The m Aya pulls the b off herself more rested than she was the previous day wheayed up te.

  "At least I'm not going to be as sleepy as I was st time." she says eating a bowl of cereal as her only breakfast. She shakes the box a bit notig she was almost out of it. "Hm I'll have to buy more, Lucky I verted that Gold."

  As usual, she takes her backpack off the hook and hangs it on her shoulders.

  "Ready to go!" she says, fshing herself a smile in the mirror and running out the door.

  The girl flies dowairs, hurrying to get down and catch the bus before it would leave her behind. She doesn't notice the figure approag her when suddenly she crashes into another young woman.

  Aya falls back, the dusty hallway floor hard enough to kick up a cloud of dust. The irl falls too, her items go with her, scattering all over the ground with a crash.

  "Oh my God, I'm so, so sorry." Aya says rushing over to help the girl gather her things.

  "Why don't you watch where yoiime!" the girl snaps, snatg the box out of Aya's hands and muttering as she goes.

  Aya's eyes dart betweeairs and the girl's retreating back. She hesitates, stuck between heading doweps and wanting to follow the young dy to apologize, but the clock is tig and she 't be te for work.

  "I'll make it up to you." She calls after the young woman. The girl is surprised but only gives a huff as she heads back to her oartment.

  Aya had never seen her before and cluded she must have been a new resident.

  Aya doesn't have time to think about it before she runs again, her feet pound on the pavement, her heart races as she runs to catch up with the bus just as it's about to drive away.

  Approag the bus stop as fast as she , Aya nearly screams as her only means of transportation starts its engine, about to pull away from the bus stop.

  "Wait, Wait!" she screams, frantically waving her arms to get the bus driver's attention. The bus pauses and the driver opens the door so she get on.

  Aya falls into the bus, panting hard at all the work it took to run from the apartment to the bus stop.

  "You made it." the old bus driver says.

  Aya ughs.

  "As if you would want to leave behind your favorite passenger."

  "My only passenger from here." the bus driver retood naturedly, the two share a ugh and Aya walks to her usual seat to enjoy the bus ride.

  ----------

  "You're looking frazzled this m." Aya's boss says the moment she walks through the door. He looks her up and down. "You sure you don't have a boyfriend?"

  "Sir! I nearly missed the bus that's all!" Aya says growi hr boss' embarrassing words.

  "You're right, you're right, not in this ey." he says. Aya shakes her head, pig up the mail and putting it orolley to begin delivering it to the usual floors.

  "I had a really bad start to the m if you o know." she says with a shrug, with a little force she moves the squeaky trolley into the elevator. "Might need some oil for this." Aya says. Her boss ughs.

  "Who's gonna pay for that?" he asks. Aya rolls her eyes. Why did these people like to act broke?

  ----------

  The office day is the same as ever, Aya delivers the mail only greeted with silend the occasional snapping. Like the woman, she's speaking tht now.

  The woman fres her nostrils, ping the bridge of her nose in frustration at the te arrival of her mail.

  "And why wasn't delivered yesterday?"

  'And how do you expect me to know that? dy I don't curate the mail, only deliver it.' Aya thinks, barely holding ba annoyed expression of her own.

  "You'd have to call the mail room floor fent delivers ma'am, else they e after Mr. Fitzgerald curates them." she says. The woman huffs, gring at Aya before waving her off the way one would to a mosquito.

  'Rude.' Aya thinks, pushing the trolley on, another worker asks her the same question to which Aya gives a simir response. But uhe other woman, this woman simply nods, Aya a cookie which she accepts

  "Thank you." Aya says, tinuing on.

  'She must be new.' Aya thinks, there was no way a veteran of Nue Corp would be so hospitable.

  Getting to the top floor a weight settles iomach at the thought of entering Viviana.

  "Why did I say that to her?" Aya mutters, pressing her back against the elevator wall. Beads of sweat roll down her forehead and she suddenly remembers the first time Vivia.

  ----------

  A young Aya starts her first day at Nue Corp's mail room, pushirolley along she greets an older man.

  "Good m sir, how's your day going?" she asks, pig up a sheaf of papers. On notig a family photo on the man's desk she smiles. "That's a lovely family." she ents as she hands him the sheaf of papers.

  "Do you always talk this much?" he asks coldly before returning to his work. "Your job is to deliver the mail not make versation."

  Aya gasps softly under her breath at the way his icy tos right through her. She could only nod and tinue pushirolley.

  "Maybe he's just having a bad day." she says trying to fort herself. Unfortunately, that was not the case the denizens of Nue Corp's work force all seem irritated, unfriendly, and cold even when Aya tries her very best to remain polite.

  Some yell at her, some ugh in her face but without fail they all tio be unnecessarily cruel.

  Getting ba the elevator Aya's lip wobbles, tears sting at her eyes but she wills herself not to cry.

  "Maybe the people oop floor will be better." she says to herself.

  Oing to the top floor the young dy finds herself blown away by the dazzling opulence of the floor's design. Freshly waxed tile floors so clear she could see her own refle as she pushes the trolly unto it, a dazzling delier hangs from the ceiling casting a golden glow that reflects on the floor.

  At the only desk in the viity sat one of the most beautiful women Aya had ever seen, long golden hair so luscious it sparkled underh the light of the delier, fwless skin, and a bright pair of eyes.

  The woman's clothes are nothing to s either, Aya reizes her blouse from one of the luxury catalogs she would see while at the bus stop.

  Aya approaches the desk with her trolley, ready to make a good first impression.

  "Good m miss." Aya says keepione quiet and polite so she wouldn't offend. Viviana scoffs gng at Aya and scowling deeply.

  "Did you just address me mail rat?" she asks in the most offeone. Aya stands, frozen in shock at the woman's response. What was she supposed to say?

  "Y-Yes? I mean No?" she says trying not to anger Viviana further.

  "Oops." the blonde ughs, knog the letters out of Aya's hands. The girl squeaks w what warranted such force. All the while Viviana stands smirking.

  "But why?" Aya asks, heart broken.

  "One word from me and yone."

  "I haven't done anything to you." Aya says in a small voice. Viviana ughs, cag like a witch straight out of a fairy tale.

  "I don't need a reasoie, I just , so I will." she says patting Aya's head desdingly. Vivian flips her hair over her shoulder aurns to her desk.

  "Now be a dear and pick up those letters you dropped."

  "But I didn't, I'm not the one who-"

  "Pick up the mail you dropped." Viviana says again narrowing her eyes. "Or I have you kicked out for harassment." at her words Aya has no choice but to scramble and pick up the letters as Viviana ughs.

  "You're such a push over!" the woman snickers. "I guess that's what happens when you have to worry about money." a cruel smile lihe woman's lips.

  "Now get out, before I actually decide to call security." Viviana says dismissing the girl in front of her. "Thanks for the ugh though."

  Aya could only ball her fist and hold back her hurt, humiliated tears. Once ba the privacy of the mail room she sobs, bawling her heart out at the needless cruelty.

  ----------

  Ever sihat day, Aya hated everything to do with Viviana. W at Nue Corp was the bane of her existe a girl's gotta eat somehow and Nue Corp aying more than any fast food pce or entry level job Aya would have taken.

  Pulling the trolley through the elevator she picks out the mail and approaches the table. Viviana doesn't even look at her.

  'Better that way." Aya thinks as she pces the mail down oable and heads back to the elevator. Just as she's about to step in Viviana speaks.

  "You're nothing to me, easily repceable." she spits.

  "I don't want to be anything to you." Aya replies with the same nonce the other workers would give her. "But I'm not nothing." Aya says, the elevator doors close before she hear Viviana's response. Aya wonders if the woman is thinking of ahing to say when they see each ain.

  Her boss is not there wheurns to the mail room. Aya takes the opportunity to rest and check her phone and see what she could find about the py style she was ied in.

  "Hm, led sounds good, or shed if I don't have to be the ohrowing the punches." she says.

  'Pyers in Moon Valley that don't fight.' she types into the search bar. A myriad of results e up with three iing csses being the focus.

  Summoner

  Beast Master

  Neancer

  "Neancer looks so badass!" Aya says but doesn't know if she would really want to py that. The girl tio read about them on the forums, looking for tips and tricks as well as the best equipment and accessories for them.

  "I 't decide! But well they all have their pros and s but summoner seems to be more my thing."

  Just then her boss walks in with an annoyed expression.

  "Did you say something to the higher ups?" he asks. Aya puts her phone away, sitting in rapt attention.

  "No sir." She says. "Viviana was rude as usual but I didn't really say anything back." the man nods. Aya's heart pounds, a heavy weight settles in her chest. The man nods.

  "Fet about it then." he tells her but Aya is only left w if Viviana would make good ohreat to get her fired.