When Shun Met Tatiana

"No, I won't," she replied defiantly. "You know nothing about me or my brother, and you make assumptions. You should forgive me for thinking you're just as awful as all the other men who have come to our door."

She opened the car door and stepped outside. Before she slammed it closed, she paused, biting her lip.

"...You know where I live. If you need to give me a message, you can slip it through the mail slot. I will...I will meet you at that Lobster place, whenever you ask."

She slammed the door shut and walked to her house, fuming the entire way there.

-x-

Shun sat at the table, waiting. They had insisted he would be seated when it had taken so long for her to get there. He ate biscuit after biscuit, and was nearly full already. He doubted she would come, anyway. It was probably time to cut his losses and send more men to their house to put an end to the debt once and for all.

Tatiana walked in the door, keeping her head low. She wore a long, black jacket, and glanced around nervously.

"...I'm sorry I'm late," she said, when they brought her to his table. She sat down gingerly, unfastening the buttons on her coat. "I got off of work late...I hope I didn't make you angry. I would have called, but I do not have your number."

"Oh," Shun smiled, suddenly in a much better mood. "I had expected you never wanted to see me again, with good reason."

He smiled at her. "I thought you'd never speak to me again and it made me a bit sad."

"Yes," she sighed, removing her coat. She wore a tight-fitting, low-cut black dress underneath.

"I didn't want to speak to you again, either, but...I do need to be here. I can't abandon my brother when there is a way I can help." She smiled weakly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"So, I suppose we will eat and talk?"

Shun tried not to stare, but with how well-endowed Tatiana was, it made it hard.

"...I don't mean to seem rude," he replied "...but is there a reason you're wearing that?"

Tatiana blushed a little, but tried to smile.

She hadn't worn this dress by accident; she knew very well which parts of her body got the most stares from men. While her date wasn't her favorite person in the world, or even someone she liked, her brother's fate was on the line. If she could decrease his debt, wearing a nice dress around a less than nice man was a small price to pay.

"This is a date, right? I wanted to look nice."

Shun looked somewhat pained as he forced himself to stare at her face.

"If you don't like me, then you can leave," he replied, in response to something said slightly earlier.

"You would expect me to like a man who comes to my house to extort money from my brother and I?" she said calmly. "Are you trying to say I have no intelligence? Even a woman knows her friends and enemies, remembers favors and disservices."

"No!" he insisted, "I'm not saying you're stupid, I simply...I'm not trying to bully you into this. If you truly do hate me with every ounce of your being, then, please...don't force yourself to be here."

"I don't hate you with every ounce of my being," she replied, shrugging. "If I did, I wouldn't be here."

Remembering her goal, she tried to smile again.

"Besides...there's nothing to say you can't be decent, right? You think my brother and I are scum, which we are not, so perhaps I am wrong about you as well?"

Shun sighed slightly.

"Forgive me if I was rude the last time we spoke," he said. "I let my temper get the better of me."

"So did I," she admitted, sighing and folding her hands in her lap. Her arms pressed her breasts together. "For that I am sorry. You have not been at all kind to my brother, but it was rude."

Shun felt his face grow hot, but he tried to ignore it.

"Let's move on, then. What would you like to eat? Have you ever had lobster?"

She shook her head.

"No, I do not remember it. Is it good?" She leaned over the table as she glanced at her menu, making her bosom all the more visible.

Shun cleared his throat.

"The lobster here is good, I insist you try it."

"Oh, you insist?" she said, giggling slightly. "Well then, I suppose I will have it. What will you have?"

"Crabcakes," he replied excitedly. "I haven't had good ones in years, and I don't expect these to be very good, but they should hold me over."

"Ah, so you will actually eat this time?" she asked, genuine relief creeping into her voice. If there was something she didn't trust, it was a man who disliked food.

"Olive Garden...does not suite my tastes," he replied honestly. "I prefer seafood."

"Oh," she said, blinking. "You could have said something. What kind of criminal is afraid to speak up?"

"I said I'd let you pick," he replied with a shrug. "It's not a big deal."

She rolled her eyes.

"Tell me, why is it you want to dine out with me all these times, anyway?"

Shun chuckled.

"Am I not allowed to want to enjoy a pretty girl and good food?" he smiled at her.

"But you only enjoyed one of those things last time, yes?" she asked, leaning forward again. She glanced at him through her lashes, smiling. "I can only imagine it wasn't as nice as you expected, with only me to entertain you."