Chapter 10

David was surprised ... and impressed. While his observations of Rose's late night were pretty boring - she got to bed early, so he just saw her sleeping - her father was another matter entirely. That man could drink! And from the internals David could sense, it seemed like he was faking his seeming impairment as he played the bar games. And he wasn't using any anti drunk pill or anything.

He thought people like that only existed in the movies.

There was nothing to tell him - Rose was sleeping safely in the same house she spent the afternoon in - so he kept his observations silent and invisible. Besides, he had to get ready for school.

It wasn't until he looked in between classes that he finally saw him get back to the hotel. It seemed like a good time to reassure him, so he popped up his image and caught his attention.

"David?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I was afraid I got a bad neutralizer pill. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Rose is safely sleeping at the house I followed her to. I'll look in on the two of you while you sleep, and let you know if anything changes."

"Something has changed." He filled David in on the meeting at the bar.

"Oh ... shit. Is she really safe then?"

"Yes. Hurting her wouldn't benefit him. Keeping her safe is good for his honor, and keeping her away from the negotiations is good for his business. He won't keep her a prisoner, but keeping her safe will involve keeping her away from the office and hotel." He explained to the tiny apparition.

"Oh, yes ... and he knows about you. He probably expects you to let her know what is going on, so go ahead and do so when she wakes up." He paused a moment, then went on. "And tell her I love her and I'm glad she's safe."

The tiny David smiled. "I will," he said, as he vanished. He only had one class to go when she finally started to wake up. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" he smiled as he appeared.

"Wha ... who ... David?"

"In all my terrible majesty." the tiny figure intoned, striking a pose. "I come bearing tidings."

"Daddy?"

"Safe, sound, and sleeping it off. He sends his love."

Rose waited, knowing that David would not be going to that much trouble if everything was fine. After a brief pause, David gave her a brief outline.

"So he knows about me, and assumes you know everything. I can fill you in more in about an hour, when I get out of school."

"What do I do?"

"Pretend you don't know. And your host will pretend he doesn't know. It's a social thing. I've gotta get to class. I'll be back after school."

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye." There was a quiet popping sound, and the brief image of a small cloud of smoke, and he was gone.

"Cute." she half grinned. She knew the theatrics were an attempt to distract her from what she had just learned, and it wasn't working.

There was a knock at the door, and Aoi poked her head in. "Oh, good ... you're up." She stepped into the room, wearing an embroidered bathrobe and carrying another. "You were too tired last night, but we can give you a couple of choices for a morning clean up. You can have a western style shower, or you can experience a more traditional Japanese bath." She was clearly pushing for the latter.

Rose had read a little about the baths, and a hot soak did sound nice. "I would like the bath, please."

"Good choice." Aoi grinned. "Throw on your robe, and I'll show you what to do."

She was as good as her word. Rose quickly understood that the whole room was effectively a bath/shower enclosure. She would take a bowl of water to get wet, thoroughly wash herself, rinse with another bowl (or bowls) of water, and only then get into the tub.

"The main thing," Aoi explained, "is to not get any soap or stuff into the bath water. In the big public baths, a number of women will be sharing the same water and it would quickly get nasty otherwise. In the old days, the water in the home tube would be reused as well, after getting reheated. Now it's filtered and put to other use instead - at least we do so." Rose caught the pride in Aoi's voice. Both pride in her family and pride in her culture.

Aoi showed her the controls, then helped her wash up. Her casual attitude toward their shared nudity put Rose at ease as well. While they were both washing and rinsing, and scrubbing each others' backs, Aoi had the tub filling with pleasantly hot water. The water stopped when the sensors determined that the tub was full enough for the two of them to use it without overflowing. Aoi explained that their tub was somewhat larger than the usual home tub, since her parents wanted to be able to share it. Rose easily caught the overtones of suspected sex in the description.

Whatever the reason, they were soon relaxing in the hot water. And they were still relaxing in the water when a voice in Rose's ear said "Am I interrupting anything?"

"David! Get out! We're taking a bath, and it's girls only Captain."

"Spoilsport. I'll look in a bit later, when you're done."

Aoi was looking like she was caught between righteous indignation and a severe case of the giggles. "So the angel's a pervert, huh?"

"Pretty much. His girlfriend usually keeps him in line, though. She's a telepath, and he can't get away with much."

"The one you called Radar?"

"That's the one. I think she's the one who gave him the hero name 'Captain Peeper' though." Rose automatically used the "hero name" term Aoi had mentioned, rather than her more familiar "code name". Since the spell of relaxation was broken, and they knew he would be back soon, they got out, started the tub draining, and quickly dried themselves and restored the room to its earlier condition. Rose had noticed that they didn't seem to let cleaning tasks accumulate like at home. With a few exceptions (like clothes and towels), things were generally cleaned and stored immediately after use. The guide books mentioned it in passing as a cultural thing.

The two returned to Rose's room, and Aoi helped her dress quickly. Then, to give her some privacy with David and to get dressed herself, she went to her own room. As soon as she was gone, he appeared.

"Is it safe?" he grinned, knowing perfectly well she was alone and dressed.

Rose pretended to check the door, window, and bed before she said it was.

David finished filling her in on the situation, and answered her questions. Yes, she should stay there even though Mr. Tanaka is a business rival and gains something from her absence from the negotiations. She was much safer there than on her own or back with her father. No, David had no idea who the girl at the bar with Mr. Tanaka was. As far as he knew, Rose's father didn't know either. He wasn't certain how much her host knew about her powers. And so on.

He promised to pop up from time to time to keep an eye on her (and her father), but admitted that he had social plans in a few hours that might distract him. And Radar. With a grin, and a quick goodbye, he vanished.

Tanaka San was annoyed. More than annoyed. And in the privacy of his home office, he allowed himself a brief expression of that annoyance.

The meeting that day, with an executive of the Brazilian branch of the company, was vitally important. There were irregularities, and he suspected the man was complicit in them. But the carefully planned meeting to investigate and confront the man was starting to fall apart. The corrupted data transfers and the like were bad enough. But now he had lost his very special translator, who was a key part of the plan.

He considered a possible solution, but he didn't like it. The girl knew he was a business rival of her father's, and Tanaka had pledged to keep her safe. And it would be a gross breach of hospitality to even ask, much less expose such a young girl to the inevitable unpleasantness. On the other hand, she had been prepared for her father's negotiations and the potential (and as it worked out, real) unpleasantness there. And the situation at hand would have no impact on her father or his company either way - the branch was in an unrelated business area.

In the end, he had little choice. He would ask her, and make it worth her while. She would undoubtedly want to check with her father via the winged boy, which would only be proper in any case.

Aoi was startled by her father's appearance. She knew he was preparing for an important meeting, so his suit and grooming were not unusual. But a subtle difference in his bearing told her something was wrong. He was upset, but had it locked behind his professional mask. Whatever it was, it could not be good.

"Is our guest awake?" he asked, almost formally. Aoi knew that this was not a time for familial informality.

"Yes, father. She is dressed and in her bedroom. I believe she is speaking with her friend in America."

"The winged boy?"

"Yes, father."

"When she is finished, I need to see her in my office." He indicated the direction of his home office with a small wave of his hand.

"Yes, father." Was her new friend in even more trouble? Was she in danger? As her father nodded at her response then turned and walked toward his office, she grew worried. But there was no choice for her - she would do as he asked.

Rose read the worry in Aoi's voice as she relayed the request. But, in the end, she had little choice in the matter. From what her father had told David, this was the man who was keeping her safe from the people who were still looking for her with bad things in mind. And he was the man whose hospitality he was enjoying.

She followed Aoi to the door of the office, and (at her urging) knocked. When Mr. Tanaka opened the door, he seemed to be all business but not angry at her. If anything, he reminded her of times she had been to see school officials as a witness to something that had happened rather than as a participant or suspect.

After offering her a comfortable chair, and watching her sit, he turned to shut the door. By keeping an eye on her surreptitiously, he caught her reaction when the closing door activated the suppression field in the room. Her slightly enervated slump told him that she was more than a little uncomfortable under such a field, but her otherwise attentive demeanor told him that she knew the feeling and was not afraid of it.

Still, he had an obligation to ask. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Rose wasn't sure how much he really knew about her, but that particular aspect didn't seem to be all that secret. "A little. Suppression fields make me feel icky."

He gave her a small bow. "I apologize. The field comes on automatically when I close the door, and I have little control over it otherwise." She reacted to his lie, but he couldn't be sure whether it was just natural disbelief or something more specific. "Unfortunately, what we must discuss is ... very delicate. It is vitally important that we are not overheard."

Rose nodded, reading him as believing that last part to be true.

He continued. "I will try to make this as short as possible." As he picked up some papers from his desk, Rose glimpsed a picture of her as she was before Yuko's handiwork. If she had any doubts about what David had told her, they were gone.

"I know much about your abilities," he continued, "but I need to ask you a few questions if I may. I know about your ability to learn languages almost instantly, but are you otherwise telepathic?" When she shook her head, she was surprised to hear him say "Excellent. Are you able to learn the written language as well?"

"Not by way of my power. If I can learn the rules for the written language, and any letters that aren't part of our usual 26, my knowledge of the spoken language can help. That's about it."

He seemed somewhat disappointed by that reply, but determined to press on. "Are there any other abilities?"

If Aoi had briefed him, there were a couple of parts he should already know. "My hearing is sharper than normal, and I can understand what people intend to say - no matter how garbled."

That was useful. Now for one more critical part. "Do you have to translate to English when you deal with your learned languages, or can you go right from one of them to another?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes, I can go directly from one learned language to another. I will still understand both as though they were English, but it should have no real effect on what everyone else hears."

That was just as he had hoped. "I find myself in an awkward position. One in which your abilities could be of immense help." At her shift in body language, he hurried to assure her. "It has nothing to do with my business with your father or his company. I would not ask you to be involved if it did."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then looked at her seriously. "You are, of course, completely free to decline my request. But before we go on, I must ask you to agree to tell nobody - not even my daughter and her friends - what I am about to tell you. It is ... very sensitive information." That set off some minor alarm bells for Rose. "I may need to talk to my father about some of it. I really can't tell until I know what this is about."

"That is reasonable. When we are finished with our discussion, it will be clear what you do or do not need to discuss in that way. But I would ask you to keep the rest confidential."

"I can do that."

"Very well. I find myself in need of an uncommon sort of translator. There is to be a business meeting this afternoon, and the other main participant does not speak much Japanese. Or English, for that matter. And he is likely to lapse into his primary language when things get ... unpleasant."

The expressions that briefly played across her face startled him. Whatever it was that she had experienced, it must have been horrific. And there was nothing close to that in his reports about her. Her features settled almost immediately, but her voice was somewhat flat as she asked "What is at stake in this ... unpleasantness?"

"Money, certainly. Most likely, the man's career as well. It is serious, but not life and death."

He saw her relax a little, and continued. He told her that the man was in charge of a Brazilian branch of the company, and that he had reason to believe that the man had been less than honest in his dealings. He didn't want to tell her too much, for fear of affecting her perceptions of the exchange. "There would likely be a confrontation, however."

Rose could tell that he was embarrassed by the next part, but thought it was important. "As a matter of tactical necessity, I intend to arrange the meeting in ways that are likely to play to his weaknesses and distract him. And one such weakness is a certain ... attraction ... to young girls such as yourself."

Rose understood what he was trying to say, enough that she did not take offence at his description of her. But the thought of dealing with such a man was not entirely pleasant. She also found herself having disturbing - unbelievably unrealistic - images of what could be involved.

Mr. Tanaka quickly assured her that she would be perfectly safe, and that he would not ask her to do anything really untoward. She would be dressed in a way that was completely proper, but which played into his fantasies. There would be another girl there, who he described as his assistant. Rose understood that she was an assistant in the same way that Yuko was to her danna.

"Her appearance will be modified to make her seem to be about your age as well. Her job will be to assist me and to observe and learn from the meeting. And, of course, to subtly distract him. Yours will merely be to translate. Your presence and appearance will be all that is needed to distract him as well. He will be across the table from me, and in no position to do anything untoward. And he knows better than to overtly say anything untoward, though he may try a few hints or the like."

Rose thought she had a pretty good idea what the whole thing would be like. Not her idea of fun, but not horrible, either. What he said next caught her attention.

"Because of your age and status, I cannot employ you as such. Nor could you become my assistant, even if you wanted such a thing. However, there is no reason I can't give my daughter some money to cover what she and her friends spent in a certain shopping trip ... and maybe treat my honored guest to a bit more shopping in a less frenzied manner."

In other words, her family would be off the hook for all her new clothes, and more. It sounded good to her. But... "I'll still need to check with my father."

"Of course. That would only be proper. But I would suggest that you do so by way of your winged friend, for security reasons. Can you contact him in some manner, or do you need to wait for him to contact you?"

Rose paused a moment. Would she be giving away sensitive information? No, that seemed unlikely. "I have to wait for him, unless I phone him or something. And I need to be outside of the field when he gets here, or he won't see me. He'll have a pretty good idea I'm in here, but the field would keep his projection out."

He stood up. "Please let me know when you have checked. And I would appreciate you saying as little as possible about the meeting, the man, or the strategies." He moved to the door and opened it.

"Of course." she agreed, enjoying her relief from the oppressive heaviness of the field.

As soon as she was around the corner from the office and alone, a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

"I was worried." David confessed. "Were you in that suppression field? Are you ok?"

"Yes, and yes. But I need to ask a favor." She outlined the message for her father in the most general terms practical.

David nodded, and disappeared. Rose felt a little bad for using him in that way, but he didn't seem to mind. She would have to get him a nice souvenir or something.

A couple of minutes later, he reappeared. He told her she had her father's ok, and that her father's business should be finished that day. Once that was done, the danger should be over and they could go do the tourist thing if she still wanted to. Or they could go home.

David also reminded her that he had personal plans, so his appearances would be a little less frequent. She wished him a happy date, and he grinned and disappeared.

She found Aoi, and together they found Aoi's father. He described the look he wanted, and they set to work. She was to be subtly eye catching, but not openly sexy or sassy. A look that would not be obviously out of place in an office, but with a suggestion of a youngster not quite successfully dressing up for the role.

After going through the available choices, the girls settled on a look similar to a school uniform. The skirt was just a little shorter than they would actually have worn, and the blouse was barely translucent enough to occasionally suggest the bra she wore under it.

As they worked, Rose felt a new kind of ... nervousness? A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was like she was getting ready for sex, but not really. She knew there would not really be any danger of sex, especially with the creepy Brazilian man. But there was that same kind of feeling. At least, that was the closest she could come to figuring out the meaning. She was a total virgin - hadn't gotten anywhere near having sex with anyone - not even with herself all that much.

When they were done getting her ready, they presented her to Mr. Tanaka. He hid his first brief flashes of disapproval, and after a moment gave his approval. After giving Rose one more chance to back out, he escorted her to his car.

He directed his driver to pick up his assistant at her okiya. Rose had almost forgotten about the other girl who was to join them. She wondered whether the girl would be a bio elemental like Yuko, or someone like Radar or even a female equivalent of David. She assumed that she would find out, so she kept her questions to herself.

As they arrived at the okiya, he got a call on his eCom. Although he held it in such a way as to keep her from seeing the display, she could not help hearing the few spoken words. Not that knowing it was a "status update" told her all that much.