Author Notes: Time to reveal the logic! Hopefully it stands up as well in reality as it did in my head. If it didn't... well... I'll make it work!
Obviously, Enjoy and comment if you'd like.
The Shrine Priestess hissed through clenched teeth, eyes wide as she looked down on her opponent with a clearly forced smile. It was one thing for this filthy boy to gamble her people's future on a coin toss, but lying directly to her face required an entirely different level of gaul. Most of the other eyes on the room were on the offending coin, trapped on its edge between two paving stones, but shared stared straight into Sora's bizzare gesture: two fingers, spread wide like the shadow of migrating geese.
"Is this... what do you call it, flipping me the bird?" Her voice stunted with a painfully false politeness, enough to make her former servents shrink at the real sound. "Such a brazen gesture for one who's trying to cheat his way into a victory."
As if she haden't been speaking at all, the King stepped forward, dropping to one knee. "You never struck me as a sore loser," he casually responded, plucking the coin back into his palm before turning his eyes back up to her, shadowed and more focused then when he'd been standing. "We won the game fair and square... unless you've got proof." His tone dared her to respond, the fox's itensity momentarily broken by the sudden change. He's trying to intimidate you her instincts told her. Don't let him. None of his vassals seemed to share her opinion: the Flugel and girl sharing an unblinking serenity while Princess Stephanie scrunched her face in deep thought, but both Izuna and Ino were twitching their ears nervously, repeatedly glancing towards her and waiting for their queen to rip this obvious lie wide open.
"On second thought, maybe it isn't courage. Perhaps you're just too stubborn to admit you failed." Her voice slowly rose as she held out a loose-fingered hand towards Shiro, elbow held to her side. "Your Queen is correct. The coin landed on neither heads nor tails, which makes it a draw." Inno nodded in approval, his granddaughter following his lead a moment later.
"Eh, she always gives out on me about this time of day," Sora rubbed his sister's hair affectionately, holding the gold between his middle and ring finger. "No need to worry about it, you know I've got you covered. Jibril, be a dear and remind everybody what I bet on again?"
"I'll just go with whatever you don't," her voice shifted into a crude imitation of Sora's, echoing powerfully through the garden. "Those were your exact words, no?"
His eyes seemed to glint as his slave answered him. "So, tell me hot stuff... did it look like that coin landed on tails to you?" The Priestess's hair bristled in frustration as the reality dawned on her, heart and soul sinking like a stone as her eyes began to water. Izuna was looking on in wide-eyed wonder, smiling in self-satisfaction as the answer dawned on her.
"... no..." "Nope, Thank you!" "Not at all" "I don't think so" "I can't..." All four of the women in the room besides Jibril pressed the buttons in unison on the podiums that had suddenly appeared before them, a quince of red x's lighting up the front of them, a congratulatory ring sounding from overhead.
"That is CORRECT!" Sora announced, standing there in his new yellow suit and red bow-tie. "Now, let's show our lovely contestants what I've won." The red background curtain rose up, revealing Jibril in a form-fitting, blue sequin dress, arms framing a video screen of shifting images: starting with an airel view of a jungle island, then changing to a white sandy beach (complete with cute bikini-clad animal girls) and later a sunset skyline of Kannagari. "Live like a king and enjoy an island paradise brimming with natural beauty with an all expenses paid, year-round time share to the entirety of Elkia's new western provinces~" she advertised, curving her back as she leaned against the side of the screen. "Dine on the rich rich oyster farms and fisheries, explore the wonders of her near-magical technology, take a romantic walk along her perfect natural ports, or frolic in Disboard's largest zoo; nothing is every boring. The Western Provinces: Enrich your life, and your treasury."
Their host gave them a wide toothy grin, Stephanie's smile glowing and sque-ing like a kid in a candy store, a spotlight and rain of confetti coming down on all of them. Shiro responded with a yawn, rubbing her eyes, and Izuna happily hoping up and down. In the middle of all the noise and excitement, they didn't even notice as the elderly Warbeast made his way behind the lovely Flugel assistant, forcefully tapping her shoulder. "I will not stand for this tomfoolery again." He demanded, holding his ground even against the strong, threatening aura of her disturbed presence.
"My, I suppose you're right," Her show-woman's smile subtly turning up into a rightous smirk. "After all livestock does spook rather easily, so your poor old heart probably can't take much more." Jibril closed her eyes, her halo and spirit circuits glowing so faintly even his keen senses were barely able to detect as the illusion she'd woven faded.
Normality had been restored, the Priestess raising a sleeve to cover her eyes so nobody could see the tears she struggled to hold back. Her knees wobbled, threatening to buckle as she felt the gaze of the rest of the room burrowing into her arm, trying to see what lied beneath. Her ragging anger faded down in the mental storm: the shame of showing such weakness in front of her subjects just compounding on itself. These were her people; the ones she was supposed to stand as a shining example for, to illuminate the way for a new generation of Warbeasts to make their mark on the world. And here she was, crying like a feeble pup as her world fell to shards around her. So deep was the twist in her stomach, the ache in her chest, she could have just curled up right there and died.
But... somewhere at the core of herself she managed to find the strength to keep sitting upright, to hold her tongue from admitting defeat. "I... I don't think so," the despair lingered in her voice , heavily breathing in case of sobs. "Don't think you can fool me. I saw it..." she whipped an arm out, pointing accusingly at the out-of-place tile. "I saw you shift your weight just before it landed. That must have..."
She turned her gaze to a sudden movement, Elkia's Queen crossing her arms in a sign of denial. "Bad girl. Minus 100 cuteness points." In her current position even little Shiro could look down at her, the insult dampening her resurgent resistance. God, how does anybody but up with these two? She wondered, watching Sora and Shiro take each other's hand, frowning together.
"You call us petty, but then try to trump up something like that as cheating?" Sora finished Blank's collective counter, shrugging his free shoulder. "That was just a reflex, like when you sent out that shockwave with your Blood Destruction." It wasn't clear if Ino's support was starting to waver as he spoke, but Izuna's certainly was: looking regrettably at the Priestess and only staying on her side of the path because Ino was holding her arm.
"I don't believe you!" she shot back instantly, shaking her in seat as she let out that cry from the depths of her heart.
"Priestess..." Ino's voice echoed with a deep concern. But she would have no condolence. Dredging up her last mental reserves, she clung onto this final option. Her Federation, her cause... it couldn't be lost. It couldn't!
"Then test us," Shiro suggested bluntly, squeezing her brother's hand tightly. It was then the idea sprung up in her mind, slits widening as she furiously looked over every inch of those vulnerable Imanity bodies, ears standing on end and tilting in their directions as she tried to shut out the rest of the world. Lying wasn't just something one said, after all. There were all sorts of physiological signs: there were eye movements, changes in the breathing and heartbeat, sweat, subtle changes in body language. If they were lying: and they had to be, this was the proof she needed!
"Whohoho!" Steph injected herself into the conversation, both physically and literally, as she ran in between the two parties. She turned to face the two siblings, leaning forward and flailing her arms angrily. "Shiro! What are you doing letting the enemy do the judging for she's going to say you're lying no matter what its like you aren't even thinking who you're doing with are you seriously so..."
"Steph... we've got this," Sora assured her, squeeze her arm firmly and the princess almost melting into his touch. "After all the crap we've been through to get this far, we'd have to be complete idiots to lose it all now." The conviction in his tone, Shiro nodding determinedly as well... it all had to be part of his strategy. That has to be his trick. Make everybody expect me to 'lie'. If I continue pressing now.
"No... the woman is right," The Priestess pushed herself onto one knee, dabbing away the last few tears. "It wouldn't do to have me to seal your guilt." She craned her head in Izuna and Ino's direction, both of them now at attention as the next step became obvious. "Ino shall so in my stead. Do we have an agreement?"
"Sure thing," he nodded to the Priestess, Ino slowly shuffling over and standing by her side. "And no need to go easy on us, Gramps. Blank doesn't need any handicaps."
"I'd never dream of it, my liege," the old man spoke with the plainest respect. "Though, please keep in mind that, in accordance to the Sacred Pledges, should I find any signs Her Sacred Majesty's claims are true, you shall lose the wager."
"Give us your best shot," Shiro dared it, each of Ino's eyes meeting those of a different King. "Together, we never lose."
Ino drank in the flood of information, cloudy glasses hiding the rapid movement of his eyes. Even harder on his mind then that though was the weight of judgment... doing his best to remain impartial despite the pressure he could feel from both sides. He still had a hand laid on his Lady, feeling her rapid and occasionally irregular pulse. Any other day, and he would have rushed off to prepare tea to help her relax, or allow her to lay out her worries if she requested it. She had lost his freedom on their game with Elkia, true, but there was no ill will from that: after all, to do otherwise would have meant abandoning Izuna to face them on her own. To see her in such pain... it was almost enough to make him weep himself.
And, across from her, the dirty apes who'd done this to her. He might be obligated to obey them, but that didn't make his thoughts any kinder as he observed every minute detail of Sora's face, searching for Imanity's tell-tale signs of lying. The King held a stony expression, one he could remember several times from the screens. This was the look of a man completely dedicated to his task... covering something up perhaps. Try all you like, boy. These responses are almost entirely subconscious ones. he showed no less focus on his own task. That brain you're so proud of will be your undoing... and it shall have no mercy.
As time wore on, Ino found himself increasingly unsure. Try as he might, Sora's body; besides the lingering scent of soap, seemed entirely normal. In the corner of his vision he could see the Priestess, looking on hungrily as she waited for her vindication, the seed of doubt burrowing into her disciple's heart. She would not allow herself to succumb to wishful thinking would she? He tried to convince himself... but the guarantee rang hollow. He could see the man's heart through its vibrations, colored lines pulsing in perfect time. Focusing on the rhythm, Ino began to hear a softer, but distinct sound beneath it... a smaller version at the exact same time.
It finally clicked together, turning his attention to the figure at Sora's side. The little girl, their fingers intertwined, hearts beating in an eerily perfection unison. That wasn't all; the skin temperature, the reflexive twitching, the rate and which they were blinking... his body, it's taking its cues from her. A slightly battered but otherwise clean soul who hadn't lied once all night. Even if he was guilty... how could one possibly tell the difference so long as they're standing together? He cursed faintly beneath his breath in Warbeast, slowly releasing his breath out his nose before rendering the verdict.
"Priestess, I apologize, but it appears King Sora is...telling the truth," he regretfully admitted, chocking on his words. "The winner is... once again... Elkia."
Blank parted hands, its taller half squatting down enough from the shorter half to high-five. "That's what I'm talking about!" Sora cheered, bending back to face the heavens. "Let the choirs of angels sing, for man has once again come to reign in the ultimate Eden!" Shiro was also smiling... though unlike her brother was glaring threateningly at Izuna. The girl seemed shocked; still smiling but standing far more nervously then before.
"Then its finished," The Priestess said hopelessly. "Its gone, its all gone." There were no more tears, no more sobs: she didn't even have the energy for that anymore, a trail of pink dust drifting down behind her from an overhead Flugel invader. "Why? What did I do wrong?"
"Its actually quite simple," Jibril came up to her Master's side, re-materializing the same board as before. On it was displayed a map of Disboard; Federation red lingering on the outlying islands for the time being. "No matter how much a dog might beg, it hardly makes sense to feed them if you're s1tarving yourself, no?"
"Not quite the way I'd put it, but that's the right adea," Sora supported her, standing just to the side of Elkia's new continental territory. "I've got to hand it to you lady, you played the long game really well. Present supposedly lenient terms for lose, then do everything you can to get convince your opponent to accept them; that's a pretty good strategy. Sounds like some I'd come up with myself in your position." Sora pointed to a series of points on the continent, producing symbols that identified key recently abandoned Warbeast mining and farming centers.
"Which is exactly why I'd never fall for it. See, despite what Steph thinks, I do actually read over her reports from time to time." Shiro tugging at his pants leg and Stephanie looking him down caused him to quickly retract the statement. "Alright alright... I have Shiro read them and give me a quick walkthrough. Anyways, even with all the reforms we've managed to cram through 3 million Imanity is a lot of subjects. All this new territory was a real god-send... provided, of course, we can get what we need out of it. And that's where your ploy comes in." The sight symbols turned from black to red, like islands over their own in an blue sea.
"At first glance, self-government for the Warbeasts and a guarantee of resources might not sound like much. After all, Elkia still gets to own the land and the prestige that comes with it, right? That's what you were trying to get us to think anyways. But I've played enough grand strategy to knows the tiles themselves are worth nothing... what's really important is what's on them." Extremely simplified images of Warbeasts appeared on the screen, moving back from the islands to Elkia's mainland territory. "See, if Elkia's King gives Warbeasts self-government, that means I'd be bound by the Pledges not to apply our government to them... even in Elkian territory. Even discounting technology, that'll put our own merchants and companies at a huge disadvantages." Symbols of Elkian currency; concentrated in the Capital, were quickly overtaken by Eastern Federation symbols. "And that technology gap is especially critical. After all, how are we supposed to really exploit our resources without the technology you pulled back to the capital. You saw what we've already managed to accomplish... imagine what we could do with the right tools. But here's a question: what's the one thing you absolutely can't do without if you want to use modern technology?"
He was about to answer his own rhetorically question, the Priestess watching him with a perverse sense of awe as the disheveled King seemed to be reading her mind, when Shiro raised her hand. "Resources," she corrected guessed, the red mines, farms, wells and refineries blinking again as if to make their point. "Elkia and the Federation both need the same kinds of resources if they want to thrive."
"But..." she stuttered, running the numbers in her head. "If the Warbeasts keep extracting at the same rate they did before, their woulden't be enough left over for us to do anything!"
"Its worse then that," Sora affirmed, tracing a line between the Continental domain and the Eastern Federation's island. "The Warbeasts have a pretty large population and not much continental territory. Obviously you've been exploiting it pretty heavily to get everything you need. But at least it was only limited to the territory they controlled directly." He then focused in on Elkia's pre-Game domain; mostly bereft of valuable minerals but still containing a dozen or so good mines. "A guarantee of resource from the continent as a whole means they'd have the right to stake our old minerals too. If they did that, advancing under our own power would be next to impossible. Elkia would be forced to import basically any manufactured goods it wants from the Federation. And as for our new territories... who do you think is going to be paying for all the maintenance costs there."
"In other words... you own everything that makes money, we own everything that costs money." Shiro concluded, shaking her head. "Bad trade, no deal."
"But..." Izuna sobbed, the tears finally starting to flow after a long-painful build-up as she'd listened to Sora's speech. "You... promised... nobody would suffer, please?" The word actually sounded like a question rather than an add-on, a please as she looked up with wide, wet eyes and droopy ears. Such a moe sight quickly grabbed Sora's attention, staring longingly at the begging kitsune. Gods,who could say no to that face? his heart spoke, only saved from himself as Shiro delivered a childish bonk to his head, held up by Jibril.
"Don't ruin this," she instructed, shadow falling eyes as she brought her brother back to his senses. "You aren't allowed to treat anybody better then your cute little sister?" The girl tilted her head, trying to look adorable as possible as she nuzzled her head into the crock of his neck. It would have been almost heartwarming, if Sora diden't look like he was about to have a panic attack, flashing between the sides of this two-pronged cuteness assault.
"Oh, why must you be so cruel? Just... just look at her!" Sora tried to 'reason' with her, Izuna following her counterpart's lead and latching on to his waist. The joy was almost overwhelming, only held back by the competitive and completely-uncute glare both were giving him. Calm down, Sora, let's try to deal with this rationally. You've got two unbelievably cute girls competing for your affection. Let's rank them: Option one; moody, well-dressed, pale. Option two: Strong, ill-tempered, and half dog... God, how am I supposed to choose!
The next moments were pure agony, heart and head smashing against one another before, in a brief moment of one of their dominances, he cried to the heavens. "TEAM SHIRO!"; that same girl pulling away and raising a thumb in approval. "Sorry Izuna. I know I promised you that but... there just isn't enough resources to make it happen. Don't worry... as subjects of Elkia, you'll still be able to buy some stuff from the continent."
"Dear Master, how do you get all these females so attached to you?" Jibril blushed, setting Shiro down so she could hold her cheek. "To carry something that is such a blessing as well as a curse... there's got to be something."
Yet, there was one woman in the room who hadn't fawned over him: that woman slowly coming back up to her feet, holding a closed fist just over her left breast. "Elkian subjects..."
Sora finally turned his attention back to her, apologetically petting Izuna behind her ears. "Well yah... these islands are ours now, after all. Only makes sense that the people who're going to live here are going to be Elkians. After all... why would I want to give up my hold over such a perfect paradise? I'm going to be neck-deep in animal-eared beauties calling me Master!"
Gods, was he drooling over that? This man was no King... even as utterly defeated as she was, the Priestess couldn't imagine bowing to him. He could deck himself out in as many noble titles and fancy crowns as he wanted: the difference between a true ruler and a bully was far deeper then that. "... and if we won't submit?"
"... then you're trespassing, and we'll have you arrested," Shiro responded without hesitation, pointing to the door. "No *bleep*s allowed."
"Nai Hemankoji Shiro! Where did you learn such age-inappropriate language!" Her brother immediately began chastising her.
Shiro took his outburst in stride, looking up at the still flubbing Flugel. "Jibril taught me. When we were taking Izuna back to the castle, she told me she was going to be our little..."
"I meant it entirely innocently!" Jibril apologized, waving down with one hand while using the other to stop Shiro's sentence. "Is that not how you Imanity refer to female canines?"
"Sometimes... I guess... but its got a really unwholesome connotation to it! Especially if you're talking to a lady!"
"Grandpa... what a *bleep*?, thanks?" Izuna posed innocently, the old man blushing deeply at her saying that word. The conversation grew increasingly hard to follow after that; a series of excuses and half-finishing explanations flying chaotically between the Elkian subjects as the Priestess made her way silently to the door; keeping as much of herself as she could between them and her heart. She could feel the force inside pulse weakly, the silhouette of a minaret shining out from her breasts. The corridors of the shrine she knew so well faded away behind her, barely giving them a last look as she ran. She passed under archways, treasure rooms, archives of box and electronic data... all enemy property now as she threw herself out of the final door, onto the mercy of the Flugel and Elven forces arrayed around her lost city.
He had taken everything from her... everything but what really mattered. In the shadows of the urban alleyways, she let herself look upon it: The Warbeast race piece shining in her cupped palms, for her and her only to see. She was alone, this bishop latticed with teal webs the last hope to save her people from enslavement at Imanity's hands. But so long as the slimmest of odds remained, she could not give up. Her eyes burst, flooded with a localized Blood Destruction, admiring the piece with an almost demonic sight.
Perhaps it was time to meet with those Senators once again...
