Evening. The Empress took a deep breath, savoring the quiet of the night. The darkness was her friend these days. It was easier to breathe when she was alone, when she no longer wore the mask of severity and decisiveness that clung to her face during the day. Alone was when Melia restored herself, gave herself permission to let go of all the emotions that had sprouted within her body, attempted to rebel, and were forced to keep to the smallest corner of her mind during the day. It was now, in the evening, before the blackness of the night, that she could take stock of the happenings in the daytime hours and mentally prepare herself for the next day.

Melia stood on her balcony, looking at the twinkling lights of the city below. They had come so far in eight months, yet there was still a ways to go. The High Entia were an old race, and they would endure. But for how long? Was there an end in sight? Would there ever be? She didn't know. And it worried her. In the distance, the young woman heard the sounds of an owl's call, it's deep throated voice echoing through the night. The sounds were soothing, almost like a lullaby. Despite the failure of the town hall, and the anxious thoughts pervading her mind, it was a peaceful night. Melia hoped it would stay that way.

There was a knock on the door. So much for a quiet hour before she left.

Jason, her guard, called from outside the door to her suite. "Sir Dunban is here to see you, your Majesty."

Her body tensed. She'd known he would come. He will want answers. But what kind? Which ones? She didn't have all of them, not in the slightest.

"Please let him in." Her voice did not waver, but her heart did.

The Homs Entia heard the door open and close behind her, but did not turn around just yet. Melia needed to put the mask back on now.

"Melia." His voice was short, and clipped.

Silently, she took a quick breath and turned to face him. She inside the apartment, shutting the balcony doors behind her, as she responded: "Dunban. I apologize we have not been able to meet together these past few days."

"The Empress is a busy woman, I understand that." The man crossed his arms over his chest. Not an optimal way to start the conversation. She had known him to become frustrated when vital information was withheld; Melia hoped he would understand when explained everything to him.

"And yet, that is no excuse. You have come here to help me, as a favor. It is inconsiderate of me not to take time to meet with you," she said and motioned him to sit. "I assume you would like to discuss the town hall?"

"That...among other things," he said stoically as he sat. Melia knew what he referred to: the state of affairs between the Homs Entia and the Entia. The Empress had wanted to give him a full briefing regarding the state of affairs in the city. But Melia hadn't yet mastered the technique of describing the psychological pressures affecting her people. I will have to start now.

"Where would you like to start?" She kept her face emotionless; she wouldn't allow herself to break in front of him again.

"For starters, tell me about your people. How long has there been tension between the Homs Entia and the Entia?"

"If I remember correctly, it didn't start until we settled in as a group here in Alcamoth. The Entia were already here in Alcamoth after the Fall, and I brought the Homs Entia refugees scattered across the world back to the city. That was almost six months ago. Just after this transition is when I first heard of any rumblings of discontent between the two groups. Mostly, these came from the Homs Entia."

"What kind of discontent? What about?"

"Very similar to what you heard today. Trust issues. It is only recently that I've heard the outcries demanding punishment and or banishment."

"From the look of it, it seems like they're almost at each other's throats."

"The Entia themselves are troubled by the past. Not all of them are willing to accept the facts of what happened. Some of them remember every detail of their transformation into Telethia. Some remember bits and pieces. Others remember nothing at all. Yet the fact remains that some of them were indeed responsible for the deaths of other members of our race." It was an unfair situation for both sides. There would never be a perfect solution. Regardless, Melia kept her face blank and continued, "It is a well known fact that those turned into Telethia were mostly out of control of their bodies, incapable of rational thought, unable to stop themselves from hurting their friends and family. But it is one thing to rationally know that, and another to emotionally reconcile that."

Dunban nodded, but remained silent. Anxiety reigned its ugly head in her mind: had she said too much? Did he see her as a leader incapable of helping her people? She rose and walked to the tea cart and poured herself a cup. Her heart pounded in her chest. Stop. It's all in your head. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you."

Melia took her cup back to her seat and said, "What else did you want to discuss?"

"Tell me about the assassination attempt."

Her stomach dropped. "Who told you?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It's being investigated."

"What happened." It wasn't a question, Melia noticed. He wasn't going to let it go.

She was silent for a long moment before she began to speak. "Riki and I were celebrating the Noppon - High Entia immigration agreement. It was a small group of twenty to thirty. We held the ceremony in the Great Hall. And out of nowhere, a Homs Entia appeared and rushed towards me. There was knife in his hand. He was screaming. I don't really remember what he said; it all happened so fast. But Elrich, my guard, tackled him to the ground. However, in their altercation, Elrich stabbed the Homs Entia man and he died."

"Have you found out who the assassin was?"

"It is…ongoing. It appears Elrich's family was killed by Telethia in the invasion. The working hypothesis is that he believed I was not honoring those that died by welcoming the Entia back into the fold." She felt rigid and cold as she said the words, desperately keeping all emotion from her voice.

"Where do you go? At night."

Her eyes narrowed and she said, "That is not something I wish to discuss." That was her secret, and she allowed herself to keep it. It dawned on her that Serenity was the most likely source of his information. She'd have to have a chat with the young Homs Entia later.

"As you wish," he acquiesed and continued, "I spoke with a few of the Homs Entia after the town hall. They were concerned about possible rioting."

That was a surprise. She hadn't heard this sentiment expressed. How many of them were concerned the tensions would boil over into outright violence? How much of the public opinion was she missing, being tied up in the palace and great hall with little time to spare out in the city and the farmlands? How could she rule if she were missing the people's desires?

A thought occurred to her and before she could fully think it through, she blurted out, "Dunban, I'd like to meet with you nightly."

"Excuse me?" He asked.

A rosy blush burst across her cheeks. Oh my...what the hell did you just say, Melia?! She wanted to disappear; rewind the past few seconds and erase everything she had just said. Say something. Recover your dignity. NOW. "Oh goodness! I-I mean…" She struggled to regain her composure and stammered, "W-w-what I mean is, you will see things I never will. You will hear things that others choose to conceal from me because I am the Empress and they may not feel comfortable in speaking the truth to me. I'm not asking you to spy for me, I just want to make sure that I'm not unintentionally ignoring important issues. I want to make sure that I am addressing all the needs and concerns of my people." She paused and said, "Of course, if you are not comfortable, please don't think on it."

"No. It would be my pleasure." He gave her a gracious smile and she nodded, taking a sip of her tea. There was a brief moment of awkward silence between them. Melia decided to let him fill it. Her ears were still burning from humiliation.

"I will take my leave then. What time tomorrow would be best?" Dunban asked as he rose from his seat.

"Seven o'clock." Melia also stood and followed him to the door.

He nodded. "Good night." She inclined her head and he exited the suite.

Her cheeks were still red with embarrassment as she headed to her bedchamber to change her clothes. As she removed her slacks and blouse, exchanging them for a rugged pair of pants and shirt, Melia chastised herself once more. How could she allow herself such an inappropriate slip of the tongue? What would Dunban think of her? Of course, every rational bone in her body said that he knew that was not her intention. But still…unbelievably embarrassing, Melia. The Homs Entia knelt on her knees and pulled a duffle bag from under the bed. Slinging the straps over her shoulder, Melia mentally forced herself to push the memory to the back of her mind. There were more important things to think about than embarrassing herself in front of a friend. And yet it still looped in the back of her mind for the rest of the night.