Temari collapsed on her bed, soon followed by the soft footsteps of her maid, Kana.
"Is there anything I can do for you Temari-sama?" her quiet voice was pleasant to Temari's ears. Temari flipped over so she could stare at the ceiling.
"Would you mind drawing me a bath?"
"Not at all. A few minutes please."
"Thank you." Kana started for the door, but paused at the threshold.
"I don't mean to pry Temari-sama, but did you enjoy the masquerade? You're glowing." Temari smiled. Kana was always desperately curious as to what the parties and events were like, but didn't hear much from Temari. She knew that Kana wouldn't gossip about anything she was told, and Temari was filled with a strange energy that was encouraging her to talk about the man she had danced with.
"It was quite boring," Temari saw Kana's face fall. "Except for the man who took care of an official that was harassing me, then danced with me." Kana's face brightened. When she spoke though, her excitement didn't show.
"That's quite nice Temari-sama. I'll take care of your bath now." Kana's footsteps left the room, heading into the private bathroom that was part of the suite she occupied.
What she had told Kana was the truth. The night had been tedious, and boring, not to mention a drunk man tried to get her to sleep with him. She should've been in a horrid mood, but for some reason she felt great. She knew why. The man. With him she had felt relaxed and comfortable, unusual for her when she was in a political setting. Unfortunately she didn't know his name, or anything else about him. Only that he was a wonderful dancer and the only person not from Suna who she could stand. It was strange how he hadn't introduced himself, especially since they were talking so amicably and they were not previously acquainted. Kana returned.
"Your bath is ready Temari-sama." Temari groaned as she pulled herself up, then shed her clothes and stepped into the steaming bath.
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Temari stepped back into her room after her bath, a short silk robe (purple of course) draped around her body. Yawning, she headed to her desk to deal with some of the paperwork she was responsible for during the conference. That was what half these events were; paperwork. As she approached her desk she saw something sitting there, something that hadn't been there before. Instinct told her to step back and test it. Curiosity told her to turn the light on. What she saw surprised her.
On her desk sat a dark green mask riddled with golden-brown lines, forming a familiar pattern. The mask had no eye holes, and Temari knew that her mysterious friend had sent it. Leaning on the mask was a desert lily, her favorite, the familiar flower reminding her of home. She brought the lily to her nose and sniffed it. The sweet scent washed over her and she closed her eyes in bliss. Curious as to how the mask worked, she lifted it to her face.
The mask, she found out, was made of glass, the inner side covered with silk so as to protect the wearer's face. The eye holes were simply pieces of one-way glass, and when she looked through them she found she could see quite clearly. It was an expensive mask, with excellent craftsmanship, most likely an heirloom. She'd never seen anything like it. And the man had given it to her.
But why? Why had her masked man sent her these symbols of... romance? And who was he? How could she respond to such a gesture without knowing who he was? Unless...
"Kana!" She called out. She saw her maid's face appear around the edge of the door frame before entering.
"Yes?" Temari gestured towards the gifts.
"How did these get here? Who brought them." It took Kana a moment to remember.
"A runner. I asked him if there was a note, but he said no." Temari frowned. A runner. One of the many messengers who traveled the palace where they were staying. They delivered notes, packages, papers; anything that needed to be given to a person could reach them by a runner.
"Could we ask them who sent this?" Temari questioned Kana.
"No!" Temari was shocked by Kana's shout. Kana blushed. "I'm sorry Temari-sama, but the runners are very proud of their secrecy. To ask them to divulge such information would be a great insult." Temari swore internally. How was she to contact him? An idea came to mind.
"Kana, could we send something back to a person through the runners, as long as we don't inquire as to the person's identity?" Kana tilted her head to one side as she contemplated this.
"That should be fine. What would you like sent?" Temari blinked. She hadn't thought that far ahead.
"I guess I'll write a letter, it seems to be a good place to start." Kana nodded and left the room, searching for a runner. Temari sat down at her desk and pulled out a slip of paper with a pen, musing over what to write.
Dear
Well that seemed like a good place to start. Now what? How should she refer to someone if she had no clue what his name was? He was an unknown. Wait.
Dear Unknown
Well. That was progress. But what did she actually want to say? How did she express the fact that so far he was the highlight of the conference for her?
Dear Unknown
Thank you for your assistance last night in dealing with my friend as you so graciously put it.
Should she express interest in his identity? Should she ask to meet him again?
Dear Unknown
Thank you for your assistance last night in dealing with my friend as you so graciously put it. I greatly enjoyed the time we spent together last night. Perhaps we could meet again? At the least I would like to know the name of the man I danced with last night, if you don't mind sharing that with me.
Temari no Sabaku
It would have to do.
"Kana?" She called out again. Once more the familiar face appeared.
"I found a runner, and he said that he would be glad to run your reply back to the sender of the original message." Temari sighed in relief. She didn't quite understand why, but she desperately wanted to know the identity of her man. Her man? What claim did she have on him? But for some reason, Temari felt the flower and mask meant something more then just a gift, as if the man was opening a door to something bigger. But why, and what?
"Temari-sama?" Kana's questioning voice broke her reverie.
"Ah, sorry Kana-kun. Here it is," she handed over the note and went back to her thoughts. One was prominent. What does this all mean?