"Actual Customers"
"This is insane...What are we going to do? How long do they plan to stay?" Hotaru looked over her shoulder and up at Usagi, but the girl looked down at her calmly and shook her head.
"I don't know dear...All we can do is ride it out and hope Neji or one of the boys comes by and help us out. Right now we just need to play nice and make sure they don't kill us." She patted Hotaru's shoulder, but the girl shook her head quickly and looked back around the corner.
"I could take them. There are only eight, I could take them." She narrowed her eyes, her fingers drumming on the wall silently as she plotted her moves. Usagi put her hand over Hotaru's hand though, making her look up at her. She shook her head a second time.
"No, baby girl. Just let this one go. They have yet to do anything but be rude to us, we cannot kill or hurt for no reason. Just play nice." She sighed and stared until Hotaru sighed and nodded. "Good, now come on." She straightened up, took a deep breath, then went fully around the corner.
"Just leave your shoes there gentlemen, I'll put them in lockers for all of you." She smiled and waved a polite hand to motion for them to step up into the house. All of them stood there and blinked at first, as if surprised to see a woman, then they looked at the man standing next to her. He was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Four rooms." They all started up into the hallway at that. The tall blue one remained standing where he was though, staring at her with a slightly open mouth. Usagi smiled calmly at him.
"Please, sir, do come in. It's wonderful to have you staying with us. We hope you find everything to your liking." She bowed and waited for a moment before rising. The blue man nodded slowly, then stepped up into the foyer, the other man turning and starting down the left side of the hall.
"We'll have dinner at seven. Come, Kisame." The blue man finally tore his eyes off of Usagi and turned, walking down the hall after the smaller man, making Usagi genuinely smile and put a hand to her lips to cover her giggle. Hotaru studied Usagi for a brief moment before walking up to her, trying to see why the blue man had stared at her like the sun shone out of her ass. Men never looked at Usa-chan that way...or did they? She never really paid attention to how men looked at her, but that didn't matter. This one was completely taken with her onee-san; why though?
Usagi had her auburn hued hair swept up into its usual bun, neatly pulled atop her head, not a hair out of place. A single strand hung in front of one ear, but often she had it tucked behind her ear so you couldn't tell. She had a brown hair stick on the left side of it, tiny lilac colored blossoms hanging off of it at a modestly short length, the string showing between them. She had in simple pearl earrings and baby pink lips, her eyes lined very lightly in black. Her kimono was worn the traditional way, wrapped tightly over her curved form, accentuating her unusual height.
It was mint green colored silk, lined in white with sprigs of lilac swooping this way and that over it, their blossoms blown about in odd patterns by some unseen wind. Her white tabi peeked from beneath the white hem of her robe and her thick obi was tied traditionally in the back, with a pale pattern on it-just like Hotaru's. Her obi had a lilac colored chord wrapped around it though, a little thicker than the one Hotaru had, and its braided tails mixed in with the length of the bow to her obi.
Hotaru shook off her thoughts and walked over to her friend, touching her arm lightly as they both stared down the now empty hallway. Usagi sighed, "I need to get started on dinner now, since we're feeding eight extra." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I have no idea WHAT I'm going to make...it's been so long since we've had customers to actually FEED." Hotaru suddenly opened her eyes in realization, putting her fingertips to her lips and gripping a little harder on Usagi's arm. "What, what is it, dear? What's wrong?" Usagi frowned, putting a hand on the back of her friend's neck, feeling the warmth there. Hotaru looked up at her with big eyes, fear glimmering in them.
"They're customers!" She gasped and Usagi giggled softly, nodding like she was a small child.
"Yes, honey, whether we like it or not, they're customers." She confirmed and Hotaru felt tears well in her eyes.
"Oh, Usa-chan, you don't understand! They're customers!" She suddenly hugged her best friend, fighting back tears as she thought about how perfect her afternoon had been not ten seconds ago. "Please don't make me sleep with them! We don't need the money that bad! They don't even seem to realize! Please don't! We don't have to, do we? We aren't gonna sleep with them, right?" She begged, looking up at her with the same terrified eyes. Usagi laughed aloud.
"Oh, baby girl, I forgot all about that! I really thought we had an honest ryokan on our hands for a moment there!" She laughed again and Hotaru let out a shaky one, pulling back and dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her kimono sleeve. Usagi popped her hand though, "Ah, ah! What have I told you about that? Those things are expensive!" Hotaru nodded and sighed, dropping her hand back to her side.
"Sorry." She muttered and Usagi let her features soften again. She reached out and cupped Hotaru's cheek.
"It's okay, honey, we don't have to...well, you know..." Hotaru looked up at her with big, relieved eyes. Usagi smiled, "Like you said, they don't even seem to realize yet. We'll just let them think this is a ryokan, okay?" Hotaru nodded quickly and beamed. "Now, I'm going to get started on dinner. Help me get some tea on and take it to them, alright?" Hotaru nodded once more, hugging Usagi tightly before starting down the hall with her, feeling much better already.