Madame Shikijou's Story

The newcomer would find a glorious room about them: bright colors and tapestries filled the room. The carpet beneath was a crimson color, soft beneath the feet. Oaken tables were placed very orderly around the room, and the hanging paper lamps illuminated the area with bright mana lights. The smell of incense was prominent, but not at all unpleasant. People talked, dishes clattered and mouths slurped delicious tea.

Sitting at a table at the back of the restaurant was Kenji. Beside him was a strikingly beautiful Japanese woman, her slender fingers holding an ornate pipe between her lips, tobacco smoke exuding from the bowl. Kenji's eyes fixed on Mataiya as she entered the teahouse, and he leaned over to Madame Shikijou, speaking to her in a low voice as he pointed the girl out; "That's her," he said.

He sat back, crossing his arms with a blank look on his face. The Madame, however, smiled as she looking in the girl's direction, ordering one of the servers to lead her to where the two were sitting. A slender gentleman wearing a blue bellhop uniform came to escort Mataiya. "Miss, the Madame would like you to accompany her in the back," he said, leading the girl through the teahouse.

The Madame sized Mataiya up, looking her up and down, the smile never fading from her lips. "Kenji tells me you had a chat with him last night. He tells me that you were asking about us..." she trailed off, taking in Mataiya's presence. "He tells me you seem like a good candidate." With that, she motioned her hand to invite Mataiya to sit down.

"Make yourself comfortable dear. Order whatever you like; it's on the house."

After entering the Teahouse, Mataiya found herself gazing around in awe. This was the very first of this kind of place she had ever entered and it was definitely more than she had imagined it would be. The different scents wafted into her nose and she closed her eyes, letting the smells marinate within. Opening her eyes again, she wasn’t quite sure if she was supposed to tell them who she was there for or if she should just stand around until she was noticed. Deciding to just wait, she slid a few fingers through her crimson locks and continued to look around the immediate vicinity. As she looked towards the back, she spotted Kenji and tried to causally glance at the female sitting beside her without staring.

“Hmm… that must be Madame Shikijou… She’s very pretty…” Shifting a little when she noticed a male nearing her location, Mataiya smiled at him and nodded when he indicated he was to lead her to the Madame.

“Thank you, sir.” Following behind the man in the blue uniform, she wished she knew what she was walking into. Hopefully it wasn’t a trap, but even if it was, she could probably get out of it without much damage done to herself.

She wasn’t quite sure what was more unnerving… the fact that the woman she was meeting was still smiling all this time or the blank look on Kenji’s face. Either way, she knew this had to be done if she wanted to join up with them. Hopefully it wouldn’t turn out to be a complete disaster. Listening to the Madame, she just nodded and smiled and sat when invited to do so. Crossing one long leg over the other, she leaned back against the chair and folded both hands in her lap. She thought about what to order for a few minutes before finally clearing her throat to speak.

“I would like a cup of Strawberry Tingle hot tea, please. Yes, ma’am, I was asking about you… I’m interested in joining, but am not sure what I need to do in order to do just that.” Brushing her hair behind her shoulders, she smiled again.

The Madame kept her smile, ordering the drink the girl had requested. The drink came, and the trio were able to get down to the business at hand.

"Your initiation would require you to pass our trials; a rather grueling path for only the truly dedicated. Normally we would make you join our subordinate family and work your way up from there, but Kenji's words mean a lot to me, and his words say you might have what it takes. Be warned, though: failure to complete our trials will not only earn you shame among our ranks, but death by our blades as well. If you still wish to continue, we can arrange for you to take the trials."

She held her smile the whole time. 'Kenji had better be right about this girl. I haven't the time for failures,' she thought, casting a sideways glance at her lieutenant. He shot a her a sly smile, as if he knew what she were thinking. Her focus returned to Mataiya, her eyes once again sizing the girl up.

"Just tell me when you'd like to begin."

It was getting a little creepy now… the woman was still smiling. Mataiya wasn’t sure how long it had been, but she knew without a doubt that The Madame was still smiling the exact same way she had been since ‘Taiya sat down. Glad for the distraction of when the tea came, she first blew on it before taking a few polite sips. It was absolutely divine and it was all she could do to keep from dumping the piping hot liquid down her throat. Scolding herself wasn’t high on her list of things to do, ever, so the redhead just kept gently sipping the tea. Shifting her attention towards the still grinning woman, Mataiya listened to the terms that were being presented to her. It certainly seemed fair enough to have to go through a trial, but if they thought she would allow them to kill her if she failed, then they had another thing coming.

Finishing off her tea, she sat the cup to the side, shifting her legs to keep the limbs from falling asleep. That was something that always seemed to happen to her at the most inopportune time. Her hands refolded in her lap and she was finally comfortable with the way she was still smiling and figured that was her game face and that if she passed the trials, she would see the real face of the Madame. Who knew what that would be like, but hopefully she would find out.

“I accept your terms and am ready to begin immediately.” There was nothing like an initiation to really get one’s blood moving.

The girl's "enthusiasm" was an admirable quality. The Madame continued to smile. "Excellent!" she said, "You'll start tomorrow! Kenji here will fill you in on the details of your trial. Oh, and inquire at the Paper Lantern about a room to stay in. It's assuredly better than where you're staying now. Just tell them I sent you, and they'll set you up."

With that, she stood and bowed, still smiling. "Be nice to this one, Kenji. She's promising." Kenji merely flashed a weak smile at this. "Of course," he said. After the Madame had returned to her office, he fixed his attention on Mataiya. "Take this envelope," he said, sliding a white slip of paper across the table. "Open it only when you get to your room at the Lantern. Inside you'll find details regarding your first trial. You are to follow them to the letter. If you stumble, if you falter, if you fail, you will die."

Kenji, following his boss' example, stood from the table. Unlike her, though, he didn't bow. He merely looked down at the girl as she sat there. "Do not disappoint us," he said.

Inside the envelope were details concerning a vresk named Gorga Hos, and a very rare gem he had in his possession. Mataiya was to infiltrate his home, and without being discovered, steal the gem. She was to kill no one, under any circumstance. If she could manage that, she would move on to the next trial. It would also mean she could keep her head.

For now.

Mataiya really had no idea what she was supposed to do for her trials, but maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as they were making it seem. Surely they wouldn’t expect her to kill someone or infiltrate another crime syndicate, right? Well, hopefully, but she really didn’t know what to expect. Filing away the name of the Paper Lantern, she just nodded and smiled towards The Madame. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to speak, but before she could formulate a word, the prestigious woman was back in her office. Returning her attention towards Kenji, Mataiya took the envelope while listening to his instructions.

“I don’t fail.” Sliding to her feet once he left her, she made her way out of the Tea House and headed back to her hotel.

Signing herself out after grabbing her items, she headed towards the Paper Lantern. Stepping inside, she did just as Madame said and told them that she sent Mataiya and she walked silently to her room. Once she was alone, she sat down on the bed and opened up the envelope. Reading her instructions silently, she arched her brow and wondered why they wanted her to steal a gem. Well, it was her first trial and she was going to do whatever was needed to make them realize she was perfect fit for the group. Curling up in the bed, it wasn’t long before she fell asleep, figuring rest would be necessary to help her be on the game tomorrow.