Sunshine shone onto her peaceful face. Her delicate nose twitched as her bright green eyes slowly opened. Shit, it's late. I'm turning into one of the boys. She climbed out of bed to throw her curtains opened, fearing to see a full glorious sun shining it's untamed brilliance onto the yard. A light smile touched her lips when she saw that it was dawn's first rays that had wakened her. Wouldn't Shanti be proud… I'm up with the children of the Dawn. Zoila doubted, however, that Shanti would ever be proud of anything again. A momentary smile at the sun showed Him pouring His golden rays over the tiny island. He saw the fountain that had been a temple to Him free from its rocky prison. He smiled at the manor house most of the circle lived at, shining His glory onto the sprawling lawn. His rays touched the sea. He even smiled His light and warmth onto the temple that was the enemy of His children, for one of them dwelt even there.
She was about to start going through her morning routine when a loud knock echoed its way up the staircase. Zoila blinked once, wondering who could be calling on the circle this early. She nearly ran straight into Tetsu, who was grinning to see that the busty girl who lived with him had run straight into him. A glare hardened her usually bright eyes, mostly to hide her small appraisal of him in nothing but the bottom half of his armor. To make her morning more trying, Olen nearly walked smack into her. She managed to not glare at him, but she did make note that he was in only his pajama pants. However, she was capable of gliding gracefully down the staircase to the door. She put on her best smile and gently ran her hands over her hair to smooth the sleep-wild curls before opening the grand oak doors open to greet their visitor. Ignoring the fact that Tetsu and Olen were overtly eyeing her night gown clad form and the fact that they both looked as if they had been out all night drinking and partying, she opened the grad oak door, smiling regally and preparing to invite their guest in for a light breakfast.
A few moments later, after the governor had informed the circle members that lived at the manor, Zoila found herself with the daunting task of not only getting herself ready, but also three boys who seemed to only want to party, joke, and bed girls. She sighed softly to herself.
"All right, baths for all of you."
Apparently, they had other ideas. Olen thought it would be funny to run around the yard to exert himself and work up a good sweat. Tetsu found a way to get her into the bathroom while he was naked. At least Gnarr didn't do anything obnoxious. Then again, he didn't get a bath either. In fact, he did very little except crack weak, pathetic jokes and try and convince everyone of the importance of his police force.
"I give up. You idiots are on your own. I hope the lot of you make complete fools of yourselves in front of the entire village!" With that, she stalked upstairs to soak in a rose perfumed tub after having scrubbed her milky skin clean. As she soaked, she planned her day carefully.
She would have to get a new dress. Green would do, to set off her eyes. No…she needed purple in it to wear the tiara that Olen had made her. Her face set itself into a more peaceful state as she thought about Olen at the forge, his hands delicately shaping the silver into the form of the tiara and setting her purple jewel into it. She had been trying to play Olen and Tetsu off of each other for a month or so now. Neither took the hint or the bait. Ah well, I suppose neither is interested in me. No surprise, I wouldn't put out the first time we went on a date. Not like any of these clowns really understands me.
That evening found Zoila in her new dress. It was a green color that beautifully offset her eyes and complimented her pale skin. The hem brushed the floor, hiding her delicate matching shoes that had also been purchased that day. The line of the dress itself was a rather low straight line that would have shown off most of her breasts. She had, however, tastefully set a piece of purple cloth into the top of the dress. The line of the dress still flattered her figure, but made her look more sophisticated than a young seventeen year old from some backwater island. She would have no man thinking she would just throw herself at him because he was foreign. The mirror reflected her image back at her, allowing her to see how the delicate silver tiara sat in her auburn curls, a single purple jewel glittering in her hair. A delicate hand brushed the silver and purple necklace at her throat. Tonight, perhaps, Olen would notice her. Or even Tetsu. Just so long as there was a man who did not fear her powers, who wanted to actually know her, not just her body. As she looked herself over, she concentrated for a moment to hide the sadness behind her eyes. She practiced the smile that sent most of the boys on the island to do anything she asked and made sure she hid all feelings from her eyes other than a faux look of delight. I look perfect. Now if only someone will pay attention.
Perfect was far from the state of the Governor's mansion when she arrived with Tetsu and Olen an hour early for the dinner party. He was having fits over every small detail.
"Where are the other two? Why aren't they here?"
"Please calm yourself, sir. Gnarr is at the docks with a few of the police force to provide an honor guard for our esteemed guests. Shanti is unfortunately ill and will not be able to attend." Zoila added a soft smile to her statement, hoping the governor would calm himself before he fell over.
"What? Shanti not coming? You're supposed to all be boy girl, boy girl when you sit. What now?"
"Oh, calm down. Go have a drink. With Tetsu, myself, and Zoila here, we can fix this." Olen grinned at Zoila's distress at having to fix this mess with only the help of two boys who seemed to only want to have fun.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she set about trying to arrange seating cards for all the guests. She put herself between Tetsu and Olen, weakly trying to explain that this way, Tetsu could easily do the proper thing while paying attention to her, and that she could easily keep an eye on Olen.
"But…who's gonna make sure Gnarr doesn't screw this up?" asked Olen, looking suspiciously at Zoila.
"Oh…we'll put a village girl beside him. Anyone who's been invited should know what to do."
After some arguments from Olen, Zoila grudgingly sat herself between Tetsu and Gnarr, leaving Olen across the table from her. She waited patiently for Olen to start fiddling with the decorations, and jumped for the opportunity when it presented itself. A slender hand slid a name card onto the plate beside Olen's, making sure he was sitting beside one of the few unattractive girls invited to the dinner party.
Tetsu was lounging around, trying to hide his nervousness at having to try and be impressive at a formal event. Honestly, she acts as if I'm a child. I can handle myself. No one will really care if I mess up a little. His eyes, however, were drifting back and forth across the ballroom, watching Olen entangle himself in one of the decorative ribbons. A soft movement of silk nearby quickly brought his attention back to the table, though, as he spotting Zoila deftly switching a name placard near Olen's plate. Ah, trying to mess with Olen's best laid plans, are we, little miss? We'll see about that. As she turned to chastise Olen for ruining the party, Tetsu casually moved the seating arrangements around again, putting Olen near a couple of very attractive blonde sisters.
"Olen! Knock it off! We need to get this set up because someone decided we could handle setting this up ourselves," she hissed at Olen, who at this point, had finally disentangled him from the green, red, brown, silver, and blue streamers.
"C'mon, cutie pie, I've got it under control. The streamers are almost hung, the table is set, and the seating is taken care of. Just calm yourself down and don't wrinkle your dress."
As she opened her mouth to snap at Olen, the governor walked into the room. "Ah, you three are wonderful! The place looks spectacular. The smells from the kitchen are delicious, and the guests are almost here. They should be here in a few moments; you should get ready to receive the villagers. The first few guests are coming up the drive already."
The inside of the mansion did look splendid. Long tables were laid out with the finest linens available on the island. Delicate china plates sat at each place, surrounded by fine silver and delicate crystal glasses. Zoila eyed Olen's handiwork with the decorations, and her eyes widened briefly in awe. He had managed to somehow entwine the colored ribbons symbolizing the elements of the dragon-blooded and hung them at the edge of the room. The streamers draped down at the corners, catching the light from candles and sending little shimmers of light onto the dancing area. Perhaps, if Gnarr, Olen, and Tetsu could behave themselves for an evening, she could even have fun.
Zoila's mouth formed the smile she had practiced many times before, eyes covering over any feelings that may have been lying under the surface. Her face was smooth and serene as she prepared to face perhaps the biggest challenge she had faced since being chosen the Sun.