Late arrival (Motoki/Reika)

[Furuhata Reika]

Something was going on, and Reika was fairly certain that it was more than just the Queen's ball. It was still difficult to think of Tsukino Usagi as the Queen of the world. She had never really been close to any of the girls, but still, knew them through Motoki. Those memories were enough to make the changes seem surreal. But, life went on. There were still digs to go to, and digs to come back from.

But why was Narita Airport in such a ruckus? Her flight had been delayed seven times-- seven! Coming in was a nightmare. She almost got booted off because some first class frequent flyer bigwig decided he just had to come on her flight. She managed to keep her temper and reason with one of the airline's desk attendants, and her kindness paid off-- she got to keep her own seat. Weren't VIPs supposed to be in Tokyo already? She knew it was the holidays, but good grief... Why the rush in? Most of these people wouldn't even get inside the Palace.

Actually, getting an invitation wasn't that difficult for her, through work contacts, though her whole reason for wanting to attend was less about the glitz and glamor-- she hoped to make more contacts. The last dig had been interrupted, and they were all low on funds. She had to kiss up to a few patrons, or at least put them in contact with the Foundation. There was no better place to do that than at a large gala, where everyone could see how affluent and stable the government had become, how rock solid the new currency was, and what a nice investment science would make.

That was the idea, anyway. If she could even get in this late. Her plane landed an hour into the party, and she barely managed to get home, drop off her luggage, run an iron over her gown and brush on some makeup before taking a quick cab over to the Palace.

She was definitely late, two hours now. The gardens seemed to be cordoned off for some odd reason, but security was courteous, and besides having to walk through a metal detector and have her purse opened and inspected, there wasn't much to getting in after all. She showed someone her invitation and was shown into the ballroom.

All thoughts of business went out of Reika's head as she stepped in, gaping openly at the lavish decorations and throngs of expensively-dressed people. Lovely gowns, warm lighting and swirling couples... it was every girl's fairy tale dream! This definitely beat the dust and desolation of the dig right now... She picked up a flute of champagne, sipping on it and exploring. She hadn't seen Motoki during her brief stop home, and wondered where he was at-- it was possible he was here, being Mamoru's friend and all. Come to think of it, there seemed to be some press camped out near their place, but she hadn't paid them much mind, she was in too much of a hurry to get over to the Palace.

[Furuhata Motoki]

"I'll take another round," Motoki told the bartender as he set his fourth empty glass onto the bar top. Considering he'd been at the party for about two hours, asking for his fifth drink wasn't all that bad. And he'd managed to keep a level head, even with the strength of the liquor he was ordering.

After spending a good half hour or more talking to Lucan, during which time he'd decided to stop after his second drink, Motoki had managed to run into a group from his law firm. They made for decent conversation, but a couple of the women had wanted to take turns dancing, and between himself and the single guys they'd traded off partners, enjoying the music and the company. Since Motoki was having a good time, even with Reika, he'd been less drawn to the bar and had managed to keep himself from stalking the bartender. But his friends had gone off to more private affairs, especially after the lights had flickered, like that was some sign that the approaching New Year meant securing yourself a make-out buddy, and Motoki was left on his own once again.

That meant a few more trips to the bar. Now, with drink number five in hand, he was walking through the crowds, wondering where Mamoru had gone, wondering if he'd actually get to spend any time with the girls or see Usagi again... They all seemed to have run off after the power issue.

Then, across the room he saw her. He almost dropped his drink. Gods she was beautiful, lovely, and how he'd missed her. His eyes shifted only for a moment to his drink and his stomach lurched suddenly at the thought that she might realize that even after his jail affair he was still drinking. That drinking might be more than just a one night issue.

He downed the drink - no sense in letting good alcohol go to waste, and set the glass on a table he passed as he headed to intercept her. The distance was short, and he was at her side, his arm slipping around her waist. "Missed you Beautiful," he whispered into her ear. Every time he saw her, he felt he loved her even more. Thoughts of jail slipped from him mind, or perhaps his subconscious pushed them far enough away for him to forget.

[Furuhata Reika]

Reika jumped for a second, caught off from her reverie of gazing around the ballroom by an arm slipping about her voice. But the warmth and voice was familiar, and she relaxed into her husband's arms, grinning. "Motoki! I thought you might be here." Reika let out a sigh, leaning in and then pecking him on the lips. He tasted a bit like booze, but she didn't remark on it. "I've missed you too. I wanted to see you at home, figure out if you were going to this, but something crazy has been happening at the airport and my flight kept getting delayed. I barely got home in time to come. I just arrived," she explained, suddenly realizing that she was rambling at him when she should just be just enjoying the moment, and his embrace.

"I decided to come home from the dig early. We're not making much progress, it's the holidays... And, I've missed you." That, too, which was a bigger reason than she was letting on.

"How have you been?" she asked softly, leaning back to look him in the eyes. "It seems like forever since I've talked to you, seen you..."

[Furuhata Motoki]

Motoki pulled Reika into a tight hug, pressing her against his chest. His lips met hers and he returned her quick kiss, which left him wanting more. How long had it been since they'd seen each other. The days while she was gone blurred a bit for Motoki, a fact he didn't bring up. "I'm just glad you're here," Motoki replied, half of Reika's ramblings about airport issues going right over his head. He was too focused on the way her hair smelled and how she fit so nicely in his arms.

At her question, he pulled back so that he could look at her face while they spoke. "I've been alright. I've just missed you a lot, but work kept me busy. I ran into Mamoru the other night and we hung out, which we hadn't done in a long time."

He paused, wondering how much to tell her, then decided that talking about his jail issue and break-ups would spoil the party. Instead, he slipped his hand into her and tugged her softly towards the dance floor. "I've missed you enough to know that I'd like a dance before we see anyone else." Reika hadn't been that close to the girls, but that didn't mean he couldn't take her to visit them when he finally got around to tracking them back down.

Once on the dance floor, he slipped an arm around her waist. "Now, tell me about your trip." he told her as he moved across the floor. For the number of drinks he had, he was still fairly agile, although the last drink had likely not hit his system yet.

[Furuhata Reika]

She melted a bit as Motoki said he was just glad that she was here. "I suppose you're right, I'm just glad I made it, too. Though you have no idea the lengths I went to in order to come," she said playfully, letting off some stress. She didn't mind the actual act of sitting on an airplane as it flew from one continent to another, but she hated the airport process. Security, tickets, checking luggage... Well, it was good to be home.

"Well that's nice," Reika said warmly, following her husband onto the dance floor. It always amazed her that after being married, Motoki hadn't lost the romantic flair he had when they first met. She would always joke with her coworkers that her frequent and long absence kept him on his toes, but the truth was that seeing him now made her question again whether she was doing the right thing by pursuing this line of work. It was always the same, she never realized the cost of her absences until she saw him face-to-face. In the field it could be easy to forget how good it felt to be with him, but when she came home, she'd always swear she'd never leave again.

"I'm glad Mamoru-san has been able to keep you company. That's good of him, I expected he'd be busy with his work and the upcoming wedding." It was so close, perhaps that had something to do with the frenzy of travelers at the airport. "Did you have fun? You need something other than just work, Motoki." Not that she was one to talk, she lived away from running water and cities and electricity just to pull out soil samples and test for possible occupation and look at rocks on a dig. Still, it seemed like a recurring pattern, that Motoki would work considerably while she was gone. Didn't he have any other hobbies to fill the time?

"I still can't believe I was lucky enough to marry a husband who not only likes to dance but can," she laughed, moving with him easily on the floor. It had been ingrained into her as a little girl, her mother had been quite strict about that. Reika had enjoyed the lessons, that is, when it didn't cut into picking up pebbles outside in the garden. She had been a rock hound, even when young.

She sighed at the mention of the trip. "Well, they had identified this site and set up an excavation point by the time I got there, but I think the data was bad from the get-go. They wanted some column sampling, but how could I do that when the rock was so thick? There's no soil to sample! I definitely believe there's something there, but they need a paleontologist, not a geoarchaeologist. The Foundation is getting low on funds, however, so they're trying to scrip by putting me on something that isn't really my field..."

It was nice to get all of that off of her chest. She danced easily with him. "Enough about me. Have you had any new, interesting cases yet?"

[Furuhata Motoki]

Motoki guided Reika easily across the dance floor. She was a skilled partner, and while he hadn't taken any formal lessons before meeting Reika, he had a natural talent for the basic (and occasionally the more difficult) movements. The pair had gone out dancing often while dating in college, and had taken lessons to prepare for their first wedding dance. These days, with Reika's travel, the opportunity to go dancing was rare, and Motoki often felt rusty. Tonight, however, there was enough booze in the system for his muscles to relax and his memory to control the dance motions which would otherwise be stiff from over-thinking.

"You know, Mamoru simply showed up," Motoki began. He didn't want to spoil their happy moment with talk of Usagi and Mamoru's relationship, but he felt he couldn't avoid the topic. Reika would find out eventually, and the discovery could easily lead to her learning about the horrible jail night, something Motoki wasn't quite ready to discuss. Talking about Mamoru would at least keep their attention on their friends. "Well, actually, he came over because he needed to visit with someone. Usagi and Mamoru, well, they broke up earlier this week."

Motoki paused to let the message sink in, before hurrying on to answer the rest of her questions. "We just hung out together, you know, the way guys do." Actually, he didn't expect her to know, but he also didn't expect her to confess that she didn't know either. Girls, at least the ones he worked with, like to pretend they understood exactly what guys did when they hung out. He found that ninety percent of the time the girls were wrong, but he and his co-workers never bothered to correct them.

He listened as she spoke about her job. He nodded along at the right moments, and muttered the occasional uh-huh. He asked, because he was supposed to ask, but most of the time when Reika went on about her digs, he found himself about eight or nine over-sized vocabulary words behind her. "I'm sorry the dig wasn't what you were looking for," Motoki told her, his hand sliding just a little tighter around her waist, "But I can't say that I'm disappointed that you've returned home early." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the ear before spinning her around in time to the music. "As for my clients, nothing all that interesting this month. Mostly, we're just still rearranging their contracts and paperwork to fit the New System put in place by Usagi's government. Not very exciting, but very necessary."

[Furuhata Reika]

"They broke up?!" Reika exclaimed loudly, causing several other couples on the floor to glare in their direction. She flushed a bit with embarrassment, plucking up the hand that was on Motoki's shoulder to hold it up in apology. Sniffing disdainfully, the others returned to swaying with the music.

"Sheesh," Reika muttered. "Seems like I'm the last to know. But Usagi and Mamoru have been together forever! And through everything-- what could possibly break them up now?" They were the one couple that everyone counted on staying together, forever. "Who broke up with who? Was it cold feet?" That happened a lot, especially right before a wedding, and usually wasn't much cause for concern, in that case they'd get right back together... But Motoki seemed serious about this.

She raised an eyebrow at the next comment. "Well actually I don't. Especially since he just broke up with his fiancée. See whenever I had relationship trouble with you, I'd just sit and cry and my girlfriends would hand me tissues and we'd all bitch about how awful men were," she winked, trying to let him know she wasn't being offensive. "And then we'd open a bottle of dessert wine and gorge ourselves on chocolate. Somehow I don't see Mamoru being that type." All the same, she couldn't imagine him sitting down to watch a game, either, not after something like that.

"I'm sorry, too, especially since it sucked up so much money," Reika sighed, but she was beginning to unwind from the trip, especially under Motoki's affections. "And I'm sure that's keeping you plenty busy. At least you have a connection to her should there be any questions on the issues, actually I'm surprised the firm hasn't discovered that they could potentially use you as a lobbyist," she teased, though she rather hoped they wouldn't. She didn't want to see him under that kind of pressure.

[Furuhata Motoki]

Motoki glanced around as their fellow dancers glared at the couple, then shrugged it off. If Reika wanted to say something with a slightly loud, or extremely loud in this case, voice who were they to care? She wasn't constantly yelling. Motoki was used to dealing with high class businessmen, but they seemed less uptight than this crowd of government officials and ambassdors. "Well dear, when you spend your time in the middle of no where, news is on the slow side," Motoki responded, grinning at his wife. Then his tone went serious as he answered her question, "I don't know the details, only that Mamoru kept a secret from Usagi that she apparently decided was unforgivable. Everyone deserves a little privacy and he didn't seem to feel that it was an Earth shattering thing. You'd think after ten years, Usagi would understand him.. but it's her choice. She's the queen anyway and no one is going to question her decisions. Well, except for maybe her friends..."

Motoki swirled Reika again, and winced. She had admitted she didn't know what guys did. Why couldn't she just be like other women every once in awhile? Then again, her differences were what made her so attractive to him. "We didn't cry with tissues, if that's what you mean. Guys tend to have a five minute talk and then spend the rest of their time wasting time doing anything but talking about the issue." He hoped that answered her question. He didn't really want to get into the details about what the two of them really did.

"I didn't really make my relationship with the queen known for just that reason. I don't really want to spend my career whining to Usagi for legislation that will help the firm. I enjoy what I do well enough."

At that, he pulled her close. Leaning down her kissed her softly on the lips. "It's been too long, Reika. I missed seeing you, and touching you, and did I mention how damn sexy you look in that dress?" Yeah, it had been far too long.

[Furuhata Reika]

"You'd think after ten years Mamoru would understand Usagi enough to know what she would consider an Earth-shattering secret," Reika pointed out right back. Men could be just as bad as women when it came to taking up the sides of their friends! Listen to how defensive he was... "You just said you didn't know the details, yourself, Motoki. I make one exclamation and this crowd jumps. Be careful what you say, you wouldn't want it getting back to Usagi, would you? Have you even heard her side of the story?"

Reika didn't think Motoki was as close to Usagi and the girls as he was to Mamoru, but still. A secret, huh. Well, perhaps they would never know, so she shrugged herself. You just couldn't take anything for granted these days.

She missed his wince during the twirl, but was just as uncooperative when she found herself in his arms again. "Mm-hmm. How strange you lot are. Five minutes talking about it and then ignoring the elephant in the room? And how do you do that? Doesn't it get exhausting ignoring something for so long?" And men claimed they were simple creatures... "I'll keep my issues and chocolate, thanks."

She nodded. "I think that's a wise decision, Motoki, though it'll probably come out someday. I just hope you don't get flak then for not mentioning it to them, earlier. What an awkward situation that'll be. Hopefully it'll be years and you'll be on your own by then." Perhaps it was having to raise money for her work that made Reika so sensitive to potential personal exploitations when it came to relationships. Besides, once Motoki's eventually came out, she was sure the foundation would pressure her to go to the government and try to wring her connections for all they were worth-- and it wasn't entirely something she would feel comfortable with.

Warmth pooled within her at his touch and kiss, and her steps faltered a bit, distracted as she was by his smoldering words. "I've missed you too, darling. And behave, we have another couple hours to get through before I can take you home," she said languidly, a less-than-innocent smile playing across her lips.

[Furuhata Motoki]

Motoki felt his cheeks turn red at Reika's scolding. She was right after all. While Motoki considered himself closer to Mamoru, his relationship with Usagi stretched back nearly as far, and he knew the queen's personality well enough to know that Usagi was the most open and honest person he'd ever met. Perhaps there was some merit to Lucan's statement about no secrets between those in love... or whatever the security guy had said. Motoki was having trouble recalling the exact phrase, but he was sure he had the gist right. "Perhaps when the dust settles down we could ask her. Maybe offer to take her to lunch, or eat here if the palace doesn't allow her to go out. I'm sure she'd love to see you too, even if you didn't know her as well as I did. She's pretty welcoming to just about everyone."

He did laugh at her next comments, "Well, we think it's exhausting to break out the box of tissues and weep for hours. We'd rather spend that time beating each up on the football field, or sometimes playing that American style ball. You know we relieve our tensions with physical prowess more than emotional episodes like you ladies." He was smiling now, teasing her with the small slight at women's weepy ways.

"I'm not obligated to tell them, so I don't see how they could do anything about my lack of mentioning it. They might give me a hard time about it, but there are no legal grounds for them to stand on, especially with Usagi's knew government. Usagi's tied up a lot of the loose ends that existed in our legal policy and done a great job meshing the laws from the different cultures together to come up with something everyone could agree on. Of course, there is still a lot left to do and many areas still left to re-legislate, but so far most of the changes have been positive."

He kissed her again, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, "We could always sneak off and hide somewhere, like the old days." Motoki grinned down at her, a mischievous smile on his lips.

[Furuhata Reika]

Reika found herself laughing. "She can come out to lunch! She can do what she wants, it just makes more work for others if she leaves the Palace, I'm sure. But spending so much time here must get old after awhile, so I think it's a good idea to ask her out." Motoki was right, she had never really been close to them, but Usagi was kind enough when she did have the chance to see her every now and then. So were the rest of the senshi. "I think I'd enjoy the chance to get to know her better, but more importantly, I think you two should continue your own friendship."

She rolled her eyes at his teasing. Motoki was lucky that she knew him well enough not to take the words to heart; anyone else might have gotten a feminist lecture. "Just so you know, taking out your frustrations physically is also 'an emotional episode.' In fact I daresay it's more of a demonstrative emotional episode."

Reika laughed. "Motoki, it's just like you to think merely in legal terms! Of course there's nothing that they could do legally, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't feel the pressure. Attorneys do that best; they know enough to not say or do anything that could get them into trouble, and enough that they know how to work around the law. Though I'm happy to hear that you're pleased with Usagi's work in the legal system."

She found herself dancing closer with him, letting a sigh escape her at his kiss. "Oh, darling, I'd love to... But with security cameras everywhere, I doubt very much that we could manage to hide. Soon," she smiled. "Besides, I need this evening to try and raise some funds, damn you for distracting me!" she teased, but her eyes told a far different story than her words. Forget work, if she had her choice the room would clear out and they could anything they wanted to each other...

[Furuhata Motoki]

"Well I don't know how all these security measures work! Have you met Lucan? He's a great guy, but he can be pretty anal about protocol." And with that comment, Motoki shut his mouth. He didn't really want to get into the details about how he knew about Lucan's methods of protocol and instead focused back on the dinner issue. "I'm sure though, that she would come if we asked. I knows she'd love you, Usagi loves everyone, and well, who wouldn't love you?" He pulled her closer. "I love you."

And there was the eye rolls and the laughing all at his way of thinking. But when Reika laughed, he wasn't bothered, because he knew that she was only teasing him. A goofy grin crossed his face and he laughed back, "Well, I am a lawyer you know. That's what we do. I think it's better than comparing everything to rocks and dirt, don't you? Law is applicable in all areas of life."

He kissed her again, then bent over to nuzzle at her neck. "You're worried about cameras when we just discussed that lawyers know how to get away with anything?" Then he pulled back and whirled her around, spinning her away before pulling her close again. "Well, I wouldn't want to interfer with your work, darling. But just remember who turned down who." He left the dare on the table for her, as he spun her away from him once more.

[Furuhata Reika]

"Who?" Reika inquired. "Is that one of the security detail or something?" She grinned at his description. "Well, it's their job, isn't it? Not everyone is cut out to be an anal-retentive spoilsport. Those that are either turn into bureaucrats or security-- or lawyers!" she teased. "Anyway, I doubt Usagi is anal about protocol, and security works for her, after all." She laughed, leaning into him as he pulled her closer. "Mm, I love you too, Motoki.

"Rocks are applicable to all areas of life! Even the graphite you write with came from scientific studies of rocks! Diamonds are the considered the perfect currency, so they keep you and the rest of the world in business. My rocks and fossils were around when humans were still living in Neanderthal anarchy," she retorted playfully right back.

He was getting bolder. Reika let her grin broaden as she was swirled around the floor. "Lawyers can get their way out of a legal thing, doesn't mean that I'd want to be watched. When I say I want you all to myself... I mean it," she smirked. "All you have to do is wait until midnight," she smiled slyly. "Once the clock strikes twelve, we can kiss, and leave..."

[Furuhata Motoki]

"Lucan is the head of security. I had a decent conversation with him earlier this evening." Motoki found himself laughing at Reika's description of security personnel, at least until she turned the tables on his own profession. "You know, sometimes I find it hard to love you when you're lumping me in the same catagory as anal-retentive spoil sports." He pouted slightly, but leaned down to kiss her again to show her he knew she was only teasing.

Whirling her one more time, he pulled her close as the song came to an end. "Then I will eagarly wait for midnight to arrive. Until then," Motoki offered an arm, "Let's get something to drink and see if we can't find a few friends to greet before the night is over."

[Furuhata Reika]

"Look at you, already talking with the head of security. Maybe I should have you show me around, you seemed to have done well for yourself here," she said playfully. "And if it helps, you're the least anal-retentive lawyer I've ever met." Her eyes smoldered at him as he drew back from another kiss. They were giving their peers on the dance floor a show, that was for sure. "And you're certainly not a spoil-sport, especially when you kiss like that..."

Reika gladly took his arm, using her other hand to smooth out her dress. "Yes, let's. I'm eager to see all the people you've met so far, and perhaps see some friends." And do some work, too, though Reika told herself if she didn't, it would be alright. She had Motoki to focus on, after all.