[center][h3]Nieve — Embassy[/h3][/center]

Bren sat in silence as he listened to Anne speak. Though his gaze momentarily flicked towards the pair that had arrived with her once the pink-haired one chastised the child, his focus seemed to remain intact as he seemed to consider what, supposedly, had transpired. Though he knew of many towns in Riltaea, Aventon and Sila were not ones he could so easily place to a location despite their passing familiarity. Once the woman finished speaking her piece, the minister calmly stood up and, after pulling a document from one of the nearby shelves, calmly unfolded it.

A map of the country, as good as any other—bereft of any markings or any indications of more politically-inclined details, of course—would soon be laid out upon the desk as the man slowly traced a path from the capital to the nation's border with Eiderheim. A brief glance around the region there would corroborate the existence of a town by the name of Aventon; from there, tracing a general path towards the capital would also note the presence of Sila en route.

"Hm... An attack positioned towards the capital would be rather concerning, but I believe that any city would be concerned if similar claims were levied against them," the man responded as he returned to his seat. "Never mind how an attack from the north by Eiderheim's elite force would have easily overtaken a frontier town so far from any support. Confirming the attack and the results therein shouldn't be too difficult, assuming we can corroborate those claims. You came here with merchants, yes? I would appreciate it if you could provide information on them so that we can verify your story... Though I suppose that takes lower priority than the other issue at hand."

With that, Bren took a deep breath and looked Anne dead in the eyes.

"If Eiderheim has attacked our nation unprovoked, then we cannot stand idly by. But if you claim that there are swords pointed at our necks, then we can ill afford to fight a war on two fronts. Placing the form of this 'attack' aside, do you have any proof of your claims of a strike towards the capital? While it is straightforward enough to pass proof of an invasion up to His Majesty, to say that there would be some attack or another directed here... Well, rather than uncertainty, it would seem rather obvious that the enemy would want to take the capital, would it not?"

[@Izurich][@Drifting Pollen][@Rezod92]