* * *
She stood with her back straight and her cloudy eyes unblinking. Long hair the color of candy floss was tied back in a loose pony tail. No longer garbed in blood stained apparel, the girl Maekonkeko was standing in what appeared to be some sort of office. A thick and thinly tinted window took up the entire eastern wall. (Making the room appear larger than it was). The only stitches of furniture were in the left side corner of the room to the North-West. A somewhat modern desk, who's only embellishment was a see through vase hosting a single orchid.
Behind the desk, a silver quarter dome chair which hovered an inch or so off of the ground, and in it a man. This man was eyeing Maekoneko with a silent gaze of appraisal. It was hard to read anything from her face, but her ghostly white tail anxiously flicked at the tip. The man drew a deep breath, as if it were his last, and spoke in a voice one might expect to hear from a rock. If rocks were prone to speech that is, and I assure you, they are not.
"You have done very well... Maeko," the man smiled at her as if she were a beast of burden being praised for a hard day's labor.
"You know ... I'm beginning to think we made the right choice about you." He was grinning now, showing a set of too perfect ivory teeth. They didn't match the age in his skin or the dull light behind his eyes. Mae looked at him and thought to herself,
Truly I cannot be afraid of this man... can I?.
"Konome sir, it is an honor to serve you as always." Maekoneko (or as the man had called her, Maeko) bowed her head with a flourish of grace. The man called Konome was apparently aged. He had eyes the color of palest moonlight. His skin was barely darker than his eyes, but his hair was lighter than either of the two afore. Maeko was hit by a wave of defiance then as her left eye was suddenly dashed by a sliver of shadow.
"If you don't mind... I'm going to my room now... my job was executed to perfection as you said," she turned and made a move for the door when suddenly she gasped and fell to the ground in a collective heap. Her eyes were blank as she twitched spastically on the floor. Then it was done. her left eye slowly returned to its' pale slate coloring. She drew a deep breath and growled.
"Hmm... perhaps I was too soft? Just because you receive praise does not give you the authority to waltz in and out when you choose. I ordered you here and you will only go when I have tired of you!" Konome's face was flushed a pale red, obviously out of anger. Maeko pulled herself from the tiled office floor and smoothed her clothing.
"Forgive me Konome sir. It would appear I had forgotten my place...," she flinched, but went on.
"I assure you sir, I am simply tired. I... you do keep me locked away, I'm not used to the stress of this work." She bowed her head again and folded her ear-tips, awaiting another jolt of pain.
"... I cannot stay mad with you Maeko, you know that," Konome sighed and closed his eyes.
"It has been a long day for me as well... monitoring you is always a hard job. But you know all about that..." He smiled as Maeko's lip twitched slightly. She simply bowed her head again and crossed her arms slightly, waiting.
"Anyways... you are free to go Mae. To your room of course... we still have to go over the images we recorded from your mind. You'll have a new assignment soon. Don't you worry."A cloaked figure evanesced from the shadows and took hold of Maeko's shoulder. Together they exited the office room whose door vanished from sight as soon as they crossed the threshold.
