Artifice and Duplicity

[Ichi]

Author's Note

     This RP was done over the course of a year—it started on 12/09/2020, or 09/12/2020 for non-Americans. In that time, my writing style has evolved quite a bit. This starter post was written on December 6th, 2021, but my next post in this thread dates back to December 9th, 2020. As a result, there is a noticeable difference in writing style between this post and my other posts in this thread.

     Húxiān was more than just a sadist. Sure, Húxiān enjoyed making other people suffer just as much as the next sadist—but assuming that her sadism was born solely out of a desire to inflict misery upon others would be a grave mistake. Húxiān was more than a mindless sociopath, and her actions could not be ascribed to simple cruelty. Rather, Húxiān's sadistic tendencies were a twisted manifestation of her family's affliction: the Xiāo curse.
     In truth, the Xiāo "curse" was less of a curse and more a set of characteristics shared by members of the Xiāo clan. In Húxiān's case, her family's inherent predilection towards solving problems and testing limits manifested itself through cruelty. Figuring out ways to torment people was akin to solving a puzzle for Húxiān, and each sadistic act was a chance for Húxiān to test how far she could go. The act of abusing people did not, in and of itself, fully sate Húxiān's desires—it was far more satisfying to test her own limits and see what sadistic heights she could reach.
     Now, Húxiān would be testing just how far she could take her sadism. To that end, she had found herself a nice "couple" of targets: Hiro Yamashida and Kirie Tsukuda. Their social media activity and the rumors floating around about the two had made it abundantly clear that their relationship was extremely dysfunctional. Kirie was extremely controlling and Hiro was too passive to stop her. Moreover, Kirie seemed unstable and was easily provoked, while Hiro seemed like a complete pushover. And if Húxiān's suspicions were correct, the two of them would make ideal targets.
     The time was right for Húxiān to put her plan into motion. It was nighttime and a LAW show was being held. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, Húxiān would get a chance to talk to Hiro alone, with no Kirie to interfere.

It was the perfect opportunity.

[CaptainL]

It was the night of another LAW show, and - as was to be expected - everyone in the audience was focused on the action in the ring. No one ever gave any heed to what was going on behind the scenes, handling all the logistics that came with making the operations of a promotion of LAW's size and scope possible. Plenty of people were employed with taking care of the paperwork, but no one would ever appreciate their work.

That was what was running through Hiro Yamashida's mind, anyway. Perhaps he was getting disgruntled, and in letting his mind wander in his toil he had let it circle back around to everything that frustrated him. The truth of the matter, though, was that he was over his head. When he had come to LAW, he wasn't expecting things to be much different from when he was working as a manager on the indies. After all, he thought, he'd just need to be here for his girlfriend, handling her booking dates, maybe cutting the occasional promo for her. It couldn't be that hard, right?

He had underestimated a few things, as he soon found out. Not only did being part of a major promotion like LAW present its own challenges and demands, but so did dating Kirie Tsukada. While he loved her, he could accept that she could be...erratic. At times, even a liability, and that was all the more true when Kirie's exploits had become infamous. Which was why he was being watched so closely to keep her on a leash, lest she do anything too brash in her new league. And why they were expecting him to sign so many waivers just to allow her to compete. He felt like he was being run around all day since he got there, and that had to have been hours ago. Surely it couldn't be this complicated!

At last, Hiro felt like he had a break in the action - giving him, at the least, some time to step out and catch his breath. He leaned against the wall out in a hallway of the arena, letting out a huff. Sometimes, just being able to have a moment where nothing was happening was all he needed.

[Ichi]

Húxiān's appearance

Húxiān had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Hiro alone and now one had presented itself. Húxiān smiled maliciously for a brief moment before putting on her facade and walking towards Hiro. Her body language conveyed a sense of timidity and nervousness as her eyes turned to look at Hiro. If Hiro met Húxiān's gaze, Húxiān would quickly avert her eyes while continuing to walk towards Hiro.

"Ummm... hi. Are you Yamashida-san?" said Húxiān, her voice conveying nervousness and girlish femininity. "I ummm... sorry."

Húxiān would take a deep breath, puffing out her chest in a seemingly innocent way. Then, as if she had suddenly realized that she had forgotten to bow, Húxiān would then give a polite bow to Hiro. While Húxiān did this, Hiro would be able to see down her shirt and catch a glimpse of her cleavage.

"I'm sorry, I'm really nervous. I'm a reporter---I mean, a new reporter---working with LAW magazine. I ummm... if you would please..." Húxiān's face would show a look of nervousness and apparent lack of confidence as she spoke. After taking another deep breath, Húxiān would continue. "I would... ummm... like to interview you for a story we're doing."

Húxiān would once again bow and flash her cleavage. After bowing, Húxiān would look back up at Hiro with a nervous, yet optimistic look on her face. A slight smile would adorn Húxiān face, a smile that appeared friendly yet timid.

[CaptainL]

He thought he had the moment to take a breather, anyway. But as Hiro would soon find out, that would be asking too much. It wasn't long before a girl he didn't recognize approached him - and as he looked up out of curiosity, she turned aside shyly, speaking to him in a soft voice. And what's more, she seemed to know who he was! "Ah..?" Hiro didn't know what to think about this, nor did he know who this woman was. He had hardly been with the company for very long; certainly he didn't think it would be long enough to make such an impact on people. But she seemed nice enough, anyway. He cleared his throat, starting to straighten himself in an effort to look more professional. He had a role to uphold, after all - even if that almost immediately went out the window as the girl bent forward, giving him a clear shot down her shirt in the process.

Hiro bit his lip, pushing himself back up against the wall as a blush came to his cheeks. Focus! He had to focus! He couldn't let this get to him, and besides, what would Kirie think? Hiro shuddered, just thinking about how sweet and innocent the stranger was. She wouldn't deserve any torments that Kirie might have planned for her.

For the second time before he had really said anything, Hiro cleared his throat, listening to what the girl had to say and hoping she didn't notice where his gaze had gone - not like he had much choice. He frowned somewhat as he watched her, feeling a note of sympathy. He could tell she was in over her head, and in some ways, he could relate. He gave her the time to form the words, and in turn he would soon find that she wanted to hold an interview. Once again, Hiro was confused as to why he would qualify for such an honor - but he smiled nonetheless, flattered by the prospect.
"An...interview? Me? I'd-GAH!" Hiro was quickly interrupted as the girl bent over again, and he turned his head aside and shielded his eyes before things would get too awkward. In the process, of course, he only made that even worse, but, hoping that she wouldn't think too hard of it, he turned back around to face her with a nervous chuckle. "I mean...hey, that's fine!" He tried to be as friendly as possible in the hopes she wouldn't be put off. "If LAW Magazine thinks that I have something worth saying...I'd be happy to try."

[Ichi]

While Húxiān was putting on her act, she made sure to closely observe Hiro. From their brief interaction, Húxiān could already tell that Hiro could probably be pushed around---that much she could tell. What Húxiān had not expected was for Hiro to become that flustered by her showing a little skin. Húxiān took a mental note of this tendency.

"If LAW Magazine thinks that I have something worth saying...I'd be happy to try."

"Really?! Thanks! I'm really happy that..." said Húxiān, feigning excitement. Suddenly, Húxiān would pause and her voice would become calmer. "Sorry... thanks for agreeing to this!"

Húxiān would give Hiro a warm, innocent smile as she fidgeted with the flower ornament on her chest. Then, Húxiān would look directly into Hiro's eyes, her face adorned with a sweet, innocent smile.

"Let's go someplace private, okay?" Immediately after saying that, Húxiān's face would turn red as if she just realized the connotation behind her words. "I meant for the interview! I'm not trying to..."

Húxiān would pretend to take a moment to regain her composure before speaking again. "I'm so sorry... I know I'm being unprofessional but... I've been extremely nervous about my job. My father..."

After saying those words, Húxiān would pause and take a deep breath. A slight shaking would be noticeable to anyone watching Húxiān's body closely.

"My father doesn't it that I'm doing this job. He hates it that I have to talk to so many men and constantly asks to know who I've talked with. I want to do my job but... I'm scared."

Since it seemed entirely possible that Kirie was the possessive type, Húxiān hoped that this would evoke sympathy from Hiro. Hopefully, this would lower Hiro's guard a little---the bait had been set.

"I'm sorry. Please... just ignore that I just said. Some of the dressing rooms are free, okay? If you'd like... we could do the interview there," said Húxiān. Quite frankly, the shy, nervous act was not particularly easy for Húxiān to put on. However, she figured that it would pay dividends later.

[CaptainL]

The smile on the girl's face was enough to bring Hiro some relief, and a smile came to his face. While he was struggling with overwork, as well as feeling sympathy for a girl who seemed just as exasperated as he was, he was happy to see she was doing a little better. It was almost...cute. Of course, he quickly felt the guilt that came with having such thoughts, the ever-present spectre of Kirie's inevitable disapproval hanging over his head, and he looked away from her gaze, a blush coming to his cheeks. Hiro reminded himself this was just a matter of business. Besides, Kirie wasn't around. Of course, it wouldn't have been the first time Kirie walked in on him at an inopportune time, but he hoped that wouldn't happen here.

"P-Private..?!" The girl went on soon after the words had left her mouth, clarifying she didn't mean anything intimate by it. If anything, though, the thought wouldn't have even crossed Hiro's mind if she didn't bring it up - but now that she did, he would only blush harder. "I m-mean...the interview, of course-!"

He cleared his throat again. Hiro had only been stammering out whatever came to his mind first, without the peace of mind to give any thought to what he was saying, yet somehow everything he said seemed to make the situation worse. He sucked a breath in through his teeth, but then, the mysterious reporter said something else that Hiro couldn't help but notice. That her father didn't approve of her job, because he was afraid of her speaking to too many men. All of a sudden, all his thoughts stopped.
Hiro knew exactly what the girl was talking about. He had seen the same thing plenty of times from his own girlfriend - that sense of paranoia and possessiveness, and he too knew how hard it could make his life. Hell, it was making things hard now. But it also helped him feel a little bit closer to this woman. And it tugged at his heartstrings all the more.

"U-Uhh..." He held a hand out toward her. "No, uh, it's fine...I'm sorry to hear about your father. It sounds hard. But...uh, I promise I won't tell anyone, alright?" He looked back over his shoulder toward the dressing rooms. "Oh, yeah, I think I have one that should be free. I can show you over to there?"

[Ichi]

"No, uh, it's fine...I'm sorry to hear about your father. It sounds hard. But...uh, I promise I won't tell anyone, alright?"

"Thanks!" said Húxiān cheerily.

"Oh, yeah, I think I have one that should be free. I can show you over to there?"

"Sure, let's---" Húxiān would pause for a moment as if she realized something. "Sorry, I forgot my notepad and coffee in the washroom! I'll umm... be there in a bit!"

Húxiān would bow and then run out of sight in a timid, cutesy manner. She would walk towards the restroom to retrieve the aforementioned items---while Húxiān had lied about "forgetting" those items, she did in fact leave them in the restroom. While in the restroom, Húxiān would also adjust her flower ornament so that it could come loose when nudged or if Húxiān turned abruptly.

"Perfect," said Húxiān as she grabbed her stuff and headed back towards the dressing room. Upon entering the dressing room, she immediately apologized. "I'm really sorry about that!"

Húxiān would then shut the door and lock it. Then, Húxiān would discretely nudge her flower ornament, causing it to fall on the floor.

"Oh no!" cried Húxiān as she quickly set her stuff on her chair. Húxiān would then bend down at the hip to pick up the flower ornament, giving Hiro a nice view of the soft curves of her butt. Additionally, Hiro would also be able to see Húxiān's white panties as she bent down.

"All according to plan," thought Húxiān as she bent down. Rather than wear her normal fancy black undergarments, Húxiān had opted to go for plain white panties---this was a conscious choice. Not that Húxiān particularly cared but apparently "white panties" symbolize purity: this would fit in the persona she was putting on.

After picking up her flower ornament, Húxiān would turn to face Hiro's direction. Now that the ornament was gone, Húxiān's top splayed open, revealing even more of Húxiān's cleavage and revealing her white bra.

Húxiān would look at the ornament for a second. Then, visibly sad and with a slight quiver in her voice, Húxiān said "Oh no... the latch is broken..."

After saying this, Húxiān would head towards the ledge/table in front of the mirror and place the ornament on it. She would take care to make sure that the flower ornament was facing the room. "I'm sorry about that. This was the flower ornament that I got after graduating from the all-women boarding school I attended. I spent almost all of my life there, from kindergarten to high school. Seeing this break is... very sad for me."

With that, Húxiān would head towards her seat. She would bend down to remove the items from her seat and place them on the floor. While doing this, Hiro would once again get a glimpse of Húxiān's body.

"Alright! Let's begin! How did you end up as a LAW manager?"

[CaptainL]

"You forgot..?" Hiro paused for a moment as he heard the girl mention leaving her things back in the restroom, but she took off before he had a chance to say anything more. He stopped for a while, staring blankly after her as she went off into the distance. He could at least concede that she was likely new on the job, and he could forgive her for not really knowing her way around. Certainly, he was the same way when he first came to LAW. And in all seriousness, he didn't feel much better now. Soon enough, Hiro turned back to the dressing room, with two chairs placed across from the door, before a ledge overlooked by a window. He sat down in a chair to the right of the room, waiting for the girl to return.

Sure enough, she came back in soon after, apologizing as she did. "It's fine! Really, I'm not in any-" Hiro was cut off in mid-sentence, however, as the reporter dropped the flower ornament on her top, and in bending over to get it, he was greeted with the full view of her behind. Her shapely, well-formed...no, he couldn't think like that! It didn't make things any less awkward, though, whether he was paying attention to it or not or if the girl even noticed, which she didn't seem to. Her skirt was awfully short to be doing things like that, but who was he to judge?
Clearing his throat, Hiro straightened himself in his seat, only to see the girl sit down once again - and for the neckline of her top to drift even lower, giving him an even clearer view of her bra and cleavage. "O-Oh, uh..." His face was growing ever redder, but he was quickly shaken out of such thoughts when she went on, listening to her story. Hearing how much her flower ornament meant to her, and how sad she was to break it, weighed on him, and he deflated a little, facing her with a frown as his voice turned soft. "I'm...really sorry...I mean, maybe you can take it to a jeweler or something, or-" And then, of course, she bent over again, causing him to blush harder and shudder. While it was awkward enough at it was, Hiro felt even worse to be having such unseemly thoughts about this girl, knowing the hardship she had faced. This really wasn't the time, and he didn't need these thoughts creeping in.

As the time came to answer the first question, Hiro sat up in his seat. "Right-! Right...how I ended up as a LAW manager..." Clearing his throat, he parroted back the same words just to center his thoughts properly. "Well, I was already a manager on the indies before this, for a while, but I came to LAW along with my client. But as for that...honestly, I was just looking for a job, I liked wrestling, but I didn't feel like I could be a wrestler, so it seemed like something I could enjoy. There's...uh, not that much to it, really..."

[Ichi]

"That's pretty cool!" said Húxiān, feigning excitement and interest while taking notes. "And your client? How did you two meet? What's she like?"

As she said this, Húxiān would lean in closer as if she was completely engaged in what Hiro had to say. This would give Hiro yet another look at her cleavage.

In truth, Húxiān had thought that Hiro's response was quite boring. Admittedly, she was having a blast with getting Hiro to become flustered. While many women would not be willing to flaunt their bodies in such a manner, Húxiān had no such qualms: her body was a tool for her to get what she wanted. If she had to show a bit of cleavage or flash her panties to get the upper hand, so be it.

It also helped that Hiro was almost certainly not the grabby type. Húxiān could definitely get irritated if she was groped and if Hiro did so, she might end up blowing her cover much sooner than she intended. Thankfully for Húxiān, she probably did not have to worry about that with Hiro.

What is he, some sort of spineless eunuch? thought Húxiān as she maintained her facade.

[CaptainL]

Hiro seemed to settle a little into his seat as he listened to what the reporter had to say. Still, he blushed at her praise. "I mean, I don't know if I'd say that, but...thanks," he said. While this was more flattery than Hiro was used to, at least things were, for the time being, staying professional. At least he didn't have his gaze directed to the parts of the woman interviewing him that were making him feel tingly. Though, she did lean forward again, and as her cleavage spilled before his eyes, he bit his lip nervously. Still, after clearing his throat, he went on.

"Oh...my client? Kirie-chan? Well...we actually met in school. Before either of us got involved in the business. I suppose you could say that she followed me here...it's, well, a long story, really..." As the girl asked about what she was like, that gave Hiro pause. He could say...a lot about her. But he remembered that this was an interview she was looking to publish in LAW Magazine - and Kirie would, no doubt, be unhappy if she found out he said anything about her that could be construed as negative, no matter if it happened to be true. The guilt weighed on him to have to lie to the press. But at least he didn't have to lie, right?
"We're...dating, actually. She and I. I'm not, uh, going to play favorites just because of that-" That was a lie, of course; Hiro had pulled the strings to turn things in Kirie's favor before, and as soon as he said it he bit his lip again. "But she's...she's a nice girl. She's cute. Very affectionate and cheerful...honestly, I have trouble keeping up with her some times. But she's...passionate, too. When she's in the ring, you can tell she's motivated...and some of the submission moves she can pull off are pretty impressive, too."

None of that was wrong, per se. At least, most of it wasn't. "Oh, I don't think I got your name..?" he then asked, changing the subject abruptly.