axa:So here it is! The much awaited meeting of the two! Gosh and all, but I hope you like it!
They arrived soon after by carriage bearing the Dion crest, a purple mythical creature their clan named as Dizzara but is fondly referred to as Dizzy. A footman opened the carriage door and out went the unmasked young Earl Kenneth Dion whose father retired early and left with his mother to travel the world. He was followed by his masked guests, the females assisted by the attending footman. The last to exit the carriage was none other than the enigma of the female guests who saw her, Ms. Takao Kinomiya.
They were led to the entrance of the large ballroom where the party was already in full swing. Two attendants were standing on each side of the double doors, one of which stepped forward and asked for the invitation. Kenny handed over the card and asked to be announced as "Earl Kenneth Dion and guests." The doors were opened before them and the same attendant announced in a loud voice, "Earl Kenneth Dion and guests," which carried throughout the ballroom. The loud buzzing ceased at once and the musicians stopped their playing. All eyes turned toward the newcomers who were slowly descending the stairway. Then gossip spread like wildfire, mostly among the female population, hiding their machine gun mouths behind their fluttering fans.
"Can you believe it? He actually came. And with guests, too!" a group of young girls were gossiping.
"No matter what, you must get him to court you," a mother told her daughter. "Think of the fame and fortune we'll obtain when you marry the young earl. Oh, never mind his unbecoming glasses!"
"Look at his young lady guests, Mother. Those dresses are quite… different, don't you agree?" a young chit chatted with her mother. "The younger one looks… underdressed and yet that dress suits her so. And what a lovely mask! How scandalous!"
"Exotic-looking guests, wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?" said one of the girls who were surrounding Prince Kai, vying for attention.
Kai said nothing, only staring at the girl with midnight-blue hair and that familiar mask she wears. There's something captivating about her, like a goddess descending in the form of an exotic angel. And for the life of him, he felt drawn for the first time to a member of the opposite gender. Tala did not miss the look his childhood friend wore as he gazed at the girl. He very well understood the feeling for he, himself felt inexplicably attracted to the new angelic specimen that deign to grace the ball with her heavenly presence.
The music started up again and the people once again chatted and mingled, filling the room with buzzes of conversation. Kenny and his group made their way to a vacant table where Max pulled out a chair for his mother to sit in. Rei and Max sat down at the same time next to each other. And Kenny pulled out a chair for Takao-chan to sit, then took a seat himself.
Prince Kai cursed the females' unpredictable mind. He painted his face and opted not to wear any mask as a sign of open rebellion of his unwilling attendance to this Royal Grand Ball. He hoped that by doing so, he would scare off any vultures that wish to prey on his high rank in the kingdom. His plan fell to pieces when those chits only flocked all the more so to him. Painting his face only backfired on him. Now these overly-perfumed beings are blocking his way toward one precious jewel among their kind.
Kenny and the others received glasses of beverages ranging from fruit punch to champagne. Prince Kai, with a little help from Tala, managed to escape and they both made it to Earl Dion's table with little mishap. At that moment, the attendant from the entrance announced, "Ambassador of Japan, General Tachibana and his daughter."
Max, Judy and Takao-chan stilled eyes wide. The two teens grinned and Judy was positively ecstatic. The other two just looked at them, puzzled until Kenny noticed His Highness Prince Kai and his advisor Tala, standing right behind Takao-chan. He stood up immediately and bowed. "Your Highness, Advisor, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
Tyson went rigid and refused to turn around and encounter head on the smoldering gaze he felt boring holes on his back. Kai signaled Kenny to sit down. "Your guests intrigued me, especially with their unique clothes. But the introductions will come later. Firstly, have you heard the recent gossip just when you arrived? No one would have thought that you'd be accepting the invitation and attend…Kenny." Kai smirked at the young earl.
Kenny looked relieved and smiled cynically. "Thanks a lot, Kai. But coming from you, I feel a lot better. At least you have a more dire case than mine." He gestured his guests and introduced them one by one. "The man in silk of Chinese origin is a friend of mine from China. His name is Rei Kon," and Rei stood up, taking off his mask and bowing in is traditional Chinese way. "He's quite learned and a polyglot plus he's quite famous and revered in his country."
Kai and Tala were surprised by Rei's cat-like features. "Nice to meet you," they both murmured.
"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness, Advisor," Rei replied in English without any accent, sitting down again without bothering with the mask again.
"The lovely woman to your left is Mrs. Judy Mizuhara and her son, Max Mizuhara. She's the American ambassador married to the world renowned Japanese smith," Kenny continued. Max placed his kitsune mask to the side of his head and smiled his greeting.
"You have quite an intriguing mask there, Mr. Mizuhara," Tala said.
"It's a kitsune mask. In your language, it would be a fox mask. It's quite known in Japan due to our superstitious beliefs," Max cheerfully explained.
"Mrs. Mizuhara," Kai bowed. "Your husband is very talented in his occupation. The royal family has quite a few pieces of his. I, myself, own several Japanese swords he forged."
"Ah, but Kai, she is quite an accomplished woman. Not only is she an ambassador on demand for peace talks to other countries, she can hold her own as a scientist. In fact, her knowledge is quite in demand wherever she goes," Kenny sang high praises.
"You exaggerate, Kenny," Judy said humbly. "And please call me Judy."
"Call me Max too!" Max piped up. "And you can just call that neko over there Rei," he pointed at Rei.
"Neko?" Tala repeated, confused.
"It means cat in Japanese," Kenny answered.
"Putting that aside," Prince Kai cut in smoothly. "Who is this mysterious creature before me, Kenny?"
"Impatient are we, Kai?" Kenny asked in amusement. Judy giggled behind her fan.
"On the contrary, Kenny," Kai contradicted. "I'm a very patient man. But there comes a time when something drags too long and you know I can get very irritated, Kenny."
"Yes, I do know that for a fact. It comes with experience from being childhood friends," Kenny agreed, nodding sagely. "Takao-chan," Kenny addressed his last guest. "Can you please face Kai?"
Takao slowly shifted in her seat so that she was sitting sideways in a demure fashion, her head slowly lifted and she gazed directly at Kai, her hands clenching her fan on her lap. Crimson orbs meet swirly pools of midnight peering through those holes of her mask. Kai, a self-proclaimed homo, is now entertaining the possibility of being a bi.
"This is Ms. Takao Kinomiya, a family friend of Mizuharas," Kenny introduced her, successfully hiding his anxiety and urge to guffaw.
Takao smiled sweetly. "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!" she said in a seemingly seductive tone. Kai was mesmerized and all but gulped when his throat suddenly felt dry. Takao-chan looked at Kai in concern when he didn't respond. "Doushimashita?" she asked him. But Prince Kai only looked at her, his face expressionless and suffused with a red tint. Her left hand flew to her mouth, face showing alarm. "Kyouji-kun taihen! Kai-sama wa…"
Tala discreetly nudged Kai, snapping him from his daze. "Daijoubu, Takao-chan," Max assured her. Takao-chan looked to Kenny for further assurance. "Hontou ni?" Kenny smiled and answered, "Hontou."
"Wow, Kenny. You can talk like a native," Tala observed.
"Ah, well, that is thanks to my guest. Their tales are quite interesting to listen to," said Kenny bashfully.
"Your Highness, there you are!" a smoky voice interrupted, its owner clinging to Kai's right arm. "I have been searching for you everywhere," she said in a seductive voice but she failed miserably. She was a mature woman a few years older than the group save for Judy. She was in one of those revealing dresses that were supposed to attract men like bees to honey, insolently rubbing her busty chest on Prince Kai's arm, trying to get his attention on her meagerly clothed mounds.
"Prince Kai!" another girl a lot younger than the first, appeared on the other side of the prince, insolently pushing Tala out of the way."Wouldn't you rather accompany me than these foreigners?" she tried to persuade the prince. Soon, more of the girls came and crowded around Kai.
"Why don't we leave these children and spend your time with a real woman like me," the first woman said in that fake seductive voice. The other man-hunters voiced their protests and the next thing he knows, Prince Kai was dragged away with Tala following his tail.
TBC...
axa: How was it? Do you like it? Do you know what the Phantom Dragon is after this time? Keep on guessing!