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Post by Hino Rei on Dec 9, 2008 17:01:42 GMT -5
They'd designed the palace shrine precisely to her specifications--not, Rei reminded herself with the faintest of smirks, that she'd given them much choice about it. Contractors didn't dawdle when they had a fire wielding soldier breathing down their necks. Though the shrine had been the last of the wings constructed, it had also been the one finished the fastest and most efficiently. If the foreman of the project had had a problem with her attitude it had never been stated to Rei's face.
Unlike much of the "crystal" palace, the Fire Senshi's sanctuary was not white. Its doors were solid oak and trimmed in blackened bronze, the inner chambers built of mahogany walls and floors that were so deeply cherry-stained they shone with streaks of ember and ruby in any light. The windows that overlooked the shrine gardens--an inner sanctum square in shape and filled with cherry trees, shrubs, emerald grass, and carefully tended sand pathways--were guarded by thick shutters which Rei could draw at any time to lend privacy to the shrine.
There were five rooms, total, within the shrine itself. The first was the public room that anyone could see when they entered. Three steps lead up into it from the sunken doorway, and it contained the first of the shoji-style closets that the shrine boasted. A hallway to the back of this room lead to the joined dining room and half-kitchen, supplied enough that she might make herself tea or a snack when she wanted it, and a hidden stair up into her bedroom on the second floor. The only other room on this floor was the fire shrine, three steps down off of the main entrance and once again sealed off by a sliding door.
This shrine held almost no resemblance to the Hikawa Shrine, or any shinto shrine... but it wasn't supposed to. The woman pursed her lips and rose from the crouch she'd been keeping before the sacred flames. Even her robes had been altered for this place--for as a Priestess of all peoples, Rei wasn't supposed to keep to one religion; she must attend to them all. That wasn't beyond her ability, or her beliefs, she only wished that this place were a little more... familiar.
The woman turned from the flames and gently slid the shoji aside, climbing the three careful steps upward into the main room. Instead of shutting it behind her, Rei left it open that she might watch the fire carefully. That room, no matter its different colouring, was her one allocation to herself of Shintoism and one which she would defend to her end. Still, the setting of the flame was so new that she was wary of leaving it burning unattended--accidents happened, no matter that its setting was such that it should be safe left for short times.
The tea she'd left brewing on a table braizer was just about ready. Rei sank down upon her knees on one of the sitting cushions and lifted the handle to pour herself a cup. After she'd taken a few sips to warm herself up and further wake her senses, the woman turned to one side and casually flipped the inner lock on the shutters there. The half closest to her swung open with the slightest amount of guidance, and she latched it again into place. A gentle, pre-dawn breeze fluttered over the sill, carrying with it a hint of cherry blossoms and rain. A smile stung her lips for the familiarity. This, at least, was as it should be.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 9, 2008 17:50:43 GMT -5
Ami had a day off from the hospital. While she figured it would not be long before Senshi duties (be those "serious" or "wedding" related) would demand her time, she still wanted to enjoy the morning while she still could. She wandered through the grounds, avoiding the "completed" but not furnished medical wing, partly because it was her day off and partly because the fact that it was not furnished actually caused the rather even-keeled woman some stress, though she knew there was no way to "hurry" her Residency. Well, there was, but Ami refused to accept it.
She herself was dressed simply. Not being at the hospital, she was not dressed particularly professionally, though she dressed neatly enough. The style of her blue-black hair had not changed much, though perhaps it framed her face a bit more than it used to. The simple blue jumper dress was chosen more for its comfort than for any sense of fashion, though it was cute enough.
Her steps lead her to Rei's shrine. She smiled a bit thinking of all the time that they had spent at the Hikawa Shrine. While she knew that this one was different, she suspected that it would not take Rei long to make it feel "right." When she saw that one of the shutters had been opened, she approached the door of the shrine and knocked, hoping that Rei would not mind company so early in the morning.
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Post by Hino Rei on Dec 9, 2008 17:59:19 GMT -5
Rei had just picked up one of the books she'd been studying lately when a knock sounded at the door. Glancing up, the woman found her tea cup and picked it up, and her eyes fell back to her book. "Come in," She called just loudly enough that whomever was outside might hear her. It was unusual for anyone else in this palace save the few servants who had begun work to be up quite as early as her--or so Rei thought, at any rate. She rarely left her shrine before the sun broke over the horizon, and so she'd never know who else enjoyed the grey half-light of the wee hours.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 9, 2008 18:11:36 GMT -5
Ami smiled a bit apologetically as she slipped in. "Good Morning, Rei. I hope you don't mind me intruding on your morning but I saw that your shutter was opened, and since I'm gone so much, I thought I'd drop by."
She glanced around and smiled, "You've done quite a beautiful job with the Shrine. I have to admit, it's nice to see something other than white walls all the time." She was still trying to decide if she wanted to leave the medical wing in "hospital white" or to paint it with softer soothing colors. She grinned, "I think you just made up my mind about the medical wing, actually."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 9, 2008 22:14:27 GMT -5
Makoto was furious. The palace kitchens were supposed to be running at 100% as of this morning. What she found when she arrived downstairs was not a fully functioning kitchen.
It should have been up and running over a week ago. But the state of affairs as of this morning...well, it just wasn't pretty. Gas lines were not properly connected, there were leaky pipes and faucets at several stations, at least 3 light fixtures were flickering...the list just got worse from there. When she found the boxes of crushed dinnerware, she went ballistic. Hell hath no fury like a Makoto who's had her kitchen effed with. She screamed at the construction manager for a good hour and a half, though to him it must have felt like an eternity. All the poor bastard could do was nod and eke out an occasional "Yes ma'am; as soon as possible, ma'am". By the time she was finished with him, he was darn close to tears and he scuttled out of the "kitchen" as quickly as possible. She scanned the room one last time for targets, and when she found none (as they'd all retreated as soon as she'd let into the manager) she let out a frustrated screech that echoed through the empty room before storming out.
She needed to vent. Let off some steam. Something to get her mind off that mess of a kitchen. She decided to head for the gym, stopping by the shrine first to see if Rei might be up for a quick spar. As she neared the shrine, she noted the door was slightly ajar and she heard voices coming from the opened window. One of those voices she hadn't heard in what seemed like quite a while. Her mood instantly began to lift at the thought of spending some time catching up with the girls.
She tapped on the door jamb as she entered the shrine. "Well well, look what the cat dragged in. Good morning Ami-chan, Rei-chan", she said with a smile. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
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Post by Hino Rei on Dec 9, 2008 23:33:39 GMT -5
Rei looked up again only after Ami spoke. The smile on her face wasn't the same forced one she'd begun to take with several annoying 'patrons' these past few weeks, but a rare, true one. It had been quite awhile since she'd seen Ami, as their schedules seemed to conflict a lot these days. "Good morning to you, too."
The priestess turned to a small cabinet beside her and took a cup from within, "Tea?"
"Thank you; what idea might that be?" Rei continued on. She was kept from saying any more as another, welcomed, person barged into her shrine. Well well! It seemed her friends were as much a morning person as she was--she'd do well to remember that. "Not at all, Mako-chan. I didn't think you'd be up so early!" She took a third cup out and repeated her question.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 9, 2008 23:46:02 GMT -5
Ami smiled. She regretted that her Residency kept her from spending much time with her friends, at least outside of the wedding planning meetings. "Yes, please." She took a seat with less grace than Rei would, but still rather smoothly. "Oh, I think I'm..." She turned to the door and grinned seeing Makoto.
"Mako-chan! Good morning!" She chuckled, if only the others showed up, this would be just like old times. It was just good to get to see her friends and actually have some time to spend with them.
Well, Ami had never been one to sleep in much, after all school and eventually med school had required that one learn to exist on small amounts of sleep, and her Residency had made that into an art form. She grinned as she looked to the other two, "I'm glad you are, both of you though. I know that I'm gone too much, so it's good to get to see you."
She'd half forgotten that she had been about to tell Rei something, just being glad to be with them.
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Post by serenity on Dec 10, 2008 3:58:05 GMT -5
Soft white hair was straightened, bangs curling over his left eye in a rather fetching manner. Amber gaze was soft and kind. His clothing consisted of earth-friendly attire, a long-sleeved light cerulean blue button-up shirt and a pair of impeccably white pants. Red jewel on his forehead sparkled cheerfully as the sun hit it. He had just came from Elysion and was quite happy to be on Earth again. He stopped, seeing three of the senshi he knew.
"Ami, Rei, Makoto" His voice came out soft and kind, as always. The horn from back when Nehellenia was around, was gone. It still felt odd, not having it, but he'd get used to it. Runners were also white, and he held a suitcase in his left hand. He smiled at the three females, glad to see them.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 10, 2008 8:55:03 GMT -5
Makoto grinned at Rei's welcome. "Normally I wouldn't be up like this on a day off. And after the morning I've had so far, I probably should have just gone back to bed. But I'm glad I decided to stop by anyways." She chuckled, then added, "Tea would be fabulous right about now."
She moved over towards an open cushion near Ami and gave the girl a squeeze. "We sure have missed you around here" she said with a smile. "Pardon my interruption, though. Please continue with what you were saying. I want to hear all about how our Ami-chan has been doing lately." Being one with long legs, kneeling wasn't really her 'thing' as her legs would always wind up falling asleep, so she sat with her legs curled to the side. She began thinking to herself that today may not turn out to be so bad after all.
Before she could start listening to what Ami was about to say, she heard another familiar voice and looked up. When she saw who it was, she smiled and nodded and returned the greeting. "Hello, Helios"
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Post by Hino Rei on Dec 10, 2008 10:07:25 GMT -5
Rei lifted a brow at Makoto's almost "cryptic" comment about her morning. She put the two cups down and lifted the pot to fill them each just as the sun began to come up over the inner walls of the palace. When they were both left with steaming cups Rei put the teapot down upon its braizer once more and leaned over to flip the other shutter open that they might see the sunlit gardens outside. Just as she'd suspected, there were rainclouds on the horizon.
"Ami, you were saying something about your plans for the hospital?" She prompted as she returned to her seat. The Fire Senshi gave a nod to Helios in greeting and smile, but let her attention remain upon her rarely seen friend.
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Dec 10, 2008 10:24:04 GMT -5
Ami leaned into Makoto's hug and grinned. She nodded with a warm smile to Helios, but went to answer her friends' questions, letting the tea cool before picking it up. "I was trying to decide if I wanted to paint it something other than white. White is very clean, but there's so much white here, and seeing your shrine, I think maybe you have the right idea. So, I think I will go with the idea of painting it soothing colors, but something other than stark white."
She chuckled softly as she thought about what Makoto had said, "I hate to disappoint, Mako-chan, but there's not been that much interesting happening. My hospital residency takes up most of my time." She smiled, "It's only a few more months, and then I won't be so rare, I promise."
Ami turned to Makoto, "So what was so bad about your morning, Mako-chan?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Dec 10, 2008 11:24:43 GMT -5
Makoto nodded her appreciation to Rei for the tea before turning to listen to what Ami had to say. She smiled at the thought of her good friend finishing up her residency in the not-too-distant future. Not being used to all the new staff and servants and whatnot, she truly appreciated seeing familiar faces around the palace. It was a huge comfort to have her friends nearby.
She did, however, frown at Ami's question. She wanted to vent, but wasn't completely sure her friends were ready for such an earful so early in the morning. So she paused to sip her still-hot tea and to quickly gather her thoughts. "Well, where do I begin?" she started with a slight chuckle. "Trying to get this palace kitchen up and running has been...well...frustrating, I guess is the nicest way to put it. The workers are behind schedule as it is, and the mess I found this morning was the straw that broke this little camel's back." She sighed, wondering how much detail the girls really wanted, then continued as tactfully as possible. "Let's just hope that the 'motivation speech' I gave the manager this morning will light a fire under his ass to get this thing finished. It's enough that I'm juggling the restaurant kitchen along with this. Running between two locations has not been easy, to say the least. Thankfully the restaurant has been running smoothly, but still..." She trailed off. She ran her hand through her bangs to brush them off her face, then smiled. "I think the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that when all this is finished I am taking a vacation and nobody is keeping me from it."
She reached for her cup of tea again, pausing to let the sunlight hit her face as it came in through the open window. She sipped the tea and savored it for a moment. Finally taking a good look around the room, she sighed again and smiled. "Oh, enough about me. Rei-chan, this place is fantastic! It must be such a relief to have everything completely set up." She let out a small laugh and gave Rei a dreamy look. "Tell me how it feels."
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Post by serenity on Dec 10, 2008 18:11:45 GMT -5
The priest smiled softly "Hey, guys? um...I'm staying here on earth for awhile." He blinked though, because he had seemed to be somewhat..ignored? He blinked again, but sighed, and placed his suitcase on the ground, he hadn't seen the senshi in YEARS. He kept pretty quiet though, a thoughtful look on his face. He was quite used to it, but he hadn't expected much when he came back, though, seeing these three again had made him feel rather happy. He leaned against the doorframe, closing his bright golden gaze, listening to the girls talk.
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Post by Hino Rei on Dec 10, 2008 18:50:41 GMT -5
"That sounds like a good idea, Ami," Rei replied with a nod. Now that she had her answer, she looked to the other person encroaching upon the shrine at such an early hour. One hand lifted to wave him further into the room, "I hadn't even heard you were coming, Helios. Elysion fares well, then?"
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Post by serenity on Dec 10, 2008 19:39:20 GMT -5
He approached the Senshi, and sat by them "It fares better than it ever did..Dreams are plenty and flourishing.." He smiled at them "How are things here?" He inquired, his golden gaze soft and kind. His style had changed from when they last saw him, yet..He couldn't help but be happy to see them. "It is very good to see all of you again...it truly is...I have missed everyone."
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