Morning, January 8, Sea Circle Calendar 1521.
Babylon's New Year holiday had begun on Christmas Eve, December 24, and lasted through January 7.
With automation and all kinds of robots around, everyone taking a few weeks off work hardly made a difference.
But today, the first-floor hall of the Babylon Temple had returned to its usual rhythm.
Staff members in neat uniforms handled business behind their respective counters.
The flow of people wasn't heavy, but the hall wasn't deserted either.
Various robot assistants moved through the hall, carrying documents from one counter to another.
A figure entered through a side door, her steps light.
Her red-and-white looped hair buns swayed gently with her movements. Bright yellow mechanical headphones hung around her neck, and her pure white dress stirred up a faint breeze as she walked.
"Good morning, Princess Uta."
A nun carrying documents spotted Uta and greeted her, smiling with the excitement of someone meeting her idol.
Still, her professional discipline as a nun kept her behavior restrained.
"Good morning!"
Beaming brightly, Uta waved to the nun.
"Happy New Year, Princess Uta."
Another passing knight stopped as well, thumping his chest in salute.
"Happy New Year!"
Uta answered the greetings along her path without slowing, like someone accustomed to this atmosphere.
With a distinctly girlish air, she greeted everyone as equals.
She made her way through the hall with practiced ease, took the elevator to the Audience Hall, and stopped before a mahogany door in the inner corridor, raising her hand to knock three times.
...The door opened on its own.
The Divine Palace was Sephiroth's personal office. Its interior was softer than the solemn design of the Audience Hall.
Sephiroth sat behind his desk, reviewing a document with a pen held between his fingers.
After preparing tea for Sephiroth,