Knock. Knock.
"Lady Niijima?"
Makoto's eyes opened to a bright bedroom, yellow morning light filtering through layers of sheer window curtains. She was warm and comfortable and still just a bit sleepy. There didn't seem to be a reason to move. Her eyes drifted closed again, but another round of soft knocking pulled Makoto from the grip of near-sleep.
"Lady Niijima?" said the voice again: Yoshida's. "Your guests are all awake."
Damn. She couldn't very well sleep in could she? Makoto gave herself a frustrated sigh, turned over on her back, and started coming to terms with the idea she was going to have to get up. There was work to do- a lot of it. Ohya had dropped good information on a likely noble vampire right into her lap. There was a life at stake, and two days and two nights before those stakes were called.
And she wasn't ready. The Sakamotos were not ready. Ren… well- Ren was certainly ready, but even he'd suffered defeat at the hands of their first vampire, Kamoshida. They'd all made it through on fantastic luck, that was what. And they were no stronger, no better practiced, than they'd been when they'd killed Kamoshida and paraded his burning head through the city. Makoto could not trust that luck would get them through a second time.
Thinking about all of that was what had kept her up last night, staring at the dark ceiling of her bedroom, her mind churning over so many scenarios that she could barely remember most of them. And the two cups of brandy certainly hadn't helped.
"Makoto!" said Yoshida, his voice turning a shade frustrated.
"Yes!" Makoto called out.
Her bedroom door opened and two maids entered,bowed, then immediately went off to separate parts of Makoto's bedroom. One maid flung open the window curtains, letting in a blinding amount of sunlight. The other maid disappeared into the bathroom and the sound of running water overwhelmed the morning peace. Apparently, there was to be no more rest for the Lady this morning.
Makoto forced herself into a sitting position, blinking sluggishly at the nearest maid. The young woman, now done with the windows, was beginning to prepare Makoto's clothing for the day. Makoto glanced at the door, which was still ajar, and she found Yoshida looking at her with mild disapproval. He, of course, was already impeccably dressed and probably had been since just before sunrise.
"Cook says breakfast will be ready momentarily," said Yoshida, his voice also touched with mild disapproval. He didn't like meals to be delayed, and he always preferred them fully attended.
Makoto, however, believed that food should be served to those who wanted it when it was ready.
"I'll bathe quickly," she said, "but start the service ahead of my arrival."
Yoshida's frown deepened slightly, but he nodded and closed the bedroom door, leaving Makoto to the ministrations of the two maids. She rose from the bed, and the bedroom maid immediately began remaking the blankets. Meanwhile, the bathroom maid reappeared in the doorway and waited as Makoto took off her shift and placed it into the maid's care. She then entered a bathroom already steaming and warm with a drawing bath, and several pails of equally hot water waiting near the floor drain.
Makoto quickly sloshed herself with the pails of hot water, a pleasant tingle running all along her skin. Then a soap, a scrub, and another pail to rinse off the dirty suds. Pleasantly scalded and clean, Makoto stepped into the bath proper, the water so hot it was barely tolerable- exactly as she liked it. She sank in with a sigh, the water tingling its way up to her neck. Then, she leaned back against the tub, again closing her eyes. With breakfast being served without her, Makoto could afford to luxuriate for ten minutes, at the very least.
Should she even attempt a hunt on this Madarame information? There was no surety he was a vampire. Her team was one expert and three novices- herself being one of the novices. Should they do something else, instead? Like train? The Sakamotos could sure use some combat training, and Makoto felt she should definitely continue learning the sword. It had possibilities. And the way Ren had theorized she could augment her gunslinging with the sword in her left hand… and the way she'd deflected his sword strikes… and the way he'd pressed her against the padded wall of the dojo… and those blue specks in those eyes…
There was a splashing sound in the bathroom near Makoto. She opened her eyes, wondering if one of the maids was emptying the remnants of the rinse pails. The bathroom was incredibly foggy, a hot mist so thick she almost couldn't see the sink, the cabinets, or the closed door to her bedroom. Another splashing sound. She turned her head towards it.
Ren was kneeling near the drain, naked, but mostly obscured by the fog. Makoto could only see most of his bare upper-body, but anything lower, except the kneeling thigh, was obscured. Ren was covered in soap suds, and as Makoto looked, Ren dumped a pail of water over himself, slowly. Steam wafted off his pale skin, the poured water traced mesmerizing patterns along the ridges and bulges of his musculature. Makoto felt the water around herself grow hotter, as if the maid was adding an additional pot of boiling water. She felt excitement and a… a... an eagerness she'd not felt before.
"Ren," said Makoto, her voice confident and warm in her own ears. "Will you join me?"
He looked at her directly, his eyes glowing briefly red, his shapely lips curving into a sly smile.
Then in a confused voice, Ren said: "I'm sorry, Lady Niijima. What?"
The unexpected tune broke the spell of Makoto's excitement. She suddenly felt a little odd.
"I said, will you-"
Makoto's eyes snapped open to a bright, un-foggy bathroom. One of the maids was standing near the tub, looking surprised and amused. Makoto leaned forward in surprise, water sloshing back and forth with the sudden motion.
"Oh!" said Makoto. "Was I asleep?"
"Yes, I think so," said the maid. "You said something, too."
The memory of the brief dream was still fresh in Makoto's mind. She felt her cheeks heat up, and not from the bath water.
"Oh- ah- I see. What did I say?"
The maid shook her head. "I didn't make it out. When I tried to ask you what you said, that's when I realized you were sleeptalking, or something."
Makoto sighed in relief, settling back into the water. It was still very hot. "How long was I asleep?"
"Just a few moments, my Lady. Do you wish to soak a bit longer?"
God. Should she? She couldn't afford to fall asleep like that. Not with all the decisions she needed to make today.
Then the dream-memory of Ren pouring water on himself crossed her mind's eye. Well, she couldn't make good decisions without a little rest, could she? Certainly not. She could use a little more rest…
"I'll soak a bit longer," said Makoto. "Please check on me in fifteen minutes, to make sure I'm not asleep, won't you?"
"Of course, my Lady," said the maid. She bowed and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Makoto leaned back and rested her head on the rim of the tub again. She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of mild fatigue settle upon her eyelids. Her mind began churning on plans of action for the Madarame business, but that dream of Ren continued to slip back in, here and there.
The slight clinking of silverware on china advertised a still occupied dining room. Makoto strode quickly down the hall, her casual boots comfortable on the hallway rugs. She was dressed in a controversial pair of tight brown trousers and white shirt: man's clothing, in short. But these were well-tailored to her body, and over the white shirt: a stylishly-black overbust corset. That certainly provided the requisite femanine touch to her clothing, and the dress-purists had no place in how she lived her life outside of public social events.
Makoto rounded the corner to the dining room and found the Sakamoto twins sitting near the head, taking the two seats on the left of Makoto's pinnacle chair. Ann was sitting in front of a used but empty plate, watching her brother with a bemused expression. Ryuji was the source of the clinking noises, as he was busily shoveling rice and eggs into his mouth. His plate was piled with an impressive pile of cleaned fish bones.
Ann noted Makoto's arrival first. She began to stand, her arms gathering up her red skirt.
"Good morning, Lady Niijima," said Ann.
Ryuji's head jerked up, spoon halfway to his mouth.
Makoto held out her own hands in a halting gesture. "Please, sit. This is not a formal meal. And I'm still Makoto today, just as I was yesterday, Ann."
Ann blushed, but returned to her seat.
"Gud mawning," said Ryuji, completing the spoon's journey into the depths of his mouth.
"Sorry," said Ann, "It's just this table- and these plates! I feel like I'm in a palace!" She laughed at herself. "It's- like- I can hear my mother telling me to mind my manners, like she's standing right behind me."
Makoto took her seat at the head of the table, thinking that sounded a lot like how Father's phantom approval or disapproval sometimes hovered over her own head. She smiled at Ann. Perhaps, Ren was right. Ann wasn't that much younger than herself. She wasn't that different. Makoto decided she needed to start regarding Ann as an equal, not as- as a what? A child? A baby sister?
"I think I know what you mean," said Makoto, warmly. Meanwhile, a servant appeared in the magic of good service and deposited before her a steaming plate of rice, eggs, and grilled fish. Another set of arms from a second servant placed two small bowls of pickled veggies, and a third set down a glass of water and a mug of steaming tea.
"Ms. Ito," Makoto whispered to the tea-bearing maid, "Where is Ms. Ohya?"
"Still asleep, my lady."
Well, the woman had drunk most of a bottle of brandy by herself, so that made sense. Makoto made the appropriate thanks to the staff and then turned her attention back to the Sakamotos.
"Sorry for my delay this morning," said Makoto, "But I'm pleased to see you recovered, Ryuji. How do you feel?"
Ryuji's body jerked slightly, as if he were surprised to be directly addressed. He froze, then chewed his current bite with more deliberate speed- but instead of waiting till he could swallow, he seemed to gather all the half-chewed food in one side of his mouth and then attempted to speak with the other:
"Pwetty gud," he said, a few bits of rice making a daring escape to the tablecloth. "Swuper hungry."
"Ryuji!" said Ann, scandalized.
Makoto pretended she didn't see, as any polite hostess would. "I'm glad. I was worried your persona had taken too much out of you."
Now Ryuji did blush. He swallowed. "Ann says I broke your table. Sorry."
"You discovered how to use your persona," said Makoto, taking a small bite of fish. "A piece of furniture is an acceptable sacrifice."
Ryuji grinned sheepishly and returned to eating.
"In fact," said Makoto, "Ann, one of the main things I want to accomplish today is getting your persona to show itself- but perhaps outside and away from the house. And perhaps Ryuji can learn to reign in his..."
Ann laughed a little nervously. "I hope I don't pass out like he did."
"So do I," said Makoto.
Her hurried bath had at least produced the idea of the Sakamotos using the back gardens to practice with their persona powers, but she hadn't considered the potential dangers- other than property damage anyway. Could the personas kill the Sakamotos if they used them wrong? They used up their host's blood, apparently. That sounded dangerous. And even if they were safe, how could they control the level of power emitted by the persona? If Makoto did decide to pursue this Madarame business in two days, she didn't want her most powerful assets missing out on half their training time by passing out in the garden and taking a day to recover.
She wished Ren were here. Well, more the cat thing in his hand, Morgana. It was the only practiced persona-user Makoto knew existed. But… it would be nice to have Ren, as well. His experience as a vampire hunter was essential, and every moment he wasn't here in the next two days would be a regrettable loss of potential knowledge. If only he'd accepted her invitation for breakfast instead of-
Yoshida appeared in the dining room doorway. He bowed formally, which was the norm when guests were in the house.
"May I announce the arrival of Mr. Amamiya," said Yoshida.
And before Makoto could respond, Ren walked into the dining room, his habitual black armor and cloak decidedly out of place amidst the warm morning light pouring in from the nearby windows. Ren's limited fashion sense aside, Makoto was startled by his sudden arrival. He'd come up through the city in broad daylight, which he'd mostly avoided for the last few weeks. And his face: his stoic face lacked the fatigue and stress which had plagued it recently.
He's eaten, thought Makoto. And she felt a mixture of satisfaction and morbid curiosity. The physician, Ms. Takemi, had succeeded? Where was she getting blood to feed to Ren? Makoto briefly entertained ideas of kidnappings and murders, but then her usually dormant emotional mind tossed them right back out. Ren wouldn't accept such blood. He couldn't. They must be up to something else that wasn't… that bad.
Right?
Makoto decided she would have to ask him, but Makoto knew she would get no answers with the Sakamotos present. Ren had opened up to her last night for the first time, and Makoto was sure that the main reason was because they'd been alone. She would need to get him alone again, but for now:
"Mr. Amamiya!" said Makoto, remaining seated since she was the Lady at her own table. "I wasn't expecting you so early, but I'm pleased you're here. Sit." Makoto indicated the nearest chair at her right hand.
Ren made an appropriate polite bow, his face remaining stoic, and he walked to the indicated chair. "My personal business concluded sooner than expected."
"To good result?" said Makoto, feeling that was vague enough to get an answer from Ren.
"Yes."
"Good."
Ryuji and Ann were staring at them both, so Ren turned his attention to them and exchanged polite greetings. Meanwhile, the service staff was reacting to Ren's surprise arrival. The trio of servants appeared from the kitchen, a steaming plate of food approaching at a brisk pace. Makoto felt the instinct to ward the food away, but it wouldn't exactly be polite- and she was a bit curious about how Ren would react.
The steaming breakfast plate was settled before Ren, who seemed slightly surprised.
"Thank you, but no breakfast for me, sir," said Ren, "I've already eaten."
The servant paused, hand still on the edge of the plate, then withdrew it. The maids with the pickles and the drinks jumbled together in sudden confusion as the food plate was rejected. The plate-bearing man almost knocking into the following maids.
"Will you take tea, at least?" said Makoto, playing the gracious hostess. So, Ren apparently didn't eat solid food. If he could, he probably would have accepted the breakfast plate and taken some small polite bites.
"Yes," said Ren, and the tea and the water was set before him. The servants solved their small traffic jam and returned to the kitchen.
A small silence settled on the table.
"What do you eat, anyway?" said Ryuji.
Ann elbowed him.
"Ow! What?!"
Ren raised his teacup to his mouth and placidly stared at Ryuji as he drank.
"Umm…" said Ann into the stretching silence, then she looked at Makoto. "Makoto, before we do- whatever we are going to do today… there is something I need to ask..."
Makoto turned her attention to Ann. The young girl was obviously uncomfortable. "Of course, what is it?"
"Umm… well…" began Ann.
Then Ryuji broke in: "Our mom says if we're spending all our time with you, we should be getting paid."
Ann blushed furiously. "Ryuji!"
"What! That's what you said that she said!"
"Yes, but to me! That's not how she would talk to Makoto!"
"So?"
"So?I"
Makoto frowned. Mrs. Sakamoto was something of a peripheral ally, not only as the Sakamoto's primary guardian, but as a friend to Mrs. Suzui. Makoto remembered Mrs. Sakamoto as a beautiful woman, somewhat broken down from long years of fatigue. Ann was right in that her mother certainly hadn't intended Makoto to hear those untempered words, she'd be mortified, the good woman that she was. But the emotion behind those words were genuine, and that disturbed Makoto, and she was quick to decide Mrs. Sakamoto had the right of it.
Older children were a source of income to a household. They worked. Often right alongside their parents, learning the same trade. Ryuji had taken a different path from his father, but he'd since resigned his post as a guard. So, he wasn't making anything. And Ann was essentially graduated, but instead of seeking employment in one of the few female-friendly trades, she was here at the Niijima estate. And from what Ryuji hinted, Mr. Sakamoto was not a reliable worker, either. So where was the Sakamoto family going to get the finances they needed to survive?
Well, there were times that Makoto enjoyed her financial power. This was a problem she could easily solve, and it made sense to solve it: Ann and Ryuji were essentially vampire hunters now, since they were part of her team. It was only fair that Makoto pay them as she did Ren. But certainly not as much. Ren was, as he'd warned, very expensive.
"I understand perfectly," said Makoto, rescuing Ryuji from his sister's blistering glare. "And your mother is correct. You should be getting paid. I want you to consider yourselves to be in my employment: as vampire hunters."
The Sakamotos gave her wide-eyed stares.
"Though you are novices," said Makoto, ignoring her internal voice accusing her of being the same, "So, I will pay you like apprentices in a trade, and you will apply yourself to learn from a master."
Makoto used one arm to indicate Ren as the master in question. He gave her a grim look, but she ignored it. He was getting paid, too. In this, he would do as she said, like it or not.
But how much pay for the Sakamotos was fair? She couldn't pay them as much as Ren, obviously. Maybe eventually, if they improved. But for now?
Makoto named a figure, roughly a quarter of what she'd agreed to pay Ren. Ann and Ryuji's eyes bulged and they looked at each other.
"For- for the both of us?" said Ann sheepishly.
"No," said Makoto, wondering if she'd insulted them by offering too little. "For each of you."
Ryuji dropped his jaw and his fork. "For real?"
Ann drew in a deep, deep breath.
Makoto became more worried. Had she just insulted them that terribly? Perhaps it was too little money, after all!
Then Ann gasped: "Um, yes. Ms. Niijima, that's very generous of you. We accept."
"Hell yeah, we do!" said Ryuji. "That's like a year of sitting on the damn wall!"
Ann elbowed her brother again.
Makoto was shocked. That was a year's wages for a city guard? How much money did the average Tock-Yo household generate? It must be much lower than she'd thought.
"And I'm ready to get to work!" said Ryuji, pushing back his plate, the pile of fish bones wobbling. 'We gonna go after this Madarame guy Ann was talking about, or what?"
So Ann had filled her brother in on last night's revelations, but Ren was obviously still in the dark. Makoto turned her head to Ren and told him about Ohya, her information, and Makoto's own suspicions about Madarame. He listened quietly, a slight thoughtful frown at the corner of his mouth.
"What do you think, Ren?" said Makoto.
Ren remained silent a moment. "I think you're probably right. I've followed less promising leads than that."
Makoto felt a little relief at that. So, she wasn't just making hopeful assumptions. Well, a vampire hunter's hopeful assumption anyway- she'd much rather there be no vampires at all!
"But we don't have much time, do we?" observed Ren.
"Time for what?" said Ryuji. "Let's go right now!"
Ann's lips were pressed together in a thin line. Makoto thought Ann might be feeling exactly what she herself was feeling: apprehension conflicting with determination- and perhaps a dash of reasonable fear.
"No," said Makoto, "We all barely survived our first hunt, remember? We can't rush into this, too, and depend on luck to get us out alive."
Sober looks came back from everyone. Even Ren.
"So, what do we do?" said Ann. "We can't let this new girl get taken."
"Nor can we tip off the target by warning her away," said Ren.
Those were exactly the two considerations already troubling Makoto. There was no way to reconcile those two truths. Leaving the young woman to her fate was not an option. Nor was losing track of a potential vampire and thus endangering unknown people in the future. So: they would just have to live with the time they had; They didn't just have two days. They had two days. If they worked hard and used every moment, they would at least be better prepared then they'd been for their first hunt.
"What if I- like-," said Ann, suddenly. "Pretended to be someone who wanted to model for this artist? And then you all snuck in while I distracted them? I could confirm there's a vampire and give you all a signal, or something."
Makoto immediately didn't like that idea. "No, Ann. If it is a vampire, you might not realize it before you were entranced, or attacked, or anything. You would not be able to give any signal. It's way too dangerous."
"I agree," said Ren. "Presumably, the house doors will open to admit the current woman for her final visit. We can storm the place, then."
"Awesome!" said Ryuji.
"But what if it's not a vampire," said Ann, "And we just… break into some man's house!"
That was a worry, but Makoto felt she would be able to handle that situation. Most legal infractions could be solved with a bit of money, after all. She had that.
"I'll handle it," said Makoto, making herself sound confident. "If that's the case."
The table went silent again. Makoto found all eyes on her. She realized she wasn't just sitting at the head of the table as the Lady, but also as the leader of a vampire hunting force! Excitement ran through her veins. This was it! This was what she'd wanted! She was doing something! She wasn't useless! This was the dream, but she was entirely awake!
"So, we have work to do," said Makoto, shaking off her excitement and getting herself back into a business-like mindset. "And we only have two days to do it. I want to focus on combat training. Ren can teach us more about mundane fighting-"
"It takes years to learn the-" broke in Ren.
"But we don't have years," re-interrupted Makoto, "We have two days, and two days of practice is certainly better than zero days, yes?"
Now Ren's lips went thin, as if he was holding back some remark. Makoto ignored it and pushed on.
"And Morgana can help you two learn how to use those personas, which is probably the most important thing." And though it felt rather odd, Makoto decided to address the empty air:
"Morgana? Are you listening?"
"Yep!" said Morgana's voice, slightly muffled since Ren's left hand was resting against the table's surface. "This sounds so exciting! You have no idea how boring Ren is."
Ren rolled his eyes, but he didn't admonish his strange, symbiotic partner.
"Cool!" said Ryuji.
Silence fell on the table again, Makoto having said everything she intended to say.
Ryuji looked from Ren to Makoto and back.
"So… which one do we start with?"
Oh, thought Makoto. That was her decision, too.