Arisugawa Juri's orange hair fell in graceful waves around her face and down over her shoulders, the simple dress she wore comfortable yet stylish. On receiving the news earlier that day she had dressed this way purely on automatic, leaving behind the business of building her club to attend to this obligation. Sitting there in an office listening to the lawyer read out the will, with her father's lawyer waiting nearby Juri had just felt numb, until surprise finally overwhelmed the shock. "So let me get this straight," she said to the lawyer, "my Aunt has left her money to me?!" "Yes," the young woman nodded from where Rin Kamishiro sat behind the desk, "and to her long time companion, Anna, and a trust to artists and writers." "We're going to contest this," the older man growled out, swiftly collecting a copy of the will and putting it into his briefcase. The Arisugasa family lawyer looked over at Juri and the older woman beside her with distain as he muttered, "There's no way she could have been in her right mind, shutting out her family in favor of these..." "Don't even think about saying that," Juri was up like a shot and in his face, meeting his eyes with a dangerous gaze. He stepped back, then simply fled the room in silence. "Not bad," Rin nodded, her black hair flowing gracefully, "I'm just glad you didn't lay a hand on him or we'd be all in trouble." "Are you all right, Juri?" Anna asked softly. Falling bonelessly back into her seat Juri looked off into the distance, her expression oddly pained. "I've been doing pretty well over the past few years, my modeling and investments have paid off pretty well. I don't need this...." Anna reached over to put her hand on Juri's, her Aunt's long time lover looking at her in sympathy. "It's not about need," she said quietly, "it's something Constance wanted to do for you." A faint, sad smile, "Besides, there are conditions." "Conditions?" Juri blinked. Rin actually smiled faintly as she picked up a remote control and turned on a TV, "Yes, your Aunt Constance left very... explicit instructions." Before Juri could say anything a familiar face appeared on the screen, a woman whose eyes twinkled kindly with amusement. Constance Arisugawa smiled as she said, "If you're seeing this Juri, than I'm probably dead." "Oh, Constance," Anna sighed, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. "Anna has already received a similar tape from me," Constance continued with a hint of regret, "but I hope you'll support her, Juri." "Always," Juri breathed out sadly. "You already know about the details of my will," Constance smiled, "but I have a few requests of you, too. We've both been hurt by your father's hypocrisy over the years, with him trying to deny the existence of both you his daughter and I his sister, and I'd like to see if we can help him get his just deserts." "Here comes the kicker," Anna murmured with a faint smile. "The trust that I'm setting up will be for the promotion of gay and lesbian writers and artists, called the Arisugawa Trust. Any events to promote these artists will also help keep the family name prominently tied to the alternative sexualities your father so despises," Constance actually smirked, looking very satisfied with herself. "Way to go," Juri smiled faintly. "The share of my money that will go to you has only one condition," Constance said. She hesitated for a moment, "While you've been out to your family for several years, you haven't been out in the larger world." "I...." Juri opened her mouth to protest that, then frowned. "Of course I believe that will be changing once you open the club you've been so excitedly telling me about," Constance continued warmly, "so my request is only that you remain out of the closet." A soft sigh, "I didn't manage so well at that, something I have regretted at times, and I hope I can steer you away from that." She smiled again warmly and finished, "I love you, Juri, and hope that you'll remember me fondly at times." As the tape ended Rin shut the TV off with the remote then sat back down behind her desk. "While nothing is explicitly written in the will about some of this," she said tactfully, "I think you could easily consider it a last request." "I have every intention of doing that," Juri said, wiping at her eyes as she smiled grimly at the young lawyer. She looked over at Anna, "I didn't see a funeral mentioned in the obituary I read, did my Aunt...?" "Constance asked to be cremated," Anna said quietly, "I and a few of her friends had a place in mind to scatter her ashes." A sad smile, "I think you'd be welcome." "I'd like to help," Juri agreed softly. Meanwhile, over at the warehouse Tendo Nabiki smiled in satisfaction at how much work they had accomplished in only a few months. After ruthlessly gutting much of the interior an almost entirely new second floor had been completed, breaking the upper floor into multiple suites. Earlier, the main floor had been ripped up, cold cement hauled out even as they rewired the place for modern electronics and other necessities if they intended to make it into a nightclub. The lower floor was going to be mostly one large room, with some partitions set up to dampen and bounce sound, and a kitchen and storage area behind the long bar. After some debate Nabiki had talked Juri into bringing in karaoke, too, so the workers were modifying the planned floor layout to add a small room. 'Yes,' Nabiki though as she pushed black hair up out of her eyes, 'things are going pretty well so far.' Her cell phone chirped and she pulled it out of her black jacket, flipping it open in a practiced gesture, "Yes?" "Nabiki," Juri sounded tired, a tone of voice that Nabiki wasn't used to hearing from her, "it looks like I'll be gone for the rest of the day." "How did it go?" Nabiki asked with a gentleness that might have surprised people who had known her previously. "About as well as can be expected," Juri answered softly. She brightened a little, "So how are things on your end?" "Pretty good," Nabiki smiled, "the neon company checked in about the sign, looks like we'll have it on schedule. Hitomi is talking to several interior design companies, getting bids and proposals on decorating the place, as well as the upstairs suites." "Have we heard back about the oak bar I ordered?" Juri asked crisply, firmly back in business woman mode again. "It'll be done on time," Nabiki reassured her, "they already said that they've got it half done, including the interior reinforcement you asked for." "Good," Juri sounded satisfied. "I'll start contacting our staff list, then, and get things on that end ready, too." "It looks like we're going to get this done," Nabiki said with satisfaction, "a courier delivered all of the city permits earlier today." Curiously she asked Juri, "So how did you get them pushed through so quickly?" "Greased a few palms," Juri confessed, "sorry to say it's the cost of doing business." "Which reminds me, we had a few seedy individuals around the area the last few days," Nabiki said briskly, "I suspect that we're being cased. Do you want to pay off the local boss for protection?" "Hell no," Juri surprised her. "Are you sure?" Nabiki raised her eyebrows. "Trust me," Juri said with a smile, "I have some friends coming to work for the bar that would make any Yakuza wish he had never crossed us." "I'm looking forward to meeting them," Nabiki laughed. "Once we get a bit closer to opening," Juri offered, "I've already called them to say they're hired, but I want everybody to have a chance to meet, too."
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