-Oxford - Friday: Part 9-
Lory sat at his desk a grin planted on his face, "Jelly Woods here, she's on her way up." He paused looking at the Ren who sat in front of him. "I think it's best you don't tell her exactly who you are. Much like Ten-chan." Ren's eyes lifted to look at him. His fingers tapping slightly on the desk, to say that Ren wasn't bothered by the way the man was looking at him would be an understatement. It was times like this he felt like a piece of meat for the older man.
"Why is that?" Actually, for him this was a relief, he honestly wasn't sure how he was going to go about being Corn, why would a Fairy Prince show up in a hotel? 'That's even if she realized that's who I am.' He pushed back the pain that hit his heart at the thought she wouldn't even recognize him, it had been nine years.
Lory leaned back, "So you want her to know?"
Ren's eyes turned towards the President, 'That is the question' but it was also one he didn't know the answer too. On one hand, if she knew then wouldn't who he was now, hold a bigger part in her heart? Still, it bothered him that he had to hold a bigger part because he couldn't understand why it was so damn important to him. 'Friendship' he wanted that feeling again, the feeling of having a real friend. Everyone in his life he held at a distance, but he really didn't want to hold her at such a distance, or did he? Then there was the problem if she knew, would she slip? Would she hate him for lying to him? 'She did say it wouldn't matter didn't she?' But some part of him couldn't really agree with that either. Some part of him was sure it mattered. 'After all, she never bothered to ask me anything about myself. Lifting his head he looked up at the man in front of him again, "Yet that's who I will be..."
Lory chuckled as he leaned forward, "So you are doubting your ability to act as someone innocent and harmless?"
'Why do I have to be innocent and harmless anyways? What exactly was her plan for all this? Was she trying to get kidnapped again?' Mentally he couldn't be sure if he was even up for this sort of mess. However, without Ruto or Lory here who else could keep her safe, 'Keiji' my eyes turned towards him, "Why isn't Keiji looking after her?"
Lory raised an eyebrow slightly before grinning, "Well Keiji is close to Kyoko, he's not close to many people. Don't you think it would be odd for him to show up at her side when she's not being Kyoko?"
He couldn't disagree with that, soon there was a knock on the door and Lory rose from his seat, "I should also warn you, you will need to stay here with her. Someone already broke into this room and while General Brown is very good at his job I am not exactly sure he knows how to deal with teenagers." He chuckled as he opened the door.
"Darling!" Jelly Woods small form wrapped around Lory's waist and he smiled at her.
He pulled away from her slightly as he shut the door behind her. "Hello Ten-san, our boy is ready for you."
"Hello Ren-chan!" she waved towards him.
'What the hell is Boss thinking?' Ren eyes turned towards the small woman before smiling, "Sorry, I was just a little taken back." Jelly looked at him for a moment before looking back at Lory. 'Yeah, he did something again.' He said looking at the frown on her face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Darling, what did you say to Ren-chan?" her foot tapping slightly as he held out his hands.
"I asked him to watch my little girl until Sebastion gets her."
'Liar you said I had to stay in the same hotel room as her, something you completely didn't tell me when I agreed to do this' his smile never fading as he looked at him and she sighed heavily.
"Well, she does need someone to look after her. Someone as cute and innocent as Kyoko-chan... but is it wise?" She said looking up at Lory.
"Of course, the boy would never do anything to her." His eyes turned towards Ren and he felt a shudder down his spine "Would you Ren?"
"No" he mentally looked away "I'll be the perfect gentlemen"
"Nonsense, that will give you away." He sighed heavily this was becoming a true nightmare.
Kyoko couldn't stop staring at herself, her eyes turned to look at Jelly Woods as she tilted her head slightly. She wasn't sure how she felt with the long hair, it was almost the same color that she had come to see as being her. The biggest difference was the natural red hues that surrounded her hair, 'It would be awful if they cut it, but then again how strong is wig glue?' she thought as she looks back in the mirror.
"My special glue is very strong" she was mindless as Jelly along with Laura was digging through the clothes. Both trying to figure out the perfect style to go with the look. Neither fully agreeing with the other at least not fully.
She could only hum slightly as she looked at her now hazel eyes, she still held hints of gold in the but nowhere near the real color and she missed them. She did seem older but she was sure that was just due to the makeup and had nothing at all to do with her own looks. 'I look older' she turned to look at the two women and smiled softly as she took a deep breath trying to think of what sort of women they were more drawn to but the only thing she could think of when she thought about it was the one woman that came to mind was the one who drew them in, she was treated perhaps the best in the whole Bakkin Hana to the point she could actually turn down guests. "Foxglove" she whispered causing the two women to turn to look at her as she stared at them. "But that name won't work," she said tilting her head slightly.
"Who's Foxglove sweetie?" Jelly's voice held the hint of worry as if she was worried that she would fall and break.
"She was a flower, she was perhaps one of the rarest flowers they had." It wasn't as if she was happy Kyoko, no the woman herself had cried countless times, but always quickly pulled herself out of it whenever she thought someone wasn't looking and she would scrub herself raw, but she was different than the others, different than even the roses that were to be sold and thus not treated nearly as bad as the other flowers. 'She knew her survival was at stake' she tilted her head the other way. "She was kind, always tried to ease everyone around her even when she was fearful. She treated all of us kindly, always trying to sooth the other flowers, telling them that it gets better" her eyes narrowed slightly 'But it doesn't get better does it Foxglove, it was just a lie you told yourself to help you keep moving.' There was one more thing about the woman though, one thing she pointed out just once to Tomi and he had patted her head so affectionately about it. She was not really in her affections, in her kindness, yes she was kind to everyone, soothing the pain that they went through, but there was a deep hate in the fact that they weren't doing better, that she had to pick up in some cases their slack. 'It had become tainted' but that was the same with a love of the girls, who they had become had been tainted. 'Am I tainted?' She didn't feel tainted, not even after all that had happened 'I could walk away right now, no one would dare question it but' she turned to look at them and smiled softly "I know who I am now."
Laura raised her eyebrow, clearly not getting it but Jelly smiled brightly, "And who do we have the pleasure of meeting?"
"Marian" her smile didn't really reach her eyes and caused Jelly to stare at her for a moment in surprise, "Marian Walter" Laura watched as her manner seemed to change just slightly. She still held herself in a way that said she had come from money but there was something different.
Laura looked towards Jelly who turned towards the woman, "Well then, I take it Marian is a bit like this Foxglove?" she tapped her chin slightly.
"She needs to still be modest, even if she's from that sort of place," Laura spoke looking towards Kyoko after a moment, she nodded her head some.
"Yes, modest but not too modest," she said with a soft smile, "Besides this body is still pretty beaten up." Though she had said it as though it was no big deal both women looked at her, she waved it off. Once she had turned back towards the mirror she found herself unable to hold onto Marian, "No need to worry, I promise." Her voice sounded so off even to her but she wasn't able to spend the last hour or so with her family and she was starting to feel depressed about it, even if she knew that Jelly and Laura would assure that it was known by security who she was. It didn't help any. "I don't want them to worry." she whispered, "Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't... tell them goodbye," and she didn't want to point out that the chance she really might not see them again. 'Don't think like that, you got out once, you can do it again.'
Laura moved towards her wrapping her arms around the girl pulling her backward into a hug. "Come now Kyoko, you don't need to be like that. You already said your goodbyes and they know you are about to doll yourself up so the rest of the world won't notice you." Laura smiled as she stared at her through the mirror, "Just do what you need to do and come back to us safely." She pulled away "I think something mint green."
Standing off to the side of the lobby she tried to gather herself some by pretending to look through her purse. The truth of the matter the dress was simple, modest but at the same time showed far to much skin for Kyoko's taste but she wasn't Kyoko at the moment. No, she was Marian because Muse-sama had cast her magic on her and Laura had picked the outfit, which meant that it was far more modest than would have been possible if she had allowed Amanda to pick it out. Still, the mint green maxi dress had a feel of airiness that reminded her a great deal of Juliena and yet somehow seemed to work just as well in her mind for Marian 'Even if Juliena and Foxglove are completely different people' then again Foxglove would not have worn something like this. None of the girls would have, it didn't hug and show everything like a second skin. Mentally she tried to push those thoughts away, she wasn't there. She wasn't the Blue Rose, she wasn't even Kyoko at the moment.
The bar was just inside those doors and apparently, she would know exactly who she was looking for according to Jelly when she saw them. "How is that even possible?" she muttered darkly to herself. No one told her anything but her father had told her he would know who she was. 'Well isn't that just helpful' she could feel her dark children wrapping around her as she thought but she had to get back into her role. Back into being Marian, Maid Marian really had a part in her creation. 'Yes, she's somewhere between Foxglove and Maid Marian.' She would know how to use her body to draw attention as Foxglove did, but unlike Foxglove she would hold more grace because she didn't need to sell herself, there would be no reason to do so. As a family friend to the Takarada's, she couldn't do such a disgraceful act. Yet a small part of her mind told her she was being childish, using a fairytale-like Robin Hood for a name. Things like fairies were only for those who still had pure hearts. She no longer had a pure heart, how could she have such a pure heart when she knew deep down the horrors of this world.
Still, there was magic, the look on General Brown's face when she saw him earlier told her as much. While her Father had only told her she was beautiful and that he could see how truly beautiful she would become in the next few years, they had made their way to see the man, it was important he said that she didn't break character, 'as if I'm so sort of actress' she had to fight the rolling of her eyes. Her father did have a point though, she would have to figure out herself if she still wanted to become a model, she didn't want that world to know who she really was, at least not yet. So she had to learn to act the part given to her, in her mind that had been simple. Change of clothes and well not using her family name and referring to her father in public as the President. Maria would be the hardest part of this, she had no idea how she would act if she couldn't adore the little girl even when at work. Mentally she sighed heavily she had to focus, not on her own thoughts of a future she wasn't even fully sure she would have after this. 'I'm Marian' she closed her eyes, 'I'm Marian, I'm bored of sitting around in the hotel room, I'm here for just a couple days, two to be exact. Tonight and tomorrow night. I am looking for a friend of mine, they are at the bar here in the hotel. I'm Marian, I'm kind hearted but easily annoyed.' She opened her eyes after taken a deep breath holding a hand to her heart she smiled as she walked into the bar.