[UPDATE IN PROGRESS] Onmyou-Pocketville: Fallen Dusk

Chapter 15: Memoirs of a Monarch

The bright transition from one world to another faded and Malorie's eyes focused on the two enormous, inlaid doors of Omori Palace and the two small sakura trees next to them as the image emerged. Several clouds of dark, dull lavender were covering patches of the sky, hiding away the sun like Amayou Omikami, the Shizukato sun goddess, took a break from letting the sun shine over Machikyuu.

Is it going to rain here? Malorie thought.

"Mal..." Tia looked up at Malorie, who towered over her like always. "Check out your clothes."

"Again?" Malorie tilted her head downwards and saw that she wasn't wearing her usual turtleneck, leggings, and skirt ensemble, but a soft pink kimono with a pale sakura motif, a golden wave-patterned obi with a small fabric rope tied in a butterfly-shaped knot, a hair ornament consisting of a synthetic pink camellia, yellow primrose, pale pink cherry blossom, and a gold tassel. The necklace with the nijinite magatama she always wore was hidden under the flaps of the kimono. She wore white socks and a pair of wooden sandals called zouri.

Her backpack turned into a rather large yellow satchel bag that hung on her shoulder, which had a sakura pattern on the lid. It was surprisingly lightweight as it didn't push down on her shoulders.

Wow...I like this outfit. I'm becoming one like them...

Malorie was familiar with wearing traditional Japanese wear ever since she was very small, as she would always wear a kimono when her family visited the nearby Kami-Shinjin shrines, such as Grand Westminster Shrine. Like many other shrine complexes around the United Kingdom, in their dimension that is, it was required to wear a kimono when visiting and attending rituals and ceremonies there. It was considered respectful to sacred grounds.

Malorie reminisced of times when she, Hana, and Lilie were all together getting ready to go to the shrine. She thought Hana looked adorable in her little lilac kimono with a butterfly motif. Lilie looked rather interesting to her in her own kimono as she had a rather wide, curved, and plump physique, as Malorie was used to seeing leaner people wearing them, but nevertheless her grandmother looked especially charming with the pastel pink and yellow colours and fabric lily flowers clipped in her silver hair. Malorie carried the legacy of her late great-grandmother: Lilie's Japanese-born mother Queen Tsubame, as she wore her kimono.

A small calico cat with a dark brown mane tied in a braid and a set of hachimaki and white leg warmers approached the duo. Her face had a blank expression, with neither a grin nor frown. It was rather unusual as Mela was the most cheerful of the senior Guards, but it could be because she's just doing her job.

"Follow me. Her Majesty would like to see you." she said in a stoic manner. She wasn't bothered when a single raindrop landed on her ear, though that ear twitched when it did.

Malorie nodded and followed Mela as more and more drops of rain fell down, dotting the pavement and dampening Malorie's kimono. The two enormous red doors bearing the Omori family crest slowly opened on their own and revealed the red-wallpaper foyer. Tia scampered after her on her short little legs like the playful little puppy she is.

~ • * • ~

The smell of fresh, fragrant rosemary lingered in the air, and warm, yellow, candlelit lanterns with camellia motifs lit up the room. Ava, who wore a solid pink scarf under her golden collar, was sitting down on a fuchsia zabuton next to a wide koto with twenty-five strings that was carved from cherry bark and painted with a deep pink and gold camellia design on the side. She plucked one string with her right paw, the paw that had her dark almond-brown star-shaped birthmark, and it made a deep, resonating sound. She ran her paw over some other strings and they played different notes of different pitches. It felt like the koto had a soul of its own that was ready to let its voice be known.