Entwined Empyrean
Chapter 01: The Aries Republic
"Meister Viola—it's fine if I call you this, yes?"
The highly acclaimed Otome smiled, nodding to the President. Grasping her opposite wrist between her fingertips, Shizuru felt at odds. A large portion of her career had been spent in the air. As an Otome, feeling the ground beneath her feet was unsettling. This was a circumstance which she would accustom to; Sooner rather than later, she hoped. "That is fine, Mrs-"
"Oh, please. Don't call me that God awful name." The bespectacled woman grunted, wafting her hand. "Call me Saeko."
Saeko Kruger was undergoing her second year in office during her first term as Aries' President. Presently her government was a roaring success—apart from a small detail.
"Saeko." The Meister paused. Studying the President carefully, Shizuru watched as the elder fiddled with a pen listlessly. "Your sponsorship for my employment never indica-"
"-who your Master is?" Receiving a nod from the Meister, Saeko laughed softly. Ushering the Otome closer, Saeko gestured to the chair opposite her desk. "As you can imagine, it takes some work to keep a secret inside Aries. Your employment wasn't announced on purpose. I am sure your peers were quite suspicious."
"A mentor was particularly wary." Shizuru admitted. Smiling distantly as her mind tracked back to Miss Maria, this rose the President's curiosity. Sitting herself down opposite Saeko, she threaded her fingers together in her lap.
"As you would know, I have two daughters." The President confirmed. Bringing a document of stapled pages out from her drawer, she slid it across the desk. "Alyssa is my youngest of nine years. As for my eldest, Natsuki, she is twenty-one."
"Which is to be my Master?"
"Technically both." The President said matter-of-factly. "However, Alyssa already has a bodyguard, so officially it is Natsuki."
Natsuki Kruger had been made disabled thanks to a car crash, hadn't she? Musing, Shizuru counted her options carefully. She leafed through the documentation. It consisted mainly of general information and miscellaneous material such as maps, schedules and staff registers. "Your daughter is disabled, is she not?" Her fingers halted on her new Master's photo. Her eyebrows rose discreetly at the woman's disgruntled expression. Her lips curled faintly, amused.
"She is."
Of course the documentation had clearly stated that Natsuki was indeed disabled. She herself preferred the human connection of exchanging information—especially the delicate kind. "When shall I meet her?" She inquired, placing the papers aside on the desk.
"When would you like to?"
A/N: Since Squall is working well in short chapters, I'm doing the same here. I have no idea where this story is going at the moment. But, like that's ever stopped me before. Story wise, this universe is a mix between the Otome manga and anime. For the time being, though, let's take this a step at a time.
Every five chapters I will have a section in the A/Ns for reviews.