She had just finished lighting the last candle when the bell rang at the door.
"Now who could that be, coming in this weather?" Rei thought out loud. But true to the temple, she ventured out to answer. Sighing, she left the freshly prepared bath.
Her feet padded lightly into the foyer to answer the door, still slightly displeased. Who would have the sense of mind to venture out in this weather, anyway? It had been pouring steadily throughout the day, not enough to drench, but just enough so you can never keep your clothes dry.
She opened the door to the sight of a very drenched Ami. She couldn't help but scoff. There she stood, looking quite like a drowned rat in a storm, holding a limp newspaper quite ineffectively over her head.
"Ami… Wha--?" Her voice trailed off, unable to form words completely. She couldn't help but admire her in her element, the water forming small droplets on her hair and trailing down her cheeks, framing her flushed cheeks quite perfectly. Her clothes stuck to her like a second skin.
"Ummm… Could I come in?"
"Oh! Sorry…" Snapping into motion, she pulled the smaller figure into the temple, taking her wet bookbag with her and setting it lightly on the floor.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
She was worried, to say the least. What would drive Ami out in this weather?
"You must have gotten caught in the storm…"
The nymph averted her eyes, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
"I… Uhm…"
The girl was bright and cheery though, and Rei realized she was nothing more than a perfectly happy girl who had got caught in the rain. Rei sighed as she realized this, cutting off the girl's stuttered explanation.
"I'm sorry--you're fine. We'll worry about all that later," she said, averting her eyes to the drenched bag on the floor. She talked as she guided her with a gentle hand through the quiet halls of the temple.
"I'm sure you brought some clothes but they must be useless by now. We'll let you borrow some of mine while I throw those in the dryer. Let's get you out of those wet clothes first." They stopped in front of the waiting tub, steaming in invitation.
"Why don't you take a warm bath?"
Ami gasped. There were candles everywhere, providing the only light of the room. The smell of jasmine wafted through the air as the candles cast a soft light and long shadows across the walls. Rei chuckled as she bent over and emptied rose petals into the steaming tub. What could she say, she liked to be pampered. She smiled, looking up.
"Why don't you warm up? I'll go get you some clothes…" Her sentence trailed as she turned to leave.
"Rei…" She turned at the door, to see Ami looking back at her with a pained expression.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry… It looks like you had plans. I'm sorry… I really should have called instead of just showing up…"
Rei cast her eyes away at the mention of it.
"Yeah, we had plans… I was gonna have a bath and then have a nice dinner… Just the two of us, with Grandpa out of town for the weekend… It was going to be a really romantic night, but actually, I think you'd rather enjoy it more. Besides, I'd much rather spend the evening with you." Ami's eyebrows raised at the mention of another. She had ruined Rei's evening! She wasn't even aware that Rei had a boyfriend! She gasped; she had not meant to intrude.
"I'm so sorry… Who?"
The miko caught eyes with her reluctantly. Maintaining a steady gaze, she pulled a small rubber ducky from behind her back and squeaked him twice for good measure.
"Ducky." Her eyes lit up as she smiled at her and Ami giggled in return. Relief showed plainly on the nymph's face as she laughed. The miko grinned, tossing the duck as Ami caught it easily.
"Don't worry about it. I was just going to have a quiet evening at home, but I'd much rather enjoy it with you. Besides, I think you'd enjoy the bath more than I, you're shivering." Rei grinned at her once more, than left, leaving Ami to enjoy her bath.
