[Log][Ino & Orochimaru] Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Who? Orochimaru, Ino
When? On this very lovely evening
What? Orochimaru kindly explains to Ino why trying to sue one of his businesses is maybe not the best idea she's ever had.
Her feet hurt. Each step carried her one foot closer to her apartment door, moved her that much further up the staircase separating the ground from the third floor, but each time her plain leather pump (cheap, sensible, unattractive) touched against the cement, pain shot up through her bones and into her knees and it was all Ino could do to keep walking. Part of her wished she’d simply had Kiba carry her up to her apartment (and maybe give her a foot massage afterward) but she couldn’t take anymore company today. She had had enough of other consciousnesses pressing in on hers, boxing her, and she needed space so she could rally herself to face it again tomorrow.
Her feet were sore from spending hours standing and walking in stilettos, learning proper posture, proper steps. The shoes had been too tight and she had blisters, but there were band-aids in her apartment and a lovely salt to soak them in before bandaging. She just needed to make fifteen more steps.
Finally, after agonizingly long minutes, Ino reached her door frame and leaned against it, ignoring the pull of her long, blonde hair as it was trapped between the wood and her shoulder. With minimal fumbling, the key slid the deadbolt and she stumbled into the deep black that was her lonely and cramped apartment after midnight. The shoes were kicked off in the dark before she shuffled weakly in her stockings to the kitchen counter, knowing the layout of her apartment even without a light, where she set her purse (simply black leather, practical). Her hand was shaking when she lifted it to rub at the tight skin around her eyes and the beginning of a migraine behind her temples. Finally she shuffled further into the one room containing her living room and kitchen and flicked the light-switch on the wall between her and the bathroom.
Her heart froze, tripped and then hammered in her throat; everything in her body tightened and straightened, immediately composing into the perfect and regal posture and expression that had gotten her through so many years in her career of choice, and she stared into face of a pale man she’d only ever seen at a distance. Before now.
It had been a fairly simple task to make his way into her apartment. The location was in the files of Dickey's, so getting her address was as simple as going into Tsunade's office when she was not there. Then, getting a few of his men, one of them skilled with lock-picking, to get into her apartment without even leaving a trace...they were good. He would have to reward them for this. As he sat himself down in a comfortable armchair she had in her living room, he chuckled to himself about the situation.
Really, her lawsuit was a silly idea. While, perhaps, it held a little bit of merit, the point was that she was an employee of Dickey's, and she had signed a contract to fulfill her duties. While the auction hadn't been listed explicitly as one of her duties, it was covered. But trying to sell that to a judge and jury would be a bit of a problem, as they tended to look unfavorably upon escort services in general, and especially those that happened to run auctions like that.
So she would have to be pacified in a different way. One of his men was waiting in the kitchen, the other two were standing at either side of the chair, weapons holstered but quite visible at their belts. Orochimaru and his men all wore tailored suits, but Orochimaru's was clearly the nicest, perfectly tailored to his thin frame, the black jacket and pants met with a dark red shirt and tie. It gave him an air of authority.
As she came in, his men remained silent, not wanting to give their presence away. It was not until she had flipped on the light that they were revealed. Orochimaru caught the slight look of surprise on her face before she composed herself, and one corner of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. His legs were crossed, hands clasped in front of him, elbows resting on the arms of the chair. "Good evening, Ms. Yamanaka, was it?" he said, looking over at her. "I believe that we have a little matter to discuss. Please, have a seat." He motioned towards her own couch, his demeanor as if it was his own office she was stepping into, her being the guest.
Ino forced her lips into a polite smile, taking in all three men in a heartbeat. The threat was obvious, as was the game Orochimaru was now trying to force her into. If Ino Yamanaka understood anything, it was power; how to get it, how to wield it, and how to steal it. "Good evening," she replied, voice cool and as composed as her statuesque form. "I believe I quite understand your point, sir," she assured him, smile growing faintly to push in the dimple in her left cheek "I'm sure you're a very busy man. There's really no need to waste any more of your time on little ol' me." She let her face move charmingly with her colloquial expression, falling back on the very basics of submissive behaviour and demonstrating her deference to him.
She knew very well that this tactic would not get Orochimaru out of her apartment, but it was likely to push everyone back from the point of violence by a notch. She wasn't fighting them, she wasn't arguing, and she wasn't pretending she was ignorant. What she was doing was showing that her survival instincts were stronger than the petulant whim that had lead her to kicking this particular hornet's nest.
Orochimaru smiled. She was good, he would give her that. Usually just his appearance in someone's home was enough to drive them to tears of desperation and fear. Ms. Yamanaka seemed to be cut from a far sturdier cloth than most. He could appreciate that. A thin smile graced his pale face. "I'm never too busy to spend some time with a beautiful young lady," he replied. "Please, have a seat." He lifted one of his arms, gesturing towards her couch. If there was one thing that Orochimaru was good at, it was making everyone else feel as if they were a guest to his presence, even if he approached them in their own homes. His eyes flickered from her to the couch, and then back.
"And besides, I feel that we needed to have a little heart-to-heart chat about this silly little lawsuit you've decided to file," he continued, his eyes still on her. "And considering that the defendant in this lawsuit is one of my business interests, this unfortunately requires my personal attention." He sighed before leaning back in the chair, waiting for her to settle into her couch.
Ino scrambled for a second, covering and buying time by tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Orochimaru did not own this space and did not own her (yet), there was no reason to feel cowed, she reminded herself sternly. She could still maintain some control of this situation.
"I'm flattered," she replied finally, moving away from the wall and back towards the kitchen counter. All traces of her earlier pain and weariness were now invisible in her steps. "I am, of course, happy to oblige," she continued smoothly, leaning regally against the counter's edge. "Would you like a glass of wine?" she continued, slipping into the role of gracious hostess and reasserting herself in her surroundings.
"Champagne, actually," he replied, seeing her leaning against the counter top. "And I brought my own, so if you would just be a darling and grab a pair of glasses before you return." He chuckled softly to himself. She was most impressive. But he wasn't too bad at this whole game himself, either. His last man, who was in the kitchen already, returned to the living room with an unopened bottle of Dom Pérignon, as he waited for her to come and have a seat. "Please, come sit," he said, his tone of voice making it perfectly clear that he would not tolerate any further delay.
"I'm glad you decided to join me tonight," he continued, his hands clasping in front of him, rubbing them together. His man uncorked the champagne, and waited for the glasses to be prepared, before he filled both of their glasses with the sparkling beverage. Orochimaru raised his glass. "A toast," he said, looking over at her. "To the quiet dismissal of such a pointless lawsuit." Another smile, before he took a sip of champagne, his eyes never leaving her.
Ino's smile was both coy and indulgent when Orochimaru produced his own wine. She was starting to find her stride, that zone she so often toyed with in her professional life, that allowed her to act despite the frigid rock of terror lodged in her gut. She was acutely aware of each man's every gesture, as if every time they disturbed the air, the motion carried and brushed against her body like a breeze, and she was intensely aware of the weight of their collected eyes, pining her at all times. "Of course," she replied as she moved under them, feeling as if she was trying to swim through custard as she reached into her cabinet and withdrew the requested glasses.
Her steps towards the couch were casual, unhurried; her stress well concealed by carefully controlled gestures. She handed the glasses to one of the aides and sank gracefully into her cushions, legs crossing as one arm extended casually over the back of the couch. The glass was a accepted with a murmured thanks. "Cheers," she agreed with a nod to Orochimaru, sipping delicately from the glass only after surreptitiously confirming that Orochimaru had drunk first. A soft swallow forced the wine past the lump in her throat. It had been completely flavourless to her. "Very pointless, I agree."
Another smile from the pale man, as he took another, longer sip from his glass of wine. While she wasn't showing it, he could tell that she was incredibly bothered by his presence. All the better to make his point. "I'm glad you see it my way. I would be most disappointed if I had to convince you in some other way. I think you would have to agree that I have been most gracious in this matter. A lesser man than myself might have exhausted his patience by now, and we all know where that can lead." He chuckled slightly before taking one more sip from the champagne, and setting the glass down on the table next to the chair.
"But please don't think badly of me," he said, standing up, and reaching into his pocket. "I'm sure that this entire situation was merely just a misunderstanding. These things happen all the time; I'm certainly not angry. In fact, I even got you a little something, to show you that there are no hard feelings." He reached into his pocket with one hand, and pulled out a small box, gift-wrapped in gold paper, with a red bow on the top of it. It was about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, and maybe a inch or so deep. He walked over to the couch and set it down on the coffee table in front of her. "Go ahead, open it."
The young blonde did not take another sip from her glass and set it aside all together when she was presented with the gift. "You're really too kind," she gushed on cue, hands trembling only barely as she accepted the package and moved it to her lap. Ino straightened, picking delicately at the bow and wrapping with both hands. The box inside was black velvet, a standard jewelry box. She flicked her pale eyes up briefly to Orochimaru's face and then opened the box.
For a long second, she stared, skin growing tight around her eyes. Slowly though, tiny spots of colour started to grow on her cheek bones.
Inside the box was a very beautiful gold ring inset with a rather impressive diamond. Had it not been presented to her on a severed finger, slim and pale as if it were one of her own, Ino might have thought the psychotic man sitting across from her was proposing. As it stood though, she had a very strong feeling that that was not Orochimaru's ultimate goal at the moment.
No, he meant to terrorize her. He meant to haunt her with it. He meant to cow her into complete submission, to destroy her nerve entirely. And he nearly succeeded. For a split second, she was afraid. But then she was angry.
"Oh, how lovely!" she exclaimed brightly, pulling the ring from the finger as if she hadn't even noticed it and sliding it on her ring, and then the middle finger on her right hand when it proved a bit large. "You shouldn't have!" She flashed him a mock-chastising smile before letting her lips spread to full wattage as she held out her hand and admired the stone, pretending not to notice the finger rolling from her lap to the floor. "Thank you!"
He said nothing as she opened the box, watching her initial reaction, and then as she gathered herself, pulling it off of the severed finger, and slipping it onto her own. One corner of his mouth turned upwards into a small smile. "It suits you nicely, Ms. Yamanaka," he said, putting his hand back in his pocket. She was good at keeping her emotions in check, but he could read her; he could just sense the split-second of fear that had graced her features before she composed herself. She would no longer be a problem.
"It might surprise you to learn that you are not the first woman to wear that ring," he said to her as he turned, picking up his champagne glass, and downing the last bit of it before setting it back down, his men setting the bottle of champagne down on her coffee table, and exiting out the front door of her apartment. "And if I ever hear of you attempting something this stupid again," he continued, his eyes locking to hers, "You will not be the last, either. Do I make myself clear?"
He smiled once more before he, too, exited out of the door of her apartment, climbing into the back seat of the black sedan that had pulled up for him, and then he was gone, as quickly as he'd appeared.
"Good night~" Ino called over her shoulder as they exited, not bothering to rise to her feet and see them out. She sat on the couch for five agonizing minutes, waiting to make sure the were gone before she moved. When she did finally move, it was withe speed of a snake, ripping the ring from her finger as if it were made of flames and throwing it across the room before running into the bathroom and vomiting violently into the toilet.
There was a human finger on the floor of her living room. One day...maybe years from now, but one day, Orochimaru would remember this night and he would regret ever crossing the threshold of Ino Yamanaka's apartment. She was going to make sure of it.
When? On this very lovely evening
What? Orochimaru kindly explains to Ino why trying to sue one of his businesses is maybe not the best idea she's ever had.
Her feet hurt. Each step carried her one foot closer to her apartment door, moved her that much further up the staircase separating the ground from the third floor, but each time her plain leather pump (cheap, sensible, unattractive) touched against the cement, pain shot up through her bones and into her knees and it was all Ino could do to keep walking. Part of her wished she’d simply had Kiba carry her up to her apartment (and maybe give her a foot massage afterward) but she couldn’t take anymore company today. She had had enough of other consciousnesses pressing in on hers, boxing her, and she needed space so she could rally herself to face it again tomorrow.
Her feet were sore from spending hours standing and walking in stilettos, learning proper posture, proper steps. The shoes had been too tight and she had blisters, but there were band-aids in her apartment and a lovely salt to soak them in before bandaging. She just needed to make fifteen more steps.
Finally, after agonizingly long minutes, Ino reached her door frame and leaned against it, ignoring the pull of her long, blonde hair as it was trapped between the wood and her shoulder. With minimal fumbling, the key slid the deadbolt and she stumbled into the deep black that was her lonely and cramped apartment after midnight. The shoes were kicked off in the dark before she shuffled weakly in her stockings to the kitchen counter, knowing the layout of her apartment even without a light, where she set her purse (simply black leather, practical). Her hand was shaking when she lifted it to rub at the tight skin around her eyes and the beginning of a migraine behind her temples. Finally she shuffled further into the one room containing her living room and kitchen and flicked the light-switch on the wall between her and the bathroom.
Her heart froze, tripped and then hammered in her throat; everything in her body tightened and straightened, immediately composing into the perfect and regal posture and expression that had gotten her through so many years in her career of choice, and she stared into face of a pale man she’d only ever seen at a distance. Before now.
It had been a fairly simple task to make his way into her apartment. The location was in the files of Dickey's, so getting her address was as simple as going into Tsunade's office when she was not there. Then, getting a few of his men, one of them skilled with lock-picking, to get into her apartment without even leaving a trace...they were good. He would have to reward them for this. As he sat himself down in a comfortable armchair she had in her living room, he chuckled to himself about the situation.
Really, her lawsuit was a silly idea. While, perhaps, it held a little bit of merit, the point was that she was an employee of Dickey's, and she had signed a contract to fulfill her duties. While the auction hadn't been listed explicitly as one of her duties, it was covered. But trying to sell that to a judge and jury would be a bit of a problem, as they tended to look unfavorably upon escort services in general, and especially those that happened to run auctions like that.
So she would have to be pacified in a different way. One of his men was waiting in the kitchen, the other two were standing at either side of the chair, weapons holstered but quite visible at their belts. Orochimaru and his men all wore tailored suits, but Orochimaru's was clearly the nicest, perfectly tailored to his thin frame, the black jacket and pants met with a dark red shirt and tie. It gave him an air of authority.
As she came in, his men remained silent, not wanting to give their presence away. It was not until she had flipped on the light that they were revealed. Orochimaru caught the slight look of surprise on her face before she composed herself, and one corner of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. His legs were crossed, hands clasped in front of him, elbows resting on the arms of the chair. "Good evening, Ms. Yamanaka, was it?" he said, looking over at her. "I believe that we have a little matter to discuss. Please, have a seat." He motioned towards her own couch, his demeanor as if it was his own office she was stepping into, her being the guest.
Ino forced her lips into a polite smile, taking in all three men in a heartbeat. The threat was obvious, as was the game Orochimaru was now trying to force her into. If Ino Yamanaka understood anything, it was power; how to get it, how to wield it, and how to steal it. "Good evening," she replied, voice cool and as composed as her statuesque form. "I believe I quite understand your point, sir," she assured him, smile growing faintly to push in the dimple in her left cheek "I'm sure you're a very busy man. There's really no need to waste any more of your time on little ol' me." She let her face move charmingly with her colloquial expression, falling back on the very basics of submissive behaviour and demonstrating her deference to him.
She knew very well that this tactic would not get Orochimaru out of her apartment, but it was likely to push everyone back from the point of violence by a notch. She wasn't fighting them, she wasn't arguing, and she wasn't pretending she was ignorant. What she was doing was showing that her survival instincts were stronger than the petulant whim that had lead her to kicking this particular hornet's nest.
Orochimaru smiled. She was good, he would give her that. Usually just his appearance in someone's home was enough to drive them to tears of desperation and fear. Ms. Yamanaka seemed to be cut from a far sturdier cloth than most. He could appreciate that. A thin smile graced his pale face. "I'm never too busy to spend some time with a beautiful young lady," he replied. "Please, have a seat." He lifted one of his arms, gesturing towards her couch. If there was one thing that Orochimaru was good at, it was making everyone else feel as if they were a guest to his presence, even if he approached them in their own homes. His eyes flickered from her to the couch, and then back.
"And besides, I feel that we needed to have a little heart-to-heart chat about this silly little lawsuit you've decided to file," he continued, his eyes still on her. "And considering that the defendant in this lawsuit is one of my business interests, this unfortunately requires my personal attention." He sighed before leaning back in the chair, waiting for her to settle into her couch.
Ino scrambled for a second, covering and buying time by tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Orochimaru did not own this space and did not own her (yet), there was no reason to feel cowed, she reminded herself sternly. She could still maintain some control of this situation.
"I'm flattered," she replied finally, moving away from the wall and back towards the kitchen counter. All traces of her earlier pain and weariness were now invisible in her steps. "I am, of course, happy to oblige," she continued smoothly, leaning regally against the counter's edge. "Would you like a glass of wine?" she continued, slipping into the role of gracious hostess and reasserting herself in her surroundings.
"Champagne, actually," he replied, seeing her leaning against the counter top. "And I brought my own, so if you would just be a darling and grab a pair of glasses before you return." He chuckled softly to himself. She was most impressive. But he wasn't too bad at this whole game himself, either. His last man, who was in the kitchen already, returned to the living room with an unopened bottle of Dom Pérignon, as he waited for her to come and have a seat. "Please, come sit," he said, his tone of voice making it perfectly clear that he would not tolerate any further delay.
"I'm glad you decided to join me tonight," he continued, his hands clasping in front of him, rubbing them together. His man uncorked the champagne, and waited for the glasses to be prepared, before he filled both of their glasses with the sparkling beverage. Orochimaru raised his glass. "A toast," he said, looking over at her. "To the quiet dismissal of such a pointless lawsuit." Another smile, before he took a sip of champagne, his eyes never leaving her.
Ino's smile was both coy and indulgent when Orochimaru produced his own wine. She was starting to find her stride, that zone she so often toyed with in her professional life, that allowed her to act despite the frigid rock of terror lodged in her gut. She was acutely aware of each man's every gesture, as if every time they disturbed the air, the motion carried and brushed against her body like a breeze, and she was intensely aware of the weight of their collected eyes, pining her at all times. "Of course," she replied as she moved under them, feeling as if she was trying to swim through custard as she reached into her cabinet and withdrew the requested glasses.
Her steps towards the couch were casual, unhurried; her stress well concealed by carefully controlled gestures. She handed the glasses to one of the aides and sank gracefully into her cushions, legs crossing as one arm extended casually over the back of the couch. The glass was a accepted with a murmured thanks. "Cheers," she agreed with a nod to Orochimaru, sipping delicately from the glass only after surreptitiously confirming that Orochimaru had drunk first. A soft swallow forced the wine past the lump in her throat. It had been completely flavourless to her. "Very pointless, I agree."
Another smile from the pale man, as he took another, longer sip from his glass of wine. While she wasn't showing it, he could tell that she was incredibly bothered by his presence. All the better to make his point. "I'm glad you see it my way. I would be most disappointed if I had to convince you in some other way. I think you would have to agree that I have been most gracious in this matter. A lesser man than myself might have exhausted his patience by now, and we all know where that can lead." He chuckled slightly before taking one more sip from the champagne, and setting the glass down on the table next to the chair.
"But please don't think badly of me," he said, standing up, and reaching into his pocket. "I'm sure that this entire situation was merely just a misunderstanding. These things happen all the time; I'm certainly not angry. In fact, I even got you a little something, to show you that there are no hard feelings." He reached into his pocket with one hand, and pulled out a small box, gift-wrapped in gold paper, with a red bow on the top of it. It was about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, and maybe a inch or so deep. He walked over to the couch and set it down on the coffee table in front of her. "Go ahead, open it."
The young blonde did not take another sip from her glass and set it aside all together when she was presented with the gift. "You're really too kind," she gushed on cue, hands trembling only barely as she accepted the package and moved it to her lap. Ino straightened, picking delicately at the bow and wrapping with both hands. The box inside was black velvet, a standard jewelry box. She flicked her pale eyes up briefly to Orochimaru's face and then opened the box.
For a long second, she stared, skin growing tight around her eyes. Slowly though, tiny spots of colour started to grow on her cheek bones.
Inside the box was a very beautiful gold ring inset with a rather impressive diamond. Had it not been presented to her on a severed finger, slim and pale as if it were one of her own, Ino might have thought the psychotic man sitting across from her was proposing. As it stood though, she had a very strong feeling that that was not Orochimaru's ultimate goal at the moment.
No, he meant to terrorize her. He meant to haunt her with it. He meant to cow her into complete submission, to destroy her nerve entirely. And he nearly succeeded. For a split second, she was afraid. But then she was angry.
"Oh, how lovely!" she exclaimed brightly, pulling the ring from the finger as if she hadn't even noticed it and sliding it on her ring, and then the middle finger on her right hand when it proved a bit large. "You shouldn't have!" She flashed him a mock-chastising smile before letting her lips spread to full wattage as she held out her hand and admired the stone, pretending not to notice the finger rolling from her lap to the floor. "Thank you!"
He said nothing as she opened the box, watching her initial reaction, and then as she gathered herself, pulling it off of the severed finger, and slipping it onto her own. One corner of his mouth turned upwards into a small smile. "It suits you nicely, Ms. Yamanaka," he said, putting his hand back in his pocket. She was good at keeping her emotions in check, but he could read her; he could just sense the split-second of fear that had graced her features before she composed herself. She would no longer be a problem.
"It might surprise you to learn that you are not the first woman to wear that ring," he said to her as he turned, picking up his champagne glass, and downing the last bit of it before setting it back down, his men setting the bottle of champagne down on her coffee table, and exiting out the front door of her apartment. "And if I ever hear of you attempting something this stupid again," he continued, his eyes locking to hers, "You will not be the last, either. Do I make myself clear?"
He smiled once more before he, too, exited out of the door of her apartment, climbing into the back seat of the black sedan that had pulled up for him, and then he was gone, as quickly as he'd appeared.
"Good night~" Ino called over her shoulder as they exited, not bothering to rise to her feet and see them out. She sat on the couch for five agonizing minutes, waiting to make sure the were gone before she moved. When she did finally move, it was withe speed of a snake, ripping the ring from her finger as if it were made of flames and throwing it across the room before running into the bathroom and vomiting violently into the toilet.
There was a human finger on the floor of her living room. One day...maybe years from now, but one day, Orochimaru would remember this night and he would regret ever crossing the threshold of Ino Yamanaka's apartment. She was going to make sure of it.