Hatsune was out today, like most days, on house calls. I could tell by the distinct lack of the man's boisterous voice echoing through the small building when I entered. Instead of the nurse that usually occupied the front desk, a girl the same age as me played with a paperweight. Her short green hair glimmered in the lantern light and the frills on her orange dress bounced around when she stood up abruptly after noticing my presence.
"Mayu, how's it going?" she asked. I didn't see her that often, but when I did, she always had a strangely casual way of speaking in a strangely formal world. People usually said that something was definitely "off" about the girl; I had to admit that it was somewhat true.
"Good as ever, Gumi," I replied with a warm smile. "I'm here for the usual."
"Of course. Miku's free right now, I believe. Let me check. HEY, MIKU!"
"Yes?" A pair of cyan pigtails along with the head of a dazzling woman poked out of the door next to the desk.
"Mayu is here!"
"Oh, Ms. Hidari! Good to see your as punctual as always. Come in." Miku's voice was melodious and candidly perfect. Her beauty and kindness (not to mention wealth) had enthralled almost every man in the city when she came of marrying age. They tripped over themselves to reach her father's office and beg him for her hand. The lucky winner was an aristocrat whose business was about to go bankrupt. The dowry was the only reason he remained on his feet and now thrived in the inner workings of Toragay's illustrious banking system.
Her father's office, officially hers on days like these, was uniformly organized and pristine. Glossy wood furnished every wall and cupboard and the whole room was filled with warm light. "Do you have another word today?" Miku asked as she stood on her tiptoes, fishing a vial out of the cupboard with the pharmaceuticals.
"Ignominious," I said.
"That's a really good one. Let me think." Her fingers danced on the desk as she pondered. "I believe it means 'publically disgraced,' or something along those lines."
"It's like you're a walking dictionary sometimes."
"I doubt that, but thank you anyway. Here you go." Miku handed me the vial. I shook the clear liquid around inside and double checked it was the prescribed medicine. She outstretched her porcelain hand, and five coins fell into her palm.
"Thank you, Miku. I can never tell you how much this means to us," I said with sincerity. She and her father gave me a discount on this remedy to accommodate our tight budget.
"See you on Thursday?"
"Count on it."
The man and woman in the lobby wearing large hats and larger egos stared distastefully at me as I walked past.
The sun dared to peek out from under the clouds and looked upon the teeming streets with little to offer in terms of heat. Soon the noise of people was replaced by the screeching wind through cracked bricks and alleys as I walked toward my residence. A small child no more than eight sat with his knees to chin outside an antique shop. The coin had no partner to clink with when it fell into his outlaid bowler hat. Only one cent of metal remained in my clenched hand.
I heard the coughs before I saw the man. Gakupo could barely manage to unlock the gate before the fit grew painful to hear. He sat down on one of the cold metal chairs and opened his mouth wide to let me pour two drops of the serum I received from Miku down his throat. The coughing stopped after a minute more, and we reserved ourselves from making any comment.
"What's left over?" he asked, croaky but intelligible.
"Only one."
"At least it's something."
"That's right. Any clients tonight?"
Gakupo started laughing under his breath. "Yes."
"What're you giggling about like a little girl? Wait a second, wait a second, is it that guy who fainted that one time after he saw you naked?"
"The very same."
"Oh my goodness, I thought he would stop calling on you after that!" My face started to hurt from smiling this long.
"Nobody can resist this body for too long, darling." He struck a pose in his chair.
"Uh huh, sure. Keep telling yourself that, beauty queen."
"Thank you very much, I will. You know, you could make it far in this business. You have the looks under all that dirt. If we spruce you up, you'll be looking like a gem."
"Now that's even more ridiculous," I replied, then registered the sounds of bells in the distance. "Ah, look at what you did by distracting me, old man! I'm late to collecting."
"You mean begging, and who are you calling an old man!"
"Shush now."
I snagged my tin cup off the floor and ventured back onto the road, walking swiftly but not quick enough to deplete my energy. Energy was food, food was money, and money was in short supply. A group of sluggish men in matching hoity-toity uniforms had somehow gotten in front of me, blocking the sidewalk and completing obstructing my path. They walked in a formation around someone in the middle, a girl, one with golden hair. I was just about to make a detour onto the street to go around them when something silver glinted across my vision.
On closer inspection it was a small purse, an expensive one at that. Gems were fused with the clasp and the fabric felt like velvet. I picked it up and looked at the group of guards and the girl retreating away.
"Hey! Did you drop this?" I called. They didn't halt. I sprinted up to them and tapped the shoulder of one of the men. "Hey, I think the lady dropped this."
The guard whirled around offensively with a hand reaching toward the sky and stared at me in all my homeless glory like I was insane. Now that the shield of people was broken, I could clearly see the girl in the middle. Her face was petite and clean, and her eyes were turquois. Her dress, furnished with ribbons and roses, was silver and matched the purse exactly. Her features felt obscurely familiar, but my mind could not place them.
"It's alright," she said to the man with the upraised hand. "She has retrieved my purse unless, of course, you stole something."
"What? No! No, no. Everything's there. You have my word." My filthy hand looked like an animal's as I handed the bag into hers.
"Let's check then. If you try to flee, one of these men will certainly catch you." This girl was starting to get too creepy for my tastes. Maybe I should have put on a different accent. I was so alarmed my normal voice just slipped out.
She gingerly counted her many one-hundred currency coins and even a few gem stones. When the inquisition was over, she snapped the purse shut and raised her head up high to look at me, though we were the same height.
"Everything is here. You have my gratitude."
"You're welcome and all that. Well, I'll be on my way—"
"No, really," she interrupted. "I am genuinely surprised you did not steal anything. Most people in your position would walk away with it."
"Welco—"
"I don't know why, but I think I like you. Let me pay you back somehow."
"That is really unnece—"
"I insist. My name is Rin Kagamine. And you?"
It took a second to sink in. Kagamine. As in, the duke. As in, this is the duke's daughter. As in, she was one of the most powerful women in the country. As in, if I say something wrong she will legitimately make my life hell. "Mayu!" I blurted. "Mayu Hidari!"
"Good name, affluent-sounding name. Listen, Mayu. My family is having a little party tomorrow to welcome foreign guests who are coming for my brother's wedding in a few weeks. If you would like, you are invited."
I blinked a few times. "Huh?"
"I would have my maids clean you up a bit and loan you a dress. You would keep your identity a secret, of course. It would a very memorable night."
"Wait." I stopped her. "What?"
"If you are asking why I am doing this, I will be blunt. I am terribly bored. Your presence would be downright hilarious. To see a peasant socializing with the most influential people in the world? I would be laughing until the next decade. Plus, I do enjoy challenges, and you are certainly going to be a challenge."
"Uhh." Huh? What? Wait…huh?
"Do you accept my offer, Mayu Hidari? I could always find another peasant girl. You are lucky enough to be present during this epiphany of mine."
"I suppose…sure."
Rin clapped her hands together in delight. "I cannot wait! One of my servants will come to you tomorrow at six. Where do you live?"
"If they ask for the Snake and the Bunny, someone will tell them," I said.
"Interesting. I really must be on my way, now. Goodbye, Mayu Hidari!"
She strode away, guards falling back into formation around her. I leaned against a wall to prevent myself from sinking to my knees.