[Kitaki]

Yuri had been smiling, twisting her hair with her finger as she listened to Ashley nervously describe himself. It wasn't until he brought up her life that her expression changed drastically. Her perky ears dropped and her smile disappeared. "Oh. Well..." She seemed to look past Ashley rather than at him while she attempted to answer his questions. "I'm from Okinawa. Far away, in Japan. I've lived in this city for quite some time. My parents..." her voice grew quieter, "...well...they loved this city and the Queen who ruled at the time, Espune. Until things changed."

When she realized how much she was about to divulge about her personal life, Yuri stopped and shook her head. She needed to learn to let go. Why couldn't she ever just forget? "But that is a story for another time, if ever." She began flicking her tail back and forth and tried to smile again. "Let's just say that I'm very familiar with this city of Sulentsi," Yuri explained, "and I created Crude Crush Club with the help of...friends...as a safe haven for myself and any others who just wants to leave the drama at the door and have a good time."

Yuri sighed and rose to her feet and headed for her rosewood desk that was pushed up against the red wall. She pulled a sheet of paper off of a small stack and grabbed a pen from the vase on the desk as well. As she approached Ashley to hand him the items, she spoke, "Here is the standard agreement all employees need to sign for me. This is an adult club after all, so certain rules need to be followed and I'm not paying for mistakes." As Ashley took the paper and looked it over, Yuri sat back in her seat and bit her lip. "You mentioned something about a bar. We're in need of an extra bar tender to work certain weeknight shifts, especially during busy nights like these. I hope you wouldn't mind starting immediately if you're interested..."

Kitaki smirked to himself as he watched his new apprentice pet June. Maybe it was just the years that he'd spent in the Circus, but large animals never seemed all that different from domesticated housepets to him. Kita crossed his arms and declared, "Well. That's great to hear. We'll worry about paperwork later. For now, how about you help yourself to the staff room in front of you, there." Kita winked at her, "You can pick out of any accessories or costumes that suit your fancy. Our wardrobe collection has grown significantly of late." Just before turning to leave he added, "Oh, and if you see a Fox-lady walking around, just let her know that you're Kita's temp for tonight. I'll be backstage to check on you in a few minutes." With that, he whistled for June and they left the hallway for the main stage.

As soon as the door opened, the music's volume blasted his ears. It was always quieter backstage. Kisa had already taken some props out for the show and some people in the crowd were talking and pointing at the stage with excitment. Kita walked briskly to the large trunk on stage left, hidden a bit by the curtain. He located the bag of meaty treats that June loved and stored a handful in his pocket. June knew what this meant and she laid down behind the curtain to nap for a little. Everything was ready. Checking his MCD he noticed that they were ahead of schedule, which rather surprised him. "Well," he though, "time for a drink, for sure." Kita headed down the steps on the left side of the stage and tried to pretend he didn't notice people staring as he headed for the bar on the other side of the busy club.