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Mei's chest warmed at the sight of Yumi Hasegawa hurrying towards her, a delighted grin spreading across her own face. She returned Yumi's embrace, pleased to link arms and enter the carnival side-by-side.[break][break]
"It has been ages," Mei agreed in a playful, teasing tone. "I might as well be living with a ghost!"[break][break]
Yumi had been in and out of the apartment in a constant flurry of activity since the re-opening of Starlight Casino. They were long-due for a girls night.[break][break]
Vaguely, Mei wondered if Hitoshi Inoue was lurking somewhere amidst the other carnival attendees. Surely he would not be far from Yumi, unless she had sent him on a specific errand? Mei's momentary distraction gave Yumi the opening to ask about her first.[break][break]
"Well, for one, I'm an explorer now," she laughed. "I pestered Freya until she let me accompany her into the Ultra Crater. King came too, of course." She remembered telling Yumi about her current arrangement at his bar, and the tempest of a dragon-tamer who frequented it. Mei had grown quite fond of the two of them. "I left Kanto so I could see more of the world. They say the rifts are dangerous but," she shrugged, seafoam eyes promising mischief. "So am I."[break][break]
They passed by a group of kids engrossed in a Magikarp Fishing game, the smallest of them yelping in triumph as she held up a Magikarp nearly as large as she was.[break][break]
Yumi had asked for everything...[break][break]
"Also," Mei added, trying to sound nonchalant. "I may or may not be...dating someone."

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Yumi's eyes lit up at the mention of Ultra Space. "I've been to those places, too! Ultra Crater was my last trip," she said. "I've been going with some," she paused to choose her next words carefully, "important business contacts."[break][break]

Unlike Mei, who had gone exploring with her friends, Yumi had traveled with Rocket upper brass.[break][break]

A cotton candy booth caught the Johtonian's attention. She steered her companion toward it and purchased a large stick of the confection.[break][break]

"Dating someone?" Yumi echoed, unlinking arms with Mei so she could tear off a chunk of cotton candy.[break][break]

For some reason, she couldn't imagine the beautiful escort dating the types of men and women who frequented her place of business. "A client?" she asked anyway.[break][break]

While the cotton candy melted on her tongue, Yumi offered the stick to Mei, silently communicating that she could eat some, too.

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"No," Mei answered vehemently. "Not a client."[break][break]
She paused, realizing she'd raised her voice. Her cheeks felt hot all of a sudden, so she sucked in a breath and ripped off a piece of cotton candy offered to her by Yumi. As the sugar melted on her tongue, she flashed Yumi an apologetic smile.[break][break]
"Sorry, it's just - it's not like that." Mei sighed. "We haven't even slept together yet."[break][break]
Mei didn't know how to talk about this. It wasn't...typical for her. As they weaved their way through the crowd, passing several more food stands and carnival games, Mei came to the conclusion that she ought to ask Yumi for advice. After all, the other woman was far more experienced at dating than she was, or so Mei assumed. Mei knew how to seduce just about anyone, but the more she got to know Marza Volchitsa the more she didn't want to seduce her - at least, not like she did with her clients.[break][break]
"What do you do," Mei began, gazing at Yumi with a vulnerability she did not often display. "When you really like someone? When you can't stop thinking about them? When you want them to care about you?"[break][break]
Did Yumi have someone like that in her life right now, too?

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Yumi's eyes widened at the vehemence of Mei's denial. "Wow, okay. Not a client. Noted," she said with a slight laugh.[break][break]

Looping arms together again, she led her friend down the main thoroughfare of the carnival. On both sides, stalls featuring games attracted children and adults alike with bright lights and loud music. A crowd had gathered around a Tauros Rodeo ride that seemed more dangerous than fun.[break][break]

Beyond them, Yumi caught sight of various rides and attractions. But the one that drew her interest the most was the beautifully lit Ferris wheel.[break][break]

Subtly, she began walking Mei toward the ride while she considered her friend's questions.[break][break]

"I don't think I've really liked someone in a long time," Yumi admitted. "I dated guys at university, and I sometimes have one-night stands, but I'm not seeking a relationship right now."[break][break]

She thought of parker jones and Callan Young.[break][break]

"But if I were and if I liked someone, I'd tell them in a clear and straightforward way, so that they can't misunderstand me."

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Mei frowned, listening carefully as Yumi talked while subtly steering them towards the Ferris wheel.[break][break]
How could Marza Volchitsa not know? Hadn't Mei been abundantly clear about her intentions, about her feelings? Then again, the woman she was interested in seemed to be her own unique breed of oblivious, as dense as a rock when it came to accepting that she was wanted by someone - especially someone like Mei. It made Mei crazy, the way Marza refused to acknowledge her own worth.[break][break]
So maybe that's what she needed to say.[break][break]
"She misunderstands herself," Mei muttered, but then she smiled appreciatively. "It's good advice. I'm so used to relying on body language, I often forget that words are the clearest way to communicate."[break][break]
So, Yumi didn't have anyone special right now? Once, Mei might have encouraged Yumi to date her bodyguard, Hitoshi Inoue, but she knew better than to suggest such a thing now. She'd teased the two of them rather relentlessly until she'd come to realize that it wasn't like that between them, and never would be. Now, the mere thought of the two of them making out felt like blasphemy.[break][break]
"You have high standards," Mei teased. "I look forward to the day when someone worthy finally sweeps you off your feet."[break][break]
They arrived at the line for the Ferris wheel; luckily, it was not a very long wait before they were ushered into their seats.[break][break]
"So what have you been up to, then?" Mei asked, genuinely curious. "Besides one-night stands, that is."

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Yumi nodded with the graciousness of a sage as Mei accepted her wisdom. She sat opposite her friend in the Ferris wheel's carriage, her hands folded in her lap, the picture of feminine elegance.[break][break]

A laugh spilled from her lips at the very notion of being swept off her feet by another person.[break][break]

"I doubt that will happen," Yumi said. "Handsome men are either poor or egoistic, and the kind ones are not ambitious enough or ugly. If I entertain any kind of partner, our relationship will be business first—whatever they can offer me, and whatever I can offer them."[break][break]

Her own family dynamics had crushed the notion of romance as necessary for a lasting partnership in her head. She thought, perhaps, that her parents loved each other, but she never saw them give each other affection.[break][break]

Only duty and loyalty.[break][break]

The Ferris wheel brought them higher into the sky. Yumi leaned toward one window of their carriage, gazing out at the cityscape sprawling outward before them and at the black ocean beyond it.[break][break]

"You know about the casino, of course," she said when Mei shifted the topic of conversation. "That's how I spend most of my time these days. But I'm making a few friends here and there, too."[break][break]

Associates. Accomplices.[break][break]

Yumi looked over at Mei. "What about you? Besides this paramour of yours."

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"Business first" in any partnership was a sentiment Mei could understand; after all, she was intimately familiar with sex as a business transaction more so than an act of love between two romantic partners. And yet, it bothered her somewhat that Yumi did not seem the least bit hopeful or expectant about the prospect of meeting a man who could properly court her, as if it were simply an inevitability that, were she to marry, it would be for some sort of advantageous political or monetary gain first and foremost.[break][break]
Mei frowned slightly, but did not push the matter further. It wasn't like she had any actual experience with this sort of thing. Falling in love sounded like messy business, like a Tug-o-War Contest between her heart and her head, though she was more than a little bit worried that it was already happening to her.[break][break]
Yumi talked about the casino as they ascended into the sky, and Mei watched as everything below them began to shrink. The carnival scenery transformed into a watercolor wash of colorful shapes; it was rather lovely, Mei thought. Peaceful to be so high up, away from all the commotion for a brief respite.[break][break]
The word paramour made her blush, and she felt silly for having brought up Marza Volchitsa at all, unable to help wondering where she was and if she liked carnivals (probably not).[break][break]
"Oh, you know, the usual: contracts and clients." Assassination and entertainment, her specialties. "I'm going to take your dog out for a walk, by the way. He expressed interest in joining me during my next...mission, so I'm going to borrow him." she grinned. "If that's allright with you, of course?"[break][break]
Yumi - and by default, Hitoshi - were aligned with Rocket, of course, but Mei wasn't entirely sure how much her roommate approved of her bodyguard's skillset being used for something other than her own protection.

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The mention of Hitoshi prompted Yumi to raise a curious eyebrow at Mei.[break][break]

"Oh really?" Then she smiled. "By all means, bring him along with you. He needs more friends. I don't know if he really has any."[break][break]

Her bodyguard spent most of his time with her, after all. On the rare occasions he wasn't around, he was busy doing work for Team Rocket. And anyway, Yumi wasn't sure Hitoshi knew how to make friends the normal way.[break][break]

For a long time, she didn't know if she could make friends the normal way, either.[break][break]

The Ferris wheel ride eventually came to its end. When a carnie opened the carriage door, Yumi stepped out first. She turned to Mei with a smile.[break][break]

"Is there anything else you want to do while we're here?" she asked.

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"There were some souvenir booths near the entrance I wanted to check out," Mei replied. "But I'm not picky beyond that. We could always leave and grab a drink on our way home, too." Mei liked carnivals well enough, but eventually, all of the kids running around and loud noises belonging to the rides and games began to wear on her.[break][break]
She lead Yumi back towards the entrance, stopping beside the Joyland souvenir booth. Perusing the trinkets for longer than was probably necessary, Mei finally picked out a small, discrete keychain in the shape of a white rose. Maybe Marza would actually put it on her keys, maybe not. She handed over the money and nodded her thanks to the somewhat tired-looking carnie manning the booth.[break][break]
"Allright, I'm all set." Seafoam eyes crinkled at the corners as she regarded Yumi, her delight apparent in the way she smiled. "Well? How about that drink, then?"[break][break]
They would certainly find more to talk about; after all, Mei still had questions about just who Yumi had been spending time with lately - "important business contacts", she'd called them. Rocket higher-ups, perhaps? Or merely other grunts? Or perhaps they weren't Rockets at all, but other, more innocuous connections.[break][break]
In the end, though, what mattered was getting to spend time with her friend.

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Yumi followed Mei to the souvenir booth. While her friend deliberated between the various trinkets, she scanned the area, watching families play and groups of friends socialize. Nearby, a Tug-of-War game was underway, both parties equally matched.[break][break]

Mei declared her business finished and extended an invitation to drinks. Yumi grinned, more than happy to continue the night somewhere less chaotic.[break][break]

"Let's go," she agreed, once more linking their arms together.[break][break]

They exited the carnival, chattering like the best friends they were. At the nearest Corviknight taxi station, a bird-powered carriage whisked them away to a bar of Yumi's choosing.

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