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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 30, 2009 22:23:27 GMT -5
Makoto had returned from a pleasant shopping trip with Ami to find a memo from Usagi in her inbox. She smiled to herself when she saw what it was. Something small and trivial, but in Makoto’s eyes it was a big step. Usagi was finally handing out assignments. She quickly put the report together as requested and scheduled a meeting with Usagi for first thing the next morning. They needed to go over the New Year’s Eve menu and get everything finalized for the gala anyways. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone.
She smiled to Hikari as she approached the doors to Usagi’s office. Hikari nodded back, obviously expecting Makoto’s presence in the Queen’s quarters this morning.
Readjusting the small stack of paperwork in her arms, she knocked upon the office door.
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 30, 2009 23:01:51 GMT -5
Usagi looked up from her computer screen, smiling at the knock on the door. She had some idea who might be behind it; there wasn't much going on with her staff since this morning. Final preparations and setting up for the New Year's Eve party had completely eclipsed everything, and her aides were far too busy dealing with VIP guests flying in and making sure the decorations were going up as planned. After months of preparation, it was hard to believe the event was happening tomorrow!
Too distracted to review the speech anyway, Usagi got up and opened the door herself. "Hey, Mako-chan! Come on in..." She glanced down at the stack of paperwork that Makoto was holding.
"If that's what I think it is, you're fast... and thorough!"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 30, 2009 23:11:42 GMT -5
Makoto was quite surprised when the door opened before she had a chance to reach for the doorknob herself. “Good morning, Usagi-chan!” She chuckled at Usagi’s greeting. “It is, and it isn’t. Only half is what you think it is. And it was no problem at all. I’m constantly writing up kitchen employees for stupid things, so this wasn’t too far out of the norm for me.”
She gestured towards the small conference table. “Mind if we sit over here? The other half of this may require some spreading out…”
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 30, 2009 23:17:33 GMT -5
"Morning, Mako-chan," Usagi smiled back, her friend's good mood uplifting Usagi's own spirits. "And that's good to know... I do appreciate you doing this for me."
Curious about the 'other half' of things, Usagi stepped back into the office, heading over to the conference area as requested and sitting down. "Now you've got me really interested in this other half," she said with a smile. Though, now that she was thinking about things, Usagi realized she needed to point out the Board of Delegation to Makoto to tell her just how she came about giving her friend that task of writing up her secretary. For now, though, she wanted to see what Makoto had come for; Usagi was not a patient person, and once her curiosity was piqued, she had a hard time waiting to find things out.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 30, 2009 23:38:24 GMT -5
Handing Usagi the first half, which was clipped together, Makoto placed the second half onto the table and separated the stack into smaller piles. “What I just handed you is the report.” Satisfied with the rest, she continued. “This…” gesturing towards the small piles of paper, “…is the menu for tomorrow night’s festivities. It’s not as daunting as it looks, but we still need to go over everything one last time.”
Makoto took a seat across from Usagi. “I separated it into categories: Passed hors d’oeuvres, Buffet hors d’oeuvres, Buffet entrées, Passed desserts, Buffet desserts. We can add or remove anything you like, but I need to know as soon as possible so if we’re missing anything I can have it ordered to be here by tomorrow morning.” Chuckling again, she added, “This doesn’t include the open bar items, or the champagnes for the midnight toast, but since we’ll have pretty much everything as far as alcohol and punches go… I didn’t think it was necessary to bring any of that. Unless you’d like to do a featured drink. I can add that to the list as well.” She clicked the top of her pen and pulled her notebook over, ready to write down any changes.
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 30, 2009 23:55:27 GMT -5
"Thank you," Usagi said, taking the report and glancing at it for a moment before setting it aside. "I'll file this right away. It's a relief to have it done." Usagi detested confrontation, so it was nice to not have had to write an employee up.
"Oooooh," Usagi breathed, her entire attention entirely devoted to Makoto now, or, at least, the menus that her friend had brought. "Daunting? Food?" she laughed, leaning over to inspect the menus, already salivating at the thought of all of what was going to be served. However, as Makoto began to list off the different menus, Usagi began to see her point.
"Well, maybe you're right, it is daunting, but because it looks so good! I can't see anything missing..." Usagi felt underqualified, despite her lifelong love affair with food, to tell if there was something that needed to be added. "No signature drink is needed, I don't want to create even more work for you!" She laughed. "As long as we have plenty of sake and champagne and the rest," she waved her hand, trying to indicate what else would be present in a bar, "like vodka and... liquor. And other liquor. And... scotch? Stuff like that. And jui-- wine," she added as an afterthought.
"The only thing that might need to be changed is the amount. Because I'll want to try at least one of everything. And if I like it I'll want to try it again," Usagi remarked, licking her lips as she scanned the desserts menu.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 31, 2009 0:13:02 GMT -5
“Well, it’s not too bad provided we’ve got all the bases covered. Meat, seafood, vegetarian, vegan, et cetera. I just want to make sure we haven’t left anything important out. That’s why it looks like it’s so much more than it really is. Just lots of small things to keep everyone happy.”
Makoto chuckled as Usagi attempted to list all the different liquors and wines. “Don’t worry Usagi. There will be plenty alcohol flowing tomorrow night.” Laughing, she added, “And you better believe we’ll be keeping an eye on you and how much ‘juice’ you consume.”
She looked over to the dessert menus that Usagi was now salivating over. “Trust me, there will be plenty for everyone and then some! You should be able to get a taste of things several times over.” Which reminded her… “Speaking of which, just to give you a heads up… Anything left over that isn’t immediately perishable, like breads and pastries, is being donated to a local food bank to be served as part of a New Year’s Brunch for the less fortunate. That way we’re not wasting more than we need to and it’s going to a good cause.” She smiled. That had been her idea and she was quite pleased to see it coming to fruition.
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 31, 2009 0:58:05 GMT -5
Usagi nodded as Makoto began to explain, her eyes still fixed to the long list of food. "Well, it does sound like you have things covered... The only other criteria would be halal and kosher food, but the vegetarian options should cover for that as well... So, everything seems good to me!" She beamed. The more food options there were, the happier Usagi was. It didn't matter which culture the food came from, if it was edible, she was delighted to have another thing to try.
She giggled a bit at Makoto's prodding. "Well, my tolerance has improved since I've been having 'juice' quite a bit at diplomatic functions," she winked. Despite that, Usagi was still a lightweight. "Actually," she mused aloud, "I ended up drinking an entire bottle of the Petrus Pomerol vintage... Year of '98, the night after I broke up with Mamoru." Usagi blushed at this admission, remembering just how expensive that particular bottle was. "For some reason, it seemed like the perfect occasion to drink something like that. It was delicious, too." She shrugged apologetically, feeling her mood deflate a bit at the thought of Mamoru.
Trying to brush it off, she looked at the list, deciding that the thought of dessert would surely perk her right back up. But, it was Makoto's announcement that brightened her back up. "Mako-chan, that's a brilliant idea!" Usagi exclaimed, beaming back at her friend. "You're so thoughtful! And absolutely right, that's a perfect place for the leftovers to go. We do need to support the less fortunate." On impulse, she leaned over to to hug her friend.
"To be honest, I sometimes felt guilty about the level of extravagance all this amounted too," she remarked. "But now I feel better knowing that at least some of the resources will be put back into the community. I'm so glad I have you guys to help with this... You with the catering and the kitchens, Ami-chan with the hospital and the clinic, Rei with the shrine..." Usagi listed off. "There's so much good that's getting done, and it's incredible. Crystal Tokyo, not to mention the Palace alone, is lucky to have you."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 31, 2009 16:02:48 GMT -5
Makoto made a couple extra notes on her paper regarding the kosher and halal foods. “I believe all of that has been taken care of as well, but I’ll double check…just to be safe. Oh, and everything will be labeled very well so nobody will be confused with what’s what.”
Her eyes widened at Usagi’s confession to drinking an entire bottle of Petrus… That stuff wasn’t cheap, though she couldn’t blame her. It was an excellent vintage, and a rather delicious wine. She gave Usagi a wink and a smile. “I have to admit, you made an excellent choice in what you drank. But next time you pull out something that expensive, you’d better call me first. Sharing is caring, you know.” Makoto well knew that Usagi would have wanted to be left alone that particular evening, but there was nothing wrong with trying to lighten the mood about it now. She’d had her own share of heartbreak, but couldn’t even begin to fathom what Usagi was going through right now…even if she was hiding it rather well.
She perked up at Usagi’s enthusiasm. “Oh good! I’m glad you’re happy with those plans. I agree that a lot of times the extravagance of these occasions does make me feel a little guilty. On top of that, seeing perfectly good food go to waste… It’s just out of the question. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to start making sure we donate to the shelters and food banks on a more regular basis and perhaps a larger scale. I’ll write up something official for you, if we need it. Not only will it give us the satisfaction that we’re giving back to the community, but I believe we’ll get some good press out of it as well.”
Taking hold of Usagi’s hand, she smiled. “You know we’re here for you any time. I have to tell you…It’s kind of funny actually… I was so very excited when I saw the memo from you when I got home yesterday. It was my pleasure to help you out with that small task. I hope to see more of those sorts of things from you in the future.”
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 31, 2009 18:18:41 GMT -5
"That's good," Usagi said, though she had never had any doubts about Makoto's ability to handle this. When it came to food, she didn't trust anybody else more than she did her friend.
She blushed at Makoto's reaction. "Yeah, I know... It just seemed ironic at the time, don't ask me why. And I wanted something to distract me. There's several more bottles down there, though, so we can share it again sometime soon," she winked back. "Though hopefully for a happier occasion! I hope I haven't jinxed something that good by choosing to drink it then," she attempted to joke, not wanting to get weighed down by the sheer shock and shaking fury that had permeated that evening.
"Of course I'm happy with those plans! Thrilled, actually. And I think it's a great idea to continue doing that. We will need something official, but it definitely can be done." She grinned over at her friend. "One thing I've learned, Mako-chan, is that you document everything in the government. You stub your toe, you document it, you change a policy, you document it, you run out water at the water cooler, you document it, you sit at your desk and balance a pen on your nose for fifteen minutes, you document it... Well, maybe not the last one, but pretty much," she giggled. "Good press would be nice, but what's more important, other than seeing to the needs of the less fortunate, is winning the hearts and minds of the people. It's important to show them that we care, and are being fastidious with the resources we're given." She put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, smiling broadly. "And starting with this party, we'll be showing the people that the celebration isn't just limited to the powerful and the privileged."
Usagi stared down at her hands for a moment. She was happy that Makoto was happy to take on the task, but was reminded of how silly she had been about things before. "Thank you, Mako-chan, I will. Rei helped show me how silly I was being about things before..." Usagi didn't go into details, but then stood up, walking over to the Board of Delegation. "She actually helped me delegate that task to you, too... Check out what she made me! Isn't this the coollest thing ever? I throw a bean bag and the color it lands it, the task goes to that person."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 31, 2009 18:44:01 GMT -5
Makoto quirked an eyebrow as Usagi rose from the table. Her eyes followed her Queen as she moved over towards something that looked like a child’s game. She decided to get up as well and walked over to stand beside Usagi, stifling a giggle at the description of this thing’s purpose. And then, a bit of shock kicked in. “Rei-chan did… this?”
Standing before the ‘Board of Delegation’, a slight giggle managed to slip out as she took in its appearance. It was indeed a large board, with several holes cut out and painted four different colors, obviously representing the four inner Senshi. There were ‘jewels’ and drawings and characters all over. Yet another giggle emerged, and she couldn’t help but repeat her question. “Rei-chan? Are you sure? OUR Rei-chan?”
Her amusement could no longer be contained. Makoto bowled over with laughter, her arms wrapping around herself seemingly holding in her sides. She laughed and laughed until tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Oh Usagi-chan! I’m so sorry! I just…” She couldn’t finish her own sentence for the laughter that continued to bubble forth.
“That….” Letting go of her own hold she pointed at the ‘BoD’. “That is FANTASTIC!!!”
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Jan 31, 2009 18:57:34 GMT -5
Usagi frowned a little, wondering why Makoto was being so odd about this. It was a very nice idea. "Yes, Rei-chan... She did a great job!" Usagi glanced lovingly at the board, which in her eyes was a thousand times better than any other game on earth. "Look how good it is!"
As Makoto burst out laughing, Usagi sniffed, taking a dignified walk over to stand in solidarity with her Board of Delegation. "Yes, I told you... Rei-chan did it. Our Rei-chan. I mean, I was definitely surprised, but we all know Rei has her creative side, and she's certainly smart..."
Usagi relaxed, finally giggling herself as Makoto admitted to the fantastic nature of the Board. "Yes, yes it is! You had me going for a moment there! I think it's terribly clever," Usagi beamed, extraordinarily proud of her gift. "I want to mount it on the wall. It's been very useful so far. Rei-chan is quite talented."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 31, 2009 19:20:16 GMT -5
“Oh Usagi-chan. It’s a wonderful idea, really! It just surprised me that Rei-chan would come up with something like this. I had no idea she was so……artistic!” Once again she burst into giggles. It really was fantastic. It just didn’t look like something Rei would do. Minako, yes. Rei…notsomuch. But it was beautiful nonetheless and she would have to give Rei a pat on the back for a job well done the next time she saw her.
Finally regaining her composure, Makoto wiped the tears from her eyes and fully stood up again. She hugged her friend. “I love it, Usagi-chan. And I’m glad you have plans to put it to good use.”
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Post by Neo Queen Serenity on Feb 1, 2009 16:02:59 GMT -5
Usagi flushed a little bit, still giggling. "Well, you are right about that... I was quite stunned. But it is like Rei to surprise us! She's certainly a multi-faceted person." Usagi gave the BoD a loving pat on the top and leaned into Makoto's hug.
"I'm glad you like it, I just had to share how cool it was! And I do plan on putting it to use..." She smiled up at her friend; Makoto was quite a bit taller than her. "You all are my touchstone; it's a lesson I seem to have to keep relearning, but perhaps that's a good thing."
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