[Suzune - Hikaru] Up the Ante

Chula - Suzune

Well, the search the warehouse had at least partially been worth her time. Having snagged herself some toiletries and a couple of romance novels, she'd taken the time to drop those off in her cell. But for now? Hopefully to meet the locals, and maybe get more of a vibe check on what was going on. In a friendly way of course! And what a better ice breaker than some games? She waltzed into the main hall, a deck of cards in her hand, and held it up while announcing her arrival.

"Hiiiii~! I know everything must be pretty confusing right now, but maybe taking a little break from worrying could help? Is anyone interested in some cards?" She glanced around the room for any others who might be present, having figured that the prison was small enough that at least a FEW people had to be around one of the only rest hubs, but instead her eyes fell only to one person in a singular sense. That's alright! One person is plenty for a card game.

Suzune trotted over to sit next to Hikaru and opened the deck of cards, shuffling them with the bridge method (a little bit sloppily, it's hardly the cleanest shuffle in the world). "We don't have to play anything if you don't want to, but maybe we could like, chat a little if you don't mind? I like your outfit, by the way!! It's super cute."

Hikaru Suzuki

The sound of a bright voice immediately attracts Hikaru's interest. Who here is bold enough to invite attention that easily? Surprisingly, he sees a face he thinks he recognises. He squints for a moment as he tries to think of how, then remembers the name tags. Brilliant, no risk of an embarrassing introduction.

"Hi. Yeah, I'm down for some cards - I've played a lot of different games, so whatever you like! Maybe something simple like blackjack if we're going to chat?"

"Wish I could say I picked it out myself, but I'll take the compliment anyway! Means a lot from you - Suzune Gikou, right? I've seen some of your pieces. Makes sense you'd be able to make even a straightjacket look cute!"

Chula - Suzune

Hehehe~ "Blackjack sounds totally perfect!! We can take turns dealing, right?" It's not like they had a formal table with a proper dealer to beat, so they could do something more casual style this way. The crrkk clackclack shhh of the shuffling cards in her hands acted as something of background music to her words.

Clueless to Hikaru's smooth nametag-reading save, the glitter in her eyes belied how impressed she was that he remembered her name! Wow! To be recognized, even here. Suzune nodded excitedly, setting down her messily shuffled deck onto the table, and passed out two cards each.

"Awww, yeah!! That's me!! I can't say I would've picked a straight jacket if I was dressing myself, but, like… At least it's a little stylish. With some tweaks, in theory it could've been an artsy runway theme from the right designer. It almost makes me wonder who made them, right? Like… It must be SOMEBODY'S passion project if they're all so…. custom." She seemed oddly neutral on them, though she imagined it might get in the way if she can't take it off from time to time.

"You make yours look super good, too!! The low neckline and mesh suit you, what with the like, peekaboo tattoo. I'm curious… Is that a small part of a bigger tattoo or just a small set of sparkles? Either way, it's super cute! What's your name, Mr. Stylish? It's nice to meet someone with good tastes here!"

Hikaru Suzuki

"Sure thing. We're hardly playing for keeps."

Maybe that could happen later if they found some contraband or something. That's what happened in the films, right - gambling over cigarettes and the like? For now Hikaru is happy to just watch Suzune shuffle with no concern as to whether she's a secret card-counter.

He's glad the name tag gambit paid off - there was always the slim chance she didn't want to be recognised given the whole prison thing, but her spirits seem pretty high, so no concern there.

"You make a good point - there's a few designers I follow that I could see doing this edgy kind of style, but I'm pretty sure they don't have my measurements. Let alone those of this whole group."

Flattery will get Suzune far, and Hikaru preens a little under her compliments.

"Aw, thanks! It's just a small one - I've got one on my back too, a diamond. I prefer them easier to hide, some places still have problems with tattoos, you know?" The dyed hair might still shut him out of some of the most traditional places, but that wasn't really his scene anyway.

"I'm Hikaru Suzuki - nice to meet you." He offers a hand to shake, and with the other finally looks at his cards - a 3 and a 10 - and hums lightly. "Hit, please."

Chula - Suzune

Mmm, well. "I guess in theory, my measurements could be found online, but they did change a little after my pregnancy, so there's probably a few different sets rolling around! Even then…. That hardly accounts for the other people around here!! I can't speak for everyone, but I haven't recognized anyone else in the entertainment industry, hehe." It wouldn't be weird for an actor or idol to have measurements online, either, but most of the folks around weren't familiar faces or names to her. Still… "I would've expected a prison to put us in more…. uniform stuff? Like… Or at least take our other clothes, too. Idk, it's all just a lil bit fishy, you know?" Yes, she said 'idk' out loud.

Ooohh… There was another tattoo? "Oh, yeah! That sounds amazing!! I've always thought they were cool, but, like… so many people associate them with the yakuza that it just wouldn't be a good idea for me! I do admire people who get them just for themselves, they're TOTES pretty! It's like wearing an art piece every day, right?" If she needed a 'tattoo' for a shoot, it could just be drawn in with makeup for easy removal. It was harder to hide a tattoo for regular shoots than it was to remove a fake one.

Suzune flipped over her own cards, revealing a 7 and 2. Hardly ideal, but she could work with that. In response to Hikaru's hit, she passed him a third card, and announced a quick "Hit!" herself, as well. With a quick flip, she discovered a 4, and furrowed her brow. What low cards. She'd go for another card after Hikaru took a turn to do so! Patience for now.

Hikaru Suzuki

Hikaru nods attentively, unbothered by the slang-heavy way Suzune speaks. It's charming! Reminds him somewhat of his party friends back home.

"Yeah, my height and weight are probably in some darts player database somewhere, but on the whole I don't get the impression most of us are really public figures."

"Me too, but… I guess I'm not complaining that I got something more stylish?" If he was going to be forced to wear a straightjacket, at least it's one he looks good in.

"Yeah, that's fair. I imagine the pressure to have a squeaky-clean image is a lot heavier in modelling." So what could she have done to end up here…? Hmm. Probably not the best thing to ask so soon.

Hikaru turns over the card Suzune passed him and tuts as he sees a Jack. Looks like her low cards won't be a problem. "Well, that's me bust."

Chula - Suzune

"Ooohhh?! Darts player database? Do you compete? That's super cool!!" Wow!! While not exactly a traditional 'sport' sport, hat still required enough coordination to qualify, she figured. What would it be like to go to a darts competition ooohhh…. "Do they have big official games like other sports? Or is it more casual like in bars? I used to want to be a sportscaster when I was in middle school, hehe~" That life goal sure changed a lot, huh? Funny how things turned out that way. "I don't think I know any dart players by name except for you, now, though, so… I guess not! It's not the same as a soccer or baseball player."

Suzune nodded again. "Kind of! It's not as bad as like, the idol industry. People don't really care that I'm married and had a pregnancy and stuff since I'm not signed onto an idol agency and was never billed as one! But yeah, anything in the entertainment industry, you still have to be some kind of like… 'Japan's Sweetheart,' at least until you're older. But I actually like being the face of my brand, you know? It makes HaruGi feel more human, which it kind of is! Heheheh~ My husband always called me his design muse when we were growing up!" She placed her hands on her cheeks, a light blush racing across them.

"Yippee!! Are we keeping score for now? So it's like 1 and 0?" She placed her cards back into the deck face-down and passed the deck back towards Hikaru. "I'm suuuuper competitive so you know!" Suzune offered a quick wink.

Hikaru Suzuki

"Yeah, I do! It's not a super organised sport, but there's usually a few big tournaments a year, a few hundred thousand yen at stake, that kind of thing. It's a bit bigger overseas."

"Sportscaster is a pretty unique ambition though, any particular inspiration for it?" Especially as her current job was pretty far removed from that.

The idea of all the pressure of the idol industry made Hikaru wince sympathetically.

"Ugh, yeah. I can't imagine how much of a nightmare managing your relationships would be like in the spotlight like that. Especially if you have someone you really love - sounds like you and your husband were childhood sweethearts?"

He couldn't help but be nosy. Now he thought about it, he did remember that HaruGi was supposed to be a family-owned brand.

He took the deck from Suzune and began to shuffle as he spoke, before dealing them both cards. He did so with impressive grace - it's clear he's done it a lot.

"So am I! I won't let you hold that lead long."

Chula - Suzune

"Woooow~" That much prize money wasn't very much to Suzune anymore, really. Her salary dwarfed that by miles, but it wasn't necessarily something to scoff at either, if it was a single-day event kind of thing. "That's so cool!! Do you ever travel overseas for events, then? What kinds of places have you been to?" Suzune had only ever traveled to fashion hubs like LA, New York, and Paris. Who knew how wide the net would be cast for something like that, right? Soccer players got to go ALLL over the place, even.

"Oh, right!! So, like, when I was a kid, my brothers-in-law used to play sports with me all the time! And they're like… both quite a bit older, and they indulged me a lot. Anyway, I had a lot of fun with it, but I never got anywhere past 'above average' at most! So, like. Sports was out of the cards for me!! Both of them are pro soccer players now, though! If you follow the leagues, they're Akira and Noboru Gikou. Anyway, like, I was always their biggest cheerleader!! So when I joined the broadcasting club in middle school, I usually covered sports games as my club activities, teehee~" She placed one hand on her cheek as she giggled. Ahhhh, good memories. "Things didn't really work out for a bunch of reasons, but I'm TOTES psyched to be doing what I am now, anyway!"

What a surprisingly famous family, huh?

"Yeaaahhhh, idols have it rough, poor things. I try to do what I can for them when we partner with groups for their costumes and stuff… They're all SOOOOO cute and deserve WAY better than how they're treated. My hubby Haruki was my next-door neighbor, yeah!! We didn't start dating til we were teenagers, though, hehe. Apparently he had a crush on me waaaaay longer than I did on him and it wasn't until my brothers-in-law told me that I noticed! Wooow I used to be so dense it's cute!" Being nosy was fine, really, for someone so willing to gush about her family and life. She was one who had very little to complain about, clearly.

"What about you? What's your family like?" But of course, if the jar was opened, she had interest in volleying the questions back! Idle curiosity, mostly, with a tiny but energetic smile on her face.

Regarding the cards, though, she held out her hands, ready for her cards to be dealt.

Hikaru Suzuki

It's a good thing Suzune didn't mention that little tidbit about her salary, because Hikaru could do without a reason to feel depressed in this prison.

"A few times - Las Vegas and London, mostly." He seemed pretty pleased about it - clearly he liked to play up his globetrotting, especially to cities he considered cool. "It's nice when the prize money pays back the price of the trip. Makes it feel like a free holiday."

It was so nice for him to talk to someone who liked to talk. He genuinely did seem interested in everything Suzune was saying - as conceited as he might come off, it seemed like Hikaru was a pretty good listener. He nodded along, noting down the names in his head; not ones he recognised, but he'd only ever paid attention to football if he was trying to impress someone who was.

"Aww, that's so sweet! Straight out of the movies."

He could not imagine a relationship like that if he hadn't seen enough romance films to give him an idea. Thankfully, he had, and had the image of an incredibly cliché high school love story in his head. Ah, he should've expected the curiosity to be returned, though…

"Not all that exciting, I'm afraid. I'm an only child, and I've never been the type to stay in a relationship for too long. But I like it that way. I still have plenty of friends, and no responsibilities!"

…That was just a nice way to say he was a playboy, wasn't it? And hadn't mentioned his parents either. What a way to dodge questions.

The low cards continue; after giving Suzune hers, he checks his own - 4 and 5.

Chula - Suzune

"Ooooh!! Las Vegas, huh? I've never been there, it always seemed so fun!!" She wasn't sure how great that would be for her image given uhh… what little she knew about it. Gambling capital, lots of alcohol, right? But gosh it sure sounded fun. "I've never been in a casino! You kind of have to be out of country for that after all, ahahaha~" Technically you don't have to, but then you'd be going into the territory of illegal shit. "So what's it like? A free holiday casino, hm? That's gotta be fun!"

Kind of a shame it doesn't pay all that well, though. That'd probably mean it'd be tough to make a living out of it, wouldn't it? Hmmm. Actually, that was a thought. "Do you work another job, actually? Or do you get like… sponsorships and stuff? Do dart players have sponsors? Hmmmm…" She pressed a finger to her cheek. That was like a whole world of opportunity she could open up. Dart players probably didn't have a required uniform.

"Yeah… It really is! I don't regret a single second I've spent with that man. And my GOSH our daughter is so cute! She's just started saying a few words! It's TOTES adorable. And Haruki's been SUCH a great dad, like oh my gosh!" Waaaahhh~ Suzune was glowing. Every excuse she'd get to gush about those two, she'd take.

For Hikaru's end of things, though… She frowns a little. "That's sounds a little lonely! Not like… not having a relationship or anything, but not having family to lean on when you need it must be hard. At least there's a lot of friends to be had in the world that can fill those little gaps, right? There's plenty of ways to fill up holes in your heart!"

She flipped over her own two cards. A king and a ten. Ooh. "I think I'll stay here!"