Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 39
Stillness
The ball was over, the partygoers long scattered. Anshii and Ayomi were back in their rooms, and yet, Ayomi was standing out on the porch, looking across the reflecting pool. She hadn't spoken since that last dance, hadn't bid Anshii goodnight. She just simply wandered out to the porch and leaned against the railing, still fully dressed. Out there on the porch, the moonlight reflected from her gown, and she fairly glowed with an ethereal light.
Anshii was afraid that she was going to try to throw herself off. She hovered in the open room, watching through the curtains, wondering if she should venture out onto the porch.
Her indecision was interrupted by the chime of her cellular phone from her bedroom, indicating that she had a voice mail or two. She moved off to the bedroom to pick up the phone, shushing its incessant chiming with a touch of a button. She scanned the screen and saw that she had three voicemails. She'd almost forgotten that she had the phone, true, but she'd only set it aside for the duration of the dance.
She dialed the voicemail system, keyed her password, and queued up the first message. It was Seneka, from the pet store.
Anshii had been quite concerned about how she was going to support herself out in the world beyond Ohtori. She needn't have worried, however, because she was extraordinarily lucky to have taken on at an exotic pet store as the assistant manager when she first escaped Ohtori. A scant two months later, she found herself promoted to manager, largely due to her uncanny ability to read the animals' mindsets... and as she had virtually no compunction against hard work and was very well-known among the exotic animals circuit (largely from her days on Ohtori's campus) she managed to purchase the lucrative pet boutique.
Only a year after that, she'd opened a second one.
Chuchu, for his part, was thrilled. She let him live in the original shop, and her staff found him very helpful in the day-to-day activity of the pet store. Which critter needed water, which one was out of food... Chuchu loved to check the cages for food and water. It made him feel very officious and important.
The first voicemail was simply Seneka checking in about those chinchilla for Kunihiro Fujimoto. They had arrived safely and in perfect health.
The second voicemail was again from Seneka, to tell her that Mister Fujimoto had collected the chinchilla and was very pleased.
The third voicemail was from her accountant, calling in with the numbers for both stores. Month end had gone well, and with the sale of the extra chinchillas, she'd seen a fourteen percent increase in sales for the month. She pursed her lips, and wondered absently if the second shop had really been such a good idea, but as she keyed to delete the voicemails, she decided to worry about that later. The pet stores were the least of her worries right now.
At length, after another hour of wandering listlessly through the rooms, Anshii took a hesitating step out onto the porch, looking around for Ayomi. The girl in question sat on the edge, skirts pooling on the floor, legs hanging over the ledge, leaning against the railing. She didn't turn, but she tilted her head and spoke. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?" Anshii asked, putting her arms on the railing and looking out over the trees. The trees blew in the wind, leaves rustling with soft whispers.
"At the ball... I had... I don't know... a feeling... while we were dancing. Like I'd done that before..." Ayomi's voice was quiet, her words slow, as if she deliberately picked through them before she voiced them.
Anshii took several heartbeats to calm herself, and in a carefully controlled voice, replied. "Well, I would imagine that you've danced with someone before." Suddenly, the trees were extremely interesting. She focused on a few leaves to keep herself under control.
Ayomi's voice was distant when she spoke again, and the wind stilled in the trees below, the silenced whispers fading into the night. "That little blonde brat sent a dress. It dissolved when liquid hit it. You wore a white tablecloth that she... I... grabbed and tied around you."
Anshii felt as if her heart had risen into her throat. She couldn't breathe. She slowly turned to look to the girl sitting on the edge of the porch, a stricken look on her face. "Utena...?" She whispered.
Pink hair turned, and clear blue eyes lifted to terrified green ones. "I don't know."
The ball was over, the partygoers long scattered. Anshii and Ayomi were back in their rooms, and yet, Ayomi was standing out on the porch, looking across the reflecting pool. She hadn't spoken since that last dance, hadn't bid Anshii goodnight. She just simply wandered out to the porch and leaned against the railing, still fully dressed. Out there on the porch, the moonlight reflected from her gown, and she fairly glowed with an ethereal light.
Anshii was afraid that she was going to try to throw herself off. She hovered in the open room, watching through the curtains, wondering if she should venture out onto the porch.
Her indecision was interrupted by the chime of her cellular phone from her bedroom, indicating that she had a voice mail or two. She moved off to the bedroom to pick up the phone, shushing its incessant chiming with a touch of a button. She scanned the screen and saw that she had three voicemails. She'd almost forgotten that she had the phone, true, but she'd only set it aside for the duration of the dance.
She dialed the voicemail system, keyed her password, and queued up the first message. It was Seneka, from the pet store.
Anshii had been quite concerned about how she was going to support herself out in the world beyond Ohtori. She needn't have worried, however, because she was extraordinarily lucky to have taken on at an exotic pet store as the assistant manager when she first escaped Ohtori. A scant two months later, she found herself promoted to manager, largely due to her uncanny ability to read the animals' mindsets... and as she had virtually no compunction against hard work and was very well-known among the exotic animals circuit (largely from her days on Ohtori's campus) she managed to purchase the lucrative pet boutique.
Only a year after that, she'd opened a second one.
Chuchu, for his part, was thrilled. She let him live in the original shop, and her staff found him very helpful in the day-to-day activity of the pet store. Which critter needed water, which one was out of food... Chuchu loved to check the cages for food and water. It made him feel very officious and important.
The first voicemail was simply Seneka checking in about those chinchilla for Kunihiro Fujimoto. They had arrived safely and in perfect health.
The second voicemail was again from Seneka, to tell her that Mister Fujimoto had collected the chinchilla and was very pleased.
The third voicemail was from her accountant, calling in with the numbers for both stores. Month end had gone well, and with the sale of the extra chinchillas, she'd seen a fourteen percent increase in sales for the month. She pursed her lips, and wondered absently if the second shop had really been such a good idea, but as she keyed to delete the voicemails, she decided to worry about that later. The pet stores were the least of her worries right now.
At length, after another hour of wandering listlessly through the rooms, Anshii took a hesitating step out onto the porch, looking around for Ayomi. The girl in question sat on the edge, skirts pooling on the floor, legs hanging over the ledge, leaning against the railing. She didn't turn, but she tilted her head and spoke. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?" Anshii asked, putting her arms on the railing and looking out over the trees. The trees blew in the wind, leaves rustling with soft whispers.
"At the ball... I had... I don't know... a feeling... while we were dancing. Like I'd done that before..." Ayomi's voice was quiet, her words slow, as if she deliberately picked through them before she voiced them.
Anshii took several heartbeats to calm herself, and in a carefully controlled voice, replied. "Well, I would imagine that you've danced with someone before." Suddenly, the trees were extremely interesting. She focused on a few leaves to keep herself under control.
Ayomi's voice was distant when she spoke again, and the wind stilled in the trees below, the silenced whispers fading into the night. "That little blonde brat sent a dress. It dissolved when liquid hit it. You wore a white tablecloth that she... I... grabbed and tied around you."
Anshii felt as if her heart had risen into her throat. She couldn't breathe. She slowly turned to look to the girl sitting on the edge of the porch, a stricken look on her face. "Utena...?" She whispered.
Pink hair turned, and clear blue eyes lifted to terrified green ones. "I don't know."