All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!
First Kisses?
AThe Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Inside Raye's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon
November 19, 986
While Serena and Poruzuka were both returning to their respective chambers elsewhere in the palace, Raye was already in her chambers there. For she'd actually been not too far away from them when she was training with Jackie. She was now getting ready to take her second shower of the day. Before she could begin doing so, though, her younger sister Bridget knocked on her door rather suddenly.
When Raye realized that, she said, "Bridget, I was just about to start my shower. I hope you have a really good reason to interrupt me now."
"Raye, as I was returning to my own chambers earlier, I saw a message canister suddenly land in the Double Anchor Garden. I went only close enough to it for me to see well enough that it was actually for you, Raye. It landed quite near the sculpture of Sailor Calypso there, within about two or so feet from it. I also saw a tag on it. And it was apparently from Chad, through Queen Serenity."
"Chad, you say?" Raye opened the door, after making quite sure that she was still decently enough clothed, of course. She stuck only her head out of it, just the same, though.
"Yes. Why?"
"Because I've been thinking of him at least a bit since I got here."
"I see. A boyfriend, perhaps?"
"No, not yet, if ever." Raye thought for a few seconds or so, at most, then looked at her sister briefly, still with only her head outside her door.
"What do you want to do, Raye?"
"I really want to take my shower now, Bridget. Here's what I want you to do, if possible. Please listen to me, and please do exactly as I say, so that nobody else bothers it until I get there, if you can possibly do so before they somehow manage to find it elsewhere on the grounds."
"Okay, Raye. I'm listening," said Bridget, once Raye finally decided to let her sister into her chambers for a few minutes or so. Raye had her sister hurry into her chambers. After which she quickly bolted the door rather securely behind them both, of course.
"First, get a metal shovel, and dig around it only enough to allow you to bury it completely in the ground. That'll most likely mean that you'll have to deepen that hole at least a little bit, if not a lot, as well, Bridget. Bury its closest end exactly two feet below the surrounding ground, if you possibly can. Then flatten all the dirt and grass above that end of the canister that you can, so that it'll most likely appear to those who don't look closely enough there, that the ground wasn't disturbed at all. When you do that, make at least doubly sure that it's not all that obvious that something's buried there for me, if you can. Even if you have to use a rake or something else to make as sure as you can that nobody else who doesn't already know that canister is there can find it easily enough. After you do that, stick no more than a few Martian rocks above where you buried that canister completely. That'll hopefully allow me to find it, then. And it might also keep everyone else from guessing that something's buried there before I can retrieve that canister. Please use only rocks that'll blend in well enough with the surrounding area near that statue, if possible, for the obvious reasons. Then before you leave the area again, so that you can eventually get to supper, stick one Martian flag in the middle of the rocks I told you to place there. That's so I can be at least doubly sure of that location when I come there to retrieve that canister. As you then leave the aforementioned area, please hide the shovel you just used somewhat under the nearest large rock, but not entirely, once you tie one of your blue hair ribbons securely enough on its handle. When you then leave the area, please try to make absolutely sure that nobody else can either see you or hear you in it. I don't really intend to show up there until sometime before local midnight. So you may have to be very careful indeed as you do all the things that I want you to do for me, at least as they might then relate to that canister."
"Understood. How soon do you expect to be out of your shower?"
"Fifteen or so minutes, I think. At least I'm hoping so, once you leave me alone again. After I shower and dress, I'll probably be killing time at least until I hear it's time for supper. If it's not already time for supper by the time that I get done showering and dressing myself, of course."
"Okay. Do you want me to hang out your 'Do Not Disturb' sign when I leave, Raye?"
"I'd like that very much, B.B., if you'd be so kind as to do that for me. I don't want to be bothered for at least a little while longer, if I don't really have to be. But you can come in later, if I'm still not out of my chambers when you come back this way." Raye stepped back into her bathroom again, so that she could start running the necessary water for her shower. She had B.B. come to the door of her bathroom only long enough for her to finish talking to Bridget before she began her shower. She left the door slightly ajar, so that she could do that, as she kicked off her shoes and reached around the door to set them outside it.
"All right. Where is your 'DND' sign, then, Raye?"
"Somewhere on top of my desk in my bedroom. Look near my music-related scrolls on my desk. It should be between two scrolls of classical Martian music, I think, Bridget. Probably between the scrolls labeledMartian Mountain Challenge and Memory of Mars, if I'm not mistaken."
"Martian Mountain Challenge and Memory of Mars?"
"I believe so. Now I think I'd better get out of my robe very soon, so that I can begin showering, of course. Come back here after you take care of what I really want you to take care of right now, if you want. Say 'Olympus Mons Descend' when you leave, and 'Olympus Mons Climb' if and when you return here later. But if you don't get here in time, and I'm already gone from here, you may not be able to get in here at all. I may decide to change the current access phrase to my chambers. If you can't get in here, you'll have to catch me later, of course."
"Understood. 'OMD' to leave, 'OMC' to return, if and when I return here before too much more time passes for us. Okay, Raye. Got it. Catch you later, then, of course. Enjoy your shower, then." B.B. left her sister's chambers with no further delay, so that Raye could begin her shower as planned, of course, once Raye let her sister do so. Raye bolted the door again rather securely after B.B. had just left her alone again in them.
Raye spent most, if not all, of at least the next fifteen minutes or so in her shower. And she got herself as clean as she possibly could get herself, before she dressed again. Raye donned a mostly crimson sweater and one of her oldest pairs of tan slacks, before she attended to her hair. She brushed it out until she was absolutely sure that there were no knots at all in it. Which meant that she spent at least another five to ten minutes brushing her hair, of course. Then, when she was sure enough that was the case, she put one of her tiaras on, just as Bridget came back to her chambers.
Bridget used the necessary access phrase to gain access to her sister's chambers, which she could still do. For Raye hadn't yet changed the necessary access phrase for others to gain access to them easily enough without asking her if they could come into them. Raye couldn't lock herself out by forgetting her current access code to any of the chambers designated for her use in any of the palaces on the Moon she'd stayed in for a long enough time. For just the sound of her voice outside each of those chambers would allow her to access them. The same thing was normally, if not always, true of most, if not all, of Queen Serenity's many subjects that'd stayed in any of the Moon Kingdom's palaces for a long enough time in each of their own lives. Serenity could also access any of the chambers that she'd provided to any of her subjects in any of the Moon Kingdom's palaces, at least on the Moon, just by using her voice to do so, if she wanted to. Of course, that was normally, if not always, possible. That was the case because of the somewhat simple fact that she actually was the Moon Kingdom's current Queen. However, she'd not normally do so for most, if not all, of her many subjects that were staying in such palaces. For she normally would want to respect their privacy, whenever it was possible for her to do so, both in her life and in their lives.
Of course, Queen Serenity's husband and daughters were all also subjects of hers. As were all the other members of Serena's royal Court. Which also meant that Raye and Bridget were also subject to her in the Moon Kingdom. Bridget didn't mind that so much. Unlike Raye, who really wanted to lead the Moon Kingdom someday in the future, if possible. Especially if she got to do it with Prince Darien at her side.
Raye realized that might not be possible. Especially if the Negaverse did invade the Moon Kingdom eventually. But she still hoped very much that it'd somehow be possible in the future, of course. She hoped that if she couldn't rule the Moon Kingdom, though, that Serena would someday be able to do so, or to someday be able to rule at least one successor government to it.
B.B. came back into Raye's chambers just as Raye was about to finish getting herself ready for supper. They talked for a few minutes more, before they began hearing the supper bells ringing in the nearby halls of the palace. When they did so, Raye said, "I guess we'd better get ourselves to supper now, B.B., before people start wondering where we are here in this palace."
"Yes, I suppose you're right."
So they spent only about another few minutes, at most, in Raye's chambers, before they left them so they could both get to supper in time to eat it soon enough. As they did so, Raye changed the necessary access code to her chambers, so that she could be sure that she'd not be disturbed in the middle of the night, if it could possibly be avoided at all, by anyone other than her sister. She made it possible for Bridget to access her chambers later on, if the need ever arose during the current night. But she didn't do the same for any of the other Princesses who were on the RSP's grounds.
After she did so, she and Bridget reported to the main dining hall for their suppers. They quickly left the area of her chambers as they did so, so that they'd be far enough away from them if they encountered any of the other girls on the way to the main dining hall for supper.
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first six chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!