The journey took almost four days. Buwaro had not been allowed time to train, and hadn't been let out of the Sinclair wagon for much more than food and "rest stops." The boy was a bit frustrated by this constant watch, but he didn't bother pushing the issue. He had come along quietly, and he intended to prove his good intentions.
It didn't help that he was ansty about meeting with Fragaria's council. Would they want him dead on sight, for being a Demon? What about for being a Duke? Would they be angry? Afraid? Would it help him out to let them know that he defended some people in the streets of St. Curtis? Would it hurt that the killer got away? Would his friendship with Snowy matter in this?
He'd have to remember to call her Kieri in front of them, since that was her proper name. He'd also have to be as respectful as possible – he couldn't afford to get angry. He felt practically set up for failiure, and he didn't like it.
He barely even slept at night, too busy fretting over the darker possibilities.
@@@@
The group arrived at the gates of Ghardin City unmolested, just before the sun finished setting. By that time, Buwaro was practically going insane from being locked in the wagon for so long, and from nerves. Kieri hadn't been able to quell his fears despite her best attempts – the dread was so horrible for him that, most likely, his dread would be worse than the meeting itself.
The group was informed they'd be meeting with the Council the next day. For the time being, Buwaro was to be escorted to a room at their embassy. He quietly insisted that Kieri and Rhea join him, at least. One of the guards blushed and looked away. "What?" Buwaro asked, confused and a bit agitated.
"Uh...just...surprised that you'd want two girls with you," he said, in a tone that made it clear he was thinking naughty things.
Buwaro frowned. "Rhea's a great friend, but I'm only 'that close' with Kieri," he snorted. He then blushed sheepishly and added, "Actually, I decided to ask for Rhea too so it didn't look suspicious or something."
Another guard chuckled. "And here Larry thought you had a small harem."
"Shut up!" Larry yelped, utterly embarrassed.
Buwaro blinked. "Okay, I hate to ask, but what's a harem?" he sighed, sinking his forehead into his palm.
"When you have more than one person you have sex with," Rhea explained. "When they all share, as opposed to someone kind of 'in charge', that's called polygamy."
Buwaro blinked. "In charge? What are you talking about?"
"Seedy shit, leave it at that," Rhea said quickly.
"I think I will," the Duke muttered, now outright angry. He wasn't some kind of criminal.
Once they arrived at the embassy's suite, Buwaro collapsed on a bed. He wasn't even on it for more than a few minutes before he fell asleep, and he didn't think to notice anything else in the room.
@@@@
Buwaro woke the next morning to find Kieri cuddled in next to him under the covers. He smiled softly, still worried, and hugged her tightly. No, worried wasn't the right word.
He was terrified.
He didn't know what to expect. He wasn't sure if he could do anything right, this soon. He was sure he'd fail, that he'd get people hurt – or worse, that they'd die for his mistakes.
That thought gripped him cold. Kieri could die for his mistakes. His claws gently gripped her shoulders. He would make sure it didn't happen.
Not on his watch.
"Morning, Buwaro," Rhea said, her voice thick with food. He glanced over to see her eating breakfast in bed. "It was free, they brought some for you too," she added, pointing to a tray at the foot of the lovebirds' bed. "Might be a little cold now, though."
"That's fine," Buwaro said, gently shaking Kieri awake. She started, but relaxed at her lover's face. "Food time," he grinned.
Once they'd eaten their fill, Buwaro explored the room a bit, and quickly found the bathroom. He'd seen a toilet before, at least, and Rhea had explained its purpose before, but he screamed when he first turned on the stand-up shower – while he was in it. "Cold cold cold!" the young Duke yelped, scrambling out and colliding into and tripping over objects, and stumbling into the wall.
"Find the shower?" Rhea grinned. "You need a bath anyway. Let it heat up first, though."
"H-heat up?" Buwaro stammered. "Really?"
"It's a political embassy," Rhea shrugged, "they get all the latest gadgets."
At Rhea's insistence, the young Fire Demon went back in and, every once in a while, tested the water to see if it was warm yet. It took a few minutes, but it was soon to a reasonable temperature – for Buwaro, anyway. He heard Kieri yelp something to Rhea, but he didn't pay it any mind until she came in, blushing. "Rhea insisted I help you wash up," the Angel said smally.
"Uh, sure," Buwaro said. "It might be too warm for you though," he added, and turned the heat down a bit for her.
She stripped and stepped in, quietly helping him scrub up. In short order, the young Duke was presentable, as Kieri took the time to help him comb out the knots in his fur and smooth out his appearance a bit. After a bit of thought, Buwaro even asked Kieri to file the point of his horns down a bit, to make them less of a threat. She obliged, though since they didn't have a file, they ended up using some sharpened ice to chip away at the horns and dull the tips.
When they left the bathroom, his clothing was gone, as was Rhea. The Jakkai returned shortly with some nice-looking clothing. "I got a suit for you in the lobby," she explained. "Every once in a while, they get a diplomat and something happens to their nicer outfits – spilled coffee, jam, whatever. This'd be a bit presentable. I also got them to wash your pants and your trenchcoat – you oughta be able to wear the coat in the meeting when they're done."
"Thanks," Buwaro said, surprised.
"Hey, you gotta look your best for this," Rhea grinned.
Once Buwaro was dressed, they found a problem with the upper portions – there was no room for the wings. Rhea quickly took them back downstairs and, in less than a half-hour, they had holes, complete with seams, to allow for his wings. He flapped his wings experimentally and nodded. "Thanks," he smiled. "How...how much did this cost?"
Rhea nodded and said, "Don't worry, I pooled our money. It cost about thirty silver, plus one for the quick patch-job for your wings. Not bad for a suit."
"Good," Buwaro sighed. "I was worried there."
"You've been a nervous wreck since we started our way here," Kieri noted.
Buwaro nodded, a tired, saddened expression covering his face. "I've been freaking out over the meeting," he admitted.
"It won't be that bad, promise," Rhea grinned. "If it is, I'll buy you two time to escape, got it?" The two stared at him. "Come on, it won't come to that," she laughed. "Quit staring at me like I'm a loony." They shared a weak chuckle.
A knock came on the door. "The Council is ready to meet you," a voice sounded.
"Showtime," Rhea smirked. "Let's go."
@@@@
It wasn't long before they reached the meeting hall with their escort, consisting of a diplomat and three guards. Apparently the embassy had a place to meet built into it. Buwaro steeled himself with a few deep breaths before he entered.
There were eight Councilors – two Jakkai, four Humans, two Khamega. He bowed to them with Kieri and Rhea, the latter of whom muttered, "They're sure far north," before they took their seats.
Buwaro shifted in his chair a couple times before someone even spoke. "Are you alright?" one of the Humans, an older woman, asked.
"Just nervous," Buwaro admitted. "I'm not used to the suit, but that's pretty minor really. I'm talking to seven people who are trying to defend their homeland from any danger, and I'm not sure if they think I'm a danger already, and if so, whether they're even willing to change their minds. I have a hard enough time talking to my girlfriend sometimes," he joked lamely.
A few chuckles sounded from the Councilors as cups of tea were passed out by four gofers. "We're not going to judge you just yet," one Jakkai, the male of the two, managed. "Come now, you've acted admirably from what we've heard."
"Really?" Buwaro asked.
"Yes," the male Khamega said with a nod, "we've had correspondence with St. Curtis. From the sounds of things, you stopped some psycho from killing a civilian, and might have prevented a breakout of war."
Buwaro straightened. "Where would you hear the last part?" he asked quietly.
"Apparently, from one Iratu, who says you wish for a less violent path?" the Khamega asked.
"Th-that's true, I just," Buwaro began, then paused, then sighed, "I'd hoped he'd keep it under wraps and not freak people out."
"The governor he spoke to is smart enough to not let that news out," the younger of the female Humans smiled. "It is good you were concerned about that, but we have a protocol for some of these things. Others, we just take what we know works and apply it as best we can."
"Such as with a Duke in Fragaria," the female Jakkai said cautiously.
Buwaro nodded, looking at the center of the table. He didn't feel he could meet their eyes for a moment. Finally, he looked up. "I don't want the Stupid War to continue," he said quietly. "If it going on, means that Kieri is supposed to try and kill me – well, I'd rather she stayed my friend. If that makes some people in Hell mad, they need to...uh, Rhea, what was that phrase? Something about a rope?"
Rhea, busy with her cup of tea, snorted and began to laugh at the fact that Buwaro was considering that phrase with the Council of Fragaria. "Uh," she managed between her awkward laughs.
"'Piss up a rope'?" the older male Human smirked.
"That," Buwaro nodded. A few good laughs sounded. Buwaro began to feel himself relax, but his tension returned slightly when he remembered something. "Honestly, I hear that there might be some Angels who are...almost as bad," he admitted. "And if they really have a problem with not killing us, well, I kinda say the same."
The laughter slowly silenced. "I'd hope they aren't," the elder Human lady sighed, "but if a Demon is its own person, not merely an extension of Syndel's will, then Angels must be the same way. Though," she frowned, "that worries me all the more, honestly."
"I can see why," Kieri responded quietly. Eyes turned to her. "I...I have issues with my mother," she explained. "She is...not the kindest person."
Silence descended on the table. "Has she been...unkind to you?" asked the younger Human male. Kieri hesitantly nodded. "That's disturbing," he murmured.
"And not the point of this meeting," the female Jakkai admonished him with a snap. He quickly shut up, looking embarrassed.
"Speaking of," Buwaro said quickly, trying to defend the young man from too much of a backlash, "the...the point on my end is, uh, I was hoping to get an alliance of sorts."
The Councilors stared at him for a moment. "An alliance," the female Khamega said cautiously.
"I was hoping to find a place where Angels and Demons sick of the War could go for refuge, to defend ourselves and our interests rather than the interests of these war hawk people," the Duke clarified. "I'm not quite sure where I'd go and set up, if that were the case, and it's not like I'd bar anyone unless they meant us harm. I just...need an actual place to, uh, 'set up shop' I think it is."
"To make a city for those wishing to leave the Great War behind," the elder Human man murmured. "An admirable goal. We cannot easily supply you with materials, but we could, perhaps, support a place for you to begin your setup. We have plenty of untouched wilderness to the west, and with the trees there, you could build a great many homes in fairly short order. The main problem would be making sure you didn't run through any Jakkai villages," he added, "to avoid causing conflict with them. Many villages are fairly isolationist."
"I'd be willing to work with you to find a suitable place for a road and a place to call our own," Buwaro said with a bow of his head. "We'd need maps, of course."
"We have plenty," the female Jakkai smiled. "We've been looking to find a way to expand into the area, but if you're willing to form a trading agreement with us, once you're on your feet, we'd be happy to help you set up, road and all."
Buwaro let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you," he smiled. "Thank you so much." He tried to ignore the warm, stinging sensation in his eye. Kieri rubbed her hand on his back to soothe him.
"We can offer up to five hundred gold in financial support of this effort, based on our current economy," the Khamega woman smiled. "We can gather supplies in a month or so. What do you require?"
"We'll probably want some stone to reinforce the walls," Rhea said. "Concrete would work, if you have it. Other than that, we might be able to manage. I assume it's a loan, and not charity, though, right?" she smirked.
"Indeed," the elder Human male nodded. "We'll put low interest on it, since it's a fairly low-risk investment. One percent, annual?"
"Could add up quickly," Rhea said with a thoughtful frown, "could we ask for point seven-five?"
"Afraid not, but we'll only start to generate interest after, oh, ten years?"
"Done," Rhea smiled. "Thank you. I really hope none of us regret this."
"Thank you again," Buwaro said, having cleared up his tears enough to speak clearly again.
The meeting ended, and Buwaro took a deep breath. "So, concrete," he said casually, sniffing to keep himself from drooling snot out his nose.
"Make your own stone," Rhea replied. "A bag of sixty pounds of the stuff will cost a gold. For the walls themselves, we'll probably use the stone mostly for reinforcing entrances, since a wall made only out of concrete bricks would be like ten thousand gold. Iron and coal will be more important to make steel goods, to equip any guards, scouts, and sentries."
"And the price for that, per pound?" Buwaro asked.
"A pound of iron is about eighty copper, and a pound of coal is about fifteen silver. 'Course, there's a lot of coal in a pound of it."
Buwaro's mind began to try and calculate. "Okay, and eighty copper to a silver," he muttered, "so five for four silver. How much coal goes into making steel?"
"Not a lot," Rhea admitted, "but I don't know for sure. What I do know is that most of the coal is used to heat it up to the point where it's malleable."
Buwaro nodded, silent until they got back to the suite. He grabbed some paper, a few pencils, and a sharpener from the room's desk. "Okay. Let's make a list. Books, mostly – we need books on making concrete, houses, walls, steel. We'll need actual steel and lots of it. Probably a way to make our own food."
"That'd be the more expensive bit, yeah," Rhea nodded. "Especially if we want meat. Still, I think we can set it up. Let's get started."
