"no body tells me what to do anymore,nina." mariko starts with fake hostility. the act falls apart when she adds, "or puts me in a corner." nobody can be a bad ass while quoting dirty dancing. while nina's accent had grown stronger,mariko's had faded somewhat. she chalked it up to having been gone from japan for several years. currently she was sort of living in belgium at the castle. "pssh. good luck. i dont think you have that kind of money anymore." she playfully laughs to nina. there were many things mariko couldnt do,but her tiny frame could put away some liquor. still,she took the drink and sipped it before placing it on a coaster. mariko also wasnt the sort to leaved drink rings. unless she wanted to disrespect someone and this bar seemed fine for her. it was a good change from the crowds.

mariko scoffs at nina's assessment of her life. "boring?! you? hardly. you're a woman of mystery these days. i'd have expected to run into bigfoot boinking a chupacabra in here before running into you. where in the world is nina tarantino." she ends with singing the last part to the tune of the carmen sandiego song. mariko takes another drink of her drink before sliding her hello kitty compact to nina. "i dont think they farm too much coca here..or do they?" mariko asks with a little giggle. she gives the bartender a look to mind his own before looking back to nina. "if you dont carry your own,you must be retired,huh? you a housewife or something now,rocking one of these vato's worlds?" she asks with a raised eyebrow. her spainish was about as authentic as taco bell,but she knew a few words.





*i never actually saw the carmen sandiego show. but we played the games back in the 1800's on school computers.

"oh, so technically you may have paid some of the advance they gave me?" mariko says to nina with a grin that says "i totally blew through that money and falsified receipts. after all,one may need to have an entire studio crafted by amish woodworkers. this was mostly a joke as out of all her hess clan friends,she was the most serious about her songs. when nina leaned in,mariko returned the gesture. she loved being in on something most people werent. but her eyes widened at the prospect. she was actually rather scared of miss smith. she had only joined dahlhouse because she had theories the label wasnt what it seemed. there was some Illuminati stuff going on there. there just had to be. but actively pulling one over on the woman? mariko may be in far too deep already. "keep it." mariko whispers back. she owed nina. she had done her very wrong and mariko wanted to pay a debt that maybe only she felt she owed. they never really spoke of their relationship,but mariko didnt forget." but i'm up for for a caper,so i am in." mariko heard herself say. this could be a whole lotta trouble she didnt need,but she felt she had to do this. nina deserved that.

"oh!" mariko squeaks out. she had no idea nina was in hiding. she just assumed it was a typical extended retreat. "i am so sorry,i mistook you for someone else." mariko attempts to cover up. poorly. her sister was the far more smooth one when it came to being shifty. mariko looked across the bar at a flickering sign. she wasnt sure of the regularity that nina used this particular substance. so maybe she didnt need an audience. after the small sounds of the inhalation was finished,mariko slid the compact back into her pocket. she didnt partake as she wanted to be in bed at a semi reasonable hour. the cass-ettes werent the sort of the group where going on stage obviously ripped on coke was a good thing. she only had the bit she had for an occasional pick me up. like coffee. yeah,coffee. mariko blushed at the prospect she said nina was married to a mexican man when they were in spain. "um...no? i just thought that was general for guy." she apologizes. for all her finding herself and finally becoming the person she wanted to be,mariko was highly self conscious. mariko nearly had to laugh at nina's words. "pull the other one,nina. its got bells." she blurts at the idea of nina being a mother. there were many things mariko expected out of life,but nina being a mother? nope. that was crazy. when nina didnt change her story,mariko realized she was serious. "is it tyron's?" is what came to her lips. and it wasnt in an approving tone,either. she didnt want to mention tyron at all,but it just escaped. she had aa strange roller coaster ride when it came to tyron. she went from hating him, to understanding and semi reconciling with him,to suspecting him of murdering nina,back to hating him. he had pulled an awful "prank" involving vara. for a while mariko held this against vara as well.

Mariko grins at being called pretty. She was very susceptible to flattery,so Nina was already halfway to having Mariko on board. "Also,never do what you're good at for free." She adds brightly. It had been a long time and there were certainly parts of their past that would probably never be spoken of, but she still enjoyed Nina's company immensely. There was a fire that burned in this woman. "I like the idea but i don't know. One. I don't think anniken likes me too much. Or at least doesn't find me all that attractive. She must be going through the change or something." Mariko scoffs. She very much had wanted the fact she fucked aire's mom to be a thing. Miss Smith was attractive to her...and Mariko wanted to tease aire and demand to be called step mother. "Two" she continued, " i have my sister and...um...vara whom care for me. Hitomi does not take to my peril well. When vara left me,hitomi tried to have her killed. And i just got pissed at vara for doing some show with tyron that was...well,you know the guy. "Mariko said with a hint of nervousness. It didn't feel right mentioning vara and tyron to Nina. She probably hated the former and liked the latter? Mariko refused to believe love had anything to to with their relationship. "I've had the lowest of loss,Nina. You can't humble the already humbled. Bring it on." She said proudly. Again, she owed Nina. She could handle a bit of discomfort.

Mariko wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a biting remark. But it was. For the most part,mariko never see the victims of her actions again. She and Nina however? They were linked in some cosmic way. Much like the connection with vara. Some people were just destined to be in her life. "It a gift." Mariko started and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She took a drink and sighed. The conversation she never wanted to have was happening. This genie was not going back into the lamp...unless she ran out of here. That was an option. But,Nina deserved her day in court,so to speak. " no..you were. I was totally drawn in to your strength and how you were just a total force of nature. You were every thing i wasn't. I needed that from you. I tried to absorb that from you. But i didn't have that crucial component of confidence. So i needed constant validation i was good enough. And...well,frankly You were too distant to give that to me. I am so sorry things happened the way they did. Nobody deserved that. I was cruel and horrible to you. But i think that was going to be our fate." Mariko explains as best she could. She wasn't someone who liked facing her mistakes but she respected Nina enough to at least try.

"Well..." Mariko starts with a laugh,going over her list of previous partners,but Nina was correct. There were no Latinas there. " i think you may be right. But i didn't require DNA tests." She replies with a laugh. Mariko had grown up a lot since their relationship so there was a lot less wildness in her recent past...well,aside from the summer of carnal delights wit a certain tv host. " I..learned it from breaking bad and not duolingo." She giggles,putting her hands over her face. Mariko wasn't expecting the response she got from Nina about both the baby and tyron. There must be some serious stuff going on there. "Really...a baby?! How old? Is it cute?" Mariko asks,now scooting closer. This would explain the secrecy over where Nina has been. " don't make me take you on Maury. That baby doesn't even look like me. I can tell you that. .oh my god..did miss Smith make you go away all this time?!"

ooc:i know your ass isnt getting to this 3 hours later.cant promise how good this will be,i kinda forgot where mariko was here. as well as what the timeline is.

"psssh. miss smith should love me." mariko says with a little grin. "i think i'm the only act keeping her ship afloat." mariko laughs into her drink before taking the little umbrella out and spinning it between her fingers. it was insane to think she was the most active act on any roster,but such seemed to be the case. mariko gives a little gesture with her hands as if to say family,right? whaddya going to do? when the mention of erica's probably far over the top reaction to vara is mentioned. "hitomi is doing real well,actually. as speak,she just got done facing her ex on big brother. it is old home week around here or what?" mariko sighs at the mention of big brother. emerald's brother had been on the show too. the weird part was he wasnt the same sort of asshole from way back when...mariko certainly had her blame there as well. she seemed to remember being none to sympathetic to his plight.



mariko looks near agahst at nina,"are...you implying me..vara and tyron?" it probably was the closest mariko ever came to looking like she wanted to clock nina. instead she breathed heavily through her nose and stared into her drink. "i hate him,nina. i hate him more than anyone i've ever met." mariko debates with herself for a bit on informing nina just how far her hatred of tyron had went. she decides against it. it was a wild story that even mariko hardly believed actually happened " "sadly no one is in the car for me. vara is italy. she's been stuck there since this whole virus thing has started. nope. you just get me." she says with a hint of anger still in her voice. nobody raised her blood pressure like tyron.

mariko smiles and faces nina. she did love how nina referred to vara as that girl.she shakes her slightly and studies nina's face before speaking. it still hurt knowing how things went down. mariko should have handled things like and adult,but she did not. distant or not,nina deserved better. this conversation was proof enough of that. "no..i actually found it after she left me. i found what i needed,i already had. you know,some wizard of oz shit." mariko says with a sad laugh. it did take a long time for her to learn that nobody could give her what she sought,she had to nurture it inside herself. truthfully,she thought things had been better than ever with vara. she felt she had vara's respect. mariko nods along as nina speaks. " i am still surprised you never swung on me. honestly, i still kind of expect it out of the blue. i...am not sure i could take you,but it would be a scrap!" mariko laughs at the thought of them actually fighting. while mariko now had the knowledge,she more than likely lacked the instinct to really make the most of it. "maybe. maybe. also,i could have been an adult and realized the world doesnt circle around me. if someone isnt constantly underfoot,that doesnt mean they forgot about me. ugh,we sound like two old ladies on their deathbeds." she jokes and tosses the little umbrella back into her drink. she actually tried to never think about emerald. she did that girl very wrong. mariko knowingly offered the bait to someone who shouldnt have been tempted. "i dont know,nina. if it wasnt...that that set her off,it could have been anything."

mariko agrees that this is certainly the way nina would protect their child. it certainly is the safest. especially given the person that mariko knew was in her life. tyron had swore up and down that he would never hurt nina. but....it was so hard to believe. also,it wouldnt be the first time a pregnant woman came up missing. "i..understand. somewhat. my mind just cant....". mariko glances down at nina's stomach and her eyes widen. "go there at all." she continues.

"well,you shouldnt think....that!" mariko laughs and looks at nina with a little smirk. "trust me. i am fully on a single team. before vara returned,i had a....fling with someone..a man. it wasnt for me,like at all." mariko grins and waves her as if the thought was icky.

"i dont want to bruise your ego and say no. but you arent the main reason. " mariko says with a little shake of her head. she disliked even thinking about tyron. he reminded her too much of someone else who had been in her life. "where to start with that one." she says with a laugh. she actually wanted to leave it at just that. she really didnt like going back to those times and well,this was nina's.....maybe still lover? "there is the whole vara thing, which is god damned disgusting. then before that he pulled the same sort of joke with me. things were done and said until he pretended to shoot me...he sort of holds some grudge over what had happened in the big brother house. like what was a i supposed to do about that,huh? then when i thought he was responsible for you disappearing.... there was overreaction. "mariko says with some hesitation. like before,there were some places she didnt want to go again.

"i am just sorry at the amount of people i left in my wake to get here. a lot of people paid for things that werent their fault. you're the only one i got to apologize to. im still debating on if someone else needs an apology. " mariko says looking at nina before speaking. nina was her friend,right? she could still ask for advice,right? "say you were just....THOSE kind of friends with someone and you leave for a real relationship..is that shitty?" mariko asks,she genuinely didnt know the politics of such a thing and thought maybe nina could help.

"you would be so surprised." mariko says flatly when nina says she cant imagine anyone hitting her. this was probably why tyron drew such a fire in mariko's belly. he reminded her so much of her ex husband. she realized that a lot of times,tyron was merely a stand in for a person mariko couldnt get her revenge on. mariko laughs warmly and nods. "nina.i needed protecting at the time. i always appreciated when you did. it had been a long time since anyone had done that for me." mariko genuinely tells nina,before adding with a giggle. "you better not go after vara. i dont want to have fuck you up,smokey." mariko jokes in her best big worm impression.

mariko laughs at nina and does as she asks. it wasnt every day one gets to do both sides of a toast. nina was one of her favorite people and sadly,due to her own actions,its not like everyone was going to go have lunch at chilis together any time soon. "clinky clinky!" mariko says when the glasses touch.

as mariko listened to nina speak,she nodded along. her sister had said similar things after finally coming around to parenting. mariko also knew far better than nina realized how much tyron and her family wanted to kill each other. but she wasnt sure this was the time to mention it. this was a happy time about a baby that nina seemed to already think the world of. "maybe its better that he and nobody else knows?" mariko suggests,running her finger thoughtfully over the drink ring that was forming around her glass. "i know he's your man but...tyron with a baby? your family..it wouldnt exactly be a fresh start,you know? i think you are totally right in what you're doing. i'm so glad i actually found you and know you're ok now,though." mariko says with some relief.

"you're going to do great. you have a good heart,nina. i dont think you give yourself enough credit for how caring you are. this is going to be the second best baby ever. sorry, i got to have loyalty to my taki. " mariko laughs while sort of holding back a tear. she was happy for nina and the baby. they seemed like they were going in the right direction." but this second best baby will have a fantastic mother." she finishes with a warm smile. she always had the utmost confidence in nina. she had fed off of it for awhile,so she knew: there was nothing nina couldnt accomplish.

"if you would have had a trojan,you wouldnt be so extra curvalicious now." mariko giggles. she knew nina was happy with her pregnancy and mariko was happy for her,but how could she not make that joke? it was right there. mariko is quiet for a moment in her thoughts about her voyage to the land of being jostled about. if she named him,nina could easily find him. "um...he was beautiful and sweet for the one night. i mean, do you want details? i guess about the diameter of my wrist?" mariko says with a smirk and holds up her forearm.

"yeah. so,you can kinda see why i was more than a little worried when you ended up with him,of all people." mariko says with a growing smile. in a way,she kinda got how nina ended up with tyron. when mariko first met vara. vara was rather cruel to her. mariko was sort of drafted to watch vara's boyfriend at the time. he had a pretty bad drug problem and mariko was deemed safe to be around him...probably meaning there was no way he would find her attractive enough to cheat on vara. at least this was mariko's take at the time. or perhaps,vara was correct in seeing that mariko had no interest in men. she was the first one to actually suggest this to mariko. nina's next question also knocked on the door of a secret,a rather big one at that. "that..."mariko starts by prolonging last syllable as a means to sort of put off speaking more. "is a rather long tale. your...father? contacted me to see if i knew certain types of people." mariko lets this hang for moment before speaking. to this day,she cant believe she went along with this insane scheme. mariko looks down at the hands before just coming out with part of it. "my dad's best friend became a yazuka boss in osaka. so....yeah. i went with them to visit tyron. at one point i was going to do IT myself,but i couldnt. before the two guys with me could..someone from above us shot tryon. i think. i dont know. he fell. i ran. " mariko rattles off in a rather distant voice. it just seemed all so surreal. but it did happen. "i thought he hurt you and i felt i owed you." mariko says,already answering the question anyone would have as to why she would do such a thing.

"so you give great advice that you dont take yourself?" mariko replies with a warm smile. "seriously though,that is some wise shit,nina. you sound a lot like hitomi's wife. she is very into the idea that every day is a new start and that a lotus has to grow through the mud before becoming beautiful." mariko got the mentality,but getting it and applying it...well,those were two separate things. but mariko had grown a lot since the past years. much like nina seemed to as well. having a child on the way does tend to either make one grow up or crash and burn spectacularly.

"so were you my ho...or was i yours?!" mariko cracks up to nina. she understood what nina was was saying,but had to wonder where she herself fell on the ho to pimp index. there probably was substantial evidence for either side.

mariko cracks up nina makes the face about vara. mariko was pretty sure vara and quite a few people who felt the same way about her. mariko wasnt sure if they were at the point where she could joke about their relationship failing,but she went for it anyway. "nina. i dont care how good i was. and,lets face it,i am amazing. there is no way in hell i could have impregnated you. if i was still in your life,you would still be able to see your feet in the coming months." she says with a sensible tone. she really was growing to the idea of nina being a mother. she wanted to have a baby shower for her,even if it was a secret one. ..oh god,mariko was becoming hitomi. "sometimes a father isnt the man who made the child." mariko says with a gesture of her hand. "maybe...maybe knowing about the baby will change tyron as well? stranger things have happened. if he comes through this,maybe tyron will see he has a chance to give some part of him a fresh start and make things right?" mariko assumed tyron had to have some tragic backstory as well. people rarely just turn out like he did because things were super rainbow fun time as a kid.

"oh! a little boy!" mariko says excitedly. she could never have children of her own,but she could ooh and ah over her friends' children." do you have a name picked out? do you need little clothes for him? he will be so damned cute! and...if he takes after tyron,hes going to be born freakishly buff.you..." mariko looks at nina's face and down towards her lap,then back to her face. "may want to consider a c section."

Elyar had been messaging Natasha a lot lately and the pair seemed to have hit it off, he was invited by her too the party so he made his way up to the venue and headed on inside and the asked the receptionist what room they were in a made his way up to them.

Rose was still putting some bows to the gifts with her video assistant and looked to the side as she saw Natasha almost storming off the room, what was going on? She was confused but still continued working on the stuff for the party.

Natasha was actually running to meet Elyar, that guy she was messaging from days and seemed like a real fun friend, a different type of friend maybe? When she sees him around the stairs she surprises him from the back with a little slap behind his back. She is a practical and disciplined person but her personality has also this contrast with her bubbly and very easy-going side.
She smiles at him. "ELYAR BAD BOY!"


Den waves smiling at Spoon, looking at his nephew to see his reaction and Fabriano just smirks at him in a way to say hello during the handshake, he has this bold look you'd hardly tell what he thinks unless he says it.
David's expression suddenly changes and he almost looks like a fool in love when he sees his man. Tight hug and puppy eyes. "Hey cowboy did you rest after last night shooting?" He says smiling and trying to look after him. They had spent the whole night the day before shooting bits and bobs of the new videos witht he whole team.

Spoons smiles again. "Honestly so much fun. I haven't done that in years so thank you for having me" he says while pecking another kiss on David.

"This is such a lovely venue. Happy Birthday" he says over to Zafari.

Zafari grins after throwing his cigarette away and joining the little bunch. He liked to make fun of everyone to be friendly. "Thank ya Spongebob, you here to party for me?" He says giving Spoon a little nudge and David chuckles. "No, he's here for me, you know?"

Zafari raises his arms in a funny way. "It's ok I won't steal your man" And David nods looking at Spoon in a way to say he better not to him.

Den was amused by the little scene, his nephew reminded him of his younger self, while Fabriano was just assisting the scene unmoved, as always.