Nadia's frantic breath panted against the granite wall, even as the pinprick of steel bit lightly against the back of her sweaty neck. She stood sprawled, her body flat against the cool stone, only her heaving lungs still moving.
Jackie was in a similiar position, except she was back-flat against the ground. She, too, merely panted from exhaustion, sweaty locks of gold matted with perspiration against her forehead. However, the pinprick of pain holding her in place, rested exactly one centimeter below her esophagus.
"....now that I have your attention...." the cold, precise voice of Victoria Xiang stated to the two women. The encircling crowd of onlookers turned to see Vanguard's President coming down the stairs.
Nuriko stood frozen in an ancient defensive stance, silently. Her right arm stretched completely out, the noble warrior held the tip-edge of one of her kantana swords against the soft, vulnerable base of Nadia's spinal cord. Her left arm stretched below her, the sharp edge of her other sword holding Jackie flat against the ground. She stood motionless herself, her eyes swinging back and forth, watching her two prisoners.
Victoria came to a stop in front of them, eyeing the situation with a stone expression. After a moment, her head nodded ever-so-slightly, Nuriko immediately withdrawing the weapons, and stepping away.
Jackie scrambled to her feet, even as Nadia turned around, rubbing the back of her neck. The two women stood there in silence, their expressions of anger obvious.
"You will cease and desist with this spectacle immediately...." Miss Xiang hissed with a fiery calmness. "....you are both employees of Vanguard, International, and I will not tolerate this level of unprofessionalism from my employees...do I make myself clear...?"
After a moment, both women begrudgingly nodded, not making eye-contact with each other.
Victoria turned towards the crowd with a smile.
"What would a party be without a bit of free entertainment, eh?" she announced, everyone beginning to laugh.
The music cued back up, and the room came alive again with conversation and activity.
Miss X approached the stairs, passing an observing Nuriko.
"...watch them..." she murmured to her confidante, heading upstairs to her office.
Nuriko merely nodded once. She watched as Nadia continued on her way with Grissom Montag, giving Jackie a last glare. Jackie merely flipped her off.
Meanwhile, the party continued in full swing....
"Dude, let's blow this place..." the young teenager said, leaning against the buffet table.
His friend shrugged, both men setting their beer down.
"Yeah...okay...." the auburn teen replied. "....looks like the good part's over with anyway..."
They began making their way through the crowd, headed for the front door.
"...I'm telling you man, when they came rolling into the room like that...swear to god I thought it was some kind of theater-thing..." the first one said, half-staggering a bit from the light intoxication.
The other one, not quite as drunk...but twice as bored...simply shrugged again.
"...I mean...do women do that kind of shit? You know? Do they? I always thought it was some kind of myth that they had pillow fights in their panties, and everything.....oh, wait....they weren't wearing panties were they? Still....in my mind they were...."
The bored teen suddenly came to a stop, even as the other one kept walking, babbling on and on. He bent over, noticing something on the floor...
"...hell, let's be honest....in my mind they were fucking butt-naked...{hic}..."
And even as he continued to talk, he didn't notice his friend stand back up again, holding a tiny object up closer to his eyes.
"...cool..." he said, eyeing the lone naval-ring.
"Come on! I've gotta piss'..." his friend waved from the front door.
"What the hell do you need me for then...?!" the teenager said, pocketing the naval-ring, as the two men left the party.
