So a cat walks into a club-

[oichi]

It was a clear night in Tokyo. The stars were out and a full moon illuminated over anything that wasn't in the shadows or inside. It served as a sign that it was actually a good night to go out. Some people could be seen walking, whether they were going or coming back from somewhere. There was one figure on the rooftops of the alley, a woman or a cat woman if you want to get technical. She had been looking down, observing the people. While she had no problem with the public as a whole, she didn't want some random stragglers to discriminate her when they know nothing about her.

Ayane was dressed up a bit more than usual. Her sleeveless black dress and short black boots complimenting her orange hair, ears and tail. She also had a black headband on her head. She was looking on her diary for her written down direction that she obtained from goggle maps on a persons phone. It was for going to one of the many nightclubs and hangout spot that Tokyo had. The last information she had of her father was that he loved the ladies and the night scene despite seemingly being a loner, so she had snuck out of the temple to find some info on her own. Surely there was something here that she can get her claws onto. "Alright, my first clubbing experience is a go!" she thought, starting to run.

She ran across the rooftops, jumping from roof to roof without breaking momentum. She could see a neon sign in the distance that looked like a popular nightclub. Once she got close enough to the building without being on it, Ayane climbed down using the windows on one side and using her claws to wall jump down on the other building. She was sure she made little claw marks on the sides of those two buildings but she figured it gave them more character now. She wasn't sure if she was old enough to be let into the nightclub, she knew security would be a bit harsh on busy nights like this. As she walked on the side of the building however, she found two punks arguing over whose paying for drinks when they get inside. It quickly escalated to a fistfight which the bouncer was trying to break up. Ayane found that as an opening and snuck inside.

The music was pumping in the club as she walked in. It looked kinda classy, and the tables were rather shiny. There was plenty of people in there, human and yokai. Some were on the dance floor, others were in the bar area, a couple were in the esteemed VIP rooms but Ayane couldn't go in there. She walked across to go sit on one of the couches that was in the corner. She asked for a glass of warm milk to start drinking. She lounged all over the couch, it was really soft. "Mmm, this is a nice couch. I don't even know where to start looking. So much noise." she thought, her ears twitching on the beat.

[mermalaide]

 I pale young man with brunette hair and baggy clothing seems to be out of place. He heads toward the back where the club's bathrooms are, drawing looks from one or more of the hostesses, and a security guard. A bubbly blonde girl with bronze skin and a cute, short outfit stands up. She crosses her arms coquettishly and gives a slight nod to the security guard, who quietly follows the young man into the back. Her blonde, side pony jiggles a little with the rest of her and she seems to see another person kind of out of place. 




Looks like we have a lot of stragglers tonight an' new faces. Better be extra vigilant.

She put on a bright smile and made her way towards the Nekomata girl that had hopped onto one of the overstuffed, cozy couches. The ears were cute. It reminded her of another neko, though this one seemed like she was looking more to unwind than cause trouble. "Hey there~! Welcome to club Mars!" She gave a big smile. "Is this your first time here?" Tsubasa knew it was, she hadn't seen her at any of the clubs Tsbasa worked at or collected from as far as the Takeda were concerned. She didn't look like a cop, but she did look a little young.

"We have a lot of drinks and snacks that don't have any alcohol, there's also dancing and karaoke!" Though, the karaoke was in the back, which was geared towards parties and hostesses.

[datmass]

Now, there was a man here who DID look kind of like a cop. Maybe not exactly like one, but he was in a suit. He was in line, like any person patiently waiting to go in would be. Brown-haired, quite fit, dark suit, looking a bit lanky in the build, and relatively handsome to boot - he was a certain investigator looking into the matter of a certain neko-man, as per hire by a certain nekomata girl that just walked in, actually. He had stood behind someone to prevent eye contact and recognition, which would probably lead to distraction on all of their parts. Yes, that's right, it's Shiro Kunekawa, doing the job he'd been asked to do. He soon came to the door with the bouncer, who looked him over and asked...

"Why the fancy dress?"

"I'm off work, and I wanna unwind. I see a place I can cut some rug, and I gotta go. In the name Hito Fuyunaito, I have come to dance."

Now, you may think this has no impact, but Shiro invoked the name for a reason, and that it was the name of The Dancing Accountant, a serious man who works an honest living known for breaking into dance in the off hours, fully-suited and without reservation. Max's father was a diva at dance machines and a master of moves on the dance floor. And of course, for a number of years, he raised Shiro along with the other Fuyunaitos. So...Shiro was fleat of foot and very capable, especially when coupled with his martial arts. The bouncer accepted this, and he was in. A moment later, Shiro was ordering a light drink to look around...and then it happened: The music changed.

"Ahh...my jam."

Out goes the suited man onto the dance floor in a smoothe moonwalk-like motion, before busting some Samurai Jack moves, all while keeping his eye open for anyone who might be a Maine Coon Nekomata, or at the very least some kind of hairy ginger who looked like he might be an illusory image OVER such a fellow.

[oichi]

Ayane hadn't noticed Shiro in the club, at least probably not yet. She did notice a blond waitress coming towards her. The couch was comfy enough to relax in and she was hoping for her milk drink. It didn't seem like it was in the waitress' hands, but she seemed friendly enough. "Hi there! It is my first time here. Is this a new club or has it been here for a long time?" she asked. There were quite a few dancefloors lit up with the rhythm and beat of the music playing. Not all dancefloors did that though, which made the urge to chase after the lights go away.

She was more in awe of the guy that was dancing like no ones business. He seemed like a natural, the energy was perfect. He also looked similar, kinda like Shiro. She was watching him as some people got out of his way to let him dance, at the same time, her glass of milk finally arrived. "That guy can dance. Does he come here often?" she asked the waitress. She continued to be in awe, not knowing someone was watching her from far away.

It wasn't for certain how some normal looking cats can get into a club anyway, however, one used the crowds to conceal its black fur making it's way to the womens bathroom. Once there, it turned to a young woman with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. She wore a red tiered dress, had a black tail, and looked a little older than Ayane. Sending an unknown message somewhere on her phone, she began touching her makeup a bit as she needed to go out there whenever she is able to.

[mermalaide]

"-In the name Hito Fuyunaito, I have come to dance."


Okay, that killed her hearing that. It was goofy and she loved that. Tsubasa tried not to laugh or snort, but instead kept her smile. "It has been here a while, it's under new management for the most part." She chose to have a seat and cross her legs for her much too short body con dress. "They have us hostesses roam and mingle with customers or sing karaoke. Sometimes we dance around jpop style or sing for customers. There are a few male hosts as well, but this is mostly a dance club."

While Ayane might not have noticed her, Tsubasa did. She hadn't recognized her, not really. She watched a woman move into the restroom. That wasn't uncommon really, but she felt her radar perk up. It might be a good thing Katsu wasn't with her tonight, otherwise, she would be on red alert. There were always kunoichi about, and threats to the young master. "I don't think so. But there seem to be lotsa new faces tonight, yours included." She waved over one of the servers, a young guy that seemed to be busing drinks back and forth. He had the girl's milk with him. "Yuske~ could you bring us ladies some Perrier?" She winked at him, shaking her ankle, which had a gold ankle bracelet on it that glittered.

She noticed the milk that was brought to her new friend. "No booze?" He looked a little confused at Tsubasa, most times you would see hostesses swimming in champagne. "Nope. Maybe later~" He ran for that Perrier like his arse was on fire. "Thanks hun!" She looked absolutely deviant. "So, we don't get a lot of girls here. Sometimes on the nights we do dancing like tonight, but this place is, how do I put this?" She looked positively mischievous, and leaned forward as if telling a secret. "We are usually up to our assholes and elbows with older guys looking to cut loose and burn money."

[datmass]

Well, of course the guy resembled Shiro Kunekawa, since it was him. Partly, he was having fun with this, but he was also noticing things. For instance, he noticed where Ayane was, and that there wasn't an immediate sign of a figure that might resemble her dad around here, although when that woman in the red dress left the lady's room, he'd sure as hell notice that, because she hadn't been there before, as far as he could tell.

Could've been there the whole time, could've been in another form. Neko-types, at least the ones like Ayane, can shapechange at will, after all.

He decided not to break cover, just yet. If Ayane's presence caused an uncomfortable glance, a need for departure, or some nervous gesture, he wanted to know. Thus committed, he stayed on the dance floor, for now. But then it happened... The lights beneath him changed to something more disco, followed by a new song.

"Oh no... It's that song. Alright...gotta do it."

And so, he began to dance the dance moves of Ken the manager from Yakitate Japan!

[oichi]

Ayane could see that this was a pretty well and fun dance club and the groovy guy was getting more groovy with the next song that played. It was a pretty enjoyable watch as it seemed to flow well with the music. The club was getting more interesting by the minute when Tsubasa talked about the club it seemed mostly like a fun atmosphere and the purrier sounded wonderful but there was just something she didn't understand. It wasn't a familiar saying to her. It sounded a bit dirty though, which made her blush a bit. "Oh. So kinda like the player types come in to see the staff members for entertainment?" she asked, a bit innocent.

Ayane's ears perked up to the sound of heels coming towards her. She looked up to see the tanned older neko woman. They had a smirk that made her a bit alert. "Hey there! Welcome to the club. You enjoying the scene?" Ayane giggled a bit. She wasn't really sure where she came from or why she was so casual with her. "Well yeah I guess. I barely even got started. said Ayane. She felt the couch move beside her and saw the girl sit beside her, with Tsubasa on the other side of Ayane. "You know what would heighten the experience? Getting a guy in your arms. I think we're cute enough to snag someone to take home." Ayane's tail got a bit fluffier and her cat ears drooped a bit in discomfort. "That probably would but maybe at a different date. I'm just kinda dipping my toes in the water a bit for now." she didn't really know what she was thinking about doing.

[mermalaide]

"Oh. So kinda like the player types come in to see the staff members for entertainment?" Tsubsa smiled, sure she seemed innocent, but there was nothing wrong with that. Though, given the training she'd had with the Mochizuki, this was quickly bled out of her. She remembers eating gummies with Katsumoto and him crying over his horse. Those were more innocent times really.  "I guess so, you could think of it that way." Mostly, the came in top drink, dance and have conversation. It seemed a bit boring when you thought of it, but a hostess had to navigate the moods and keep track of each customer. Tsubasa often got some choice info that way. 

The got funky. She gave out a whistle and a cheer, people were kind of gaping in shock, but he was pretty good! She wondered how he had gotten Kaz to play something a little older, but if it was good, Kaz would play it. The lights on the floor changed to the rythum. "Wow. Maybe I should challenge this guy to a dance off. Looks kinda fun~!" Tsubasa was nothing if she couldn't keep the excitement up. Bubbly Perrier arrived. Yuske served it up but stood there kinda gaping. "That dude has moves, like old ones but seriously moves."

"No waay~ they aren't old, they are classic." She bit back sticking her tongue out at Yuske.  Quite a few Nekomata in here tonight, she thinks to herself. New customers too. Katsu was gonna like that, though she couldn't help but think of some of the rumors. Gods, she hoped that they weren't dumb enough to try things on this strip, it was all owned by Takeda. Which was why she was here. Best p[lace to dig for information, of course.

"What'dya think?" Her smile was bubbly and all together dangerous. "Think I should challenge him to a dance off? It might be fun." She took a sip of the mineral water that came in the green and gold bottle served. It was refreshing, and a little bitter all at once. No booze tonight, things could get dicey really quick. That was the Kunoichi life when you were Mochizuki. Hmm~

She text messaged Kaz:

 Tsubasa/ I'd like to dance to something after this guy. 

 Kaz/ Yeah?

Tsubasa/ Perfume, Summiko Disco.

Kaz/ You gonna do the dance in that? Must be my lucky night.

Kaz/ Who knows 

Kaz/ Ok. Order up.

She drank the rest of her bottle with a flourish, they were kind of small. "Sit tight~!" Tsubasa was pretty wild when Katsu wasn't watching her, however, this would be a great vantage point. She could see the entire club from the dance floor, which was perfect. When Shiro's song ended, the lights dimmed, and starlight style lights ringed the walls. The lights began to pulse blue and white from the floor. People started to clap a little to the tune, it was a popular one from a movie that just came out from the girl group, Perfume.

[datmass]

As he danced, Shiro noticed the presence of several Nekomata now. He used his moves to essentially cover the room, observing them all. However, none drew his attention more than when he saw one addressing Ayane. Obviously, he couldn't possibly hear what they were saying, but it seemed like it was a bit flirty, since Ayane reacted a bit uncomfortably. It might be time for a little gentlemanly rescue, as the girl was probably looking for her father, as he was, and not for some action. Then again, there was something else... He hadn't seen this particular woman before, though to be fair...he hadn't been in here that long either. Well, he'd br able to look into that, probably. You see, his song was ending, and as a newcomer decided to take the center stage, the light was dimming and a new song began.

Perfect.

With a bit of the dark to meld into and the attention on this girl now, Shiro backed off. This place had too many random lights for his embrace of the shadows to be fully effective, but if he was casual and quiet about it, he'd be able to get up close to the table Ayane was at to see just what was going on...

[oichi]

Ayane's ears perked up at the thought of a dance battle. It sounded like something a club should do on a regular basis. While she had the agility to do some of the more cooler moves, but was more choreography. It was a bit awkward hearing some songs for the first time but sometimes the melody was nice to listen to, like this song that Tsubasa. She wanted to get up and dance too but the other nekomata had now wrapped her arms around Ayane, desperately wanting attention from her. "Oh come on. The fact that you can make some lifelong memories in the club towards finding a partner. If I could just find him..." the taller woman scanned the room out of the seemingly more nekomata that had arrived in the past few minutes. It was odd to say the least but at least she got to see more of her kind. They even had some with two tails instead of one. Maybe it symbolized some sort of power level or true age?

She was still learning all this while taking a drink of the bubbly water. The bubbly tingling effect on her tongue made her jump a little but it wasn't all that bad. Still, nothing will top good milk. She was wondered what this one knew of her dad. "So... Did you ever hear about a man that came into clubs with a lot of women? He was a neko, just like me but probably older now." it brought a bit of tension but the tanned neko just laughed it off. "No haha. That just sounds like every other player that tries to get lucky with women. Sure they come in all kinds of height, weight and sometimes the slight change in attitude but I haven't heard of that guy. Nope not at all." she twirled her hair around. Ayane was a bit concerned that maybe she was lying but was interrupted the woman now laying in her lap. Ayane's ears were straight back and it was a bit embarrassing.

[mermalaide]

As the dance music played, Tsubasa kept an eye on her new, and probably innocent friend. Her kunoichi senses were going off like a fire arm when she saw the body language and movement of the new, and likely innocent girl, which the other nekomata. She wondered if the woman was part of the gang that she heard rumors about. Likely so. Katsu was not going to like that. Muscling on Takeda terf and all that! She used the dancing to do a strut and turn, twirling to survey the room, though, she did not take her eyes off of Akane. Tsubasa felt the big sister urge, and say the woman being a bit too forward for this club, as well as touching Akane.

She smiled brightly and when she was pumping her fist to the music, she signaled the DJ to segway into a new song. "Oh hell naw." That was said quietly though smiling clenched teeth. It was going to be difficult but she had to get in between them before the other girl did something. She hardly noticed Shiro blend into the crowd. She felt him though. It was not a supernatural thing, not really. But, she did let the cat like senses she was graced with from the pact wash over her. It was agility through sensation.

Kettoshī kettoshī                                                       
Kettoshī kettoshī
Nuigurumina no ka nekona no ka

(Neko neko neko kettoshī)

Yōseina no ka nekona no ka

(Neko neko neko kettoshī)

Tsubasa strode across that room, she winked at Akane and used the toe of her glittering heel to quickly lift the other nekomata off of Akane's lap and it would be the black haired neko's choice if she would get a floor or chair seat. In the same movement, a fan came from the cleavage of her body con still outfit, shinny like polished silk. It was not. "Sorry friend, we don't get handsy with patrons here." She gave the tanned neko a look. "That's a different kinda club." Her bright blue eyes looked sharp over the coquettish smile she wore. 


Sō sa aitsu wa kettoshī

(Neko pānchi neko pānchi neko pānchi)

Nikukyū nikukyū nikuniku sanjūroku


Not wanting to scare Ayame, and maybe wanting to put a bit of distance might be a good idea. Yeah, she was going to have to speak to Katsumoto about all this. She wiggled her shoulders to the dance, gesturing with her fan with one hand, then with her free hand she invited Ayame up, mostly to dance her away from this lady. She could only hope Ayane would understand and hurry. 

[datmass]

The black-haired neko was definitely causing a problem, and Shiro would've been to the rescue if the dancing girl who took over the spotlight for him hadn't made a point to come on over and bring Ayane on up to dance. It was strange, because it seemed like the woman was up to something, but not specifically to proposition Ayane herself. It was certainly something in the cards, but sitting in Ayane's lap had made the girl uncomfortable. If someone hadn't swooped in, it would've been his obligation to, to say nothing of just being the right thing TO do. With the ginger lass taken care of, though, this seemed like a good opportunity. No longer operating in stealth, Shiro walked into the area like normal to address the lady.

"You lose someone, or just looking for the right someone?"

A fair question, considering that he'd observed her scanning the crowd and actually referring to a 'him' when he was close enough to hear. Her suspicious denial of Ayane's question made him wonder, as well, if they were actually looking for the same male cat. It would make sense if she'd picked out a certain trait in Ayane and wondered if using her to find him was the plan. Just speculation, but perhaps a good one. We'll just have to see.

[oichi]

Ayane had never really thought what the other neko's motives were, but now it was clear that something was wrong. She was relieved that Tsubasa came to her rescue. The other girl was lifted which gave a quick yelp and flung herself to the ground. Ayane swore she saw her hair raise in anger, and took this opportunity to take Tsubasa's hands to the dance floor. Pulling herself up, she began spinning around to try to get a groove on. It was another banger. One, two, step, turn, moving side to side. She happily took it to get away for a bit away from the crowd.

Meanwhile, the black haired neko was seething internally. The fact that potentially another one of them from the big boss tried to slip through the cracks really made her more determined and to try a different approach. There were more female members in that crowd. Hiding their features til one of the boss' big bodyguards show up to take her. "That little brat." she mumbled bitterly under her breath. She noticed Shiro from the corner of her eye with that simple yet some sort of a trick question. She strained a smile towards him, yet could feel some contempt in the air. "That depends on what you mean by the right someone, handsome." she said trying to flirt to throw him off. Probably didn't really work, but claws were beginning to come off in the meantime.

[mermalaide]

Tsubasa danced Ayane the heck away from that woman. She watched the man from earlier come up to the woman and exchange a dialog, she breathed a little easier. Granted she would be watching over him too, but thankfully he didn't look like he would have been as vulnerable as Ayane. "So~, that was weird. You see that lady around much?" She tried not to scare Ayane when she asked and danced them all the way across the room. She wanted to use a line of sight as to not lose the rogue neko, however, it worked both ways. This was going to be tricky.

Tsubasa danced with Ayane, and when the song ended, they were near the bar. She reached into the pocket of her outfit and pulled out a pink and gold smartphone. Her acrylics tapped a little as she was talking to Ayane. "Just letting my boss and the owner what is goin' on. He owns this club and a few of the ones in this neighborhood. Actually~" She took out one of her cards from behind the phone case. The card had petal pink cardstock and a gold ink.

Mochizuki Tsubasa
Idol/Personal Assistant/Hostess

It wasn't entirely untrue. She did moonlight as a Hostess, and she did to things for Katsumoto, but they were less clerical and more in the keeping him out of trouble. The Idol part was just for fun, of course. She gave a dimpled smile, her ponytail tossing a bit as her head moved. Contact information is on the back of course. "Here, you can hold onto this. I find out all kinds of things really, meet a lot of people." Tsubasa leaned against the bar, crossing her legs and watching around them, still determined to keep Ayane safe.

"I messaged my employer. If you have any details about the fella you are looking for, I can ask. But I had to let him know about that girlie over there."

[datmass]

This girl was all over the board. Not as in crazy. No no no... She was exactly the opposite, yet pulling in different directions. Shiro saw her reactions as careful, but she was also irritated and considering hostility with those claws, and then just for funsies, she also attempted to flirt with him. This would've been fine on any other day, but not ony was he on a case, but she obviously wasn't really interested in him. Also, there was a marginal possibility that the lady neko was somehow mixed up in all this. Oh yeah, her interest in Ayane could be a coincidence, or it could even be separately bad news, but Shiro thought it unlikely. The only way to know was to play his cards and see if it netted him any kind of result.

"It's just the way you were scanning the crowd. You're looking for, but haven't found, and unless I miss my guess, it's trouble if you don't. If that's the case, maybe I can help."

At this, he let off a genuine smirk that - Who knows? - may win her over enough to cooperate. He didn't know what the neko was about, but there was this Fujiko Mine kind of thing going on here, and that meant it was better to keep an eye on her than leave her alone. Offering to help with what he believed to be a tense situation may get her to open up, maybe not. He may end up bullshitted, in the end. It was difficult to know from word go. He'd just have to find out.

"Hell, I'll make you a deal. You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine, the reason I'm here, that is. Whadya say?"

He hadn't revealed his profession, just yet. Shiro was hoping that that and his purpose here would make a viable bargaining chip. It seemed like a worthy enough reason to find out.