The inside of the office is small and orderly. Papers and scrolls and books of all sizes are tucked neatly onto shelves lining the walls, while a pair of small ivory couches graces the center floor.
At the back of the room is a large oval window that lets in the warm afternoon sunlight from outside. It streams through in huge rays, illuminating the entire room.
A man is sitting on one of the couches, waiting for me. As my eyes adjust to the brightness, I get a closer look at him, and my mouth veritably drops open.
He's only just barely a man, probably twenty-two or twenty-three, at most. His face is pale and without a trace of hair; high cheekbones and a slanting, angular jawline perfectly complement his thin lips and arched brows. His nose is long and straight, with neither bump nor bend to be seen. His face is framed by a mess of cyan-blue hair, the most vivid shade I've ever seen, which falls long around his shoulders. I can see, even sitting, that he is tall and muscular through the chest and limbs, well-built and athletic. His shirt is loose around his chest, but still the suggestion of muscular curvature hints through.
He is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. I fight not to stare. Slowly, my eyes rise from his chest to meet his eyes, and that is when I notice something else about him. His eyes are a milky, pale gold color, with a livid, diagonal slash in the shape of an X crossing his face right between them.
He is blind.
I quickly clear my throat again, attempting to quit staring at him, even though I now know he can't see me doing it. His head turns toward the sound of my cough.
"You are Naxanz Aotora?" he asks quietly. His voice is low and calm, with a certain lyrical cadence to it that seems to perfectly suit his appearance.
"I… I am, Master Luna Diviner," I finally reply, remembering at the last second to use his title out of respect.
He nods. "Welcome to the Diviners' Quarter. This will be your home for the rest of your life, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable. Do you know where you will be staying?"
"I'm sharing with Mika Inazuma and Pyra Hokama, sir," I reply nervously.
He nods. "I see. More than likely, your belongings have already been placed. Please see to them at once. You will be notified when it is time to gather for dinner."
"Of c-course, sir," I stutter. "Right away."
"I welcome you, once again," he says.
"Thank you." I bow, remembering at the last second that he can't see it.
Still staring a little, I slide backward and out of the doorway.
Mika is there to greet me when I exit. She giggles a little when she sees my face.
"So, how was it?" she teases.
"You didn't tell me he was…" I trail off, gesturing helplessly.
"Sexy?" she asks, laughing.
"I was going to say blind, but that, too," I reply, blushing a deep crimson.
She snickers. "You didn't have to say anything, it was written all over your face. All the girls get like that when they see him. It doesn't matter, though, he won't respond to any of it. He just ignores it."
I stick out my tongue. "What about the blindness? How did that happen?"
She shrugs. "I'm not sure. There are a whole bunch of rumors about it; work accident, chemical burns, and the like. The most famous rumor is that his brother cursed him to blindness, but I don't believe that. Whose brother would do that?"
She babbles on and on as we walk; I half-listen, but the other half of my attention is focused on thoughts of the cyan-haired Master Diviner.
Who could he really be?
"Here we are!" Mika suddenly announces, breaking me from my reverie.
I snap to attention. "Huh?"
She laughs again. "Wow, you've got it really bad," she teases me.
I turn red again. "Shut up."
She pokes me in the arm, but drops the subject. "This is your new room. You're with me and Pyra Hokama and another girl, Emi Rain. I think you'll like it with us!" She beams brightly.
I nod. "Thanks, Mika."
"No problem." She grins knowingly at me. "See you at dinner!" Then she skips cheerfully off down the hall.
I sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted. The adrenaline and worry of earlier is long gone, replaced by resignation, weariness, and, despite myself, a little curiosity.
I push open the door in front of me. Inside is a spacious dormitory with four beds, a vanity, and two wardrobes. Two of the corners, one for each bed, are decorated brightly with all sorts of pictures. I can easily tell which corner is Mika's. Her bedspread and most of her accessories are bright, sunshine yellow, just like her hair. The other decorated corner is mostly green; green duvet, green accessories, green throw rug beside the bed.
The final two corners are left bare, as of yet, but suitcases and boxes sit atop them, waiting to be unpacked. These are obviously the beds belonging to me and Pyra.
I find the bed with my things on top of it; it's the corner between Mika and Pyra. Quietly, I unpack my silver-and-white bedspread, my pillows and my crescent-moon decorative pillow, laying them out neatly on top of the bed. When I am finished, I stand back and survey my work. At least it looks lived-in now.
I decide I'll get the rest later; I put the rest of my things on the floor beside the bed, take a look in the vanity mirror, shrug, and head out the door and down the corridor.
The dining hall's just as grandiose as the rest of the mansion.
The first thing I notice when I walk in is the high, arched ceilings, painted to look like the night sky. There is a single, humongous rectangular table beneath the ceiling, with all one hundred seven chairs spaced evenly around it. I gape at the immense table, wondering how long it took to build such a thing.
"Naxanz!" someone calls. I look up to see Mika at the far end of the table, waving to me to 'come here.'
I approach Mika slowly, taking in the entirety of my surroundings. The food and place settings are already laid, and a few dozen Diviners are already at the table eating, drinking and talking.
I take a seat across from Mika, beside a red-haired girl I easily recognize as Pyra Hokama.
"Pyra, this is Naxanz," Mika says. "She's our other new roommate." Mika beams brightly.
I turn to face Pyra, who gives me a small smile.
"Hi," she says quietly. "I'm Pyra Hokama." "Naxanz Aotora," I reply. "You were the first Diviner called this year, weren't you?"
Her eyes flicker sadly, and she nods.
"Now, I don't see why you're looking so sad!" Mika exclaims, putting her hands on her hips. "Really! It's not so bad to be a Diviner!"
"You must not have been there at your own Placement," Pyra says bitterly. "I distinctly remember being shunned and muttered about."
Mika waves a dismissive hand. "Aw, those boneheads have no idea what they're talking about," she says carelessly. "They're just jealous because we can see the future."
"My father hates me," I say softly. "He said I wasn't his daughter anymore." I feel the tears pricking at my eyes as I remember the hate on my father's face.
Mika's mouth opens to reply, but no sound comes out. She looks a little abashed, at least, and finally resorts to shutting up and putting a large forkful of food into her talkative mouth.
In the moment of silence, Pyra places a tentative hand around my shoulder. "I'm sorry about your father," she tells me quietly. "My mother said almost the same thing."
I look sideways at her; her eyes are downcast, looking into her lap. Tears glimmer at the edges, blurring the shiny teal irises.
"Thanks, Pyra," I reply, leaning over to give her a small hug. "I'm sorry, too."
She hugs me back, and I feel a few warm tears drip onto my shoulder.
"Oh, you two are going to make me cry!" Mika exclaims. "Honestly!"
Pyra and I pull apart, both staring at her in utter disbelief.
Pyra begins laughing first. "Only you, Mika," she says, shaking her head. "Only you could ruin a moment like that."
My eyes widen as I hear the words. I think Mika must surely be insulted, but she just shrugs it off, beaming wide as usual.
"S'what I'm here for!" she grins.
I shake my head as well, laughing a little, then pull a plate of rice toward myself. I'm suddenly remembering how hungry I am.
As we're eating, more Diviners slide into the seats around us, until the entire table is filled except for one place at the head of it.
Somehow, I can tell who it belongs to.
"Where's Master Luna Diviner?" I whisper to Mika.
She shrugs. "Sometimes he doesn't even show up for dinner; sometimes he's late. It all depends on what he's doing and what mood he's in."
My eyebrows arch slightly. He gets more mysterious with every word I hear about him.
As if on cue, the door of the dining hall swings open again. There he is, but instead of the loose shirt and breeches from earlier, he's wearing a long, flowing robe covered in elaborate designs. The robe is entirely silver, white, blue and black, resembling the night sky wrapped around his muscular frame. His hair still hangs long beside his face, and his blind, pale gold eyes almost seem to search the crowd, although I know he cannot see any of us.
I feel a squeezing tight sensation in my stomach as his eyes seem to come to rest on me. Logically, I know this cannot be so. He cannot see me, so why would his eyes be looking at me? Still… as I gaze up the table toward him, he seems to be looking straight at me. His fine lips curve upward in a slight smile.
A shiver runs down my spine, and I quickly turn back to my food.
Before I can raise another bite to my lips, however, all the Diviners around me rise to their feet. Pyra and I glance uncertainly at one another, and then we proceed to do likewise, standing at our places.
"All welcome the most honorable Master Luna Diviner!" one of the men far down the table calls loudly.
The entire table applauds politely; after a second's hesitation, Pyra and I join in.
The Master waits for a second, and then raises his hands for a stop. The applause instantly ceases.
"Good evening, my friends," he says. He does not yell, but his voice definitely carries. The sound of it sends tingles all up and down my spine.
"Before the night joins us in full, I would like us to take a moment to welcome our newest initiates," the Master says. "If you are one of the seven recently Placed, please raise your hand."
Feeling very self-conscious, I raise my hand, seeing Pyra do the same out of my periphery.
"You will all do your best to make our initiates feel welcome until they are suitably adjusted to calling Maison Etoile their home," the Master tells us. "Please welcome them with a round of applause; I'm sure they'd like to hear at least one in their honor." His mouth twitches in the faintest of smiles.
The room bursts into applause. Pyra and I look at each other and grin.
When the applause is over, the Master commands us all to sit. He continues talking as we take our seats.
"I will assign one ranked Diviner to each initiate, to instruct them in our ways and routines. Initiates, please come speak to me here, after you have finished your meals. That is all."
His voice fades away, and the room fills with the buzz of conversation once more as Diviners reach for their food.
Pyra and I both look at Mika.
"I hope I get assigned to one of you two," she says cheerfully. "That'd be a fun lot, wouldn't it? You'd have to do everything I say, though… hmm, that could work out for me…"
Pyra and I both laugh again as we listen to Mika musing to herself.
Maybe it won't be so bad here after all…
Once we've finished dinner, Mika tells us good-bye.
Surprised, I ask, "Where are you going?"
"Oh, I have some night lessons," she laughs. "You get used to weird schedules, living here. Gotta go up in the tower and work on astrological readings and the like." She mimes gagging. "Joy. Well, see you guys later!"
She gives us an energetic wave, which we return, laughing, and then she's gone.
I glance at Pyra. "You ready?"
She nods, her face slightly pale. "Yeah, let's get this over with."
Together, we rise from our chairs and begin the long walk down the length of the table to where Master Luna Diviner sits in his chair. Many of the other Diviners have already departed the table, and our footsteps echo quietly in the large room.
We approach him cautiously. He's got a glass of some deep violet liquid to his lips, drinking steadily. We wait until he sets down the glass, and then walk forward timidly.
He seems to notice the sound of our approaching feet, and his head turns in our direction, those strange eyes staring right at us.
"May I help you?" he asks quietly.
"It's Naxanz Aotora and Pyra Hokama, sir," I reply nervously. "We're two of the new initiates; we're looking for our assignments."
He nods. "I see. One moment, please."
I glance at Pyra, who shrugs in confusion.
"Yes, sir," I say, waiting for him to turn and consult some sort of list or chart.
Instead, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out several objects. He holds all of them in his hand, and then puts his hand behind his back, seemingly mixing whatever the objects are around. When he is satisfied, he tells us to close our eyes.
"When I instruct you to, you will come forward and take one token from my hand," he says.
Confused, we nonetheless do as we are told and shut our eyes.
I have the thought that behind my eyelids, in the dark… I am just as blind as he is.
"Pyra. Please step forward and take your token."
I hear a rustle as Pyra follows the instruction; there is a slight clinking, and then she steps back.
"Naxanz."
I feel a slight thrill in my chest as I hear his voice speak my name.
Slowly, I move forward, reaching out until I feel his hand beneath mine. It is warm and strong and smooth, with fine, long fingers. I feel several metal things in his palm. Quickly, I take one, holding it and rolling its coldness over in my own hand. I step back into place.
"Please open your eyes and tell me what object you are holding."
Curiouser and curiouser…
I open my eyes slowly, looking down at my palm. A small, silver crescent moon rests there atop the smooth skin.
"Pyra?" he asks.
"I have a lightning bolt," she says, sounding puzzled.
He smiles slightly. "Your partner will be Mika Inazuma."
Pyra's face lights up in a delighted smile. "Really?! Thank you so much, Master!"
He shakes his head. "Do not thank me. It was fate. Please go inform Mika that she will be in charge of you. You will find her in the astrological tower."
Beaming, Pyra rushes off.
He turns to face me.
"And you, Naxanz?"
I feel the cold shiver inside me again when he says my name. His eyes, though unseeing, are staring straight into mine.
"I have a crescent moon," I reply quietly.
His head tilts to the side, and a slow half-smile spreads across his face.
"Fate," he says, shaking his head with a low chuckle.
I'm confused. "Sir?"
He laughs. "I am pleased to inform you that I will have the honor of being your partner until such time as I am no longer needed."
My eyes widen. "You… but you're the Master!"
He shrugs. "Rank is of no consequence here. I have a duty to perform, like all of us. And as of right now, my duty includes instructing you in our ways and practices." He picks up his glass of purple juice and takes another long drink.
When he is finished, he sets the glass down and rises from his chair, moving to stand beside me.
"Please follow me," he says to me.
I nod, then remember he can't see it. "Yes, sir."
I follow him out of the dining hall.