Chaldean Master Candidates
Thirteen people walked down the pristine, sterile looking hallway of Chaldea. The Director, her trusted right hand man, a member of A Team, and ten candidates all to be tested. What that test was exactly was a mystery to them, though those who operate in the known circle had different ideas as to what they were exactly. Ayako herself didn't really give it much thought. Being part of B Team, as Ophelia had suggested, would be the best outcome for her, but were she to fail whatever this test was, she wouldn't mind being relegated to a part of the crew. People often don't see her as such, but she did volunteer for this organization to do some good in her life.
Hell, walking down the hallways already put her above her mother and aunt in that regard. The both of them still think much like a magus would, despite the fact that they have veered off of the idea of a traditional magus. Still, she knows that her mother would be proud of her. In fact, she was certain that Aozaki Touko was feeling a unique sense of pride within her dark and blackened heart when she told her of her decision.
She also contemplated on her soon to be exposure. She had enjoyed a rather peaceful life growing up, which had slowly been eroded the moment she joined the Clock Tower, because there were no doubts people who would connect the dots on who she was. And now, being around high profile people within the association, for all intents and purposes her cover's blown. Not like she had a cover in any sort of way, she just circumvented most people's questions and accusations. Those that confirmed who she was did so without her involvement. That's what she gets when the head of the department she joined taught her mother back when she herself was a student there.
She glanced to her right, seeing Helix explore the hallways with his eyes. After the surprise he showed when she lit his cigarette, he seemed to be taking things in relative stride. His eyes kept exploring, before they landed on her. She nudged her brows, and red spread around his cheeks as he blushed, turning away from her. He might not be used to getting a woman's attention. Looks like she found someone to tease, assuming he gets to stick around.
The sound of a door sliding open keyed her to their destination, her eyes now focusing on the now opened room that they were walking towards to. All thirteen of them walked inside, to be greeted by two people that had been waiting for them. A man and a woman.
The man had light orange hair, closer to pink actually, and dressed in what she would guess as Chaldea's doctor's uniform. His sleeves were rolled up, and his pass was around his neck. He looked like a rather amiable man. She could sense that he had an easy going nature. In his hand seemed to be some sort of tablet.
The woman, though was… Wait a minute… the Mona Lisa.
"Welcome, Candidates!" she announced heartily, arms spread open welcomingly. Ayako could hear the silent murmurs from a few of the candidates. "I am the genius, the inventor, the artist, Leonardo Da Vinci, and we will be screening your tests today!" her enthusiasm was almost infectious.
Her introduction garnered mixed results; the Director had her hand over her face, Lev was chuckling amused, Ophelia had a light smile on her face, while the doctor shook his head with a tired sigh.
"Greetings, everyone. My name is Romani Archaman, and I am the Head of the Medical Facility here. Da Vinci here is the Head of Technology Development Division, alongside being the third Servant summoned by Chaldea." There were more murmurs coming from the noble families, but that did little to slow the Doctor down. "As she has said before, we will performing be the tests here. A quick scan, both medical and magical, along with a few questions to gather your potential and intuition."
"It's best we get through this process as quickly as possible." Olga Marie said to the group, taking the tablet from the Doctor and handing it to Ophelia. "You'll be called in one by one, and when you hear your name, you will join us in this room." She pointed to another door inside the room they were in.
Without another word, she made her way towards the deeper room. Lev gave a nod to the candidates, before moving to join the Director, followed by the Servant, giving a comforting salute to them. The Doctor was last, still standing in the room. "Good luck to you all." He said with a warm smile, as he made his way inside.
The candidates looked around at each other, some talking to one another while some made themselves comfortable with the available chairs. Ayako noticed Helix walking towards her, but he was stopped when someone else approached him, striking up a conversation with him.
"Aozaki, Ayako." Ophelia announced to the room, silencing the group for a second.
Ayako smiled. The great thing about having a name that starts with an A. Both names in her case. She walked towards Ophelia, the eye patched woman quirking a brow with her visible eye.
"Hope I get to be B Team." She said with a confident smile.
Ophelia let out a light chuckle. "Let's hope you do." She replied with a nod.
"So, Ayako Aozaki." The Director was reading what seemed to be her files intently, with Lev sitting beside her. Both Da Vinci and the Doctor were on separate tables, manning computers that were both wired to the electrodes on various parts of her body; two on the sides of her temple, one atop her head, one over her heart, one on her back and one on her abdomen. The Doctor specifically was testing her blood sample that she had just given.
"Yes, Director?" Ayako responded, still with an eager smile on her face.
"Born with only 18 Magic Circuits, less than the average magus, but they are all of EX quality. Finished high school level education at age 13, and joined the Clock Tower soon after, as a student of the Department of Creation. Recognized as a prodigy in not just magecraft theories but also practical skills as well."
"That sounds like me." Ayako replied with a nod.
"A registered CFR, a freelance motorcycle mechanic, and skills in programming, alongside with rune thaumaturgy, and a Puppet Master of undisclosed skill." Olga Marie read down the list of her apparent skills.
"And also-"Ayako closed her eyes, channeling magical energy into them, and when she opened them, they were no longer gold. "this."
Both Olga Marie and Lev looked at her with widened eyes, stunned, seeing the spiral pattern of blue/green/yellow taking its place. "Mystic Eyes of Enchantment." Lev commented, as Olga Marie gathered herself.
"Not as good as my mother's though." Ayako admitted, cutting the connection and returning her eyes back to normal.
"Ah, yes. Your mother." Olga Marie rubbed her chin in thought, glancing between Ayako and the files she had. "You understand how suspicious such a claim is?"
"It's one of the reasons why I laid low. Didn't want to bother with the faff." Ayako answered with a tired shrug.
"Do you have a way to prove you are as you say?" the Director asked with mildly veiled curiosity.
Ayako tilted her head in thought, trying to find an answer, before she remembered something that was trusted to her. She reached inside her overcoat, rummaging through her pocket, before finally pulling out an envelope. She held it out for Lev, who looked at the envelope in confusion. "Here's the money Ms. Blue borrowed that one time you dropped by the Clock Tower."
Olga Marie gave a curious glance to the man beside her, whose mouth hung open loosely. It lasted for a good few seconds before he laughed heartily. "You can keep hold of it for the moment."
"Suit yourself." She replied, putting the envelope back inside her pocket. "I'm surprised you didn't think I might have been Touko herself."
"Touko is an exceptional Puppet Master." Lev replied for the Director. "Her puppets, even more so. They are neither weaker nor stronger than her. One could consider them exact replicas of her. There were enough differences between you and Touko for you to not be her, for it to not be possible."
"I guess that makes sense." Ayako conceded with a nod. "Didn't really think of it like that."
"You referred to Aoko Aozaki as Miss Blue before." The Director commented.
"Yeah, I refer to her as that when I'm in a more professional setting." Ayako answered.
"Interesting." She didn't sound that interested. "How do your own skills fare as a Puppet Master?" Olga Marie asked.
At this, Ayako smirked, placing a finger on her lip in a shushing motion. "It's a secret." She replied with a coy smile. "But I'm sure we'll all get to know the extent of my skills soon."
The Director sighed, shaking her head as she continued on. "Why did you volunteer?" Not many volunteer for the program, because frankly speaking it wasn't like they had advertisements displayed prominently around the globe. Simple fliers for an undisclosed job for them to be interviewed by her scouts.
"Would you believe if I said I wanted to do some good?" she said, earning only a raised brow from the Director. "My mother always said that she wanted to raise someone that doesn't follow down her path. So, what better way than to take part in an organization like this?"
"Follow down her path?" Ayako nodded at the Director's questioning.
"I'm sure her rather prolific history is quite well known amongst those at the Clock Tower. I'd be surprised if it wasn't." she further explained. "It might even be normal for those who follow the path of the magus. But my mother sort of lost that spark, if you will."
"Yes, I've heard of that before." Lev commented, leaning on the table with a single arm. "Why did she give up?"
Ayako shrugged, shaking her head. "It's not my story to tell."
"Fair enough." He stepped back.
"And it's done." Ayako turned to her left before she could continue her answer, seeing the Doctor stretch his fingers with Da Vinci patting him in the back. "Vitals are recorded and checked, sample has been tested. There's an odd reading I detected, but it shouldn't compromise LAPLACE, so I'll shelve it for the moment."
"And you have remarkable compatibility as a Master." Da Vinci added with a certain amount of glee in her voice. "In fact, I'm certain you wouldn't even need Chaldea to summon a Servant of your own."
"Incredible praise from the genius." Lev said with an acknowledge nod.
"I'm curious as to what you actually did." Ayako commented, eyeing the Mona Lisa with mild curiosity.
The Servant wagged her finger. "Oh, a genius doesn't share her secrets so easily."
"Congratulations, Ayako Aozaki. You qualified as a Master of Chaldea." Olga Marie said, eager to end this before it gets out of hand. "Please, wait outside while we go through the rest of the candidates. After which we will begin orientation."
"Do I make B Team?" Ayako asked while Da Vinci pulled the electrodes off of her.
"We still need to test the rest to determine them, and not just this wave of candidates either. There will still be more people arriving." Olga Marie replied. "But, if your results in basic training tomorrow are promising, then it would be most likely."
"Awesome." Ayako said, fist raised to her chin in celebration. "It'll be an honor working for Chaldea."
"Bertrand, Koleen." Ophelia announced as Ayako walked out of the room. It was the young, meek looking Caucasian woman that asked the question before, wearing a pink turtleneck sweater that looked even bigger on her seemingly small form. Her blonde hair was done in a braid not too dissimilar to her own, her pink eyes rushing left to right in a slight panic. Standing up from her seat, she psyched herself up before making her way inside the testing room.
"There's something more to her." Ayako commented as she stood beside Ophelia, still standing where she last saw her.
"Really now? How can you tell?" Ophelia asked, giving Ayako a side glance.
The Japanese girl shrugged. "Gut feeling."
"Interesting." The eye patched woman responded, jotting something down onto the tablet. "She counts as one of our civilian candidates, though it seemed she was not oblivious to our world."
"So probably an ancestor of some kind." Ayako commented. "And maybe taught herself with their notes."
"That's the current theory that is floating about her. Among other things" Ophelia added with a nod. "Of the ten candidates, how many would qualify as Masters?"
Ayako caught Ophelia's eye at the question, before her gaze drifted upwards in thought. "Including myself, I would say three people."
"You sound quite certain of that number."
A smirk formed on Ayako's face. "My gut feeling's never been wrong."
"That's the kind of confidence I've heard about the Aozakis." Ophelia commented, eye slightly widened in awe. Or what constitutes as awe for a magus.
"Hey, Ayako." The both of them turned to face the man who interrupted their conversation again. Helix, standing before them looking a bit unsure of himself. His framed eyes landed on Ayako's gold. "What happened in there?"
"Just a simple interview process, like any other job hunts." Ayako answered with a noncommittal shrug. "They'll wire you up, take a blood sample, and that's it."
"That's it?" Helix asked unsurely.
"There won't be anything convoluted or complicated during our screening tests, Mr. Sinclair." Ophelia assured with a placating hand. "That comes later, if you're qualified."
His eyes switched between the two women, before sighing. "I hope I don't though." He told them. "I signed up to be a techie. Not to have the weight of the world on my shoulders."
"You still would." Ayako said with a shake of her head. "It's not like the computers here run on faeries."
"Ayako's right. We have a crew of more than 100 people running the base, and it will no doubt grow with each wave of candidates." Ophelia continued, glancing to the list of candidates on the tablet.
Helix looked to them with growing confusion. "Do you two know each other?"
"In passing." The both of them replied. Ayako chuckled amusedly while Ophelia was content with a small smile.
"What, like the same school or something?" he asked them.
"Pretty much." Ayako replied. She gestured the spot to her right with a nod. "Make yourself comfortable."
He sighed again, scratching the back of his head nervously before he joined them as suggested. "This is kinda crazy." He said, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses.
"Well buckle up, Sinclair. It'll get even crazier, I'm sure." Ayako said, patting the lanky man on his back.
There were now five of them walking down the sterile corridor. Professor Lev and Ophelia were giving them a brief tour of the base layout. Director Olga Marie had retreated for the day, most likely preparing the so called Basic Training they were alluded to. Both Dr. Roman and Da Vinci were escorting the candidates that didn't qualify, as well as leading those that had nothing to offer back onto the last transport out. They said it's the least number of people they had to send back, which was only two. That left three people qualified, just as Ayako had predicted. It was herself, the meek woman in the pink turtle neck, and a member of a lesser Noble magus family. Which one was it again? There were so many of them, and they always have such long and convoluted names.
She eyed him from behind; she was standing at the back of the line which made it easier. He was dressed rather sharply, if rather plain. Not as ostentatious as most magi she's interacted with in the Clock Tower. A dark blue dress suit. His brown hair was tied to in long, low ponytail. The coat he wore during the trip was folded in his arms. He is what she would consider "pretty", looking to be around her age.
"These are your rooms." Lev announced as both he and Ophelia stood beside the indicated rooms. Ophelia approached them, giving each of them their cards. "And these are your passes, with the luggage you all brought along already placed inside. Don't forget, Basic Training tomorrow at 8am. Any question?"
"Can we get more rooms?" Ayako spoke up before the other two.
"What for?" Lev asked her, with Ophelia also looking at her inquisitively.
"A workshop."
"Oh, we have plenty of workshops in the basements." Lev told her.
"I don't know about these two, but I'd prefer to have my workshop close by." Ayako said with a shake of her head.
"I second that sentiment." The lesser Noble said beside her.
Even Ophelia looked to the Professor, who was in thought with his hand holding his chin. "We'll have to wait until we get all the qualified Masters."
Ayako shrugged. "I guess I can wait."
"How are we to use these facilities?" the Noble asked.
Ayako held back a sigh while the meek woman looked at him curiously. Professor Lev chuckled amusedly at the question. "The computer will have the tutorials you seek."
"But, how would we operate these computers?" the Noble continued asking.
"I'm sure you'll be able to learn how to operate it." Said the Professor. "Well, see you all tomorrow." He told them, leaving the three with Ophelia in tow.
The Noble's eyes were still locked on Lev's retreating form, mouth hung open flabbergasted. Ayako glanced to the meek woman, seeing her ace slowly shift to disbelief. The woman then turned to Ayako, searching for answers. All she got was a silent chuckle from her and a defeated sigh.
"Flash your card on the scanner." Ayako spoke up, leading to the Noble shifting his attention onto her. "Not just your room, it should work on most of the rooms on the base."
He kept staring at her, before shifting his gaze onto the pass in his free hand. Then back at her. Then back at it. Then he turned around and approached the room that was indicated to him. He slowly, gingerly, held the pass over the scanner as instructed. He waited. Ping. With a swish, the metal door slid open for the Noble. He gazed inside his room, inspecting it briefly, before glancing to face Ayako once more.
"My thanks." He said unsurely, as he walked inside, the door closing behind him.
Ayako shrugged herself as she made her way to her own room. "Are they always like that?"
The Japanese woman glanced behind her, seeing the blonde woman look to her in mild confusion. "They tend to be worse." Ayako answered. "Kalls, was it?"
"It's Koleen, actually." She replied, her fingers fidgeting with one another.
"You hungry?" Ayako asked while she flashed her pass onto the scanner. "I was thinking on stopping by the canteen."
"Oh. Uh…" While Koleen was working on her answer, Ayako gave a quick inspection of her room. Seeing that everything was in order, she stepped back out, leaning on the now closed door of her room with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Well? Hungry or not?" she prodded again.
The blonde's eyes were closed shut, as she will an answer for the invitation. "Sure." She finally replied. "If you don't mind me dropping my coat first."
The cafeteria was quite empty, given the time of day. A few of the established crew, along with a handful of the qualified Masters from the previous batch. It now had two more people as Ayako and Koleen walked side by side into the large room. The blonde didn't walk that fast, so Ayako had to adjust her walking speed. The lined themselves up, trays pulled for each of them.
"You seem famous." Koleen commented, though her voice was almost a whisper. Ayako inspected the room, seeing a number of people not so subtly glancing her way.
"It means word's gotten out." She chuckled amusedly. "It's my mom that's famous. And my aunt." She further explained to the blonde. "I'm just an enigma."
"Enigma?" Koleen said back with slight confusion as the two of them sat themselves on an empty table, the trays they brought now filled with adequate food.
"Aozaki. Have you ever heard of them?" Ayako asked as she took a sip of the flavored box drink. It was orange.
Koleen shook her head. "No." the blonde grimaced and shrunk ever so slightly, turning her gaze away. "I don't really know anyone."
"That's a good thing in my opinion." Ayaka said back. "You don't have the heart to be like those people."
"Those people?" Koleen asked back.
Ayako nodded back. "It says a lot, how my mother, who one might consider an exemplar of these people, made an effort to not raise me to be like them."
"Why?" the blonde questioned with genuine confusion.
"They're not good people." She replied, earning a few glares from those that heard her. "You can ask around, stories about my mother to get a good idea on what they're capable of."
"And what about you?" Koleen asked, her hands shaking slightly as she turned the fact back.
Ayako didn't expect the question, but the smirk that formed on her face showed the clear amusement she felt. "What about me?"
The worry shifted to concern, with Koleen shifting in her seat. "Are you… a good person?"
The smirk remained, though Ayako was now looking elsewhere in thought, coming up with an answer to the question that was asked of her. "Although they respect my desire to improve my craft, most magi consider me a heretic in disposition. I try to be a good person, I really do. But when you're involved with them, sometimes being a good person is just not possible." The smirk had disappeared from Ayako's face, her face a steady neutral expression.
And yet, Koleen no longer seemed worried. Her shaking stopped, and though at first she kept her gaze on Ayako with mouth hung open slightly in bewilderment, before they closed and a light smile took its place. "Guess I'll take your word for it then."
Ayako kept her stare on the blonde, before she responded the blonde's smile with her own. "Glad to hear it."
The both of them continued on with their meal in a comfortable silence, though the blonde would occasionally sneak in a few glances toward the Japanese woman, calmly eating with her eyes closed and humming a quiet tune to herself.
"What do you think Basic Training will consist of?" Koleen spoke up when their meals were almost finished.
"Something involving our compatibility as Masters." Ayako replied.
"And what does that mean?" the blonde questioned, not fully comprehending the answer.
"It'll involve people like the Mona Lisa earlier." Ayako explained. "They'll no doubt go over it tomorrow."
"The Mona Lisa…" Koleen furrowed her brows in thought. "Isn't Da Vinci a man?"
"There's probably some shenanigans involved." Ayako said as she moved to stand. "Let's call it a day."
The blonde nodded, standing up herself. Their now empty trays piled onto the rest of them, they left the cafeteria the same way they entered. With eyes staring at the young Japanese woman's figure, and even less sharpening into a glare.
As the door slid closed, Ayako was now left to her own devices, finally finding time to be alone. Within the confines of her appointed room, she stretched herself to relieve the aches that had built up throughout the journey here. She didn't mind being around people, but they could be overbearing, especially in long exposures. Which is why she's eager to turn this sterile block of a room into her own personal haven for the duration of her stay here. How long that would be, still remains to be seen.
On her bed, along with a fresh uniform set for her, were the two travel bags she brought, while on the floor was a crate that serves as an emergency scenario. She was surprised they didn't ask her anything about it, though she was sure that they'd have inklings as to what it was. First things first, she'd need to put the crate in the closet, pushing it along the floor. She put her all into it when she noticed one of her bags shifting. It wasn't easy, with what was inside, but she pat herself on the back when she finally got it inside. She turned to her bags, seeing the still shifting movements from one of them. They were subtle, but noticeable. She opened the still one first, seeing the necessary items for her stay. Her clothes, personal soaps and knickknacks, her own laptop and phone she brought along. Mostly things that didn't pertain to her status as a Magus.
Which now left the other bag. Various materials she uses for her craft. Or as she liked to call it, her own bag of fun. And inside them were runestones of varying calibers, though they didn't really amount to much. She used them mostly as practice. Her puppet making set, above a small bag of materials that would be needed in one were to need a replacement limb. And a smaller box that kept on shifting once every few seconds.
Ayako smiled fondly upon seeing the box, before she took it out and made her way to her room's desk. She pulled the upper cover off, and chuckled happily at what she saw. A miniature puppet almost bursting out of the box, tumbling out of it in a mess. A puppet she made akin to an art mannequin, and one that she modeled after her aunt. Her small, and fun, familiar.
"What's wrong, Aa-chan?" she asked the puppet, who turned to her, glaring at her with its blue eyes.
The puppet pointed at her, and began mouthing off gibberish angrily. Literally gibberish, as nothing discernible came from its mouth, but she could understand it without any trouble.
"Yeah, sorry. I'll make it up to you. Promise." The puppet raised a brow at her, apparently not taking its master's words to heart. "When have I ever done you wrong?"
At that, the puppet began mouthing off at her again, moving around the desk with its arms expressing how angry it was. Ayako couldn't help but just smile at the scene. But, all good things must come to an end, and the Antarctic night drew to a close.
"Hey Aa-chan. Take off your clothes. I need to fix something up for you." The puppet stopped its motions, staring at her incredulously. "It'll help you out while we're at the base." Ayako said, pulling up and showing her pass to the puppet.
The puppet kept staring at the pass for a good minute, seemingly distrustful of her, before relenting as it slowly nodded and began undressing its miniature clothing. With a nod and a smile, Ayako got back up and walked back to her bags, taking out her aforementioned kit, ready to modify the puppet before she joins the dreaming world in their slumber.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
trying to come up with the test is a bitch, let me tell you. (and it's not even over) if it's not obvious, i'm using NA's timeline here, just so i can squeeze her in, while still being "of age"
Reviews
Emiya: if i can get the story past Part 1 at least, then they will for sure pop up. otherwise, we'll be seeing them through flashbacks.
Giuseppe: well, the direct translation of Aya is Colorful, so her name literally means Colorful Child. but, funny you mention rainbow. that's not the end of that word.
well, whenever i get the fifth chapter done, that'll be when i the 3rd will be uploaded. when will that be, remains to be seen, since i just finished up the fourth.
with all said and done, thank you for reading and i hope ya'll enjoyed your time!