[Will and Yuri meet up several days after their tournament battle. They've both largely healed up, Yuri quite quickly as most damage she took was non-lethal, but may still be tender in a few areas.] [Will said he's currently working in Hawaii on a bit part in a movie and a job involving a newly formed Volcano spirit that's troubling some of the richer plantations on the big island. He gives Yuri the name of a place he eats at most nights and a set of plane tickets she can use at her leisure.] (Plane tickets! @_@) [Given the nature of her obligations, a specific date was not actually set, but Yuri does find herself on a beach in Waikiki at sunset without evening having to use the tickets in question. The universe apparently approves of her designs. Saldin most likely does not, but he isn't here.] [She recognizes the name of the restaurant that's about a block ahead of her on the beech. We'll say that she's not currently properly attired, but she has a bag with her and can easily find a changing area.] (Easy changing area is a bit of a stretch, but what the hey. :P) (Eh, gotta be a bathroom somewhere or something. ^^) (Right, just takes some work/sneaking into hotels. :P) [There's a fair number of people on the beach, though not all that many in the watery as it's getting into fall. The weather is still quite pleasant though.] [The restuarant has outdoor dining and she can easily get away with her swimsuit, given its fashion pedigree.] (Oh my. *u_u*) [Start] (Work?) (Or we can do that afterwards. I can rig it so she can model two different outfits if you feel like. :P) (No, it works, she'll just be a little blushy.) (Did we ever say what the swimsuit looked like?) (Other than 'less is more'?) (No, I can define or you can just be creative. It at least has enough material that it won't be mistaken for nudity, beyond that, whatever.) (I just don't have the connection to look up something good. ^^;) (hmm.. well, just a minute, Dad's in the room, and given the risk of getting the wrong thing don't want to go bathing suit searching right now.) (Ha.) (All I remember is it was a black two-piece, I think.) (Yeah.) (So, get her started and we'll save description til after she goes to change. She can do her initial reaction and such before changing.) (So she approaches the resturant, then talks to Will, _then_ changes?) (Or did you mean 'from when her feet met the beach'?) (Feet met the beech. She can put off changing as well, that's her call.) * Yuri lands, well, not so landing-like, on the beach. She's wearing a pair of jeans with a little rip damage in the knees and a black T that has a [WARNING] written diagonally on it in big red letters, and is carrying a small pack on her back. She looks to gain her bearings and her eyes widen as she sees the resturant. [There are still a fair number of tourist about, a few glance over Yuri but none seem to notice anything unusual about her arrival. Her dress is also not typical but isn't odd enough to draw much attention.] [There are some rather attractive men and women on the beech and some rather less than attractive ones. Them's the breaks.] * Yuri starts walking towards the resturant, a little hesitantly, murmuring to herself, "Well, uh... I guess I'll check if he's there. No need to look a gift walk in the mouth." The steps get a little more confident as she moves. (Alright, let's say it is a bikini, but does have some extra hanging slightly translucent fabric that does a good job of hinting at flesh underneath. So in terms of amount of coverage it's actually towards the middle to upper end of two pieces, but it definately works to inspire imagination) [The restuarant is actually a fairly upper class one. It has a patio although some tables and chairs extend to the beach. There's a Maitre D' in the most expensive looking casual beachware you've ever seen. He's standing by the one entrance to the fenced off eating area.] (The one beach entrance on this side that is.) (And give me an awareness roll in #sabooc ) [She notices Will being shown to a seat on the beach portion. He's wearing a currently dry and rather attractive swim suit with a loosely hanging silk shirt on top. That's not atypical for the place. He gets a couple looks, but no one is staring just yet.] [Although she does think he's quite recognizable as is, so these are apparently blase people or they have poor/good taste in movies.] * Yuri sucks a breath in through her teeth and says, with a slight smile, almost a grin, "I'm going to pray double tomorrow. Maybe triple." She mms at the attire. * Yuri looks around for a place one could change. Since the jeans are WAY out of bounds. [The beach continues its business. A reasonably attractive but not stunning couple in upper end but not dashing attire are turned away by the Maitre D'.] [She sees a sign to public bathroom/changing areas.] * Yuri winces slightly at the turn away, then sees the sign, takes a breath, and walks over. (To the changing area.) [It's fairly well maintained, and only has a slightly scuzzy public changing area/bathroom feel that is basically unavoidable. As she walks up someone rushes by shouting "Thank God a public bathroom!" The guy almost runs into the women's before a kind soul saves him some embarrassment.] (by pointing out this mistake.) [Otherwise the facilities are about at twenty five percent capacity. There's also a shower available for wiping off sand.] * Yuri finds herself a place she can change without being seen and pulls out the swimsuit again, staring at it for a second before stripping down and trying it on with no actual fumbling or uncertainty. [It fits rather well and is surprisingly comfortable. Yay for advances in fabric technology. She also feels as if she could reasonably fight in it without falling out of the suit if it became an issue. This is actually seems to have been a design feature. There's also a tag that says "Don't machine wash." * Yuri smooths the fabric down against herself, stuffs her other clothes in the pack, and steps out to take a look at her bald little self in the mirrors before she goes out into the big wide world. [Yuri looks good! A few passing women in the bathroom seem impressed or envious.] * Yuri , in this outfit, does reveal a lot of the tattoos that one would see in normal exorcism... Kanji on her stomach, upper legs, lower legs, shoulders, and there is the hint of a tattoo peaking up from her chest, and more. And, of course, the large rocky spirit on her back. [Two older teens speak quitely "My, I saw that in Vogue, she's got to have a sugar daddy." "Is the bald thing the fashion now? I like my hair!" "Well, think of the time you'd save after a shower."] * Yuri blushes a little at the attention, and the look, but looking at herself, seems to tap into the confidence again and say, "It shouldn't matter." She glances back at the teens, showing off her yellow/gold eyes. [Teens seem slightly embarrassed at the attention, one of them stares at her, the other that is thinking of time saving says "Nice contacts!" * Yuri after a second bows slightly and says, "They are, aren't they?" She then walks out. [Oh, one other thing about the suit. It actually cleverly conceals two pockets. You wouldn't notice them until you wear it. Obviously can't store anything too bulky, but they're there. Yay for modern technology!] [The one bows back, pushing the other on the back when she bows belatedly as well.] [Yuri gets a lot more attention now that she's left. A few of the Chinese/Japanese tourists actually read the tattoos and make comments. She gets a good number of appreciative and sometime lecherous glances from men and the occasional woman.] * Yuri carries her bag in one hand, and one of the pockets seems to have a very specific circular bulge. She bows at the Chinese/Japanese tourists, but as the appreciative and lecherous attention continues, her pace quickens. [Another actually more classically attractive hottie seems a bit put off and elbows her boyfriend. "Shaving her head and tattoos, some people will do anything for attention."] [She gets back to the Maitre D'. There's some knowing conversation and speculation as to who she's with or if she's someone in and of herself. One guy swears he saw her in that thing this summer, where the planet blew up.] * Yuri chuckles to herself at that, but manages not to snipe back. She does, however, murmur, "Yeah, that's really what I want, people staring at me while I work." * Maitre D' turns a jaundiced and unphased eye to Yuri. "May I help you?" * Yuri looks up at the man and says, "Um... I know Will Cheng. Can you tell him that Yuri is here?" Ah, you're expected. Come right, he's seated in the back corner." * Yuri blinks, but follows him when he walks. "I am? I didn't think he knew when I would arrive." (Come right in) He didn't, but our guests inform of us of who may be visiting them while they dine, it saves much trouble. [A disappointed couple, the female in a lycra bathing suit, speak to each other from a bit aways. "She got in, what's she got that I haven't?" "Ah, face it Judith, we aren't hip anymore. On the upside that means we can save a lot of money and time keeping up." * Judith sighs.] * Yuri says a little uncertainly, "...Ah." She licks her lips nervously. * Maitre D' leaves Yuri right by Will's table. He's currently a bit distracted staring out at the sunset. It's rather an appealing pale red and yellow one at the moment with a few clouds providing nice contrast. * Yuri looks out at it for a second with a small smile before saying, "Watching for an airplane?" * Will glances up and stands and smiles, pulling back a chair for Yuri. "I'm far more interested in what planes can bring." * Yuri takes a seat and says, once seated, "Well, I have a ticket to return, I think..." * Will sits down. "Oh?" * Yuri nods at him and says, "I didn't actually have to use a plane to get here." She smiles a little. "One of the few benefits of the religious lifestyle." She looks down at her swimsuit and then back up at him * Will follows her gaze for a moment. "And to think that before now I hadn't seen the appeal." * Yuri blushes a little and looks back at him with a slightly self-conscious smile. "Uh, well, it keeps you fit." She glances at the table for a menu. [There's only one at the moment, but it's in the center and easily reachable. A waiter swings by with a glass of water and utensils for Yuri.] [The menu is actually just two pages. There's a range of sea food offerings, some vegetarian, and a chef's dish of the day. Also a few nice appetizers and yummy sounding deserts. There's a separate wine and drink list.] [No prices are listed.] * Yuri nods slightly at the waiter and then grabs for the menu. "It, uh, was thoughtful of you to get a suit that'd be good to maneuver in..." You'd be surprised by the number of scenes one has to redo because of impractical garb. There was a time in 'The Price of Salvation' when we had to go through four designers until we had a suit that was usable. Yours is from the fourth. [Price of Salvation being the story of someone who had made a new life after breaking out of a sketchy organization. They come after him and his family, and he has to go on one last killing spree to be able to truly acquire his peaceful life. He actually dies at the end, but his wife doesn't. One reviewer: "First Will Cheng movie that shows evidence of a writer." * Yuri nods a little, still sorta staring at the menu. "Oh? I didn't realize..." she puts down the menu and looks over at him, still with very strong tinges of trying to get over the opulence. "You eat here that often? I.. uh, hear that no prices on the menu means it's expensive..." * Will grins. "I do, and think of it as karmic balance. We're both in the same line of work, but I'm well paid for it." * Yuri chuckles faintly, looking slightly away... oh, look, there's his silk shirt top. "Oh? So what do you think my reward is?" * Will looks thoughtful for a moment. "Spiritual satisfaction and a terrific rate on tattoos? * Yuri laughs lightly, looking up from Will's chest. "Don't forget no haircuts for life." * Will chuckles. "So what is the theology behind the baldness? I'd guess removing barriers between yourself and the heavens, but if that was right someone like you would never wear shoes." * Yuri blinks and looks down at the menu again. "Mmm? Oh, it's just, ah... a symbol of what it's always been. The Buddha and pure discipline." * Yuri rubs a hand over her head. "Mostly." * Will smiles. "I see. So mostly? What's the rest of the reason?" * Yuri looks up from the menu. "Oh? Um... nothing, really. Forget I mentioned it." She smiles a little at him and puts down the menu. * Will looks decidedly curious, but he nods. "As you like. Decide on dinner?" * Yuri nods a little and looks down at the menu again. "The... octopus and swordfish one, I think.." she smiles a little teasingly at him. "That is, if you are paying? My karma, as we mentioned, doesn't come in dollars." * Will smiles. "Of course. Anything to drink?" * Yuri looks down at the menu, actually looks like she's considering it. "Uh... well, actually..." she looks embarrassed. Again. "I'm not really familiar with drinks." Well, you might like a grasshopper. Since you're new to them I can ask them to cut the alcohol content in half. * Yuri smiles a little. "I think that's a bad kung-fu joke, Will..." she pauses for a second, "...but okay." * Will smiles, turning on the charm. "To be honest, it's not even mine. But it's a good starter." ::He signals over a waiter:: [Waiter comes shortly there-after.] I'll have the chef's special with the recommended wine, the lady will have the Octopus and Swordfish with a Grasshopper, and only half a shot in that please. * Will glances at Yuri to check that he got the order right. * Yuri nods slightly at it. [Waiter heads off.] * Yuri leans a little on the table and looks Will over a little more carefully. [Will seems to be in pretty good shape. Still slight bruise marks here and there, but no bandages or the like. His shirt hangs fairly open and gets caught by the breeze fairly often.] * Yuri blushes a little and looks up at Will. "Still healing, I guess?" [Meanwhile the sunset switches to a more maroon and purple color. The lights of Waikiki are starting to come on and be reflected in the ocean.] * Will smiles. "You're rather good at what you do." * Yuri nods a little. "Would it be too cliched to say, 'I have to be?'" Probably, but cliche sometimes just means common sense. ( Yes, well, that's a talent of sorts. Wouldn't do to hunt rogue extra- planers while constantly trying to shield my face from harm... And ::he looks out to the sunset for a moment:: I don't claim great powers of perception. ::He makes a small gesture to the sunset:: But I know deeper beauty when I see it. ::He turns back to face Yuri as he says that:: * Yuri catches his eyes and blushes, looking down. "You don't have to say that..." No, but I choose to. * Will then starts on his meal. It looks like his parents actually taught him fairly good table manners as he paces himself. * Yuri looks quite embarrassed at such, but takes the break to eat and be calm. She also takes the first drink of her drink and makes the standard 'first taste of alcohol in a long time' face. * Will seems slightly amused by that. "If you don't find the taste more appealing after a few sips we can get you a virgin fruit drink or the like." * Yuri looks up at him, "Oh, no, no, I can handle it." * Yuri smiles confidently at him. "I can walk on water, I can handle a little alcohol." * Will laughs. "I don't suppose they teach you to turn water into wine?" * Yuri shakes her head and says jokingly, "Sorry, that's a Christian trick. Maybe Ms. Warlow could show you." Doesn't quite seem her style. ::He sips at his wine:: Probably not. [Once you finish up the first course, the waiter brings a tasty soup course.] So, how did you get your start as a monk? * Yuri looks up from a spoonful of soup and swallows, before peering at him and saying with only a half-joking tone, "You're not going to go talking to Smee about all this, are you?" * Will laughs. "I'm done with Smee, they'd hoped I'd last longer but were quite happy with the fight. But I'd keep your secrets even if they were still a client." * Yuri nods a little. "It's... not a big secret, really... I'm just nervous. Master Qian has been more and more public lately, and it's made a lot of the monks nervous." * Will nods. "Well, there are charms that help with celebrity." He gestures to a random beach goer who looks up at Will as he walks by, has a sudden look of recognition which then fades into a look of slight confusion and then he moves on. * Yuri blinks at him and claps her hands. "That's why nobody has been bothering you!" * Yuri takes another sip of her drink and says, "Well, Master Qian found me when I was 8, and.... uh, chose me as a monk. It's not a terribly long stoy." * Will nods and smiles. "Those of strong will or a meditative nature can see through it, but they often have better things to do then get autographs." * Yuri laughs a little. "Often, but not always..." she frowns slightly. "Will... there's this deal, hanging around you. It's... it's not quite the deal that it started as, is it?" * Will shakes his head and then gets a more serious expression. "And you can keep my confidence on this?" * Yuri smiles a little and taps her hip, the medal. "I think if I can take on this responsibility, I can hide a secret I almost already know..." she blushes faintly, then adds, "We monks can tell things, and when I looked at you, I saw... more than I'd ever seen before. It was like there was... a connection or... something." * Will nods. "So what do you already know?" * Yuri looks away, nervously, "I... I know it was voluntary, but you... beat the dealer. In a gunfight, maybe, I... I'm not sure. It's... it's related to drama, but it's also..." she laughs a little. "Well, the doves... it's not very consistent." * Yuri licks her lips and eats more soup. She still seems a little embarrassed/nervous. * Will laughs. "Actually, not a gun fight. A contract law battle of sorts." He then glances out to the sunset for a moment and then back to Yuri. "I wanted to act and ran into a rather inexperienced extra-planar that needed resources in this dimension." * Yuri nods a little. So we cut a deal. Several million a year after my career started and seventy five percent of my share of any movie profits. ::He grins:: I got him to put in that clause instead of a percentage of my overall salary. (And CA (movies) or management(accounting) roll if you want. -2 bonus) * Yuri smiles a little, but rubs her finger around the top of the glass. "I guess he was inexperienced." * Will smiles back. "I'm told it happens a lot to extraplanars new to Earth. They're all convinced they have orders of magnitude more base cunning than us mere humans. And, my part of the deal was that I would have all the traits necessary to star in John Woo movies." * Yuri nods. "But you are pretty good on your own, aren't you?" * Will nods. "I wasn't a so skilled to begin with, and it took a lot of practice. But then I had to work rather hard before I started acting and even with the benefits it's no walk in the park to be 'discovered.'" * Yuri chuckles and nods. "Of course..." * Grysar nods. "So, the extra-planar got greedy, started trying to demand a bigger cut of the action. I could have handled paying more, but I figured if I didn't fight it, then it might be my soul next." (Will) * Yuri leans more forward on the table, the soup gone, and nods along. "Sometimes how it goes, yes..." [Waiter brings out the main courses just in time. The presentation is excellent and the smell heavenly.] So, I hired the lawyer I could find in extraplanar affairs, Elia Meadows. He ranted and threw legalese and tried to change the text of the contract, but she shut him down. * Yuri chuckles. "And that's it, huh?" Well, he got smarter. He started manifesting dove at dramatic moments for me, it fit the contract. And he has a fair amount of discretion in how they act and exactly what sort of doves they are. * Will starts eating his dinner. He smiles. "Always manage to surprise me." * Yuri looks down at the food with a smile on her face and digs in slowly. "The head chef" [The sun is now down and more lights are turning on. The Ocean sparkles nicely and the buildings light up.] (+?, even.) * Will nods. "Right. So, it's quite a nuisance, but a small price to pay really. And I still pay the millions off my salary." * Yuri takes slow bites. "I guess so. Not... such a bad deal, then..." * Will nods and smiles. "No, and if it goes bad in the future, perhaps a fetching monk will come along to save me." * Yuri blushes self-consciously again and takes a bite. Then she suddenly blushes further, as if a thought were occurring to her. * Will eats. "Penny for your thoughts." Mmm? Oh, nothing... I... nothing. Really. * Will takes a sip of his wine with a slight sly grin. "You seem to not say the most interesting things Yuri." * Yuri is still blushing as she takes another bite, then says. "It's a monk's habit, I think. Where do you think Zen Buddhism gets all its charm?" * Yuri is silent for a second, then says, "I guess I still don't understand why you're paying attention to me, of all people. And spending so much money on me." She looks up at him. ''Inner Beauty' or not." * Will nods. "I can see that. It keeps a certain alure of mystery." (Heh. I speak too fast!) (I'll up that.) * Will puts down his fork. "Well, I could give a speech about respecting a noble opponent, and it would have some truth. But honestly, I like you. A lot of the people I deal with are utterly focused on the material or pursue honorable causes but lack real sense. You're far more grounded." * Yuri smiles warmly at him. "If you knew me better, I'd say that was a pun." * Will thinks for a moment. "Ah, earth, yes. Well, an unintentional one." Is it? * Yuri nods slightly and says after a quick-swallow, "It is." * Will chuckles but doesn't press. [You can see the moon and a few stars, but there's enough light pollution that there's not too many out.] (Note in here. Drop unintentional one) * Yuri looks down at the plate that she's managed to decimate and laughs a little weakly. "I don't even want to think about how much that must have costed." Then don't. Care for dessert? * Yuri looks down for a second, then back at Will and nods. "Please." * Will nods and gets the attention of a waiter, who brings a dessert menu and busses your dinner. [There's a good selection of light to medium desserts. All sound quite good. Some ice creams with pastries, tarts, mousses, and the like.] * Yuri , after a second of hesitation, picks a mousse out for her desert. (dessert, even.) [Will orders a puff pastry. And for the record, the tables are now lit by candle light and torches that line the perimeter of the dining area. The ambient light isn't all that dark to begin with though, given the development.] * Yuri looks around and smiles a little weakly. "This is a really impressive restaurant, and if this represents your life, you..." she slows down in hesitation then looks right into his eyes. "You're very lucky." * Will keeps the eye contact. "I am. And it's not always this good, this is the best of it." He gets a slightly bittersweet smile. "It will never last of course, but while it does I do my best to savor it." * Yuri nods slightly and licks her lips before saying a little more quietly, "It never will." * Will nods. "So, even with my clever maneuvering, do you think I've made a rather foolish choice?" * Yuri mms faintly and shakes her head. "Master Qian... he's made it clear to me, more than once, that not all supernatural dealings are bad, or our business." She smiles a little at him. "Maybe it wasn't... the best choice, but that's not our business." [Waiter comes up from the distance with a tray, but doesn't reach the table just yet.] * Yuri smiles a little weakly, as if shamed. "I was just... frustrated, is all." I don't think there's any shame in that. It's probably best if our defenders remember what human foibles are like. * Yuri shakes her head. "It's a weakness... it's a weakness that could get me killed. I don't... we don't get backup, Will." [About now the waiter sets down both of your desserts. He also lowers a rectangular ribbon wrapped gift box in front of Yuri, it had been sitting at the center of the tray and he seems to have had some trouble keeping its apparent weight even while he lowers it.] * Yuri has broken gaze with Will, but at the desert, and the gift box, her golden eyes, even more like gold as they catch the firelight, widen. Well then, I suppose you have hard work ahead of you, but perhaps you don't have to go through that time completely alone. Or at least without support from us non-Monks. * Will smiles. * Yuri looks over the box. "Should... should I open it now?" * Will nods. "Open it but be discrete, you perhaps should wait to fully examine the contents until you're in a more secluded spot." * Yuri nods a little and carefully opens the box. [Inside is Will's pistol. It's a good deal heavier than Yuri would have guessed, particularly if she'd ever handled one before. And now that she has a chance to rather closely examine it in the moonlight she notices the faint hint of familiar etched Buddhist symbols in the sides. There's also signs that metalwork has recently been done too it.] * Yuri gasps slightly. I'm given to understand your order often takes mixed blessings from defeated foes. * Yuri nods a little and stares at it, but other than slightly lifting it, she leaves it in the box. Discretion and all. "S... someone has really done their research..." * Will smiles slightly. "The Smee guys are obsessive. There was actually a pool on which... but that doesn't matter. As you might guess, it's more than just a typical weapon. I'd hardly last long against extra-planars if it were." * Will also takes a bit of his still warm puff pastry. Don't want it to go to waste. * Yuri is thankfully still a little too struck to worry about that pool thing, but she looks back at Will "It's... it's a wonderful gift... really..." she sees him eat and is reminded of her desert. * Will nods and takes another bite and grins slightly. "And I trust Saldin will correctly counsel you to not set aside or neglect your primary abilities." * Yuri nods a little and takes a bite of her own dessert. * Will takes a few more bites. "You likely will understand it far more intimately than I, once you have a chance to study the markings. But the dumbed down version is that it also weakens the will of any supernatural entity not actively seeking balance in the universe." * Yuri quirks her head but doesn't say anything until she swallows the mousse she'd just eaten. "An... interesting weapon." * Yuri finishes off her mousse in fairly short order, sighs a little, and then looks at the box. "At least I might be able to keep it..." * Will nods and eats. "I do fear you may have a tough case to make, but as I said, it is a mixed blessing." He grins slightly at that. "Oh, and it does use specialty but mundane ammunition. As you are a good deal stronger than I am I had it retooled to take advantage of that fact.' * Yuri shakes her head. "That's not what I meant..." she looks at him eating, then looks out at the moonlit ocean. [The mousse, for the record, is exquisite.] Oh? * Yuri nods a little as she looks outside. "The food was... absolutely wonderful, though." She laughs a little. "And I was even hungry." * Will smiles. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." * Yuri turns back to Will and nods. "I can honestly say I've never had a meal like it." * Will keeps the smile. "Well, I certainly think you earned it." * Grysar is now known as Grysar * Yuri looks into his eyes and leans forward on the table, smiling a little. "So. um.... I didn't actually get to model the swimsuit for you yet. I suppose that's a problem?" * Will leans forward slightly as well. "Well, perhaps we can remedy that." * Yuri flushes under the firelight. "Perhaps." [Break!]