Family Secrets (Makoto)

This was a rather awkward situation. It had been a while since they had visited the Kino residence. And now the whole Belmont clan was back on Japanese land. All to the protests of one Adelaide Belmont.

The girl sat in the back of the car as Marko did his best not to break any speed limits or other traffic laws. While he spoke English rather well, his Japanese was horrible. Her father sat in the passenger seat, reading a tablet. From what Adelaide could see, it was an article about South America. Another wave of jealousy rushed over the lavender haired girl, as she crossed her arms and looked out the tinted window.

"Honestly, you'll be better off." her mother attempted to encourage her, a touch of a British accent still lingering in her voice, "Makoto is a fine girl and will look after you. Look at this way, you won't have to deal with any more traps."

"I've been able to handle it, before..." her reply trailed off. Although it was still defiant, it was resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to talk herself out of it. She had an easier time convincing that crackpot who wanted to use unleash the plague of some long forgotten pharaoh to just let her walk out of the dusty old pyramid.

In the front of the car, Emerson and Marko did their best to pretended that the conversation was not happening. Marko had the road and the dashboard and Emerson had his eyes studiously affixed to the screen of his tablet.

'Lots of help THEY are.' Adelaide thought, with a mental roll of her eyes. She didn't dare roll them when her mother was watching. No need to make this car ride any more uncomfortable.

---

The black car pulled up in front of the apartment and the engine stopped. The three passengers exited, while the silver-topped Marko leaned towards the departing professor.

"I'll...just stay here." he said. Emerson sighed, defeated, and shut the door. He tried to straighten the tie on his rumpled suit as best he could. Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he lead the way up to the door and rang the bell.

Zoe Belmont looked like she had just stepped off a military base. Black cargo pants, a white tank top and a bomber jacket rounded her attire. Far different from the scholarly appearance of her husband. Adelaide, meanwhile, wore what she normally did. A simple skirt, button down shirt and her leather jacket. The silver pin she had found was affixed to her lapel.

"She does know we're coming...right?" Zoe asked, a purple eyebrow arched. Somehow, she already knew the answer.

"Er...yes! I believe I did! It was in the airport. In...was it Dubai? No! It was San Diego! Wait...where did we fly out of again?"

Both mother and daughter sighed, with collective sweatdrop hanging.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Makoto pried her eyes open as the loud alarm rang in her ears. She yawned as she lifted her arms out from underneath her covers, stretching before she smacked the thing quiet. Slowly she sat up, and swung her legs over the side. Lifting herself up off the bed, Makoto went to the bathroom and had taken a shower.

Moments later, she got out and dried her hair, placing it up in her casual ponytail. Makoto then placed on a white T-shirt and sweat pants, feeling lazy on her day off of school. Ah, but she still had some homework to work on.. She'd have to talk to Ami later to see if she can get some assistance on her Physics part. Why did she even have to take physics? Not like it would assist her in her dreams.. She just wanted a small bakery or floral shop and to be a bride, what was so sciency about that? Nothing, nothing at all.

She looked outside, and a smile crept on her face. The sky was so beautiful. It was so clear, and the sun shined brilliantly, but it wasn't so hot either. Then it was also still early within the morning, it had plenty of time to heat up. Makoto swiveled around and grabbed a pitcher, filling it with water. She did the same with about three others as she wandered about and watered every single plant she had in her apartment, and out. It took all four of her pitchers, ad half of another. Others had compared her apartment to a jungle with how many plants there were, but she just loved them so much. They were so beautiful. When she finished, she opened her fridge. She peered around and grabbed some sausage, then her eggs. Opening them both she scrambled the eggs and cooked the sausage. Her food? Today is was going to be a simple breakfast burrito.

Then her doorbell rang. Turning her head, she bit her lip as she glanced back down at her food. It wasn't done yet.. She sighed and placed the pan to a side, and went to the door. As he swung it open, what Makoto saw gave her a fright at first. These people looked like they were from some government organization!!! She placed her hand over her chest as her heart slowed down. She remembered these people, they were friends with her parents'. How did they find her, and why were they here..? Despite those questions, Makoto smiled.

"Hey..! Long time no see! Was just making breakfast. Want to join me?" Makoto asked as she side-stepped, making them room to come in.

"I don't know why I'm surprised..." Zoe grumbled. Her husband gave a nervous smile and tried to calm her down. Adelaide, meanwhile, simply stood back and hoped that the door wouldn't open at any inopportune time.

And then the door did open. Someone who Adelaide barely knew stood on the other side. A tall girl with brown hair, followed by the faint scent of eggs. Her parents hadn't made it too far in the usual admonishing routine. Her father looked relieved, most of all. While her mother restrained herself from smacking him upside the head.

"Ah, Makoto! So good to see you, again." he returned the greeting with an enthusiastic grin, "And we'd love to!"

With the path clear, they followed her inside the apartment. Adelaide tailed in, bringing up the rear. Once inside, it was her mother who spoke up. The lavender haired girl remained quiet.

"We apologize for dropping in on you, like this." Zoe said, "You can thank Em for that."

"Eh...heh, yes, my apologies, Makoto! We were in such a hurry, though--oof!" an elbow found it's way into his side, "Er, anyways. I'm not sure you have ever met our daughter, before. Adelaide, this is Makoto Kino!"

Adelaide found herself at front and center and shyly looked up to the tall girl. She managed to mumble out an audible "Hi." and held a hand out as she avoided eye contact.

Makoto smiled as they made their way through, closing the door behind them. Well, glad they seemed to remember her. Granted she could place them, but their names.. She couldn't be rude though, so she merely gave them a pleasant smile. Well, anyone that was a friend of her parents' was a friend of hers! Right? Hopefully?

The woman that appeared to step off a military camp, apologized for suddenly popping in, and told her to blame the man. She merely waved her hand back in forth, as if waving, and laughed. "You're fine, you're fine! I'm glad to have visitors!" It wasn't a lie, she was a wonderful host. She didn't get many people over except for the Inner Senshi occasionally.

Blinking her emerald eyes, she could feel a sweat-drop forming on the back of her head as the elbow of the woman was slammed into the side of the man. Adelaide, huh? No, she had never met the girl. At least had no memories of meeting her. This girl however, was absolutely adorable, and it made her heart race a bit. She was shy, how cute!! And what a beautiful name, Adelaide..

Her eyes trailed down to the hand that was held out to her. Makoto gave her a brilliant smile as her ehyes brightened a bit, throwing her arms in the air. "No need to be so formal!" She cheered as she hugged Adelaide to her, and chuckling a bit. A few seconds after hugging, she released Adelaide, and went over to the stove again, placing the sausage back on the burner while getting more out, along with more eggs, cracking them to make extra for her guests. She looked up at them.

"So, what can I do for ya? Or is this just a casual visit?" Makoto didn't like to assume, but she couldn't think of why they would want to visit her.. Her parent's were dead, and she doubted they came all this way to introduce her to their daughter.

Both of Adelaide's parents were quite relieved to find Makoto in such good spirits. They had been very sad to hear the news about what had happened. Her parents were good people. And probably the only normal people they knew. Adelaide's face turned a bright scarlet red as Makoto suddenly wrapped her up into a hug. That had only further stunned her into her quiet demeanor. Sadly, there was no means of escape. Sure, she could always transform and blast her way out...but that would probably be a bad thing to do.

Besides, this Makoto girl was nice!

As the brunette prepared the meal for her impromptu guests, both Emerson and Zoe tried to think of the best way to approach the subject. It seemed like a lot to ask. Not that they weren't prepared to compensate for the task they were going to ask for.

"Ah, well...there was a reason we wanted to see you." the professor began, "You see, Zoe and I, we have a rather...unique career that requires lots of travel. Some of these locations can be a little on the...well, dangerous side. And as for Adelaide, well, we can't take her along with us. Much as though we'd love to! Our next few trips will just be too hazardous. Besides, it would be good for her try and meet up with some other friends! So...uh..."

He trailed off, but Zoe was quick to pick up her meandering husband's thought, "We were wondering if you could look after her. We want to make sure she's OK, so we wanted someone we could trust. Your parents had always been nice to us, so we thought we should come to you." she gave an apologetic smile, "If we're asking too much of you, don't be afraid to say so. We completely understand. Of course we're more than happy to compensate you for your troubles."

Adelaide was content to remain quiet, while her parents did the talking. She busied herself by looking around the apartment and taking in the modest surroundings. A bit different from what she was used to. Actually, it looked more like a home than she was used to. Her cheeks still carried a residual blush that stubbornly remained.

The fact that Adelaide stiffened when she hugged her, made Makoto giggle. Not maliciously, as if she was making fun of her, but because she thought it was adorable. Ah, how Makoto loved cute things..! She adored the girl' lovely, long, lavender locks, as it flowed past her shoulders, trailing down her back.. This was beginning to sound a little awkward now wasn't it? Ha! She just was already growing fond of Adelaide, that's all.

Makoto listened as they spoke. It brought her no surprise that they had a reason for coming to see her. Not saying that negatively of course, she loved helping people, it was just who she was. While listening, she grabbed some tortilla's, getting out eight of them, making two each. She hoped that would be enough. As the sausage drained and cooled a bit, She grabbed some shredded cheese, Monterrey Colby Jack to be exact, and placed it in a bowl. Throwing it in the microwave to melt it, she grabbed a flat, stainless steel spatula, and waited. As she did so, she rummaged a bit, grabbing an onion and green bell pepper. She cut those up, dicing the onion and slicing the bell peppers into small, half inch rectangles. She mixed them with the eggs as the microwave went off.

Moving as quick as she could, she removed the cheese from the beeping box and spread the cheese upon the tortilla's, covering it all, with the flat spatula. Before the cheese had time to cool, she sprinkled the cheese with the onion, egg and pepper mixture, tossing a dash of salt on it as she added the sausage in, a straight line down the middle. When Makoto finished that, she carefully rolled it and placed them neatly on a plate, smiling as they too had finished what they were saying.

"Not at all, I'd be glad to open my home up to Adelaide. Though, excuse me if I am speaking out of term, but isn't it better for families to stick together..? Heaven forbid if something were to happen to you when you're all separate.." Makoto swallowed a bit, but she quickly regained her smile, placing her breakfast burrito's down, meaning for them to grab whenever they want, as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Anyone thirsty..? Milk, coffee, tea..? I make a mean Cappuccino!"

"Normally, I would agree with you." Zoe said. And it was certainly true. It was very important to stick together. But, both she and Adelaide's father had thought about the best course of action and both had agreed to it. Adelaide had protested, but she understood their reasoning. And somewhere, she was a bit relieved. Even though she wouldn't show it. That pin she had found had brought with it a new set of problems.

Her parents still didn't know what it could do. And Adelaide didn't want them finding out. So, letting them continue would probably work out for the best. That moment had awakened a few memories from ages gone by. Making sense of it all would be a difficult thing when she was trying to escape from whatever moon base she might wind up in, next week.

"But," Zoe continued, "if we keep her with us, I'm afraid we'd be only putting her into harms way. It's only going to get more dangerous, where we're going next and we don't want to have to worry about her. We think it's for the best if she stays with someone we trust, where we know it's safe."

She smiled, as Makoto set the table for her impromptu guests. Everything smelled quite delicious and all three were looking forward to the meal. Adelaide was the first to grab one of the burritos and was already nibbling on it when Makoto offered a drink.

"A cappuccino sounds great! Thank you!" Emerson pipped up with a little more enthusiasm than his wife appreciated. By now they had all started to get to work on the breakfast Makoto had served and the silent consensus was that it was all very well done.

'At least the food will be good.' Adelaide though to herself. She began to look around the room a little more and studied what was quickly appearing to be her living quarters for the foreseeable future. At least in the short term. Who knew how long it would be before her parents decided to bring her back along with them. Probably whenever things would involve less gun fire. But, who knew when THAT would be.

"Why don't you go help?" Zoe's mother asked, trying to push Adelaide into interacting with the older girl a little more. With a nod, she journeyed into the kitchen to find Makoto.

"Um...so, is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Makoto tilted her head as she listened to Zoe to speak. That was right, she had forgotten with their archeological career, that it could get rather dangerous.. They were just trying to protect Adelaide, not abandon her. Makoto glanced down a bit. She wondered how Adelaide felt about this. Had she ever been separated from her parents before like this? She herself wouldn't be happy if she was in this girls' shoes..

The brunette slightly began to wonder if they would always choose the work over their daughter, but she shrugged that thought off. What a terrible thing to think! She should know better, these people were wonderful friends and probably even better parents', and no good parent would ever choose their work over their daughter. It was just for safety.

The young girl stopped with the negativity as she laughed at Emerson's eagerness. "Coming right on up!" She smiled to herself as she listened to the silent eating of her company. No one seemed to be gagging or puking, so it had to have been good, which always filled her with pride of course. She took down two tubs of coffee, before turning her head a bit, a smile on her face.

"Does anyone want decaf? I also got Vanilla, cinnamon and caramel and coconut creamers! Oh, do any of you want just plain coffee? Sorry, guess I should have asked!" She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head. Measuring what she needed out, she at least began the espresso part. Maybe only he wanted one, maybe they all did, but it was fine all the same. Though a quiet voice from out of the blue sure startled her.

Swiveling her head to the side, it was Adelaide! She smiled warmly, wanting again to hug the girl tightly. "Sure! Can you warm some milk up for me? It'll be done when the edges begin to bubble!" She enjoyed being asked if she needed help, usually for a guest she would insist she was fine, but she didn't want her new roommate to feel unwelcome.

"Oh! Just plain coffee, thank you!" Zoe replied, "And if you have any paper cups, our driver would appreciate it. Black."

With Adelaide joining Makoto in the kitchen, both Zoe and Emerson found themselves with a moment of privacy to confer with one another. The topic of discussion was whether this was the best move. Quietly, the debated some of the same points that had come up before. The result was the same. Leaving Adelaide in the care of a friend, even if she was as young as Makoto was, was still better then taking Adelaide along with them.

Boarding school was certainly not an option that was restricted by money. They certainly could afford it. But, they wanted to make sure this would be something that wouldn't draw a lot of attention. A sort of security in the obscure. They could still keep tabs on her, that was for sure. And as much as Adelaide might have protested, they knew that had to follow through.

"OK." it was simple response that came from the lavender haired girl. Cooking instructions were easy enough to follow. So long as there was some problem to solve or a task to carry out, Adelaide could follow through without trouble. At first, she just needed to find the materials she needed. A pot and some milk. That was easy enough. Then she began to heat it, keeping a careful eye on it.

"What's your school like?" she asked. There was plenty of time to do things in addition to watching a pot boil. And Adelaide was rather curious to what she was going to be getting herself into.

So there was at least one voter for just plain coffee. She was glad she asked then! Makoto froze a bit. Uh-oh, she didn't have paper cups.. Well, that wasn't a concern, right?! Hopefully. She turned around and gave them a smile. "Ah, I didn't know you had a driver.. If you want he is free to come in and join us! If not, I'm afraid I don't have paper, however I do have some old travel mugs that I don't use anymore that you are welcome to keep, if that'll work?" She said, rummaging through her piles of cups within her cabinets until she located a silver, metallic travel mug with plastic insulation inside so as not to heat the metal, and burn the holder, with a red lid on it. Closing her right eye, she peered inside to make sure it was clean, but shrugged her shoulders and ran some water, giving it a thorough washing anyway so it didn't taste musty or anything.

As Makoto scurried around the kitchen, she could hear murmuring from the next room, however anything being said was not audible to her, and she could only make an educated guess of their topic of discussion, however quickly removed the thought, for it wasn't her business. Well, it sort of was, seeing as how she suddenly had an unexpected, but most welcome, roommate. Yet she was just glad to be of some assistance, after all, if her parents could trust them, so could she.

So, grabbing some ground up coffee beans, she laced it within a filter. Afterward she filled the coffee pot with water, and turned the machine on. She knew how to make coffee by hand, like many other things, but ever since she got a coffee machine, it was just so magical, and the coffee was so much better seeing as how she couldn't filter it all on her own easily. She let that begin to heat up as she grabbed more things for the Cappuccino.

Makoto smiled as Adelaide agreed to the heating of the milk. She was glad she didn't find offense to the simple task, but she wasn't aware of her abilities and would hate to make her feel uncomfortable or upset if she failed. Makoto took failure upon her own shoulders awfully hard, and didn't want to share the feeling with her.

A question rang in her ears. The school? Oh that's right, she would need to attend too wouldn't she? This made the brunette excited, and suddenly couldn't wait to introduce the adorable lavender female to all her friends! "It's awesome! Well, you know, not much different from any other public school, but I have some amazing friends there I can't wait for you to meet, and there are lots of cool courses you can take too! I'll show you around when you get enrolled, how does that sound?" Makoto offered, her emerald eyes glittering with excitement at the thought. As shy as this girl may be, she seemed like she would fit in just fine.

Perhaps it would have been nice to have Marko come inside. If they could get him to budge. That would be the tricky part. Emerson looked up from his breakfast burrito, while a silent debate passed between the two. "You're the one who forgot to call." Zoe broke the silence, "Go get Marko."

With a defeated hang of his head, the professor left his meal to be completed later. Their discussion having already reached it's conclusion, Emerson left the kitchen to venture out to fetch their driver. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Adelaide went about attending to her task.

Makoto was busy running around the kitchen. For being kept so busy by her unexpected guests, she seemed very happy. Adelaide allowed for a small smile to appear on her face.

"Sounds pretty good." she replied. She had never gone to a school, before. And meeting Makoto's friends sounded nice, too. Even if they were closer to Makoto's age, than her own, it was still bound to be a different experience from most of her interactions with people.

"I think the milk might be done." she added. It was starting to act in the manner Makoto had said it would. It had been rather easy.

Makoto chuckled at the silent argument between the two to determine who would go fetch the driver. Marko huh? She'd have to remember that name. She thought it was cute, it was true love to be able to argue without words and understand each other. She felt slightly envious, an had to refrain from going off on a daydream of her future with a guy, and her beloved shop.

Her emerald eyes glanced over, and saw the tiny smile upon her face. It made her smile happily in return. Hooray! She had made the shy Adelaide smile, but making anyone smile was also an accomplishment regardless.

"I just know my friends will love you!" She smiled at the thought. It was as if she could see it now. She could see Ami being shy, but probably eager to study with her, Usagi and Minako would be friendly towards her, probably treating her as if they have known her forever. Rei? Well, she wasn't sure, she'd probably just watch to see if her hot temper needed to flare or not. Rei always was kind of confusing, but others seemed to understand her, especially Ami, who seemed to get along well with their shrine-maiden friend. "Ah, I can show you around Tokyo too, there are a lot of great places to go!"

Ah, the milk! She had temporarily forgotten about it.. Makoto came over and peered at the white fluid. "Yup! That's it!" Makoto then opened a drawer, and grabbed a silver whisk with a thick, white, plastic handle. Removing it from the heat, she looked at Adelaide. Glancing at the milk, and then back at her, she smiled and held the handle out to her. "Can you whip it for me too? If you don't know how, I can show you." She offered. Well if she was Adelaide, she wouldn't have enjoyed such a simple task..

Upon returning, the two men looked entirely different from each other. Where Emerson's clothes were rumpled and seemed to be assembled in a very haphazard manner, Marko was dressed in a plain, but very well kept suit. The tie, though, was long forgotten. His hair was also fair neater than the red, curly mess that encompassed Emerson's head. It was a short, military crop with a white streak off to the left.

And in sharp contrast to Emerson's lanky frame, Marko seemed to be more solidly built. What they did share was a rather uncomfortable look. Marko, though, more so than Emerson. After having the chance to actually speak with Makoto and actually broach the subject they had traveled so far to discuss, the professor seemed to be a bit more at ease with his surroundings. Marko, on the other hand, did appear to share this new found familiarity.

It had always surprised Emerson, how much domestic life seemed to affect Marko. Here was a man he had seen take charge in life or death situations, all over the world. Form his native Russia, to the jungles of Africa. And here he was, nervously adjusting his collar.

"You know I don't speak Japanese." he said, communicating through English, "I would be fine just waiting in the care."

"Oh, don't worry about it! Miss Kino is an excellent hostess and I'm sure she would understand. Besides, my wife or I would be more than happy to translate. Now sit! She's making coffee!"

---

"Oh really?" Back in the kitchen, Adelaide wondered what else there would be to do in Tokyo. A city of this size was bound to have a lot to offer. She never made it to the city, the last time she had been in Japan. They wound up in some old fishing village, after a storm had knocked the research vessel her father had been working on, off course.

"Oh, that seems simple enough." she accepted the whisk and got started on whipping the milk, "What do you normally do, around Tokyo? I've been to a few cities. Not here, though."

The task, itself, was not a complex one. And it was not one that she would, under most circumstances, be happy to carry out. It was kind of dull. But, she wanted to help and if it was what she needed to do, than that was fine. Besides, it did allow her to converse a bit more easily. Which, she assumed, was the reason her mother wanted her in here, in the first place.

Finally the coffee began to stream through the filter, meaning it wouldn't be long now before everything was done. She temporarily pondered if she should make more burritos.. She hadn't known there was a fourth among them, if she had then she definitely would have made more. Ah, but what if she ended up making too many..? Granted she could always store them and reheat them, but they didn't taste as good as they did when fresh.. She could always deliver some to her friends, she knew Usagi would love it. The others too, probably. They always seemed generally eager to eat the food she made. Now curiosity was getting the best of her.. She wondered what this driver of theirs looked like...

Adelaide spoke up, breaking her of her thoughts and smiled, releasing the whisk when taken by Adelaide. She didn't seem annoyed by the tasks given, which was a relief to the pony-tailed brunette. "well, there are theatres, lots of book stores around here, arcades, malls, shops, restaurants, you name it! We'll go and have a look tomorrow if you want, you're probably tired from your travels." She was just guessing, of course. She didn't travel much outside of Tokyo, let alone Japan. That required getting onto a plane, in which she whole-heartedly would refuse.

It wasn't long before the machine turned green, telling her the coffee was done. Walking to the pot, she poured two equal cups, one being the travel mug she spoke of, and a third a little less since it required more than just coffee, and didn't want it to overflow. There was still coffee left if her new friend desired any, but she poured milk for herself, taking a small gulp before picking up the two equal mugs as the front door opened, and closed.

"I'll be back." She assured her as she went into the living room. She didn't really spare a glance at the entryway, mainly because the coffee was warming her hands, and rather fast too. Smiling to Zoe as she placed her coffee at the table, she stood back upright and swiveled to the side where she heard movement and language she couldn't understand, eyes falling upon the driver..

Her eyes widened a bit as a light blush painted itself on her cheeks. Tall, muscular.. Lovely hair, and with a white streak in it too! She gulped a tiny bit, her heart picking up speed as her nerves began to go haywire.

"Anata..n-no.. K... Kōhī.." She stammered a bit, holding out the silver mug to him.

((OOC;; If you didn't know she just said 'your coffee'. XDD))

Tired? Just what was the time difference she had come from? These things could catch up you, if you weren't careful. As much as she would have liked to have gone out exploring as soon as possible, she would need to get some rest. Just not this moment. From her experience, the sooner you could get on a normal routine of sleep, the better off you were.

"Yeah, you're probably right." she answered, still idly stirring the milk, "Staying would be better, today. Tomorrow would be fun, though."

Adelaide looked up at as Makoto took her brief departure and was left to continue her task. The tall girl seemed very nice. Actually, she might like it here a bit more than she had originally thought. Although things were bound to be much slower, than she was used to. And actually attending a school? That was bound to be a new experience. She just hoped she met people as nice as Makoto.

Otherwise...things could get very annoying.

---

Zoe smiled at Makoto as she delivered her the cup of coffee. She was glad to have at least one normal friend that they could all count on. Given their occupation, it was miracle they even had this connection at all. Emerson was about halfway back to his seat, his wife and (finally) back to his delicious meal when Makoto offered the mug to Marko.

There was a hesitation, before the Russian could accept it. First, things had to be processed. The girl was tall and holding a mug of coffee. Black, as usually preferred it. Then she spoke and he did his best to translate. Well, he could at least fill in the blanks. She was offering him the coffee. Emerson was back at his seat and Zoe already had a cup before her. Well, that sort of just left him, now didn't it?

He accepted the offer and gave a nod of his head. Now, in most situations it would be customary to reply with a thank you. What was that word? He was sure he knew the proper term. Inwardly, he cursed. This was just the kind of situation he had warned everyone about.

"Or...E...Gyeto." was roughly the best he could do. Zoe nudged her husband, before he could take another bite. He had gotten so close, this time!

"Ah! You'll have to forgive Marko. As I said, Japanese isn't his strong suit." he said, "Oh wait...I did say that before, right? I'm pretty sure I -- Anyways! He says thank you, as I'm sure you've guessed."

Makoto smiled and gave Adelaide a nod when she said they could go tomorrow. It sounded like a plan! This was going to be so much fun, she could show her to all the fun places, they could go shopping and find wonderful sales, and try on new clothes, get her some things for her room.. Ah! Speaking of rooms, she needed to clean out the spare she had. They would need to get her a bed too.. Maybe Makoto would sleep on the couch tonight and have her guest take the bed...


----

Oregyeto..? Makoto lifted an eyebrow at him, unsure of what exactly it was that he was trying to say. It didn't take long for the brunette to figure out he wasn't quite the linguist the others seemed to be.. That was okay though, maybe she could learn English and together they could gaze at the beautiful Japanese sunset as.. Emmet began to speak..? Snapping out of her daze she swiveled her head to look at him. "Oh! Yes, tell him it's no problem!" It didn't matter if she could understand him or not, he had such a beautiful thick voice that she wanted to hear more of, until she remembered she had to make a cappuccino.. With a slight pout she scurried back in the kitchen.

As she entered, she quickly turned around and peered back out to gaze upon the strong, handsome man before turning and placing her back against the wall with a lovestruck sigh. She looked over to her lavender friend. "You didn't tell me he was so good-looking...~"

Emerson passed that very message along. The Russian man gave a nod and peered into the cup of coffee he had been presented with. It seemed to check out. Not a drop of creamer or milk had fallen into the black drink. Just as he normally liked it. Not taking a seat, Marko sipped the coffee and gave another nod.

"Good." he said, "...You will probably have to send my compliments."

Emerson nodded and leaned back in his seat, while Zoe leaned in and whispered something. He turned, a perplexed appearing behind his glasses. "Really?" he inquired. His wife just nodded, "It seems quite obvious to me."

"Huh..." he scratched his chin, while Marko just tilted his head. Whatever the Belmonts were discussing, he had figured it would be best to remain silent. Not that that ever stopped the pair from dragging him into whatever problem they had come across. At least there were no death rays, this time.

---

"What's that?" Adelaide turned her attention to the tall girl who had returned to the kitchen and leaned against the wall. Her expression was strange and what she said was even stranger. She...wasn't talking about her dad, was she? That would be preposterous. They had been talking back and forth all this time. So...who was she talking about? The only other person in their group was...

"You mean, Uncle Marko?" she tilted her head, a sense of disbelief clearly evident in her question.

Makoto didn't hear her first question, or even hear Adelaide at all. She was much too focused on the man now sitting, well, standing, in her own home!! She could feel her heart rate accelerating inside of her chest at just the idea of having him there, standing there with his beautiful stern face, his chiseled figure, standing strong and just the mere look of it making her feel safe and warm.. All this thought of him was making her want to go and hug him!!

When his name was spoken she was immediately broken from her thoughts as she swiveled quickly to face Adelaide and covered her mouth. "Sshh! Don't say his name!!" Releasing Adelaide, her face flushed pink and she placed her hands together ad lifted them near her face. "His, wonderful name..~" She let out a slow and dazed sigh as her eyes let out a gentle gleam as she stared at Adelaide, but clearly was thinking of a certain someone else.

Makoto then left from being right in front of Adelaide to go and get another cup down for the desired Cappuccino. Humming as she poured in some of the coffee, and looked over at the milk. "Is it ready?" She wanted to hurry back into the living room, and the cappuccino was the perfect excuse to do so without looking odd.

"Why no--" Adelaide was abruptly cut off as a hand clapped over her mouth. Makoto's hand, to be specific. So it was Marko...but, the bigger question was "Why?" One she couldn't ask with a hand over her mouth. It was a temporary impediment to her speaking capabilities, before she was released and Makoto was sighing and looking off into some far off land.

Is this what normal people did? Get crushes over strange Russian men who wander in following a family as weird as her's? Maybe she was getting a little too specific about all this. Normal or weird, it was clear that Adelaide could have been replaced a giant Easter Island head and Makoto wouldn't have noticed.

The brunette darted about the kitchen in a sudden flurry of motion. Her father's cappuccino required some attention, after all. Even in spite of the fact that entertaining guests seemed to have been replaced with the focus of entertaining one of those guests in particular.

"Oh, right..." Adelaide joined the older girl by the milk, "I think it is..."

She had followed the instructions down to the letter, so Adelaide was pretty sure that it was ready. And she wasn't anywhere near as distracted as Makoto now was. What she saw in Uncle Marko, Adelaide was reasonably sure she would never understand.

Good, the milk was done then! Although she did want to go and see Marko again, she would never rush through another guest's request and mess it up. She wouldn't stand for failure, so the cappuccino had to be perfect. Had to be. She wouldn't settle for less.

Grabbing the whisk, she swirled it in the milk for a test, and she smiled, patting Adelaide's back. "It's perfect, good job! You're a fast learner aren't you?" She asked as she began to work again, pouring in just the right amount of milk and using the whisk to give it a fluffy looking tip as she did what else was required. It looked delicious enough for, well, someone important! She couldn't think of someone famous or something that drank cappuccino's.. She poured a glass of milk for herself before looking at Adelaide. "You never told me what you wanted to drink. Coffee? Milk? Water? Tea?" She could keep going through the list, but really, she thought Adelaide got the point. She had mostly anything, if she wanted, say lemonade, she had sugar and she had lemons. It would take a while and it would have pulp, but she'd do it, if that's what her guest wanted.

"I hope I've made this seem like a nice place to live, I'm sure you'll enjoy it here. It may not be as exciting as it would be if you were out on an adventure, but I'm sure being here in Japan can be sort of an adventure in itself, you know?" She said, hoping she wasn't making Adelaide feel excluded or make it seem like she was unwanted. That was far from being true, she adored Adelaide, as it was mentioned many times previously.

Whatever it was that Makoto found so entrancing about Marko was a matter that would be left for another time. In the meantime, her father's cappuccino still had to be made. And now that they had all the ingredients in place, it was a simple matter of putting them all together.

"Oh?" she looked up at the tall girl, "Y-yeah...I suppose you could say that."

She blushed a bit at the compliment. The task had been simple enough. And it had proved just as easy in execution as it had in concept. She observed Makoto, as she made the drink, fascinated by the process. Cappuccino's were hard to come by at some of their more exotic destinations.

"Uh...I think I might just have some tea, if that's OK." she answered. And, of course Makoto had done nothing but make her feel welcome. "Oh, I'm sure I will enjoy it here." she said, a slight smile crossing her face, "Thank you for doing this. I think I'll like it, here."

"Now no need to be modest, if I gave that task to a few of my friends.. One would, over-think it and the other two.. Would probably make a mess.."

Makoto wanted to laugh at the thought. Rei, would probably just get irritated with it. She could totally see Ami looking at it and mathematically trying to figure out the best way to whip it while Usagi and Minako.. She could see the milk going everywhere. Hell, forget wanting to laugh, she did end up chuckling under her breath. Her friends were a riot, such an interesting group of people, especially with such clashing personalities.

Makoto smiled as she said she wanted tea. Well, the only kind she really had, was herbal. Her smile got wider as she said she was sure she'd like it here, making the brunette, well, super ecstatic! "I'm so glad you will! That makes me so happy to hear!" She said, still that brilliant smile on her face. She then reached down, grabbing some shears, she also carefully took the cappuccino in her hands as she left the kitchen."I'll be right back." Makoto assured the lavender friend. She tried not to focus on Marko, mainly so she wouldn't trip, as she delivered the drink to Emerson. "There you go, I hope it's to your liking!" She said to him as she smiled before walking over, swirling the shears on her finger as she went to some of her beloved herbs. Thinking for a moment on which choice would be best, she lifted her hand as she touched the rough surface of a mint leaf.

She spread the shears and carefully cut a stem of it off at an angle so it'll have a good growing back rate. The stem she cut off had about five to six leaves on it. Heading back to the kitchen, still trying to keep her calm, she reached into a cabinet as she took down her teapot that had an infuser in the middle to hold loose leaf tea without getting anything floating in it. Taking the lid off she opened the top and removed the leaves from the stem, tossing it into a compost bin she had next to the trash can. Stuffing the leaves inside, she filled it up with water and placed it on the stove, placing the infuser inside without the water spilling over. She then turned and leaned against the counter and smiled at Adelaide.

"Is, Mint tea okay? I have other herbs I can get some leaves from if you prefer something else?" She, probably should have thought of that before stuffing the leaves in there..

After mentioning her friends, Makoto started to chuckle a bit. Whoever they were, they had certainly made an impression on the tall brunette. Even the lavender haired girl was looking forward to meeting them. Adelaide nodded as Makoto left to deliver the completed product to her father.

Left to her own devices, Adelaide looked around the kitchen. Again, she noted that it was a very impressive set up. Clearly, Makoto cared a lot about the work she did in here. And she was such a nice person! Without anyone around, Adelaide smiled brightly to herself as she wandered the kitchen.

"It's the best I've had in quite some time!" Emerson declared, following a testing sip of the drink that Makoto had provided. As the tall girl gathered the mint leaves, the three older members of the Belmont party enjoyed the remainder of the meal. It was only when Makoto returned to the kitchen that Emerson turned to his wife.

"They certainly seem to have hit it off." he observed.

"Oh yes," Zoe said, "I think this is going to work out great."

Marko remained standing and gave a mere nod of his head as he worked on his coffee. Whatever the two thought was for the best, he would agree with it. Especially when it came to Adelaide. Although he wouldn't be around to look after the young girl as often he used to, at least there wouldn't be as much of a need for it. At least that was all three were thinking.

Back in the kitchen, Adelaide spun on her heel and blushed. She hadn't intended to be caught...even though she wasn't even doing anything. She had just been looking through a cabinet to see what else the kitchen had to offer.

"Oh, that should be fine." she said, as Makoto prepared the tea pot. She had planned on just a tea bag in some hot water. But, Makoto was far more well prepared than that. "I'm sure it will be great."