Maya jumps back slightly whilst her arms retract close to her chest. So Liivi did hear part of what she said. "Um... uh... d-did I say t-that?" She murmurs when the leopard woman asks her if she called herself as a queen, pressing her palms together sheepishly. She did, but, seeing that this world doesn't allow her kind to exist, saying that to a bunch of strangers minus Renar himself would immediately worsen her endangered state. Or so she thinks, because in both Toril and Japan, royals are never safe from any forms of potential threats.

As Mira trip over however, the next thing she lands on is not the ground but... on something fluffier. Before Mira could painfully knock her tiny head on the ground, Maya's white fluffy tail reacts swiftly and catches her, wrapping its fur around her waist before she could do so. She smiles at the second queen. "That... close. You... almost... knock head on... furoor; That was close. You almost knocked your head on the floor." She coos, like the same way how she'd catch her daughter the moment she knew she was about to sustain a severe injury. She hasn't fully warmed up yet, but the next 

"Sigh... he's fine. Just stupid." She reassures Liivi as she takes the cloak from her son; She's amazed that his hood hasn't fallen off yet whilst he tripped. However, she isn't concerned about her disguise as much as Liivi and Mira now know that she is also a royal. It's only a matter of time before they realize that her son is her Prince-turned-King to her Queen. For now though, she somberly takes the cloak that her face-planted son is holding, neatly folds up whilst she sets Mira on her feet again with her tail and stares back, her blush still remaining despite all of this.

"I... sorry. I not want... talk. But... I scared.; I'm so sorry. It's not that I want to talk. But... I'm really scared. Queen Mira... and... um... Pu... rin... ces..." She flickers her closed eyes towards the leopard and realizes the two ladies haven't introduced themselves yet. She suddenly falls silent and shyly gazes at the other three that stand (or fell flat for Renar; Four if Alek does appear too)

Alex blinks, slightly surprised that Renar just pushed passed him and didn't even remark on his offer to act as a distraction. Geese, clearly he's worried about Maya. 

Without much thought, he decides to chase after the 'changeling' in spite of him saying that he'd be 'right back'. Alex wants to make sure Maya is alright too, though he doesn't really think that anyone will do anything to hurt her regardless of her true identity. So he rushes down, the sound of chainmail painfully audible as he rushes down the stairs and very nearly falls on top of Renar. When the 'changeling' falls on the floor in front of him, Alex skids to a stop, flailing his arms to keep from landing right smack on top of him. Fortunately he's able to keep his balance, rocking back on his heels and looking up with wide eyes as Mira asks where they came from only to fall backward towards Maya. Good grief, what a mess. 

"Ack! Are you guys alright?!" He exclaims, reaching down to help Renar up first since he's currently blocking the doorway out to where Mira just fell down. His eyes widen further when Maya says that Renar is "just stupid" both at the bluntness of the comment and that Maya just spoke Lancean! 

"H...hey! You figured it out! That's awesome!" If Renar accepts his help he pulls him to his feet quickly before rushing to make sure Mira doesn't need help.  If Renar brushes him aside, or Renar accepts Liivi's help instead. Fortunately, it seems Maya had Mira covered, and the rabbit woman hadn't even hit the ground. Seeing that, Alex lets out a sigh of relief. 

Once everyone's regained their footing, Alex looks to Maya and then to Liivi, hoping that this whole situation isn't about to get infinitely worse. In the moment, all he can really do stand there and wait to see what Maya and Renar's reactions are to the kitsune's cover being blown. When Maya says that she's scared and doesn't want to talk, Alex's brow farrows. "I... I'm sorry you're scared. What are you afraid of? Is it us? Is there something we can do to help you feel more comfortable?" He looks genuinely concerned, taking note of her shy glance, "I... if you don't want to talk I get it. I just don't want you to be afraid. I want you to feel welcome, and I'm sure the rest of us do too. Whenever you want to talk we'll be here to listen."

Renar

"Ughh..." This was all I could let out in pain as my hand suddenly lightens in weight; I take it Okaa-san did grab the cloak out of my hands. The next thing I felt however were two palms  trying to lift me, one coming from a furry paw and another from a hand that feels smaller than mine just from feeling his touch. Nonetheless, with their help, I managed to right myself on my two feet again. "Sigh... thanks... you two." I respond to them both as I shake my head, though I had this hunch that to them, I wasn't meaning it; I was. Whilst I did hear Okaa-san brand me as stupid, I didn't really have much to say, other than the fact that I'm now concerned that everyone in this patio knows what she really is now. Well, sort of. She hasn't split her tails into nine yet so I don't think her secret has fully been revealed, which is a relief. In fact, I was even more relived to hear that Okaa-san is finally been able to speak Lancean just like the rest. I let off a smile that almost no one can see. I couldn't have been more proud on the inside, really, even though I cannot say it for myself due to my terrible mood. And... wait... did Liivi just mention that Okaa-san... Oh no.

I widen my eyes unknowingly when Okaa-san reveal a valuable piece of info about herself. This isn't good. I shudder. What happened to the whole thing of concealing our identities?! Now it's only a matter of time before they find out I'm her son and a prince. It's only a matter of time before me and Okaa-san become hunted again just because of our race and our royalty; A bad double combo considering that we haven't even survived the main ordeal yet! Urgh! I wanted to scream at my own mother so bad... if it wasn't for everyone else minus Shugo being in the same floor with us. Speaking of which, I took a chance to swivel my head around whilst everyone is admiring my mother. Where is he? He's been acting so weird lately, far different than his usual, no-nonsense attitude. Wherever he is I hope it isn't because of our current states... Right now though, I need to focus on getting Okaa-san back into our room 

"Oka- Uh I mean... Maya-san. Breathe... steadily. Let's just go back. I'm just glad you finally figured out... that thing. I'm... I'm sorry. I should've explained clearer..." I reassure her with gently open palms. Her shivers are very noticable to my eyes. I can tell she wants to retreat, so... I'll do my best to offer her a safe way out if I can. I turn back towards the others. "Guys. Alek. Mira. Leopard Lady. I get you all want to know more about this... typical fox lady from somewhere else. I'm sure she's just joking about the queen matter, but... I'm serious. Just... just let her be. Please. S-She's often at her worst when... w-when you guys are staring at her."

Whilst I wait for Okaa-san to respond to everyone else, or not, does anyone know where Shugo is? I couldn't help but think to myself. I hope he hasn't fully degraded because of our team's situation.

Mira

If it wasn't for the now-revealed fox woman reflexively catching Mira with her tail, Mira probably would not have been conscious to feel the warmth and the fluffiness of her new appendage. "So soft..." She gasps, as if she had just landed on a pillow. After spending 10 seconds feeling mesmerized by how that mystical lady was able to hold her by the weight of her tail alone, with a bit of a push, she was able to right herself back up all the while noticing Alek barely holding himself from tripping over the hooded boy who had just faceplanted right in front of Liivi.

"Oh. Hey Alek. Yeah, she can finally understand her. It's an... it's incredible milestone, don't you think?" She gives Maya a courtesy; In fact she chuckles a bit when she mentions how stupid Renar looks. "Thank you. I don't know what to say I... uh... I just... wait..." She hears Liivi asking Maya if she's a queen... a queen?! Suddenly, her rabbit ears perk up in horror. All these moments up until now... this can't be happening... Renar... is tasked in protecting...?!

"Wait... Maya... Are you..." Her rabbit ears perk up in shock as she suddenly rights herself up from Maya's soft, gigantic tail. "Oh my gosh. Are you a queen too? Just like me?!" She suddenly finds herself hyperventilating. All this time she was so desperate to know who this mysterious woman was and... she had been talking smack about a queen? Someone that actually has experience in being a ruler?! Oh shoot... Mira's ears suddenly flatten when she realises she had done goofed up. In fact, if she is in fact a true queen just like her mother, why didn't she just come clean now? Why wait until this moment when somehow everyone minus Shugo has come together again?

"Maya... Y-y-your... your highness... I know I shouldn't be calling you this but... O-o-oh my..." She suddenly drops to her knees like a literal drama queen, almost as if she's begging for her life and struggles to actually hold in her tears. "I'm... I'm really sorry! Please forgive me but whatever nonsense I spouted from my silver tongue earlier about you... I... I'm sorry! Please..." Whipping her head around, the only thing that made the rabbit queen come back to her sense was that no one else was following suit. Panicking, she swiftly hops back up, readjusts her posture whilst she breathes heavily. Once she fully comes to a stable position again, nevermind the fact that Renar was just trying to get her to go back and have her peace, she clears her throat and resets...

"Ahem... sorry... pardon me for my behaviour but, the fact that you've revealed yourself as a second queen... no wonder why Renar was so hell-bent on guarding you, my lady." She gently places her hands on her own, uncovered back. "As Alek says, um... we're all hear to listen. You know how uh... you know how all Lanceans hate people outside of our kind? How we hate you for speaking languages other than Lancean? How shifter people like you are treated like trash? As the other queen that stands before you..." She suddenly wooshes a clock into the sky as it explodes into a constellation. "Seriously, I ask that you stop believing this nonsense. If I can, I will rewrite the laws of Lancea for all I care. I will make sure that this jargon doesn't affect you in the near future. I want you to forget about that stupidity. From now on, consider us Lancean royala your ally too. I swear under my rule, we, the Royals of the Rebellion, will swear to protect you and your son at all costs, provided we are able to find the latter for you in time." She gives off a teasy smirk at Liivi and Alek. "Yes, Liivi and Alek. You two may not consider yourselves such but, starting from tomorrow, you two plus Shugo are my princes and princess respectively under my watch, understood? Or should I- nah. This should suit you three enough, heheh!" Funny enough, she doesn't mention Renar, though ironically, she's unaware that he already bears a royal title himself much to the unknowingness of her and everyone besides Maya.

"Also... Maya... you know that... I'm planning to run for the next queen of Platone right?" She slowly approaches her. With a second queen, she would be able to learn valuable lessons on what it's like to actually rule an entire country by herself. She could potentially harness her help in order to tackle the huge weight that the royal crown bears. "If you can... May I... will you help teach me... and the rest of these guys, these royals, on how to rule? You clearly have more experience than I do, so, whenever I'm not in my mother's field of view... may I ask that you teach me your language, teach all of us the way of what it's like to be a ruler, if you can? Please... whatever you teach us, whether it'd be your language, your way of ruling, whatever. We promise to return the favour with whatever we know of our planet. You trust her to do so, don't you guys? Minus Renar obviously given how attached he is to her."

Renar had clearly figured out his own mother intentions; She wants to run back. She wants to forget about the mistake she made just now. Yet... the reason why she chose not to budge is... a lot. From Liivi expressing her desires to get to know her to Alek and Mira providing her reassuring support and safety despite her monstrous appearance and... Renar. Her son. The reason why she hasn't backed off from this vile adventure. The reason why she came here. Why he's still here... The current behaviour of this team, it reminds her of the shifters, the first group of people to accept her and her son for who they are, rather than to drive them out as monsters for being the sacred kitsune they are to this day.

When Mira slowly approaches her, Maya responds and surprises Mira... with a massive hug. "Arigato... arigato! All of you!; Thank you! Thank you! All of you!" She weeps with a fountain of tears from her eyes and embraces the second queen in return for her kind words; Probably too much that she almost constrict the poor rabbit queen before she even realises it, she suddenly back off and shyly blushes whilst Mira catches her breath. She turns to Liivi next and hugs her too; She appears to be a lot stronger than she is. "I... d-d-on't... know... much... please... I... hope... get... along... I don't know... you that much but... please... I hope we can get along." She chokes. She's struggling to actually get the amulet to work underneath her tears, but hopefully the leopard girl understands what the otherworldly queen means.

Lastly, she turns to the two boy that stand. "I... like you lot. My son... spar. One day. Can tell... Be... friends... kawaii (かわいい); Aleks... I like you a lot. My son would like to spar with you one day. I can already tell... you two are gonna be best friends. So cute!" She beams at Alek, before she too, embraces him as well as Renar VERY tightly with twice the affection in her veins (for the latter, she wants to make sure he doesn't appear like a literal outsider). "Renar... I trust... guard me, but... already know; Renar, I trust that you'll keep guarding me, but you already know that." Now that she's finally vented her fears away, it's also safe to say that whatever fear she's showing underneath her beautiful, youthful face, it has completely vanished. Now the three of them (Renar excluded) are looking at a different fox lady than the quiet and timid one she was a few days back.

"Sigh... Arigato. For put... faithu... for not... putting... down... like... some... unknown... monster. Puromisu... treat well, I... assure... not monster... your kind... think me.  I... want... get know... more about you... all of you...; Sigh... thank you. For putting your faith in me, for not putting me down like some kind of unknown monster. I promise, if you treat me well, I assure you, I'm not the monster your kind thinks of me." She speaks, her voice already having twice the confidence than when she first met with the group. "But... I want... take slow... get to... know... each... one by one, starting from now; But I want to take it slow, get to know each of you one-by-one, starting from now." And speaking of confidence, now that she's finally permitted to show her true colours, she then gives off a bolder, majestic courtesy, as a gesture saying that too wants to reset and start anew with the team again. "I know... all know me... shikashi... Watashi namae wa Maya-desu. Yoroshiku (私なまえは マヤーです。 よろしく). Sore ga (それが), Renar-kun desu. I hope... get along... again. Don't want... fighting... other... anymore.; I know you all know me but still... my name is Maya. Nice to meet you. That over there is Renar. i hope we can get along again. I don't want to see us fighting each other anymore."

After everyone introduces themselves again, she turns to Mira assertively and points at her, preparing to give her valuable advice, bit by bit on how to become a well respected ruler. Besides... Royals of the Rebellion... she couldn't help but giggle when Mira teases Alek. Shugo and Liivi about playing prince and princess, let alone that she somehow missed out her son who's actually destined to be king to her queen soon. Either way, she clears her throat and asserts to Mira... "Firstu lesson... being... queen... get... a large... group... friends. Earn... turustu. Build... relaships... don't want... reign alone... when... without... support... people... you want... fight with; Your first lesson in being a queen: Get together a large group of friends. Earn their trust. Build up relationships. You don't want to reign alone without the support of those that you want to fight with." Already though, it seems that Liivi, Alek, Shugo and Renar are a good place to start to develop the foundations for her road to royalty. Nontheless, she places her palms on Mira with a higher ounce of determination in her closed eyes. "I want... Mira... make... these people... allies. My son... when found... I want... ally; I want you, Mira, to make these people your allies. When we find him, I want my son to be your ally."

Speaking of Shugo though, inside her mind she's also wondering: Where is he? And is he okay? She can actually feel his sadness to some degree.

Alex watches with some amusement but also confusion as Mira reacts to Maya apparently being a.... wait... what? Maya's a queen? Of what?! What's a queen from Toril doing here?! Wait... that's good right? Maybe she has enough influence to help avert the war! 

"Whaaaaa!" he says, waving his hands in front of him as Mira starts calling them all royalty. "Wait! I'm not... I don't... Huh?" His face goes bright red, "W...wait... aren't you getting ahead of yourself?! I'm not..." He shakes his head vigorously, clearly embarrassed by the whole thought of being called a prince. He's never once considered wanting to be royalty. He's always dreamed of being knight. Someone who serves his country, not... not a ruler! Besides, Mira keeps calling herself a queen when they haven't even gotten her in the running yet! That might not matter but... ugh... This is so embarrassing. "I... I... don't even know how to respond..." He says, "I...I'm not smart enough for politics." True as that might be he's also trying to find a way out of this embarrassing situation... unfortunately that line is almost more embarrassing than Mira calling him a prince. 

"And... wait... what about Renar? You forgot about him!" He says quickly, dragging the one person he's known the longest (of those present) into the conversation. He almost puts an arm over Renar's shoulder, but then thinks better of it as he remembers that he's apparently not a friend yet... Chuckling awkwardly, he instead just taps him on the shoulder with his knuckle and says, "I'm not going to go along with this unless he's included." 

"I trust Maya," Alex says in response to Mira's statement. "I always have. She's always been kind and gentle to us. I'm so glad she's figured out how to use the amulet! Hopefully it helps her feel more comfortable." He grins widely, an expression that only grows when Maya turns to him and states that she wants him to spar with her son... though his face returns to that bright red color when she says 'so cute'. He averts his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck as he says, "Uh... haha... thanks! I'd love to meet your sUuuHHNn!!" He's caught completely off guard when she suddenly wraps him in a surprisingly tight embrace--which somehow makes his face turn redder than it was before. When she lets go, he stumbles backward a few steps, finding himself off-balanced. 

His smile never faded, but his looks of surprise does when she shares her first lesson of queenhood with Mira. He can't help but glow almost literally with agreement and appreciation as her statement pretty much aligns with his own philosophy. It sounds like he was worried for nothing. The team isn't falling apart after all. They are just strengthening their bonds. He very nearly jumps for joy when this dawns on him, "Yes!" He says excitedly, stepping closer to Maya and the group, "I can't tell you how happy I am right now! I was so afraid that... well, I thought... never mind." He just stands there grinning like a fool, his childish eyes scanning the group and searching for any sign that they share in his gladness. 

"Now I'm sure we can prevent this war!" 

When Maya pauses on calling her 'Princess' she jumps in with her name. "I am Liivi. Liivi Orav. I come from Nemos."  The tabaxi is then in for a number of surprises. First, Mira telling her she would be a 'princess'.  She takes it in stride, talking it as more of an informal honorary sort of thing. 'Not a big deal,' she thinks. 'And very kind of her.'   But then Maya gives her a hug, right after hugging Mira.  It wasn't at all what she'd expected, but she also takes that in stride.  "Oh... well... thank you Maya. It's very kind of you. I'm quite pleased we might get to know you better and you can be a part of this odd little group."  

It was only after she thought, 'Oh no! Should I have called her 'Queen'?  Should I call Mira 'Queen'? Well, she's not been elected yet, so not her. But would Maya be offended? I hope not.' 

Mira

To the surprise of Mira herself, the reassurance that she wanted to provide so long has finally been received positively, though not in the way that she'd expected. Dumbfounded when Maya immediately embraces her like her mother always did in the past. Mira soon feels an overwhelming sense of happiness gushing through her skull as she laughs despite Maya's immense crying, though that didn't last long as suddenly, she quickly felt her lungs being rapidly cut short off her oxygen; The fox lady is crushing her. "WAH- C-c-c-can't breathe! M-M-May... a...!" She chokes whilst the now-revealed fox lady constricts her like a python. Once her super strong grip was released, the rabbit queen finds her dropping to the floor on her knees whilst her breaths become loud and raspy whilst she attempts to recover her lost air herself. Yikes. I was right... This woman is stronger than she looks. Probably as strong as Liivi herself... I gotta be careful in the future. She couldn't help but think.

As she gets up, she couldn't help but widen her smile especially when Maya moves in to hug Liivi despite the fact Alek gets flustered... twice. One at Mira's declaration that he'd become a prince and one when Maya full on cuddles him as if he is indeed her lost child. "AHAHAHAHA! Look at that full blown blush of yours! She really must take a liking to you, huh? What if she ends up adopting you, holy boy? Oh and... how does she feel, now that you've experienced her hug? Don't worry about the politic,s while you're at it. Right now, I'll take the reigns if I can. You guys can just simply be my... my royals in shining armour, ready to help defend the planet!" She couldn't help but guffaw... at least until Renar rudely remarks that she almost got crushed by her strength. "Oh shut it, hoodie boy. It's not like you're brave enough to try and build up an amass harem of royal ladies, are you?" She counters. And then she witnesses the fox lady cuddle her guardian with all of her might too. Yeah. That should teach him, honestly. She thinks as her bright smile returns again. "There, there, Maya. We'll be here for you." She again reassures like she was her sister. And then... almost immediately after she stops crying, Mira immediately takes in her first rule of thumb on how to become a well-respected ruler, to which she nods furiously. 

"Yes, your highness. Of course. Building strong connections is indeed vital to being a ruler after all. Like Alek, I trust you... with my heart." She faithfully responds when Maya gives her something to follow as a future queen. She sounds wise. In fact, what she just said almost mimics her mother's way of ruling too. At least for now. Maybe at some point this woman might teach her stuff that will divert away from how her mother controls Platone. Before she could ask her more though, she notices Renar preparing to leave to take a shower.

"Hmm? You sure, hoodie guy? I mean... sigh... ok you have point." She waves him off with a smile. "We'll all be waiting for you down hear if you want to continue. If not then... see you in the morning, ok? And please... I hope we can start anew again despite our initial clash; Promise me... that... you'll keep guarding Maya when we ourselves cannot. Promise that you have my full cooperation especially after that incident upstairs, got it? I don't take fools for granted!" 

Once Renar leaves to freshen up, she turns back to the three that remain standing. "Alright, my fellow royals of the rebellion. You guys have anything else to say whilst we chill under the bright night sky? In fact, if you want, we can help teach you how to speak Lancean right now! What do you say to that? Or shall we quiet down, set our differences aside and..." She stops halfway; something's not right. She proceeds to count them mentally... it seems that they're one short, minus Renar who left of course. And then it hits her: "Oh yeah. Shugo. Well... he looks troubled. I hope he's okay, wherever he is."

Renar

I'll admit, when Okaa-san suddenly burst into tears, I was prepared for this breakdown too. What I wasn't prepared for, however, is that everyone else besides me just willingly accepted her in to their arms; My eyes were widened when she starts embracing the Lanceans, though I was equally horrified when Mira almost got taken out by her tremendous strength. Liivi didn't produce much of a reaction, but still. The fact these Lanceans are just readily accepting her as one of their own... they really must be that interested in her, huh? Well... I couldn't help but jolt at Alek trying to scuff me back into this drama; So what if she doesn't address me? I'm clearly not bothered by this. In fact I'd rather be by myself at times actually. Sometimes I... um... I suddenly get lost in thought as I then give Alek a rather dirty look.

"Look, Alek. Since when did I say I'd bow out of this?" I couldn't help but follow up with a rather wry grin as I elbow him back for that comment, not so much for him punching my shoulder; Call me and Okaa-san Prince and Queen, but to us, royal titles mean nothing. Now I was about to let that slide throught the back of my head and walk back to escape all of this happy-go-lucky drama. Well, at least until Okaa-san accelerates his blushing with her meaningful embrace. I couldn't help but snicker at his response. No matter... I stood straight back up despite all of this and let off a near-unnoticeable grin. "Alright... Maya-san... I... I guess I was wrong... I'm just thankful that... t-that you're able to warm the heart of... us Lanceans for real. I mean we get it... you're from another world and all but..." Before I could finish, I heard Mira teasing Alek and just couldn't hold my tongue: "Hey. Just remember about yourself and your bones getting broken by that lady first. before you go and make remarks about others." I scoffed at her wanting to slide past that... if it wasn't for Mira countering the insult that I didn't bother to properly think of! How dares she!

"What did you-?! GAH!" I wanted to lash out at Mira, at least until Okaa-san suddenly scoops me into her arms; Almost immediately, I felt my heart thumping at the speed of light when she does so. "OKA-M-MAYA! N-N-NOT...!" I struggled to let out as she too, constricts me the same way as she did to Mira by accident. S... so soft... I think as I felt my mother's embrace and almost succumb to her sakura scent. When she finally let go, I actually struggled to rid myself of her super strong perfume despite the fact that it probably got diluted after the countless times we had to travel in the rain. But that probably didn't matter at this point; Looking at each one of these fighters slowly, I can't help but imagine that each one of them represents my shifter teammates in their steed over the laughter and the joy that has eluded the misery and tension. Rixi... Yuri... Xenia... Ethan ... all of them, that have accepted me like how these guys are accepting my mother... how these guys laughed their hearts out like some kind of family reunion... it's these memories that warms my heart; These memories that finally convince me to turn back and avoid showing my vulnerability to the rest for now. I mean, she may have opened up, but that doesn't mean I'll follow suit anytime soon.

"Sigh... Anyways... I'll leave you four to chit-chat amongst yourselves, then." I turn back as I decide to give myself some actual peace. "I need to take a shower. Seriously, after spending a couple of days getting wet, it's about time I freshen up for tomorrow. You guys should too, once you're done." I bluntly call out as I wave them off and proceed to head into some nearby shower, but not before going back to my dorm and pulling out my spare clothes first. I gaze at where the crack once was and sigh, before I quietly proceed to the bathroom to shower myself as I can finally remove my disguise... and let my tail and ears flicker loose whilst the water runs over me.

While Mira is saying stuff, Janus suddenly appears behind her and taps her on the shoulder. "You seem to be a little confused here, Mira. Let me explain how feudalism works here."

With a snap of his fingers, he conjures a pyramid like this:

"The bottom of the pyramid of feudalism are peasants. They're the backbone of the society since almost everyone belongs to this class. I don't think you'll need an explanation of what they do." He gestures. "The second layer of the pyramid is knights, they are granted small bits of land—usually a farm or a house, in exchange for protecting the nobility and the peasants. Nobility chooses who gets to become a knight, and in rare circumstances, a knight might be able to become a nobility."

"The third layer of the pyramid is nobility, they're people chosen by the king to rule larger pieces of land, such as a town, a city, a county, or a duchy. They're in charge of managing their respective lands and ensuring the knights do their job." He crosses his arms and paces around.

"The peak of the pyramid is the king or queen, the ruler of the country and the leader of the people. Nobilities receive commands from them, and they make sure nobles don't get too out of hand."

He holds up a finger "There is also a hidden layer, one that's above the pyramid itself, and that's Provisional Government of Lancea, the government of governments. They're an international organisation whose purpose is to make sure no country steps out of the line. They usually don't intervene in a country's affair, but if they decide to, then you'd better listen because they have the power to revoke your queenship." So... Fantasy UN with more authority.

"You cannot be the queen of Platone, because Platone is a duchy. Instead, you have to become the duchess of Platone first, then you can become the Queen of Kerwos through the royal election. There will be an unknown amount of electors, and they will each cast a vote on which duke or duchess will get promoted to king or queen. Your friends can become knights under your service once you become the duchess, but they cannot be princes or princesses, that title is reserved only to your sibling and your children." After Janus is done speaking, he softly shakes his head, and then changes the subject.

"I'm glad you finally spoke in a civilised way, Maya, but you cannot mix Japanese with Lancean under any circumstances. Speak our language and only our language, or else there will be consequences." Janus pulls out his dagger and spins it with his paw, "We don't like outsiders like you, but if you prove that you're willing to assimilate into our ways of life, we will treat you like brothers or sisters." It seems like Janus already knew where Maya and Renar came from, he'd been to Toril before, so that makes sense.

He pockets his dagger and then looks back to Mira, "I highly recommend against 'reviving' the rebellion... or maybe changing the name to something else, because honestly, who are you even rebelling against?" He tilts his head, "The PGL is doing fine, Kingdom of Kerwos itself isn't in crisis or anything, save for some corruption here and there. Are you going to conjure imaginary enemies just to make a rebellion a rebellion?"

Alex is glad that Renar seems to be lightening up, he has to hold back a chuckle as the rest of the conversation plays out. Things really do seem to be looking better... though he does have to wonder what's up with Shugo. The elf always seemed so care free but now... somethings obviously been bothering him. Alex just assumed it had to do with all the depressing and aggravating information they've had shoved on them over the last few days. Hopefully that's all that's wrong. 

"Alright, see you later," he says when Renar mentions taking a shower... that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. Alex needs to tend to his armor too. It's been far too long since its been oiled. 

He gives a start though when Janus suddenly appears in the room... don't they have any privacy? "Wait... have you been listening in on all of our conversations?!" His face turns red again, this time with just shock and perhaps some underlaying irritation. "That... would have been nice to know..." He grumbles, looking away from the demon. This is ridiculous. He thought they would get some privacy in discussing their plans or personal issues like earlier with Renar and Maya. Maybe that was too much to hope for. But... what if Janus hadn't already figured out what was up with Maya and Renar?! Their cover would have been blown immediately! 

"I"m.... pretty sure Mira was just joking around," he says slowly after Janus finishes his lecture. Most people know how feudalism works. Even Alex realizes that it's pretty simple. Maybe Mira misspoke about being queen of Plantone... but with how she's been using the title lately it really doesn't mean much. They all know she's running for queen of Kerwos, and that her mother is in charge of the dutch of Plantone. 

It does irritate him that Janus is being so pushy about Maya's speech though. They just got Maya comfortable with them, can't he just be happy that she's working on figuring it out? Then he goes so far as to pull out a knife in a not-so-unthreateningly way. "Why does she have to assimilate? She's a guest here. We can't just go around forcing everyone to conform, it isn't right. She comes from a completely different planet. I get wanting the outsiders to at least follow no-killing laws, but don't you get how difficult it is for her to just up and drop everything she's used to doing? She had a hard time figuring out the amulet, but now she's getting there." He looks to Maya, "I personally don't mind you mixing the languages, but I guess Janus does." He eyes Janus. For all the demon's talk about being against racism, he's being the most racist or... worldist out of all of them right now. Sighing, he looks to Maya, "As much as I don't like the way he's going about asking you to conform, he does have a point though. Just because our group is willing to accept you as you are doesn't mean the rest of Lancea will. As much as everyone likes to think this is a perfect world without racism I guess that just isn't true." 

He shakes his head sadly, clearly disappointed in Janus even though they already knew where he stood before agreeing to this. He's willing to threaten Maya just because she doesn't speak their language. "We should treat her with the kindness we would like for the rest of her world to treat us with." His eyes narrow, "You never know. How we treat her could affect how the war goes." He averts his eyes after saying that... maybe that was a bit too much. But still, he isn't wrong. If she really is a queen then she could very well have enough power to sway things in or out of their favor. Not that that really makes a difference for how Alex treats her, but he would hope that Janus would at least be logical enough to think of things too. After all, it seems he's heard their entire conversation apparently, so he has to know that Maya has referred to herself as a queen. 

"I'm not sure what the point of reviving the rebellion is either," he says finally, glancing at Mira. "I get that your ancestors were a part of it... honestly I bet most of us have some ancestors who were involved... but don't you think labeling ourselves as part of it would just compromise your chances of winning the election? Most people don't seem to appreciate what the rebels did for us after all. They might have been freedom fighters, but according to the law they were also murderers." He still doesn't really know how to feel about that. If not for the rebels, then where would Lancea be today? It was only because people stood up and fought that the world isn't ruled by the USL currently. "Or are you just calling us rebels cause it sounds cool? I mean... we could be rebelling against war..." That sounds silly, but it's the only thing that really makes sense. Alex has yet to figure out what Mira's fascination with the rebels is really about. He's always been interested in history, but... well that doesn't mean he wants to revive a dead group that has so much controversy surrounding it. Mira seems to have personal attachments, at least to some degree. 

He looks at the group, his happiness faded significantly since Janus appeared. The demon might be way way better than Paulis, but he still seems so closed minded. It's driving Alex crazy. 

With every minute passing with Alek, Mira, Renar and Liivi, Maya is already feeling like she's at home again. "Sigh... th... ank... you... for... under.. stand. No idea... how means... to me.; Thank you for understanding. You have no idea how much this means to me." She coos at the three Lanceans plus the one she says she longs to find one day. She was now getting ready to engage them in a deep meaning conversation, at least until she notices Renar leaving to shower. "Oh? Uh... Ok." Was all she let out upon seeing her son retreat to freshen up. She glances at her dirty kimono. Pretty soon she'll have to follow suit too. And then Janus appears to spoil the mood for everyone. Even with the amulet, Maya kind of already knows how this ruling system works, except in both Sword Coast and Japan, they only have King, Queen and Prince. Hopefully despite what Janus told her, she wouldn't be too discouraged. 

However, deep down when Janus shows his presence, Maya could feel herself tensing again; This time, because she doesn't have her disguise on, everyone can her tail sticking high up in the air and stiffening. Especially when Janus turns to stare at her with a hostile look; He notice of the kitsune queen being able to learn Lancean wasn't as reassuring as the others to her, which kind of factored into her demotivation. "I came... purpose. Negotiate peace, find artefact... exchange for leave... world alone. I never intend... cause trouble... even think... otherwise. I wish people... stop judge book... by it's cover; [I came here for a purpose. I came to negotiate peacefully, to find the artefact in exchange for you guys leaving my home alone. I never intended to cause trouble even if you think otherwise. I wish people like you can stop judging a book by its cover]" She states with a low voice. "Also, Mira wants rule. Understand... I just... steer her... right... direction... before ... turn against... her... something... she did; [Also, Mira wants to rule, I understand. But I just want to steer her in the right direction before her own people turn against her because of something she did unintentionally]" She clearly knows why she came here, other than to "rescue her lost son". Now she's hell bent on protecting those that finally have her support. "Look... Areeksu-kun... Mira-san... they... understand. Also, I have... imagein... something... bad happen. What if... your world... falling... because people... do bad things? What if these... bad people... create something... we don't want... fight?; Look, Alek-kun, Mira-san... they understand me. And also, I imagined something bad happeening. What if... your world is falling because of people doing bad things behind our back? What if these bad people create something worse that we don't want to fight?" But her prediction was subtly ignored when Janus, being the blunt demon he is, proceeds to hurt her emotionally again; Upon being branded as unwanted again, her claws sharpen and her mood reverts back to her rather sullen one that was present since the morning began. Even though Alek and Mira have rightfully backed her up in so many ways than before, Maya just couldn't hold off her anger.

"Don't care... outsider ok? Rather not... say it in furont... my face; Instead... telling me not to do... and... hurt me... doing so, how about... follow... footsteps and... a-and help me learn planet? Help me... learn Lancean, too? Instead... hating me... for who I am... casting me out... I'd ever fit... stereotype... of yours! [I don't care if you view me as an outsider, ok? I'd rather you not say it front of my face; Instead of telling me what not to do and threaten to hurt me for doing so, how about you maybe follow in their footsteps and... a-and help me learn more about your planet? How about you help me learn Lancean, too? Instead of just hating me for who I am and casting me out as if I'd ever fit that killer stereotype of yours!]" She snaps and holds onto Liivi's shoulders for no unexplained reason. But it's apparent she's fighting the urge to keep Janus at bay. "Ever... you... threat kill me... before able... find lost son, only one... care me... until now, I... never felt... safety... you around! [Ever since you threatened to kill me before I'm able to find my lost son, the only one who cares about me in this world up until now, I... I never felt an ounce of safety with you around. You don't like outsiders like me and my son. And I don't like people like you who hurt me even when I try to prove that I can help your planet, that I'm not who guys think!]" Now that she's able to use the amulet to finally get the others to understand her, she's not afraid to vent out her frustrations. And right now, she wants everyone to know that, as much as she wants to be happy in this world, she's still incredibly disheartened. 

Mira

"Excuse me?! Were you really trying to-" The future queen herself is flabbergasted. Not so much on Janus overhearing their silent victory of being able to befriend and understand Maya but... the fact that has no shame about spoiling such a small celebration out of the blue. "Really, Janus? Thanks for spoiling the mood. Besides since when did we grant you permission to change the atmosphere?" She sulks. "So you always knew Maya isn't from Lancea, yet you still choose to discriminate her from us? you know... If I was the ruler of this planet, this stupid theme of racism would've long been abolished you know that? Even my mom told me that amongst the rebellion this kind of behaviour is not tolerated." 

Mira doesn't say much when Janus explains the royal hierarchy altogether, but at least she has a better understanding somewhat, if not a littler recap. Though once again she feels rather concerned. "Huh. That unironically made things a lot clearer now. Thanks Janus." She speaks in a tone that's hard to discern between gratitude and bluntness, but in all seriousness, Mira actually knows the entire regal system off by heart; She kept silent in hopes that Janus would realize that he's acting like a fool in front of her especially. "By the way, I hope you're not dissing off Maya's advice on how to rule. I don't know how much experience she has, but right now she's only offer me some tips to help maintain a strong baseline should I ever reach that position. Besides, what if this whole government thing suddenly collapses? Then what? We're just gonna sit down and do nothing whilst the world crumbles? Also: Corruption. that's a red flag for me, because who knows how much the extent it will be on many cities. What if that's the reason why we need to form up? " That aside, right now she's kind of relieved that she doesn't exactly have to aim straight for being a Queen. Being a Countess or Duchess would be a good start. for now though, Mira challenges Janus on the topic of the PGL doing fine. "You think this entire government is fairly stable. But... after witnessing my mother struggling at times to maintain peace, after what we found of Vujica, what we found at that USL base which apparently my mother despises just like my family, I doubt it will last long. I'd rather prevent than to let this ravage until it's too late to contain. Already with my concerns about Vujica, about the USL reforming, about the stability of our world, my mother's support, this team and even Maya's wherever she's from, I personally would like to avoid a war with my best efforts, especially a universal one at most." Though Maya appears to not be like the killers Janus thinks, that doesn't mean she'll just sit back and not do anything. Though the fact that her adoptive siblings are able to acquire titles easily just because of their bloodline has always disturbed her too; She has kept these thoughts in check but now, as her nervousness intensifies, they're slowly beginning to resurface. 

Scoffing at Janus again, Mira doesn't seem fazed by the fact he's pressuring her to scrap the rebellion's revival. "Also, when I mean by reviving the organisation, I don't mean we burst out of the ground and make it public straight away, Janus." She lets out a huff. Alek also seems to be concerned, and so does Maya. The future queen however turns to Alek and answers him first. "I didn't call you guys rebels because it sounds cool. I called you this because... all of you fit in the values that even my mother upholds. Like a puzzle piece, if you know what I mean. And we don't have to brand ourselves as part of the rebellion just yet, Alek; I don't intend to do that unless if there's a global emergency involving someone like... like Vujica, as an example. I get that... the organisation that my mother and my ancestors have been a part of, they've done terrible things in the past. Yes they're just as ruthless but...my mother always tells me and my siblings to think beneath the surface. Think about it carefully: If the rebels didn't sacrifice their lives to put down the corrupt USL, do you think Lancea would be in peace? Do you think my mother would have gone to further maintain this time of stability to the best of her ability? Do you think I would have met you guys? Did you know that... you guys... you're my first friends in this entire world?" She beams at Maya and Liivi, knowing that there is a good chance she can count on them too. "The point is, I'm not reviving it because I feel like it. I want to revive it because... my mother believes their true purpose can still live on. I want the rebellion to be remembered for the right reasons rather than being scorned at. If you guys don't know, my mother too fears that the USL hasn't fully been wiped out and that the organization must be quietly built up. Like my mother, we're planning to start off slow and build it quietly. Reviving a once-dead organisation isn't going to be instantaneous. It will take days, plus a strong foundation, for the six of us. I'm not expecting this to succeed in one go, but like the actual rebels, it's best to stay in the shadows until the time is right. I thought this through; I ain't jeopardizing myself as a future ruler of Platone, not especially since you guys are now involved. Janus, if you think I'm gonna back down from this idea, you're mistaken. I swear on my word, I'm not the queen you all know. I'll face every consequence head on; Every single one that I survive, that we surive together... it only makes us stronger."

Once she voices her true opinion about the rebellion, she turns back where she notices Maya souring again. "One other thing too: Alek and Maya have got a point each here. If what Maya said is true, if she's clearly on a diplomatic mission to join forces, then I suggest we treat her like how we want her to treat us. Instead of upholding this racism, instead of berating her on speaking Japanese, a forbidden language on our planet that I myself actually want to learn, how about you help her teach Lancean before we depart from your place? How about you at least be a gentle soul instead of expressing your blunt, hurtful attitude to her and to her only?! On the topic of teaching her Lancean, I'd figured we all could at least help her pick up on where she left off. Until you came and give off a not-so-sincere congratulations to her. Thanks a lot, by the way." She takes a glance at Maya who appears to have reverted sort of. "Look at her. She was so joyous up until you came back from I don't-know-where and... and almost caused her to revert back to her sullen mood. Please Janus, either stay out of her way, or at least do your part to make her feel welcome, rather than just put her down and hurt her emotionally. We've all had enough of this negativity of yours, of you spouting about our world's strict customs. I get it we Lanceans don't like outsiders but... What if... what if someone like her can be valuable to help make sure our planet stays in good condition even if... even if we're about to be plunged into darkness? What if Alex is right? What if we break Maya to the point where she betrays us and... and does what he fears? Please I'm really serious, don't try to boss this lady around, like you're the ruler of this entire planet. Understood?"

Glancing at Maya again, Mira suddenly gets this feeling that, because of what Maya screamed out loud at Janus, she's already stressed out. She moves in to gently clasp her, nevermind the fact that she's in close vicinity of the powerful leopard woman. "Maya. Breathe. It's ok, your highness. Once we've settled this issue with Janus, we'll help you resume if you want to, whether he wants to help or not. We're in this together, I promise. You're not alone. (Sorry about this Liivi.)" She reassures her, whilst also whispering to Liivi about the invasion of her personal space. "So... Janus, are you just gonna sit back and make her feel unwanted until she leaves or abandons us? Or are you gonna join forces for now and help her find common ground? Starting from now?"

Renar

Liivi seems perhaps just a touch uncomfortable with everyone crowded about her.  But she really doesn't show any sign of being upset. "It's quite alright Mira.  And you as well Maya. Don't let what Janus says get to you too much."  Her eyes shift over to him, not seeming very fond of his presence. 

She was frankly shocked at his sudden appearance and his condescending lesson.  And then, to lay into Maya when she had just finally started talking to him.  'How could he be so inept around people? Why is he so fixed on this little thing?' she wonders.  But she has no interest in confronting him.  She presumes he probably is in no position to re-think anything anyhow. 

She glances over to Alex. 'He makes good comments about the rebellion. But clearly Janus has an opinion and it's not in favor.  We need to discuss this later. Without him here.'  She softly clears her throat. "Perhaps the time has come to get our rest. We can be up early and ready to hit the road."  She looks around to see what the others think.  'And maybe on the road we can talk more freely.  Or can we? If Janus arranged everything, perhaps he'll be monitoring everything.  Maybe he's even coming with them.' 

That last thought hadn't occurred to her until this moment. She turns to Janus. "Sir, will you be joining us when we depart tomorrow?" 

"I've already known Renar and Maya will be here, long before all of you even meet each other. I know a lot about Sword Coast, and these two aren't just random nobody, I recognise them the moment they step foot in Astra's shop." Janus crosses his arms, "But for their safety, I won't tell you or anyone much more than that. Trust me, you are not ready to hear the truth."

Quote from Aroc_of_Eaf>>

It does irritate him that Janus is being so pushy about Maya's speech though. They just got Maya comfortable with them, can't he just be happy that she's working on figuring it out? Then he goes so far as to pull out a knife in a not-so-unthreateningly way. "Why does she have to assimilate? She's a guest here. We can't just go around forcing everyone to conform, it isn't right. She comes from a completely different planet. I get wanting the outsiders to at least follow no-killing laws, but don't you get how difficult it is for her to just up and drop everything she's used to doing? She had a hard time figuring out the amulet, but now she's getting there." He looks to Maya, "I personally don't mind you mixing the languages, but I guess Janus does." He eyes Janus. For all the demon's talk about being against racism, he's being the most racist or... worldist out of all of them right now. Sighing, he looks to Maya, "As much as I don't like the way he's going about asking you to conform, he does have a point though. Just because our group is willing to accept you as you are doesn't mean the rest of Lancea will. As much as everyone likes to think this is a perfect world without racism I guess that just isn't true." 

"That's correct, Alex. Lanceans will never accept outsiders, they ruined my life, they ruined your ancestor's life, and they were responsible for everything bad that had happened to our world. If you don't want to get your life ruined, you should start acting like us before someone else becomes suspicious." Janus turns to Maya, "Don't try to fight the system, abide by it, obey it, and you'll be happy."

He raises a finger. "The three core values of the Lancean way are honesty, kindness, and loyalty—Honesty means never lying and not hiding your true self, kindness means treating every creature from Lancea with dignity and respect, and loyalty means putting the safety and prosperity of our planet and people before anything else. Unfortunately, your hooded friend seems to go above and beyond to break every rule we set." He looks to the side, then back at Maya, inching closer. "Keep an eye on him, I'm already at my limits from what he did earlier." Before you can argue that Janus doesn't fit the 'kindness' part, it explicitly says that creatures from Lancea should be treated with respect. And to be honest, if you try to argue with Janus even more, you'd all be here screaming at each other's faces all night. It will take actions, good actions, not words, to prove Janus that he's wrong.

Quote from Wildland_Shifters >>

With every minute passing with Alek, Mira, Renar and Liivi, Maya is already feeling like she's at home again. "Sigh... th... ank... you... for... under.. stand. No idea... how means... to me.; Thank you for understanding. You have no idea how much this means to me." She coos at the three Lanceans plus the one she says she longs to find one day. She was now getting ready to engage them in a deep meaning conversation, at least until she notices Renar leaving to shower. "Oh? Uh... Ok." Was all she let out upon seeing her son retreat to freshen up. She glances at her dirty kimono. Pretty soon she'll have to follow suit too. And then Janus appears to spoil the mood for everyone. Even with the amulet, Maya kind of already knows how this ruling system works, except in both Sword Coast and Japan, they only have King, Queen and Prince. Hopefully despite what Janus told her, she wouldn't be too discouraged. 

However, deep down when Janus shows his presence, Maya could feel herself tensing again; This time, because she doesn't have her disguise on, everyone can her tail sticking high up in the air and stiffening. Especially when Janus turns to stare at her with a hostile look; He notice of the kitsune queen being able to learn Lancean wasn't as reassuring as the others to her, which kind of factored into her demotivation. "I came... purpose. Negotiate peace, find artefact... exchange for leave... world alone. I never intend... cause trouble... even think... otherwise. I wish people... stop judge book... by it's cover; [I came here for a purpose. I came to negotiate peacefully, to find the artefact in exchange for you guys leaving my home alone. I never intended to cause trouble even if you think otherwise. I wish people like you can stop judging a book by its cover]" 

"Fine..." Janus scoffs, his ears twitching. "I'm going to help you learn our ways, but only on one condition." He holds up three fingers, seems like that's how people take a vow in this world, "You will dedicate your body, mind, and soul for Lancea, you will crush our enemies to nothing but dust and forgotten memories, you will put the safety of Lancea before any other civilisation out there, and you will not try to hinder or betray us in any way, shape, or form—in return, we will leave Sword Coast alone, but I cannot guarantee that for other parts of Faerun and beyond. What do you say?"

Jauns knew. He'd already foreseen Maya and her son coming here, but how? That's what Maya's been wondering all this while too... "So... you knew? You knew... all... this while?" She sighs as calmly as she can. Inside as her heart violently races, she's already freaking out. Her and her son's plan to stay in the shadows until the time is right has completely been derailed; It has been thrown out the window in front of Alek, Liivi and Mira. Janus knew that she and her son are from the Sword Coast, so now is only a matter of time before the two kitsunes can complete the job before their lives become more endangered than before.

"[As one of the true queens of Toril, I have no problems allying with and helping your planet. All I ask in return is that you guide me through your world safely.]" She shakily agrees with Janus, but then her voice lowers to a more demonic pitch, far from her usual, motherly voice. "[On another condition too: So long as they don't treat me and my son like like some lesser race and you have my full cooperation.]" Sensing herself feeling rather shaken, she starts to head back without making eye contact with anyone, though she hopes that Alek would follow her to help her improve on her Lancean. "[Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't casually reveal where I'm from in front of everyone else. The whole point of me keeping quiet was to not endanger myself and have everyone turn against me before I can even enact my plans for stability.]" She calmly interjects with a huff.  "[When I came here, I was given strict orders not to kill anyone on this planet. I never enjoyed bloodshed anyways, as does my son. So please... don't endanger me anymore, let alone endanger my son who is out there.]"

Alex frowns at Janus--nearly glares actually, which is something no one has ever seen him do before. This is utterly ridiculous, but then it's obvious that Janus isn't going to change his mind. No matter what words Alex throws at him, clearly he's just as stubborn as Paulis. 

Those three core values have always been easy for Alex to follow, up until now apparently. Though he's not really sure if he is wandering from 'the path' so to speak. What's wrong with valuing all life? What's wrong with showing kindness to people who aren't from this planet? Crossing his arms, Alex huffs then mutters under his breath, "Whatever. I don't like following the crowd, especially when we are supposed to be accepting of everyone. If you don't like the way I think, blame the system. I'm just being myself, so why should I have to conform? I'm a Lancean after all." He shakes his head, all but ready to tune out the rest of what Janus is saying. However, he perks back up when Maya starts talking. He glances at her in surprise when her voice changes, eyebrows raising ever so slightly in surprise. However, his expression quickly shifts to approval. She shouldn't have to bow to Janus's whims, she's her own person, and a Queen in her world. Also, she is their guest here as Alex said before. Unfortunately Janus doesn't see it that way, and for now their best bet is to step lightly around him. 

"That's that I guess," he says, then nods when Liivi says they should go rest up. When she asks Janus if he is coming with them, he glances at the demon, expecting him to give a response... he really really hopes he isn't. They might have thrown their lot in with him, but Alex really isn't comfortable with Janus monitoring their every movement. Their best bet would be to ditch their ride as soon as possible, and get away from everything Janus provided them with... even Maya's amulet once she learns how to speak Lancean on her own. Who knows, he could be monitoring their conversations through that. 

Great. Now he's getting overly suspicious. He hates being that way. He really wants to trust everyone, even when he shouldn't. He was willing to give Janus the shadow of a doubt, but his patience is wearing thin... which is surprising since he has always been patient and slow to anger. Unfortunately this whole experience, starting with Cezars, has been a wake up call for Aleksandteri. This world, Lancea, is not the paradise everyone seems to think it is.

He eyes Janus, waiting for his response to Maya's statement. There are things he wants to say---things he'd like to add to that agreement--but it isn't his place. This is between Maya and Janus, even though Alex doesn't feel like the latter... well, either of them for that matter... should be deciding the fates of two worlds on their own. It isn't fair to Maya, and it isn't right of Janus. Others should be included in this decision. Every leader from every country on both worlds should be involved. Not just one person on each world. It doesn't matter who it is. No one person should have to or get to decide the fate of so many people. Especially when that one person is so opinionated. Would Janus even accept negotiations from either of the other planets? Or would he be so demanding that they feel they have no choice but to fight? Well, if those planets are the ones who launch an attack first then it's their fault but... if they could just agree to not attack Lancea then would Janus leave them alone? Or would he still be bent on getting them to conform to Lancean ways? 

So many questions that he would like answers to, but unfortunately he doesn't feel like he can get answers from the person in front of him. He'll just have to watch and listen and wait and see for what is revealed through Janus's actions. Just like Janus will be watching theirs. 

Mira

This is news for the rabbit queen. Maya is a queen, sure. But... a Queen from Sword Coast?! A place where it only exists on the tabeltop games that a majority of Lancean children play?! What Janus revealed about Renar and Maya, Mira is left stunned. "W-w-wha? I-I... Did I just hear it right?! S-S-Sword Coast?! Wasn't it imaginary?! I thought only Thay was real!" She yelps out; The surge of adrenaline pulses through her veins, flowing through every single system inside her body whilst her teeth chitter in shock. "The board games I saw at the shops... the ones I see kids play at night... The one my siblings played with me... it's THAT realm?!" She feels faint; When she was young, she had always imagined that the Sword Coast is in fact a world she wants to live in if not counting the violence. She had always thought about the concept of that place being real. Now that her dream has been proven, she doesn't know what to say about Maya and Renar's origins. Of course she wants to desperately add some stuff like the holy paladin too; She can easily observe his fidgets and irritations when she stares deep enough into his soul. But sure, Maya can stand up for her own rights and morals; That's what a Queen is supposed to do right? That's what her mother kind of has to deal with? Yikes. This fox lady is already scaring her to the bone.

"I'm w-w-with Alek. T-t-the thoughts about judging a book by its cover is j-just absolutely rubbish to me." She pouts with noticeable stutters from the earlier revelation. "I place my morals on harmony and empathy, let that be known to you all. I'd rather be loved and accepted by everyone than... than being a ruler with no friends at all. Case Closed. And I'm sure Maya would think the same too." She's got a lot to say, especially when Maya speaks her part again, telling Janus that she'll cooperate without hesitation, but becomes incredibly unnerved when her voice changes and threatens him to leave her and her son alone whilst they venture into this planet.

"Janus... I appreciate you forging an alliance with a Queen of Toril but... can't you at least understand an ounce of privacy? And does it look like Maya wants to fight us and the whole of Lancea on her own right now?! Ugh...!" Was all Mira could flat out say before she makes a decision to retreat into the mansion again. "You know what? I'll take Liivi's advice and retreat too. I'm sorry but... I feel like I'm about to faint." And she's not joking. She's barely holding the urge to faint into heaven upon witnessing two of her childhood dreams being brought to life: Maya speaking a forbidden language she wants to learn and also being from a once-presumed imaginary dimension.

Some people just don't change, and for Maya, if only Mira herself could concoct a less stressful environment for her; If Maya were to fight the entire team, Mira would bet that she'd be able to shred them all to pieces with her sharp claws alone. A Torilian Queen by her own stereotypes would also mean high leadership qualities and brute strength, but she doesn't know much about the shifter physiology over there compared to Lancea, even though she did see Maya's brutal attacks earlier. However, she is a bit frazzled that Maya is now told to watch Renar closely. Janus is indeed suspicious as is the future queen herself. But... Surely not, though. Isn't Renar supposed to look out for her? Unless if... Maya... she's so pretty... is Renar in fact... like her in appearance too? Uh... no... don't just assume things. She thinks.

"Maya... whenever you're ready me, Liivi and Alek will be waiting for you down here, ok?" She calls out, regardless of whether she receives a response or not whilst waiting for the fox lady to finish showering. However, she does notices Alek become a little unsteady; If Liivi also heads back in, Mira takes notice of her presence whilst she waits but otherwise doesn't say anything to her unless if she still wants to chit chat.

"Alek..." Mira whispers. "I get that... I get that you want to trust everyone. And believe me: I want to stand with you on this matter. But... the more I think about it, the more reality isn't as what we hope it would be. We should be thankful that Maya isn't that perceived monster. And... Renar... I'm amazed he hasn't turned on us either despite his dreadful body language and stare. They're from the Sword Coast, those oddballs. Yet... Maya says she's given strict orders not to kill anyone. For someone who comes from a murderous, imaginary realm isn't that a bit... odd?"

Renar

He seems slightly confused when Renar doesn’t seem to remember Mira reading the note aloud, though he supposes he probably didn’t notice if the shifter really was paying attention when she did. Shugo can’t blame him, he doesn’t remember much concerning what Renar and Maya had found. Though when Renar explains his findings, it only makes Shugo more angry towards Vujica.

After explaining exactly what the virus does, and the fact that there is currently no cure for it he says, 

“Yeah I’m concerned. Very concerned. I don’t want to use sun bombs either, but at least those only target fighters. Anyone on the war front signed up to be injured, and in a world where killing is acceptable, they signed up to potentially die. That’s not the case for those at home…”

He stops when Renar questions why he thinks Maya is from the sword coast… “Well…Janus did say that the Sword Coast from that game was based on….Troil was it?”

He trails of as Renar continues…the people downstairs? The others…hmm he doubts they deduced this faster than he did, his guess is that everyone started to question her origins around the same time…they just had the guts to voice their theory earlier than Shugo. After Renar’s outburst towards the elf on the way to the general store, Shugo had thought it best to just let Renar reveal things on his own. 

He refocuses his attention on Renar when he begins expressing his worry for Shugo and the rest of the group. …wait…Renar thought Shugo and the others were creepy? Why? …hmmm he hopes that’s not the case anymore. 

A pained look crosses the elf’s face when Renar mentions that he worries they won’t be able to live normal lives. Even if this war is one, Shugo doubts he’ll be able to live a normal life. Unless the artifact does hold some miracle cure…though there’s no telling if it can be used multiple times. If it can only be used once…well he will make sure it’s used to cure Akari. 

He nods when Renar finishes that though, “We just have to move forward…and do what we can.” He says, then starts to listen to what Renar was about to say. It occurs to him that this may be the longest conversation he’d had with Renar. 

Then Maya bursts in…speaking lancean? So she learned to use the amulet.

He stands there in shocked silence when he realizes what exactly Maya just said. She just confirmed his theory, and he’s assuming she means Janus when she says ‘he’. The elf isn’t sure why that’s such a surprise considering the guy already knew exactly where her language originated. He jumps slightly when Renar suddenly hollers his name. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before words actually come out,

“What? I…Knowing that’s not going to…it’s not like I think any differently towards her now! What doe you want me to say?!” The shock and confusion are still evident in his voice.

(Ugh, I’m not sure why my phone won’t let me do formatting on this specific thread -_- this should still be in a spoiler, but I can’t even bold the dialogue. I’m traveling right now so I won’t be able to fix this until Monday probably. Not sure it will be worth it by then)