𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 ?

Kisumi waited at the moment seemed to drag on. Hitoshi seemed to be taking inventory of him, or some sort of assessment. What kind? Not a clue. Kisumi could have guessed he was thinking of killing him 10 different ways, looking at his weak points. Or he could have been wondering if he looked good in a dress. Hitoshi was impossible to read. Those sorts of men made him uneasy. Usually he was good at picking up cues but Hitoshi was too silky smooth. So practiced.

It would take a hell of a lot more time together to begin to dissect that and Kisumi wasn’t particularly sure if he would survive that endeavor. 

Was he asking if he was being productive? A jab? Ugh. Kisumi just nodded as he tucked his short curls behind his ear, his earrings glinted with the light shift. “Yeah, I like to make sure my fingers stay on the pulse. You can’t anticipate things you’re not aware of.” He stated simply. That and his Uncle had him stressed beyond belief over this stupid partnership. He feared he couldn’t endure another failure.

“Lucky for you, that’s what we’re here for. In this state it does feel rather abstract. Visually it’s sometimes difficult to picture when components are missing and the space is yet to be built out.” He agreed explaining a bit of the process although it might not interest Hitoshi. “Ah.” The Foyer. Gaudy. Kisumi had to take a blow to his ego there. He thought it had been a perfect way to capture the attention of guests coming to stay. The foyer was your first impression and you might go in with a bang! But clearly his calculations were incorrect.

Oof. Wrong move again. He figured Hitoshi might have been here for a particular reason that he could help navigate. He didn’t think he was inviting himself to become an errand boy. And he sure as fuck wasn’t about to refuse, he wasn’t that dimwitted. As Hitoshi began walking ahead Kisumi made quick movement to follow before his long legs caught up with the other. This was a man that was used to calling the shots, everyone else followed in tow. “Of course..” he replied to being on Hitoshi clock now. “I’ll do whatever is in my means.” Hopefully he could respectfully bow out or an emergency could draw him away.

He was so close on being done for today…

His heels clicked, echoing in the empty hallways, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the large room. Kisumi was curious what Hitoshi was going to complain about.

there  was  arrogance.  pride.  confidence.  the  way  kisumi  explained  the  probable  reason  and  expectations  of  an  unfinished  interior  lingered  upon  the  confident  edge.  of  knowing  exactly  what  his  job  was  and  executing  it  without  delay.  good.  arrogance  was  something  hitoshi  wasn't  impressed  by.  fragile  ego's  displayed  arrogance.  thinking  you  were  above  another  reeked  of  arrogance.  strength  wasn't  arrogance  and  those  thinking  that  were  but  feeble-brained  and  spineless  litter.  his  right  hand  often  mentioned  how  cut-throat  hitoshi  could  be  in  his  assessment  of  people.  unfair  at  times.  but  hitoshi  didn't  have  time  for  games,  to  unravel  the  wool  spun  before  one's  eyes.  show  him  who  you  are  or  don't.  but  never  waste  time.

kisumi,  at  present,  wasn't  wasting  any  of  his.  and  whether  that  was  out  of  fear,  respect,  disgust  or  annoyance  hitoshi  didn't  particularly  care.  you  didn't  need  to  like  each  other  to  do  business.  simple  understanding  of  the  roles  played  was  enough. and whether he would come to know kisumi more intimately, or would even desire to know him outside of this arrangement hinged solely on the fact of the success of the creation of his hotel. tedious. dangerous.

  "  lucky  we  have  ya  'ere  then.   for  all  the  pretty  little details  and  making  sure  i  am  happy  with  the  end  result.  makes  me  wonder  though,  ya  uncle  put  you  up  to  this  personally  or  is  this  just  yer  role  in  the  family  ?  "     the  question  lingers  in  the  air  as  they  descend  the  stairs  and  reach  the  foyer.  whether  he  truly  wanted  an  answer  to  that  question  or  not  something  kept  between  lips.

"  as  for  the  lobby  ...  "     an  almost  dismissive  wave  of  his  hand  before  gesturing  towards  the  alcove  where  the  reception  would  be.  "  it's  too  sharp.  like  all  those  modern,  too  classy,  ridiculous  hotels  that  promise  decadence  and  opulence.  that's  not  my  vision  and  never  will  be.  "     voice  remains  even,  a  single  brow  raised  in  question  and  perhaps  some  form  of  bored  annoyance.  "     the  notes  f'r  the  design  that  my  liason  gave  yer  uncle.  do  ya  have  it  wit'  ya   ?  did  ya  ever  saw  it  ?  "

@taintment ——-🩷🩷🩷

There was no rest for the weary or just none for him ever. Kisumi happened to be in the neighborhood collecting rent from another property when he figured he would stop by and check on the progress of the interior of the hotel property. This particular job was important after all, this was to help secure relations with the Ito-gumi clan. That would offer them a great deal of protection, continued revenue, possibly even more for future business opportunities and investments.

He felt the pressure from his Uncle to ensure things would run smoothly for their operation. Somehow even if it didn’t involve him, anything that went south would be blamed on his head. Currently he was angrily texting away, sending emails to vendors since the coloring of the marble that was sent wasn’t correct and the carpenter needed to fix some crown molding. glancing up he hadn’t expected to see the man himself ahead of him.

Hitoshi.

He hesitated since he was in the middle of typing a word out as it looked like he was processing what had been said. The man was always a bit intimidating, acting too suave like he was 4 steps ahead. “Oh, yes, I don’t want to disappoint. I was just stopping by to check on progress. How are you liking how things are shaping up with the hotel?” He asked, slipping quickly into his professional tone, his back a bit straighter trying to stamp out this email as quickly as possible to devote his attention to the client.

a  soft  grunt  was  given  in  response.  shigino  kisumi.  the  one  katsumi  pushed  forward,  a  name  mentioned  when  the  man  met  with  hitoshi  over  the  possibility  of  a  partnership,  of  working  together  in  some  kind  of  capacity.  if  there  was  an  opening  in  the  market  why  not  try.  however,  it  was  always  tricky  to  do  business  with  one  like  hitoshi  and  not  necessarily  because  he  was  difficult.  far  from  it.  he  liked  to  keep  things  on  a  tight  leash.  new  partnerships  ?  not  a  particular  fan.  liked  the  same  old,  the  known,  the  ones  he  knew  he  could  trust  and  shigino  katsumi  ?  there  were  many  names  he  could  refer  to  him  as  and  all  of  them  were  of  the  rodent  variety  (  for  a  lack  of  inspiration  ).  reason  ?  gut  feeling.  and  nothing  more  than  that. but hitoshi liked testing people, especially those that wished to prosper on his territory. taste the wealth that could be found within the entertainment district.

and so tired  gaze  sweeps  across  the  'manager's'  form.  young.  determined  to  impress.  to  carry  out  that  shigino  pride  that  was  seeping  from  his  uncle.  was  this  to  be  the  heir  ?  running  around  doing  labor  meant  for  those  below  his  rank  ?  perhaps  this  was  simply  how  the  shigino's  operated.  vastly  different  from  the  tight,  rigid  ranks  of  the  yakuza.  heavy  footsteps  indicate  his  departure  and  onwards  towards  kisumi,  eventually  coming  to  a  stop  right  before  him,  almost  looming.  shadow  stretching  across  the  shorter  man,  stealing  away  his  light. "  you're  very  on  top  it,  eh  ?  "  brows  furrow,  deeper  than  before.  a  scowl  always  present  upon  his  face  (  'smile  a  little'  something  he  heard  all  too  often  ).  hands  are  pushed  into  pockets,  head  tilting  slightly  to  the  side;  the  movement  affects  the  sway  of  wavy  dark  locks,  shifting  across  cheekbone  and  partially  hiding  the  inquisitive  look  within  dark  brown  eye. 

"  it  looks  good  t'  me.  but  i  aint  an  interior  designer  so  what's  it  mean  anyway.  "  a  shrug,  not  to  disregard  the  hard  work  of  the  other  but  merely  blunt  honesty  shared  with  one  he  did  not  consider  lesser  than  him.  yet.   "  i  know  i  gave  some  options  for  color  and  furniture.  way  i  want  it  t'  look.  how  it's  suppos'd  t'  feel.  can't  say  much  about  that  yet.  it's  still  in  the  beginnin'  phases  ...  though  i  can't  say  i  like  the  look  of  the  foyer.  it's  too  gaudy  f'r  my  taste.  let's  revisit  that  later.  "

the  question  has him  stop  in  his  tracks,  thoughts  momentarily  coming  to  a  halt.  can  i  help  you  with  anything.  very  admirable.  very  submissive.  smart.  a  soft  scuff,  large  hand  is  removed  from  pocket  to  sweep  through  hair,  messing  up  whichever  laid  -  back  style  he  was  going  for.  the  crease  between  brows  deepens,  eyes  squinting  and  in  doing  so  make  the  presence  of  crows  feet  more  prominent.  "  if  ya  ask  a  question  like  that  i  could  give  a  hundred  answers,  shigino.  too  open  ended.  "   with  a  click  of  his  tongue  on  the  roof  of  his  mouth  does  hitoshi  walk  passed  him,  doesn't  ask  if  kisumi  walks  along,  he  expects  he  will.  "  let's  go  back  to  the  foyer,  lemme  show  ya  somethin'  and  ya  can  tell  me  if  i  aint  right.  your  time  is  mine  for  a  while anyway.  "   he  doesn't  stop  walking,  making  his  way  back  to  the  foyer.