Dawn came fresh after the night's storm, sunlight catching in the dew
as the birds came out to sing their pleasure at living. Robin struggled
awake at the knock on her bedroom door. "Yes," she spoke in her
customarily soft voice, "who is it?"
The blond girl smiled at the familiar voice on the other side. "It's me, Yurika. I heard you wanted to speak with me yesterday when you got back?"
"Yes, I did, Ms. Doujima. Just give me a second to get dressed, and I'll meet you in the dining room for breakfast, alright?"
"Sure, whatever you say, Ms. Robin," Doujima laughed from the other side of the door, mimicking her employer's formal tone.
Robin smiled and stood, listening as her friend's footsteps faded away down the hallway. Slowly, she made her way to the bathroom, trying her golden hair back in a loose ponytail to keep it out of her way as she washed her face. Looking up into the mirror, she smiled the unfulfilled smile that she showed the world, as if trying to convince herself that her life was perfect. In a way, it was. Somehow, though, she wasn't satisfied. Perhaps she wanted more, or perhaps, she just wanted something else.
Shaking her head, she returned to her bedroom and approached her closet. Peering inside, she sighed at her choices. Perhaps she and Doujima would go shopping today and perhaps they could get her something that wasn't a heavy, floor-length skirt or dress. If she could part with the style herself, that is. She reached into the back of her closet and withdrew a white dress made of simple, light cotton. Smiling just a bit more contentedly, she dressed and padded blissfully barefoot down the plushly carpeted hallway towards the stairs.
-
Amon grunted to himself as the sun shone bright in his eyes. Waking up was never a pleasant thing, and he knew it was one reason why Michael never seemed to sleep. Sitting up, he pushed one pale hand through his dark hair, eyes down, watching his bedsheets pool in his lap as he though about the night. He snarled at his dream, though he was mockingly certain he was not the only male in the country to dream of the young singer. Mentally wrinkling his nose at the thought of dwelling on her, he pushed the dream from his mind and stood, dressing and making his way to the small kitchen near the entrance to his meager apartment.
He ran a hand through his hair again as he waited for his coffee to brew. Once he had downed a cup of the strong drink, he poured another and opened his door, picking up his mail and the morning's paper. Stepping back in his apartment, he shuffled through his mail, sighing roughly at a light pink, slightly scented envelope. He resisted the urge to throw the letter away on sight, but he refrained. Somehow, Touko would know if he did. The only other one that caught his interest was from his boss. Grunting at what was probably only more orders about keeping his distance, he tossed them both on the kitchen table for later inspection. The other three were bills and he carried these with him, setting them down on the low table in the living room as he slipped out onto his terrace.
Blinking back the bright sunlight as it threatened to blind him, he slowly sipped his rich, black drink and wondered what the day had in store for him and Michael.
-
Master smiled as he saw Robin slip down the stairs in her white dress as he leaned against the door leading to the dining room. Though it was still floor length, he was glad to see the girl wearing a color other than black. Not that he should be talking, wearing black or dark gray almost all the time himself, but he thought a girl her age was simply too young to look as if she were mourning all the time.
His smile faltered a bit as he saw her own. He could never understand how she kept her façade so flawlessly, or why she felt the need to. He wondered silently why she was not content with the life she had, but shook the thoughts from himself as she approached.
"Master Kobari, you seem bothered by something. I trust nothing is seriously wrong?" She watched the older man curiously.
He smiled again and shook his head at the little Robin standing before him, barefoot and innocent. "No, nothing is wrong at all. I was just wondering, as I'm sure you are, what Ms. Doujima will say about that man who came to the gates last night," he lied smoothly, unwilling to upset the girl he nearly viewed as his own daughter.
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer as her eyes drifted around the hallway in which they stood. "I wonder what he wanted, and if he was the same man that Ms. Karasuma and I saw returning from the city." She looked up at him again, a smile flicking the corners of her lips upwards again. "Is Ms. Doujima in the dining room still, or has she wandered off yet?"
Yuji could not help but chuckle. Straightening, he turned to the door behind him and eased it open. "I distracted her with breakfast, so she should still be here." Stepping aside, he smiled as Robin bowed her head and stepped past him. "I'll have you a plate in no time, Ms. Robin, please have a seat in the meantime."
The blond nodded her head, noticing absently that she had forgot to take her hair from it's temporary ponytail. It could wait, she thought to herself as she stepped up to the table and took her customary place at the head. She nodded her head to Yurika, who looked sleepy despite the empty plate and coffee cup sitting in front of her.
The Brownish-blond nodded back and held her cup up to Yuji as he came through from the kitchen with Robin's breakfast. "Can I have a little more coffee, Master Kobari?"
He smiled and nodded, taking the cup from her. "Alright, but wait for me to come back before you tell us all about that mysterious man at the gate." He slipped back into the kitchen and returned shortly with the requested drink.
Doujima grinned and sat up straight, taking the cup back and sipping from it, eager to tell them both all about her experience the day before. Master pulled out a chair and sat across the table from the excited Yurika, resting his chin on his palm, ready to listen.
---
AN: Quite a bit longer than the others, and I'm pleased with myself for that. I'll try to make them longer still, but I have to figure out where to go from here. Sorry for the long wait between updates, and hopefully it won't be so long again until the next one. --Mourning-kun
The blond girl smiled at the familiar voice on the other side. "It's me, Yurika. I heard you wanted to speak with me yesterday when you got back?"
"Yes, I did, Ms. Doujima. Just give me a second to get dressed, and I'll meet you in the dining room for breakfast, alright?"
"Sure, whatever you say, Ms. Robin," Doujima laughed from the other side of the door, mimicking her employer's formal tone.
Robin smiled and stood, listening as her friend's footsteps faded away down the hallway. Slowly, she made her way to the bathroom, trying her golden hair back in a loose ponytail to keep it out of her way as she washed her face. Looking up into the mirror, she smiled the unfulfilled smile that she showed the world, as if trying to convince herself that her life was perfect. In a way, it was. Somehow, though, she wasn't satisfied. Perhaps she wanted more, or perhaps, she just wanted something else.
Shaking her head, she returned to her bedroom and approached her closet. Peering inside, she sighed at her choices. Perhaps she and Doujima would go shopping today and perhaps they could get her something that wasn't a heavy, floor-length skirt or dress. If she could part with the style herself, that is. She reached into the back of her closet and withdrew a white dress made of simple, light cotton. Smiling just a bit more contentedly, she dressed and padded blissfully barefoot down the plushly carpeted hallway towards the stairs.
-
Amon grunted to himself as the sun shone bright in his eyes. Waking up was never a pleasant thing, and he knew it was one reason why Michael never seemed to sleep. Sitting up, he pushed one pale hand through his dark hair, eyes down, watching his bedsheets pool in his lap as he though about the night. He snarled at his dream, though he was mockingly certain he was not the only male in the country to dream of the young singer. Mentally wrinkling his nose at the thought of dwelling on her, he pushed the dream from his mind and stood, dressing and making his way to the small kitchen near the entrance to his meager apartment.
He ran a hand through his hair again as he waited for his coffee to brew. Once he had downed a cup of the strong drink, he poured another and opened his door, picking up his mail and the morning's paper. Stepping back in his apartment, he shuffled through his mail, sighing roughly at a light pink, slightly scented envelope. He resisted the urge to throw the letter away on sight, but he refrained. Somehow, Touko would know if he did. The only other one that caught his interest was from his boss. Grunting at what was probably only more orders about keeping his distance, he tossed them both on the kitchen table for later inspection. The other three were bills and he carried these with him, setting them down on the low table in the living room as he slipped out onto his terrace.
Blinking back the bright sunlight as it threatened to blind him, he slowly sipped his rich, black drink and wondered what the day had in store for him and Michael.
-
Master smiled as he saw Robin slip down the stairs in her white dress as he leaned against the door leading to the dining room. Though it was still floor length, he was glad to see the girl wearing a color other than black. Not that he should be talking, wearing black or dark gray almost all the time himself, but he thought a girl her age was simply too young to look as if she were mourning all the time.
His smile faltered a bit as he saw her own. He could never understand how she kept her façade so flawlessly, or why she felt the need to. He wondered silently why she was not content with the life she had, but shook the thoughts from himself as she approached.
"Master Kobari, you seem bothered by something. I trust nothing is seriously wrong?" She watched the older man curiously.
He smiled again and shook his head at the little Robin standing before him, barefoot and innocent. "No, nothing is wrong at all. I was just wondering, as I'm sure you are, what Ms. Doujima will say about that man who came to the gates last night," he lied smoothly, unwilling to upset the girl he nearly viewed as his own daughter.
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer as her eyes drifted around the hallway in which they stood. "I wonder what he wanted, and if he was the same man that Ms. Karasuma and I saw returning from the city." She looked up at him again, a smile flicking the corners of her lips upwards again. "Is Ms. Doujima in the dining room still, or has she wandered off yet?"
Yuji could not help but chuckle. Straightening, he turned to the door behind him and eased it open. "I distracted her with breakfast, so she should still be here." Stepping aside, he smiled as Robin bowed her head and stepped past him. "I'll have you a plate in no time, Ms. Robin, please have a seat in the meantime."
The blond nodded her head, noticing absently that she had forgot to take her hair from it's temporary ponytail. It could wait, she thought to herself as she stepped up to the table and took her customary place at the head. She nodded her head to Yurika, who looked sleepy despite the empty plate and coffee cup sitting in front of her.
The Brownish-blond nodded back and held her cup up to Yuji as he came through from the kitchen with Robin's breakfast. "Can I have a little more coffee, Master Kobari?"
He smiled and nodded, taking the cup from her. "Alright, but wait for me to come back before you tell us all about that mysterious man at the gate." He slipped back into the kitchen and returned shortly with the requested drink.
Doujima grinned and sat up straight, taking the cup back and sipping from it, eager to tell them both all about her experience the day before. Master pulled out a chair and sat across the table from the excited Yurika, resting his chin on his palm, ready to listen.
---
AN: Quite a bit longer than the others, and I'm pleased with myself for that. I'll try to make them longer still, but I have to figure out where to go from here. Sorry for the long wait between updates, and hopefully it won't be so long again until the next one. --Mourning-kun
