Dinner and Conversation

"Thanks for inviting me over Representative!" Kira smiles happily and gives a deep bow to the man seated at the table before her.

The blond, curly haired man modestly waves Kira's greeting off before replying, "Please, its Michael. We have known each other all the way back from when you were still at the orphanage. All the way back then, I never thought that either of us would end up in The City. Don't be shy, sit down."

A waiter courteously pulls out the chair for Kira and she takes her seat at a small table meant for two. She adjusts her evening gown nervously and gives another smile at Representative Michael.

"Would Sir like some wine?" The waiter asks.

Michael thinks for a moment before replying, "A bottle of house wine. And two glasses." Just as the waiter gives Kira a pointed glance, Michael makes a dismissive motion with his hand, "Its fine. Two glasses." The waiter nods and leaves the private dining room.

Michael makes an expansive gesture saying, "Have you eaten at a real trattoria before Kira? Not restaurants masquerading as one. You don't order your food here. You eat whatever the chef has prepared for the day."

Kira frowns, "But what if its not to my taste?"

Michael flicks his eyes back to Kira and responds, "Well, the chef is that good. I've never had that problem before. By the way, that bodyguard of yours, Chance, was her name? You told me that she was not able to come?"

"Oh!" Kira exclaims while fiddling with a napkin, "Violet's injuries were acting up again and she has to rest at home." Her eyes narrow conspiratorially as she whispers, "Ever since you met Violet the last time you've been very interested in her, Mike. Did you invite me for dinner as a roundabout way to get a date with Violet?"

"Already so familiar." Michael huffs, "Well, Violet reminds me, well 'remind' is not really the right word I suppose. She gives me a sense of nostalgia, about someone I knew in the past."

Kira makes a questioning noise as she sips a glass of water, "Doesn't that just mean you are interested in her?"

Michael shakes his head, "Not really. Seeing Violet gets me to reminisce about less complicated times and old companions. Its a bit selfish of me isn't it? To see someone and not see them at the same time?"

Kira looks at Michael oddly, "You knew someone like Violet when you were managing our orphanage? But I don't seem to recall such a person."

"Way before then Kira." Michael says while gulping down his own glass of water, "Before you were even born."

The waiter enters the private room once again with the wine and a basket of bread. After pouring out the wine, he leaves the room once more like a ghost.

Michael starts cutting a piece of bread and smearing butter on it, "Don't look so down Kira. I invited you for dinner as an apology for what happened at Six Trees. If I had not roped you in as part of my plan to get rid of those squatters, you would never have been attacked. Thank goodness you're alright."

"Yeah." Kira says somewhat despondently as her smile begins to waver. She begins sipping the wine listlessly.

Michael picks up on the signal and presses, "Seriously Kira, what's wrong? Your smile does not reach your eyes."

"Its nothing." Kira mumbles.

"Kira, We have known each other ever since your days at the orphanage when I was the manager." Michael sighs, "I can tell when something is wrong with you. So stop hiding whatever is bothering you and just let it out."

"Its Tensei." Kira says softly.

"The beau?" Michael responds with a surprised look on his face, "What's going on with him?"

Kira looks down into her lap as she speaks, "He's training. For that big contest involving his inheritance."

"And?" Michael says with a quizzical look on his face, "I was in the Council Hall that day when Gustav set his challenge. Tensei training for it is nothing unusual."

Kira now looks close to tears and her voice cracks, "Tensei's spending all his time at SOPO headquarters training with his pretend sister. Inspector Scott and Sera have been running both of them through drills and magic lessons. Sometimes Ken shows up to spar with Tensei."

Michael swallows the slice of bread he had been cutting and wets his lips with a sip of wine. He silently gestures at Kira to continue.

The words begin to come out in a rush from Kira's mouth, "I don't know anything about fighting, so I can't help Tensei train. I thought I could ask the Host for help, but no one there takes an idol singer seriously. I had a thought, if I could persuade my employer to allow Violet to help with Tensei's training, then I could at least not be so so useless."

"But my employer is obsessed with her feud against her brother." Kira continues, "She just shot my idea down without thinking about it although Violet is fine with helping Tensei out. Tensei is getting further and further away from me, Mike. I'm losing him. He's still nice and kind, but all his time is taken up by people who can actually help him. There's no place for me."

"If this continues, I will never get to be with Tensei. I will never experience his kindness again. And I will never be able to answer to my family when I leave this world to join them." Kira concludes with a sob.

Michael silently offers a tissue to Kira for her to wipe her tears. After dabbing her tears away Kira apologizes, "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to cause a scene. I'm a terrible person aren't I? I can only hurt or let down the people that I love."

Michael takes a moment to consider what Kira has said before answering, "I don't think so. I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you if they were still here. And Tensei is blessed to have someone like you love him."

"But, my secret vow -" Kira protests.

Michael smiles gently, "When you confided in me all those years ago, I realized that love can take many forms. Not just passion, but also loyalty. And I think that your loyalty to Tensei is no less than your loyalty to your parents. You would not betray Tensei's memory after fulfilling your vow, would you?"

"Never!" Kira protests, "I would never love another. My life would be dedicated to our child. There would be no one else in my heart."

"But I'm disappointed Kira." Michael admonishes, "When you went to the Host for support, you never approached me. I might not be much, but I would like to think that a Representative's word still means something in The City. Anyway, me helping would be better than Tensei associating with that Matsui boy. His family have been attacking Host territory and clashing with SOPO for the past few days. Its causing a lot of headache."

Kira's eyes immediately light up, "You'll help Tensei? Seriously?"

"Seriously." Michael smiles indulgently, "In fact, I'll do more than that. Not only will I help with Tensei's training, I will ensure that your vow will not interfere with your love for him. You will not need to hurt anyone to reach your golden ending."

Kira grips the tablecloth tightly, her breath short, "How? How can you do that?"

"I may be based behind a desk most of the time," Michael explains, "but in my younger days, I was quite the mage. I know techniques that can solve your conundrum rather easily."

"Tell me!" Kira reaches forward and grabs Michael's hands desperately.

Michael gently shakes Kira off with laugh, "Let's eat first yes? Then I'll go into the details. But trust me when I say this, when I'm done with Tensei, he will be yours and yours alone."

"Forever."