"Stacey! You're back!"
"Are you feeling better?"
"Did you meet any hot guys?"
Back in her dorm, Stacey's roommates surrounded her in a group hug.
"Vera! She's married!"
"Oh yeah. Sorry, Stacey. I forgot. Thanks for the reminder, Chas."
"Have a Miluoluo fruity yoghurt drink," Zanity passed Stacey a purple dotted bottle, flipping a pigtail back over her shoulder. Stacey squinted at the flavour name on the label and then at her.
"Are you feeling so sour that she got a break from training that you have to give her the newest sour 'splosion flavour?" Chastity wrinkled her nose.
"What'd you go wreck things for?" Zanity scowled. "I just want to see her reaction. Can't I?"
"I can read," Stacey pointed out, "although I didn't understand what the 'splosion' was until Chastity said so. So this is the newest flavour?"
The three girls sang the jingle and ended with:
"It's effervescing!"
"It's inviting!"
"It's invigorating!"
""One sip is sure to wake you up!" they chimed in a triad chordal chorus.
Stacey twitched her nose at their expectant expressions.
"Have you guys become Miluoluo ambassadors or something?"
"You have too," Vera shrugged. "It's that impromptu thing we did at the end of the exams. The Miluoluo company loved it. They edited it and now it's everywhere. It went viral."
"Great," Stacey twitched her nose again.
"And now the four of us are the official Miluoluo ambassadors for the fruity yoghurt drinks. They plan to get us to record advertisements for some of their other products eventually too, so they told us," Vera said.
"We have money," Chastity and Zanity hugged each other. "We aren't paupers anymore."
Stacey raised her eyebrows. She didn't know how to access her bank account - if she'd had one. She had to have a bank account, right?. Anyway, whether she had one or not, it didn't make a difference for her. Everything she needed was provided for her before she even thought to ask.
"Who are these girls?" Vera pointed at Elsa and Anna who were standing behind her.
"Um," Stacey scratched her head.
"We're Lady Huo's new personal assistants," Elsa and Anna said in unison with a bow. "Elsa and Anna at your service."
There was silence in the room while Stacey's three other roommates exchanged glances.
"Well, they certainly look different from her last assistant," Vera commented.
"I hope neither of you are on her staff as a favour to somebody again," Zanity flipped both her pigtails back and pulled Stacey away.
"You aren't going to bully her and make snide comments and hurt her, are you?" Chastity stepped forward to shield Stacey behind her with Zanity.
"You had better not bring any stray animals back or order Stacey around," Vera joined her roommates, cracking her knuckles, "or help me, God."
"Elsa is the younger sister of Ning, you know, the head of my bodyguards," Stacey tried to explain and push through her protective friends. "She wanted to leave the guards and find another job. I gave her the opportunity. If she's anything like her brother, she'll be very dedicated. Anna was a trainee guard who got injured. Her family situation requires her to work but she didn't know what else she could do. As my assistant, she can look after her injury while still earning money."
There was another silent moment while Stacey's roommates considered what Stacey had just told them.
"They're moving into our room with us?" Vera looked pointedly at their small luggage cases. "They didn't bring a lot of stuff."
"We don't need much," Anna grinned cheerfully, looking much like a neighbour next door. "Besides, Lord Huo wanted his wife to be better cared for since he can't be here himself. I hope you girls won't mind our intrusion? We'll try not to get in the way. Stacey's health needs to be monitored more closely during this period of time and we can't have her rely on you three for everything. That would be unfair."
"So long you two actually do your jobs," Vera shrugged, stepping away, "unlike the last one."
"Oh, we will. We definitely will," Anna said in earnest. "We can't afford to lose this job. Besides, we had to fight other guards for this job. If we didn't take this seriously, there are plenty of others who are waiting to take our place."
"I see. In that case, welcome to our room," Zanity said with a shrug. She and Chastity stepped aside.
"Elsa and I will be taking turns being on duty sometimes. Elsa will be acting as her main assistant and bodyguard while I'm the odd jobs girl. Feel free to ask me for any help you need," Anna clapped her hands in delight.
"Really?" three voices asked with growing smiles.
"Don't you all take advantage of Anna," Stacey reminded her roommates. "Remember she's still recovering from an injury."
"What kind of injury? Do you mind us asking?" Chastity asked. "I'm just curious. No need to say if it's private."
"Oh. No. It's nothing much really," Anna waved a hand. "I just tore the rotator cuff muscles in my left shoulder and hurt my back during a sparring session that was way more intense than expected. Oh, and I cracked three ribs, popped a tendon and did the medial meniscus in my right knee, while also tearing an adductor muscle. I have surgery coming up for my shoulder and knee in two weeks. After a few weeks of rehab, I should be right as rain again."
"Are you sure you didn't just get beaten up by a hooligan?" Chastity asked with wide eyes.
"No. Not at all. You should have seen my opponent when I was done with him," Anna flapped a hand. "I sure taught him not to look down on girls. It's just that he was a level higher than me and I had to go all out to make him give in. We were fighting on the mat for half an hour before he was willing to give up."
"It was a very intense and tight match," Elsa agreed. "I bet on Anna and won a decent amount."
"How much?" asked Chastity.
"One hundred."
"Not bad," Zanity said. She and Vera looked at Anna with a new light.
"Unfortunately, with her back injury, she would never be able to safely complete our training and she had to drop out," Elsa explained.
"You're happy to work with me," Anna laughed, hugging Elsa's arm. "Admit it, Ice Queen. You're so much more talkative now. You're ecstatic to be working for Lady Huo after everything your brother told you about her, plus the fact that you can now see your brother everyday."
"Anna," Elsa brushed the younger girl off her arm. "Behave yourself!"
"Why should I?" Anna stuck her tongue out. "I'm not a part of the Guards anymore. I don't have to behave so boring and statue-like. I'm free. I'm free to be me with an awesome mistress and a friend by my side. Why can't I say I'm happy if I can? Why can't you?"
"Professionalism," frowned Elsa. "Otherwise people will think the guards we turn out are frivolous people like you. You'll give us a bad name."
"I like them," Vera nudged Stacey.
"They're cute," agreed Chastity.
"Congratulations," Zanity patted Stacey on the back, thrusting the purple dotted drink bottle back into Stacey's hand. "Don't think I've forgotten or didn't notice how you tried to surreptitiously put this down. Bottoms up."