Wallflowers
Chapter 9
"Are you sure you and your crew have everything you need for the trip back?"
Queen Camilla had been acting like a worried mother hen since she had announced that she had to be getting back to Luna. Of course, everything was packed and ready to go, and they now had more than enough snacks to munch on since Thorne and Scarlet had snuck out for a convenience store run last night. Iko had also left to go raid some of the absurdly expensive boutiques surrounding London. Cinder didn't even want to think about peeking at the price tags on the sleek dresses hidden away in Iko's duffels.
"I can assure you, Your Majesty, everything is working in tip top shape, and I'm sure we all might gain a little weight if we eat even half the snacks aboard. There's nothing taking down this old geezer," she lovingly patted the Rampion's freezing cold, grey hull with her human hand. Camilla's lips pursed as she took in the dingy metal of their beloved ship, probably taking note of some of the claw marks and bullet holes. Thorne and she just couldn't bear to cover the ship up when rebuilding it- it had too much character that couldn't possibly be erased.
A small crowd had gathered as the crew began loading their bags, going back and forth off the loading ramp while making light arguments with each other. Fingers pointed out the marrings and obvious bullet markings, the smooth yet powerful sound of the engine (uncommon for Rampion class ships), and the weirdly random black panel on the hull. Despite his obvious dislike towards the Lunar queen, Bromstad begrudgingly joined the gathering as well in order to spectate at the exciting sight of a war-torn spaceship. Not even ships from World War IV had survived the impeccable damage wrought upon them during battle. So with the fact that one actually existed, and was literally right in front of them, it would be foolish to miss out.
Along with the other leaders, Emperor Kaito and Konn Torin made their own group away from the others and spoke softly while looking on at the farewell party. She was surprised so many people had come out when it was so frighteningly brisk outside, even the esteemed world leaders- her and the crew's appearance after so long must have been their undoing of having a warm body temperature.
Camilla's voice brought her back to the land of the living. "If you insist, then. Oh, but with that thought," she reached into her coat and brought out a small velvet case. The queen's finger's fumbled as she tried to open it because of her thick gloves, "I don't believe we sent one to Luna quite yet, but I am proud to say that it has finally been commissioned." A bright gold medallion with blue and silver accenting shone up at Cinder: 'The Earthen Union.'
"With your first official appearance to the world, I thought that you'd like your own souvenir to remind you you're one of us now." Camilla gently took the case and placed it in Cinder's palm. Cinder grinned.
"It's absolutely perfect. Thank you so much, Queen Camilla. I'm honored."
Camilla nodded, "Of course, Your Majesty. Now, I'm sure you and your friends are eager to be on your way, what with all the paperwork you have to complete because of the elections coming up."
With that, she bid her goodbyes and joined the rest of the leaders who had all scooted a bit closer to each other now. Iko saddled up close to Cinder, "I'm sure you're dying of the cold by now. Are you ready to leave?" Iko was a bit sad that she didn't take better advantage of their time on Earth to do some more shopping during the night, but that didn't stop her from unzipping her bags every few minutes and marveling at her new clothes. She even bought a few things for Cinder, too- namely dress pants and suits. Since taking back the throne, she could only keep a few of her trusty cargo pants around, but Iko had slowly turned her on to bold trousers with suit jackets. She still hated dresses, though.
"Not really… I wish we could have stayed for just a bit longer. Maybe next time we'll extend our stay." They linked arms and she sighed at the bittersweet sting in her chest. Earth was where she truly belonged. Only a few more months and she would be free to come as often as she liked.
"Queen Selene."
Cinder turned to the footsteps crunching towards them. Emperor Kaito walked toward them briskly, the icy wind tousling his already messy hair. He stood all bundled up in a large, black coat and what seemed like even more layers underneath- he must really hate the cold. He shuddered and smiled as he slowed.
"It's such a shame to see you leaving after we've only just gotten to talking. Is it really time for you all to head back?"
"I'm afraid so," she sighed. "There's so much to be done before July comes. Plus, I don't trust Thaumaturge Dallen enough to run the palace without burning at least one room down to the ground. You never know what she's up to."
He laughed. "Maybe I should add someone like that onto my staff back at home. It'll add some excitement to my schedule. Well… if you really must, then I'll let you go. I do look forward to seeing you all again- soon, I hope?"
Iko chittered, "Oh, yes, we should be coming back for at least one event before the nominations start, and then Her Majesty's schedule should be as clear as day once they're over. Be sure to get in line."
"Don't mind her, there won't be a line," Cinder rolled her eyes. "I'll start accepting invitations whenever I'm available."
The emperor hummed. "Can that line start right now? The festival in the Commonwealth is just a month after your abdication. The palace doors will be open for you, should you wish to come."
She nearly winced. "Of course I'll come," she and Iko glanced at each other. Flashes of dark, curly hair and a pink smile ran across her vision. "... It won't be the same without Peony, but we'll make sure she'll even be having fun up in the stars. She always wanted to go to a Peace Ball." Iko gave her hand a tight squeeze and looked away.
Emperor Kaito's mouth rounded with understanding. "... oh. Oh, my condolences, Your Majesty. I did not realize you had lost someone."
"Ah, who hasn't?" She waved a hand, the fingers of which were starting to turn bright pink. "May all their souls rest in peace. But yes, yes, we'll be sure to show up pounding on your palace doors when August comes. Right?"
"RIght," he smiled faintly. "We will be waiting for you."
…
The deafening roar of the Rampion's engines almost left Kai's ears ringing as it flew off into the crisp blue sky, further and further away from Earth. To Luna. During this time in winter, the sly curve of the white moon could still be seen peeking through the vastness of the light blue daytime, begging to have its beauty seen every minute of the day. He suddenly wished he had eyes that could pierce every detail that came across them, just so he could take a closer look at what lay on the rocky surface of Luna. He had once heard that there was even a lake in the capital just beyond Artemisia Palace. Did it have Earthen sand or more moon rocks adorning its shores?
Another gust of icy wind tore through Kai's hair and into his clothes, making him shake in near agony. Oh, how he missed springtime. He could feel his ears reddening given the indication of needles piercing them.
Torin leaned into his arm, "What say you we go get a hot drink before takeoff? I don't think I can wait for the chef to even start preparing the water." Kai nodded frantically.
"Yep, yep, yep, I'm with you on that."
As he and the adviser sat in plush armchairs with hot mugs warming their hands, watching the E.C. air crew prepare for the flight home through the window, he smiled thinking of how freaking Queen Selene of Luna had addressed him as "man" only just last night. A snicker was stifled before Torin could notice it. He also drank hot cocoa, of all things, with her while discussing the woes of modern times. A woman made of a sort of charming bluntness with a disregard to unimportant consequences, but still caring and respectful to those around, had revealed herself to him last night. Despite her practically being the living embodiment of the moon, Selene Blackburn had turned out to be a very down to earth person that had completely flipped everyone's expectations upside down.
"Your Majesty!"
Kai startled to see an impatient Torin standing from his chair. "The captain said it's time to depart. We should go before the next storm rolls in this afternoon."
Crossing the grounds of the frozen tarmac and to their awaiting ship, he struggled to keep his coat fully closed until they had made it all the way to the safety of a warm recliner. Saying goodbye to Queen Camilla had been brief, for which he was grateful- he still felt as though he hadn't won the woman's respect since inheriting his empire. Something about "going through the motions" had been uttered by her once during a meeting, although he would beg to differ. There were already countless things he had changed since his father's rule. But there seemed to be no end to the queen's disapproval. Perhaps it would change someday.
As the rumbling of the ship grew underneath him and the grey clouds patrolling the skies began to whirl past the windows, Kai closed his eyes and leaned against the headrest. Thinking of Queen Selene's approach to people's ignorance, the thought of a world where he didn't care for the disapproval of others was actually a bit nice, although he wouldn't be able to completely immerse himself in that mindset. Whether or not Queen Camilla thought well of him or not, it didn't matter. Healthy growth was made every day in his country, and it would still continue regardless of what others approved of. He would make the Eastern Commonwealth an even better place by improving the lives of his citizens, even if it had to be one by one.
Starting with the Cyborg Protection Act.
…
Two hours into the trip back to Luna, plenty of bags of food had been opened and practically dumped onto the galley table where a large game board with little player icons also lay. Wolf and Cress had been going at it for some time as allies, making Thorne and Jacin come close to admitting defeat soon. Winter took advice from Scarlet on strategic moves, but the ambassador was more excited than anything to play the icon of a cute toad with warts. Meanwhile, Cinder passed on the opportunity to crush her friends in the gameplay and took to repairing one of the temperature modules that lay in the main cockpit. The prolonged freezing of their ship during those three days had taken its toll on the inhabitant system, and she could still hear the faint wheezing of the air compressors as she struggled with one of the module's ducts.
Huffing, Cinder lay flat on the ground as she stared up at the jumbled mess she had created. Laughter and a single scream could be heard from the galley as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. The wires seemed to be just fine and nothing was messing with either of the control panels, so why? She'd probably have to consult with Cress about looking at the coding… She sighed and thumped her head on the ground.
Nausea rolled through her stomach as she replayed the last two days. All those eyes, staring at her- judging her. The angry and foul curl of Bromstad's lip as he shoved himself away from his chair and yelled in shock. He never did approach her after the conference had ended, and she doubted he would any time soon. Cinder swore softly. She had forgotten what it was like to have a person look at her metal limbs, accidentally or not, and sneer or back away in disgust, let alone yell at her. She had kept her cool, of course, but if it weren't for her strictly practiced silence and patience, she was sure she would have said something terrible. Not to mention the gigantic audience that had witnessed her reveal and the countless number of nameless faces gawking at her.
She had to remind herself that there was still a huge number of people that supported her- her friends, her staff, most of Luna and now some of Earth. The fact that the Earthen leaders agreed to thoroughly go over their own country's CPA laws was outstanding and was already a huge breakthrough in her book. Something told her that Bromstad and Williams would have a harder time mustering the courage to conjure up their policies and address the problems they found, but at least there was a sense of progress rolling off them by the time she had finished her presentation. Queen Camilla and Emperor Kaito had given off an aura of positivity about their new project, which made her happy beyond words. It's not like Cinder had expected the whole of Earth to be on her side about this, but now that she had two allies on the issue was relieving.
Sighing, Cinder slammed the control panel shut.
…
Two days had passed since Kai returned home. Although he did enjoy getting out of the palace once in a while to "explore" or visit his neighboring countries, he loved being at home more. His office, his bedroom, and the garden more specifically. The moment they landed and made it inside away from the freezing wind, he hauled himself to his suite and passed out on his very warm, very familiar bed.
But now, it was time to go back to the real world and work. After Nainsi had made sure he'd eaten and had some hot tea to keep him company for the morning, he plopped down at his desk and opened his ports and netscreens-
! DOCUMENTS: 17
! MESSAGES: 66
! APPOINTMENTS: 4
Kai groaned. And this was also why he enjoyed staying home.
Sifting through documents first, several orders for palace funding and staff insurance awaited him, which took only a few minutes to sign and send off- half the work was already gone. Next was international trade discrepancies and Cyborg Protection Act slips… He had nearly forgotten. Inspecting and signing off on the trade documents quickly, he turned on to his messages.
Many meeting requests blinked up at him from reporters to high citizens and ambassadors alike, wanting to do just a simple sit down or a full on interview. Aaand… there it was. One message from Queen Selene:
Emperor Kaito,
It was such an honor to meet you in person this past week. The support and advice I received from you during our time at the conference was well-thought and meaningful to me, and I cannot thank you enough for it. It did help to put my fears at ease greatly. I look forward to speaking with you again soon, in meetings or in person for who-knows-what kind of event.
In the meanwhile, I will be available should any questions or concerns arise about the Cyborg Protection Act in the Eastern Commonwealth and what solutions we can work towards. My adviser, Iko Linh, should also be available to answer any of your questions and for scheduling.
Sincerely,
Queen Selene Blackburn
He leaned back in his seat, the leather squeaking behind his shoulders. It all still felt so surreal. He had finally met the person behind these letters after years of curiosity…
Quickly bringing up a copy of the Cyborg Protection Act on the port, Kai popped the stylus on his desk out of its sheath and set the document to edit mode before making his way to his comfy sofa. There was no time to waste, but he may as well get comfortable.