Throwing the doors open with his arms, Victorus Ponpti turned to his right, took a long step, grabbed the conveniently placed vase on the pedestal, and smashed it against the wall. With a flicker of his psy and will, he collected the shards and ground them into dust before letting the powder fall to the ground.

"Homer, would you be a dear and handle that?" an exasperated voice said.

"At once, my lady." Without another word, the Ponpti family butler moved behind the pedestal, where he touched the seemingly solid wooden surface. A small click sounded at the pressure, and a panel opened, revealing a small chute that traveled to a trash bin. With a flick of his wrist, the older man collected the fine powder with his psy before depositing it into the chute.

With the cleanup done, the butler turned to the hidden shelf within the cavity, where a half dozen identical vases to the one Ponpti destroyed were placed. Grabbing one and closing the compartment, Homer replaced the vase and moved off to the side of the room, where he set about pouring Victorus something more potent than the tea waiting for him across from his wife. "Is your rage quelled, my love? Or are we going to have to restock our supply of disposable decorations sooner than normal?"

"I apologize, Aurora, I did not intend for you to see me in such a state."

Scoffing, the stately, green-haired woman stood with a warm but exasperated smile on her face. She strode across the small study, wrapped her arms around her husband, and placed a caressing kiss upon his lips. "In forty years of marriage, if I had not come to learn about and accept your temper, I would be a poor wife. Though our daughter was less than enthusiastic about witnessing your last outburst." Under her suddenly stern stare, a man who had the power to rip apart the manor with a thought flinched away and looked apologetic. After making her point, she snorted and continued, "Besides, I am mostly to blame for witnessing it. I heard about what transpired during the senate session, and I placed myself within your study, assuming this was where you would come."

"Oh?" Any particular reason that you came here?" Victorus asked, the light of passion sparking in his eyes as his wife pressed her generous curves against him.

A similar fire appeared within Aurora's eye, but before either could say anything, Homer coughed and said, "Your spiced wine, My Lord."

Slowly pulling away, but with a promising smile that this would be continued, Lady Ponpti smoothed out her dress and turned away, acting like nothing more than a simple embrace had occurred as she retook her seat at the small table in his personal study. "Thank you, Homer," Victorus said as he took the crystal glass.

The butler, professional as always, declared, "It is my pleasure," before turning and taking up a position at the side of the room. Out of sight, but always ready to perform any task required.

Taking a generous sip of his drink, Victorus released a sigh as he settled down across from his wife. "So, why did you take it upon yourself to wait here for me?"

"My love, you are many positive things, but you cannot organize and plan a ball if your life depended on it. At least not one that will be memorable enough to leave a positive impression about the Kin." Aurora said with a confident smile.

"The news of the recent session sure seems to have moved fast."

"Too fast," Stated his wife, earning a raised eyebrow in question as Victorus took another sip. "The streets were abuzz with rumors of unexpected guests before you left. But I thought it was about the Kin. Even while the session was still in progress, news that the Kin are attempting to drag us into their idiotic war was spreading. And news that the Letairry were having their name smeared by the Kin was on everyone's lips. People leaving the Senate with firsthand testimonies that the Kin have pursued a constant war against the Letairry is not helping matters."

"When is the soonest we can throw a ball?"

"We were already planning on holding one, but not for another week. I can put one together for tomorrow, but it will be hasty, and that will be obvious. Many might even refuse to come solely for the absurdly short rescheduling notice. The day after tomorrow will be better, and people will understand the rush, but can we afford to wait? I know for a fact that Falishan is having a ball tomorrow." Seeing Victorus's look of confusion, Aurora explained, "Senator Drelgath's wife. Given their apparent political alignment, I do not think you need me to tell you who they will be presenting as the guest of honor."

Victorus's hand squeezed harder on his cup for a moment, then he released it as he forced his body and psy to relax. He had been outmaneuvered, and getting worked up about it will only result in it happening again or cause the consequences to be worse. Sure, he didn't know he had an opponent at odds with him, but that was simply an excuse. A mistake or multiple mistakes had been made. The bottom line was that he had not adequately prepared, and this lack of preparation resulted in his limited knowledge. It was time to start rectifying that.

"Prepare the ball for the day after tomorrow, dear. Rushing any more will only cause us more problems." Receiving a nod of acknowledgment from his wife, Victorus turned to his butler, "Homer, if you would, please send a maid to Ambassador Kaneita and request that she join us. We have much to discuss," Victorus said as he stood and moved to join his wife on the small two-person couch.

"Why are you requesting the ambassador's presence?" Aurora asked idly as she leaned forward to grab one of the cookies she insisted on being served with every cup of tea in the household.

"In my trip to the north, I received the reports on the battle of Southtown from Legatus Ponta. I spoke to his Prefect and even our daughter about what the Letairry did and their strategy." Victorus said as she settled down, "But I have neglected to have an in-depth conversation with the people who have been fighting the dark elves for the longest time."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Hmm," His wife murmured, a slight note of disapproval in her voice at the oversight. "This may be a poor point to ask the question, but should we trust the Kin? Is it possible that the Letairry are telling the truth and that they are the ones who have been persecuted for centuries? And when they saw we were appearing to grow closer to the Kin, they reacted violently to prevent a greater threat from coalescing? After all, we only know one side of the story, and it is by no means complete with context."

"No," Victorus replied matter-of-factly. "We can't be sure. Not entirely, at least. Only time will tell which side is telling the truth, though we have already hitched our horse to a carriage. Attempting to cut ourselves free now will only result in us crashing." The comment earned him a snort that told him in no uncertain terms that she was aware and only posing the question to ensure he considered it. "Regardless," the husband said, trying to move the conversation on, "My gut tells me that the Kin are the more trustworthy of the pair. And the dark elf's story has a major hole in it."

"Which part?" His wife asked as he refilled her teacup and added a generous dose of honey.

"The supposed dark elf ambassador claimed that his people attacked ours because they were afraid we would join the Kin in their war against the Letairry. Except their strategy and tactics tell a different story. I do not know all the details, but I don't need to. It is clear that all of their preparations took months, or even years, to pull off. Longer than we even knew the Kin existed. They could have come forward in that time, but they didn't."

"Hmm," Aurora hummed in agreement, though half of the noise was from the pleasure of taking a sip of her tea. "So we maintain our stance." The two fell silent after that, simply enjoying each other's company as Homer slipped back into the room, and they waited for Ambassador Kaneita to arrive.

A slight but confident knock sounded at the door, and with a flick of his fingers, Victorus signaled his butler to go open it. Upon turning the handle and cracking the doors, the usually unflappable man paused for a moment, then stepped back and said, "Lord Ponpti. Lady Kaneita and Inquisitor Keeper have arrived."

Unable to stifl a slight twitch of annoyance that the inquisitor was outside his office, Senator Ponpti said after a moment, "No need to keep the Ambassador waiting, Homer. She was, after all, invited."

"Excuse me for interrupting your meeting, Senator Ponpti," the reaper said, bursting into the room, ignoring Victorus's indirect comment that he wasn't invited. "But I believe I know why you called for Kaneita, and I have some information on the topic."

"Do you, now? A little late to be offering information, isn't it?"

"I have willingly shared everything of consequence I have been privy to. Which is why I am here now." The inquisitor said as he took one of the chairs opposite the couch and waited for the Kin to take the other. "You may or may not know that during the battle of Southtown, I happened to encounter a female dark elf." Victorus blinked slowly at the statement before he nodded his head as a memory of a report popped into his head. He was leery of the details, but he knew that such an event had happened. "I was able to partially read the mind of the dark elf, and while I wasn't searching for information on their social structures, some small impressions bled through."

"And what did you learn?" Victorus asked, while motioning to Homer to pour the man some wine.

"Admittedly, not much of relevance now. However, I got the distinct impression that the woman viewed men as second-class. As tools to be used and discarded as required. Worth as much as the stones beneath her feet."

"While I do hate to say it, that view is not exactly uncommon among women," Aurora interjected. She raised her hands as if defending herself when everyone turned to stare at her, "Don't look at me, I am not one of them. I am only suggesting that it is possible that the individual you encountered held such a belief, and it is not a deep-rooted sentiment of their society."

Lowering his head in admission of the point, the inquisitor said, "You make a valid objection. However, as is apparent from my actions, I do not believe that to be the case. And I think that Ambassador Kaneita's claim that the Letairry spokesman is not an actual ambassador because he is not a woman is accurate. More, it speaks volumes about how they view the Republic that such a declaration would be allowed."

"I will take that into consideration," Victorus said to the younger man, then he turned his attention to his other visitor. "But for now, I think it has become past time for us to discuss the Letairry."

The Kin accepted the cup and saucer his wife was handing to Ambassador Kaneita with a smile and nod of thanks, then raised it to her lips, taking her time to enjoy the drink before setting it down. Her eyes clouded with thoughts, and after seconds spent thinking, she finally said, "I can give you a warning and describe their twisted and underhanded nature, but to really believe, you have to experience their machinations and schemes firsthand. Nothing else will suffice."

"Then convey what you can."

"The best way I can think of describing the Letairry is that everything about them is shrouded in lies and misdirection. Scheming and machinations run in their blood. Power and status are the only things they respect, and that is only among their own people. Their social position is gained by right of birth, but must be retained with one's competence. If they cannot rise to the demands their station requires, they will eventually find a knife in their back as they are used as a stepping stone by a sibling. Anyone not born into their strict social caste is considered a lower species, and considered a tool they have yet to be put in their place."

While everything the woman said required further thought, what caught Victorus's attention was the first part. "You say that everything they say is a lie, but when the dark elf spoke in the senate, his voice was filled with conviction and truth."

"I gathered as much," the Kin said, her voice filled with irritation. "You are being deceived."

Eyes flicking to the side, the senator silently questioned the reaper, who nodded in response, "Those with the proper training can fake or cover emotions… though it is challenging and rare."

"Among your people, maybe." Ambassador Kanieta said. Seeing Victorus's prompting look, she continued, "You will need to take my word for it, but the Letairries' abilities are not the same as yours. They are closer to the High Elves' capabilities in your old histories, rather than your current-day abilities. I do not mean to be rude, but through my experiments and observations, with the environmental oppression your people suffer, I do not believe many, if any, among you can reach the level of technical and precise mental manipulation that I know the Letairry are capable of."

Victorus flinched at the words of the Kin, and his eyes flicked to a spot on his shelf that had long held a small book. It was empty now, but like all of his ancestors, he had long memorized its contents. Shaking off the thoughts, Victorus turned, dismissing the vacant eyes of his wife and butler, "If you would be so kind, would you relay a brief summary of the history between your people and the Letairry?"

"As you wish," the fox Kin said, not exactly looking pleased to be giving a history lesson, but at least humoring his request.

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