Clarissa Montey's Story

Azalea earlier that morning groaned as the maid messed with her hair, tugging into a neat braid and restarting every time Aza's frustrating hair would slip from the braid. Her maid helped her with getting ready since she would be possibly out in public a lot and she thought that it was her duty to make Azalea look like a Princess as much as she possibly could. At one point the maid had even shoved her a dress after finally getting Azalea's hair into a perfectly neat braid that she couldn't help but to want to unbraid it since it was annoying her. After receiving her dress from the maid she looked at it then back at the maid. "No way, blue is not my color." She said firmly and the maid glared at her once before taking the dress away from her. Azalea shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably before being shoved pretty much an exact replica of the blue dress except it was pink this time. "Better," She mumbled before taking it to her huge bathroom where she quickly changed into the pink dress. The pink dress has jewels placed along the top of her dress near the hem of it, another thing was that she had pink lace sleeves that went down to her wrists, and finally to top it all off her dress flowed down to a little past her knees.

Right about now though she was smoothly moving her way towards the entrance as she began to approach the few people who would be escorting her. Nearing Aaron, May, and Kyle she sighed softly while messing with the edge of her laced sleeve because the sleeve was bothering her. Upon approaching them she smiled gently at Aaron, waving a hand at him as he greeted her. As for May she rolled her eyes, sighing softly before nodding to the Princess. "Good morning, your highness." She copied Aaron as she moved away when Aaron moved. She looked at Kyle, smacking his shoulder gently when no one was looking. "Show the Princess some respect," She whispered to him then smiled a little at him as she looked away only to see the reaction that Zechariah had when he saw the Princess.

Catrina the new solider slowly walked over to the group, seeing Aaron surprised her because she didn't think Zechariah could be around him for that long, though, what did she know about the person who commanded her around. She slowly walked over to the group, looking the Princess over before practically hiding half way behind Benjamin who was standing near Zechariah. The Private looked only slightly nervous as her eyes scanned her surroundings, she had no idea what to do, or what was going on. When Azalea spoke she glanced over at the Princess, giving her a slightly curious look. Azalea looked straight at Zechariah as soon as she saw him. Her heart leaped at the sight of him. Oh no, not now he couldn't know that she was the Princess not right now. "Zech?" She breathed out as her arms dropped to her sides. She could not believe it, her heart was thudding so hard right now that she feared it bursting from her chest. She stepped forward once, blinking a few times as she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from Zechariah's and they traveled over to Benjamin. "We've um... we have met before." She told him, unsure of how to explain how they met. Her eyes traveled back over to Zechariah's and it was obvious that right now she was completely speechless.

Over almost everything you could hear May cracking up. May had never been the one to care about these kind of moments so when everything got really quite you could hear her softly laughing as she watched the two just stare at each other. It seemed so ridiculous to her just because well she has never stared at one person for so long before and because she had never been that interested in people. She coughed, calming down as she muttered, "Well this got confusing pretty quickly." She grinned a little, turning away and sighing softly as she ran a hand through her hair.

---

Clarissa, an angel, who was still up in heaven at this very moment was talking about her mission to a higher being than her. She knew this wouldn't be easy, everything she had worked for would be on pause just because now she had to travel down to help stop a war that was imminent. She sighed, extending her long gorgeous white wings, and then poof she had been teleported down where her mission was supposed to begin. The place she landed was a place behind a building where she knew no one was to see her. After teleporting there she folded her wings, willing them to disappear so no one saw her. Standing there for several moments she glanced around, debating what she had to do first, and then she finally started to make her way around the building out into the crowd of people that were flooding the streets.

Zechariah was going to say they should probably head back, but then he remembered the conference would most likely end up a somewhat long one, provided two sides go back and forth on the backlash, or if the two sides just reach an impasse. He held Azalea and said, "I think we should have a bit of time."

------

Kyle smirked. He knew May loved to mess with Aaron, and he had an idea as to the reason. although the wink he felt should have been directed at Aaron. Aaron, on the other hand, did not know what to think of the situation of his mouth being moved by May's fingers right before being poked in the stomach. It did not hurt, yet it made him feel awkward, for some reason.

Kyle held back laughter from his hair being messed with, plus tried to restrain from thinking dirty about being leaned on, as he knew Aaron could get jealous. Kyle knew what was going on, but Aaron did not. Now that Kyle thought about it, possibly the rest of the Lion Team knew, as well, since they have seen May and Aaron interact in this fashion quite frequently.

Once Aaron regained his posture, he snapped out of his awkward daze and said, "Well, we might as well do something, though we can't wander off too far, or we'll end up on a wild goose chase searching for the Princess, which would not be good in our report."

Kyle nodded in agreement. "I'll get us some drinks. Just tell me where you two are going, and I'll meet you there once I have the refreshments. I know what I'm getting, what about you?"

Aaron shrugged. "I guess I'll have a strawberry daiquiri. I never liked the bitter stuff. As for where to go, I was thinking maybe... hmm... quite frankly, I don't know what to do. Where do you think we should go, May, that is within this part of Diplomacy Square?"

It was then Kyle saw Max, which made him smile more genuinely, since that mechanic can be fun to talk to, despite the fact Max's bisexual behavior does make things a little awkward inwardly, even if it did not show. Once Kyle heard what May wanted, plus where she and Aaron would go, Kyle walked up to Max and waved while saying, "Hey, Max! Nice to see you, buddy! How've you been?" He waited until he heard Max's response before adding. "I'm getting a few drinks for Aaron, May , and I. WAnt to come with me for one, too? I hear the Benjlakki gals, especially from Fertaninn, the region we are in, are tough from working farms and solar technology, which makes for some hot figures."

------

Benjamin started right after Catrina said to lead the way. It was mostly uneventful until Ben noticed someone who seemed a little out of place. It was a white-haired girl, yet she did not look like a Metargo citizen, whom are known for a great many of them having nearly-colorless hair. He could not determine what was different, yet there was something. Perhaps it was just him. He did not even know he was glancing over in the direction of an angel, since the wings were not visible. Ben quickly recovered so not to stare or be rude and continued his patrol. Hmmm... that girl is rather cute...

------

Gracchus was inwardly upset that Orianna actually accepted. Of course, given his hearing being so great, he knew it was only to annoy the King of Metargo, but he still felt a pang of jealousy. He would definitely ask Orianna out before the Prince could have the chance to.

President Howard Anderson waited until all the people from both sides meant to be here were seated to speak, but when he was about to, he saw Oriana and Sir. Black already arguing about something off topic. Even the security officers shook their heads and groaned, since the two bickering diplomats were not making a good first impression. "That is quite enough, you two! We are not talking about bombs in this conference. This is about the war going on between Metargo and Mysticara. Would you be so kind as to stay on topic, and furthermore, wait for the meeting to come to order? Thank you."

The President then turned his attention forward. "Now, as I was about to say, the first thing you should know before we begin is that we do not take any foreign questioning of our neutrality lightly, as those who have doubts about it are more likely to violate it, and must be dealt with in the necessary manner to make the point clear. That being said, we shall begin.

On the possibility of allying with one of the two nations present, it should be noted that there are many Senators in Congress who are unwilling to side with a nation with a general who would massacre entire communities of civilians, neither do they feel it beneficial to side with a country experiencing the brunt of the massacres, as such tragedies could reach our own citizens and residents, leaving even children in our lands as part of the casualties. Such barbarism on the part of military personnel who order such genocide does not settle in the stomachs of the Benjlakki people. In order to convince the Senate in Congress either way, this issue especially must be addressed, the reason we have invited Leonardo Metargo, so he can to explain himself in this conference. First, though, we must have the views of our own citizens mentioned, which is where Oriana Aspiral comes in. Oriana, if you will..."

Saul listened intently to what all was being said. He knew this would be difficult, considering the circumstances. Regardless, he was not one to give up without trying.

Azalea smiled a bright, beautiful smile as she gently hugged Zechariah. Slowly she pulled away from him, holding one of his hand she sighed softly and began to hope that the conference would take quite a while. She looked at him, smiling at him then gently tugged on his hand. "Okay so where do you plan on us going then?" She asked curiously, lifting a single perfectly shaped eyebrow.

---

After telling Kyle that she wanted just anything with chocolate in or nothing that had a ton of alcohol in it she turned to Aaron, sighing softly. Also after saying where they were going to meet up with she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, want to lead the way Aaron? You seem to know this area better than I do." She said, shrugging once. She had only been here once before, maybe twice, but still she hasn't been here to many times and has no idea which way to take especially since there are a lot of people walking around.

---

Catrina stayed close to Benjamin, following near him as he led the patrol. She ran a hand through her hair, glancing down at her feet momentarily because her clumsy self decided that right about now near a bunch of people was the best time to trip. She grumbled as she tried to regain her foot, by this time she had lifted her head and glanced in the direction that Benjamin was looking. Noticing the girl who looked like she was completely lost and who looked like she had not been here before. She noted how Benjamin quickly looked away and continued walking. Speeding up slightly to catch up with him her eyes scanned over him then smiled a little. Shaking her head once she decided to leave it how it was so she fell back a little, though, made sure he was still within eyesight.

When she glanced over her shoulder because she heard a few people who were walking, say something angrily under their breath. She caught that same snowy white hair girl, lightly pushing her way through the crowd of people. Clarissa pushed lightly through people after she had caught the eye of a single solider who he thought could help her out a little. She smiled gently at Catrina as she passed by her and gently put her hand on Benjamin's shoulder. When her hand connected with his shoulder she sighed softly, biting her lip, and hoping that he wouldn't totally snap at her. "Excuse me," She said politely, glancing over her should momentarily to make sure she wasn't about to totally knock someone over. She noticed Catrina who had completely stopped and was now looking at Clarissa with this confused face.

Zechariah smiled gently, as was customary of him to do, as he gazed into Azalea's eyes, again. There this sense of calm whenever he saw those beautiful, light blue eyes. He thought for a moment and remembered something. "I know of a bakery, just outside Diplomacy Square, that is always open. Ben and I sometimes went there during our last stay in the District of Justicra, which was when we were first trained in handling Mechs. Everything at that bakery is made fresh, and the coffee is not bad, either. We can tell the head baker that I am giving you a tour of the city, so they won't even suspect anything. What do you say?"

------

Aaron shrugged. "Only because of a few previous visits, plus I've seen a map of the city that was made from a satellite photo via a military computer during our country's previous war. We never made it to the District of Justicra due to being pushed back by the Benjlakki, Zechariah among them, but I if I remember the details. If I remember right, there is a shooting game section not far from here. Let's go check it out."

Aaron held May's hand, not sure of why, and led her to what he was talking about. Soon enough, he found the game he was looking for. "This one is where you take a game pistol, designed to look real when shooting it while not doing any actual harm, and shoot at the target, which moves to another area of the screen when the shot hits. The location of the target that is hit determines the number of points you gain. If it's a bullseye, you gain ten points. There is a stop in in the middle of the session where you switch out the clip as fast as you can, as you are competing with other people who are participating the same time as you are, before shooting again. At the end of the whole session, the scores are compared. The winner is the person with the highest score, whose score is then compared to the scores of other previous winners that ever came about. If yours is a high score, you get a prize, which is usually some sort of souvenir. Want to have a go?"

------

Benjamin glanced in the white-haired girl's direction, noticing her. Upon that, his face went three shades of red. Oh, crud! What do I do? He turned around with a nervous look as he placed a hand behind his neck. "Uh... Y-yes, miss? A-anything I can help with?"

-------

Gracchus admired Oriana's passion for the discussion, which showed in his smile. He did not even notice her metallic arm. I think I'm in love...

Meanwhile, the President nodded towards Oriana and then glanced towards Leonardo. "Leonardo Metargo, will you please stand and speak?"

Azalea held onto him gently and debated if going to the bakery was a good idea or not. Finally after a few seconds of debating she nodded in agreement. "I like that idea, it seems like it is going to be good." She said softly then sighed softly. She hated that they had to keep their relationship a secret, but she knew there were reasons that they couldn't be seen as a couple. She looked down, a little upset about what she had just thought about. Some times she hated being a Princess because she couldn't really do exactly what she wanted. Sighing softly she looked at Zechariah with a small smile.

---

May blushed lightly while she held Aaron's hand as he lead her to where they were supposed to meet up with Kyle at after he got their refreshments. Upon seeing the game she smirked a little, looking over at Aaron. She listened to how they play the game and she nodded slowly as she took all of the information in. "Do I want to have a go?" She asked with a small grin. "Of course I do!" She giggled, rolling her eyes at him. She gently pushed him with her open hand and gently bit her lip. Releasing her lip she finally said, "I'm totally going to beat you at this game." She slowly slipped her hand from his before skipping towards and into the building where the game was.

---

Clarissa giggled softly, rolling her eyes at him as she saw his face turn three different shades of red. "Oh nothing really. I just saw you looking at me and I was also thinking you could help me out with something that I need help with." She said to him with a small smile as she looked him over. Catrina stopped near them, raising a curious eyebrow at them. Weird, she thought when she saw how red Benjamin's face was. She shook her head then just started to walk off without him and continued their patrol without him while he talked to Clarissa.

Zechariah, upon hearing Aza's agreement, motioned for her to follow as he walked along. He made sure she was with him, in the process. Once outside Diplomacy Square, he led her to the bakery he talked about. The interior had the aroma of home-baked goods about it. Zech saw the head baker come in and greet him while wondering why Azalea was with her.'

Zechariah answered with, "I'm giving her a tour of town."

The baker nodded and went over to the counter to take Zech's order. There was a great variety of things to choose from. The coffee seemed to have as much variety.

Zechariah spoke once he made his decision. "I think I'll have a blueberry bagel." Glancing towards Aza, he asked her, "See anything you like?"

----

Aaron smirked at the thought of May competing with him. He knew this was going to be fun. The sergeant followed May to the game mentioned and put in the coins needed foe both of them. picking up the fake pistol, he waited for her to do the same before pressing the start button. His shots were rather accurate, yet he did not always hit the bullseye, only sometimes.

----

Benjamin raised an eyebrow, since he was not sure what she was talking about. It was confusing. Either way, he said to the white-haired girl, "Sure."

----

President Anderson heard both Malinha and Oriana speak on a possible peaceful union. He knew this would not be easy, so he nodded and said to the people in conference. "We shall now take this time to take a break from the meeting. We shall continue after a bit of time has passed. I would also recommend considering what all was said earlier."

Officials, military personnel, and other people at the conference got up and began moving about. This was Gracchus' chance, which he took and walked up to Oriana with a closed-mouth grin. "You were amazing, Oriana!"

Meanwhile, Saul remained where he was and held Calida's hand. He knew this would not be an easy decision, considering what all has happened. The king could hear his own men speaking amongst themselves in confusion. Whatever would happen was a mystery.

-----

Kyle laughed softly prior to leading Max to the bar in the refreshment section. The atmosphere was pleasant enough, considering the mix of different kinds of people gathered here. Heading over to the bartender, he order a vodka, strawberry daiquiri, and a hot chocolate. With all three orders in place and paid for, he offered to pay for Max's drink, as well. Once Max received his, Kyle noticed a Benjlakki soldier in a black uniform. She was quite attractive, both in the body and in the face. Kyle nudged Max and motioned for him to look in her direction.

"Go for it."

Next came another Benjlakki soldier, whom was wearing a different uniform and had red hair. Her face radiated a kind of innocence that he found hard to resist. She's adorable! Picking up the vodka, strawberry daiquiri, and hot chocolate with a cup handler, he expressed his easygoing nature while saying to the red-head. "Well, hello there, cuteness! Aren't you looking lovely?"

Aza had followed close to him all the way to the bakery then she slowed down so that he left a few feet between them. Upon entering the bakery the instant aroma of baked goods hit her and an instant smile grew on her face. She inhaled the aroma deeply. Following Zechariah over to the counter she looked at all the options of what she could get. She bit her lip gently, nibbling on it a bit as she looked at all of the possible things she could get. Everything looked so freaking delicious! She was having a hard time choosing. Finally after a few minutes of debating she looked at the baker and smiled gently while straightening up a bit. "I'll have a Banana Muffin." She told him as she pushed her braid over her shoulder. Accidentally without thinking about it she reach for Zechariah's hand, but quickly yanked her hand back when she realized what she was doing.

---

May giggled, picking up a fake pistol and aiming. She wasn't perfect, but she knew she was a really good shooter when it came to using a pistol. Holding it up she aimed and fired, going for the bullseye which she hit several times. She couldn't remember how many times though, just that she had suddenly been determined to get a better score than Aaron at least. She didn't care about winning even though the competitive side of her wanted first place as long as she beat Aaron that would be good enough for her.

---

Clarissa sighed softly, realizing she had probably confused him. "I'm sorry," She said softly. "That was probably really confusing. Here lets start with this," She paused, thinking for a moment. "I really need your help right now. Your a solider right? You know your way around here right?" She asked, let out a soft, long breath. You could tell she was starting to stress out for a reason that was unknown to human beings.

---

Catrina stopped, turning in the direction of who was speaking. Her eyes landed on the person who was speaking. She glanced down at her outfit, oh yeah real attractive her in her uniform turns every man on. She rolled her eyes at Kyle, pushing a strand of her red hair over her shoulder. Even though she was acting like she didn't care you could tell by the blush slowly showing up that she had never had that happen before. She shook her head at him, "Can I help you?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Zechariah shrugged while giggling a little, as well, thinking on what Aza said. He broke eye contact and ate a little. With a few bites of his bagel down, he swallowed the latest one and looked in the Princess' direction. He figured talking about certain relative of hers would result in an uncomfortable situation, so he decided to ask a question on something else. He heard from other people Metargo cities were largely metallic, with gardens on the roofs of buildings due to them being to tall. Either way, he felt that should he meet some of her family (assuming it was at any point safe enough to have their relationship known to the public) he would have to know about the nation, sooner or later.

"What is Metargo like?"

-----

Benjamin nodded, a bit more relaxed, now, and nodded towards Clarissa. "Sure do. Was there a specific place you had in mind? I know that the Disctrict of Justicra is a massive place, like Diplomacy Square is. Anyway, I can help with that."

-----

Kyle noticed the shyness from Catrina and thought of how adorable she was. Frankly, he was a bit shy, as well. He was always like that on the inside whenever seeing someone he genuinely liked. He was a pervert, yes, but not to the point of insensitivity. He still did not show anything but the grin on his face. He could be such a smooth talker, sometimes. He was about to say something when he heard Aaron from a distance, which was not at all pleasant with him not showing up.

Kyle shugged and handed Catrina a paper with his communications number before he walked up to Aaron with, "Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked."

Aaron scoffed. "I can see that."

Kyle handed the hot chocolate (which was still warm, to an extent) to May, and the strawberry daiquiri to Aaron. Picking up the cup of vodka and sipping it, he thought on what else was there to do. Of course, he did not desire to leave Catrina's side. Alas, if they had to, they had to.

-----

Gracchus heard what Oriana said and felt somewhat more relaxed. Of course, it was only fair that the diplomat not make a decision. Not knowing one another so well could pose a problem. Granted, he did not have much of a choice on admitting his feelings due to putting himself in a spot where he had to. Nodded, he went back to the room and sat down without a word.

------

Saul decided to break the silence between him and Calida. He was not sure when the meeting would continue, so he said to her, "Calida, darling, you were always better at social matters, which is why I need a little help from you with something." The King sighed prior to resuming. "I believe I may have been too hard on Leo, and I feel I was a terrible father because of that. I wish to make it up to him, yet I am not sure how to go about it."

Aza smiled a little, thinking about how Metargo was like. It was a really nice place and she loved it but hat probably wouldn't be a good explanation. She glanced around, "Its a really nice place." She said softly, looking over at him with a smile. "I mean you know what people say about it. It has all these amazingly tall buildings, with these gorgeous gardens on them. The people there are nice, sometimes." She informed him. "I love taking walks around Metargo when I am allowed to, and I love to see how people interact with each other. You would be amazed at what I see some times." She admitted, shaking her head once before sighing softly. "Anything specific you want to know about Metargo?" She questioned him.

---

Clarissa smiled, thinking for a few seconds before coming up with a place. "Um, no not really. I just thought because you most likely know this area very well that you could show me around and tell me a little bit about this place." She said to him finally. She didn't want to seem so suspicious because she didn't want to admit to him that she was an angel. At least not yet. "Oh I forgot to mention, I am Clarissa." She introduced herself with a small, gentle smile.

---

May followed close to Aaron, sighing softly as he just pretty much returned to his usual self. She crossed her arms over her chest, seeing Kyle she waved at him once then crossing her arms over her chest again. She noticed a girl talking to Kyle and wondered if she should just leave them alone, but Aaron didn't seem to care that he was talking to someone. Sighing softly she shook her head watching Catrina while Aaron and May edged closer and closer to Kyle. Catrina had taken the paper with his communication number she looked at it for a moment before at Kyle. She smiled and shook her head at him, sighing softly she turned away and walked off while stuffing the communication number into one of the many pockets. She didn't even take a second look at it. She wasn't interest, nope, not at all, and she wasn't planning on communicating him at all... nope... never.

After Kyle had finally approached them and handed them their drinks she shook her head at him, taking a small sip of her hot chocolate. Good thing it was still kind of warm. She smiled at him, shaking her head before looking to Aaron on how he was going to react. Aaron had always been such a hard ass to Kyle when he wasn't on task. Running a hand through her hair then took another larger sip of her drink. Gosh she loved chocolate.

Zechariah nodded occasionally to confirm he was listening. Metargo Capitag'hk, coming from Azalea's mouth, sounded like a nice city, yet the towers blocking the sky so much would take some getting used to. Shrugging, he answered her question with, "Nah, I can't think of anything specific." Finishing off his bagel, he thought on what to discuss, next. As he thought on it, he saw a pair of birds building a nest at a nearby tree. If only we could be like them and not worry about what other people think. The mere recollection on the reality of what both the Benjlakki and Metargo would say to them being together gave him a saddened frown. One of these days, Zechariah. Soon, it will be safe. It is just a matter of time. All this political stuff needs to fade away, first, is all.

------

Benjamin grinned a little. for some odd reason, he felt a lot calmer, less intense. Of course, he was a sucker for innocent-looking people, yet he felt even more so around this woman, and he could not place a finger on why. Nodding, Benjamin showed her around town, including some of the major sites, such as Justicra Library, where books on countless topics were found (even a ton of old newspapers and recordings).Last, but not least, the bakery next to Diplomacy Square. "My brother and I came here, once in a while, during our first time in this city for mech piloting training. Everything in this bakery is handmade."

------

Kyle looked behind him and saw Catrina walking away, which made him snap his fingers in disappointment. "Drat."

Aaron simply rolled his eyes. "You can't get your mind off of women, can you?"

"I try."

Aaron glanced over at a nearby clock. "Well, we may need to get going back to the gate we came through. I don't know when the conference will end, so we're better safe than sorry."

He led all both Kyle and May back to where they were at the gate to see Zechariah and Azalea on the bench together. At this point, Aaron's cold façade faded just by reflecting on what all Zechariah said. His face expressed subtle signs of regret at ever being so harsh towards the Eagle of Mercy, whom would prefer not to be preferred as such. Kyle was the first to notice.

"Hey, sergeant? You seem to be down, a little."

Aaron glanced in Kyle's direction. "What makes you say that?"

Kyle smirked. "Oh, come on! You hardly ever let that cold façade go away. What's eating you?"

"Nothing."

Shrugging, the perverted Private told him, "Okay, but if you ever want to talk about it, let us know."

-----

Agathe took a sip of iced, decaffeinated coffee, to refresh after having arrived at the District of Justicra. She had many things to attend to before arriving so late, such as reconfiguring the 9H-K Red Bolt via spells so that it could handle magic ammo and projectiles, plus give off a magic blade where plasma would be, since plasma is still a mystery to most Mysticarans. She felt Cam Broch has been dealt a bad hand and could use a friend. Fertaninn had quite a beauty of its own, she had to admit, with all the farms, bizarre windmills, communities which thrive on solar energy, and all sorts of natural wildlife and plantlife native only to Benjlakk. The towns were amazing, as well, with all the different arrays of buildings and gardens, plus the occasional fountains and pools. She loved it all.

Agathe decided to use a spell she developed which would allow her to see different sites of the city without having to move about. Frankly, she eventually spotted a Metargo soldier armed with a sniper rifle looking onwards toward a window in the Conference Hall, which gave her some concern. Who would risk the wrath of Benjlakk doing what she thought the man was doing? Then again, he could have been doing something else, yet she had no clue. At any rate, she was compelled to go see this man. Her teleportation worked just fine, her winding up behind the man without a sound. Granted, she wondered how much longer it would be before matters got out of hand, as she took a large enough risk teleporting behind him.

Hesitantly, she tapped him on the shoulder while shyly saying, "Hello? I-Is everything okay? I mean, Benjlakk doesn't want any violence, and they are strict about enforing their polices so... there's nothing to worry about, right?" Agathe took a few steps back at noticing the mask. It was one she was familiar with from reading a book on the Metargo military while bored. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

----

Saul smiled towards Calida ever so gently. Her response was not what he expected, given how she mistook part of what he said, yet he realized he should have worded it differently. At any rate, his wife was correct in that Leonardo should not be treated like a boy. Yet, it did nothing to ease his remorse, overall, at how he was not particularly fatherly towards their son. He hid that well with his closed-mouth grin as he waited for everyone to be seated so that President Anderson could give commence with the continuation of the meeting.

Azalea sighed softly, finishing up her muffin quickly she glanced around. Her hands went to gently smooth out her dress before she glanced over at Zechariah as a question popped up into her head that she felt she needed to ask. "Do you think we will ever be able to act you know like a real couple? We aren't always going to have to hide our relationship from the public right?" She questioned him softly. She stared at him for a few moments then shook her head as she looked away, nibbling on her lip gently. She was worried that they would never be able to show their relationship off to the public because it wasn't safe or wouldn't be accepted or something like that. Just the thought made her sad because she didn't want to care what people thought, but she knew she had to care what people's opinions were on their relationship.

---

Clarissa stayed close to Benjamin while she walked down the street. Her eyes scanned the area, taking in every direction so that if they had to part ways she wouldn't be completely lost. She smiled brightly when they arrived to the bakery because someone had just been leaving and when the door swung open you could faintly smell the pastries inside of the bakery. She looked at Benjamin as he told her that him and his brother had came to this same bakery when they were in pilot training. "Does the food in this bakery actually taste good?" She asked, glancing over at him. She wrapped her arms around herself, sighing softly as she began to wonder about him.

---

May smiled, following a little ways behind Aaron as she followed behind Aaron until they got to the gate. This was when she took a tiny sip of her semi-hot chocolate and turned away from them. She listened to Aaron and Kyle while they talked about something. Kyle had asked what was bothering him and Aaron has just responded to him that it was nothing. Aaron did seem to be acting a little weird lately and she wasn't really sure why. She turned back towards them, walking over to Aaron and gently putting her hand on his arm then moved her hand. "How long is it until we need to escort Azalea? Does anyone even know when this meeting is going to end?" She questioned, sighing softly.

Zechariah glanced in Azalea's direction with a soft grin. "It should not be too long before we can behave like a real couple. Tensions between Benjlakk and Metargo don't usually last for more than a few years." He glanced back at the tree with the birds while he spoke, his grin somewhat faltering at the thought of the pattern. "It's sort of always the same story: Every century or so, someone leads an invasion upon us due to Fertaninn's surplus of crops, the invasion force is defeated, and a treaty is signed to try to remove the shortage problems of the time. After that, it's usually a few years before things cool down."

----

Aaron felt May's hand on his arma nd blushed. This turn, his face was redder than usual whenever May touched him. He kept calm, though, while he shrugged. "I have no idea. It really depends on how long those politicians and such keep at it. I'll bet there has been some sort of child-like argument, at this point. At any rate, we should stick close to this area and keep an eye open for any assassins."

Kyle expressed every hint of disappointment. "Ah, man! that's no fun!"

----

Benjamin nodded. "Yep. Everything is freshly baked, and they do a great job at making what they do. Come on, let's go inside."

The head baker welcomed the two and made small chatter before asking what they would like. Benjamin ordered a croissant and a cup of vanilla latte. He then glanced in Clarrissa's direction. "Well, see anything you like?"

----

Gracchus listened to both Oriana and Sandra. They both seemed to have a point. When President Anderson motioned for him to speak, next, the elf rose to share his opinion. "Well, I cannot speak for all the Tribal Forces, as they are mainly under the control of their chieftains, making coordination with one another a necessity. This is actually the first time a Head Councilor has been given as much authority over some aspects of the Mysticaran Tribal Forces as Marcus Pericles was. However, I can speak for most of my troops in the Natrulkra Tribal Force. Yes, we fought because many of us believed it was necessary to preserve the natural balance in Myrstarkia, yet we witnessed our efforts having the opposite effect. Admiral Lionel of the Benjlakki Navy is not joking when she says everything and everyone felt the effects of the war. People are abandoning their homelands, creatures of the land, air, and sea are on the brink of extinction, desolation is spreading, and individuals everywhere are suffering for it all. Even Feliniri, an out-of-the way subcontinent of a nation, is being torn from within by the conflict. Unless both sides lower their arms soon, Angels of the Deity help us as we realize how much everyone truly lost to the entire scenario."

Gracchus said what he had to, so he sat down to await the results of his brief speech. Although, his ears being so great at hearing, he had a hunch from what little he heard from Malinha and Leonardo's conversation that Prince Leonardo might dismiss the idea of a union or the lowering of arms.

President Anderson nodded before motioning for Leonardo. "Since you are a leader within the Metargo Military, what is your opinion on this, Prince Leonardo?"

----

Agathe blushed a little when she heard Cain ask if she wanted to come with him for a bite to eat somewhere. Is he... asking me out on a date? Me, a Mysticaran, when he could be asking out a Metargo girl without any trouble? Why would he want to spend time with me? She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded with a soft smile. "Sure. I walked past a bakery just outside of Diplomacy Square which makes everything from scratch. I hear that same bakery also makes some great deli sandwiches, whatever they are. Follow me."

Along the way, when she and Cain reached a less crowded area right next to a gate, she noticed Zechariah and Azaalea sitting on a bench together. She immediately noticed both of them, making a note to tell Malinha that it was Zechariah Malachi that was in a relationship with the Metargo Princess. I don't know why my Chieftain thinks their relationship an affair, since they are not even married or cheating on anyone. The only reason that couple would be hiding their relationship would be because of the current tensions between Metargo and Benjlakk from the Benjlakki region of Fertaninn being invaded a couple years ago.

Once at the bakery, Agathe saw Zechriah's brother, Benjamin Malachi, with a white-haired woman and already ordering something from the baker. The Mysticaran woman looked towards Cain with her soft smile. "I guess we can look at what this place has on the menu while we wait. I hear they make some great coffee, as well."

Azalea smiled softly when she noticed Zechariah's grin. His response was comfort to her because she really didn't want to have to keep this up. Keeping secrets from her family and her people just seemed wrong, and it was not something she did often unless she really thought it was important. Her smile along with his grin faltered as he began to explain how there was a constant patter going on. She listened to him, "Seriously? Doesn't anyone think that is ridiculous?" She shook her head, sighing softly. "Never mind don't answer that. That was a dumb question." She mumbled and began to mess with her braid. Her fingers moved slightly numbly over the smooth strands of her braided hair and the few rebellious strands that had escaped the braid. Suddenly thinking about her relationship she hoped that her parents would accept Zechariah and her relationship with a boy who did not live in the same nation as her.

---

May looked at him with both a confused and questioning look on her face when she saw the blush appear on Aaron's face. Why was he blushing? Has he always blushed when she just put her hand on his arm? Not that she knew of, but she hasn't paid as much attention to Aaron until recently. From what she has observed here recently though is that he has been acting pretty weird here lately. Afterwards he had finally answered her question. Now they were finally doing something sort of productive since they had to watch out for some assassins. "Got it," She mumbled the response then looked over at Kyle. "It's not supposed to be fun Private." She told him with a shrug. One roll of her eyes she finally decided she had to try and get to the bottom of why Aaron was acting a certain way. "Soooo Aaron, wanna tell me why you were blushing? I don't think I have ever seen a higher rank get as red as a face as you did unless they were mad. Are you mad at me sir?" She asked curiously, turning her back as she scanned the streets.

---

Everything to Clarissa looked absolutely delicious. She scanned over the pastries then moved to look at the drinks. It took her only a couple of minutes for her to decide just to get a caramel latté. She ordered what she wanted before turning towards Benjamin. "Thank you by the way, I mean for you know showing me around." She told him honestly. She offered him a kind smile before turning back towards the counter where the person whom had taken their order had been standing. Wow.. this was amazing. The one place they plopped her down you would never really realize that something was wrong, though, she hasn't been here long enough to really get around this place and learn more about it.

Zechariah was about to say something along the lines of confirming there are people who think it ridiculous, yet Azalea took back her query by stating it was not an intelligent one. He decided to change the subject to make things less uncomfortable. "My hometown is along the coastline, at the southern part of the Bloinkai Peninsula, in Southeastern Fertaninn. Like the rest of Fertaininn, it is a mainly agricultural area, with fishing making up another big portion of the town's economy. They don't go overboard with it, however, which is a good thing.

------

Kyle shrugged in response to what May said. "True. We've probably goofed off enough, already, anyway." With that, he chose a spot to stand watch and had his hand on his pistol in case of an assassination attempt. He was a pervert, that much was true, yet when he got serious, he meant business.

Meanwhile, Aaron heard what May said to him prior to shrugging. "I'm not mad. I-it's just... I have no clue, really... I seriously don't know." Clearing his throat, he added. "We should just focus on the task at hand."

------

Benjamin smiled towards Clarissa. "You're welcome." Looking around once the two of them received what they ordered and paid for it, he found a table. "Maybe we can sit over there together?"

------

Agathe kept her gentle smile while she and Cain sat together at a table enjoying what they ordered. The man's question, however, caught her a little off guard. It was a valid query, so she was not all that surprised. "Well, to be brutally honest, I am tired of all this fighting. It's getting us nowhere. Besides, I doubt many people would try to pull something while in Benjlakk, considering the long history its people have of conquering whole nations for violating their neutrality. As for other reasons... I don't know, really." Her eyes glanced downwards while her smile faded. I know there's another reason, but why can't I figure out what?

------

President Anderson did not hear any further discussion, which meant the meeting was basically adjourned. "Well, if nobody else wants to discuss this, then this conference is adjourned. I will be sure to tell the Senate within Congress the results of what transpired here. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the day. The festival should continue until sunset."

((I recommend Leo not meeting up with his sister until after Zech leaves her side due to something important cropping up. *hint hint* ))

May was just as confused as Aaron probably was. There wasn't any way that she could put her finger on exactly why he was acting a certain way but when Aaron told her to do something; she did it. "Hm," She said quietly. Mostly to herself just as she began to question things in her head. Most questions were about Aaron, but a few other questions were about when in the world she would be able to change back into some more casual clothes since she was very uncomfortable in the uniform that she was currently wearing. As soon as she heard feet hit the concrete her hand in one swift movement had her pistol from her holster and was now pointing it straight at the solider who had just landed before them. After hearing Aaron announce that it was just Private Alymer she let out a soft sigh of relief as she slowly slid her pistol back into her holster and rolled her eyes at the Private. Upon hearing how Kyle commented about how Crayln should be more careful she nodded in agreement before looking away from him and down at the ground.

---

Azalea had nodded and listened to how he described this place to her. It was nice to hear but before she could really respond not only Zechariah but also May, Aaron, and Kyle had all been surprised by something. She quirked an eyebrow quizzically due to the fact that she was really unsure of what she was supposed to say or do. She glanced over in the direction that most of those whom of which that she knew were looking at. Aza couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her lips as she watched Zechariah slowly sit back down after seeing who it was who had landed on the ground. "A bit jumpy today, aren't we?" She questioned in a slightly teasing tone. She gently poked him before gripping his hand which she quickly released when she released that she shouldn't hold his hand. The last thing she needed was to give someone the idea that they were in a relationship, even if they were, she couldn't have anyone know.

---

Clarissa held the pastry in her hand, her eyes looking it over a few times until Benjamin spoke. This snapped her out of her slight daze. "I would not mind at all if we sat together." She told him with a small smile. Momentarily she messed with the food in her hand, her entire body seeming radiate just pure warmth and light. Of course the girl was unaware of what was going on, but when she realized what was going on the radiating warmth and light was dimmed, and she returned to normal. This was a light that spread through her entire body and was noticeable to the human eye when she was actually happy. This was a way that could give away who she really was because of course people would get curious and ask what just happened. Hoping that wasn't the case with Benjamin and he hadn't just noticed the occurrence she just looked away as if admiring her surroundings.

After the cup of coffee and breakfast Cam had returned to his hotel room for a few hours. Now as he exited the hotel he wore his Mystrican uniform and a pistol was strapped to his waist. He knew they were suppose to meet the delegation at the refreshment center after the meeting so he made his way there.

The place seemed crowded and he kept a hand near his holster not for a quick draw but to keep others from grabbing at his gun. He seemed to just be wiggling through the crowd at this point.

--------
As the meeting was finished Sandra watched others file out. She could have left as well but she would have just wandered to do paperwork. She got up and walked over to President Anderson giving him a brisk salute. "Mr. President might I grab your ear for a moment of your time?" She asked the leader.

Zechariah felt the poke from Aza and snapped out of his anxiety, at least for the moment. He did not react to his hand only briefly being touched. Zecahriah calmed down further once Cralyn left. His soft grin return. "Yeah, jumpy kind of described that." After a small laugh, he posed the query, "You were saying?"

----

Aaron and Kyle went back to setting up a defensive perimeter to protect the Princess when Cralyn left. There was no point in leaving her without protection due to the possibility, however slight, of someone pulling something. Whatever happened, their current task was simple.

----

Benjamin noticed the light from Clarissa and went wide-eyed. Was that what he thought it was? Eventually, he decided he was only seeing things. Therefore, he did not ask about it. Instead he changed the subject. "So, Clarissa, is there anything you particularly enjoy doing in your spare time? I mean, travel is probably one of them, but..." He cleared his throat and tried to think of more to say, yet failed at it.

----

Agathe giggled a little at what Cain said. "Oh, we aren't related by blood, though I still have that sister mentality around him. Checking on him is easy enough for me. I know a spell which can help me observe things without being there." She closed her eyes, a blue ball of light forming in front of her so Cain could see what she was seeing. Seeing the refreshment section, she noticed Isaac was not sitting where he was before. After some random sites popped up, she finally spotted Isaac with a Feliniri girl whom was in a Benjlakki mech pilot uniform. This made Agathe laugh a bit. "Well, looks like he made a friend, or did he develop a crush on that tiger woman? Either way, it is kind of cute." When she opened her eyes, she glanced over at Cain with a soft grin. "You know, speaking of families, I am a little curious about yours. Pardon me if I am delving into something personal."

----

Sarxas' smile grew wider at seeing Isaac behave the way he was with his food. It reminded her so much of her adoptive brother. "Glad to hear that." Taking a few more bites of her own salmon, she noticed a butterfly come their way. It fluttered around the pair while she looked at it with undivided attention. Once it landed on her nose, the Feliniri girl giggled prior to the insect flying away. Turning her eyes toward Isaac with a slight grin, she said, "Sorry, I still have a lot of kitten in me."

----

President noticed the Admiral and grinned a little. Sandra was one of the more experienced naval officers he knew, one which he could respect more than the more rowdy individual which disrupted the conference after Leonardo spoke and threatened the order within the room. "I have time, Admiral Lionel. Is something the matter?"

----

Saul left the room with Calida and Leonardo. Once out the building, a few members of Lion Team were present to escort the trio. He made no mention of his lack of knowledge on why Leo was to be there, as it did not matter, at that point. He had suspiscions that Prime Minister Lopez may have withheld that information from the family, yet he could not prove it. Whatever the scenario, he focused on his family's protection while in the city, since the conference was over, and he realized one of the few idiots who tried anything could be dangerous. He was confident Azalea was well protected, though he had his own handy pistols in case of an assassination attempt. His eyes surveyed his surroundings for anything or anyone suspicious, as was customary of him when not in Metargo.

----

While the protagonists from all three superpowers conversed and went about their business in Benjlakk, three Angels made their way to an old, well-protected temple which was well out of the way of mortal affairs, situated within the very deserts of Omegara. This temple's surroundings consisted of human figures enveloped in a holy energy which left them frozen. These were the sealed warriors from the Era of Origins from two distinct tribes that eventually formed Benjlakk and Metargo, still trapped alive in spite of the several thousands of years that passed. This was part of the curse to the men who desecrated sacred ground, as emplaced by the Angels who made the seal: the sealed away warriors would not move a muscle, yet they would not die, either.

The three Angels landed in front of the gates to the Temple of the Deity, where only Angels and any of the Deity's faithful (or, of course, people he has foreseen to be paramount to something critical) could enter. The eldest of the three angelic brothers, Ferkaakt, opened the gates for the younger ones to go through before shutting them again. The youngest, Jerhasz, tensed his muscles while the one aged in between, Karryytya, glanced around in astonishment.

Jerhasz closed his eyes shut while speaking. "The Deity must have been here often before he left us in charge of protecting Mortal Kind in his absence. I can feel his power."

Karrytya shrugged. "Eh, it's not much different from the Heavens."

"Well, yes, but..."

Ferkaakt hushed the two. "Are we going to argue over the Deity's former presence here, or are we going to decipher his prophecy on our current predicament with the mortal nations?"

With that, all three Angels went to the Hall of Prophecies, where the Deity's predictions and such were stored in an extensive archives for the Angels to look over and read to determine what must be done. It was not uncommon for the Deity to predict the fate of mortal nations, or even when a war would begin. Due to so0 many prophecies made, the search for the one the brothers were looking for would take time.

After hearing whatever Azalea had to say, he did not even have time to respond when he suddenly received a message from a member of Brown Wing Team. Whatever it was had to be important. The voice message went as follows:

Zechariah, we have a problem! We just received two distress calls from two different locations at Hawk Street, on the southern side of town! They each claim people in military uniform are holding them hostage for secrets on the Benjlakki Armed Forces' military technology! I couldn't get anything else from the transmissions other than torture is going on as we speak! I've sent the coordinates to you while sending this message! We better get to those locations, and fast! Kenneth Nadab, out!

Zechariah glanced towards Azalea with a soft grin, though his eyes expressed a hint of sadness at the two of them having to go their separate ways, again. "I'll keep in touch, okay?" With that, he sprinted off while sending a message to every Brown Wing Team Member about the scenario, ordering everyone to set their weapons to stun.

With that out of the way, Zechariah had to send a distress call to one of the military headquarters in town. The nearest to the scenes was the Naval Headquarters. Knowing that, he set an announcement on the facility's speakers which went as follows:

Naval Headquarters, this is Zechariah Malachi, from Brown Wing Team! We received two distress calls from two different locations on Hawk Street that cvilians are being held hostage in abandoned buildings, the coordinates indicated on the map! All personnel available are requested to assist with rescuing them and finding out who it is that violated our neutrality!

-----

Agathe noticed the cold look Cain gave and frowned. I must've touched on something I shouldn't have... Hearing what he said caused her to express a hint of sadness. "Sorry to hear that."

-----

Gracchus relaxed a little when Oriana said it was okay, though he still did not enjoy the cold look she gave. When she gave the suggestion of coming with her and the orphans, he casually nodded. "I don't see any harm in that." turning toward Malinha, he asked her, "Yes, no, maybe? What say you chieftain?"

-----

Benjamin listened to whatever Clarissa told him before be heard his brother call for Brown Wing Team to head to two different locations to rescue civilians. "Dang. Sorry, I better go, here's an extra communications devise." He gave instructions on how to use it then said he would call her, soon, on it. That out of the way, he sprinted towards one of the buildings. There, he and his squadron stormed inside and were met by elemental blasts. Mysticarans... Who'd have thought they'd go this far?

-----

President Anderson listened to whatever Sandra had to say. Before anything could be said back, however, one of the security officers ran up to him with the report of Naval Headquarters being notified of civilian held hostage in abandoned buildings at Hawk Street, the coordinates for both buildings provided. President Anderon nodded with a solemn nod, then told Sandra, "We should probably handle the task at hand before we discuss this matter further."

-----

Zechariah and two squadrons met at the other buildings, weapons set to stun, ready for further instructions. The sergeant could only hope reinforcements would arrive. If this, this would prove difficult.

-----

Aaron could see armored hovercraft above the city while he was on guard for any assassins. Kyle raised an eyebrow while wondering what could be going on. First, Zechariah had to leave because of an emergency, then suddenly this happens? What was going on?

-----

Sarxas listened to whatever Isaac next said before hearing from zechariah about an emergency to attend to. From what she heard, it seemed serious. Bringing out her pistols and setting them to stun, her expressions turned from happy and kitten-like to serious and angry. "I better go. Someone's violated Benjlakk's neutrality policies, and I need to be there to rescue some civilians. If there is time later today, I'll come back to talk to you."

Throwing away her plate and what was left of the salmon she had, she sprinted off with incredible speed. She met up with Zechariah and leaned on the wall where everyone in her squadron was. Whatever it was that would happen, the tiger Feliniri immigrant was prepared for.

Azalea sighed, messing with the bottom of her dress as she nodded to Zechariah. She glanced over at him, watching him flee away as he went to go take care of what ever needed to be taken care of. Most of the time she never was really good with that kind of stuff. It was evident that she was sad that he was leaving her side, but of course she knew everything had a reason. Slowly she rose from the bench where Zechariah and her had once been seated at. Turning towards Aaron and the other's who would soon enough escort her away she quirked an eyebrow, following Aaron's up to the sky where an armored hovercraft was flying above the city. Running over to the few soldier's she look at them with a questioning look. "What is going on?" She asked Aaron mostly, but it would be just fine with her if any of them answered.

---

May shrugged, unsure of what was going on to be completely honest. She looked around, half expecting people to be freaking out, and half expecting people to start rushing out at them for no reason. "Where did Zechariah go?" Questioned May to Azalea who simply responded with a shrug. "I heard the voicemail, but I'm not sure exactly what was going on." She admitted with a sigh, looking over from Kyle to Aaron. "Do you think my parent's are finished with the meeting yet?" She tried to ignore the large hovercraft that was making its way across the sky.

---

Clarissa sighed, nodding to Benjamin. As soon as he put that communication device in her hand and tried to teach her how to use it she flipped it around, inspecting it after he was no longer in her eye sight. She gently tapped the thing on the desk then cleared her throat as she lifted her body from the table. Making sure she was finished with everything she left the pastry shop, and circled behind it. After double checking to make sure no one was around she released her wings, shooting straight up into the air. Tucking the communication device away in her belt and securing it to make sure it wouldn't fall she shot across the sky, looking around as she tried to get an idea of the place. It was also then that she noticed the hovercraft, what in the world is that thing? She quirked an eyebrow, floating down a little incase it came in her direction.

---

Catrina snorted, getting a communication advising them that they needed to report to a certain area. She let out a long breath then darted in the direction. She broke by people, going to the place where she had been told people were being held kidnapped. Hurrying over to the place she got there just as Benjamin did. Whipping out her weapon she helped storm into the building. Gasping at the sudden elemental blast, she inhaled deeply, wondering what in the world just happen. A two second daze was quickly over and she was sliding to some kind of cover, although, this place did not offer that much cover.