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 Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:13 am
Yunan gave Nyko a deadpan look as the suggestion sank in. "This is the only way you have for me to get close?" He would far rather try to bribe some workers to get a meeting. This would be a precious waste of his time especially if spent with some lowly maid. The thought made him almost groan before realization dawned on him. He could get a free performance to see if the songbird was truly worth the effort and the coin...Yunan let out a sigh before lifting his cup and taking a slow drink of tea as he gathered his thoughts. To go or not to go, that is a good question indeed. It would save him time from trying to find a contact, especially in a foreign country where he was basically starting from scratch. Oba or Matori he could easily have had eyes but here? It would take him at least a couple of months before truly finding someone trustworthy. Bribes were one thing but finding someone who kept their lips closed as well? That took some serious testing and a lot of patience which he was finding grew shorter by the hour. He wanted to go back to the comfortable home he had in Matori within a few years and not spend a chunk of his life overseas. Cutting corners already. And then for the songbird to even suggest that this was his only choice! Hah! If not for the desire to get his business started as soon as possible, Yunan would have gladly laughed off the suggestion and made a game of things. He did not enjoy someone acting like they had a choice whenever he had interest in them. The thought made his lips press into a thin line. "I don't have much interest in.....dating." He stated after a pause. "But if this could get me closer to your employer so that I could learn more about her then I suppose it would be worth paying for someone's dinner. However, if this plan of yours fails and turns into a waste of my time I will not be happy. In fact, I would have to return the favor by taking more of your time whether pleasurable to you or not." His amber gaze was molten, the intensity and promise of pain or pleasure glinting in those depths as he stabbed again at another fruit and slowly bit into it. Currently the songbird owed Yunan nothing but agreeing to this plan would surely form some connection between them and Yunan wanted to make certain that Nicosia was aware of it.
"If things do go as planned and I can get your help in starting my business then its success will pay for your contract." He added as an afterthought. "You'll be free to do as you please and go wherever you like." Whether or not the Matori had realized it before it was fairly obvious that this Gilly had hold of his life now and would be reluctant to let him go without pressure. Yunan doubted Nicosia could simply walk away nor would he be able to pay the sums that Gilly had probably spent in raising the songbird to stardom. Yunan, however, could find ways to open that cage if the Matori wanted and he hoped that the little seed he had planted would nag at the other man's mind. Who would want to be trapped by another after running away from such a life in the first place after all? If he needed someone to put him in chains then Yunan could also easily do that but it would be Nicosia's choice in the end. As exciting as the thought was Yunan had to quickly shake off the temptation. Business, advertisements, singing events... He reminded himself quietly as a reason for his interest in the other man. You get the star and then you get the crowds that come with him. That was all and nothing more.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:51 am
[16]
Nyko's grin just became all the more sinister. "Oh, I'm sorry, not your angle? Too bad, really." When a waitress moved to walk past the performer raised his hand and asked for a refill on his drink, smiling as sweetly as he could to her. She may not have been their actual server, but this one was much younger and all the prettier for it. It was vindicating when she hurriedly accepted it, her pale yellow cheeks darkening with color as she scuttled away.
"I understand that she's not exactly your type, but there's just not that many foreigners to fall naked into your bed." Poor timing to drop that line, really; his waitress had just come back with a fresh cup of juice. Her body was practically red with embarrassment, and Nyko caught a bit of it himself. "At least pretend to smile, too, alright? Seriously, with a face like that you're going to wrinkle."
Honestly, he could at least pretend like this was going to work out. Sure, this guy may not prefer women, but how hard would it be to have one dinner and enjoy a show? If anything it would show Gilly that he had more invested in Belrea then some hair brained idea to get his own business off the ground. She needed to see that there was something in it for her, and this would only help!
"If everything goes off without a hitch, and you hold up your end of the bargain then I'll do everything I can to get Gilly to talk to you. And after that, if you manage to get my contract, then I'll be much more open to helping you."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:28 pm
"It's not exactly my usual course of action, that's for certain." Quipped back Yunan as he watched the waitress interacting with Nicosia with a bit of disdain and something else curling in his stomach. His lips twitched upwards into a small smirk at the thought of foreigners falling naked into his bed. "Haven't been here long enough so I suppose my record is just Matori men for now." He replied which basically had the waitress sprinting back towards the kitchens, her body so red that she may as well have been emitting steam. Some amusement crossed his features as he fastened a tight smile to his face for Nicosia's benefit. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I can smile whenever necessary." Even if he would rather gut his company, Yunan had proven on multiple occasions to turn that sour expression into a much more pleasant façade.
Yunan's fingers tightened around his fork until finally he relented with another sigh. "Fine. I promise you that this friend of yours will have a wonderful night. Let me know the time and place of the performance and I will take her there with dinner afterwards. We can meet up that night once I drop her off to discuss your plans about speaking with Gilly." A week would give him time to start tracking down investors and to go to that meeting his aunt had arranged. If she wanted to drop him in Belrea with barely any contacts then Yunan would make due with this for now. One week would give him time to gather more information about this Gilly and Nicosia as well. If the performance was worthwhile then he would commit to this plan and if not he could find another performer in the meantime as well.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:39 pm
[17]
"You're staying here, right? I'll have tickets sent over later today with the time and location. I'll tell her to wear something really flashy so you'll be sure to know it's her." If he didn't she would likely wear the most drab dress she owned and blend in so well with the walls that Yunan would never find her! Nyko just couldn't have that. She deserved to be treated like a princess, and also...well, a part of him wanted her to be so garishly tacky that Yunan's embarrassment would keep the entire theater warm.
"Just to be clear you can smile though, right? I know you said you could, but-" Nyko crossed his fingers, leaned his elbows onto the table and rested his chin ontop of them. "Why don't you give me a little demonstration, hmm? Really lay it on thick so I know she'll be in good hands."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:25 pm
Yunan nodded. "Sounds good." Though he was curious about what flashy meant exactly. Couldn't he just have a name? Yunan was already praying about all the patience it would take to get through the performance. He would get a place that served wine and hopefully the theatre was a fine enough establishment to offer drinks as well. Since it was just to keep the songbird's friend happy and not some official meeting he could surely be a bit more flexible and not completely emerged in a role. "Seems like this friend is fairly important to you." He mused as he studied Nicosia thoughtfully. Why else would he use her as the means to starting a new contract like this?
If pleasing one woman was the test to getting what he wanted then Yunan would have to oblige. "Seriously?" He scoffed at the Matori's suggestion. "Aren't you supposed to be the performer?" Why was he being asked to prove himself for such a simple task? How hard could it be to take one woman to a performance and pay for a delicious dinner afterwards? Yunan nearly rolled his eyes before realizing exactly how much amusement he could get out of the other man's request. "Fine." Leaning forward, Yunan studied Nicosia a moment before his expression shifted and he found himself smiling tenderly. "I hope you know what you're getting into Nicosia." He whispered slowly, his words caressing every syllable of the name as it danced across his tongue. "I will make certain she feels cared for since she is so dear to you." Yunan reached out a hand and gently tucked a stray strand of hair back behind Nicosia's finned ear, his fingers lingering before sliding down to lightly touch the other man's cheek. "You had a bit of food here." His fingers trailed down and carefully brushed the piece away from the corner of the Matori's lips before taking his sweet time to pull away. "I hope the dinner was to your liking, miss." Another warm smile before the cold expression of disdain was back in its place. "Happy?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:49 pm
"Friends aren't easy to come by when you're fresh off the airship. Especially in this line of work." Performers of all kinds were notoriously vicious. They stuck close to their cliques and weren't accepting of outsiders, especially of foreigners who were keen on taking their spotlight. He couldn't help that he was a better singer than them or that he just happened to look better in stage makeup. "Carlotta just happens to be more understanding than others. She also works with my fiancée, so there's that."
It had been nice to have someone offer his sweetheart a job. At first she'd been so nervous her angry showed when he said he'd found a place that wanted to hire her, but she relented after a while. He couldn't very well pay for everything, could he, with Gilly taking so much towards his debt?
Oh. OH.
Nyko's mouth went from an almost proud smirk into a surprised line real fast. His chest shouldn't feel this tight just hearing his name, should it? And yet, that tongue...Feeling the other man's fingers on his ear made the little frills flicker just like every nerve ending on his body.
Just grab his shirt and pull him up out of that damn chair, then-
"Yeah, that'll work." Was his voice squeaky? No, surely not. Nyko cleared his throat and sat back in his seat, subconsciously putting some space between the two of them. "You know...you could have done so much in theater with an act like that."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:15 pm
"Fair enough." Yunan nodded at the explanation and made certain to not let his expression slip at the mention of a fiancée. Surely he was upset at the idea because it meant his songbird would have some distraction. Distractions only led to trouble and potentially ruined plans. Yunan would have to deal with that later and see what type of fiancée belonged to Nicosia. Anyone flaky enough would be easily swayed by coins or a few words in the dark, that much Yunan had definitely learned during his time in Oba. If he took this contract and if his songbird proved to be truly valuable then Yunan would want sole ownership. He could be greedy like that after all.
Satisfied with the reaction from the Matori, Yunan settled back into his seat. "So I've been told. It's amazing how much acting one must do when securing deals." He smirked before glancing towards Nicosia. "Hopefully I didn't make your heart flutter too much. I wouldn't want your friend to pass out before getting through dinner." Waving his hand, Yunan got the attention of the slightly less flustered waitress. "Check please." He glanced towards Nicosia. "I believe we have a plan and should be finished here, yes?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:19 pm
[19]
Nyko contemplated the sudden turn his life had taken while passively watching as their waitress moved away, presumably to get their check. As strange as it was to say the fabulous, outlandish Matorian had been a creature of habit for so long that little excitements took a moment to sink in. At first it had been his "grand escape", then it was the move from Matori to Oba and now this.
At first he'd been so sure that Gilly would throw Yunan out that he hadn't mind setting up a meeting. If anything it might have proven to be entertaining, but now he wasn't so sure how this would go down. Maybe he'd have a new boss at the end of the day? And if he did, what would that mean exactly?
"Sounds like it. As long as you don't have any last questions for me I'll be taking my leave."
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:28 pm
"I don't have any last questions. Just make certain that they leave the address and the name of my date when the tickets are delivered." Yunan knew he would have a busy week ahead of him now that there was an actual event scheduled other than the meeting with some potential investors. They would want some sort of opening presentation and he was determined to give it to them. Based upon his meeting with the songbird Belrea seemed like a place that truly enjoyed something flashy and so he would have to rise to the occasion. Yunan handed coins to the waitress before standing from the table and taking a step to the side.
"A pleasure to meet you, Nicosia. I'll be certain to see you again soon enough." Yunan gave something of a courteous nod towards the bard before brushing past. "I'll be busy with meetings this week but feel free to leave any messages at the front desk if necessary." He murmured as he walked away and back down the hallway towards the stairs so that he could prepare for the rest of his day.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:44 pm
[FIN]
"Sure thing, princess," Nyko murmured. There was something about this man that reminded him of those fish nobles would buy simply for decoration. They were incredibly toxic for you to eat, no matter how you cooked it, but so long as you kept them happy they could at least make nice pets.
Bold of him to assume I have anything else to say. Oh, he probably could leave a few messages, but none of them would be savory or 'professional'. So, instead, Nyko settled for rising from his seat and moving towards the door. His fiancee was no doubt worried after his little 'adventure' last night and he'd have to be sure to play it down as much as possible. Some things she just didn't need to know, no matter how actually innocent they were.
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