Arcadia
I found myself humming lightly as I strolled across the corridors: "Da…… da… mi…" I could almost feel Azul's charming facial features scrunching up, as the man in question walked beside me. Sure, my voice was a bit child-like I suppose, but come on, now it wasn't that bad. But my voice aside, it sure was a strange sight seeing Azul stick by me like glue as I walked around, but I had to remember he was my personal secretary after all. But then again, I wasn't really used to keeping secretaries close to me anymore. Not with how my previous secretary had a tendency to act off on her own. Sigh… even now, four years after she went missing, she was still having an influence on me. That's probably why I subconsciously expected Azul to take care of the paperwork for Michael whilst I left for the Council meeting back then. After getting a new one in half a decade, I just assumed Azul would do what she would do.
…… Let's put sentimentality aside for now. Bringing myself back from my thoughts, I stopped my humming, and turned to look at Azul again as I asked: "So, the girl hasn't woken up yet, I heard?". Azul straightened his still-scrunched face with unbelievable speed (and audacity, like he wasn't just giving me a look of disgust behind my back a second ago). He replied, a tint of annoyance present in his voice as he spoke in somewhat fluent English: "Yes, as I have repeated for the past five times already." His face was basically asking me why I was doing this to him. Now, why was I forcing the man to answer the same question six times in a row? Because it was funny.
After all, where else would I get my entertainment? That aside, I continued on, continuing my questions: "Well, putting that aside, any leads on her identity?". The man briefly glared at my obvious attempt to turn the topic, before letting out a small sigh of defeat and replying: "No, we've been combing through both Canadian and US government archives, but we haven't been able to ascertain their identities yet. There's also the option of searching for any potential contacts, such as neighbours, schoolmates, or friends, but as you know, that's currently unfeasible." I nodded grimly. With the current crisis over there, it'll be difficult to pick out any potential contacts to the girl in the refugee or medical camps. It's still only been two days since those red Cracks appeared, so it's still basically anarchy in those areas, still. The task itself wouldn't be impossible, but it was definitely not worth the time or effort trying to help one little girl when the Cordiale was busy playing fireman extinguishing the flames of the crisis.
Well, that was one door closed. I suppose there's always the option of asking her ourselves, which was exactly what I was now planning on doing. Hence why I was currently strolling down the corridors of my main residence to meet her directly in the room she was placed in. That, and I had been wanting to return here for a while now. But speaking of my main residence, it resembles a large, fancy mansion, with 5 stories in total, and covering 40 acres of fenced-off land, including a large, multi-purpose garden as well as a small field. Architecturally wise, it resembles a small, German castle, and it sits perched on the side of a small mountain, overlooking the large, grassy plains below. Pretty cool, though I really only commissioned it because I was bored. Still, the architects and builders really outdid themselves here, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Who wouldn't? It's quite a masterpiece when seeing it in person. But the most striking feature you'd see when visiting wasn't the mansion itself, but rather the distant scenery. Not too far off, there was a massive tree, towering well over a thousand feet above the surrounding grassy plains. The top of its canopy even touched some of the lower clouds above in the sky.
Yeah, that was a well and truly fantastical view. Although I didn't make the tree myself, I still chose the location for its good view of it. But obviously there was no way the Cordiale would permit such a thing out in the open for the rest of the world to view, which was a good thing, because the land we were on, the land my house was located on -wasn't recorded on any maps. We were in Arcadia, the land of residence for Origins. A feat of Ability and technological mastery beyond human comprehension. To elaborate, Arcadia is, simply put, an artificial landmass consisting of a series of 8 floating islands. Yes, floating. The entire island chain, roughly the size of the island of Ireland -around 80 thousand square kilometres- was located high above in the sky, centered around Central, the largest island in the…well.. center. The islands themselves were hidden from the rest of the world through a powerful barrier, which also created a separate atmosphere within, which explains how we can breathe in here perfectly normal, and how there are ordinary clouds in the sky above us. This was the home of the Origins, the headquarters of the Cordiale and a symbol of its authority.
Anyways, the island we were on was one of the 7 smaller islands revolving around Central, called Nuvelli. Because most of the Origins resided within the metropolis in Central, this island was pretty empty, consisting mostly of just endless grasslands and mountains, plus being inhabited by a couple hundred wild animals brought over from the surface. As I passed by a window whilst walking down the corridor, I took another glance out to see the scenery beyond. It was already evening around here, so it was pretty dark out. Still, I could make out everything just fine with my enhanced eyesight. The massive tree aside, the rest of the landscape was just as beautiful. Untouched grasslands, with the mountain barrier surrounding the island visible far off in the distance. No matter how many times I looked, this scenery would always stay a spectacle. It's a shame I've been so busy these past few years. I've had to constantly shift from one office to another, like the one in Lyon, and in the end, this mansion really only ever became a sort of vacation resort for me.
Really now, the only permanent residents living in my house these days were the servants and attendants taking care of the place. I kind of felt bad for making them take care of it despite not even staying for long.
"Good evening, Carla." I waved and greeted a senior maid, Carla, as we encountered each other in the corridor. Her eyes widened for a moment seeing the Azul and I, before they narrowed, very sharply. She was a hispanic, middle-aged woman in her mid forties, yet she retained a hint of youthful demeanour in her words and actions. I've known and interacted with her especially much, after she's worked over 20 whole years here. She’s basically one of the only two servants here that I’d consider myself quite close with, alongside Sherman. She's even been with me longer than my previous secretary.
I was about to leave it at that and pass by her when the maid in turn, let out a very frustrated sigh before addressing me in turn: "Dear heavens?! You've finally returned, haven't you? It's about time!". Turning her head towards Azul, she grumbled: "Do you have any idea how concerned I was when I saw that man just intrude upon our house? Sherman was just about to kick him out when he finally showed us some papers as proof he's your new assistant or something. You've been away for four years! Four! And barely any word of contact during that time. And now what? You just bring in a new assistant without even informing us prior? Not to mention he had an injured little girl with him!". She finished with an exaggerated huff, clearly showing her displeasure.
But still… I suppose she had a point. I've been busy lately going around everywhere. I haven't really had the thought to contact them beforehand about Azul coming in. It was probably a startling occurrence for both her and Sherman, since they kn-
"But still… a new assistant?". For the first time, her voice sounded hesitant, as if she knew she was bringing up an uncomfortable topic. Her face and posture followed, expressing her concerns. "I thought you were purposely avoiding picking a new one until now……". Her face became a bit crestfallen as she continued: "Not after Alice-"
I raised my hand, stopping her from going any further. I didn't want anything to do with this topic. Especially not with Azul present here. Taking a brief side-glance, I could see the man in question looking away disinterested, but from the twitching movements of his facial muscles and hands, I could tell he was interested in our little talk. I moved on with my words: "No, stop. It's been over four years since she left without a trace. It's over now." I could tell she had gotten my message and reluctantly folded on the issue. Trying to reassure her, I added on: "Besides, I didn't pick this rascal out, don't worry. I would definitely have picked someone out with more tact, at least. Rather, he was sort of forced onto me. You could call this a babysitting operation of sorts, really."
I could see Azul, who was still standing beside me, reacting to that. Yeah, screw you Azul. But in front of me, I could see Carla brightening up just a bit with my little joke. Not even I knew how the woman had the capacity for my humour anymore after over 20 whole years of being exposed to it. Brightening up, Carla quickly returned to her more boisterous self, showing a small, toothy grin before nodding along.
"Well alright then, fantastic to hear! Glad to know rascals like these won't keep popping up frequently, eh." Wow, even I was taken aback by her words. Azul must have really not made a good first impression on her. Grinning along to her words, I followed up: "As I always say, you reap what you sow. Learn some tact, young man. Maybe then, you could learn to make friends."
The man in turn just carried an emotionless expression, but from his body language again, I could tell it was getting on his nerves. How immature.
Still, as much fun as it was ganging up against Azul, I didn't forget my goal of coming here. I really didn't have much spare time, so I'd like to get this meeting with the little girl done and over with as soon as possible.
Facing Clara, I continued: "Well then, I suppose it's time to take our leave. That little girl's in room 27-B right?" Whilst I was at it, I confirmed my destination with Clara. She nodded along. "Alright, that's great to hear, do take care of yourself–" But as I was about to leave, I was stopped by her glare. Sighing lightly, I yielded to her: "Alright, alright. I promise I'll contact the mansion more often, and I'll give you and Sherman a bit of a heads-up next time I send someone over." After hearing my words, the woman's expression softened. Chuckling softly, she replied with an almost motherly gaze: "Good to hear! And take care of yourself too. Now that you have an assistant, don't overwork yourself to death like before. Leave it to your employees here and there."
Giving me a small smile, she left it at that. She and I both had our duties to attend to, after all. But as Clara was walking away, I couldn't help but think how brazen she's become these past few years. It sounded like she was my mom reminding me to take care of myself. I mean, I was still kind of her boss, you know? I just hoped neither she nor Azul became a bad influence on the employees here. Clara was one thing, but I didn't need junior servants to start treating me like a child. Not to mention that besides Sherman, I was probably the oldest one here.
I continued in my steps as such thoughts circled through my mind. It wasn't long before the door to the aforementioned room 27-B was in sight across a hall. Upon seeing it, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Despite its massive size and complexity, I was glad I could still make my way around my house without any issues. Yeah, it would be pretty embarrassing to get lost in my own house in front of the servants working here.
Standing in front of the doorway, I turned open the door knob before pushing the door in. A small creaking sound entered my ears as the door opened, giving me a view of the elaborate room. In hindsight, maybe I should have specified Azul to bring her somewhere less…… eye-catching. I just hoped she wouldn’t become a potential security issue by blabbing all about this once we take her back. Worst case, maybe we might have to erase some parts of her memories after all.
Well then, let's get this done and over with.
Arcadia
I found myself humming lightly as I strolled across the corridors: "Da…… da… mi…" I could almost feel Azul's charming facial features scrunching up, as the man in question walked beside me. Sure, my voice was a bit child-like I suppose, but come on, now it wasn't that bad. But my voice aside, it sure was a strange sight seeing Azul stick by me like glue as I walked around, but I had to remember he was my personal secretary after all. But then again, I wasn't really used to keeping secretaries close to me anymore. Not with how my previous secretary had a tendency to act off on her own. Sigh… even now, four years after she went missing, she was still having an influence on me. That's probably why I subconsciously expected Azul to take care of the paperwork for Michael whilst I left for the Council meeting back then. After getting a new one in half a decade, I just assumed Azul would do what she would do.
…… Let's put sentimentality aside for now. Bringing myself back from my thoughts, I stopped my humming, and turned to look at Azul again as I asked: "So, the girl hasn't woken up yet, I heard?". Azul straightened his still-scrunched face with unbelievable speed (and audacity, like he wasn't just giving me a look of disgust behind my back a second ago). He replied, a tint of annoyance present in his voice as he spoke in somewhat fluent English: "Yes, as I have repeated for the past five times already." His face was basically asking me why I was doing this to him. Now, why was I forcing the man to answer the same question six times in a row? Because it was funny.
After all, where else would I get my entertainment? That aside, I continued on, continuing my questions: "Well, putting that aside, any leads on her identity?". The man briefly glared at my obvious attempt to turn the topic, before letting out a small sigh of defeat and replying: "No, we've been combing through both Canadian and US government archives, but we haven't been able to ascertain their identities yet. There's also the option of searching for any potential contacts, such as neighbours, schoolmates, or friends, but as you know, that's currently unfeasible." I nodded grimly. With the current crisis over there, it'll be difficult to pick out any potential contacts to the girl in the refugee or medical camps. It's still only been two days since those red Cracks appeared, so it's still basically anarchy in those areas, still. The task itself wouldn't be impossible, but it was definitely not worth the time or effort trying to help one little girl when the Cordiale was busy playing fireman extinguishing the flames of the crisis.
Well, that was one door closed. I suppose there's always the option of asking her ourselves, which was exactly what I was now planning on doing. Hence why I was currently strolling down the corridors of my main residence to meet her directly in the room she was placed in. That, and I had been wanting to return here for a while now. But speaking of my main residence, it resembles a large, fancy mansion, with 5 stories in total, and covering 40 acres of fenced-off land, including a large, multi-purpose garden as well as a small field. Architecturally wise, it resembles a small, German castle, and it sits perched on the side of a small mountain, overlooking the large, grassy plains below. Pretty cool, though I really only commissioned it because I was bored. Still, the architects and builders really outdid themselves here, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Who wouldn't? It's quite a masterpiece when seeing it in person. But the most striking feature you'd see when visiting wasn't the mansion itself, but rather the distant scenery. Not too far off, there was a massive tree, towering well over a thousand feet above the surrounding grassy plains. The top of its canopy even touched some of the lower clouds above in the sky.
Yeah, that was a well and truly fantastical view. Although I didn't make the tree myself, I still chose the location for its good view of it. But obviously there was no way the Cordiale would permit such a thing out in the open for the rest of the world to view, which was a good thing, because the land we were on, the land my house was located on -wasn't recorded on any maps. We were in Arcadia, the land of residence for Origins. A feat of Ability and technological mastery beyond human comprehension. To elaborate, Arcadia is, simply put, an artificial landmass consisting of a series of 8 floating islands. Yes, floating. The entire island chain, roughly the size of the island of Ireland -around 80 thousand square kilometres- was located high above in the sky, centered around Central, the largest island in the…well.. center. The islands themselves were hidden from the rest of the world through a powerful barrier, which also created a separate atmosphere within, which explains how we can breathe in here perfectly normal, and how there are ordinary clouds in the sky above us. This was the home of the Origins, the headquarters of the Cordiale and a symbol of its authority.
Anyways, the island we were on was one of the 7 smaller islands revolving around Central, called Nuvelli. Because most of the Origins resided within the metropolis in Central, this island was pretty empty, consisting mostly of just endless grasslands and mountains, plus being inhabited by a couple hundred wild animals brought over from the surface. As I passed by a window whilst walking down the corridor, I took another glance out to see the scenery beyond. It was already evening around here, so it was pretty dark out. Still, I could make out everything just fine with my enhanced eyesight. The massive tree aside, the rest of the landscape was just as beautiful. Untouched grasslands, with the mountain barrier surrounding the island visible far off in the distance. No matter how many times I looked, this scenery would always stay a spectacle. It's a shame I've been so busy these past few years. I've had to constantly shift from one office to another, like the one in Lyon, and in the end, this mansion really only ever became a sort of vacation resort for me.
Really now, the only permanent residents living in my house these days were the servants and attendants taking care of the place. I kind of felt bad for making them take care of it despite not even staying for long.
"Good evening, Carla." I waved and greeted a senior maid, Carla, as we encountered each other in the corridor. Her eyes widened for a moment seeing the Azul and I, before they narrowed, very sharply. She was a hispanic, middle-aged woman in her mid forties, yet she retained a hint of youthful demeanour in her words and actions. I've known and interacted with her especially much, after she's worked over 20 whole years here. She’s basically one of the only two servants here that I’d consider myself quite close with, alongside Sherman. She's even been with me longer than my previous secretary.
I was about to leave it at that and pass by her when the maid in turn, let out a very frustrated sigh before addressing me in turn: "Dear heavens?! You've finally returned, haven't you? It's about time!". Turning her head towards Azul, she grumbled: "Do you have any idea how concerned I was when I saw that man just intrude upon our house? Sherman was just about to kick him out when he finally showed us some papers as proof he's your new assistant or something. You've been away for four years! Four! And barely any word of contact during that time. And now what? You just bring in a new assistant without even informing us prior? Not to mention he had an injured little girl with him!". She finished with an exaggerated huff, clearly showing her displeasure.
But still… I suppose she had a point. I've been busy lately going around everywhere. I haven't really had the thought to contact them beforehand about Azul coming in. It was probably a startling occurrence for both her and Sherman, since they kn-
"But still… a new assistant?". For the first time, her voice sounded hesitant, as if she knew she was bringing up an uncomfortable topic. Her face and posture followed, expressing her concerns. "I thought you were purposely avoiding picking a new one until now……". Her face became a bit crestfallen as she continued: "Not after Alice-"
I raised my hand, stopping her from going any further. I didn't want anything to do with this topic. Especially not with Azul present here. Taking a brief side-glance, I could see the man in question looking away disinterested, but from the twitching movements of his facial muscles and hands, I could tell he was interested in our little talk. I moved on with my words: "No, stop. It's been over four years since she left without a trace. It's over now." I could tell she had gotten my message and reluctantly folded on the issue. Trying to reassure her, I added on: "Besides, I didn't pick this rascal out, don't worry. I would definitely have picked someone out with more tact, at least. Rather, he was sort of forced onto me. You could call this a babysitting operation of sorts, really."
I could see Azul, who was still standing beside me, reacting to that. Yeah, screw you Azul. But in front of me, I could see Carla brightening up just a bit with my little joke. Not even I knew how the woman had the capacity for my humour anymore after over 20 whole years of being exposed to it. Brightening up, Carla quickly returned to her more boisterous self, showing a small, toothy grin before nodding along.
"Well alright then, fantastic to hear! Glad to know rascals like these won't keep popping up frequently, eh." Wow, even I was taken aback by her words. Azul must have really not made a good first impression on her. Grinning along to her words, I followed up: "As I always say, you reap what you sow. Learn some tact, young man. Maybe then, you could learn to make friends."
The man in turn just carried an emotionless expression, but from his body language again, I could tell it was getting on his nerves. How immature.
Still, as much fun as it was ganging up against Azul, I didn't forget my goal of coming here. I really didn't have much spare time, so I'd like to get this meeting with the little girl done and over with as soon as possible.
Facing Clara, I continued: "Well then, I suppose it's time to take our leave. That little girl's in room 27-B right?" Whilst I was at it, I confirmed my destination with Clara. She nodded along. "Alright, that's great to hear, do take care of yourself–" But as I was about to leave, I was stopped by her glare. Sighing lightly, I yielded to her: "Alright, alright. I promise I'll contact the mansion more often, and I'll give you and Sherman a bit of a heads-up next time I send someone over." After hearing my words, the woman's expression softened. Chuckling softly, she replied with an almost motherly gaze: "Good to hear! And take care of yourself too. Now that you have an assistant, don't overwork yourself to death like before. Leave it to your employees here and there."
Giving me a small smile, she left it at that. She and I both had our duties to attend to, after all. But as Clara was walking away, I couldn't help but think how brazen she's become these past few years. It sounded like she was my mom reminding me to take care of myself. I mean, I was still kind of her boss, you know? I just hoped neither she nor Azul became a bad influence on the employees here. Clara was one thing, but I didn't need junior servants to start treating me like a child. Not to mention that besides Sherman, I was probably the oldest one here.
I continued in my steps as such thoughts circled through my mind. It wasn't long before the door to the aforementioned room 27-B was in sight across a hall. Upon seeing it, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Despite its massive size and complexity, I was glad I could still make my way around my house without any issues. Yeah, it would be pretty embarrassing to get lost in my own house in front of the servants working here.
Standing in front of the doorway, I turned open the door knob before pushing the door in. A small creaking sound entered my ears as the door opened, giving me a view of the elaborate room. In hindsight, maybe I should have specified Azul to bring her somewhere less…… eye-catching. I just hoped she wouldn’t become a potential security issue by blabbing all about this once we take her back. Worst case, maybe we might have to erase some parts of her memories after all.
Well then, let's get this done and over with.
