Shark and Serena's Entirely Normal Marriage Meeting

* Serena we've definitely had a sense of months of distance in our conversation being somewhat awkward
* Shark yes, as we struggle through this meeting, with all of the stuffiness of the atmosphere deafening any sense of time passing, we eventually hear a rough knock at the do
<Serena> or. Shark looks over at it, obviously a little confused-- he wasn't expecting any sort of interruption until the time was up, and the clock doesn't show that, yet.
<<Shark> ... Yeah? Who is it? *calling out. Maybe it's Rio bugging him about something...*
* @Linka a muffled voice comes through, distinctly male, but you're pretty sure it just said........ "Goons"?
<Serena> ...
* Serena squinting, pulling out a flippable combat knife from her purse
<Shark> ... Did you just say "goons"? *Shark gets up, going closer over to the door*
* @Linka the voice replies, muffled again. but your ears pick up "hired goons".
* Shark ... the hell are hired goons doing here? Shark throws Serena a look, as he picks up one of the chairs that's there. He is absolutely going to smash someone's head in once they try to come in.
* Serena getting up, nodding, wobbling on heels, with a knife, trying to kick the shoes off
* Serena because like hell am I fighting in heels
* Shark probably smart, but the Hired Goons hear the sound of your heels going flying with a thump, bang, and assume you guys must be trying to escape, as they start to ram the door. Ram, ram, SHOVE. As two very obviously hired-by-the-hour goons tumble through, knives out. "Now hold it, Kamishiro girl! Don't move, and you and your little date here won't get hur--"
* Shark meanwhile, was already swinging down the chair before the guy could finish the sentence, smashing it down on his head. which. it's a fairly big guy, the chair is pretty much totaled on impact. but so is the guy for the moment. The other one, not expecting to take command so fast, is mildly stunned at how quickly his partner went down.
* Serena and I'm going to shank the other guy pretty quickly, swerving and weaving like a slippery cat, the reflexes of a woman used to ambushes, taking advantage of his stunned reaction. Not enough to kill you but make it very difficult to follow us with an open bleeding wound.
* Shark the man might be a Hired Goon, but he's got a bit more experience than that! He manages to move his own knife to parry yours, but still gets sliced thanks to his stunning. "What's with this-- I wasn't told the Kamishiro girl had some teeth on her, let alone whatever dimwit she was getting hooked up with!" This man is only making his situation worse.
* Shark especially since Shark's now aiming to kick in the guy's knees from behind, while he's distracted by Serena.
* Serena and I'm going to follow up with the rings I have on me as an informal brass knuckle to your family jewels, bozo. Kamishiro Girl? Fuck you.
* Shark BIFF-- OOF-- no matter what, a man cannot defend against a direct attack like that, as he crumbles. Not knocked out, but clearly regretting not investing in a cup. "Ugh... was supposed to be some easy money here, roughing up some dumb rich folk..." this man clearly graduated from Goon School.
* Serena yeah I've dealt with these bozos in ruins. I've especially dealt with your type on an ancient airship I had to crash into the ocean while grabbing Yuya and Yuzu under arms.
* Shark they should've had your picture on the bulletin board or something, but clearly, some wires got crossed on the Hired Goon Services if they thought-- wait, did this guy seriously think you were Shark's sister?
<Serena> ....
* Serena contemplates reality. ... I guess we have similar hair...
* Serena rubbing her chin...
<Serena> we should get out of here immediately
<Shark> Before this other idiot wakes up or this guy recovers, yeah. *he gives one last swift kick into the abdomen of the still-conscious bozo when he tries to grab his knife again, before stepping out past the broken remains of the door. the staff can live with this.*
* Serena yeah they can bill us. I'm not grabbing my shows back, my nice hose/stockings can tear for all I care, I can just bill to get new ones, holding her dress' petticoats up, clicking her tongue
* Shark ... one moment. he stops and pulls out his phone and snaps a shot of the two collapsed goons with the broken door. Best case scenario, staff can't blame us for the door. Worst case scenario, authorities can't claim we imagined it. Evidence should be kept on file and if they were after Rio instead, she should know about this.
* Shark he sure as hell doesn't linger once he's got the shot though.
<Serena> I take it you have no idea what this is about?
<Shark> I'd say I have more enemies than I figured, but they apparently weren't after me, by what nonsense they were spouting.
<Serena> Yeah someone sure thought I was your sister.
<Shark> Thing is, I don't know of any enemies Rio would have... She doesn't exactly go out of her way to make them like I do, let alone enough to get someone to hire a couple idiots to try to knife her.
<Serena> Maybe they were after her to get to you. Not unheard of in my secondary line-of-work
<Shark> The thought occurred to me. *but I try to not think of things framed in the sense of "go after Shark's siter to get at Shark", even if that ends up right more than not. He chooses to not say that out loud.* The only thing I can think of even remotely connected to this is that harassment campaign that's been keeping me out of most tournaments.
<Shark> But what kind of idiot decides the best way to escalate that is to hire goons?
<Serena> An idiot that's either getting frustrated at a lack of results in his mind's eye or impatient. Or just plain dumb and angry.
<Serena> Though, you're being barred from most tournaments?
<Shark> *ugh* Been for a long time now. Any store or tournament not sponsored directly by LDS, KaibaCorp, or I2 suddenly banned me. Even ones where I was a regular. I ended up finding out that any stores that end up getting sponsored otherwise have some clause that requires them to forbid specifically me from doing anything.
* Serena stare.
* Shark this does sound a bit familiar. Wasn't Yuzu nosing into that situation, before?
<Serena> This sounds familiar...
<Shark> What does?
<Serena> Your situation, I have a friend who's basically a sister to me who I swear mentioned this other over texts or at lunch at some diner we managed to meet up at.
<Serena> Well, something like this...
* Shark ... who would be basically a sister to Serena... Shark doesn't try to pay attention to other people usually, but he feels like he knows the annoying answer.
<Serena> Something about an Eclaire Holdings. Estare? Stair...? Small company with suspiciously huge amounts of money... probably a criminal outfit or some private equity guy's kid.
<Serena> Or a suspiciously wealthy furry
<Shark> If there's someone I can shake a name out of, it'd help more than anything else here.
<Serena> Again, my friend might be able to help. I'll give you her contact info once we're outside.
<Serena> They can't attack us out in the open and I have guards in the local vicinity... who I'm going to yell at...
<Shark> You had guards and those two idiots still managed to slip by?
<Serena> It's like 3 or 4 regulars, they were probably lax, and probably lunch break because WHO THE FUCK ATTACKS A MARRIAGE MEETING
* Shark meanwhile, the mysterious benefactor, getting the call-in from the still wheezing Goon, is wondering who brings a knife to a marriage meeting.
* Serena Indiana Jane
* Serena honestly that's probably close to my archaeological nickname "Domino Jane"
<Shark> I'm hoping these guards have your ride ready for you. *thankfully, the building itself isn't very large, so we're probably closing in on the entrance.*
* Serena or "Maiami Jane"
<Serena> Would you like a ride or you got one
<Shark> They wanted me to call for a "proper" ride when we were done, and we weren't supposed to be done for another two hours still. *he says this with all the ire he can muster* So yeah, giving me a lift until we're far away enough from this place'll help.
* Shark he got barred from his bike while wearing a nice suit
<Serena> Works for me. I wouldn't mind talking for a little bit longer if you want, but we can just eat protein bars and sip soda and scowl at each other
<Shark> Sounds better than acting like we're still doing a marriage meeting, to me.
<Serena> ... Out of all the suitors I've had I'd honestly pick you over half the braindead himbos that keep getting trotted out to me who expect me to be A Good Wife. ::Clicks her tongue.::
<Shark> It's funny. I'd probably pick you over all of the airheads I've been matched up with, so far. But I guess I'd still have work to do if I only beat out half of the suitors you've been dealing with.
<Serena> Trust me, it's mostly wallets and I've figured out ways to make them politely disappear. There was that one cute girl in a tux who kept insisting she was a boy... So you're basically the top pick.
* Serena snorts
<Serena> For someone I'd actually want to deal with day to day
<Shark> Well, least my folks'll be happy with the stunning review, other than me telling them that we got jumped.
* Shark stops at the entrance door and. ... he opens it carefully to make sure he doesn't spot anyone hiding behind there waiting to jump them.
<Serena> You got to show me what a tough, strong man you were that it made me swoon. ::Says this in a faux airhead voice.::
* Serena ... takes a cautious peek around, and a quick glance over her shoulder, knife hidden but ready.
<Shark> Don't make me laugh yet, I have to make sure there's no more idiots waiting out here with something worse than knives. *he's absolutely amused and horrified at how well you do the voice, but he is peeking out. doesn't seem like there's any shadows getting cast to indicate people hiding...*
* Serena and my men probably have taken out any back up goons that the mysterious benefactor sent to support the extra two in a kidnapping
* Shark yeah, so once we step out of the building, we probably see your guards sitting on a pile of unconscious goons.
* Serena yeah one of them taking a smoke break. ... I'm going to march over and give them a mild ear out, but not too hard considering the support team got blown out.
* Shark long as we're sure there's no one left to attack us, but he's finally managing to calm down from the rush of the attack, mind reeling. It was one thing when he was just getting targeted through tournaments, but now-- now it's likely that the same company's sending out hits against Rio, and might've even escalated to him, too? Just who the hell was it from that school that has
* Shark it out for him so badly...?