Lily and Rose looked at each other, then into the larger room full of strange, and in some cases, strange looking people.

There was a very lovely woman with cat-features, but she had a very stern and attentive visage that did not look the most friendly. The others were either human or 'elven' (the presumed, from matching the descriptions they had been told about- They had never actually met elves before.)

The handsome older man had instructed them to come in, and sit down among them, but the furnishings looked unsuitable to the task. Quite likely, they would destroy any of the wooden chairs present if they sat in them; Not the least of which from the extra width of their bottoms, but just from the extra weight. There was a bench present though, as if added as an afterthought. They shambled their way in, clutching each other tightly by a left and right hand, respectively, while large irised brown eyes rimmed with a thin sliver of white darted around the room nervously at the assembled group of people.

Who WERE these people? It sounded like they were going to rescue their brother, but what was this talk of war? Her dad and older brother had whispered furtively about it, and the townspeople were worried -- very very worried-- but until now, the two of them had felt that everyone was simply blowing some rumors out of proportion. These people in the room looked, and in some cases, smelled deadly. (and in at least one case, maybe even dead? It was hard to tell. Maybe he was a grave digger instead? All they knew is that the thin, masked gentleman reeked of old grave soil.)

In mere moments, they crossed into the room with slow, ponderous and clearly terrified steps, before finding the bench, then making it creek as they sat down. First one side, then the other, the wood making visible deformation from their combined weights. Never once did those pawed hand release each other.

This entire ordeal had been a terrible one. First, their brother had been taken right in front of them, then the strange man in the pendant instructed them to come ... HERE... then, after they arrived at this massive .. 'city'.. (They had never before seen, or imagined, so many people in one place, nor even considered people actually LIVING behind massive stone walls, like this place had. The closest they knew to this kind of thing, was the tumbled down tower ruins, which had a large stone wall surrounding them, fitted with a large dragon-themed gate that opened for no-one. It was a desolate place that no-one went to, or came from. (The meadow surrounding it however, was a GREAT place to get sedge grass in the spring, and flowers in the summer. Rose had picked more than a few useful ingredients there, and Lily quite enjoyed the flowers... But this place was nothing like that at all. The way the stones were fitted was noticeably different, and inside--- more people than they had ever before imagined, all in one place, doing so much..) men in brightly colored fabrics and shiny metal plates covering their bodies had intercepted them almost immediately, and practically HERDED them down tight, twisty back alleys and to THIS place-- this.. "Castle", the pendant-man had called it. It's interior quite literally would have overflowed the edges of the small village they called "town" by a hefty margin-- and its interior was a maze of both ornate and garishly opulent halls and rooms-- intersected by cramped, drab ones. They had been shuttled through the more drab and tight ones, before being led here, to this room, and instructed to wait.

As they sat down, the opulently dressed man in the center of the room, behind the large heavy table with the colorful roll of paper on it, addressed them seemingly as an afterthought--

"Are there any questions before you set off, is there anything you wish to say in your time of need, we are here to help your family first?"

For some reason, being addressed, and asked to speak in front of this group, sent waves of terror through the both of them. Lily's paw ached where Rose's claws dug in, causing a reflexive clenching of her own, on hers.

---('They lit up brigh', Lilly..').. she muttered nearly inaudibly to her. The realization that these people didn't just look stern and tough, but were powerful enough to give her sister the willies, dawned on her terribly.

She heaved a breath, and asked a question. THE question. It came out cracked, strained with emotion and fear, but it was the only question she really wanted to know.

"A... Are yas... Are yas really gunna help Cedar?"

Then more slipped out right behind it, unbidden-- the secret questions that had been eating at her insides, that she did not dare want to address, even inwardly:

"Why'd dey take 'im? -- He gunna be a'right?..."

---

With the two bears making their way in, and with the other in the room being more skeptical, the King decided to focus on the poor sweet bears first. He smiled softly, and nodded as he looked over to them. He opened his arms out wide and smiled, "Of course... Cedar will be safe soon enough, once this meeting concludes, you all including you both will leave, and begin a journey that will be talked of for ages. The first step is securing the safety of your brother from the ones who took him."

He noticed his old friend Jazdia reading, and not paying attention, and in that moment, he was thankful that he only had one voice skeptical at that moment. He was just staring at her tea for a moment, closing his eyes for a moment, and taking deep breath.

But Fredricus turned his head and sighed softly, "At this point, Meche is an unknown, we have lost more than our typical ways of communication, and many of those we used within those borders are gone Yvonne. There are agents of revolution within our borders from Meche, there are riots and unrest in those lands, and if we do not sure them up, we will be attacked regardless. Their best warriors are likely fighting each other as their commanders, and nobles fight for what is left of the dwindling state. The rest is likely being swept up by those who wish to rule that don't have strong neighbors, or those neighbors wish to stay stagnant in their walls."

"But, that is our known, that unrest has brought war and turmoil to Meche, and it is spreading into our lands. Right now to our knowledge, Meche is a cluster of groups fighting each other, and when they unify, they will look to expand their borders, their revolution, and force their will upon every righteous land around them. But I would rather not risk an all-out war if it can be avoided either diplomatically or with a small team that can unify those forces loyal to the old ways, and remove the agents of chaos in the countryside. If we can uphold the old ways there, we may not have another war that will bring ruin to as many lands as possible. My uncle will be along with you as well as several landed houses. Should treaties and rights need to be made, they can."

He took a deep breath, "Uncle can figure out small details, and determine a route should it need to change. We determined likely holdouts based on known demographic areas, cities, villages, and trade hubs. We also have marked landholders, and titled houses and their known holdings. We know two revolutionary holdings that will likely be hard to dodge but are smaller waystations. Maybe a hundred men each, so it should be easy to traverse, but deeper in is unknown. Also most of the revolutionaries will be from lower classes, those who might be tradesmen or business owners are likely those in the head of the areas militias and soldieries. But worry about those in our lands first, information is what we lack, and your mission will likely become simpler as time progresses. Information will be key, and any knowledge we learn is crucial."

"For those within the empire, killing heads of state, heads of the revolution, getting through life, honor, and any guard will be hard, and risky. I will likely not turn out well for most who try, but I have faith that planning, and innovation throughout your comrades will see you through. But, your mission must be successful in some way, gain allies, or disorganize local militants. I would rather not have too much bloodshed on our hands, I would rather our cause be that of peace, and brokering one in their lands. We want to secure those borders before anything else happens. But, that means possibly securing our neighbors. Use peace, that is Uncles trade. Use your own voices, and words. But... should violence be needed, do not be afraid to use it. But, if all goes well, there will be two armies that can control rioting, and calm the subjects of Meche without need for bloodshed. It will not be a suicide mission, more of a forceful envoy."

Despite being left cold (And she had to reheat it using her power), it turned out the tea she was sipping was quite a heady one. Someone was taking their tea seriously here and she wondered who.

Fred had been finished with his little rah-rah speech. Years of experience as a mediator had honed her skill to both listen and read at the same time, but to decrypt Fredricus' words and answer was a different skillset altogether. You can say more than half of it was political hogwash, either to confuse his enemy should someone in this room intend to leak this meeting or to taunt a certain someone to be more involved in his plan.

This was not something to be taken at face value.

Part of her itched to tell Yvonne just that, but maybe a high level of political gambit was not for everyone. And that was how Yvonne now got stuck on Fred's long-winded speech that actually seemed to go nowhere remotely close to her understanding.

Looking back at the documents, she tried to recap what she had just read. Amongst the new recruits, there was one foreigner under the name of Gephar who possessed a strikingly similar ability to one of her former employees back in her days in CSA. An Empath, and that alone was an extremely rare talent and a very useful one to relay undisputable information. Jazdia only knew that he was loaned by one of Fredricus' allies, but she reckoned their arrangement wouldn't come cheap.

Then there were few soldiers, some with noble backgrounds.

The first one. Athena Voltspear. A youkai-- Wait, did they just put it in this...?

Jazdia activated her vision and scanned the cat-eared individual, confirming that youkai could fill the ranks in Fredricus' forces.
Apparently, she was a veteran and had made quite a name for herself in the army before being assigned to a unit under the Court Wizard Antigone Stainewll. Adept in defensive magic. A rare talent to divert damage. Minor fire magic. Limited shapeshifting.

The one under the name of Louise specialized in using wind magic, and she honed her ability for the purpose of rapid assault and defense alike.

The other soldier, a male who came with Louise has nothing exceptional in his files. But he was a noble, and apparently Thernous grandson.

Now this was getting more interesting. Jazdia took a quick glance toward a flamboyant-looking elf with bluish skin, trying to match him with the files. Varya Chandrar was not born in Varenheim, but had been around the continent since a young age, offering skill for gold and earning himself a reputation of being honorable and honest. At least that was what the evaluation said.
Capable of cloaking himself with limited invisibility and can move quietly and quickly. A shield-bearer and an expert in intelligence gathering. Such an odd mix indeed especially when Jazdia looked at his flashy getups.

Jazdia secured the document into her bag and stood up. There were two more new faces in this meeting. Instead of that bearish Cedar, now there were two of them! Each was half his size, but she already had a hunch that those two would be no less difficult to deal with.
They were here to bring ill news about Cedar's latest known fate, and it seemed Fredricus too shared their despondency.

She would save her judgment for later. But delivering this letter should be their top priority. Walking toward one of the more familiar faces, she tapped Yvonne's shoulder. "Good to see you again, Miss Rosenving."

Though they were supposed to be on a first-name basis, Yvonne never called her by her name and instead opted to call her Sparky. A moniker she wasn't fond of nor disliked. And thus, she would try to approach this conversation with rigid politeness.

What's with politicians and dragging a sentence for ten times the required length? And, she had noticed, the higher their station the more long-winded they went. She's used to tune out the mumbo jumbo and fish out the important details, which practically boiled down to the king's uncle - a minister, she recall. What's his name, Thermos or something? - playing the part of an envoy that may be able to either secure a less violent outcome or otherwise open the door so that a directed violence can be applied.

Not as good of a plan as she'd like, but eh. At least there's something to work with.

"Suppose that's the best we can get." She shrugged, not quite agreeing but not leaving either. She'll first see how the others think of the matter. Sparky, in particular, got a good brain underneath that pretty face. And speaking of...

"If it isn't my favorite elf in the world! How you been since I last saw you, Sparky?" It may be hard to determine if Yvonne favor or disfavor someone, what's with how she liberally throw around unwanted nicknames to all. But it's quite simple, really - if it's not something insulting, and wasn't accompanied by cussing, she probably liked the other party to some extent. In this particular case, it's certainly a positive connotation.

Not like the elf caught on, apparently. Nor would Yvonne herself explain it, the behavior coming sort-of naturally to her.

Lily looked at the short, black haired woman dressed in men's breeches and a strangely stiff looking jacket top. She seemed positively jovial, even pleased to meet the indifferent looking elf woman, doing her best to appear indifferent and unaffected.

...('She look like she like a good joke, at leas'.').. she whispered to her sister, before her thoughts took a terrible spiraling turn.

--Not like our brother

That was the thought that set it off like a powder keg. How their older brother, so caught up in connecting the dots between how every tiny action affected the outcomes of everything else, that he seemed completely impervious to fun--Even to the point of being preachy about how they needed to be more mindful...

That angry and tired face of his, every time they pulled a prank on Pine, and he found out...

She wondered if she would ever see it again.

Her heart sank, and she clutched Rose's paw tighter.

....('you's thinkin' 'bout 'im, ain't yas?').... was the whispered reply.

..('yeah...') was all she managed to get out, before the emotions overwhelmed her.

"Pardon me, young ladies." came a soft, and polite voice they did not know. It was a smartly dressed young man-- Boyishly handsome-- The thought that maybe he wouldn't make that bad of a dad, "with a little work" flashed through her mind then vanished like a cloud of smoke, replaced by the return of the despair and melancholia over her brother's abduction. "I am prince Alec, Lord of Rascade, and heir to the throne of Kindeance; But please, call me Alec. It's what your brother did."

"You know Cedah?" asked Rose, confusedly. She herself, was curious how this young man could possibly know their brother.

"I do. He, and half of the people out there, saved my life last fall. Your brother is a fearless, and kind creature. He opened my eyes to see beyond first appearances. At the time, I did not know the fullness of his contribution to my rescue. I have... Come to know much.. Since."

The two just stared at him, equal parts incredulity, and wonder. The man continued--

"Every moment I was with him, he seemed to want nothing more than to protect me, and to make me feel at ease. Certain things that did not make it into the official reports, were learned after. I have come to understand that he is a kind, and gentle soul. My father is a fine judge of character, and he esteems your brother highly. It disturbed him greatly when he refused his offer to live here with us, at the castle."

Two sets of brown eyes about bulged out of their respective heads, as two hands clutched tighter.

"Master Steinwell tells me of you; Tells me ... you care for your brother deeply. Understand, you are not alone in this matter. As I said, my father is a fine judge of character. He has selected all of these people to help you, and our kingdom. He passionately believes your brother will aid in this second task, once he knows of it, and what is at stake. As I said, he has worked with half of them before. He asks that you join him. I believe him. So should you."

The man then gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders, nodded, then straightened, and returned to the far end of the room behind the handsome man, still sitting at his desk. There was a wordless exchange. A glance. A nod between the two, then both returned to their surveillance of the room, as though nothing had happened.

Jazdia Crystalspark

__________________________
"If it isn't my favorite elf in the world! How you been since I last saw you, Sparky?"

"All is well." Jazdia smiled. Though the reality was far from it, and currently grinding her from the inside, she refrained from complaining. Now was simply not the time nor the place for it.

She took a moment to spy on Fredricus who seemed busy speaking with his bodyguard Matilda. He Then spoke to his boy Alec, letting the prince have his freedom to wander off.

"Let me handle the talking with Fredricus. Alright?" She whispered before Yvonne retreated back to somewhere outside the King's line of sight. Fredricus however, seemed to have been fully alerted when Jazdia approached his table

"His Majesty."

When there was no longer distance between her and the edge of the King's table, Jazdia continued in a quieter tone. "All right, you win. Count me in this little game of yours."

"Couldn't expect a better result myself, welcome back."

Jazdia, not interested in congratulating him for his little victory reached for a tubular compartment in her satchel bag to take out a rolled parchment. She undid its red ribbon and had it spread wide on Fredricus's table. A contract, written, formalized, recognized if not in Kindeance Law, then still valid in an international court. It speaks that a certain level of authority will be granted from the Ruler of the Land to the holder of the contract. A hard evidence to prove the legitimacy of their assignment. She couldn't just let Fredricus disavow her and this party whenever he damned well pleased.

"How classified would you want this mission to be?" asked Jazdia when Fredricus let the wax drip down and pressed his signet ring onto the document. "Last time I heard you don't want your enemy to know you're contacting Meche. Yet, all that lengthy speech before suggested that you want to do the opposite."

---

Solomon had his eyes closed as the words from his majesty and his advisor took over the room. The nobles were not swayed by the set backs formed from him and his party several months ago. They still had a lot of power and they were certainly making the most of it. Fanghorn was already tied to Meche, and the fact that none of the messengers the king sent had returned was also worrying. More and more it began to feel like Meche was really involved and the nobles were only expediting the problem.

As far as Solomon was aware, the whole conflict with Meche was a farce. A means for with displaced noblemen to keep the power they once enjoyed during a time of conquest. Yet, more and more Meche seemed to be involved. It was likely further manipulation across the borders. The first thought that came to his mind were the nobles propagating the war were sending their own men to influence the more radical of Meche citizens. Then again, there was Asevor. It was a difficult situation. One that seemed to be forming under the noses of both kings of both countries.

Then there was the news of Cedar. Solomon didn’t think much of his absence when he was waiting with the others in the previous room. He expected to see Jazdia and Yvonne again, but not Cedar. Solomon expected the good ol’ bear would have returned to him home in Meche, far away from this troublesome conflict. Enjoying his time in hibernation. Solomon knew the king mentioned it as a means of recruiting the bear again. But even so, he was glad to have found out. Even if not a part of the mission, it would only be right to free him from his captors. The other aspect of doing so, Solomon remained silent. He knew the nobles were crossing their king, but to flat out request that this newly formed team to eradicate her estate seemed heavy handed.

Athena, on the other hand, was shocked at the allegations of Lady Stritzel. For the noblewoman to turn her back on her country and collude with extremists from Meche. Her estate was close to the Kindeance Meche border, and perhaps that is what allowed the recent terror attacks to commence unimpeded. The idea was frightening. However, for the kingdom to take action based on hearsay, rumors, felt too much like the policy the king was trying to reform since his inauguration.

“Pardon me. Might I ask what the significance of, was it a bear you said?” Athena spoke up, “I can understand investigating the noblewoman. If founded, her actions are treasonous. But given the nature of the mission, would it not be efficient for us to hurry through Meche, and let another squad investigate Lady Stritzel?”

She didn’t want to challenge the king in so much as wanted some more clarification. It sounded like little time was available, and to not only deal with the noblewoman but also rescue an animal. Granted, the animal in question seemed to be more than your average beast. If his supposed family was anything to go off of. intelligent bears? Were they decidedly not druids? Athena glanced over to the two female bears as well. Her eyes widened slightly, before trying to backpedal a little.

“Ah, I don’t mean that we ignore him. I was, um, I just wanted to be sure that his captivity with Lady Stritzel was vital to the mission of ending the war. He should be rescued one way or another.” She really didn’t mean to dismiss the plight of the bear, but her thoughts escaped her mouth before she realized the bear’s sibling were in the room.

---

The king looked at the paper with the wax upon it, and he looked over to the woman, "Be an envoy of our kingdom to Meche, and deal with the dutchess in how you see fit. She has caused several problems recently that have become thorns in our side, and we must save the bear." the last part he said with confidence as he looked at the two other bears in the room.

He just sighed as he pressed his lips together, listening to the others in the room, "Lady Stritzle is both the cause, and it needs to be confirmed before anything goes forward. She has our friend, and it will likely need to be done quickly if he is to survive. It is on the way and can quickly be done with tact. But, it's also to see if you can find any agents from Meche... You can find information from them most likely, and use it to hopefully expedite your process of delivering the envoy safely."

The king sighed, and his attention immediately shifted back to Jazdia, who had moved aside when he answered the soldier's question.

"She had a point there." Said Jazdia, gesturing at the sealed document. "May I?"

The king gestured his permission. "Go ahead."

"Thank you." Anyway, your shieldbearer has a point there. Time is our most precious commodity right now, and adding the subjugation of your duke into our schedule would make it more constraining."

"This is indeed a difficult decision," said Fredricus calmly, yet the words sounded bitter. "Putting aside the importance of removing Stritzel and her ilks away from my land, Cedar is not just a druid or talking bear anymore. I have awarded him lands near Great Misty, and that makes him a Kindeance noble."

"That sounded like a made-up excuse."

The king did not appreciate her bluntness.

"Your failure to acknowledge the gravity of this matter surprises me. I thought you were a person who would not abandon a friend. Very well! Think that however you like. But the political risk of abandoning a loyal subject to face torture and unusual death will be felt in the long term. Besides, my son seemed to have taken a liking to Cedar. Wouldn't it be in your best interest to gain more favor from Kindeance's future king?"

Jazdia could only rub her forehead.

"There you go again using my conscience against me. Shame on you. How long before your next plenary meetings?

"Four days."

"We have eighteen days then. Perhaps we can pull that off. But the delay will be inevitable."

"I'll leave that to your judgment," he said, pausing to look at the rest of the group. It seemed none of them had any more questions. "My uncle will be with you in this mission."

"Thernous? I don't mind."

"He will be a great help," Fredricus assured. Though Jazdia could clearly sense that it was just another way of saying 'he will be my eyes and ears.'

Louise was overwhelmed from the information and tried digesting it all from the speeches of the King. She only heard about the gossips from locals when she had a break to stroll on town and in the capital before. She can be seen in cinnamon roll looking face glaring to those speakers from the meeting steadily sat in proper on her seat.

She maybe live inside the country for 20 years but she was only know about bit about her country. The day she was born to ten years of age, she was completely shut in from her family landed house and have provided teacher for writing and reading. As she was on ten, she was moved on nearby forest to train until she turned eighteen. And as eighteen to nineteen she went for etiquette learning back from her family landed home. After that, she joined as squire until now.

A gripped both of her hands on her thighs as she turned to look down. Being one of people who playing a big role.

---

Athena looked at the elf as she continued her conservation with the king. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with her nonchalant behavior. Even if they were familiar with each other, it just rubbed her the wrong way. However, the king was receptive, and Athena didn’t find it her place to intervene. Her question was answered. Yet, time still seemed to be a major deciding factor. If they were to deal with Lady Stritzel, and rescue the elf’s bear friend, then whatever plan they come up with had better go flawlessly. However, that didn’t mean Athena wouldn’t keep an eye on Jazdia. There is being friends with the king, and then there was taking an undue amount of liberties because of it.

“Alright” said Athena, “If you feel that we have the capability to succeed in this endeavor, then we will do so.” Athena still had reservations, but not only was it the king, but his advisor that had come up with this plan. Being an envoy was the easy part. At least the team that had assembled would be enough as an envoy. The issue was the raid on Stritzel’s estate. Even with Constable Delving, a raid of a small building had twice as many men. Granted, those men were usually of less skill than the current group, but numbers are always something to consider.

“If I am being entirely honest, your majesty, I do have some reservations about our numbers. I understand that you wish to keep news of our movement at a minimum, and having more men would make that difficult. It sounds like secrecy matters here if we wish to stop a war before it begins. I also understand that we who you’ve chosen are of some repute. Are there any concessions that can be afforded to us?”

Across the room, Solomon finally moved from his position. He stepped around a few of the others as they continued discussing, careful as to not disturb them until he reached the presence of Cedar’s siblings. Alec had just left, and the girls were left alone.

“I am sure condolences are the last thing that you need to hear.” said Solomon, “Let me just say, I’ve only known him a short time, but I’ve seen the kind of strength Cedar possesses. And if you two are anything like him, then I have no doubt that we will succeed in his rescue.” While Solomon appeared to struggle to do so, he ended up sitting on the floor next to the bears. The bears seemed timid, and perhaps some more friendly conversation might help them relax and be open with these strangers set to rescue their brother, among other things.

“So tell my my ursine friends, what is Cedar like at home?”

Varya Chandrar

Varya struggled to comprehend the sheer amount of information being presented by the king. He knew that the king's words had meaning on multiple levels, decipherable to those with more understanding of rhetoric than he. The web of associations and the actions that were to be taken were becoming increasingly complex and subtle. He was thankful that those with more understanding of these delicate situations were to give him orders and part of this most important of missions. Leave the politics to the nobles, Varya's duty was simply to exercise their will. So long as his orders did not conflict with his conscious, he cared little for the details, and thankfully he had yet to hear anything that would.

The leniency with which to deal with this renegade noble Stritzel was reassuring. To know when to utilize violence and when not too helps to differentiate the professional from the brute. While Varya was surprised by how casual the elven lady had spoken to the king, he could tell it came more from concern than pedantics. The king didn't seem too bothered though, which suggests a complicated history between the two, possibly worth inquiring into later. Despite this, he couldn't help but be somewhat impressed with her will to assert herself and her concerns, even if the timing was not ideal. It spoke of great potential should that energy be directed at other noble goals.

What concerned Varya at the moment was the well-being of Cedar. While he didn't view himself as the most empathetic of people, he did not like the idea of this bear suffering, nor how much this was bothering the young bears in the room, even if he did find them strange. Apart from genuine emotion and sentimentality, rescuing the bear could potentially raise the morale of the entourage, which given the gravitas of the task to be performed would desperately be needed. "Your Majesty, if I may inquire, where do you think the noble Cedar is currently being held?" Varya asks in a monotone voice that downplayed concern. He was one to keep his emotions close to his chest and reluctant to show it to others, save for when he wanted to influence others or in rarer cases open up with sincerity.

Rose sat next to her sister Lily, off to the left, as usual, putting her the closest to the group (and Lily closest to where the 'king' was seated.)

The tall, thin, masked man sauntered like a shadow up to the pair of them as they were lost in their own world, thinking about their brother, and trying to process the encouragement the handsome young 'prince' (whatever that means) had given them. Of the pair, the king, being older and more refined, was the more attractive. However, he seemed a little untrustworthy and sneaky; A thing the both of them were VERY familiar with, being that way themselves.

The tall and masked man seemed to have difficulty sitting down, but crouched on the floor in front of the pair of them, more toward her than her sister Lily, out of proximity, rather than preference. Perhaps he was of well-advanced age? With that mask on, it was basically impossible to tell, especially with how covering his clothing was. The thought about how 'inconvenient' human clothing was in this respect drifted through her mind, but was replaced quickly by his sudden inquiry.

“So tell my my ursine friends, what is Cedar like at home?”

It took her by surprise, and she boggled for a second, trying to process it, before something automatic and perhaps, a bit less than proper, borne of her cheeky mode of affection for her older brother spilled out in the space where conscious and careful speech had left blank.

"Cedah? Oh, he' a fuddy-duddy..."

She felt Lily's paw clench hers, and could feel eyes boring into her from her sister, that just screamed 'No, dont say that!' without saying a word.

"...Uh.. whut I means is..." she stammered, trying to recover, ".. He spen' all his time talkin' ta birds an' bunny rabbits, insteada goin' out an' havin' fun."

Lily then took over for her, filling the void where she was having difficulty expressing herself. This was usually how this worked out. Somehow, the two of them were always 'essentially' of the same mindset on things, despite seeing them slightly different.

"If he given da choice a feedin' an' sittin wit birds, or goin' swimmin' and havin' a good time, he choose da birds e'ry time."

"--Wull, not E'RY time-- Jus' ALMOST e'ry time." she interjected.

The HONEST truth, was that cedar DID know how to go have fun, but *ONLY* after all the 'chores' were done, and that bear had a nasty habit of prioritizing every last beetle over himself, far too often. The two of them felt it was a moral imperative to break him away from all that work to save him from himself, but he did not seem to appreciate their honest efforts, and was frequently cross with them for it. Deep down, they really loved their older brother, despite his being so dedicated. When you COULD pry him away from those tasks, he was actually quite fun to be around. The two of them had some GREAT memories of going fishing and swimming together with him and their brother Pine, despite the irritation and protestations of their mother over it.

"Why ya ask?" ventured Lily.

“If I am being entirely honest, your majesty, I do have some reservations about our numbers. I understand that you wish to keep news of our movement at a minimum, and having more men would make that difficult. It sounds like secrecy matters here if we wish to stop a war before it begins. I also understand that we who you’ve chosen are of some repute. Are there any concessions that can be afforded to us?”

Fredricus paused. Considering his options carefully.

"A week before, a unit from the recon division was dispatched to scout Stritzel's compound. With them was Madam Antigone's subordinate tasked to plant a prototype of magical geolocator. The plan was rather unsuccessful, but they are still there. Convene with this team once you get there. I will also send my pigeons to inform General Falrick to tighten the security on the west crossroad, should the rumor about Stritzel's personal militias be true and she call their assistance. I will ensure no other parties will disturb your mission. I believe that's sufficient enough."

Fredricus's attention again shifted to the male elf clad in clothes so gaudy it insulted his kingly privilege. Shaking his head once, he then waved for the elf to speak.

"Your Majesty, if I may inquire, where do you think the noble Cedar is currently being held?"

He glanced at the bear sisters for a moment before refocusing his attention back to him

"Stritzel has a mansion deep inside a pocket of forestry between the West Road and Clearpine Lake. Her mansion is unfortunately the only solid lead we have now."

Pausing, the king tried his hard to not be smug, or look at Jazdia. "Yes I know there is a possibility that Stritzel has other facilities hidden somewhere in that forest, but years under constant turmoil have rendered the region unobservable. But fret not! If my scouts failed in their task, I believe some of you are resourceful enough to look at the smallest needle in a haystack. Even if the effort could get them pricked. Any other question?"

---

“Fuddy duddy?” Solomon chuckled. In some ways, that sounded like Cedar. When it came to food or interactions with others, he seemed to often trip over himself with manners. “I ask to make small talk. This meeting isn't the most entertaining of venues, so I thought talking about him might help you feel more relaxed while the others finish with the details. Since you cared so deeply for Cedar, I thought he would make a good topic for conversation. For instance, the last time I was with him, got flustered about stealing a sale of stale bread. Despite the owner assuring him it that wasn’t necessary.”

Solomon could tell that his attempt to relax the girls wasn’t working as effectively as he would have liked. His raspy voice and his dark appearance probably wasn’t helping in that regard. However, he decided to persist, at least until it was time to depart. He knew that the others were discussing many of the details with the king behind him. Though he wasn’t paying attention to the words they were saying, he knew that even then he would not be left in the dark. For this endeavor, he didn’t mind following. At least for the time being.

Athena hummed to her self softly as the king answered her question. It wasn’t another squad, but it was something. Also Athena didn’t know about potential external support, so if they could be hindered if not entirely blocked that would also keep their edge. Having even a couple more people would help. And if one of those from the recon squad was Antigone’s all the better.

“Thank you your majesty. I think given the circumstances, that would work just well.” Athena bowed before she left the king’s desk, leaving Jazdia with him. Though as she walked away, she kept her eye on the elf. She didn’t suspect Jazdia was going to do anything vile, but her attitude towards the king still left a sour taste in Athena’s mouth.

Small talk? What was that even supposed to mean? Did he mean-- GOSSIP?

A dirty look flashed between them for just a split second, then vanished. Papa hated it when they gossipped, but it was ever so much fun-- and practical to get somebody set up to take the plunge from one of their pranks-- but the comment about the bakery had them confused.

"Why'd he beh all droopy o'er stale bread for?"

"Was dey anybuddy else tryin' tuh buy anuh?"

"If dey was, at'd es'plain it-- at silly bear. He buy all da bread he could 'ford, on accounta bein' a bear an all-- and 'en somebuddy want some afer, and no' get none? You know how he is!"

The two cackled mischeviously with their heads bowed and their noses almost touching each other, before returning their attention to Solomon.

"So tell me fellah, why you's smell like ya roll' in dirt a'fore ya come here?"

"LILY! Ya cain't as' 'at! Dis here nice man wanna tell us why he smell like he crawl' outta an ol' hole, he gunna do at hims own self-- Don' go askin' 'im stuffs like at! He prolly got hims' reasons!"

"Well i's true-- but acourse ya's righ'-- Sorry mis'er-- You wanna tell us why yas smells like an ol' graveyard, you goes ahead an tells us, but ya ain't gotta. Sorreh uh asked!"

"'Ats better! Naow, was' yer name, fellah?"

---

Well, the short story about Cedar’s little antic seemed to have done the trick. They started to brighten up. They were even looking at each other, mischievously. But then the mention of gossip.

“It isn’t much like gossip, small talk is…” before Solomon could really finish his sentence, the two female bears started going at him with multiple questions. They continued off each other to the point Solomon was having a hard time getting a word in edgewise. Solomon was able to catch most of what they were saying, but unfortunately, lost some with their accent. He knew they started talking about Cedar and the bakery. But then the questions revolved around him. When they paused, Solomon answered them.

“Ehem, my name is Doc, er. You may call me Solomon.” Solomon did a little make shift bow that was obviously not meant to be serious, but rather to add a little fun to his introduction, “As for smelling like a graveyard, I don’t know what you are talking about. I think I smell delightful.” Solomon let out a playful smile, not that anyone could really see it under the mask.

“So then, sister’s of Cedar, what would your names be?”

"Oh-- Acourse!! I's Lileh--"
"--An' I's Rose!"

"Pleased tuh meetcha mistah Doc!"
"Pleased tuh meetcha mistah Doc!"
They said in unison, then continued their assault unimpeded.

"So's, you wus wit' Cedah las' time he wus out 'bout?"
"Why da hell he gone so longed?!"
"Yeah! Pappi was so upset, hims din' let us outta his sight!"
"You any idea how hard it is ta keeps daown a job, when ya pappi won' let you leave da house?"
"We tried fer a WHOLE MONTH AN A HALF--"
"Our lil brudder Pine kept TATTLIN' on us!"
"'An den he comes an shows up all skin-n-bones, with a big arsed wagon full a food, darndest thang!"
"We asked hims what happen, he tol' us tuh min' our own business!"
"So C'mon mistuh, OUT WIT' IT!"

---

Rose and Lily. Given Cedar’s name and his brother mentioned as Oak, Solomon wasn’t too surprised. Though for Solomon, one of the girls name’s came out of Lileh, so that was his first impression of it. When the bear twins started to speak up again, Solomon was better prepared for their nearly uninterruptible back and forth. It actually helped him a little to think of it as one speaker through two different mouths, as strange as that sounded.

“Nice to meet you, Lileh and Rose. So, Cedar being out last time? He had not mentioned anything about his adventure?” asked Solomon. He supposed that given some of the struggles he had to endure, it might not have been the most pleasant thing to discuss. Especially with his younger family. And there was plenty. There was his time in the dungeon upon arrival, the first time he witnessed the dead rise, the battle with Asevor, and the execution of Geralt. it was probably easier for Cedar to suppress the whole ordeal than relive it explaining it, even to his father.

Apparently the sisters had no end of trouble about Cedar’s absence either. Though the family, and its origins were very strange, the dynamic the siblings had between themselves and their father was heart warming. It was how a family should be. Always together in good times and bad, learning to overcome the challenges they present to each other and to grow.

“If Cedar hasn’t said anything, it probably isn’t my place to say anything about it either.” said Solomon, “but I can say one thing. The reason your brother took so long is very reminiscent to what is happening now. He bravely helped rescue someone in trouble, much like how we are going to rescue him.”