Day #5 - Saturday, April 28, 2007

Makie woke at unfamiliar street noises and a weird soft feeling. She squinted. It took her a moment to focus on the table in front of her.

"Ara?" She sat up immediately and stared at the place she was in. The quilt slid down and Makie horrified noticed that she must have slept in her dress. She sniffed and made a disgusted face. "Eww..." She sighed realising that she was in Kuri's flat.

She patted the soft sofa, her back ached a little. She sat upright and streched. "The last two days Shiro and now Kuri... I am killing my back with this kind of sleeping habits." She mumbled.

"Ara..." She put her hand on her forehead. "Did somebody hit me on the head?" She groaned.

Out of Character: ohayo gozaimasu: 'good morning'


"Oh, tenchou!" Kuri turned around at the sound of Makie's voice. She was sitting at the breakfast bar with her wooden case of essential oils open in front of her. "Ohayo gozaimasu!" She winced a little, bringing her hand up to her temple. "How... how are you feeling?" she asked, gently.

Makie twitched a little as Kuri spoke, seemingly out of nowhere. Than she frowned. "What are you doing there so early?" She heaved herself off the couch and shuffled over to the breakfast bar. Brushing through her hair...

She stopped as her hands got stuck in the hair bands. She closed her eyes while trying to disentangle them from her hair...

"I am fine... Haven't drunk so much in a while, though." Makie admitted.

She let her shoulders hang and moved closer to... "Kuri?" She lowered her head. She didn't manage to get the hair bands out of her hair.

Kuri gestured to a clock sitting on the entertainment unit. "It is past nine thirty, tenchou. I have been up for more than an hour now. How did you sleep?"

She slid off the stool as Makie moved closer. "Hai," she murmured. "I think I am still feeling the effects of the wine as well. It... isn't pleasant. Here, tenchou." She gestured for Makie to turn around, then started working the hair bands out of Makie's hair. "This is a side of Makie-san I haven't gotten to see before," she teased, lightly. "All rumpled and dishevelled. You always seem so bright and professional when you arrive at the parlour."

Makie only growled in response, considering the time. "I guess I slept, that's all I can say." She mumbled feeling her back.

Makie held still as Kuri tried to remove the hairbands. "Mhmm, there is a balance to everything. Feelings cancel each other out. Too much joy is followed by unpleasant feelings, Kuri. This is how the world is." Makie spoke huskily.

"All rumpled and dishevelled..."

Makie inhaled scandalised and moved, only to have her hair pulled. "Ouch!" She stretched her arms out, while still looking down. "Kuri! How dare you?"

She had not taken into account, what she looked like on hung over mornings and that Kuri would see her. Shiro and Nanoka were one thing, her employee quite another.

"Yada! Don't look... Where is the bathroom." She struggled a little, trying not to pull her hair again. "Hidoi...!" She pouted.

"If you would just keep still, tenchou, I would be able to get these out without pulling your hair," Kuri said, in a gently chiding tone. "Just a moment longer... there."

Kuri carefully extracted the hair bands from Makie's tangles and laid them on the counter. "The bathroom is through there, tenchou. Would you like me to heat up the bath water for you? The shower has hot running water too, if you would rather just have a quick wash."

Makie took the bands. "~I~ should be the one chiding you, Kuri." She exhaled and relaxed. Then she grinned.

"Ne, Kuri, considering what happened last night, I can very well imagine that you would like me to take a bath, ne~."

She put her hand to her mouth and looked thoughtfully at the window. "Ara? Maybe I should go home." Nanoka was alone at home... with Shiro. The whole boyfriend discussion and Nanoka getting upset about undressing in front of Shiro and the kissing came back to Makie. But actually, she didn't want to bother.

Makie looked silently at Kuri for a moment, recalling last night's events. (Poor Kuri, she seems so serious about her feelings... Even though she's so innocent.) Makie could not help laughing, covering her mouth with her hands. It was all so cute.

"Do you have to go home so soon, tenchou?" Kuri asked, her expression turning slightly pouty. "Please, at least stay and have breakfast here. I will make some tea - or would you prefer coffee?"

"No, actually not." Makie replied brightly. "I can accept the offer for breakfast, Kuri. Arigatou, tea will be fine."

Makie picked up her purse. "Excuse me for a moment." She said and retreated to the bathroom.

"Tenchou?" A knock came at the bathroom door while Makie was inside. "How do you like your eggs? Would scrambled be all right?"

Makie had undressed in order to take a quick shower. She inspected herself in the mirror. She still felt slightly dizzy and absent-mindedly looked at the mark of Shiro's fingers on her skin...

She jumped at the knock at the door. "Heavens, Shi...!"

No, Shiro would not knock at the bathroom door unless the house was on fire. He also knew how she liked her breakfast.

She nervously looked around "Eggs...? Uhm,... hai. Hai! scrambled will be fine."

"Hai!" Kuri said, cheerfully. "Breakfast will be ready for you when you want it, tenchou. I will make your tea now. Please use anything in there that you might need, ne?"

With that, she moved away from the bathroom door, back towards the kitchen.

Makie waited a moment and then suddenly realised. "Towel." Alienated, she looked for towels and hesitantly picked one up.

Out of Character: may I assume?

Different interesting fragrances seemed to linger in each corner. Makie blamed that on Kuri's fascination with smells and oils...

Eventually she began showering and re-appeared unusually intimidated some ten minutes later at Kuri's breakfast bar.

"Arigatou... I, I used a towel. I hung it up to dry." Makie said, wondering why she felt so out of place and insecure. She was used to roam her own house. To do as she pleased... She had dressed again, even though she didn't feel comfortable in her dress anymore, Maybe she should have declined the breakfast and shower and should have gone home after all.

"Hai, hai, that is fine, tenchou," Kuri said, agreeably. She was busy at the stove, stirring a pot while she made toast under the grill. "You are my guest, after all. Here."

She placed a cup in front of Makie and poured steaming green tea into it from a teapot. Kuri had made herself a cup of coffee that had been barely touched by milk, looking dark and mysterious.

"Are you feeling any better now, tenchou?" Kuri asked, returning to the stove and tending to the scrambled eggs.

Makie looked at the cups, taking hers and taking in the warmth.

"Mmm, I feel better. It's all a bit embarrassing, ne? Me intruding on your privacy like that. I was really tired, I didn't even realise..." She looked at the couch.

"How did you sleep?" Makie asked. It was quite unusual for her to try to not be in the center of the conversation.