"So you make music? That's cool. What kinda music?" Once their drinks arrived, Kat started taking small sips of hers.

"Hey, at least your in the industry which is a lot more than most can say. Maybe I should give you a listen. Any song suggestions?"

"Really? Everyone seems to wanna work with my big sis." She laughed a little. "I'll give it a listen then! I'm sure it's great."

mariko had stewed on this for awhile. the relationship between nina and tyron didnt sit right with her. sure,tyron did seem like a changed man when they last spoke. but why? did he finally get put on meds or something? people dont go from stark raving mad to almost docile. she tried talking to her sister about it,but erica really didnt care. erica basically just said that nina knows something about tyron most dont or something. so mariko only had one place to turn: anniken smith. there probably was nothing that went on at dahl house that anniken wasnt privy to. mariko had to know,had to have her concerns soothed...or confirmed.

mariko strolled into the dahl house offices like she owned the place. at least until the front desk girl stopped her. the girl was young enough to not give two shits about customer service and was probably some artist's niece. "um..do you have an appointment with miss smith?"

"no. but i really need to speak with her." mariko said,her confidence rapidly dissolving. she hated dealing with people. why couldnt she go through life without dealing with annoyances like this?

"well then you need to make one. i suggest going home and forgetting all about it. miss smith is very busy." the woman looked mariko up and down as if silently adding, "for the likes of you." . she knew who mariko was. she also knew mariko would probably be booted as quickly from dahl house as she came to dahl house.

mariko silently fumes for a second. the haughty attitude she cloned from vara gallo was bubbling to the surface,but she inhaled deeply and calmed down. there was no way she was causing a scene here. lording over a desk clerk is just sad,its not impressing anyone. " listen. i have a concern involving another artist on the label,nina tarantino. i think she is in danger so please tell miss smith i need to see her. now." mariko says intensely. "i am not joking around. i am sure miss smith would rather talk to me than not. so please." mariko softly says,nodding to the intercom as if she could psychically will the woman to buzz her through.

the woman looks at mariko again. shes clearly weighing the options of disturbing miss smith vs not letting this information through. she sighs and leans to mariko. "ok...ill tell her you are here. but if i get in trouble,its your ass! i'll make it my business to hold up every royalty check you will ever see from this label." she sneers at mariko and then instantly switches to her polite voice to call miss smith. she presses the button with an annoyed click, "miss smith? a mariko ko...kobeelo kocacol.....mariko says she needs to speak with you. its very important." the woman lets go of the button and stares at mariko until mariko sits on one of the chairs in the room.

"thanks." mariko says softly.

she loved it when a plan came together. it would have looked real bad if anniken had told the receptionist to usher mariko away. mariko couldnt help but let a little bit of the snark out of its cage. she looked at the receptionist and raised her eyebrows as if to say, "what did i tell you?" after exactly five minutes mariko stood up and walked into the room. she did give the receptionist a warm "thank you,youve been helpful." as she passed. mariko felt a little bad for the bitchy look she gave earlier.

inside the office, mariko nodded a greeting to anniken before taking a deep breath. "miss smith...you have to know about tyron and nina,right? " she starts off as if she is telling a sibling that she really doesnt want to get in trouble. " how?! why?! are you ok with this?!" mariko finally blurts out. shes one to start composed,but rarely does she stay composed when she is emotional about something. she instantly regrets it as she finds anniken more than a little intimidating. but this was a matter of life and death,so politeness be damned.

mariko looked like the wind was taken out of her sails when anniken seemed to poo poo her concerns about nina and tyron. she was expecting....something. possibly anniken calling the foreign legion or at least some big truck with flashing lights that looked official. "um...yeah. i guess thats all im here for. i'm just really worried about her. i mean,i spoke with tyron not too long ago and he seems much more...stable. i dont know. this is stupid." mariko mainly says to herself before sitting down. the complete opposite reaction from anniken really threw her for a loop.

it did feel a little better knowing anniken didnt approve of nina and tyron. and now she had the mental image of the tyron and nina fucking. she shudders slightly at the idea. her mind just could not go there. when anniken mentions the past relationship of mariko and nina,mariko gives a little self deprecating laugh. "inquiring minds have to know,miss smith...were you pro or anti me?" mariko could be very vain and did like to hear people's opinions of her.

mariko simply raises an eyebrow ever so slightly at the idea of nina not being the one she should worry about. for years mariko has always felt there was something to anniken,there was the air of someone who could have sinister things happen if need be. mariko was very familiar with such people. her brother was a very low level yakuza and her sister is more than chummy with the boss who ran osaka. perhaps it was just fantasy combined with the confidence anniken always seemed to posses. "well that is reassuring to hear.i was starting to think i was crazy being concerned with her."

mariko slowly smiles when anniken gives her assessment of the relationship. oh to have been a fly on the wall... it was pretty much the answer mariko had expected. she gives a little shrug and an impish grin. "what can i say? nina probably should have listened to you. " mariko was far more cheerful sounding than she felt. if nina had listened,emerald black would probably still be alive today. when asked why she cares,mariko moves her lips to the side and looks around the room. she sighs before answering. "id like to say we are friends,but i think its just awkwardness to avoid the conversation we never had. no...i think my caring is based on guilt. i saw emerald kill herself. i saw tyron almost kill himself.i dont want to stand by and watch something terrible happen to someone i probably loved."

it was odd to hear any praise for her time with nina. most of the time mariko just heard what a terrible person she was for how it ended. still,it was even more odd to hear nina described as someone who NEEDED someone else. mariko wasnt going to press for details. that was nina's affair and none of her business or concern. "jeez,if emerald and i were good for her...you probably should beat that ass. nina is a kid in crisis." mariko says with a little chuckle. she felt more at ease with the knowledge that miss smith seemed to not want to intervene with nina and tyron. the action of actually clutching her chest made mariko laugh a very loud laugh. she had never seen anyone actually do that. " i...care for nina. but i stopped loving her the moment before i kissed vara." mariko replies in her brutally honest mode. mariko looked at the clock on the wall as miss smith broke out the wine. it was still comfortably in the zone of day drinking. fuck yeah. mariko wiggles a little in her chair as she sits up straighter. day drinking with the boss isnt something one gets to do all the time.

"fu...i mean,yes. no more love triangles! nina isnt the only one who matured since then." mariko says cheerfully as she took the bottle. she sat silently for a second as she realized there were no glasses put out. so she slowly puts the bottle to her lips and drinks. she knew nothing of wine,so she assumed it was good. it wasnt nighttrain or cisco. she smiles as she hands it back to anniken. "careful,you dont know where ive been...or maybe you do?" she giggles,deciding it was ok to be more playful with anniken now. mariko thinks long and hard on anniken's question. it was a hard one to answer. "i guess i wanted exactly what i got from you. you arent deathly afraid and she doesnt seem to be held against her will."

Mariko shrugs and shakes her head
"Don't mind at all,miss Smith. I saw something in her too." Mariko says brightly. She was cheerful about it,but wasn't going to say what she really saw in vara. She saw who she thought she wanted to be. " When you have no soul,it's harder to be hurt." Mariko replied. Like everyone,vara had her wounds. Mariko still didn't know if that's what made vara how she was or not. Mariko knew that's what filled her short time of being heartless.

It tickled mariko greatly to be sitting here drinking with anniken. The woman was certainly easy to talk to. the wine just made it more so. She took a long drink and nearly choked when anniken asked about her love life. " Oh...oh." Mariko says trying to not gag on the wine going down the wrong pipe. "Um....no." Mariko says sheepishly. Out of self induced penance and lack of options, Mariko had been very single. " I went on a single date with cara Zayn. That's it." Mariko says softly. It was rather embarrassing to have went from cheating on people to having literally no one. " Um...nothing happened?" She adds unsure of what anniken was wanting to know.

Mariko listened to anniken,leaning slightly forward. Mariko loved hearing advice. She rarely followed it,but she enjoyed hearing it. "Oh I'm ready to be hurt again . I had gained a hard shell,but lost Mariko." She says with a small smile and a look up to miss Smith. Anniken was right,living a protected life was a coward's life. She started to relax when anniken leaned back in her chair. She was getting comfortable,so Mariko wasnt wasting her time. "You don't still live like that?" Mariko asked a little mischeviously. to her,anniken seemed like an untouchable being who flitted through life. " I am sorry to hear that ,miss Smith. Ones father should love and dote on his daughters. " She said firmly. Unlike a lot of people in the business,the Kobayashi sisters had excellent parents.

"You had better give it back." Mariko croaks when anniken takes the bottle. It was slightly flirtatious now that Mariko felt more comfortable around miss Smith." I don't drink for the taste." She adds,taking a napkin from her hello Kitty wallet and dabbing her mouth. "Miss Smith,how long have I been single,and how much music have I made?" Mariko asks with a smirk. Mariko was notorious for slow releases but she tried to never write unless she had inspiration. She looked around at the room. The physical manifestation of anniken's hard work. " Is...is that why you're so successful?" She asks this respectfully as she knew about miss Smith's husband's passing. "I perform to get through my loneliness. On stage I can just go on autopilot and not think about anything."