The New Recruit [Yumiko/Cyrus]

Perhaps Yumiko’s nerves shouldn’t be running so high, especially because the woman was so confident in her abilities. However, that didn’t stop Yumiko from being more nervous than she felt was necessary. Perhaps it was because this was her first job, or maybe it was because Yumiko needed an aerial lift from her mom because Yumiko couldn’t drive her motorcycle across the ocean; she’d fix that one day. Regardless, it made completely sense that the young Quincy woman was unable to shake her nerves as she ventured through the city of light. As she walked, she clutched two letters to her chest. One was a general letter of recommendation to be given to the recruiter. The other letter was addressed directly to Cyrus. It was a letter of recommendation as well, with the same contents as the previous letter; except it has the additional information on Yumiko’s disability that was not contained within the other letter.

Of course, Yumiko was more than able of conveying the nature of her disability to the recruiter if the subject came up; but it wasn’t as important as the information reaching her employer. Which was why Yumiko arrived at the recruitment headquarters of the Vandenriech, nervous and truly incapable of waiting thanks to her nerves. However, Yumiko was more than glad to take the waiting time while mentally psyching herself up for whatever came next; along with trying to relax her nerves. She could only hope the recruiter she was meeting wouldn’t be too severe. After all, the only tales she knew were really of the old Vandenriech. In new territory, anyone was bound to be nervous; but Yumiko knew she was ready.

Part of one's duties as a leader was to step in and handle whatever work was necessary and in one's power. Ninsianna had served as Cyrus' right hand for years now, and had worked in his stead even after she had become Director of the Albedochiffren. It was only right that Cyrus do the same, and give her a bit of time to spend with her daughter. Besides, handling matters of recruitment was perhaps what Cyrus had excelled at the most.

In the lobby of the Vandenreich's administrative office, a bookish-looking young man spoke up from behind the desk. "Yumiko Kamenashi? Apologies for your wait. The Grandmaster will see you." Gesturing to the elevator next to him, it opened almost expectantly. It went only to one place; the office of the Grandmaster.

Cyrus, for his part, was simply waiting in his office, glancing out one of the immense windows that lined the enormous room. He wondered, almost idly, who had designed the room in such a way. Was it designed to impose, or to intentionally feel empty? Perhaps one day he would make some attempt to make it seem a bit less daunting.

Frankly speaking, it hadn't really felt like Yumiko had been waiting all that long. She had ways to occupy herself. A up to date Smartphone with a myriad of games on it was one such method of distraction, which was why Yumiko passed the time without any trouble. Frankly speaking, the young woman had even begun to relax for a bit; at least until her name was called out. Immediately, she put away whatever she was using to entertain herself and listened to the man at the front desk as she walked up to him. What he said was, well, surprising to say the least. She was, after all, expecting to meet the normal recruiter for the Vandenreich.

Yumiko's already relatively fair features did their best to pale a tiny bit more as she heard what the front desk attendant had to say. Immediately, butterflies leapt into being within her stomach, and Yumiko felt as if her heart was in her throat. She swallowed a few times, took a small breath that restored a modicum of composure and gave the attendant a warm smile and a respectful nod of her head.

"Thank you, sir."

With that, Yumiko stepped into the elevator quite easily, turning to face the doors. After they had closed, Yumiko leaned against the wall of the elevator and let out a huge sigh. The Grandmaster. Not the recruiter, but the very Grandmaster of the Vandenreich himself. To say that Yumiko was nervous would be an immense understatement. However, she did the best to calm herself down, which lead to her tinkering slightly with her prosthetics. Careful adjustments, inspection, and overall making certain her prosthetics were in complete working order. It helped her relax, and certainly helped her legs feel less like jelly; which she never felt when her prosthetics were on. Eventually, when there was a musical ding of of the Elevator's arrival, Yumiko stood up straight and tall; well as tall as she could manage being only five feet tall. Her mother was six feet tall, what the hell happened there?

Yumiko walked up to the Grandmaster at his desk, her eyes helpless to wander about the room as she walked. What was the purpose of such a large and empty room? Yumiko had grown up within a mansion, and there were certainly many large and empty rooms... But what was the purpose? Intimidation, simple emptiness, or the weight of leadership? Whatever the case, Yumiko had walked up to the Grandmaster's desk and from there... Honestly speaking, she had no idea what to do. Was it more polite to wait or should she announce herself? Waffling upon what she should do was likely where Cyrus found Yumiko, still clutching her letters of recommendation to her chest; truly exposing her youth despite her prodigal nature. This was something new, her first job, and Yumiko could only hope that Cyrus was accommodating enough to her obvious nervousness.

Cyrus had naturally prepared for the visitor in his office, and he offered the young lady a cordial, welcoming smile as she came into the office. He gestured to the chair opposite his desk, wanting the obviously nervous girl to calm down a touch, and spoke. His deep baritone carried through the room, but his tone of voice was gentle, doing his best not to seem forceful.

"Welcome to the City of Lights, Miss Kamenashi. Please, take a seat, I wouldn't wish for you to be forced to stand."

He'd naturally been forwarded the application by Ninsianna, and so it wasn't as if the young lady in front of Cyrus was some complete enigma to him. He was aware at least of the circumstances surrounding her arrival here, familiar enough with her mother and the like.

"Do tell me about yourself, if you would. What has drawn you to joining the Vandenreich?"

Frankly speaking, Yumiko relaxing wasn’t exactly a guarantee at this moment; but it was certainly a possibility. So, with a gracious nod, Yumiko took a seat in the chair. She quietly fiddled with her prosthetics while a muscle of her leg twitch some in her nervous state. With a small breath, in an attempt to relax just a little bit before she talked to Cyrus quite meekly, at first of course.

“Th-Thank you, sir.”

Yumiko took an additional breath, relaxing herself just a tiny bit more; all the while she was listening to Cyrus. During that time, she placed the letter of recommendation meant for Cyrus upon his desk; where he could take it if he wished. Afterwards, Yumiko turned her attention to his main desire; to tell him about herself and why she wanted to join the Vandenreich. Both were easy enough, yet complex in essence. Talking about herself wasn’t hard, but there was some aspects of herself, her disability for example, she didn’t like discussing liberally. Meanwhile there was her reasons for joining the Vandenreich. The biggest reason was because her mother has been in the Vandenreich herself, and also because Yumiko desired to help the world at large; if she could.

“Well… I’m the only child my mother has had, and I think the only child the Kamenashi have had since my mother… I’ve been called a prodigy by my family, but I’m simply someone who works hard and does the best I can. I learn everything I can learn, and keep my mind open for possibilities. I… I try to analytically reason things, but emotion is just as much of an important thing. Even if my training was diverse and intense, I know I have a lot to learn. I uh… I also ride a motorcycle. Is there anyway to transport one in and off the city of light so I can use it while I’m here…?”

Yumiko paused somewhat, collecting herself a bit more in an attempt to relax the nervous twitching of her leg; along with her fidgeting. Yet, despite that, her voice was always strong; showing at least she had a good character.

“As far as why I want to join; it’s mostly because of my mother. She inspired me often to do more for others when I can, to help those less fortunate or in peril. Not to mention, I really want to help however I can; whomever I can. Along with learning whatever I can along the way.”

Well, Cyrus hadn't quite meant to ask her about herself in that sort of personal manner, but he hadn't quite been specific about not doing that, either. He appreciated her honesty, if nothing else, and while he knew that some would have considered that to be an unfortunate naivete, he saw it more as a commendable youthful innocence. That in itself was something of a downside in an organization such as the Vandenreich, admittedly, but it wasn't completely out of place. They certainly had far more peculiar members.

"Yes, there are several members of the organization who have their personal means of transport carried with them when traveling. That will be no issue."

Her reasons for joining didn't come off as especially unsurprising to Cyrus. They struck a faint chord in him, if anything. Familial pride was certainly something he understood well, and he could hardly condemn anyone for wishing to follow in their parents' footsteps.

"I understand. I am familiar with your mother's service in the Vandenreich prior. Is she well?"

It was a fairly casual sort of question, but he didn't think there was anything else he ought to ask Yumiko about her mother. It wasn't as if the girl would have much to say about her mother's career or anything of the sort.

Of course Yumiko was a little Naïve about some things, she was, after all, still quite young despite her expertise and intelligence. Not to mention, this would be her first actual job; and this was her first "interview" for such a job. For her to be a little Naïve was likely measurably acceptable. However, all of her words were honest and true, and showed some of her character despite the naivete. However, the topic soon shifted and Yumiko breathed a small sigh of relief that she would be able to get her bike onto the island that was the City of Lights and elsewhere. Sure, Yumiko knew how to drive a car as well... but of the two, she certainly preferred to ride her motorcycle.

Finally, Yumiko was relaxing a modicum around Cyrus. Perhaps not enough to call him anything more personal than "sir", but enough to allow her to relax just enough around the man. At the very least, she didn't look like pale, distinctly nervous, or anything of the sort. Soon, the conversation took a turn towards her mother Toshiko. Yumiko tilted her head a tiny bit, quietly considering her mother as she is now. Abandoned projects all to ensure the livelihood of her daughter, along with a lingering desire to still work despite a deserved retirement...

"Yes, she is... Albeit, I think she gets a little restless without a job; but raising me kept her busy enough, I think~ Frankly speaking, she's doing alright, but I can't imagine she's faring well after her lover, my other mother, disappeared; officially widowed, she kinda throws herself into her experiments with fervor. But, she's the best. I can tell her you said hello when I return home, if you'd like."

Yumiko gave Cyrus a smile that could only be born of the innocence of youth; even if the calculating gray eyes could be potentially unnerving. After all, those eyes held the burden of a much older woman's despite the youthful woman before Cyrus. Simply put, despite her young age Yumiko has been in enough hardship of her own. After all, a disability such as hers was bound to create such hardships. This, at least, affirmed that Yumiko was a stronger woman than her petite form gave away. Frankly speaking, Cyrus was bound to have himself quite the capable new recruit.

"Please do."

Cyrus' thoughts were still squarely more on the girl in front of him than on her mother, of course, and he read over her file again with a cursory glance as he thought about the situation. At the very least, she wasn't wholly unqualified. They had accepted people based on more scarce credentials than this, undoubtedly.

"If I may ask, what is it you would wish to do in the Vandenreich?"

It was partly a question to help discern where to put her, but it was just as easily a question that could feasibly decide whether or not she joined at all. There were certainly poor reasons to join, after all, and Cyrus knew all too well that some in his organization needed to be watched quite carefully based on their motivations.

The young Quincy smiled and gave Cyrus a gentle nod at his request to convey his greetings to her mother the next time she saw her. it was evident that Yumiko had more or less relaxed herself from her nervous state; she was much more relaxed in her chair at the very least. However, Cyrus was clearly keen on keeping up with the current moment and keeping the focus on Yumiko. After a cursory glimpse at her file, during which time Yumiko made sure to leave the letter of recommendation addressed to Cyrus upon his desk, he had asked her a question that felt clearly intended to clarify what she wished to do at the Vandenriech. Truly, it was a pointed and very important question for Yumiko to consider. Her lips pursed gently, eyebrows furrowed, and she briefly averted her gaze from Cyrus and down to her hands as she contemplated the "Why" she wanted to join.

Eventually, the young Quincy's gaze returned to Cyrus's face and eyes; the silver-gray eyes oddly piercing... almost calculating. There was a modicum of stoicism, unyielding will, and a fierce fire burning within her gray eyes.

"Aside from the base line of wanting to help those on Earth, be of aid to my fellow Quincy, and figure out ways to bridge gaps between ourselves and other races... I want to work with technology; all kinds. I want to invent new tools, new ways for us to help save others; and hopefully avoid methods of mass destruction in the process if possible. Mind, I don't want to be cooped up in a lab all day... My years of training would be wasted... Frankly speaking, my interests are a bit mixed... I wish to fight and protect when I can, but I also wish to develop and work with inventions and tech. Is it possible for me to do all of those in some way...?"

Yumiko's desire for knowledge had always been quite insatiable ever since she learned her legs would never function like those of a normal girl's; not without the aid of prosthetics at least. Suffice to say, to be able to move and walk around like a normal girl, or at least a skilled Quincy, was the stuff of her childhood dreams; and now she could finally do some good in the world to put forward what skills and values she had been raised with.

Mm... A very wide answer. It wasn't unusual, admittedly, but Cyrus needed to take a little bit of time to consider the broader implications of her answer. Bridging the gap between the Vandenreich and others was something that could make unwelcome waves, not for the organization but for her. There were many in the Vandenreich who quite decidedly had no interest in that kind of diplomacy, and even Cyrus himself had no shortage of distaste for the Gotei. Still, her optimism was respectable in its own right.

"I understand, Miss Kamenashi. Seeing one's expertise go unused is certainly an agony that I have known well in my younger years. If you wish to work in development, then there are several members of our Albedochiffren who would operate well with you, and I will see to it that you are put in contact with them. As for service in the field, that can be done. Typically fieldwork is handled primarily by the Sternritter, but the Albedochiffren do support work as well."

It wasn't as if the Vandenreich was lacking in different specialties, and he would go out of his way to find the space for someone who wished to provide their help. That was the natural thing for any leader to do.