Dark. Strong scents of flowers and venom mixed in the air, hanging over Yellow like a perfume. She thought the air was burning her chest, making her cover her mouth with her sleeve. Eyes watered and the skin felt like it was burning.
Archer didn't appear affected. His posture remained steady and straight onward with his task.
The room was large, much larger than her own. Candles and very low lamplight illuminated everything, giving off a hint of purple and green hues. Plants and ivy hung from certain sections of the walls, labeled in odd languages that Yellow couldn't read.
Otherworldly, bright flowers scattered across tables and desks, each with filled out notepads and discarded pens. Even in the dim light, Yellow could see threatening thorns poking from the stems, as if to discourage curious plucking.
"I would suggest," Archer said, making Yellow look up, "You touch nothing. I doubt Ariana has an antidote for these yet."
Antidote? Was this Ariana making poison? Yellow remembered there were certain plants Mother Forest taught her not to eat. They grew in the darkest, deepest part of the forest, overtaking the area with a deceptive plume.
The living quarters had other rooms in it, filled with extravagant items. Beautiful tapestries, chairs, and silks hung from the walls, away from the deadly garden. Even the carpet felt plush, instead of hard metal flooring.
It was like looking into two sides of the same woman.
Yellow heard something shuffle in front of her.
An older woman with red hair came from a nearby doorway. Gorgeous, coiffed red hair with shimmering red eyes and a beauty that was imprinted into her skin. Her lips were a bright red, much like her flowers, as if to tempt someone with delicious toxin.
Her curves were more pronounced than the other agents, giving the young girl the impression that she was much higher ranked. This must be Ariana, the one who gave the instructions to keep Yellow safe.
Yellow's breath caught in her throat, fearing the worst. The assigned master, Archer claimed. Would she be so unkind, like the rest? Treat her poorly with strikes and slaps? Surely not, as the other women spoke highly of her. Still…
She had a crystal glass in her hand, filled with thick, red liquid. Nails long and sharp, painted with the same color.
Blood. It had to be. This woman was drinking blood! And Archer was going to hand the girl over!? Yellow wished she could run away, but the man blocked her in.
"When I said in a moment, Archer, I meant tomorrow." A harsh deride from an upscale accent. "I'm tired. I have entertained enough children today."
"Giovanni would want you to start right away. Time is of the essence." Her colleague reminded her, making Ariana roll her eyes. "The girl has settled down since her arrival. I'm sure you'll want to seize the opportunity."
A loud, exaggerated sigh before the older Rocket reached out towards the girl. Yellow froze as Ariana grabbed her cheek to inspect her tiny face. Twisting here and there, humming in observation as her other hand circled her blood glass.
"Why is she so... small?" A direct question. "Bony too. The agents said they could see her ribs. They didn't mention I could count them."
Ashamed, Yellow withdrew into herself. She doubted everything about her upbringing. Why did Mother Forest not recognize these problems before? Why didn't Uncle Wilton? Guilt ate up her legs like feeding locusts.
"Children mature. She lived with a bunch of trees. I am sure she'll grow more with a befitting diet." Archer remarked, making the child glare at him. "They call her Yellow. She has bitten no one today—so far. I'm certain you can handle all that."
The woman let her go as Yellow crossed her arms. She was sure she only bit two people.
"So I heard." Ariana said, taking a drink. "Then again, it is preferable over sneaking into locker rooms. At least biting goes away with age."
Archer's expression didn't change, but the irritation lurked underneath. His throat cleared, as if to restart the battle over again. It seemed like this was commonplace between the two adults; one-upping each other until they could say no more.
"Yes. If one lacks proper rehabilitation for either issue." He stated. "But disciplining our students is part of the role. Our cross to bear. We cannot expect perfect operatives or future Executives right away, can we?"
Future Executives. Yellow's mind whirled with the extra information. Was that why she was here? To be an Executive? Have her own hallway with Lancelot, where she would boss around operatives and creep on others?
Her heart sank through the floor. It doomed yellow to a life of evil. She'll never be able to walk through Mother Forest again.
"I got the spiel the first time from Giovanni. No need to reiterate." Ariana countered, setting down her glass. "I will speak to her. I'm sure you'll want to wash your hands of this right away."
Another barb, laced with pleasantries.
"If you need me, Ariana, I'm always available. Children are fussy; you may want an expert opinion."
Archer plucked the thorny comment and flung it back at his colleague. Yellow was getting a headache from watching them bat back and forth. Why couldn't they end the conversation and walk away?
"I'm sure I won't need it. Giovanni is available to me more often than you are."
"I would say that you are more available to him than he is to you."
Silence. Ariana dared not to scowl, but Yellow could see a slant around her eyes. Archer smirked, showing enough to lord a victory over the woman. He had won this round and he would enjoy it for the night.
"As always. A pleasure." His politeness was grating now.
"As always."
Archer left, making Yellow look up at her new master. Ariana watched him leave, finally dropping her facade into a full-blown scowl. Muttering and grumbling about her cohort's pompous attitude, she straightened herself back up into a proper stance.
"Amarillo, is it." Not a question now. "We will make this quick. I've had a long week and an early morning tomorrow. You appear to be brimming with questions, some of which I will not answer. Is that clear?"
Yellow nodded as exposure opened her old wounds again. Afraid to speak now, she wondered how Lancelot was used to this by now.
"You glared at Archer."
Her face paled as her body trembled. She saw that, so Archer saw it too. Memories of Lancelot breaking down in fear echoed across her mind; Yellow's petulance would be the end of her.
However, Ariana chuckled. "I had heard what Archer allowed for you. If I had been here, I would have chosen a different route. He prefers things to be done efficiently, not gracefully. He is a man; we must make concessions for them. They don't know any better."
Yellow cocked her head, confused. Was she going to be slapped again?
"You mustn't be so emotional. While amusing that a child can give Archer an evil eye, men do not trust women who appear difficult. They destroy ladies that have trouble in Team Rocket; they promote men who bring trouble." Ariana advised, gliding over to an open notebook on a nearby table. "Do you understand, Amarillo?"
Yellow shook her head. That seemed confusing—and unfair.
"You will one day. You are here for the long run, my dear, so learning that lesson sooner rather than later will benefit you." Her master stated, making the young girl stiffen again. "Did you think you would leave?"
"Yes." Her voice quivered, retching out of her tiny throat.
The lady hummed. "Where would you get an idea like that?"
Yellow didn't want to cry, not in front of her assigned superior. So she blinked as fast as she could, stifling her whine. Still, her lip trembled as the captive child tried to form another sentence. Something to hide behind.
"I suggest, Amarillo, you get all your tears out now." Ariana scolded her. "I have no time to waste on crying children. You are here, and there's nothing you can do about it. We have fed you, bathed you, started your education, and will invest in you. Ungratefulness will reap you a consequence you do not want."
"But I didn't want to come here!" Yellow broke down, fury and sorrow mixing. "You brought me here!"
"We rescued you because of Giovanni's mercy. Look at yourself, child. You are nothing but skin and bone. Your teeth were rotting out of your head. Your learning and your growth stunted. Yet you were happy." The older woman sliced at her, pricking away her words. "There's bliss in ignorance, but death in stupidity."
The child's mind doubted again. Guilt crawled up to her neck now.
"You still want to cry?" Ariana questioned, dragging her teeth across Yellow's outburst like a predator to meat. "You should know by now that tears accomplish nothing. Only results do."
That was true. Yellow had cried for so long, and nobody came to her. It was only when she stopped.
"You are special, Amarillo. I won't deny that. But all it did was bring you here. Everything else has to carry you through to the end." Ariana said, closing her notebook. "I can teach you what I know. I can even drill it in your tiny, dumb brain. But I can't save you if you choose happiness over survival; that doesn't work in Team Rocket."
Nothing seemed to work in Team Rocket—except for tools. Yellow bowed her head, now drowning in guilt. Her fingers twisted around her skirt, now fighting her choked sobs harder. Fear of being punished sprang up again, urging her to keep as silent as possible.
"Do you understand, Amarillo?"
Everyone here kept asking her that, but Yellow didn't. She didn't understand any of this. Only obey, obey, obey. Yet, the girl nodded her head to end this horrible lecture and hide away in her room.
"Now," Ariana said, moving efficiently through tasks, "As my protegee, you will have expectations to keep. As a Rocket, you will be responsible to those expectations as well. Failure to keep them will be severe. A little girl will not embarrass me, much less a feral little girl."
A woman like Ariana would keep her reputation high and in good standing. For who, Yellow did not know. Maybe to beat Archer and his upbringing of young Lancelot?
"You will be neat and groom yourself properly. Simple beauty routines to start as well. I will show you, but I expect you to maintain it daily. I do not want a student with frizzy hair and acne. Beauty can be a devastating weapon, just as powerful as cleverness."
More hours taken away from Yellow. She would have to wake up earlier, from the sound of it. Do people not sleep on a normal schedule in these walls?
"Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, you will spend time with me. I will impart specific knowledge on you and you better learn it. I don't talk to hear myself talk." Ariana continued, undeterred. "You have so much to catch up on from what the tutors and trainers have informed me. However. It's easier to mold you when you're starting out."
However, the older woman pointed at her, which made Yellow startled. Had she done something wrong already?
"You will refer to me as 'Madame Ariana' when speaking to me. You will refer to Archer and Petrel as 'Master'. If you are fortunate to meet Giovanni, you will also call him 'Master'." The lady of Rocket commanded, harsh with her last sentence. "Giovanni is the highest in our organization; all respect is to be given to him."
Yellow cocked her head. Giovanni. Archer said his name too, and multiple times. It was as if he was invoking a god. But Ariana seemed to consider his name differently, like she knew him personally.
"Show respect to us at all times. Do not speak back. Do not disobey. Each Executive has the authority to punish you—in cadence with my own. I suggest you tread carefully around Archer; you've seen what he can do. And never give Giovanni an opportunity to punish you."
"Y-yes, Madame Ariana." Yellow said, feeling the foreign words stretch long over her soul.
"You will bow to us, from greeting us to ending the conversation to apologizing." Ariana said, seeing Yellow stare at her. "... And you do not know what I am talking about. Do you?"
"No."
"No, what?"
"No. No, Madame Ariana."
Ariana checked something on her wrist and through the dim glint of a nearby lamp, Yellow could see it was a clock. Like her alarm clock. A thought that they made clocks that small shocked her, wondering if it too had an annoying alarm.
"We'll do this fast. I would hate for Giovanni to come back tomorrow and you disrespect him." Ariana sighed, grabbing Yellow by the arm. "Alright. Learn fast. Follow me."
Yellow felt her hand on her back, pressing against her spine. The touch made her jump, but Ariana whisked her hand to whack her gently for moving. Now still, the child waited for the next instruction.
"Keep your back straight. Your hands should be together in front." Ariana worked in a flurry, fixing and positioning Yellow. "Now. Most bows will be slight. You bow when spoken to, when greeting someone, and various daily interactions. Move forward in a smooth, graceful motion."
Ariana might as well instructed on how to fly to the moon. Yellow stumbled forward, feeling another light whack on her back.
"Wrong. Like this."
The girl saw her superior slightly bend forward with a straight back and perfectly clasped hands. Yellow mimicked it as best she could, throwing herself forward. Another whack.
"Don't be so dramatic with it! It makes people think you're taunting them or being silly. Waist here. Feet here. Now. Bow."
Yellow did it slower this time, feeling Ariana push her head down towards the floor.
"Good. Better. Again."
Once again. Yellow's ribs hurt.
"Good! Now. There's two more bows."
"There's two more!?"
Yellow could feel the icy stare of her master. Keeping her mouth shut was preferable now.