Rythmn & Blues

For Mariko Ishii, tonight was just another night. Yamato was out somewhere with his girlfriend, but the younger Ishii was feeling rather lonely. Her dearest girlfriend had recently become her ex-girlfriend. Not because of a fight or some heated disagreement. Life had merely taken the two in opposite directions, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

Still, Mariko was having a bit of trouble taking her mind off of her. Fond memories were a good thing to hold onto, as long as one didn’t dwell too long. But that’s where it felt as if her mind was heading. Mariko needed to fix that. So she put on a black silk dress that came just a quarter of the way down her thighs and a matching pair of heels, deciding tonight was a perfect night to spend some time at the Space Lion. Some wine and soothing live jazz music sounded like the perfect short term prescription for her.

She was about halfway down the street when she looked up ahead and saw cameras flashing. Curious as to who the celebrity receiving so much attention might be, Mariko wandered closer, and couldn’t help but smile and giggle slightly once the answer became clear. She hadn’t seen Clyde Gastin since he’d defeated her in her debut match. Or at least, they hadn’t spoken since then. Evidently the handsome Texan had been doing quite well for himself as far as she could tell. Aside from being screwed out of his title reign, at least.

“You look a little lost, champ,” Mariko called half teasingly to the blonde. Though he genuinely did seem to be having trouble finding something, and she was curious just what that might be.

“The one and only~” Mariko replied with a little wink when Clyde addressed her. Nice to see he hadn’t forgotten her since their match, which now felt like it had been a lifetime ago.

“Thanks. You’re not looking bad yourself,” she said after he complimented her. As it happened, Mariko knew just the place Clyde was looking for. She hadn’t ever been inside before, but it was close by, and she often passed it coming and going form her apartment.

“You’re not far from it. I’d be happy to help you get there. If you buy me a drink, that is.” Americana was pretty different from the jazz club she had been planning on going to. But at least there’d be someone there to talk to.

“No promises~” Mariko replied teasingly. No, she didn’t have any malicious intent on her mind. There were times and places to pick fights, but for Mariko that was best saved for the ring. Even when she’d recently met and spoken with Carmen Rodriguez, she hadn’t been tempted in the slightest to make a move for the 24/7 title. That sort of thing just didn’t appeal to her. Didn’t mean she couldn’t have a bit of fun with some banter, though.

“Right this way.” She turned and led the way down to the street corner, expecting Clyde to follow. After glancing his way just to make sure he was, she’d turn around the corner and continue down the sidewalk a few doors down before stopping in front of one. Above it was the “Americana” sign, the only one along the whole street that wasn’t written out in Japanese.

“Why thank you~” Mariko said as Clyde held open the door for her. Nice to know that chivalry wasn’t completely dead. Especially in a place that had no shortage of unfriendly faces.

When she strode into the Americanized bar, Mariko almost felt like she’d just walked through a portal to another planet. Or at least to another country. About as far from a connoisseur on anything American as one could get, many of the pictures and memorabilia decorating the establishment were completely alien to her. Elvis she recognized, but...not much else.

The pool tables weren’t anything too difficult to digest. She’d been to places with those before, albeit not extremely often. The mechanical bull and boxing ring though, different story. Raising an eyebrow as she glanced over the strange environment, Mariko grinned slightly and turned to face Clyde when she heard his question.

“Is that who’s singing?” she asked. Mariko had heard some classic American rock primarily through her brother, who had a fonder appreciation for that than she did, but Tom Petty was a name that had escaped her until tonight. “I’ve certainly heard worse.”

Her eyes once more wandered over the place, before settling on the mechanical bull. “Should we find a place to sit? Or did you want to give that a try first?” she asked with a light giggle.

“If you can do it, that is~” Mariko said, flashing Clyde a playful grin, curious to see if he was up to the challenge. Granted, she’d never seen anyone ride one of these before, and had no idea if it even was much of a challenge.

But, seeing Clyde give it a go was likely to be entertaining, at the very least.