4th September 2149
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"So this is the island that is supposedly kept a secret from the rest of the world?" Alphonse thought to himself as he kept looking out the window of the plane, as their landing destination, the celestial island, becomes visible. The island seems to be of rather enormous size and is adjacent to many smaller islands in its vicinity. He was told about the inhabitants, known as the celestials, but has been given rather little context on what significance this name holds. However, it is very obvious to him that these people possess a lot of influence in the world. To be able to live in complete secrecy without any interjection or interference from any governments would undoubtedly require political might. Not to mention, his father as an accomplished politician seems to be rather keen on earning favours with them. And then there's the conversation he had with his sister right before he left...
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16 hours ago
"Alright, Al, I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but you better be on your best behaviour." His sister, Emma See, told him, as she playfully trapped him in a headlock. She actually uses a bit too much excessive force for it to be called "playful", but he endured her onslaughts enough times to not be fazed by them any more. She was always bad at handling force, when it came to reprimanding him or simply whenever she felt like rough-housing with her sibling, so he is used to taking the brunt of her lack of self-restraint.
"Sure Em, but is it really necessary for me to be present for something like this? I didn't even know these people existed before..." He was sulking about this the entire day, as he was only told of this involuntary trip yesterday. Suffice it to say, his mood was pretty foul.
"You're smart enough to figure that one out" She says. Begrudgingly, he agrees as it isn't too difficult to figure out, why this was so important. He is supposed to debut in the higher society soon, so this trip was no doubt a preparation to that. Add to that the fact, that he is essentially initiated into making connection with a mysterious group he never knew about. He has his role to play, and he hates how aware of it he is.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Not having a quip prepared, he just heaves out a deep sigh, which his sister takes as him signalling defeat, to which she starts smiling smugly in response.
"I had to go on this same trip, when my time came, so this is just par for the course. Also make sure you keep in mind, that I myself have my own connections to some people there, so you better make a good impression, if only for my sake." She says, as she menacingly points a finger at him. Her threat makes him sweat just a bit, but even without that, he would comply in the end. His sister went through a lot of trouble to arrive at her current position of being vice president, and he really wouldn't want to ruin everything she has built so far. He wouldn't want to reflect poorly on her, so he just has to suck it up and get this over with.
"Yes, ma'am." He says in a mocking tone, and though she tries to stare at him threateningly, her effort is betrayed by the smile forming on her lips.
"Good enough."
And just, as he was about to free himself from her grasp, she strengthened her grip, immediately conveying that she isn't done talking.
"Before you go, I want you to know something. The celestials are NOT regular people like or rather regular humans. So do NOT act out of line and don't cause any conflicts there. Also, try to appease them, however possible. Head this warning and take it seriously. They are NOT people you should mess with."
Hearing her voice change in tone within moments immediately made Alphonse tense. She was dead serious and her stern voice made that abundantly clear. This was clearly about much more than just keeping appearances or persisting in holding on to our current status. It's almost like this could affect my very life. Almost as if... this is a life or death matter.
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Character Profile
Name: Emma See
Born: 2nd February 2128
Description: Alphonse's sister and recently rising businesswoman
Likes: Reading, Action movies, her brother
Dislikes: tardiness, corporate talk