School Caffe
Devras
“Well no, they never have done anything weird that anyone has noticed,” one young man was saying as a group of them sat, enjoying their lunch hour between classes. “Never been anything but fair decent, too. You know that, Dano.”
“Yeah, I know. The old man just gets talking sometimes. Says some odd things is all,” the other youth answered, shrugging eloquently. “Have a hard time squaring that with what we’ve seen, after all the time we’ve known them.”
Another nodded in agreement. “And their mama … how many get to say they’ve had the Imperatrice cook for them, yes? We’ve all been up to the villa when the twins have had parties. You ever see anything out of place?”
“Other than those odd guards they have, and the spooky way her consort and some of them have of looking at you, DeSera,” offered a fourth. “You know the way they do. Like they’re looking right through you, knowing things they shouldn’t.”
Dano shivered a bit at that. “Maybe there is something to some of what they say about foreigners, but I still don’t get all the outright hate, even if they are a little … different. Did you feel guilty or something, Santi?”
The fourth who’d spoke shook his head. “No, not like that. Not like they can read minds or anything. You know, just that … weighing and measuring sort of feel.”
Back to the first who’d been listening quietly, seeming deep in thought. “The bottom line really is what are we going to do about any of it? Shouldn’t change where we stand, should it? We’ve gone to school with them their whole lives. They’re set to be more the rulers of the people - hearts and minds - than anyone we’ve had in a long history, if what the books say is true. And look, until lately, haven’t things been good?”
The others exchanged looks, nodding between them. DeSera was the one who answered. “They’re friends, Vito. I don’t care what some of the people are saying. They bleed same as the rest of us. Remember the time Luc took that ball to the face trying to block it?”
There was a general chuckle and grins share between them. “Yeah, we thought his mama was going to have us hauled off for a moment. But all she did was make an ice pack and clean him up. Had a black eye and a fat lip for a bit, but who wouldn’t?,” Dano said, using his hands for emphasis.
“Neither him or Gabe were mad, either,” agreed Santi. “The way his nose had bled, was sure we’d broken it.”
“No one intended it,” Vito interjected.
“Of course. These things, they happen.” A slight shrug and spread of hands by Santi, one they all understood, and nodded in agreement with.
“So?” Vito continued, looking between the gathered friends. “When the time comes, yes?”
“Si, capisco.” That was answer enough for all four of them, for now.
They’d seen the shift in Devras, had watched the twins slowly become more wary. The death of their decidedly unpleasant classmate had brought a lot of it to the forefront, given the whispers here and there in the crowd, the talk of the fight on the beach by some, the absence of the twins by others, the approval of yet still others on the fund that had been set up for by the government, and thus, by the imperial family.
One could hardly grow up in the Dominion and not be familiar with the political undercurrents, the tells that hinted of problems and what they meant, the changes in the weather, so to speak. Sometimes they were small, dealing with local issues. Other times … they all had eyes and ears. And they weren’t the only ones quietly discussing what side of things they wished to be standing when the chips were finally down, and the players - whoever they might be - were at the table.
Plans were being made, whether contingency or active plotting to one degree or other, across Devras, and further out. Some for the status quo, some firmly against, still others looking to take advantage of any potential upset or resulting chaos in which some profit could be made. All were aware that they were not alone in this, and that above all, the government would be keeping tabs. Many were quite secure in their actions, regardless. The innocent, believing the would be fine given their lack of involvement, or even absence as they made arrangements to be elsewhere entirely. Others felt their cause was just, and were being quietly goaded on from various sources, including social or monetary pressures they could now blame a specific target for. Some didn’t care, as they weren’t ‘doing anything wrong’ in the first place. Not yet, in any case.
For those who were trying to gauge the ebb and flow of the shifting tides, as was usual in the Dominion, the waters had become very clouded indeed. And many leads they tracked down ended up going nowhere, or at the very least, nowhere very important. Dozens of small incidents were caught and shut down without much of the public even realizing anything had been wrong, or in the works. A few caused a stir in their local areas, feeding the flames and adding to the overall unease.
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Devras, Gianfigliazzi Building
Dominion Government Offices
Naiya sat at her downtown office desk, a small note in her hand, her brows creased. Yes, yes, she had his word. Were it not for that, she would be marginally terrified at what Nesar could possibly be getting up to. She wasn’t at all convinced of what limitations he may or may not have, and she’d seen the darkness in him that night when they’d spoken. Almost as if it were an armor of sorts that he kept inside most times, and wore outwardly when necessary.
And Courror … yes, she could trust him too for similar yet different reasons. She didn’t want either to be put in a position where they had to choose fight or flight, the latter not due to any harm they might come to, but rather the harm they’d end up causing in their defence. Most of her people hadn’t the slightest idea of the people and things around them, and what they could do. Their world was relatively simple - what you could see, hear, touch, taste, feel. There was so much more beyond that. And unlike the saying, what you didn’t know could very well kill you without a second thought.
Thankfully, most of that, here at least, appeared to be on her side. Hopefully. The source of at least the greater part of the upset hadn’t revealed anything unnatural, or supernatural. Even abnormal, though she’d tentatively tried to sense whether anything along those lines was operating in the area, and found not so much as a whisper of the arcane or as some might say, ‘squiddy’.
She had worked so hard to keep her true identity hidden, to shield her family from the fear and outrage she knew would erupt if the nation wholeheartedly believed any of the rumors, from far-flung to altogether too close for comfort. She hadn’t hidden who her father was - her mother hadn’t really either, so much as not actively advertised the fact. That was something she had never intended to, nor was prepared to do. Especially after all that had happened. The results of the DNA tests with the children had been an interesting ethnic blend, but showed nothing non-human in the results - just as she’d known they would.
Still. How far would she go in order to protect them, and her nation and seat of power? How far could she, and still maintain those things? And was that the point of all the unrest, or was she simply being needlessly paranoid?
“Only two kinds,” she murmured, tucking the note away again, and turning her attention back to the list of potential causes for vendetta, treason, upset, and unrest.