#bellva viren

[tiesa-reale]

As I'm writing part 2, I'm realizing that one of my main characters is made up of every part of myself that I don't want to admit. This is turning into a self-discovery thing, and I'm not hating it. In fact, it's a lot of fun.

Nanowrimo gets real interesting real fast. Wish me luck!

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

Filibuster to End All

Ch 19

August 29th, 196

Bellva

She remembered that night as clearly as if she had relived it everyday since. The stars reflecting in the river, the brush of twigs in her hair, the welcome weight of a bow in her hand. Then movement. An arrow in the dark and blood. Too much blood. Lissa, screaming… What had she done? No, she couldn’t possibly have done all that… Could she?

But she already knew the answer.

Bellva couldn’t sleep. She was plagued by nightmares. I need to get up and do something, she resolved. I need to find Pen.

She looked at the clock. It was five in the morning. It wasn’t unlike Pen to be up that early, and he was often found in the library.

She found the library easily in the dark. She didn’t particularly enjoy books for their own sake, but everyone else seemed to. The library was Pen’s favorite room on the entire island. The room was bordered on three sides by massive shelves full of books. It wasn’t a large library, but every inch was filled nonetheless. Elaborate granite pillars steadied two lofts, one on either side of the room. A bridge arched overhead, connecting them. Bellva had long fallen in love with the whimsical architecture.

She ascended one set of stairs and searched the loft. Pen wasn’t there. She crossed the bridge, admiring the elegant floral railings. Sunlight peeked over the horizon, setting the whole room quietly ablaze.

She found Pen sitting in a plush chair in a corner with his nose in a pamphlet. She found a stray pillow and sat down at his side.

“What are you reading?” she asked.

He started, just now noticing her presence. Bella smiled affectionately. “A History of Culture in Northern Septena. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” she lied easily.

“I just thought I’d check. I still dream about it, and you had it worse than I did.”

She leaned her head against the side of the chair. “Mm-hmm.”

She fell asleep there, not daring to move until the afternoon.

At noon, she decided that she should do something productive. What that might be, she didn’t know.

She was on her way back to her room when Arel came up beside her. “Hey,” he said. “Are you doing okay?”

“Yes, Arel. I don’t know why you worry so much,” she said playfully. She was lying though, and she doubted that he had missed it.

“No, what’s wrong?”

She looked to make sure that no one else was lingering in the hall. “I don’t want to go, Arel.”

“You don’t have-”

“I don’t want them to go either. I want to stay here and figure out whatever’s going on here. I don’t care about some potentially unhelpful maritime myth.”

“I understand. It is our best bet for answers, though.”

“I know. But I don’t want to leave.”

He took her hand gently. “Belle, you don’t have to. We can stay here and sort all this out. We’ll find out what happened to Elliana, we’ll reform the government at home, we’ll fix it all. Together. Okay?”

“Okay.”

And for that second, she believed him. At the very least, she desperately wanted to. She would get over it all eventually. No one quite knew when ‘eventually’ was, but no one else seemed to care. Perhaps she should follow their example. They could figure it out. Everything would be okay.

[tiesa-reale]

Bellva's moodboard!

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

Difficulty to End All

Ch 20

June 29th, 196

Tiesa

“Luna. Come on!” She pounded on the door once more, and Luna gave a loud groan. “I know it’s early, but we really have to go.” Tiesa heard a worrisome thudd. “Perdita made pie.”

Silence. Then: “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Eight minutes later, Luna emerged wearing a red hoodie. Her hair was a bit of a mess, but at least it was pulled back. “Where’s the food?”

“Celata, in the cabin.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “Let’s go then.”

They rowed across the small stretch of water between Citale and Celata. Tiesa had never understood why Bellva wore heels everywhere; her bare feet got stuck in the mud far too much on their own.

Tiesa led Luna through the house, up one flight of stairs and down another, until they reached the meeting room. There were no thrones to be seen here, only wooden benches and bouquets of pink lisianthus. Bellva was in one corner, making more flower arrangements. She smiled widely when when she saw Tiesa.

“Ti!” she shouted. She ran up to Tiesa, embracing her suddenly. “You’ve changed so much, and you weren’t even gone a month! Why didn’t you bring me?” she pouted, holding Tiesa at arm’s length.

“Bellva, you know we needed someone here to keep the Directorate from imploding.”

Bellva seemed satisfied by this answer. “Where did you go this time?”

“Meridonia and Southern Lukarya-”

“Who is this?” she asked suddenly, staring pointedly at Luna.

“Bellva, meet Luna Nellara. She saved our lives more than once.”

“Well, then, I don’t know how to thank you enough, Luna Nellara, really.” Her big blue-green eyes flashed with blind admiration. Luna crossed her arms, reluctant to start a conversation that early in the morning.

Bellva and Tiesa fell back into a familiar rhythm of chatter. The room around them echoed with the sound of soft voices reverberating off the walls and high rafters. Perdita was saying something to Cetti, and he was nodding along. Vidia sat next to her husband, but she was off in another world. She was waving a delicate hand through the air, drawing pictures no one else could see. Pen had once told Tiesa that his mother was trying to make sense of the world, putting all the puzzle pieces together. Tiesa never quite understood.

Then the door creaked, hardly opening a foot. Pen must have assumed that he was being inconspicuous, but failed miserably. As soon as he realized this, he ran to Tiesa and Bellva. He embraced them both, telling them how much he missed them and tried to get to them earlier. He apologised to Bellva for leaving her behind far too many times. She kept telling him that she understood, but he didn’t care.

“I hate to break this up, children, but now that we’re all here…” Perdita said calmly.

“No, of course!” they said in near perfect unison.

“Then let us begin with a review of our victories.”

Luna huffed.

Perdita turned on her. “Do you refute the fact that having Pencari back is a victory?”

“No, it’s just that it seems rather small in compare to our losses.”

“Luna, I believe that, despite everything, having Elliana on our side could be an enormous asset. Besides, bringing back one of our own is an incomparable victory. We all would have sustained nearly any loss for it. Let us revel in the joy of being together again.” Luna leaned back against the wall. Everyone else clapped politely. “Now I’ll turn this over to Cetti for ideas on how to make the best of our losses. Actually, hold that thought while I get the pie,” Perdita added, dashing off. She came back minutes later with a platter of mouth-watering cherry pie. Slices were cut, china passed around, and the platter set on a table in the corner for anyone who wanted more. Luna more or less stuffed her portion in her face, and Bellva gave her a disapproving glare. No one else seemed to pay her any mind, though.

“Now that Elliana Berone has influence within the Directorate,” Cetti began, “we need to figure out how to counteract it with our own agenda, keep her from going rouge.”

“We could force Allya out,” Luna mumbled.

“The only problem with that is the fact that we already granted her permission to stay.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because we needed Pen back and Elliana on our side.” Cetti countered sharply.

“We could tour,” Vidia said. Touring was something the Directorate did often. They would choose an area of the country and spend a month or more seeing everything there was to see. Though there was not much that could be accomplished from any political agenda during that time, it may play to their advantage this time around.

Perdita smiled. “That might work… If no one can get anything done, we’ll have a chance to interfere, plant our own agenda… You’re on to something, Vidia.” Vidia smiled lightly, forever appearing to be somewhere else. “But where to?”

“What about Septena?” Bellva asked. “We haven’t been there in ages. Besides, Tiesa and Pen haven’t looked there yet. Maybe the other rebel leaders that Tiesa and Pen were looking for are in Septena.”

“Does anyone object?” No one did. “Perfect. We’ll tell Arlan and Teva, and of course they’ll agree. We’ll leave in a week’s time.”

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

Filibuster to End All

Ch 17

August 28th, 196

Bellva

Luna took a seat facing the window. She adjourned the meeting simply with a “So here’s the deal.” The circle of Directorate members collectively inched forwards. This wasn’t likely to be good news. “Lissa, come out.”

Lissa Merra, Perdita’s granddaughter, stepped out from the shadows. The usually bubbly little girl was quiet today; no flounce in her step shook her floral dress. A crown of half-wilted purple Asters was woven through her brown hair. She took a seat in the chair on Luna’s right.

“Would you like to tell them, or should I?” Luna asked her gently.

“We must welcome the Empire’s isles.”

Cantella was the first to speak. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lissa, however, was in Lissaland. Lissaland was the imaginary place where the future became the past, and reality was muddied. In other words, Lissaland was the depths of her thoughts. Luna answered for her. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re here.”

“Where is this coming from?” Arel asked.

Luna closed her eyes and dropped her voice. “They were Allya Ratava’s last words.”

Bellva’s mind reeled, the memories coursing through her veins. Suddenly the room was dark, lit only by starlight. She was poised above the bay once again, back at her position at the top of the hill. The water glittered below her as it hit the shore and brushed the marble statues that populated the riverbank. She notched an arrow and pulled the string tight. Shaking, she let it fly, hitting her target. And there was blood. Far too much of it. How could so much come from one wound? And there was Lissa. She was running, screaming, Bellva hurrying after… Then the flashback was gone, like mist.

Pen reached out to steady her. “Are you alright?” he asked, just loud enough for her to hear. His all-knowing gray eyes bore into hers, seeking out the truth of her confliction.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m alright. Everything’s alright.” He smiled, grasping her hand firmly. He really was beautiful when he smiled.

“Well,” Ara was saying, “We know that Allya was an advocate for the marginalized at our country’s rim.”

“Yeah, but aren’t they already welcome?” her brother asked. “They need serious government reform, sure, but so does everyone else.”

Cetti spoke up next. “What else do we know about Allya Ratava?”

“Well,” Pen replied, “she was a sailor. She ran the Naia fleet. We don’t much of her past, though.”

“Wasn’t she on the Empirica for a while?” It was Perdita. This was news to Bellva. It seemed as if the same was true for the rest of the Directorate. Perdita seemed to absorb the collective surprize. “My daughter Kimora is part of the crew, remember? I recall seeing Allya a couple of times when I went to see them when they landed.” She paused. “Also, I overheard Allya and Elliana talking about it.”

“How long ago? You should have said something,” Luna outburst.

“I am now, aren’t I?”

“You should have said something sooner,” Luna corrected herself.

“In any case,” Perdita continued, “the Empire could be in reference to the Empirica. Maybe the Empire is wherever it is that they go.”

“You make a very good point,” Arel said. “Regardless, the Empirica could prove very valuable indeed.”

“What are you saying, Arel?” Cetti asked.

“I’m saying that someone needs to go and find out what’s there. Any information is as good as gold at this point.”

“Here’s a proposition,” Luna said. “What if we split. Half of us deal with internal relations here, with Elliana and rebuilding. The other half goes on the Empirica to welcome whatever there is to welcome. That way, everything is covered. Theoretically.”

Arel clapped his hands together, exclaiming, “That’s brilliant!”

“Calm down,” Cetti said. Maybe it’s best if we don’t all leave for some new land. Maybe we should all stay and work this out first.”

“But the Empirica only comes around every two years,” Ara said. “It might be too late by then.”

“You do make a good point.”

“Now the question is who goes and who stays?” Ara said.

“A debate for another day. Meeting adjourned.” Luna stood, helping Lissa from her seat. They spoke in hushed tone for a few minutes, coming to a resolution no one else could accknowledge.

Bellva didn’t want to go. She didn’t want anyone to go. It was too much, after everything… Tiesa... Allya… And they still had Elliana to deal with…

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

Filibuster to End All

Ch 15

August 25th, 196

Bellva

Bellva Viren knew that she probably shouldn’t be hiding in a corner. Luna was expecting her at a meeting in five minutes.

But did that stop her from hiding in a corner? No.

“Bellva, child, what are you doing there?” Bellva turned. It was Perdita Merra, her tutor. She was headed to the same meeting.

“Nothing, ma’am,” she said as convincingly as she could.

Perdita sighed. She was often exasperated by Bellva. “Come along then. We’ll be late.”

They reached the throne room just in time. It was no longer decorated by pink and blue hydrangeas as it had been just three days earlier, but the blue drapes remained.

Then she saw Arel.

He was seated nearest to the edge of the room, next to his sister, Ara. His dark eyes scanned the room, eventually meeting hers. He smiled. She smiled back. She tried no to, but it wasn’t like she could help it. She took a seat at the other end of the room, next to Pencari. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi.”

“Does anyone know what they’re doing here?” She gestured to her mother, Teva, and Arlan Arcana.

“Nope. Luna didn’t invite them, but they showed up and Luna doesn’t feel like arguing today.” Teva saw her daughter and threw her a weak smile. Bellva didn’t return it. Arlan turned towards her and scowled. His bald head glinted in the morning sunlight. She wanted to scowl back, but doubted that it would fix anything.

“Good morning,” Luna said. She was exhausted, Bellva could tell. “You already know that I invited you - well, most of you - to discuss the formation of a new Directorate. Though I think I speak for all of us when I ask what you’re doing here.” The question was aimed at Arlan.

“I’ve been on this Directorate for thirty-eight years,” he began with the air of someone about to start a ‘Back In My Day’ story. “I see no reason why I shouldn’t continue.”

Luna sighed heavily. “I do. You’re much of the reason I need a new Directorate in the first place.”

“It didn’t used to be like this,” he grumbled. “People used to choose advisors they disagreed with.”

“Like you were chosen. How was that again? That’s right! Your family was rich and you were friends with the royals.” Perdita smiled sweetly. She must have told Luna the story; she’d been at the palace even longer than Arlan. “And second of all, I do choose a diverse council. I often disagree with Perdita and Bellva, and quite frankly, I don’t like Arel very much.” Arel looked mildly offended. The rest of them were all used to it by now; Luna could be brutally honest sometimes. “However, I know that they’re more experienced than I am and probably know what’s best. Do you have anything else to say, or could you please leave?”

He grumbled once again at seeing his last vain endeavour come to a screeching halt. He stood and left.

“Teva, I assume you came to present similar grievances?”

“Not at all, my queen.” Her voice was bittersweet, and Luna winced. “I came only to say that I wish to have no further sway in the government of Aluntura.”

Bellva held back a gasp. Vidia Verit, her mother’s lifelong friend, said, “Surely you don’t intend on leaving us?”

“Of course not,” Teva replied, more to Luna than Vidia. “I intend to stay in Citale with my daughter, but I refuse any position on the Directorate.”

“Thank you, Teva. Your decision is noted. If that is all, you are dismissed,” Luna said, a little perplexed. Was she under the impression that she was going to get a position? Bellva thought. If she did, she was dead wrong.

“My queen,” she said again bowing. Luna’s gaze hardened into something nearly murderous. Bellva made a mental note to never call Luna ‘My Queen.’ Teva left peacefully, her pale gown brushing the floor.

“Well then,” Luna said, readjusting the black jacket at her shoulders. “Anyone else? Great. You’re all here because I want you on my new Directorate.”

“Luna,” Pen interrupted, “Bellva and I aren’t yet eighteen. We can’t.”

“I know, not officially, anyway. Would you accept an unofficial position until then?” They both nodded and let her continue. “What about the rest of you?”

“I accept,” Vidia said.

“As do I,” chimed her husband, Cetti.

“Of course, darling,” Perdita added.

Ara looked to her wife, Cantella, taking her hand. “We’re in.”

“As if I have a choice, then,” Arel said.

After the meeting, Bellva went back to her corner. Not the same corner, exactly. This time she favored one closer to her room. She needed to get away from everything and everyone else. She needed to deal with what she had done.

She heard footsteps. She willed herself to disappear into the pillar. She wasn’t an idiot; she knew that it wouldn’t work. That couldn’t stop her from trying.

It was Arel. Oh no.

“Hey,” he said. It was as if he didn’t think anything of it, of her sitting in a corner, all on her own. He helped her to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Just… thinking.” She wasn’t lying. She had been thinking.

“I see. What about?”

“Everything that’s happened since Tiesa got back. It seems like only yesterday… It’s all happened so fast…”

“Are you alright?” he asked gently.

“Of course I am,” she snapped back. She didn’t mean to snap, really.

“You don’t look it.” He took one of her gloved hands. “I’ll get you a glass of water and some biscuits.”

“Really, Arel. I’m fine.”

“After everything you’ve been through, I don’t know how anyone could be.”

[tiesa-reale]

This is Bellva, my new character. This took me forever but I loved making it! :)

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

The Return of the Runaway Princess

Ch 1

June 5th, 196

Tiesa

 Tiesa Reale was about to embark on the most important journey of her life. And all she could think about was when the ferry was coming. “Pencari?” she called. No answer. “Pencari!” She opened the door of her room and stepped into the hall. “Where are you?” She heard a muffled noise from behind her and saw a slight figure in an oversized brown jacket. “Pen! There you are. Are you ready?”

He nodded. “We have half an hour to get out. Then the ferry leaves. Are we all clear?” He spoke softly and deliberately.

Tiesa ran back to her room to grab the bag with her clothes and some of her belongings; only a sketchbook, pencils, and a small golden locket. She grabbed a hold of Pencari’s hand and bustled down the hallway. Her messy black curls trailed behind her as Pencari whispered questions.

“Does Bellva know?”

She shook her head. “I didn't tell her, but I don’t know for sure.” Bellva Viren was their best friend. She was frivolous and optimistic, and had almost nothing in common with either of them.

“And what about Perdita?”

“Yes, but only so that someone knows in case something happens to us.” The children’s tutor had made it very clear that she was on their side. She wouldn’t rat them out. “And you know they’ll panic as soon as they see I’m gone.” Pen winced. “I didn’t mean it like that, you know that. It’s just-”

“You’re the princess. They have every right to panic. Me, not so much,” he said gently.

“I wish it wasn’t like this,” she said with a sigh.

“You wish what wasn’t like this?”

She gestured vaguely, swinging her bag about. “Everything. The whole ‘royalty must do whatever is in their best interests and ignore everyone else’ thing,” she said in her best impression of an entitled politician.

Pen nodded as he pushed open a large wooden door. It creaked. Tiesa swore under her breath.

“Relax.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious. You need to relax. Get some sleep on the way, ok?”

She was tired. She hated that he was right all the time. “Alright.”

“Good. You’ll have plenty of time to stress later.” He led her through a long corridor with an unreasonably high ceiling. Their footsteps echoed, and it made her anxious. She nearly tripped on her skirt more than once. When they reached the servant’s quarters, he let go of her hand; the hallway wasn’t wide enough for both of them. He lost his way several times, but Tiesa suspected that he simply wasn’t paying attention. She went back for him every time. When they finally made it out the back door, they ran for the harbor. They barely made it to the ferry in time.

They were the only two people on the ferry that night. They hadn’t suspected differently. Tiesa curled up on a bench, using her bag as a pillow. Pen sat down a couple of rows behind her. She saw him there, and knew that he wouldn’t sleep. Not tonight. He had too much on his mind. But Tiesa slept soundly, knowing that one day, everything would be alright. Probably.

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

The Return of the Runaway Princess

Ch 3

June 10th, 196

Tiesa

“How about we do?” she was saying.

“How about we don’t.”

“But how about we do?”

She was wearing him down, she could tell. They were trying to decide whether to stay in town that night. Tiesa was tired and didn’t want to walk more than she had to. Pen knew that they should avoid people as much as possible, especially with the close call in Tutium. She was starting to regret telling him about that.

“Let’s try this: How about we don’t get caught?”

She glared at him as they walked down the rough dirt road. “I hate it when you’re right. Why do you have to be right?” He just smiled and shook his head.

“So,” he said, “What do you miss about the palace?”

“We’ve only been gone for five days.”

“I know.”

“I miss Bellva,” she said eventually. “We’ve never really been this far apart. And she has to be worried sick. And I miss Perdita. And Lissa.” Lissa was Perdita’s niece who had come to live at the palace when she was very young. She was an energetic young girl, and she found great pleasure in getting on their nerves, but she could be the sweetest person on the planet if you let her. “What about you?”

“Me? I miss my parents. And Bellva, though she has a tendency to do more harm than good.” Tiesa nodded. This was true. “But I’ll tell you what I don’t miss. I don’t miss being shoved in some corner and told to shut up because we’re too young. I’d rather do something, you know? Prove them wrong.”

Tiesa agreed. They had had this conversation more than once, in fact. She remembered a time when, years ago, that hadn’t happened. She missed it sometimes. But that was why she kept going. To prove them wrong.

She was only fourteen at the time, and her parents were both dead. The was no monarch to rule, so the Directorate had taken over. The Directorate was made up of the former advisors to the crown. The issue with this was that half of the people there had personal agendas. And so did most of the local officials. No one could get anything done. In Tiesa’s mind, it was nightmare.

She had been invited to every Directorate meeting since she was ten - at her own request. She knew they wouldn’t invite her unless she asked. This meeting was held with the governor of Septena, the northernmost province-island. Perdita started the meeting off cordially, introducing the governor to everyone on the Directorate; Arlan Arcana, a plump, half-bald man who had been friends with Tiesa’s father; Teva Viren, a tall, demanding woman with blonde hair, who also happened to be Bellva’s mother; Cetti Verit, Pen’s father, a man with light brown skin and a perpetual smile; Vidia Verit, Cetti’s wife, a distracted woman with black hair and startling blue eyes; and Tiesa, of course.

Governor Enair wanted to raise taxes. It seemed that everyone did nowadays. He had majority approval from officials in Septena, and he only needed two of the Directorate’s votes to continue. The meeting ended quickly; Arlan and Teva voted in his favor, and that was the end of it. The interesting part was what happened after Enair left.

The moment the door closed, Cetti started shouting about how they needed to start caring about the people they were sworn to protect. Perdita joined him. Vidia tried to calm them both down, but to no avail. They were right and she knew it. After a few minutes, Arlan started screaming nonsense right back.

Tiesa stood up, joined Cetti and Perdita, and began pointing out the fact that nothing Arlan said made any sense.

“Get away, Tiesa,” Teva said. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re only a child.” Tiesa glared and stood her ground. “You heard me. Off you go.” Tiesa looked to Perdita, who nodded sadly, a look that said I’ll sort this out, don’t worry. And Tiesa had left, in tears.

“We’re here,” Pen said, waking her from her reverie. He had stopped outside a large stone house with a sign declaring that it was a bed and breakfast. The inside was furnished generously, and there was a young couple sitting by the fireplace.

Tiesa waited as Pen asked if there were rooms for both of them. When the innkeeper led them away, Tiesa watched the couple stand and stop Tiesa. They were both young women; one had long brown hair and luminous green eyes. The other’s hair was white blonde and cut very short.

“We know it’s not your fault,” the first girl whispered.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but we know who you are. We don’t blame you for anything,” her partner added.

“Tiesa!” Pen called. “Come on!”

The second girl nodded, smiling. Tiesa was dumbfounded. They had recognised her, but they weren’t going to turn her in. In fact, they supported the cause.

“Tiesa?” he called again.

“Yes, I’m coming,” she replied, and followed him through the house, leaving the couple behind.

[tiesa-reale]

Children of Another Cause

Filibuster to End All

Ch 18

June 28th, 196

Tiesa

Another day, another meeting, another reason to try to fix it all.

We’re not out of the woods. Not yet.

It ends today.

Tiesa’s attempts at mental pep talks were failing miserably. Her pink semi-formal gown was tight and uncomfortable, and was far too hot. Opening the windows only made it worse. She carefully picked up a silver circlet inlaid with three small diamonds; the symbol of the princess of Aluntura. She had a matching ring, telling the world that she was the first in line for the throne. Her mother had worn it as the queen, and it had been passed down for over five generations. The heirlooms were only taken out for public appearances, and Perdita seemed to believe that their current situation constituted such measures. Tiesa disagreed, but figured that Perdita knew what was best.

The throne room, she noted as she arrived, was significantly factionalized. As usual. Arlan Arcana and Teva Viren sat at one end of the room, farthest from the thrones. The self-proclaimed Princess’ Council sat on either side in a wide semi-circle. Tiesa had put together the Princess’ Council two years ago when she first decided to do something about all the mess. It had then consisted of Perdita, Bellva, and Pen. Since then, Vidia and Cetti, Pen’s parents, had joined. She took her designated place between Vidia and Perdita, Cetti on Vidia’s left. All three were tense and quiet. Pen still wasn’t present.

Everyone turned their heads when Elliana and Allya made their grand entrance. They came in a sweep of red, the color of change and revolution. Elliana wore a scarlet evening gown, and her hair was braided with tiny Begonias. Allya wore a deep red skirt and a brown jacket that clashed vibrantly with her colorfully dyed braids. Tiesa leaned to look behind them, but Pen was nowhere to be seen.

“We want positions on the Directorate,” Elliana announced almost before she sat down. “If granted, you get Pen back. If not, we take him with us.”

“Alright,” Arlan said, agreeing at once.

“Wait a second,” Perdita interrupted. “No. We have majority anyway, we get to make the decision.”

“Oh really? You would abandon Pencari so easily?” Arlan said mockingly.

“No,” Perdita argued. “That’s not what we’re proposing. We’re proposing that Miss Berone and Miss Ratava get out and leave Pen.”

Allya’s gaze burned into Perdita. “Or what?” she challenged with a smile on her lips.

“Or you aren’t going anywhere.”

Arlan interjected. “Perdita, really, think this through.”

“I have.” Perdita glared daggers at Arlan. They were old friends; they had known each other for ages. In recent years, however, they had fallen into a moderately polite dislike. Their political views were near-polar opposites.

“Really? Because I think that we should give them what they want. And I thought that you would agree.” Arlan could be a real snake sometimes.

“How so?” Tiesa noticed that when Perdita was irritated, she tended to over annunciate. It drove Arlan over the edge.

“You wanted a rebel leader to come and take over the Directorate, didn’t you?”

“Not one that was going to endanger the children’s lives!” Tiesa hated being called a child, but it was a little less cutting when it was Perdita talking. She called Teva, Vidia, and Cetti children on occasion, and they were all in their forties. It never really ended with Perdita.

“What did you think would happen?”

“A peaceful uprising!”

“Is there such a thing?”

“In any case, you got us instead,” Elliana cut in.

Vidia stood in order to be heard over all the noise. She was short and soft spoken, and often overlooked. “We all want Pen back right?” No one dared to argue. “You want to give them both positions, we don’t want to give them any. So could we compromise?” Again, no one refuted her logic. “You get one seat on the Directorate. Does anyone object?” A few of them nodded in agreement, but most didn’t say a thing.

Looking to Allya, Elliana said, “I’ll take it.”

“You’ll do more than I ever could,” the other woman replied. “One condition, though. I stay here.”

Everyone looked to everyone else, but no one objected. They didn’t have a reasonable argument, seeing as they often allowed Bellva and Pen, under permitting circumstances, to participate in Directorate meetings. “Deal.” Teva said.

There will always be another day, another meeting, another reason to try to fix it all.

We’re not out of the woods. Not even close.

It all starts today.

[tiesa-reale]

First line tag game!

I was tagged by @seamusings! (As @haline-penthorn, this is my Writblr :) )

Tiesa Reale was about to embark on the most important journey of her life. And all she could think about was when the ferry was coming.

And for part 2 -

But did that Bellva Viren knew that she probably shouldn’t be hiding in a corner. Luna was expecting her at a meeting in five minutes.

But did that stop her from hiding in a corner? No.

I'm tagging @aesterea and @nerdy-reesespeanutbuttercup!

[tiesa-reale]

@nerdy-reesespeanutbuttercup: What do you like more: coffee, hot chocolate, or tea?

Pen: Coffee.

Tiesa: With way too much creamer.

Pen: Hey!

Tiesa: Am I wrong?

Pen:

Pen:

Pen: No.

Tiesa: I like tea.

Bellva: Hot chocolate.

Luna: Coffee.

Tiesa: If you say-

Luna: Black, like my soul.

Tiesa: I may or may not be considering killing you right now.