"It's too stiff," Hikari griped to Nanashi in one of the mayor's guesthouse rooms. She shifted uncomfortably in the new kimono Nanashi had rushed to buy the two of them new ones for this evening.
"It's new," Nanashi said, doing her best to keep her bite out of her tone.
She thought back to yesterday in the alley when Hikari had admitted she was in the museum when the royal family rolled into town. Nanashi was livid with Hikari, but saw an opportunity she could seize. She went herself into the museum to extract Prince Takashi, who was part annoyed with her, and part in awe of her. He looked so young still. Like he was only eighteen or nineteen years old. She brought him with the others to the king and queen, which they were grateful for. After a bit of small talk, she was able to seize an opportunity to speak with Queen Minha privately.
Nanashi stood over Hikari, pulling tightly on the obi behind her. Hikari pulled away, complaining, "it's too tight."
"It needs tight enough to stay up. Hold still," Nanashi explained. She pulled the ends tightly, twisting it into a bow with inexperienced fingers. She looked it over, half tempted go to get Ayane to redo it. "You remember your role for tonight?" she asked quietly.
Hikari looked back at her, irked in her eyes. "Yes," she answered. "Be contradictory and childish." She frowned.
Nanashi read the look on her face. "You went into the museum when I told you not to. So now you need to use what you gleaned in there to our advantage."
"Because you got the queen involved in shutting it down," Hikari grumbled.
"Help me with mine, please," Nanashi said, avoiding the argument. As Hikari tied her obi, with what felt like better precision than Nanashi had, Nanashi kept speaking. "The queen is good at convincing people to compromise. If she can't get Mayor Kaname to close the museum, no one can," she said confidently.
"You're uncle never should have opened it," Hikari admitted. "It's all wrong, mostly wrong. Why would he do that? Why would the mayor not see that?"
Nanashi sighed. "People do lots of things when the money is tempting enough."
"And yet I have to defend it," Hikari griped.
"You have to play devil's advocate as punishment for sneaking off into the museum and lying about it," Nanashi remembered her. "Your father will relay for you as needed. He'll be listening in."
"I don't see why Izo can't do this," Hikari said dejectedly.
"He's not coming, even though he wanted to. That's his punishment for leaving you alone," Nanashi pointed out.
Hikari clicked her teeth, but otherwise went quiet.
Nanashi thought over the plan Queen Minha came up with in her head once more. After telling her about the museum and statue, the queen took to her side, agreeing to see what she could do to get rid of them both in the town. The royal family had already been invited to stay with Mayor Kaname's and his family at the mayor's palace. They got invited to stay at the guest house with the royal family. Queen Minha invited them to a dinner party held in the royal family's honor. Queen Minha's plan was to play off of the mayor's passion and pride in the town's history, which was why he would not close the museum down. Queen Minha was going to have Nanashi share at dinner about growing up in Sarayashiki and have Hikari contradict her and mention about what she saw and read about in the museum. Use the two of them to make Mayor Kaname realize the museum needed replaced with something better.
"Let's go," Nanashi said, giving herself one quick look in the mirror. Hikari followed her out of the room.
They met with Queen Minha at the bottom of the stairwell in the entry way of the mayor's guest house. The queen looked stunning, ageless. Like an eternal elvish beauty. Prince Takashi stood next to her, looking a bit of a sourpuss. "My angel, my lady," the queen said, back held up straight.
"Your majesty, my prince," Nanashi said with a bow. Hikari echoed her in words and motion. The queen and prince bowed to them in time.
"Are you ready?" Queen Minha asked curiously. She nodded to both Nanashi and Hikari.
"Yes, your grace," Nanashi answered.
Queen Minha lead the four of them out of the guest house. Prince Takashi went next, then Hikari after a wave of Nanashi's hand, and then Nanashi herself. Walking as befitting rank. Queen Minha lead them to the mayor's palace across the lawn. Nanashi felt hopeful that the queen could convince Mayor Kaname to close the museum. That was the end goal.
At the door of the palace, the four of them were greeted by the mayor, and his wife, Mira. Nanashi bit back the scowl that wanted to decorate her face at the sight of Kaname's smugness.
"Your majesty," Mayor Kaname said with a bow matched by his wife. "You are a bit early for dinner," he said. Nanashi wanted to smirk. Arriving early. He was flustered. Caught off guard.
"I hope that is quite alright," Queen Minha said in a honeyed, almost flirtatious voice. "I heard your palace is quite a museum of its own. If we have the time, might we explore a bit?"
Mayor Kaname gave her a charming smile. "Of course, your grace," he answered. "Mira, could you go check on dinner for us, please?"
Mira's face flashed disappointment, but she held it in check. "Oh course, my love." She gave him a swift peck on the cheek before retreating away from the rest of them.
"My own personal trophy room hold quite a bit of history of the town. Right this way, your grace," Mayor Kaname said, gesturing for them to follow after them.
They followed after him, with Queen Minha getting Mayor Kaname chatting with him about the town. As they walked. Nanashi was quietly amazed at how much history he knew. He was brief, but thorough. From the centuries the town was founded and its notable history. He was proud of it.
When they reached the trophy room, even Queen Minha gasped. It was a large room, taking up half of the third floor they were on. There we several taxidermy animals, some just heads mounted on the wall. A large, snarling dire wolf in the center. There were also several artifacts and art around the room.
"Whoa, there's more in here than the museum," Hikari blurted out. Nanashi looked over at her, throwing her a questioning look. "Hn," she hummed. Nanashi gave her a quick smirk.
"Does it?" Queen Minha asked. "I'm sure the town's museum has so much more in it though. Especially with how lucrative it is for the town."
Hikari shook her head. "It's just about Mother, my queen," she answered.
"Oh," Queen Minha commented in a disappointed tone.
Mayor Kaname picked up on it, which Nanashi noticed. "Your grace, she's the first known angel born to this realm. And she was born here." He gave Nanashi a polite nod that seemed a bit fake.
"She is quite something," Prince Takashi answered, giving Nanashi the same smile a teacher's pet would.
"Uh, she was very populous- popular in town growing up," Hikari rushed out. She looked nervous suddenly, like she might have swallowed a bug.
"Yeah," Prince Takashi added in. "One of the best students in school."
Queen Minha, who was standing over by an ancient looking shield commented, "my angel, I thought you kept mostly to yourself growing up? And had to drop out of school to work?"
Nanashi, who was standing in front of what looked the bones of a thunderbird's wing, turned back, not to the queen, but to the mayor. She gave him a look that showed she was unsure if she should be contradictory to the queen, or honest. He avoided her gaze. It was then she clued in he had been in league with her uncle over the museum. "Why, yes, your grace. That's right," she answered respectfully. "My cousin and I mostly kept to ourselves." She cast a look at the mayor. "When we weren't street fighting with the other kids of course." She recalled one fight she had with Mayor Kaname as a kid. She had lost that fight, but not before she blackened his eye.
Mayor Kaname cleared his throat, "yes, well..." he muttered something under his breath that Nanashi could not hear.
Queen Minha seemed to have caught it though. So did Prince Takashi. "Sir," he growled out.
Queen Minha looked over at her son, shooting him a warning look. "Where is your lovely wife, sir? Perhaps dinner will be ready soon?"
"Most likely, your grace," Mayor Kaname said. "Why don't we head over to the dining room?"
He lead them to the dining room, with Queen Minha quizzing him about the town and more of its history along the way. Kaname spoke of his answers with quite a bit of pride in his voice.
Once in the dining room, which was set with splendor, the lot of them sat down. Kaname and his wife sat at the heads of the table, facing each other. The queen and the prince sat on one side of the table, and Nanashi and Hikari on the other. Throughout the dinner, the queen continued to press Mayor Kaname more and more about the history of the town, even stuff revolving around Nanashi. Even then in time, Hikari would contradict him about stuff she had seen in the museum.
Her comments finally wore Mayor Kaname down, making him snap at her in a harsh tone, "well, aren't you an expert on your mother?"
"Sir," Prince Takashi said in a short tone. "It's not your place to speak like to someone who outranks you," he rushed out.
Mayor Kaname turned his harsh gaze on the prince. "She was handed that title, I inherited mine." After a bold pause, he added, "your grace."
Queen Minha sat there watching passively. Nanashi shifted her gaze from her to Mayor Kaname. "Hiei and I earned it for her. Lord Mukuro hoped she would be a balance between the of us. Our strengths and weaknesses."
"I do," Hikari said, turning a hard gaze on the mayor. "Your museum is wrong. Close it down. I've already proven to you tonight the number of things it got wrong in there."
The mayor looked at her, as if shocked by her bold statement. Prince Takashi spoke up next, before anyone else. "That statue is all wrong as well. A warrior angel like her," he nodded respectfully at Nanashi, "would always braid their hair back before battle. The way she is wearing it right now. Even her weapon is wrong as well. Her wind dragon forms a battle ax, not a bow and arrows. Also, she slayed dire wolves, not the tamer versions of regular wolves."
The room went eerily silent. Nanashi flinched when the mayor's wife's fork dropped and clattered on her empty plate. Nanashi saw Hikari look about ready to say something, but opened her mouth a fraction and closed it with a slight pout.
Queen Minha finally broke the silence with a twitter of laughter. "Youths," she said in explanation. "So passionate are the younger generations." She leaned over the table, giving Mayor Kaname an almost flirtatious smile. "Maybe we should excuse them? Angel Nanashi can watch them while we have our own heart to heart? Hmm?"
It surprised Nanashi to see that it worked, like a charm. Nanashi was dismissed, along with the mayor's wife, Hikari, and Prince Takashi. The mayor's wife escorted them to the front door before shutting it behind them. Nanashi ended up leading the other two back to the guest house.
Once inside the guest house however, Hikari turned on Prince Takashi, giving him an unfriendly punch in the upper arm. "I had that covered," she hissed at him. "That was my job."
"Hikari," Nanashi gasped, hoping she would calm down.
"Mother has it covered," Prince Takashi growled down at her.
"You're just a vain boy who wanted the glory and attention for himself," Hikari accused.
Prince Takashi simmered. "You're one to talk. You can barely follow your parents instructions, surprised you could follow Mother's so well."
Hikari tried to shove her way around Nanashi, but Nanashi shoved her right back, just enough to keep her away from the prince. "Leave him alone," Nanashi instructed her. "The queen knows you helped the best you could. Both of you could."
"Wouldn't have worked without me," the prince said audibly.
Nanashi heard Hikari growl, but then noticed she was suddenly at a distance from her. Hiei, minus his headband, had come out of nowhere, pulling her back towards the sitting room of the guest house. "Back off," he growled at her.
Hikari shrugged Hiei off, but did not come near the prince. "Stupid, vain, stuck up," she grumbled, retreating her way towards the staircase rather than the sitting room Hiei had been trying to guide her to.