Cut From A Tattered Cloth

Chapter 12

Eijiro stepped out of his boots.

It always felt weird to him, and was one of the many reasons why he didn't like coming to the embassy. Taking off his shoes in the entryway, then stepping up to the hardwood floors of the actual house. That reminded him too much of home, and not in a good way.

Having Sayuri here only made things worse. Eijiro remembered how she used to come running whenever he came home from work, pigtails flying behind her as she jumped on him.

"Oniichan! Okaeri!" she would say. Welcome home, big brother!

As she got older, her bounding run turned into her sitting in the entryway waiting for him. Eventually, she started calling him "Jiro-nii" instead of "Oniichan." Eijiro hadn't minded that. They both meant the same thing. To him, more important than the nicknames was the excitement Sayuri always had. Somehow, she made him feel that working two jobs at fifteen wasn't so bad. Not when he had a sister like that to come home to.

But, that had been before Tsubaki. Before everything fell apart.

Now Sayuri didn't come running, nor was she waiting for him when he stepped into the embassy. Instead, her right-hand attendant stood before him, hands clasped in front of her as everyone took off their shoes.

He peeled off his socks and stuffed them into his boots, taking the fresh pair Kaori held out to him. He was glad she hadn't brought the house slippers he'd worn on previous assignments. The fuzzy material lining the insides itched at his Cloth Sense, making it hard for him to focus. The last time he'd been forced to wear them Melia joked that he looked like a cricket, hopping from side to side in his attempt to alleviate the sensation.

Melia.

Eijiro Reached out, picking up the bow he had tied to her wrist. She was walking around the building, following whatever flower she had sensed earlier. A part of him wondered if it was the white kiku, but he dismissed the thought immediately. The one at the East Aeroport had been left because someone tried to kill Sayuri. If anything, there was likely a kiku downtown where the duel had happened. Still, he trusted his apprentice—if Melia felt like this was important, it probably was.

Stepping up from the entryway, Eijiro followed Goto and Kaori into the Great Room. The Silverfang brat trailed behind him. A part of Eijiro was sad to see it looking more westernized—adding tables and chairs over a shag carpet when it used to be more traditional. But, that was the cost of modernization; one had to keep up with the times. And there were advantages to adopting foreign customs on the world stage.

Sliding doors closed off the neighboring rooms, and there was a CCPD officer posted outside of each one. Kaori approached the officer on the left. He twiddled his lance corporal cap in his hands, then snapped to a salute when he saw Eijiro. His pale blue eyes matched the trim of his cap, identifying him as a glass mage.

"At ease," Eijiro said, returning the salute. The young officer stepped aside, tucking his hands behind him. He bowed to Goto, then made a right face and exited the Great Room. Goto slid into his spot to stand guard. On his signal, the officers guarding the other rooms left, as well. Eijiro recognized this as a privacy measure. Kelly vouched for his officers, but for conversations like this it was better to eliminate potential eavesdroppers.

After a pregnant pause, Goto nodded to Kaori. She slid open the door, poking her head inside to say something Eijiro couldn't hear. Then she stepped aside and showed them in.

Fortunately, this room hadn't been updated. It still had tatami floors and no bulky furniture. Sayuri and her left hand attendant knelt on cushions around a small table. Tea cups had been set out, and Sayuri sipped hers through pursed lips while Honoka fingered her scabbard laying behind her.