May Fermana's Story

Fertaninn, Benjlakk's eastern region, contains wildlife and plant life relatively untouched by civilization, making this place a haven and paradise for people looking for an escape from most of the fuss that comes with politics. Many farmers, agricultural workers, biologists, and solar technicians call Fertaninn home. This is where Benjlakk's capital, the District of Justicra, is located. Here, the story begins.

Zechariah just put on his khaki, ceremonial military uniform for this day. It was the day of the conference to determine whether Benjlakk were to be involved in the war between Metargo and Mysticara. At the moment, Benjlakk was neutral, and the young sergeant doubted that would change. He then remembered the communication disk on his desk, which he picked up and began recording a voice message on it:

My dear Azalea,

Today is a big day for Benjlakk. Diplomacy Square is going to be packed with guests from around the world, as well as people from all over Benjlakk. While the festivities go on, a conference is going to be held on whom Benjlakk will side with, if at all. All the while, I am going to be out on patrol and stuff like that with the rest of my platoon of mech pilots. I hope the war is not out of hand where you live, knowing what has went on, so far.

Were it possible, right now, I would have loved to have brought you here, to Fertaninn, the most peaceful region in Benjlakk. There are plains and forests here which are relatively unspoiled by civilization. It is peaceful, an ideal place to live in if you want to avoid the fuss of politics and stuff of that nature. Well, it is close to time to patrol Diplomacy Square, so I should get going, now.

Yours forever and always,
Zechariah

Just then, as Zechariah sent the message, his older borther, Benjamin, whom was wearing a green uniform, knocked on the door and asked, "Hey, Zech! Who you calling?"

The Eagle of Mercy grinned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, it was someone I met at the Solar Tech Convention in Southeastern Fertaninn."

"Well, let's get going. The Diplomacy Square Festival is about to start, and we need to be there to keep any fights from happening!"

Zech laughed. "I know."

With that, he prepared his two laser pistols, setting them to stun before placing them in his holsters. The two brothers met up with the rest of the Brown Wing Team. Zechariah said to them, "Okay, As you all know, this is an event which will contain tons of people from many different places. Be on the lookout for anyone who winds up hostile towards each other and either escort them out or arrest them if the hostilities turn into a fight. That could happen, anywhere, anytime, especially with the war outside our borders. You all know what to do. Move out."

With members of the Brown Wing Team at other locations, the brothers chose to patrol a quieter spot of Diplomacy Square. So far, no fight broke out, yet they could never be too cautious. several moments passed before a familiar face, and an angry one, at that, appeared right at the area's entrance to diplomacy Square. It was Aaron Lextu, the Metargo soldier whom Zechariah fought during the previous war that occurred a couple years back. With Aaron were May and Kyle, Kyle behaving in a somewhat jolly mood due to the possibility of being able to party some.

Kyle spoke, first. "Hey, Aaron! Look at that! The Malachi Brothers! Kind of cool to see 'em in person, eh, buddy?"

Aaron gritted his teeth. "Hush, Private Scipio! We're here to escort the Princess, not for the party!" The leader of the Lion Team glanced back at Zechariah and posed the query, "I guess you're gonna gloat, now, over the several times you beat me?"

Aaron's words set Zechariah's teeth grinding. How dare that man treat war or combat like it was some game! "There's nothing to discuss with you, Aaron, so don't pretend there is!"

Aaron merely crossed his arms across his chest with, "Fine by me!"

Kyle laughed a little. "Looks like you've been told off, sergeant!"

"Whatever..." Aaron looked around and finally spotted the Princess coming their way to the entrance. "Good morning, your highness. It looks like you get to meet the famous Malachi Brothers early. One of them is Benjamin Malachi and the other is the so-called 'Eagle of Mercy', Zechariah Malachi."

It was when Aaron stepped to the side that Zechariah noticed the woman Aaron spoke to. Just the sight of her changed Zechariah's mood from angry to shocked, which showed in his eyes and facial expressions. He quite literally froze where he was. "Aza?"

Benjamin gave a confused look, "Zech, what's wrong? Is it really that big of a surprise she'd be here? Did you see her in person, before, or something?"

-----

Elsewhere, Saul, Calida, and Leonardo were making their way to the conference building where the diplomatic matters were to take place. Saul held Calida's hand while he mentioned some things required to know beforehand. "Now, Leo, we must be on our best behavior in front of the President of Benjlakk. Even one sign of disrespect towards anyone in the room could be used against us. In order to gain the Benjlakki people's approval, we cannot do anything they will frown upon. We are already in quite a pickle with how many towns and villages you burned to the ground, so far. We need to break the stalemate, and cannot afford to mess this up."

-----

Over at the refreshment section of Diplomacy Square, Gracchus and the rest of the Air and Ground Party from the Natrulkra Tribal Force were enjoying some coffee and/or wine. Gracchus personally enjoyed the friendly vibe of the place the most. The different cultures and people mixed into one intrigued him, as he was always curious. Granted, he knew he could not stay at that spot of Diplomacy Square for too long, so he told Isaac and Elisabeth. "I better head over to the conference building to be at the Chieftain's side, so no funny business while I'm gone, especially you, Isaac. Don't. Kill. Anyone. This isn't like Mysticara, where you could challenge somebody to a duel, you quite literally cannot kill a living person here in Benjlakk. If you do that, we'll have the Benjlakki Republic as an enemy before the conference even begins. That being said, don't bother hurting anyone while we're here."

The elf leader of the Air and Ground Party said what he had to and walked on over to the Chieftain, Malinha Nedilo, and escorted her. He was one of few people who knew of her spy network. "I don't know what you hope to achieve by having spies in Benjlakk, but you best hope they don't find out there are any in their country, as that will be construed as a violation of their neutrality."

Along the way, Gracchus noticed one of the Benjlakki Diplomats, Oriana Aspiral, heading the same direction. Wow! She's beautiful! He could not help but smile at the blue-haired woman, yet did not glance in her direction long, since staring was rude. He quickly recovered and had his eyes forward, again.

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 watched for a another moment or so, with Aaron cocking his head in a combination of confusion and annoyance. Kyle, in the meantime, already begun to have silent fantasies about what Zech and Aza might do in bed with each other if they chose to. Benjamin gave a stern look which demanded an explanation from his little brother.

Eventually, Zech noticed his older brother's glare and sighed as he glanced downwards. "Yes, we have met, before. It was at a solar tech convention in southeastern Fertaninn." He glanced upwards at his brother. "I did not even tell her I was a member of the Malachi family, or that I was the 'Eagle of Mercy'. I did not want her to focus on that. I wanted her to focus on the real me, which is not some legend or anything like that. I'm not just a skilled soldier with a reputation." Glaring at Aaron, he added, "And there is definitely more to me than just my achievements on the battlefield, or anything else the press focuses on. I don't even consider what I'll I did during the Metargo invasion upon Benjlakk, two years ago, to be anything honorable. I'm not someone who enjoys anything about combat." Zechariah glanced downwards, once more. "I'm just... Zechariah. I don't want to be treated like some legend or anything of the sort."

Benjamin sighed in a combination of pity and other feelings. "I know what you mean, Zech. It really stinks when people think what you are known for is all you are." The older Malachi brother next noticed Catrina behind her. He had this brother mentality towards her, considering the redhead like a little sister. "Hey, Catrina, you all right?"

Kyle finally got out of his fantasy world to register what he did hear from Zecahriah, specifically the last part. Kyle then nodded and said, "That's deep, man."

Aaron huffed in anger. To him, it did not change the fact his own reputation went down the drain. On the other hand, if what Zech said was true, then what happened was not to humiliate him, after all. Aaron became confused internally, yet never showed it on the outside. They only saw his cold exterior.

------

Saul did not say a word after his wife gave their son an explanation. He realized he has not been much of a father. Calling him 'Leo' was his way of trying to make it up to him with whatever time there was. Yet, he was unsure of how to begin. Calida was always better with the social matters.

------

Gracchus saw Oriana glaring daggers at an older man and was going to help her when Malinha already did that. Either way, he was glad a fight was avoided. "Oriana, huh? That's a nice name. I'm Gracchus, and this woman here is the Chieftain of Natrulkra, Malinha Nedilo." He used his magic to bring out ingredients and quickly make a mocha for the blue-haired diplomat. "Here, have a mocha."

Azalea messed with her braid, listening to what Zech was saying. At the moment she was still trying to figure out what exactly was happening right now. Everything was all happening so fast and she didn't know what to say or what to do when Zech started talking about he wanted her to see the real him not just some 'Eagle of Mercy' which she understood because she didn't want him to see her just as a princess. "Wow," She whispered mostly to herself. Slowly her eyes glanced around at everyone, stopping at Aaron who had this amazingly cold exterior even after Zechariah had said that. Sighing softly she looked at Zechariah again, "Could we speak? You know not in front of like this crowd of people?" She asked curiously then added, "not that I don't like you guys its just I would like to speak to him in private." Without even waiting she walked over to him, grabbing his wrist and tugging him away from the crowd.

Azalea held his wrist until they were out of ear shot of them so no one but the people who would pass them could hear what she was saying to him. "That was really deep," She said with a small smile. Messing with her laced sleeve nervously she glanced from the sleeve to Zechariah and back. Her heart thudding again like before as though it would just break from her chest. Unsure of what to say she finally looked at him longer than a few seconds. "Sorry for pulling you away from your group, but um Aaron was kind of freaking me out. He just had this like cold expression on your face even after you said that. I like Aaron, he can be a jerk some times, but he isn't necessarily all that bad." She shook her head, realizing she was totally getting off topic. "I'm sorry, I'm really nervous if you can't tell. Your not going to like flip out on me just for being the princess of Metargo and not telling you at all, are you?" Azalea asked, searching for something more to say to him.

While Azalea and Zechariah talked Catrina looked at Benjamin, gripping his wrist, and acting as if she was younger than she really was. "What's going on? I am like completely lost because I have no idea what is going on. What is Zechariah doing with the princess of Metargo?" She questioned him. Some times she thought of Benjamin as her older brother because he seemed to actually care about her. He would often help her out since she is just a Private and really has no idea what to do with a gun or anything that has to do with shooting it at some one or something. It's really not one of her strong points.

Finally May was thinking about going out for just one night without even really acting like she was a solider whom had no problem killing someone. She glanced over at Kyle, nudging him with her shoulder before walking over to Aaron's side and slinging her arm around his neck. "Whatcha thinking about? Or are you not thinking about anything because if so then you should lighten up a bit dear." She said with a small grin. She loved to mess with Aaron and a lot of the time she didn't really care if he got mad at her or not because she was kind of use to him being well a jerk. By this time she was kind of standing on her tippy toes due to the fact that he was pretty much almost a foot taller than she was and this was the only thing she could think of to get near his height without kneeling on a chair.

Zechariah looked up at Aza while listening. He did not even have time to respond when he was grabbed by the wrist. When told there was more to Aaron, he thought in his head about what more there could be to him. Either way, Zech noticed Azalea in a nervous state of mind. His heart beat at a more rapid pace when he heard the query, "Your not going to like flip out on me just for being the princess of Metargo and not telling you at all, are you?"

To which, the Benjlakki man smiled and said to her. "No way. I would not flip out at that. You are you, no one else." Were it not for being in a public area, he would have implanted a kiss after saying what he said. What held him back was, he knew people would not look highly upon their relationship, which would put a strain on both of them if the wrong person found out.

Of course, he looked around for some sort of place which would afford them more privacy. He found that in the form of two walls which were part of a previous structure which was no longer there. They were right at the corner of Diplomacy Square they were in, too, which made it ideal for him and Aza to have a little time to themselves. Once both he and her were out of sight, he knelt down a little so to stand somewhat close to her height, right before he kissed her on the cheek. He would have gone for the lips, yet with how hard it is to remove lipstick, neither of them would have been able to hide what they did. Once his lips parted from her cheeks, he handed her a leaf he had on his person.

"This came off a Vitaliik shrub, native to southeastern Fertaninn."

Zechariah knew Aza having possession of something from Benjlakk was risky, yet he figured the Metargo Kingdom would look at the leaf as a souvenir from her time at the District of Justicra. He could only hope he was right. Right now, however, he merely wanted to spend whatever time he could with her. Of course, this was probably enough time without causing suspicion. It was her call, though.

------

Meanwhile, Benmjamin shrugged and told Catrina, "The two of them met before, but the thing is... Zech held back info on him being the 'Eagle of Mercy', while Azalea withheld information on her being the Metargo Princess. That kind of explains how they reacted to each other. So you know, this is not going in the records. if any part of what we saw were to be made known to the public, it would not end well. We should probably continue patrolling, now."

Aaron's cold exterior was replaced with confusion as May held him by the neck. However, he knew what was asked. "Just what Zechariah said. It's a little confusing."

Kyle smirked and walked up in front of him. "What are you thinking about, now, Aaron?"

The leader of the Lion team glared at Kyle. "I can well imagine what you're thinking."

------

Saul did not say a word, though he did spot Leo offering his arm to Oriana. Saul placed a hand on his forehead, lowered his head, and said mostly to himself, "What is he doing...?"

Gracchus, meanwhile, glared at Leo for a brief moment. What was the Red Prince thinking? Jealousy became apparent, but was soon bottled up to avoid anyone getting any wrong ideas.

Azalea gently touched the cheek that he had kissed before taking the leaf that he was handing to her. He listened to where found it then looked at it with a small smile. He fingers moved smoothly over the leaf as she held it near to her then looked at Zechariah. "Can we spend time together? You don't think it would be too risky do you?" She asked, hoping that they could spend at least a little time with Zechariah before she had to regroup with her family. She thought about what she say and looked down at the leaf again, wondering why he gave her this leaf. Her smile grew a little as she looked at leaf and ran her fingers over it a few times while waiting for what his opinion was on them spending time together.

---

Catrina nodded understandingly then slowly released his wrist. She started to think for a moment, biting her lip gently she glanced up at Benjamin and smiled a little at him. "Lead the way, sir." She said politely as she ran her dainty fingers through her red locks. Catrina waited for Benjamin to lead the way so they could start their patrol and not seem like they knew something or so that they didn't really look too suspicious. She grinned at him, pushing a red lock from her face in an attempt to look as confident as possible even though her slightly over emotional personality was beginning to take over and she kind of just wanted to cry right now.

---

May laughed softly, shaking her head at Aaron's comment about how he could imagine what Kyle was thinking about. She looked at Aaron for a minute, keeping her arm around her neck before briefly glancing over at Kyle to wink at him. Her attention was quickly back to Aaron though, "That wasn't the question. I am pretty sure everyone on our team knows what Kyle is thinking, but no one really seems to know what you’re thinking." She pointed out. "At least other than the fact about what Zechariah said was confusing. I don't really see how it could be confusing." Shrugging once she thought about something. "I thought it was cute how he wanted the princess to like him for who he was and not because he was the 'Eagle of Mercy' or what not. It was really deep you know?" She balled up her fist, gently pressing it half way over her heart, then she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. Dramatically she sniffled a little before stopping what she was doing.

Her feet began to ache because she had to try and reach close to Aaron's height so she took her arm from around his neck and planted her feet on the ground. She smiled at Aaron, slowly taking a finger from both hands and putting them at the corner of Aaron's mouth, quickly lifting it up into a smile. "You should really stop looking so I don't know... cold?" She joked around, quickly moving her hands back to her side. She loved to mess with Aaron sometimes, and it for a reason she was unsure about. Gently she poked Aaron in the stomach then walked over to Kyle and leaned against him slightly, gently messing with a strand of his hair, and smirking a little. After a few moments of messing with Kyle's hair she stopped, sighing softly then she threw her hair up into a neat bun. "So what do you guys plan on doing while we wait for the princess? Are we just going to stand here or what?" She questioned with this kind of bored tone. Her previous smile was gone, replaced by this just neutral face.

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 paid for the bananna muffin and the blueberry bagel, which the baker brought out; with the bagel came the cream cheese. With everything paid for and received, Zech gave Azalea the muffin. He figured the conference could have an unexpected early closing at some point, though he knew the festival at Diplomacy Square would still go on. The crowd would keep the couple hidden from anyone at the hall who may be on one of the balconies. The area was that populated, at the moment. There always was a crowd in Diplomacy Square which would make it hard to spot people. Zecahaiah walked with her to the bench near the gate they saw each other at, in case Aaron, Kyle, or May were coming.

Zechariah sat down on the bench, motioning for her to do the same. The part of Diplomacy Square they were in was out of the hall's view. Even if Royalty were to be on the hall's balcony, the Eagle of Mercy and the Princess of Metargo would not be seen by them. He smiled his gentle smile and said, "The District of Justicra has blended elements of cultures worldwide and throughout Benjlakk because of all the visitors we get to Diplomacy Square each time peace talks are opened in this country. Other communities have a mix of international tastes, as well, due to immigrants that came in the past."

His eyes now focused on the floor, he added, "Such a mix of people from around the world resulted in Benjlakk being aware of problems abroad we would not have known, otherwise, which reinforces our neutrality in wars. Charities and scientists can't exactly help people from nations we fight against." Gazing into Aza's eyes, Zechariah laughed a little with his mouth closed. "Okay, so I'm a smarty-pants."

-----

The sound which told competitors it was half time indicated it was time to switch out the clips to the fake pistols. Aaron did that with the speed a highly trained soldier would do it before shooting again. This time, his shots were faster to the point where he could not tell whether he hit the bullseye or not. At the end, both he and May were tied for first, and Aaron was even more surpised when he saw their scores exactly like the high score set by Zechariah, whom has participated in the game in the past. The person in charge of the game gave both Aaron and May the prize of the day, tokens with images of landscapes within Fertaninn. Aaron shrugged at receiving his token, as he was just trying not to be bored. Now that he thought about it, where was Kyle?

"Kyle may be flirting with somebody at the refreshment section. I guess we better meet him there, May."

-----

Kyle was inwardly fantasizing when he saw the blush on Catrina's face, yet he did not show it. instead, he kept his cool and shrugged with, "Eh, nothing, really, I just feel like talkin'." The perverted soldier winked before asking, "So, beautiful, we might as well know each other's names, right? I'm Kyle, and you are?"

-----


Gracchus raised an eyebrow in confusion. Just what was a carnival? Before he could ask, Oriana was already out in the hallway. He walked out and eventually saw her glancing out the window. He decided to stand next to her to see what she was looking at with such a smile. Are they her children, or that woman's? It made him wonder if Oriana had a husband or boyfriend, which he hoped not. Realizing he still had the mocha he made in his hand, he stored it in his compartment via a spell. On the bright side, if she is single and those children were often around her, then there is a gentle side to her. His ears caught on to some of the outdoor screams due to his excellent hearing in comparison to that of a human's. Big Sis, they say? He did not catch the whole nickname, yet what he did hear made him grin gently.

Azalea took a bite of her Banana muffin after Zechariah paid for the muffins and gave her the muffin that she chose out. A small smile came to her face as she took another bite. She followed close behind him while they walked to a bench near the gate at the Diplomacy Square. This gave them some kind of privacy from on looking people who may be creeping about on porches. She sighed softly, glancing over at Zechariah as she took another tiny bite from her muffin. Dang this muffin was good. When she looked over at Zechariah she noticed that smile that she loved. When she spoke she nodded, listening to what he had to say. What he had said was a random thing, but she knew what he was talking about, so she nodded showing that she understood what he was saying. She giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand since she had a little bit of food in her mouth. "That's okay, I like smarty-pants." She told him once she had finished the food that recently had been in her mouth. She gently nudged him once then shook her head as she broke form looking him in the eyes and changed her gaze to the ground. "Plus I like to listen to what you have to say its so... intelligent. It makes sense to me, even though it can be random some times." She admitted to him with a small nervous smile.

---

After tying with Aaron she sighed softly. Well tying was good enough for her. At least she got a prize, and noticed that their scores were pretty much exactly like Zechariah's high score. This surprised her a little because she didn't expect that at all. After getting her prize she looked the prize over, smiling and shaking her head a little. "Nice prize," She said softly before stuffing the coin into one of her pockets. She turned toward Aaron, smiling gently at him. "Good job by that way Aaron," she mentioned before he spoke about how Kyle was probably flirting with someone at the refreshment section and that they should probably meet him there. She nodded in agreement and sighed softly. "Alright then lets go then," She said as she started to walk towards the refreshment station that Kyle had gone to. She was walking at a normal pace though mostly because what was the rush anyways? She also didn't want to lose Aaron since this time she was leading the way.

---

The blush on Catrina's face disappeared as quickly as it arrived. She rolled her eyes at him, sighing softly while messing with her uniform. "Pleasure to meet you Kyle my name is Catrina." She said simply, looking at him. Twirling her hair between her fingers she tilted her head slightly, giving him a curious look. She blinked a few times, looking absolutely innocent. Her shyness decided to finally come out and she looked over her shoulder, practically begging for Benjamin to show up to save her right now because she didn't know what to say or do and she was acting like a complete idiot. "Oh great," She mumbled under her breath. Damn her and her shyness. It was such a burden some times because she didn't know what to say to people she has just met and she doesn't ever want to be rude or mean to people. Straightening up she nibbled on her lip, looking a little nervous as she glanced around.

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.