#my love for risa's writing knows no bounds
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Hey there! I just finished Picard and wondered if you could rec any Raffi x Seven fics that you particularly love? They got on my radar in large part because of your blog, so thank you for the introduction :)
hello! that's really cool and i'm very glad i was able to bring you into the saffi fold 😊
i read fic of all ratings, but most of these are M or E. i'll link them under a cut because this is gonna be long 😂
in general i love pretty much everything from the following writers because i love their overall style of writing and approaching themes, so i feel like you're bound to find something you like within their bodies of work!
Ericine
Daxs10thHost
bimichaelburnham
PepperSpicedLatte
here are a few of my FAV fics off the top of my head, in no particular order. this list is never ending and i am for sure forgetting a bunch. but i think it's a good starting point!
how shall i touch you unless it is unless it is everywhere? by Daxs10thHost (rated M)
That whole night, there’d been no talk of the handhold; Raffi’s focus had been entirely on the game, and Seven, between stolen glances, had mirrored her concentration, deciding not to push her luck. But there, hesitant in the hallway, Seven suddenly recognized the look in Raffi’s eyes.
or, Raffi invites Seven back to Earth to explore their relationship.
Mimesis by bodyinmotion2 (rated M)
A silent retreat on Vashti gives Seven some new perspective and she comes home with a story to tell: Hers. Finally able to open up, she allows a hand written journal to tell the story of what happened to her when she left Earth after Voyager and the intimately manipulative relationship she held with Bjayzl. Raffi and B'Elanna, chosen to bear witness to the truth form Seven's support system as they navigate past trauma together in order to continue healing and move on.
supermoon spell by Ericine (rated E)
"If anything, you've been saying it the whole time. I'm the one saying it back."
Agnes and Rios break up (again), and three of the least likely people to hang out on Risa head to Risa for a month. All three are having relationship issues. All three work it out, as much as people like them can.
(Or, you know, the one where they say "I love you")
perchance to dream by Ericine (rated G)
"Her first night of sleep in fifty years would be with you."
They have three days to set the future right. They sleep where they can. After the first long day, they can. Thing is, Seven hasn't slept as a human in decades.
A House Is A Home Only With You by bimichaelburnham (rated M)
"It's not that Raffi doubts Seven has feelings for her, no. They are there. She would have to be blind not to see. It's in the way Seven wraps an arm around her waist in the morning as Raffi is fighting with the replicator to make them coffee. It's in the way she reaches for her absentmindedly when Raffi has been out of her orbit for a little too long."
Or Seven makes a confession and Raffi is done letting it breathe.
Missing Seven by speedtrials (rated M)
Due to the (20 years overdue) earth-shaking revelation that Seven of Nine is canonically queer (!!!) there is an immediate requirement for approx 10000 fics to be posted and I answered the call. This story features seven (get it?) missing scenes from Season 1 of Picard with Seven and Raffi Musiker, who are now officially established as the cutest, most badass, hottest, not to mention casually MILF, f/f couple in the galaxy. ✨ Get into it. ==Complete==
The slow walk towards a better life by changethenarrative (rated E)
Raffi and Seven deal with their new but tentative attraction to each other as they’re caught in a web of sabotage and shifting loyalties while the planet Coppelius negotiates its place in the Federation. Set after the events of 1x10.
Getting Started (rated M)
'There were thirteen standard earth days between the beginning and end of Raffi’s endurance. Three hundred and twelve hours (eighteen thousand, seven hundred and twenty minutes), of virtuous, almost saint-like patience; stretching between point A, and point Z.'
Raffi spends way too much time waiting for the right moment to move things along with Seven. Eventually, she makes her own opportunity.
it's not the weight you carry but how you carry it by Daxs10thHost (rated T)
Seven looks over Raffi’s shoulder, out the window to where the setting sun has lit the desert sands in pinks and golds. “Read to me?” she asks, and as soon as she says it, all the tension drains from her chest. She looks back and sees her relaxation mirrored in Raffi’s pose. “These next few nights? Just until I fall asleep?”
“Oh honey,” Raffi hums. “I would love that. More than you can ever know.”
or, Seven and Raffi find each other in the pages of really old books. canon-adjacent, post-season 1.
Everything Carries Me To You by bimichaelburnham (rated E)
"Raffi talks about the dichotomy of her human and Borg parts with poetry, as though she is praising art. She talks about their shape as if they are a natural happenstance and not born from a species' cruel desire to own every part of another. [...] It comes and it goes, the acceptance of herself."
After time traveling to the past, Seven struggles with her old-new circumstance as well as reconciling both parts of herself. Thankfully Raffi is here to land a hand.
Post-season 2 Canon compliant.
i also really love fics set in the confederation (the universe they found themselves in in s02e02). it's basically a what if president annika hansen and head of security raffaela musiker were a thing in that world. they're usually smut with a tinge of danger. it's a fun place for fic!
let my force just carry us home tonight by Ericine (rated E)
can I take you all the way? by Ericine (rated E)
Nothing Is Permanent (Not Ever Our Troubles) by bimichaelburnham rated E)
Ethereal by PepperSpicedLatte (rated E)
i hope you find something you enjoy in this list! there is so much out there already so whatever your fancy, i'm sure it's already out there.
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Send 🌟 for lines of your writing that I enjoy a lot!
There’s probably a billion more that I could toss in here, but I’m pulling stuff that immediately jump to mind from my favorite threads, and what I can peep doing an archive skim. I’ll probably miss ones I really adored at the time IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK WITH YOU OKAY.
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Speaks lots about his character that he would drink it dry over mixed. A concoction often mixed with water for its taste. Something you sip, not drown yourself in.
And Qrow drowns.
He drowns himself in everything that he consumes. From the busted pack of cheap Parliaments in his pants pocket to the oxygen that he breathes. Knows no such thing as self-control. The one variable in his life that he seeks to restrain forever flowing freely from his fingertips. Feels the glass slip from his grasp and its only luck that he catches it before it clatters onto the counter.
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Wracked with guilt, Qrow pushes himself away from the counter onto shaky feet to look the other properly. Ozpin only taller by a few inches. He wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand, wet with booze and now tears that fell unprompted. The death of many weighing heavily on his conscious.
“I’m so… stupid,” Qrow breathed out finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that fell between them.
“Everyone said not to, and I did.” A bitter laugh and Qrow’s face is all but happy. Twisted up in sadness and sorrow as he looked the other with pleading eyes.
“I gave you everything,” He breathed out, voice barely audible, “And you couldn’t give me the truth.”
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PLAY ALONG for now, mister.
Nothing more needed to be said as a warm body cozies up against his side, Qrow only mere seconds away from downing his third shot of Scotch. Sets the glass back down and he knows a trap when he sees one. Knows when a game is being played, having been one who played such games when he was younger, before Beacon.
A ploy harder to keep with age.
And age shows well on Qrow. It’s the weapon secured on the small of his black and the title he’s earned for himself that makes playing hard. He’s not as cute or coy about it anymore. Too well seasoned and trained for cheap party tricks. Secures information in more adult manner now.
A smirk graces plush lips as she leaned in, the smell of cheap perfume tickling his senses. Hooks an arm around her waist and pulls her forward and around, so she was trapped between him and the counter of the bar itself.
“Say no more, doll.”
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He’s hunched over the edge of a crate in the middle of a fucking alleyway in Mantle during a patrol. Clover the unfortunate sap stuck to tend to the huntsman in his current nauseated state of being. Withdrawal symptoms hitting him at the worse possible time and all he wants is for it to end.
A moment of peace in his life devoid of pain and suffering. He wants to breathe and be at ease. No fear of his semblance and what harm it could bring. No fear of being hurt and left behind to die. Could count the times he’s been left behind by the tribe to waste away. Liquor his saving grace from his misery.
Numbed the hurt and gave him something better to feel in return.
This, this was not better. This was miserable and god awful. This needed to end right now and all Qrow wants to do right now is to bitch and gripe about it. Shoves the hand reaching out to smooth his hair back away as he hurled once more.
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There’s a clench of his stomach in response. Empty. The idea of eating is unappealing to the Branwen however. The body wants, but Qrow does not feel the urge to feed it. Craving for liquor and basic necessities all merged into one, he can’t quite tell the difference anymore.
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HE’S QUICK. He has to be. Doesn’t have muscles oozing off of him like every other huntsman he knows. No where like anyone else in the tribe. Qrow is all speed and skill. A natural talent honed in on to make up for the everything that follows him. He over compensates for being a bad luck charm. The movement is fluid. A smooth transition, from running up on the Grimm, the fall of his footsteps quiet and controlled, to the extension of Harbinger. Qrow pirouettes from first position to second and swings down into third. Harbinger’s blade slicing clean through with each transition as he comes into place in front of Clover. Stops mere inches from slicing the other in half with his scythe. Cool metal starring dangerously into the face of the other.
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[ THIS IS A PLACEHOLDER FOR ONE I CAN’T FIND. THERE WAS AN AWESOME METAPHOR/TURN OF PHRASE WITH CLOVER AND CARDS AND I THINK A BLACKJACK REFERENCE AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CANNOT FIND IT!!! I liked it so much I read it out loud to my husband oh my god I’m so mad I don’t remember when it was... ]
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I won’t copy/post nsfw stuff, it might even be weird to mention it but uuhhhhhh THIS WHOLE ANSWER
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It’s like kissing ink on paper, bitter with a touch of something else underneath. Meant to stain and leave an impression.
[ oddly enough the first half of the imagery with these lines kind of had a disconnect for me, because while I appreciated the hell out of the reference I couldn’t see why black coffee would need to be shaken OR stirred, so I wasn’t exactly sure what was being communicated. THE INK METAPHOR HIT ME HARD THO. especially with the concept of it being a layered thing. ]
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[JUST INSERT THE ENTIRE F’ING THREAD WITH STAT’S RAVEN OKAY. BUT UGH I GUESS I’LL PICK SOME]
Free them all from the burden of carving out their hearts and stabbing it into the trees of the woods where it can be maimed and torn apart by the very same creatures they hunt.
They’ve fought many times before and now should be no different to rekindle their love for one another. What she did hurts, but nothing hurts more than having a part of him forcibly torn away. To see her suffering further than he can feel from afar.
They’ve wounded each other enough as it is. Not a part of them scratch free. Their blades permanently carved into one another. Said things neither one of them truly meant and felt nothing, but each other’s pain in return. Tears shed from both twins, strong and overwhelmed with the emotional force combined by both parties.
Reaches out the only way he knows how, by baring himself whole. Put his emotions on display in it’s rawest form. Knows nothing else, but how to be honest. Tells her with little words that he still feels everything that she feels, if not more that she ever could. “I’m here, Raven.”
A hive abandoned by it’s own Queen is destined to die. Wither away blindly completing tasks with no end-goal.
He tightens his grip around her hand, rings pressing into the other’s skin. Only then is he mindful of how tight it exactly gotten. Something akin to fear in his hold. Like if he doesn’t take this, take all of it, she’ll slip away from him again and he’ll be here. Standing alone in the rain with an empty hand reminiscent of warmth he craves. Warmth that could only be fulfilled by her.
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[ I should actually do some of OURS huh... lmao]
No, Qrow offers himself up on a silver platter. Highlights his best features and puts it on display with the intention of captivating anyone who inched too close.
His next drink is lined up and Qrow circles the rim with his index finger. Feels the welcoming warmth of intoxication slowly begun to consume him. Combs through his hair with a level of familiarity and comfort he’s grown far too accustomed with. Beckons him to coo in delight at the sensation.
This conversation is far too convoluted to keep his interest. There is both nothing and everything going on at the same time and Qrow has little interest in thinking. If he was looking for a chat, he would have reported back to Ozpin hours ago. He would have followed through with his meeting with James, but he has done none and neither of these things.
He smiled as Briar laced their hand together, swinging their arms back and forth as they walked the streets of Mantle post-drinking spurge. Wherever it is their feet leads them is wherever they will go for the night. It doesn’t matter as long as she’s by his side.
Sweet is the first word to come to mind at such a brazen promise being bestowed upon him. Briar is sweet. How could she not be? Gentle in nature with consideration tucked under her belt. A dosage of sugar and spice he never knew he needed in his life. She is fun and a blast in the wake of his somber lifestyle.
Makes a request for rum and ginger ale, something sweet to satisfy his tongue. Far too odd for him to simply order whiskey on the rocks in a club. A drink meant for isolation, not mingling.
He pulls back and Qrow brushed at her shoulder with his hands to get rid of everything that left him. Disgusting as it is. Small smile on his lips as nervous laughter follows next. Doesn’t know what to do with himself as he stood there awkwardly, drenched to the bone in Briar’s apartment.
“Hey,” he tried, “I’m back.”
What else can he say after all that? The moment gone and Qrow more than ready to move on like it never happened.
It’s Briar!
Qrow LOVES Briar. Qrow loves Briar except for when Briar is being the most Briar she can be and this, long pointed finger in his face as vermilion eyes narrowed at the sight of painted nails mere inches away from his nose as he drank is the least version of Briar he liked.
Briar with a point.
The people outside the tribe far too fragile about their precious masculinity and feminity. Whereas Qrow could not care about these gender norms they aspire to. He sees a pretty outfit. He wants to wear it. It’s as simple as that.
OKAY ITS BEEN HOURS I NEED TO STOP AND MOVE ON BUT I COULD CONTINUE FOR MORE HOURS. I WANTED TO PUT SOME SIENNA ON HERE TOO BUT THIS IS SO LONG ALREADY SEND FROM THAT BLOG IF U WANT IT I GUESS. OKAY. ILU BEST BITCHHH
#infortunii#* behind closed doors = ooc *#* hey i got a tip for ya = meme response *#warning this is long af#my love for risa's writing knows no bounds
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Phantom Thieves of Hearts Club: On Our Way to Steal Yours, Dark
Chapter 4: Sweet
Rating: T
Summary: A loosely connected one-shot collection about an unlikely trio trying to catch Dark for their own personal agendas which may or may not include their personal infatuations towards their target.
Alternate reading link: AO3
Two chapters? In a day?
Insanity.
Also, Takeshi is definitely the type of guy who would have a wall covered in string lights and instax photos of his friends and family.
Takeshi slipped past the police force, duty bound to listen to his father as he barked orders at them, onto the premises. Satoshi and Risa had gone ahead to find Dark in labyrinthine building since Inspector Saehara held Takeshi back to lecture him about etiquette at a crime scene.
After wandering around aimlessly, Takeshi finally heard voices down a hallway. He tip-toed towards them to avoid getting caught. Once he got close enough, he recognized the high-pitched timbre of Risa’s voice and quickened his pace. He found himself at the entrance of an expansive room when he saw two figures at the other end of it.
Takeshi was about to call Risa’s name when he heard her company speak.
Dark.
Hand ready on the camera, Takeshi ducked behind a column to take the perfect photo.
…
Risa left after the police force confirmed that Dark had left the vicinity. She skipped off, humming a popular song, while Inspector Saehara scolded his team, starting yet another one of his tirades about how useless the lot of them were. Satoshi looked on, amused, with his arms folded across his chest.
“Pssst!”
Satoshi glanced over at Takeshi, and his amused expression turned into one of brief confusion before utter apathy.
The least the damn kid could do, for Takeshi’s pride, was to not treat him like he was a dumbass.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Takeshi hissed.
“Tell you what?”
“That Dark and Risa are romantically involved!”
Satoshi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Did I need to tell you that?”
“No, but it would’ve helped.”
“Helped with what?”
“Everything! I thought Risa was just another one of those Dark-crazy fangirls, so I thought all the effort she was putting into this was cute, but all of this is different if she’s actually involved with him! This shit is actually serious business for her!”
“Saehara, why does this matter to you?”
“I don’t know! It just…does. I want to know as much about Dark as I can, and I don’t appreciate being left in the dark—ha—by the two of you.”
“I can’t speak on Harada’s behalf, but I don’t go around telling people things. Unless it’s important, my mouth is shut.”
“And if it were important?”
“In what situation would the nature of Harada’s relationship to Dark be important?”
“I’m not asking about them specifically!” Takeshi let out an exasperated groan. “Just, in general. If anything were important, would you tell me?”
Satoshi sighed. “If I had to be honest, no. I wouldn’t. Outside of my professional life, there’s no need for me to tell anyone about anything. Unless it’s a life or death situation in that moment, it’s not your business.”
“…go eat dirt, you pompous ass.”
…
Risa opened her shoe locker to see an envelope sitting on her uwabaki. She read her name, printed in impeccable writing, before ravenously opening what she believed was a confession letter.
It wasn’t.
After lifting up the flap, she saw a picture of her and Dark in an embrace. She emptied out the envelope. In one hand, she held two developed photos, one on photo paper, the other on instant camera film, and a USB drive. The other held the empty envelope and a note.
…
Harada-imouto,
I snapped this picture during the heist the other day. Sorry for taking it without your permission. I didn’t think he’d pull you into a hug so quickly that it out-sped my shutter finger.
Figured you girls like memorabilia and stuff, so I printed two copies. Don’t know which one suits your fancy. And the USB has the digital file on it so you can, I dunno, slap it on a mug or some snazzy matching couple shirts. Whatever floats your boat.
If you feel uncomfortable by this, don’t. I deleted the picture from my camera, so you have the only digital copy in the world. Well, you should. And if you see it somewhere else years later, lemme know and I’ll treat you to a meal on my journalistic integrity!
Best wishes and regards,
Your favorite brown-noser
…
“Ohh, what’s that?” Ritsuko asked as she looked over Risa’s shoulder on the way to her own shoe locker. “A love letter?”
Risa grinned.
“Even better.”
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My father loved Bob Dylan, and I grew up listening to his albums. Blood on the Tracks was my father’s favorite, and each song from that album is burned into my consciousness. Dramatic, perhaps, but true. (Tangled Up in Blue is my favorite Dylan song of all time. Perhaps not the most appropriate lullaby around, but one I sang to my kids anyhow.)
Shelter from the Storm is, without any doubt, my song for Baatar and Ikki. It was always in my mind, over the five years it took me to write IDNAtNfE.
I was listening to a mix on Spotify while I was writing Risa’s ficlet this morning and this cover of it by Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris started to play. Despite the fact that it was recorded in 2005, I’ve never heard it before! And I love Emmylou Harris!
They’ve taken the song and tweaked the lyrics a tiny bit so it could be made into a duet. And oh, do I wish I had had this when I was writing IDNAtNfE!! But in any case, I have it now. And now I’ll share it with you.
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men, who are fighting to stay warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in, I will give you shelter from the storm."
You were burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes, blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in I will give you shelter from the storm."
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now there's a wall between us, something has been lost
I took too much for granted, and got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on some long forgotten morn.
"Come in," I said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails, the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
The one-eyed undertaker, blows his futile horn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with their broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, it's hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she says,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
In a little hilltop village, they gamble for your clothes
You'll bargain for salvation and they give you a lethal dose.
You'll offer up your innocence and get repaid with scorn.
"Come in, and I will give you shelter from the storm."
Now I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the hands of time to when you and God were born.
I know that I could give you,
Shelter from the storm
Come in and I will give you shelter from the storm.
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Wounded (ItaSaku) Ch. 1
Link (chapters 1-4): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13101412/1/Wounded
Summary: Sakura has trouble coming to terms with the direction her life is going when she is forced into the company of Uchiha Itachi who needs his eyes fixed in order to resume his own way of life. Their two paths converge and then diverge, creating an attachment that Sakura would have never expected.
Pairing: ItaSaku, Non-Mass
Rating: T
A/N: I’m uploading this story from my ff account in case there are people who only read tumblr. The rest of the chapters will be in the link provided (I’m currently working on chapter 5)
CH. 1 - House Call
Two years post-war. Non-Mass.
Sakura flushed the bathroom toilet and went to the sink to wash up before returning to the hospital floor. She pumped some soap into her hands and scrubbed it into her skin, purposefully avoiding her reflection in the mirror above.
Miss Sakura! I drew you a picture!
She clenched her jaw, scrubbing the milky lather harder into her skin.
The little girl's mother beamed happily as she handed her a beautifully scribbled drawing that consisted of three stick figures holding hands in a field of flowers. Three different people. Three distinct hair colors. Naruto with his characteristic whiskers was right in the middle, her and Sasuke positioned on their respective sides.
It's very beautiful, Yuka! I love Sasuke-kun's spiky hair!
That carefree smile was still imprinted in her mind over a month later. How it had quivered, pressing innocently into a frown as she was read her diagnosis.
She turned the water off, lingering there with her hand on the knob, making no attempt to fix her hair as it fell over her face.
For the past few weeks, she'd been trying her best to steer clear of the inpatient unit, instead spending most of her time in and out of the lab and research departments where she could veil her insecurities in the privacy of an empty chamber surrounded by nothing but test strips and petri dishes. Tsunade advised her not to get too comfortable with it; her skills were obviously needed in the more public parts of the hospital, but she didn't see too much harm in it given it was only for a short period of time.
Sakura hadn't pressed the subject much after that. She enjoyed interacting with patients, being a part of their before and after, even healing her own comrades whenever they returned exhausted and dizzy from strenuous missions. So much time had passed since she'd seen battle that this had become her new reality, but at the end of the day, there was just no substitute for the cold comfort of the lab. At least, not in her current state of mind.
"Sakura-chan, do you have a minute?"
Sakura had been bent over one of the tables, a pair of blood cultures in one hand and a pen in the other, signing labels to stick on them. She hopped a bit in surprise, turning to find one of her coworkers leaning over by the door.
"Risa-chan?"
While she was used to seeing her downstairs in inpatient, sometimes the two of them went out for drinks after work. Sakura usually enjoyed herself after the effects of a few beers, but it had been several months since they'd last gone.
"What's wrong?" she said without thinking, her worried expression spreading from Risa's face to the cultures in her hand as she remembered to keep shaking them, hoping they hadn't already started to congeal.
A look of surprise came over Risa's face, settling into a sheepish laugh. "Wow, you caught me," she said defeatedly. "I didn't think it looked that obvious."
Sakura tilted her head, releasing a light chuckle of her own. Maybe she should have been a little less vocal about it. "Just a little," she replied, bagging up the vials and sealing it closed. "Believe me, it happens to the best of us. Is there something wrong?"
"As much as I would like to say no," she trailed off. Sakura kept her eyes on her as she spoke, breaking eye contact only when she reached the opposite corner of the room where the air tube was to send off the samples. "Yesterday, I received a house call from Uchiha Fugaku. I feel responsible for following through with it, but if I'm honest, I don't think that what they're asking for is within my scope of expertise."
At that moment, she was thankful that her back had been turned as it concealed the look of distress that consumed her face when she heard the word 'Uchiha'.
"I couldn't stop thinking about it for the entire day."
She released her finger from the button, sending the bag of cultures up the pipe that led to the testing center, her heavy gaze revealing an intense desire to follow it through the ceiling and dismiss herself from the conversation.
"Sakura-chan?"
Ever since team seven had returned from the war, her name had become synonymous with Naruto and Sasuke - bound to them like cement. It came with it's own ups and downs, but Sakura enjoyed spending time with them as she always had when they were children. The differences between them sort of just crept into frame at some point. Naturally, they were bound to have separate adventures going forward. Everyone around them were getting married and starting families of their own, including Ino who had vowed she wouldn't become a housewife until at least thirty-five. That obviously didn't happen.
Naruto began training immediately to become the next hokage, much to Kakashi's relief. Sakura always knew he'd make it there at some point. If it wasn't for that she wasn't sure Sasuke would have ended up leaving the village again, but those two lived to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, which meant that as long as Naruto stayed, he was destined to find his purpose somewhere far away.
Looking back, she should have known it was a waste of time to wait on him. Nowadays she couldn't decide whether it tortured her more to see him gone or have him here…
"Have you talked to Tsunade-sama about this?" she asked. It was her turn to attempt to mask her feelings.. "It sounds like you might have to have someone else take the assignment."
The room fell eerily silent, dense with some invisible emotion.
Part of her didn't even want to know what the details of the assignment were. If she could maneuver through the rest of her life without seeing another Uchiha, she'd probably be much healthier herself.
"I..did-"
"She'll do it."
Behind the door panel, a pair of heels clacked their way to the doorway as Tsunade revealed herself. The look on her face could only be described as 'perturbed'. Sakura knew it very well since like now, she was often on the receiving end of it.
"My office," she said, only stopping long enough to shoot her a glare. "Now."
"Shut the door behind you, Sakura."
Tsunade had made it a point not to answer any of her questions until they made it up the stairs and into her office on the leftmost wing of the hospital. Sakura stared at the piece of paper in her hand as they walked, hoping to get an idea of what this was all about. It looked familiar, but she wasn't able to make out exactly what it said until the door clicked closed, and it was violently slapped onto the face of the desk.
"What is this?" Tsunade shoved her finger on it. "Some kind of joke?"
Sakura's eyes fell on it, instantly coming to recognize the delicate lines composed of her own handwriting, the feelings she had while writing it rushing back to her with force.
"That was two weeks ago," she said.
"And that changes what?" The hinge of her chair squeaked as she dropped into it, crossing her legs. "After all the medical training we've done. All the fighting. Is that what you really want? To stay in the lab with the students and new grads?"
Sakura couldn't look at it anymore, cutting her gaze towards the tile flooring that matched the rest of the building's interior. If she had an answer to that question she would have just said it, but she couldn't help the bitter taste of confliction at her tongue, impairing her ability to make a decision.
Unfortunately, she didn't need to. The hesitation was itself an answer; It made her want to puke.
Tsunade sighed heavily. "I taught you to be stronger than this.. You act as if you've never seen death or suffering first hand before when you're one of the few people left in this building that has! How many years did it take you to master the Hundred Seals?!"
"Shishou,"
"And if it's Sasuke again-" She started to say something, but decided not to finish the sentence. "You need to pick yourself up, Sakura. You've been dragged through much dirtier mud and you know it."
"The last thing I wanted to do was disrespect you and the time we spent together.." Tsunade was no longer looking at her. She had taken a large red 'declined' stamp and began marking the whole page with it.
Sakura let out a gentle sigh of her own. It had been a while since she'd mustered the balls to admit these things to herself. "I guess I did let it get to me, more than I thought," she said. "When he came back."
She threw her arms in the air, letting them fall back down as if they were dead. "And now he's gone again. And Naruto's gone too.." Shaking her head, she pinned her gaze on one of the windows.
"It feels like I'm going nowhere with my life."
"And at what point are you actually going to start living for yourself?" Tsunade seemed to have cooled off well enough to carry on with her work. In fact, she seemed pretty satisfied with the answer she got. Or was it just the fact that she got to deny the hell out of Sakura's transfer request?
She finished her signature at the bottom of another document that she slid towards Sakura alongside the first. "First thing - For the record, I wasn't going to allow you to transfer in the first place. Ask again, and I'll fire you."
Sakura softened, her lips curving into a small smile.
As if she should've expected anything less in the first place...
"I'll try," she teased, earning a low glare in return.
"Second - I'm giving you this signed order to take with you to the Uchiha compound. Tell Itachi that the one his father requested is not skilled enough to use the techniques required to fix his eyes. I mean, that part is pretty self-explanatory. Just do the job - "
"Shishou!"
The instant they locked eyes, Sakura could tell that her next words might be her last. If she wasn't careful, Tsunade was bound to lose her composure again, and then she might actually be out of the only job she knew how to do.. Not really, but there was a devilish glint in Tsunade's eyes that screamed 'please, try something'. Her fists probably still itched from Jiraiya being gone for the past few months.
"I - Aren't there others that can do the job just as well? I do have other projects I'm working on right now, and the others need the experience anyway."
"No, Sakura," she said seriously. "There's no one else I trust with this job other than you. Your projects can wait a few weeks."
"What if I -"
"10 AM tomorrow. Now take the paper and leave before I kick you out myself."
The rain came down in droves the entire night, and at around eleven o'clock, Sakura realized that if she didn't take a sleeping pill she wasn't going to sleep at all, which would inevitably end up impairing her work in some way the next morning. The pills had been her saving grace over the past few months. Even though she knew at some point she'd have to stop taking them, tonight was probably not the night to start. Fugaku was even more no-nonsense than Tsunade was as a former Hokage and that's saying a lot.
As for Itachi, she didn't know what to expect from him. He was Sasuke's older brother, he was an ANBU officer, and he must have helped in the war in some way. She'd only met him twice in her entire life and they weren't rememberable at all. Perhaps that was a good thing when she really thought about it. She'd had enough of Uchihas and their stubborn arrogance.
If you've met one, you've met them all.
Someone told her that once, but she couldn't remember who..
At around midnight the sleeping pills finally began to take effect, eyelids drooping heavily over her irises despite her will to stay awake. She wanted to think and prepare more and continue to watch the rain splash itself over the rails of her balcony.
It wasn't enough to keep her conscious. Within minutes, she was fast asleep under a mountain of blankets that she would probably end up kicking off of her at some point during the night, the rain only starting to subside in the wee hours of the morning as the sun slowly popped its head over the distant treeline.
It was bound to be an interesting day...
#itasaku#itasaku fanfiction#uchiha itachi#haruno sakura#uchiha sakura#naruto shippuden#naruto fanfiction
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Who are characters you like?? From any anime and such
I’ll make a list rq
jujutsu kaisen :
- inumaki toge
- nanami (forgot his last name lol)
- gojo satoru
one piece :
- sanji vinsmoke
- portgas d ace
- trafalgar water d law
- nico robin
- and most of the characters actually!
bleach :
- orihime inoue<3
- shinji hirako (i’m a big simp for him)
- ichigo kurosaki ofc
- sosuke aizen but he’s not one of my comfort characters
in the category shojo (bcs i didn’t watch that much of shojo) ;
- shin from nana
- sawako kuronuma from kimi ni todoke
- tohru honda from fruits basket
- momiji sohma from fruits basket
- rin sohma from fruits basket
- risa from lovely complex!
in uramichi onii san i like all of the characters !
in bsd i really love dazai (lol what a surprise) but i also love akutagawa.
i’m also a huge fan of the characters in toilet bound hanako kun / jibaku shounen hanako kun! i like most of them !!! <3
and honestly i didn’t put all of my comfort characters because i have a bad memory …. but if you ask me to write about a character there’s a lot of chances that i already know them and can write abt them!!! i also love others characters ofc but those are the ones that live in my mind rent free
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For Now, Forever, For Always
Pairing: Jim x Reader
Word Count: 1646
Warnings: A little angst. Mostly fun banter and fluff
A/N: To the anon who requested the Bones angst and the anon that requested a sequel to Seeing Double, I promise I’m working on both of those!!! I haven’t forgotten about you guys and they’ll both be coming up soon. Also look who made a fancy header image for this fic instead of doing homework B)
If there was one thing you prided yourself on, it was your ability to give the perfect gift, moving people to tears with your thoughtfulness on more than one occasion. Even Spock got misty-eyed when you gave him a handmade terrarium replica of Old Vulcan with his mother's initials engraved on the bottom. The one person you could never figure out, though, was James Tiberius Kirk.
You thought he’d be the easiest, settling for an antique remote-controlled motorcycle he could drive around the bridge. You were almost shaking with excitement when you gave it to him for Christmas but two years had passed and it had yet to leave the shelf in his quarters. You switched up your game for his birthday, opting for a classier holoframe that displayed pictures you’d collected over your time on the Enterprise. His eyes lit up when you gave it to him, but three months later when he finally invited you to his quarters for dinner for the first time, you noticed the batteries had died and he hadn't replaced them.
“I just don't get him, Bones,” you said, letting your hands drop on top of your stomach. You stared furiously at the ceiling from Bones’ couch. “No matter what I get, he just doesn't seem to like it.”
Bones didn’t even look up from his paperwork.“You know he doesn't like to celebrate birthdays on account of his old man biting the dust the same day.”
“God, tell me you don't say that to him.” You sighed again, swinging your legs over the edge of the couch. “His birthday’s in two months and I still don't have anything for him. What if it's not the gifts? What if he just isn't into me?”
Bones leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling under his breath. “I've never seen anyone as in love as Jim is with you, and I was married once. Buy a nice lingerie set and give him the best damn sex of his life or something. Now, would you please get out of my office so I can finish this damn paperwork before we go on leave?”
The next few days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon you were touching down in Risa for a week long shore leave while the Enterprise was restocked and repaired. You hit the shopping center with Uhura the first day, still set on finding the perfect gift for Jim. When nothing caught your eye, you took Bones’ advice and settled for some lingerie.
Jim was already asleep by the time you got back, and you couldn’t help but smile at his gentle snores. He worked so damn hard on the ship all the time - not a single casualty in years. What other captain in the fleet could say that? He was so dedicated to his crew and his ship, and all you wanted to do was remind him that everyone on the crew felt the same but you couldn't figure out how.
You put your shopping bags down as quietly as you could, slipping your shoes off and sliding into bed next to Jim. You pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Jim rolled towards you in his sleep, throwing an arm around your hips and pulling you against him. You smiled softly as you buried your face in the crook of his neck, letting sleep take you.
Jim woke up with a smile on his face for the first time in far too long. “Morning, beautiful,” he said, tilting his head up to kiss you but tasting only the cotton sheets. He cracked his eyes open, a wave of panic shooting through him. He practically shot up in the bed, searching the room frantically. The movement caught your eye, and you noted the panic on Jim’s face before he caught sight of you. He smiled but his shoulders didn't unwind, and something finally clicked into place for you. “Morning, gorgeous,” you called. You hopped up onto the counter, giving Jim a full view of you in his dress shirt and the lingerie you bought yesterday.
Jim laid still on the bed, drinking you in. Slowly, he made his way over to you, running one hand through your hair and putting the other on your waist. His kiss was feather-light.
That's one thing that surprised you about Jim. You knew his reputation in the academy. A different girl every night, always hot and heavy. You expected him to be the same now, but every touch was fleeting, as if you were made of glass. You didn't mind, really, but sometimes you wished he’d let his walls down around you and let instinct take over.
“You're so beautiful,” he mumbled against your collarbone, nipping your skin and hugging you tightly to him. You could feel Jim’s chest rise and fall with yours, sunlight bathing both of you and making his hair look like spun gold. You ran your fingers through it softly. You could've died right then and there and been happy.
Shore leave passed in a blink and the next two months seemed to go even faster until the day before Jim’s birthday finally rolled around and you were practically bursting at the seams. You’d arranged with Spock to clear Jim’s schedule for the day, so you sat waiting, legs crossed, on top of the bed.
“You waiting for something, doll,” Jim asked, catching sight of you as the door slid open. You patted the bed beside you, motioning for him to come sit. Jim rolled his eyes but walked towards the bed, leaning down to kiss you.
“Not yet,” you said, pushing Jim down roughly. He only laughed and pulled you down with him. You would've fought harder if his lips weren't so damn soft. “Jimmy,” you whined, “I gotta give you your present.” You reached over Jim to pull open the bedside drawer, revealing a small box.
“You know I don’t need presents on my birthday. Dinner with you is more than enough.”
“That’ll come later, don’t worry. For now, shut up and open the box.”
“You can’t tell me to shut up on my birthday.” Still, he sat up, crossing his legs and leaning over the box.
“Good thing it’s not technically your birthday yet, then, Jimmy.”
He watched you carefully, smile still tugging up his cheeks. He pulled the ribbon off extra slow to tease you and you groaned loudly. You pressed the back of your hand to your forehead. “James...Jim...I think….I think I see the light. I think this is the end of the road for me. I’m not long for this world…..Goodbye…..Jimbles…..” You flopped dramatically onto your back, struggling not to smile at the howl of Jim’s laughter. You cracked an eye open and saw him clutching his ribs. You snapped your eyes shut again, playing dead, when Jim looked at you again.
“All right already I get it. I’m opening it. Now, get up here.” Satisfied, you crawled up to the headboard to cuddle up next to Jim. Finally, he pried the lid of the box and took out the book inside.
It was a simple leather-bound journal that you’d etched Jim’s initials into. Jim turned the book over in his hands, admiring it as he always did with old books. He opened the cover, expecting blank pages but glued inside was a picture of you kissing him on the cheek captioned, “For J. Know that you’re always loved.”
Jim sucked in a breath beside you, and your eyes darted up to his face. His eyes were glassy, but the ghost of a smile was still pulling at the corners of his mouth as he flipped through the book. Every page belonged to a different crew member, each recounting their favorite adventure or memory with the captain. Behind the yearbook-style signoffs was a collection of pictures of Jim’s father that you got from his mother, along with a letter she wrote for Jim about how proud she was to call him her son, how proud his father would have been.
Jim took in a shaky breath as he finished the letter, and you dropped your lips to his shoulder, kissing him through his shirt. He kept turned the next page, and you watched him thumb through your section of the book. It was filled with doodles, song lyrics, and pictures of the two of you on shore leave. Finally, he got to a page that was blank except for three words: I’m yours, always. Jim traced the words with his finger before following the arrow you drew to the next page, two words: Be mine? You buried your head in Jim’s neck, heart racing, not wanting to see his reaction when he turned the next page. His shoulders rose as he sucked in a sharp breath.
A ring sat taped to the top of the page with a checklist underneath: For Now, Forever, For Always. Jim didn’t move, didn’t breathe, and you lifted your head to look at him. He stared at the ring like it would jump off the page at him, but he didn’t speak.
You started to get worried, pulling away from him. “You don’t have to say yes right now,” you started, barely above a whisper. “I’m in this for the long-haul. I’ll stick around as long as you’ll have me. I swear I would never leave you.”
Jim let the book fall closed in his lap as he turned to face you, slamming his lips down against yours. You hooked your arm tighter around his neck, tugging gently on his hair. He broke the kiss as a sob hit him hard, and you pulled him closer to you, tears threatening to spill from your eyes too. “Thank you,” Jim whispered into your shoulder. “Thank you.”
Tags: @outside-the-government @martinawalker @thevalesofanduin @goingknowherewastaken @yourtropegirl @trekken81 @feelmyroarrrr @yukki-art @atari-writes @the-witching-hours12-3
#star trek imagine#jim kirk imagine#jim kirk x reader#captain kirk imagine#captain kirk x reader#james t kirk imagine#there are too many tags for jim tbh and I'm too lazy for this#also i mostly wrote this fic because I strive to be the Leslie Knope of gift giving in my own life
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Translation: Ouhi no Yakata/Château de la Reine
Hello. Thank you for reading my translation for Ouhi no Yakata/ Château de la Reine.
As this is (somehow miraculously?) before Tokyo run, hopefully this can help people who want to see it in Tokyo understand a bit more. Or help those waiting for the DVD to prepare to watch it when it releases.
This work comes with a few necessary notes beforehand. Please read them.
1. This is a fan-created translation. Please be aware that my understanding of Japanese is not extremely high-level, and there may be some errors. I did my best. If you find something you believe is incorrect, please feel free to message me and I will make an effort to correct it. (The only reason it even got this far was thanks to my savior and editor Carol.)
2. That being said, as this is a play with conversation, etc. I attempted to make this translation flow with natural and colloquial English/conversation tendencies rather than a word-by-word exact representation- while still keeping as much of the intended meaning(s) as possible.
3. If you wish to use this translation to make subtitles for your private/personal use, please let me know via a message/ask. I ask that you do not share subtitle files created from my translations without my consent at all.
4. Please do not take, repost, or recreate this translation on Tumblr or other websites without contacting me first.
5. This is a really specific translation note. There is a character in this play (Crayon) whos self-identification is not made clear. (To my knowledge, it is not made clear in the original novels either.) The only thing really clear is that… Crayon is somewhere on the queer scale.
Crayon is referred to many times in Japanese with the word “okama”. Strictly speaking, “okama” is a slur for gay people (generally targeting gay men or crossdressers, but has [incorrectly] been used recently for trans-people as well). It is often used in Japanese humor because ?? (enter reasons I neither know nor truly understand). (However, it is also sometimes used as a “reclaimed” term. It all depends on situation and intention and interpretation.)
There are jokes in particular in this show that revolve around referring to this character as an ‘okama’. As a translator, it really isn’t my job to write a whole thing about what I think about this or why. I’m really only responsible for providing the material in a language that people can understand.
Therefore, because I didn’t want to end up editing the material to my personal ideas/tastes, and because I didn’t feel comfortable directly translating the word ‘okama’ into any English slang, I left those lines translated into English but still using the Japanese word ‘okama’ in them.
6. There is a lot of French in this show. I do not speak French. But a coworker who does speak French decided to inform me that the French they were seeing was incorrect. I have no comment on this, as I (again) do not speak French.
7. A specific note on the theme of ‘smile’ and ‘laugh’ in this show. The script simply uses the word “warau” which can be a bit interchangeable for those words. There were times where “smile” made more sense, and times where “laugh” made more sense. In the end, I decided to use both words, and at some points even used them together to get the meaning/point across.
Without further ado. Here is the actual translation:
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Château de la Reine
Main Cast:
Asaka Manato Kitashirakawa Ukyo A romance novelist writing a new novel starring Louis XIV
Misaki Rion Sakurai Reiko Female president of a small-time travel agency. Tour conductor responsible for the “Light” tour.
Makaze Suzuho Louis XIV King of France during the 17th Century. Former owner of the Château de la Reine.
Aizuki Hikaru Kanezawa Shichi Real estate king.
Itsuki Chihiro Iwanami Former teacher at an ‘evening’ high school. (TN: There are some special schools with classes in the evening for people who work during the day.)
Kotobuki Tsukasa Shimoda Koji Manager of an electrical parts factory.
Mikaze Maira Shimoda Fusako Shimoda’s wife.
Sumiki Sayato Kondo Makoto Policeman.
Sorahane Riku Crayon [Kuroiwa Gentaro] Scorned by a previous lover, on a ‘heartbreak trip’
Sakuragi Minato Togawa Mitsuo A tour conductor at a small time travel agency, subordinate of Sakurai. Responsible for the “Shadow” tour.
Reimi Urara Diana She once lived in the Château de la Reine. The woman Louis XIV loved.
Hoshikaze Madoka Michiru Former hostess, and Kanezawa’s lover.
ETC Cast:
Iwanami Masae Kanon Mai
Mr. Tanno Rinjou Kira
Mrs. Tanno Ayaka Mari
Munon Matsukaze
Hayami Ritsuko (Editor) Junya Chitose
Pierre Kazuki Sora
Monsieur Duran Mitsuki Haruka
Can-Can Singer Fuuma Kakeru
Accordion Singer Hoshibuki
Anne d’Autriche Seoto Risa
Marie Thérèse Aishiro Moa
Preface: Charles de Gaulle Airport (Arrival Lobby)
[Airport Background]
As announcements flow through the arrival lobby of the Charles de Gaulle Airport, the tour conductor Mr. Togawa, working for a down-on-its-luck travel agency known as “Pan World Tour Enterprise”, is eating at a bar with the irritated tour customers. Togawa is on the phone with his boss, Sakurai Reiko.
Togawa: (On the phone) Ms. Reiko, is this really going to work?? This plan…
Sakurai: (A voice over the speakers) Are you asking if it’s a ‘good’ thing? In this world, there is both ‘light’ and ‘shadow’… so isn’t it fair to say there’s a ‘front’ and ‘back’ side to business, too?
Togawa: You just keep saying that over and over!
Sakurai: (voice) Anyway, you have to keep the customers at the airport for another 30 minutes. You got it?
Mr. Tanno: Mr. Togawa, exactly when are we going to be able to leave the airport?
Togawa hides his cellphone.
Togawa: M… Mr. Tanno… I am terribly sorry, our car… seems to be stuck in a terrible traffic jam…
Mr. Iwanami: Even so, we’ve already been waiting here an hour.
Togawa: I am truly sorry Mr. Iwanami!!
Ms. Iwanami: Dear, can’t you see Mr. Togawa is very troubled by the situation?
As the Iwanamis talk, Togawa returns to his phone.
Togawa: (on the phone) Ms. Reiko, did you hear that? How am I supposed to make more excuses to the customers!?
Sakurai: (voice) Why don’t you think about that on your own? Well then, I’ll contact you again when I arrive at the hotel.
Ms. Sakurai hangs up the phone.
Togawa: Wait-! Ms. Reiko? Ms. Reiko?!
The tour customer Kondo Makoto approaches Togawa.
Kondo: Hey, you! What’s the meaning of this? Is this some sort of scam?!
Togawa: (shocked and panicking) Mr. Kondo! What ‘scam’ could you possibly be talking about?!
Kondo: I was told I was going to be in a men’s shared room. (Points at the flashily dressed Crayon.) So what the hell is this?
Togawa: Ah, that should be Mr. Kuroiwa Gentaro…
Crayon: Don’t use that name! I go by Crayon, like at my shop~!
Kondo: What’s a ‘crayon’? Whatever shop you work at, once I get home I’ll find it and shut it down!
Crayon: My shop isn’t some shabby establishment like what you’re thinking. What a hard-headed policeman~
Mr. Tanno: A police officer?
Togawa: Mr. Tanno, is something the matter?
Mr. Tanno: No, of course not…
The Tanno couple exchange a meaningful gaze. Meanwhile, Crayon is bothering Kondo.
Kondo: Stop it! Don’t blow in my ear!
Crayon: Omg~ so shy~! How cute! Tonight is going to be so~ much~ fun~! Teehee~
Crayon exits while giggling.
Kondo: Hey!... What do you mean ‘fun’?!
Kondo chases after Crayon.
Togawa: Wait… Where are you two going?!
Togawa chases the two offstage.
Mrs. Iwanami: Well well, we seem to be grouped with some interesting folk!
Mr. Iwanami: My goodness…
The Iwanamis also exit the stage, and the bridge leads to the next scene.
Scene 1A: The City of Paris
Visiting Paris on a research trip, the Japanese author Kitashirakawa appears, singing.
[C’est Paris! C’est la vie!]
Kitashirakawa: Oh Paris!
What illuminates this city?
I saw it in the night- the color of dreams.
Oh, Paris!
Only Paris can capture the hearts of writers
Like no other city!
I want you to show me
Like Ernest Hemmingway
Like Scott Fitzgerald
What they sought- the color of dreams!
C’est Paris!
Selfishly, in this city,
C’est Paris!
People can see unbelievable dreams.
I want you to show me
Like the philosophers of Montmartre
Like the lovers who speak of romance
Something I have never seen- the color of dreams!
C’est la vie!
In the city of nostalgic meetings
C’est la vie!
People can find the dreams they’ve lost!
The editor Hayami accompanying Kitashirakawa on his trip appears.
Hayami: Mr. Kitashirakawa! There you are. I thought you’d suddenly disappeared…
Kitashirakawa: Hayami! I told you I hate group activities, not to mention when I’m forced to be around such vulgar people my creative motivation is exponentially reduced!
Hayami: You’re the one who selfishly broke away from the tour. Ms. Reiko’s been looking for you, too!
Kitashirakawa: That nasty tour guide… it’s fine to leave her behind.
Hayami: Really? I found her quite likeable. She’s the president of the tour agency but still leads tours with such vitality… It’s like watching a younger version of myself.
Kitashirakawa: If that’s true, then she’s bound to become a spinster too.
Hayami: Oh ho ho, what a jokester! I’ve definitely not given up yet.
Following Kitashirakawa, the guide Sakurai and the members of the Light Tour appear breathing heavily.
Sakurai: Mr. Kitashirakawa!
Kitashirakawa: Here comes the shabby tour guide.
Sakurai: How many times do I have to explain to you that your selfish behavior is a problem for the other tour members?
Kanezawa: Bro, I was looking for you.
Kitashirakawa: Hayami, do something! If I’m around this loud, annoying riffraff much longer, my creative research will be ruined!
Hayami: I’m sorry, Ms. Reiko. He’s that kind of artist…
Sakurai: Listen, this is a tour trip, you know? Even if Mr. Kitashirakawa is a famous novelist, in order to properly take part in the tour, he needs to listen to my instructions.
Kitashirakawa: Hayami…
Mrs. Shimoda: Kitashirakawa? Do you mean the Kitashirakawa Ukyo?
Kanezawa: Huh? This guy really a famous novelist?
Hayami: Yes! Mr. Kitashirakawa’s “Beauty and Sadness of the Blue Danube” (Utsukushisa to Kanashimi no Aoki Donau) was his brilliant debut novel! It was followed by his work “The Country of Light Snow” (Sasameyuki Kuni) that won the Tanibata Award. He’s truly a rare genius!
(TN: These are jokes regarding real life famous novels “Utsukushisa to Kanashimi to” by Yasunari Kawabata and “Sasameyuki” by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. Therefore, the (not real) Tanibata Award would be a reference to Tani(zaki) (Kawa)bata. Hahaha, good job zuka.)
Kanezawa: Sounds like a bunch of rip-off titles.
Michiru: Papa!
(TN: Michiru is referring to Kanezawa as ‘Papa’ as a lover’s pet name, rather than a father-figure. Probably due to the fact that it’s implied he is older than her. It doesn’t really hold the same connotation in English, but it’s a bit too obvious of a word to try to change to something else.)
Mr. Shimoda: Well then, have you come to Paris to write a new novel?
Kitashirakawa: I suppose.
Hayami: Mr. Kitashirakawa is working on a romance set in the court of King Louis XIV!
Michiru: Wow! What’s the title?
Kitashirakawa: Are you ready to hear its brilliance? The title is… (emphatically) “The Lily of Versailles!” (Versailles no Yuri)
Kanezawa: As I thought, just another rip-off.
Kitashirakawa: What did you say!?
Kanezawa: Geez, so grumpy! But you know, I feel like we’d get along bro. We’ve both got good taste in clothes and nice hairstyles…
Kitashirakawa: Don’t lump me in with the likes of you! (Messes up Kanezawa’s hair) My hair’s the real deal!
Kanezawa: Aaah!
Michiru: Papa!
Holding onto his wig, Kanezawa looks around in panic at everyone staring at him.
Sakurai: (amazed) Let’s end our friendly chats there. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late to arrive at the hotel.
Scene 1B: Places des Vosges
The stage changes to the Places des Vosges.
Kitashirakawa: Hayami! This is exactly why I said I hate group tours!
Hayami: Well, sensei, I don’t think you ever actually said that…
Sakurai: Now everyone, once we go through the corridor from the Places des Vosges, the Château de la Reine is waiting for us.
All members go onto the ginkyo.
[Château de la Reine]
Hayami: This is it, sensei! The place that Balzac (Honoré de Balzac) and Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle) loved! We’re almost at the Château de la Reine!
Kitashirakawa: Aah, the legendary hotel that turned away even the great Ernest Hemingway!
Michiru: (To Kanezawa) We get to stay at such a fancy hotel…. It’s like a dream!
Sakurai: But it’s not a dream! At first glance, you can see it looks like the kind of hotel normal customers wouldn’t be able to stay at… For us to stay here on a tour like this, rather than calling it a dream… it’s more like a miracle!
Château de la Reine
And the Plaza Athénée
And the Crillon and the Ritz, It’s not your imagination
A place that tourists from all over the world desire to stay!
Kanezawa: What’s that mumbo jumbo even mean? Chartoo …. (he can’t pronounce it)
Kitashirakawa interrupts Sakurai before she can explain.
Kitashirakawa: The “Château de la Reine”! In Japanese it means “The Queen’s Château”. It was owned by the ruler of 17th century France, Louis XIV, but the true meaning behind the Château’s name is still a mystery…
Château de la Reine! Others: Château
King Louis XIV himself de
Designed the interior decoration la
And still untouched- Reine
The Royal Suite! Château
That made VIPs worldwide de
Revere the Sun King’s la
Legendary Hotel! Reine!
All: The Queen’s Château… Château de la Reine!
Scene 1C: Château de la Reine (Courtyard Entrance)
The set changes during the interlude, the corridor hangings rise to reveal the courtyard entrance of the Château de la Reine. The hotel employees appear one after another.
Employees: Bienvenue!
Welcome to the Château de la Reine!
Employees: Château de la Reine!
Mrs. Shimoda: A once in a lifetime luxury
Mr. Shimoda: One last souvenir from the world
Employees: Château de la Reine
Michiru: How gorgeous!
Kanezawa: It’s perfect for us!
Employees: Château de la Reine
Hayami: Being able to stay here…
Kitashirakawa: … is the miracle of a lifetime!
Employees: Château de la Reine
All: Château de la Reine
The tour members all move to enter the Hotel. In the courtyard, the ghosts of Louis XIV and his servant Munon appear.
Louis: Munon, what is this? Who are those noisy people?!
Munon: I believe some Japanese tourists who have come to experience Paris?
Louis: And so, they also come to my Château de la Reine?
Munon: I fear that the hotel management has worsened, and they do not bother to take such care in screening visitors as they used to…
Louis: They just run in and out of the building like monkeys!
The place where my soul resides-
The Château de la Reine
For over three hundred years
Continuing to search for my lost love Munon: Continuing to search
Those that dare to interrupt for the king’s lost love…
My quest to find my beloved
Will not be forgiven!
The stage turns to reveal the hotel lobby.
Employees: Upon our list of past accommodations
Are the names of many great people!
Employees (women): Mozart!
Employees (men): Einstein!
Employees: Grace Kelly and Chaplain
Like everyone throughout the world
Who desires to see the color of dreams
The legendary hotel
The Queen’s Château- Château de la Reine
Mr. Shimoda: Our lives can finally end here
Mrs. Shimoda: It suits our final days
Employees: Château de la Reine
Kanezawa: I’ll tell her my secret and then propose?
Michiru: I want to know everything about Papa!
Employees: Château de la Reine
Château de la Reine
Hayami: To create a new masterpiece!
Sakurai: To get our company out of this pinch!
Kitashirakawa: I can already feel something great will happen!
Employees: Bienvenue! Welcome to
Château de la Reine!
Moving along with the number, the stage has changed to the lobby of the hotel.
Scene 2: Château de la Reine (Lobby)
Continuing from the front of the Château de la Reine lobby…
Kitashirakawa: Très bien!! Its sense of style is even better than what I’d heard!
The hotel manager, Monsieur Duran, appears.
Duran: Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs! (To Kanezawa) Ça va?
(*TN: The script has the French as ‘madames’ and ‘monsieurs’ which I have been told are not the plural spelling. Take it as you prefer.)
Kanezawa: Who you callin’ a saba, huh?! (TN: Saba = mackerel fish)
Michiru: Papa! How embarrassing…
Sakurai: Everyone, this is the general manager of the hotel, Monsieur Duran.
Duran: We welcome you to the Château de la Reine! For those of you just arriving from the airport, we will have your baggage delivered to your rooms right away!
Kitashirakawa: It’s here!
Hayami: Sensei?
Kitashirakawa: It’s here, it’s here, it’s here---- IT’S HERE!
Hayami: Aaah- the angels of inspiration have already appeared!?
Sakurai: What on earth…
Hayami: This happens whenever he gets an idea! It’s as if something possesses him! He’s known as the exorcist of literature!
Kitashirakawa: Hayami! Quickly- I need a pen and paper!!
Hayami: Yes, here! (To Duran) Uhm… Je voudrais la clé… We are Kitashirakawa and Hayami. Quick, our room key!
Duran: Oui! (Offers the keys.) Here you are.
Hayami: (Takes the keys) Merci! (To the boy) Now, guide us to our room!
Boy: Oh! Par ici, s’il vous plaît …
Following the boy, Kitashirakawa and Hayami exit through the hotel corridor.
Sakurai: Wait, both of you- I haven’t explained yet-
Kanezawa: Hey missy, hurry up and give us our room too.
Sakurai: I understand… (To Duran) Well then, please assign Mr. Kanezawa and Mr. Shimoda their room keys as well.
Duran: Oui, madame.
Sakurai: Everyone, we will be departing for our dinner cruise in exactly thirty minutes. I respectfully request your punctuality in meeting here in the lobby.
The steward boys lead the visitors to their rooms through the corridor.
Sakurai: Well then, please enjoy your stay.
The guests pass Sakurai and Duran on their way out, and once they are out of sight Sakurai and the manager begin speaking.
Sakurai: Monsieur Duran, being able to complete this special tour is all thanks to you…
Duran: Pas de problème. I should be the one saying that. In this recession, we in management can only do so much in the face of such abrupt cancellations. I wonder what will happen now…
Sakurai: We’ll have to keep working earnestly, but before that there’s another matter to discuss…
Duran: Oui, Madame. If it’s about the double-booking…
Sakurai: Shhhhhh!!! (looking around) Anyway, about the baggage replacements… you’ll have to pay meticulous attention.
Duran: Leave it to us, Madame Reiko.
Duran exits the stage. Now alone, Sakurai takes out her cellphone. In a different area of the stage is Togawa, still waiting at the airport.
Sakurai: Hello?
Togawa: Ms. Reiko! Aren’t you running a little late!? I don’t know how much longer I can fend off the customers’ complaints!
Sakurai: Well, that just can’t be helped. My “Light Tour” is a 7-night-8-day package at 1,500,000 yen… while your “Shadow Tour” can visit the Château de la Reine for only 198,000 yen. On a cheap course, you just have to endure some inconveniences along the way.
Togawa: Even if you say it like that…
Sakurai: Anyway, the “Light Tour” members have just checked into the hotel. We’ll be leaving the hotel soon, so go ahead and please leave the airport now.
Togawa: I’m saved!
Sakurai: Are you going to be ok? You have to do the room assignments exactly as I told you. First is room 201, where the Shimoda couple is staying. (In the corridor of the hotel, the figures of the Shimoda couple can be seen.) They seem to be in charge of management for a large electrical company, but the economy hasn’t been very good to that kind of business lately.
Then, room 202 has the real estate kingpin, Mr. Kanezawa. (Similarly, Kanezawa and Michiru can be seen in the background.) He says the reason he joined this tour is to make plans for a Paris-themed casino in Las Vegas- which is more the type of business the economy has been kind to lately. The girl with him, Miss Michiru, is a former hostess… I thought she was his fiancée, but I’m not actually sure…
Togawa: And for the “Shadow Tour”, room 201 is the Iwanamis. And room 202 is the Tannos, right?
Sakurai: Right. But then the trouble comes in room 203, with the writer Kitashirakawa and his editor Ms. Hayami.
As the stage turns, the set of room 203 appears and Kitashirakawa working at the desk comes into view, working on his novel.
Togawa: Trouble?
Sakurai: Mr. Kitashirakawa! If I take my eyes off of him for even a second I don’t know what he’ll do. He walks around with the air of a celebrity- he thinks he’s so special…
Kitashirakawa: ACHOO
Kitashirakawa sneezes.
(TN: In Japan, it’s a common superstition that when you sneeze, it means someone is talking behind your back.)
Togawa: So, after we arrive at the hotel, what should we do?...
Sakurai: After about two hours, take everyone sightseeing.
Togawa: Got it. But… after that…?
Sakurai: You’ve already got a plan, don’t you?
Togawa: The only thing the plan says is ‘don’t come back to the hotel until morning’?!
Sakurai: Oui, monsieur. Bon voyage. Have a good trip.
Sakurai hangs up the phone.
Togawa: Wait… Ms. Reiko? Ms. Reiko!?
On opposite sides of the bridge, Sakurai and Togawa exit the stage.
Scene 3: Château de la Reine (Room 203)
As the setting of Room 203 turns to the front, Kitashirakawa is sitting as his desk with his manuscript in front of him. His writing progress is not going as well as he thought…
Kitashirakawa: Aaah, it’s no good! I can’t write anything!... I was sure the Angel of Inspiration had visited me before… As I thought from the beginning, this is impossible… writing a romance novel about Louis XIV…
Kitashirakawa sighs, walking up to look at the portrait of Louis XIV in the room.
Kitashirakawa: (impatiently) Look at this ‘perfect’ guy. Politics… Love… Everything the perfect Sun King wanted, he got! When it comes to writing novels, that kind of life is just boring.
Suddenly the light disappears, and a man’s voice echoes through the room.
Louis: (Voice) Boring?! What would someone like you know about my life?!...
Kitashirakawa: What was that voice?...
Behind Kitashirakawa, the ghostly figure of King Louis XIV appears from the painting.
Louis: Barre-toi! Remove yourself from my presence immediately!
Kitashirakawa: (happily) It’s here! It’s here, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here!
Louis: This home is not a place for lowly monkeys like you to visit!
Kitashirakawa: And look! It’s even appeared in the form of Louis XIV himself… Amazing! It’s as if the archangel Michael himself has come before me!
Louis: What nonsense are you spouting? Were you not listening to what I said?
Kitashirakawa: With such kingly flourish! As if 300 years had not past, Louis XIV has been revived before me! Now, Angel of Stories, bestow upon me thine inspiration!
Louis: I am not an angel! I am the owner of the Château de la Reine, Louis XIV.
Kitashirakawa: Louis XIV? … You mean, the actual ghost of the Sun King?
Louis: Do you finally understand? So… are you properly terrified?
Kitashirakawa: Terrified? My pure talent is what’s terrifying! That my overflowing imagination could summon forth even this level of paranormal experience!...
Louis: What is wrong with this guy?
Kitashirakawa: Hey, tell me… If you really are Louis XIV like you say, then you’ve got to know something- right? Something you’ve never told anyone… For example, a tragic love story…
Louis: Why would I speak to you about such things?
Kitashirakawa: So that I can finish my romance novel- with you as the main character!
Louis: How rude! As if I would let you write my secrets into a novel!
Kitashirakawa: Meaning… there is something!
Louis: It has absolutely nothing to do with you.
Kitashirakawa: What kind of secret could it be! Some sort of affair with a noble woman? Or perhaps- a man….?
Louis: I do not have that kind of interest.
Kitashirakawa: Then perhaps you fell prey to the machinations of a woman who only wanted you for your status and power…?
Louis: How dare you! Diana is not that kind of woman!
Kitashirakawa: ~Diana~?
Louis: Ack!
Kitashirakawa: So, that is the name of the woman you loved?
Louis: Silence!
Kitashirakawa: Diana… Diana… The name Diana wasn’t listed in anything to do with Louis that I can remember. But Diana is the name of the Moon Goddess… A forbidden love story between the Sun King and the Moon Goddess… This could work! This could definitely work!
Shocked and appalled at the monkey Kitashirakawa, Louis returns to his place in the painting. The light returns to the room, and the sound of knocking can be heard at the door.
Sakurai: (voice) Mr. Kitashirakawa? Ms. Hayami?
Kitashirakawa: What? I’m finally at a good place…
Sakurai: (voice) Mr. Kitashirakawa? You’re there, aren’t you?
Kitashirakawa: It’s that woman again? Hayami! Hayami!
Hayami comes out of a nearby door to the next room.
Hayami: Yes, yes, Hayami is here!
Kitashirakawa: (Pointing at the door) Do something about her! A wonderful Angel of Inspiration has finally appeared to me! (Realizes that Louis has disappeared) Huh? Where’d he go?
Kitashirakawa goes to inspect the portrait, but the knocking sound returns.
Sakurai: Mr. Kitashirakawa! Ms. Hayami!
When Hayami opens the door, Sakurai jumps into the room.
Sakurai: What on earth are you doing? It’s time for us to depart for the dinner cruise!
Hayami: Oh, is that so?
Sakurai: All of the other customers are already gathered and waiting!
Kitashirakawa: Really? Well, on the contrary, I will not be attending.
Sakurai: That… I cannot allow that! Such selfish behavior will cause trouble for the other customers!
Kitashirakawa: What kind of trouble could it cause? This is my room, after all.
The local guide Pierre enters the room.
Pierre: Madame Reiko, if we do not hurry, we will be late for the dinner cruise!
Hayami: What… an attractive man…
Pierre: Enchanté! I am your local guide- Pierre!
Sakurai: Monsieur Pierre, please gather the other customers and leave the hotel first. I will bring Mr. Kitashirakawa to the cruise myself.
Pierre: J’ai compris.
Sakurai: Sensei… would you mind…?
Kitashirakawa: Yeah, go and enjoy it for me, too.
Pierre escorts Hayami from the room.
Sakurai: Mr. Kitashirakawa, please come with me!
Kitashirakawa: I’d rather write my novel!
Sakurai: You can write it later, can’t you? For example, after the dinner cruise…
Kitashirakawa: You are so persistent!
Sakurai’s mobile phone begins to ring.
Sakurai: (answering the phone) Hello?
Kitashirakawa: If you’re going to chat on the phone, leave the room!
Togawa: (voice) Ms. Reiko! We finally arrived at the Château de la Reine! I just delivered everyone their room keys.
Sakurai: No! No! You have to take the customers out sightseeing immediately!
Togawa: (voice) Ms. Reiko!?
Sakurai hurriedly hangs up the phone.
Sakurai: What should I do…
Sakurai begins to clean up Kitashirakawa’s things.
Kitashirakawa: HEY! What are you doing?!
Sakurai: What does it look like- cleaning!
Kitashirakawa: But WHY?
Sakurai: Because if I don’t clean, we’ll be in a lot of trouble!
Kitashirakawa: Hey!
Crayon: (voice) Here it is! Room 203! Mako-chan, hurry and open it~
Kitashirakawa: Whose voice is that?
Kondo: (voice) Who are you callin’ Mako-chan!!
Crayon: (voice) Since your name’s Kondo Makoto, you’re now Mako-chan!
As Crayon and Kondo approach from the hall, the sound of keys opening the door can be heard. Sakurai drags Kitashirakawa behind the sofa and pushes him down.
Kitashirakawa: GYA!
Sakurai: This is bad! This is bad!
Crayon and Kondo enter the room.
Crayon: Wow! What a wonderful room! It’s kind of like being on a honeymoon~ (Crayons skips over to Kondo)
Kondo: How is it a honeymoon with two men!?
Togawa appears in the doorway.
Togawa: Mr. Kondo, Ms. (?) Crayon. It’s a bit earlier than planned, but I’d like to take you on your first sightseeing tour now…
Kondo: You saved me! Well then, quickly- to sightseeing! Sightseeing, sightseeing…
Kondo quickly runs from the room as if to escape.
Crayon: Hey, Mako-chan! Wait for me!
Crayon leaves the room, following Kondo. Kitashirakawa and Sakurai appear from behind the sofa.
Kitashirakawa: I can’t!... I can’t breathe!
Togawa: Ms. Reiko!?
Sakurai: Togawa! What are you doing? Hurry up and follow the customers!
Togawa: What are YOU doing, Ms. Reiko!? Behind a sofa… alone with a man!
Sakurai: This isn’t the time for weird misunderstandings!
Togawa: But…
Sakurai: Just hurry up and go after the customers!!
Togawa: Y-Yes!
Togawa runs out of the room in a hurry.
Kitashirakawa: HEY! What the hell just happened!? And what was with that okama couple!?
Sakurai: Ah, it must be, a slight error with the hotel…
Kitashirakawa: SLIGHT error?!
Sakurai: Anyway, it seems like there isn’t anything to worry about with the room, so please continue writing your novel at your leisure. Well then, I’ll take my leave…
Sakurai rushes from the room.
Kitashirakawa: HEY! Wait a minute!
Kitashirakawa runs from the room chasing after Sakurai. Once they’re both gone, the ghost of Louis XIV returns, accompanied by strange music.
Louis: Munon. Do something about these monkeys!
Munon: Even if you ask milord, what could I do…
Louis: With people like that around, I’ll never be able to communicate with Diana’s soul.
Munon: I’ve been searching with your majesty for Diana for over 300 years now… Could Madame Diana possibly still be in this Château?
Louis: Are you doubting me?!
Munon: I held no such intent, sire…
Louis: I am certain that I heard Diana’s voice in this Château. She must still be wandering through that deep darkness…
Scene 4: Château de la Reine (Courtyard Entrance)
Lonely music plays. The stage changes to the Château in the 17th century, covered in moonlight. (This is a mental image by Louis.) While Louis sings on the ginkyo, Diana can be seen standing in the gardens, covered in moonlight.
[The Sun and the Moon]
Louis: Diana… even if you never forgive me, my soul will eternally search for you, my love…
No one knows
How the Sun King of France
Hid darkness within his heart
And how that darkness
Was illuminated by the light of the gentle moon.
In the interlude of the song, Petit Louis appears from inside the house.
Petit Louis: Maman!
Diana: Petit Louis…
As Petit Louis approaches Diana, one leg drags behind him as if hurt.
Petit Louis: Maman! Tell me about father! He was a soldier, right? A soldier who courageously fought against Spain and was a hero of France?
Diana: No. Your father was but a weakling. He gave into the Spanish blood running in his veins and abandoned us.
Petit Louis: Papa… abandoned…?
Diana: Forgive me, Petit Louis. If mama hadn’t believed in your father so much, then your leg wouldn’t…
Petit Louis: Don’t cry, Maman! I’m fine as long as I have Maman! I won’t ever ask about Papa again. So please… don’t cry, Maman.
Diana: Petit Louis…
Diana and Petit Louis share a strong embrace.
Louis: Forgive me! … Diana! Petit Louis!...
Diana
Goddess of the moon, who illuminated my heart
I search only for you
Diana
The only proof I ever lived Diana: The only proof I ever lived
I will keep searching for you I wish to forget it…
If only to be able to express to you The cruel Sun King’s
My sincere love… ‘Sincere’ love…
Diana!
As the light fades around them, the stage turns to the next scene.
Scene 5: The City of Paris
Sakurai appears on a dark street outside of the hotel, quickly followed by Kitashirakawa chasing after her.
Kitashirakawa: HEY! Wait a minute! Stop trying to escape!?
Sakurai: Escape?... No, I’m only trying to join everyone on the dinner cruise…
Kitashirakawa: You can’t hide this sham from me anymore! I figured it out the moment I saw those other guys that came in earlier. This double-booking situation was planned from the beginning!
Sakurai: … I’m truly truly sorry!
Having been found out, Sakurai begins apologizing and bowing vigorously in defeat.
Kitashirakawa: You can’t fool the keen eyes of a novelist!
Sakurai: I truly had no choice! Although we planned this expensive tour with the Château de la Reine, we couldn’t attract as many customers as we thought! So… we had to plan a second, cheaper tour attraction…
Kitashirakawa: As I thought! … Well, in planning this second fraudulent trip, were you able to satisfy your greed for money?
Sakurai: If we didn’t manage to collect enough for our settlement by this month’s deadline, my company would go bankrupt!...
Kitashirakawa: Your circumstances really don’t mean anything to me…
Sakurai: Yes, you are right… No matter what the circumstances are, I did something terrible to everyone here… At the very least, I plan to take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize, it is all my fault that this tour will end prematurely…
Kitashirakawa: End?...
Sakurai: Of course, we will offer full reimbursement of your money…
Kitashirakawa: Wait a minute, who said anything about stopping the tour?
Sakurai: I’m truly sorry, but there’s no way for me to reserve the necessary amount of rooms… So, there’s no other way.
Kitashirakawa: Then, you should just continue as is, right?
Sakurai: …What?
Kitashirakawa: The double-booking tour.
Sakurai: What are you saying?
Kitashirakawa: As of now, the only one who’s noticed your little plan is this brilliant author here. None of the other customers have noticed anything at all.
Sakurai: To continue the tour… Are you saying you’ll help me?
Kitashirakawa: Well, I guess something like that…
Sakurai: You would do that for me…
Kitashirakawa: Don’t misunderstand! It’s really not for you.
Sakurai: Then, instead… you don’t mean, for me to spend the night with you…!?
Kitashirakawa: It’s nothing like that!? If the tour were to stop now, it would be a huge problem for me!
Sakurai: What do you mean?
Kitashirakawa: While on this tour, I HAVE to write a new novel by any means necessary! A brilliant masterpiece to resurrect the name of Kitashirakawa Ukyo! Recently I’ve been squeaking by with small serializations here and there- my career as a novelist hangs on the success of this tour!
Sakurai: But, to continue tricking the other customers with the double booking for such a reason…
Kitashirakawa: Anyway, in order to keep up with your sham, I’ll go along with your plan starting tomorrow morning and follow your boring sightseeing or whatever…
Sakurai: Thank you so much! … Well, I don’t know if I should really be thanking you or…
Kitashirakawa: Well, then! I’m going back to my room to write my novel, so don’t interrupt me again! (He goes to leave, then stops.) And make sure none of the others catch on to your plan- do your job properly! Huh!
Turning his back on Sakurai, Kitashirakawa exits the stage. The music slowly changes to Sakurai’s song.
[Another étranger] (TN: étranger means ‘stranger’? This could potentially be very wrong.)
Sakurai: To suddenly chase after someone
I feel something pass through my heart
With kindness And with coldness- The feelings I avoided
Seem to be reaching out.
The bustle and laughter of the city
All belong to someone other than me.
Just another étranger
Like I see reflected in the shop windows
I desired a time long past.
A temperamental traveler
Just another étranger.
But I can see it reflected In someone’s eyes…
The destination I’ve been searching for
Another me
Like a lost child.
And staring at myself when I cannot move…
Is just another étranger.
Finishing the song, Sakurai exits the stage.
Scene 6: Parfum de la Lune
A cabaret in Montmartre, a can-can singer appears during a drum roll. He begins to introduce the start of the show.
[Parfum de la Lune]
Cancan singer: Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs. C’est parti CAN CAN! (TN: Again, was told the French was incorrect idk)
At the singer’s signal, the music picks up pace, and the back of the stage starts a brilliant and shocking Cancan dance. In the audience sit the members of Togawa’s tourist group. Half way through the show, the dancers move to dance among the audience, urging them to dance along. Crayon happily dances along, while Kondo seems embarrassed. The Tannos watch everyone suspiciously.
Cancan singer: Parfum de la Lune
The sweet scent invites you
Parfum de la Lune
Gaze up at the moon in the night sky
Like a fragrant aphrodisiac
Parfum de la Lune
Cancan girls: Even if you’re bored
Or been sightseeing all day
Anyone is welcome here!
Garçon: Do you want to forget that lonely feeling?
Well, let’s get started!
It’s time for our dazzling show!
Cancan singer: Parfum de la Lune
Those are magical words
Parfum de la Lune
The song here is always one of love
Until the moon finally sets!
With the customers: Parfum de la Lune
Parfum de la Lune
Parfum de la Lune Ah!
All: Let’s play through the night!
Ah Ah Ah Ah!
Once the song is over, everyone makes their way back to their seats.
Crayon: To be able to dance the cancan at a real cabaret! It’s like a dream! Right, Mako-chan~?
Kondo: I keep telling you, don’t involve me!
Mr. Tanno: Mr. Togawa, shouldn’t we be getting back to the hotel?
Togawa: That… Mr. Tanno, our sightseeing has only just begun?
Mr. Tanno: We didn’t come here just to play around!
Kondo: Oh, so did you come here for work?
Mrs. Tanno: (Scrutinizing) We… work in import sales. So, we’re looking to buy rare brand items.
Crayon: Amazing! When we get back, can I visit your shop sometime?
Mrs. Tanno: Yes, of course! (Trying to change the course of the conversation) So, Crayon, why did you come to Paris?
Crayon: I guess you could call it a ‘heartbreak trip’. I’m trying to heal my broken heart…
Kondo: I guess okama are miserable on their own.
Crayon: How rude! Aren’t you on your own, too, Mako-chan?
Kondo: I… The person I invited… rejected me…
Crayon: Your lover?
Kondo: No, just someone I liked…
Crayon: So, you invited someone you weren’t even dating to travel to Paris with you?
Kondo: So what if I did?!
Crayon: That… for a first date, that’s a bit too much~
Mr. Tanno: Mr. Togawa, can’t we just do as we like from here? We really want to go back to the hotel.
Togawa: Mr. Tanno!
Mrs. Iwanami: Well then, we will also go back with you…
Togawa: The Iwanamis too?... Please, I can’t allow you to go off on your own!
Mr. Tanno: Why?
Togawa: The streets of Paris at night can be dangerous! If anything happened to you…
Crayon: (Grabs onto Kondo’s arm) Well then, why don’t we all go back together?
Togawa: Ms. Crayon!?
Crayon: I sure would like to be alone with Mako-chan here~ (Shimmies up to Kondo)
Kondo: STOP IT!
Togawa: That, I can’t allow it! No matter what, I will make sure that you all enjoy sightseeing in Paris ALL NIGHT!
Everyone is amazed at Togawa’s raised voice.
Crayon: Well that was sudden… I’m kind of surprised.
Togawa: (returning to his senses) I… I am so terribly sorry!
Kondo: But what do you mean by “all night”?
Togawa: That is… to say… returning to the hotel right now… would be bad…
Mr. Tanno: “Bad”?
Togawa: Actually, about our situation at the Château de la Reine… there is something that I haven’t told you all…
Mr. Iwanami: Well, how ominous! Come now, tell us…
Togawa: Then, I will tell you truthfully… The truth is, all of your guestrooms… are limited to use only during the daytime…
Mrs. Tanno: What!?
Mr. Tanno: Then what are we supposed to do during the night?
Togawa: That is why… I want you to enjoy sightseeing through the evening…
Kondo: Are you saying we’re just supposed to stroll around the city all night?
Togawa: Please don’t worry about that, there are many shops open until the early morning hours!
Kondo: That’s not actually the problem here, is it!?
Mrs. Iwanami: Mr. Togawa, what is the reason behind all this?
Togawa: That is…
Kondo: You… if you don’t tell us the full truth right now, I’m gonna arrest you!
Togawa: A-arrest!? Please, have mercy…
Mrs. Iwanami: Now, now, Mr. Kondo… Stop acting all tough, won’t you? Let’s first listen to what Mr. Togawa has to say. After all, there has to be some sort of extenuating circumstance for all this?
Prepared to divulge all, Togawa vigorously bows to them. (dogeza)
Togawa: I am so truly sorry! I… have betrayed everyone’s trust with my outrageous actions!... (crying)
Kondo: Now what’s wrong?
Crayon: Seems like he’s just crying…
Mr. Iwanami: Mr. Togawa, raise your head now. At the least, we’ve all agreed to listen to what you have to say, ok?
The stage fades into darkness.
Scene 7: The City of Paris
On the ginkyo, the members of the “Light Tour” return from their dinner cruise with Pierre. Hayami and Pierre are especially drunk…
Pierre: Everybody~! Did you enjoy the dinner cruise~?
Hayami: Yes, amazing!
Pierre: Non, the amazing one… is you~!
Hayami: Oh, Pierre… In truth, I… am a ~terrible~ woman…
Michiru: Gross! Lady, you’ve really got it bad…
Hayami: What? Are you jealous?
Michiru: That’s impossible…
Kanezawa: Is that true?! Michiru…
Michiru: Papa?
Kanezawa: Really, compared to an old man like me… (he suddenly grabs Pierre’s shoulder) you prefer young guys like this!
Michiru: What are you saying!? The only one Michiru loves is Papa!
Kanezawa: Ya swear it?
Pierre: Well, anyway… there are many places that I wish to take you as your guide!
Mrs. Shimoda: Well then, Mr. Pierre, would it be alright if I asked you something then?
Pierre: Oui, madame.
Mrs. Shimoda: I’d like for you to tell me… What is the quietest and most beautiful place in all of Paris?
Pierre: The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur!
Mr. Shimoda: Where was that?
Pierre: The Sacred Heart temple in Montmartre! It was painted by Utrillo (Maurice Utrillo) as the white temple~!
Mrs. Shimoda: Really… The Sacred Heart temple? Thank you very much.
The Shimoda couple share a meaningful gaze.
Pierre: Well then, let us return! I shall guide you all back to the hotel~!
Hayami: Eh!? We’re going home already?
Michiru: You’ve already had enough to drink, haven’t you?
Kanezawa: (Seeing Hayami tripping over her own feet) Hey, hey, lady, are you ok?
Everyone begins to exit the stage. Mr. Shimoda does not move, and Mrs. Shimoda calls back to him.
Mrs. Shimoda: Dear?
Mr. Shimoda: We… are going to end up causing some trouble for those people, aren’t we?
Mrs. Shimoda: Isn’t ok to do as we like, at least at the end? Just at the end…
Mr. Shimoda smiles at his wife, who looks at him with a sweet smile.
Mr. Shimoda: You always show me such a loving smile, even at times like this. It makes me wish I could have spared you all this…
Mrs. Shimoda tries to keep smiling.
Mr. Shimoda: Fusako… you don’t have to keep smiling. Don’t force yourself to smile.
Mrs. Shimoda tries to hide her tears. As the ending falls, the two exit the stage.
Scene 8: Château de la Reine (Room 203, Mr. Kitashirakawa’s room)
Room 203 in the Château de la Reine. After returning to the room, Kitashirakawa approaches the portrait of Louis XIV.
Kitashirakawa: Now then! No more interruptions! Come, let me once again gaze upon your true form!
After Kitashirakawa’s voice fades, there is nothing but silence.
Kitashirakawa: Please, I need to know! The truth between you and Diana- Who exactly was Diana? What is the true identity of the Moon Goddess…!?
As the lights disappear, Louis’s voice echoes through the room.
Louis: I will not forgive you…. You dare to speak Diana’s name so lightly!?
Kitashirakawa: It’s here! It’s here, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here!
Louis appears from the portrait.
Louis: Remove yourself from my presence immediately! My soul will never speak to the likes of you…
Kitashirakawa: Even with that kind of threat, do you think I would miss an opportunity like this? Now, come… tell me the story of you and Diana…!
Louis: Silence! You dare to speak her name a second time?!
Kitashirakawa: Why are you trying to hide it? What on earth happened between the two of you?
Louis: There’s no reason I should speak to the likes of you.
Kitashirakawa: Please listen. All I want is to write about your one and only true love.
Louis: True love?
Kitashirakawa: Yes! In the memoirs written about you, you’re almost like a myth- a man with only brilliant achievements and no human faults to be found. But what I want to write is about you as a man and your one true love!
Louis: How foolish… You think the King of France could ever live as a simple person?
Kitashirakawa: Well then, what was Diana to you?
Louis: …
Kitashirakawa: I’ll bet that love was your only proof you ever lived! That is the story of the Sun King that should be passed down through history!
Louis: To live as a king… there is no such thing as true love!... In order to become the Sun King of France, I expelled Dianna from Versailles and sent her here to live in this Château. No matter how much you ask, there is no ‘love story’ for you to find. I still only ask for her forgiveness, and for that reason continue to search for her soul…
Kitashirakawa: Très bien! Beautiful! The anguish of the King who had to throw his own love away… And now continues his eternal search for Diana, as just a simple man. This is the theme I’ve been looking for in my next work!
Louis: After all this, you’re still talking about such things…
Kitashirakawa: Kitashirakawa Ukyo’s second name is the Genius Romance Novelist! Within my creation, the love between two people not bound by time… Well, in my story, you would definitely be able to meet Diana again!
Louis: Foolish! For your scenario to work, Diana would have to appear before us.
Kitashirakawa: You’ll see… What’s needed to bring your reunion about… is Versailles!
Louis: Versailles!? But, she’s still here, in this Château…
Kitashirakawa: Rather, we should summon her in the place of your beautiful, shared memories! To Versailles!
The rhythm begins to change with the Background music.
[To Versailles]
Kitashirakawa: Beyond the boundaries of time
Your two souls are tied together
Louis: A man like you appeared unexpectedly
Bringing hope with you
Kitashirakawa: A fantastic story!
Louis: An absurd idea…
Kitashirakawa: Let’s draw her out!
Louis: Let’s give it a chance.
Kitashirakawa: Like Louis: Like
A feeling of a déjà vu- The feeling of falling in love
A chance to meet again! A chance to create anew,
The story of the Sun King and Moon Goddess! My story with Diana.
Kitashirakawa: Well then, to Versailles!
Louis: To Versailles!
Kitashirakawa and Louis: Let’s go find the next part of the story!
During the interlude, Munon suddenly appears without warning and interrupts the two.
Munon: But the problem is, exactly how is his Majesty to get to Versailles?
Kitashirakawa: (Shocked) Who are you?!
Louis: Munon. What’s the problem?
Munon: In that kind of dress, you would stand out to people in this modern era…
Kitashirakawa: Aah, If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry. You can just accompany me as a local guide who dresses the part for the tour.
Reassuring Louis with his bright idea, Kitashirakawa begins to lead them in song again. The three of them begin to sing together.
Kitashirakawa: When past and present intersect
An unpredictable story!
Come, to Versailles!
Louis and Munon: Quickly, to Versailles!
All three: Let’s go find the next part of the story!
Kitashirakawa: To Versailles!
Louis and Munon: Quickly, to Versailles!
Kitashirakawa: Now-
All three: Let’s begin… the next part of the story!
As the music ends, the curtain falls.
Scene 9: The City of Paris
Togawa appears on the ginkyo, followed by the members of the “Shadow Tour”. Mr. Iwanami is singing the military song “Song of the Young Eagle” while supporting the crying Togawa by the shoulder.
Mr. Iwanami: (Singing) The seven buttons of the young-blooded trainee pilots are…
(TN: This was a song used when drafting potential aviators?)
Crayon: (To Togawa) How long are you going to keep crying? Didn’t we already agree to cooperate with you so the people in the “Light Tour” don’t figure out your plan?
Togawa: But, why are you all being so nice!? After I betrayed your trust like that… you should never forgive me! (cries again)
Kondo: Stop blaming yourself so much. It was something you had to do to save your company, right?
Crayon: Mako-chan, you’re so nice!~ And after you kept going on about arresting him earlier…
Kondo: I’m making an exception. If we don’t return to the hotel, then I don’t have to worry about being attacked by an okama in the middle of the night…
Crayon: What did you just say!??
Kondo: No-Nothing in particular…
Mr. Iwanami: Mr. Togawa.
Everyone freezes at the severe tone of Mr. Iwanami’s voice.
Togawa: Y-Yes!?
Mr. Iwanami: Just smile.
Togawa: What?
Mr. Iwanami: When I was young, I left junior high school and applied to military training, where I became a zero-fighter pilot (TN: Mitsubishi A6M planes in the war). The cockpits in those planes were very small, and whenever we intercepted a B29 (TN: American Boeing B29 super fortress) … there was no guarantee whether we would live to the next day or not.
Kondo: Are we about to have to listen to this old man’s war stories?
Crayon: Mako-chan!
Mr. Iwanami: However, even when we were prepared for death, we continued to smile and laugh.
Togawa: Mr. Iwanami!
Mr. Iwanami: After my time there, I became a teacher at a special night high school because I wanted to pass that message along to the children. Do you understand? Especially when things are difficult, you just smile and laugh. Smile for someone that you care about.
Togawa: Mr. Iwanami…! (crying again)
Crayon: Aaah… He’s crying again.
Mr. Tanno: Mr. Togawa… How about this? If you just leave the “Light Tour” customers’ baggage in the rooms, we’ll make sure not to touch or disturb them. Then you can save the time needed for having to move things around, right?
Mrs. Iwanami: Oh, I think that’s a very nice idea! With that plan, we can all work together to help Mr. Togawa!
Togawa: Everyone! I, Togawa Mitsuo, will never ever forget this blessing!
Crayon: Well then, why don’t we head to the next shop? (Takes Kondo’s arm) Somewhere we can have some fun~
Mr. Iwanami: Well then, Mr. Togawa. You must continue to guide us!
Togawa: Yes!!... Well then, please follow me!
With Togawa in the lead, everyone follows along. Only the Tanno couple remain on stage.
Mrs. Tanno: How stone cold. Pretending to be honorable- like you won’t touch a thing.
Mr. Tanno: Sharing a room with a bunch of rich people from the “Light Tour” when only we’ll be there during the day. We won’t get another chance like this.
Mrs. Tanno: You… really are a bad person.
Mr. Tanno: Do you dislike it?
Mrs. Tanno: It makes me love you even more.
The couple also leaves, the stage turning to the next scene.
Scene 10: The Palace of Versailles (The Hall of Mirrors)
The Palace of Versailles is bustling with plenty of sightseeing tourists. The guide Pierre appears, leading the members of the “Light Tour”.
Pierre: Here we are! Everyone, this is the famous Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors!
Michiru: How flashy!? This is so my style.
Kanezawa: Wow! This is something! I’ve gotta have a hall like this in my hotel in Vegas, bro.
Hayami: Excuse me, everyone… would you terribly mind not speaking in such loud voices? My head feels like it’s going to break…
Mr. Shimoda: Fusako. What in the world is this place? I can’t believe that one person could have such a place built in only one generation.
Mrs. Shimoda: Well, Louis the XIV was known for his excessive spending. It was the reason the country went into bankruptcy before the French Revolution, I think…
Kitashirakawa, Louis, and Munon appear.
Louis: The one who caused bankruptcy was not I, but Louis XVI! I’m utterly embarrassed to call that man my descendant.
Mr. Shimoda: Fusako, look. There are paintings that reach up to the ceiling.
Louis: Ah, so you noticed! After I was crowned, I had these impressive paintings completed in a mere eighteen years- each one painted by Le Blanc himself. This one here is the War of Flanders, while this one is the War with the Netherlands…
Michiru: (To Kanezawa) Don’t you think that guide is amazing?!
Sakurai: (To Kitashirakawa) So you’re saying he’s… really the ghost of Louis XIV?
Kitashirakawa: Yes! The savior of my novel!
Sakurai: But, to go so far as to make him a tour guide…
Kitashirakawa: It’s a great idea, right!? The idea to make him a tour guide of Versailles suddenly struck me!
Everyone begins praising Louis’ explanations.
Kitashirakawa: Thankfully, everyone really believes he’s just a really devoted guide impersonating Louis XIV.
Mrs. Shimoda: Even so, I wonder why… For such a beautiful palace, this place seems to have a feeling of sadness to it.
Mr. Shimoda: Yes, I thought so too.
Sakurai: Mr. Shimoda, are you feeling alright?
Mr. Shimoda: Oh, yes of course! I was just… thinking about something a former teacher used to tell me all the time.
Sakurai: What was it?
Mrs. Shimoda: When times are difficult or painful… or even sad. You must laugh and survive for someone you care about.
Sakurai: Even in difficult times, for someone you care about…
Mrs. Shimoda: For us, those words are irreplaceable.
Mr. Shimoda: I think our teacher definitely wanted to pass on that hope to live to those of us with no money and no hope.
Sakurai: It’s a lovely story.
Kanezawa: Could you not tell depressing stories when we managed to come all the way to Versailles?
Mr. Shimoda: I’m sorry!... What was I thinking, ruining the mood like that…
Kitashirakawa: I disagree! It is a very interesting life view. Even if you think like that in regards to the Sun King… A king carrying darkness deep within his heart. As he thirsts for the light that can eradicate the darkness, it leads him to build this masterpiece…
Hayami: That’s Kitashirakawa-sensei for you!... What a beautiful interpretation… (suddenly feels sick)
Kitashirakawa: Hayami?
Hayami: I… need to go… to the restroom…
Pierre: Oh, Madame! I will show you the way!
Pierre accompanies Hayami off stage.
Mr. Shimoda: Well then, please excuse us as well. Come, Fusako…
Mrs. Shimoda: Ms. Reiko, are you coming?
Sakurai: Yes!
The Shimodas also exit the stage. Suddenly looking at Kanezawa, Kitashirakawa notices an incident.
Kitashirakawa: Shouldn’t you go as well?
Kanezawa: Me? … Why?
Kitashirakawa: (in a whisper) You’re crooked… (indicating Kanezawa’s wig)
Kanezawa: Crooked!?... CROOKED!?
Michiru: Papa! Where are you going!?
Kanezawa runs off stage while holding down his wig with his hands. Michiru follows him off stage.
Sakurai: That isn’t the restroom, Mr. Kanezawa! Miss Michiru!
Ms. Sakurai chases after them.
Louis: And why did I have to pretend to be your silly guide?
Kitashirakawa: Contrary to your words, you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit.
Munon: Yes, it did seem as if you were coming to enjoy it.
Louis: Do not make fun! Forget all that, what about Diana? When will she reveal herself to me?
Kitashirakawa: Don’t panic. We’ve set up the perfect situation for a reunion scenario!
[Reminiscence]
The background music begins.
Kitashirakawa: Our story begins with the Sun King giving a monologue. While alone in this corridor, gather all your nostalgia for Diana, and speak of the beautiful memories you shared here together! Led by your voice, other ghosts may appear and disappear… And among them, you alone can locate her true form! Now, call out to the Moon Goddess, to Diana’s soul…!
As the lights change with the music, aristocratic looking men and women begin to fill the corridor with dancing. Among a group of a dancers, the nervous Diana appears. Kitashirakawa and Munon move to the front of the stage to ‘watch’.
Louis: The first time I met Diana… was at the ball to celebrate the victory of my first battle as king. Although she was only brought into the palace to serve as a maid to the queen, she was luminous… as bright and beautiful as the moon goddess herself…
Aristocrats: Dance! Dance!
Together with the unsetting sun
Dance! Dance!
Even as the night begins to fall
Louis dances his way through the people, arriving in front of Diana and offering her his hand.
Diana: Forgive me, I cannot dance.
Louis: Do I displease you?
Diana: No, but I must present myself to the king…
Louis: In that case, you need not worry. I can assure you the king will not be at his station this evening.
Offering his hand again, Diana slowly accepts. The two begin to dance.
Munon: When His Majesty was young, he narrowly escaped death due to the actions of some unreasonable nobility- causing His Majesty a lifetime of pain and mistrust in people. No one could truly understand the depths of suspicion and loneliness in his heart.
(TN: Possible reference to the Fronde Rebellion?)
Kitashirakawa: So, the one who lifted that loneliness was the Moon Goddess Diana…
Aristocrats: Dance! Dance!
Together with the unsetting sun
Dance! Dance!
Diana disappears in the crowd of noblemen, and Queen Maria Theresa and Louis’s mother Anne appear.
Maria Theresa: Your Majesty, answer me. Is it true that vile woman you’ve taken in is now with child?
Louis: Watch your tongue, Queen. If the child is born a boy, then Diana will be the mother to my heir.
Maria Theresa: So… you even intend to hand over the throne to that child!?
Anne: My Queen, His Majesty has been fooled by that woman. His sanity may be lost for now, but soon he will come to realize his own mistake!
Louis: No, mother. My only mistake was ever accepting a princess of the enemy Spain as my Queen! My child with Diana will be my true legacy!
Maria Theresa: What are you saying!?
Anne: Apparently, his Majesty seems to have forgotten. That the child born to him of that woman will also have the blood of Spain running in their veins.
Anne makes a face to indicate that she has a plan and urges Maria Theresa to follow her, and they disappear into the dancing. Louis, angry and with no place to go, dances among the middle.
Aristocrats: Praise! Praise!
The birth of a long desired son
Cutting through the darkness of night the child of the Sun of France!
A baby’s first cries echo through the halls, and Louis breaks away from the dancers.
Louis: Petit Louis!... The child of the Sun of France!
As Louis moves to try to go to Diana, Anne stands in his way.
Anne: Your Majesty, where do you think you are going?
Louis: To see Diana!
Anne: You cannot. Your Majesty must, for the sake of France, always continue to dance!
In an eerie formation, the noblemen gather around Louis and dance, tossing him about.
Aristocrats: Dance! Dance!
Even if the sun sets
Dance Dance
Within the great darkness, The King continues to dance.
In a cross formation, the nobles move around Louis and swallow him. The back of the hall of mirrors changes to a balcony in the palace. On the balcony, Diana is holding her newborn baby close. Maria Theresa approaches her.
Maria Theresa: Madame Diana… Allow me to hold the child.
Diana: My Queen, it would be too high of an honor…
Maria Theresa: Well, show him to me quickly!
Maria Theresa takes Petit Louis from Diana by force.
Diana: My Queen!
Maria Theresa: Well, how adorable… he looks just like His Majesty…
Diana: My Queen?
Standing over the handrail, Maria Theresa lifts Petit Louis high. A disturbing twilight begins to spread in the background.
Maria Theresa: Louis de Soleil de France… The child of the Sun of France!!
Louis: Stop!!...
As the music hits a shocking accent, Maria Theresa drops Petit Louis off the edge of the balcony. At the same time, Louis manages to shake off the smothering nobles. Along with the accented music, the scene changes. While the nobles continue their disturbing song, they slowly move off stage.
Aristocrats: Dance Dance
Together with the unsetting sun
Dance Dance
The glory of the King shines…
Kitashirakawa: But… Petit Louis… What happened to Petit Louis…!?
Munon: Fortunately, his life was spared. But one leg was severely injured, and never properly healed… And so that no more danger would ever befall those two, his Majesty sent Diana away to that Château under the pretext of exiling her…
Kitashirakawa: So, the reason Louis continued to live as the Sun King of France was to protect the ones he loved… but, that love became nothing but despair for Diana…
Finally released from the memories, Louis approaches Kitashirakawa.
Louis: Diana… Where is Diana? (To Kitashirakawa) Why hasn’t she revealed herself?
Kitashirakawa: …
Louis: Answer me! When will Diana be revealed to me?
Kitashirakawa: … I don’t know.
Louis: You don’t know? Didn’t you say if we followed your scenario, then I could find her?!
Kitashirakawa: I don’t know! If you say that the thing that drove Diana’s heart deeper into the darkness was your love, then what would be the light that summons her back to you… How would I write that?
Louis: You have deceived me! Because you just wanted to write your little novel, you tricked me into telling you about Diana!
Kitashirakawa: No, that’s not it!
Louis: You said you wanted to write about true love? For someone that plays with others’ hearts and only thinks about himself… you’ll never be able to write about something like love! No, not of love, and not of anything that could ever touch a person’s heart! Leave my Château immediately… That is my final warning to you.
Louis spares Kitashirakawa one last glare as he leaves.
Munon: Your Highness! Please wait… Your Highness!
Munon chases after Louis. As Kitashirakawa is left on stage by himself, the setting falls into darkness.
[The Story I Wanted to Write]
Kitashirakawa: An empty heart-
And writing to fill it
With the memories of someone other than myself.
And never allowing anyone to read…
The tightly closed and blank pages deep in my heart
What I wanted to write
Were the words of the magic I believed in as a child
Adults always spun Such kind stories of lies.
What I wanted to write was the continuation of an unseen dream
But I don’t even know the truth of a ‘story’.
And the resulting scratches of pain hidden in my heart…
I never noticed them.
Scene 11: Château de la Reine (Room 201 and Room 202)
In room 202 of the Château de la Reine, The Tanno couple is going through Kanezawa and Michiru’s baggage.
Mrs. Tanno: Darling, look!
Mr. Tanno: This is amazing! These are all top brand goods!
Mrs. Tanno: What’s this? (She pulls a hair bundle out of the suitcase.)
Mr. Tanno: Isn’t that a wig?
Mrs. Tanno: Gross!! (She tosses it away.)
On the other side of the stage, the Iwanamis are relaxing with some tea from room service.
Mr. Iwanami: No matter how you think about it, this is quite a strange tour. Even if it’s only during the day, being able to stay in such a nice hotel sure is fun. We should really be thankful, don’t you think?
Mrs. Iwanami: Yes, even though we’re sharing with the Light Tour.
Back to room 202.
Mr. Tanno: Even so, this is exactly the kind of thing that will build up our reputation! *
Mrs. Tanno: Right! With high-end goods to resell, it’s much more efficient than something like card fraud.
Mr. Tanno: Let’s go and sell some of these things in the Jewish shops, then we’ll quickly slip away with no one the wiser.
Mrs. Tanno: Right!
The Tannos begin packing up all the brand goods they’ve found in the room into one suitcase. Meanwhile, in room 201, Mr. Iwanami walks over to the side table and picks some stationary he finds.
Mr. Iwanami: Oh, what’s this? A letter?
Mrs. Iwanami: You know reading other people’s letters without their permission is bad taste.
Mr. Iwanami: You read it too!
Mrs. Iwanami runs her eyes over the stationary her husband hands to her.
Mrs. Iwanami: (as she’s reading) On our journey to Paris… we will also depart on another journey… Dear, is this… is this a suicide note?!
Mr. Iwanami: Yes, it looks like their factory went bankrupt, and they’ve written that they’re hundreds of millions of yen in debt.
Mrs. Iwanami: This is terrible… We have to tell Mr. Togawa right away!
As the stage turns, we see the corridor of the hotel. The Iwanamis exit the door of their room in a hurry.
Mr. Iwanami: Mr. Togawa! Mr. Togawa! It’s terrible!
At the same time, the Tannos are trying to leave their room, causing the two men to run into each other.
Mr. Tanno and Mr. Iwanami: Wah! Gya!
In the collision, the bag that Mr. Tanno was carrying suddenly opens and the goods fall onto the floor. Having heard Mr. Iwanami’s yells, Mr. Togawa approaches.
Togawa: Mr. Iwanami, Mr. Tanno, are you alright?
Mr. Iwanami: Don’t worry about us! Quickly, come here!
The Tannos quickly begin picking up their stolen goods.
Togawa: These brand goods… aren’t these Mr. Kanezawa’s things he left in the room!?
Mr. Iwanami: What!? Then that means?
Togawa: You don’t mean, you two are stealing!?
Mr. Tanno: Damn it!
Mr. Iwanami: (To Togawa) The police! Call the police now!
Togawa: If you need the police, then Mr. Kondo is in room 203…
Mr. Iwanami: Right! (He puts Mr. Tanno into an iron grip)
Mr. Tanno: Ouch! For an old man, how are you this stupidly strong!?
Mr. Iwanami: Whaddya think? Don’t mistake this former navy seal as a sweet old man!
Mrs. Iwanami: Dear! Worry about that later! Hurry, look at this…
Mrs. Iwanami hands the stationary to Togawa.
Togawa: (reading quickly) Is this… a suicide note!? Who wrote this!?
Mrs. Iwanami: It was left in our room. So it definitely belongs to whoever else is staying there!
Togawa: The guest staying in room 203 from the ‘Light Tour’… That’s the Shimodas! What should we do?! Right now, they might be…
Mrs. Iwanami: We have to tell the police now!
Togawa: Then we should go to room 203!
Everyone leaves the stage in a hurry as the ending music plays.
Scene 12: Palace of Versailles (Gardens)
At a garden in the palace, Kitashirakawa stands alone. Sakurai appears on stage, finding him.
Sakurai: Mr. Kitashirakawa! Just when I thought everyone else had come back, I realized you were gone again. Didn’t you say you were going to cooperate with me?
Kitashirakawa: Is it ok for you to not be watching over the others?
Sakurai: The others are all following Pierre and looking for you. Alright, let’s get back to the group and continue our sightseeing for the day.
Kitashirakawa: Sorry, but… I’m going to go home. Alone.
Sakurai: Are we back at this again? Right now, the ‘Shadow Tour’ members are at the hotel…
Kitashirakawa: I don’t mean go back to my room. If I could just have my baggage collected, I’d like to leave the hotel as soon as possible.
Sakurai: What do you mean?
Kitashirakawa: It’s earlier than planned, but I’m leaving Paris. I know it’s last minute, but could I ask you to help me book a flight?
Sakurai: What…?
Kitashirakawa: You don’t have to worry. I won’t tell anyone about the double booking arrangement. Ah, you can tell the other tour members that I had to leave for some sudden work or something…
Sakurai: But, what about your novel?
Kitashirakawa: My novels… they’re really not important, are they?
Sakurai: Not important!? You said that your career as a writer was hanging in the balance, didn’t you? You said you had to write a masterpiece, right?
Kitashirakawa: Yes, you’re right… But as I am now, I cannot hope to write the masterpiece I wished for…
Sakurai: But… I mean, if you work with that ghost of Louis XIV from earlier…
Kitashirakawa: No, Louis won’t appear to me again. And even if he were here, it doesn’t change the fact that my talent is what’s truly missing.
Sakurai: Saying such self-deprecating things is really not like you. You’re usually walking around with that celeb-aura and brimming with overconfidence?!
Kitashirakawa: Are you… trying to make me feel better?
Sakurai: I’m sorry, I just…
Kitashirakawa: No, it is as you say. I always had confidence in my own talent and believed that I could create any kind of story. But as I have always lived thinking only about myself, how can I even begin to write a story about someone else?
Sakurai: Then, what is your story? Shouldn’t you just write a story about yourself? Actually, I thought about it earlier while listening to the Shimodas’ story. Every person holds within them the words to give another person hope. So, you just have to find them! Those irreplaceable words… your story definitely has them, too.
Kitashirakawa: My story… Could it be that I, as the protagonist, lost sight of my own story?
[A Novel Without a Protagonist]
Kitashirakawa: I wonder when it began?
That I was writing
Such selfish scenarios.
Decorating my words
With only self-recognition-
Of a Celebrity Novelist! To distract from
And erase my anxiety…
Sakurai: At some point, I chose without realizing
A journey full of trouble.
On a road without a map
I continued with strength!
When all I really wanted
Was for someone to walk with me.
Kitashirakawa and Sakurai: What vanity-
To walk alone on this road
Like a novel without a protagonist.
Seeking for… And performing as…
An idealized version of myself.
And even, perhaps, without realizing
Hurting someone else
And continuing to search
Kitashirakawa: What I lost sight of…
Sakurai: What I forgot…
Together: The true protagonist
Of my life.
Kitashirakawa: Can I write it someday? My own story that gives someone else hope?
Sakurai: Yes! For someone like me, who’s lost their own way in life…
Suddenly, Sakurai’s phone begins to ring.
Sakurai: (Checking the phone) It’s Togawa. (answers) Hello?
Togawa: (voice) This is terrible! P-Please, calm down and listen!...
Sakurai: I think you should probably calm down first…
Following Pierre, the other members of the ‘Light Tour’ notice Kitashirakawa and Sakurai. Sakurai moves to a separate area to talk.
Kanezawa: Hey! We found ‘em!
Pierre: Oh! We finally found you! We searched everywhere!
Hayami: Sensei! (notices Sakurai) and… Ms. Reiko!? What are the two of you doing!?
Kitashirakawa: What? Nothing in particular?
Michiru: All alone, just the two of you? Suspicious~
Kitashirakawa: There’s nothing suspicious about it!
Sakurai: What did you say!? That can’t be true. They’re right here with everyone else in the ‘Light Tour’ now… (Notices that the Shimodas are missing) Where are the Shimodas?
Pierre: Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen them for a while…
Kitashirakawa: Is something wrong?
Sakurai: (in shock) It seems… a suicide note was found in their room…
All: A suicide note?!
Sakurai: What should I do?... (She begins to put together the signs so far.) Those two, from the beginning… they must have been planning this all along…
Michiru: They’ve gotta be somewhere in the palace?
Kitashirakawa: Why would anyone plan something like that here?
Kanezawa: If it were me, I’d wanna go in the most magnificent place possible!
Kitashirakawa: (amazed) The only one who thinks that way is you. Anyway, we have to find them as quickly as possible! (To Sakurai) The other group of tourists, can we ask them for their help too?
Sakurai: (preparing herself) Yes! Of course we can! I’ll relay the plan to Togawa by phone…
Hayami: What do you mean by the other group of tourists?
Kitashirakawa: Right now, finding the Shimodas comes first! We have to find them before it’s too late!
The intro to the next number begins.
Scene 13A: The City of Paris
The ‘Light Tour’ members line up in front of the curtain.
[An Extraordinary Search!]
Kitashirakawa: There is no time
For us to waste!
All: It’s an emergency!
Kitashirakawa: We’ll succeed with our
Imaginations!
All: Where could they be?
Kitashirakawa: Like opening a guide map
Believe in your intuition!
Kanezawa: The Arc du Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower?
Michiru: How about a gorgeous and luxurious opera house?
Kitashirakawa: Those weren’t on the sightseeing course!
Sakurai: If it’s a forest then the Boulogne or Vincennes
Hayami: How about the Montparnasse Cemetery?
Pierre: Notre Dame could be suspect, too!
Kitashirakawa: We’ll have to find them ourselves!
All: Let’s go through the city of Paris
On an Extraordinary search!
Let’s go through the city of Paris
On an Extraordinary search!
Kitashirakawa: Hurry!
The Light Tour members break off into pairs to search and exit the stage in different directions: Kitashirakawa and Sakurai, Kanezawa and Michiru, and Hayami and Pierre.
Scene 13B: Château de la Reine (Room 203)
The curtain rises to reveal room 203 of the Château de la Reine. The Tannos have been handcuffed. The music fades into BGM.
Kondo: It was lucky we were on the same tour. I’ll be taking these two back to Japan to face responsibility for their actions.
Mr. Tanno: Are you stupid?
Kondo: What’d you say!?
Mr. Tanno: Don’t you know that a Japanese policeman has no right to arrest people in another country?
Kondo: I dunno anything like that! All I know is when I see a criminal in front of me, I arrest ‘em!
Crayon: Kya~! Mako-chan, you’re so cool! … Even if what you’re saying is a bit unreasonable…
Togawa: Forget all that, we should hurry to help in the search for the Shimodas!
Mr. Iwanami: That’s right! What about the ‘Light Tour’?
Togawa: They’ve split up and are visiting famous places!
Mr. Iwanami: Then, we should also split up and search…
Mrs. Iwanami: But, I have no idea where in Paris someone might want to commit a lovers’ suicide!
Suddenly, the light in the room disappears as Louis’s voice sounds.
Louis: Lovers’ suicide?!
Crayon: (clinging to Kondo) What… what was that voice? Scary!!!
Kondo: Quite clinging to me so suddenly!
Stepping out from the painting, Louis and Munon appear.
Louis: First daring to deceive me, and then finding thieves amongst your allies… Does your shame know no end?! And now you dare to bring about death upon my territory!? I will not allow it!
Togawa: Um, excuse me but, what… are you?
Kondo: (To Crayon) Friend of yours?
Crayon: I dunno this guy!
Louis: Silence, now! Before it is too late, hurry and find those poor souls!
Togawa: But… where should we start looking?
Louis: Must I do everything!? Munon! You will be the leader.
Munon: Yes!
Louis: Come people, follow!
Everyone hurriedly follows Louis from the room. The hotel employees enter the stage from all sides.
Duran: The customer is in trouble!
Workers: The Hotel is in trouble, too!
Duran: What an unprecedented incident!
Workers: Brought to light by the double booking…
All: We need to find a solution!
To protect the Château de la Reine’s
Pride!
Louis and the Shadow Tour members appear on the bridge.
Louis: Now, continue to follow Shadow Tour: Being led by the Sun King
You selfish monkeys! On a search!
These Japanese tourists- Let’s go through the city of Paris
In my country! On an extraordinary search!
These kinds of actions An interesting collaboration
I will never Let’s go through the city of Paris
Allow them! On an Extraordinary search!
Scene 13C: The City of Paris (2)
As people come and go in the city, the Light Tour members run into them, causing a racket.
Kitashirakawa: Well, how’d it go?!
Hayami: We didn’t find them!
Kanezawa: We got nothin’ too. I give up.
Kitashirakawa: Aren’t there any clues? You were all with them all last night, weren’t you?
Michiru: Now that you mention it…
Sakurai: Do you have an idea?
Michiru: Hey, Pierre… Didn’t the wife ask you something? Like ‘what’s the most beautiful and quiet place’ or something?
Kitashirakawa: Why didn’t anyone say that earlier!? Hayami, you were there too, weren’t you!?
Hayami: I’m afraid I drank too must last night, my memory is…
Kitashirakawa: Miserable! Well then, what did you tell her?
Pierre: Oh! I remember! The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur!
Sakurai: The Sacred Heart Temple in Montmartre!
Kitashirakawa: Alright, let’s hurry!
All the members run off stage, forcing their way through the people, ending the scene.
Scene 14: Montmartre- The Sacred Heart Temple
Montmartre at nighttime. The stage changes to the gardens in front of the Sacred Heart Temple. A chanson singer carrying an accordion appears on stage, singing.
[Chanson]
Accordion player: As your silhouette continues to dance
My memories disappear into a dream
Those happy days are naught but nostalgia
In a phantom-like dream.
The Shimodas appear amongst other random couples, seeming confused.
Mrs. Shimoda: Darling, aren’t you cold?
Mr. Shimoda: I’m not cold, but… I’m scared. You?
Mrs. Shimoda: No, not at all.
Mr. Shimoda: But… we’re going to die?
Mrs. Shimoda: But I’m together with you.
Mr. Shimoda: Did you bring it? The hydrocyanic acid?
Mrs. Shimoda pulls a small bottle from her bag.
Mrs. Shimoda: Even the specialists don’t have this, do this?
Mr. Shimoda: It’s an old product from our factory… but it finally has some use.
Mrs. Shimoda: Look, darling, how beautiful this place is…
Mr. Shimoda: Being able to spend the last moments of our life in a place like this… is a blessing.
Mrs. Shimoda: Yes, dear.
The couple moves to sit down on the bench. Trying to hide her tears, Mrs. Shimoda turns away to hide her face.
Mr. Shimoda: Fusako?
Mrs. Shimoda forces herself to smile before turning back to him.
Mr. Shimoda: I told you, didn’t I? You don’t have to force yourself to smile. Whether you laugh or cry… these are our last moments together…
Suddenly, following Kitashirakawa, the members of the Light Tour appear.
Sakurai: You’re here! Mr. Shimoda!
Mr. Shimoda: You all…!
Kitashirakawa: Thank goodness, we made it! Now, let’s go back to the hotel…
Kitashirakawa begins to approach the couple.
Mr. Shimoda: Please don’t come any closer!
Kitashirakawa: Mr. Shimoda. I heard about the note you two left. That managing your factory took a turn for the worse, and you’ve been left in a great amount of debt…
Mr. Shimoda: Then, you understand! So please, allow us to die in peace, together…
Louis and the Shadow Tour members arrive on stage.
Louis: I will not allow any death here! Do you have no pride in your own lives? In this peaceful world, while being allowed to live freely- you would dare to not only throw away your own life, but the life of your beloved as well?
Mr. Iwanami looks at the Shimodas in surprise.
Mr. Iwanami: Y-You two…!
Mr. Shimoda: Mr. Iwanami!
Mrs. Shimoda: Sensei…
Sakurai: Do you know each other?
Mr. Iwanami: In a way… They were my students. You mean to say… you were the ones who left that note?
Mr. Iwanami begins to approach the Shimodas.
Mrs. Shimoda: Please stop! Please just… look away for a bit. Please…
Sakurai: Ms. Fusako… What was it you said before? In painful times, or in sad times, you have to smile and live for someone? Isn’t that what you told us? You said that those words gave you hope. Even so… are you saying you would choose to die like this?
Hearing Sakurai’s words, Mr. Iwanami’s facial expression looks shocked and pained.
Mr. Iwanami: Koji… Fusako… Forgive me!
Mr. Iwanami bows deeply to the couple.
Mrs. Shimoda: Sensei!
Mr. Shimoda: Please stop! Why are you apologizing…
Mr. Iwanami: I… just wanted to offer poor children a chance at equal education! I wanted you to survive- to live despite the circumstances of the environment you were born in… But in the end, it seems like I was unable to teach you anything at all…
Mrs. Shimoda: Sensei, please… raise your head. It was because your words encouraged us that we were even able to get this far!
Mr. Shimoda: Fusako…
Kitashirakawa: Mr. Shimoda. You are not the only ones dealing with misfortune. Surely everyone is doing their best to live while holding their difficulties in their heart…
Sakurai: I was also unable to properly manage my company. But… in order to protect myself, I did something much more terrible than you!
Kanezawa: For me, well money ain’t really a problem, but… I’ve got worries I can’t tell people about… (He touches a hand to his wig)
Kondo: For me, I haven’t had a girlfriend in thirty years!
Hayami: Forty-two years single!
Crayon: And I’m an okama!
Kitashirakawa: And I… hurt someone. I realized that I had lost something important as a person. But it’s something that the two of you have never forgotten! And that is how to care for someone. Even if you think that your lives have no value… to me, it’s something I can never capture in words alone… an irreplaceable story!
Mr. Iwanami: Koji Shimoda! Fusako!
The Shimodas: Yes!
Mr. Iwanami: Smile. No matter what, smile! This is the only life you get, so if you smile and laugh together… you can go on living!
The Shimodas: Ha… hahaha… (they begin to cry while laughing)
The other members of the group all begin laughing as well. As dusk falls in the sky, the Japanese tourists’ strange crying-laughter fills the air. Louis’s expression changes, as if he’s realized something, and he and Munon exit the stage. As the scene ends, the light fades.
Scene 15: The City of Paris - Places des Vosges
On the way back to the hotel, Kitashirakawa begins to sing.
[Kitashirakawa’s Song ~ Sakurai’s Song]
Kitashirakawa: I couldn’t even manage the easy things,
And every time I lost my way-
I hid my face and watched you from far away.
If I could laugh for someone
If I could laugh for myself
Then surely, I can follow my heart forward
To the person who’s smiling face I most wish to see.
During the musical interlude, the background setting changes.
1. Crayon and Kondo
Crayon runs on stage crying, followed by a confused/angry looking Kondo.
Crayon: U-Uwaaaa!!!...
Kondo: You were laughing a moment ago- why are you suddenly crying so much!?
Crayon: I just remembered when I was dumped… It feels like… I’ll never meet anyone who could possibly love me!... Uuuhuu…
Kondo: Don’t cry! Kuroiwa Gentarou.
Crayon: But… the more I try to laugh… the more miserable I feel…
Kondo: If that’s the case, then smile for me instead.
Crayon: …What?
Kondo: When you’re sad like this, I start feeling sad too…
Crayon: Mako-chan!!
Crayon runs over and tries to give Kondo an intense kiss. Kondo struggles and tries to push Crayon away, but then they face each other and Kondo kisses Crayon instead.
2. Kanezawa, Michiru, and the Tannos
Kanezawa: So ya’ll are the thieves who’ve run card scams around the world, huh?
The Tannos: …
Kanezawa: How ‘bout it? Ya’ll leave that rotten lifestyle behind and come work for me?
Mr. Tanno: What do you mean?
Kanezawa: Ya’ll’s language proficiencies and fearlessness are just a bonus! I’m saying come to Vegas and be the general managers of my casino!
Michiru: Papa!
Mrs. Tanno: In Las Vegas??
Mr. Tanno: General managers?
Kanezawa: A’ight, let’s go talk it over.
Kanezawa and Michiru get the Tannos to follow them offstage. The background music changes for Sakurai’s song.
Sakurai: The important things I forgot
When I became an adult…
Every time I lost sight of myself I kept running
With no place to go.
If I could laugh for someone
If I could laugh for myself
Then I should be able to live
Following the truth of my heart
To the person who I most want to show a smile to…
As the music fades to background, Sakurai exit the stage.
Scene 16: Château de la Reine (Courtyard Entrance)
Under the moonlight in the courtyard of the hotel, Kitashirakawa happens upon the still, thinking form of Louis.
Kitashirakawa: Louis…
Louis: It seems like you dared to return to this Château anyway.
Kitashirakawa: Once I gather my things, I’ll leave immediately. But- there’s something I want you to hear. I had no intention of deceiving you! I truly, honestly thought that I could bring you and Diana together again. But now I understand, because I didn’t take your sadness and pain seriously, there’s no way I could ever write about something like ‘true love’. But now… I feel like I understand the pain you’ve felt…
Kitashirakawa turns to enter the hotel.
Louis: Wait. Well, I can be patient for a few more days. Patience is a virtue after all… Really, when it comes to you… You really pile up trivial matters and create quite a big fuss of it all. There are many things you do that are foolish. But… what was even more foolish was that I did not truly understand what I had learned from you.
Kitashirakawa: Louis?
Louis: I realized I had forgotten how to laugh. For Diana and our son…
Petit Louis: (voice) Maman! Tell me about Papa!
Diana: (voice) Your father… is a true hero.
Petit Louis: (voice) But… why isn’t he here with us?
Diana: (voice) Your father is the Sun King who illuminates all of France. Even when he cannot be by our side, he still loves us very much.
Louis: I finally realized… that their voices were always full of laughter…
Diana and Petit Louis: (laughing)
Looking up at the moon, Louis smiles softly as the sound of Diana and Petit Louis’s laughter lift his spirits.
Louis: I finally feel as though I can truly meet Diana again. And… I’m looking forward to reading it- the novel about me.
Kitashirakawa: Is… it ok for me to write about you?
Louis: As long as you portray me as an exceptionally ‘good handsome man’, of course.
Kitashirakawa: Ha, I wonder how it’ll turn out?
Kitashirakawa, Sakurai, and Louis come together.
All three: If I could laugh for someone
If I could laugh for myself
Then surely I can meet the one I love from the bottom of my heart.
The person who’s smiling face I most wish to see…
The person who I most want to show a smile to…
Scene 17: Château de la Reine (Courtyard Entrance)
The next morning, in the opening of the hotel people begin to appear: Kanezawa and Michiru, Kondo and Crayon, and Duran. Some hotel staff follow, carrying everyone’s bags.
Duran: Oh! Monsieur Kanezawa! Is there nothing we can do to thank you for investing in the future management of the Château de la Reine?
Kanezawa: I don’t need no thank yous. Vegas may be my base, but it’s always been my dream to have hotels all over the world.
Crayon: A hotel in Vegas sounds amazing! (To Kondo) It’d be perfect for our wedding~
Kondo: W-Wedding!?
The Tanno and Shimoda couples appear.
Mr. Shimoda: Mr. Kanezawa, what is the meaning of this? I was just told that you’ve taken over our entire debt?!
Mr. Tanno: Seems like everyone here’s been hired by Kanezawa.
Mrs. Tanno: Mrs. Shimoda! Let’s go to Las Vegas together!
Kanezawa: If ya’ll were managin’ a factory all on your own, then you’re like- really good with mechanics, right? To build up my casino in Vegas, I need an advisor who understands all that state-of-the-art stuff.
Mrs. Shimoda: But…
Togawa and the Iwanamis appear.
Mr. Iwanami: Shouldn’t you just gratefully accept?
Mrs. Shimoda: Iwanami-sensei!
Mr. Iwanami: Mr. Kanezawa, I can personally vouch for these two’s personalities. (To the Shimodas) Now then, give him a proper reply.
Upon Iwanami’s words, the Shimodas gather their determination.
Mr. Shimoda: Although we are not worthy of your kindness, we humbly accept!
Kanezawa: Hey hey hey…
Mrs. Iwanami: Doesn’t it sound like you’re replying to a marriage proposal?
Togawa: Everyone! It’s about time to go! The car has arrived in the plaza!
While everyone exits the stage, Kanezawa is left with a relaxed looking Michiru.
Kanezawa: Hey, what’s wrong Michiru?
Michiru: Do you have no intention of saying anything to me?
Kanezawa: Say… something to you?
Michiru: Maybe a ‘proposal’ like what you said to those people just now…
Kanezawa: Michiru… I… I ain’t good enough to marry you. There’s something I been hiding from you…
Michiru: It really doesn’t matter to me. If you’re talking about the lie you’ve told about your looks…
Kanezawa: Michiru!? You… knew?
Michiru: For a while now.
Kanezawa: But is it really alright? Marryin’ someone like me?
Michiru: Did you really think I’d hate you for something like that?
Kanezawa: Michiru!!
Michiru: Papa!
Kanezawa holds Michiru close, kissing her passionately. As the door opens behind them, Kitashirakawa appears.
Kitashirakawa: Ugh! Why did have to see that first thing in the morning??
Kanezawa: Hey bro! Listen! Michiru and I are gonna get married!
Kanezawa: Well, congratulations on that. But, shouldn’t you look in the mirror before you do such a thing?
Kanezawa: Why?
Kitashirakawa: You’re crooked. (Indicating his wig)
Kanezawa: C-Crooked!?.... Crooked!?!
Kanezawa, looking horrified, runs off stage.
Michiru: Papa! Wait!
Michiru runs after Kanezawa off stage. Hayami appears.
Hayami: (Finishing reading the novel) Amazing… To write an entire novel of this caliber in less than a week… Sensei truly is a genius… No, a master…
Kitashirakawa: I changed the title as well. The new title is “The Queen’s Château”.
Hayami: Amazing! To create such a hypothesis that King Louis XIV’s true love lived here- and that she was the true Queen of his heart!
Kitashirakawa: Well, even so…
Hayami: Weaving the intricacies of the non-fiction tale of our real-life double booking and a fiction retelling of the ghost of Louis XIV… A story of love that transcends the boundaries of time! Make no mistake, this will become an instant best seller!
Kitashirakawa: Even though everything was actually non-fiction…
Hayami: Did you say something?
Kitashirakawa: No, just thinking out loud…
Hayami: You don’t need to worry. I’ll be editing this on the plane ride home!
As Hayami goes to leave, Pierre appears in front of her.
Hayami: Pierre!...
Pierre: Madame! Are you really… returning to Japon?
Hayami: Pierre, forgive me… I am truly… a terrible woman who can only live for her work!
Hayami runs away from Pierre.
Pierre: Ma chérie! At least let me embrace you one last time!...
Pierre chases after Hayami.
Kitashirakawa: (Speaking to himself) So even Hayami experienced such a miracle…?
Gradually, Sakurai also appears in front of Kitashirakawa, gazing up at the sky.
Sakurai: Ah, Mr. Kitashirakawa, you were still here?
Kitashirakawa: Yes, I just wanted to enjoy the scenery here one last time.
Kitashirakawa looks up to the sky, and Sakurai follows his line of sight.
Sakurai: You can see the sun and the moon together in the dawn sky…
Kitashirakawa: They were finally able to meet, the sun and the moon… I heard from Togawa. You’re closing your travel agency?
Sakurai: Yes. I need to start over from the beginning. The double booking was just too much.
Kitashirakawa: So you’re graduating from being a shabby tour guide, too?
Sakurai: Rude.
Kitashirakawa: I’m joking. So, what are you planning to do?
Sakurai: I haven’t decided yet. I think I need to take some time to really figure myself out first. You?
Kitashirakawa: Same as usual- I’ll be writing novels and chased by the pressure of deadlines.
Sakurai: I’ll be looking forward to it. The novel about your own story, like you said.
Kitashirakawa: Right.
Sakurai: Well then, I should be getting to the customers…
Sakurai begins to leave in the direction of the others.
Kitashirakawa: Actually! I have… a favor to ask of you…
Sakurai: (Stops, turning back)…
Kitashirakawa: When we get back to Japan… I’d like to interview you.
Sakurai: Me? … But, why?
Kitashirakawa: I can’t write a story with just the protagonist alone, right? So, I want to interview you… the one who reminded me of what’s important.
[Duet]
Kitashirakawa: Filled with undecorated words
Like monthly novels
Full of overflowing feelings
And interspersed with silence
Everything felt like an incomplete story.
Naturally, I was overwhelmed by this miracle.
Although I’m clumsy,
I want to move forward as myself
And grow with the passing of the seasons.
Sakurai: Even if I unexpectedly remember sadness
I don’t want to forget how to smile.
Towards an unknown world,
I will not hesitate when it’s time for that new journey.
Together: The story you write
I want to watch over it with kindness.
Using the words we believed in
Together, we can pass on
Our new story that starts now.
Scene 18: Versailles (Gardens)
After the song, the hotel area of the stage rises to reveal the fantasy-like gardens of Versailles. Meeting again at long last, Louis and Diana embrace each other. Nearby, Petit Louis and Munon watch them happily.
Kitashirakawa, embarrassed, offers his hand to Sakurai. The two leave hand in hand, with Louis, Diana, Petit Louis, and Munon watching after them. The curtain falls.
The end.
#Translation by Makalations#Takarazuka#Soragumi#Cosmos Troupe#Ouhi no Yakata#Asaka Manato#Misaki Rion#Makaze Suzuho#2017.04#Takarazuka Revue
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Farewell toTowels
Title: Farewell to Towels
Series: TOS
Codes: K, Sc
Rating: [G]
Parts: 1/1
Summary: Kirk and crew pay homage to a fallen red shirt
Disclaimer: CBS-Paramount owns Star Trek. No infringement intended, no money
being made.
Feedback: Will write for feedback
Beta: No beta, all mistakes are my own.
Author's Note: With love and honor to Douglas Adams
Archiving: Artemis Aquiver, ASC, ASCEML, and THFFF
FAREWELL TO TOWELS
Ensign Adams was dead to begin with. He was lying in state in a gleaming
black torpedo casing. His mates from Engineering solemnly folded a brightly
colored, striped beach towel into a triangle. Lt. Ford gently placed it
under Adam's head and said "Doug Adams was a hoopy frood. He always knew
where his towel was."
Visiting Ambassador Pharris huffed angrily; "That's out of line! It’s down -right insulting."
Captain James T. Kirk fixed the VIP with a piercing glare; "You, sir, are out of
line. You didn't know that young man… you…don't know his crewmates… or their
traditions."
Kirk tugged his shirt down, mentally prepared himself and stepped forward to
addressed the assembly; "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an
interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you
can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of
Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of
Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it
beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use
it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in
hand-to- hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or
to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly
stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft
as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a
distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to
be clean enough."
Captain Kirk's hazel eyes swept the crowd of mourners. "Some here today, may
question why a towel and that quote are significant enough, important
enough, and solemn enough, to honor a fallen member of Star Fleet. The
answer is simple enough -- Ensign Adams was an engineer. He could find
multitude of uses for the most mundane of objects. And now as we send our
comrade ahead to explore `the undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn no
traveller returns' he must make his own way, hitch hiking the low road and
so his friends give him a towel to aid and to comfort him on his journey."
Kirk stepped back and nodded his head. Two Weapons personnel came forward
and sealed the casing.
Commander Scott said, "Order Arms." The security detail brought their long
phasers to their shoulders with a snap. Scotty brought the stem of his
bagpipe to his mouth and began to play a slow and somber version of "Loch
Lomond" as the torpedo rode it way down the track and was launched into
space.
The security detail grounded their weapons and the mourners were dismissed.
At the wake, Lt. Riley asked Lt. Ford. "Was all that true? What the Captain
said about towels and engineers?"
Ford took a sip of his single malt scotch whiskey and paused to collect his
thoughts. "Yeah, I guess you could say it's true. It was the original
Douglas Adams said it first, though. Every year at the Mars Institute of
Technology there's a contest to come up with different uses for a towel." He
took another sip. "Also, that was Dougie's favorite towel, a souvenir from a
wild weekend he couldn't quite remember on Risa."
Lt. Ford raised his glass and made the toast: "To absent friends."
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Text
The Captain’s Secret - p.13
14 - All That Glitters “Callbacks”
A/N: Ahhh, holiday traveling, back at last!
Full Chapter List
<< 12 - Affairs of the Heartless
14 - All That Glitters >>
As the minutes turned to hours, even the great Gabriel Lorca began to feel the effects of doubt nibbling at the edges of his confidence, though he took great pains not to show it.
The Dartarans were running late. Almost two hours at this point, because he had thought they would initiate contact with the merchants during his call to Starfleet Command. That had been his intention: "Admiral, they're telling me the transmission is live now. Shall we?" Cue live communications intercept. Show Wainwright firsthand that he knew what he was doing, and his confidence and bravado were entirely justified.
But the call hadn't come, and as much as he'd enjoyed relaying a firsthand account of Tederek to Katrina (what a delightful surprise that was), it hadn't been the payoff he expected.
It was impossible to completely rule out that he might have misread the outcome of their conversation, but every bit of Lorca's instinct told him he had not, and he had to trust his instinct. It had rarely led him wrong. Coupled with the fact that doubt and hesitation were liable to get you or your crewmates killed in a pinch, he didn't afford himself the luxury of second-guessing things. You had to make your decision in the moment and ride out the results. Decisiveness was key to effective captaincy.
There had to be some information he was missing. How else to account for the miscalculation?
If only the investigation into the Dartarans' communications logs were getting anywhere. Russo had been cleared to return to duty and was presently engaged in a full and thorough reckoning of the logs from an office somewhere belowdecks, but hadn't had much success beyond identifying another hunting enthusiast who had probably been on a lului hunt and might have been the one to tell Margeh and T'rond'n about the opportunity in the first place.
The call would come. He simply had to distract himself until it did.
At the moment, that distraction took the form of Benford's ship report covering events onboard during the away mission. Lorca sat in the captain's chair, focused on the report with such pensive intensity he was almost completely still save for the faint tapping of a finger against his leg.
"Events" was a very generous description of the report's contents. It largely consisted of an accounting of routine, standard, and everyday shipboard tasks that might have characterized their time in any sector of space in the known universe, but which Benford had nevertheless diligently recorded to provide his captain with the peace of mind that, no matter what had happened on Tederek, the Triton had been secure and safe under the watchful eye of Jackson Benford. The only thing of any real note was a small, unofficial, personal addendum to the report detailing the installation of thermonuclear seat warmers that had been so “wildly successful” the upgrade had to be rescinded half an hour later lest the ship mutiny out of jealousy. (This was not the first time Benford had used a particularly boring shift as an opportunity for some creative writing, and would not be the last.)
Normally, Lorca would have gotten a chuckle out of Benford's addendum and the extremely apropos double-meaning behind Benford's usage of the words "hot ass," but his present frame of mind had no room for any levity. Instead, he reread for the fourth time a sentence detailing the minor adjustment of a deflector to compensate for interference from a local neutron star, parsing each word in a measured succession that eliminated all other active thought from his mind but failed to completely quiet the slow churn of discontent in his stomach.
And then it finally happened.
"Transmission intercept!" exclaimed Kerrigan, and the whole bridge seemed to snap to attention.
Unfortunately for the long-suffering Lt. Russo, the match for the transmission target came not from the logs he had been so painstakingly tracing, but from the Triton's main database.
“They're calling Risa?" said Kerrigan with a note of surprised confusion. "Planetary directory.”
Risa, the pleasure planet, vacation jewel of the Federation. While that might have surprised Kerrigan, it made perfect sense to Lorca. Why wouldn't a purveyor of exotic hunting excursions catering to the galaxy's wealthy elite set up an office on a planet famed for its hedonism? He rocketed out of the captain's chair as the transmission came onscreen.
The two sides of the transmission were like night and day. The Risian woman on the left was stunningly beautiful, with bright green eyes and cascading waves of honey-brown hair framing the traditional Risian disc on her forehead. Arrangements of colorful tropical flowers filled the unoccupied areas of the frame with bursts of vibrant color. Everything about her seemed to convey beauty, light, and life.
In contrast, the Dartarans' dimly-lit office was immediately familiar to Lorca, as were their dour, prickly faces. The red curtains hanging on the walls were open, revealing several previously hidden bookshelves and dozens and dozens of hand-bound octagonal books. Several books were missing from the shelves and appeared to be stacked in the foreground on top of the office console. One of the books was currently being held aloft in Margeh's clawed hand.
The Risian woman beamed at the Dartarans as she said, "Warm welcomes from Risa, the most pleasant planet in the galaxy! How may I direct your call?"
"Beldehen Venel," Margeh read aloud from the book in her hand. It seemed like a name, but might also have been an establishment or a codeword.
Lorca pressed a hand to his face. Damn it, Lalana. The reason they couldn't locate the merchants' info in the Dartaran archives was because the damn Dartarans had written it down. And from the looks of it, it had taken Margeh and T'rond'n the better part of two hours to find the book containing the information they wanted. Lalana might have mentioned the presence of the logbooks behind the curtains to them when they were on the Tederek moon.
"One moment!" The Risian woman searched her directory. "Transferring you now. Have a lovely day!" Her exquisite face was replaced by a humanoid male with spotted pale yellow skin and fleshy whisker-like protrusions above his mouth. Lorca glanced at Arzo.
"Gentonian," supplied Arzo.
"Yes?" said the Gentonian. A flicker of recognition passed over his face. He remembered Margeh and T'rond'n from before. "Ah, you are..."
"We wish to hunt," said Margeh with a sense of immediacy that saved Venel the trouble of remembering who she was.
A smile emerged beneath the whiskers. "Excellent."
The conversation that followed was strictly business. The Dartarans requested "the same package as before" and discussed payment (which was exorbitant, and had apparently gone up since last time). Beldehen provided them with coordinates to meet at in a five days' time and ended the conversation with what sounded like a standard disclaimer: "As a reminder, we reserve right to reschedule your excursion at any time for any reason and we provide no guarantees as to the success of your endeavor. All fees are nonrefundable. Best of luck on your hunt."
Margeh terminated the transmission, but Lorca could easily imagine her unvoiced response: Luck has nothing to do with it.
Lorca turned to face the bridge, smirking openly. "Ladies and gentlemen. Looks like we're going hunting." He could see the questions on their faces, but also the trust that their captain had everything well in hand as part of some master plan.
At 0900 hours, Lorca began to outline the final part of his master plan to all concerned parties in the conference room. With the exception of Lalana, the meeting consisted of Lorca's inner circle of senior staff: Commander Benford, Lieutenant Commander Morita, and Lieutenant Commander Arzo.
In such a private setting and with no impressionable junior officers to overhear, Benford had no qualms voicing his concerns with the plan. "Again into the field, captain?"
"Captain's prerogative," said Lorca, fixing Benford with a look that suggested the decision was a firm one.
"And I can think of no one I would rather have at my back in the event that things become difficult!" exclaimed Lalana. Arzo glared at her slightly in disapproval. It was the third time she had piped up to share a personal opinion. She didn't seem to quite grasp the particulars of meeting decorum and when might be appropriate for her to chime in. (Namely, when she had something of substantive informational value to contribute.)
Benford swallowed a sigh. There was no stopping a captain who wanted to take an active role in away missions, of course, and plenty of captains did just that, but they had four months until the new ship was ready. He really wanted to make sure Lorca was alive to see it, for both personal and professional reasons.
Lorca gestured at Lalana as if to say, "See? She gets it." Some part of him suspected the objection was jealousy on Benford's part. In the old days, Lorca and Benford had done more missions together than either cared to count, but lately Lorca had been spending more time with Morita. "Alright, then. Everyone clear on their part?"
"Yes, captain!" said Lalana.
"Sir," said Arzo with a nod. Morita inclined her head and Benford smiled warmly and nodded with decisive acceptance.
"Dismissed."
They all exited the conference room. Morita, Benford, and Arzo headed off to handle their respective preparations, but Lalana paused in the hallway just outside. Lorca had to sidestep to avoid tripping over her. He looked down at her expectantly. Her security detail was waiting for a destination, but she didn't seem to have one. "You know, I wanted to ask you something," he said, indicating she should join him.
"Oh?" She fell into step beside him. The security detail waited a moment, then followed a respectful distance behind.
"The name of the merchant Margeh and T'rond'n called? 'Beldehen Venel?' Was written down in one of their logbooks." The bridge came to alert as they entered, but Lorca barely took note.
"Was it?" said Lalana as they entered the ready room. She followed him to his desk and stretched up to its height.
Lorca took a pair of fortune cookies from the bowl and put one in front of her. "You might have mentioned those books when we were there." It wasn't terribly judgmental, just enough to convey his mild disappointment. He checked his fortune. The world you can see is smaller than the world that is.
She did not take the cookie immediately. "I am sorry. I did not think the books were of note. I have never understood the appeal of them, to be honest with you. Books are such a flat way to experience the universe."
Lorca drew back in surprise. "Flat" was not a word he associated with the act of reading, technically correct as it might be. "I suppose your people don't have books."
"No. Lului do not write, we only speak. When you speak, the words are alive. When you write, they are dead."
Again, not how he would describe the written word. In fact, almost the exact opposite—writing had long been how humanity kept alive the words of the greatest minds in human history. It was also an efficient, engaging method of consuming information.
He ate his cookie, chewing contemplatively as Lalana finally opened hers. She put the cookie part in her mouth and held the fortune aloft with her tail for him to read. "Difficulty now is an investment in future happiness."
"Mm," she said. It was not clear if she agreed or disagreed with the sentiment. She seemed preoccupied.
He waited a moment. She had no teeth, but it seemed only right to give her a moment to do whatever it was that passed for chewing or digesting, even if Ek'Ez had said she did not have a real stomach. "Another for the road?"
"May I observe when you contact Beldehen Venel?"
The suddenness of the question surprised him. "I don't see why not. I'll have it patched through to your quarters."
"I meant, may I observe it directly?"
"From here?" It wasn't that he misunderstood her meaning, but it was an unusual request. "It's the same transmission anywhere on the ship."
Her tail flicked sharply to the side and she looked away. "It may seem that way to humans, but to me, it is very different to experience something in person than on a flat surface. The vibrations, the taste of the air, the sense of volume..."
"You mean firsthand, in the thick of the action." Lorca tilted his head very slightly. "We're not so different in that regard."
She turned her enormous green eyes back on him. "Then, I may observe it?"
He hesitated. "It might be a while..." He still had a few notes on Venel collected overnight to review.
"I will wait!" She immediately withdrew from the table and strode to the chair, gliding onto the seat.
Lorca frowned at her presumptuousness. "There isn't something you'd rather do? Jump around? Taste plants? Work with Kerrigan?" He realized he'd never asked what lului actually liked to do; his ideas of her hobbies largely stemmed from the tour of the ship, and the knowledge that she liked climbing trees, which wasn't an option on a starship. (He could have sent her to contribute to Li and Ek'Ez's research in sickbay, but he wanted plausible deniability in the event their poking and prodding soured his interspecies diplomacy.)
"Ensign Kerrigan is asleep for another two and a half hours," she said, proudly demonstrating her grasp of human time.
Fair enough. Kerrigan's current shift rotation started in the afternoon. "So make some new friends in the galley," Lorca offered. He almost suggested browsing the ship's cultural archives, except given her opinions on "flat" media, that was probably a miss.
The reaction this provoked was immediate. She touched her finger joints together. "Nnnn," she went, almost a whine, "a few people is fine, but too many is very... stressful, and in the galley there are always very many people."
As understandable as that was, she was being awfully stubborn. "There must be something you want to do besides sit in here."
"Nothing would make me happier in the universe!" she proclaimed, rotating her hands again. "I promise to be very quiet and not disturb you. I will take a nap." She twisted, curled up in the chair, and covered her eyes with her tail.
Lorca stared. He hadn't given permission and was well within his rights to remove her. "Lalana," he said sternly, "if you're going to take a nap, do that in your quarters." No response. "Lalana."
"Please may I stay in here? I hate being in there alone."
She was still curled up with her eyes covered, so there weren't any physical emotional indicators, but it didn't take a genius to see she was lonely. She knew a handful of people on the ship, all of whom were there to do their jobs, and the one person whose job it was to interact with her was asleep.
Perhaps he'd see about assigning another ensign to keep her company. Maybe someone had an idea for a cultural or historical survey they'd like to do before Lalana was returned to her homeworld. He made a mental note to have Benford elicit some proposals from the crew. In the meantime... "Fine," he said. "Just this once."
Lorca grabbed a cup of coffee and resumed his review of the intelligence gathered overnight, glancing at Lalana periodically. She didn't move and he soon stopped looking. The Risians had been happy to comply and supply all their records pertaining to the merchants, and of course Command had a couple of pertinent files, and Lorca now had a fairly good idea of Beldehen Venel's role on Risa and his purpose at large.
Venel represented the legitimate business operations of a small Gentonian merchant conglomerate with an office on Risa. They were one of hundreds of suppliers to local establishments and seemed entirely unremarkable on the surface. But their connection to various higher-end cultural and entertainment establishments gave them access to information about Risa's more elite patrons. This would be how they farmed targets for the more lucrative tourism side of their business.
Lorca also took a moment to review the file of "Gabriel Lopez," which the overnight security chief had fabricated for the operation. It was nothing fancy, just a standard Federation citizen record that would come up when Venel checked. There was one for Morita, too.
Unlike the ruse with Margeh and T'rond'n, this call didn't require any particular conversational preparation, just a clear head. He cleared his throat. "Lalana?" Her tail shifted and she turned her head towards him. He wondered if she had actually been sleeping, or just sitting with her eyes closed for the past twenty minutes. He activated a commlink to the communications station. "Connect me to Risa's central directory."
"Yes, sir," said Russo.
Lorca removed his uniform tunic. "Not a single word," he warned Lalana. She placed her tail over her mouth.
The transmission went live and Lorca was pleasantly surprised to see the same Risian woman as before. "Warm welcomes from Risa, the most pleasant planet in the galaxy! How may I direct your call?"
Even knowing this was her standard greeting, it still felt warmly personal when she said it directly to him. "Beldehen Venel," he replied, smiling in return. Whoever had decided to employ a woman with her looks as a planetary greeter had made an excellent choice. It was enough to make you want to abandon whatever you were doing to fly to Risa and ask her what time she finished work, and if she was free later.
"One moment!" Sadly, her face disappeared, and Lorca hastily adjusted his expression to a more neutral one as Beldehen Venel appeared in her place.
"Starway Traders," greeted Venel, the name of the conglomerate.
"Beldehen Venel?" asked Lorca, as if he weren't sure.
"Yes, I am Beldehen."
Lorca smiled confidently. "Gabriel Lopez. I got your name from a friend of mine, Margeh. You spoke yesterday?" He kept his tone entirely casual, relying on his naturally disarming charm.
Beldehen was understandably on edge having yesterday's conversation mentioned by a complete stranger. "Yes? What of it?
"We were wondering if you could add two more to the expedition."
Beldehen did not respond immediately, but there seemed to be an unrepentantly greedy glint in his eye.
Lorca went on, "You see, we have a bet with them. They said they'd catch three of these 'lului,' so naturally, my wife said she'd catch four. I mean, assuming you have the space."
Whatever reservations Beldehen had were quickly erased. He recognized the overconfidence of a rich mark when he saw it, and betting was a common pastime of the fabulously wealthy. "That can be arranged. Did you want the same package?"
"Well now, that depends," said Lorca, looking almost comically pensive. "What options are available?"
Beldehen began to rattle off several amenities, noting that there were no permanent accommodations on the planet, so everything would have to be brought in with them and removed, thus the cost. Lorca picked mostly lower-range options, but scattered in a few mid-range choices so he didn't sound too stingy.
Then came the trophy options.
"Standard trophies are skulls and lenses. The lenses are the most popular part, a biological glass, absolutely unique to the species, and we can mount them for display free of charge. Unfortunately, all the other parts degrade, but there is a process that can net you a full skeletal replica of your kill if you prefer! For a modest fee."
Lorca resisted the urge to look in Lalana's direction. "I don't think that'll be necessary, skull and lenses sound fine."
"We also offer a meal package. Eat what you kill, prepared by a top-grade specialist chef. Lului meat has a shelf life of under an hour and doesn't freeze well, so we guarantee a meal like you won't find anywhere else!"
Lorca swallowed, careful not to let his posture or expression slip in the slightest. "Just interested in the hunt, but thank you." Lalana might have preferred he pick that option, but he couldn't agree to eat a member of her species, not with her right there in the room.
The total turned out to be a little more than Margeh and T'rond'n's package, but entirely manageable. "There is also the matter of security arrangements."
These turned out to be extremely comprehensive, to the point that Lorca interrupted after a few minutes and asked, "Can you just forward these to us and I'll have my assistant take a look?"
"We will give you a copy of our procedures, but it's important I outline them now, to ensure you understand the importance." Lorca begrudgingly gave his assent and Beldehen continued with the overview.
The merchants seemed to have covered every conceivable possibility in terms of security. All gear and luggage would be searched, no communications devices of any kind were allowed, no recording devices, no unauthorized or unknown vessels were allowed at the meeting area or while in transit, their transport would be left behind at the rendezvous point, the list went on. "A single violation of these protocols, and we will be forced to cancel your trip and reschedule," stressed Beldehen. "Do you understand and agree to these protocols on behalf of yourself and the other members of your party?"
"I do."
"Very well. Be sure to have payment ready in full. I'll send you the coordinates after we've received payment." They were new customers, so Beldehen was taking some extra precautions. Probably wanted to look up Mr. and Mrs. Lopez's information before fully committing to the expedition.
"Oh, that won't be necessary, we'll ride with Margeh and T'rond'n," said Lorca. "And they'll cover our payment. They lost the last bet we had." He grinned.
"Very well. Please remember, we may reschedule your trip at any time for any reason, and we make no guarantee as to the success of your endeavor." It was almost word-for-word Beldehen’s last words to the Dartarans. How many times had he given this spiel to clients over the years? "Best of luck on your hunt."
Since Lorca wasn't upset the way Margeh had been, he offered her thoughts as a final send-off: "Luck has nothing to do with it."
Part 14
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