11378/Welcome to the Blue Lady!

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Welcome to the Blue Lady!
Date of Scene: 23 April 2020
Location: The Blue Lady, Fort Joseph
Synopsis: Buffy invites a Katsumi to a show at the Blue Lady.
Cast of Characters: Buffy Summers, Bakeneko




Buffy Summers has posed:
There's a show going on this early evening, and while the staff are usually dressed in period attire, this time people are really dressed up in 1930s attire. Oh yeah, and there's a Burlesque show going on on stage. Buffy had mentionned the club to Katsumi before and had invited her to come over any time.

Right now, she is working, dressed in her black suit and tie and white shirt, looking very official and even a bit Mafioso, like most of the bouncers here. She had promised Kats that she'd be finished her shift in a half hour at the most and to make herself comfortably til then.

Bakeneko has posed:
Buffy had mentioned this club a few times to Katsumi. The Japanese girl's funds have been steadily dropping. She's tried to ignore peeking back in at her old federation's message boards; fans noticed she was missing from the roster and were complaining, but her membership had been revoked. No way to respond. She's hidden away from home, her belongings no doubt on the street. This has to be an all-time low. Maybe hitting a club /is/ a good idea. Hell, maybe it'll go better than the last time she tried to enjoy herself.

Katsumi arrived, dressed in her typical 'going out' attire of deep red slanted dress, leather boots, bracelets, and choker. She looks good, at least. But what she finds past the entrance is not what she was expecting. The girl is agog, making her way gradually to a seat. Seeing Buffy in a full suit was hitting all the strangest bells, and the show on stage is equally unexpected.

The heck is this? That's not even a negative confusion, it's just a straight up mental bluescreening.

The Japanese girl sits in a silent stupor, briefly visually trailing the one point of familiarity when she enters her field of view

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers peers around the club, keeping an eye open for her amethyst-eyed friend, and she smiles and waves once she spots her. She's arrived early, so there is still seating available. It's just one of those pop up things, and fortunately this is a tamer version of burlesque. ie, no stripping.

"Hey, Kats! I'm so glad you could make it! c'mon, let's find a seat before it fills up..How're you doing?" as she speaks, she leads her towards a small empty table for two. "I'm actually supposed to be guarding the door for a few minutes after I do a perimeter check, but I'll be able to join you fairly soon here.."

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro lifts her chin as Buffy approaches, those inhumanly-hued eyes fixed on her. But even Buffy isn't looking quite normal! She's in a suit! It seems so odd! Buffy's a pretty chick, she's supposed to be wearing feminine clothing, right? Is this how America does things?

She follows her blonde host in a bit of a daze. "I'm okay," says a small-voiced Katsumi. "I'm kind'a blown away by all this, but..." As they reach the table, she assumes a seat and squints up at Buffy. "I'm gonna pull a total Karen and speak with the manager about how he's dressing his finest security. I mean," she motions towards the stage and the burlesque dancers, "you're at /least/ as good-looking as they are, and he's got you in a penguin suit! Chicks beating up people in dresses or whatever is so /obviously/ the better choice!"

Despite the small rant, the Japanese girl is starting to smile. Somehow being fussy and abrasive helps her relax.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles and nods, "Are you enjoying yourself? I mean, I know this is not your usual nightclub, with the period dress and all..But I hope you're enjoying yourself?" she grins and shrugs, glancing down at her own uniform. "Yeah, I actually work here very part time or on-call as needed. You like?" she strikes a pose.

Glancing around, she notices that the club is getting busier by the minute and she draws a deep breath, "Heh, yeah, well this is what I do best, right? Protecting people." she shrugs, "Thomas' idea really. I mean, I'm not big on the whole dating-your-boss thing, but hey, at least he's professional, and it means I can keep him safe too."

Some people may not agree with her, but.."Listen, I gotta check the door for ten minutes. Why don't you go ahead and order something? It's on me!"

Bakeneko has posed:
"You look like Yakuza Barbie," cheekily remarks Katsumi. But at least she's fully smiling again, toothy and playful.

The idea that she might run into Buffy's beau is an intriguing one. The people around here seem so fancy, so... well, /rich/. She's sure that doesn't factor into the blonde's choice in men, but it has to be a perk. Especially given that the guy runs the place. She glances about, briefly wonder if she'd spot him. But she doesn't. She isn't even sure what she'd be looking for. So her attention returns to Buffy.

"Oh, Buffy, sweetie," coos the punkette. "You know what they say about feeding a stray Kat."

And yet, the moment Buffy leaves, Katsumi is going to take full advantage of it. Whatever their nicer, most Americanized food item they offer, she's getting it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smirks, "Really? Barbie?" she chuckles, "C'mon, I have way more class and brains than that blonde bimbo." She follows Katsumi's gaze around the club, but it seems Thomas is otherwise preoccupied right now, probably in some important meeting or something. Whatever the case, Buffy doesn't seem worried. They're bound to cross paths sooner or later.

"Alright, gimme two clicks and I'll be right back. I even brought a pretty dress for the ocasion!" and with that, she turns and disappears into the crowd, moments later one of the servers steps up, smiling, "Are you ready to order, miss?"

Bakeneko has posed:
"I'll have you know, she's a lawyer! And a surgeon!," jokes Katsumi. "And those kneepads never worked harder." Scandalous off-color joke made, Katsumi girlishly fans her fingers over her lips. "Did I say that out loud~?"

Barbie's questionable rise to multiple high-powered occupations aside, when Buffy leaves and Katsumi is approached by the server, she proceeds with the order. She's indulging, quite deliberately; giving herself up to the strange levity of the club and determined to make tonight work. This won't be a repeat of karaoke. It /won't/.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers I gone for some 10-15 min. If Katsumi pays attention she may notice her going upstairs after her shift at the door. When she returns, she is wearing a more feminine ivory gown that leaves her arms bare, showing off a simple pearl necklace and matching bracelet.

She smiles as she returns to the booth, "So? What do you think? You like?" she grins, peering around as more people pile in. It's pretty active now, people are cheering and music is playing as the dancers continue to perform. "Oh hey, did you order something for us?"

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro wasn't sure what to expect, really. Much less how long food should take. But by the time Buffy is returning, the food is being delivered to the table. Well, a serving for one. Steak, medium well with a side salad. Katsumi's smile vanishes into a tiny, straight line with her normally almond-shaped eyes widening into saucers like a deer in headlights. "Us?," she squeaks. Her tiny pupils flit from Buffy to the server, who looks increasingly uncomfortable. Frantically, Katsumi begins wagging a hand. "Same thing! But another one! For her!"

The server stammers.

"HURRY!," balks Katsumi. The server scurries off to replicate the order.

Katsumi apologetically scoots the salad towards Buffy. "Sooorry," she winces. "But- ah, hey! Look at you! Hot as a jet shimmer!" She reaches a foot under the table to gently bump the blonde's shin. "Where's that guy of yours? No way he should be leavin' a girl looking /this/ fine unattended." Just like that, she's back to the playful, oddly quasi-predatorial smile. But that's just default for her when she's in a pleasant mood.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers grins and shrugs, "No worries, didn't expect to be gone so long. It just got really busy in here. Did you order some wine or shall Iget us something fun to drink...?" she pauses, "Wait, do you drink?" as for her reaction, Buffy's still trying to figure out if she likes this place or not, "I know..It's a bit different but for me it's like home. Well I guess it literally is!" she chuckles, "Thanks! I don't get to dress up all the time so this is kinda nice..Wish it didn't keep Thomas quite so busy though.."

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro blinks innocently, then nods. "Yeah! Of course I do! I don't get wasted or anything, but I can drink!" Nevermind the physiological issues Japanese people have when it comes to alcohol, she knows her limits! Or at least the warning signs. It's been a long time since the passed that edge, too! For as reckless and tempermental as Katsumi may seem, she's more personally aware and restrained than some!

"His loss," chides Katsumi. "So..." She lifts knife and fork into hand, contently having supplied Buffy with her salad. Her conscience can handle that until the second half of the order arrives, right? "...tell me more about yourself. I've been carrying on with all my s*** so much, having near-mental-breakdowns around you, and you've been like a duck on a pond." Her gaze flicks up from the steak to Buffy across from her. "You get my meaning, right? Duck on a pond? All calm'n collected on the top, under the water the legs are kickin' like crazy?"

She saws awkwardly at the meat.

"What do you want outta life, Buff'?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers chuckles and shrugs, "Okay, that's cool. I just don't want to get you wasted or anything.." as the food comes, Buffy is too happy to sink her teeth into it and falls into silence for a few moments as she irks on her meal. "About myself? Hmmm not much to say really. I used to be pretty and popular and carefree til one day this old guy came to see me and told me I was 'The Chosen One', destined to fight vamps and save the world. Then from that day on it was just practicing lots and killing lots." she shrugs, "Didnt really leave much time for having a life you know? Didn't help to know that all previous slayers tended to last maybe a year or two at most."

Bakeneko has posed:
"Yeah, you used to be pretty. Ugly as Hell now," teases Katsumi, poking at Buffy's own wording.

She then shakes her head, discreetly confiscating the salad since Buffy no longer needs it. Heck, she didn't even touch it! No loss!

"Anyway, I know all that!," Katsumi pardons. "You told me that like day one! I wanna know what you /want/." She bobs her fork at Buffy. "Like, out of life. If this is what you've gotta do, what would make it worth doing? That kind'a thing."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, poking at her meal. If her salad was stolen, she seems distracted. "Mmm well it would be nice to not feel responsible for protecting every one all the time from things that go bump in the night..lBut to be fair, I DO have lots of good friends to help me out and I'm never lonely." she smiles thoughtfully, face reddening a bit, "And, I have Thomas..Honestly I have everything I want, and I'm happy.."

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro had taken the extra salad! Buffy still has one! Just not the peace-offering salad Katsumi had originally offered her to make up for not ordering her something earlier.

The information gets a curious headtilt, and eventually, a thoughtful frown touches Katsumi's lips. "Must be nice," she says sullenly. She really wishes she could say the same for herself. But she catches herself being a downer again, and she shakes her head quickly. "You've gotta want /something/!," she pressures. "Like a new car! A pony? Money! Be shallow, dammit!"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles, finding another salad and pokes at it, "Nah, I'm really happy right now. I mean, it's not like it was even a year ago, when I just got over a terrible breakup, my boyfriend was a vampire with a soul..He was my first.." she bites her lip, looking down, "Well, one moment of perfect happiness was all it took to lose his soul and become evil..And it happened. I was also lonely because a lot of my friends went off to college or moved away, but really! I count my blessings and consider myself lucky every day.."

peers back at Katsumi curiously, "What about you? I know you said you were disqualified from wrestling and recently got into street fighting..How's that going, does it make you happy?"

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro deflates a bit as she insists she has everything she wants. Even the story of loss and supernatural monsters has an unrelenting silver lining. Katsumi dejectedly pops a bite of steak into her mouth and chews. That is, until Buffy redirects the focus onto her. She swallows hard.

"Wrestling makes me happy," is her sullen response. It's an honest answer. The thing she loved has been taken away, and here she is. "I mean, I'm fighting. I'm gonna run out of money by the end of the month, though. And fighting pays for some, but unless I really draw attention to myself, I'm not taking on any high-price opponents." She glances down to the steak, then back to Buffy. "I'm-.. freaked. And I keep looking back on the old site, and my fans were asking about me, and I can't even talk to'em except on Twitter, but then what'm I gonna say? I don't want'em to think of me as a charity case..."

She scrunches her expression, eyes squeezing shut, before she shakes her head. "Sorry! I'm sucking the fun out've the night again. ***dammit.."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles, shaking her head, "No, no that's okay..You got to listen to my gripes, it's my turn to listen to yours.." she shrugs, "Soo, what is it you enjoy about the wrestling, is it the performing in front of crowds? The adrenaline rush? The money? I mean, I get a lot of that as a bouncer here, and patrolling as a Slayer..You're always welcome to join me on patrol..As for a job, I could always see if Thomas is hiring..?"

Bakeneko has posed:
A soft sigh escapes Katsumi, already feeling guilty for pulling down the mood. Sure, Buffy's a good sport about it, but Buffy's been an overall good sport about /everything/. An absolute sounding board that Katsumi's gotten to yell and vent at with, so far, absolutely nothing demanded in return. She appreciates that so much more than she can communicate.

"It's hard to explain. It's like... it's something you have to experience. Feel. Thousands of people cheering for you, some of'em wanting you to win, some of'em wanting you to lose, some of'em just... /wanting/ you." She slants a meaningful look to Buffy. Surely she gets her meaning. She gets back to working on the steak. "But there's something just gladiatorial about it. Where someone like me could feel normal, and- no. Not normal. Someone like me could feel /good/. Like I wasn't just tolerated or whatever, but praised for being me. Nothing else. Just this... in-people's-face b**** who fights people, looks hot as Hell, and doesn't apologize for it. Wrestling's about fighting, but a lot more. And it was just.. it was /me/, Buff'."

She lifts another bite of steak and chews thoughtfully.

"I fell in love with it as a kid. And I gave up everything to pursue it. Have you.. ever actually /been/ to a show?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers doesn't seem to mind being a sounding board for Katsumi's troubles, and in fact she simply encourages her all the more to get her feelings out. Maybe some of it even piques her curiosity because she's like the other side of the same coin as herself.

"Wow...That must be a nice feeling. I mean, I've never really fought for entertainment. Never had an audience to cheer me on.." she sighs wistfully at the thought, "I mean, being in the spotlight, being loved, being like, a celebrity? That must be...A really nice feeling."

It's not something that Buffy has ever had the luxury of feeling herself really. And she seems to watch Katsumi with a strange mixture of longing and curiosity now. "Been to a show? Nah, I mean, I've watched shows like that on tv, it's pretty good practice for me, y'know, keep in the know, study other peoples' techniques. Although I suppose it's way more exciting in real life."

Buffy bites her lip, staring at her plate again, playing with her food as she lets her mind wander a bit. "I mean, for me, I've always fought in secret, and because of the trouble that always finds me, I was made an outcast, a freak, a weirdo. People thought I actually burnt down a school gymnasium for the 'fun' of it. I couldn't exactly explain that the school dance was swarming with vamps, and after I managed to get as many people out as I could, the only way to kill all the vamps was to burn it down.." she laughs, "But that was just the start of my bad luck. After getting expelled, I came to Sunnydale, and people kept a wide berth. I was no longer loved, admired..Looked up to.." she shrugs.

Bakeneko has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro studies the blonde across from her as she swallows. And she lets Buffy explain without interruption, sawing away another bite of steak. Chew, chew. Her pink-glossed lips quirk into a small smile. "I'm taking you to a show." It'll break her heart to see it from the outside looking in, but it's something special that she can share. Her second attempt at that. God, let it go without a hitch. She /needs/ to be able to do something nice for Buffy. "It's electric. You'll see. But..."

Daintily, Katsumi clears her throat and reaches a foot under the table to nudge at Buffy's shin.

"You remember when we first met? What I said to you when we were locked together?" Her head tilts faintly, a few wisps of ebon-black hair drifting over her right eye. "How all the people were cheering for you, the good girl whose only crime was trying to defuse a hotheaded upstart? It's like that. You may not've noticed it then, but it was happening. Just like in the ring. And any time you wanna feel that? You just let me know..."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles, "Oh yeah? That'll be cool! Where at? do I need to dress up special or anything? How much is it? Aren't these things pretty expensive?"

She draws a deep breath, nodding as she remembers with a soft smile, "Yeaah..It was..Nice, being recognized for once, having people cheering me on..Even if you weren't the badgirl I initially mistook you for. I could get used to that feeling.."

Bakeneko has posed:
"Oh no, honey," coos Katsumi, letting her gaze half-lid into playful bedroom eyes. "I'm /totally/ that badgirl." She flashes her a toothy grin.

"I think you got a little taste of what it's like there. That energy from the crowd, feeling'em feeding into you, urging you to outdo the other person. Who cares if they're checking out your a**, you're the star, the one they wanna see's arm get raised after the bell!" Katsumi draws in a slow breath, and sinks back into her chair with the exhale, chest slowly lowering. "They didn't cheer for me like that very often. I got boos. But that worked, too. Everyone loves having someone to hate. It's like everyone loves the Predator, but no one wants to see'em actually /win/. So they boo'em in the fights, but they'll pay the ticket to see'em in action. Make sense?"

She waves off Buffy's other questions. She's not letting her worry about any of that. "Dress comfortably. You're gonna get sweaty."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers arches a curious brow at that. "Heh, so what, it's like a show then? Like there's always a good guy and a badguy in these shows?" she sighs, shaking her head, "If that's the case, it doesn't seem right. It's like..One is always expected to win over the other, regardless of skill level.."

Bakeneko has posed:
"Ohhh, no...," Katsumi shakes her head. "There's not always a goodguy and badguy. And the goody little so'n'so doesn't always win. Like me, for example? I beat up /so/ many goodgirls. And I'd make a show out of it." She leans forward, setting down the utensils to prop her elbows on the table. Her slender shoulders arch, her smile turning positively devilish. "Beat the other girl down until she can't fight back. Show the cameras, the crowd, her tired face. Then set'er up for a finisher - whichever one I was feelin' more. Pin'er down, push'er face to the side. Nothing but that image of total dominance." Her gaze hoods again. "Let the audience see their favorite utterly crushed. The poor thing, battered'n broken in front've /thousands/. Then the ref' would pull me off of'er and raise my hand - and the audience would jeer and shower me in sooo much hate..."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers frowns, "Well, that's not fair either. I mean, why can't there just be two competitors, why does one have to be the beloved 'goodgirl' and the other the despised 'badgirl?' she shrugs, "I mean, it's not like you're fighting demons, right? You're both human. You should both be equal competitors.."

she pauses, peering at her curiously, "Are you really okay with that? Being the 'badgirl', being hated?"

Bakeneko has posed:
Bright magenta eyes flit sidelong in thought as Katsumi reconsiders her approach. When they return to Buffy, it's with an impish smile. "Look at it like this. No one's doubting my athletic ability. I'm in the ring flipping around, pulling off complex submission holds, putting my health literally on the line, and /slamming/ the other girl down on the mat. It isn't gentle. That ring shudders when a body whacks into it. And that's not even to mention the /really/ crazy s***, like suicide dives and planchas. I once moonsaulted onto someone from a ten-foot-tall ladder."

Her right hand flips over at the wrist, "But we're people in the ring. Not robots. Not rock'ems or sock'ems. And I'm /me/. You've met me. You know what I'm like. And the other girls can be more like you, or more about just the sport. People want the good, sweet girl to win. They want the mean punkette to lose. And I have a /lot/ of fun being me in the ring."