My heart began to pound in my ears as I saw the dark elf walk out onto the stage. I had never seen one personally, but I had heard the accounts from the fighters who encountered them in the Collapse of Southtown. I had also heard of the horrors they committed on the Kin, and with all that said, I considered them an enemy.

When one walked out onto the stage, my eyes darted around the room, and I tensed as I prepared for battle. But nothing happened. There were no screams as people were cut down by assassins. No shouts of challenge as armed intruders stormed forward.

There was, however, a rush of quiet murmurs that turned into a roar that filled the large chamber, which only put me more on edge. An attack, I could deal with, or at least confront head-on. Whatever this was, I could only helplessly stand to the side and watch.

An emotion I was not alone in, "Bloody crows, how was this missed?" Redgenald hissed from his seat next to me, his body tensing, before he forced himself to relax. His level of self-control was impressive, but I didn't even attempt to duplicate the action. Call me weak, but the last political meeting I attended was still replaying in my mind as I looked around for something akin to blood golems popping up.

"Oh? Did your little meeting not tell you this was going to happen?" Kathren asked, her voice far too sweet to actually be intended to be agreeable. I looked to the side in annoyance, eyeing the pair that had been passive-aggressively fighting for days now. "Maybe if you had taken a little longer, you would have learned something useful… Or learned some manners."

Redgenald's face twisted with irritation at the comment, the shot finally getting through, and the large man snapped back, "Like you are one to talk of failures. We were on a mission, and you became distracted by a 'supposed' old friend. That man could have been there to act as a distraction. Such a miss step could have cost us our lives. How else should I have reacted to his presence?"

"Oh, we were on a mission? Then what was that mission? And where did Drogaith disappear to?"

"I told you he was reassigned; that should be enough. And I trusted you to remain professional and keep a lookout for me, but that is apparently beyond your abilities." Kathren's face twisted as the pointed words landed, and I knew that this argument was going to take a bad turn… Well, a worse one.

Sighing, I cut in, "If you two could stop your little lovers' spat for a moment, is my assumption that Redgenald was unaware that a dark elf was going to be presented today accurate?" My words earned a glare from both of the participants and a few coughs, covering chuckles from the scouts and Nareta. Though Franklin didn't even do that much, as his eyes never left the figure striding into the center of the stage.

He did, however, release a low growl that made the hairs on my body stand on end. Reaching over, I grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn and face me. His eyes were hard and glinted with menace, but I simply shook my head and flicked my eyes around, trying to convey that now wasn't the time to attack his people's long-time foe. After a moment, he grunted, then went back to eating, though his actions lacked the enthusiasm of a moment before.

Turning back to the Inquisitor, the man's face was set back into his professional mask, and his voice didn't hold a tinge of irritation at my comment as he said, "To answer your question, no. I received no word that Senator Drelgath or his constituents were going to pull this stunt."

"So either your organization didn't know, or they didn't tell you," Nareta said, saying what everyone was thinking, but wasn't willing to put into words within earshot of the reaper. "Which do you think is worse? For me, I would lean toward them choosing to not tell you."

"Why," Franklin grunted.

"Because if they didn't know, it is either that the Inquisitors are incompetent, or that our adversary is particularly skilled at concealing themselves, which we know at least the latter point to be true. If they chose not to relay the information to the good Senator Ponpti through Redgenald, it is likely they are already compromised, or I guess it could be that they have yet to pick a side. Though that would effectively be the same to us." I couldn't argue with Nareta's line of logic, and the realization sent a shiver of terror running down my spine at the thought. Unable to stop myself, I glance at Redgenald, judging his reaction, or the lack thereof, to the accusation.

Before the awkward silence could be broken, Senator Ponpti exclaimed, "Ahh, what a wonderful surprise!" He tried to appear casual, but he didn't entirely succeed after being blind sided. "It appears that I am not the only one who has brought a guest… though I can't help but think that such a surprise appearance is inappropriate for a visitor of the Republic. After all, my guests are the talk of the town and I have been petitioning the Senate for days… So, why is this the first time I am hearing about an ambassador of the Letairry being within the city? Or the Republic, for that matter?"

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At the words, there was a chorus of agreement that rippled through the crowd. However, above all the noise was the scoffing of the fat senator standing in opposition to Senator Ponpti, "What do you mean by, why? By that very question, you display your ignorance of the people that you align yourself with. The Kin, like their appearance would suggest to anyone with eyes, are beasts. They have launched unprovoked attacks against the Letairry countless times. Given their history, I was given special dispensation by the Master of the Chamber for this surprise, as very knowledge that my friend was in the city could have caused these beasts to lash out… I mean, just look at them." The man swept out his flabby, wide-sleeved arm, gesturing to Kaneita and then us off to the side of the stage.

At that moment, I learned something. You never really think about it, but cloth rubbing against each other does make a sound. Usually, it's just that the sound of swaying branches or footsteps drowns out the noise, so you don't notice it. When thousands of people turn as one without speaking, that insignificant sound takes on a life of its own. And then the attention of all those people focused on me, and it was like a brick was smashed into my head.

I had never felt anything like it. Never even imagined it was possible that simple attention could be the equivalent of a mental attack, then again, I had never received the attention of more than a legion's worth of people at a single time. Even during the Kin Conclave, I was more of a side prop. Something to glance at, but never really studied in detail.

Now, I felt like I was slowly being suffocated. My mind was being crushed under countless idle thoughts and weak emotions, which only made the fact that I was suffering from the attention all the more intolerable. It was like a slap in the face to all of my effort and training, and it was the kick in the ass I needed to erect a mental shield around my mind and shove the thoughts away. And it was… surprisingly easy. Like I was standing under a waterfall, attempting to hold the torrent back with my hands, when all I had to do was step to the side.

"Just look at that male," The senator sneered, his voice laced with contempt as he looked at Franklin. "We are in a chamber meant for communication and the exchange of thoughts and ideals for the betterment of all, but he cannot help but show open hostility. Even the so-called 'Ambassador' had a flicker of killing intent cross her face when the guest of the Republic first appeared."

"He is not an ambassador," Kanieta said, speaking up from her place on stage for the first time since the dark elf arrived, "You can speak all of the lies about me and my people that you want. It means nothing to me if you make a fool of yourself and speak from a place of ignorance while claiming to be an intellectual. However, I am an ambassador, and I do speak on behalf of the Kin. That man is not. He cannot be, as the Letairry are a matriarchy, and only women hold positions of power within their society. So whatever he says, be sure that they are lies to deceive and misguide you from his mistress's real objective."

"Ahh," A soft and melodic voice sighed, filling the silence of Kanieta's words. The man turned to Kaneita and slowly shook his head as if a great weight was pressing down on him. "This belligerent sentiment is the reason for my insistence on secrecy. I hope that you can all understand."

Pivoting away from Kaneita, the dark elf opened his arms wide and made a show of turning, his head slowly sweeping over the audience. "Look at me, and please believe what I have to say. I am Ambassador Heart, and I come in peace for the sole objective of open discourse and communication." My eyes opened wide at his words, but not from what he said. Laced into his voice were his emotions and thoughts, slightly pressing against my mind. What felt like genuine sincerity and remorse that they could not come to a peaceful understanding was flooding the chamber.

"I must admit," The dark elf continued, hanging his head in an ocean of shame that came off him, "that my people are partially to blame. In the distant past, one among us discovered a way to control the beastkin. We used them as beasts of labor, and thought nothing of it, as animals were all anyone saw them as." At that, there was a murmur of agreement, and even excitement, as people imagined we might also be able to harness the power of a foe that had long been a thorn in our side.

I could sense the excitement of my countrymen, and I felt a growing unease building inside of me. The emotions felt so pure, but I was looking at a member of a race that specialized in mental manipulation, and a people I knew for a fact took control of Olimpian citizens' minds and used them as a tool for their own goals. But I was an elf, and my words would mean less than nothing to those with the real power. Not when they had already made up their minds to hear him out.

"When the beastkin evolved into the Kin, we didn't realize what they had become. And like any other would, they took it upon themselves to attain freedom. But since that unfortunate time, they have insisted on a perpetual war. A war that they lost, and decided to bring to your doorstep, so that you and your people can fight it on their behalf. That is why I remained hidden, because I was afraid that if I revealed myself too early, the Kin would attempt something drastic, and we would lose this last chance at peace."

At the end of the elf's little speech, the fat politician looked pleased with himself, and Ponpti had a flicker of uncertainty on his face. Before either could speak, the Master of the Chamber's cracked but still domineering voice rang out, "As we all can see, this is far from a simple matter. I am exercising my authority to postpone any vote or further discussion on this topic so that the representatives can present their sides of the situation more effectively. In a week's time, we will reconvene to further discuss the matter. Until then, both parties will remain under the protection of the Senate. Session adjourned."

With the sudden pronouncement, the smile of Senator Drelgath flickered for a moment, but it didn't vanish as he bowed and quickly strode toward an exit. No one seemed to be happy, and I suppose that was the best we could hope for, given the situation.

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