The Tale of Lily and Reiko
"Lily dear, are you trying to scrub the table raw?" Lady Reiko chuckled as she watched the young woman clean the table with a furrowed brow.
"O-Oh." She looked down at the already clean table, pocketing the rag. "I'm sorry, Lady Reiko..."
"Something seems to be on your mind..." She approached her. "Let me guess... boy trouble?"
Lily choked and looked at the lady with wide eyes. "N-no! No! What boy trouble?! Not at all!" She cringed at herself and turned away to check for other tables that need cleaning.
That was all the answer that the lady needed. "Amon? Aron?" The twins set down the plates they were holding and ran to the lady. "I have an errand to run and I need Lily. Will you two be okay handling the eatery?"
"Of course, my Lady!" They quipped simultaneously and went back to work.
Reiko approached the young woman and tugged her arm. "Come with me, Lily. We're going shopping!"
The pair went through all the shops in the clothing district of the market, trying on kimonos and tunics, as well as shoes and accessories. Even through Lily's adamant protests against her, Reiko bought her a new yukata and matching silk shoes.
"Lady Reiko! I can't pay for all of these!" She said as she held the shoes in her hands, eyeing them warily.
"Who says you need to pay?" She slid a small sack of coins to the merchant who bowed deeply at her best customer. "Think of it as a bonus for your great performance in the eatery. Now go put them on! I want to see what you look like in them!"
Lily was led to the back room by the merchant and Reiko checked out the available accessories while waiting. After a few minutes, Lily came out, smoothing out the front of her yukata.
The soft, baby pink fabric of the yukata complemented Lily's blushing cheeks, bringing out her natural youthful beauty. The white obi around her waist was embroidered with small pink flowers and light green vines. The pink and red silk shoes fit Lily perfectly and Reiko smiled. "You look beautiful, Lily... Let me fix your hair!"
The young woman was asked to sit down in front of the mirror and the lady gently brushed her short dark hair. Lily looked at the lady and wondered why she had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Are you okay, Lady Reiko?"
She chuckled and nodded lightly. "Yes... It's just that... You remind me so much of my younger sister. I used to brush her hair like this all the time." She took two pins with quartz shaped like cherry blossoms and places them on either side of Lily's hair to keep it away from her face. "Perfect." She smiled widely.
"Thank you so much, Lady Reiko. For everything." She looked at the lady through the mirror. "Someday, I will find a way to pay you back for all the kindness you have shown me."
She patted the young woman's head lovingly. "Just promise me that no matter how hard life gets, no matter what the gods and the universe throws at you, never lose that smile of yours."
As they pass by the Firelight Fountain, walking back to the eatery, they hear the tune of the liuqin and pipa being played by an old man and his young son. They had a tin can in front of them for passers-by to drop some spare change.
Lily reached into her pocket and dropped three silver coins into the can.
The old man smiled and bowed to her deeply. He then turned to his son and whispered something.
She stood there, frozen, as they played a song for her.
"This song... I have heard this before..."
"One, two, three, one, two, three..." A beautiful woman clapped rhythmically as she counted. Two men behind her played two stringed instruments, producing a beautiful enchanting tune that reminded her of spring and flowers.
She was spinning, gliding through the polished floor, her long loose skirt flowing around her; her arms and hands never leaving the air.
"You are flying, you are weightless..." The beautiful woman coached the younger woman as she danced. "Your feet should barely touch the ground!"
She took the woman's words to heart and continued the routine.
"Stop, stop, stop." The mentor signaled the men. She approached her ward and stood beside her. With a flourish, she raised her arms and spun gracefully, lifting one foot, then the other. "Like this, little one." She spun twice on foot and glided effortlessly through the floor.
The student looked on, mesmerized by the woman's grace and poise.
"Imagine yourself like a butterfly... floating through a vast field of flowers... the wind carrying you, and you let it take you wherever it wishes you to go."
Before she knew it, her feet were moving.
It was as if they had a mind of their own.
She lifted her arms from her sides and spun around once on the tip of her feet.
She didn't know how to explain it, but she felt... purposeful, like she was meant to do it; like a piece of a puzzle finally falling into place.
As she danced to the liuqin and pipa, a crowd had gathered at the fountain. They watched with amazement as the girl they knew as a server in the eatery danced gracefully, smiling beautifully as she raised her arms and spun around.
Reiko stood to the sidelines, frozen, as still as a statue. 'That dance...'
The people cheered as the song ended. They tossed coins into the tin can, almost filling it to the brim. The musicians thanked Lily profusely, trying to give her a portion of the collected coins to which she refused with a smile. She bowed to them as well as the people and made her way back to Reiko.
"My lady?" She bit her lip as soon as she saw Reiko's stern expression.
"Where did you learn that dance?" Her tone was different, and it scared her.
"I...I just felt like doing it—"
Reiko tugged her arm rather harshly, her honey-colored eyes burning with emotion. "Two people, Lily... Only two people know that dance! Me, and my sister Su—"
"CHIYO!"
Author's Notes
So... there's that. *grins wickedly*
Who do you think saw her?
-TheGreatestConWoman-
BTW, I love hearing (well, reading) about your reactions! I LIVE for them!
Thank you all so much!