Sally
Fujishima Estate
Morning – 5:45
As Sally let Mikage take her rest over the same futon that she just used with her familiar silver fox, Sally went over to the porch's grassy area. She wore her broken mask and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath she inhale the morning breeze that touched her skin and then opened her eyes. She could already feel the energy from nature passing through her body as she was being one with it and started on moving according to the flow of energies that her body entwined with. She was doing taichi exercises.
At first, Sally let the energy flow throughout her entire body as she put her feet together and relaxed her hands to her side she started doing careful breathing as it was also helping to clear her mind from any disturbance. Feeling that spreading throughout her body, she knew that she was just being one with nature around her. As the breathing keep going her body began to move in a rising and sinking posture like her arms were moving along with the flow with the back of the hand rising up and her palm showing when sinking down. When everything felt firm and stable circulation of the energy flowing within her body, Sally made another movement along with her arms as if she was making a big circle before letting her palms touch each other like she was praying when it reach her chest down. Her breathing was totally accurate with the movements that she was doing. Followed by another movement that seems like Sally was serving tea; it was just looking like that but with each intake of air in her body, her hands automatically did a serving gesture as it deflect motion before pushing out when exhaling. Both sides of her body movement really calm at the same time there’s power radiating around her body since it was totally circulating nicely all over her entire body. Then her move changed into a moving up and down flapping wings as it goes with the rhythm of her breathing. Followed by a withdrawal movement in Sally’s arms when she inhale, it was like retracting her arms back to her body and pushing them again away when she exhale. She kept the flow within her body and let her arms show how it flows at each turn to the sides. Then the next thing was she lifted her leg whenever she breathe in and her leg down when she exhale to which of course, her hands still followed the flow of the energy as it was radiating around her palm as well. It’s good to practice the balance like this as well and since Sally was good with her balance, she could rise her leg up more than the leveled one. The next posture that she did was she bring both of her hands in one on top of the other with a space in the middle and palms facing each other as if Sally was carrying a ball. She did that in a simple manner and did it on the opposite side followed by another calming movement of being still as she was like holding a ball as she relaxed the flow of energy into a minimal state.
She always does that kind of exercise each time she wakes up in the morning as she wanted to let her energy circulates even more clearly and more defined as it passes all over her entire body. She wanted to start the morning with a such nice flow of energy since her work line has really hectic and stressful.
“I could see that you’re awake.” The mid-thirties woman in her respected huntress suit who goes in the code of Sab commented as she saw Sally finish her morning meditation exercise.
“Feel better, boss?” Anon, the same jolly man asked as he was totally grinning from ear to ear.
“Good to see you’re well.” Onyx commented as the four of them approached their leader in a glad manner.
“Report.” Even though Sally heard those nice genuine greetings and concern about her health, she still sounded flat as she told them about the report they managed to make while she was out. She even took a seat as she leaned her back over the post that supported the roof of the small porch.
“Business already, how about breakfast?” Sawako came with a big tray that was full of decent food.
“Lady Sawako, good morning.” Sally greeted the maiden with a respectful bow to which her team did the same thing.
“Morning, I already brought breakfast which I hope you and your team would like.” Sawako smiled at her as she put down the tray beside Sally before glancing over her sleeping daughter with her familiar fox.
“Breakfast and report.” Sally turned to her team and she started to say thanks for the food before she starts eating.
“Work-a-holic as always.” JC and Anon, the two jolly persons reacted on their ground and speak only the truth about Sally whenever it was about work and she really does not want to be reminded at all.
“JC, Anon doesn’t start with the wrong button in Sally.” Onyx reminded the two of them.
“You know her when it comes to morning reports.” Sab added that made them apologize and joined Sally for a breakfast. They all knew not too pissed Sally off because they don’t want to suffer in any kind of disturbing dreams that Sally could inflict on them without trying at all. It was just how Sally could look at them – as if she could all of their fears that they hid in their hidden closet.
“Enjoy. I’ll be back after you guys were done here.” Sawako smiled with humor and just excused herself but Onyx stopped her.
“How about you, are you not going to join us, Lady Sawako?” he asked politely which made Sawako smile at the thoughtfulness.
“Nope, I already had my portion. Just enjoy.” Sawako answered before she head out of the room and Sally along with her team continued their breakfast as they also started on discuss the report.
When the presence of Sawako left them alone, silence took over as they were having a decent breakfast when Sally put down the cup of brewed coffee to which she was surprised that the maiden knew what she likes for her morning. Anyway, when she put her cup down, the others began to slow down from what they were eating and drinking.
“Alright, first of all, the report about last night was being made individually since we’re working in different areas of the Fujishima Estate. We all have encountered different difficulties while some areas were not even being touched by any fallen beasts.” Onyx started their discussion and Sally was glad to hear that from either him or Sab.
“Also, we decided before we could make any final report, we also need your input regarding what you’ve encountered on your post as well as being the eyes of everything that just happened there last night.” Sab continued to which Sally reacted by nodding since she was indeed the eyes of everything as her position was always on the higher ground. She always does that to see the whole perimeter of their client’s land. Not to mention that she was feeling something warm about how her two members can carry the team even without her leadership – they already knew what to do even without consulting her but due to their respect for Sally, they considered her thoughts regarding their assigned task.
“Last night, they were already waiting and looking for a gap before the ritual happened. It took them a while from figuring out where the gap was and it was too late for them to interrupt when they managed to find it.” Sally answered briefly before she took a bite of her beef gyudon with the use of a chopstick.
“You already found the gap?” Anon wondered while munching the same dish and the way he ate them making him look like a kid – messy.
“I could not say exactly if I did since I just put my markings on the potential spot that they might be entering until they managed to brag inside. All I know is that the first protection that was wrapping around their land was already dying and there’s no stopping it any longer.” Sally answered while JC was taking notes of their discussion while she was having her portion. She ate them quietly since she was the one who was always taking notes before they make a report about it.
“So it was still opened?” Sab wondered about it curiously after she swallowed her munched same meal.
“Not as long I am here.” Sally just answered before eating again.
“What do you mean?” Anon almost threw up his foot from his mouth when Sab finally shoot her death glare at him.
“Remember my beads?” Sally wondered to her team if they could recall the last time they saw that she used her beads. She was the only hunter who was using magatama beads in her work.
“Now that you mention ‘your markings’, are you saying that you used it?” Onyx might ask Sally that but he also smacks the back of the head of Anon lightly when he reacted like that in front of their team leader.
“Yes, I have to, or else this whole place will be gone because the barrier around here was totally on the bridge of dying. Like one touch it was a goner already. Also, our job was to keep them safe at all costs and never let any beasts infiltrate that ritual which we all managed to comply with apart from the damage that took part in the scene last night.” Sally answered before she took another sip from her hot coffee.
“The damage was not big as we expected it to be.” JC interjected after she took a sip as well from her hot tea.
“We headed there for precaution before we check on you. The only damaged area was the location of the old shrine and nothing else it was like it was the target area but at the same time not since they all came for Mikage’s ascension last night.” Onyx added to what JC just informed her Sally.
“Was it totally wrecked?” Sally was in her thought when she asked that since she just collapsed and had no knowledge after saving what she did there last night. Also, she and Mikage have to check that place later.
“Yes, but we can’t see anything beyond of what they could see.” Sab answered that caught the attention of Sally.
“You sensed something Sab?” she knew that Sab was the only one who has a sensitivity to any place that she knew that there are something else living in that certain place.
“Faint but it was still there even from the last time when you are being locked there to the last night when you collapsed. It was still there even though we checked it out before heading here and it was still lurking at that place. It was like it was waiting for something before it had totally vanished.” Sab answered first the question of their leader before she took another bite from her the same breakfast as her teammates.
“I think only Mikage could get it.” Sab added that Sally did not hesitate on agreeing.
“Possible.” Onyx stated before finishing his portion.
“Is she the next protector of their land?” Anon wondered what made him automatically hide his face behind his bowl because he was talking again with his mouth full. Sab did not like that at all especially when Anon was facing her. It was definitely not a good sight at all for a breakfast or to start a day for a person like Sab facing kind of person like Anon.
“Can’t answer that yet but let's see once the sleeping maiden wakes up from her slumber.” Sally glanced over the sleeping Mikage beside her familiar. To Sally’s sight, it was a breathtaking sight that she found herself being lured into such peacefulness that she never felt to anything or to anybody just around Mikage.
“Alright, clear the report then let me read them before I could send you off.” Sally added that made one of them wonder about what she told them.
“Are you not coming with us?” JC wondered what made Sally put down her empty cup over her empty bowl.
“You’ll know later after I help Mikage to get what she has to get over the wrecked old shrine.” Sally just answered before she gets up from her spot and went inside the room again. Her team was totally watching their leader with such fascination since they’d learned a lot after staying with her for years already. Only Sally accepted their weirdness and they had a feeling that their last night's task will be the last time they were going to be with her.