Late afternoon fell upon the Diamond City, ushering in the end of the working day for its inhabitants. Most of them, that were. The orange sunlight shone through the white linen curtains of the study, casting its glow across her desk, lighting up the reds of the carpets and the browns of the walls in the room as Melia hunched over a dusty tome, turning the page and scanning the writing for any mention of her objective. The sunlight, though dying, was warm on her face as her eyes passed over the characters of the ancient language of her Entian ancestors. Though her ancient Entian was rusty, her knowledge was enough to get through the text. It had been the second book she had examined that day — too many meetings had not afforded her enough time to pursue her personal agenda; usually she averaged five books a day. If she were being honest with herself, the Empress didn't know if such a thing existed in the history of the High Entia, but she had to try and find it if it did.
However, one such force impeded her progress at the moment.
"I can't believe he's back." Tyrea scowled as she lay on the couch a few feet away, a book open on her chest, clearly not being examined as Melia had asked her stepsister to do so.
The Empress did not respond and continued her investigation. She was not about to entertain Tyrea, much less join in on a discussion about Dunban.
A tremor ran through her heart at the sound of his name in her mind. The Homs man was back in her city and wanted to talk with her. In private. A burst of fear exploded in her core and she bit her lip. Seeing him two days ago in the square had shaken her, even though she had known he was on his way. Seeing those brown eyes and soft lips once more in the flesh was something out of a dream. A dream she had forced herself to bury.
Even though it kept creeping back.
"I mean, what does he think he's doing?"
"He's just visiting, Tyrea. That is not a crime last I checked."
"He's not just 'visiting'. You know why he's here."
"He brought a letter from the new Nopon colony to establish diplomatic relations."
"And..."
Once again, Melia did not respond. She was not walking into that trap.
"See? You know it as well as I do." Tyrea flipped over onto her stomach to face Melia, the book dropping to the floor, forgotten. Melia eyed it, but said nothing. "Regardless, I have to respect him for coming back, even though he probably knows the odds are most definitely not in his favor. Right?"
"What odds?"
"Don't play innocent. You know he's after you."
"I truly doubt that he came all the way here for...that."
"I think you should hear him out."
"I find it odd that you are making a case for him." Melia flipped the page and began scrolling her eyes over the new passages.
"I'm not. But personally, I'd be curious to hear what he has to say."
"Well, I'm not."
Tyrea rose from her spot and padded across the floor to Melia's desk, leaning against it so that her black hair fell around her face and touched the edges of the desk. Her stepsister did not look up and instead jotted down a note on the paper to her left.
"Just admit it, Melia. You're happy he's back."
"I don't think I've illustrated anything of the sort."
"Then why did you invite him to dinner? With Bella?"
"I thought it would be a nice gesture. That is all."
Tyrea scoffed, pushing a pen around on the desk. "You mean, you saw them together and didn't want them to go off on their own."
"Dunban is free to speak with whomever he wishes to."
Pointedly, Tyrea closed Melia's book. The Empress looked up and narrowed her eyes. In turn, the Homs Entia raised her eyebrows in defiance.
"Melia. I know when you're lying. Stop it."
"What do you wish me to say?"
"Just admit that you are happy he's back and you want him."
"Why do you think that's what I want?"
"Because you practically jumped for joy when you told me about his present."
"I did no such thing."
"Well, it was practically jumping for joy by your standards." Tyrea put her hands on her hips and looked Melia square in the eye.
In response, the Empress drew her lips into a thin line of displeasure. That was not true at all. She was only excited that she had new flowers to plant in her garden.
"Look, I'm not telling you what to do."
"That's exactly what you're doing." Melia took a breath, controlling her annoyance, and continued, "Besides, I want nothing of the sort. You know what I do want."
"Okay, besides that."
"If you are going to keep pestering me, I will arrange a meeting with him just to stop your incessant nagging."
"No. I won't. You're your own person. You make your own decisions." Her sister flipped her hair, irritated. "I just think you're being stupid."
"Tyrea." Melia gave her a warning look.
The High Entia leaned down so her face was level with her stepsister's. "Listen to me. People make decisions. People are driven by things they can't necessarily explain or ignore. People hurt each other. It's inevitable. But it's what comes after...What you decide to do after the fact is what's most important."
"Is there something you're not telling me, Tyrea? Did you talk to him?"
The creak of the door caused Melia and Tyrea to break eye contact. Melia leaned around Tyrea to see Serenity standing in the doorway, a questioning look on her face.
"Empress, you have a guest."
"Saved." Tyrea whistled and moved away from Melia's desk.
"Who is it?" The Empress asked.
"Garett is here to see you."
"Oooh. Look at that. And you said he wasn't trying to cli—" Tyrea leered.
"What is his business, Serenity?"
"He wishes to speak with you about the budget for the landing bay upgrade."
"Isn't it a conflict of interest if he becomes your consort, being the head of the aerospace division? If he becomes consort, he can't really work under you, right? Because of possible special treatment?" Tyrea laughed. "I mean, I guess he would b—"
"Serenity, please direct him to the minister of the treasury. I am very busy at the moment." The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was another suitor, or Tyrea's innuendos. Earlier that day, the woman had been cornered by Flanders, who had wanted to discuss the reinstatement of the nobility and gentry (which the Empress was loathe to do anyway). To her, it felt as though it were one after the other each day, all vying for her attention. Would they never stop? Could they not see her obvious disinterest? The constant barrage almost made her want to settle on Lady Evelyn, who would presumably leave her alone as Melia heard the all she wanted was to devote her time to public works projects, of which Melia had no time for. But the whole point of a First Consort was to create an heir; this person was generally picked from a political motivation. Second and Third Consorts were mostly picked from a motivation of love. It was the rare occasion in the history of the High Entia that a First Consort could be picked for both reasons.
"Serenity, I will not be seeing any other guests without appointments today."
"Yes, your Highness." Serenity bowed and disappeared through the entrance, closing the door behind her.
"They'll just keep coming, Melia." Tyrea said.
"I do hear what you are saying. But I intend to do little about it." She referred to their previous conversation.
"Well, if you change your mind, just make sure Dunban has to work for it." With a shrug, Tyrea walked to the door and exited, leaving Melia to her thoughts.
Leaning back in her chair, Melia studied the ceiling, not looking at anything in particular. In truth, the Empress had known Dunban was on his way before he had even arrived. Fiora had sent a missive alerting her to her brother's return. Luckily, it had come just the day previous to his return. The note was thoughtful, as her best friend expressed that she did not want Melia to feel ambushed by Dunban's sudden appearance. Reading those words had caused her body to tense and a rush of adrenaline to overwhelm her, erasing her mind of all thoughts. Only images of him flashed before her eyes, images she had long buried and forced herself to ignore. The prospect of him coming back had cracked the ground where she had entombed all those memories in the depths of her heart. And that was troubling.
But even with the foreknowledge of his coming, the High Entia had still not been prepared for the moment of seeing him in the square amidst the crowd of her citizens. Those brown eyes had captured her; those lips reminded her of times of a sensuality in her body that had burned out long ago without the proper nurturing. The warmth and affection that lived in his expression threatened to erode any sense of control she had.
Tyrea had seen right through her, as she mostly could in any situation (It was reciprocal. Their relationship had deepened over the past year and a half to a degree Melia had never thought possible. Though they were not blood sisters, it felt as though that they had been connected since their first steps into this life.) Though loathe to admit it, Melia had been jealous of seeing Bella and Dunban together. The Empress remembered that Bella had had a slight attraction to the Homs male, and Melia was not sure if it were mutual. Which on some level scared her.
And that fear in itself disturbed her. The High Entia couldn't be jealous. Shouldn't be. She did not care that he was back. In fact, he was just another visitor to her city and another distraction to her current agenda.
Her agenda.
Sighing, the Homs Entia pitched forward, laying facedown on the book. Was she making the right decision? Was this what she truly wanted? Half of her felt she was disobeying the mandate given to her as Empress of ensuring the welfare of her people. Yet the other half felt that this was the right direction for the future her people as well as herself. And yet, the Homs Entia could not help but wonder if her father would approve or disapprove of this action.
Should it happen. She still did not know if there were precedent for it.
Between this project and the pressures from the People's Council aggressively encouraging her to choose a consort, the stress was overwhelming, not to mention that she still needed to keep up with her daily duties. Taking a deep breath, the woman turned her face on its side away from the setting sun and glanced at the clock. Only a few hours until the ambassadors from the Homs Colonies, Frontier Village, and the Machina City arrived. It would be an interesting conversation. Not a difficult one, but a thought-provoking one to be sure. With things still in motion, nothing was quite cemented. But she needed to alert them as soon as possible so they could understand there would be a transition period. And she also had no idea how she would explain their appearance to the Cabinet or People's Council, for they would surely ask since she had not notified any of them of this diplomatic visit.
Regardless, the woman was excited to see Riki. She could use a little cheer at this moment, which the Nopon would certainly provide.
Her eyes flicked away from the timepiece to the brown pouch that sat on the corner of her desk. It was the pouch of seeds Dunban had collected for her on his trip and given to her. Melia was genuinely surprised when he proffered it. She couldn't have believed he had done such a thing while on his journey. It was...
No, she wouldn't say that.
It was considerate. That was all.
Even though Melia would not allow herself to think more on the gift, her mind would not let go of the thought of him. Was Dunban truly here for what Tyrea said? Or was that a just ploy by her stepsister to play matchmaker to a relationship long dead? Tyrea did love to meddle.
Then again, was it long dead?
Of course it was.
But feeling of his skin on hers once again—
"Empress? The ambassadors are here." Serenity called from the doorway.
Melia lifted her head from the desk and nodded. "I will be there directly. Please send for tea and sandwiches. I'm sure they are all tired and hungry from their journies."
"Yes, your majesty." The Homs Entia left and Melia rose from her seat, dusting herself off. Gathering the papers splayed across her desk necessary for the meeting, she pushed away the intimation that lingered. There were more important things to take care of now and much more important things at stake. And all of her energies needed to be devoted to this outcome. Other matters would wait, especially those concerning Dunban.
It was near 22:00 when a knock on Dunban's door interrupted the quiet and contemplation of his evening. Confused, the man put his book down, rose from his seat and moved towards the front door. He didn't know who would be visiting him at such a late hour. Fiora wasn't in the city; Tyrea usually came without consulting him; Serenity was most likely catching up on work from the day; James and Elrich wanted nothing more than for him to leave; Bella would be at the clinic; Melia had no desire to have a private conversation. So who could it be?
When he opened the door, the Homs found himself face to face with the Empress. She was the last person he expected, but the first he wanted. Unable to keep the surprise from his face, he asked, "I did not expect to see you at such a late hour, Melia. Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all." Though her expression was placid, her jaw was rigid. She was unhappy. Was it to do with visiting him or some other matter? He hoped it was the latter and not the former.
Either way, the young woman was on his doorstep. And the man would take any second he had alone with her.
"Would you like to come in?"
If Dunban could get her to stay for tea, he might have a chance to discuss what had happened what seemed like ages ago. And what he was doing there now and why he wished to see her.
"No, thank you though for the invitation. This won't take long."
Those last words set his mind racing. His pulse quickened and he clenched his stomach. Whatever it was, it seemed to be a matter of great importance to her. Or she was simply dismissing him from the city.
"What can I do for you?"
"I have found myself in a quandary." The High Entia looked away and creased her lips into a line, as if unwilling to speak any more than she needed to.
Was she asking for his help?
He waited.
After a moment, Melia returned her gaze to him, and he met it with curiosity. "I am aware you have experience with..." She trailed off, re-evaluating her words. Clearing her throat, she continued, "You were instrumental in crafting the new constitution for the Homs Colonies after the Fall. While I have my own background in legislation, the particular matter I am faced with is not entirely a part of the High Entian law."
Dunban thought back to his visit to the study yesterday and remembered the piles of books about the centuries past of High Entian history. Was this similar to whatever she was researching?
Was she going to trust him with that information?
"What can I do to help, Melia?"
"I am asking for your advice on how to make such a thing a reality."
At that moment, he saw a flash of apprehension in her eyes. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, but resisted the urge. She had not allowed for such interaction and he would not make her uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was that.
Keeping his voice calm, he said, "I am happy to help you. But to do that, I need to know what is going on."
"Of course. I shall explain in depth when we meet. Does the morning suit you?"
"That is not a problem."
"Then we shall meet at 10:00 in the study. I will see you then." She nodded to him and began to turn away.
"Have a good night, Melia." It was a half whisper said almost lovingly, escaping his lips before he could stop the statement.
The Empress turned back, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Goodnight...Dunban."
Then she turned on her heel and hurried down the hall away from him, leaving the man longing for her continued presence. Yet, as his head hit the pillow a little while later, he felt a burst of excitement at the prospect of meeting with her tomorrow. It seemed an auspicious sign, as though they were to repeat their previous experience of engaging in private meetings together, which had laid the groundwork for their relationship. Perhaps this would be the first steps in reconciliation and eventually lead to where they had left off.
But he couldn't get ahead of himself just yet. One step at a time.