The bell jingles in response to the swinging door. "Ah, Nanette!" an elderly gentleman calls from behind the reception counter. "What brings you here?"
"We require a room for the evening, preferably one close to the bath." Nanette steps aside for him to see Marya.
"Ah, what do we have here?" his head angles to the side. "You look oddly familiar."
"Allow me to introduce you. This is Dracule Marya Zaleska. Daughter of Mihawk and Elisabeta."
"Oh," the elderly gentleman's eyebrows shot up. "A VIP! How very exciting. It just so happens that the VIP sweet is available."
"Um," Marya raises a hesitant hand, "a regular room is fine. I don't have the berries for a VIP sweet."
"I believe Mihawk still has an outstanding credit," Nanette raises a telling eyebrow, "If I am not mistaken."
The elderly gentleman grins, "Why yes, he does. How long will the sweet be in use?"
"Book it for three days." Marya looks confused by Nanette's proclamation.
Finished with scripting notes in his ledger, "right this way then," the elderly gentleman starts up the steps.
Noticing Marya's apprehension, Nanette places an encouraging hand on her back. "I am going to step away for you to get cleaned up. I will be back in two hours with some fresh clothing. Then I will take you to the training dining hall where you can get something to eat, and we can talk after. Does that sound good to you?" Marya nods. "Good. I am sure you have a million questions. I will do my best to answer some of them."
"Here we are!" The elderly fellow stops in front of a door.
Nanette turns to Marya to look at her. "Relax for a bit. I will be back in two hours."
"Thank you," Marya watches Nanette disappear down the hall.
"There is an open bath just outside, but this room has the bath and shower feature." Handing her the key. "There is a transponder snail in the room if you need anything. Do not hesitate to ask."
Taking the key, Marya nods and opens the door. "Wow! This is amazing!"
"Glad you like it. I will call when Ms. Nanette returns. Now, if you will excuse me."
*****
"Good, both of you are here." The door to Nanette's office slams behind her. "It keeps me from having to call you." She marches around the room's main focal point, an intricately carved oak desk, its surface polished to a mirror sheen. Sitting, she rocks back in her chair, interlacing her fingers. "Sit, you two. We are going to be here for a while."
Both men squirm before taking residence in the plush chairs across from her. Eyes narrowed, "Okay, Gaius, speak. Where did you find her? What is she doing here? Where is her father?"
Reclining, he rests his head in his hand on his bent elbow. "The boys found her in the woods while they were hunting. When I asked her about Mihawk she said he wasn't here. I got the impression he doesn't know about any of this." Nanette groans. "She is a mirror image of him."
Knox rubs the scruff of his beard. "No wonder he has gone to such lengths to keep her unknown. She is an easy target, and it would be leverage."
"She is not that easy of a target," Master Gaius sits up a little. "I would venture she has more talent and potential with the blade than her father does, especially at her current age. He is no fool. I am sure he recognized that in her right away and started her training before she was able to utter her first word. She will surpass him."
Knox twists the corner of his mustache. "What the hell does that even look like?"
"I don't know, but I think she will be the one to show the world what can be done with true talent."
"Gentlemen!" Nanette snaps, "Focus!" Taking a breath, "I can applaud Mihawk for doing what any man or father would but."
"But?" Knox lifts a brow.
"I will assume he has told her nothing about his past life or her mother: the work they did and the true nature behind her death." Nanette stands, "The decision we have to make is: are we going to be the ones to tell her."
"Where is she now?" Knox asks.
"She is staying at the Acorn Hotel for now."
"Maybe we shouldn't," Knox stokes his beard. "Maybe we should leave this for Mihawk to handle. We send word that she is here and hold her until he comes for her."
"That won't work," they both turn to Master Gaius. "She lacks the life experience to understand any of this. I am sure her overprotective father has spoiled her, but she doesn't even realize it." His eyes shift between the two of them. "She came here looking for answers. I am reluctant to spoon-feed her any information."
"What are you saying?" Nanette asks.
"Let's make her an offer to attend." Nanette slowly returns to her seat as Master Gaius continues. "She already knows we are here. She is not going to forget that. She has talent and is a power holder. Let's offer her training and study and see what she figures out."
"I am not opposed to it," Nanette rests her chin on intertwined fingers.
"But," Master Gaius asks.
"What will her father's reaction be?" Knox squirms.
"Is it his decision to make?" Master Gaius asks.
Knox sighs disapprovingly. "Technically, no, however…"
"He may see it as us taking her from him," Nanette interjects. "That will not go over very well."
Master Gaius sighs, "I appreciate everything Mihawk has done for the child, but at some point, a person needs more than just a parent. I suspect that with the life he has lived, she does not have many, if any, friends. Without that, she is going to struggle to find purpose. The program can give her that. Maybe that is the real reason she is here."
"How did she even find this place?" Nanette asks.
Master Gaius replies, "She said Elis had an eternal pose."
Nanette's eyebrows squish together. "How is that even possible? This island's magnetic sphere is unstable. No pose can lock onto it."
Master Gaius shrugs, "I don't know. That is what she said."
"So," Knox interrupts. "What are we doing? Making an offer or waiting for Mihawk to come for her?"
Nanette stands, folding her hands behind her back. She goes to a towering arched window that bathes the room in soft, golden light, its stained glass overlooking the glittering community. After a long pause, "Her parents have done much for this community and made the ultimate sacrifice. Should my child ever find himself in this situation I hope there would be a community to offer support and guidance. She is at that age where friendships determine the type of person you will become." Glancing over her shoulder to Master Gaius. "Be prepared for a new student. If she decides to accept the offer, her training will begin immediately."
"You sure about this?" Knox asks.
Nanette smirks, "Not at all, but I know a cry for help when I see one. I think Master Gaius's assessment is correct. I think it would be better to offer guidance versus dismissing her."
"Okay, so what's next?" Knox asks.
"Well, for now, I need to get her a change of clothes and pick her up from the hotel. I was going to have her dine in the facility and see how she interacts with the other trainees. I told her I would sit and meet with her after. Would either of you care to join?"
"I can't," Knox stands. "I have a date with Anna at the house. If I miss it, I will surely get a thorough scolding from both her and her mother."
"Understandable," Nanette chuckles. "How about you?"
"I can't. After dinner, I told my grandson I would help him with his stance." Master Gaius also stands, "It's date night for his parents."
"Okay, then, I will see you both tomorrow," she nods as they step away. "Oh, and one more thing, Master Gaius. Don't do that shit again!"
*****
"I am glad to see the clothes fit," Nanette opens the door to the dining hall lined with booths.
Tugging the corners of the t-shirt, "Oh, yes, thank you. I can pay you for them."
"No need," Nanette waves her off.
"Marya," she turns to see who is calling for her. Riggs jumps and waves in greeting from a warm, bustling space filled with the hum of conversation and the aroma of hearty meals.
"We can speak after. Why don't you sit with them? I am sure they would like to meet you." Noting Marya's reluctance, Nanette encouragingly pushes her in their direction.
Before taking another step, Riggs starts moving through the maze of tables and trainees to get to her. Towering over her, "Come sit with us. Everyone wants to meet you." When she looks down and away, he takes hold of her hand. "Come on! Don't be shy." Her breath catches at the sudden sensation of his palm on hers. He clumsily escorts through an assortment of prying eyes and audible whispers.
Arriving at their destination, he stands in front of a long, polished table surrounded by gawking trainees. "Hey everyone, this is Marya. The girl I told you about." Pointing his finger to the left, "That red-headed guy is Emmet. You already met Jax. The girl with the long pink hair is Zola. Natalie is the tall blond. Charlie is the one with the glasses. Bianca is the one with the long black hair, and Celest is the one with the short silver hair."
"Hi," Marya waves her free hand awkwardly. "Nice to meet all of you."
"Come on!" Riggs tugs, "I will show you where to get food."
"Oh my God!" Bianca walks over. Dark hair cascaded around her, and she took her hand from his. "Like give her a minute. She just got here." Riggs blinks, dipping his blond spikey head to the side. "You, like, just dragged her over here, like, she was some rag doll or something."
"Yeah, but…"
"But what, Riggs." Natalie looks at him from the side with big blue eyes while sitting. "You always do this. We get you're excited, but give us a minute."
"Um," staring at the floor with her big gray eyes, Celeste pressed two petite index fingers together. "It's nice to meet you." Marya had to strain her ears to hear her. "If you want, I can show you where to get your plate."
"That would be…"
"I want to show her!" Riggs interrupts.
"Like, we can all go together," Bianca rolls her chocolate eyes as she walks, interlacing her arm with Marya's. Riggs appears dejected as Marya is ushered through the lines and back to the table.
Sitting at the long table, Marya is relieved to have something to eat finally. The smell alone has her salivating. Cutting into the tenderloin and placing it in her mouth, her shoulders relax as she chews.
"So, like your dad is super famous or something?" Bianca swirls her fork, twisting the noodles.
Marya sighs, "yeah. Something like that."
"Guys!" Riggs starts waving his utensils around. "You should have seen it! It was awesome! She just spun and…."
"We know!" Everyone at the table interrupted.
"It happened this afternoon," Emmet adds, pointing with his fork, "But you have told us ten times already."
Rigg's nose wrinkles. Chomping down on bread, he mutters, "Well, you had to be there!"
"So, like, are you here to join the training program?" Bianca asks.
The room becomes deafly silent, as if everyone is waiting for her answer. Marya swallows, tilting her head. "Training program?" she shakes her head. "I don't know anything about a training program. I followed an eternal pose that my mom had. I just wanted to see if it would help me learn more about her."
"So," Natalie leans in from the far end of the table. "You don't know anything about the Consortium?"
Shaking her head, "What's that?" Eyes shift knowingly around the table.
Striating his back, Charlie adjusts his glasses. "Well, you see…"
"How was dinner?" Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Marya looks up at Nanette. "I see everyone is getting along." Beaming a smile, "If you are finished here, then we should have that talk."
They watch as Marya stands, "It was nice meeting all of you."
"One of you take her plate, please," Nanette looks over her shoulder as she chaperones Marya from the bustling dining hall.
Opening the door to her office, Nanette directs Marya to the cozy lounge area with plush couches upholstered in deep crimson velvet, away from her imposing desk. "Go ahead and take a seat, " she says, getting comfortable, "so you have questions."
Back straight and hands folded in her lap, "Yes. Why did my mother have an eternal pose to this place? What is the Consortium?"
A corner of Nanette's mouth lifts. "Well, both your parents used to be a part of this organization. For the past 1000 years, we have been guarding and adding to this library. This organization is known as the Consortium. We work in secret. Ambiguity is our core construct. Should the World Government ever learn of our existence, this place would face a similar fate as Ohara."
Brow creased, "Ohara?"
Nanette leans forward, resting her elbows on crossed knees. "He really kept you in the dark, didn't he." Taking a deep breath, "You could say Ohara was our counterpart. They had a different philosophy about sharing their knowledge with the world. Because of that, the World Government wiped them from existence."
"But why? What is so wrong about sharing knowledge?"
Nanette leans back, "There is nothing wrong as long as those you share it with are not threatened by it or have ill intentions."
"And my parents were part of this?"
"Yes, a very important part."
"Is that why my mother died?"
Nanette sighs, "That is a complicated question. I do not have an answer for you. It is something you will have to determine on your own."
Lips pressed, Marya nods. Silence fills the room for a long moment. "So, what now?" Nanette raises an eyebrow. "This place is supposed to be a secret, but now I know about it, so…"
Nanette smirks, "It is good to know you are thinking. We actually have a proposition for you."
"You do?"
Nanette nods, "We are considering offering you a training position."
"Training position?" Marya's face twists. "For what?"
"It is amazing how much you are like your father," Nanette mutters, invoking a hard eye roll from Marya. Chuckling, "There are three main functions here. Librarian or academic, guardian, and townsperson. I am the head Librarian and oversee the care and collection of all artifacts or educational materials. Guardians are a specially trained fighting force whose primary purpose is to protect and defend the island as well as the academics when they are sent on expeditions. The townspeople are organized and managed by the mayor, who happens to be my husband."
"And you want me to train to be…."
"We will have to do an assessment, but I am going to assume that you will take after your father."
"He was a guardian?"
Nanette grins, "he was the Head Captain of the Guardians."
"Really?" Nanette nods. "What was my mother?"
"She was an academic," Marya replies with a bewildered look. "One of our best." Nanette makes an audible breath. "Look, you have been through a lot today. No decisions have to be made right now. We would like to move forward with the assessment, tomorrow, if you are okay with that?" Marya pinches her chin, staring off. "Do you want to sleep on it and let me know what you think tomorrow?"
Marya's eyes bounce around the plushily furnished room, where shelves of dark mahogany line the walls, filled with priceless artifacts and first editions. "I don't know. What if I don't like it here?"
Nanette replies, "Your father takes you home, and you go about your business.
"Really?" Nanette nods. "Oh, well, I think I would at least like to try the assessment."
"Okay," Nanette started for the door. "Let's get you back to the hotel. I will be by in the morning to pick you up, and we will get started.