AU: The "No Happy Ending" Massage Parlor (Closed)

[Vincent Meian]

After months of being closed, the small spa and massage parlor owned by Vincent Meian had finished its renovations and was reopening for business. The tall man unlocked the front door with a sigh of relief, smiling a small content smile at the newly furnished interior. Everything looked so much better now that the inner walls had been rearranged, and the front counter actually sat at a reasonable height for all his customers. The paint job was a calming shade of jade green, and bamboo swinging doors marked each of the private rooms as a hint of primitive elegance.

It was good to be a business owner.

Tying up the sleeves of his kimono (he'd gotten it on a trip to his birth country some years ago and had adored it ever since), the tall man flipped the sign and turned on the lights, then the computer, and finally pulled his very long hair into a high ponytail. He wasn't due for an appointment yet, but walk-ins came by regularly regardless. He also needed to be ready for his newest employee, whenever the man decided to show up.

And so, the "No Happy Endings" Massage Parlor and Spa was opened for business again. Maybe this time the Japanese man could help the business keep that reputation (unlike when it had been in DC... Politicians.).

[Suekeichi Minamori]

Suekeichi Minamori had a bit of a reputation about him. At least in the DC area. It wasn't a bad reputation to have. And to him, his opinion was really all that mattered. Physically, he may have been a man of middle age, but mentally Suekeichi hadn't matured past his college years. He still saw himself as young and virile. And he was good at the things he was capable of accomplishing.

But for the sake of another's reputation, that meant more to him than his own, he'd toned things down. Opted for black pants, his signature pop of color left to his button down shirt. It was cherry red. He'd left the flowy kimonos home. They weren't appropriate for this particular work environment, and his yukata was in need of repair.

He'd made his way down the street, a casual stroll, he wasn't in any sort of hurry. The party didn't start until Minamori showed up. Or so he liked to think. It was a good ten minutes after Vincent flipped the sign that Suekeichi made his way through the door.

"Are you really going with that name?"

[Vincent Meian]

The older man looked up as the chimes over the door rang, his left hand ceasing its filling of orders for a moment as he grinned at his friend and fellow business partner. "Of course," he answered dryly. "Why not? We had to change names in the move anyway - why not remind you of our new policies?"

The smirk that accompanied such a statement grew as the taller rose to his feet, then disappeared into a soft smile when he bowed respectfully to the man in red. "Everything was delivered yesterday," he stated, motioning to the back. "I took the liberty of putting it all in the storage space in the back. Come on; I'll show you."

Vincent walked around the counter, leading Suekeichi to the prep area. Here, the plant manipulator could prepare all of his herbal treatments for the day, fresh and completely naturally. The taller of the two pointed out everything on the shelves, then gave a slight shrug with his palms upright in a gesture of noncommittal. "At least, this is where I thought to put it all. You can change it around, of course, but this made sense to me."

Briefly, the formally dressed masseuse thought about kissing his partner (who, over the years, had taken that term in more than a few ways) and distracting him from filing all of his products in the haphazard way he normally did. However, the nagging thought of the front being left unattended while the two of them pursued other methods of stress relief made him simply bite his lip and glance his friend over. "Red has always been your color," he admitted. "You should wear it more often."

[Christian Lucas]

Christian was incredibly happy to have his new job. He used to do some freelancing massage work, and had obtained a reputation for providing strong hands and a good time. He couldn't help if his clients were so often attractive middle age women who preferred massages without the towel. He figured when you have it, you have it.

Walking up to the store he lost his grin. He'd been hired, but until this moment he didn't know the exact name of the parlor. "No happy ending...? Really? What kind of shit is this??" he asked, making sure he wasn't heard by anyone who may be inside, or walking by. That was going to cramp his style a lot. Oh well, maybe he could turn it into something ironic.

He strolled into the front of the shop, the door having been left unlocked. He heard someone listing things off in the back of the shop, and so he headed there. Right as walked into the storage room, he heard the oriental man compliment the other man there. "Hey, if y'all want I can come back later. I was told to show up here. Sorry, running a bit late." He gave a half charming smile and let his boss collect himself. "So... Uh, yeah, do we got clients scheduled already or is it ok if I go take a little nap until someone shows up? Had a late night, I'm sure you know how it is. Getting freaky with it." He made a few pretend punches towards the two older men, before waiting for an answer.

This was going to be an interesting place to work.

[Vincent Meian]

Apparently, the chimes couldn't be heard as easily from back here, as the sudden appearance of the young masseuse caught Vincent a bit by surprise. He knew he was supposed to have a fresh face from the area showing up to do some work, but he'd expected him... well, regardless, he was here now, so he may as well get this over with. "You must be Christian," the tall man stated warmly, a smile breaking over his features. "It's good to meet you in person. I'm Vincent, the head masseuse, and this is Suekeichi Minamori - he runs the numbers and is the spa manager. Fox, this is Christian Lucas, our new hire. He'll be working with me."

Introductions complete, Vincent returned his golden brown gaze to the new hire and smirked suggestively. Their hiring had been based off of a resume, two calls to previous clients, and a phone interview, and thus Christian hadn't seen him before. Walking up the the slightly shorter man, he placed a hand on his assistant's shoulder with feather-light pressure. "If you wouldn't mind following me, Mr. Lucas," he murmured, his low voice a rumble, "I can show you the rest of the shop."

Though the comments about Christian's "extracurricular" activities had not been answered, there was a slightly suggestive smile on the long-haired Japanese man's face as he led him down the hall. Oh, he knew exactly what the younger man meant. And just because there was to be no action during an appointment didn't mean that clients weren't allowed to seek you out in your free time~

[Suekeichi Minamori]

Suekeichi surprisingly wasn't very talkative, opting to listen to Vincent, and nodding as he was informed of things. He'd definitely rearrange things in the prep area to his liking when it was just him. It was at the remark on his choice in color that he spoke again. "I will wear it. I will wear it just as often as I wear any other color of the rainbow." A smirk and a bit of a wiggle of the eyebrows, and Suekeichi's attention shifted to the Caucasian that had come in.

"Nice to meet you," he stated, smirk still gracing his features as he leaned against the nearest wall. He'd only be there long enough for Vincent to escort Christian off for his own tour of the shop. Then Suekeichi would start organizing things.

If Vincent was aiming to keep the massage parlor true to it's name, it seemed he was going to have his work cut out for him. If only for continuing to run a business with the fox.

[Christian Lucas]

Christian was pleased with the set up. Three rooms, each set up with all the necessary tools of the trade plus some bonuses. An electric muscle relaxer for patients who needed a little bit of a start, an amazing collection of lotions and oils, and some interesting wooden massage tools. Chris recognized everything and was pleased with how well outfitted the parlor was.

"So, yeah, when are we expecting to see some clients? Am I needed here all the time or a call in basis? The web advertisement wasn't especially clear. Also, do you have any issue with me working off the clock as well, on a personal basis with some clients?" He threw the last question in there as if it wasn't especially important, but it was possibly the most vital question in the lot for him. Depending on the answer would change how much he really listened to his new employer.

[Vincent Meian]

After the tour of the decent sized parlor, Vincent had returned Christian to the lobby and looked over the appointment book as the younger man asked his questions. "You'll have regularly scheduled hours," he answered, scanning the list for the week. "But I don't mind you moonlighting here and there if you want to. Just keep personal relationships out of the shop, and you shouldn't have much trouble."

Despite the fact that he hadn't been raised in Asia or by Asian parents, being adopted by politicians gave an equal proficiency in double-speak. He wasn't forbidding relationships with clients; there would just be no such shenanigans solicited or paid for in the shop.

"As for appointments," he continued, looking back to the shorter man, "we don't have any scheduled until tomorrow, but we'll be open today for walk-ins. I'll pay you for the time you're here, so get used to the shop and talk to myself or Suekeichi if you have any questions."

[Christian Lucas]

Christian caught the meaning there, and made a note of it. It sounded something like this in his head. "Old guy doesn't care if I get laid by the clients... He just doesn't want it to happen here." That was good enough for him for now, though if his history was anything to go by, Christian wasn't likely to follow even that one rule. "Ok, I can do that boss. I'll man the front desk then!" He shrugged and sat down, immediately finding solitaire on the computer and bringing it up. "Shout if you need something. I'll tell you if any clients come in," he said, before beginning to stack cards.

[Suekeichi Minamori]

The silence that had befallen the parlor (at least from Suekeichi's perspective) ended with a very loud crash. Suekeichi had managed to pull not just one but two shelves down on himself along with everything that had been on those shelves. There were a few curses in Japanese and a bit of silence before he spoke again.

"I'm fine. I swear I'm fine. That sounded worse than it was, I promise!"

In his defense it had sounded worse than it was. Nothing was damaged, save some corners and edges of boxes and maybe bit of Suekeichi's pride. And he moved to immediately clean things up.