I sat at a table in a local restaurant the company often used to arrange client-agent meetings, watching the rain drizzle outside. I was waiting to meet the problematic pair I might soon be managing for and flipping through their evaluation reports. They weren't flattering. I had spent the week studying the reports and had even contacted some of their past agents to get more detail. The overall opinion: they were a hopeless case. Their agents' opinions ranged from completely perplexed to out-right infuriated. I'd heard everything from "they need a therapist, not the media" to "too damaged to fix" to "arrogant, self-centered bastards." I wasn't quite sure which one to consider the most accurate description. There was one commonality. Everyone I talked to had one similar complaint: they were impossible to schedule for. Whether it be small one-day shoots, or larger campaigns, they rejected or accepted projects in the most random fashion, rejecting far more than they accepted. Moreover, the agents reported on their strange personalities and odd behaviors and how it caused problems all around. And no matter how many times I asked, no one had ever seen their scars, not even a glimpse. They kept their scars as thoroughly hidden as their past. Overall, after looking things over more, a doubled pay didn't seem enough for the trouble I'd get in return. But I had never been one to judge without first-hand experience, so I sat waiting to meet them, reserving my judgment until afterward.
The waiter had just brought out three glasses of water when I saw them walk in the door. The one I recognized as Jareka scanned the room with a blank face while Tareiji talked with one of the waitresses at the c. I raised my hand and waved, catching Jareka's attention. His gaze stopped on me and he nodded in acknowledgement then turned to Tareiji and the somewhat flustered waitress. He muttered something in Tareiji's ear and flicked a hand towards me. Tareiji looked my way and broke into a wide grin, waving vigorously. I waved back with a smile. He spoke again to the waitress who then led them over to my table, still seeming overwhelmed. Not that I could blame her. These two's presence was even more stunning in real life than it was in their pictures.
I stood up and offered a handshake. "I'm Hanaso Naroko. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Tareiji accepted the handshake eagerly, grinning broadly. He was barely taller than I was and I was only five foot. "Tareiji, though you probably already knew that." He said. He had a charmer's voice, high and clear, and vibrating with energy. It reminded me of an enthusiastic young child.
I offered my hand to Jareka, craning my neck to look up at him. To say he towered over both me and Tareiji would have been an understatement, he had to be well over six feet tall. He ignored my hand, instead tucking his hands casually into his back pockets and just nodded. "Jareka." His voice was somewhat deeper than I expected, with a rough quality to it despite its flatness. I let my hand drop and shrugged. It wasn't the first time I'd met a cold client. To each their own.
"Please, sit." I gestured to the seats across from me, and the two of them sat down.
I took a breath to calm myself and then started with what I wanted to say. I had never been one to be subtle, nor one to hedge around the point. I was brutally honest most of the time. It wasn't the best thing to be when dealing with potential clients, but it was how I had always been and it had gotten me this far, maybe it could get me further.
"Alright, to get straight to the point, I want you to convince me I should take you on as clients, because right now I have a lot of reasons not to." I had issued my declaration.
"It would be easier if we knew what those reasons are." Jareka commented mildly. Tareiji was toying with his water glass and looking all around the room, seemingly uninterested in our meeting. Jareka, though, was completely focused on me.
I started ticking off points on my fingers. "Unknown past, random, unpredictable pickiness over projects, needing to schedule only pair projects, scars that have to be accounted for during shoots, and the fact that that you've set a record burning through agents." I fell silent.
Tareiji, who was staring out the window, responded in a startlingly dead-serious voice. "The past is the past, don't ask again. The pickiness, the scars and the inseparability are related to it, and we don't intend to discuss them either." He finally turned to look at me with surprisingly insightful eyes. "And the fact that we were turned away by the others is due to their own inability to handle a challenge, and has nothing to do with us."
"You're blunt." I commented, somewhat impressed. My initial read had pegged him as charismatic and genial. So much for first impressions. He had a harsh side.
"So are you." Jareka gave back in the same tone Tareiji had used.
"Very well." I stated. "Since you don't want to defend against the reasons why not to hire you, give me some reasons why I should."
Tareiji leaned forward and gave a seductive smile. "We'll work really hard for you." He practically purred, his voice low and appealing. He tilted his head sideways, looking oh-so pretty. He'd suddenly turned into the picture perfect image of a playboy. Anyone who actually believed he was child-like and innocent was a fool. He was definitely a full-blooded male, and well aware of how he affected people. Most women would have swooned and given in at that moment, however I was not most women. My face remained unchanged.
"Nice try, but I'm asexual. You're certainly good-looking, but I have no desire to go to bed with you. Try again."
His face shifted to mild curiosity. He sat back and sighed.
"A-ah, I failed." He said not seeming to care. "Your turn." He told Jareka playfully.
Jareka shifted his gaze from Tareiji to me, completely indifferent. "Scheduling may be problematic, but once the jobs are set we stick with them. And the fact that your company is still trying to hire us despite all our flaws should speak to our potential. If we seem rough personality wise it's only because we don't lie and we don't cater to others if it disagrees with us."
"You don't lie?" I asked, getting an idea.
"No."
I was going to test that statement.
"Are you a couple?"
"That isn't a word I'd use to describe our relationship." Tareiji replied, seeming rather amused.
"How would you describe it?"
"Complicated." Jareka answered. He watched me quietly, seeming more interested in my interrogation than he had a moment ago. Tareiji leaned forward and rested his chin in his folded hands, still amused.
"Are you homosexual?" I asked.
"No."
"But you're involved with one another?"
"Yes."
"Sexually?"
"Yes."
"So you sleep with one another, but you're not homosexual." I reiterated. "Are you bisexual?"
"No."
"Those seem like contradictory statements." I folded my arms, waiting for an explanation.
Tareiji leaned forward, giving me an intense look. "Sexuality refers to what rouses your sexual desire when there's nothing else affecting it, and it has little to do with anything else. Sexuality is what comes into play when you see a stranger and feel the sudden urge of 'Oh, damn, I wanna have sex with them right now.' And whether that urge is caused by men, women, both, or none is what determines whether you're straight, gay, bi or A. Who you choose to partner with and have sex with is usually strongly influenced by your sexuality, but there are circumstances where something stronger comes into play, and you end up wanting or needing to be with someone who doesn't immediately rouse your sex drive. We are both straight. If you show us a bunch of nude pictures, the one's that'll get us hot and bothered are the females. But logically, we found each other to be a better choice of partner. We are each the only male the other has ever slept with."
Jareka nodded in silent agreement.
I stared at them a moment, in silence, then settled back in my chair.
"Do you have any questions you want to ask me?" I returned.
"Is there a reason to?" Jareka asked.
"I've decided I'm willing to represent you." I stated.
Tareiji perked up from his position leaning on the table.
"So if you have anything you want to know," I continued. "to make sure you want me as your manager, ask now."
"If you'll accept us, that's all we need to know." Jareka said.
"Are you sure you want me as your manager?" I pressed them. "I'm not like most other people. Once I accept something, I won't admit defeat. If things go badly, I won't just throw you back out to try again with another manager. I will make you work with me, and you will be successful. If you accept, you're going to be stuck with me for a long time, whether you like it or not."
They both fell silent for a moment, seeming to consider it seriously. After a glance at each other Tareiji answered.
"We'll deal with it." He answered confidently.
"Very well." I pulled out two business cards from my wallet and handed them over. "The first card's got my information. The other one's my boss's. I'll let him know I've accepted the offer. He'll be contacting you to go over the details of your contract with the company. After that, you and I will meet again to go over the basics of what you'll be doing for your projects, I'll start scheduling you, and things will get moving. You've worked with other agents before so I'm sure this is all familiar to you, yes?"
They nodded.
"Good. Then I guess that's all for today. Mr. Sterts will arrange our next meeting, then we'll be on our own. I hope we can work well together." I stood up and Tareiji and Jareka did as well. I offered another handshake. Tareiji once again accepted it, but Jareka still refused.
We parted at the door, and I called Sterts to let him know about my decision.
*****
I found out the next day that they were getting more than just a personal manager as special treatment. They were also getting free company housing and a living expense stipend. When I met up with them at Sterts' office, they both had a bag of luggage slung over their shoulder, both looking more than half empty.
Sterts started in without formality.
"You took the bus to work like usual, correct?" He asked me.
"Yes." I replied, somewhat puzzled by the question until he dangled a key in front of me.
"It's a company car. You'll be allowed to use it for whatever you need. For now, take Jareka and Tareiji to their apartment and help them settle in." He held out a piece of paper with the address on it. I grabbed it along with the key.
"Yes, sir." I hadn't expected a car to be at my disposal as well. Just who was making all these exceptions, and what exactly did they see in these two? They were good looking, I'd admit, but there were a lot of good looking people in the world. I couldn't see that alone being a reason for all the special treatment, especially considering they obviously had difficult personalities. I glanced at the address on the paper, recognizing the location.
"Alright. I guess I have my first job." I grinned at them. Tareiji grinned back. Jareka didn't. His persistent lack of emotion was rather unsettling.
"The car's parked in G-lot." Sterts offered as a terse parting and left to return to his own busy schedule.
"This way." I motioned, leading them down the hall. Tareiji left Jareka's side, and trotted just ahead of us, poking his head around every corner and door frame he came to, and flirting with every female that walked by. It was starting to get annoying. Didn't he have any sense of social politeness? It was rude to abruptly start up conversations with people you didn't even know and act like you were best friends with them. Just as we were about to turn off the main hallway, a gathering in one of the larger conference rooms caught his interest. He turned like he was about to go and join in and I opened my mouth to call him back, when Jareka suddenly flicked out a hand and snatched him by the arm, yanking him back and giving him a firm shove down the hall we were supposed to turn into. The impassive look on his face never even twitched as Tareiji stumbled and regained his balance. I wasn't sure what to expect as Tareiji whirled around, but when he faced us he was grinning. He swayed back and forth in the hall while we caught up to him and then whirled back around and continued up the hall like nothing strange had happened. There were less people in this hallway, and he started humming random notes, his attention snagging on every flyer and memo posted on the walls as we made our way to a side exit. Once outside he twirled several rapid circles in the wet parking lot, seeming pleased with the light rain that was still coming down.
We made it to the car with only a few well-placed tugs and shoves from Jareka to keep Tareiji from straying too far off the path. It was a black SUV, so stereotypical in its appearance that it was almost comical. Tareiji and Jareka seemed please enough with it though and as soon as I unlocked it they got in the back seat.
I got into the driver's seat and started up the car. It rumbled easily to life.
"Do you need to stop anywhere before going to your apartment?" I asked as I backed the car up.
"Nah." Tareiji sighed, stretching his hands against the ceiling, and arching his back and neck in what looked like pure bliss.
"Do you know if the apartment has furniture?" I asked as we pulled into traffic.
"Ummph." Tareiji half grunted and half sighed, relaxing out of his stretch. "Genten asked us what kind of furniture we needed yesterday and said it'd be delivered this morning, so it should already be there." He answered informally, using Sterts' first name.
There was a moment's silence until a brightly lit restaurant flashed past. Immediately Tareiji was chatting away to Jareka, detouring from the initial comment on the lights within four words. I was rather impressed with his nonsense making abilities, but had to roll my eyes. Apparently his attention span was about as short as a child's as well. He didn't stop talking the rest of the trip, though I didn't process a word of what he said.
The company apartments weren't far from the main offices, a short ten minute drive, and we arrived without any further problems. The apartments were loft style rentals, situated in a complex, where a lot of the company's talent lived. Theirs was on the second level, and Tareiji bounded up the stairs with Jareka following behind more calmly. Tareiji pulled out a key and opened the door. I looked around as they dropped their bags in the middle of the room and explored the small apartment. It was a studio style, with the bathroom closed off in one corner and a kitchen separated off by a single wall in the other corner. Aside from that, it was just open space. Simple, yet comfortable. A small TV, coffee table, couch and two matching chairs were the extent of the living room furnishings, and a single queen-sized mattress was tucked against the back wall with sheets, pillows and towels as well as spare blankets folded on top of it. Either they were closer than I thought, or one of them had agreed to sleep on the couch. The only other furniture was four large bookshelves lining the far right wall, completely empty at the moment. I wondered what they planned to do with them.
"Do you need anything else from me?" I asked.
Tareiji poked his head out from the kitchen, which looked fully furnished from where I stood. "No, we're good." He answered.
"What are you planning for dinner?" The kitchen may have been fully furnished, but it certainly wasn't fully stocked.
"There's a store just a few blocks away. We'll get food there." He assured me.
"Okay then. You've got my number, call if you need anything." I walked out, glancing back once more to see Tareiji belly flop onto the couch, while Jareka watched. Something that might have been a smile tugged at the corner of lips, but I couldn't be sure. I stepped out and pulled the door closed behind me. I shook my head, wondering if I fully realized what I'd gotten myself into. One was little more than an overgrown child, the other more impassive than a machine. How was I supposed to manage them?