Heritage

Date Part 2

Hino Rei arrived at the Rose and Dove Resturant late in a simple, red dress with her thigh-length hair un-bound and her bangs brushing just past her eyebrows. Her tardiness was due to issues with traffic caused by roadwork. She wondered if her father would be understanding if she explained. Rei had no idea; she didn't know that man well enough to say. She told herself that it didn't bother her.
Craning her neck Rei caught sight of her father's new assistant. There was no one at the front right at that moment to stop her, or lead her to the table, so Rei just walked herself over - then stopped and did a double take. Was that Setsuna? On a date? And why did that man look so familiar? Nevermind, she'd ask the other woman later. No, wait. She shouldn't be that nosey. But he looked so familiar... Focus! She still had to get through lunch with her father. It wouldn't be much longer until she would be legal age and could finally refuse to meet with him on her birthday every years. She was anxious for that day to roll around.
Of average height and slim build Rei had pale skin, raven hair falling to mid-thigh and purple eyes... And looked nothing like her father. Instead, she looked like a younger version of her mother, though the woman had eyes like glowing amber when the light hit them... She also had a penchant for bleaching and then dying her hair during her teen years. Lavender had been her favorite choice. She gave up the funky hair colors when she started dating a politician named Hino Takashi that she eventually married and had Rei with. She had changed a lot about herself to be the woman that he wanted. Rei had only recently found out because her mother's family had bumped into her on the street by pure chance and mistaken her for her mother.
One thing led to another and they were trying their best to get to know Rei, despite living over seas. Apparently they hadn't even known that her mother was dead. Rei appreciated the efforts enough to reciprocate... And would not admit, even to herself and in private, that she desperately wanted that familial connection. Her grandfather was the only real family that she'd had growing up and he was getting older, not younger. He had raised her since her mother had passed away and was the closest she had to a real father-figure.
Rei was frightened that she would wake up one day to find that he had passed away in his sleep.
She wove her way around tables, chairs, patrons, waiters and waitresses to where her father - Takashi - was seated, waiting for her. They exchanged empty pleasantries and she apologized for her tardiness, explaining about the un-anticipated road-work. Through it all her expression was distant and cool. No smile graced her lips, nor would she ever have a smile for him again. Not after he abandoned his own wife in favor of his career. He never once visited in the months her mother had been in the hospital before she had died. The doctors said it was a broken heart. Turned out that enough emotional pain can manifest as an anamoly within the heart. A hole, in her mother's case.
"Ah, nothing to worry about." Takashi replied with a well-practiced, courteous smile, "But you should try to keep track of these things in future."
"Of course." She replied coolly and didn't point out that his chauffer took care of such things for him.
She couldn't be certain of that, after all. Rei wasn't even all that sure about whether or not he even had a chauffer. He could drive himself around for all she knew.
"It means that our visit will have to be shorter than normal." He warned her, "So we might as well skip to dessert and your present."
Of course.
Thank goodness. She forced herself to think.
There was no point in being dissapointed. The only reason that he had gotten married was for the same reason that he visited her once a year; it looked good, which served to advance his carrier. It was best to have no expectations of the man.
Rei pulled the menu over to herself and selected something appropriate. Neither too decadant, nor so light that it would look like she was dieting. She was a politician's daughter after all and had to maintain a certain image while she was being seen with him. Hopefully she wouldn't get dizzy from not eating enough on her way home.
The waitress came around and politely asked what she could get them. Rei placed her order and added a tonic water. Hopefully, that would help. Wait, the waitress looked an awuful lot like Setsuna's date... No, it didn't matter for the moment. She needed to stay focused on dealing with her father.
"You know what," Her father told the waitress, "I think I'll try what my daughter is having."
Rei recognized the forced casualness of the statement for what it was; he was putting on a show and dropping the fact that she was his daughter deliberately. That told Rei that there was probably someone from the media nearby. Judging by the way the waitress' smile became fixed and the glance she darted at Rei the woman sensed something was off. She was, however, too good at her job to let it show for more than a second or two. The waitress took down his order with a smile and promised that she'd bring them the water and that their food would be ready shortly. With that she left at an effecient pace to go attend to other customers.
Takashi bent down and retrieved her present from a bag, placing a gift-wrapped box on the table for her, along with a bouquet of white casablancas. The wrapping was in blue this time with a gold ribbon. She politely untied the bow and unwrapped the present. It was the same as last year's, the one before that and all the other years he had given her a present.
A white dress.
White could symbolise purity, or it could mean death. It depended on what country you were in. In China it traditionally meant death. It was always his assistant - slated to take over after him when he retired - who picked it out... Or at least that was what Rei used to think. Her father's assitant had been caught up in a public scandal that had her father dropping him in favor of someone else. Her father, who was half Chinese.
If she had been right then she could have easily continued to ignore the traditional meaning of white, but her father had been raised in a Shinto temple for most of the year while growing up... And in China to visit his mother's relatives during summer break. Rei highly doubted that he was unaware of the meaning.
She felt like she was going to be sick, but didn't let it show as she became acutely aware of the fact that she had only ever met one relative on her father's side of the family; the grandfather who had raised her for over a decade. While making a show of running her hands over the fabric of the dress and without looking up, or turning her head she darted a glance at her father's assistant, but found that the man was gone instead. No wonder the waitress hadn't taken his order. Where did he go?
Looking up from the dress Rei lied through her teeth.
"It's lovely."
"I thought you'd like it." Takashi replied with his practiced smile.
Rei swallowed down bile. The desserts came and the waitress paused for a split second at the sight of the dress, but only a split second. Her skin, however had paled enough to almost match the fabric of the dress. Professionalisim prevailed and Rei silently applauded her... And wondered who she was. The woman seemed to be preternaturally aware of things that she shouldn't be. Rei glanced at her name tag and took note; Kumo Mari.
All the while Rei keept her mask in place as she would have to until she was back home and safe. Safe. Safe from a father who cared only about himself and his carrier. Safe from hidden meanings and politics. Safe from the pain in her heart. But at least the hole where her mother used to be had stopped bleeding awhile ago.
Mostly.