Career Advice

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Vik was back in Dr. Nicros's 'tea room'. He had just finished filling the three of them in on all the past month's events, aided by a few side comments from Kili and Nicholas. Just as he predicted, the others weren't buying it. "It's crazy!" Elena finished.

"But it's the truth," The Doctor responded as he emerged from his office carrying a tray of mugs. "whether you choose to believe in it or not. Just saying it isn't so doesn't make it certain."

Simultaneously, they all turned their gazes to Saria, who was pretending to admire the chemistry equipment in the corner as she eavesdropped on their conversation. "I thought you said she was born in a test tube." Mosely remarked, his emotions a mix of fear, wonder, and confusion.

"Well, she sort of was." Vik answered, "Except it wasn't really a tube. It's more of a sphere."

"And that'sss why you wanted to keep her a sssecret?"

Captain Nicholas nodded."Precisely. If the palace got word of what we were doing, they'd shut us down immediately. So Vik volunteered to help keep her safe." The tree of them gave Vik a surprised look, who rejoined with an expression that said 'I was tricked.'

"But if you wanted to keep her secret, why did you send her out into the public?" Elena asked.

"When you're trying to stay hidden, your main objective is to not attract attention." The Captain answered. "If we were to keep her here, sooner or later someone is bound to notice something. You have to admit, a girl living in a lab is pretty suspicious and that draws attention. But if she were to blend in with modern society, people would pass by her and not give a second glance. She'll be normal, if that's what you want to call it. She has a population of 15 million to hide in."

The facts were hard to swallow, but they were finally convinced. "I can't believe she has so much power..." Elena said quietly. "She seemed so..."

"Human? Yeah, I know exactly how you feel." Dr. Nicros cut in, "But you mustn't be fooled by this. There's no telling what she's capable of."

"What are you trying to say?" Vik said angrily, feeling himself slowly rise from the seat. "That she's some sort of threat to us?"

"No, not at all!" Olivander assured, "It's just that we don't fully understand her powers yet. If you're not carefull around her, she might lose control and you'll end up like that Nu Mou." It must have been a good answer, since nobody could find a reason to argue. There was probably something interesting in the mugs, because everyone was staring down at them without speaking. After several minutes of this, a meek voice broke through the silence.

"You guys aren't...scared of me now, are you?" Saria asked, her fist clutched to her chest.

"Of course we're not!" Elena said, immediately brightening up. "We're your friends. We know you wouldn't hurt us intentionally."

"We understand how hard it must be for you, kupo." Kili added, "Though none of us can relate, we'll try our hardest to help you through this!"

"And who knowsss, maybe your little ability could come in handy. It's not a curssse, but a gloriouss gift!" Yolando concluded.

Saria smiled with relief. "Thank you." She whispered.

This was obviously one of those special moments that the group would one day want to look back on so the captain decided to wait a few moments before speaking up. "Ahem. Now that that's out of the way..." He began, "Why don't you kids take a tour of the premises. I'm sure Dr. Nicros would be all too happy to show you around and point out some points of key interest. Vik, Saria; I'd like to speak to the two of you in private. Please come with me." Vik and Saria exchanged a look of uncertainty before following the captain back onto the bridge.

---

"So what did you want to talk about." Vik asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "It you wanted to know how Saria's been, she's doing perfectly fine."

"Yes, I've heard. Twenty-third place in a class of 500 students. Congratulations." The teen's reaction, which happened to be nervous laughter, was a tad off what the captain expected but he chose to ignore it. "Anyways, the reason I called you out here is because I noticed you weren't exactly...dressed properly."

The two of them weren't wearing anything inappropriate. Vik was wearing his usual attire, Hooded T-shirts and Cargo Pants while Saria wore a plain, yellow sun dress. Sure, she was wearing one of his sister's old one-piece bathing suits as underwear but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But that wasn't what Nicholas meant and both of them knew that quite well. "Um...the reason we're not in uniform is..." Vik began but Saria beat him too it.

"We haven't chosen jobs yet!" She blurted. The look Nicholas gave them in response to this told them it wasn't exactly the most widely accepted answer possible.

"That's it? That's your excuse." The teens shrugged. "Well, you should have said something sooner! Hold on a sec." He reached into his back pocket and retrieved a walkie talkie. After mumbling something inaudible to anyone but his secretary, the elevators at the end of the bridge opened and a middle-aged viera walked out. She wore a white lab coat over a white blouse and red jeans. A common stereotype was confirmed when Vik realized she was carrying a clip board under her arm and a pencil behind her ear.

"Good afternoon, Nicholas." She said, offering him a small bow before turning to the teenagers. "You must be Vik and Saria. Captain Acheron has told me so much about the two of you. I'm Dr. Gelesia."

"Dr. Gelesia is a job instructor who specializes in female classes." Nicholas explained to Saria. "She'll help you find a profession and select your equipment." He turned back to the Viera and smiled. "Thank you for coming, Krystal. I hope I'm not keeping you from something important."

"No, not at all!" She responded, immediately staring down at the ground as her face began to redden.

"Excellent. Please take Saria here down to your office and help her pick out a job. We'll be waiting for you on the third floor when you're done."

"Yes, sir." She stammered, bowing quickly and motioning for Saria to follow her. The girl was a bit hesitant to do so but after an assuring nod from Vik and Nicholas, she sprinted down the hall after the Viera.

"Now, what do we do about you...?" The captain said as soon as the two females disappeared down the elevator shaft.

"You don't have to do anything." Vik answered. "I already have a job."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. I'm gonna be a full time Omnivari!" Vik announced."I'll use whatever weapon I want and copy whatever ability is thrown at me. It's the ideal profession for slackers like me!"

Nicholas chuckled. "That's a very intriguing way of looking at it." He observed, "But no matter which way you look at it, it's a job nonetheless. So where's your uniform?"

"I don't have one." Vik replied simply. "I went over to Ramsen's Armory the other day and asked for an Omnivari ensemble and they kicked me out; said I was wasting their time."

"I see..." Vik stared curiously as the captain paced over to the side of the bridge, rubbing his chin. "You know...I think I might have something for you!" Nick said, his eyes lighting up. "Come with me. And try not to get lost." He swept past Vik and strode down the bridge towards the drinking-straw elevators. Vik wasted no time in following him, seeing that there was no point in staying stationary.

---

The second the captain's back disappeared through the doors, the teens began to do what they do best: question authority. Not one of them dared to raise a voice against Nicholas, who's image was an epitome of sovereignty. But the wiry-haired moogle who they were left with didn't even come close to that impression. And, as it was expected, Elena acted first. "Not to sound rude or anything," She began, "But why are we even here? Why do you even need a support clan?"

The Nu Mou chuckled. "My dear," He chided, "We are the government. You know how we are when it comes to getting hands dirty. Whenever we want something retrieved or someone killed, we send you to do it."

"Can't you just put up pub requests, kupo?" Kili put in.

"We do with a few of our missions. But a majority of our activities we'd like to keep...confidential. There a people...rebels out there who are just dying to know what we're up to." Dr. Nicros gave them a devilish grin, which only creeped the four out further.

"But why do we have to be here!" Mosely protested, gesturing wildly at the 'madness' around them. "Can't you just send your request through the mail? Or leave them in a suitcase in a dumpster somewhere every Tuesday?"

"No." Olivander answered firmly. "When you are not on a mission, you're expected to work here. So look around and find something you'd be interested in. You can't find one? Fine, we'll give you whatever odd job we can, whether it be janitor or test subject. It's gonna be a long summer so you might as well make the best of it."

It was pretty clear now that the four of them were losing the battle of dominance. The Nu Mou may be weak, but he had a way with words. Slowly, they were losing the will to contravene. Grimacing nervously, they made one final attempt to sway their own opinions. "And why are we doing this again?"

The doctor's answer was plain and simple. "Money, fame, and power. The three main objectives of a person's life, are they not? Now if you'd follow me," The teens must have accepted the answer, because they were silent from the beginning of the tour till the very end.

---

Dr. Gelesia's office was more of a museum than a workplace. It was about the size of a regular tennis court with red carpet and Japanese tea-room style walls. Two rows of lights were strung along the ceiling in the form of yellow orbs. Mannequins dressed in uniforms from Viera jobs were lined up against the walls, sealed up in plexiglass containers. The desk was at the very end of the room, piled high with costume designs and scientific formulas. In the center of the room was a glass pedestal surrounded by computer equipment. Spotlights with brown-colored lightbulbs encircled the pedestal and a large robotic arm slowly revolved around it. It took a while for Saria to remember the proper response but it finally came to her, she still sounded a bit unsure. "Wow...it's incredible!" She said, silently doubting her words.

The Viera smiled proudly. "It's my life's work." She professed.

Saria slowly approached one of the plexiglass containers, marveling the Sniper outfit inside it. "Where did you get all these?"

Krystal laughed. "They're all mine. The outfits of every job I ever had are in this room right now."

"You had all these jobs?"

""Not only did I have them, I mastered them!" She said, slightly embarrassed. "You see, I didn't really excel in anything so I tried my best with every job possible."

Saria continued to wander along the wall, stopping in front of every display. But as she came onto the last case, an odd feeling overcame her. The mannequin inside was dressed in a dark, velvet dress over a black leotard and knee-high stockings. Two large slits were cut on either side of the skirt, running up the length of the thigh. The name plate reading 'Red Mage' was placed next to a pointed hat. "Is something bothering you?" The doctor asked when she noticed Saria's somewhat devout stare. The girl immediately shook off the feeling and shook her head. "No, everything's fine." She answered.

"That's a relief. You kinda looked out of it for a second there."

Saria gave her a baffled stare. "Out of what?"

At first, Dr. Gelesia thought the girl was kidding so her initial response was to laugh. When she realized the girl wasn't laughing with her, she knew it had been a serious question. "Nothing! It's just something we say when a person looks completely overwhelmed by something. They get this sort of blank stare on their face...kinda like the one you're using on me now!" Saria quickly turned her gaze to the floor, quickly uttering an apology under her breath. Krystal laughed again. "Anyways, I've got to go prepare some test to find the proper job for you. Why don't you look around a bit more. I'll call you when I'm ready."

What the viera was doing, Saria had no idea. She had gone back to staring at the last display. An odd feeling of familiarity came over her, the exact same feeling she felt when Vik gave her her name. She reached forward to touch it but was stopped by a quarter-inch of plexiglass. "Why..." She thought, "What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?" Her eyes swept along the length of the mannequin, stopping at an area around the stomach that was clearly haphazardly patched. Saria moved her fingers over the three long streaks of jagged thread. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine where it might have come from. Suddenly, a jolt of white light leapt from the patch to her hand and the image of a three-fingered claw tore through a scarlet background. Only this was more than an image; Saria could feel the sting of the talons cutting through her, the chill from her clothes growing damp from the wound, and the strength drain away as her life pooled onto the floor. She immediately backed away from the case and right into the back of Dr. Gelesia.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The viera said rather rudely. Saria was a bit shocked since she expected a reaction of fright and alarm, since she was mortally wounded and all. But because Krystal's angry expression was unfaltering, Saria lifted the hand that was pressing against her wound and inspected it. No blood, no rip, there wasn't even any evidence of injury.

"S...sorry." She said weakly, breathing with relief. "I thought I saw something. Turns out it was just in my mind."

"Uh huh." The Viera responded. She was, of course, completely unconvinced but Saria, who had not come to fully understand the word 'sarcasm', believed she was. "Now if you're quite done with your antics, I've got everything ready. We can start looking for a job whenever you'd like."

"Actually, I think I want to be a Red Mage." Saria blurted.

Krystal didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she was furious because she went through all that work to help this girl find a job while on the other, she somehow felt glad she had chosen. "Well this is out of the blue!" Krystal remarked, boxing up her anger so her face appeared overjoyed. "But are you sure this is what you want? You're not just choosing this just because the outfit looks cute or something?"

"I'm sure." Saria answered.

"Alright. You'll have to master a few fencer abilities first, of course. I'll go write up your Clan I.D and send it to Central. It might take a few days to get you registered so you might not want to start training until you get your letter of confirmation. Those account for some pretty heavy fines." She walked back to her desk and pulled out a form from underneath one of the stacks. It was several moments later when she realized that the girl was still standing there, staring at the last display. "You can go now!" She exclaimed, "Dr. Nicros is waiting for you on the third floor, remember?"

"Oh! Right!" Saria uttered, jerking herself away from her trance and sprinting clumsily to the door. She was only a yard away from the entrance when a question crossed her mind. Gradually, she slowed to a halt and turned back to the doctor. "Just out of curiosity..." She began, "I noticed a rip in the costume at the end over there. How'd it get there?"

"I got attacked by a panther." The Viera answered without taking her eyes off her work. "You're still young so you probably don't remember them. They're like giant, red Dobermans with metal collars. You might not have noticed because of the fabric color, but I bled a whole lot from that wound. Nasty beasts, those Panthers are."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Saria whispered.

"What?" The Viera looked up from her desk only to find the girl had already left.

---

When the elevator came to a complete stop, the metallic chrome doors opened onto a white-paneled passageway. Evidence of plumbing and framework were still visible and were the closest things to decoration in the vast hallway. The captain stepped out even before the doors fully opened and rushed down the corridors. Vik had to jog to keep up with him. "Where are we?" He asked after passing several security cameras and heavily-armed guards.

"These are Hanger 15's top-security vaults. I'm sorry about the accommodations, but it's not like we could hire an interior designer. Unless he agreed to be executed immediately after the project."

"No. It's lovely." Vik responded, staring at the patterns of water leaks on the walls. They continued down the passage, passing door after door of solid steel before stopping at a vault with the number 615 carved into the center.

"The judgemaster asked us in person to store this here. And he had good reason to." The captain pronounced proudly. "This baby consists of 6 layers of mithril-infused titanium, each unlocked by it's own individual combination. Not even a tank can break into here."

"Can't they just burrow under it?"

"Nope. The last floor of the basement is built right up against a thick layer of Diamond rock. It'll take them over 5 years to drill through that."

"Well, if whatever's in these vaults worth those years of effort?"

"It might be...for a few people." The Captain answered, pressing his hand against a brick in the wall. To Vik's surprise, the square lit up, revealing a touch-sensitive computer screen and a gel pad. He pressed his left hand onto the pad while his right punched 6 complex codes into the screen. "Praeter lex ex tantum duex!" He pronounced clearly. It took about 10 seconds to process these bits of identification. A row of green bulbs lit up above the doors as the metal doors peeled back. The two of them were hit with a cloud of frost as the final layer slid back. When the fog cleared, a single mannequin, dressed in white clothes, came into view. The captain motioned for Vik to enter. "Go on!" Vik's mind shouted, "He's not going to lock you in...I think." Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the vault.

Vik would have been lying if he said the contents of the safe was just as he expected, which was probably a suit of armor crafted from gold or diamonds. The actual contents were far from it. It didn't take long for Vik to realize it was a modified hunter outfit. A hooded white vest was pulled over a yellow long-sleeved shirt. A small white cape, supported by a leather belt, hung down to the elbows. A coat of chain mail could be seen poking out from the open collar but was tucked firmly into a pair of leather pants. "So, what do you think?" The captain asked from outside the room.

Vik carefully chose his words, doing his best not to sound rude. "I don't see anything special about it."

"Of course you can't see it! You have to try it on."

As common as the words sounded, they seemed extremely odd to Vik. It was mostly due to the set up; had this been in a normal looking room or armory, Vik wouldn't have had a problem. But he was not ready to try on something that had been locked up in a walk-in refrigerator for who knows how long. "Do I have to?" He moaned. The only response he got out of Nicholas was a stern look. Sighing in defeat, he pulled the top, chain mail and all, right off the mannequin and forced it over his head.

If an object could be tacked onto the definition of 'perfect fit', it would have been this uniform. Struggling wasn't required to force it down, it slid right over Vik's clothes. It was a bit warm, given the fact he was now wearing 5 layers of clothing, but it was a welcome change since the room was only a few degrees above freezing temperature. Vik could feel the weight of the chain mail pressing down on him, but it was not enough to restrict movement. In fact, the armor felt as if it were an extra layer of skin or a glove for the upper half of his body. "It's amazing!" He exclaimed, pulling the hood over his head.

"I'm glad you like it. It was custom tailored for Omnivaris and is one of the lasts of its kind." The captain replied.

"No wonder it fits so well..." Vik thought, but one thing was still bugging him. He wasn't used to the fact of armor being comfortable, since armor was meant to protect. Comfort was a small price to pay considering the pain you'd feel from sword and arrow wounds. He figured he should test the durability and could think of no better way then punching himself in the stomach. And he ended up hurting his fist. "Okay. I'm convinced." He said, attempting to limit the pain by shaking his hand. "but are you sure I can have this? You made it sound pretty rare and huge price tags usually follow that title."

The captain laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can pull a few strings. It's not like we have much use for it. We'll be better off if you took it off our hands. However..." The captains smile twisted itself into a evil smirk. "Every cent of your salary is going to go into paying for this uniform. You will not see a single glimmer of gold until you've paid off the entire Five hundred twenty-three thousand gil!"

Vik was in such a state of shock, he somehow tripped over himself without taking a step. "You've got to be kidding me!" He said, pulling himself up immediately. "There is no way I could ever come up with that kind of money!"

"I'm not kidding. You're wearing company property right now. If anything should happen to it, you are still expected to pay for it. It'll be no good to you broken, so if you're going to spend 500k on something, you might as well spend it on something usable." With that said, the captain turned around and started walking back down the hall. "Hurry up and get the rest of you're uniform on!" He called back. "And remember to lock the door when you leave. Just press you hand against the square and it'll close right back up. When you're ready, take the elevator up to the third floor; Dr. Nicros will be waiting for you there..." Nicholas's voice grew fainter and fainter until the only thing that could be heard was his footsteps. Vik continued to stare in awe at nothing in particular, still speechless from the huge number previously given, when a sneeze reminded him he was still standing in freezing temperatures. He quickly grabbed the trousers off the doll and dashed out of the room. After making sure he didn't drop anything along the way, he pressed his hand against the gel pad and the vault bolted shut. It was obvious that the pants weren't going to fit over his cargoes so he quickly swapped his pants for the leather slacks while keeping a suspicious eye on the cameras. The leather was a bit stiff from being frozen for so long but it wasn't so hard to move. By the time Vik reached the elevators, the clothes were fully defrosted. "I can't believe I'm paying over half a million gil for something that's going to be constantly exposed to all kinds of punishment. It's not gonna last ten seconds!" He thought, pressing the button for 'up'. "Oh well, at least it looks cool."

---

"About time you got here, boy!" The Nu Mou growled as the doors to the elevator opened onto the third floor. "The Foundation of Paranormal Archeology and Defense does not tolerate tardiness!"

"Sorry." Vik mumbled, looking around the floor for his clan. "Where is everybody?" He asked when he realized the only people on the floor were medics in blue 'pajamas'.

"They're at the greeting hall waiting for the plane to arrive." Vik opened his mouth to question this but remembered the whole organization's outlook on confidentiality so he shut it. "I'll keep this brief, since I don't want you to wait another hour for the plane." The doctor continued, reaching into his coat and withdrawing an envelope, which he forcibly pushed into Vik's hands. "That contains your I.D. Card, clan badge and room key. You are too re..."

"Hold on!" Vik interrupted, "Room key?"

"For the barracks, stupid. You're expected to work late on some nights and you'll be too tired to get home. So we have barracks set up for each one of you." Olivander replied before continuing with his briefing. "As I was saying, you are to report to work at 10 AM sharp every day. Make sure you're on the elevator the second the clock hits 10. We won't come back for you. A keycard has been included for the backdoor but is to be used for emergencies only. The backdoors are located at every elevator that says 'out of service', except for the one by Terminal 12. That's really out of service."

"You're expecting us to come in every day? That's crazy! We live 2 whole hours away for crying out loud!" Vik yelled.

"That's why you have barracks." The Nu Mou smiled maliciously as he reached in and depressed the button for the top floor. "See you next week!" He said as the doors closed between them.

---

"Hasn't anybody realized yet that the same people get on and off the same plane every day?" Kili asked. The six of them were seated at the ice cream parlor across the street from the train station, killing time until curfew.

"Not likely. They probably think they work for a cross-country business that requires them to fly to work every day." Mosely answered, shoving another spoonful of sherbet into his mouth.

"I can't believe I have to lower myself to the working class!" Elena groaned. "The only reason I'm even doing this is because my dad won't let me quit. He said I had to carry on the Pendragon legacy."

"Hey, it's not that bad!" Saria protested, sucking up the remains her milkshake. "At least it's for a good cause."

"Doing the government's petty tasks doesn't really qualify as a good cause, kupo." Kili pointed out.

"Look, thessse men and women have a country to run. The least we can do isss lift sssome weight off their shouldersss." Yolando put in.

"Well, good cause or not, we could use the experience. We are no where near the qualifications for clan wars." Vik said grimly.

"All clans start out with nothing but table scraps. We'll get stronger, kupo, but it'll take time."

"Speaking of time..." Mosely interjected, glancing down at his watch. "It's nearly midnight. The cops will be making their runs pretty soon. We better get home."

Now that news, as slow as it travels in some cases, had finally reached the police stations, the town of Cyril had issued a curfew. Everyone was to be in their houses by midnight or they would face certain penalties. The clan disbanded, saying their individual goodbyes. "You're sleeping over at Elena's house, right?" Vik asked Saria, who nodded earnestly.

"Don't worry. She'll be safe with me!" Elena assured him. Vik gave her a weird look, since it was the first time she hadn't talked down to him. He decided Elena's good mood probably wouldn't last long so he said his goodbyes and headed down the street.

---

"OW!"

Vik's eyes immediately began to water but everything still looked normal. "Well, that sure didn't work." He thought, wiping away the tears with his sleeve. He had been sitting at his desk for over an hour, immersed in a staring contest with the pair of cat claws he had gotten from the Clan Wars program. Seeing that he was now an official Omnivari, it seemed like a good idea to start training his abilities. Holding weapons was a no brainer; but there was a small problem with the amber eyes. You see, Vik couldn't get them to work.

He tried everything; crossing his eyes, squinting, and concentrating on a single object. When none of those worked, he experimented with direct trauma to the head. He did get smashed in the face with air render only seconds before he started seeing green. This was done by smashing his head repeatedly against the bedposts until his mom, who had come in to see where the noise that had woken her up came from, told him to stop. She left muttering something about her son needing therapy, leaving Vik to deal with his problem alone. He had just applied his last tactic, poking himself in the eye. Did it wok? He was about to find out. As his vision began to clear, he turned his head back to the claw, expecting to see a fountain of green and yellow. The closest thing he saw to that was the glare of the steel talons, reflecting the light from his desk lamp. "Damn it!" He cursed, pushing over a pile of books on his desk in frustration.

Muffled voices drifted down the hallway from his parents room, imploring him to go to sleep. "Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow." Silently, he sidestepped the toppled books and navigated his way across other random objects until he reached his bed. He considered sleeping in his uniform, maybe save some time now and in the morning when he had to put it on but, after remembering the price, decided not to. He carefully changed out of the hunter outfit and into his designated pajamas, which was nothing more than a T-shirt and shorts. He even decided to fold them but as he did, a small, circular object fell out of one of the pockets. Curiously, Vik bent down and scooped it up. It was small, fitting snuggly in the center of Vik's palm. Though it was covered in rust, Vik could tell it was once a masterwork of Brass. A border of leaves circled the edges, wrapping around the ends of the Celtic 'M' carved into the center. A tiny, metal knob stuck out from the right, identifying it as either a watch or compass. Vik turned it on its side, making out a corroded gap and hinges. He tried to open it, but the rust had long sealed up the cracks. Obsessive compulsion took over and Vik reached into his bedside table and withdrew a screwdriver. He carefully inserted it into the gap and pried the lid open. Specks of red dust burst out as the years of compressed air spewed out into the room. Vik waited until the air cleared before easing the hinges open and wiping off the glass surfaces of the two inner halves. On the lower half was a clock, rusted like the exterior; it's three hands permanentaly fixed on 6:15:29. On the top half was a picture. I had the quality of a modern photograph, but was bleached orange by the rust. It bore the image of a woman's face, smiling politely at whoever was taking the picture. She had long, straight hair of unknown colour draped over her right shoulder. But as he studied the face, his eyes dilated with shock. The woman bore a striking resemblance to someone else. A person whom he had only recently met.

"Saria...?"