Chapter 20: The Lapin Council
Roselyynn, Thunder, and Penelope decided to pause their investigation once it seemed they got all the information they could today. Jewel had given them some helpful information about the Lapin Council (as she was an ex-member, which Penelope found to be quite interesting and something to keep note on) as well as Rose Quartz. They did try to ask the townsfolk about what they knew, though the townsfolk were either unhelpful or they just didn't want to talk.
Evidently, it related to the trio's association of being the Creation Heroes who served the Raposa. Despite that they were created by the Creator's own hand, the Lapin still had their judgments based on association. Roselyynn and Thunder didn't know how to feel about being scrutinized by the public for not really doing anything wrong that could cause them to deserve it.
Plus, they hadn't been in the Kingdom all that long. Perhaps the Lapin weren't all that keen on speaking to outsiders.
After giving the respective parties on the Cavalier Soleil and Turtlerock updates on what was going on and resting for the night, the three heroes met back up at the dock the next morning to discuss their game plan on how they were going to handle speaking to the Council. From what Penelope could tell, Roselyynn and Thunder were still mildly concerned that the council could just be a conspiracy or a cover-up for darker intents to control the Kingdom mercilessly.
Penelope was pretty sure that wasn't the case. The Galactic Jungle and the Gemstone Isle were completely different areas with different cultures. Sure, different government practices could fall into place that were similar to another place's practices, but something didn't seem quite right from what was going on. For now, she decided that it would be best to start heading to the direction to the building where the Council met as well as the Chronicle in case they could either meet up with the Council as a whole or get an idea of their whereabouts.
It was around 11:30 AM when they had their gameplan set and were on their way up to the building. Like usual, the Lapin were judging and cautious of the three, if not, a bit dismayed that the outsiders were still present in the Kingdom. Penelope was the one who took the lead on the approach to the Council building. While the heroes moved carefully through the bustling area on their way, it was evident the people were avoiding them.
It wasn't the way that they avoided Rose Quartz the day prior, however. It seemed to be an avoidance out of scorn and dismay if anything. Penelope could tell the glares were more directed at Roselyynn and Thunder—who weren't used to being so highly disliked for just existing.
The pair of them reacted in different ways. Roselyynn, who wasn't fond of being scorned, decided to glare back at the people they passed by if they gave her weird looks. It wasn't the most diplomatic approach, but it was her way of telling them to back off. Thunder, on the other hand, mainly averted his gaze. He wasn't used to being disliked for existing, perhaps out of some anxiety of developing feelings and having some concern as to how he was perceived by those he was supposed to protect.
Penelope made sure to stay neutral. She had to stay neutral. She couldn't be too frustrated with the townsfolk for their behavior noting how they isolated themselves off from everyone else. Plus, the government situation from what they knew as well as the heroes suddenly showing up probably brewed agitation and fear of not knowing how to handle a new situation like this. As much as Penelope didn't like the way the Lapin were acting, automatically making judgment on them over the way they were averting interaction from the heroes wouldn't help with the rest of their visit.
She just wished that Roselyynn and Thunder could try to not make too many judgments on the situation too quickly.
When the heroes got to what appeared to be the market plaza of the kingdom, based on the signs on the buildings, how they occasionally saw Lapin going in or out of stores, as well as the busier atmosphere of the area, they knew they were getting close. The Council Building and the Chronicle seemed closer by. The Lapin still kept their same, judging stares however.
Roselyynn spoke in a hushed tone as they navigated through. "Sheesh. I've never received such a cold reception in my life! And yet, they keep adding on the ice cubes and cranking the temperature down. What is their problem?!" She asked, beginning to get irritated by the pressure.
Penelope looked back and recalled something White Blaze had brought up when Maelynn was trying to see if she could uncover more about Lapinian culture noting they had so little information. The Gato Chieftess explicitly said that part of the main reason the Lapin reclused themselves was due to the Raposa and the conflict of old, and that they detested the fox-like race.
And considering that the creation heroes were travelling with a party mostly made up of Raposa, as well as that part of their purpose was to protect them, perhaps that had something to do with the endless scorn. When the rabbit looked ahead, she asked, "Do you think they're aware that the Creator had made us to protect the Raposa of Mari's Village?"
Roselyynn and Thunder stared at each other and back at Penelope when she brought the question up. They hadn't really thought about it in the way she had considered it. "But Penelope, how would the Lapin even know that? We couldn't interact with them due to the Isolation, right?" Thunder asked, raising a brow.
"Just because they were isolated doesn't mean they wouldn't know what was going on. Maelynn seemed to know a lot about what happened despite the fact that her village was cut off from us as well." Penelope pointed out, flipping her ears.
Roselyynn sighed. "Yeah, but these people are reclusive bunnies. How would they know about what happened if they don't like the Raposa?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
The passing Lapin people, despite that they weren't fond of the heroes' presence, did seem to be paying attention to what they were saying for the most part amongst the chatter. The heroes could've sworn they heard mutters of the words "the Council mentioned it" on the air as they continued heading towards the Council building.
Roselyynn groaned. "Oh great. They're listening."
Penelope crossed her arms. "Well, we aren't being all that quiet with our chattering." She pointed out, only for Thunder to get more alarmed.
In a quieter voice, Thunder asked, "What if their Council really is an authoritarian government?"
Penelope rolled her eyes at this and kept moving forward. In a harsh whisper, she said, "I am pretty sure it is a lot more complicated than that judging by what Quartz told us yesterday. Plus, it sounds like the way they are acting isn't normal, which might relate to the whole governing situation. We need to understand the whole picture before making judgments as something is really off here." The other two heroes didn't understand her continual insistence to not make too many judgments and stay neutral about the situation until they understood it better.
For now, they decided to just hold off from saying anything until they got to the Council Building. At this point, it was about a ten-minute walk further, and by now, it was approximately 12:30 PM from what Penelope could tell. Even though this part of town was brighter than other areas, it still had the shade of trees.
However, there was a bit of a crowd forming when the heroes finally got to where the Council Building was. Like Jewel told them the day prior, it was the second tallest building on the isle. The sun's rays glimmered on the roof of the building. The heroes didn't get why there was a crowd forming at a time like this unless it was some kind of ceremony. Despite the building was atop a hill, it didn't seem all that tall noting that that they had walked up the hill.
Penelope decided to inquire more about what was going on. She decided to ask more towards the crowd instead to one specific lapin as they all seemed to have a decent idea as to what was happening. "Pardon me, but why is there a gathering of people up here? Is it traditional to gather up here?"
A Lapin woman stared at Penelope for a moment and sighed at her, mainly out of disdain for her not being as well aware of their traditions. "It has been as of recent. The Council is getting off their meeting soon."
"Do you typically do this to see the Council for a moment?"
"No, it's in case they have an announcement for us. Traditionally, the King gives announcements, but it's not like King Diamond has been seen in years to give said announcements." The woman answered, partially ignoring Penelope.
A Lapin man chimed in when Diamond was mentioned. "Well, it's not like Diamond is a traditional King to begin with. He's always been strange about interactions with his subjects."
The woman shrugged and agreed with him. "Even if so, it's strange he's not the one giving announcements. And even though Lord Sapphire and the rest of the Council do give announcements, they never seem to remember what happened during the meeting despite they were just there, and suddenly, something new is passed without warning. It's either Diamond passing things without the Council, the Council passing things without Diamond, both parties passing legislation without telling us, or someone else doing it under their authority."
Penelope's ears twitched when it was mentioned that the Council didn't seem to remember their meetings. She decided to see if she could inquire further while they were still waiting. "They don't seem to remember what happened? Is this typical of the Council?"
"No, it isn't." The Lapin man chimed in again. "It's especially strange that Lord Sapphire of all people can't remember the meetings, as he usually takes really detailed records of what happens so there can be clearer reporting of what was discussed to the King."
From what the Creation Heroes could tell, the Lapin Council wasn't actually a puppet government, as they did have names and the people typically knew their behaviors. They could also tell that this behavior was irregular and that something about the way their government was being run was off. Still, as much as Penelope wanted to inquire more, she wasn't able to.
It was mainly as when she was about to ask, she noticed the crowd's focus shift up to the Council Building. Roselyynn and Thunder had been shifting between the conversations that Penelope was attempting to have with the townsfolk and looking at the building to see if anything was going on. The guards at the top of the staircase opened up the doors leading to the interior of the chamber.
And from there, a group of Lapin came out of the chamber in a line. It wasn't based by rank from what the Creation Heroes could see but based on the order of the colors of the rainbow from red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. A lapin in bold red robes with a yellow sash led the descent down, with a lapin in purple robes and a lighter purple cloak being the last in line. Like Jewel had said, from what the heroes could tell when the lapin were better viewable, they had the most vibrantly hued robes out of all the Lapin that they had seen. They were also all male from what they could tell—like what Jewel had told them the day before.
The group, or the Lapin Council, weren't as chatty amongst themselves like Penelope had expected to them to be. She noticed that the six of them appeared to be rather drained from the meeting. She was unsure if this was typical behavior or not, but it was something to keep note of in case it would be a relevant point of conversation later.
Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, the crowd of Lapin awaited patiently to hear any news of some kind—if there was any. A lapin with light grey fur with tall ears who was donned in a brilliant blue cloak and a lighter sky-blue robe underneath stepped forward as if he was going to say something as he adjusted his spectacles. From what Roselyynn and Thunder could see (noting they were the tallest figures in the crowd), it looked to be a folder or notebook of some kind. He tried to remember what he wanted to say, only to shift his right paw to his forehead and wince as if he were pained.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any news to bear of the council meeting. I wish that I did, however, as there seems to be a pattern of a lack of remembrance of what happened on our part. I deeply apologize for such as the leader of the council and on the rest of the council's behalf." He said, bowing a little.
There were some sighs of disappointment from the crowd. This seemed to be unusually typical—and nobody seemed to be all that approving of this recent norm.
Though the Lapin Council was about to head off to their regular places after meetings were dismissed, the lapin in the bold red robe (who had light tan fur) paused when he looked up as from the corner of his eye, he saw unfamiliarly tall figures. When he shifted his gaze to see what it was, his ears stuck up.
"Holy Creator." He spoke aloud. The lapin in blue, or the leader of the group, glared over at him when the lapin clad in red suddenly interrupted.
"Carnelian, is something the matter? You don't typically interrupt me when I'm talking about the meeting." He said firmly, adjusting his spectacles again.
Carnelian pointed at Roselyynn and Thunder, as he could see them more easily than he could Penelope. The crowd of lapin stared at the outsiders and with some reluctance, split to the side so that all three of the Creation Heroes could be seen.
Most of the Lapin Council was taken off guard by the presence of the heroes except for the one in purple. He appeared to be somewhat surprised, but it was very difficult to tell what he was emoting due to the fact the hood of his cloak heavily shadowed his face to where most of his facial features weren't easily recognizable. The leader of the council paused and looked at his fellow councilmen. "Do any of you have any idea when the avatars of the Creator got here? I don't recall anything being communicated to us about this."
"We haven't remembered much of anything lately, Sapphire." A lapin in a glimmering yellow cloak whose cream hued fur covered up his eyes answered. "Wouldn't the guards have communicated with you or Diamond about this when they arrived?"
Roselyynn sighed and crossed her arms. In a low whisper to Thunder and Penelope, well aware of the fact the Council AND the crowd of Lapin were watching her, she said, "So, not only are they having a government issue, but they're having a communication issue as well. This is soooo helpful with understanding what's happening in this place."
Penelope sighed and brought a paw to her face, and Thunder slowly glared over to Roselyynn. The blonde hero's face was emotionless and still, like that of when he transformed into Thunderstuck. Crisply, Thunder proceeded to whisper, "Roselyynn. Do you think that now is the time to be a pain over a serious issue? We should be listening to what them to get a better understanding of what's going on."
"That's what I've been saying." Penelope replied, rolling her eyes. She took a deep breath and wondered if she could mediate the situation, speaking up to address what happened when they arrived on the isle. "I'm unsure if the guards communicated our passage on the isle by the sounds of it. We did come with a rather large party, but due to us three being the avatars of the Creator, they allowed us in as we were technically an exception."
Penelope flipped her ears and briefly pondered on it. "Oh, and they also said something about not wanting to break tradition and that they couldn't just interrupt you or the King over a matter such as outsiders coming into the isle."
The six council members paused at that and looked to each other. They quietly rounded up and faced away from the watching crowd and the Creation Heroes to discuss something amongst themselves. The Lapin didn't seem to mind, as this seemed to be something typical for their Council to do.
The first one to address the heroes again from the council was one with black fur donned in a dark purple cloak and had their hood up which obscured much of their face in darkness with a lighter purple robe under it. "I'm surprised they didn't ask King Diamond about the issue if it was that pressing. Knowing the way he is, he would have been fine with it."
Sapphire appeared to roll his eyes. "Diamond wouldn't have just acted upon the matter without asking us first. And then it would take a while for us to decide how to approach the situation and vote upon it. He doesn't use his kingly authority unless it's completely necessary."
Penelope's ear twitched at that. When Jewel first introduced the concept of Diamond to the, she explicitly mentioned that Diamond ruled with an iron fist. Why would he feel the need to ask permission from the Council and not abuse his authority as King if he was supposedly a tyrant?
Roselyynn and Thunder also found that comment to be off from what they knew, and it sparked discussion amongst the townsfolk. They seemed to be split on the issue on whether or not the King would do that. Interestingly, the Council found it odd that the townsfolk were disagreeing.
It just proved to Penelope that something was really wrong about this whole situation.
She wanted to ask more, but now really didn't seem to be the time. For now, she just had to listen to what Quartz had told them. Until they were able to gain an audience with Diamond, they couldn't trust a word that was said about him.
Though from what she could see with Roselyynn and Thunder, she could tell that neutrality was not going to be simple going forward.