Reika made her way towards Lord Tasuki's chambers, his requested meal in
hand. A frown crossed her lips as she caught sight of Sora disappearing
from the hallway after exiting Lord Chichiri's room. Reika loved Sora like
a sister, but headmistress or no, she had no business meddling in her life.
She knew without a doubt that Sora had wanted Reijun to pry some
information from her. Did they actually think that she was going to throw
her life down the drain for a beautiful man?
Reika reached her destination, tapping softly on the door to alert Lord Tasuki of her presence.
"Yeah? I mean, who is it?"
"Lord Tasuki? It's Reika, I've brought you the food you requested."
"Oh. Come on in, then."
Reika slid the door open and entered with the customary amount of humility. Looking up again, she almost dropped her tray.
Tasuki looked to be in the middle of changing. He stood shirtless before her, in the process of pulling on a white shirt. She stared as she watched the muscles flex under his tanned skin, the glass beads around his neck casting little rainbows of color onto it in the sunlight. He pulled the shirt over his fiery hair and looked up at her, an odd little pout coming to his lips. A red eyebrow arched delicately, as if questioning Reika as to why she looked so shocked, and she blinked a few times, remembering herself.
"I-I-Where would you like me to leave this."
She hung her head over the tray, watching the sake swirling in the bottle and feeling like she had drained a bottle herself. The room was spinning too fast.
"The table's fine." He said over his shoulder to her in a rather nonchalant manner, walking over to his bed and picking up leather belt-like strap, which he slung over his shoulder. Reika nodded, and placed the tray down, cursing her hands as the metal rattled a few times against the wood before silencing, causing the sake bottle to spin and tip and spill a few drops onto the tray.
He looked up at the sound, frowning as if he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Reika's cheeks burned with humiliation. She desperately tried to gather what was left of her dignity and cleared her throat.
"Anything else I can do for you, Lord Tasuki?" Her voice wobbled, despite her best efforts to prevent it from doing so.
She felt the hot tears stinging the back of her eyes and wanted nothing more than to leave the room immediately. To her relief, she was dismissed quickly.
"No, I'm good for now." He commented absently as nodded his head in thanks. Reika bowed and retreated as quickly as she could without looking suspicious. With a sigh of relief, she slid the door closed, leaving a confused Tasuki on the other side, shaking his head.
Reika sniffled a few times, scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Quickly, she began making her way to the dining hall. She had other chores to attend to.
Suzaku, I'm such an idiot. Rambling on and staring at him like some overly hormonal teenager. She mentally berated herself for her foolishness. He was just another important man, and that was all. She had served hundreds of them, and he was no different. But no matter how hard she tried, a little voice in the back of her head niggled at her, and pointed out the obvious truth. She was attracted to him, and he thought she was an idiot.
"Damn." Reika cursed under her breath as she entered the dining hall, which was teeming with servants at the moment.
"What did you say?" A voice asked behind her asked out of nowhere. Reika nearly jumped a mile, not expecting anyone to be there. Ying chuckled at her, her green hair bobbing around her shoulders as she collected herself and tried to stifle her laughter. The mirth faded from her face when she saw the shimmer in Reika's eyes. "Reika? What's the matter?" Concern softened her voice.
"I made an ass of myself in front of Lord Tasuki a moment ago." Reika confessed to her friend, shame causing her to hang her head. Ying raised a hand to comfort the older girl, patting her hair softly and trying to cheer her up.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." She cooed. "Besides, anyone who wants a bottle of sake before noon is bound to not remember anything that happened earlier in the day by dinnertime." Ying made a motion of drinking from a sake bottle with her hand to indicate her suspicion that Lord Tasuki might enjoy his sake a bit too much. Reika smiled, despite her best efforts not to, and her mood began to brighten. She giggled softly, catching the attention of a few nearby servants.
"This isn't playtime, ladies. Back to work with you now!" One of them warned, a frown on his face. Reika and Ying looked at each other, suppressing smiles.
"Come on! We still have to feed these guys tonight too!" the green haired girl commented as she grabbed Reika by the wrist, leading her towards the kitchens to begin preparations.
In the kitchens, the sounds of cooking and lively chatter echoed off the walls.
The rest of the cooks had joined Reijun shortly after the girls had scampered off, and now the kitchen was teeming with them. There were twenty cooks in all, and they mostly rotated in their duties. But when a feast arose, it took every cook in the palace to make a meal grand enough to feed the Emperor's guests. Tonight, in addition to feeding the Suzaku Seven and the Priestess, they would be feeding the entire court as well as nobility from the surrounding areas of Konan. In total, the guest list included almost two hundred guests.
Reijun was exactly where he had been earlier that morning. Preparing the pastries that would be served later in the evening after the main course was through.
Piles of the sweet confections were already placed on dozens of ornamented trays around the kitchens. Reijun also had a few dozen hiding in the pantry to feed his friends later that evening. He had just begun piping a rich custard into another pastry when something forcefully struck the back of his head sharply, causing him to jump and overfill the pastry, the custard squirting out the other side. Reika stood behind him, a rather satisfied smile on her face as she turned and made her way to a table in the corner to begin folding napkins with Ying.
"What was that for?" Reijun scowled, tossing the overfilled pastry aside and beginning to fill another.
"You know damn well, you meddling busybody." Reika scoffed as she seated herself, sticking her tongue in his general direction and tugging her eyelid down at him. Reijun merely shook his head, muttering something about irritable teenagers and busying himself with his cooking.
Elsewhere in the palace, Sora rushed about in a daze, checking on the progress of the rest of the servants as she made her rounds. Half her mind was on her work, where it should be, but she couldn't help thinking about that mask. Her nerves were still on edge from the encounter. She cursed herself for taking up the position as headmistress as she briskly walked down another seemingly endless hallway. Every now and then she would be passed by one of the other servants who was carrying something or other. She automatically nodded to them as she passed, not really caring where they were going as long as they looked busy. Although, everyone seemed to be doing what they should, which relieved her. Usually, she would find at least a dozen of the younger servants hiding in empty rooms, shirking their responsibilities in favor of other activities. Today it seemed as if everyone too excited buy the guests to miss any of the action, even if it meant a larger workload. Finally reaching the end of the hallway, she rounded the corner that led her back to the kitchens, glad she could rest for a bit.
She reached the kitchen doors, moving to open them, when a small yowl caught her attention. A small white and brown cat sat at the door, looking up at her expectantly through it's slanted eyes.
"Hello, where did you come from?" Sora bent down, reaching out to scratch the cat under its chin. It purred and leaned into her hand. Sora smiled at the small feline, wondering where it came from. No one in the palace kept cats, but strays were known to wander in from time to time. She figured she might as well feed it while she was resting. She gently picked the small cat up, and it immediately climbed up her sleeve, perching on her shoulder, tickling her ear as it rubbed it's fluffy head against hers in an affectionate manner. Once she was sure the feline wouldn't fall off its perch, she moved again, entering the kitchens with her new friend.
"Who's that you have with you Sora?" Li Fan, the head cook, called to her through a veil of steam on the other side of the kitchen.
"I don't know. It was outside the door when I arrived. I though I'd give him a saucer of milk while I was taking a small rest." Sora called back over the din of pots in the kitchen. Li Fan smiled and left her line of vision as she seated herself with a groan. Her back was killing her, and she had been on her feet much too long. She hung her head, absently stroking the fur of the small cat, which had moved to her lap when she had sat again. A soft clatter sounded on the table, and Sora looked up of find a steaming cup of tea and a saucer of milk before her on the table. A smiling Li Fan sat on the other side.
"A coin for your thoughts?" He offered to her. Sora smiled at him as she gratefully accepted the tea. The cat had already started on the saucer of milk.
Li Fan was a kind man, and at the age of fifty-three, very wise. He was Reijun and Reika's father, and also, a somewhat adoptive father to Sora as well. He never failed to take care of her when she needed it.
"Nothing particular Li Fan, I'm just a bit tired. A small rest and I'll be good as new." She sighed as the warmth of the tea seeped through her body, calming her nerves. He just stared at her, raising a graying eyebrow and letting his previous offer hang in the air above the both of them. When Sora ignored him, he coughed a few times for good measure. " I said it's nothing Li Fan. Let's leave it at that, all right?" Her blue-green eyes dared him to try again. His brown eyes challenged her right back, and he was about to give her a piece of his mind when his thoughts were interrupted. The little cat gave a small yowl and bolted from the table. Sora looked up, startled by the creatures sudden flight, and tried to spot it amongst the cooks. She caught sight of it running towards the doors and went to catch it. The servants were one thing, but the nobles and palace courtiers would not take as kindly to a stray roaming the halls.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" One of the cooks from across the kitchens yelled suddenly. Sora snapped her head up towards the voice, and then craned her head towards the door. It seemed that a large figure had taken a place in the doorframe, although she couldn't make out who it was due to all the steam.
However. Meilan was more than happy to announce the visitor's arrival.
"Lord Mitsukake!" She jumped to her feet, immediately running over to him from the table she had been folding napkins at only a moment before. "Is something wrong?" She inquired, nervous that he might have sought her out after being displeased by something.
"No, I was just." He began in a deep baritone, becoming silent as a small yowl sounded at his feet. He smiled softly as he bent down to allow the cat to jump onto his shoulder. He righted himself to full height and spoke again. "I was just looking for Tama." If Meilan was relieved, she didn't show it. Both she and Mitsukake had just realized how quiet the kitchen had become.
Li Fan coughed, and someone dropped a pan, causing it to clatter on the floor. Everyone jumped as sound echoed off the walls. Thankfully, Sora broke the silence.
"Well come on! Our guests can't be expected to feed themselves!" Everyone shifted their gaze to her, and she fidgeted nervously for a moment before collecting herself. "Li Fan.a little help here?" She pleaded through a clenched smile. She was not in charge of the cooks, and they didn't take too kindly to outside orders.
"You heard the woman! Get back to work!" Li Fan gestured enthusiastically, shooing everyone as he returned to his boiling pots. The all complied, and the silence was soon filled by the sounds of a busy kitchen once again.
Sora threaded her way through the kitchens toward Meilan and Mitsukake, thinking desperately of how to explain the odd occurrence that had just transpired. This day was shaping up to be a royal disaster. First the flowers, then the mask, and now this! Who even knows what trouble Meilan, Reika, and Ying had gotten into. Sighing, she reached the tall man and bowed respectfully to him before speaking.
"Lord Mitsukake, I'm sorry for - what just happened. I assure you that - it - will - not - " Sora tried to finish, but found it exceedingly difficult as his cat had decided to perch on her once again, rubbing itself on her face and neck.
"Tama." Mitsukake scolded gently, and the cat jumped to his shoulder once again. "I'm sorry if he disturbed you at all."
"Not at all Lord Mitsukake. We're quite accustomed to strays wandering in and out. It's the royal visitors we're not used to. However, you might want to think about placing a collar on Tama.for his safety of course." Mitsukake nodded, ruffing the scruff of Tama's neck as Sora spoke. "Is there anything we could do for you while you're here?" She implored once more, making absolutely sure that the earlier misconduct was not offensive to him. He merely smiled, and Sora has the distinct feeling he was suppressing a chuckle.
"I am fine. Miss Meilan has been doing a fine job, and I am quite comfortable." Meilan beamed at his compliment. "However, I think I shall retire until dinner. Pleasure to meet you-?"
"I am Sora, Lord Mitsukake." Sora bowed.
"It has been a pleasure, Sora." He inclined his head before turning and disappearing through the doorways.
Meilan turned and sat down at her small table again, resuming her napkin folding. Sora watched her settle herself before returning to her previous location and letting her head fall onto the table.
"Sora, you hair is in your tea!" Li Fan was kind enough to call to her from the other end of the kitchens. She sat up and gently pulled her white locks out of the teacup, observing it's lovely brown-green color as the tea dripped off the ends.
"Great!" Sora moaned. "At least today can't get any worse." She released her hair and rested her head on the table again.
"Sora!" Ying burst through the kitchen doorway. "Sora, we don't have enough drinking glasses.
Author's Notes:
Hello again. Well, I have managed to post everything I have written. Now it's off to write the rest of this little piece of literary misfortune.
Well, not misfortune. And as you see, it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Well, more of a counter hanger. The cliffhangers are to come. You shall see!
Bwahahahaha!
Ok, I'm finished being an over aged teeni-bopper, I swear.
Once again, thanks to the almighty Kozakura who was kind enough to edit this installment of Service and include Beatles lyrics as comments. Although, for plugging herself on my review section (as if this wasn't enough) I just might post a chapter with her Tasuki worshiping comments still intact just to spite her.
No, I kid.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4. Comments welcome as always.
Reika reached her destination, tapping softly on the door to alert Lord Tasuki of her presence.
"Yeah? I mean, who is it?"
"Lord Tasuki? It's Reika, I've brought you the food you requested."
"Oh. Come on in, then."
Reika slid the door open and entered with the customary amount of humility. Looking up again, she almost dropped her tray.
Tasuki looked to be in the middle of changing. He stood shirtless before her, in the process of pulling on a white shirt. She stared as she watched the muscles flex under his tanned skin, the glass beads around his neck casting little rainbows of color onto it in the sunlight. He pulled the shirt over his fiery hair and looked up at her, an odd little pout coming to his lips. A red eyebrow arched delicately, as if questioning Reika as to why she looked so shocked, and she blinked a few times, remembering herself.
"I-I-Where would you like me to leave this."
She hung her head over the tray, watching the sake swirling in the bottle and feeling like she had drained a bottle herself. The room was spinning too fast.
"The table's fine." He said over his shoulder to her in a rather nonchalant manner, walking over to his bed and picking up leather belt-like strap, which he slung over his shoulder. Reika nodded, and placed the tray down, cursing her hands as the metal rattled a few times against the wood before silencing, causing the sake bottle to spin and tip and spill a few drops onto the tray.
He looked up at the sound, frowning as if he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Reika's cheeks burned with humiliation. She desperately tried to gather what was left of her dignity and cleared her throat.
"Anything else I can do for you, Lord Tasuki?" Her voice wobbled, despite her best efforts to prevent it from doing so.
She felt the hot tears stinging the back of her eyes and wanted nothing more than to leave the room immediately. To her relief, she was dismissed quickly.
"No, I'm good for now." He commented absently as nodded his head in thanks. Reika bowed and retreated as quickly as she could without looking suspicious. With a sigh of relief, she slid the door closed, leaving a confused Tasuki on the other side, shaking his head.
Reika sniffled a few times, scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Quickly, she began making her way to the dining hall. She had other chores to attend to.
Suzaku, I'm such an idiot. Rambling on and staring at him like some overly hormonal teenager. She mentally berated herself for her foolishness. He was just another important man, and that was all. She had served hundreds of them, and he was no different. But no matter how hard she tried, a little voice in the back of her head niggled at her, and pointed out the obvious truth. She was attracted to him, and he thought she was an idiot.
"Damn." Reika cursed under her breath as she entered the dining hall, which was teeming with servants at the moment.
"What did you say?" A voice asked behind her asked out of nowhere. Reika nearly jumped a mile, not expecting anyone to be there. Ying chuckled at her, her green hair bobbing around her shoulders as she collected herself and tried to stifle her laughter. The mirth faded from her face when she saw the shimmer in Reika's eyes. "Reika? What's the matter?" Concern softened her voice.
"I made an ass of myself in front of Lord Tasuki a moment ago." Reika confessed to her friend, shame causing her to hang her head. Ying raised a hand to comfort the older girl, patting her hair softly and trying to cheer her up.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." She cooed. "Besides, anyone who wants a bottle of sake before noon is bound to not remember anything that happened earlier in the day by dinnertime." Ying made a motion of drinking from a sake bottle with her hand to indicate her suspicion that Lord Tasuki might enjoy his sake a bit too much. Reika smiled, despite her best efforts not to, and her mood began to brighten. She giggled softly, catching the attention of a few nearby servants.
"This isn't playtime, ladies. Back to work with you now!" One of them warned, a frown on his face. Reika and Ying looked at each other, suppressing smiles.
"Come on! We still have to feed these guys tonight too!" the green haired girl commented as she grabbed Reika by the wrist, leading her towards the kitchens to begin preparations.
In the kitchens, the sounds of cooking and lively chatter echoed off the walls.
The rest of the cooks had joined Reijun shortly after the girls had scampered off, and now the kitchen was teeming with them. There were twenty cooks in all, and they mostly rotated in their duties. But when a feast arose, it took every cook in the palace to make a meal grand enough to feed the Emperor's guests. Tonight, in addition to feeding the Suzaku Seven and the Priestess, they would be feeding the entire court as well as nobility from the surrounding areas of Konan. In total, the guest list included almost two hundred guests.
Reijun was exactly where he had been earlier that morning. Preparing the pastries that would be served later in the evening after the main course was through.
Piles of the sweet confections were already placed on dozens of ornamented trays around the kitchens. Reijun also had a few dozen hiding in the pantry to feed his friends later that evening. He had just begun piping a rich custard into another pastry when something forcefully struck the back of his head sharply, causing him to jump and overfill the pastry, the custard squirting out the other side. Reika stood behind him, a rather satisfied smile on her face as she turned and made her way to a table in the corner to begin folding napkins with Ying.
"What was that for?" Reijun scowled, tossing the overfilled pastry aside and beginning to fill another.
"You know damn well, you meddling busybody." Reika scoffed as she seated herself, sticking her tongue in his general direction and tugging her eyelid down at him. Reijun merely shook his head, muttering something about irritable teenagers and busying himself with his cooking.
Elsewhere in the palace, Sora rushed about in a daze, checking on the progress of the rest of the servants as she made her rounds. Half her mind was on her work, where it should be, but she couldn't help thinking about that mask. Her nerves were still on edge from the encounter. She cursed herself for taking up the position as headmistress as she briskly walked down another seemingly endless hallway. Every now and then she would be passed by one of the other servants who was carrying something or other. She automatically nodded to them as she passed, not really caring where they were going as long as they looked busy. Although, everyone seemed to be doing what they should, which relieved her. Usually, she would find at least a dozen of the younger servants hiding in empty rooms, shirking their responsibilities in favor of other activities. Today it seemed as if everyone too excited buy the guests to miss any of the action, even if it meant a larger workload. Finally reaching the end of the hallway, she rounded the corner that led her back to the kitchens, glad she could rest for a bit.
She reached the kitchen doors, moving to open them, when a small yowl caught her attention. A small white and brown cat sat at the door, looking up at her expectantly through it's slanted eyes.
"Hello, where did you come from?" Sora bent down, reaching out to scratch the cat under its chin. It purred and leaned into her hand. Sora smiled at the small feline, wondering where it came from. No one in the palace kept cats, but strays were known to wander in from time to time. She figured she might as well feed it while she was resting. She gently picked the small cat up, and it immediately climbed up her sleeve, perching on her shoulder, tickling her ear as it rubbed it's fluffy head against hers in an affectionate manner. Once she was sure the feline wouldn't fall off its perch, she moved again, entering the kitchens with her new friend.
"Who's that you have with you Sora?" Li Fan, the head cook, called to her through a veil of steam on the other side of the kitchen.
"I don't know. It was outside the door when I arrived. I though I'd give him a saucer of milk while I was taking a small rest." Sora called back over the din of pots in the kitchen. Li Fan smiled and left her line of vision as she seated herself with a groan. Her back was killing her, and she had been on her feet much too long. She hung her head, absently stroking the fur of the small cat, which had moved to her lap when she had sat again. A soft clatter sounded on the table, and Sora looked up of find a steaming cup of tea and a saucer of milk before her on the table. A smiling Li Fan sat on the other side.
"A coin for your thoughts?" He offered to her. Sora smiled at him as she gratefully accepted the tea. The cat had already started on the saucer of milk.
Li Fan was a kind man, and at the age of fifty-three, very wise. He was Reijun and Reika's father, and also, a somewhat adoptive father to Sora as well. He never failed to take care of her when she needed it.
"Nothing particular Li Fan, I'm just a bit tired. A small rest and I'll be good as new." She sighed as the warmth of the tea seeped through her body, calming her nerves. He just stared at her, raising a graying eyebrow and letting his previous offer hang in the air above the both of them. When Sora ignored him, he coughed a few times for good measure. " I said it's nothing Li Fan. Let's leave it at that, all right?" Her blue-green eyes dared him to try again. His brown eyes challenged her right back, and he was about to give her a piece of his mind when his thoughts were interrupted. The little cat gave a small yowl and bolted from the table. Sora looked up, startled by the creatures sudden flight, and tried to spot it amongst the cooks. She caught sight of it running towards the doors and went to catch it. The servants were one thing, but the nobles and palace courtiers would not take as kindly to a stray roaming the halls.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" One of the cooks from across the kitchens yelled suddenly. Sora snapped her head up towards the voice, and then craned her head towards the door. It seemed that a large figure had taken a place in the doorframe, although she couldn't make out who it was due to all the steam.
However. Meilan was more than happy to announce the visitor's arrival.
"Lord Mitsukake!" She jumped to her feet, immediately running over to him from the table she had been folding napkins at only a moment before. "Is something wrong?" She inquired, nervous that he might have sought her out after being displeased by something.
"No, I was just." He began in a deep baritone, becoming silent as a small yowl sounded at his feet. He smiled softly as he bent down to allow the cat to jump onto his shoulder. He righted himself to full height and spoke again. "I was just looking for Tama." If Meilan was relieved, she didn't show it. Both she and Mitsukake had just realized how quiet the kitchen had become.
Li Fan coughed, and someone dropped a pan, causing it to clatter on the floor. Everyone jumped as sound echoed off the walls. Thankfully, Sora broke the silence.
"Well come on! Our guests can't be expected to feed themselves!" Everyone shifted their gaze to her, and she fidgeted nervously for a moment before collecting herself. "Li Fan.a little help here?" She pleaded through a clenched smile. She was not in charge of the cooks, and they didn't take too kindly to outside orders.
"You heard the woman! Get back to work!" Li Fan gestured enthusiastically, shooing everyone as he returned to his boiling pots. The all complied, and the silence was soon filled by the sounds of a busy kitchen once again.
Sora threaded her way through the kitchens toward Meilan and Mitsukake, thinking desperately of how to explain the odd occurrence that had just transpired. This day was shaping up to be a royal disaster. First the flowers, then the mask, and now this! Who even knows what trouble Meilan, Reika, and Ying had gotten into. Sighing, she reached the tall man and bowed respectfully to him before speaking.
"Lord Mitsukake, I'm sorry for - what just happened. I assure you that - it - will - not - " Sora tried to finish, but found it exceedingly difficult as his cat had decided to perch on her once again, rubbing itself on her face and neck.
"Tama." Mitsukake scolded gently, and the cat jumped to his shoulder once again. "I'm sorry if he disturbed you at all."
"Not at all Lord Mitsukake. We're quite accustomed to strays wandering in and out. It's the royal visitors we're not used to. However, you might want to think about placing a collar on Tama.for his safety of course." Mitsukake nodded, ruffing the scruff of Tama's neck as Sora spoke. "Is there anything we could do for you while you're here?" She implored once more, making absolutely sure that the earlier misconduct was not offensive to him. He merely smiled, and Sora has the distinct feeling he was suppressing a chuckle.
"I am fine. Miss Meilan has been doing a fine job, and I am quite comfortable." Meilan beamed at his compliment. "However, I think I shall retire until dinner. Pleasure to meet you-?"
"I am Sora, Lord Mitsukake." Sora bowed.
"It has been a pleasure, Sora." He inclined his head before turning and disappearing through the doorways.
Meilan turned and sat down at her small table again, resuming her napkin folding. Sora watched her settle herself before returning to her previous location and letting her head fall onto the table.
"Sora, you hair is in your tea!" Li Fan was kind enough to call to her from the other end of the kitchens. She sat up and gently pulled her white locks out of the teacup, observing it's lovely brown-green color as the tea dripped off the ends.
"Great!" Sora moaned. "At least today can't get any worse." She released her hair and rested her head on the table again.
"Sora!" Ying burst through the kitchen doorway. "Sora, we don't have enough drinking glasses.
Author's Notes:
Hello again. Well, I have managed to post everything I have written. Now it's off to write the rest of this little piece of literary misfortune.
Well, not misfortune. And as you see, it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Well, more of a counter hanger. The cliffhangers are to come. You shall see!
Bwahahahaha!
Ok, I'm finished being an over aged teeni-bopper, I swear.
Once again, thanks to the almighty Kozakura who was kind enough to edit this installment of Service and include Beatles lyrics as comments. Although, for plugging herself on my review section (as if this wasn't enough) I just might post a chapter with her Tasuki worshiping comments still intact just to spite her.
No, I kid.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4. Comments welcome as always.