Chapter 9: Gossip
"Greetings, Ikuko. What brings you by today?"
"Good day, Peri. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch?"
"I'd love to. Give me a few minutes to arrange things with my assistant."
"Alright." Ikuko wandered around looking into the display cases there in OsaP, the jewelry store owned by the mother of her daughter's friend.
The sophisticated auburn-haired woman came up, "That's taken care of, we can leave now."
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"My, it's been a long time since we've done this, Ikuko." They settled at a table at a fashionable restaurant.
"Yes, it has, Peri," she answered, deciding on her order, "we used to do this every week or two when the girls were younger just to keep up to date with them."
"They used to be like sisters, nearly inseparable then. When they weren't sleeping over, they would call each other and talk in the middle of the night. I just don't know what happened, Ikuko," she sighed.
"I guess growing up happened, making new friends, boys."
"Molly didn't change. I think it was making friends with those other girls that changed Serena," Peri said vehemently.
"Other girls? What do you mean?" Ikuko queried. She recalled that the other woman was quite a gossip.
"I mean, some of them have questionable reputations. I think it all started when she made friends with that girl from the temple."
"Raye?"
"Yes, that's her. She lives up there alone with the old pervert of a grandfather and a young man who looks like a bum. Then there's that big girl, Lita, who got kicked out of three schools for fighting. She doesn't have any family to keep her in line." She paused to eat some salad.
"What about Ami? She's very studious, one of the best students at school," Ikuko asked, incredulous at her friend's viewpoint.
"A lot of good it's done Serena, from what I hear. Her parents are divorced- which I can't fault her for, but her mother leaves her alone most of the time. When she's not in school or the library, she's with this gang or whatever you call it."
"Gang!" Ikuko repeated, shocked.
"What do you call six or seven girls and one guy?" Peri countered.
"Six or seven?"
"Mina, the boy-crazy English girl, and a couple of older rich girls, one who dresses like a guy and drives a flashy car."
Ikuko was silent, horrid, dark thoughts swimming in her mind. *One guy- what do you call a group of girls and one guy, older than the rest- who has his own apartment-who has his own car? What do you call that one guy?*
An ugly word floated to the front of her mind. An ugly word she didn't want to recognize.
"I certainly hope you are keeping your niece away from them. It's probably too late for Serena," Peri said snidely.
"Oh, how so?" She tried desperately to sound casual.
"Serena and that guy."
"Darien."
"came in the other day with some jewelry he wanted appraised- said it was his mother's"
"It was."
"Whatever," she shrugged, "while they were waiting, they were looking at rings. It's not unusual for girls to look and dream, but when a guy looks-" She left the implication hanging with a sharp look. "You know, Ikuko, I'm only telling you this for your own good. Molly confided in me that she thinks Serena has been involved in something dangerous."
"But he's perfectly respectable-"
"Perfectly respectful, that kind usually are. But what do you really know about him? A young man of no background, on his own earning money- how?" Peri persisted.
"He says he does research," Ikuko said lamely.
"Research- ha, that's an old one," the other woman snorted. "Not that I blame him, totally. By all accounts, he didn't even have a girlfriend until that Raye got to him. Then he was nearly killed- the police investigated, but nobody knows the real story on that. I blame it all on that perverted priest. Those girls were always going up there for 'study sessions' and 'club meetings'. Now they go to his place, too."
"I...I didn't know."
"I've seen them on the street, going home disheveled at all hours of the night." She kindly didn't add 'even Serena'.
"Peri." Ikuko had to think of something, anything else. "Peri, what does your name mean, anyway?" she asked.
"Peridot. It's an old tradition handed down in my family from mother to daughter to be named after precious stones." She seemed glad to change the subject, feeling she had said too much, "According to legend, our family was very powerful once centuries ago, and that a daughter named for a precious stone would inherit that power- hence the tradition," she finished her meal.
"What about 'Molly'?"
"'Molybdenum'- a rare earth metal, I felt she would be special. You know, it's getting late. I need to go back to the store."
"Yes, you should."
"I'm sorry. Ikuko, for saying all I did, but I felt you should know."
Ikuko sat there for a long time, thinking. She hadn't liked hearing what Peri said, it was all unconfirmed gossip. Yet, hadn't she had some of the same thoughts herself? But she knew them, they were nice girls. Mina had helped nurse them when they all had flu. Lita had helped her fix dinner sometimes.
And yet, they would fall silent or quickly change the topic of discussion when she came into the room or passed the door. Sometimes she would hear noises at night, only to find that it was Sammy or Luna wondering around. And sometimes Serena came home limping in pain and exhausted. She would run and fall, but would that account for all her tiredness though she got plenty of sleep and to eat? Perhaps she had a glandular problem.
She was confused, she didn't know what to believe. She would restrict Rini's exposure to Darien at least, and arrange for a complete physical for both girls.
AN: What do you think of this twist?
"Greetings, Ikuko. What brings you by today?"
"Good day, Peri. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch?"
"I'd love to. Give me a few minutes to arrange things with my assistant."
"Alright." Ikuko wandered around looking into the display cases there in OsaP, the jewelry store owned by the mother of her daughter's friend.
The sophisticated auburn-haired woman came up, "That's taken care of, we can leave now."
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"My, it's been a long time since we've done this, Ikuko." They settled at a table at a fashionable restaurant.
"Yes, it has, Peri," she answered, deciding on her order, "we used to do this every week or two when the girls were younger just to keep up to date with them."
"They used to be like sisters, nearly inseparable then. When they weren't sleeping over, they would call each other and talk in the middle of the night. I just don't know what happened, Ikuko," she sighed.
"I guess growing up happened, making new friends, boys."
"Molly didn't change. I think it was making friends with those other girls that changed Serena," Peri said vehemently.
"Other girls? What do you mean?" Ikuko queried. She recalled that the other woman was quite a gossip.
"I mean, some of them have questionable reputations. I think it all started when she made friends with that girl from the temple."
"Raye?"
"Yes, that's her. She lives up there alone with the old pervert of a grandfather and a young man who looks like a bum. Then there's that big girl, Lita, who got kicked out of three schools for fighting. She doesn't have any family to keep her in line." She paused to eat some salad.
"What about Ami? She's very studious, one of the best students at school," Ikuko asked, incredulous at her friend's viewpoint.
"A lot of good it's done Serena, from what I hear. Her parents are divorced- which I can't fault her for, but her mother leaves her alone most of the time. When she's not in school or the library, she's with this gang or whatever you call it."
"Gang!" Ikuko repeated, shocked.
"What do you call six or seven girls and one guy?" Peri countered.
"Six or seven?"
"Mina, the boy-crazy English girl, and a couple of older rich girls, one who dresses like a guy and drives a flashy car."
Ikuko was silent, horrid, dark thoughts swimming in her mind. *One guy- what do you call a group of girls and one guy, older than the rest- who has his own apartment-who has his own car? What do you call that one guy?*
An ugly word floated to the front of her mind. An ugly word she didn't want to recognize.
"I certainly hope you are keeping your niece away from them. It's probably too late for Serena," Peri said snidely.
"Oh, how so?" She tried desperately to sound casual.
"Serena and that guy."
"Darien."
"came in the other day with some jewelry he wanted appraised- said it was his mother's"
"It was."
"Whatever," she shrugged, "while they were waiting, they were looking at rings. It's not unusual for girls to look and dream, but when a guy looks-" She left the implication hanging with a sharp look. "You know, Ikuko, I'm only telling you this for your own good. Molly confided in me that she thinks Serena has been involved in something dangerous."
"But he's perfectly respectable-"
"Perfectly respectful, that kind usually are. But what do you really know about him? A young man of no background, on his own earning money- how?" Peri persisted.
"He says he does research," Ikuko said lamely.
"Research- ha, that's an old one," the other woman snorted. "Not that I blame him, totally. By all accounts, he didn't even have a girlfriend until that Raye got to him. Then he was nearly killed- the police investigated, but nobody knows the real story on that. I blame it all on that perverted priest. Those girls were always going up there for 'study sessions' and 'club meetings'. Now they go to his place, too."
"I...I didn't know."
"I've seen them on the street, going home disheveled at all hours of the night." She kindly didn't add 'even Serena'.
"Peri." Ikuko had to think of something, anything else. "Peri, what does your name mean, anyway?" she asked.
"Peridot. It's an old tradition handed down in my family from mother to daughter to be named after precious stones." She seemed glad to change the subject, feeling she had said too much, "According to legend, our family was very powerful once centuries ago, and that a daughter named for a precious stone would inherit that power- hence the tradition," she finished her meal.
"What about 'Molly'?"
"'Molybdenum'- a rare earth metal, I felt she would be special. You know, it's getting late. I need to go back to the store."
"Yes, you should."
"I'm sorry. Ikuko, for saying all I did, but I felt you should know."
Ikuko sat there for a long time, thinking. She hadn't liked hearing what Peri said, it was all unconfirmed gossip. Yet, hadn't she had some of the same thoughts herself? But she knew them, they were nice girls. Mina had helped nurse them when they all had flu. Lita had helped her fix dinner sometimes.
And yet, they would fall silent or quickly change the topic of discussion when she came into the room or passed the door. Sometimes she would hear noises at night, only to find that it was Sammy or Luna wondering around. And sometimes Serena came home limping in pain and exhausted. She would run and fall, but would that account for all her tiredness though she got plenty of sleep and to eat? Perhaps she had a glandular problem.
She was confused, she didn't know what to believe. She would restrict Rini's exposure to Darien at least, and arrange for a complete physical for both girls.
AN: What do you think of this twist?