Return to Legion (Taiku)

[Pain Killer]

"Drop by Legion tomorrow afternoon, if you're not going to be nursing those ribs like a girl....I might be able to find something to keep you occupied."

The words ran through the self-proclaimed Pain Killer's head one last time as he pulled into Legion's parking lot for the fourth time this year. The first time had been looking for a fight with the club's owner, while the second and third had been due to the Figher's League. Overall, it seemed, the pattern was to head to Legion in order to fight someone, yet today was different. On this night, instead, there was a new purpose for his trip.

One that Adam had no idea what it was supposed to be.

Of course, he just has to keep it vague...

Silently cursing Taiku for causing such curiousity in him, Adam stepped out of his car, taking his time in order to keep from aggravating his taped ribs. It was a side effect from the two men's last battle, and it had served as a constant reminder over the past day of how hard he had been forced to push himself. Unconsciously, his right hand began to rub the injury as he pushed into the club, noting with some distaste the fact that there was still people within, even during the afternoon, albeit less than would show up during the evening hours.

I guess it's just the staff or something...

His attention shifted off the people within, paying them little mind as he looked for the older man who had invited him. Once again, it seemed, he'd need to ask someone to find Taiku for him. With a sigh, his eyes roamed over those closest to him, and upon finding one who he figured was likely to know where Taiku was, walked over to one of the girls working, the tone of his voice a good indication of how little he cared about the fact he was interrupting.

"Hey. I'm lookin' for Taiku."

[Kazuki Akimoto]

Rene's Perspective

A blonde lock flicked across her face as Rene looked up at the remark....She'd been informed by Taiku in advance about this 'Adam' showing up, down to the lack of basic manners he had, and was quite prepared to deal with him.

"I'll assume you're Adam. Sit down, he was expecting you."

With that, she would once again ignore him, letting him sit alone for a few minutes. Though, at the moment, with the club barely open, the music hadn't yet begun to play and the sound of silence was deafening. Unlike all the other times Adam would have been here, this would be a stark contrast. Still, she couldn't help but admit to herself one thing...

...He was kinda cute.

Setting down a mug in front of him, steam rising from the top with coffee, she stood at the opposite of him with barely a change in her expression, simply sizing the youth up a moment. He had an air about him that she recognised all too well. She'd seen a similar air in Taiku years ago when the pair had first met from time to time, though in Adams case it seemed to be a permanent fixture of him. Picking up another cup that was set on the table in front of her, she sipped a mouthful of coffee before speaking.

"Congratulations, I suppose."

Expecting a look of confusion on the burly males expression at her remark, she continued with a lilt of distaste in her voice, though she disguised it very well.

"I can count the number of people who've beaten Taiku on one hand and still have room left over. You either got lucky or got good. He says you got good, I'm not so sure myself, but the fact he invited you here says enough."

Pulling out one of the chairs, she sat down and crossed a leg over, leaning onto the table slightly despite receiving no invitation to do so, and sipped at her coffee some more.

"So, did he tell you why he asked you here, or just left you to think on it?"

Taiku's Perspective

Behind the pair, up at a large one-way window that overlooked the main floor, the Asian male stood with a smirk on his face, his wrist set into a cast and a few other bandages covering his lesser wounds, though thankfully most were well-disguised by his clothes. Taking a small drag from a slim cigar that set between his lips, he set it back down into the ashtray behind him on his desk and watched the pair with a noticably intrigued expression.

'Well, I said I'd find something to keep him occupied, but this was certainly not in that scope of things....I'll leave them a few more minutes....'

Smiling silently, he backed up, leaning against the edge of the desk and looking over the slips of paper in front of him. The actual reason he'd requested Adams presence...Something he'd privately considered several times in the past, and had only grown more determined with attempting as time passed. For now, however, it seemed Rene was finding something of a like-minded conversationalist. Someone as moody as her.

Not too many folk like that....

[Pain Killer]

"Fine."

The self-proclaimed Pain Killer turned towards the empty seat, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the fact he needed to wait. His one-track mind was thoroughly frustrated, believing that if Taiku had been expecting him, then why the hell wasn't he waiting downstairs for Adam to show up? In a rather unceremonious fashion, he fell into the seat, the sudden action causing a flash of pain in his side, though he gave little notice of the fact. Instead, he began to focus on his boredom, leaning on the table and resting the right side of his jaw on his knuckles, a generally unimpressed look on his face.

As bored as he was, he barely moved for the next few minutes.

His eyes would travel down to the coffee left in front of him, staring at it for a moment as if it had moved there by itself before looking at the one who had decided to stand at the same table. Having little social skills, Pain Killer would just continue watching until she spoke, the statement making him sit up, reasonably interested in where this congratulations was coming from.

"For what?"

Once the woman had explained her reasoning, Adam shook his head slightly and smirked. As long as Taiku didn't mean that he'd turned into one of the "good guys", Pain Killer was content with whatever opinion the older man had of him. After all, the reason he'd looked him up in the first place was to establish himself as a great fighter, and with his recent battles with the man, he'd more or less accomplished what he had set out to do. His eyes followed Rene as she sat down, due as much to the fact that she had begun speaking again as well as that he felt compelled to watch.

"Hn. He told me nothing, and I've got no clue why I'm here. I'd imagine most of the staff doesn't like me, since the last time I was here, I was out to smack around their boss."

With a shrug, the large male leaned back, folding his arms in front of his chest. While he usually would have let the conversation drop there, he felt inclined to say something else, forcing him to take a moment to actually think of something before speaking again.

"So how'd you meet him?"

[Kazuki Akimoto]

The faintest hint of a laugh escaped her lips at his initial remark, shaking her head slowly as she sipped the coffee in front of her a little before gracing the words with a reply.

"The staff has no animosity to you. Yes, they're wary considering the nature of your last visit, but far as they've seen, he beat you. Whether you wish to correct them or not is of course up to you, but in here, they feel safe because of Taiku. They know he'll guard this place to the end, and I know it too, just as he did the Edge. As for why he invited you here, well...I guess that'll be something to discover in time."

The moment of silence that followed let her look more closely at the youth, scrutinising him with her eyes as she read his face. No doubt, he was a cold and callous young man, but she was getting the sense that the icy demeanour he put forth was a front. A deep-seated one, that was obvious, but still a front nonetheless. If she was correct in her assumption of Adams mentality being similar to that which Taiku had maintained for several years, then she already knew exactly what was going on in the boys head.

Still, assumption was assumption, and rarely proved to be the truth. Topping it off, Adam then spoke again, asking a question she wasn't terribly surprised to hear, but still one she was hesitant to answer, or more specifically, hesitant on just how much to answer in regard to the question.

"By chance, really. I was living between hostels and sleeping rough for years after doing a runner from home. It was a real low point in my life, and I barely managed to get the days out the way, but somehow I was able to keep going. Anyway, one day I'm in some fast food joint, thinking 'Good, I can eat today', and go to pay for my food. Turns out the guy behind the counter had overcharged me and wasn't going to back down, so I was stuck there torn between bolting with the bag or walking away hungry. This arm reaches over my shoulder and flicks a couple of bills onto the desk, and I just grab the bag and walk out. I'm totally fucking mortified at it, you know? So I'm outside checking in the bag and I feel someone clap me on the shoulder."

Smirking as she began to reminisce at the following events, she sipped a little more of the coffee before pressing on.

"Naturally, after years of sleeping rough and all that, you get a little edgy when someone invades your space, particularly as a woman, as you might be able to conduce. As such, I've gotten pretty good at taking care of myself. Anyway, this hand claps down on my shoulder and I go nuts, I mean, I just drop the bag and swing out, figuring I'll get the first hit in and save my ass, but the guy's fast, faster than anyone I'd ever tumbled with before, and just dodges everything I throw at him before putting me on the ground, pinning me down. No lie, I was terrified, but then he just lets me go and steps back from me, introduces himself as Kazuki, and the rest is, well, history...He gave me a place to stay, gave me a job helping around Li's--That was what The Edge used to be called, back then--, and eventually it progressed to this."

Smiling a little more fondly at the run of fortune she had been given in response to a single action in a parking lot, she settled her attention on Adam again, this time with a slightly more serious look in her eyes.

"Think whatever you could of him, that he's gone soft with his money and isn't the same fighter anymore, but remember that even though he's paid his dues to everyone, he's still helping out people who wouldn't have a chance any other way. He's a good man and perhaps the most loyal friend I've ever had, I do owe everything in the last few years to him..."

[Pain Killer]

The thought of the entire staff still believing Taiku was undefeated against Pain Killer made the Senior student furrow his brow in frustration, his mind perturbed at the idea of all the hard work he put into winning the last battle being for nothing. And yet, there was no desire to correct their assumption, either, as it seemed that they depended on the owner to set a strong example. The old Pain Killer wouldn't have cared, but it seemed that he'd started to change over the years, having no desire to put a strain on that faith the employees seemed to have in Taiku.

Of course, he'd never admit such a thing.

Instead, Adam would listen silently to Rene's story, the fact that his eyes weren't wandering about the club being the only physical sign that his attention was focused. In a very real sense, his respect for her rose, simply due to the fact that he knew what living poor was like. In the same vein, his paranoia regarding Taiku was lessened somewhat, as the fact that the man seemed to help quite a few people, rather than just the self-proclaimed Pain Killer was much easier to accept without assuming there was some sort of nefarious purpose behind it.

Still, with this new insight into the female's life, Pain Killer would make no mention of it, and had nothing to add in reply. He hated when others gave him sympathy or pity, and believed that it would be an insult to do the same to her. Instead, he simply listened to what was next brought up, the topic of what was thought of Taiku. Rather than answer right away, Adam finally sipped at the coffee, letting the liquid sit in his mouth briefly before swallowing.

"I'm guessing he told you what I said before our fight in this club. Hn. Well, it's hard to say he's gone soft, considering he won that fight and the one afterwards, which proved that it wasn't a fluke. That's one of the reasons that eventually, there'll be another fight, to prove that my own victory wasn't just luck. But there's no need to rush it, I guess."

Whether it was due to the fact that Rene had shared her own difficulties with Pain Killer, or due to some other reason, Adam had mentioned a fact that he'd likely never admit to the older man any time soon. No longer did he believe Taiku to have grown weaker with age, not after the brutal fights they'd had so far, but there was no reason to share that knowledge with him either. However, as Adam finished speaking, one thought slowly made it's way to the forefront of his mind, one that hadn't bothered him before, but had begun to get annoying after so much conversation, causing him to act upon it and follow up the question with a hint of a smile.

"You know, you've got an advantage over me. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

[Kazuki Akimoto]

She shook her head slowly, but noticably as she set the cup down.

"He didn't need to tell me. I watched the entire thing on CCTV later that night when I came on shift. Couple of the girls told me what had happened, I figured he wouldn't tell me so decided to take a look for myself. Turns out he did quite a number on you then, so as I said, if you've managed to beat him since then, you've come a hell of a way..."

Glancing at her cup, almost empty as she swirled the remnants of her coffee around in the bottom of the mug, she gave a light shrug before her eyes returned to the youths, "Though I doubt he'll take up that rematch, after all. He'd planned on walking away from the fight scene after the last tournament. Still, I'm sure the occasional exception wouldn't be amiss to him. Who knows, really..."

She knew full well that Adams last comment had been one made in secrecy, and she would silently honour that for the younger man out of common decency. When he remarked on the fact she'd yet to give her name yet, she stifled a short giggle, a noise almost out of place on the stony face of the blonde and as light as any 'normal' girl would do so, and gave a short tilt of her head with a smile.

"Touche, Mr. Rydell...My name's Rene. Rene Carmichael..."

Taikus Perspective ooc: This can be at any time from the end of Renes remarks to the responses Adam gives, for simplicity

He'd left the office a few moments before, making his way downstairs at a leisurely pace before slipping out the main doors onto the club floor quietly. Looking over at the pair, he leaned against the bar for a minute, letting their conversation finish, though he couldn't hear them from the distance away and the fact they talked quietly between themselves, a luxury in Legion no less, considering the music wasn't playing yet. Afterward, he began to approach when it seemed that the bulk of their conversation had ended, giving a short nodding gesture towards Adam as he approached, and repeating the gesture to Rene afterward. Stopping at the side of the table, he set down a small binder in front of the blonde with a short smile.

"Would you mind going over the wages for the week for me please...?"

"Sure, I'll see you in a little bit. Same to you, Adam, take care now."

As she rose from the seat, Taiku replaced her smoothly, folding his arms in front of him, or rather, setting down one with a cast on it and loosely draping the other against it, before he began to talk.

"I know you're not one for dragging things out, so I'll skip most of the pleasantries and get right down to it. However, I do apologise that you had to wait so long. I assume Rene was accomodating enough?"

Waiting only long enough to let the response pass, he continued, "Alright. Well, as I said, I might be able to find something to help you pass the time. You never said if you'd found work to support yourself and Mya, so I basically wanted to offer you a job. Before you blow it aside, let me make it clear, I'm not doing goodwill, nor is this an act of 'sympathy' for you or your sister. You're a strong guy and clearly capable, and I could use someone else like that around here. Needless to say, you're not the only person that's come marching in here for trouble with me or someone else. Whilst myself and Rene are usually enough to handle problems the doormen can't, I'm not able to be here as a permanent fixture and I like to know my staff are safe."

Under his hands, where a few leafs of paper still sat after handing the folder to Rene, he pushed one of them across into the middle of the table. "Take this, if you want time to think about it. It'll explain the basics of what you'd be doing, covers salary and all that crap, basically the stuff you'd need to know up-front. It's your choice at the end of it, Adam, but I'll be plain with you. I hope you'll accept this offer, I really do. Also, if it's any silver lining, you'd not answer to me, but to Rene. She is, after all, head of the security here, and this was as much her idea as it was mine..."

With the cards laid out, he waited with a calm air around him, intent on allowing the younger male to c onsider what had been put before him.

[Pain Killer]

"Tch."

Pain Killer looked away briefly at the mention of Taiku's decisive victory, not overly thrilled with the memory of such a defeat. The moment, however, barely lasted past a few seconds before his eyes wandered back to Rene. It bothered him, to be sure, but nothing lasted forever. Instead, his attention shifted to the new words being spoken. Truth be told, the rematch would happen regardless of what Taiku wanted, if Pain Killer had anything to say about it, but that didn't mean that it had to happen soon. Oddly enough, Adam was perfectly content with how things were, for the moment.

The giggle that soon followed his statement made the corners of the Senior student's mouth twitch, as if he was willingly keeping his lips from spreading into a smile.

"Rene. I'll keep that in mind."

Before he could go any further with that thought, Adam caught sight of the club's owner heading towards the two of them. The nod sent his way was returned with a half-nod in return, the humour draining from his face instinctively once another had come across the scene in order to hide it. Rene's departure was met with a small two fingered wave, Pain Killer watching her leave before turning his attention to the older man.

"Yeah, she was fine."

The short response was all that was needed for Taiku to get into the actual reason he'd invited Pain Killer to Legion, something that he'd fully intended on refusing once he learned what it was. Before he could decline the offer, Taiku continued with the reasoning behind it, seemingly knowing full well what sorts of things irked the youngest Rydell about such a situation. Because his frustrations had been dealt with in advance, Adam considered the offer seriously for a moment, not taking the paper just yet, but instead, simply staring at Taiku, his thoughts quickly focussing on the last sentence. His face shifted, taking on the easily read expression of "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" for a moment before he finally snatched the piece of paper, his mind made up.

"Well, I suppose I could help you out. After all, I'd hate for you to throw out a hip when someone worth fighting comes through those doors, and what sort of a man would I be if I let a woman fight in my place?"

[Kazuki Akimoto]

A subtle flick of an eyebrow at the younger mans words was all Taiku graced him with at the moment, choosing to refrain from any small amount of amusement being shown on his face. After all their exchanges over the past months, he'd long since grown used to taking such quips from Adam with a very large pinch of salt.

That was, until he'd return with his own counter to them without betraying his own mirth at them.

"Of course, because in my old and haggard state, it only took you....what? Four attempts to actually get a win against me? Imagine that, Adam. Beaten by an old coot like me.....To be serious, though, don't underestimate Rene in the slightest. She doesn't seem all that tough, but she'll surprise you. Trust me...."

He left it at that, even if Adam chose to make his own retort to it, and allowed the larger of the pair to read what was on the paper without interruption for the moment. Leaning back in his chair slightly, he scratched softly at the edge of his cast by his forearm...He'd accepted that he'd need to wear it for a few weeks, all the more glad to know it was a very clean break and would take much less time to heal, but it was an awkward addition. Such simple, trivial things like dressing, eating and even writing were made much more complicated. Thankfully he was ambidextrous, else he'd have a mountain of paperwork to deal with, but his biggest issue was the hinderance it put on his training. Reflexive actions that he normally gave no thought to suddenly sent bolts of fierce pain through his arm, and it sapped his concentration.

Still, it was only for a short time, and he would tolerate it until then...

"If there's anything you would like to request, I'm willing to make concessions for most things within reason. After today, though, you'll go to Rene about anything. She, after all, is going to be your boss."

Only then did a faint trace of a smile emerge, a pleasant little curl at the side of his lips as he sat patiently for any response on Adams part.

[Pain Killer]

"Tch. Trust me, in the future, that record won't reflect so badly on me. But I'll take your word on how good she is."

Adam didn't have much to add to what Taiku had said, as his attention had slowly shifted to reading the paper the older man had given him. As usual, he didn't quite understand the legal language, but since he'd had a similiar job back in New York, he understood the gist of it. He hadn't worked for a club quite as successful as Legion though, and from what he could remember, this was a significant pay increase from the last job, though it was understandable.

After all, the last club was a shithole.

"It looks good to me. Plenty fair, and if Rene's as good as you say she is, then I've got no problems with her as my boss."

The thought of asking just what Taiku was smiling at occured to the youngest living Rydell, but he thought better of it. There was no need to start things on the wrong foot, though of course, the fact he was now employed by the former gang leader didn't mean he'd start being any nicer than he usually was.

"So, when do I start? Being younger, tougher, and stronger, I didn't end up as broken as you did from our fight, so I can start comin' in at any time."

While Pain Killer's face was turned towards the club rather than Taiku, the younger man's eyes would watch for a response to his comment, the humour starting to feel more natural the more he tried it.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

"Good, then. Though I wouldn't really worry much about the record. Chances are, sooner or later, I'll be up against you in the Fighters League..."

Smirking lightly at the remark, expecting that it would provoke some reaction from Adam in one capacity or another -partly because of his association with Dain allowing him prior knowledge of the competitors, considering he'd been present at most of the signups, partly because he wasn't entirely sure if Adam had been even aware of Taikus involvement in the league as a competitor-, he waved off the remark as he reached into his jacket pocket and slipped a pen from it, flicking it across the tabletop with a smooth, gliding motion to the larger youth as he also slipped across another slip of paper.

"Back to business, however...If you're happy with it, sign here and here...", tapping with his fingertip lightly against two dotted lines at intermittent sections of the contract, he also paused for a moment as he skimmed over the upside-down writing, pointing out a small section of the contract as well. "This is a default clause, if you feel the need to leave for whatever reason, it states you only need to give me one days notice to deal with it. As I'm sure you'll know, most places apply a two week notice period, so as I said, you're not signing your life away...."

In regard to anything Adam had said, most particularly the remark of him apparently being less broken than the elder club owner, he would give only a flicker of a smirk. In the grand scheme of things, he was more than used to such ribbing from the younger male. However, in the plain black and white of things, Adam knew that he had to accomplish a lot to prove his one victory wasn't just a case of him having a good day and Taiku having a bad one. If he could achieve two more consecutive victories in a row, then Taiku would completely acknowledge that Adam was the superior fighter. However, for now, he was content to humour the remarks. After all, if they were to work together, it would prove more viable for them to be able to get along outside of their little rivalry, even with it becoming more and more friendly as time passed by.

"Since you're so keen to be brought back down to earth, why don't you start now? At least, get your bearings with Rene, since you'll need to be shown around the place properly, get your ID set up and all that...Of course, if those ribs are giving you problems, maybe you'd like to go lie down and get some rest first....?"

The light smirk remained hovering on his face as he posed the offer to Adam, his fingers drumming against the cast idly.

[Pain Killer]

OOC: I know, this took forever. I need more hours in a day, lately.

IC:

At first, it would seem as if Pain Killer hadn't heard Taiku speak, as he said nothing in response for the moment, simply signing where required and listening silently to the terms he'd conveniently skipped over while reading. He even ignored the ribbing that came back his way, as instead, his mind was still trying to figure out the very first bit that the older man had said to him.

"You're shitting me. You're in it too?"

As the seconds ticked by, it was quickly becoming apparent that Taiku was not, in fact, "shitting" him, causing the youngest surviving Rydell to begin smiling, despite his best efforts not to. Given the spiel Taiku had given him before, Pain Killer had assumed the former gang leader to not be the type to sign up for such a thing, but the fact that he did was exciting for many reasons. Of course, the main reason was that it was a perfect setting for Adam to gain another victory, one that would happen in a public place and give more credibility to his claims of defeating the man formerly known as Kazuki.

However, in a rather quick fashion unlike his normally slow mind, Pain Killer realized he'd ignored Taiku's questioning, passing it off as just more humour rather than a serious request.

"My ribs are fine, Taiku. I don't need to lie down every ten minutes like a certain old man I know."

As if to prove his point, Pain Killer would push his chair back and stand up, stubbornly refusing to show the sudden stabbing pain he felt from the motion. His gloved hands would drop into the pockets of his trenchcoat once more as he stood waiting for the older man to do the same.

"I'm ready when you are."

Adam would pause, and then add one more thing, as if as an afterthought.

"I think it'll be... nice, to work here."

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: --Insert excuse for delay--

ic:

"Let's face it, I'm hardly one to crack jokes."

The smile, however, remained in place at the larger mans words. The fact stood for both that it would be a fitting place for a new fight, though for once, perhaps a fight that would be had in more favourable circumstances between the two. With no doubts that he subconsciously looked forward to that opportunity, he knew that he'd sooner or later need to step back. Of course, for now, he could still enjoy the fights without any real lasting regret.

Piquing his eyebrow at the remark, the smirk took on a frostier demeanour a moment as he spoke, evenly and with no hint of, well, anything in his voice.

"You should remember, whilst I didn't hold out on you, I was fighting very cleanly with you. It's not your ribs you should have been worrying about, that's for sure."

The flicker of a smirk rose again, however, and as Adam rose from his seat, Taiku followed suit as well, nodding. Turning, pushing the chair back in with a twist of his leg, he flicked an arm to gesture the younger of the pair to follow him. As it stood, little needed to be explained about the bar, and he figured that Rene, considering she was to be his direct boss, would be most suited to join the upcoming conversation. Guiding Adam as he made his way past the bar and through the side doors into the back areas of the club, he gave a short smile at the remark that had escaped the youths lips when he'd rose from his seat before.

Inwardly, if it helped the eldest of the Rydells in some capacity or another, then he was glad all the same...

"C'mon."

Glancing over his shoulder, he turned and began to hop up a set of stairs with surprisingly light steps, his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his suit pants loosely as he idly approached the office door and gave it a dull knock, pushing it open with a swing. Stepping in, he would wait until Adam had done so as well before he spoke to the blonde sitting at the desk, a pair of unrimmed reading glasses perched on her face that she took off as she looked up.

"He's in."

"Alright, then you can go for now. I'll give him the rest of the run-down."

A brief, quizzing glance from the younger of the pair was exchanged as Taiku flicked an eyebrow, momentary in presence and due to his standing a little in front of Adam, unseen...

"Okay, he's all yours."

Nodding to him, Rene folded the paperwork over as she rose from her seat. As she did so, Taiku turned, giving Adam a glance before speaking quietly. "Come and find me when you're done here, we'll have a drink or something. Hell, it'd make a change from punching the crap out of each other..."

Smirking, he walked with the same light step before slipping from the room, his footsteps muffled by the carpet underfoot as he made his way back to the main floor....

Rene's Perspective

Glancing as Taiku left, her attention shifted as she folded the glasses and set them down on the desk, stepping away from it and meeting the taller youths eyes a moment. With no shift in her expression, she nodded towards the door and paced past him, fully expecting him to follow as she exited the office and made her way back down the stairs that Adam would have come up only a few minutes ago. Giving only a single cursory glance over her shoulder to make sure he was still there, she didn't say a word for the moment before stopping at a larger door, one that was secured a lot more than the others so far in the club. Pressing her thumb on a small sensor, the lock bleeped and the catch on the door released, allowing her to pull it open.

Personally, she loved the technology. It was so inexpensive to buy these days, that you could pick up a decent one for under fifteen hundred dollars.

"So far, you've seen the main bar floor and the administrative aspects of Legion. Taiku entertains clients and other guests in his office, so we don't worry so much about security that far into the building. Besides, any paperwork we keep there is usually non-sensitive, so we don't worry about security. In the offchance of someone being that stupid, well, that's where we come in."

Smiling at the remark, she paused and turned to face Adam, her hand typing a few keys on a small control panel below the sensor.

"Place your thumb on the sensor, wait until it beeps, then take it off. Do it three times in a row, and it'll store your print for future reference. Easy peasy."

With a light smile on her face as she waited for the youth to follow the instruction, she then turned again and led him through to the true back rooms of Legion. This, as Adam would soon learn, was where the real inner workings of the club were held. Security held all its facility in this area, and considering Taikus infamy with certain less than favourable people in the past, he was not so much wary as careful in keeping appropriate measures kept.

As she walked, her arm would occasionally gesture to a room as they passed it, and on the short walk she pointed out a lounge room, fitted with a sizeable television and a couple of games consoles along with a pair of large sofas, then a large office with a long table in the middle, at one end a board was hung with a few basic scrawls on it, and lastly, of any importance, was the room she stopped in front of.

"Alright, as you'll know about Taiku from the past, he's lost one club already due to problems with people. As such, we keep ourselves strongly prepared for any such events ever occurring again."

Once again, her thumb pressed down onto a sensor, but this time, it only served to open the keypad for another lock. Drumming in a complex-looking code, she then swung open the heavy door and led Adam in. Strewn across the walls, flak jackets and other 'riot' gear sat in individual stations. Along with each, it would be clear to note, a pristine firearm sat in a perspex case, sealed shut.

"If you want to work here, then I'll get the ugly shit out of the way now. Every single security member was told exactly what I'll tell you now, no exceptions. This room is the absolute last resort for us, if we can possibly avoid it, and since coming here we've been able to do just that. Take a look at it, because all things considered, you'll have no need to see it again. There is nothing hidden from us here, and new workers are the exact same."

After a moment, she would usher him from the room and push the security door closed again, leading him backwards toward the large office and inside, taking a seat at the table and pushing a chair out for Adam as well, letting him sit down.

"Tell me one thing...Why did you accept the offer of the job?"

It was a simple question, but to Rene, it would answer a lot more than Adam could believe...

[Pain Killer]

OOC: Well, that's perfectly reasonable! No worries.

IC:

Without a word in response, Pain Killer followed Taiku up the stairs, taking his sweet time unlike the older man. As such, once he'd made it to the office, he would catch the tail end of the conversation between Rene and the club owner, thinking nothing of it and simply inclining his head towards Taiku as he spoke.

"Hn. I guess you could drink me under the table again."

With a small smirk, Pain Killer would watch the older man leave the room, waiting until he was out the door before looking towards his new boss. It seemed that she, too, would be exiting through the same door, and Adam would lag behind, following someone for the second time in just a few minutes, saying nothing but still listening. It all made sense, so there would be no questions coming from him, or at least, none that were voiced verbally.

The sensor, however, threw him for a bit of a loop. By default, Pain Killer hated all things he didn't understand, which led him to hating quite a few objects and people, not least of all the newfangled technology surfacing these days. The sensor, however, was the worst so far, and with no small amount of distaste being expressed on his face, Pain Killer slowly following through with Rene's instructions.

Much of the rest of the tour went in much of the same fashion, Adam trailing behind and listening as everything was explained. Once the two reached another sensor, however, they stopped longer than at the other doors. Pain Killer had, of course, heard of the attack on the Edge, not least of all because his brother had been one of those participating in the battle. The sight of Taiku's preperations, however, caused even the youngest Rydell's eyes to open wide in surprise, the sheer amount of gear and equipment overwhelming him at first. The sound of Rene speaking again pulled Adam out of his reverie, the Senior student stepping clear from the door as it closed.

"Guns are for the weak. I wouldn't go in this room unless I absolutely had to, so you've got nothing to worry about from me."

Once again, the two walked back to the office, Pain Killer lagging behind. More than once, he'd thought of trying to start up conversation, but failed miserably at coming up with something decent, instead having to tolerate the silence until they finally reached the office. Once Rene sat down, Pain Killer debated whether to keep standing or not, but as the chair was pushed out for him, it seemed his decision was made for him, causing him to take a seat after a small, almost imperceptible nod of thanks. Rene's question, despite how simple it was, required a short moment of thought before she would get a reply.

"Everybody's got bills to pay. Mya's savin' to go back to school, so someone needs to make some money. Besides, Taiku's different from most I've met... since he seems so deadset on helping, I suppose I might as well let him. Just this once."

Briefly, Adam paused, wondering exactly how many of his interactions with the older man had reached the blonde's ears. After all, he'd crossed paths with Taiku quite often while in San Francisco, and several times had gotten into fairly in-depth conversations with the man. If he had, then Rene would likely know just how hollow Adam's last words had been, though if Taiku had kept such things to himself, then Pain Killer's bluff might save his image yet. Regardless, he would smirk once more as he continued speaking, making his apparently good mood stil apparent.

"Why? Disappointed I did?"

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: --Apologies for length--

ic:

"Maybe, Adam, but remember that just as guns can take life, they can save them too if used in the right hands. They're not here as a means of attack, but defence. However, the moral debate isn't the point here. As I said, the fact is they're here in the worst-case scenario, nothing more."

Dropping the subject immediately afterward, the pair progressed on before eventually reaching the office, and after posing her question, Rene sat with an undetectable smirk at the afterthought of Adams remark. Of course, Taiku and her had in the past made conversation over Adam in varying capacities, most often as the elder of the two males found himself banging his head on a mental brick wall trying to understand the larger youth after their fights. Over time, however, it'd progressed and the initial bitterness had become a mixture of curiosity into understanding just what drove him and why the facade was still there...Having lived it himself, Taiku knew all too well the mental blocks one could have put up for themself, and Rene was no stranger to it, if not more accustomed to the situation.

"Of course, just this once...."

The faint lilt in her voice hinted only to a basic, silent agreement that she knew he was being far from honest, and in a heartbeat she spoke again at his following remark.

"Disappointed? No. Surprised, maybe. Intrigued, probably. Curious....? More than a little. However you choose to portray yourself, it's clear you're not the sort to take an offer like that unless you really want to, or if you feel you're obligated to. Bear in mind, Adam, if you took this job because you felt you had to, then you're only going to make my job more difficult. However, I honestly believe that isn't the case, and as such, I'm quite pleased that you chose to take the offer. Fact is, you're an interesting guy, however you want to take that."

Shrugging lightly, she reached to the side and pulled over a small manila envelope and slid it over to Adam, one end of it still open.

"I.D badge. Hope you don't mind, but we used one of the CCTV pictures of you for it. I think we caught your good side, somehow."

A faint smirk rose at the remark, and she leaned back in the chair a little, crossing a leg over lightly before speaking again. "So, tell me a little about yourself. Taiku gave me a vague run-down, but I'd rather hear it from the horses mouth, so to speak. As you so put it before, you have the advantage on me here. You know enough of my background, but I know virtually nothing about you..."

[Pain Killer]

OOC: No worries. Length doesn't matter to me.

IC:

Being far from the sharpest knife in the drawer, Pain Killer assumed his bluff had worked, completely missing the subtle message behind what Rene had said. However, the idea that someone actually found him interesting caught him off guard, Adam's eyes opening wider in surprise at such a concept. As such, he had nothing to say in response, having no idea of what sort of response was appropriate.

His hand reached out to pull the folder closer to him, lifting the badge contained within off the table to look at it in better detail. Typically, the picture of him contained no smile, but in an odd twist from usual unwitting pictures, his face held none of it's usual contempt for those around him.

All in all, I guess it's not bad...

"I wasn't aware I had a good side. This must be a fake."

His own lips curled upwards, meeting Rene's smirk with his own. However, it slowly faded at the woman's questioning, as it was a subject he rarely got into in any real detail. Still, fair was fair, or so he reasoned.

"There's not much to tell. Parents are gone, no big loss there. Spent most of my younger days fighting for money, 'till I went to Varron, where our boss beat me the first time. Right after I was finishing up a different fight, too. I guess New York was where most of the interesting things happened, since I wound up finding both of my siblings there, though I'd rather not have run into him."

Adam frowned slightly, dropping his ID badge onto the table. Even after all this time, and hearing that Trent was dead, he still had nightmares about his brother. It was something he refused to mention to anyone, even Mya, and regardless of how much Rene had told him about herself, was something he wouldn't mention any time soon.

"It was fun enough there, I guess. When Stern came around, I was actually part of something that would've made a difference. Kvist and his pack of retards changed that, though, since we all got transferred here. Once here, I started pickin' fights with Taiku and anyone else of value. Figured I'd do what I could to get better."

The youngest Rydell crossed his arms in front of his chest, his frowning face turning to a full blown scowl. He never liked talking about himself, and had already said much more than he usually deemed was acceptable.

"That's about it, or at least all I can think of that's worth noting, at any rate."

He paused for a moment, his mind working at it's normal slow pace to find something else to bring up, before suddenly being struck by inspiration.

"So I heard from Taiku you're pretty good at what you do. You just pick it up on your own, or did someone help you learn?"

[Dain Gavyns]

((If my interruption is unwanted... feel free to delete my post, you big bad mod-types!))

"Rumor has it, she defeated upwards of twelve bartender-slash-kung-fu-warriors in a battle, cut off their heads and gained their power, actually."

Dain's head poked through the door from the side, wearing his trademark smirk. He looked the occupants of the office up and down for half a moment before pulling the rest of his body into view and resting it against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, and good ol' PK forgot the numerous times I beat him down, just for shits and grins."

If Adam had indeed turned to face Dain by this point, Dain would give him a nod and a good-natured grin, showing what the younger man would have already known, that he meant no harm whatsoever.

"Word travels fast, y'know, and I heard the big guy was getting signed into our payroll. Wait, don't tell me, I'm SURE I know what position..."

Dain put his hand up to his chin and started to rub it thoughtfully, pushing off the doorframe and walking towards the big man before stopping right in front of him, looking up into his face, and widening his eyes suddenly as if the light bulb had just gone off.

"Ah-ha! I know it! Entertainment!"

Excitedly, Dain rushed to the other side of the office, over by Rene, and put on a mock-serious face and threw his hand out dramatically, pointing to an obscure point somewhere at the ceiling.

"Can't you see it? The Great Pain-Killer! Showtune Singer Extraordinaire!"

Dain laughed a little at his own lame joke, before finally settling down from his exuberance into his other usual mood: laid-back.

"So, anyway, I trust the orientation whatever thingy is going along smoothly enough?"

Dain spoke the question fairly openly, leaving it so that either one could answer if they saw fit. As he did, Dain leaned against the back wall of the office, glancing from Rene to PK occasionally as he rested.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

An understanding nod left her head as she listened to him speak, and in some ways she was somewhat...glad, she supposed, that the younger man had chosen to actually divulge the information he had. The mention of 'him', however, warranted a short, puzzled expression that she quickly removed. There was no point prying, considering Adam had almost immediately frozen talking at the comment, and she dropped it immediately.

When he shifted the conversation onto her apparent skill at what she 'did', she racked her mind a moment to question on whether he was asking about her work or her own combat prowess. In either regard, the answer was the same, and she smirked as she went to answer.

"Well, most of--"

Cut off by Dain as his head stuck around the door, she gave a mildly incredulous glance at the Edges former partners words. In typical fashion, his jokers nature cut in and forced her to both stifle a small giggle and fire a slightly dark glare at him. Mainly because of his rather sudden interruption, but moreso because she doubted there'd be too many opportunities where the younger male would talk as he was. Still, she smiled and gestured for Dain to come into the room properly, away from the doorframe.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're in good spirits as always, though I'd not really expect any less from you..."

The smile she gave was warm and friendly, admittedly moreso than that she'd given to Adam, but in regard, she'd been closer to Dain for a long time and had been one of the first to truly test him when he'd approached Taiku with the business proposition. That had been an amusing fight, and with a grin, she spoke evenly with a lilt in her voice.

"Well, since I ran you ragged once before, I guess that means you boys just can't keep up with me..."

A short smirk rested on her lips as an eyebrow raised daintily, the remark being left to hang in the air for Adam to respond to in whatever capacity he chose before she gave a nod a moment later. "Yeah, the induction is going just fine, though since you're here, we can cover another aspect with a better perspective. Adam, in case you hadn't clicked on, Dain is one of the other silent partners in Legion. As you'll already know, he hosts the Fighters League that you and Taiku compete in, and that in no small part used to be hosted along with Taiku as the 'Edge League'. He's not so much a boss of anyone as an investor and a confidante. He'll most likely drive you mad, but that's quite expected."

Giving a small smirk towards the older male, she shifted her gaze between the pair as she finally answered Adams question from earlier. "Anyway, far as business goes, we all just kinda picked it up as we go along. Taiku has a talent for it, so he just kinda set it out for us at first, and from there we took more on to balance the load out. Far as my fighting goes, well, I picked up a few things to keep myself intact when I was having a rougher time a few years back, and again, Taiku helped out with the rest and showed me how to fine-tune what I'm best at. I'll just say that I can take care of myself, and leave it at that..."

[Pain Killer]

It would seem that almost everyone Pain Killer managed to tolerate happened to work at Legion, as the voice of one Dain Gavyns caused him to slowly turn in his chair, glancing over his shoulder at the older man. His scowl would deepen at the mention of Dain's victories over himself, despite Dain's good nature, though whether it truly bothered him was hard to tell. Perhaps not surprisingly, the reminder of such losses simply served to give Adam an idea of what he needed to do next; secure a victory over the former Senior Captain.

Such thoughts, however, were chased away by the intense urge to throttle Dain for his infernal good mood. The very thought of being in front of so many people, with all their attention on him as he tried to sing something was horrible, causing his hands to clench and unfurl in pure anxiety. Willing himself to calm down, Pain Killer openly stared at Dain, knowing full well this was simply how the older man was, and for once, he held no grudge over it. Instead, he attempted to get into the act himself, speaking up once Rene had replied to Dain for the second time.

"Hn. Don't put me in the same category as that circus clown, he's not in my league any more. And I intend to prove that... eventually."

Leaning back, Adam listened silently as Rene went on explaining, his eyes shifting from Dain to the only female in the room when she spoke. Despite having to meet Dain at the Edge back in Varron, Pain Killer had no idea just how high up the ladder Dain was, so to speak. Of course, as the details were explained, Adam's mind came to one conclusion, one he thought out loud as he looked towards Dain with a smirk.

"So basically, you do nothing and still get money from your investment. Lazy as ever, I see."

Once again, Adam's eyes wandered back to Rene when she finally answered his question, something that made him pause and think briefly. The thought of Taiku training yet another person seemed fitting, in a way, at least for Pain Killer's mental image of the Asian man, and caused him to briefly wonder whether he had anything to teach the Senior student.

Pffff. I don't need his help.

"I guess the old man needs to leave behind a legacy somehow."

[Dain Gavyns]

Dain was mostly silent during the interlude to follow, answering with general nods and grunts of approval and/or acknowledgment. As loudmouthed as he was, Dain was still a smart guy, and usually, once he stole the show with his entrance, he was content to sit back and just become part of the conversation as a regular attendant. And as such, the conversation didn't really include him to begin with, and so, he sat and listened. Of course, he grinned and smirked a bit at some of the jibes that inevitably came his way, but that was to be expected. Being not only generally cheery, but also very observant, Dain found a pattern with most people he greeted: The more outlandishly jokey and good-natured he was, the more those he spoke with found a subconscious desire to counteract with some sort of sarcasm or bitterness. Dain never faulted anyone for it, after all, most people with whom he treated as such were those he considered close friends, and a little ribbing between close friends was, after all, to be expected.

"Hey." Dain said suddenly and sternly, just after Pain Killer's comment about his position within Legion. "I also try to bartend every now and then. You should see my handspin, I'm gettin' pretty good at it!"

Dain smirked as he finished his statement, giving PK his trademark wink.

"But yeah, big guy," Dain said again, looking at the taller man whilst jerking his head towards Rene, "don't mess with her, that's one hardcore bitch. She's scrappy like Taiku, but I swear, she's meaner. He's been good to us both, though."

Dain spoke a little off-handedly, obviously referring to the older Asian, Taiku.

"He's kinda like a brother to me, y'know. I drove his ass to the hospital after Shamino tore him up, and ever since then, we've worked off each other, y'know? Just picking things up here and there. Sometimes he learns things, most times it's me. Seriously, Adam, you'll do good here. We get the work done, but we still have fun."

On the notion of fun, Dain's eyes lit up, and he turned towards Rene with a wide grin.

"Say, he hasn't met Rocco yet, has he...?"

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: Ack, couldn't think of much to write. Sorry guys.

ic:

"Legacy? Nah, I'm my own person. Right now, Reiko, his cousin is the project at hand. Blood relative and all that. Besides, I've got the necessary skill to do what I must, when I must."

She gave a light shrug with a smirk at the remark, giving a sidewards glance to Adam at it before turning her attention to Dain as he spoke, resting her chin in the heel of her hand as he gave a short description of his own experiences with Taiku. Choosing not to elaborate on it of her own accord, she gave only a wry grin when Rocco was mentioned...

"No, he's not had the pleasure yet. I figured it would be better for him to get acquianted with the basics of what he would be doing here before he met Rocco. To that note, Adam..."

Once again she returned her attention to the younger man, "Don't be too put off by Rocco when you do meet him. Just like the rest of us, he's trained with Taiku and on his own, so he's formidable enough, but you'd not know it to look at him. Let's just say...."

Stifling a quiet giggle to herself, she continued, "Let's just say he doesn't give off the vibe you'd expect for someone of his capability. Dain was one to learn that the hard way, and that's a story for another day as well, usually with plenty of liquor so the poor guy doesn't get nightmares of it again..."

She cocked an eyebrow at Dain as the last part of the remark was spoken, leaving a brief silence.

"What? After all, I'm a 'hardcore bitch', as you so eloquently put it. Gotta live up to the reputation once in a while, right?"

Something lingered in her mind for a moment as she held the smirk, letting it fade from her face slowly. Choosing not to immediately say it, she made a mental note about it for later and gave the pair a glance as she rose from her seat.

"Well, as far as the induction goes, unless you've got any questions to ask, I think we've covered all the essentials. A drink is in order, and I'm sure Taiku would like to join us. Shall we...?"