A crimson stream flowed through the doorway as almost every servant in the
palace entered the dining hall in silent procession. They threaded their
way through the guests, each making their way to a designated spot
engrained into their memories through hours and hours of practice. At least
five servants sat on a mat behind each table, ensuring that all the guests
would be served promptly and efficiently, with the exception of the head
table, where each Warrior of Suzaku had their own personal servant seated
behind them. Once every servant was seated, Emperor Hotohori rose to spoke.
"Honored guests, tonight we gather to welcome those who have come to our aid in our time of need, the honored Celestial Warriors of Suzaku, and their priestess." With an eloquent gesture, Hotohori motioned for the seven to rise alongside him. " I present to you Suzaku's favored children, Lord Tamahome, Lord Mitsukake, Lord Chiriko, Lord Tasuki, Lord Chichiri, and Lord Nuriko." A few murmurs broke out at Nuriko's change of title, as he had formerly been Lady Nuriko, but were quickly quelled with a cool glance from the emperor. "And of course, our priestess and savior, Lady Miaka, who has ventured forth from another world to aid us in our fight to save our beloved country." Waves of applause erupted throughout the halls, and Miaka blushed demurely before seating herself as quickly as possible. "And now, I invite you to feast in their honor!"
On cue, the cooks entered the hall carrying steaming trays heaping with foods issuing the most delicious aromas. Loud chatter broke out as they entered, and the hall came alive with joy and celebration at that instant, the servants quickly forgotten in lieu of the food. Sora observed everything silently from a mat behind Chichiri. This is where her work truly began.
A truly skilled servant is invisible, and all the servants that evening were indeed that. As the guests ate, empty plates from one course disappeared, only to be replaced with a full plate from the next, glasses never ran dry, and no evidence of any spilled food remained. It was the magic of the servants of the palace of Konan.
Or perhaps an illusion, Sora mused as she entered the kitchen, for it seemed that all the mess of the dining hall had simply been transferred into this space. The environment in the kitchen seemed like a battlefield compared to the calm of the dining hall. Half the kitchen was filled with heaps of dirty plates and trays, and every now and then one of the younger cooks would scramble by to collect as many as he could carry, taking them to the already overflowing sink to be cleaned. On the other half of the kitchens, the rest of the cooks scrambled around like so many headless chickens, placing the finishing touches on the last course of the evening.
Sora crossed the cleaned half of the kitchen, searching among the plates of pastries for a few full bottles of plum wine to serve with dessert. Other servants brushed by her left and right, occasionally colliding into her only to mumble a hasty apology, or even worse, cutting her off and grabbing a full bottle of wine before she could reach it. She silently cursed her petite size and continued on, catching a full bottle in the corner of her eye. Collecting it, she realized one of the cooks had been indulging and had placed the stopper back on a half empty bottle. Turning to find more, she came face to chest with a wall of crimson. Looking up, Reijun stood before her dangling three bottled of plum wine in his hands.
"Need a bit of help?" He yelled over the clatter echoing through the kitchens. Sora smiled, relief evident on her face as he placed the full bottles on her tray. Suddenly he clasped her shoulders, moving his lips close to her ear. "Relax, it's almost over."
"Reijun, there'll be time for propositioning Sora later! Get back to work!" One of the cooks yelled toward them. Sora turned scarlet as she shook herself loose and ran towards the door, smoothing her robes with her free hand before entering the hall once again.
Surveying the room, she realized that Reijun had been correct and that the feast was winding down to a close. Half the men, and a few of the women, were heavily intoxicated, including the red-headed Warrior, much to Reika's obvious dismay, for he was making quite a fool of himself. A few guests had nodded off, and about a quarter of the guests seemed to have excused themselves for the evening. Sora realized it had been over four hours now, and it was well past midnight. A sharp slap on her rear brought Sora back to attention, as a guest felt the need to express his interest. His wife gave Sora a disgusted look, as if it was Sora's fault that she was married to a drunken swine. Sora turned and continued on her way.
As she reached the head table again, she realized that poor little Ying and Meilan were half asleep from exhaustion. Tapping them on the shoulders, she claimed their attention.
"Girls, go get some rest. Dinner is almost over, and Reika and I can finish up." They opened their mouths to protest, but Sora simply smiled and went to refill Mitsukake's glad for Meilan. Carefully, the two girls rose and silently exited the hall.
Dessert came shortly after Sora returned to the hall, and the guests dispersed shortly after that, leaving the hall alone to the servants.
* * * * * * There you have it. Chapter 6 rears its ugly head. This was quite difficult to write, but I did the best I could. Standard banquet scene, as Kozakura has put it.
Enjoy.
"Honored guests, tonight we gather to welcome those who have come to our aid in our time of need, the honored Celestial Warriors of Suzaku, and their priestess." With an eloquent gesture, Hotohori motioned for the seven to rise alongside him. " I present to you Suzaku's favored children, Lord Tamahome, Lord Mitsukake, Lord Chiriko, Lord Tasuki, Lord Chichiri, and Lord Nuriko." A few murmurs broke out at Nuriko's change of title, as he had formerly been Lady Nuriko, but were quickly quelled with a cool glance from the emperor. "And of course, our priestess and savior, Lady Miaka, who has ventured forth from another world to aid us in our fight to save our beloved country." Waves of applause erupted throughout the halls, and Miaka blushed demurely before seating herself as quickly as possible. "And now, I invite you to feast in their honor!"
On cue, the cooks entered the hall carrying steaming trays heaping with foods issuing the most delicious aromas. Loud chatter broke out as they entered, and the hall came alive with joy and celebration at that instant, the servants quickly forgotten in lieu of the food. Sora observed everything silently from a mat behind Chichiri. This is where her work truly began.
A truly skilled servant is invisible, and all the servants that evening were indeed that. As the guests ate, empty plates from one course disappeared, only to be replaced with a full plate from the next, glasses never ran dry, and no evidence of any spilled food remained. It was the magic of the servants of the palace of Konan.
Or perhaps an illusion, Sora mused as she entered the kitchen, for it seemed that all the mess of the dining hall had simply been transferred into this space. The environment in the kitchen seemed like a battlefield compared to the calm of the dining hall. Half the kitchen was filled with heaps of dirty plates and trays, and every now and then one of the younger cooks would scramble by to collect as many as he could carry, taking them to the already overflowing sink to be cleaned. On the other half of the kitchens, the rest of the cooks scrambled around like so many headless chickens, placing the finishing touches on the last course of the evening.
Sora crossed the cleaned half of the kitchen, searching among the plates of pastries for a few full bottles of plum wine to serve with dessert. Other servants brushed by her left and right, occasionally colliding into her only to mumble a hasty apology, or even worse, cutting her off and grabbing a full bottle of wine before she could reach it. She silently cursed her petite size and continued on, catching a full bottle in the corner of her eye. Collecting it, she realized one of the cooks had been indulging and had placed the stopper back on a half empty bottle. Turning to find more, she came face to chest with a wall of crimson. Looking up, Reijun stood before her dangling three bottled of plum wine in his hands.
"Need a bit of help?" He yelled over the clatter echoing through the kitchens. Sora smiled, relief evident on her face as he placed the full bottles on her tray. Suddenly he clasped her shoulders, moving his lips close to her ear. "Relax, it's almost over."
"Reijun, there'll be time for propositioning Sora later! Get back to work!" One of the cooks yelled toward them. Sora turned scarlet as she shook herself loose and ran towards the door, smoothing her robes with her free hand before entering the hall once again.
Surveying the room, she realized that Reijun had been correct and that the feast was winding down to a close. Half the men, and a few of the women, were heavily intoxicated, including the red-headed Warrior, much to Reika's obvious dismay, for he was making quite a fool of himself. A few guests had nodded off, and about a quarter of the guests seemed to have excused themselves for the evening. Sora realized it had been over four hours now, and it was well past midnight. A sharp slap on her rear brought Sora back to attention, as a guest felt the need to express his interest. His wife gave Sora a disgusted look, as if it was Sora's fault that she was married to a drunken swine. Sora turned and continued on her way.
As she reached the head table again, she realized that poor little Ying and Meilan were half asleep from exhaustion. Tapping them on the shoulders, she claimed their attention.
"Girls, go get some rest. Dinner is almost over, and Reika and I can finish up." They opened their mouths to protest, but Sora simply smiled and went to refill Mitsukake's glad for Meilan. Carefully, the two girls rose and silently exited the hall.
Dessert came shortly after Sora returned to the hall, and the guests dispersed shortly after that, leaving the hall alone to the servants.
* * * * * * There you have it. Chapter 6 rears its ugly head. This was quite difficult to write, but I did the best I could. Standard banquet scene, as Kozakura has put it.
Enjoy.