[+][L-N+][P-UL] ~ SHOUNEN POP - 少年ＰＯＰ ~

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

Izo didn't say much as Azriel spoke of his make up. Not that he didn't care he might have been even amused had he not been self absorbed with the scrubbing and feel of the gritty sand scrapping away the old. For Izo, this place brought back a semblance of youth in his dark frozen soul.

"Traditions...mm..most of them aren't worth a grain of salt. Christmas is a very western tradition. When I was young, Christmas wasn't even celebrated. New Years was when we got our gifts. Mm...when was a young man I used to go to the plum matsuri and enjoy the plum wine, eat umeboshi over rice in March." answered Izo as he tilted his neck to the side massaging in the soap. "It's been a long time since I've attended one. The ones in Tokyo are just too crowded nowadays."

He opened his eyes and seemed thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe I'll take you to the plum matsuri this year provided that you like plums."

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Katsu turned off the water and started on a second scrub down, just to be on the safe side. But he stopped, looking over to the older man for a long moment.
"Well... I... I don't know if I like plums." Azriel replied honestly. "I've never had one but... if they're anything like cherries, then I'm sure I'd love them."
To Katsu, it was quite normal to admit when he'd never eaten something before... like the pizza.
His hands worked furiously to scrub himself down. "How old were you when you had your first Christmas, then?" the bat asked curiously. "I think it's fascinating. Especially all the lights everywhere. It's like a stage that never ends." he said with a smile, remembering what he saw when out with Kaito to the bakery. "Kind of hurts the eyes if you stare at them too long though. But I think I'd like to make a tradition of seeing the lights... just wish there was a way to do it and stay warm at the same time." the vocalist laughed as he started scrubbing the soles of his feet. "What's the plum matsuri like? Are there fireworks?" Azriel glanced to Izo as he spoke. "I saw some shows on television with festivals. Stalls of food and games and people in kimono and yukata... bonfires..."

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

Izo smirked, "They can be sweet but some of them are very tart. Depends on how ripe they are. They are like...mmm...very large cherries with the pits in them. " Actually, the spider liked plums especially the tart ones. Talking to Azriel reminded him that it had been awhile since he had a plum. Maybe he'd have to change that.

"My first Christmas...mm...." He gazed at the mirror as he lathered his feet remembering the past in his reflection. He could almost see the night...so long ago. "Mm...years ago maybe when I was in late twenties? But it was when I was younger and bringing Smash to it's feet after my father almost ran this business to the ground. I saw my first Christmas tree at the Music Industry party hosted by Koyasu Aki. Met a young woman of my dreams under the mistletoe that night." he mused at the old memory that question had brought to light. It wasn't Kaori....she was years later. But his first love, Rie.

"But..." he continued, "the lights, they are colorful during this time of the year. I suppose it takes the gloomy edge off of the season. I suppose seeing them is not a bad tradition to have. You should just fill the inside of your coat with hot pad stickers. Then you'd be fine."

He grabbed the shower head and started to rinse off all the sand and soap. " Plum matsuri is different from place to place but sometimes there are fireworks. Yes, plenty of food stalls selling all kinds of treats and many young women and men in kimono and yukata. And plenty of game stalls, beer and wine. Mostly they are like what you see on tv." he chuckled thinking about how much the world had come along. You didn't have to go to a festival to know everything about one. You could see it online.

"In Japan, there are plenty of festivals throughout the year so if you cannot go to the plum matsuri, you can try out one of the others." Izo said as he stood up from the bench to let the lather flow down his skin. "I think you'd have fun."

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Azriel smiled as he listened to Izo's voice. It didn't take the reader to understand that his boss was remembering his past. For some reason... Katsu enjoyed learning these little things. They were sort of like small stories that he could piece together to better understand this man who had pulled him from the darkness.

"I'd like to go to the plum matsuri." Azriel spoke with a nod. "I mean... it sounds like lots of fun. Maybe I'll take Asato-kun to a festival too... certainly it'd be a learning experience." he rinsed off again, walking away from the showers and grabbing a towel. "Maybe I should buy stock in hot pad stickers?" the bat joked, knowing he used enough to the damn things.

But Matsumoto's words about that Christmas party... they stuck with Azriel and he couldn't help but be curious. "You fell in love?" the young man asked as he toweled off his hair. He understood the concept of love... at least in part. "What... what happened to her?"

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

"When I was younger, yes I did. Hard to believe, isn't it. But she was quite a woman. Smart and really could turn men's heads." He paused as he thought about her last moments wishing he could have been anywhere near by to save her. "She died in a car accident one Christmas Eve. Her car caught fire and she never made it out." His eyes seemed distant as if searching for answers he'd never find. "Although, I don't know if it was just an accident. There were indications otherwise but...back then I wasn't in a position seek better answers."

Then he went back to the previous conversation. "Hiroki Asato comes from a fisherman's family. He probably attends the matsuri for the fishing seasons in Okinawa."

"Are you ready to step into the bath?" Izo asked as he turned off the water in his area. " If so, we can go through the door just around the corner. If not, just meet me in their and bring a towel to use after we're done" Izo started to head for the door. He didn't seem to mind if Azriel wanted to take more time to wash.

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Azriel hesitated as he watched Izo leave. He didn't join the man... least not right away. There was an odd feeling in Katsu's stomach... like he learned something he shouldn't have or perhaps that he might have pried a bit too much. It wasn't a dangerous feeling... more like a cold weight that caused the bat to shiver slightly.
He grabbed a fresh towel and followed a few minutes later, setting the towel down on the edge of the hot spring before sitting next to it and dipping his feet into the hot water.
"Asato-kun said he was going to take me to the ocean soon. That we'd cook clams on the beach." Katsu was saying as he slowly lowered his body into the water.
By the time he was in up to his neck, the bat just let out a sigh of deep contentment. It was so warm... so enveloping and glorious, even if it did smell a bit funny.
"Is that why you're single?" Azriel asked softly, thinking back to the conversation about the woman and the car crash. After all, he'd never seen Izo with a woman really... had never seen any children either. "Did you ever learn who killed her? With all the power you hold now... surely..."

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

Izo's eyes were closed. His face looking almost peaceful in the deep in the steaming water as Katsu walked in. Seemed there was a good reason the spider took advantage of this location. The spring's atmosphere was one of healthy well being. This inn's hot spring was obviously a very old but well kept. And the earthy smells of the water within this clear pool hinted at the minerals that came from below the ground. The soothing feeling of the steaming waters sucked in Katsu's body completely. One could almost meditate in the depths of it's serenity.

"The ocean?" Izo's eyes opened to a half lidded state as if the young man had woken him from internal dream. "Mm...I'm sure he knows of great places to cook clams. He'll probably make you some fried battered clams and oysters if you want them. I was told by Koyasu Aki years ago during some random conversation that Hiroki-san cook very good seafood. Although I've never had his cooking."

The eyes under those lids shifted toward the young man as he asked that particular question. "Maybe so....You never forget the things like that." he answered then his eyes slide back towards the steam that floated just above the water, " No, for all the money and power I have now, I still have not been able to find her murderer. Although, I was able to find records that indeed the breaks had been tampered with."

His brow furrowed as he thought of those days...

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

Katsu half giggled as he made himself comfortable in the steaming water. "He cooks very good with everything he's made me so far, so I wouldn't doubt it." there was another soft sigh that came from vocalist's lips as he simply enjoyed the warmth that surrounded him completely. "Breaks..." dark eyes turned to Izo then, the bat's head cocked slightly to the side. "Ishihara-san said that he was having all the breaks of the SMASH fleet checked... that it looked like Ryuukaze-san's breaks had been tampered with, though that wasn't why he crashed." Katsu smirked slightly. "The shark paid me a visit last night to personally check on my own security."

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

"Yes, he did....and yes, I do wonder if it is more than coincidence." Izo internally had been digesting that very dark thought for awhile now. And it had crossed is mind several times that the same blasted murderer was connected to Ryuukaze's unfortunate incident. But as always proof was hard to discover as to who the identity of this person was. Even if he found the instigator of this crime would it lead him to the source?

"Ishihara You does he job well. I already received a report on it. Mm...Nishikawa-kun still has much work ahead of him to keep you better protected. Since you're with me, he's at 'school' getting additional training today in security management. Takatori-kun is going to be at your home today while crews do some security updates." sighed the spider as he dunked his head once and the resurfaced. Obviously the older man didn't even want to move from the hot pool of water. The heat was taking out the aches in his joints. It felt good to release tension into the water.

"I'm still waiting to hear on the reports about all the breaks in the company cars and various stars...and Shou's vehicles. Yamada Haru won't let Smash touch anything Shou owns personally." he grumbled for a short second then his mouth bubbled a bit in the water as if he didn't want to let thinking about that man ruin such a fine moment in the bath.

When his lips came out of the water, he cracked a slight smile. "I'll tell you about an American custom for New Years. One I thought was worth a try. On New Years day, you eat blackeyed peas for coins and greens for cash. It's a superstition but seemed worth investing in a couple trays of the stuff for Smash's party." He seemed amused by the correlation of coins and cash.

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"I enjoy Ishihara-san's visits... though I suppose I'd enjoy them more if he didn't try to play the 'murdering intruder' role." Azriel smirked, raising a hand from the water and watching it slip back from between his fingers and into the pool. "I was working on new lyrics and suddenly couldn't breathe. If it had been anyone else, they would've been kicked in the head... but the shark knows how I move. How he got past Nishikawa and Takatori is still a mystery... but I don't mind the intrusion attempts if it means Kaito-kun and Asato-kun and I are safer for it."
The bat kept picking water up then watching it fall from his fingers. "What are black-eyed peas and greens?" he suddenly asked, wondering about the foods he'd never heard of before.
Least he knew what a plum was... even if he had never eaten one.

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

Izo's eyebrow arched as Azriel told him of Ishihara's 'role'. "Ishihara is a slippery one, however, choking you in the process...mm....I'm not sure I approve." Izo wondered if this was Azriel's attempt to get the shark into hot water or casual conversation. Either way, choking a star outside of the pit wasn't on the top of Izo's OK list. Especially when he hadn't ordered it.

"I'll show you a photo of them from my phone when we're done. But peas are round like beans but smaller. And greens are like....spinach and lettuce but with more flavor than either of them." Izo muttered as he rested his head against the edge of the pool and stared at the ceiling. "Tonight at the party you'll find a ton of veggies, fruits, drinks, and meats from all over the world. I suggest you learn their names and taste everything."

Izo realized that Katsu definitely needed some inner improvements to be fully able to become a man of power in the future. These missing pieces like food flavors and education were starting to rub Izo the wrong way. These needed to be addressed....soon.

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"I wouldn't be angry with the shark. I think it's just his nature. Besides, he didn't even leave a mark, miraculously." Katsu replied before letting his entire body slip beneath the water, including his head.
When he came back up again, the man was smiling after he heard what would be at the party. "I haven't found any food that I don't enjoy, so I'm game."
Of course the bat had absolutely no idea that he needed to know these things, nor that his lack of knowledge on these was in any way annoying to the spider. For Katsu, it was normal. It was who he was and it was because his life had been confined to the PIT and nothing more. To him, being free was fun because he got to try things that he didn't know nor understand.
But then again, it sometimes made him feel a bit awkward when people talking about things like it was normal... when they talked and he had no idea about such an experience... He understood he wasn't like the rest of the world, wasn't even like most of the PIT denizens because he'd never met another who had fallen into it's darkness at such a young age as he had.

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

Izo's eyebrow arched again and he had to think that Katsumi just enjoyed Ishihara's treatment. "His nature, and his orders shouldn't conflict with my desires." Fact was fact. The spider didn't like his stars getting 'strangled' for a security test.

"Alright, then we will see how many of the party's foods you can name afterwards." Izo added with his own small smirk. "The more you remember the better the Afters." He meant the darker part at the Pit and he was certain Katsu understood that without mentioning the name.

"And did you send your pet along to Ohayou for tonight? he asked as he stretched in the water. He could feel his pores opening and releasing any salts he could not loose during the deep scrubbing. Ah...purification was profound.

"Sooner or later, you'll have to have some private tutoring. I want you to be better educated Katsu. It will add character. Ishihara is expected to be tutoring Shou's nephew soon. I might have you sit in on a few of his classes. So you can taste the learning experience first hand." Izo guessed that Katsu probably would pick up on things quickly and he wasn't sure how far behind Katsu might be. However, either way, the young man needed to grow into the part of a smart, crafty star that could be independent and not get screwed by the men around him.

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!

 

[Nileregwen DoUrden]

"Your desires..." Katsu whispered.
It wasn't a question... simply something that the bat was pondering. Then his dark eyes flickered to Izo and for a moment, just a split second, there was a malicious amused glint in that gaze. "Are you going to punish him?" he asked, quite curious.
Because it wasn't normal... the shark in trouble.
Not normal at all...

But the bat's attention returned to the conversation at hand and he smirked. "I sent him along... we were asleep when you called. And I think you'll find I have a very good memory, Matsumoto-san." the smirk grew just a bit.

At least until the conversation changed.

There was an obvious frown on Azriel's face, but the bat didn't disagree. He wanted to learn more, his curious nature demanded it... but to be tutored alongside some child...
It felt demeaning.

 

[Kaikoloren]

What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-

Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH

The itsy bitsy spider...

"I haven't decided that. But it is none of your concern, Katsu..." Izo's eyes flicked over to Katsu with a slight warning in them. The spider really didn't wish to lose the serenity he had found in the bath but the young man sometimes had a way of rankling the spider's hairs.

"Mm...you and he are sleeping every time I hear or see the two of you lately." he chuckled slightly amused by the thought. Well at least that mean the Elephant was...content in some fashion and his 'master' in control. That was what Izo expected anyway.

Izo smirked as he noticed the frown, "Are you thinking that I was going to have you tutored with the boy? Does that anger you?" His eyes glinted with the idea even if it wasn't what he originally intended.

-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!