InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silver turns to Red ❯ Chapter 8 - The Blue Coat ( Chapter 8 )

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He looks at her thoughtfully, “I'm impressed, he is not that easy to strike.” His lip twitches in the beginnings of a smirk, “He was probably holding back since you are a woman.”

 

Tara surprises him by looking him dead in the eye and answering him with a devilish grin, “Who's to say I wasn't holding back…hmm?”

 

His retort is cut short with a servant's arrival notifying them that the young woman's room is ready and that the cooks noonday meal awaits them in the private dining room. With the help of her guide, Tara carries her belongings triumphantly from the hall.

 

 

Chapter 8: The Blue Coat

 

 

`Wow…that guy is beyond hot! I guess he wasn't offended by my treating him like a common dog…but I better apologize for that anyway, just to be on the safe side.' She muses to herself as she follows the maid down the never-ending hallway toward her new room. `I hope Bran's doing okay without me' is her last thought when the servant finally stops at an unobtrusive door, but when she opens it she is met by an even more pleasant room than the beautiful foyer she just left. It is quite spacious with an intricately decorated screen in the center, effectively creating a small receiving area with a table and chairs for personal guests shield from sight the covered tatami mats used for sleeping. A small fire blazing in the corner fireplace casts the room in a gentle light, accentuating the soft feminine pinks and greens adorning the room. Her eye is drawn to the wide tapestry depicting a fantastic battle scene between a dragon and an inuyoukai in a rocky valley with both clans gazing down upon the dueling foes. A soft noise intrudes upon her examination of the beautiful needlework and she turns around eyeing the mousy servant woman who is timidly watching her.

 

She bows low and with her eyes cast aside, the petite woman begins to speak when Tara interrupts her -

 

“Oh my, I seem to have forgotten my manners, I haven't properly introduced myself yet,” and gives the stunned woman a small nod of her head, “My name is O'Connor, Tara.”

 

It takes a moment for the woman to get over her shyness and she quickly bows fully at the waist saying, “You may call me Hanna, noble lady. I have been assigned to assist you in whatever you need before leading you to the Lord's private dining hall. Clothing has been provided for you in the wardrobe” she says as she points toward a tall, beautifully carved oak dresser nestled in the far corner next to the tatami mats. “There is also a basin full of warm water for you to freshen-up from your long journey.”

 

A warm gleam blossoms in Tara's sky-blue eyes, “Ohhh…let's see what's we have here,” stepping lightly toward the dresser. Opening the double doors in one wide flourish she gasps in awe at the bounty of beautiful kimonos just begging to be worn.

 

In her daze she utters her amazement in English, “These are the most beautiful clothes I've ever seen!”

 

“I trust they meet with your approval” queries Hanna in Japanese, attempting to ascertain if the odd woman's unintelligible utterance was actually as pleased as it sounded.

 

Switching back to Japanese, she offers Hanna an apologetic look, “I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I was speaking in English just then. Yes, they most certainly do. But most of these are far too elegant just to wear for a simple meal.” Upon closer examination she realizes that most of them are too short for her and were obviously designed for the petite women native to Japan. Not wanting to appear rude she searches for a garment that will fit. Panic slowly blossoms as she rummages through the copious amount of silk until she eventually spots, tucked between two dark kimonos, a simple pair of pants and a blouse. With relief she exclaims, “Ah ha” and pulls out the forest green, billowy pants accompanied by an equally flowing cream colored blouse. Worn with her boots the shortness of the trousers will look to her modern eye quite stylish.

 

“How did they get in there” Hanna blurts out upon seeing what Tara has chosen. “Those are a man's clothing!”

 

With a heavy sigh “Well then I think we have a problem here, Hanna. I didn't want to say anything unless it was absolutely necessary, but…” she gestures toward the dresser, “Nothing else in there will fit me and I highly doubt that what I'm wearing underneath my coat is appropriate either.” To give her words effect she unbuttons her coat, displaying her stretchy hip hugger jeans and low scoop necked T-shirt.

 

“Oh my” is the only thing the servant woman utters at the sight of the scandalous outfit the young woman is wearing. Recovering her wits quickly, she walks over and removes the woman's long coat, “Well you're a foreigner so you will be allowed certain liberties.” She circles around, examining how best to improve the tall woman's predicament. “I think a long haori will make your strange ensemble appear more appropriate for dining with Sesshoumaru-sama and the rest of his household.”

 

Hanna searches through the wardrobe and promptly finds a simple, slightly worn, cobalt blue haori. “This one is rather old, but it's the only one long enough for your tall frame so it will have to do.” She fingers a few worn spots upon the attractive silk jacket, “Even though it's not new I believe it will still add a touch of elegance to your ensemble.” She helps Tara into the garment moving her long hair out of the way and then smoothing the back of the long jacket free of wrinkles. “Oh my,” she gasps softly, “I didn't notice those silver leaves upon the sleeves.” Tara eyes the beautiful garland of oak leaves cascading the length of the billowy sleeves, remarkably similar to her own clan's ancient symbol. Hanna whispers to herself, “I wonder if that comb I saw the other day will match it?” She looks critically at the young lady standing before her and nods approvingly before ushering Tara to sit at the charming wooden vanity, with the air of a determined lady's maid says, “Now to give that lovely hair of yours a style befitting a princess.” Releasing the pony tail, not even sparing a glance at the strange stretchy tie she lays on the vanity. With brush and comb in hand she starts running them unmercifully through the woman's red locks, making it glisten like red gold. All the while mumbling incoherently as she pulls part of the waist length hair up, creating a small bun, high on the crown of Tara's head. Once that is secure she pulls out from a vanity drawer a delicate silver comb in the image of an oak leaf and sticks it neatly into the bun. Hanna continues rummaging through another drawer searching for a make-up kit. “May I add color to your lips? I think you need this to look more like a lady, yes?” She deftly applies the bright red pigment with a small brush to Tara's full lips. “We'll highlight those pretty blue eyes of yours like so,” and skillfully coats her eyelids with a swoosh of black pigment, accentuating their almond shape.

 

Looking at herself in the mirror Tara is taken aback by the beautiful image reflected back at her. “Wow! Thank you so much Hanna, I look amazing. I just can't help but think, is all this truly necessary for a simple meal?”

 

She gasps, aghast that Tara would even consider such a thing. “Oh absolutely! Not only are you dining with Sesshoumaru-sama but Natesa as well, and you don't want her to outshine you, do you?”

 

“I guess not. Is there something about her I should know before we meet?”

 

Hanna speaks in a clipped tone, “No, she is a nice person, and is very kind to the staff. She is known for her elaborate style and I did not want you to feel inadequate.”

 

“Thank you for your concern Hanna, with this beautiful comb and the wonderful make-up, I'm sure I'll feel quite comfortable in her presence.” She gives the small woman a confident smile. She starts to rise when a thought obviously crosses her mind as her brow furrows slightly before asking, “Is there anything else I need to know? Are there any customs or protocols I should be aware of, so I don't accidentally offend my host?”

 

Hanna thinks for a moment before counseling, “Do not sit before the older people. Wait until the elder person speaks to you before speaking yourself. When you seat yourself at the table, you must do so without bending. Amongst inuyoukai, as a female you never bend over in the company of a male - it is viewed as a very lewd act amongst our kind and could get you into a lot of trouble as some men would view it as a signal that you wish to engage in carnal acts.”

 

Tara blanches slightly at the last remark, but quickly squelches the sensation and turns with a grateful smile, “Thank you so much Hanna, not just for the advice, but for helping me appear like a proper lady.”

 

“Of course Tara-san I am happy to be of service to you. Now we better get moving, we've kept the others waiting long enough,” and swiftly ushers the young lass out of the room.

 

Following behind Hanna, Tara steels herself for the upcoming meal she is sure will be a taxing adventure.

 

 

 

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I'm sorry if this appears to be moving slowly. It's because this chapter and the last two updates are meant to be part of one long chapter, but since I'm still not finished with it and I didn't want ya'll to wait forever for me to update this I'm just going to give you what I have for now. God knows I have a million ideas but it's so difficult to get them on paper even when I am in the mood to write which sadly I haven't found myself to be in for quite some time - I did have a wonderful break through last night but I still have at least a page or two of explaining Fluffy's suite and his conversation with his top spy to figure out. So hopefully I'll get that done this week and ya'll be able to read it next Sunday. =)

 

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