Somehow, Svector had managed to convince the two children to stay in a room together without arguing. Now, the hard part was talking to the governor. He had asked Serena to take care of getting them a meeting, which left him alone with the two kids.

  Each of them took a bed in their room for themselves, which means Svector was sitting on a chair between them. He looked to the left, and saw Elaina, nervous, but at least she didn’t seem to be producing much of that black substance anymore.

  He looked to the right and saw Phoebe, who seemed to be a bit more carefree about the whole thing. The two girls seemed to have come to an agreement that they’ll try to plead their case together, and hopefully they’ll get some leniency. That was their best hope. If that didn’t work, well then, they’d have to figure out something from there.

  “Have you girls prepared what you’re going to say?” Svector asked.

  “I guess…” Elaina muttered.

  “I’m not going to jail,” Phoebe responded, bluntly.

  Not great responses, but they would have to do.

  “I’m here to help you both if you need it,” Svector said. “If you just give me an idea on what I need to say, I can try to articulate it for you.”

  “I just… I just don’t want to go to jail either…” Elaina said quietly.

  “And you won’t. Both of you will be fine, and I think you both will be better. Think about it, what kind of city that focuses on talent would lock away two promising young youths such as yourselves? You two have a lot of potential, and I can see it.”

  Svector’s words rang out, and then silence overtook the room once again. He had hoped that got through to both of them. Even if neither of them showed it right now. Perhaps the quiet was better, as it let them think.

  Though, it didn’t last for long. The door to the inn room was opened and Serena walked in with a pretty cheerful cadence. “How’s it going, everyone?”

  “Oh. Did you get us the meeting?” Svector asked.

  “Better yet. I got us one today in a few hours,” Serena said, with a proud look on her face. “Adelyn’s name actually gets you a lot of favors. It’s the same as in Verdant.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Svector responded. “I’ll need to get these two girls up and ready pretty soon though. And figure out what they’re going to say.”

  “You haven’t figured it out yet?” Serena asked.

  “Well. I sort of have an idea, but I think getting these two to back each other up will be necessary. And we’ve… agreed on the general intention, at the very least.”

  Svector looked at the two currently silent girls staring in opposite directions. He could only hope that this would go well.

  “Then let’s get them ready. This is probably the only chance we have,” Serena said.

  With a bit of grooming, and care. They were presentable for a meeting with the governor. A few talks to get the two kids ready for an important meeting, and also to get them to support each other and back one another up.

  The four of them walked down the street, to the governor’s office. It seemed like it just had opened back up for public access recently, which is why the dreaded crowd had gathered there. A lot were attempting to get resources, help, or other benefits from the previous incident of the monster rampage.

  Chatter filled the air around them, and they certainly weren’t happy.

  “What do you mean I don’t get recompense for my stand’s destruction?”

  “Do you understand that my livelihood is at stake?”

  “Monsters aren’t supposed to be rampaging in one of the safest damn cities in the country!”

  It was a lot and it most certainly wasn’t helping Elaina, who was awkwardly standing behind Svector. They had bought a cloak for her, to keep her face hidden. It would be rather inconvenient for them to be stopped by a guard on their way to talk to the governor. Elaina was still a person of interest, after all.

  As they stood in the lobby, a black cloud began forming out of Elaina’s head from all of the chatter. Serena had to get on it quickly, dissipating it all away with a flick of her hands.

  “Let's go somewhere more quiet,” Serena said. “This place isn’t good for Elaina.”

  “How long is it gonna be until we get our appointment?” Svector asked, as they began to escort Elaina to a corner far away from all of the chatter.

  “Knock on the door in… fifteen minutes? There’s a guard over there, he should recognize me,” Serena answered.

  “Well…” Svector looked at Elaina, then he looked at Phoebe. Her eyes were darting around left and right, also nervous. The girl seemed to be constantly looking for something or someone that might be a danger to her. “These two are going to have to hold out for just a little bit longer, then.”

  Surely, their emotions wouldn’t be too bad to deal with for now.

  The longest fifteen minutes of Svector’s life passed. They were farther away from the chatter, but it was still affecting Elaina. Luckily, Serena was able to keep it under control, and nobody was paying enough attention to them to notice.

  He tried to strike up a conversation with Phoebe in order to stop her paranoia. That was a bust. They talked about her life, but she was incredibly cagey with any details that could help them. So nothing productive came of it.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “It should be time,” Serena said, taking Elaina by the hand and walking to the guard she pointed out earlier. Svector followed with Phoebe in tow, as Serena stepped in front of the guard and took out a piece of paper. A quiet nod, and the four of them were let in.

  Down the hallway, at the very end, was a fancy office door. With a simple knock, the door opened to show the tired coated woman holding a coffee mug.

  “Governor Knox, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Serena bowed.

  “Same,” Knox said. “Adelyn’s associates, correct?”

  “Yes,” Svector nodded. “We’re here to ask for your favor.”

  “Come in, then.”

  The four of them followed behind the governor as she sat down at her desk. Both Phoebe and Elaina nervously looked around. Though, Elaina tried her best to keep her face hidden as they walked to the desk. There were two chairs set up, which meant that Svector and Serena would have to stand. They didn’t mind though.

  Knox sat at her desk and looked at the four of them. Her eyes seemed to be focused on Elaina in particular, though she didn’t say anything. “You claim to be Adelyn’s guardian, correct?”

  “Yes,” Svector nodded. “I’d like to meet up with her.”

  Knox closed her eyes. “You have a tournament winner, then. Congratulations. But unfortunately I have sent her off to Lune, so you’ll need to catch up with her from there.”

  So they missed her, again. That still hurt, but it’s something. They were going to have to trek past it.

  “Do you know the best way to travel to Lune?” Svector asked.

  “It’s a pretty close city,” Serena said. “I think a public carriage might work fine.”

  “That would be correct. I’d be willing to pay your fee. Your child helped with one of the headaches for the city,” Knox added.

  It wasn’t as extravagant as Custos’ help. But it would do. That was the information Svector and Serena were there for.

  “Speaking of Adelyn, it seems like you’ve brought to me the cause of said headache,” Knox said, before her eyes stared daggers at Elaina.

  “Eep—!”

  The poor girl nearly jumped out of her chair. Black cloud began to form out of her head, instantly confirming Knox’s suspicion without anybody having to say anything. Serena dissipated the mist from existence and let Svector take the floor.

  “Yes. That’s the second thing I’m here for.” Svector got in front of the two girls. “We would like to make a plea for these two girls.”

  “Two?” Knox asked, looking at Phoebe. “Did she do something wrong as well?”

  “Their mistakes are interlinked. Elaina here stands accused of vampiric mimicry, and she takes responsibility for those claims,” Svector spoke before looking at Elaina. She gave a weak and quiet nod, but it was enough. “But, Phoebe wishes for a reduction in her sentence, because…”

  Svector looked at Phoebe, who wasn’t really paying attention at this point. But a gentle nudge from Serena brought the girl back to the main topic at hand. “I… may have distributed her the vampiric mimicry potion. Because I thought that she could use it.”

  Knox gave a frown, but then Svector took the floor again. “These mistakes threaten jail. I understand, but we ask you to look at some mitigating factors for both of them. For instance, Elaina…”

  “I was… coerced… and stressed. I really wanted to win the tournament… and I wasn’t confident enough… until I was convinced,” Elaina finished.

  “It was her first offense as well,” Svector added. “And you saw her fight in the tournament, right? Even if she used vampiric strength, she has potential! Do you want to make a promising youth like her waste away in a cell for years?”

  Knox’s expression did not give away any of her thoughts. She looked at Svector and spoke. “She still seems to be under the negative effects of the potion. Did you think of a solution to her problem?”

  That was when Serena spoke up. “You need to find a specialist like myself in order to easily silence it, though it is possible to physically destroy the grief cloud with magic. Just harder. If you make her let go of her regrets, then it should clear up and be easy to manage. I’d say the investment is worth it.”

  Knox nodded, and then her eyes shifted to Phoebe. “And her?”

  “This girl hasn’t even had the chance to thrive. If you were to see her living situation, then her entire mind is focused on escaping and surviving. If she’s left behind, then what other choice does she have?” Svector explained.

  “...” Phoebe remained silent, waiting for Knox.

  Knox heard Svector’s plea, and drank a sip from her coffee. The silence felt like it lasted for an eternity, as the governor’s expression remained unreadable. Though, eventually she spoke.

  “Elaina’s punishment will be reduced to supervised community service. I will help tend to her recovery. I do not believe the same can be extended to Phoebe, if she distributed the potions to her.”

  ““What?””

  Svector and Phoebe both immediately spoke up. Though, Phoebe stood on the chair and immediately looked at Svector with a face of betrayal. “You said I wouldn’t have to go to jail!”

  “I… excuse me, Governor. But this isn’t fair. What kind of a person would leave this lone child behind in your city, only to lock her up as a direct result of those circumstances? That’s ridiculous! Do you have no heart?”

  “Elaina is a girl with immense potential. You are correct, I’ve seen it myself. But for such a crime like vampiric mimicry, I do not think I can excuse Phoebe if she lacks that same potential.”

  “Why you—!” Svector slammed the desk in front of the governor. “So you are just going to lock her up and forget about her? What kind of a governor are you?”

  “Her actions destroyed the entire marketplace, Svector. Convincing the populace that she is not to blame is a massive undertaking. I don’t know if I can expend the resources to…”

  “That’s ridiculous! Do you not know the living situation this girl was in? Her empty house, in the back of an alley. I can’t believe—”

  Svector’s mind began to calm itself down. The thoughts were still there, but he realized who he was talking to, and why this outburst wasn’t ideal. He saw the black mist flowing out of his head, as Serena dissipated it into the air. “Think what you’re about to say through.”

  Phoebe however, was not as calm. “Are you serious? I’m not going to jail. I’m really not. I refuse to!”

  Svector calmed down. He was still upset, but he couldn’t risk jeopardizing their entire goal from a single outburst. So he looked at Governor Knox and asked. “What would make you think that Phoebe is worth it?”

  “If the girl has potential. I don’t have reasons to dedicate resources to her right now.”

  “You promised me that I wasn’t going to jail Mister!” Phoebe said. “I thought you said you wouldn’t lie!”

  Svector needed to think. To say something to smooth everything over. What could he say that would fix everything? She was looking at him right now.

  “If you need to get her potential, then I’ll find it! She’ll come with me, and return once her potential has been found! How’s that sound then? I’ll show you what you truly left behind!”

  Everyone looked at Svector’s declaration. Some with shock, some with confusion, and… Knox specifically with an unreadable expression on her face. But, she was the first one to speak.

  “That is quite the burden you have placed on yourself. I suppose that compromise shall work for now. Good luck.”