"Greetings from Lastation, Duchess of Leanbox. How nice of you to answer for once."

Relera didn't bother hiding her scowl. In fact, she hoped it was very obvious on the webcam feed. She knew it was petty, but she didn't care.

"I would at least ask you to dress appropriately when addressing your peers. Some may be impressed by the image of the leader of Leanbox wearing nightclothes, but I am not."

Boo-hoo. You're just pissed that you're a flatty. The thought almost slipped from her mouth. She was glad that she held her tongue – not because it might get her into trouble, but because it was a weak insult considering who she was speaking with. Plus, the last dozen or so times they'd sparred with words, Relera hadn't exactly come out the victor. Taking a moment to rub her eyes, she replied, "Kei, it's the fortieth hour here. Human beings need to sleep, you know."

"Spare me the excuses. Truly, it is a wonder that Leanbox has not collapsed from its collective indolence."

That gave Relera pause. Kei had never been the nicest individual, but she seemed extra-cranky tonight. Normally she at least managed to maintain some level of professional decency. "So what did you call about this time? Driving some more Leanbox corporations out of business? Spending even more on 'defense' research? Cracking down even harder on software piracy? Or did you just want to continue your rant about how the metric system is vastly superior in every way?"

"I admit that I am disappointed – but not surprised – that the metric system has not yet been wholly adopted within Leanbox's public schools. It would certainly remove the need to retrain scientists and engineers to use more sensible units." The slightest hint of a smile flickered onto Kei's face. "But, no, I would not call simply to waste both of our time. A troubling matter has recently been brought to my attention."

A cold chill went down Relera's spine. It was never a good thing when Kei said that, because it was always an understatement. It was then that Relera noticed that Kei's hair looked a little less well-kempt than usual. She really had been busy, hadn't she? Relera propped her elbows on the desk, raising her hands to her chin. "Go on."

Kei seemed almost taken aback by the lack of further quips. "To business, then. You will hopefully manage to recall our previous discussion about the attempted hacking of Lastation's servers."

Relera blinked. "What? Of course I remember." She didn't add that representatives of the zaibatsu of Lastation tended to bug her about this and that almost every single day to jog her memory. She'd already forgotten the names of the latest trio of suited goons to stop for a visit at the Basilicom. She was starting to get the feeling that a business trip to Leanbox was Lastation's idea of a vacation.

Kei merely gave her a brief look before continuing. "I have been informed of three key points since then. One: the target of the attack was not the Lastation Basilicom itself, but the Avenir Corporation's local servers. Two: the attack was not wholly unsuccessful, and the extent of the damage is still being evaluated. Three: the source of this attack is still not known, but it was confirmed to be performed through servers within Leanbox's Basilicom."

That chill came back with a vengeance. Relera's gaze became fixated on the screen. "So you think I'm responsible?"

"I would not rule it out as a possibility. Still, the list of suspects is quite long. You can rest assured that you are near the bottom end of 'suspicious.'"

Relera lowered her arms, leaning back in her seat. "Gee. Talk about a back-handed compliment." Despite her words, she felt a wave of relief go through her. The last thing she needed on her plate was a criminal investigation.

Kei's tiny grin made another appearance. "Do not become too comfortable. I will be asking for your assistance in the search for this mystery hacker."

The Duchess of Leanbox lurched forward, pressing her face close to the screen. "What? Why?"

The smile fell. "Surely this does not require explanation? The servers of your Basilicom were involved in the attack. Are you not alarmed by the idea that the devices you use every day may be under the control of a malicious third party right now?"

Of course Relera knew it was bad. She wasn't that dumb, as little as she did to prove otherwise.

"If you wish to simply ignore the problem, then I cannot force you to address it. You are, after all, my peer, and my authority does not supersede your own. However, I would strongly warn you against pretending that issues of national security do not exist. I would also warn you that, while the threat of impeachment may not alarm you, the wrath of the Goddess is very real."

Kei could read her like an open book. If there was one thing that scared Relera, it was the idea of the Goddess finally snapping and making good on her promises to banish the Duchess to the Graveyard. She had honest-to-goodness nightmares about what that would be like. Relera took a moment to press her forehead to the desk, letting out an audible sigh. She then lifted her head, and, brushing aside her hair, asked, "Alright. So where do I start?"

"Your enthusiasm is always appreciated."

Relera shot her an annoyed look in response.

"Perhaps we should first begin by refreshing your knowledge on the Avenir Corpor—" Kei's gaze moved slightly downward as an upbeat jingle sounded from the speakers. "Ah. It appears that someone is joining the call."

Relera raised a brow at this development. Kei was typically the only person she knew who'd expect to conduct business during a holiday – or holinight, as it were. Only six people in the world were authorized to join this channel, and two of them were already on it. Relera crossed her fingers and prayed to the Goddess that it wouldn't be Her Holiness. Then again, the last time She had directly addressed them had been…how long ago?

"Greetings, Natalia-san, Jinguji-san."

The Duchess of Leanbox let out a sigh of relief when the bright-eyed face appeared onscreen. "Hello, Histoire." She wished she could say "Histy," but she couldn't bear the consternating gaze Kei gave her whenever she used the nickname. It always did seem to make Histoire happy, though.

"Greetings to you, Histoire," Kei spoke. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Please pardon the interruption. I will explain in but a moment. Nishizawa-san will be joining shortly—" A chuckle suddenly came from Histoire. "Ah. Natalia-san. I must apologize for you having been woken at an inopportune hour."

Relera waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I think I'm getting used to it at this point."

True to Histoire's word, another face soon appeared on the call. The two of them were almost complete opposites, one seeming as youthful as could be, and the other being withered with age and stress.

"Greetings again, Nishizawa-san," said Histoire. "I am sorry for the short notice, but an urgent matter has been brought to our attention."

At least Histoire knew how to use the right adjective. The Duchess of Planeptune had always been an enigma to Relera – the fairy-like girl was apparently some kind of artificial being created through magic, and it definitely showed. It seemed almost unfair for Planeptune's state leader to be someone with eternal youth and unending drive, not to mention the strange powers that Histoire was supposedly capable of. Yet, while Histoire should've been the most frightening thing ever, she always managed to brighten the mood of a room. Maybe it was telling that the person who spent much of her time scolding others into shape was the one Relera enjoyed speaking with the most. Or maybe it was just because she was too damn cute. Even…no, especially when she was mad.

The fourth member of the call gave a polite nod. "Greetings and salutations, everyone. I have just completed consultation with Histoire on a private line, and we have come to the conclusion that a certain matter should not remain clandestine any longer."

On the other hand, calling the Duchess of Lowee "cute" was a stretch. Certainly, it wasn't her fault – everyone got old eventually (Histoire notwithstanding). And no one could fault her for being devoted to her job. Mina Nishizawa had been a leader of Lowee for a very, very long time – since before Relera had been born, in fact. And, from the reports Relera had bothered to skim through, Lowee was at the top of the charts for the happiest land in the Union. The Old Maid of Lowee was not to be underestimated, even if the eyeglasses perched on her nose did make her look like an ornery substitute teacher…

Mina cleared her throat before continuing. "The Mascot of Lowee has spoken. Or, to be perfectly forthright, it has been communicating for quite some time now. Its most recent proclamation is of potentially dire consequence to the safety of Gamindustri, if I may be so presumptuously disquieting."

…And if she had a habit of spending too much time in a thesaurus. Reading reports from Lowee was always…educational.

The Duchess of Lastation absorbed this news with an unchanging expression, but Relera could swear that Kei's gaze seemed to become just a little more piercing. "I will not pretend to be unoffended by having information about this Mascot kept from me, but I will concede the point. What message does it bring to us?"

"Ah…" Mina seemed to search for words, but found none as she lifted a hand to adjust her glasses.

Histoire decided to step in. She raised a finger, as she often did when in exposition mode. "Communication with the Mascot of Lowee has been cryptic at best. It speaks not in words, but in pulses of energy. It is possible that these emissions are being projected subconsciously – but of course, the details are a matter for another discussion. One day before the start of the current Festival, it emitted such a message. This one pointed to a forest within Leanbox." She lowered her finger. "I believe that you may be able to further elaborate on this matter, Natalia-san?"

It took a moment for Relera to realize that the baton had been passed to her. She moved a hand to her neck, clearing her throat. "I would assume that you are referring to the allegations of a meteor sighting near Harbor Oak, yes?"

"That is correct, Natalia-san."

The pride Relera felt at having kept up with the meeting was almost quashed by the amount of shame she felt for experiencing that pride. "Hm. From what has been reported, a meteor did indeed crash into the forest there. It's apparently quite a mess, but eyewitness reports are not always the most trustworthy. Of course, I could always march down there myself, yes?"

"That will not be necessary, Natalia-san."

Oof. Sandbagged. None of them even cracked a smile.

"And what of the reports regarding the four mysterious visitors to Leanbox?"

Relera blinked, processing what the fairy had just said. "Ah…I would say they're less 'reports' and more 'rumors' at the current point in time."

"Indeed. I would dare to say that it is but a false alarm."

That hadn't been Histoire speaking. In fact, that hadn't been Kei or Mina, either. All three of them bore expressions of surprise.

Relera didn't even need to look to know who was there. "You have begun to make a disturbing habit of ignoring the concept of locked doors, Oracle."

"A locked door is not a barrier to one such as I, Duchess of Leanbox. Perhaps you shall be conducting yourself as if I am always watching, hm?"

Now Relera whipped around her chair. "Voyeurism is in fact a crime in Leanbox, you must realize. If someone tells me that there's suggestive pictures of me on the Internet, I'll know who to blame, yes?"

Histoire made a quiet little cough. "Greetings, Your Reverence. How nice of you to join us."

"A…false alarm, Oracle?" Mina spoke, adjusting her glasses again. "Do you not consider the possibility that the goddesses of old have returned to be a vexing one?"

"I am well aware of the vexing possibility, Duchess." On the Oracle's face was the closest thing to a glare Relera had ever seen her make. "It is an improbable one by all accounts."

Mina looked more than a little taken aback, hand placed on her glasses, her mouth agape. "But the Mascot—"

"Is unreliable. As Histoire has said, it is cryptic at best."

Pot, meet kettle. But even Relera was not one to make a quip at such a time. She had cleared the path between the Oracle and the computer monitor by rolling away in her chair, lest she get caught in the crossfire.

Kei decided to add her two credits. "Oracle. I would remind you that the last time rumors of such potential consequence were ignored, the Union of Gamindustri was formed."

The room grew silent, but an unbearable strain was present in the air. Something had to break.

It was Kei who conceded first. "I apologize. I have overstepped the bounds of my authority."

The Oracle continued to stare at the screen for another moment before saying, "The matter has been looked into. Results indicate that there is no threat. This hypothesis has been disproven – let us move on."

Histoire made another subtle cough. "Ah…if there is nothing else to discuss, then I will be taking my leave."

"Y-Yes," Mina stammered. "I suppose this meeting is adjourned."

Kei's only input was a slight nod before the three of them left the call.

Relera felt her mouth tighten. She had never seen them back out of a meeting quite so quickly before. And, of course, they had left her to deal with the source of the tension.

"Duchess."

She froze just as she was about to leave her seat.

"A word, if you would?"

Her teeth clenched a little harder, and she had to force her jaw to loosen before she could speak. "Yes, Oracle?"

"How much do you know about the goddesses of old?"

"You mean the DD, right? About as much as anyone else."