Double Your Stars [KH/FF]

[II] Schedules

     The doors were open. What was revealed was something so utterly spectacular that you found yourself unable to take a single step. Axel looked back, a smirk across his lips, simply standing and watching your reaction. The walls were a nice, almost translucent lavender that almost seemed to give off a their own light from how pristine they were. They looked to be nearly as tall as the doors, enough to make one wonder how numerous the staircases were. The floors consisted of mostly white tiles with either lavender or faded salmon placed to create four duplicates of the crest you had seen before. Two of these crests were on either side of a large golden carpet that led to a grand staircase at the center of the large foyer. Three golden chandeliers hung from varying heights above. One was so large and simply spectacular that you could almost see the many intricate designs--some of which appeared to be based off of floralia. (This one hung lower than the other two that were at its sides). All three bore candles as opposed to light bulbs, however they were blown out with the light of day providing a significant enough light source on its own.

     "Come on, now. You're gonna be late." You cast a small glare at Axel and followed his lead, not exactly paying attention to where he was taking you. Then again, you didn't truly mind-- being that you were busy taking in the rest of the interior of the castle. The doors closed behind the two of you, releasing a gust of air and a muffled slam that resonated in the foyer.

     The grand staircase consisted of two staircases that rounded to a landing before splitting into two once again that continued to the second floor. At the first landing was a portrait of a man. He seemed wise but not too old despite some wrinkles to his face-- perhaps his mid to late 40's. His eyes appeared kind while his expression was more stern, reminding you that someone in Earth's history during the Enlightenment had thought it better to be more feared than loved. This man, however, looked to hold an equal balance of the two in his portrait. He had a square face and pale blonde hair and a goatee. You couldn't see much of his clothing, as the painting was only a bust of him. All that was visible was a dark gray sort of shawl around his neck and a red cloak over his shoulders that bore a gold trimmed opening which made a pronged rectangle over his chest. This opening revealed something beneath that was black with what you could only describe as a light blue design reminiscent of an electrical circuit.

     You followed Axel around a corner to the left and entered the first door on the right which, unlike the others in the same hall, was painted a cerulean blue and had a silver doorknob as opposed to gold. The red head then stepped aside so that you could open the door as he still carried your bags.

     "So what do you think so far?" he asked as you opened the door.

     "Well, I'm glad to see that not all the doors are 50 feet tall."

     He chuckled and walked in after you. This room was painted white and in the center was a mahogany desk where a woman sat, typing at a rapid pace on an elevated keyboard that was so thin you could only see it when light reflected off of it in a certain way. The screen itself was holographic but you couldn't see anything from where you stood behind it. There were tons of paperwork in semi-organized stacks all across the desk and the woman was constantly looking from the screen to a paper, likely re-recording information that must have been changed or needed to be logged. Soon, she grew tired of looking down and stuck the sheet into a paper holder for easier access. Two maroon chairs with black trimming sat before her desk, angled inwardly while another four sat along the right wall.

     "Can I help you two with something?"

     She spoke in a voice you really didn't expect from her. It sounded young and you were quite sure English was not her first language. While the voice alone sounded unsure if it was choosing its words correctly, you could see she was confident in what she spoke. Altogether, it reminded you of some sort of African accent. However, for as much as you thought it unexpected, it helped to alleviate some fear you had before of merely speaking to her as she appeared intimidatingly strong and assertive.