2-2: Invitation to Dinner
The bus rolled on ahead after his departure, leaving him to stare after it while blocking off the glare of the early evening sun with his right hand. There was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he hadn't remembered the arrival time correctly, but then again the bus had also taken its sweet time in making its way. These nagging feelings of his were usually wrong, by most accounts, anyway. Either that, or it was the unnatural chill in the air that was putting him on edge. Yet there was nothing to be done about it in either event, so he hefted the small, cloth-bound traveling bag that was slung over his left shoulder, tightened his belt to secure the staff-like katana strapped to his back, and proceeded along the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the now out-of-sight bus.
Even though he had already seen this part of the neighborhood before, he was nonetheless continually amazed at how big some of the houses were, to say nothing of the house that he was headed for. And there were even more awe-inspiring houses as he rounded the corner of the block. Some were built with traditional Japanese tiled roofs and whitewashed woodwork, and the designing styles went all the way down to what might have been medieval, European masonry. They were all fine examples of artistry and design in their own rights, but not a single one of them came anywhere close to matching the sheer impressiveness of the Daidouji manor. In his opinion, at least.
For some reason, he then momentarily found himself wondering about how he hadn't clued in to the size of the Daidouji manor, when he had ended up being surprised by it the previous day. More especially so, since one would have had to have taken into consideration the type of neighborhood that this was.
He then spun to his right to face the gate, and there he was at said manor. He still couldn't get over how big the "front yard" was, and only his imagination could ponder up the size of the building's interior. For a moment, he considered how much the upkeep and cleaning maintenance must cost for a place like this, but shoved the though right from his mind as quickly as it had entered. His own place was enough of a mess at the moment, and he dared not consider someone else's.
He pressed the button below the intercom speaker, causing a small buzz to emit from the white box as it signaled for whomever was working gate duty that day. A female voice took notice of him, "Yes, may I ask who this is?"
Reios offered up his name politely, and sensed an understandable hesitation as the listener awaited his surname. Yet no surname was forthcoming, and though he grew worried that he might be denied entry, the female on the other end eventually came back and asked him to wait while she released the lock on the gate. Stepping back from the intercom, he set his free right hand behind his back, made his way through the gates as they opened, and walked his way at a deliberately slow pace along the garden's main path to admire as much detail as he possibly could.
Most of the newly-revealed areas of the garden were much the same as that which he had observed from his short time the previous day: paths lined with bushes and arbors surrounding either smaller fountains or similar decorations, and even a secluded and shaded resting spot come complete with an old-fashioned picnic table. The estate grounds were at least two-thirds of a kilometer wide, and from what he could see of the building, the grounds were probably equally as long. A gardener's dream and nightmare, all in one package.
The building itself had at least as much window as it did wall, displaying an elegant, angled look all along its front side, with various balconies jutting out for each room that he could discern. The walls on the left side were lined with rosebushes and flowering vines all growing along tall latices, while the right was shaded off as a kind of porch that was enclosed within a wall of windows.
He turned about in place to check out more of the garden, but was forced to make a check against his own gawking as footsteps began to approach him from manor, turning back as he did so to greet the maid servant that was making her way towards him. As she approached, she spoke in a quiet voice of how the house mistresses were still busy preparing the evening dinner, were unable to meet with him in person, and that they had asked for him to be taken to a waiting room and made comfortable. Not one to argue with potential comfort, especially seeing as he was to be made an honored guest (a fact that made him inwardly roll his eyes), he nodded with a smile and followed the maid in through the front door.
The foyer of the manor was just as beautifully and elegantly designed as the outside, with polished marble flooring covered over with a royal-red hall rug, decorative, greek-style support pillars, and various floral arrangements set within porcelain pottery, themselves set atop stonework pedestals that sat at various points all along the beige-painted walls. And wherever there was an empty space along the wall, areas left uncovered by the myriad potted flowers, there sat an abstract or scenic painting to fill the gap. This method of furnishing easily fulfilled the role of an art museum, and that was in just this one singular room.
His eyes spotted a staircase at the end of one hall, and he wondered as to how many floors the manor might possibly have. Surely three, at the least. Perhaps four, even? Looking up to make an assessment, he found a gold-wrought chandelier hanging directly above him, fitted with what must have been diamonds, as well as other types of chain-linked, decorative gems. That bit of décor looked out of place, at least, seeing as it was large enough to have originated from a fantasy-styled castle's ball room.
A door unlatched to his left, snapping his attention back to reality. He quickly thanked the maid for her efforts, walking into the waiting room with a slight bow of his head as he passed. As he pulled the staff from the back of his belt, the maid told him that she would inform the young Ms. Daidouji of his arrival so that he may be properly greeted. He turned his head and gave the maid a grateful smile as he leaned his staff on a nearby chair, as well as taking his heavy, cloth-bound bag away from his shoulder and placing it onto the seat. Her job completed, the maid closed the door gently behind her, the latch sounding out with a soft click.
He turned back around slowly, taking the time to examine the room around him. It was slightly bland by comparison to the foyer, with only one painting and various potted plants seated atop some notably less grandiose pedestals, and three velvet, single-seater couches set around a low table. It was nonetheless an amazing display of the well-to-do, as this "lesser display" dwarfed his apartment's main room by a considerable amount. The few other rooms he had managed to look into on the way through seemed to follow a similar beige theme, with designs of sculptures and art, with pottery or plants set around to fill the gaps. Of course, this was just a simple waiting room. He was sure that most of the other rooms, by comparison, were far better suited for hosting guests.
Eventually coming to a stop at a window, he stared out into what appeared to be the the garden on the left side of the house. As he watched, a bird with dull-red feathering flew into view and rested along the edge of one of the smaller fountains, fluttering a wing into the water to bathe itself. With his eyes filled by the calming scenery of nature, he allowed his mind to wander away, flying off with that little bird as it took to the skies again, to a point that he thought he should remember. Something that was at the edge of his memory...
The doorknob rattled, ripping him back into reality. Turning to greet this new person, he came about to see a woman in a tight-set, rose-red business suit, it's color blending in sharply with that of her vibrant and short-cut, dark brown hair. She had a face that appeared more handsome than beautiful, yet all the same held a youthful exuberance that most (older) men would have died for. That didn't make her any less of a wonder, though, for the pose that she held herself in demanded a great sense of respect from anyone that was in her presence, yet at the same time allowed for a womanly grace that betrayed a hidden agility. Her eyes, a deep blue (which he noted were very close to Tomoyo's more amethyst-like eyes), also revealed a gentle nature that could only come with the experience of motherhood.
Even had he not matched the eyes, it was very easy to tell that this was Tomoyo's mother, and the head of the household, to be sure. Reios bowed in a western style with as much elegance as he could muster, "Nice to meet you. I am Reios."
The woman returned his introduction with a nod of her own, "And I am Sonomi Daidouji. Welcome," she said as she moved into the room, stepping around to half-lean against one of the unoccupied chairs, "I have heard from my daughter of what you did for her and Sakura. Turning around a situation that could have ended in disaster for the both of them, and then to also ensure the well-being of practical strangers afterwards. I must admire your sense of good will."
Reios had expected this, and shook his head in response to her words, dismissing all of the high praise, "No, please, do not make me out to be some kind of hero. I was merely in the area at the right time, and I did what I could for those in need. A mere coincidence such as that does not deserve such praise."
Sonomi practically ignored him, and pressed the issue, "Yet a hero is what you have portrayed. Thus, a hero you shall be treated as. After all, is it not the will and duty of a hero to do exactly that which you have displayed?"
Reios found himself once again being caught within a trap of words, a skill that the entire Daidouji family seemed to possess. Either that, or he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep the previous night. Forced into a proverbial corner, he finally accepted the praise that was being awarded to him, looking away from her to avoid further embarrassment to himself as he scratched at his head. He wondered inwardly on how he allowed himself into these things, and made a mental note to watch his choice of words in the future.
A knock sounded through the nearby door, which opened moments later to reveal both Sakura and Tomoyo with a serving maid waiting behind them patiently. Acting as the hostess, Tomoyo bowed slightly in greeting, and announced, "Dinner is ready to be served. If you will follow us, the maid here will take your belongings while we eat."
Reios went on the defensive almost immediately, his peripheral vision locking intently onto his precious wooden staff. He didn't much care for being parted with it, regardless of the situation, though it was mostly because of it's truer, hidden form. Someone inadvertently discovering that form could land him in some serious hot water if he wasn't around to explain it away. But then, he realized that it was also fully a trust issue, and that he had to place his trust these people if he truly wanted to be friends with them. They were trusting him by allowing his presence – and his sword, which Tomoyo, Sakura, and likely Tomoyo's mother as well, all knew the truth about – in their home, after all.
Shaking out of his hesitation, he nodded in acceptance to the two girls and stepped off to the side as the maid entered and collected his belongings. Once those were removed, he was ushered back out of the room by Sonomi, falling in step with the four ladies as they made their way back through the manor's foyer.
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Sakura shifted the spoon slightly to the side to remove the blinding glare from the lights of the chandelier above, and poked her fork into a few leafs of salad. Originally, such a thing wouldn't have bothered her so much. but as she had continued to grow, and as her inner powers had grown alongside her, both her clairvoyant and physical senses had also increased in awareness until she had finally started noticing a heightened sensitivity for light, and that the food she ate tasted far better than it normally would. And that was just for starters.
Sakura, as she had practiced and learned as Kero's (and sometimes as Eriol's) student, had learned to more accurately utilize her enhanced senses, as well as to access her sixth sense more easily. Without looking up from her dinner plate, she could now easily see the entire room around her: a long and narrow dining room brightly lit with artificial lighting from the chandelier above her, and a thin but cheerful evening light pouring in from the east-facing window. Her current, downward-facing visual angle made it slightly difficult to make out the two paintings that decorated the wall before her, yet through her enhanced senses, she could more than easily make out the one hanging directly opposite of her with just her peripheral vision: a depiction of a woman in flowing robes standing valiantly against a cruel and powerful windstorm.
Noticing that she had stalled her eating just to reminisce on her teachings, she raised her fork to her mouth before anyone could think to question her on it.
The four of them had been discussing various stories of the past over the course of their evening dinner (a spicy Italian-style pasta with a cool-dressed salad to balance the flavor – Tomoyo's most recent specialty), and had come to learn that Reios was indeed from overseas. Originally from somewhere within Canadian borders, it seemed, though he hadn't exactly specified any further on it. Beyond that, and revealing that he had always held a passionate interest in the arts and culture of Japan, he had actually managed to remain rather quiet throughout the whole of the dinner.
Sakura wondered to herself about why Tomoyo had failed to ask the few questions that she had said had been weighing on her mind since the previous day. From what little Tomoyo had mentioned of her walk home with their newest friend, Sakura thought that perhaps she was waiting for an even more privatized setting than this? What could be so important that Tomoyo could not ask something of him in front of her own mother? Still, it left Sakura just a little bit disheartened that she had learned so very little about him, but in the long run it was of little consequence. There was plenty enough of an evening left to them, and she was sure that Tomoyo would find an opportunity to voice her inquiries at some point.
Before long, their plates were cleaned of the food that Tomoyo and Sakura had helped to prepare. Reios, having said so little all evening, surprised them as the first to speak, "This pasta was delicious – Italian, right? I admit, I'm not one for spicy foods, but this was amazing. By any standard."
"He's right, it was great," Sakura added, jumping onto the proverbial bandwagon, "Tomoyo, you really can make anything, can't you?"
Tomoyo attempted to restrain her excitement at receiving such high praise from Sakura, let alone the entire room, but she still couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly. A slight smile managed to break through, as she replied in a somewhat humble tone, "It's a simple enough recipe. Nothing special on my part, honestly."
"No, it was wonderful! I probably would have made it too spicy, if it had been just me making it," Sakura exclaimed, refuting Tomoyo's attempt at modesty. She wasn't about to let Tomoyo back out of this one, it seemed.
Sonomi smiled as Sakura continued to press the case, her head resting atop a pair of folded hands as she watched the two girls go back and forth with one another. That smile soon gave way to a slight scowl as a maid made to approach, and not surprisingly with a cordless phone in her hands. The rest of the diners watched quietly as Sonomi muttered into it, her mood growing increasingly agitated as she went. But of course the main office would call her up! Now, of all possible times, stating that they urgently required her professional expertise most specifically on her day off. She would have been more than just "agitated" had she not fully expected it.
After returning the phone to the maid, she stood up to depart, breaking off any potential for further rounds of talks, "Well, as much as I would like to continue to get to know your new friend better, I, unfortunately, have business to attend to. I'm sure we'll have more chances to talk in the future, however."
She nodded politely to Reios as she turned to leave, but with an intensity in her eyes that said more to him visually than she had verbally. He knew by that gaze that she still wanted to say thank you for having saved the two girls. He nodded back equally, mentally thanking her in turn for choosing not to embarrass him in front of them.
The three of them departed the dining room, with Sonomi leaving them a short remark of gratitude for their company and dinner as she made her way down a hallway to wherever it was that her home office was located. Tomoyo then offered that they move to a more comfortable setting, and raised a hand to point the way down further into another corridor and towards a set of wide, rosewood-banister stairs.
She started up the first step, but turned back about as she thought of something, "Oh, we should bring up something to settle the night with. Maybe some tea? Apparently the head chef managed to acquire this amazing, flavored-type tea. You two go on ahead, I'll go get some!"
"Wait, I'll go with you," Sakura cut in, stopping Tomoyo before she could depart, "It's too much to carry all that, and I imagine we'll want to bring up some desert, too. Let me help."
Tomoyo didn't really want to ask Reios to find his own way around, yet fortune smiled upon her as a maid crossed their path. Stopping her, Tomoyo asked the servant to direct Reios to her room, while Sakura and herself returned to the kitchens to collect a desert tray for themselves.
Before he could even put a single thought into offering to help them, he was being led away by that servant, up the stairs and towards whichever of the various doors lead to Tomoyo's room. As if to deny the use of so much house space, it actually ended up being the first door on their right just after cresting the second floor.
The maid twisted the door knob for him and beckoned him inside, though he instead chose to hold his place for a moment. He felt a twinge of hesitation about having to lounge around within a girl's room, especially if they weren't around. But he then shook off his childish thoughts as best he could, realizing instead that he would be better off to act his own age. He was a guest (of honor, he joked), not a date, and he certainly didn't want to seem ungrateful for anything they had offered to him thus far. Sighing inwardly, he thanked the maid for her services, and stepped through the door that she had opened for him.
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