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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 16:36:56 GMT -5
Though Ami had done a fantastic job of drying Makoto off, she was still freezing to death and needed to reheat. Once they’d all re-entered the palace, she headed straight for the kitchen. There was nothing like standing beside a hot grill to get you good and thawed out. She needed to check on how things were going anyways and she still needed to thank Itsuki for his last-minute heroism.
The longer she stayed in the kitchen, the harder she found it was to leave. While the majority of the cooking had been completed, she still found her hands helping out wherever she could. Somehow she managed to not spill anything on her gown, but she was definitely warmed back up. Makoto wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel and smiled to herself. Cooking always had been a good way to work off stress, and after the events from a short while ago, she was due for a release.
Figuring she’d been gone long enough, she thanked her employees and headed back to the ballroom. It seemed that more people had shown up even after the disturbance from the garden. Some people had to insist on being “fashionably late”, just like everyone else. She did suppose it was better though, that they hadn’t been filled to capacity when Nephrite had awakened. It could have caused a much larger commotion from the guests. Speaking of Nephrite…
Makoto glanced around the expansive ballroom, and after a few moments she saw him over with Mamoru. She smiled to herself, happy to see the men already on their way to catching up. She only hoped that things would continue to remain somewhat peaceful between the Senshi and Shitennou. As Makoto continued to look around, she was able to find everyone else, all busy with one another or with guests. It didn’t escape her notice that a few guests were eyeing her as well, but she ignored them to the best of her ability. Instead, she decided to move to a corner of the ballroom, near some empty chairs. If anyone deserved a rest right now, it was her.
She grabbed another flute of champagne from a passing server and made her way to a seat. She sipped from the glass and continued to watch the goings-on in the ballroom, perfectly content to sit in silence and reflect on all that had happened…and ponder on what was to come.
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 17:02:18 GMT -5
After the ... incident, Rei hadn't been able to get out of the ballroom again. Already flustered and annoyed, it was all that she could do to keep from screaming when a certain party she'd been hoping to avoid (more so than even Jadeite) managed to find her the moment she stepped back into the ballroom. For the minute it took him to work his way across the room to her, Rei considered the possibility that she'd be able to run for cover and pretend later that she hadn't seen him... but it was useless and she knew it. Their eyes had met and he was coming for her.
"Father," she greeted the old politician in as polite, icy of tones as she could and slapped a smile upon her face. His new assistant, a man she didn't know but who seemed rather mousey and shy, trailed behind him at a reasonable distance. The boy gave her a look over, perhaps a little surprised to see "little" Rei grown up and here in her own right, no matter that Hino-san took every opportunity to gloat over the fact.
"Rei-chan," Hino Isao took her hand in his, though she hadn't offered it, and lifted it fleetingly to his lips. He'd always thought the more formal, foreign ways had a touch of dignity to them... Rei really wished he weren't right, and that he didn't have the clout to make society conform to his choices. As it was, she'd had her hands kissed by far too many strangers, and most of them old enough to be her father--if not her grandfather, great grandfather, or sleezy uncle. "I have been looking for you. What is it going to look like, my own daughter avoiding me so?"
"I would suspect that it looks exactly as it is," Rei replied as sweetly as she could. To his credit, Isao wasn't the least bit surprised by her animosity and instead pulled her to his side as he began to walk back towards the group of peers he'd disengaged himself from moments before. The assistant frowned at the pair of them, but tagged along without a single word.
Isao tucked Rei's arm about his, and made a show of patting her hand. She went along with it, as she always had, though her face remained fixed in an unhappy frown. "Now, then, my dear... I had wanted to introduce you to some friends of mine. There are a great many of the Ministers who have yet to meet you... a few of them have expressed quite an interest. It seems you've been making a name for yourself."
"You always did have a talent for understatement, father." Rei resisted the urge to snort. Instead she cast a long look at him from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "I wonder, though, if you're speaking of my position in the palace."
"Always to the point, that's my girl." Rei didn't, for one moment, believe the affection he infused into his voice. Isao was, above all else, a consummate actor. She'd learned that long ago.
Before she could press the issue, they had reached the group of his "friends" and she was being introduced to more men twice her age... and much to her horror, several that weren't. Once the "juniors" began to be tagged onto the ends of names, Rei realized exactly what was going on here. The hard knot of anger that had already been rolling about her stomach only redoubled inside. Almost as if in response, her abdomen began to cramp and it was all she could do not to wince. Instead, she stood still and stoic as her hand was passed around the group and she listened to the eldest of the group prattle pleasantries as their sons eyed her.
For once she agreed with Ami about their dresses really being too low cut.
"It was nice to meet you gentlemen, I'm sure... unfortunately, I really do have things to attend to tonight. I'm certain you all understand." Without giving them any room to object, or any reason to complain of her rudeness--though she was being quite short with them--Rei turned on her heel to find anyone else to talk to other than them. Hell, she'd even talk to Jadeite right now, if it meant not having to put up with this.
Isao caught her arm just before she could get away and drew her close to hiss something in her ear. Rei's finger's twitched, wanting to curl into a fist. She detatched her hand from his arm with a bit more force than necessary, and then left before she could be arrested for assault. It was then that she spotted Makoto in the corner of the room.
Swiping a flute of wine from a passing servant, Rei had almost raised the glass to her lips before reality hit home. She stared at the drink then lowered it, sighed, and put it down on a passing table before going to join Makoto. God she really needed a drink...
"Please tell me that it's midnight."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 17:26:36 GMT -5
Makoto had been staring off into space when a slight shadow fell over her. She looked up to see that it was a rather flustered Rei, and immediately offered a warm smile. “Not quite, hon, but we’re getting there.” She gestured for her sister to sit beside her.
Not really sure what exactly was troubling Rei, she took the broad road. “Care to talk about it?”
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 17:29:08 GMT -5
Rei shook her head lightly and leaned her elbows on the table, putting her chin in her hands. It wasn't the most dignified of poses, but she didn't really care. "It's nothing. Just a certain someone that can't seem to keep his nose out of my business. ...Are you holding up alright?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 17:39:02 GMT -5
Makoto frowned. It didn’t need to be said who the ‘certain someone’ was. She placed a hand on Rei’s shoulder and gave it a light pat. “I’m sorry.”
Rather than dwell on the unpleasant, she moved on. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. I did a little work in the kitchen to blow off some steam…quite literally at that.” Makoto chuckled.
She sat in silence for a few moments after that. There really wasn’t much to talk about that didn’t involve the Shitennou, and Makoto didn’t think it was necessary to bring that up again. It was kind of nice to just sit and enjoy the company of her sister, rather than bantering back and forth over the week’s – and evening’s – happenings. She sipped on her champagne and noticed Rei was empty handed. “Would you like me to get you something to drink? A little bubbly to take the edge off, perhaps?”
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 17:43:14 GMT -5
Rei didn't mind the silence at all... It was nice, honestly, just to sit in quiet friendship and be allowed to cool down. The woman shook her head, "Not for another week." She didn't even seem to know that she had said it. "I think i'll track down some water in a moment, though."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 17:52:16 GMT -5
It took Makoto’s brain a moment to compute Rei’s reason for not wanting a drink. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She shook her head, thinking Rei was being a bit ridiculous. After all, what were the chances…really? Rather than push the issue, she caught the eye of one of the servers and waved him over. “Could you do me a favor, please?” The man nodded “Sure, anything you need Kino-san.” Makoto smiled. “Could you please bring over a couple glasses of water for us?” Again, the man nodded and within moments he’d returned with two glasses of iced water. Makoto thanked him, and he off to continue his work.
In an attempt to lighten the mood a bit more, Makoto tipped her champagne flute just enough to make a small “clink” against Rei’s water glass. “To us. For being so awesome that we get to sit at a table and be waited on rather than rubbing elbows with the rich and desperate to marry.”
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 17:58:40 GMT -5
"Thank you," Rei gave a nod to the waiter then allowed herself the faintest smile at Makoto's toast. "i can drink to that."
She took a long sip of her water and then looked out across the room again, scanning it for any problems. Usagi was on the floor with one of the courtiers... she seemed to be having a good time, and wasn't looking about for help so Rei was content to leave well enough alone. Ami wasn't anywhere that she could see, nor Hotaru or Minako....
For a moment Rei let her eyes rest on Mamoru and his entourage, but she sighed and shook her head. "I'm just glad that this is relatively quiet. No protesters, no suicide bombers, no assassination attempts in general..." After a second's thought, the priestess knocked lightly on the table.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 18:12:58 GMT -5
Makoto sipped on her champagne and glanced about the room as well. Everyone still seemed to be off doing their own thing, and as long as Usagi was smiling, then Makoto was perfectly content with sitting in comfortable silence with Rei. Although, part of her almost wondered if she could sneak back off to the kitchen again. Despite the good company she was in, her soul still cried out for the calming chaos of the kitchen. She shook it off as Rei began to speak again and nodded in agreement.
“Relatively quiet is somewhat of an understatement, but yes. Let’s be thankful that the rest of the evening has seemingly gone off without a hitch.” She gave the table a light tap as well. “I wonder if we can push the ball drop up. I’m beyond ready to put my feet up and call it a night.”
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 18:18:10 GMT -5
"I think people would probably protest doing it so early... though it certainly doesn't feel early." Rei wondered if there would ever again be a party which didn't require them to be on their toes at all times, constantly tense and waiting for the worst to happen.
Probably not...
If she wasn't careful, she would end up throwing herself into some sort of depression. The woman rolled her eyes at her own thoughts and shook her head, draining more water from her glass. Their lives weren't bad ones, and she'd be complaining if she didn't have anything to do. Yet all this tension... Rei rubbed one shoulder idly and set her glass down. "I hope the staff is still running smoothly."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 18:45:54 GMT -5
“Well, it was a good idea at the time…” Makoto half chuckled. “And it’s not too early.” She glanced up at the clock. Time actually was ticking by fairly quickly. She slightly frowned that she hadn’t even had a dance yet, then remembered that she owed Hotaru a dance. She made a mental note to be sure to snag up the young girl before the night got too late, and then took another drink from her glass.
Though she’d worked in the kitchen, Makoto really hadn’t eaten anything of substance. Add in the extra stress and her normally high tolerance for alcohol had gone out the window. She finished off what was left of her champagne and signaled the same server over with a wave of the now empty glass. As she waited for her next drink, she nodded. “Oh, I’m sure the staff is doing just fine!” When the man set the fresh glass before her, she smiled brightly. “My kitchen staff is doing terrific!” She clinked her glass against Rei’s again and took another drink.
Mako always got way too cheery when buzzed…
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 18:50:02 GMT -5
Oh dear... Rei glanced at her friend as the waiter handed her yet another drink. Though a little worried about this turn of events, and starting to question her own resolve--How likely was it anyway?--she decided to ignore it for now. After all, Makoto's choices were her own to make... Still.
"I'll be right back," Rei got to her feet and made her way over to buffet table to track down something that Makoto might actually eat if she brought it over to her. Some fruit, maybe... Makoto in this state would probably want something sugary, if she knew the woman at all. Her mental mantra willed the rest of the crowd to stay the hell away from her as she loaded a plate with samples of various little things.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Apr 20, 2009 19:15:08 GMT -5
Makoto furrowed her brows when Rei excused herself so quickly. She decided not to dwell on it, and took another sip from her glass then leaned back in her chair. Looking around the room, she found she’d lost sight of a few of her sisters though Usagi was still visible. She seemed to be doing alright, which was a good thing. Makoto wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand up too quickly.
Still, she continued to drink. Things were starting to feel really good now, and she began to feel like she just might be able to make it to midnight after all.
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 20, 2009 19:44:05 GMT -5
After settling things with his prince-- err-- Mamoru, Nathaniel, as he decided to mentally label himself, all Nephrite parts of him upset at this self renaming to the contrary, decided to explore. This exploring took him all of the ballroom. It took him back to the buffet table, briefly, though he managed to maneuver away before the Priestess came. Eventually, he found that his own two feet were leading him to a certainly brunette-beauty.
The sheer ecstasy of returning to his true form has begun to fade, along with the fact that Maeve-- Makoto he corrected himself for the last time, was not going to condemn him. So why did he suddenly find himself overcome with nerves at the very sight of her lovely form again?
Enjoy his freedom, that's what she had instructed, but could she possibly fathom how her opinion of him would set the tone for the rest of his life? What was it to be human if devoured by guilt? And surely she deserved answers... Though not tonight. Could they delay that talk, and for how long? Would she overcome herself long enough to tolerate his presence, after the newness of their reunion had worn off?
Swallowing, he realized that he had to try. Nathaniel approached her, unable to keep the hesitation entirely off of his face, but outstretched his hand nonetheless. "How could this evening be complete without a turn about the floor?" he smiled, realizing that the shyness was something he inherited along with his old, dark memories of a lifetime ago. "For old times' sake?"
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Post by Hino Rei on Apr 20, 2009 19:57:22 GMT -5
When she thought she'd picked out at least something that Makoto would actually pick at (assuming the woman didn't tell her off for trying to get her to eat), Rei headed back towards the table. She had to dodge by a few people that looked as if they might want to ask her something, politely avoiding any direct eye contact until it became clear that she wasn't interested. Then she rounded a small crowd of chatting, off-the-clock workers and was confronted with the sight of Nathanial-Nephrite asking her tipsy friend onto the dance floor.
Her first reaction was to object, but Rei had no sooner begun to open her mouth when it snapped shut again. Makoto was an adult. Capable of making her own choices... no matter how dangerous they might be. Besides, just because she was miserable didn't mean the others needed to be.
After a moment, Rei remembered that she was holding a plate of food and looked down at it in sudden distaste. Should she even bother to approach, now? ... Though she was certain she looked a fool, she waited. Makoto might take his offer, but she might not. Regardless, she'd be interfering if she were to go over there now.
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