AN: I'll be honest, this a bit of a new thing for me. I expect this to be short but... knowing me, this is not going to be.

*****

The air was buzzing with excitement as neon lights flared overhead and the loud music echoed through the floor.

Such was the environment Arisa found herself at 2 am despite her discomfort.

It wasn't the scene that made her want to run. She had grown used to finding herself forced to enter much seedier places over the last few months. 

After the third time, she showed off her fake Id with the confidence of someone who was actually legally allowed into a club

After the fifth time, she no longer flinched when confronted by drunk teens who tried to get too close.

After the twelfth time, even the most hardened bouncer no longer scared her.

Arisa took her job seriously and made it her mission to complete it despite everything. The only thing that she still couldn't get used to was the looks she got from people everywhere she went.

In a sea a pale skin, her caramelized skin tone stuck out and drew attention. Some liked it, most didn't. They wondered why she was there and who she was with. They thought she was a tourist and brazenly spoke about her in a way she could never repeat.

In this night club, just a bit more high end than her ward's usual taste, her complexion caused her more problems. It had taken over an hour for her to convince the bouncers and the managers that her name was indeed Arisa and she was, in fact, a citizen.

A temporary one but definitely a citizen.

She realized it was very confusing to have a dark-skinned girl with a Japanese passport speaking perfect Mandarin but did they have to make things so hard for her? She was just a regular working teen trying to make ends meet.

Still, she was happy when they let her in despite the fake ID. If she was turned away, she'd have to explain to her boss why she failed. 

That woman was not very understanding.

Arisa shivered as she recalled her last failure. Her back skill stung from the beating she'd gotten last time. Still, the pay was good and that was all she needed. Anything else was just to be expected.

***

Upon arrival, Arisa realized she might have overdressed. A black and white dress that only reached her knees. The black skirt flared out and complimented her skin in ways that drew one's eyes while the white blouse contrasted well with her exotic look. Her dress was simple but clearly high end compared to the clothes she saw others wearing.

Ah, boss made things troublesome for me again. Arisa thought, ignoring the looks she got as she confidently strode down the hall. There were many private rooms but only one was her target.

Only one had Jin Lihua within

After confirming her location on her phones using the GPS, Arisa burst into the private room, looking over the scene.

Those withing froze at the sight of her, clearly confused as to who she was and why she had barged in. Arisa paid no mind to this, her clear gaze looking over the room until she spotted her ward.

Jin Lihua. Daughter of Jin Huiling, Arisa's boss, and Lihua's mother. The Jin family was a very prominent and powerful family with ties in all kinds of businesses, mostly the unsavory types.

Arisa had heard many things in her time working with the Jin's and knew what could and could not be spoken about. While the money was good, she also knew it would not be easy for her to leave, knowing the things she knew.

Hence why she chose to take on the most troublesome job as opposed to the job offered to her. That being this woman's caretaker.

"Young Miss." She called out, walking through the mess of empty beer bottles and discarded underwear. All of those things were meaningless when faced with the prospect of failure. "Young Miss!"

The young miss, Jin Lihua was currently snoozing while cuddled up with some man. He didn't look to be important, so Arisa paid him little mind. Yet she couldn't help grumbling as she saw the start her ward was in. The woman, 17 years of age, was disgustingly drunk and clinging to some strange man in a club like a loose woman.

If her mother saw her, she would surely blame Arisa for not watching her wayward daughter better.

but what could she do? Jin Lihua was her boss's daughter. Despite her role, there was little she could actually do the stop the spoiled brat from running off to do god knows what with strangers.

The best she could do is locate the woman before her escapades made it into the news.

Arisa reached out to grab the young miss's arm, wanting to leave before the smell of depravity stuck to her. Yet her wrist was grabbed before she could make contact.

The man who acted as the pillow for her ward glared at her, her alcohol-laden breath making her gag as he spoke.

"Why are you being so rude? Who invited this woman in here?"

"Yeah, get out of here. No one called for an escort."

"Who are you to barge in like this?

Arisa sighed, wanting to punch the men around her. Rude? Her? She hadn't said a word to them yet they so brazenly called her such terrible names? what escort dressed the way she did? Moreover, if she was selling herself, why would she target a drunk woman as opposed to all the men in the room.

Were they all stupid?

She wrenched her hand from his grip, his inebriated mind unable to keep ahold of her at that moment. She took a step back, taking note of her surroundings.

Most of the girls in the room were drunk or asleep. Everyone else were men of various sizes and ages. Some old enough to be the girl's father.

This clearly wasn't a good place for her ward to be. She turned back to the duo, glaring back at the angry man fearlessly.

"I'm here to pick up Young Miss." She declared. "Please move aside."

"What if she doesn't want to?" He retorted, smirking as he pulled the unconscious Lihua closer.

Arisa rolled her eyes.

"She's asleep. She doesn't want anything other than something soft to lie on." She pointed out, smirking back. "I can give her that by taking her home."

"Like I'm going to let some random foreigner take my girlfriend and-"

"Look, I don't care what lie she told you but I have a job to do. Hand her over or I'll take her!"

Later, Arisa would scream at herself for being so reckless but she absolutely had to retrieve her ward. Her boss would not let her go home until she did.

What awaited her at home was worse than anything she could face here.

What happened next could only be described as chaos. 

Her words had angered the drunk man, enticing him to lunge at her. Arisa, clear-headed as she was, easily dodged but the man crashed into the table behind her, creating a large mess. What little liquor that remained in half discarded cups and bottles splattered all over the room, drenching the others.

They soon targeted Arisa, despite her not being at fault.

She ran about the room, jumping over the couch to dodge the drunken hoard as they came at her to avenge their spilled drinks and wounded pride.

If not for the real danger of being hurt, the whole scene might have been a bit funny.

Despite her goal, she quickly slipped out the room, eager to find shelter so she could call for back up. Since the Young Miss was found, they could collect her and allow Arisa to finally go home.

Yet she was still being chased by this hoard even when she exited the room. She had hoped they leave her be but turns out the alcohol burned away all shame and allowed them to act out their dreams of being a zombie hoard.

Again, it might have been a bit fun if the one being chased wasn't her.

She rounded a corner, thankful she had had the presence of mind to wear good shoes when she hit a wall.

The wall was warm and just a bit soft as it caught hold of her. A deep woody smell surrounded her, surprising her enough to have her look up and see...

A really handsome face.

She had seen many good looking men since her family moved but this man was... top tier! Sharp features and blue eyes that captured her breath like she was drowning in an ocean.

Even more shocking was...

"Ah? It's you again?"

*****

AN: Arisa is underage, as in she's about 14/15 at this point. Jin Lihua is 17, hence why Arisa has such a hard time actually stopping her.