[Akira] Maid Cloths and Frilly Dresses

[Amane Mana]

Amane wanted to hang herself. There was a gigantic laundry list of regrets and spending so much money on Alisa was one of them. Her other regret is not getting more job experience back when she was in Japan. If she had even a few hours of experience, she could've escaped the hell that she is now forced to endure. Amane gazed at her work uniform and sighed. You're only doing this part time...it's not like they fully hired you or anything, just smile and wave, give them what they ordered, kick out the people who harass me or staff with a spiked baseball bat, and leave. Amane prepared to don her new work uniform...a maid outfit.

Amane walked out. She lamented her situation. Most other places wouldn't take her because she didn't have enough work experience or that they get accused of violating child labor laws. The maid cafe was the only place that would accept her because the resident "petite" girl got sick. Amane adjusted her headdress and looked at the rest of her fellow maids, all of whom are amused at Amane's facial expressions. She wanted to smoother them all with the apron she is forced to wear. Soon a customer came in.

"She's at your section, good luck~" Amane wanted to gag but did keep her smile. At least they had energy going for them. Amane went over to the table where the newest customer was guided to. Amane did her best, albeit, forced smile and the bowed politely.

"Hello~ Welcome to...GAH!!" Amane shuddered in terror when she realized who she was serving today. Out of all the days...

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira was the sort of person that could relax just about anywhere. Bustling food court in a mall? Piece of cake. Head-banging dance floor? Child's play. Tense work environment? Yawn. Be it noisy, be it active, be it formal, he had developed and refined the ability to relax in any place at any time. Minus a few unnatural exceptions, of course. Now, there, in the maid cafe, he could very easily relax. A pleasant atmosphere, sweet cakes, delicious tea, and pretty girls running around in uniforms suggesting servitude to their customers- their masters- all came together to create a wonderful experience that the boy thoroughly enjoyed, even if he only came while in drag.

Speaking of being in drag, the boy was dressed in fairly normal clothes compared to his gothic lolita outfit he sported on the last visit to the establishment. His primary top was a crimson blouse, mildly frilled close to the stomach region. An unbuttoned denim jacket acted as a second layer, just in case it got colder, or he needed to spare something for someone. The sleeves were rolled up twice over, exposing his wrists and making some bulky “cuffs”. A pleated skirt was his singular “bottom” piece. The colors were black and red, situated in a checkerboard style. Black pumps framed his feet, and, extending from them, thigh-highs reached under his skirt. All in all, it was a very casual ensemble, but not lacking in style. With his hair left free and glasses framing his face, combined with his attire and proper posture, he almost had an air of elegance- not that fabricated, forced crap, but something that came naturally.

Of course, that was also something that came from experience.

”Oh my.” He calmly noted in a light, girlish voice once he noticed Amane. He offered a smile, slightly nodding his head at his maid for the day. The crossdresser was going to have a field day, it seemed. How many points had he built up? Certainly he could get a personal maid to attend to him for the day. That was certainly an option. Well, that was for later, either way. He had things he wanted, and Amane was going to be a dear little angel and get them for him. He, honestly, was eager to hear her call him “Master” or “Mistress”. Whichever came would be fine, but would she be a stickler for details or be general? Either way, he could tease her. This was his true payment for having saved and treated her the other day. Karma seemed to exist, if only for a short moment.

”I must admit, I did not expect to meet you here today. And certainly not under these circumstances.” His smile was gentle and warm, not at all teasing. No, teasing was something that came after a person's guard had finally lowered, or they figured that they had passed the worst of their circumstances. ”Ah, but the details can wait for a bit. If I may, I'd like to request Darjeeling clonal oolong tea as my drink with some apple pie on the side.” It was good to focus on business for the sake of nicety. ”It's good to see you well, also.” He tacked on at the end, maintaining a proper and pleasant air about him the whole while.

[Amane Mana]

”Oh my.” Amane wanted to hide in a box for the next week. Of all the people she has known why did Ran had to be one of the people to show? Granted  at least it wasn't Alisa, considering Amane's own questions about her...ahem...artwork and Tenchi didn't seem like the type of guy to visit these types of places. Amane wanted to smash her face against a table. She should've seen this coming if Ran was the one who took her to this hell in the first place.

”I must admit, I did not expect to meet you here today. And certainly not under these circumstances.” Amane was still a little red as Ran said this. The smile was not helping at all. ”Ah, but the details can wait for a bit. If I may, I'd like to request Darjeeling clonal oolong tea as my drink with some apple pie on the side.” Amane quickly wrote down the order on her note pad. ”It's good to see you well, also.” That caught her off guard for a moment. She cleared her throat and then bowed politely as she was trained to do.

"R-right away Mistress and..." Amane looked up. "...thank you." Amane went off to fulfill Ran's order. At least her first customer was Ran and not some creepy person. She went to the back and started to relay the order. Thankfully her job was only to serve and look cute. Amane didn't have much in the way of cooking skill.

"Here is your order Mistress." Amane once more bowed politely as she provided Ran with her order of pie and tea. "If there is anything else you desire please do not hesitate to call one of us." and with that Amane turned around to head to the back counter for further instruction. Come to think of it, Amane is forgetting about something in this cafe. She can't place her finger on what.

[Akira Nakajima]

The order was taken and the newly-awakened maid bowed. Being called “Mistress” was always interesting. It amused him that his disguise worked so perfectly every time he used it. It excited him because it established that he was a level of power over her. In a way, that, in itself, made the whole trip worth it. Of course, if he spent some of his points he had accumulated, there was a number of ways the trip could become even more worthwhile. How to best embarrass the girl? Sharing a sundae? Making her feed him? Perhaps having her sit in his la--- . . .that might have been slightly dangerous. Scratch that one. That one was bad. That could lead to an entirely new world, and it was one he didn't intend to explore yet.

Keeping it tame, he could have her feed him or share one of those couple's treats. Either way, he could burn off the calories with a bit of Shadow-busting.

His tea and pie arrived. Now, if he were having apple pie now, something chocolate would have been best for the coup de grace. Smiling and nodding slightly at the maid as she walked away, he turned over idea after idea. The tea was great. The pie tasted nice. The tea might not have been the best together, but, separate, they were certainly of a pleasing level of quality. He quietly focused on his pie. Regardless of how little etiquette mattered there, he was polite and proper. He ate in a manner befitting a properly educated gentleman. Or lady, in this case, since he was maintaining a certain standard. His old image of his female self, that “cute” image had deteriorated since the beginning of the mess in Mosaic. He ended up falling into either a sort of serious strategist mixed with street-savvy young adult or a prim and proper image. Either one was not quite how he had intended to keep up his ruse, but both worked plenty well.

He even enjoyed it more like this.

”If I could bother someone to redeem my points, I would appreciate it.” He calmly raised a hand to give the servants a good idea of where to go. Who came to receive his request was irrelevant. What mattered was that he knew exactly where to go with this- how to maximize his amusement while still maintaining that benevolent image that he should have had in front of Amane. It would be wonderful. Maybe. . . just maybe she would squirm? His mind was alight with the possibilities.

Hopefully she would not disappoint him.

[Amane Mana]

Amane was at the counter for a moment before once more being "deployed" she had to take a few more orders from customers. Some of whom asked for a picture to which Amane declined as politely as possible without her desire to use their bodies as batting practice showed. She can't help but to steal the occasional glance at Ran though, wondering why is she still here.

Amane shrugged and continued her work till she noticed a maid walking up to Ran...however she did hear something rather ominous.

”If I could bother someone to redeem my points, I would appreciate it.” The maid nodded. Points?! Points for what?! What kind of twisted surprise does this horrid work place had for her now?! Amane decided to dispel it from her mind. This place is just one stressful thing right after another. She has to focus for the few days she is going to be here, get paid and then leave and never return! Yeah that's the plan!!

"Miss Mana?" One of the maids walked up to her. She then started to whisper into Amane's ear. She turned beat red as she processed the sounds and their meaning in her ear. Amane quickly placed a hand over her mouth not to scream out her shock and horror.

And here is Amane the maid. Now made to be the personal maid for Ran. Amane was beat red and couldn't bare facing the person across the table. Just what was this girl thinking?! Even if Amane is going to get a bonus out of this there is something horrifying about the idea of someone "getting enough points" to spend personal time with a maid! Amane looked up at Ran the best she could. What should she do?..on second thought she would prefer the question not to be answered.

"So...Mistress...may I ask why you called for me today?" Amane might as well ask.

[Akira Nakajima]

Points were exchanged. The boy still had plenty in reserve for other occasions, of course, but Akira had every intention of enjoying himself right there and then. He relaxed in his seat while waiting, and, eventually, his maid of choice appeared. Amane- or, Amane Mana, as he understood from the maid that he had given his points to- had appeared and asked him a very interesting question. Now, the question itself was not interesting. No, it was a boring and easily expected inquiry. His interest could be found aligned with how he could respond to it. Did he play it innocently? Maintain his hopefully-good image that he'd been managing in front of this girl? Or did he go straight for the gold? The gold could always be obtained later. It was a figurative treasure chest that he could pop open at will. Instead, furthering his good girl act would have been preferable for the present.

”If you're working here, you must need money.” He stated calmly, offering a sweet smile. ”That, or you like this line of work. In either case, this means that having you serve as my personal maid for the day is actually to your benefit. Personal maids get bonuses, you know.” The smile turned playful at that point. ”Of course, I will make you work for it, naturally, but this would help you out either way, wouldn't it?” Sound enough logic, he believed. Or, at the very least, for this situation.

[Amane Mana]

”If you're working here, you must need money.” Ran began. ”That, or you like this line of work. In either case, this means that having you serve as my personal maid for the day is actually to your benefit. Personal maids get bonuses, you know.” Amane knew that and she was thankful for it but...it still didn't exactly make her feel better per say. The smile upon Ran's face did not help her feel much better. ”Of course, I will make you work for it, naturally, but this would help you out either way, wouldn't it?” Amane slowly nodded.

"T-thank you Ra-Mistress...!" Amane bowed politely. She then looked over at Ran. Come to think of it...being a personal maid. She was ordered for...now what? "A-anyhow..." She adjusted her headdress a little and dusted her skirt before slightly adjusting her posture she appeared less nervous. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

[Akira Nakajima]

It seemed that his good will was received quite enthusiastically. So much so that the girl almost slipped and used his alias. Well, that simply wouldn't do. The crossdresser smiled and looked out the window for a moment before looking back to his maid. There were so many options, but it'd probably be best to stick to the simple things for the time being. He didn't want to risk discovery or being banned from the cafe, after all. Besides, he didn't want to ruin an otherwise pleasant relationship with a girl. No need to make things messy.

"Well, I did say I'd make you work for it. Reward for effort, after all. That said, I'll give you a choice of what to do." The boy's expression was practically angelic by that point. There was no way anything bad could have possibly followed his words- only great tidings and wonderful mercy could have come next! "So, you can either feed me a parfait, or we can share a large one together." Then again, fallen angels could fabricate such purity just as easily. It was only a facial expression.

Any good actor could have done it.

[Amane Mana]

"Well, I did say I'd make you work for it. Reward for effort, after all. That said, I'll give you a choice of what to do." Amane almost wanted to hug Ran in thankfulness. No longer must she suffer the humiliation of this wretched place (with a surprisingly stable work environment but that discussion is for another time.) Maybe it was a sign of good things to come the moment Ran asked Amane to be her personal maid. She might have some strange tastes but those are but minor issues! At that small moment Amane considered Ran to be the icon of good charac- "So, you can either feed me a parfait, or we can share a large one together." At that moment Amane wanted to slap herself...She turned a little red.

"W-w-why wou-" Amane didn't want to scream that out. A customer is a customer after all...much to her everlasting chagrin. "W-we'll share, one of your choice..." Amane looked away to avoid further embarrassment. Seriously, this was ridiculous. Ran is more or less a living wild card made to spiral her mind into confusion and her sanity into insanity...

[Akira Nakajima]

Seemed the boy did well enough to get at the girl's mind. She flared red, started to speak, cut herself off, then went into a case of stuttery submission. Having a personal maid was both entertaining and interesting. More so on the occasions that Akira actually knew the maid in question, of course. So, naturally, he could only find great mirth and curiosity welling up when it sunk in that Amane would be serving him in such a manner. She was embarrassed, certainly, but at least the boy in drag was going easy on her. There was always far worse he could have requested or done and still been within the realms of the green zone at that cafe.

"I see. If we're sharing one, then it'd be best to go for something that has some degree of nutritional value. Lets go with a yogurt-based parfait with alternating layers of nuts and fruits. Good on the body, wonderful on the tongue." With that, he placed the "order", but also managed to make something entirely innocent sound entirely wrong. "I trust that's fine with you? If so, then I look forward to sharing it with you while we talk."

[Amane Mana]

"I see. If we're sharing one, then it'd be best to go for something that has some degree of nutritional value. Lets go with a yogurt-based parfait with alternating layers of nuts and fruits. Good on the body, wonderful on the tongue." Amane slowly nodded. She wasn't sure about sharing the treat with her but it was better than the alternative. "I trust that's fine with you? If so, then I look forward to sharing it with you while we talk." Amane nodded as she stepped up to retrieve the yogurt.

It didn't take long but none the less Amane can't help but to be nervous. The decorated spoons were not helping. She gently placed the tray down and offered one of the spoons to Ran. At least it was Ran and not some random other person. It was the only thing that was keeping Amane sane. She took a bite out of the parfait. Amane had to admit, this horrid cafe has good taste in desserts.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira only smiled as the maid wandered off to prepare the parfait. Amane amused him. He pictured her as some sort of helpless younger sister figure. It didn't help that he had basically saved her back in the terminal. The fact that she was so shy certainly added to it. The boy in drag smiled while he was alone, finishing his tea before relaxing and closing his eyes. Once the maid returned, he nodded slightly and accepted the spoon, lightly twirling it as though it were a pen or pencil. Then, as suddenly as he started, he stopped, holding it in position lightly. It was in his left hand. He clapped his hands together lightly and mumbled some formalities for the occasion before opening his eyes and smiling at the girl.

”So, what have you been up to since last time, aside from the obvious?” He asked with a slight, temporary head tilt before scooping a small bit of the parfait away from his side. Nuts and fruits filled his mouth, as well as the faint flavor of whipped cream. He could have done without the cream, but they occasionally added it in spite of the details of the orders. Oh well. It was still pleasant to the taste and nice on the body.

[Amane Mana]

”So, what have you been up to since last time, aside from the obvious?” Akira asked as he began to eat as well. Amane looked up at the cieling for a bit as she took another bite of the yogurt they shared. Her embarrassment and blush was, at the moment, gone as she recounted some things that happened. She might as well tell Ran while being vague about details. If she were to speak of her experiences, even the maids here would consider her crazy.

"I managed to get some help in exploring some areas around town." Amane said in reference to her deal with Alisa. "I also managed to fulfill a few requests so to speak." Amane said in reference to the blonde lady that handed out missions. "Had to retrieve a lost teddy bear." Nevermind the pains that Amane went through to obtain said Teddy bear. At the very least the wounds from that incident were healed up and no longer visible thanks to her persona.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira listened while quietly consuming his bit of the parfait. It was nice. The girl's recounting of past events made him wary, though. He wanted to ask directly, but there was probably a better way to proceed. He needed to phrase his questions properly and launch them in the right order. Anything else could have let him slip in front of her. He smiled, of course, but his mood was nowhere near as bright or perky as his expression. It was probably just a coincidence. He was hoping it was just a coincidence. He was hoping he was just being too cynical. The last time they were there, the maids had not acted like they knew the girl. Moreover, he'd been there plenty in the past, and he'd never seen Amane. Well, best to take things one step at a time.

”I see. Missions, you mean, right? Those are always a little. . . odd, to put it lightly. But they have a nice payback, as well.” The boy's experience with missions was sparse, but present. Plus, he had looked over the missions the blonde woman set out. There really was a bizarre quality to them. ”Though, when you say 'help in exploring', did you mean the outside? Or was there something around here that you were looking for?” The way he phrased his question would have sounded like he meant the cafe, to a random passerby. He normally didn't care about who heard what, since he could just brush it off as game-speak, but it seemed to matter to Amane, so he spoke carefully.

Unfortunately, he did not carry a big stick.

[Amane Mana]

”I see. Missions, you mean, right? Those are always a little. . . odd, to put it lightly. But they have a nice payback, as well." Amane nodded. She figured it was slightly worth the wounds to obtain some rather interesting things. That armament she got is doing her wonders if the tests are to be believed. ”Though, when you say 'help in exploring', did you mean the outside? Or was there something around here that you were looking for?”

"Outside. We're only two people so its going to be hard to cover ground. She was negotiable so it wasn't too complicated." Amane took a bite out of her yogurt. "She was a private investigator though...thus...I'm here." Amane said with great lament realizing that she only has herself to blame for landing here."W-what about you? You seem to know a lot of people." Amane scoped up another spoonful of her yogurt and took a bite as she looked over at Ran. She was nice...albeit strange. Surely she hung out with other people outside these maids and Amane right?