Story Reader / Affection / Bambinata: Vitrum / Story
Bambinata: Vitrum I
>It's but a 20-minute walk from F.O.S. Military College to Babylonia's preparation room—and it never felt so long.
Gotta love how they're treating someone who's coming back to their alma mater for the first time to deliver a speech.
Simon looks at you as he lets out a wry smile, and you bet that's how you're looking at him, too.
Which only makes sense—considering how shell-shocked Simon was when you both just saw the volume of speeches and reports the College had sent you, and Simon is already one of the most well-versed people in the culture you know.
Getting asked to deliver a speech is definitely a first for me...
But hey, aren't the Chief supposed to be used to all these already since you graduated at the top of your class?
Ever since you graduated, the College has never missed a year to ask you to deliver speeches for its graduation and opening ceremonies.
But those were speeches, and speeches are different from panel discussions and making presentations.
And with the war growing white-hot and casualties of commandants on the rise, the College is now hard-pressed to train and produce future commandants.
The College probably would ask every single commandant still around at Babylonia to help train all the freshmen and graduates—if doing so didn't violate human rights, that is.
Did you see how long the list is that they sent over with all the conversation topics? It's insane.
And they're making all sorts of requests on top of all that, too. I mean, I get it that they really care about it... Or maybe they're just being edgy.
I heard from some of the instructors that, of the commandants that graduated from the College, they can now only send less than 40% of them to the frontline.
There are so many of them I've never met before, and some of their names I don't even remember...
Simon, Vanessa, and Harley Jo from Woodcock all graduated at the same time, and they're all part of the 40% Simon speaks about.
The College didn't send Chrome an invitation because he has a mission, and Harley Jo is still on Earth.
Where is Vanessa, by the way?
Probably still getting Egret fixed, no? Don't think the College would ever forget such an academically successful student.
It now hits you that it's been a while since you last saw Vanessa, and you didn't see her at F.O.S. in the morning, either.
And knowing her, you don't think she'd ever opt out of an event like this.
She probably has a mission to attend to? You and Simon think out loud, knowing that you aren't really getting anywhere with your guesswork.
The two of you carry on talking—until you reach Dark Aries' lounge. After parting ways with Simon, you continue making your way toward Gray Raven's lounge.
The lounges that Babylonia assigns to its Task Forces all appear extremely similar. From the outside, they all have a light gray, cold-looking alloy door, with access control for identification.
Every door has a nameplate to differentiate the teams from one another—Dark Aries' nameplate comes with Dark Aries, Egret's comes with an Egret, and so on and so forth.
Passing by Egret's lounge, you chance upon a file sitting on the bench by the door that bears the mark of Star of Life.
When you pick it up to see who it's for, you see that it's a check-up appointment notice from Star of Life.
Bambinata?
The name stirs up a long-forgotten memory, sending a bullet from the past that drills right through you, spilling blood out of you before you know it...
You're taken back to a few years ago when you first took Gray Raven out on a joint operation. After an unannounced explosion, you found yourself training your gun at Egret—as they pointed theirs back at Gray Raven.
Except the standoff didn't end up going south, fortunately, although it became the last thing you remember of the joint operation.
And as for Bambinata, you remember her every bit as well as though you just saw her yesterday because she held you at knifepoint with her blades.
Before the memory of getting buried in the ruins hurts you, you manage to hold it off, returning your gaze to the notice.
So it says on the notice. In addition to general instructions on what the Construct to be examined needs to know beforehand, the notice also comes with a map that shows where the check-up room is and how to get there.
It seems like Vanessa made the appointment for Bambinata, except the notice somehow made its way here.
You and Vanessa haven't shared the happiest of memories, but you don't think it needs to negatively affect how you and she treat your respective team members—especially not when a Construct's check-up is at stake.
And you know for a fact that you'd hate yourself if you decided to walk away pretending you've never seen the notice.
You knock on Egret's door—except no one answers it.
You figured it's probably why the notice was left by the door in the first place.
Right when you're about to give the door one last knock, the door cracks ajar, letting out an ever-so-soft voice that comes from inside the lounge.
Hello...?
The person answering the door does so from within the shade, but judging from the voice and the azure outfit, you've guessed who it is.
Yes... Who are you?
Bambinata doesn't come out from behind the door, but her voice is now calmer than it was moments ago, possibly because she's heard her name.
Commandant?
The crack of the door grows wider—revealing a startled Bambinata, who's now peeping at you through the crack with her blue eyes.
Gray Raven? But you're not Mistress...
You're not Commandant... and you're not Mistress... Who are you?!
Realizing you're not Vanessa, Bambinata grows alarmed, closing the door until it reveals only the crack of the same width it did when you first knocked on the door.
Bambinata says nothing, but through the crack, you can see her shaking her head. Alarmed, she doesn't seem like she's lying.
But more importantly, you can tell from what Bambinata just said that Vanessa isn't here.
Mistress!
But... Bambinata doesn't know where Mistress is...
Bambinata just... knows that she isn't here... Mistress... Bambinata needs to wait for her...
Bambinata repeats her own words quietly, as though trying to extract some sort of truth out of them.
And as she does that, she gradually opens the door while walking out of the shade...
The lounges Babylonia assigns to its Task Force are all very much similar, but save for the standard devices and equipment, a team can decorate the rest of their lounge however they see fit.
In your words, every bit of Egret's lounge "screams Vanessa."
Every piece of equipment and device is placed in the most efficient manner in the lounge.
Sitting right in the center of the lounge is a tea table, but it's obviously not the standard Task Force type—it's minimalist, yet exudes an air of delicacy that hints at its cost, like the set of porcelain ware sitting on the table itself.
Right next to the table is a door, across which is a wall from which a few dark purple ties and ropes hang. Right beside one of the ties is a black eyepatch, under which you see the standard armor that every Task Force commandant has.
Looking around the room, you can see that Vanessa is indeed not here.
Mistress is not... here...
Keeping her head low by the door, Bambinata repeats the same words from before.
With some hesitation, you decide to give Bambinata the notice.
You don't think you should take her in for a check-up without her knowledge—especially when she's part of Vanessa's team...
Mistress... check-up?
Mistress's check-up? check-up... of Mistress?
Bambinata looks at you, her head tilted, and her pure eyes looking ever so fragile, sending a chill down your spine before you even know it.
Is that... an order?
Bambinata dodges the notice you try to pass her as she shakes her head.
Mistress... said to wait. She said it yesterday.
Yes, yesterday! That... is what she said before she left.
She said it yesterday because... Bambinata doesn't remember what happened before that.
Unable to recall anything beyond that, she loyally follows the last order from her Mistress.
Still keeping her face down without taking so much as a look at you, Bambinata seems unable to listen to what you have to say to her.
Understood.
She says while still facing down. Even with the chandelier in the lounge, you can barely see the outline of her youthful face.
Passing Bambinata her check-up notice, you seem to catch a glimpse of her mouth opening before it closes again.
And then you leave, without another chance to see her face.
The last thing you see through the crack of the door is what appears to be a silhouette that has melted into the cold light and time itself.
