Sorry it took so long! End of year stuff and all that, but here I am!
*}*Ariana*}*
Stirring in her bed, Ariana’s eyes fluttered open and she yawned, sitting up and stretching.
She had only gotten few hours of sleep when she came home early in the morning, but those few hours had been filled with peaceful dreams, dreams of a city nestled in a rolling mountain range, a sanctuary where the Oracle was housed...dreams that almost made her forget the pain of the previous night.
Surprised by the tears that started to fall down her cheeks out of nowhere she wiped them away and got out of bed. Christian would be making breakfast, and she was starving.
With a glance at her clock (8:30), she walked out of her room and went to the stairs, pausing to see if her parents were back from their latest case. They weren’t.
Why did it bother her so much now? She had been fine when they were away before.
Heading downstairs, she walked into the kitchen, and immediately her mouth started watering.
Christian stood at the stove, expertly flipping some pancakes that had a chocolaty scent wafting off them. He wore an apron, and was humming to himself when she walked in.
“Good morning Lady Ariana,” he said without turning around, “the god Apollo sends you his wishes.”
Ariana smiled, “So that’s why I had sweet dreams.” She twisted her hands together, “I’ll make an offering of thanks at the shrine later.”
“What should we do about the school milady?” Christian flipped the pancakes with an acrobatic air and caught them on a plate.
The young priestess shuddered, remembering who she was with there, “I-I suppose we should head back today to give the principal a…progress report.” She hurriedly wiped away more tears. The pain…
Christian frowned. “My lady, is there something wrong?” he turned around, holding the steaming pancakes on one hand, and the spatula in the other.
Ariana paused in tear-wiping and just gaped at her demon butler. “Uh, Christian, what are you wearing?”
The incredibly handsome young man was in his usual attire, black dress pants and a white button down shirt (without the blazer), but he was also wearing a white apron with the words, “Kiss the Cook” in black block letters.
“Oh, you mean this?” Christian said cheerfully, “I found it in the cupboard when I was getting the ingredients for your pancakes.” He placed her pancakes on the counter and was with her in a flash, tilting her chin up with his fingers, looking at her with his turquoise blue eyes. “A kiss for the cook?” he purred.
“No,” Ariana blushed and pushed him away. This was not the time for her butler to be in one of his mischievous moods.
Christian chuckled and set her plate down on the dining table next to the kitchen.
Mouth watering, Ariana sat down and began eating the chocolate chip pancakes in earnest. “Mmunshus,” she said with her mouth closed.
“Thank you.”
After she was done eating, Christian took her plate away. “Why don’t you get dressed and we can head over to the shrine before the school?”
“Yeah…” Ariana stood up and went upstairs, wiping away the tears that were started to fall again.
Debating her choices in her closet, she chose her Japanese Shinto priestess ensemble. Slipping on her geta sandals, she grabbed her staff and went downstairs to Christian, who was putting on his blazer.
“Are you ready milady?” he asked with a smile.
Ariana took a deep breath, “I am.”
Christian offered his arm and the young priestess slipped her arm through it. The two walked out of the house and took the short path to the World Shrine next door.
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The name for the shrine is not the best. ._. Can anyone think of a better name? All polytheistic deities of the world are worshipped at the shrine (Japanese gods, Chinese gods, Greek gods, Norse gods, etc.) so the name must reflect that.
