SAPPHIRE

04: Your Job Is…

She had learned several things after the graduation; some were useful while some were irritating. Reito and the two other people from the Black Valley, she soon learned after their sour meeting, had left Windbloom. Apparently he had no intentions in settling their conversation and decided to skip town while he could. She rolled her eyes and simply shook her head. Reito was never the one to talk things over and always seemed to take matters too personal. The forced smile on his face was etched into her mind as an example of his one great weakness: the inability to deal with his emotions at hand. His face, though, frightened her somewhat. The disease was taking its toll on him and sooner or later he would have to – she shuddered at the thought – change into something else entirely lest he suffer an agonising death. How many days did he have left in that body? Forty? Twenty? Or maybe ten days? How many days he had left was not certain, but what was certain was that the next time they met – yes, she had the intention to meet him once more – he would be different. Rena looked out the window of the conference room, where she and her Master were waiting for everyone else. Eileen, she knew, would be coming to this meeting.

'We're pretty early,' said Emmett Antilla, looking down at his wristwatch. 'Sorry about getting us here so soon.'

'No, that's fine,' said Rena, turning away from the window to look at her young Master. He was only nineteen years of age, she learned yesterday, but he seemed a lot older than his age let on. Emmett Antilla came from a long lineage of warriors, so to speak. His father had been a soldier, his grandfather had been a Royal Guard, and even his grandmother had served in the military's intelligence division. Being a soldier was the Antilla Way and clearly Emmett was going to continue this long and great family tradition of serving his country. His father, now a general, with all his connections had pulled strings to allow Emmett to enroll at Windbloom Military Academy at an earlier age. There were some disagreements within the chain of command that Randall Antilla was taking advantage of his power, but whatever strong sentiments they had were soon silenced, or subdued, by his son's rather fine record. He was a strong, model student, though he likely could have done better had he entered the academy at the proper and recommended age. The superintendent of the academy did not graduate Emmett as an officer much to the anger of General Antilla because he lacked the maturity and know-how of the older cadets. Instead, Emmett Antilla was graduated as a warrant officer, but should he ever wish to become an officer then he only needed to attend an officer's school. Despite whatever shortcomings he had, Rena saw Emmett as a decent soldier and person.

However, it may have been a stroke of luck that Emmett had been graduated as a warrant officer. The superintendent likely understood that Emmett was a people person, and not the one to do the administrative duties often demanded of officers. Just as well, becoming a warrant officer had one major advantage over an enlisted soldier and officer: the warrant officer was, for the majority, the only group to be assigned an Otome. In Windbloom the Otomes were either serving in civilian postings such as a protector of an ambassador, or they were serving in the military, which was often the case. Not all warrant officers had an Otome of their own, but all Otomes in the military had a Master that was a warrant officer (except for those assigned to a commanding officer, often a captain).

'Do you want anything to drink?' asked Emmett, standing by the pitcher of water, a glass in hand and another one nearby.

'No, that's quite okay,' replied the Otome. She grinned slightly and asked, 'Isn't that supposed to be my job, though? Aren't you my Master?'

Emmett shrugged, grinning as well. 'I believe the Master-Otome relationship can only function properly if the distinction of rank is removed,' he explained, pouring himself a glass of water. 'Well, that was my thesis anyway, and I guess that's probably why the super didn't graduate me as an officer.' She had expected him to sound bitter but instead he came off with a sense of nonchalance. He drained the glass of water and asked, 'Are you sure you don't want anything to drink? How 'bout something to eat? We left pretty early so you didn't have a breakfast this morning.'

His persistence finally got the most of Rena and she ceded. 'Well I guess I'll have something to eat,' she said finally. Emmett tossed her an apple; she had to react quickly to catch the apple as she did not expect her Master to throw it to her. Emmett Antilla, Rena was starting to find out, was filled with surprises. Just yesterday after the ceremony there was confusion as to who should be the one opening the door for the other. Rena went for the door to open it for her Master, but Emmett found it as his duty to open the door for an Otome. Eventually, after some deliberation, it was agreed that since Emmett was her Master he should get into the car first.

'Permission to speak freely?' Rena asked after finishing her apple.

Emmett laughed. 'Speak, please. And you don't have to ask me for permission, you know,' he said, chuckling.

'Right,' said Rena, 'but just to let you know, you're not the kind of Master I was expecting.'

Emmett looked at her curiously, his smile fading. 'Oh? And what were you expecting?' he asked quizzically. 'Maybe someone older? Or maybe someone old fashion? I can only apologise that I can't change my age, and I can guarantee you that I hate being old fashion. Do you feel that I cannot be a proper Master because I lack the experience and maturity required of one? Would you have instead rather served, say, the King or Queen? Mind you, you yourself do not have the experience and maturity as well.' Rena stood by the window, feeling ashamed for asking such a direct and inappropriate question at her Master. It was only the second day since she had been assigned to her Master and already things were starting off badly. Rena pursed her lips and held the cold gaze of Emmett Antilla feeling completely miserable. And then he cracked a smile. 'I'm just messing with you, Rena. It's who I am, Rena. Nothing I can do about that,' he said, laughing. He was just joking around? Rena laughed nervously. 'You'll find that I'm not your stereotypical soldier you see every now and then. Actually, you'll find out that my – our – unit is a bit different than the others.' Just how different was the question Rena wanted to know.

A few minutes later three warrant officers of different rank entered the room – Eileen Riley entered the room at the side of her Master. The two friends from Garderobe flashed each other a small smile and knew they weren't completely alone in this new world. The four soldiers took their seats at the oak table, as did the older Otomes; Rena and Eileen were the only ones standing behind their Master. They looked at each other lost for words, lost at what to do.

'How 'bout you take a seat?' suggested one of the soldiers.

Emmett pulled out a chair next to him and offered it to Rena. She sat down, unsure of herself, and looked around in confusion. 'Things work differently here,' whispered Emmett as she turned to him for an explanation.

'Well let's get started with the introductions,' said the soldier who suggested for the two new Otomes to have a seat. The soldier was the eldest person in the room, likely to be in his late thirties or maybe even his early forties; he had short sandy hair and electric blue eyes. 'Rank, name, and how many years you've been doing this. We'll go clockwise starting with me. Although we already know each other, this is to help our new teammates –' he looked at Rena and Eileen '– get acquainted with all of us,' explained the soldier. 'Chief Warrant Officer Five, Nathanial Connor,' he introduced. 'I'm the team leader of this group, and as of yet we don't have a commanding officer so I also fill that position. I've been serving in the military for just about eighteen years now, and this here is my Otome.' He turned to look at his Otome, a beautiful brunette, her sleek hair tied at the back, with soft brown eyes.

Connor's Otome cleared her throat and introduced herself. 'My name is Irene Tovo and I have been an Otome for twelve years now,' she said. 'I was the Otome of an ambassador prior to coming here.' Rena noticed that she was clearly the oldest Otome at the table, but her age, if she had to guess, was anywhere between twenty to thirty years. Irene Tovo's physical appearance was surprisingly young for her age. The Otome was undoubtedly the most experienced Meister sitting at the table, capable of sharing her knowledge with the younger ones.

'Chief Warrant Officer Two, Siler Lutz,' said the next soldier. 'I've been in and out of the military for the better part of the last decade and a half. In total this is probably my ninth year in service.' Lutz was likely the second youngest soldier – Emmett being the youngest – but he was a tall and imposing man. His voice was deep and he spoke slowly, either to make sure he picked out the right words or if that was simply how he was. 'Well, that's all there is to me. Em?' Sena Miles, who preferred to be addressed as "Em", was Lutz's Otome. She briefly introduced herself, telling everyone at the table her name and that she had been an Otome for just about six years. Rena could have sworn that Sena Miles could be a distant relative of Marion Weir as they both shared the same hair and eye colour. The only difference was the personality of Em, which was drastically different than Marion's.

Next was Marc Hurst, Eileen's Master, who was currently serving his fifteenth year in the military. As Rena had guessed, Eileen would be his fifth Otome. The balding, barrel-chested chief warrant officer turned to Eileen and signalled the young Otome to say something about herself. Rena smiled in amusement, watching as Eileen tried to introduce herself in front of her colleagues. Eileen cleared her throat and began slowly, 'M-my name is Eileen Riley and – uh – well, I just graduated from Garderobe yesterday.'

'How long do you plan to stay as an Otome?' asked Em from across the table.

Eileen hesitated momentarily, racking her mind for a quick answer. 'Well, I really haven't given it that much thought to be honest,' she answered.

'No one really knows until it hits you,' said Irene Tovo bluntly. 'Don't worry, kid, you'll find out soon enough.'

Then it became Emmett's turn to introduce himself. 'Warrant Officer, Emmett Antilla,' he began, speaking in a clear voice to the group. Unlike Eileen and Rena, Emmett had been with this group for about a year so he knew them all already. 'Well, this is just about my first year in the military so there's not much for me to say right now. I'm about as green as my Otome so…' Emmett turned to face Rena, who know realised it was her turn to speak.

'And finally we have Rena Sayers,' said Connor from the end of the table.

Everyone's eyes fell on Rena; she fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably. Damn it, I hate being in the spotlight, she thought with annoyance. 'Well as Chief Warrant Officer Five –'

'Just call me Nathanial, or Nate, or Connor, or hell, just call me whatever you like,' explained the team leader. 'You just don't have to call me by rank and name, at least not when we're together like this. Oh, and if you do call me by rank then you don't have to keep the "Five". Just call me Chief Warrant Officer or "Chief" if you like.'

Rena nodded, taking in the information, and continued. 'Well as Connor said, my name is Rena Sayers. Like Eileen, I graduated from Garderobe yesterday as well,' said the young Otome.

'How are you feeling? We heard you got hurt pretty bad during the exams,' said Connor.

'I learned a hard lesson,' Rena replied simply. 'I'm feeling a bit better now.' She reached for the ribs that had been smashed, wincing at the slight pain.

Connor nodded and said, 'Well we won't do anything intensive for a while so you can get some rest in the mean time.'

'Is that the Blue Sky Sapphire?' inquired Tovo, her eyes focusing on the precious stone pendant around Rena's neck.

'Sure is,' answered Lutz for Rena. 'The rookie pair has a pretty rare GEM, that's for sure.' Everyone at the table, except for Rena, Eileen, and Emmett, murmured in assent. 'It's not everyday that someone gets the Blue Sky Sapphire. That GEM isn't given to you. Nah, the GEM picks its Master and Otome.' Rena thought Lutz was joking around. She turned to Emmett, expecting him to shake his head, but instead he remained silent and devoid of emotion.

Connor, the team leader, decided it was time to get down to business and quickly ended their introduction. 'Well that's great and all, but now it's time to do our job,' he said, speaking to everyone at the table. 'Alright, for those of you who don't know, we are part of the Otome Defence Group – the Royal Security Detachment specifically – otherwise known as this country's first and last line of defence. If there's a war and we get the call, every team from the Group is likely going to be moving out and you can expect us to get into the fray.' It was peace time and Rena knew that the chances of another war occurring, especially after the Dragon King War, were almost impossible. 'Hopefully there won't be a war so all we do is train and go out and see the world. Plus, if there were to be a war, we'd likely be guarding the royal family as that's basically our job.'

Rena, accustomed to asking questions as she did in Garderobe, raised her hand. Connor gave her a nod and she asked, 'But isn't guarding the royal family up to another Otome? Or the Royal Guards?'

'Correct, but when the royal family is travelling abroad then it is our duty to protect him. The royal family's Otome will specifically guard them, but it's us that guard everything and everyone else,' answered Connor. 'As for the Royal Guards, they are the King's personal defence force. I mean, I don't hate them, but they're nothing more than a show of force.'

'Our duties vary, Rena,' explained Tovo, leaning slightly over the table, hands locked, her eyes fixed on the girl. 'We perform goodwill missions to small nations anywhere in the world, however remote it may be. Think of us as ambassadors, as you will. Like ambassadors we travel to other countries and form and maintain good relationships. Now, unlike ambassadors, we don't deal with politicians – let the royals and the suits deal with politicians. While they're discussing world matters over a cup of tea, we're meeting the indigenous minority over a camp fire - really. We usually meet small tribal groups, if there are any, and establish a channel of communication. We help them and they help us.'

'In other words, we act as the warning system to Windbloom,' clarified Emmett. 'If there's any bad news in the world then we'll likely be the first to know.'

It was a lot to take in, but Rena believed she had it all down. 'So let me get this straight,' she began, 'we follow the royal family around whenever they go abroad, correct?'

'That is correct,' acknowledged the team leader.

'But we're not there just to defend him. We're also there to meet up with "small tribal groups, if there are any" to get them to help us, correct?' Tovo nodded in agreement. 'So basically we're spying on another country when we're there for official reasons?' The eldest Otome nodded once more. They're winding me up, thought Rena, looking at Eileen who was simply too lost for words. Emmett said this is unlike any other group. They're definitely winding me up.

'It's no joke, if that's what's going through your head,' murmured Emmett seriously.

Eileen and Rena looked at each other and merely said, 'Oh.'

'Don't worry, Rena,' said Connor at the end of the table. 'A few days here and you'll have a good idea what we do.'

The rest of the meeting gave Rena and Eileen their first taste at what an Otome's life was. They spent the next two hours sifting through government files and the latest intelligence reports about all the kingdoms. It was a laborious task; Rena was told to find any information that looked out of the ordinary. She wasn't exactly certain what constituted "out of the ordinary". To the new graduates of Garderobe, the documents were simply words and statistics; it bore no significance whatsoever. However, to the veteran Otomes and soldiers it was a treasure, a possible gold mine that was worth examining over for hours on end. Though nothing useful may come to light, it was time well spent for they had learned one important thing: all was well in the world. Rena's first working day as an Otome was not quite what she had expected, but then again, her young Master wasn't what she had in mind either.

Ω

The alarm sounded, waking up the Meister from her deep slumber. She groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. 'What time is it…?' Rena turned over and checked the alarm clock on the night table: 5:00 AM. She groaned once more. This wasn't what I really had in mind when I became an Otome. She leaned over the night table and made an effort to turn on the lamp. She stared up at the ceiling for an indefinite period of time, her mind working slowly. Although she had to wake up early everyday, Rena found some consolation in the fact that her bed was very comfortable. The pillows were soft and plushy, the blankets were thick and warm, and if it was not for the fact that she had a job to do, Rena would have stayed in her bed for at least an additional five hours. Sleep never came easier, but then again, as an Otome, sleep was not a main issue. Though it was important that everyone – the Otome and her Master – received enough rest to carry out the day's work, it was also equally important that everyone got the day started early, especially in their line of work.

The Meister was surprised that everyone in their group, as well as the other groups in the detachment, had such luxurious sleeping quarters. It may not be like her bedroom at the Waltemeyers, but it was significantly better than her room at Garderobe. The room was not cramped and she was not bunkered down with someone else. Emmett slept in the room across the hall from her, as did every other Master and Otome. In case of an emergency the Master and his or her Otome would be able to meet quickly and prepare for action. Emmett had told her to expect surprise drills every now and then. Although she was his first Otome, he had been living on the base long enough to know what went on.

Rena threw off her blanket and slowly got out of bed, yawning and stretching her arms out. She slowly exited her room and quietly made her way down to the Otome designated changing room. Her feet felt the cold tiles underneath, sending a chill up her spine. She shivered in her thin nightgown as the hallways in the building didn't seem to be heated. The hall was empty and barren for the most part. The walls were plainly painted in a beige-dark tan mixture; a bulletin board at the end of the hall outlined the basic rules and regulations of the building as well as any news. Rena navigated her way through the dark hallway to the Otome's changing room; the only source of light came from whatever spilled through the window at the other end of the hall. It seemed as though everyone was still asleep, even the Otomes. There was no light coming from underneath the door of their room. Good for me, thought Rena as her hand closed on the door handle of the changing room. She preferred to be the first person in the changing room as that meant she had the showers to herself. It wasn't as though she was afraid of being in the same room with several naked women, but she would rather have some private time if possible.

The changing room for Otomes was quite simple in design: a short, narrow hall and a left turn brought Rena into the locker room; the floor was tiled in ceramic with a lone bench in the middle of the room; a locker for each Otome lined the side of the wall. An archway at the other end of the room led to the showers and the bathroom stalls. Rena opened her locker to retrieve a Meister's uniform – dress, shirt, boots, and all – that she had cleaned the night before. It was up to the Otomes to not only stick by the side of their Master and appear respectable, but to keep their uniforms proper. She grabbed a clean towel and headed off to a shower stall. Finding the stall at the very end of the room, Rena stepped inside and hung her towel as well as her undergarments on the door. Her hands played with the HOT and COLD knobs to get the temperature of the water just right. She stood under the shower head, allowing the warm water to run down her body, her hands fiddling with the pendant. Since being given to her, Rena had not, and had no intentions, of ever removing the Blue Sky Sapphire necklace.

She was in the shower for several minutes when someone entered the changing room. 'So I guess it's final, huh? You're the early bird now.' It was Irene Tovo, the veteran Otome.

'I just like my time alone, especially in the morning,' explained Rena from inside her stall, speaking over the shower.

'Don't we all,' said the disembodied voice of Tovo. There were sounds of rummaging and a locker opening and closing. The door to a shower stall a few stalls down closed with a snap. A few moments later the shower was on and water was running. 'Waking up early has been a habit of mine since I was young,' said Tovo. 'I had three brothers and since I was girl – well, you can imagine the confliction. If they weren't screaming at me to get out, they were screaming at each other. Idiots. They're family and I love them, but they can be idiots at times.'

'Are they older than you?' Rena asked.

'No,' answered Tovo. 'For a time I blamed their behaviour on immaturity, but now I think they weren't even born with it in the first place.' Rena had a distinct feeling that the veteran Otome was smiling with amusement in her stall. 'Well if I ever have kids I hope they don't turn out to be like my brothers.' Tovo's laugh echoed throughout the room.

Rena stood still in the shower stall, her hand clasped on a bottle of shampoo. 'Irene,' said Rena slowly, 'do you plan on having children of your own one day?'

Tovo remained silent for some time. 'I don't know, really,' she replied after a while. 'I suppose I will one day. Well, first I have to find a man I like before anything is considered.'

'You don't think it's too late?'

Tovo hesitated for a moment. 'What's with the questions?' asked the Otome with interest. 'You're asking all these weird questions –' She stopped mid-sentence. 'Don't tell me,' said Tovo in shock, 'you're already planning your retirement? You'll definitely break the record for the briefest working Otome.'

Rena blinked twice. 'What? No! No, that's not it,' said Rena quickly. 'No, I was just wondering…' She mumbled off the end.

'You're wondering if it's okay to get married and settle down, or whether there's a life after becoming an Otome, correct?' asked Tovo sagely. 'To be honest, you're not the first person to ask me this question and you won't be the last. I've worked with plenty of Otomes in my career and at one point we ask that question ourselves. "What are we going to do once we're done?" Well I like to know the answer too, but I don't think my time is up yet.'

'How long do you plan on staying as an Otome?' asked the young Meister.

'Maybe another couple of years,' replied Tovo indifferently. 'Maybe more, maybe less. I can't say for sure right now.'

'Have you always had Connor as your Master? Or did you change from time to time?' Rena then asked.

'Why? Do you plan on running away from Emmett?' joked Tovo. 'Or let met guess: you don't want to be pulled away from him. He's too irresistible, huh?'

At some point the water had turned hot, or it could have been something else completely. Rena felt her body warm up by the second; her face flushed as she tried to formulate a proper response. 'What? Ew! No, no that's not it all!' retorted Rena hurriedly. 'No, of course not! Emmett is my Master and I would never have such thoughts like that! That's not what I meant at all!'

'You have to admit, though, he's a nice kid,' reasoned the veteran Otome.

'He is a nice person, but –' Rena agreed but she was interrupted.

'He's quite handsome as well,' noted Tovo slyly. 'Then again, Emmett's a bit too young for me. Maybe his father… His father is actually quite the looker, you know that?'

Rena opened and closed her mouth; she was simply lost for words. 'What? His father? I thought we were talking about Emmett? He may be hand –' She stopped, cutting herself short from finishing the phrase and exclaimed, 'I'm asking the questions here, remember?'

Tovo's laugh filled the room. 'I know, I know,' she said, still laughing, 'but I like to do that sometimes.'

'Do what?' asked Rena, her face still red.

'It's not often that I get to meet a rookie pair, and it's not often that the rookie pair is in my group,' explained Tovo. 'It's fun to put juniors like you on the spot from time to time.' She allowed the amusement to subside for a bit and replied to Rena's original question. 'I've been working with Nate for six years now. Before then I had another Master – the ambassador to Aries. When the ambassador retired I had the chance to continue my line of work with his replacement or find something new. I found something new and I haven't regretted it at all. It all depends on your Master, really. Sometimes an Otome retires early, while other times it's the Master that goes first. You may or may not have the same Master for your career if that's the answer you want.' It was the answer Rena wanted.

Rena quickly finished up in the shower and turned off the water. She grabbed the towel and quickly dried herself off before covering her chest – she made sure not to forget her undergarments on the door – and walking out. Rena did her best to dry her hair, still damp and dripping, before changing into her Meister's uniform. Tovo was still in the shower and took up humming a tune now that Rena had left. Rena grabbed her clothes and headed towards the mirror by the sinks.

Her fingers buttoned up the front of her white shirt; Rena made sure the red tie was just perfect – she shifted it to the left just slightly to get it centered. Her long, flowing black hair was neat; her hands automatically tied the white ribbon given to her by Reito. Of course I won't forget, Rena thought as she finished tying the knot. The ribbon had now become an extension of her personality, a part of her uniform. The blue, white, and gold lined Meister's dress, recently ironed and cleaned, hung against the wall near the towel rack. Rena donned the Meister's dress and tied it off at the back, a task she had gotten better at over the course of several days. Usually it took her at least ten minutes by the mirror, her head turning around awkwardly, looking at the mirror, trying to get her hands to tie the dress properly. Now it only took her several good seconds to put on the dress and tie the strings into a bow at the back. Rena looked at the mirror once more and smoothed out any of the small wrinkles that had appeared.

'If you don't mind me asking, but how long do you plan on staying as an Otome?' Tovo suddenly asked as she finished up in the shower.

'Sorry?'

'How long do you plan on staying as an Otome?' repeated Tovo. 'You asked me so I thought I'd ask you.'

The junior Otome looked at her reflection in the mirror. Don't forget about us back home. The words of Reito echoed through her head as a reminder of her true mission. The people of the Black Valley were dying because of some disease. Garderobe and Windbloom were the most likely to have a cure in their possession and it was her job to find out what that cure was. Of course, she had already been told the answer by the elders. Technology. The cure was technology kept away from all the other kingdoms due to reasons unknown to the girl. Rena always knew she had to do something to help her people. The task of finding the salvation for her people only heightened her commitment and determination. How long do I plan on staying as an Otome? Rena's deep blue eyes locked on itself in the mirror. 'However long I need to get the job done,' replied Rena. It would not be an easy task but the future generations of the Black Valley lay squarely on the young Meister.