Chapter Text
She walked out of the small branch of a Japanese state-owned bank slowly, thinking about her future, or the lack of one. The girl with long black hair heard the bank door close behind her, and stopped walking when she found herself in the center of that tiny, claustrophobic city. There was only one avenue in that place, exactly where Rin found herself at this moment, and the amount of cars was minimal. Isolated between the mountain and the sea, lost still in the Showa period which was focused in the 80's, that town she had been born in, grown up in, and never left, seemed frozen in time.
So did her bank account.
The words that the manager of her late parents' account still looped through her mind.
Rin sighed exhausted, running her hand across her sweaty forehead before opening the lock around her bike. As much as her parents had been extremely careful with their finances when they were still alive, nothing could be done in a world with a rising cost of living. Each year it was harder to save the money they had left for her, the trips to the supermarket showed that even the basics she could not keep for long.
This was a big lesson in terms of money and finances for her. No matter how comfortable things may seem in a certain period of time, you could never guess the future. Her teachers in school called this effect inflation and a decreasing purchasing power. Whether this affected normal families, with working parents, Rin did not know. What she did know was that no one would employ her even for a part-time job. When she looked for a job, she would get the same response.
"Too young!" some would say.
"I'll wait at least a few months, until you're fifteen," others said.
"When you turn sixteen, I can offer you something, but otherwise, stay focused on your studies!", Mitsouri Kaede would reply, the oldest woman in that claustrophobic city. Perhaps she was what Rin could call a substitute mother figure, for when her parents had died in a car accident, she was still a baby. At the height of her almost fifteen years, in two months, she was confronted with the possibility of not having the money to pay that month's bills. She still lived in the house they had left for her, and there was the possibility of selling it, but who in their right mind would buy a traditional Japanese style house, without locks or padlocks, in the middle of nowhere?
'Not to mention how much it would cost to renovate the plumbing, the electrical system, and the garden,' she reflected, picking up momentum on her bike after putting away all the papers the bank manager had given her. That early summer had started much hotter than usual in that region, western Japan, far from any cosmopolitan urban center. There was only one train station that passed through the area, and it was a few kilometers along the beach before one realized that there was a city there. Sweat dripped down her delicate skin, wetting her hair as she cycled uphill in her school uniform. The wind blew against her, swaying the long navy blue skirts around her toned legs. Getting to her house was never an easy task, whether by bike or on foot, riding uphill took effort.
She noticed an atypical movement of cars coming down the hills towards the city, catching her attention immediately. The windows of each of them were dark, impossible to see who was driving. One, two, three, four... five cars rushed down the hills. Rin couldn't remember the last time she had seen them, maybe five or six years ago, who knows.
Curious about what was happening in that town where nothing ever happened, she decided to take the opposite route to her decaying house in the middle of the forest. She turned left and rode for a few minutes until her eyes reached a neighborhood close to town. Few people lived there, but it was still more populated than the area of her own home. She left her bicycle in the front yard of the rather old house, probably so old that it was reminiscent of houses from before 1920 in the Taishou period. Rin didn't doubt it, that old lady Kaede seemed to be over a hundred, although no one ever really knew her age.
She pressed the button outside, emitting a deafening electric noise, startling her.
"Rin?" she heard Kaede-baa-chan's unsteady voice coming from the back garden, finding her sitting on a stool in front of the medicinal herb garden she planted and distributed to the neighborhood. Ancient knowledge, Kaede-baa-chan said, served the community, not capitalism. "What are you doing here so early? You should be in school still."
Rin, still dressed in her school uniform, shrugged as she pulled up a stool leaning against the back of the house, placing it next to the elderly woman dressed in an antique yukata, then sitting down.
"I went to the bank, my parents' account manager made an appointment," she replied, feeling down at having to remind herself of the practical problems in having to grow up without her parents around. "If I keep up the same expenses, my money won't last more than a year."
Kaede-baa-chan handed her some tools to help in the garden, giving the girl a worried look for a few seconds. Rin put on the rubber gloves, helping the old woman remove the weeds around the vegetable garden.
"I know what you're thinking, but I don't think dropping out of school to work is a good option," the old woman began, sighing afterwards. "Your parents would be very sad for you, Rin-chan. Try to hold on a little longer. Why don't you sell your house? Come live with me, I'm a lonely old woman in a house with available rooms."
"And who's going to buy that house-shaped problem, Kaede-baa-chan?" the girl asked, rolling her eyes. "Besides, your retirement wouldn't provide for both of us. I know you've worked all your life for that youkai family that has a castle nearby, but I wouldn't feel right. What I really need is a job, so I can fix the broken heater and finally have a hot bath."
The old woman watched her at length, and even twisted her lips in order to say something else, but she apparently changed her mind halfway, focusing all her attention on the vegetable garden in front of her. Understanding that Kaede-baa-chan did not approve of her plan to quit school to work, Rin decided to change the subject of that conversation to something lighter.
"When I was coming home, I saw some cars with blacked-out glass coming down the mountain into town," the girl began, changing the subject as she put all the weeds into an old metal bucket, dumping the contents into a garbage bag on the grass. "Do you know anything?" the girl asked trying to disguise her curiosity, failing miserably.
Kaede-baa-chan shook her head, disapproving of the younger girl's behavior.
"You're too curious for your own good," the elderly woman pointed out, frowning. "So you came here to gossip, and not to ask for advice, huh?".
Rin let out a good-natured chuckle, making the old woman smile.
"You know, nothing happens in this place, so anything new is worth discussing," Rin quickly justified herself, still smiling mischievously. "Ah, Kaede-baa-chan, I know you know. You always know everything that goes on in this middle of nowhere town."
"Hmmm... maybe I know something, yes," the elderly woman replied, giving the girl a wink. "The youkai family is having a party at the castle, it's a celebration they have every fifty years. It's the only reason they are drawn here, to remember the roots of the clan, do the maintenance of their power, and teach the younger ones about the responsibilities of the youkai aristocracy. It's basically a demonstration of power. The last time they threw this party, I was already working at the castle."
Rin nodded, feeling her curiosity grow. Kaede-baa-chan never talked much about the work in the castle of that youkai family, but every now and then she would tell amusing stories about the things that happened there. Some stories even seemed like lies because they were too absurd to believe, like when some of the younger youkai set fire to a part of the castle. They lived in a reality far away from the one Rin knew, and for this reason everything related to the castle and those rare visitors seemed like a break from her problems.
More interesting lives than hers, at least.
"They send the cars into town to pick up the packages, usually a lot of food and drink is served, and I can even say that illicit substances can also be seen without much difficulty there," Kaede-baa-chan continued softly, like someone telling a good gossip.
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"Illicit substances?" she repeated softly, approaching the elderly woman beside her, who nodded readily. "Like what?"
Kaede-baa-chan grimaced, then shrugged.
"Whatever you think, child," she replied enigmatically. "Youkais have a higher tolerance for alcohol, so it's not very easy for them to drink something and relax, tell jokes or whatever an Oji-san does in an izakaya. They need something stronger."
"But what is something stronger?" insisted Rin, puzzled. Her knowledge of the world was limited, after all, how could she know what these illicit substances were when she didn't even have electricity in her house most of the day? Internet was a luxury she had contact with only at school, since neither she nor Kaede-baa-chan subscribed to any kind of service of the sort.
"Cocaine, meth, opium, I'm not too sure," the elderly woman answered finally, shrugging. "It seems there's always something new in that illegal market, and Rin, when you work for those kinds of people, ignorance is bliss. The less you know, the better."
The girl nodded slowly, making a mental note about each of those words. She wasn't sure if the school's internet allowed this kind of research, many sites were obviously blocked, as well as words.
Until an idea popped into her mind while she was watering the vegetable garden. Kaede-baa-chan had slowly stood up, massaging her own back.
"Do they need people to work during the party?" asked Rin, trying to make the gossip a good opportunity to earn some money and maybe fix some things in her house... or buy a new cell phone with internet service.
Kaede-baa-chan frowned.
"What about your studies?" the elderly woman asked, using a crutch as a support.
"I'm not talking about working for them for months, just during the party as a support, waitress, anything else that will make me a quick money," the girl replied quickly, with the answer popping on her tongue. "My parents' account manager suggested I work on the weekends to continue my studies, and by his reckoning, I can get into high school and get a part-time job and support myself until graduation. The problem is that no one seems to want to hire me since I have no experience in anything, or they think I'm too young."
Kaede-baa-chan nodded, scratching her chin thoughtfully. Rin was finishing closing the garbage bags, piling them in the back of the house quickly. She heard the elderly woman's footsteps approaching, her crutch against the stone floor of the garden making a distinctive noise.
"If I appoint you to the job, will you promise to continue your studies?" asked Kaede-baa-chan with a look full of consideration. "I know you'd rather have control of your own destiny than rely on someone else, most likely because of the emotional aspects of having to grow up without parents around. I want to help, and if it is such help that you accept, I have no choice."
Rin turned her attention back to the elderly woman, a big smile taking her lips. Her cinnamon-colored eyes widened, as if they weren't believing that Kaede-baa-chan was finally beginning to understand that she didn't need to be taken care of by others, what she really needed was opportunities to take care of herself.
"So... does that mean you're going to nominate me for the job?" asked Rin hopefully.
'I can fix the heater now!' she thought, almost jumping with joy. Only she knew how much she suffered to wash her long hair in the cold water during the fall and winter days.
"They always need help at these events, and they pay a lot more than you would get in a normal month's work in this region, but...," the elderly woman paused significantly, frowning. "...they demand secrecy and absolute loyalty. Nothing that occurs there can get out of there, understand?"
Rin nodded, smiling as if she had won the lottery.
A month's salary just for working one night was all she wanted. She could make that money cover at least three months of her expenses without touching her bank account.
When she left Kaede-baa-chan's house, a new shot of energy made the girl cycle uphill to her house without caring about the effort. That day had started out extremely unpleasant, even contemplating the possibility of dropping out of her studies, but if she had the experience at that rich and weird family's event, she might as well use it to get a new night job at a seaside izakaya, or who knows, a restaurant?
She took the usual route to her house, turning off the road and stopping in front of an unpaved path at the entrance of the woods. There were only two other houses in the area, yet it seemed that no one lived there anymore. If she took that trail, she would be home in a few minutes. Still sitting on the bike seat, she took the water bottle from her backpack and poured it over her hair, wetting it completely.
The late afternoon was unbearably hot.
The water ran down her face satisfactorily, refreshing her. Rin dried her face with a handkerchief and took a deep breath, a smile playing on her lips. This news was a refreshment in her dull, black and white routine. She needed something different to make her life more exciting, something very difficult living in that town.
When she was riding again, her cell phone rang. He took it out of his bag quickly, reading Kaede-baa-chan's number on the old and completely outdated display.
'But... so fast...?' she reflected in bewilderment, answering the call.
"Is something wrong, Kaede-baa-chan?" she asked slightly concerned.
"Rin, I hope I'm not disturbing," began the elderly woman's gruff voice, visibly tired. "I called Maeda-san, the current housekeeper of the castle, and she said that your help will be welcome. They will make your work uniform available and will probably put you in the kitchen, depending on what shows up, you have to do. Do you agree with that?"
Rin blinked her cinnamon-colored eyes a few times, unable to believe that in such a short time that hope had manifested itself.
"B-but of course I do!" she stuttered as she answered, taken aback at how quickly Kaede-baa-chan had arranged that position for her, making her wonder, what, exactly, that elderly woman was doing when she worked for that weird youkai family.
"Great," spoke the elderly woman's voice at last, from the other end of the line. "Maeda-san will send a car to pick you up at 9 a.m. on Saturday. I explained how to get to your house, luckily the driver knows the area."
"Thank you, Kaede-baa-chan!" exclaimed Rin with shining eyes, removing her wet hair from her face. "I won't let you down, I'll work hard!". But there was a rather strange pause in the connection. Rin couldn't exactly describe it, but she sensed that there was something the elderly woman wanted to talk about and yet hesitated, "Is there something I have to know or is it just...?".
"I had to lie your age," she replied, causing the girl to almost lose her balance, her eyes wide at the elderly woman's unexpected behavior. Rin hated lies, she preferred to be as honest as possible, because if someone had to accept her work, they would have to accept her the way she was first. "I know, you hate lies, so do I, but I had no choice. You have to be at least eighteen to work the event for legal reasons, and I said you're still seventeen and if you would have a problem. Maeda-san said it's okay, and she won't ask for your documents."
"But Kaede-baa-chan, I'll be fifteen in two months!" objected Rin, shocked.
"I know, but she would never accept your real age. Better to tell a half-lie than have the truth found out, isn't it?" the old woman argued shrewdly, impressing the girl. "That way she won't even ask for your papers."
"But... do you think I look seventeen?" she asked, unsure.
"You look fifteen, Rin-chan, from fifteen to seventeen doesn't change much, at least in my opinion," Kaede-baa-chan replied without giving much thought to the girl's insecurity, who was still puzzled to discover this part of the elderly woman's personality. "Good luck."
(...)
Rin was already sitting on a tree trunk in front of her house when the car arrived, causing her to raise an eyebrow, puzzled, when she saw the driver get out of the car. He was wearing an ordinary suit, but it was strange to see that he was wearing white gloves in the middle of summer. A surgical mask covered his face, as if he were on public transport in a large Japanese city. His hair was combed back with the help of gel, and dark glasses finished his appearance.
He was a youkai.
According to Kaede-baa-chan, youkai who worked for powerful people dressed as if they were in some kind of religious cult, or a gang like the Yakuza. It was a way to move among humans freely without drawing attention for their youkai characteristics while working, but obviously they drew attention exactly for this obsession to hide.
'Each one with its own problems, I guess,' thought the girl, entering the car with her bag, watching him close the door quickly.
After driving along the road for a good ten minutes, the car turned left onto a road known to everyone who lived in the area. Half-meter high walls circled the entire property, hidden by the forest enclosed in the mountains, and every grayish roof tile above those walls had the emblem of their clan marked in clay. More traditional than that, impossible. Two youkais dressed the same way as the driver were guarding the gate to the place, which were nothing more than gigantic double doors made of solid wood with the Taishou clan emblem carved on them.
As the car approached, the doors opened automatically, and for the first time in her entire short life living in the area, Rin found herself inside the property. It was common for children and teenagers to take their bicycles on the weekend and stare at the place with curiosity, but as soon as they saw the two youkai guarding the entrance, they would run away frightened. Rin was never one of those kids, she always had more urgent things on her mind, and didn't always have the luxury of friends who understood her condition as an orphan. The girl shook her head, trying to push those unpleasant thoughts out of her mind. There was nothing wrong with her schoolmates, but their families didn't usually think she was a good influence on their children. Just when she thought she had managed to gain a new friendship, she would get a call from the parents for her to stay away from their children.
But Rin shook her head once again. Today she would have to focus on her work, and if she got a good recommendation, she would be able to finish high school, and maybe save up some money for a college education in the future.
As the car drove through the forest, an elaborate garden approached her line of sight. She noticed several women wearing identical white kimonos with dark blue geometric patterns, carrying silverware, china, and flowers to tables strategically placed at each corner of the fragrant garden. Some men were working with the installation of some special lighting, and it was possible to see that all of them were human, however, the one guarding the place was clearly youkai. The car went all around the garden, but instead of stopping at the entrance of the traditional Japanese castle, it went around the property. Of course, they would not welcome her at the guest entrance, but at the back of the castle.
Said and done.
A woman with black hair in a high, impeccable bun welcomed her outside what appeared to be the staff area. The youkai turned off the car and waved for Rin to get out. Attached to the kitchens of the castle was a large area set aside for a private vegetable garden, impressing her.
Now she had understood where Kaede-baa-chan had learned gardening so well.
"You must be the young lady Kaede-san pointed out, Rin-san," the woman began politely, quite politely. She was clearly living with a higher social circle than the people who lived in that town. "My name is Maeda Kikyou, you can call me Kikyou-san if you like," she introduced herself, bowing respectfully afterwards.
"Nice to meet you, Kikyou-san," Rin said, mirroring the movements of the castle housekeeper. "Thank you for giving me this chance."
The housekeeper smiled gently, nodding.
"We all have to start somewhere, Rin-san, and having Kaede-san around always helps for a good reference," the woman chatted. "Come on, we have no time to waste. Your kimono has already been sorted in the staff bathroom. You will help with both the organization of the party and the maintenance of the guests. You must collect every empty cup, every dirty china, you must be attentive to the needs of the guests. You must observe and not attract attention, okay?"
Rin nodded obediently, ready to do her best.
"Understood."
"Since the hosts are inuyoukai, you are to take three baths today. The first will be now, the second will be before the party begins, and the third, when the appetizers are served to the guests." explained Kikyou diligently, methodical in her organization, and it could be no different. "Don't let us down, Rin-san."
The girl nodded once again, feeling the gaze full of judgments and questions coming from Kikyou. She didn't have to be a genius to know what she was thinking, for Rin herself knew that she didn't look eighteen. However, the housekeeper said nothing, asked no questions.
Already dressed in one of her three kimonos for the day, the almond-eyed girl hurried to be helpful with any task that came her way. Carrying flowers to the tables, helping to clear all the silverware, organizing the items in the kitchen, cleaning the ornamental stones in the garden. Anything that came along, she took responsibility for, and so the day went on. She had not been invited into the castle, and possibly would not be, as she heard from one of the men tinkering around the garden lighting that only those who actually worked for the youkai family were allowed access to the inside of the property.
As she carried trays of flowers to the artist setting up the ikebanas on each table, she listened to the comments of the people around her. Her mouth was closed, but her ears were permanently open.
"I hear the Taishou parties are pretty intense," commented the voice of a young woman in the distance, setting up the tables along with two other women, eager for a good gossip, "This is the first time my agency has sent me to one of their events."
"My agency said to watch out for the end of the party, and also not to interrupt conversations," gossiped one of the women in a weird accent to Rin's ears. Perhaps she was coming from Osaka, though the girl wasn't so sure. "Or interrupt the... you know."
They all nodded.
'Interrupt the what?" thought Rin, handing the tray of flowers to the ikebana artist.
However, she quickly understood that all the people there were total strangers. No one really lived in the small town nearby. She heard different accents, different manners, and even a few foreigners among them.
Her facial expression must have been showing her confusion as she listened to the women gossiping, because the woman who made the ikebanas for each table gave her a look filled with knowledge. Her black hair was in a long braid, and her accent was very reminiscent of when Rin watched television, probably being from the Tokyo area.
"Pay no attention to the nonsense that comes out of their mouths," she advised, taking the flowers from the tray Rin had brought. "I've had contact with them for years, never had any kind of trouble."
The almond-eyed girl nodded slightly, embarrassed that she had been caught eavesdropping on others' conversations.
"Everyone seems very curious," she said finally, watching the artist finish yet another ikebana, handing it to a youkai dressed the same way as the driver of the car that took her to the castle.
"Oh, sure," agreed the artist, picking up a porcelain vase to start another ikebana. "It's a long youkai lineage, it's normal for people to be curious. Tell me, you have a different accent, but you remind me of the former housekeeper of this place, Kaede-san."
Rin blinked a few times in surprise. Her hair tied up in a bun was starting to bother her, but since it was part of her uniform, there was nothing she could do but resist the urge to remove all those clips from over her head.
"Kaede-san is my neighbor," she impulsively replied, smiling at the information that such a talented woman remembered the elderly woman who helped the community so much. "She referred me, we live a few miles from here."
That woman's chocolate-colored eyes lingered on Rin, appearing to be slightly thoughtful.
"Usually the Taishou don't hire people from the area so there's no gossip about them," she warned, and before that conversation became awkward, the ikebana artist smiled amiably at the young girl beside her. "If you keep it a secret, there's nothing to worry about."
Swallowing dryly, Rin nodded once more and excused herself, mentioning that they were waiting for her in the kitchen. This was not entirely a lie, for indeed Kikyou was waiting for her back for her second shower of the day, before the party began.
The sunlight began to turn orange, indicating that the afternoon of that day was coming to an end. As she finished her pre-party shower, she noticed several other employees waiting their turn in one of the showers in the servants' room, with a long line behind them. Rin went to one of the sinks in the huge room, combing her wet hair, not finding where they had put the oil Kikyou had given her. She couldn't quite remember what it was for, probably to nullify her personal scent or something.
Shrugging her shoulders, the almond-eyed young woman dried her hair with the help of the hair dryer and began to do the elegant bun once more, ignoring the chatter of the women around her. She put on some make-up to make herself look a little older and put her things away, leaving behind the excited giggles in the ladies' room.
When she got to the kitchen, she found Kikyou dressed in the most impressive kimono she had ever seen, although there would be others throughout the evening that would change her mind. Even though she was a housekeeper, it seemed that she was also participating in the event. But it was the kitchen that left her mesmerized in its movement that was at once organized and chaotic, food coming and going, new ingredients arriving, a complete mess with method.
"Kikyou-san...," she approached the housekeeper, who was busy reading something on her own cell phone. "...Sorry to interrupt, but what should I do now?".
The housekeeper directed her a thoughtful look, tucking the cell phone away in the sleeve of her own kimono.
"The guests are arriving and the Taishou are welcoming everyone at the garden entrance, the staff had better only leave here when necessary," advised Kikyou, who hesitated awkwardly before continuing to speak, drawing Rin's attention. "When it's your time to collect the appetizer dishes, pretend to be invisible. Don't attract attention, don't look around, don't talk to anyone. I saw you talking to the wife of one of Touga-sama's sons today. It was not appropriate, let that not be repeated."
Casting a strange look at the housekeeper, Rin shook her head.
"I didn't talk to anyone, Kikyou-san," she pleaded, defending herself against that accusation. "I exchanged words with the woman who made the ikebanas, but that was it."
The housekeeper rolled her eyes, as if to disappear from such shame.
"She is Inuyasha-sama's wife, Kagome-sama," she quickly informed her.
Rin's cheeks became large, round reddish apples ready to be baked in honey.
"I... didn't know... and she didn't tell me either," the girl argued, wanting to stick her head in a hole and never come out again. "I don't know who these people are, Kikyou-san. I've never seen them in my life."
"You've never even read a gossip magazine?" the housekeeper asked, puzzled. "Rin-san, which world do you come from? They are always on television, or in the newspapers, even in gossip columns."
But the cinnamon-eyed girl just shrugged.
She had no television, no money for magazines, and even fewer time for newspapers.
'By the gods, I don't even have electricity at home properly,' she thought quickly.
"I have other interests, I guess," she justified herself as Kikyou eyed her in shock. Before the housekeeper could continue the conversation, an alarm sounded in the kitchen, indicating that the appetizers were ready to go.
When all the tables were served, the orders were for Rin's group to go to the garden to analyze who had already finished eating so that the dishes could be removed. With the place lit only by the last rays of the sun, the artificial lighting made everything more impressive. All right, she sounded like a real redneck, but it was true nonetheless.
'I am a redneck,' she thought, accepting the reality of her life.
It was at this very moment that she began to notice the people sitting at the tables, some of them dancing in a place reserved just for this, others standing chatting with glasses of champagne in hand. Her cinnamon-colored eyes sparkled intensely as she noticed this new world opening before her quickly, blossoming like the ikebanas on each table. The jewelry reflected the lighting of the garden, the elaborate outfits indicated that each of them presented the best of the best from their own closet. It was a parade of exuberant personalities, extravagant looks, lively conversations.
She hugged the empty tray she was holding, feeling extremely intimidated by her surroundings. Butterflies flew to all ends of her stomach, making her nervous. She squeezed the tray in her hands to disguise her trembling fingers. She wondered who the hosts were, who the guests were, and while she was overcome with anxiety, she forgot what she was supposed to do.
Someone nudged her with his elbow, and the next thing she knew, it was one of the women gossiping in the bathroom, indicating with her gaze the empty plates at some of the tables. Taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm, Rin walked to the nearest table quietly, even though her legs were shaking with anxiety, and placed the plates on the tray, trying not to look at the youkais sitting there.
Before she could leave, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.
"I remember you, you're the girl who was bringing me flowers," spoke a female voice visibly affected by the alcohol freely served there without any kind of restraint. In a gasp, Rin raised her gaze, staring at the woman who had made the ikebanas, Kagome-sama, according to Kikyou.
She was stunning, by the gods.
'That emerald necklace must be more expensive than the entire town I live in,' reflected Rin impressed, yet completely intimidated. A man with silver hair and dog ears atop his head was sitting next to her, dressed in ceremonial robes with the emblem that overpowered the entire property.
Not knowing what to say, Rin just bowed respectfully.
"The girl old Kaede pointed out, huh?" the dog-eared man next to her commented, probably being Kagome's husband by the way he had his arm positioned around the woman's waist. He also seemed slightly inebriated, speaking louder than his wife. "Tell that old woman I miss her around here. Tell her that Inuyasha, Kagome and kids want to pay her a visit."
A hearty smile played on the girl's lips, who nodded slightly.
"Yes, I do," Rin replied in the most polished tone of voice she could manage, bowing then walking away from that table as fast as she could. By the gods, if Kikyou was around she would never get a letter of recommendation to work somewhere else.
She tried to finish her service as quickly as possible, this time without looking at anyone around, ignoring any laughter, any conversation, any noise. As the party wore on, Rin noticed that they were all quickly relaxing. The conversations were loud, the sound was too high, and every time she appeared to pick up a plate, she saw some substance being consumed in a variety of ways. A white powder you sniffed, another white powder you put on your lips, and so on. She didn't know what to name it all, but the order was that she should ignore everything her eyes saw and perceived.
But it was difficult.
A youkai with short silver hair stood up from one of the tables, apparently angered by something unknown, and took one of the glasses of champagne from the tray Rin was holding, not even looking at her, and drank the entire contents in one gulp. The youkai's pupils were dilated, his purple eyes seemed focused on another corner of the garden.
Alone there, as Kikyou had instructed, the almond-eyed young woman just held up glasses of champagne for people to randomly pick up. Rin lowered her gaze so that she would not attract confusion. She had observed that lad earlier. He was the first one she saw sniffing a white powder on one of the tables.
"Human, I want an opinion," he spoke still watching something unknown to her, placing the empty champagne glass on top of the tray. "I could ask anyone at my table, but they are all youkai or near-youkai, if you know what I mean. I need an opinion from a human. Woman and human."
No, she didn't understand.
She blinked her almond eyes a few times, lost.
"Huh... yes?" she asked, not knowing what to answer, feeling terrified internally, not knowing how to proceed. The artificial lighting in the garden made the lad's short silver hair shine like diamonds. Only now was she realizing how many youkai with silver hair were at that party. It seemed to be at least 20% of all the people there.
"Leave her alone, Yasuo-kun!", bellowed a female voice coming from the table that that youkai was sitting at seconds ago, letting out a laugh next. "Touga-ojii-chan doesn't like this kind of behavior, and he's only a few tables away."
Directing her gaze to where the voice was coming from, Rin saw a young woman with black hair in a long ponytail dressed in a luxurious reddish kimono with geometric patterns in white. She appeared to be a youkai, but it was clear that something was missing there. In her limited knowledge about that world, Rin had no idea what that could mean.
"Fuck you, Moroha-chan," bellowed this Yasuo guy, displaying that he had a difficult personality. But instead of being offended by it, Moroha-san just let out a laugh and made a gesture with her hand as if giving up on that intervention. "Human, tell me. Is there a difference between a youkai's cock and a human's one? If there is, which one do you like best?".
Rin choked on her own saliva.
It was not possible that those people were considered part of the Japanese elite, especially the aristocracy.
She felt her cheeks blush so violently that she couldn't even sustain the gaze of the youkai beside her. Before he could think of any response, another youkai entered his field of vision. He had long silver hair just like Yasuo, but tied up in a high ponytail.
He also wore ceremonial robes with the Taisho family emblem embroidered on the sleeves, just like Inuyasha. However, unlike all of them, his countenance was gentle and friendly.
Moreover, he did not seem to consume the same illicit substances as the others.
How did she know it? The pupils of his amber-colored eyes were not dilated, and he also did not possess that facial expression of one who might be about to parachute.
"Forgive my grandson's words," that exuberant youkai said quickly, his tone of voice friendlier than the others, kinder too. It sounded as if he had been alive for a long, long time. But when he faced Yasuo, his gaze was much more demanding than before, much more serious than Rin had expected. "Apologize to this girl. Now."
'Grandson?', reflected the cinnamon-eyed girl, puzzled. They all seemed to be the same age. Or similar.
Yasuo raised an eyebrow in a defiant tone, befitting a child when fighting just to get his parents' attention. His dilated pupils flickered intensely, smiling sideways.
"I can't have an honest doubt, Ojii-chan?" he asked, grinning then turning away from them both, disappearing into the crowd dancing wildly in the garden without even looking back.
The older youkai took a deep breath, as if trying to muster all the patience within himself, but when he turned his attention back to Rin, there was no sign of the previous seriousness he had dealt with his grandson.
"Forgive Yasuo-kun, he has the emotional maturity of a pea," he began, taking a glass of champagne from the tray she was holding. " This happens when one has absent parents, if you want my opinion. Yasuo-kun knows that I prefer the staff to be treated with respect, and he also knew I was watching."
"He just wanted attention," Rin concluded nodding, smiling shyly afterwards. "Well, I need more than that to feel offended, but thank you for your concern."
"Thank you for understanding," he said politely, and when Rin bowed respectfully, he moved away from there, heading toward the table where that Moroha was sitting.
When her tray was finally empty, Rin walked towards the castle kitchens feeling exhausted by all the commotion. The music was too loud, the shrill laughter pierced her eardrums, and the whole atmosphere sucked the energy out of her. Maybe Kaede-baa-chan was right, that kind of nighttime atmosphere didn't exactly suit her introverted personality.
She hated to admit it, but there was a valuable wisdom in the warnings of the woman she saw as a motherly example.
When Kikyou saw her, she pointed out that it was time for the third and last shower as previously agreed. Rin faced the cacophony with impatience, wanting to go home, and now taking seriously the proposal of living with Kaede-baa-chan. Seeing that the line for the shower would take at least fifteen minutes, the girl left the chaotic environment behind, entering the kitchen corridors in search of a place to sit. She walked down some dark corridors until she realized that the noise wasn't that bad in that part of the castle, probably because everyone was at the party. The silence that surrounded her was an oasis in that madness, and even without finding any place to rest, Rin decided to stay there, in the darkness and silence of her own thoughts. She had left her geta at the bathroom door, walking in her socks down the polished wooden hallway with the lights off.
She didn't know how long she had walked until she found that space, but she was happy to finally have some time to be herself. To breathe. Her eyes widened when a nearby noise reached her ears; the shoji doors in the next room had opened, partially illuminating the hallway.
When Rin directed her attention to the figure emerging from behind those doors, she realized it was another one of the youkai she had seen at the party. Its long silver hair, illuminated by the room's light, shimmered hypnotically, dancing as the youkai walked. Unlike all the silver-haired youkai she had seen in the past few hours, he was not wearing ceremonial attire with the Taishou emblem. He wore a black suit, well cut, probably made exclusively for him. There was something sharp about his appearance, although she couldn't understand what it was. A mixture of coolness and seriousness with certain touches of introspection. He was an intimidating figure, of that she was sure.
One of his large hands held a book.
Rin swallowed hard as she realized that the amber-colored orbs stared at her, analyzing her at length.
His outlined jaw tensed, and she watched him take a deep breath without taking his eyes off her. Rin was not the kind of person who felt vulnerable easily, she had learned to live alone in a house in the mountains without any kind of security lock, yet there was an implied threatening energy when her almond eyes landed on the youkai in front of her.
And then the silence so desired by her earlier, became excruciating before him.
"Who sent you after me?" he asked, causing Rin to raise her eyebrows. Of all the things she had thought about, what he had spoken was not even on the list. It was a deep, serious voice, someone who seemed hard to deal with. Very well placed, resolute thoughts, difficult to argue with. For a few moments his figure reminded her of the two youkais, grandfather and grandson, arguing at the party.
He stared directly at her, causing weird reactions throughout Rin's body. Her fingers around the tray were trembling and she felt her legs unsteady in the presence of that petrifying gaze. Biting her lower lip, Rin didn't know how to act.
Afraid that she might get a scolding for being out of place, she cleared her throat. As much as she hated the feeling of lying, she knew that her recommendation letter depended on that situation.