Chapter 18: Deluge

Tap.

A sigh.

Tap.

Ren could no longer bear to hold the mug in her hand. It was not productive, as the tea had already been finished by now. There was also no point in waiting, if only to be disappointed that yet another second had passes.

Never before had she desired a possession of a mobile phone. Everyone who had someone else to call had gotten themselves a personal device by now. Yet Ren sat there, completely incapable of reaching out to anyone else. The landline was bugged and monitored, a sure-fire way to give up all privacy.

It had been two days since her return to the mansion. She did, only to find her mistress not present, reportedly having left with a certain female psychic. Without someone to serve, Ren could do nothing but wait. It never used to be like this. In-season, her mistress would often stay at her gym for days, and she was fine then. What changed?

What did she use to do then, even?

As a butler, her job was not of particular note. Balancing budgets and overseeing house operations might be crucial, but they were never on her mind. They were tasks to be done, then pushed aside for other, more personal enjoyments. Good books, vinyl records and paintings, all remnants of the old world which she used to relish. They now all seemed so empty.

"Ms. Ren."

She heard the call of a maid. Any distraction would be welcome.

"What is it?"

"It's the master."

Perhaps not any distraction.

She had only spoken to the head of the Tsuyo line once before, during the beginning of her employment evaluation all those years ago. The employment itself ended successfully, but he remained the only person opposed to it. It was only to her mistress' father's words – whom had since passed – that she was allowed to be here.

She only briefly remembered that day, being a sixteen years old orphan stranded in an unknown land. She had only one friend, and that was her mistress. She was willing to do everything in her power so that they could remain together, and succeeded.

Yet she knew her triumph could not last.

"Master," She picked up the phone.

"Ren…" He sounded less than enthusiastic to have to converse with her, but both parties were aware of this talk being fully business. "I had reports saying that Erika had not been home in 3 days. Yet, this was not a scheduled nor authorised leave, correct?"

"It isn't, master."

"Explain." She could almost hear a silent sigh of disapproval.

"I wasn't on the premise when she left, master." No immediate retort. "The maid said that it was the gym leader Sabrina whom the mistress left with."

"I had never taken her words to be serious." He, as the head of the lineage, had his responsibilities. She understood that, but his actions had not always been justified in the past. "When I commanded you to forcefully rejects any man who had contacts with my granddaughter, I truly could not have seen this coming."

"It is outside of my expectations as well, master."

"Erika told me that she sent you to make amends with this woman. That was why you were permitted to leave." Ren could almost smell the pipe smoke from the other end of the line. "You did nothing to prevent that."

"I couldn't go against mistress' orders."

"Is this what you want, Ren?" His tone was becoming far more threatening. "If your mistress follows through with this decision, she will be an outcast of the lineage. She will be stripped of her title, as well as her possessions. You will be out on the streets."

Ren closed her eyes. All of these thoughts had crossed her mind before, and they were the reason she was so reluctant to approve of her mistress' relationship in the first place. However, there was a larger objective at work. It was the sole reason why Ren was so unapologetic about sabotaging all of her mistress' previous flings – few in number as they were - yet not this one.

"I'm ready to face that consequence, master."

"Ren, listen." He was obviously losing patience. "You have to realise that however hard you try to please her, or whether or not your mistress remains a part of this bloodline, she will never become yours."

"I'm aware, master."

He hung up.

Ren had her backs to the wall. She understood what he said, fully. She had plenty of time to think about it, even having stayed up an entire night just bawling her eyes out to Penny, so that she could gather herself later. She sometimes wondered that even after all these years of friendship, did her mistress ever notice her infatuation. Her ill-kept secret had always been so awfully fragile, and still hinged on her every breath.

Catching wind of a maid around the corner, she quickly retreated to her quarters. She was still terribly lost in all directions. There was nothing that she could have done, except for simply wait for her mistress' return.
Ren brewed another pot, and tapped the empty tea mug.

…

"Penny?" An unexpected visit.

"Mind if I come in?"

"No, go ahead."

Surge never expected another visitor so soon. Usually at the times of off-season, it'd be old soldiers or people who used to be under him. A sausage fest, more or less, and this year was only getting stranger, since his visits were often, and all of the visitors were women.

"Ah." Penny settled herself on the couch, as if she hadn't been this relaxed for weeks. This was not true of course, as she had just been on a cruise not a week earlier. "You could rent this place out, Surge. There'd be plenty lined up."

"I don't think the cleaning afterwards is really worth it." He had thought of it before, since his apartment usually fell into disuse once gym time started again. Unlike most other gym leaders, he actually preferred the place to home. This place was made for guests and social gatherings, but he was always a soldier at heart. Harsh conditions under rigid training and all that, at least until he felt his body could no longer keep up. "Smoke, drink?"

"Just water please, I have to drive." She took the time to get a good look at the apartment. It had been a while since she came over, despite them being family friends and all. The place was certainly a nice touch, especially for someone so unsophisticated. "You don't travel, do you?"

"Why?" Surge brought two glasses, and sat down opposite her. He was still speculating the reason for the surprise drop-by. "Didn't you just return from somewhere?"

"Someone in my position can't do anything but travel." She laughed heartily. From a normal person's perspective, she could be moving around far too much. However, it was the only thing still keeping her on the road. She wasn't getting any younger, and with her daughter independent, she would rather get out of the house. "Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone on one of these trips and finally settled down."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Of course not." She took a sip of water, still beaming. Her mind wandered to recent history. "Maybe I don't have to."

"Good to see you still holding some fire." Surge saw the drive in her voice, and he could respect that. "Why did you decide to take this detour?"

"I just dropped Ren off her place."

Surge nodded in response. He couldn't really understand what was happening a few days ago when the two females visited his place. However, it seemed things have worked out alright.

"How is she?"

"Hard to say." That was not an answer he was expecting. "That girl has her own troubles. Troubles that she could only work out for herself."

"I'm shocked to hear you say that. You usually fixes people's troubles for them."

"Don't flatter me Surge, I still won't help you." Penny smiled, but only half-enthusiastic. In truth, she was worried about her blonde companion somewhat. "I'm just here to say thanks for your help, from last time."

"It's nothing." He remembered the talk with Sabrina, and having to try his best not to reveal anything too incriminating when Penny came over and asked about. It didn't seem like she was aware of his attraction to her daughter either, so maybe it was best to keep it that way. He had already accepted his defeat, and it was about time to move on. "Are you going to stay for long? Maybe watch some old time videos"

"Are you flirting with me?" A moment of silent, then the two burst out laughing.

"If it was twenty years ago and you hadn't chosen Sabrina's father, maybe." The two men were rather close friends back then. By proxy, that was how Surge knew Penny. Her plans to conceive a child was, to this day, rather insane by his standards, but she did succeed. It wasn't easy to criticise something that worked so well.
"Don't sell me short, Mr. Military Man." Penny was in a familiar humours mood. "I may be forty-five, but I could make you work for it if I wanted to."

"I'm sure you could, Penny."

They laughed the afternoon away.

As she waved goodbye to the veteran, a lot was still racing through her mind. She wondered what will happen to her daughter, being so uncharacteristically and so madly in love with someone else. It wasn't something Sabrina was used to, but her mother wished her the best of luck.

As for Ren, Penny wasn't as confidence. Last night, when the blonde girl broke down on her chair and started crying, spilling out her guts, it was the most damning of evidence that convinced that she was going to get hurt no matter what happened. With luck, she wouldn't turn to anything stupid, being the silly and honest person Ren was.

After this was over, maybe Penny could use a travel partner.

…

Erika stared at the ceiling.

It was awfully dark, and excessively magenta. Strange patterns overwhelmed her view. It reminded her of those dark nights on the country road, where she did nothing but lay and stare at the sky for hours at a time. There had always been a certain amount of clarity in darkness, most she had yet to fully explore. The sheets around her, unfamiliar and odourless, evoked feelings of the grass beds she used to grow in her office. It was all too peaceful. Regardless, there was one distinct difference.

She was no longer alone.

"Are you awake?" Erika turned her head to spot her host.

Sabrina donned a scarlet nightgown, fluttering at her side. Her star-brimmed, dark hair bundled into a manageable, fluffy bond behind her ears. Those eyes were staring, wide, longing, sepia, and intense.

"Yes." The botanist answered in a kind of soft, yielding voice.

The psychic sat down on the side of the bed, hands holding two cups of hot coffee. Its aroma enriched the room, brazenly taking over the atmosphere. She handed one to Erika, who was now sitting upward from the bed.

"How did you sleep?"

"Well," Saying that, Erika could not help but flushed at the memories of the last two days. It was the first time she had ever been staying at someone else's house for that long, and the physical intimacy only made it more mortifying. She sneaked a peek at the other woman, only to see her attention being consumed by the coffee. "What… what about you?"

"Best sleep I've ever had." Sabrina exhaled gradually, as the morning ambrosia entered her body. She usually didn't enjoy abusing caffeine, but this situation called for an exception. Noticing Erika's stare, she gave the botanist a wink. "It's a little short though."

Erika felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, as she hide her face behind the cup. This feeling brought her back to the teenage years, when things were easier, when the heart was more open to quivering. For all that Sabrina talked about being bad with people, she had been nothing but extremely considerate the last couple of days.

"What time is it?" It was a necessary question, just so that the botanist could be fully aware of her surroundings. This room, which she had spent the last few days exclusively in, was one with only dimly lit lighting and no windows. It succeeds in erupting the mystical feeling that it was built for, but not very fitting for guests.

"Merely eight o'clock, nothing to be worried about." Sabrina rested her chalice on the bedside table. She leaned down and gently grabbed Erika by the hand, her eyes focusing. Reassured, the botanist drank out of the cup. It wasn't something she was used to, but it didn't taste bad. It reminded her of hot chocolate, though far more bitter. "We'll leave in the afternoon."

"Yes, I wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting." Erika didn't actually tell anyone how long she would be gone, and she revered every moment of it. Being freed from shackles and watchful eyes was the best feeling she'd had. At times like that, she pondered if that was worth leaving the luxurious life for. "I've been gone for long enough."

"About that." Sabrina seemed almost unsure of herself. There was some internal debate, but ultimately she continued. "Since you're leaving today, would it be alright if we were to meet again, some time?"

Erika stared at her, as if thoroughly confused.

"I mean, the last few days were great, and I'm glad that it happened." Sabrina was fumbling this conversation in every way possible. "I just want to know what it means to you, if it was just a one-time fling, or…"

"Or something more?" Erika finally got the message, though it wasn't necessarily her fault initially. Perhaps she just didn't expect the psychic to be speaking so indirect, especially after the way things had been progressing recently. "I'd like that."

Her offering was a reassuring smile.

…

Tap

The doorbell rang.

Ren shot off her seat, only to regain their composure a moment later. She had been thinking, maybe far too much, but there was no more time. Her decision was already made. All she needed to do then was to face it. The first step was to finally leave this room.

The halls around her tightened to a point of struggling. It was like being trapped inside, a feeling not uncommon to her since the first day Erika was accepted as a gym leader. It had been 4 years since then, but Ren could never forget the feeling of letting her mistress go for the first time. Things had changed, she was sure of it, and at the end of the day there was nothing else to be said.

A maid was at the door, waiting for her. Ren motioned the maid to leave.

"Greetings, mistress." She took a bow, per courtesy. As expected, it was Erika at the door. There was, however, no one accompanying her. "I'm glad for your safe return."

"Thank you, Ren." The botanist displayed the most magnificent and feminine smile she had in years. It was so soothing, calm and satisfied, that it wrenched at the butler's heart strings just to look at it. "I shall take a bath. Can you please prepare the tea?"

"In your chamber, mistress?"

"No," Erika closed the door behind her. "In yours."

Ren complied.

She returned to her quarters once more, with the tea already set and ready for hours now. It almost pained her to admit that her own room was inadequate to house guests of any sort. It was not messy, but simply never made to host many people. She had no friends other than her mistress, who would've usually preferred the private chamber to this. All sorts of inconsequential thoughts raced through her mind, but time wasn't something she had.

A knock on her door.

Ren opened the door for Erika to step in. She was dressed in her usual casual kimono, though somehow it seemed like a lifetime since Ren had seen her this relaxed, this happy. She sat down on the only chair in the room.

"I guess I have to say I'm sorry." Erika opened, her head kept low. "After all these years that the two of us had lived under one roof, I've never even once had the consideration to visit your living quarters."

"Do not bother yourself over such a matter, mistress." Ren poured the tea. "I am nothing more than a butler, the mistress of the house shouldn't bother herself."

"That's not true, Ren." Words spoken with a tender prose but treading dangerous lines. "You're also my best friend."

She didn't answer.

"I know I haven't been very attentive, but I want you to know that I appreciate you." Erika stood up and approached the butler, who was inadvertently turning her head away. "You were my only friend through a majority of my childhood. Father also told me how hard you fought to be able to stick with me, even with grandfather pressuring you to leave."

"He had me stay under a few conditions." Ren spoke at last, but not anymore than she needed to.

"Which were?"

"I am to drive away any man who expressed an interest in you." This was one of the many things she wasn't supposed to reveal. "Your grandfather believed it was in your best interest that he should choose your significant other instead."

"I see…" Erika could never have thought of something like that, but it made sense to her. She had not a lot of men approached her in the past, but there were a few. It had appeared that a lot of their withdrawals were from wildly external factors. It did not make her mad, though. "That's… understandable. Is there more?"

"There is, but I must ask one thing of you." Erika nodded without question. "What is going to happen between you and that psychic woman?"

"I'm not giving up on her, if that's what you're asking." This was as Ren had anticipated, and she could tell purely from looking at her mistress' face. Still, it was nice to be sure. "You can tell grandfather that as well."

"I'm not concerned about master any longer." Ren abruptly approached Erika, guided her guest to sit down once again.

"Even enough to give up this life style?" Erika nodded again.

"If you're worried about your employment, don't be. I make enough money being a gym leader, and I could certainly use an assistant."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." This was her final decision. Ren held in her hand a sealed envelope, and handed it to her mistress.

"What is this?"

"It's my letter of resignation." Erika could only stare at her butler in shock. This turn of event caught her completely off guard.

"But why?"

"All this time, mistress, I've kept men away from you. It wasn't because of your grandfather's orders." Ren folded her gloves, and slipped out of them. She placed them on the table, neatly to the side. "It was because of my foolish hope that one day, if I just tried hard enough, I would finally be the person you'd be yearning for."

Erika could do nothing but stare in disbelief.

"However, with recent developments, it's become clear to me how deluded I've become." Ren was now on her knees, head bowed to the ground. "I almost went as far as to sabotage your efforts, to fulfil my own selfish desires. I'm no longer fit to be someone that takes care of this mansion. I'm no longer fit to be your friend."

"So you'll leave? Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet." Ren lifted her head, exposing the tears she had hidden away. "Only time will tell, but I cannot stay anymore."

"Ren…"

"Please, mistress. I'm doing this as much for myself I am for you." She found the necessary to stand up, but not directly face anyone just yet. "I need some time for myself."

"Ren…"

"I wish it hadn't turned out this way, but this is the best way to handle it responsibly. I'm sorry to have disappointed you so."

"Ren!" They finally faced each other. Erika was standing with open arms. "Come to me."

Without a hint of protest, Ren fell into her embrace. She was notably taller than her mistress still, but the marginal discomfort could not deter her from this moment.

"I'm sorry, mistress."

"So am I, Ren." Erika brushed through Ren's lustrous, blonde hair. It had always been such a pinnacle part of her identity, and she may never get to see it again. "Will you return to me one day?"

"Perhaps once I've freed myself from these thoughts, and I have developed to be your equal." Ren closed her eyes, and silently wept. "I will return."

"That's good. I'll be waiting for you." Erika planted a kiss on her forehead.

The sky crackled, and it didn't take long for the weather to turn dark. Rain was going to fall very soon.

From the Tsuyo mansion, walked Ren, a black silhouette. She held in her trembling plans an old mobile phone. She slowly put it to her ear, both unfamiliar and unsure.

"Penny."

…

Ding

Erika was already at the door to greet her guest. The rain was still howling outside.

"I came as fast as I could." Sabrina was soaked in the harsh weather. She couldn't have expected to return to this mansion so soon. The first time she was here, the torrent was a lot more unnerving, but she didn't mind. Now she returned, for the same person. "What's wrong?"

Though she was awfully wet, that fact did not deter Erika from simply falling into her arms. There was obviously something wrong, but experience told her that it was best to take this slow.

"Can you stay here?"

Sabrina closed the door behind her .There was no need for an answer.

End

Epilogue (?)