[Day: Unknown. Time: Unknown] [Taki is in a nice garden behind a western-style mansion. There's flower beds and a pond, and a nice cobblestone area, but she's not there for the scenery. She's got three knives in each hand, held between the fingers. Some distance away is a target. You can guess what's going to happen next.] (... Now I know where gang-Taki got her knife fetish from.) ( Bah. You have a Taki for every situation :P ) (There are too many of them in my head! ;_;) [Taki throws the knives, three at a time! They're off a bit because her perspective is kind of funny. But wait! They vanish part-way there, reappearing directly in front of the target. Unfortunately, none of them quite hit the center; looks like she still needs some practice.] [None the less, there's still some applause. Looking over to see who it is, she finds a young man with a big nose: the mansion butler, Kitahachi Arazami. "Impressive."] [He steps out further. "You're getting much better. Mr. Watanabe ought to be pleased."] * Taki turns her body and head so she can look at him with her good eye. "Thank you, but I still need more practice. What brings you out here?" ["I came here to tell you that Master Watanabe sent for you. He's waiting inside."] * Taki gives him a slight bow. "I must not keep him waiting then. Would you please retrieve the knives and return them to their places?" [He bows back. "Of course."] * Taki gives him another small bow and then hurries to the door. Once inside she stops to remove her shoes, and makes a quick check of her appearance to be sure her exercise in the yard hasn't made her unpresentable to her employer. [Hideo is there in the foyer. With him is a girl about Taki's age. She's wearing foreign clothes and has long, blond hair.] * Taki bows deeply to Hideo. "You sent for me, sir?" [Hideo looks over, as does the other woman. Taki can see that her eyes are, in fact, Japanese. "Ah, Yoshiko. This is Mariko Arou. Or perhaps I should say, the Seven of Swords. I want you two to get to know each other. She'll be living here from now on."] * Taki bows to Mariko. "I am Yoshiko Matsudaira, I am honored to meet you." (Ack, stick "Knight of Cups" after the comma. ^^;) [She bows. "I am Mariko Arou, Seven of Swords. It's a pleasure."] [Hideo turns around, gazing out the glass windows. "War is upon us. These are dangerous times. We will need to be vigilant."] * Taki looks at Hideo. "May I show her the grounds then?" [He looks over his shoulder. "By all means." Just then Kitahachi comes up to him and whispers something in his ear. Hideo listens and nods, saying, "I'll be in my study if you need me." He then walks off.] * Taki bows again even though he isn't looking at her. "Yes sir." [More time passes. Taki finds herself training with Mariko quite a bit. Mariko uses a sword, however. She fights strangely: clumsily and awkward. She looks highly unskilled. But Taki comes to realize that's just a feint. Mariko will suddenly come out of her awkwardness to stab or slash a target with deft precision.] [She also begins to notice frequent visits from a certain man. He's quite handsome, somewhere in his twenties. He's a western priest of some sort, dressing in black and wearing a cross. Frequently he'll visit Hideo, but they often talk in private, and Taki is not sure about what.] [Other times, Hideo is frequently out. Usually, Kitahachi manages things at the mannor.] [One day, Kitahachi informs Taki and Mariko that Hideo needs to see them about a matter of importance.] [But as Taki heads to meet Hideo, she wakes up.] [End here too.]