Home is where the heart is [Athena]

It had been quite some time since they had an annual family dinner with the scientists and maids. It was a day where the Uneo family would serve cook and serve a dinner for all their workers to show them they appreciated them. Of course after the divide she was devoted to working on saving her sister while also running a company and going to school occasionally. Although even then she didn't have enough time to go to school, so she never really had time to plan one of these such events. Since then she had her new heart and wasn't a fragile girl who had to be followed by her body guards, and she finally felt like she was settled into her new position, she took it upon herself to plan this. Akira was ready to prepare and serve the meal herself, but when she started to invite some of the maids and cooks, they offered to help, since there would be almost 100 people attending the event; which mostly included the workers and their families. Her family mostly did it buffet style unless anyone offered help, but this time the meal would be delivered to everyone at their tables in the ballroom, which had been decorated with tables and chairs to accommodate everyone attending. Everything was ready, but Akira still assisted in preparing the food and setting the tables. She even wore a traditional kimono that had been passed down to her from her mother. Of course she had it hemmed and cleaned but it still looked brand new. Most of the guests had arrived, and everyone had been seated and were poured drinks. Akira herself still sat at the front hall, greeting those who walked in. Shaking hands and thanking them for their service. Though she was preparing to enter the hall and make her speech, she was just waiting for her guests of honor to arrive, where ever they might be.

Being invited to dine with one of the most important families in Endymion was a great honor, even greater since the guest of honor was no other than doctor Elisavet Griva head of the research and development team of Uneo Group as well as Athena's mother. The invitation of course included the entire Griva family, Athena herself was delighted to appear in such event, it wasn't her first time but now she was not only a rising celebrity but also a member of the cadets meaning that despite her low social class the people of the high society would want to be seen with her, publicly showing admiration for the government was a certain way to thrive in this city.

The guests of honor arrived slightly later than the rest. If it was up to Athena she would have showed up just on time but her mother insisted that being tactfully late a few minute was expected in such gatherings. When they finally arrived to the Uneo estate the Griva couple were the first to enter, Pavlos, the father, was wearing an expensive looking black tuxedo which he had rented from a store just for this occasion, he didn't use to wear that kind of clothing after all. Elisavet on the other was clothed with an elegant black gown perfect for her slender figure, it was something she had wore before a couple of years ago in another event but she cared little, at her age it was more impressive to show off how her figure remained unchanged instead of exposing a vast collection of clothes.

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Their twins followed behind them with Achileas, Athena's brother, wearing a black suit, despite the simplicity of his attire he looked impressive and much older than he actually was. Like his father he had rented that suit since he rarely got a chance to dress this fancy anyway.

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Athena, who was probably the most excited of the Grivas about the diner, realized quickly that in order to impress she had to avoid relying on her sexyness. Showing up wearing a revealing outfit in such a gathering would only make her look like she didn't understand the etiquette of this place. She should also avoid wearing something that would outshine her mother, because if she did it would only look as if she was trying too hard to impress. Therefore the model decided to wear a simple black dress and a furry shawl over her shoulders. Simple enough so it wouldn't provoke the guests but elegant enough to get their attention subtly. At least that was what the girl believed.

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It had been a few years since she had seen this family; the only one she had contact with was Elisavet, who she talked to almost every day. Akira and the daughter of her lead researcher used to be best friends, but they lost contact after the divide because the at the time heiress had to begin to take over the family group. She finished up speaking to the people who had came up to great her, one being a maid and the other being a groundskeeper. The Griva family approached, and her attention immediately went to the mother, shaking her hand very quickly and thanking her for her service. She then greeted the father, speaking to him about how much of an irreplaceable asset his wife had really become over the years. Then came greeting the younger male of the house, shaking his hand and thanking him for coming. The rest of her family was directed to the table on the small stage made at the front of the rest of the tables, the one where Akira herself would be sitting. She was approached by the youngest female of the family that had just passed her; she looked her up and down, not really remembering who she was just yet. She hadn't registered it just yet, but the girl spoke, asking if they had met before.

Akira tilted her head slightly, still trying to figure out who this girl was. "I was about to ask you the same thing." She thought about who her parents were, and it almost clicked, a smile came across her face as she began to speak. "Athena?" She waited for an answer before continuing. "It's Akira. We used to be friends when we were younger. I think the last time we spent time together was with Gio on the day of the divide." She shook her head, trying not to think about that day. "You look so good; I can't believe you're still prettier than me." She laughed a bit, going in for a hug. If it was rejected she wouldn't dwell on it, but if it was taken, she would squeeze the girl as tight as she could. She had forgotten how close she was to this girl, and all the memories of that got her kinda excited to see her again. She'd pull back from the hug; still opting to staying in the hallway with the other girl instead of heading to the ballroom. "How have you been? I know you go to Seven Stars; your mom talks about you a lot. I haven't seen you there, but I only go once a month so I would say it's possible I've just never run into you." She smiled a bit, listening to the music as they both talked. It was a sort of waltz, which meant everyone was still getting settled. When the song became a calm melody that's when you knew it was really time to go in.

"Oh yea that's right. I remember you Akira" Athena said as the memories of the girl with the frail heart came back to her mind. She hadn't seen the girl since the eternal divide five years ago. Athena expected a polite handshake, the girl was after all always careful not to stress herself too much after all, though she was aware her heart was improved she was unprepared from such a passionate expression of affection. Even though Athena didn't reject the hug she couldn't come up with an equally warm gesture and so remained stunned for the duration.

"Puppetry has been kind to me. I work as a model now, though I'm still stuck with small time deals. Though I'm positive my fame will rise soon." The girl replied once she recovered from the minor shock. "You look lovely yourself. I trust your health is better since... you know the operation." Athena didn't knew all the details  about it but her mother had informed her about the tragedy of the Uneo family. "I haven't seen you at the Academy, now that I've been accepted into the ranks of the Cadets I spent most of my time in class zero you see."

Akira pulled back her hands from the hug position, laughing a bit. She was obviously way more excited about this meeting than the other girl, but that didn't bother her much. She listened to the other girl speak, waiting till she was done to respond. "I'm glad you have a plan for yourself. It's nice to know you're doing more about your life than I am; I spent most of my time running this group the best I could." She was surprised Athena had such big plans for her own life when she was still in school. "Thank you! I don't spend too much time on my appearance, this is all mostly natural." She gave credit to her heart, keeping her youthful and keeping her body alive and well. The comment on her condition made her smile fade, causing her to take a step back. "Oh yes. I am better. I have your mother to thank for that, she is the one who told my sister about the operation. She's the reason this thing kept me alive in the first place. But no more needing to take it easy." She laughed a bit, looking down. She did blame Athena's mom for her sister's death, but she didn't hold resentment towards her; she knows she meant the best for the Uneo legacy. A robot cannot reproduce and continue the name, but Akira can. "The Cadets? My my someone's been a model student. Congratulations." She didn't know about the secret that the Cadets had, but she would soon know herself.

"I do whatever I can to assist the Queen. Endymion is truly the jewel of our world and so we must all do our best to protect it. Even if the threat is it's own people." Athena said as she looked down to her feet in an attempt to appear melancholy about the recent upset in the city's balance. Of course she was well aware that this change of power could be her ticket to a better life and she would be damned if she didn't at least attempt to leap forward. Though to survive in the life she was trying to build for herself she was going to need allies.

"It's a pity we've grown apart like that. I really liked spending time together when I was still a child. Maybe we should exchange emails, or even better you could start coming to the academy more often. I realized your work is important and your safety is vital for the Uneo Group, but the academy is turly a wonderful place. Not to mention it's probably the safest place in the city, don't forget that this is where most of the cadets are after all. We even get to see the members of the royal family."

Akira didn't comment on the whole rebellion that had started to build up in Endymion, and she didn't like it. She couldn't very well run, no matter how much money she had. Even she didn't know what the outside world would be like, and she didn't want to find out. She was just fine playing for no team and minding her own business, but nowadays not picking a side got you killed. It was the Queen's side or no side and she wasn't about to step out of line with everything she had built up. "I heard about that. The terrorists who are threatening the safety of the city. I don't understand how people can be so stupid." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't worry about that, you're just doing your job. They are the law breakers, you are the law enforcers. It'd be different if they were just barking up a tree, but a dog with rabies needs to be put down, no?" Terrorists only have one goal; to turn people against people with warfare. And these terrorists were no different, they were going to infect person after person with their deadly bite, turning everyone they can against the queen. They needed to be put down, or else they would stop at nothing to get their point across. "I'm sure I could email you or we could text each other if you have time. Plus I do have a lot more spare time on my hands so if you ever want to hang out we can. Staying here isn't about safety, I'm helping the city more when I'm here. The tech we make here for security is definitely keeping the city streets safe for everyone." She smiled a bit; she was very proud of the products she produced, and the technology that helped those who needed help to catch the bad guys was all of her design.

"I guess that's an interesting way of viewing things. You should be proud of your company, I'm sure the Queen is grateful for your contribution to Endymion" Athena said with a smile "Though I should advice you to visit the academy when you get the chance. It's always nice to see the good your actons achieve wouldn't you agree? Who knows perhaps you'll get the prince to thank you personally" Athena added clearly attempting to shift the conversation in another topic. "I must admit he does look cuter up close than what he does in pictures, though you must have met him as well, have you not?"

Akira shook her head towards the question Athena asked. "I've never met the Queen personally, only people close to her. But I have been told she is very happy with the Uneo Group working underneath the government. I mean, the funds we receive for the research and development we do, is almost thanks enough." She smiled a bit, uncrossing her arms. "I have to go next week to turn in the work for the month, so I'll definitely try to take more of it in." She laughed a bit at her next comment, shaking her head again. "I've never met anyone famous. I don't like interacting with people that much so I try to avoid talking to a lot of people above me. But I guess maybe meeting the prince wouldn't be that bad, it'd be interesting to say the least." She didn't really respond on the whole him being cute thing; at this point she personally just said she was asexual, since she wasn't really attracted to anyone at the moment. She attributed it to her not finding that person, but also she might just not be into anyone in the entire city.

"No reason to be like that." Athena said as she wrapped her hand around Akira's shoulder bringing her closer to her "Tell you what. You'll sent me a text when you're going to visit the academy and I'll help you socialize with everyone. With my help I'm certain you'll overcome any problems with social interaction you might have. Trust me, there is nothing more interesting than talking with different people, it's a vast world out there, you really should discover it." Even though Athena might have had ulterior motives behind her being that friendly to the girl she also didn't have to force herself to like her. After all even though Athena has been "corrupted" by the changes around her Akira managed to maintain her innocence and kindness, maybe by hanging around with her she would get part of them back.

Akira honestly hadn't hugged anyone in a long time, and she felt like it was very nice to feel human contact with another human again. She blushed a bit as she hugged her back, closing her eyes a bit to enjoy it even for a second. It truly was nice, and it was from someone who she actually trusted. "I will. After the dinner party, I'll make sure to give you my new phone number, but if I forget I'll give it to your mom and hope she gets it to you. It would be nice to get out and just talk to people I guess." That was a lie, but she was okay with at least trying. The idea of being around a lot of people didn't make her too excited but life was about doing things you didn't want to do. "Not going to lie, I haven't been out of this house for a long time; I only just started to re-familiarize myself with Little Tokyo." She pulled away from the hug and began to speak, but she heard the music inside the ball room change, prompting her to look back towards it for a second before looking at the girl in front of her. "We really must be going. But after the dinner when the dancing begins we can speak if that suits your fancy?" She'd wait for an answer before making her way to the ballroom with the girl, smiling a bit. Tonight was going to be a good night.

[Exit]

Akira Uneo of the Lovers and Athena of the Hermit have established a social link...