The Broken Ring

[Deskfan45]

Aaron rambled and ranted on and on about the various atrocities his client had committed and the hellish consequences it'd had for him, not to mention the people affected by her rampages. He liked Skylar, she was cool enough as a friend, but being her manager had put him in a nightmarish situation that he wanted desperately to end. Soon enough, he offered Hiro a turn to share his own stories, to hear he seemed to be in the same situation. "Damn..." He sighed. The scissors thing kinda reminded him of Sky's knife, and though the Brawler had never blackmailed an opponent per se, she had stalked other wrestlers who caught her interest, be it online or from the shadows in order to gather information about them. If she found something embarrassing, she didn't use it as blackmail material, instead opting to reveal it outright during an exchange of barbs.

With a weak smile, the manager extended his hand, offering Hiro a handshake. "Heh, nice to be next to a guy who knows my pain..."

[CaptainL]

As soon as he finished his story, Hiro huffed, letting out a breath that caused his shoulders to slump as he looked down at the ground. He felt as though he'd been carrying around a great deal of weight, and in voicing his troubles he had gotten a load off his shoulders. He still liked Kirie, and he liked to think at least that the good outweighed the bad...but he couldn't deny that she caused a lot of issues. At least now, he had someone he could talk about that with, someone who he could count on not to judge.

"Yeah, it's...a lot." He looked up toward Aaron then, suddenly struck by curiosity. He didn't know if it would be rude to pry, but his client had to be someone quite...colorful to have made such an impression. "Who's your client, anyway?"

[Deskfan45]

Aaron smiled as he shook Hiro's hand. Finally, someone he could rant to about Skylar without worrying about getting on their nerves. This was sure to be the start of a great friendship. As Hiro asked him who his client was, Aaron answered. "Skylar Jones. You?" He asked, unaware of the stark realization that awaited both men once Hiro answered.

[CaptainL]

Hiro nodded his head, going along with the conversation. There were a lot of things on his mind, but at the very least, it seemed like he had met someone he could commiserate with, and who would have his back. He and Aaron seemed like they were coming from similar positions, and they both knew what one another were dealing with. He could appreciate that, and he knew he could trust Aaron, too. So, when they had been able to speak with each other so naturally, Hiro didn't realize what Aaron had said until a moment after he too had spoken.

"Kirie Tsukada," he said. Moments later, he froze, his handshake growing limper as his hand went cold in Aaron's own. His eyes widened and he stared blankly ahead, practically straight through his newfound friend. "W-Wait, what did you just say..?" It seemed that Aaron was managing Skylar Jones - a woman who had earned quite a reputation for causing trouble in LAW, and who had become a bitter rival of Hiro's own girlfriend, but an awkward and complicated friend to the young man himself. And now, he was standing straight across from her manager. If there was one thing Hiro could take away from this that didn't make his situation infinitely more awkward...it was that at least now, he could understand exactly where Aaron's headaches were coming from.

[Deskfan45]

Aaron's eyes went wide with shock as Hiro answered his question, realizing the full situation. The man in front of him was the manager of none other than Kirie Tsukada, one of Skylar's most notable rivals, and more importantly, her boyfriend as well... Someone Sky had hit on numerous times. "Ahh shit, I'm so sorry..." Aaron bowed, embarrassed by how his client's actions must have troubled his new friend. "Jones is a friend of mine, but she's nuts..."

[CaptainL]

Hiro let out a sigh. He let go of Aaron's hand as he took a few steps away, his hands sinking in his pockets, though he still remained at his fellow manager's side. Now he knew the cat was out of the bag - and just mentioning the names of the two women they managed was enough for them to immediately know how much they found themselves in over their heads, dragged into a conflict far beyond them.

"It's...it's fine, it's fine," Hiro muttered in an attempt to brush off the conversation. "Kirie's alright, she's just...well, I'm sure you've already heard Skylar tell you the stories. Just...just know that she's got no reason to be unbiased about her." Hiro pulled at his collar; he didn't want Aaron jumping to the conclusion that Kirie was crazy or that Hiro was trapped in an unhealthy relationship. Granted, both of those things were true, and he knew it, but he didn't want to make this any worse than it already was. With how chaotic Sky and Kirie's relationship was already, he didn't need to give Aaron's client any more ideas to use against her.

His shoulders slumping with an exhale, Hiro nodded to Aaron. "Yeah, I...yeah, you can say that again. From what I've seen of her, I can only imagine what it's like to work with her..." He looked off as a blush came to his cheeks. He knew that he shouldn't pry about these things, but he couldn't help but be a little curious. Much as he knew it could only bring trouble...Sky was a pretty girl, and she seemed like she could be fun if one got to know her, even if that also likely posed a risk of grievous injury at any given moment. He wondered what she was like in her time off.

"...what is it like to work with her?" Hiro continued, only barely looking back at Aaron out of the corner of his eye. "Er, if you want to share, that is..."

[Deskfan45]

Aaron sighed, leaning on the counter, coffee mug in hand. "It's insane. And expensive." He answered Hiro's question plainly. "At the very least, it's not boring... but saying this shit is fun because it's not boring is saying Hell is better than Limbo. Every damn day the bitch does something, and who do you think has to clean up her messes!?" He looked at the window, which provided an impressive view of Tokyo. "Some days Hiro... some days I just wanna jump out that damn window..." He sighed heavily. "I need a fucking Tequila."

[CaptainL]

"...Expensive?" Taking a pause, Hiro tilted his head toward Aaron, raising an eyebrow curiously. Then, he thought back to all his previous encounters with Skylar, and how destructive she could be, which quickly reminded him that he had a pretty good idea of what his coworker was talking about - and, more to the point, he didn't want to push the matter on him when it seemed such a sore spot. Clearing his throat, he stood up taller and took a step back. "Er, on second thought, you don't need to answer that..."

He glanced off, folding his hands in his pockets and biting at his lip as he listened to Aaron open his heart to him. But as much as he, too, looked toward the window to try to get his thoughts lost in the scenery, he couldn't help but worry for his fellow manager. It was clear he was under a lot of strain, strain that was threatening to make him snap. He saw no reason why dwelling on this topic would help with that at all. Maybe, he thought, he needed to turn their thoughts elsewhere.

"Er, maybe...we should go for a walk somewhere? Think about something else?"

[Deskfan45]

Aaron sighed, finishing his coffee. He raised an eyebrow as Hiro asked if they should go for a walk somewhere, before nodding. "Yeah... Yeah, I could use a fuckin' break. You wanna grab a drink? I'll pay." He offered, crushing the foam cup in his hand and dropping it in the trash. If Hiro agreed, Aaron lead the way, walking out the door.

Getting outside, Aaron took in a nice breath of fresh air, stretching, before starting down the sidewalk. "I know a bar a few blocks from here." He said. As he and Hiro continued down the path, Aaron realized the conversation had almost entirely been about him. He did have a tendency to ramble. "So... How'd you meet Kirie?" He asked.

[CaptainL]

"A...a drink?" Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Hiro's gaze flit from one wall to the other. He checked his watch, realizing that it was still quite a bit early to be out hitting bars. If Aaron could so casually make the leap to getting a drink at this hour, he likely had some sort of problem...not that Hiro could blame him, exactly, when he had to deal with Skylar as often as he did. Not to mention, on other occasions he'd been to bars, it had landed him in compromising positions - ones that Kirie wasn't happy with. He gulped, straightening his collar. "...Are we even allowed to go out this early? What if the boss gets mad?"

But it was too late - Aaron was already on his way down the hall, and Hiro had no choice but to hurry after him to keep pace. At the least, the fresh air might do something for his nerves, and he sucked in a breath of it, his shoulders slumping as he let his body ease. But that tension was soon to return to him at the moment Aaron mentioned him meeting Kirie, and Hiro froze for a few short seconds, the hairs bristling on the back of his neck. There were a lot of things he could tell Aaron about her - but if Kirie found out he'd spoken up, he would surely have hell to pay for it.

He cleared his throat, averting his gaze to try and calm his nerves. "Ah, well...we went to high school together, 'sall. I think she had a crush on me for a while, but I never really paid it much heed...up until she asked me out. But, eh, I thought, why not...and when we went on to college, we just kinda decided we were going to stay together..."

He bit at his tongue, having said that. It was a really boring explanation, the kind that you'd get from a lot of couples. From normal couples, who didn't have to deal with the issues Hiro did. He hadn't mentioned all the threats and blackmailing Kirie had made against the other girls in his class, or all the times she joyfully recounted them to him like they were fond memories. It would've made things much more interesting to tell him that - it might even make him feel like he had been worth Aaron's time, rather than boring him with something so mundane. But he already knew how Kirie would feel.

Wanting to be done with the intrusive thoughts, Hiro quickly changed the subject. "Er, what about you? You and Skylar, I mean...how'd you two meet?"