[Log] Byakuya Kuchiki, Ulquiorra Schiffer
Title: The VIPs Are Coming to Town
Characters: Byakuya Kuchiki (
gogochan ), Ulquiorra Schiffer (
day_eight )
Timeline: April 8, 1950
Rating: PG
Summary: Thanks to Ulquiorra, the Senbozakura Hotel is about to get some important--and interesting--guests.
-----------------------------
Ulquiorra leaned back in his chair and eyed the stack of papers in front of him. It would be another couple hours before he would be able to go home. Nights like this made him somewhat grateful that he did not have a personal life. He picked up his pencil and tried to focus on his work. After eight hours of reading tiny print and drawing perfectly straight lines, his eyes simply refused to focus. Setting the pencil down, he stood up and made his way over to the window.
The city was like a living, breathing organism. It digested people and expelled exhaust, fumes, and filth as its waste. He rubbed the back of his neck and rested his head against the cool surface of the glass. Everything outside seemed so far away, as if he was looking at it through the page of a book or the surface of a painting. However, he appreciated this sense of disconnection - especially when he was observing the rest of the human population. He never ceased to be amazed at how stagnant and idiotic "normal" people were. They were like sheep. Their blind faith in the world around them was on the verge of disturbing. Ulquiorra could never be an ordinary civilian. He had been a wolf for so long that being a sheep was no longer an option.
There was a knock at the door. The consigliere stepped away from the window and cleared his throat. "Come in."
Shelly poked her head in and smiled. "I'm going to cut out. You want me to do anything before I go?" She glanced at his desk and blinked. "I could get you something to eat?"
Ulquiorra shook his head. His secretary was always trying to get him to eat dinner when he stayed late, but he could not see the point. His office was not a dining hall.
"You sure?"
He nodded.
"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night!" After another smile, a wave, and a flash of red hair, Ulquiorra was finally left in peace. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the papers that were threatening to take over the surface of his desk. Reaching down, he began organizing the few that had slipped out of the larger piles. One of them fluttered to the edge of his desk, drawing his attention to the phone that was perched there. He needed to call Mr. Kuchiki...
Sitting down, he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Byakuya's home. The man that answered had an accent that Ulquiorra instantly recognized as Irish. He gave the man his name and turned to look back out the window as he waited for Byakuya to come to the phone.
Byakuya was situated in his home office. It was quiet room on the first floor of the elegant townhouse, with tall bay windows that looked out on the well-kept courtyard and let in just the right amount of lazy afternoon sun.
The heir cum hotelier sat at his leather-topped desk; back straight, features firm, as he poured over various figures and company correspondence. At a glance, the aristocratic man appeared more like an ingeniously sculpted statue than a living, breathing being. But while his posture remained rigid, a closer look showed sharp gray eyes that moved like quicksilver over the printed page.
Though the net profit from his flagship hotel, the Senbonzakura, continued to come in ahead of the projected earnings, the savvy businessman couldn't help but feel as though there was something amiss in the weekly audit. It wasn't the first time he'd felt this way, either. There'd been several weeks, spread over several months, where a little voice whispered "something is wrong..." in the back of Byakuya's must-see-it-to-believe-it-mind. It wasn't as though this little voice and its little warning were yet cause for consternation. No, as long as the cash kept flowing, the quiet Kuchiki would continue to closely analyze the amalgam of invoices, financial statements, guest logs, and written reports. Eventually, this would likely become a matter for his accountants.
Unless, of course, his accountants were that very something...that small of speck of dirt on an otherwise immaculate surface...like the twisted black body of a tiny fruit fly, marring an otherwise perfect, prize-winning jar of golden honey...
The cautious heir was pulled from his conjectures by the soft pad of Mr. Delaney's careful footsteps. Byakuya looked up just as the elderly man appeared outside his door.
"Yes, Delaney?" he said in a tone that was neither cordial, nor brusque.
"Pardon the disturbance, sir..." Despite the Irishman's formal manner, the lilt in his Old World accent gave his words a sweet, sing-song quality. "There's a Mr. Ulquiorra Schiffer on the telephone fer ya', sir."
"Thank you," Byakuya murmured, dismissing Delaney with a nod of his head. The aristocratic man turned promptly to the rotary telephone perched on the corner of his desk. He'd heard the main house phone ring just a few moments ago, and had paid it no mind, as usual. The ringers on both his office phone and the one in the study had been shut off long ago. The one in the sitting room adjacent to his bedchamber, however, had been merely muffled, rather than fully silenced--in case of emergency, of course.
Byakuya knew that it was nearly unheard of for someone to have as many telephones as he. But that was the difference between being someone, and being a Kuchiki.
Said Kuchiki let one pale, flawless hand hover over the glossy, Bakelite earpiece. Ulquiorra Schiffer... Calling him in the evening, at home, rather than leaving a message at the hotel or waiting till the 'morrow? How unusual... Byakuya could only hope that the call portended favorable news. Well, only one way to find out...
"Good evening, Mr. Schiffer..."
Ulquiorra tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and began sorting through the mess in front of him. He looked over the papers and put them into piles according to importance and the dates they needed to be completed by. His gaze lingered on the blueprint that he needed to work on that night. It was a relatively simple drawing that was partially completed, and he was sure that it would take no more than forty-five minutes to finish. The building it was for was of next to no importance, but he took even the smallest of his jobs seriously. Anything worth doing was worth doing well.
His fingers stilled when he heard Mr. Kuchiki's voice come through the phone's speaker. He knew that it was not very formal to call the heir at home, but business was business - no matter what time of day it was. He had no doubt that someone like Byakuya would understand.
"Good evening," he replied, setting the papers back on the desk so that he could fold his hands in his lap. He wasn't one for small talk, so he decided to get right to the point.
"I'm calling because there will be a couple of VIPs arriving this week, and I told them that the Senbonzakura would be the best place for them to stay."
The "VIPs" were Hiruma Youichi and Musashi, two ruthless members of the Yakuza. Ulquiorra had requested their assistance with the troubling matter of Kisuke Urahara's booming business. He already had Shuuhei Hisagi working "undercover" to discover why the Black Cat Lounge was bringing in more profits than Cinq, but the situation was serious enough to require special assistance. Although the consigliere was not very familiar with the two Japanese men, he was fairly certain that they would be able to find out how and why the rival club was succeeding in a business that Mr. Aizen previously had a monopoly on.
"I thought it best to inform you of this fact personally. I'd also like to ask you to tell your employees to meet any...reasonable demands that these two gentlemen might make. I will cover the bill, of course."
"Oh?" Byakuya responded, his steady voice carrying a subtle hint of interest, partly because such inflection was polite...and partly because he was truly intrigued. The hotelier transferred the telephone to his left ear, reaching automatically for a note pad and his favorite Mont Blanc fountain pen. "I appreciate the recommendation," he said, in a tone reserved for his best clients and preferred business associates, "as well as your, and your employer's, continued support of my flagship..." This wasn't the first time high profile guests had been steered to the Senbonzakura by way of Sousuke Aizen and/or his upper management.
"Trust that I shall do everything in my power to make their stay an ideally pleasurable experience..." Byakuya continued slowly, still wondering what manner of VIP was so...important...that Mr. Schiffer felt the need to phone him at home.
"Have you already arranged for their accommodations with my hotel staff? Or shall I see to it personally?" the solemn heir inquired as he "scribbled" a few short notes in his impeccable handwriting. "Regardless, I will need their names, information concerning their arrival and duration of stay, as well as whatever pertinent background information you can provide that will help my staff to meet their...reasonable...demands."
This last bit was punctuated by the quirk of an eyebrow. Not that Ulquiorra could see this slight gesture over the telephone. And not that he needed to. Both the architect and the entrepreneur were men of subtlety. The slight inflection to Ulquiorra's tone spoke volumes to Byakuya.
Whoever these men were, it seemed more likely than not that they would make demands. Reasonable or otherwise... And, whoever these men were, it behooved the hotelier to meet their more reasonable demands. "Reasonable" being in the eye of the beholder.
And in such a case as this, whom exactly was the beholder?
"I have already spoken to Miss Yadomaru," Ulquiorra replied. He shifted his weight and switched the phone to his other ear, thinking through his next words for a fraction of a second. It was only natural for Mr. Kuchiki to inquire about the VIPs, but the consigliere did not wish to reveal too much. The two men's involvement with the Yakuza and the nature of their visit to New York City were not facts he felt ready to give away.
"There are two men, both Japanese," he explained. "Hiruma Youichi is an entertainer. Mr. Aizen wants to talk to him about performing at Cinq. He will be accompanied by his bodyguard, Musashi."
It was one of the most plausible covers. Anyone who met Hiruma would have little to no trouble believing that he was some sort of an entertainer. Musashi definitely fit the part of a bodyguard, as well. Ulquiorra had no doubts that their faux identities would hold - if everything went according to plan.
"I am sure that they won't be too much of a bother, but like any entertainers, Hiruma Youichi might have some specific requests."
"Specific" included asking for the honeymoon suite. Ulquiorra wasn't sure what the two men wanted with the lush room, but he didn't feel the need to ask, either. As long as they did the job they were being paid to do, he would do his best to make sure they were comfortable. He was thankful that Mr. Kuchiki seemed willing to oblige.
"They arrive on the thirteenth and will be staying through the eighteenth." Again...if everything went according to plan. If Hiruma and Musashi were as skilled as they were said to be, they would have no trouble completing their task in five days' time.
Truth be told, Ulquiorra just wanted the matter to be dealt with and settled as quickly as possible. This business with the rival club was beginning to be a nuisance. He wasn't sure what would happen if Hiruma and Musashi failed.
"Is there anything else you would like to know?"
Any interest the reserved heir had in meeting these VIPs went out the proverbial window at the mention of "entertainer." While the Senbonzakura catered to various celebrities and famous guests of all ilk, Byakuya himself was not the type to be impressed by the flash and glitz of movie stars or high profile musicians. In fact, he was always rather difficult to impress.
And, as Ulquiorra had just implied (more or less), entertainers were likely to make outrageous demands, a.k.a requests, simply because they could.
Which, to someone like Byakuya Kuchiki, was the opposite of class and the epitome of tacky.
"I see..." the well-heeled hotelier drawled in his signature monotone, "I will speak with Miss Yadomaru to ensure that we are all sufficiently prepared for their stay. And I shall make sure Hiruma-san's quarters are outfitted with every luxury in our arsenal. Mmm...perhaps he would enjoy staying in the Presidential Suite," he finished, as much to himself as to Ulquiorra.
Byakuya made a few more quick notes. "No, I believe I have all the information I need for now. Thank you. ...Is there anything else you require of me?"
Ulquiorra stiffened briefly at the mention of the Presidential Suite. He considered bringing up the "entertainer's" request for the Honeymoon Suite, but thought better of it. Mr. Kuchiki would find out about that little... detail... soon enough.
"I believe that is all," he answered. "I appreciate your efforts, as always."
Pausing for a moment, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. He was grateful that he could count on Byakuya. It wasn't the first time associates of the Concavos would stay at the Senbonzakura, and it was conclusive to say that it wouldn't be the last. The grand hotel was perfectly capable of keeping even the most finicky of guests satisfied. Making sure that Hiruma and Musashi were comfortable and happy was on the top of Ulquiorra's priority list, for the simple reason that people tended to be more cooperative when they were pleased.
"Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or... concerns."
He didn't elaborate, but he guessed that Mr. Kuchiki would understand. Although he didn't believe Hiruma and Musashi would cause any problems, he wanted to be the first to know if they did. He hoped that the two men would be too busy finding out what made the Black Cat Lounge tick to get into any trouble.
"I hope that you have a pleasant evening," he added in closing.
"Likewise," Byakuya intoned, the single word serving as a succinct response to all three of Ulquiorra's parting statements. The pragmatic heir was not one to mince words. Neither was Sousuke Aizen's star architect, who, to a savvy outsider such as Byakuya, appeared to be as responsible for the structure and support of the firm itself as he was for designing the company's new construction projects.
Interesting, though not entirely surprising. Ulquiorra Schiffer was hired as an architect, but then...evolved...into a highly competent business manager. Such was Mr. Aizen's way: to hire--or engage--someone in one capacity, only to find and foster other talents or abilities that better served his purpose.
Hmm... Find and foster? No.
Aizen's strategy was more to explore and exploit.
Brilliant, really...bordering at at times on the uncanny. Though, in the case of Mr. Schiffer, the young leader of all things Kuchiki certainly wasn't complaining. Ulquiorra was intelligent, understated, and to the point. Which made conducting business with him efficient, and, at times, even pleasant.
Byakuya replaced the telephone's shiny earpiece with a soft sigh, glancing briefly at his Patek Phillipe watch--an heirloom, naturally--to gauge the time. It was just past 7:00... Lisa Yadomaru was likely gone for the day. The front desk manager was intelligent, reliable, level-headed and detail oriented to the point of being meticulous--which the exacting entrepreneur appreciated more than he ever let on. As he had not heard from her since this morning, there was no reason to doubt that appropriate arrangements had already been made for Mr. Aizen's VIP entertainer. Had even one little thing been even potentially amiss, Lisa would have contacted him immediately.
Still, If this Hiruma-san--and his body guard--were indeed so important that Mr. Schiffer felt the need to ring Byakuya at home...it was imperative that they be treated with equal importance by the hotelier and the Senbonzakura's staff.
The Mont Blanc pen danced over the notepad as the aristocratic brunet made a short list of luxury goods and services that went above and beyond what the posh hotel already offered its VIP guests. To the list he added a specific champagne of notable and exceptional vintage, Cuban cigars, and private dining, including breakfast in bed each morning. With a personalized menu, of course.
Hiruma Youichi. From Japan. Hmm...
Byakuya had never heard of him. ...Which actually wasn't all that surprising, considering the cultured heir's rather esoteric taste in music, film, and the like. No bother. He would simply inquire with Miss Yadomaru. During lunch break, she often had her nose in some glossy magazine. Probably a tabloid or some other celebrity-focused drivel...
Surely, she would know more about this mysterious entertainer, and his retinue...
Characters: Byakuya Kuchiki (
gogochan ), Ulquiorra Schiffer (
day_eight )
Timeline: April 8, 1950
Rating: PG
Summary: Thanks to Ulquiorra, the Senbozakura Hotel is about to get some important--and interesting--guests.
-----------------------------
Ulquiorra leaned back in his chair and eyed the stack of papers in front of him. It would be another couple hours before he would be able to go home. Nights like this made him somewhat grateful that he did not have a personal life. He picked up his pencil and tried to focus on his work. After eight hours of reading tiny print and drawing perfectly straight lines, his eyes simply refused to focus. Setting the pencil down, he stood up and made his way over to the window.
The city was like a living, breathing organism. It digested people and expelled exhaust, fumes, and filth as its waste. He rubbed the back of his neck and rested his head against the cool surface of the glass. Everything outside seemed so far away, as if he was looking at it through the page of a book or the surface of a painting. However, he appreciated this sense of disconnection - especially when he was observing the rest of the human population. He never ceased to be amazed at how stagnant and idiotic "normal" people were. They were like sheep. Their blind faith in the world around them was on the verge of disturbing. Ulquiorra could never be an ordinary civilian. He had been a wolf for so long that being a sheep was no longer an option.
There was a knock at the door. The consigliere stepped away from the window and cleared his throat. "Come in."
Shelly poked her head in and smiled. "I'm going to cut out. You want me to do anything before I go?" She glanced at his desk and blinked. "I could get you something to eat?"
Ulquiorra shook his head. His secretary was always trying to get him to eat dinner when he stayed late, but he could not see the point. His office was not a dining hall.
"You sure?"
He nodded.
"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night!" After another smile, a wave, and a flash of red hair, Ulquiorra was finally left in peace. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the papers that were threatening to take over the surface of his desk. Reaching down, he began organizing the few that had slipped out of the larger piles. One of them fluttered to the edge of his desk, drawing his attention to the phone that was perched there. He needed to call Mr. Kuchiki...
Sitting down, he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Byakuya's home. The man that answered had an accent that Ulquiorra instantly recognized as Irish. He gave the man his name and turned to look back out the window as he waited for Byakuya to come to the phone.
Byakuya was situated in his home office. It was quiet room on the first floor of the elegant townhouse, with tall bay windows that looked out on the well-kept courtyard and let in just the right amount of lazy afternoon sun.
The heir cum hotelier sat at his leather-topped desk; back straight, features firm, as he poured over various figures and company correspondence. At a glance, the aristocratic man appeared more like an ingeniously sculpted statue than a living, breathing being. But while his posture remained rigid, a closer look showed sharp gray eyes that moved like quicksilver over the printed page.
Though the net profit from his flagship hotel, the Senbonzakura, continued to come in ahead of the projected earnings, the savvy businessman couldn't help but feel as though there was something amiss in the weekly audit. It wasn't the first time he'd felt this way, either. There'd been several weeks, spread over several months, where a little voice whispered "something is wrong..." in the back of Byakuya's must-see-it-to-believe-it-mind. It wasn't as though this little voice and its little warning were yet cause for consternation. No, as long as the cash kept flowing, the quiet Kuchiki would continue to closely analyze the amalgam of invoices, financial statements, guest logs, and written reports. Eventually, this would likely become a matter for his accountants.
Unless, of course, his accountants were that very something...that small of speck of dirt on an otherwise immaculate surface...like the twisted black body of a tiny fruit fly, marring an otherwise perfect, prize-winning jar of golden honey...
The cautious heir was pulled from his conjectures by the soft pad of Mr. Delaney's careful footsteps. Byakuya looked up just as the elderly man appeared outside his door.
"Yes, Delaney?" he said in a tone that was neither cordial, nor brusque.
"Pardon the disturbance, sir..." Despite the Irishman's formal manner, the lilt in his Old World accent gave his words a sweet, sing-song quality. "There's a Mr. Ulquiorra Schiffer on the telephone fer ya', sir."
"Thank you," Byakuya murmured, dismissing Delaney with a nod of his head. The aristocratic man turned promptly to the rotary telephone perched on the corner of his desk. He'd heard the main house phone ring just a few moments ago, and had paid it no mind, as usual. The ringers on both his office phone and the one in the study had been shut off long ago. The one in the sitting room adjacent to his bedchamber, however, had been merely muffled, rather than fully silenced--in case of emergency, of course.
Byakuya knew that it was nearly unheard of for someone to have as many telephones as he. But that was the difference between being someone, and being a Kuchiki.
Said Kuchiki let one pale, flawless hand hover over the glossy, Bakelite earpiece. Ulquiorra Schiffer... Calling him in the evening, at home, rather than leaving a message at the hotel or waiting till the 'morrow? How unusual... Byakuya could only hope that the call portended favorable news. Well, only one way to find out...
"Good evening, Mr. Schiffer..."
Ulquiorra tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and began sorting through the mess in front of him. He looked over the papers and put them into piles according to importance and the dates they needed to be completed by. His gaze lingered on the blueprint that he needed to work on that night. It was a relatively simple drawing that was partially completed, and he was sure that it would take no more than forty-five minutes to finish. The building it was for was of next to no importance, but he took even the smallest of his jobs seriously. Anything worth doing was worth doing well.
His fingers stilled when he heard Mr. Kuchiki's voice come through the phone's speaker. He knew that it was not very formal to call the heir at home, but business was business - no matter what time of day it was. He had no doubt that someone like Byakuya would understand.
"Good evening," he replied, setting the papers back on the desk so that he could fold his hands in his lap. He wasn't one for small talk, so he decided to get right to the point.
"I'm calling because there will be a couple of VIPs arriving this week, and I told them that the Senbonzakura would be the best place for them to stay."
The "VIPs" were Hiruma Youichi and Musashi, two ruthless members of the Yakuza. Ulquiorra had requested their assistance with the troubling matter of Kisuke Urahara's booming business. He already had Shuuhei Hisagi working "undercover" to discover why the Black Cat Lounge was bringing in more profits than Cinq, but the situation was serious enough to require special assistance. Although the consigliere was not very familiar with the two Japanese men, he was fairly certain that they would be able to find out how and why the rival club was succeeding in a business that Mr. Aizen previously had a monopoly on.
"I thought it best to inform you of this fact personally. I'd also like to ask you to tell your employees to meet any...reasonable demands that these two gentlemen might make. I will cover the bill, of course."
"Oh?" Byakuya responded, his steady voice carrying a subtle hint of interest, partly because such inflection was polite...and partly because he was truly intrigued. The hotelier transferred the telephone to his left ear, reaching automatically for a note pad and his favorite Mont Blanc fountain pen. "I appreciate the recommendation," he said, in a tone reserved for his best clients and preferred business associates, "as well as your, and your employer's, continued support of my flagship..." This wasn't the first time high profile guests had been steered to the Senbonzakura by way of Sousuke Aizen and/or his upper management.
"Trust that I shall do everything in my power to make their stay an ideally pleasurable experience..." Byakuya continued slowly, still wondering what manner of VIP was so...important...that Mr. Schiffer felt the need to phone him at home.
"Have you already arranged for their accommodations with my hotel staff? Or shall I see to it personally?" the solemn heir inquired as he "scribbled" a few short notes in his impeccable handwriting. "Regardless, I will need their names, information concerning their arrival and duration of stay, as well as whatever pertinent background information you can provide that will help my staff to meet their...reasonable...demands."
This last bit was punctuated by the quirk of an eyebrow. Not that Ulquiorra could see this slight gesture over the telephone. And not that he needed to. Both the architect and the entrepreneur were men of subtlety. The slight inflection to Ulquiorra's tone spoke volumes to Byakuya.
Whoever these men were, it seemed more likely than not that they would make demands. Reasonable or otherwise... And, whoever these men were, it behooved the hotelier to meet their more reasonable demands. "Reasonable" being in the eye of the beholder.
And in such a case as this, whom exactly was the beholder?
"I have already spoken to Miss Yadomaru," Ulquiorra replied. He shifted his weight and switched the phone to his other ear, thinking through his next words for a fraction of a second. It was only natural for Mr. Kuchiki to inquire about the VIPs, but the consigliere did not wish to reveal too much. The two men's involvement with the Yakuza and the nature of their visit to New York City were not facts he felt ready to give away.
"There are two men, both Japanese," he explained. "Hiruma Youichi is an entertainer. Mr. Aizen wants to talk to him about performing at Cinq. He will be accompanied by his bodyguard, Musashi."
It was one of the most plausible covers. Anyone who met Hiruma would have little to no trouble believing that he was some sort of an entertainer. Musashi definitely fit the part of a bodyguard, as well. Ulquiorra had no doubts that their faux identities would hold - if everything went according to plan.
"I am sure that they won't be too much of a bother, but like any entertainers, Hiruma Youichi might have some specific requests."
"Specific" included asking for the honeymoon suite. Ulquiorra wasn't sure what the two men wanted with the lush room, but he didn't feel the need to ask, either. As long as they did the job they were being paid to do, he would do his best to make sure they were comfortable. He was thankful that Mr. Kuchiki seemed willing to oblige.
"They arrive on the thirteenth and will be staying through the eighteenth." Again...if everything went according to plan. If Hiruma and Musashi were as skilled as they were said to be, they would have no trouble completing their task in five days' time.
Truth be told, Ulquiorra just wanted the matter to be dealt with and settled as quickly as possible. This business with the rival club was beginning to be a nuisance. He wasn't sure what would happen if Hiruma and Musashi failed.
"Is there anything else you would like to know?"
Any interest the reserved heir had in meeting these VIPs went out the proverbial window at the mention of "entertainer." While the Senbonzakura catered to various celebrities and famous guests of all ilk, Byakuya himself was not the type to be impressed by the flash and glitz of movie stars or high profile musicians. In fact, he was always rather difficult to impress.
And, as Ulquiorra had just implied (more or less), entertainers were likely to make outrageous demands, a.k.a requests, simply because they could.
Which, to someone like Byakuya Kuchiki, was the opposite of class and the epitome of tacky.
"I see..." the well-heeled hotelier drawled in his signature monotone, "I will speak with Miss Yadomaru to ensure that we are all sufficiently prepared for their stay. And I shall make sure Hiruma-san's quarters are outfitted with every luxury in our arsenal. Mmm...perhaps he would enjoy staying in the Presidential Suite," he finished, as much to himself as to Ulquiorra.
Byakuya made a few more quick notes. "No, I believe I have all the information I need for now. Thank you. ...Is there anything else you require of me?"
Ulquiorra stiffened briefly at the mention of the Presidential Suite. He considered bringing up the "entertainer's" request for the Honeymoon Suite, but thought better of it. Mr. Kuchiki would find out about that little... detail... soon enough.
"I believe that is all," he answered. "I appreciate your efforts, as always."
Pausing for a moment, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. He was grateful that he could count on Byakuya. It wasn't the first time associates of the Concavos would stay at the Senbonzakura, and it was conclusive to say that it wouldn't be the last. The grand hotel was perfectly capable of keeping even the most finicky of guests satisfied. Making sure that Hiruma and Musashi were comfortable and happy was on the top of Ulquiorra's priority list, for the simple reason that people tended to be more cooperative when they were pleased.
"Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or... concerns."
He didn't elaborate, but he guessed that Mr. Kuchiki would understand. Although he didn't believe Hiruma and Musashi would cause any problems, he wanted to be the first to know if they did. He hoped that the two men would be too busy finding out what made the Black Cat Lounge tick to get into any trouble.
"I hope that you have a pleasant evening," he added in closing.
"Likewise," Byakuya intoned, the single word serving as a succinct response to all three of Ulquiorra's parting statements. The pragmatic heir was not one to mince words. Neither was Sousuke Aizen's star architect, who, to a savvy outsider such as Byakuya, appeared to be as responsible for the structure and support of the firm itself as he was for designing the company's new construction projects.
Interesting, though not entirely surprising. Ulquiorra Schiffer was hired as an architect, but then...evolved...into a highly competent business manager. Such was Mr. Aizen's way: to hire--or engage--someone in one capacity, only to find and foster other talents or abilities that better served his purpose.
Hmm... Find and foster? No.
Aizen's strategy was more to explore and exploit.
Brilliant, really...bordering at at times on the uncanny. Though, in the case of Mr. Schiffer, the young leader of all things Kuchiki certainly wasn't complaining. Ulquiorra was intelligent, understated, and to the point. Which made conducting business with him efficient, and, at times, even pleasant.
Byakuya replaced the telephone's shiny earpiece with a soft sigh, glancing briefly at his Patek Phillipe watch--an heirloom, naturally--to gauge the time. It was just past 7:00... Lisa Yadomaru was likely gone for the day. The front desk manager was intelligent, reliable, level-headed and detail oriented to the point of being meticulous--which the exacting entrepreneur appreciated more than he ever let on. As he had not heard from her since this morning, there was no reason to doubt that appropriate arrangements had already been made for Mr. Aizen's VIP entertainer. Had even one little thing been even potentially amiss, Lisa would have contacted him immediately.
Still, If this Hiruma-san--and his body guard--were indeed so important that Mr. Schiffer felt the need to ring Byakuya at home...it was imperative that they be treated with equal importance by the hotelier and the Senbonzakura's staff.
The Mont Blanc pen danced over the notepad as the aristocratic brunet made a short list of luxury goods and services that went above and beyond what the posh hotel already offered its VIP guests. To the list he added a specific champagne of notable and exceptional vintage, Cuban cigars, and private dining, including breakfast in bed each morning. With a personalized menu, of course.
Hiruma Youichi. From Japan. Hmm...
Byakuya had never heard of him. ...Which actually wasn't all that surprising, considering the cultured heir's rather esoteric taste in music, film, and the like. No bother. He would simply inquire with Miss Yadomaru. During lunch break, she often had her nose in some glossy magazine. Probably a tabloid or some other celebrity-focused drivel...
Surely, she would know more about this mysterious entertainer, and his retinue...