"You should consider trying the escalope here," Setsuna said. "It's really good!"
"Don't dodge the question, Setsuna!" Rei frowned. "I asked you if that had been the only time we have been reincarnated as criminals."
"Relax, Minako, it's not like we could choose who we are born as," Ami said.
"You only say that because you got to be the boss..." Minako grumbled.
Usagi shuddered. "Actually, I would have preferred to be part of that bandit gang, if that would have saved me from spending my life with Chibiusa..."
"HEY!" her pink-haired future daughter snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You don't really have a choice in this matter," Makoto pointed out.
"True, but one life with her is bad enough."
Meanwhile, Luna was pawing through a thick history book with a deep frown.
"Setsuna, I can't find anything in this book that backs up those stories of yours. Are you ABSOLUTELY sure that this is what happened?"
"Of course I am," Setsuna answered in a slightly offended tone of voice. "For what kind of time guardian do you take me? I know how to do my work."
"And how did you manage to make sure that those Senshi wands have never been mentioned once in the history books?"
"Simple: I travelled back in time and snatched the wands out of the Olympian King's treasure room."
"But you were the one that told us you couldn't use your powers..."
"Luna, I only said that I'm not allowed to use my powers if I don't HAVE to. That was an emergency."
Luna furrowed her brows, but didn't say anything else.
"Okay then, if I am right, the fourth wonder is next... Yes, the Temple of Artemis!"
"I KNEW IT!" a certain white-furred moon cat yelled enthusiastically.
"Sssshhhhhh!" Minako hissed. "Are you crazy, furball? Do you want to show the other people in the restaurant that you are a magical mascot that can speak?"
Artemis frowned. "Advisor, not mascot. And I was merely expressing my joy upon hearing that the humans finally realized my supreme magnificence and built me a temple."
With a smug grin on his face, he looked around the table. "From today on, you may call me by the title 'Your Eminence'."
"Dream on," Minako muttered.
"I hate to say it, Artemis," Ami spoke up. "But that Artemis wasn't you."
"NOT?" Artemis was flabbergasted. "Uh, I didn't know there was someone else with that name..."
"Actually, your name comes from that 'person'," Setsuna informed him. "As with the case of Luna, you are also named after a moon goddess. And Artemis was not only the Greek moon goddess, but also the goddess of the hunt."
"WHAT?" the white tomcat yelped. "I've been named after a WOMAN?"
"Artemis, if you would show at least a tiny bit of interest in the old history of the Moon Kingdom, you would know that," Luna scolded.
"Now, not many people know that while the temple had been built to worship the goddess Artemis, it was also used as a place where the people of ancient Greece would listen to the predictions of the Oracle of the Temple..."
"Great..." Luna groaned. "Another non-provable story that no one ever heard of before..."
"Luna, don't interrupt her!" Artemis said with anticipation. "While this may not be my temple, I want to know the story behind this."
"Well..." Setsuna continued. "The position of the Oracle is mostly occupied by a woman that seems to have at least a bit of psychic abilities..."
----
The people of Ephesus and many pilgrims were coming to the big Temple of Artemis like moths to the light.
"I heard so much about Reine, the oracle," a woman gushed.
Her friend nodded. "Me too! That's why I came all this way to let her predict my future. She's never wrong with her predictions."
The fist woman suddenly gasped. On the podium, a pretty, young girl with raven-black hair dressed in an elegant tunic, complete with glittering bracelets and a golden tiara, has appeared. "Oh, look! There she is!"
"What elegance..." the other woman sighed.
Reine, the current Oracle of Ephesus, was actually pretty nervous. She was still very young and all this was pretty new for her. Her old mistress had died recently and left her the honor to work in her place as the new oracle.
For now, Reine managed to do pretty well, but she still was nervous that one day, someone would come back to the temple, to complain that a prediction Reine told him would not have occurred.
Nevertheless, she couldn't help but smile when she looked down at all those happy, hopeful people.
"Well then, who will be the first one to have his future foretold?"
A young man with short hair nervously climbed up the stairs of the small podium and approached the oracle.
Reine smiled reassuringly at him, and they sat down in front of each other. The young oracle grabbed the man's hands and closed her eyes.
"I see happy and harmonious days," she murmured. "But take caution when dealing with financial affairs. You managed to break up with someone, but that makes you free for a new relationship."
She then opened her eyes and nodded. "And that is all I can see."
"Thank you!" the young man said. "Thank you very much!" He walked up to the urn standing next to the podium. "Please, accept this donation to the temple as my token of gratitude."
----
From behind the curtain, the head priest of the temple listened to the jingle of the golden coins and smiled.
"That's how I like it," High Priest Hinos said to himself. "What a sweet melody..." He chuckled. "And all those gullible fools downright throw their money at my granddaughter's feet."
The High Priest was without any doubt a religious man, and he would never do or say anything that might anger the gods.
But that didn't mean that he actually believed the oracles to have psychic abilities. He just assumed that most of Reines recent success was based upon mere luck.
Well, as long as she stayed lucky, he would be the one to savor the results... meaning the income of the predictions.
And hey, the money was still within the family, right?
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:34)
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