Refreshments [Shou/Open]

So.. uh.. in conclusion, she is not the daughter of a mafia boss but Rita is just a really, really nice and rich businesswoman who just wants to give back to the community?

There was a lot of information for Shou to take in - something about owning businesses, real estate and people working for her but she was at least able to capture some of the key points of what she is currently doing and is a commendable person to use her fortune to give back unlike certain greedy corporations that only exists to exploit others.

Then the interview question struck.

And right off the bat it was hella difficult even for Shou to answer.

"Uh.."

She already had problems trying to answer a simple question that every job interview asks - what are her skills? With massive gaps in her past memories, waking up in the middle of nowhere, discovering her abiliies and only travelling, she pretty much had nothing special going on for her. On what circumstances can any of her experiences appeal as useful to Rita anyway?

"I guess I'm really good with my feet? I mean I've spent a few years just going across Japan alone."

She said that with a cold sweat and an awkward smile on her face before sighing. Scratching her head, she continued on.

"And I guess I have this pretty boring power to buy and sell things. I don't even know if it'll be any use for this job that you're talking about."

Shou ruffled through her small bag and took a can of coke right out of it. This time, she had put a little more of her energy into the can than she would usually do - and just like the last time she shown her abilities, the can immediately disappeared and a strong gust of wind blew right out of her hand in all directions, probably messing up things inside the limo and temporarily threw the driver off-guard.

"Just like that. I am just selling this drink and bought the ability of control wind for a short while."

Sighing heavily, she wasn't sure what value Rita can even see in this ability of hers anyway. On paper, it sounds great and versatile but because Shou can't utilize her reiryoku directly to do the same thing, it becomes useless if she doesn't have something to sell.

Leaning back against the seat of the limo, Shou felt like she was already defeated in the first round of the interview questions already, laughing it off with a smile.

"That's about it. All I do is travel, eat and sleep with a power that does me no good. I don't know if you'd find anything useful in it. I don't mind if you hire me just to wash some dishes honestly."

Those were some interesting answers that Shou was giving Rita. It caused the woman's eyebrow to raise when she stated her skills were that she was good with her feet. It caused Rita to question just how this girl was even keeping herself afloat at the moment if that's all she knew, which Rita doubted but was a humorous thought all the same to her.

No, what was more interesting was the power that she wielded. She could work with that. With Shou demonstrating how the power worked, Rita learned how to incorporate its elements with her own...blessings. So, she gave a low whistle in response to Shou's show. In fact, she didn't even care about all the wind ruffling her hair, and the driver seemed hardly bothered by it either. After all, they've been through more dangerous countries where they've been shot at and attacked; a bit of wind only caused the man to look backward before shifting his eye to the road.

"We have got to work on your interview skills, but your power is one I can work with."

Offering Shou a fizzy strawberry drink, Rita leaned back and kept looking at her for a moment before speaking.

"I have an ability myself called Asset Aura that can develop the powers of others. So go ahead, tell me more about your power. That makes sure my own ability works better in the end."

Nodding, Rita then added on:

" Or rather, what would you like to do with your power or life right now? You can intern for me, and we can make you have some employable skills, so you aren't around here begging for scarps or whatever."

"Hahaha! That, I agree!"

She couldn't help herself from laughing at that statement since.. well, that's true. Shou isn't the best interviewee around and this was probably her very first one, so yeah, it definitely needs a lot of work.

She took the fizzy drink being offered to her by Rita and gestured as a sort of 'thanks', popping it open and gulped it right down. The fizz hit her straight in the head, smiling and shaking her arms before it wore off. It might be a weird way to calm one's nerves but it sure calmed down hers.

After that, she continued listening in what Rita was saying. Her power does sound really interesting, something close to like a permanent buff of sorts or unlocking potential? Hell, it sounds something like straight out of a light novel! All in all, she does have a gist of what she wants for it to work.

Except.. its difficult for Shou to be of any help.

"I kind of get it now, your ability. I'd love to tell you more but you need to know that I haven't explored much of it since I first discovered it, so don't expect much from me."

It isn't really part of her nature to have secrets or hide anything from anyone, if anything else, she'd love to be straight with Rita about everything especially with someone who's willing to employ her despite her questionable skills and probably hopeless ability but it was difficult for her to get her point across as properly as she could.

Screw it.

Exhaling a bit, she just decided on the spot to not think too much about it and just let it flow for her.

"So far from what I've experimented, you can treat my ability something like a walking stock market. I can sell and buy anything I want if its in my capabilities. Theoretically speaking, I might be able to temporarily buy someone a power if I sold mine or something equal to it. Still, it is not just limited to just buying abilities."

Clink clink clink. Sounds of coins dropping, presumably ten 10-yen coins that was "bought" with the empty fizzy drink that she drank off earlier. From there, she continued on.

"Just like that, I can buy something physical too. Its susceptible to things exactly like a real stock market; inflation and stocks. I can't buy or sell too many of the same thing or it either becomes worthless or runs 'out of stock'."

Trying to catch a breath after her explanation, she stopped for a bit to think of an answer, just for a few seconds. Shou was always a lost traveler with no aspirations nor dreams after all, and asking what she wants to do is just a question she can never answer right now.

"What I'd like to do? I don't know. This power was handed to me willy-nilly without my consent, most parts of my life is a blank slate and all I do is travel at my own whims to get away from 'something'. How the heck would I know what I wanna do with it in my life?"

Sighing in frustration, she went on:

"If I have give an answer, I would want the answer myself. I don't know anything, not even my real name and age so I don't know what else I can tell you. You satisfied now?"

Bloody hell, there was a lot to unpack there. Rita knew she had a hunch something was off, but this was much more than she had bargained for. So, with her teal eyes never laying their sights off Shou, she gave the other woman the utmost respect by listening in to the story which made her who she was, the power at her side, and why she was here.

It's why she closed her eyes, remained silent, contemplated what to speak, and then smirked once she knew how to navigate the situation.

"Shit, you've been through a lot. Honestly took me a bit to think of how to even respond to all that."

Snorting, she continued.

"But Nah, you are fine. You've given me more than enough to work with, and I respect what ya been through to get to this point."

After patting the shoulder of Shou to give her some reassurance, Rita carried on.

"Look, your power is fucking awesome. But, you need to have more fuel in the tank and know how to master the skill behind it. Once you have those things, you'll probably be a monster, even if it's not a power you really wanted to begin with."

Now letting go of her shoulder, Rita looked at Shou for a bit longer before pressing ahead.

"Hell, I could even try to figure out some ways to help pick your brain more and unlock those memories if you forgot who you are and where you come from. But something tells me that isn't what you want, and you may be better off like shinigami and Arrancar in the sense of just accepting who you are now, learning to live with what you are now, and having experiences in life that'll help figure out what the fuck you even want to do."

Tapping her chin, she then pressed ahead.

"But fuck, do you need friends? A place to stay? Somewhere to work and learn? You sound like you need a base, something to ground you and people to be around, and I think I have that."

It was a bit of a weight off her shoulders. She didn't want to use her head more than necessary, so she just went off on her own rant. Still, Shou didn't do this out of wanting pity but just someone to vent to after a rather lonesome journey of traveling.

She wasn't particularly angry or depressed but just pent up from thinking on how to explain.. well, all these questions to her without sounding weird. Her eyes were closed - relaxing herself and listening in to how Rita responded to everything that she has said so far until she was done.

After a long exhale, Shou was already back brimming with energy again and gave Rita a quick pat on the shoulder before moving it away.

"Its alright, I am not telling you all this for you to feel sorry about me. I just hate beating around the bush and keeping secrets. I like it straight and steady so we both know what's up. But still, I appreciate the sentiment."

Letting off a bit of laugh, she continued on.

"I'd love it if my powers can get even a little better beyond here too. Maybe it will give me the answers I need."

Shou crossed her arms, shaking her head in disapproval as if to respond to the suggestion on trying to get the answers of her past back by poking into her head.

"First of all, that's heckin' scary. Second, I don't think I'm ready for it yet if you really can do it, it is my problem to bear after all. Like you said, I am definitely better off being free like I am now, experience life and figure shit out."

Stretching out her muscles on her seat after sitting for awhile, she eventually relaxed and looked at Rita in the eyes with a grin on her face.

"Home."

It was something Shou wanted for awhile in her travels. Maybe she missed that, a permanent place to go back to after a long day of hard work. She still had a few fragments of her own past she could remember but it never felt like it even back then with her family when she was a normal civilian.

Giggling for a bit, she almost had forgot about something else.

"And also work too, don't forget that. Though I do hope I don't get tied down by it too much, I still enjoy my sweet, sweet freedom after all and would love to continue to see the world with my own two eyes."

Somehow, after that, she felt.. elated. Heh.

At least Shou seemed to have a positive and firm head on her shoulders about the projection of her life and past. No sense in wasting time trying to recover a life that was lost to her, while at the same time, there was no reason to get lost in anxiety over her future. She was focused on the present, and Rita could nod her head along with the words spoken by the woman as she agreed with her.

"Good. I'm not giving you pity. I know it sucks to be pitied and be given things out of feeling sorry for another person."

After a nod that signified she was on the same page as Shou, she continued speaking as her eyes narrowed on the woman.

"We can definitely work on your powers over time, and I'm sure I have others who work with me that can help you as well."

With another sip of her sparkling drink, Rita carried on talking.

"But really, you'll be alright. You don't want your brain fucked with; you are still finding yourself in this world and want a job so you can have money to explore this life better. Honestly, you got a better outlook than most in your situation."

And with that, Rita looked out the window, saw a big high-rise building, and knew they were at the restaurant they needed to be. While the restaurant was on the ground floor, it was one of the better restaurants in the area and served a high-class clientele. Though it held familiar and exotic items, they could more or less fetch any Japanese or American food one could desire.

"We are here. C'mon, follow me."

So, with a nod, the woman opened the door out of the limo, motioned for Shou to follow, and guided her into the golden, crimson, and white interior as a waiter directed her towards a table that overlooked the city and she sat and waited to see what the woman would order.

"Order anything ya want."

Sweet~ Knowing that they are both on the same page, now Shou can start to focus on starting to get things moving on her hand. Traveling in the past has definitely helped her a lot too to organize her thoughts along the way and got herself where she is now. The answers aren't there still but at least she, or they, understand what's going on and the steps needed to move forward from here.

"Gotta have a positive outlook in life. Otherwise I'd break long ago."

Placing her hands behind her head, Shou laughed it off as she said that.

Once they arrived to the high-rise building, she already knew what she needed to do from the series of events leading up to this and followed alongside Rita when she was motioned to follow along. But still, she stopped walking mid-way, looked up with his hand against her waist and muttered to herself.

"Never thought I'd set foot on something as high class as this. I feel off being here."

Looking down against her own clothes - a sweater and short pants, she seriously felt like this wasn't the place she belongs. Only she could do now was laugh a bit before continuing to follow Rita right into the restaurant and get directed to the table.

Shou sat herself just right across the table from Rita and looked.. a bit stiff per say. It definitely wasn't a place where she can afford to pay for a single meal with how much she has. When she was told that she can order anything she wants off the menu, she tried covering her body with her hands and looked at Rita.

"Anything..? So I'll have to pay with my body once I have my fill..? You're more sly than I expected, Miss Grace.."

Pft. Alright, she was done joking around before bursting into laughter a few seconds after.

"Alright, alright. I wasn't being serious. If its your treat then I won't hesitate to get the most expensive thing on the menu! Muahahahahaha!!!"

Rita had a hard snort when she was flirted with by the younger woman. Really, she hadn't even brought her properly in yet, and here she was, making comments like that. Not that Rita was offended by it. Honestly, to Rita, she was a bad bitch. When she looked in the mirror, she liked what she saw and knew it was inevitable before others would voice those desires. Now whether she returns those affections is a beast of a different color.

"Getting ahead of ourselves, are we? Well, at least you really do live boldly."

Chuckling, Rita continued.

"Yeah, order whatever the hell you want. My card can handle it."

Throwing a black and gold card on the table, it was one of many business cards she had, and she could rack up all sorts of nifty reward points. One of which was covering this very meal.

"But I'm gonna get something with protein. Gotta get my energy levels up~."

And with a few clicks of a button, Rita shifted through an electronic menu and selected a plate of filet mignon steak, a Caesar salad, and a juice-like drink that had all sorts of red fruits smashed up into something sugary and tasty. She needed her protein for energy, the salad to have some veggies to make her body feel right and the fruits to get all the nutrients she needed. A pretty smart breakfast to keep her body and mind moving right.

"Now, Shou, what are you gonna have?"

"That's how I have fun in life~"

Shou winked at Rita with a grin on her face.

Shifting her focus back to the current situation at hand, seeing how Rita did it, Shou also fumbled with the buttons before bringing up the electronic menu on her end as well, shifted through the rather.. long menu and went ahead to just casually pick the meat dishes that she sees - a plate of flank steak, a bowl of rice with grilled chicken and a cup of cappucino.

"Donezo ♪"

Shou has lived conservatively for awhile now, so seeing this chance where she could just eat all the meat she wants without having to pay for it - she wasn't holding herself back to get some decent ones at least this one time.

Now that she was done ordering her portion, Shou placed her elbows on table, she placed her hands together and laid her chin against it, looking towards Rita with a smile on her face.

"Now, while we're waiting, anything else you'd like to ask or did I already fail the first interview?"

A deep scowl came over Rita's face as she narrowed her gaze down on the likes of the young Shou. Then, after remaining in silence, she snarled.

"You have failed the interview. Hand over your credit card and pay for everything you just ordered."

Then, just as soon as she became a foul beast, the goofiness of her persona returned as the woman snorted and laughed at whatever reaction Shou would have.

"Kidding, kidding. I got you, though, didn't I?"

Nodding, she continued.

"No, I'll have you as an intern and extra help. I've got business conducted in many countries, and I'm pretty sure I can get you to work learning how to transport, move, pack, and eventually put those powers to use as a bodyguard or something."

Rolling in her sleeve, Rita then tossed over a contact card with her information for Shou to add to her phone. However, it wasn't just her name on there. The contacts of a male called "Kenichi" and another named "Vanyel" were also there.

"Keep my name and contact with you. If I'm busy, I'm pretty sure my associates can help you more, and you can become part of a community. You look like you need one."

And with that, Rita started digging into her breakfast and savored the rich meats before adding one more thing.

"How does that sound?"