Daily Life and Diplomacy (Jygeria Only, IC)

[Lower Wardandian]

"I know." Marie said. "I know. My mother always spoke fondly of her. But are we in agreement that this killing wasn't random? No one will tell me anything, but I've seen unfamiliar people walking around, and my ministers are having meetings they won't tell me about."

[Kagetori]

"It's definitely suspicious." Amélie paused. "From what I understand, your mother wasn't always the easiest person to get along with, and even here, some people question Titania's commitment to Kagetorian ideals once it came out that she was Sophia's lover. There's a lot of people in the Free Lands of Jygeria that would've wanted your mother dead. And if that's the case, we should contact Kallist, because their former Prettiest One is probably in danger, too."

[Lower Wardandian]

"Where is Eris, anyway?"

[Kagetori]

"No idea, but she should have access to the Code-X line as well." She shared Eris' private Code-X line number with the young Empress. She shared the former President's coded line as well. "The way I see it, if they're trying to keep you out of contact with Titania, there's good reason for you to find her."

[Lower Wardandian]

"I'm going to call Eris. Make sure she is safe." Marie said. "Thank you for your help, Amelie." She then hung up.

[Kallist]

As if on cue, Eris picked up the phone. "Marie!? Are you alright? Are you hurt!?"

[Lower Wardandian]

"I'm fine." Marie said. "For now. Are you safe?"

[Kallist]

"Yes, but that isn't my concern right now." Eris said. "Your mother's dead, and it's my fault. If I weren't so concerned with my own affairs, I could have saved her." Her voice was on the verge of breaking.

[Lower Wardandian]

"It is not your fault." Marie said firmly. "I think there is more to this than an accidental shooting. Strange things are going on. I feel like no one is telling me anything."

[Kagetori]

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the dense forests of the region, a humanoid shadow moved silently amongst trees. Having been on the run for quite some time, they expertly covered ground from tree to tree. Their recent exploits into the city had almost gotten them discovered, but they'd accomplished their mission and managed to get out before they were noticed. Now, with naught but a compact sniper rifle on their back, they stuck to the shadows.

The last several weeks had been tough. While in the Lower Wardandian capital of Aurora, hell had broken loose. A leader assassinated, a shift in leadership to a pre-teen, and the endless hounds of the nation's upper-eschelon: this one had been there to seen it all. They could afford little to any contact with anyone, so they had tried to make the most of what opportunities they had. Now they were a fugitive of sorts, once again lost in a war, though this time, not a war of a traditional sort. Ever the battle-hardened soldier, Mistress Titania Arcadia Bird fought once more...this time for her own survival.

Since the moment Sophia slipped into darkness, the former Kagetori President was a marked woman by Lower Wardandian's upper eschelons. She knew they hated their relationship, or how openly they flaunted Lower Wardanian's own laws. But she'd made a promise to never let Sophia down again, to never leave her again...and she'd kept her promise right up until the point where the ministers swept Marie away and had guards try to drag her out of the hospital. Said guards found out the hard way that Titania would not be so easily coerced, and so began the eternal run.

She knew the Lower Wardandian operatives wouldn't respect borders. They didn't during the Kallist crisis when they were trying to find and recover Marie, and she doubted they would now that their beloved Empress was deceased. Before she'd left Kagetori, she knew rogue elements resented her for her admission of guilt in violating Kagetorian principles. The Establishment was largel dismantled in Kallist, but she knew parts of it remained in the underground and would be seeking her out for revenge. And the other two settling nations of the region had destabilized and fallen apart. The lady once known as Falcon Eye was in quite the predicament.

Long ago, her Code-X phone had died, and she had not had time to recharge it. She needed to get a message to Marie somehow. Or even to Eris. But to do so would be pretty damn risky.

So she set her sights on the last bit of unspoiled wilderness before the city limits of Aurora. She'd have to go back into the lion's den. She had little hope of survival...so instead, she simply hoped she'd get to see Marie before she died.

[Lower Wardandian]

By the time she reached the royal palace, the sun had risen, and Marie was having a quiet breakfast in the royal gardens. The young Empress was tired, having barely slept after she finished talking to Eris. Every few minutes, she began to drift off, only to jolt awake again. Her maids came by periodically, checking on her and bringing whatever she needed. Marie was grateful for their help. They had proven to be her rock after her mother died, consoling her while she screamed and cried and endured nightmares and sleepless nights.

After she finished eating, Marie got up and began walking through the gardens, dismissing her bodyguards. She wanted to be alone. They nodded and left the Empress to her own thoughts. Marie sometimes forgot how much of a maze the gardens were. She would spend hours in them when she was a little girl, listening to birds singing, bees buzzing, and her mother's voice. The flowers always smelled so sweet. She made her way over to one of her favorites, the Aurora Snow Blossom, and inhaled deeply. The scent made her feel relaxed.

[Kallist]

Eris couldn't sleep either; she was drinking way more coffee than she usually did, and her struggles were at an all time high; in the wake of Sophia's assasination (but for completely unrelated reasons), Eris had "adopted" (read: forced onto her during settling an issue involving the nation's youth) a baby girl. She had named the child Harmonia, and currently said baby was happily playing with some educational toys, such as My First Workers' Cooperative.

[Kagetori]

As if by instinct, or feeling foolishly bold this morning, Titania made her way toward the royal palace of Aurora. It wasn't the first time she'd practiced sneaking around the area; Sophia'd insisted she keep her skills sharp. But with heightened security, this would be a fair bit more challenging than usual.

Still, she'd managed to make it out of Aurora without dying.

Just outside the royal gardens of the palace, she watched carefully for an opening in the guards. None of them seemed to be watching inward to the gardens, so very likely no one would be inside. Perhaps she could sneak in, find an outlet, charge her phone, and get out. Once the opportunity arose, she dashed forward and climbed the wall like a ninja, dropping down inside the gardens. Appropriately, she landed behind a gifted Kagetorian Orange tree, and she peeked around its trunk to see if anyone was around.

She barely suppressed a gasp, noting that Marie was there. If the new Empress caught her, she had no idea what her fate would be.

[Lower Wardandian]

"I know you're there." Marie said after a moment. "You might as well come out, Titania. If you do, you and I can talk. But if you insist on staying hidden, I'll call for my guards, and you'll spend the rest of your life in a prison cell. Or you'll be shot. I suggest you come out where I can see you."

[Kagetori]

Titania cursed, then quickly plugged her charger into her phone and to the outlet before spinning out of cover. To Marie, she might've looked very much disheveled compared to the last time they'd seen each other, even accounting for the depths of grief Titania was in as she fought her way out of the hospital while the ministers carried Marie away.

"You're every bit as smart as your mother," she stated. "But I hope you realize how much I'm risking by being here. I just wanted to find a good, hidden place to recharge my coded phone; getting to see you here is unexpected." She smiled behind her somewhat-concealing mask. "Though not unwelcome."

[Lower Wardandian]

"The men and women who serve as my ministers may consider you an enemy, but I don't." Marie said. "As far as I'm concerned, you did more for my homeland than any of the power-hungry schemers I have to deal with. You did all you could for my mother."

[Kagetori]

"I stayed with her to the end." Her voice sounded somewhat hardened from the long period of isolation and constant movement. "Couldn't save her, though. Couldn't stop the shooting in time. Couldn't do anything more than save my own life. And ironically, that's about all I've got left now. My life."

[Lower Wardandian]

"You don't need to run anymore." Marie said. "You can stay here. If my ministers don't like that, then they can go to Hell. I'm not letting you live alone in the woods."

[Kagetori]

"As much as I'd love to take you up on that, dear, I fear your ministers might have more power than you think. As smart as you are, politics is not so much about intelligence as is it about shrewdness. Be wary of them, Marie."

[Lower Wardandian]

"I am well aware of the power they hold." Marie replied. "I intend to topple them from the thrones they've built for themselves. To do that, I'll need help. Your help."

[Kagetori]

"If it's a diplomat you need, Amélie is more up your alley. if it's a soldier or a spy you need..." Titania motions to the compact sniper rifle on her back. "I might actually be of use."

[Lower Wardandian]

"I need an assassin." Marie said bluntly. "There are certain people that need to be removed from the chess board entirely. If you are as good a shot as my mother said you were, then you will be an invaluable asset to me."

She then took out her personal phone, and dialed Eris' number.

[Kallist]

Eris picked up the phone, holding Harmonia on her lap. "Hello?"

[Lower Wardandian]

"Eris." Marie said. "I have an old friend of yours here with me. Someone you and my mother were very close to."

[Kagetori]

Titania retrieved her phone, having charged at least enough to last her for a while, then walked back over with phone and charger in hand. "Hey, Eris. It's been a while. Sorry I haven't been able to call."