty in handling, which when combined with the absorbtion of the Wakurine group's people who were also having trouble adjusting to the new way of things meant more work for him, detracting from his other responsibilities to clean up their messes. It was to be expected after such a wide sweeping change and the rare ocassion where a smaller faction absorbed a larger one, but soon things would resume running as smoothly as they had before, and he would be able to resume his work with Arkadimon in the digital world. At the very least dealing with the creature as a partner was much simpler that handling his human subordinates - while the creature's mind was still very much an alien entity to him after nearly a year, Arkadimon didn't make mistakes, or if he did he cleaned them up before Kurogane was made aware of them. The digimon may have been violent and nearly inscrutiable at the best of times, but he had a few key personality traits that made him the ideal partner - he was driven, strong and ruthless, but also dependant, meaning that unlike many of Kurogane's current business partners he would never even consider turning on Kurogane, something that the man never took for granted.

As the three men crossed the foyer and stopped in front of the elevator, Kurogane's eyes began to wander, catching sight of the small restaurant tucked into the far end of the large room. Changing his mind on a whim, Kurogane turned away from the elevators to face the two men behind him, pausing for a moment before beginning to walk around them.

"You head on up, I'll be there in a few minutes." Kurogane said as he moved past them, the men glancing at him for a moment before one of them shrugged and they both went back to waiting for the elevator. Normally they wouldn't have thought twice about questioning the order had the been in public, and although they technically were, the hotel was a special case, the contruction of the building having been funded by his father roughly 15 years ago during the Shizubaya family's glory days - the family, and Kurogane by extension, was still treated extremely well when they visited or wanted to make use of the establishment, and in the recent years the building was made nearly as safe as the Shizubaya main house in Tokyo thanks to several sizable investments that Kurogane had made towards the building's security in the recent years following his electronic break in to the government databases. While Kurogane wasn't really hungry, the restaurant owner and staff would know better than to ask him to leave after he finished eating no matter the size of the meal, and Kurogane needed to think, something that the atmosphere of such places always seemed to help stimulate.

[honeybee]

A hotel, a grand hotel. The building was pure luxury--and if there was one thing that could draw Honey like a fly to vinegar, it was opulence. The gleam and glimmer of steel and marble, modern architecture at its best and brightest, all of these things captured her heart in a way nothing else could. She walked through the revolving doors with an air of confidence, like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. And was she not? After all, the foyer was open to the public so long as they were clean and didn't smell bad; Honey kept herself immaculate and wafted the scent of, well, honey. There wouldn't be a problem.

The first thing she noticed was the trio in black. They looked important and they looked like they had somewhere to be.. but wait. The leader of the three turned at the last moment, sending his lackeys on ahead as he walked through the foyer and towards the quaint restaurant. Why had he strayed from his intended direction? Could it be he was.. lost?

Her heart fluttered with happiness. So soon! And in such a place of luxury, too, somebody up there must like her. She stepped towards the figure in black, examining him, and was surprised to find it was only a boy! Surprised and pleased, as her specialty was dealing with stray ducklings. Like Wendy, a mother to all the Lost Boys, Honey saw herself as both keeper and mother of each and every human child. Though this boy in black was very nearly a man, he had enough child in him to pique her interest, tickle her instincts--and she always trusted her instincts.

Gone was the hesitant step she'd used to decipher his age, in its place a gentle yet purposeful stride towards this boy in black. She made sure her honeyed aroma found his attention before she did, a neat little trick that was a weaker version of one of her digimon attacks. Then, once she was sure he'd be off his guard and wondering what on earth would smell like that, she spoke. "What are you doing so lost and alone, cherub?" She sounded sincere, concerned, a stranger genuinely worried for this lost child before her.

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[shizubaya]

As his mind continued to jump from solution to solution, switching between multiple different ideas within the space of a second or two, Kurogane's mind suddenly stopped as it noticed something that was out of place, stopping his feet at the same time within feet of the restaurant door. While many people would have found the scent to be a soothing fragrance, one that would had set them at ease, it did the exact opposite for Kurogane - while his composure remained intact, the smell was out of place, something that should not have been there, and it broke his concentration, drawing his attention away from other problems he would have preferred to have been thinking about and solving instead. Glancing through the panes of glass that seperated the eating establishment from the hotel's main foyer, Kurogane quickly glanced over each and every plate and dish he could see in a matter of seconds, and while he might have admittedly missed something he did not believe that the smell was coming from within the place. It was only when he focused on locating the source of the smell that he recognized what it was that had caused him to look over the restaurant as a possible source - it was honey. Honey in a city, which explained why he felt so uneasy. It wasn't the sickly sweet smell of certain toxic gasses either, though - the alarms within the hotel's ventilation systems would have certainly gone off if that was the case.

Discarding the idea that it posed an immediate danger or warning sign within a mere 15 seconds of first noticing it, Kurogane simply recognized that the smell made him uncomfortable, and while it didn't seem to pose a threat he'd always trusted his instincts and would simply continue into the restaurant that was mere feet in front of him - hopefully the smells and sounds of the food, drinks and people talking would be enough to drown out the odd smell and allow him to focus on the problems he currently had. Having never turned his head, Kurogane simply focused his line of sight on the doors ahead of him and began moving forward again, managing to take a single step before someone behind him spoke, something that normally wouldn't have caught his attention had it not been for the fact that it was clearly directed at him despite the way the woman had referred to him.

"Sorry to say, but you're clearly from out of town, or at least unfamiliar with the hotel if you think I'm lost." Kurogane said calmly and matter of factly and without malice, in an almost conversational tone as he actually turned halfway around to avoid looking over his shoulder, facing the woman with a look of cold appraisal, an expression that one would expect on someone forty years his age. While his voice betrayed nothing, the way she had referred to him, both in her tone of voice and the name, had immediately irritated him in a way he couldn't explain until he recognized where he'd heard it before - it was as if she was speaking to a child. An inferior, someone uninformed and incapable of caring for themselves or making logical, reasonably informed decisions. Not exactly how his father had spoken to him, although without the scorn and disappointment he had come to expect with such a tone of voice. To most it would have signalled concern, but to Kurogane it was condescending, especially given the self reliance he'd been forced to learn as a matter of necessity."As for why I'm alone at the moment, why wouldn't I be? There's no reason I shouldn't be able to take care of myself."

[honeybee]

The lost little boy replied coolly, unhesitating, clearly sure of himself. What would it take to knock the confidence out of his manner, to show him how lost he truly was? And, more to the point, how far was she willing to take this, how much did she want this boy in particular? Complications could arise, things could turn nasty and she'd be forced to do something drastic--and the Harvesters wouldn't like that, no, and she knew because she could smell the Spore in him, could feel it.

So she couldn't hurt the boy, nor could she take him to the Harvesters for their human experimentation because he was malforming wonderfully all on his own... but that didn't mean she couldn't work on her little project. She'd see how far she could push him, push what he thought his opinions were, twist them ever so slightly. It's shouldn't be hard, no, she'd done it before and was in truth quite good at it. And the best part of it was that all of it--everything by, for, and how she accomplished her goals--was with love.

It was a neat trick, all the more pernicious because most ducklings were starving for affection even if they didn't know it. She could feel and feed that need, and in the end whether or not it was there at all wouldn't matter because she learned from each of her mistakes. Ideally, she'd create a need if there wasn't one but these things, these humans, were tricksy little things. They always had to know what was right for them, refusing to put faith in the hands of others.

"I didn't mean lost in this building, cherub. I meant lost in your heart." She lifted a hand to her own chest in sympathetic remorse. She could feel for this lost boy, all wrapped up in his long black coat and hiding from the boogeymen in his head. "And being alone while you're lost.. well... it's never very much fun, is it?" A small, kindly smile. "What's your name, dear?"

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[shizubaya]

Unable to help himself in light of what the woman standing before him said, Kurogane let out a short, involuntary bark of laughter, amused for the first time in..... well, he couldn't really remember how long given how fast time seemed to be passing him by, but it had been a while, especially with the current stresses life was placing on him. She had no idea how close and yet how far from the mark she was, how wrong and late she had been with her statement - yes, a number of years ago he'd been lost, confused, soft, and without direction, but that had all changed the moment his bastard of a father had decided to implant his children with these spores, these parasites. The moment that had happened he'd gained direction, a clarity of purpose that he'd never before had, even if it had been years after the fact, with the grand irony being that it was the very thing that would kill him providing said purpose. Just the same, though, Kurogane could not help but find the irony of the whole situation delicious in a way, and that alone was enough to prevent him from venting a week's worth of irritation on whoever this woman was.

"Ah, that was a laugh. Look, lady, I have no idea what you've heard, who you heard it from or what you're trying to sell me, but I'm not interested." Kurogane said, half grin growing on his face and giving him a slightly predatory look as he took another half step around to get a better look at who this person was who had the audacity to walk up and say something as outragous as that to him. "Tell you what, for that I'll let you in on a little secret about my personal life in relation to that statement, something that I've never told anyone before and likely won't ever again. You're about ten years too late, and if you want my name you merely need to look on the plaque on front of the building. Thanks for the offer and all, but if that's it I'll be going."

Turning to face the restaurant's front doors again, Kurogane once again felt the ocassional twinge of regret from the knowledge that he would always have to keep bodyguards with him outside of places such as this - it meant that encounters like this were few and far between, and while they offered nothing in terms of personal relations, which he neither wanted to put effort into nor saw any point in given his short life expectancy, they did allow for him to meet the ocassionally amusing individual such as that woman. Yet another reason he preferred the digital world over this one - while a bit more dangerous, the dangers were obvious, and he didn't need to worry about being poisoned, knifed in the back or shot by a sniper while taking a walk out in public. Still, the encounter, while initially unwelcome, had at least helped to clear his mind for a moment, and allowed for a brief but refreshing change in pace.

[honeybee]

Oh, this was becoming more and more delightful. The cherub, though he wholly denied it, still had some of the lost boy in him; she could sense a quiet terror wavering under the heady stench of darkness. Or perhaps it was wishful thinking. But did it matter? Certainly, there would be some degree of fear by the time she was finished. And she wasn't finished; the cherub's disobedient turning away would simply not be tolerated.

But how to bring him back? There were so many options--fear, pleading, violence. They all seemed like wonderful ideas, especially given how the child seemed to take safety for granted.The little lamb thought he was so tough... Something had to be done about that. "I asked for your name, cherub. And I won't be leaving until I have it." His name... among other things.

This was going to be such fun! And there wasn't a thing in the human world that had a chance of hurting her, so if the cherub called for his big ol' bodyguards, they wouldn't be able to do a thing. If that happened, in fact, she might be forced to simply take him and run. Or fly, to be more precise.

But the poor thing! He even admitted he'd been a sad little thing a few years back, and what had been true a few years ago could easily be true now; all it took was a bit of persuasion. And persuasion was her specialty. "I know about your problem. I could even help, you know." A bluff, a wild shot in the dark, but one that nontheless had a good chance of hitting its target.


(( SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG XU; ))

[shizubaya]

"And I told you, go look at the front of the building if you want it. It's been fun, but I'm done talking." Kurogane said, not even turning to face the woman as he took another step forwards. She'd amused him with her first few statements, and he felt he was being awfully generous by letting her simply walk away after approaching him like that - under normal circumstances he would have had hotel security remove her from his presence, and had she still been persistant, thrown from the building. If she wanted to know his name that badly, then she might as well put some work into finding it out herself - indeed, part of the problem with humanity today was that too few of them were willing to simply sit back and enjoy themselves as they reaped the benefits of those few who were willing to do the necessary work, those few who were willing to get their hands dirty. Kurogane himself had decided long ago that he would not be one of those few - nearly everything that had been directly responsible for his current rise in status and acquisition of power, be it economic, political or personal, had been accomplished by his own hands after dealing with his father. Going off of her appearance and demanding attitude, he doubted this woman had done a decent day's work in her life, and just as he was unwilling to expect favors for nothing, he was unwilling to give them away as well.

What she said next, however, certainly caught his attention, although most certainly in a way that she would not at all like or expect. She'd likely thought it would catch him in a way that put her in position of power, to have him want something from her and be willing to do anything to know what she meant - and it did, although the exact meaning of those words went a completely different way. Stopping in his tracks, appearing completely calm and unruffled from behind, Kurogane was silent for a moment before he looked over his shoulder back towards her as he had before, although his countenance and presence was completely different. Gone was the look of mere disdain, the feel that one gave off when they were bored but focused, and in its place was an expression of cold, analytical, ruthless calculation, all trace of his earlier amusement gone as his eyes, now ice cold and hard, locked onto her. His presence, if one was careful enough to notice, no longer was one of a relaxed but bored man, but now one of something dangerous, the feeling someone got from something that made their instincts scream at them to leave, and leave fast. It was too late for her, though - she'd wanted his attention, and now she had it.

"I'm not in the mood for games. You have one shot, and one shot only, to say something that'll make you worth both my time and patience before I find out who you are and where you live. Get it right and I'll listen to whatever it is you have to say, but get it wrong and you'll wish you'd never spoken to me in the first place, let alone asked my name." Kurogane said, only a hint of his impatience leaking through to his otherwise calm and measured tone of voice. There were a number of things that he did not take lightly, and any possible information regarding the Dark Spores was among those things - if she had something he could use, he would make sure she was well paid for the information in proportion to its value, but if not, she was both an irritation and annoyance he could and would rather do without. If she wanted to make this personal, then so be it.

[honeybee]

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She clapped once, excited and joyous. How intriguing this situation was becoming! How easily she'd gotten a reaction! The next step was to get a better one. Or to lure him outside. Or both. Oh, oh, she hadn't had this much fun in an age! And, time passing so quickly for digimon, an age was a very long time. She stared back into his ice-cold eyes with a soft look of compassion, hands clasped at her chest.

"I believe you'll find it somewhat difficult to locate my identity, chickie." She covered her mouth in mock chagrin. Ooh, have I said too much already?" A soft chuckle escaped her pursed lips. She wasn't sure wuite how the lost boy would react, but she knew it would lead to fun, fun, fun! "You know, kitten, perhaps we should take this outside. I might even get the chance to look at your name! Win-win, right?"

She strolled towards the entrance, confident that he'd follow her. She was, after all, avoiding giving an answer in the hopes that he's be blinded by the need for knowledge, blind enough to dare to hope. She didn't even know what his question was! Silly little humans, so easy to confuse and deceive. Even if he did attack, he couldn't know that she was a digimon. She could put him to sleep with a single phrase! Oh, it was good to be mighty.

But might was tempered by caution; she couldn't afford a public display, especially not when the child's bodyguards were merely a call away. But once they were outside, what would happen was anyone's guess. She suspected that the chickie wouldn't be too happy once he found out she didn't know about his 'problem', though. Oh, how on earth had that gambit payed off?

[shizubaya]

Narrowing his eyes slightly in irritation, Kurogane suddenly realized he'd been played for a reaction, not at all pleased with the fact. Who the hell was this woman? Normally most people kept their distances from him, either as a result of his appearance, his bodyguards, or simply because they knew who he was and didn't want to get involved in "that kind of business". This woman, though..... Kurogane wasn't sure whether she was brave or simply stupid. The very fact that she had played him, though, was at least worthy of some respect, even if it was a grudging admittance.

"......... fine, you wanted my name? It's Shizubaya Kurogane." Kurogane said, taking a moment to think it over. It's not like it really mattered if he told her - if she really wanted to know, it had been quite as easy to find out as he'd mentioned earlier, all she'd need to do is go out front and look on the building's plaque. Really, it had been more a matter of pride, but at this point Kurogane was willing to put said pride aside if only to find out who this person was, and where she got her audacity from.

"There, you have my name, now I think it's only fair you tell me yours." Kurogane added a moment later, eyes cold as he looked down at her. If she thought he was going outside with her alone, she was insane. There was a reason he travelled with the bodyguards he'd just sent upstairs, and he couldn't very well take Arkadimon with him into this world, not without a way to hide him. As good as he was, Kurogane was still only human, a fact he recognized quite well, and he knew how vulnerable he was on his own. No, if she wanted to talk to him she would do it here and now, not outside.