Send a symbol for your muse to find mine - đŚIn a joyful mood
For the first time in months, she felt content. Today had been successful, and she was maybe even happy with the dayâs events. Even her assistant had been shocked by the smile on Esmeâs face, but she didnât care.Â
After work, she treated herself to a nearby bakery with a nice slice of cake. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. As she walked out, she flipped her hair, smelling the jasmine shampoo in it. Yes. Perfect.
Send a symbol for your muse to find mine -Â đźTransformed into an animal/monster || Accepting!
She wasnât sure how it happened, but she needed to fix it. Of course, on her way to an important meeting with a high profile client, and she was stuck in this form, a Japanese green pheasant. It was disgusting. Her gut stuck out too much, and she simply didnât know what to do.
She had tried getting peopleâs attention, but she guessed it only sounded like squawking because people avoided her.
âOhmygod. Someone please help me,â Esme whined.
She rolled her eyes. He was right. Of course she would be praised for something as simple as attending. "I don't support local businesses. I support family. That's it." Saphir was her only family, and she'll be damned if she was going to be anything but a supportive big sister in this lifetime.
"What type of event are you planning on doing for your opening? Who have you invited?" she asked getting into full business mode. If she was going to have to attend this thing, she may as well be strategic with the potential people she'll be meeting.
She looked up at him, not bothering to hide her disgust. âUgh, Saphir, no. I support your desire to run a business, but you know I donât do well with animals. Theyâre soâŚâ she shivered recalling the time a dog used her as a utility pole.Â
âLook, we both know that if I were to be within a meter of any animal at your cafe, I would cause more damage to your image than support,â she sighed as her expression softened. âI donât want to hurt your business.â
He smiles a bit, happy at her truthfulness. Still he liked the idea that his sister could bring in more customers. How to convince her because while yes he was resourceful, he had noticed an increase in people wanting more locations.
âTrue enough, however they are cats. They canât do much besides wanting to sit in your lap and be loved.â
Still he did not want to reveal himself yet to the ayakashi sisters. Especially not Petz. ThatâsâŚshe was better off thinking him still dead.
âAnyway at least come to the opening? I know for a fact some rather influential people have been showing up lately. You may be able to strike deals with them.â
Another deep sigh. It really didnât seem like she would be able to escape this. Plus, Saphir was hardly one to ask for her help.Â
âYou have to promise I wonât have to touch or pet any cats because I swear if Iâm out the moment one of those furballs try rubbing all over my boots. Got it?â
She looked up at him, not bothering to hide her disgust. âUgh, Saphir, no. I support your desire to run a business, but you know I donât do well with animals. Theyâre so...â she shivered recalling the time a dog used her as a utility pole.Â
âLook, we both know that if I were to be within a meter of any animal at your cafe, I would cause more damage to your image than support,â she sighed as her expression softened. âI donât want to hurt your business.â
âCome in,â Esme called from the other side of the door, not bothering to look up from the papers she was looking over as the door opened. Likely, it was her assistant announcing that she would be going home for the night. It was really late, so Esme didnât blame her.
âUm, Miss Esme,â her assistant fumbled over her words.
âHmm?â
Her assistant placed an invitation just barely in Esmeâs line of sight which did cause her to put down her papers and pick it up.
âWhatâs this?â she asked as she opened it.
âUm, Iâm getting married,â her assistant spoke softly as if she felt guilty about the whole situation.
Ah, so this was a formality. Of course her assistant was required to invite Esme to the wedding. Which was fine, but Esme hadnât even known that the girl was dating anyone much less engaged.Â
âCongratulations,â Esme tried her best to sound excited, but it came out flat. It was no secret that she hardly ever dated, and she never spoke about marriage or having children like the other girls in the company did. She had heard some of the models dreamily say how they couldnât wait to get married and raise children with their future husband.Â
âIâve made sure that the date didnât conflict with any upcoming appointments, so I hope youâll be able to come,â her assistant had a small smile as she spoke.
âAh, thank you. Make sure to schedule it into my calendar then. I wouldnât want to miss your wedding.â That was a bit more sincere.
Her assistant quickly nodded. It seemed that she wanted to excuse herself for the night, but she paused. âUm, Miss Esme, Iâll continue my job here even after Iâm married. I donât intend on becoming a stay-at-home wife.â
That was the bit of information that Esme needed but could not legally ask. âI see. If thatâs all, you can leave for the night,â she dismissed her assistant who gave a small bow before leaving.
Esme waited for the elevator beep and waited a few more minutes before letting out a long sigh. Gah, marriage. How could anyone be so in love with a person to sign a contract to be together forever? She couldnât think of one person who would be worth all the trouble.
Well, there was one person... But he didnât exist. Not in this century anyway. And if she remembered correctly, not even that had worked in her favor. He had been in love with someone else.
She looked over the invitation once more. For her assistantâs sake, she sincerely hoped love worked out better for them than it had for her.
She stared at the shop in front of her. Her assistant had sworn that if any place would have a suitable replacement for her perfume, it would be here, and Esme had been so desperate to check that she cleared her afternoon to be here.
 So here she was, working up the courage to walk into the small shop. Her assistant's words replayed in her mind over and over again, if they don't have it, no one will.
 Taking a deep breath, she entered the store. The store was filled with perfume bottles. It was so small, and she found it a bit difficult to navigate through with her large purse. Each step was careful since she was afraid to accidentally knock anything over.
 More importantly, though, she needed to find whoever managed the shop. She was not going to spend the entire afternoon reading each individual bottle.
 Every time she fell asleep, she would see the Black Moon Clan. These days, she wasn't sure if she would consider them dreams or nightmares. Some nights, there was just so much death. Too much. Some nights, the dreams were so beautiful with promises of family only for her to realize that none of it existed each time she woke up.
 This BMC plagued her mind more and more these days. She would pass makeup stores and think of the Ayakashi Sisters. She would see someone with brightly colored hair only to be disappointed that it was some person following the latest idol trends. She even felt it whenever she wasn't thinking about them. It was like her body knew, too restless since no one pestered her to exhaustion.
 She felt numb. No one for her to pine after. No one for her to annoy. Absolutely no one. Her heart was missing a whole family that simply did not exist in this lifetime.
 But it didn't keep her from hoping. She still kept an eye out for hair colors that stood out. She still kept an ear out on the train hoping that she would hear one of their voices by chance. She even overwhelmed herself in anything jasmine-scented to make herself stand out more.Â
 "Oh, I'm sorry, but they have discontinued that perfume."
 Esme's right eye twitched as she tried to keep a neutral face. The only reason she was speaking to this staff member was because she couldn't find her usual jasmine-scented perfume. It was the closest to pure jasmine that she could find.
 "Discontinued?" Esme asked as if she suddenly didn't understand Japanese.
 "Um, yes, discontinued. They no longer make it," the store clerk shuffled on her feet uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. We have another line-"
 "No," the model's voice was cold and harsh as she glared at the employee. She could feel the anger building in her. She could strangle this worker for their incompetence. Esme was a regular. The least they could have done was call to inform her that it would be discontinued. Not even a single email.
 Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fists. She would not throw a tantrum here. She could not. She had an image to uphold, and society did not take kindly to loud, emotional outbursts.
 "I see," she spoke evenly. The staff member attempted to apologize again, but Esme held up a hand, not bothering to look apologetic with how rude she was being before walking away.
 When she got home that evening, she stared at herself in her vanity willing herself not to cry. A perfume would not be the reason she wakes up with puffy eyes in the morning. She refused. She held the bottle of perfume in one hand as she took of her makeup with the other. The bottle was less than a fourth of the way full. She would need to find a replacement soon. She didn't know how, but it would need to be soon. The realization was enough for a single tear to roll down her cheek. She didnât allow anymore.
Tokyo has a population of over 13 million people, but Esme found herself feeling lonely. In the professional sense, she was successful. She had a decent amount of models she had contracted at this point, and she made enough money as CEO to be able to treat them to an enkai every so often. They treated her with respect, but they were not friends. From the beginning she had made it abundantly clear that she was their employer and that was it. She had to in order to gain respect as such a young CEO, though, there were times she did wish they were on friendlier terms.
Her friends included other successful people whether they ran their own companies or other celebrities, but usually their schedules conflicted with her own. She was lucky to catch a quick drink with any of them.Â
She didnât date much either. No one seemed to appeal to her. It was nice to receive flowers or other gifts from admirers, but she never seriously pursued a relationship with them. She didnât feel that spark. She needed a spark.
For a while, she went to a local izakaya near her apartment, but people were too intimated to strike a conversation with her, so she stopped going. Drinking alone was not fun.
Normally, her loneliness wouldnât bother her so much, but these dreams had started to bother her again. Dreams involving a family on a different planet in a different time. In her dreams, she looked so happy with them. But then she would wake up, and there would be no Rubeus to tease her about her crush on Demando. No Saphir to bother whenever she wanted. No Ayakashi Sisters to argue who was the most beautiful. None of it existed.Â
She dreamed of them almost every night now, and she wished it would stop. How happy she would be to see any of them actually existed. But she doubted it would ever happen. Their hair colors would stick out like a sore thumb in Tokyo. If she hadnât met them by now, they definitely did not exist.Â
About: By this century, Hanahaki Disease was something only read in books. Only two medical records existed from the 20th century, but even then, some doctors had believed it to be false. Coughing up flowers due to a love so intense yet unrequited? It sounded like folklore. No one could really love someone to the extent of growing flowers in their lungs, but somehow Esmeraude had.
Esmeraude did everything in extremes. It wasn't her fault. Being born so beautiful and able to pull off such voluminous green hair required her to make statements in all of her actions. When she had joined the Black Moon Clan (BMC), she had whole-heartedly believed in their cause: Neo-Queen Serenity was brainwashing her citizens into obedience to make herself ruler of the entire planet Earth but was masking it as a 'cleanse.' Â Esmeraude would not allow that to happen, and she joined the BMC.
Some people who joined at the same time as her underestimated her. With her cute outfits, tall boots, and makeup on point, they doubted her ability to contribute. They were wrong. She was loyal and ruthless. Nothing would stand between her and her goal, and her efforts did not go unnoticed. Â She moved her way up through the ranks. Eventually, she was made a general in the BMC.
Before and after becoming a general, she had always been a professional. Now, even more so, to ensure she would be treated as an equal alongside Rubeus, to make certain her strategies and contributions would warrant the same respect as even Saphir. But she was doomed the moment she saw him.
Of course she knew of their leader. Everyone knew of him. He was the one who had started this revolution, which she still so passionately supported. But she had never seen him before. Now, her cause had a face. An overwhelmingly handsome face at that. The way he walked, the way he spoke, all of it was graceful. He was a prince in every way possible. At that moment, she knew. Her chest had suddenly felt itchy, and she knew.
When her chest had felt itchy at that first meeting with Demando, she honestly thought it was because of a crush. She had crushes on people when she was younger. She recalled how her heart would squeeze a little tighter when she saw them. She remembered how much she would smile around them and feel so flustered. She thought that the itch was just an adult version of a crush. She didn't think she was sick.
A week passed before she realized this was something different. She was applying eyeliner when she suddenly felt the need to cough. Something was lodged in her throat. She tried clearing her throat, but it only irritated whatever it was more. Then the coughing had started. It was so painful that tears brimmed at her eyes. She coughed into her hand until she felt something soft land in her hand. Jasmine petals.
She blinked slowly in a state of confusion and shock. It didn't make sense. She didn't make a habit of eating jasmine flowers. Deciding to ask Saphir about it later, she washed the small droplets of blood on the petals before finishing her makeup.
A month later, she finally had the chance to ask Saphir about it. Esmeraude had bought a fan to hide behind whenever she felt the urge to cough. No one had questioned her latest accessory, especially since it had no effect on the amazing success rate of her last few missions. The last month had been spent recruiting soldiers and gathering all sorts of weapons, tools, and other resources in order to take on Crystal Tokyo. They needed as many people as possible before Serenity had a chance to brainwash everyone. Saphir had even created some amazing technology to reverse the cleansing process. Â They were making real progress.
So today the higher-ups were relaxing and celebrating for a few hours. Since she got along with Saphir more, she had ventured into his lab to talk with him.
"Saphir?" she tried to ask nonchantly as she walked in.
"Hmm?" he mused loud enough for her to find him as he fiddled with some new device he was working on.
She leaned against a table nearby but was quiet for several moments as she tried to find the right words to ask her question. It needed to be asked in a way that would require no proof. More of a hypothetical situation. Not something to be analyzed and tested.
Saphir looked up in her direction. "Did you need something?" There was a hint of concern in his voice. Esmeraude rarely walked into his lab so demure. Usually she would brag about her latest success or ask him to make cuter weapons to match her style. Her silence worried him.
"Is it possible to cough up flowers?" she asked casually before clearing her throat.
"Is this your way of asking me to create a bioweapon that would cause people to cough up flowers?" he rolled his eyes before tinkering on the metal thing on his table.
"I was just wondering if it was even possible. Has there been a bioweapon like that before?"
He stopped and raised an eyebrow at Esmeraude. She didn't ask about hypotheticals. She only cared about getting satisfying results.
"Doubtful. You can't grow flowers inside of your body. Science doesn't work like that."
"I see," she spoke a bit disappointed with her findings, but she didn't want to push the subject and risk being found out.
Fine. He would humor her. "There used to be legends that if someone loved someone else so much, but it was unrequited, they would grow that person's favorite flower in their lungs."
Her eyes widened with interest, so he continued. "The only way of getting rid of those flowers would be to make that person fall in love with them or to have surgery. With surgery, the feelings would completely disappear. Some stories said, so would the memories."
"What if you didn't get the surgery?" she asked, but something in her voice hinted that she already knew the answer.
"You die," he said simply.
"I see," she mused as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet. "Could you really make a bioweapon like that?"
He smirked. "You know I can."
The bioweapon never happened. Somehow Neo-Queen Serenity had found out about the BMC's intentions of attacking Crystal Tokyo, and she had banished them to Nemesis, a planet with no light and no warmth.
That may have been a major setback, but their cause was still strong. Demando had gained power due to Wiseman and the Black Crystal. He officially named himself Prince Demando. Everyone still supported him and his cause. This unfair banishment to a planet with literally nothing had proved how cruel Neo-Queen Serenity was and how she would do anything to make sure the whole planet was 'cleansed.'
From Nemesis, they attacked Crystal Tokyo. And it fell. With the powers of the Black Crystal, taking Crystal Tokyo was nothing. Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter, Chibiusa, had taken the Silver Crystal, so it seemed like a certain win. Nothing was ever that easy for them. Using her own power, the queen surrounded the Sailor Senshi, King Endymion, and herself in crystal. Nothing could touch them. And Chibiusa had escaped into the past with the Silver Crystal.
Esmeraude would have been fine with leaving things as they were. The BMC had lost many brave soldiers as well during their attack, but she had witnessed Demando's change of heart. She had witnessed the moment he had fallen in love with Neo-Queen Serenity, when their eyes had met. And in that moment, she felt the jasmine roots wrap tighter around her lungs.
Wiseman warned them that with Chibiusa in the past, she would try to save her parents, so they needed to get the Silver Crystal to ensure that didn't happen. Â Prince Demando had agreed with Wiseman, but he wanted Serenity for himself. He announced it. Esmeraude couldn't let that happen.
Soon they discovered that Sailor Moon and Neo-Queen Serenity were one and the same. Prince Demando focused all of their missions into the retrieval of both the Silver Crystal and Sailor Moon. Esmeraude heavily monitored all missions that might lead to Sailor Moon's capture. She would manipulate strategies just enough to show that missions had failed because of incompetence. But they started sending higher ranked officers. She couldn't manipulate them, so she watched and silently celebrated each loss the Ayakashi Sisters and Rubeus suffered. But they were getting closer to a success each time, so she took matters into her own hands. She volunteered herself.
Achiral and Chiral both had begged her not to. They were well aware of her disease. She was deathly pale but hid it well behind her makeup. It was harder to hide the coughing fits and petals soaked in blood, though. That's how they found out. Her fan could only cover her so much.
She dismissed their concerns, waving them off despite how weak she felt. This did not stop her from coming up with a brilliant plan, though. She knew that Sailor Moon was in Crystal Tokyo, searching for a way to save Chibiusa's parents. The trap would be too easy. Chiral and Achiral would lure them to an area, and with her Beast Hands, she would strangle the life out of Sailor Moon. It would be beautiful.
Her plan had been flawless. She could feel Sailor Moon struggling to breathe within her hands. So close. But she was so weak that she hadn't noticed King Endymion's 'La Smoking Bomber' attack. Such a lame attack, but it was enough. The smoke caused to her to cough so much, she let go of Sailor Moon and fell on the ground hardly able to breathe.
She watched as they escaped, heading towards the castle. More petals were coughed up, but she couldnât bring herself to try and hide them, so she closed her eyes instead. If she couldnât see them, then they didnât exist. That didnât stop her coughing though.Â
I really did love you, Demando-sama.
The history books will say that Sailor Moon always wins because of her love for everyone and everything. They'll dismiss Esmeraude's affection for Prince Demando as an obsession. They omit how hard she fought for what she believed in. They'll mistaken her coughing fits for obnoxious laughter. Â They'll ignore all of the obvious attempts of of sabotage on any intentions of capturing Sailor Moon. Â They'll say Esmeraude died because King Endymion bravely attacked her with 'La Smoking Bomber.' They won't mention the jasmine flowers found all around her dead body. They'll rewrite everything to glorify the winners. And they'll forget all about Esmeraude's true character, her passion in everything, and her ability to love so intensely.
What happens when good people are put into an evil place? Do they triumph or does the situation dominate their past history and morality?
-Philip Zimbardo
