comment log! (Ryuichi meets with Chronica about a job)

[singsingsilver]

All famous people have quirks. Some had to have certain flowers in their rooms, some need a certain type of candy and others had the urge to write on themselves. Ryuichi's quirks were a tad odd for those that didn't know him. For one, he acted like a ten year old on a constant sugar high. For another he was rarely seen without his bright pink

Comments

[throttle]

Well, that explained it. Chronica had her own run-in with his sort before, back home. It was funny how some human males reacted towards women. His reaction when he discovered she was a plant was rather priceless. It had to be interesting to fall so hard from public's grace, though Chronica was careful not to say that. Her bluntness was saved for her own kind, and her targets.

Her own tea came; a potent dark tea, scented with spices and fruit. She took it up and blew on it a couple of times. As she did so, her mind rolled through to the knowledge she had of PR. It was silly knowledge from her youth, when she and another of her independent sisters would play pretend with a multitude of human jobs. Their keepers allowed it, of course. Anything to make them the best at what they could do.

"We'll need to design a campaign for promotion, then. This city has enough inhabitants that you could become quite popular with the right amount of work, and assuming you're actually any good." The bite wasn't flinched at as she sipped her tea. "But keep in mind that all press coverage is not necessarily good press coverage, unless you strive for a dirtier image."

[singsingsilver]

PR work was something he really left with people that knew how to do it. He would smile and talk on cue and can come across as either a complete innocent or a sultry sex god depending on what was needed for the time. As for singing talent - well, she didn't come from his world and probably couldn't even tell with the way he babbled on about everything. He blinked at her over the rim of his cup and then grinned.

"Ah, and you assume that I would be a poser like some no-talent hacks?" He set his cup down and flicked his finger against the rim. "If that was the case, I doubt I would be so insistent that I need any help here."

Ryuichi tilted his head to the side, sucked in a breath and sang. A traditional Japanese folk song, the words were only about the land and the rains, but it showed his true pitch, vocal range and clarity. In mid-tone he switched to a classic Beatles tune about 'Eleanor Rigby' and then switched again to words off the top of his head.

"Silencing echoes of many voices
sisters lost through unsung choices
the sands blow over the past
Rebuilding the lost, never toil
searching and hunting through
all the lost souls
they wait still."

He took a sip of tea, shaking his head. "Dirtier image? Nah, that sort of thing is hard to keep up since I usually hate being all serious all the time."

[throttle]

Chronica's eyes were shut as she breathed the scent of her tea and listened to him sing. He was quite good. Of course, Chronica saw it all from a technical point of view. The control on the ends of his lines was stable; the vibrato in his voice was controlled and not excessive. His crescendos were perfected. He was certainly either trained or one of those proverbial 'natural talents'.

After he finished and explained his take on the inquiry of image preference, Chronica opened her eyes and gently set the tea down after another sip.

"We'll take advantage of Halloween, then. It comes quickly, and there will no doubt be a central party that will need music. Live music is better than that on the stereo, so we'll need to see what we can do. If locating someone heading it proves impossible, then we'll simply push you in." Her finger rounded around the rim of her tea cup. "This will also call for costumes."

[singsingsilver]

"I suppose that a bunny outfit wouldn't work," he said, chuckling at himself. He had such a costume hanging in his wardrobe, somehow managing to bring it with him. Not that he actually only wore that kind of outfit; it came from the same K-line as did his rabbit. He liked wearing it, but only during certain mood swings, otherwise he preferred much simpler clothing.

"I'm not a stranger to dolling up," he said, picking up his cup and looking at the contents. "I've done everything from wearing a dress to getting naked and making out with a band mate on stage. Mostly I just go with the way the crowd feels, ya know? Sometimes they like excess, and sometimes they want real music. Whatever the costume I'll have to be able to move and breathe easily in it. As for how to get into a live performance, that might be easy. There doesn't seem to be a set music industry here."

[throttle]

"Mm, I figured as much." Unsophisticated city. So many intelligent, powerful creatures, and they had yet to create the most basic of civilized institutions. "That's fine."

She leaned back then, her eyes squinting a little as she began to run another analysis. This time, it was on the people around them in the cafe. A basic bunch. As average as average could be in that world, she assumed. Ryuichi was a crowd pleaser, and would do almost anything to make them go wild. That had its benefits, as long as he had some sort of self-restraint. He did, she felt, but she had ceased her analysis of him to see if she could detect anything sinister.

For a moment, she wondered if her 'brother' had such an ability, but shook it off. That was not the time to be thinking about the rogue independent.

"Classic mobster outfits, but with a slightly more fashionable, if not sensual, twist to them. Maybe slightly cabaret in their style. Easy to move in, with conservative appearance at the top and the potential for more if you so choose to remove layers."

[singsingsilver]

"Mobster type?" He tugged on a bright pink ear, chewing on the edge while he thought it over. Then nodding - Kumagoro falling flat onto the table - he beamed. "Yeah, that'll work. We done Nazi stuff years ago in Nittle Grasper so mobster would totally rock."

He was really liking her style. There wasn't any extra frills or any kind of overly dramatic whine about the usual manager whininess. Not that he had problems with that kind of manager himself, but he had seen what a bad manager could do to a good star. She sort of reminded him of how businesslike Toma would get, although there wasn't that touch of meanness about her. She was a bit overly controlling, a bit stiff, but he can deal with that. She many need Ryuichi's special brand of craziness to relax a little.

"You know, I think this is gonna work out," Ryuichi said, nodding slowly. "Even if we're taking this on the fly here."

[throttle]

If one were to ask Chronica, she didn't need to relax a little.

Although, his final statement did cause her face to break the smallest smile as she carefully picked her cup up with the fingertips of one hand. "I told you. I'm a quick study. But to start with, we need to make noise. We need people to notice you for your talent, and to notice me as the accessibility they have to your talent."

She took another sip of the painfully strong tea. "Costumes, as well. I'm afraid you'll have to put the money out for a little while until I can earn my wage with you. I may take a side job temporarily for the sake of keeping this funded."

[singsingsilver]

"I'm not too worried about money. When I was here last, I was stocking things up."

Ryuichi pushed over the folders for her to look at, and then waved a waiter over to refresh his tea. He was drinking white tea with a touch of fruit juice and the aroma filled the air around him when they brought him a fresh cup of it.

"See, I've been here long enough to start on saving - even before the whole money system started up. I was here when they gave it away free so that helped build a nest egg. So, I'm good with starting costs."

[throttle]

Chronica placed a hand on the stack and slid them closer to her, still tenderly holding her cup in her other hand. "What are these?" she asked as she tossed one open.

It was impressive. She could take his childish behavior if he was this wise with himself. Honestly, she could stand being a manager and a bodyguard. Being a babysitter was another thing entirely. "That's good," she replied. "That's wise, considering you don't now how long your success will run. However, it's pertinent that we keep it that way, only breaking into it for a little while until an appropriate pool of money can be made."

[singsingsilver]

"I'm actually not that good with money," he said a bit sheepishly, rubbing the side of his head. His random shaggy hair cut didn't even look too ruffled when he dropped his hand. "K was here shortly and made me promise to keep my finances clear or he will take his eagle to my head."

He laughed, shaking his head. Yes he was silly and childish for most of the time, but when he could focus, he was able to handle most of his day-to-day affairs. The folders had lists of money, purchases and other sundries, the new banking system appearing after a while with the lists of money being held there. He had a list of performances, people that have offered him singing gigs, times spent in studios, all of it written down. Some times the handwriting was shaky and done in crayon, sometimes in marker and in a bold hand, and all of it showing his moods and personality at the time of his writing the information down.

"K means well but he was a SCARY manager! I was pretty glad when he started managing Shuichi."

[throttle]

Ah, that was it. "Despite, you seemed to have maintained thorough records," Chronica replied, carefully scaling through the papers. Her tea was long forgotten, and it was written all over her face that she was taking the time to scope each individual charge, credit, everything. No, Chronica wouldn't remember every fine detail, but that was something else her kind was created with: an impeccable memory.

"You could have easily let this all slip away, but instead you've kept thorough... albeit colorful records of your money. This is very good, though I will need to clean this up to look a bit more formal."

[singsingsilver]

"I didn't want K to get angry with me; sometimes he pulls out bazookas!"

Crazy American former CIA agents turned managers were certainly interesting to be around. Ryuichi just hoped he wouldn't show up again and get all mad about Chronica. That would be really scary.

"Okay, so we just need to figure out what you want to take for percentage and if you need something to start up with."

[throttle]

Chronica looked at him for a moment, at the mention of his prior manager pulling out bazookas. "He would pull out an infantry anti-tank weapon on you?" What a peculiar world Ryuichi must have hailed from. "I can assure you I have no desire to do the same.

"As for percentage. I'll begin for a quarter-cut until I can assure that this will indeed work out. That should be adequate for the time being, as I simply desire enough to pay rent and obtain necessary items. To start with, I will ask for whatever equates a couple hundred US dollars, for the sake of the costumes."