February 3rd
Patch
1:51 PM

"So, then I said: yo, we better bounce because the po-po be all up in here," Qrow grinned like a madman and gesticulated excitedly. "Turns out that, once again, I was right."

Tai laughed and clinked his glass against his. "Nice one, but not as nice as my story."

"Oh?" Qrow said, taking the assertion as a challenge. "What wild stories have you got, Tai?"

"One too many," Summer said cheerfully as she stepped into the room. "But at least he doesn't lick things to claim them as his."

Qrow stuck his tongue out childishly at her. "Very funny."

"Well, when my daughter is born in May, you're going to have to stop being so immature," Tai sent him a half-serious look. "After all, there can only be one baby in the house at a time."

"Oh, go stick it in your hat," Qrow laughed. "You're just mad that Raven's avoided us more and more. It seems like she's always runnin' or sleepin' –"

"She's stressed," Tai said defensively. "That's how she copes with it. Honestly, she's going to be a wonderful mother and I…"

"What?" Summer eyed him curiously. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Tai sighed. "Can the two of you keep a secret for me?"

Summer and Qrow shared a somewhat confused look but nodded nonetheless.

"Alright," Tai said, lowering his voice.

Both of them leaned closer and Tai raised an eyebrow before he continued.

"I don't want her to feel pressured or…coerced," Tai said, swallowing hard. "But after our daughter's born, I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Summer let out a squeal of excitement and then immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. Qrow elbowed her sharply and she scowled, albeit playfully.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Qrow smiled. "That sounds nice, Tai, if you can convince her and I ain't so sure about that."

"Rae and I have been together long enough now, haven't we?" He rubbed his arm, feeling almost embarrassed for having brought the subject up. "Look, this is going to be new for me too but I want her to know that I –"

"I want to plan the wedding," Summer whispered jubilantly. "All of it! The party, the –"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Summer," Tai warned her. "I haven't ever breached the subject with Rae before, and it's going to be awkward when I finally do so –"

"Eh," Qrow waved a hand dismissively. "Details, Tai. You've always been a player and now you're trying to settle down. I think it's real mature of you, honestly."

"Ironic of you to talk about maturity," Tai replied with a smirk. "You're a man child."

"If we're gonna talk about people who are man children, then I think Emmett Schnee tops that list," Qrow took back a swig from his flask. "I mean, he really is."

Summer giggled. "He even has a baby face, and his glasses don't make him look much older. His hair was a mess last time I saw him, too, although I couldn't tell you why he's grown it past his shoulders."

"Well, thankfully he's mostly Oz's problem," Qrow said, playfully punching her shoulder. "Since Emmett's his brother-in-law. Not that I know what he sees in Cristal."

"You're not giving her enough credit," Tai countered. "And, if nothing else, you should at least be grateful for the information she can access."

Qrow snorted. "I can't stand her. She's a self-righteous, hot-shot Atlesian prosecutor with a stick up her ass –"

"That's definitely unfair," Summer scowled. "She and I might not always see eye to eye, but you're making it sound like she's a horrible human being that kicks puppies and wears their skins as clothes."

"I'd love to see that," Qrow muttered.

"We're never going to defeat Her if we can't find a way to handle ourselves," Summer shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Qrow, but you have to admit that."

"I'll be damned," He swore under his breath.

Summer glared. "You're not always helpful, you know that?"

"It ain't my job to be helpful, Summer," Qrow told her. "It's my job to be right."

March 9th
City Of Atlas
United Kingdom Of Atlas
Downtown
8:14 PM

Ronnie Ciel glowered at his brother-in-law over the rim of his glass.

"So," He said as calmly as he could. "How are you doing, Emmett?"

"I think I'd feel a lot…better if you weren't looking at me with eyes that suggest you're going to skewer me with that glass," Emmett said, inching slightly away from him. "But, apart from that, I'm fine. Emmy's freshening up, but –"

"Speaking of my sister," Ronnie sent him an increasingly dark look. "I feel I should inform you of your peril if I think you're acting improper. Emily is –"

"We're married, Ronnie," Emmett patiently reminded him. "And if this is another lecture about how you're angry that we're starting a family, I think you summed it up well enough the first time."

Ronnie sighed irritably. "I just don't know what my father would think of all of this and I have to carry on his legacy. To be frank, I don't need you messing things up."

The senator wrinkled his nose upon Emmett's fluffy black kitten hopping up onto the table and hissing at him before contentedly sauntering over to Emmett, jumping down, and curling up on his lap.

"I cannot stand that animal," Ronnie said, sipping his whisky. "It is out to get me."

"Poofles isn't out to get anyone," Emmett replied, stroking the cat affectionately. "And I'll have you know that Emmy likes her. She's a good kitten. I got her a few weeks ago, and she's been surprisingly easy to train."

"Poofles," Ronnie repeated disdainfully. "That sounds like the name of a cat that lives in a purse."

"Funnily enough, I don't have one of those," Emmett said, adjusting his glasses nonchalantly. "Spencer might, if you want to know where to find one."

"Spencer and I are not on the same page and never have been," Ronnie said through gritted teeth. "And I don't know what's going on with him, but he's been more and more reclusive –"

"You would be too if you were shot," Emmett countered. "Ronnie, do you have any idea what that can do to a person?"

"He lived," The senator muttered. "He shouldn't be traumatized by it, and, if he is –"

"After what happened to Edward, it would have been shocking if that hadn't affected him," Emmett shook his head. "Ronnie, honestly, you're judging him and Karissa too harshly. They're relatively young parents in a situation that's difficult at best –"

"I am not in the mood for a lecture," Ronnie snapped. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't try to give me one, Emmett. You might be my brother-in-law, but you're a dick-headed, pain in the ass –"

"Eh," He shrugged. "Depends on the situation. If we're talking about grimm…well, that's what I'm supposed to be, right? I am a licensed huntsman, after all."

"That seems to be more and more like a technicality at this point," Ronnie snorted. "You're just a history professor now, aren't you?"

"Not all of us need to have formal positions of power to impact people," Emmett said quietly. "In some ways, the more you can teach someone, the greater the impact you'll have on their ability to make informed decisions for the rest of their life. You can't take things at face value, which is something I'm sure you well know by now. You've confessed to doing things against the law in front of us before and, whether we can prove it or not –"

Ronnie slammed down his glass with immense force.

"Don't you even –"

"Do you need Valium, Ronnie?" Emmeline sent her brother a pointed look as she stepped into the room, brushing out her slightly damp hair. "Or have you taken your dose today?"

Ronnie took in a deep breath to calm himself, albeit not without glaring at Emmett.

"Are you feeling well?" He finally said. "We were beginning to worry."

"I'm not an invalid, Ronnie," Emmeline said, almost as if the words disgusted her. "Drop the pretense."

Emmett smiled and wrapped an arm tightly around her when she sat down beside him.

"Hi, baby," Emmett said, pressing his head slightly against her small curve. "It's your dad. I'm looking forward to meeting you in September, you know."

Emmeline laughed softly. "Emmett, that tickles, stop it."

"Sorry," He said, relenting and giving her a bit of space. "You said you had a story from work?"

Emmeline sighed tiredly. "When don't I?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I had some words with a junior member of the intelligence committee," Ronnie said, looking rather annoyed at the notion. "The woman accused me of something outlandish."

"And, knowing you, she probably wasn't too far off," Emmeline replied. "Or are you not still bribing the PM of Vacuo?"

Ronnie tensed. "That," He said slowly. "Is not relevant, Emily."

"To be clear, I still believe it is," She said, her voice dangerously even. "It's been quite a long time since you started it, and I'm fully convinced you still are. Of course, you're quite good. You've covered your tracks well, Ronnie. I'd be impressed if it weren't so abhorrent."

"Abhorrent?" Ronnie rolled his eyes. "Emily, you are mistaken. What I am doing is for everyone's protection and the good of the kingdom."

"To the contrary, I am convinced you like the notion of controlling another person," She said, crossing her arms. "You have always lacked subtlety, Ronnie, and, while you are a good actor, your temper is what seems to get in the way of each and every scheme of yours. I'm shocked you haven't announced a bid for the upcoming 2005 presidency."

"I'm not going to run and, even if I were, it's too far out," Ronnie said, scowling. "It's two years away, and, frankly, Sassler is well-liked and I don't have an issue with her."

"Hmmph," Emmeline eyed him critically, not fully believing his words. "It's funny how difficult I find to believe that."

The two Ciel siblings scowled at each other in impasse for a long moment.

"Spencer and I finally managed to drag a pool table into the teacher's lounge," Emmett said at an awkward attempt at levity. "We were driving around and found it abandoned in an alleyway in great condition with everything. We stuck it on the back of his truck and drove it back to the academy and hauled it into the lounge ourselves. Honestly, I still don't know how we managed it, but we did."

Ronnie looked distinctly unamused. "You stole a pool table?"

"Alleyways are everyone's rummage territory," Emmett replied, and Emmeline couldn't help but laugh. "And I got this out of it!"

Emmett pulled a trapper-style raccoon hat out of his computer bag and set it on his head as if it were a crown made of pure gold and jewels.

"I cannot believe you skinned a raccoon," Emmeline shook her head. "I thought you were afraid of them."

"Not when they're dead," Emmett said with a grin. "The carcass was just there. I screamed when I picked it up, but then I got the idea to make it into a hat."

Ronnie recoiled. "You disgust me."

"Ah, so you discuss me," Emmett said, affectionately pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead. "I was a trust fund baby, you can trust me."

"You lost that when Willow married Jacques," Ronnie reminded him. "I believe Cristal did too."

"And we've been fine," Emmett said. "We've done perfectly fine, even without a million-lien leg up."

Ronnie considered that. "I suppose you have."

"Emmett, I swear to God, take the damn hat off," Emmeline sent him a pointed look. "It's gross, and I don't want to know what kind of parasites could have been in that creature."

"People used to wear these all the time!" Emmett protested. "It is a fashion statement, one I intend to impress on my students in class tomorrow!"

"If Spencer doesn't hit you for wearing it, I'll buy you a fur coat," Emmeline said, crossing her arms. "I mean it, Emmett."

"I'm going to hold you to it," He replied. "You know how much I've always wanted one of those, after all."

Ronnie rolled his eyes. "If your testosterone levels drop much more, you'll become a butterfly."

"And if yours drop, you'll become a fairy princess," Emmett said, chuckling at the thought. "One that grants wishes in sugarplums, too."

The senator only glared but his sister couldn't help but laugh.

April 13th
City Of Vale
Vale
Downtown
9:28 PM

"Cristal, you need to shove it," Qrow said, and Ozpin immediately placed a hand to his wife's shoulder. "I don't care what the circumstances are, you have absolutely no right to –"

"After what you did, I had no choice," She snapped. "There was nothing wrong with informing Kiara Davis that you had been drinking during a highly classified mission and were at risk for letting information –"

"Your little stunt got my license frozen!" Qrow yelled, losing what of his temper he had left although he paused when Cristal's sleeping daughter woke up and started to cry. "Alright," He said, lowering his voice a little. "You are out to get me, and –"

"Chrissy isn't out to get you, Qrow," Emmeline tiredly informed him. "You were compromised, and it was a situation that was important enough to warrant –"

"You're Atlesian, you don't get to talk," Qrow snarled. "You probably had something to do with it."

Emmeline bristled. "Perhaps I did, or, perhaps, it was your own rash, foolish –"

"Oh, sure," Qrow said dryly, rolling his eyes. "It's all my fault, isn't it? It's always my fault, huh?"

"The circumstances were suspicious," Summer hesitantly reminded him. "I think this may have gone too far, especially since Atlas shouldn't have pressured Vale to freeze your license for the next few months, but you made a mistake and you aren't owning up to it."

"And, maybe if you stopped drinking long enough to be useful, we wouldn't be so angry with you," Glynda added, sending him a disdainful look. "Honestly, it's as if you're trying to compromise all of us."

Qrow crossed his arms. "I ain't in the mood to be lectured, Glynda."

"Whether you are or aren't isn't the issue," She scathingly replied. "The issue is your apparent lack of self-awareness."

"My lack of self-awareness?" Qrow exclaimed in shock, pointing to himself. "I'm perfectly self-aware! It's people like Cristal who think they can do whatever the hell they want who aren't! It's people like Emmeline and James who think we need to be constantly prepared for a fucking war that aren't! Not to mention people like Emmett who –"

"I got shoved in lockers in high school, believe me, I've heard whatever it is you're about to say before," He said, almost amused. "Honestly, this would be funny if the situation weren't so damn serious."

Everyone in the room turned to glare at Qrow, including Ozpin who sat down with a heavy sigh and pressed a hand to his head.

"Qrow," He eventually said. "Why are you here? You can't do anything right now and we were going to discuss this privately –"

"It would have been if your wife hadn't intervened," Qrow said, jabbing a finger towards Cristal. "If it weren't for her making it clear she had been behind this, I would have let it go."

"What I don't understand is why you've always been so tight-lipped," Rosalinde Varna eyed Qrow curiously. "You know almost everything about the rest of us, by now, and yet we know basically nothing about you."

"There are moments that words don't reach, Varna," Qrow told her. "Sometimes the past is better left buried, especially when it ain't neat like the rest of yours. And, if you're going to get into knowing things, then what's the motive behind your sudden bid for PM of Vacuo? I thought the current PM was viewed as a god or something to that effect."

Varna snorted. "As if you would understand."

"No, actually, that could use some explanation," Emmeline said, albeit not without a sharp look to Qrow. "I agree we should address the issue with him, but, if you somehow manage to defeat the current prime minister you would be in a position of power far above any of us which, of course, raises some questions of its own."

"Why?" Rose said with a shrug. "I'm not likely to win, I just wanted to –"

"No one makes a bid for a position of power unless they think they've got a shot," James said, cutting across her. "And most politicians have their own machinations to get it."

"If you are accusing me of playing dirty, you're wrong," Varna said derisively. "You know next to nothing, James, and you are conflating Atlesian politics with the rest of the world's."

"The sentiment remains the same across the board," Cristal countered. "Especially considering that you've admitted to playing dirty before, most notably to become the headmistress of Shade Academy."

Rose crossed her arms. "And so what if I do?"

"That makes us feel better," Qrow said dryly. "Very reassuring of you, Varna."

"I want to be in the room where it happens, for the sake of us all," She said, seething. "And no one is going to keep from it anymore. I will become the PM of Vacuo, whether it is in this cycle or the next –"

"Ambitious to a fault, aren't you?" Qrow shook his head. "You're immoral, as you've proven more than once, and a dangerous disgrace."

Varna stared at him in outrage. "How dare you –"

"While I think that is…somewhat extreme," Emmeline said slowly. "You can't deny that your methods are not always…ethical."

"By your standards," Rose retorted. "Atlas isn't the rest of the world, and neither is Vale. You'd all do well to remember that."

An awful silence befell them and, for a long time, it seemed no one would be willing to speak.

"We can deal with this later," Ozpin finally said. "For now…let's just hope that things don't get much worse than I'm afraid they already are…"

May 14th
City of Atlas
Atlas
Downtown
11:13 PM

"Lord, have mercy on me…" Emmett muttered, scowling at the new message on his scroll.

Spencer smirked, looking up from the papers he was grading.

"What is it?" He teased. "Did you find your shoes or are you going to spend the rest of the day in your socks?"

Emmett sent him a dark look. "You took them, and I will prove it."

"Hey, hey," Spencer put up his hands and tried not to laugh. "I am, as 'Rissa and I finally revealed yesterday, going to be the father of more than one kid in early November. I am too responsible for that bullshit, and I didn't take them. Maybe you should take a look around the academy. I wouldn't be surprised if a team took them as a joke."

"Right," Emmett said dryly. "A group of teenagers would take my disgusting, three-year-old loafers that are fraying and probably smell like cat piss. And keep in mind that I'm going to have a kid in September. You and I are in the same position."

Spencer glanced at the hat on his head and then punched him in the arm.

"Alright, Emmett," He said, stretching out his arms. "You're right."

Emmett rubbed his arm and glared. "You just cost me a fur coat!"

"What?" Spencer stared at him for a moment and then shook his head. "Never mind. Not going to question it."

Emmett rolled his eyes as he bent down to pull his socks back up again. They were starting to scrunch together at his ankles and, as it happened, the feeling drove him crazy.

"But, really," Spencer went on, setting down his pen. "Did Jacques send you a message requesting your presence? Or did Ronnie ask you to dinner?"

"No, but the last one was closer," He sighed. "Ronnie wants me to set him up with one of my friends."

"Do you have a friend you particularly want to suffer?" Spencer suggested as he reached for the painkillers he had been on for almost two years. He didn't even know, some days, why he still took them but he couldn't help but give in. He hated them, because taking the pills worried Karissa, but his doctor had kept prescribing them and he didn't know what to do. At any rate, the numbness they brought made dealing with what had happened easier. "Or one you've been trying to get off your back for the last few years?"

Emmett sighed. "You know just as well as I do that I don't have a whole lot of people close to me and, at this point, most of them are happily married. Although –"

"Emmett, Spencer, are you two –" Rosella Katt paused in the doorway and eyed them both curiously. "I have to ask. Where the hell did your socks go and why does Spencer have a paperclip stuck in his hair?"

Spencer awkwardly pulled the paperclip from his messy, shoulder-length hair while Emmett shrugged.

"Hey, Ella," Emmett said, adjusting his glasses. "How've you been?"

"My parents are riding my ass about finding a suitable husband," She said, flicking her pink cat tail irritably. "Apparently my decent-paying job as a teacher doesn't live up to their standards of wealth. My mother seems to think I should do what she did, but I'll shoot myself in the foot before I sleep my way to the top."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "At least you're not that desperate."

"I'm pretty fucking desperate," She said dryly. "Hell, if Jacques weren't married, I'd take even him and he's a dick."

They all fell uncomfortably silent and the only sound that could be heard was the swishing of her tail.

"Ella, I know you're upset and we can all talk later in the teacher's lounge, but my brother's going to be here soon and we have to discuss a family matter," Spencer sent her a pointed look. "Really, if you give us an hour or two –"

"Sorry I'm late," Ronnie said, all but slamming the door into the wall as he entered. "I got caught up in a conversation with the headmistress while I was on my way up."

Emmett fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment and tore out of the room as if there were something on his heels.

"What's the deal with his socks?" Ronnie asked, looking rather sour. "Did someone steal his shoes?"

"I did," Rosella said with a triumphant smirk. "He'll find them soon enough. I left them on his car."

Ronnie laughed, albeit with some restraint. "That could take longer than expected."

"It'll be fine," Spencer said, waving his hand dismissively. "All things considered, anyways."

"Well, I suppose we ought to get down to business," Ronnie said, pausing when he glanced to Rosella. "My apologies, ma'am. I don't believe we've been introduced."

Rosella's tail shot up in surprise and she delicately presented her hand.

"Rosella Katt," She said with a smile. "Atlas Academy's assistant combat professor."

Ronnie smiled too and held her hand longer than was necessary. When they let go, both their hands were tingling.

"Senator Ronnie Ciel," He replied. "I'm afraid I have important business to attend to right now but, afterwards, I would be honored if you would be willing to have dinner with me. I'll cover the tab, of course."

Rosella's eyes sparkled excitedly. "I would like that very much."

"I'll meet you in the Atlas Academy lobby in an hour," He told her. "Pleasure meeting you."

"Oh, you have no idea," Rosella coyly replied. "No idea at all."

June 17th
Location: Undefined
12:58 AM

The Queen was as she preferred to be: alone. Her throne room had taken on a beautiful haze in the last few hours, and she could scarcely believe how quickly time was flying by around them all. Cinder was proving to be the apprentice she had always dreamed of, and, as it happened, that Torchwick was going to be useful after all. He was excellent at subterfuge, and he seemed more than willing to work with Cinder if it meant he'd make a tidy sum for his efforts. Salem looked down on him as she looked down on most humans, but she would never deny the importance she had placed on Cinder taking charge over other people. The girl was her best apprentice and, as it happened, more skilled than she had ever accounted for.

But, regardless, the Queen would never admit the pride she felt towards her apprentice. She knew full well that would inflate the woman's already inflated sense of pride. She was far above most people, for that the Queen was certain, but she was still human. The Queen knew that not all of her ties had been severed quite yet and that was something that she would have to be pushed into. At the end of the day, if she could not do that, she remained a risk. Any mercy from her past had to be erased. An assassin destined to be the fall maiden could not be merciful, especially not one working for the Queen. Someone like that needed to be more like her, more like the woman who was ordering her mirror to bring forth the one person she knew she could as for a leg up in the war.

She was, after all, without mercy.

"Salem," The shrouded figure said as he emerged from the mirror. "You have not tried that in quite a long time. I must confess some curiosity because of it."

The Queen pursed her lips. "You should know full well what I require."

"I do," He replied. "But you have not been specific, now have you?"

Salem's eyes narrowed. "I need a leg up in this war. I am willing to be patient with you, Darkness, but I need it soon. I want a swift finale…and I feel that the pieces, enough of them, at any rate, have fallen into place."

There was a silence betwixt them and then he shook his head.

"No," He said. "I will not help you in your quest, not right now," The Brother God of Darkness said through the mirror. "I have made that mistake too many times before, Salem."

"Then when?" She pressed, looking rather annoyed.

"We shall see if you one day prove worthy," He said cryptically as he vanished. "We shall see."

July 21st
City of Rishara
Vacuo
Downtown
9:13 PM

The election results flashed on signs throughout Vacuo's most populous city. Rishara was always teeming with life, but tonight held a different air. People were drinking, and partying, and living their lives but those whom were in the streets and saw the final results of their most recent election were either ecstatic or deeply concerned. When the results had come to life, the events had paused for just a moment and then there was more shouting. Some of it was excitable, yes, but much of it was angered. The face of the woman that had defeated the incumbent prime minister was more than smug, even in a mere photograph. There was something about her violet eyes and her calm, easy smile that unnerved many people in the kingdom. It had been one thing when she had declared she was going to remain the headmistress of Shade Academy while she vied for the position but it was unthinkable when the news broke, just a few minutes after her election, that she was going to remain as the headmistress and simply take on the duties as prime minister.

Many were sure this was an attempt to consolidate personal power.

Rosalinde Varna had always been viewed as more than a little suspicious. She never said what she meant, and, when she did, there was a darker motive behind it. There always had been. Then, of course, there was the matter of her origin. She knew not who her parents were, and she had always possessed what seemed to be incomprehensible magical ability. Her opponent, as it happened, had not been hard to unseat. Even if she hadn't a connection on the inside to flip the votes for him to her, the second plan would have worked. After all, she was the only who knew that her opponent was dead as she stepped onto the stage to give her speech. He may have been viewed as a minor god, but she was younger, quicker, and more clever.

A little cyanide in the coffee hadn't hurt, either.

"My dears, this was a wonderful surprise," Rosalinde started, beaming while she spoke and the people cheered. She could not tell if it were out of genuine respect or fear. "I know I had been expected to lose but, to win in a landslide as even Atlas is reporting…this is something I will not take lightly. You, my people, have chosen me to guide you through increasingly tumultuous times. I promise that I will not let you be stepped over by the rest of the world. We survive better than they do, don't we?"

"Fuck Atlas!" Several people screamed.

It was met, to little surprise, with laughs and yells of agreement.

"Now, now," Varna said calmly, tossing her hair back. "We cannot forego diplomacy. If we want the rest of the world to take us seriously, we cannot become like the White Fang and its dissenters in Menagerie."

Nothing could have shut the crowd up faster than that. Not even murmurs of dissent were heard for the longest time. She was waiting still, of course, for the news to break of her opponent's sudden death but it was no matter. They were all anticipating her words and waited with bated breath for it. She had them on a hook already. That was perfection. It did not bode well for her that there would be suspicion, but she had faced worse before. It would disappear within a short time, and no one would need to know she was behind it. After all, she was going to abolish the limits and surpass them herself. She was going to gain all the support she could get and then be declared the prime minister for life by the Council. Oh, her plans were in her pocket and she had it all ready for what was to come. It would finally be hers, power, and she would no longer be the powerless orphan she had felt tied to for so long. She was Rosalinde Diana Varna, the leader of Vacuo.

Soon to be, effectively, their queen.

"I understand your hatred," She finally said, and they all turned back to her. "I know that many people in this kingdom have suffered at the hands of Atlas' leaders and businesses, but I will ensure your safety. People like Jacques Schnee won't be able to take advantage of you, not for much longer. I will do everything I can to put an end to the whole affair. Dust mining is part of what keeps this kingdom prosperous, but it needs to be in our hands. Not theirs."

Fervent applause rippled out from the crowd, and Varna could not hide the faint smirk rising on her lips.

"We will stand our ground," She said, stepping to the edge of the stage and sitting down on the edge as if she were a pop star meeting her adoring fans, not the newly elected prime minister of Vacuo. "I promise you that, my dears."

"Miss – prime minister – Varna," An out-of-breath assistant of hers all but tumbled towards her and then, much to the surprise of everyone present, lifted her back to her feet. "There's a serious matter that needs attention."

Her face became a perfect mask of shock. "I'm sorry?"

"Wiltshire is dead," She whispered, her voice frantic. "His body was found just a few minutes ago in his personal office at the Council offices in the capital."

Rose contorted her face skillfully. "No, that can't be true. He was –"

"It seems his ailments, whatever they were, finally got to him," She shook her head ruefully. "Rosalinde, this doesn't bode well. Until the autopsy comes back, we can't guarantee it was his disease. People might accuse you, or, worse, your own life might be at stake."

Rose fell silent but, after a moment, nodded shortly, and turned back to her people solemnly.

"I'm afraid many of us are about to fall into mourning," She finally said, the catch in her voice solidifying her performance. "According to officials in the capital, Wiltshire has passed away unexpectedly. I know that my opponent and I had our…disagreements but neither of us wished ill on the other. I am sorry for the family, and I hope that this kingdom will be able to move forward in spite of this. I will do my best to lead you all. I swear it."

And, despite the dark overtones, there was more applause and more cheers commending Rosalinde Varna for her compassion and strength.

Never mind the fact that she had killed him in the first place.