Chapter 44: Submarine Violin Tide
April 15, 8983 – April 15, 8983
The first light of dawn peeked through curtains that no one had thought to close the night before, dancing across the desert-tanned skin of a blonde woman stretched out across the bed, blankets twisted around her legs, one arm resting across her aqua-haired siren lover. The smaller woman reacted to the light first, squeezing her eyes shut and rolling on her side to escape it, but that small motion alerted her warrior wife that she needed to wake. Haruka opened one eye and glared at the window, turning away to face her wife, smiling as Michiru burrowed under her arm in search of enough darkness to return to sleep.
"It's morning," she whispered huskily, somewhat surprised her voice still worked so well this morning. "We have to get up."
"Says who?" The petulant reply was a far cry from the Neptunian's normal maturity, but it was barely dawn and she didn't want to leave her wife's warm embrace.
"It's Neptune Presentation Day; you do have to make an appearance."
"Mother's run it without me just fine for decades," Michiru argued, though she did finally open her eyes. Haruka pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched her arms above her head, trying to get the kinks out of her back. Michiru's eyes darkened to sapphire as the early morning sunlight cupped Haruka's small breasts, nipples hard in the chilly morning light.
Haruka sensed the direction of her wife's thoughts instantly, pulled her arms down and covering her chest. "No. We don't have time for another round. You need to be there, Michi, and you know it. We have to get dressed and teleport back."
"We can be a little late," Michiru argued, sitting up and reached for Haruka's outstretched leg, teasing fingers dancing across her thigh.
"No," Haruka replied firmly, leaving the bed at last. "If I don't get you back in time, your mother will blame me. You need to get cleaned up, anyway, and we won't have any time to do that if you don't keep your hands to yourself."
"You're no fun," Michiru pouted, slipping out of bed and stretching her own muscles, walking up to a half-clothed Haruka seductively. They had changed into much simpler clothes after supper the previous night before teleporting to Larissa, Haruka returning to a plain suit and loose vest, not bothering with her warrior's corset. She slipped her tunic over her head before turning to Michiru, grinning as she reached out to cup her wife's breasts in her hands and leaned down for a quick kiss before stepping away.
"Go freshen up, Michiru."
"You don't need to?"
"I showered last night after you finally passed out," the blonde chuckled, slipping her arms into her vest and fastening it quickly. They would have to change when they returned to the suite on the Moon, Hikari having promised to bring Haruka a suitable dress for Neptune Day. All of the War Queens would be in dresses, even the ones that generally didn't prefer it, as would most of their daughters and the Lesser War Queens. It was tradition to honor the planet of femininity that way. "The faster you get cleaned and dressed, the sooner we can eat."
"Oooh, yes, that's a good idea. I'm starving." Michiru grabbed her dress and turned toward the bathing chamber, tilting her head curiously at the Uranus mark still darkening her hand. "How long do those pills last, the ones we had yesterday morning?"
"Twenty-four hours, a standard day. The mark on your hand will fade completely when the antitoxin is flushed from your system."
"Could we grab some Uranian food before we teleport back?"
"Michi, we're going to eat breakfast in a couple of hours."
"Yes, but I'm starving now, and I really want more of the reptile meat from the desert and those cactus slices. Do you know where we can get some?"
"I mean, yes, it's common street food on Oberon, but isn't it a bit unusual to eat this early when we have Neptune Day later?"
"I'm just really craving it. Can we?"
Haruka shrugged, mentally running through the list of street food vendors near the palace that she had visited in her rebellious youth. There was one near the official guided tour booth that made very good breakfast options, always opening super early so they could catch the morning rush of people who wanted to buy a tour of the palace. "Shower quickly."
Fifteen minutes later, the two women vanished in a swirl of gold and aqua light, Michiru having tapped a command in the console by the wall to have her servants come clean up the room later in the day. They would probably be surprised that she had spent the night on Larissa during the Presentation Days Festival, but at least the room would be ready if they wanted to return.
Inori hummed softly to herself as she pulled out the trays of breakfast options, placing them in the case in front of her booth as she checked the guided tour booth across the huge walkway at the base of the palace gates. It was just opening now, one of the tour guides opening the front of the booth and hanging banners that listed the types of tours they offered. With all of the nobles on the Moon for Presentation Day, it was likely to be a light day with requests leaning towards arts tours, maybe the tours of the back gardens, and probably the tour of the armory. However, the tour guides made their money on tours that included the offices of the War Queens, and they always made more money when the nobles were home. Since the turnout would be low, Inori had made less food this morning, though she knew that whichever tour guide was in charge today would come over in a few minutes.
She turned to check the drinks, a shadow crossing her front counter as she moved. "You're here earlier than usual," she commented as she grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of her favorite bitter brew, squirting a bit of blue cactus juice in to enhance the flavor.
"Hmm, I wasn't planning to come at all, but someone had a different plan this morning."
Inori spun in shock at the voice, a familiar huskiness that she hadn't heard in months. "Princess! I mean—sorry!—I mean Majesty, of course."
Haruka chuckled, leaning casually on the case in front of the booth. As a younger princess, she had frequently snuck out of the palace into the city proper, always stopping by Inori's booth for a quick breakfast before beginning her adventures. As she grew up, the city no longer offered her enough of a challenge, and she took to exploring other moons, eventually finding a small retreat on Miranda not far from the crystal desert, so she had visited Inori much less frequently. Still, the older woman remembered that gangly teenager who visited her booth multiple times a week during her escapes from her tutors. "I'm happy to see you're still here."
"I've been here for decades, no reason to leave," Inori replied, filling a large cup for her visitor. She turned and spotted a smaller, clearly Neptunian woman tucked against Haruka's side, one who looked very familiar. It took her a moment to recognize Queen-Consort Michiru, having not expected to see her on Oberon when she was last spotted on the Moon during the Uranus Presentation Day, which Inori had watched live the day before. "Ah, Queen Michiru, I didn't see you there. I thought . . . well, I thought both of you were on the Moon."
Haruka grinned and accepted the cup of bitter breakfast brew, passing it to Michiru who took a deep gulp gratefully. It was perfectly safe for off-worlders to drink, even with the cactus juice that Haruka liked to have added, since the heat broke down any toxins present in the drink. Inori poured a second one for Haruka, adding the same amount of cactus juice as the first drink. "We needed to get away last night, and Michiru had a craving for more Uranian food for breakfast."
"I'll have to go ask the tour guides for pills; we haven't had enough off-worlders to need to keep them on hand in the last twenty years."
"I'm still safe from yesterday," Michiru answered, her amused voice cultured and intensely feminine, something to be expected from the senshi of Neptune. She held up her free hand, the dark blue mark of Uranus still visible, though extremely faded, indicating that she had enough antitoxin in her system to allow another hour, at most, of eating traditional food. "The reptiles that the Sxarthin hunt in the deep desert, do you have some of that? It has a blue meat, I don't know the name of it."
"Ah, yes, I have some breakfast bites made from the Oriyhn Anikh, a close relative of the much larger Oriyhn Alyesh that that Sxarthin hunt. It's a similar flavor, but we do not farm the larger reptiles." She pulled out a small tray of various cactus fruits and smaller berries wrapped around the blue meat of that reptile, some with corn crackers and some without. Haruka pointed at the options, Michiru indicating that she wanted all of them. Haruka reached into her vest pocket and passed across a handful of credit chips, Inori almost shocked to see hard currency in her queen's hand. She had not intended to charge them at all, but something in Haruka's stance told her to accept the money and not argue. Michiru powered through most of the breakfast bites, Haruka taking two for herself before finishing her drink. "Does Her Majesty want more?"
"Um, yes." Michiru seemed almost confused by her own craving, something that the Neptunian was not used to. "Anything sweet?"
"Of course." Inori made a small plate with five more options, adding a few on the crackers that she knew Haruka also liked and placed it on the counter. She refilled Haruka's drink as the two cleared the plate, silently accepting another handful of hard credit chips from the queen. "What do you think? Those are very popular with visitors to the palace."
"They're amazing. Haruka, I think I'm ready to head back to the Moon now, thank you."
Haruka finished her drink and passed both cups back to Inori, bowing her head in thanks. "Is it not strange for an off-worlder to crave traditional Uranian food in general, Majesty?"
"I don't know," Haruka replied, looking over her shoulder at Michiru who had walked a few steps into the main path to wait for her wife to be ready to leave. "But she's going to live here for at least half of the time when we are both queens, so it's probably a good thing that she likes our food and wants to build up her immunity."
"Of course." Haruka rejoined Michiru and both of them vanished in a flash of gold and aqua light, not even bothering to call their transformations. Inori knew that the senshi could teleport, but she thought they had to be in their senshi forms to do it.
"Hey, was that the queen?" The tour guide, finally awake enough to come buy her breakfast and drink, jogged across the walkway and came to a stop at Inori's booth.
"The queens, yes," Inori replied, pouring a drink for her over a huge cup of ice, sprinkling some dried pink cactus over top of it. The sugar formed from the dried cactus was sweet, with only a faint bite and a cinnamon aftertaste. Inori found it overpowering, but Honoka the tour guide really liked it and swore she couldn't wake up without that sweetness. "It seems that Queen-Consort Michiru was craving some of our food."
"Ah, interesting." Honoka sipped her drink and smiled, touching the credit screen embedded in the counter to transfer the appropriate amount for her drink and the breakfast bites box she got every morning. "Are you going to watch the Neptunian Presentation today?"
"I wasn't going to," Inori admitted, packing Honoka's breakfast and passing it over, "but I think I might. Come over at midday to watch it on my holo-screen if you don't have any tours to run around that time."
"Please, this place is going to be a ghost town until the Festival is over. I'll see you at midday."
"Which one do you think would be better?"
Ayumi tilted her head as she considered the options, finally pointed at the left one. "The orange one is probably better since Rei seems determined to wear a red one. Also, this one is more in the frilly style that seems to be popular on Neptune right now, as you can see from what the other queens have picked." She pointed at Miki, Hikari, Ado, and Sanae grouped around the counter in the kitchen, picking through the drink options for the day. As it was Neptune Day, they had voted the night before to have the servants only bring morning beverages from that world, all of them willing to try a few even though people from some worlds, Uranus included, would likely find most of them overwhelmingly sweet. All of them had chosen dresses with looser skirts than they normally preferred, even staying in the lighter color ranges, and most of the gemstone embellishment was contained to the top of the dress. The dress Ayumi had chosen for Minako was similar, some light embroidery set with citrines on the bodice fading to a ruffled orange skirt with a lighter yellow underskirt. Since Rei was wearing a red dress in a similar style with pink accents and underskirt, the two would match quite well.
Setsuna popped into the suite in her normal fashion, tea in hand, having chosen a lovely light blue gown for the day, a back-laced dress with a bow in the back that definitely came out of Serenity's closet. She had accented it with a necklace of pale aquamarines and white diamonds, the same gems sewn into the neckline of her gown. The jewelry's provenance was clearly the same as the dress's. "Good morning."
"Morning, Setsuna," the other senshi replied, the War Queens waving from the kitchen. This would be the last day that all of them were present; four of them were going home tonight after Neptune Day and two more after Pluto Day. For the ball on the last day of the Festival, only four would remain: Ado, Hikari, and Miki, the same three who had been there since the beginning, along with Sayuri, who had not been able to resist the temptation of dancing in a Lunarian ball by her new lover's side.
The dark queen headed for the kitchenette, curious about the drink offerings for today, mentally counting heads as she walked. "Where are Haruka and Michiru?"
"They haven't returned yet," Ado replied. She and the other War Queens had been less than pleased the night before when Michiru teleported herself and her wife clear across the system, but since they weren't senshi they couldn't follow. Rei had tracked the teleport, informing the War Queens that their rulers were on Larissa, a hidden sanctuary that could only be reached by senshi or via an unknown and well-guarded teleport pad in Triton Castle, which had soothed them somewhat, but they had expected the pair to have returned by now.
Setsuna reached out across the senshi link, touching Haruka's mind quickly and confirming that Michiru was nearby. "They're on Oberon at the moment, but it sounds like they are planning to head back any moment."
"In the palace?" Ado reached for her bracer, frowning; if Haruka had been spotted in the palace, someone would surely have reported it to the First War Queen. After all, their ruler's safety was one of her prime duties.
"No, outside. Ah, here they come."
Haruka and Michiru appeared a moment later, standing just outside their room door. They offered only a brief greeting before entering their room, presumably to dress for the day. "She's calmer," Ado commented, "though I'd like to know what she was doing outside the palace alone this morning."
"Well she wasn't alone," Minako pointed out, quite enjoying the Neptunian drink she had found among the multiple options that morning. "She had Michiru."
"It's hardly the same as a group of War Queens."
"Oh? Have you fought Michiru, then?" Minako rubbed her side above the five ribs Sailor Neptune had broken during their practice fight. "I know you watched her bloodlust. Do you think she cannot protect her wife?" She didn't bother to point out that Haruka was an impressive warrior and could certainly defend herself against anything she might encounter on her home worlds since the War Queens' protective streak wouldn't be mollified by that.
Ado bowed her head in surrender; though she would never be comfortable with Haruka being anywhere in the Silver Millennium without proper Uranian protection, she could at least admit that Michiru was a terrifying warrior when she wanted to be. Setsuna chuckled as she watched the interaction; she hadn't seen Sailors Neptune and Venus fighting each other, but watching a Neptunian senshi bloodlust was impressive, and she knew that none of Michiru's previous incarnations had been able to do that. Haruka could protect herself just fine, of course, but it was in a War Queen's nature to worry about her monarch. Considering the political structure of Uranus, they could do no less and still honor her.
Haruka and Michiru took less time than usual to dress, probably having already cleaned up that morning before teleporting back. Haruka emerged from their room first, having found the dress Hikari left hanging in her closet, smoothing her hands across the silky skirt as she moved into the living area. Her dress today was light blue, a favored color on Neptune, with aquamarines sewn in patterns across the bodice and paler blue ruffles attached down the back of the skirt to mimic waves. The ruffles were edged in white lace with tiny diamonds set inside each swirl, making the entire thing look like sun-touched waves. It was a very Neptunian dress, but she found that she liked it, even donning the light blue choker Hikari had left for her. "What do you think?"
"It looks good on you," Hikari replied, handing her queen a cup of the least sweet drink she had found among the offerings. "I was hoping you would choose a dress today, so I had this one made to match your wife."
"A good choice," Ami added, stepping closer to see the lace on the hem. "I really like this style; was this made by a Uranian dressmaker?"
"Yes, the same one as the dress yesterday. She has a lot of range, and she takes inspiration from every world, even when making something custom like this."
Haruka turned, drink in one hand, as Michiru emerged from their suite, smiling as her War Queens gasped in shock. The Neptunian had chosen a gown of iridescent white silky material, the skirt crafted with layered ruffles to mimic the movement of whitecaps on the sea. The lower layers were pale aqua blue, only visible when the upper layers floated back in motion, but when she stood still only the iridescent white color was visible. The bodice was decorated with white pearls in various sizes, forming patterns of waves to match the ruffles in the skirt, though they were invisible from a distance and only served to enhance the iridescence of the fabric. Her hair fell down her back in loose sea green waves, a delicate white gold circlet of pearls used to enhance the elegant style.
The Uranian senshi smiled and held out her arm to her wife, leading her to the kitchen counter and the drinks available that morning. "You decided against the gloves?"
"I can play my violin with gloves just fine, but I'd prefer to avoid any additional difficulty when this will be my first full public musical performance. I'll carry them for the dance part of the presentation, since everyone else will be wearing gloves." She pointed at two creatively hidden pockets in the skirt, the long white gloves tucked inside them.
"This dress is amazing," Sanae breathed, reaching out to touch the soft fabric at Michiru's nod. "Where was this made? It's not a traditional Neptunian style."
"No, it's more Lunarian, isn't it?"
"Yes, Makoto, it is. My mother ordered this dress when I was five, and it was completed this year before my birthday. She always intended to present me to the Silver Millennium at Neptune Day, though at the time she intended to introduce my husband, as well."
"Considering the husband options you had, you've done better going the wife route," Rei pointed out, thinking of her own brother and how close he came to marrying the Neptunian princess.
"Yes, I suppose she will do," Michiru quipped, sipping her drink as Haruka chuckled and kissed her free hand.
"Then I hope my attire pleases you as your escort for today."
"Haruka, it is not your attire that pleases me, but I don't think you'd be allowed to escort me naked, so I will accept it." Michiru looked over Haruka's shoulder as Setsuna caught their thoughts and blocked them out of the link, smiling at the older queen. "You're getting better at that, Setsuna. I don't think even a hint of it made it through."
"After yesterday, I've been watching the link more closely. I even managed to mute most of what you two were doing last night from affecting the others, and I figured out how to hold the filter even while I was asleep."
"What happened yesterday?"
"You don't want to know, Minako," Setsuna replied, controlling her blush at the memory.
The group looked up as Serenity and Endymion entered the suite, both having chosen blue and green clothes for the day, honoring Neptune with its traditional colors. Serenity's dress was a similar style to her favored white one, but colored in aqua with darker blue hem and aquamarine jewelry and hair ornaments. It also had a laced-back design that her mother tended to favor in her dresses that were not fully backless, so the inspiration for the style was easy to guess. Endymion had found a suit in his normal style in dark blue with light green accents and a black cape with a dark green underside instead of his normal red. He had borrowed part of it Meisha and the cape from Akaneiro, both of whom were happy to help the prince dress in their native colors. Now that the group was complete, it was time for the royals to head to the courtyard to see what interesting things Neptunians ate for breakfast.
Shousha followed the group of queens into the courtyard, having chosen a pale blue and green dress for her own planet's Presentation Day. Since the senshi had all decided to run the festival this year, she had simply assisted Michiru in her planning, organizing the specific musicians needed but letting her daughter choose the songs and waltzes they would present. The only thing she had insisted on was a brief moment at the beginning to present her daughter to the Silver Millennium, as she had planned to do for two decades. Now that the day had come, the queen actually felt a small amount of trepidation, hoping that the system would accept her daughter as an appropriate heir of the Neptune throne.
"You aren't worrying about Michiru again, are you?"
"Asa, I'm always worrying about Michiru." The Venusian chuckled, knowing that all of them spent as much time thinking about their daughters as Shousha did, but after all of the wedding, planet crystal, and soulmate stuff had come out into the open, everyone's concerns did die down somewhat. The senshi were who they had chosen to be, they would use their powers to fight this coming darkness, and all of the queens knew that that group of seven women would find a way to save the Silver Millennium. Shousha's worries, then, were more mundane.
"Was your own mother this worried about presenting you, Shou?"
"I think she was, but she hid it better," the Neptunian replied. She had never been the warm, loving mother that Michiru wanted, pained by her own past and the loss of her lover, husband, and first pregnancy so close together, but she was trying now to make up for that aloofness. Her own mother never tried to be close to her children, having believed that overt displays of emotion weakened them, choosing a façade of perfection over showing love for her daughters. Shousha and Raya had always had a strained relationship with their mother. "It's a tradition on my world, and normally I would have done this before Michiru's twenty-first birthday and wedding, but she decided not to choose a suitor as young as I did."
"You chose Tsuyu young," Rikuriko agreed, "but you didn't marry him until after the Uprising. At least Michiru married quickly."
"Yes, there is that," Shousha admitted wryly, remembering her fury at discovering the identity of her daughter's 'husband'. "We had longer engagements in our day."
"Traditions change," Serenity pointed out, pausing so the colonel in charge of the guards could speak with Artemis on her shoulder. "You all wanted to embrace your soulmates, something that your mothers and their mothers did for thousands of years. While it's hard to dig up marriage records from the time of Reiko, Minami, and the rest, it does seem that the senshi who came before the shattering of the crystals did have short engagements and extravagant weddings. I found a mention in an ancient Uranian publication by the sages that lists the dates for Nao's engagement and marriage and the length of the celebration party itself. She and Yuuka partied for a solid month, and the banners honoring their union flew for a year."
"I thought the sages only released books in Secret Umbrien," Amami commented, pointing toward the first stall she wanted to try. The booths always opened early for the royals that were allowed into the Festival first, eager to please the leaders of the various worlds of the Silver Millennium. "How did you find it?"
"It was translated by Chisaki and your own mother, actually. Apparently, if you date a Uranian long enough, you can get them to help you translate some interesting older texts."
"Chisaki dated Amane? How did I not know this?"
"She hid the transit logs very well on her own world, but Luna and Artemis are pretty good at digging up information when needed. After finding out that senshi can only have senshi for soulmates, I started trying to track who was paired up in each generation. It affected the art, technology, even the builds of the ships of each ruler. It's quite fascinating if you have some time to look into it."
Meika narrowed her eyes, tilting her head at the High Queen. "It sounds like Setsuna is having more of an effect on you than we thought. Digging into ancient history and hidden transit logs is more of a Plutonian thing, don't you think?"
Serenity blushed and cleared her throat, nodding toward the booth that Amami had pointed at earlier. "Let's see what we have to eat today, shall we?"
"Very smooth," Shousha laughed, following the queen anyway. The merchant at the booth bowed toward the queens as they approached, offering a second, deeper bow for his own monarch. "I suppose I should tell you what's good here, since it's from my world."
Amami tapped Shousha's shoulder before the Neptunian could start talking about any of the food, pointing toward the back entrance to the courtyard. The queen turned and smiled as she spotted her daughter, Michiru wearing the beautiful white dress Shousha had ordered for her in preparation for this Presentation Day. She noticed that Michiru had decided against the gloves, which was likely because of how much she intended to play on stage later, and it allowed her to wear pearl bracelets to match the gems on her bodice. "Doesn't that dress look lovely on her? I've been waiting sixteen years for her to wear it."
"She's positively glowing," Asakaze agreed, the other queens nodding along with her. The young princess definitely stood out in the group of royals and their War Queen escorts, one arm linked with Haruka's, who was clearly intentionally wearing a dress today. All of the War Queens and senshi were also in dresses, which was the common practice during Neptune Day in honor of the planet of femininity, and Shousha felt a surge of pride that all of the Uranians had offered her planet such respect today.
Ado, who was leading the group, spotted the queens and turned toward them, looking back to say something to Haruka and Michiru. The Uranian queen looked up and met Shousha's eyes across the courtyard, bowing her head slightly in a gesture of respect between equals, one that she was quick to return. She could see the Space Sword, ever-present on Haruka's hip, glow just slightly gold in response, and a rush of warmth filled her frame. Kazeko was watching over them both, and it was clear that she was happy with the new cordial relationship that Shousha and Haruka had managed to forge. It eased the Neptunian's heartache somewhat.
"Have you come looking for breakfast?"
Ado bowed her head in response. "Of course, Majesty. Queen Michiru promised to show us some of the best breakfast cuisine from your moons." Overly formal, but that was expected on a day like today, and it was nice to have a War Queen using proper levels of respect, especially when the relationship between Shousha and the women who ruled Uranus had been strained in the last two decades.
"Michiru certainly knows the best options." Shousha reached out to take her daughter's hands, watching as the War Queens dispersed to give them space and Haruka released her wife. Mother and daughter shared a quick embrace and formal kisses on the cheeks, a tradition that a younger Michiru had detested, but now she was happy to perform the greeting as expected. "You look beautiful this morning, Michiru. I'm glad you decided to wear the dress."
"It's lovely, thank you. And, before you ask, I did bring the gloves for the waltz demonstrations later." Shousha grinned and nodded, acknowledging that she had planned to ask. "I won't wear them for the musical portion, though."
"I generally don't, either. Laira passed us earlier with your new violin; I had her store it on the stage and promised to set a contingent of guards to protect it for you."
Michiru grinned, Haruka chuckling by her side. "I'm sure that didn't convince her at all. I hope she's not still up there guarding it."
"No, I told her that Queen Shousha would protect it," Ayumi replied. "I knew that she would be tempted to stay, as any Lesser War Queen would, but no one in the Neptunian delegation would touch it as it belongs to their princess. Sometimes we forget that the other worlds honor their rulers as much as we do."
"The violin will be fine; we have never had a major incident at the Festival in over five thousand years; records older than that are simply hard to find." Luna had stepped forward from her perch on Queen Serenity's shoulder to offer those comforting words.
"There weren't any incidents older than that, either," Setsuna assured the group. "The Pluto Archives are more extensive than the ones on the Moon," she added when everyone turned to look at her. The senshi rolled their eyes at the flimsy explanation, but everyone was willing to accept it and move on.
"Many of you were guests of Triton Castle the morning after Michiru's birthday party, so you likely remember some of the things we served for breakfast. Haruka probably remembers the best of all since she spent so much time on Neptune."
"You'd be surprised at how many different types of fish soup they can make," Haruka agreed, the merchant at the booth chuckling.
"When one's world is filled with seas, one learns to enjoy its harvests." The merchant pointed at a screen that showed all of the hot fish soups he had on offer for breakfast. "Each soup also has a soft bread and sweet drink paired with it, and we do recommend that they are taken together."
"You don't find fish too heavy for breakfast?" Makoto looked through the offerings, Ami leaning against her side and pointing at some that she thought they should try. She was not used to eating meat for breakfast, but the soups looked very interesting.
"We pretty much eat fish for all meals, so having it in a soup is actually lighter than other ways we prepare it. Most of these are enhanced with bean paste and seaweed, and these two also have mushrooms if you like that. The fish is very mild to avoid overpowering the other ingredients. If you do not eat fish, we have soups that do not include any meat."
"I like fish, I just don't eat it much at home. I'll try that one with the mushrooms."
The merchant nodded and reached for a bowl, ladling out a bowl of the soup Ami had chosen from underneath the counter. He placed the bowl on a plate, tucking a good chunk of spongy bread on the plate, along with a spoon and cup of the recommended partner tea. Ami took her food and drink after placing her thumbprint on the order screen to pay for it, heading for a cluster of small tables nearby. Makoto chose something soon after, the other princesses following suit. Haruka found one of her favorites from her visit to Neptune, while Michiru and Shousha also picked soups that they liked to eat frequently. The other queens and War Queens made their own orders as the senshi started to eat, Makoto pleasantly surprised that the soup didn't feel heavy at all. "I don't think we ate one like this on Neptune."
"Probably not; my chefs stick to the simpler recipes." Shousha had chosen something very simple, a white fish in a pale broth with a bit of seasoning. "Michiru enjoys the bean paste and seaweed and whatever more than I do."
"Mother, did you eat anything at all yesterday?" Michiru knew that her mother was set in her ways, especially when it came to food. She tended to eat Neptunian cuisine or the closest thing she could find, and most of it was somewhat bland.
Amami chuckled as she joined the group. "It took a lot of convincing; Shousha is not that fond of reptile meat. She liked some of the cactus options, though."
"What did you eat when you visited Kazeko in your youth?"
"Mostly she visited me, but when I was on Uranus we ate the off-worlder approved food only, most of which does not include reptile meat or cactuses."
"It's always good to expand our palettes, even with our own cuisine," Michiru commented, looking up at Tomoko, who had just reached the table, with a gentle request in her eyes. The Eighth War Queen, already learning her new queen's nonverbal cues, passed her own bowl over to Shousha, one that contained the bean paste, mushroom, and seaweed with the fish, heading back to the counter to get another bowl for herself. Michiru had chosen the same soup, but she had already finished hers, using the bread to soak up what remained in her bowl.
Shousha sighed and nodded, trying the soup and finding it more pleasant than she had expected. It had been decades since she really tried any other soups than her favorite three, and she knew that she just became set in her ways after the Pluto Uprising. "It's not bad," she admitted, glaring at the other queens as they laughed.
"We all get used to the foods we eat and the way we do things; that's the point of the Festival." Queen Serenity waved her hand at the booths spread out through the courtyard, people now streaming in from the front gates. "We have to always keep an open mind."
"And mouth," Princess Serenity quipped, popping the last of her bread into hers.
Tomoko returned with two bowls of her preferred soup, placing one in front of Michiru as she returned to her seat. "You looked like you might still be hungry, Michiru."
"Yes, I am; thank you." She finished her second bowl as fast as the first, sipping her tea as the rest of the table also polished off their breakfast.
"Even after what you ate on Oberon this morning?" Haruka was understandably surprised to see how much her wife was eating today; Michiru generally didn't have that much of an appetite until the midday meal.
"I've been practicing my new violin quite a bit," Michiru explained. "I don't eat while I'm doing that. I think it's just a combination of the practice during the day and spending my nights with you. The Festival puts a lot of strain on the performers; you ate quite a bit this morning, too, I'd like to point out."
"Sword Dances burn massive amounts of energy, even when Uranus doesn't show up, and it takes a lot of rest and relaxation to recover from something like that. I have to get my strength back, too."
Michiru tilted her head thoughtfully, smiling as she stood from the table and reached for her wife's hand. "It's a good thing for you that this is Neptune Day. I know a great way to help you relax and recover from your Dances." The other senshi and War Queens, along with Serenity and Endymion, followed Michiru as she pulled Haruka toward the booths on the other side of the courtyard, the queen group splitting off to head for the shopping area toward the south.
Michiru found the huge booth she was looking for easily enough, the women out front dropping into deep curtsies as soon as they spotted her. She could also hear other people clustered near the booth whispering "Princess Michiru" and "that's the princess" as they bowed or curtsied to her, giving the large group of royals and deadly War Queens their space.
"Princess, it's an honor to have you here."
Michiru nodded in acceptance of the woman's welcome, having fully fallen back into her habits from her life as a solitary Neptunian princess. "I heard that you're the best, and I have a lot of Uranians here who performed some pretty taxing Sword Dances yesterday and they could use your expert touch."
The woman lit up, clearly eager to serve this group of distinguished visitors. The Uranians were all clearly confused, but willing to follow their queen. "We were able to bring enough beds to allow us to serve your whole group at once, Highness, and the spa area is large enough for all of you. If you'd like to follow me back, we can get started."
Confused, the others followed Michiru into the booth, stopping before a number of curtained doors. "This is a temporary setup, of course, so we have mostly double rooms," the woman explained. "Her Highness and her wife are welcome to one, of course, but are there others who are willing to share? We don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."
Tomoko, finally realizing what this booth was offering, lit up in joy as she stepped forward. "The princesses Rei and Minako will share one room, Princesses Ami and Makoto another, and the High Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and Queen Setsuna will have singles. As for the War Queens, we are not shy, so we will happily share with each other to avoid taking up too many of your rooms." Sanae moved to stand beside Hiroko, Miki with Sayuri, and the others simply chose their oldest and closest friends among the queens. Hikari and Ado had been inseparable since the Uprising, closer than sisters, Yuri moved to stand with Tomoko, and Keiko with Ayumi. Each pair or single royal was led into a room by one of the gathered women, one of the few men taking Endymion into the room at the end.
As soon as Haruka and Michiru entered their room and spotted the two small beds beside each other in the middle of the floor, the Uranian realized where her wife had brought her. "You want me to get a massage?"
"No, Haruka, I want you to be pampered and learn to be okay with it," Michiru replied sharply, her tone informing her wife that she would allow no argument.
Haruka raised her hands in surrender, smiling disarmingly at Michiru. "Okay, what do I do?"
The woman who had followed them into the room cleared her throat and raised a data pad, tapping a few commands into the floating screen. "I watched your Sword Dances yesterday, Majesty; they look very difficult, especially the one with the goddess Uranus herself. What muscle groups are giving you the most trouble this morning?"
"Uh, my arms mostly, shoulders and upper back, and a bit of my lower back and thighs from some of the rolls and flips I had to do."
"Okay, full body, then. Princess Michiru?"
"Full body is fine with me, too," she replied. The senshi had not practiced any of their fighting since the Festival began, so she was not overly sore, but a massage was always welcome.
"Okay, perfect. If both of you would please remove your clothes and get under the sheet, starting face down." She bowed and left the room, pointing toward the hangars on the wall meant to hold their elaborate dresses.
Michiru turned her back to Haruka and raised her hair, glancing at her wife over her shoulder. "Could you help me take this off?" The Uranian had helped her into it in their suite, and the fastenings on the back were more complicated than most of her normal dresses.
Haruka chuckled and nodded, reached out and unfastened the back of Michiru's dress, helping her wife hang it up before shedding her own. They stretched out, face down, on the tables under the sheets, pleased to find that the sheets were not as thin as they had feared and did give enough protection against the faint spring bite in the air. The booths were not generally heated, since weather on the Moon was not unbearably cold in April, but it was certainly cooler than either queen preferred.
The woman who had brought them into the room returned a few minutes later with a colleague in tow, one heading for each bed. Haruka initially tensed when the masseuse touched her, but after a few moments she relaxed into the massage, pleasantly surprised as the deep pressure helped reduce tension she had not realized she was carrying. The Sword Dances really had stressed her more than she thought, but the professional woman targeted her pain points accurately and was able to help reduce it quite a bit.
The session was over quickly, the lead masseuse offering a quick apology. "For the Festival, we have only short sessions, but if you visit our business in the capital or hire us for private therapy, we will go two or three times as long. There are robes hanging here; please dress yourselves in them and I will lead you to the spa area where your friends will meet you."
The queens pulled on the robes as soon as the woman left, heading into the hallway area to meet their guide again. Two other employees entered the curtained room to grab their dresses and take them to a dressing room that all of the royals would be able to use when they were done. The employees would then be able to clean the room, swap the sheets, and bring in the next pair of guests at the booth.
Haruka and Michiru entered a large, warm room where some of the other royals were already seated, everyone dressed in identical fluffy white robes. Each comfortable chair had a basin for water at the foot of it, and Haruka and Michiru were directed to sit and place their feet in the empty basins. Another woman came around and offered each of the visitors a glass of wine from a list of seven Neptunian varieties they had on hand, Setsuna chuckling as she made her order and leaned back in the comfortable chair.
"It's been decades since I've been pampered like this."
"You're a queen of the Silver Millennium," Michiru replied, nodding as the woman filling her foot bath asked her if the temperature of the water was pleasing to her. "You could have this whenever you want; you are the one who chooses to live the life of a priestess."
"Hmmm, I never thought of it like that," the dark queen replied. "I guess I do; after so long, the trappings of court frequently exhaust me, and I long for a simpler life."
"Her Majesty can have a simpler life, just perhaps with some proper Neptunian pampering," the woman delivering wine offered, bowing her head as Setsuna took the glass. "We are the planet of pleasure and femininity, though our men are as adept at pampering people as our women. There are always skilled massage professionals, manicurists, pedicurists, stylists, etc, who are seeking an off-world appointment. Pluto would be an interesting assignment for any of them."
"I will consider it," she replied, closing her eyes as the pedicurist sitting in front of her chair began to massage her feet.
Ami and Makoto, who had arrived first, looked over the selection of nail polish, each picking colors they would like for their fingernails and toenails. The polish could be cured quickly with UV light, so they would be able to return to the festival quickly after their brief spa treatment was complete. Rei and Minako were led to their chairs a few minutes later as a pedicurist came to Haruka's chair and started to fill her foot bath. She offered the nail polish samples to the blonde, who quickly selected her signature colors of gold and navy, knowing that her wife would not let her refuse to have her nails painted. She supposed it would be alright for the festival; the only reason she had avoided that kind of decoration before was due to her desire to pass as a male on other worlds, something that was no longer a concern after her coronation. Perhaps she would even like it.
There you go; I knew you would understand.
Haruka reached over and took Michiru's hand, sensing her wife's utter contentment across the link. You learned to like battle for me, I suppose I can learn to like relaxation for you.
All of the royals and War Queens had finally arrived, filling up most of the chairs in the room, a pedicurist at each chair while the manicurists started to set up their stations between the chairs. Another group of women began to work on their faces, starting with a face mask after pinning any long hair out of the way. The face mask was cooling, aimed at reducing any inflammation, and the manicures and pedicures were finished while the masks performed their magic.
The attendants moved the royals and War Queens to another room, letting the chairs they had used be cleaned for the next group of visitors. Once the Princess of Neptune had been seen entering the booth, the crowd outside had grown exponentially, and everyone wanted to go to the same spa that Michiru had chosen.
Haruka was led to a comfortable chair in front of a small counter with a mirror over it, Michiru on one side and Setsuna on the other. The spa employees, once the face masks were removed, cleaned their customers' faces and used a lightweight lotion to moisturize their skin, releasing all of the hair that had been pinned back and gently brushing it out. Haruka's attendant pulled a few jars of eyeshadow out of the drawers under the counter in dark navy, gold, and a few shades of complementary lighter blues. She sent her wife a mental glare, but Michiru's responsive giggle informed her that eyeshadow was not optional. You're already wearing a dress, and you wore plenty of makeup yesterday.
Fine, if it makes you happy. Haruka nodded at the colors the makeup artist showed her, closing her eyes as directed so the woman could start painting her eyelids. She felt the dark pressure against her mind that indicated Setsuna was opening a private link to her mind, and she resisted the urge to open her eyes and glare at the older queen.
She's got you pretty whipped.
Haruka reached back, allowing her own hurricane-force wind to color the response. I spent twenty-one years alone, waiting for her. I'd rather be whipped by her than live even one more day without her. A soft smile and gentle apology was her only response, but she knew that Setsuna was the one senshi who could truly understand her. Besides, I've seen the dresses you've been wearing recently, all of them much lighter colors than your normal preference. Are you going to tell me that you aren't whipped by your own lover?
Her only answer was a slightly embarrassed silence, and the private link faded as they focused on their makeup artists' instructions. Haruka's artist finished her eyeshadow and handed her a mirror, stepping slightly to the side to avoid blocking the queen's light. "I've matched it to your fingernails; it's a formulation that is very gentle on the skin and will wash right off with a gentle cleanser but will stay in place all day even if you sweat a little."
Haruka nodded, touching the tiny gold rhinestones on the inside of her eye and the dark navy clusters on the outside crease. They matched the stones on her fingernails, and the eyeshadow glittered with the same intensity as her nail polish. "It's nice."
"High praise from a Uranian," Tomoko chuckled from her own seat, checking over her makeup. Hers was in blue tones, complementing her aqua hair, though the makeup artist had dusted her cheeks with gold glitter in a nod to the Uranian gold strands hidden amongst the Neptunian shade. "Do you have hair glitter today?"
"Yes, of course, Your Grace. It's become such a popular style back home, so we were hoping to introduce it to the rest of the system at the Festival. I'm surprised you have heard of it."
"My cousins keep me up-to-date with all of the recent fashion trends on Neptune."
"Hair glitter? I haven't even heard of that." Michiru looked up from her talisman where she had been checking her makeup, eyebrow raised in a question.
"It's probably not made it to the palace yet," Tomoko replied. "Your mother is not known for embracing new fashion trends, and it's been a month since you were there, anyway. It's a simple and quick version of the gemstone chains that are popular in every court right now, and it can be washed out easily when you are done with it."
"What colors do you use?"
"Usually something that complements your hair color or your outfit, Highness. For today, the aqua is probably the best."
"Alright, I'd like to try it." The others all agreed to try it, as well, though Endymion was a bit more skeptical than the citizens of the Silver Millennium of the fashion trend. He chose a black opal color to match his hair, the others also mostly choosing their own hair color. The makeup artists used brushes no wider than a finger to paint the colors in a few sections of hair, the glitter sparkling just like the nail polish and eyeshadow. The hair color was temporary and designed to bond to hair only, so the glitter would not brush off onto the wearer's fingers if they adjusted their hair. However, the bonds were not that strong, so any gentle shampoo would be able to remove it when the wearer was tired of the color.
Setsuna leaned forward and examined the dark green glitter in the mirror, turning her head to see how it reacted to the light. She felt a sudden gentle presence nearby, a sparkling rose-soft touch that she instantly identified as Aphrodite, smiling as the other goddess giggled in her mind. I love that! Only Neptunians would think to paint your hair with glitter.
It is pretty nice, actually, and so much easier than the gemstone trend that is taking over even my Royal Court. Setsuna flipped her hair over her shoulder and watched how the painted strands moved, nodding appreciatively at her artist. What are you doing here, anyway, Aph? Your daughter's Presentation was a week ago.
True, but I'm here as moral support for Amphitrite today. She and Poseidon have been on edge all day, and I thought I would check what fashions are currently in vogue so I could help her relax by sprucing her style up a bit for later. She thinks of Poseidon's soul-daughter as her own, you know, and she was so happy to meet Michiru a month ago in that old cave where she keeps her treasury. Now that Michiru has seen Yuuka's last memories, she's worried that the girl has changed too much from the one she met.
No, she hasn't. These girls remember significant parts of the last few years of their previous lives, but they have chosen not to let that consume them. If anything, the memory of how close Yuuka and Amphitrite were will improve their bond, not weaken it.
She'll be glad to hear that, for sure. I hear that Hera came to see Zeus's daughter, as well, and she was pleased to see how Mai had grown over these lifetimes.
Wait until my patron god comes to see my change.
Aphrodite laughed, the sound dancing around Setsuna. She knew that Haruka and Michiru could sense her distraction, and Minako suddenly sat straighter in her chair as the presence of her goddess energized her. Your father will come, if for no other reason than that all of his siblings have made an appearance at the Festival. Hades hates to be left out.
Do remind him not to make our relationship too obvious. I do still intend to live my mortal life without most people knowing I was born a god.
I'll remind him. Aphrodite's presence faded, Minako glancing across the room to meet Setsuna's eyes. The dark senshi shrugged as she stood from her chair, the others also rising as they moved to check out everyone's hair.
The lead attendant bowed to them as the rest of the workers vanished from the room, clearly heading to tend to the next group of customers. "Thank you for using our services today; we hope that the experience met your expectations and we are certainly happy to serve you again in the future if needed. Please head over here to the changing room where your clothes have been hung up for you. It will hold up to five people at a time."
"Thank you," Michiru replied, inclining her head just enough to indicate that she was pleased with the experience. The attendant bowed low before backing out of the room, leaving her customers in peace. "Haruka, Setsuna, and I will take Serenity to get changed first. I know that her dress is particularly difficult today."
"It is." Serenity ran up to Michiru's side, looking up to admire the Neptunian's hair. "That shade really does match your hair perfectly. This spa was a great idea!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is one of the things my world is known for." The four entered the dressing room and Michiru pulled Serenity's dress from the rack, helping her into it while the other two senshi slipped back into their own clothes. Haruka helped Setsuna with the lacing on hers; the dark queen could get it but it was a bit harder than the normal dresses she chose to wear. "Setsuna, if you're going to borrow dresses from Queen Serenity, you might choose ones that don't require assistance to put on."
"It's not like I planned to get undressed, Michiru." She smoothed her hands down the bodice, checking the fit, and nodded gratefully at Haruka. "Still, it might not be a bad idea to get some of these colors and styles in my own wardrobe, though with lacing or fastenings that I can do on my own. That might be the only thing that stops Aph from decorating my clothes whenever she visits me on Pluto."
"Is that who was just here?" Michiru pulled her dress up and slipped her arms through the sleeves, turning her back to Haruka and raising her hair out of the way.
"How did you guess?"
"Minako's reaction was a dead giveaway," Haruka replied, expertly fastening her wife's dress. There were hidden laces on the sides that would allow the waist to be tightened more if needed, but Michiru had chosen to leave them alone, blaming it on the breakfast she had on Uranus that morning. Having used various methods to flatten her own chest for years, most of them quite uncomfortable, she understood the resistance her wife felt toward that particular fashion trend.
"Aph was looking over Neptunian fashions. She likes the hair glitter."
Michiru looked over her shoulder at Setsuna, slowly letting her hair settle back on her shoulders. "So they are coming, then? She wasn't looking for herself."
"Of course they're coming. Poseidon and Amphitrite wouldn't neglect you. My aunt was just worried about how she should appear, as any Neptunian would."
Michiru smiled and nodded, thinking back to their meeting in the cave as the four left the dressing room. Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ami entered as they left, the War Queens admiring their new hair decorations while they waited and discussing some nuance of war with Endymion. "She didn't want me to remember Yuuka's death."
"Neither did I, to be fair, and none of the gods other than Uranus really understood what was at stake that day thousands of years ago. I understand now that you had to remember, and I think that my family does, too. She is, however, worried about how much you've changed since that day you met her in the cave."
Michiru ran her fingers across the surface of her mirror, hanging from a loop of fabric on the side of her dress. "Maybe I have changed. I used to enjoy my lonely life for the most part, though I never forgot that blonde Uranian girl whose eyes promised me a happy future when we met on the Moon." Haruka reached over and took Michiru's hand, squeezing it gently in support. "If I had seen this future for myself back then, I don't think I would have recognized the woman I have become. But it's not just because I connected with Yuuka's memories; I'm not her and our lives are drastically different. I'm worried that Amphitrite and Poseidon are expecting her and not me. The last time I saw my god was the day of my death, and it's not a pleasant memory for any of us."
"No, it's not," Setsuna whispered. She had been reminded too frequently about that tragic day over the course of the Festival, especially the day before when she was reminded of her time on top of the Chime Cliffs. "Uranus doesn't treat Haruka like Nao, though she sees her in your wife's eyes. Poseidon will be the same."
The four Inners emerged from the changing room, adjusting their skirts and hair as the first five War Queens took their turn. "I feel so much more relaxed; this spa thing was such a great idea after a week of Presentation Days." Rei pulled some of her hair in front of her face to examine the glitter, amazed that it didn't rub off onto her fingers. "I mean, I get massages after long days of battle practice, but this was so much better."
"I tried to tell you," Minako replied. "You could have this at my palace whenever you like. Half of our beauty artists are from Neptune, and the rest trained there. My planet may be known for beauty, but no one beats Neptune for pure pampering."
Michiru nodded toward the exit. "We should get out of the way so others can enjoy the services of this spa. I've already asked them to charge the visit to my palace, so we are free to go visit some of the artisans of my world."
"Michi, I'm happy to pay for myself and the War Queens."
"Nonsense, Ruka; it was my treat. Besides, after that violin, my mother will be happy to see such a small line item today."
"Alright then; lead on."
AN: Well, just like Haruka, Michiru has gotten away from me. The second chapter of Neptune Day is almost done, so it should be up in a few days.