Listening to Talulah lay out the details, Jeanne finally got a clearer picture of how their city was faring. Things were moving along surprisingly well—so well that they were actually running low on hands.
Then it hit her just how long she'd been out of the loop. Feeling a sudden pang of embarrassment, Jeanne turned to the tall Draco, who was glaring right back at her, and offered a silly, sheepish smile to brush the awkwardness aside.
Seeing Jeanne's goofy expression, the irritation in Talulah's chest evaporated. She wasn't the type to hold a grudge over something so small.
"Forget it. You've had your hands full lately, so it's normal you didn't know," Talulah said, her tone softening. "Once this mess is settled, you should head back and visit. Everyone misses you. If you stay away any longer, I'm worried Alina won't even let you through the front door."
"No way!" Jeanne scoffed. "Alina would never lock me out! Now, if you said a petty person like you wouldn't let me in, I'd believe it in a heartbe—"
Mid-sentence, Jeanne caught the look in her friend's eyes. The urge to deliver a solid beatdown was practically radiating from the Draco.
"Did I say something wrong?" Jeanne squeaked.
"What do you think?"
The words came gritted through Talulah's teeth. Looking at the troublemaker standing in front of her, she knew that if she were actually capable of physically thrashing the girl, she wouldn't have let her off the hook so easily.
"I was wrong! My mouth just ran away with me!" Jeanne put on her best pitiful act, practically begging for mercy on the spot. Short of dropping to her knees and grabbing Talulah's leg to sob out an apology, she looked every bit like a victim of bullying. "Please, Mayor Talulah, show a little mercy and forget what I just said..."
"Ask a 'petty person' like me to just forget it? As if it were that easy!" Talulah fired back, latching onto the label. The two kept squabbling all the way down the street, each determined to have the last word.
As the neighborhood settled back into its usual quiet rhythm, the locals who knew what had happened let out a collective sigh of relief, though the wreckage left behind was still a massive headache.
Walking side-by-side, Jeanne and Talulah drew heavy stares from the residents. The mixture of awe and deep respect in their eyes felt familiar, though it still made Talulah a bit uncomfortable—she had no desire to be put on a pedestal.
Jeanne, on the other hand, was long used to it. The only slightly strange part was being stared at by such a huge crowd of Felines, but she took it in stride.
Before long, they arrived at the Rhodes Island safehouse. Talulah stepped up and knocked on the door with practiced familiarity.
"What are we doing at Rhodes Island?" Jeanne asked, casting a puzzled glance at her friend.
"Striking a deal," Talulah replied simply, keeping her eyes on the door without elaborating.
Judging by how naturally she handled it, Talulah had clearly been collaborating with Rhodes Island quite a bit while Jeanne was away.
The door swung open, and Outcast greeted them with a look of pleasant surprise before stepping aside to invite them in. "Well, this is an unexpected visit from you two."
"We heard your speech earlier in the quarter," Outcast added, walking over to pour them two cups of tea. "I must say, your choice took me by surprise."
Jeanne and Talulah took in the room. The gathered Rhodes Island operators and Janie were all seated around the central table.
The moment Janie saw Talulah walk through the door, she half-rose from her seat, looking as though she wanted to speak up. But after a beat of hesitation, the young Victorian soldier sank back into her chair, her eyes full of unresolved questions as she stared at the Draco leader.
"So," Outcast said, taking a seat opposite them and fixing her gaze on Talulah. "I take it you're the one who came to discuss business?"
"That's right," Talulah nodded. "I'd like to make a deal with Rhodes Island."
Outcast gave a subtle nod, already piecing together the rationale behind the visit.
"You want Rhodes Island to handle the transport," Outcast surmised smoothly. "You want us to haul the Tarans—and any Victorians willing to join them—all the way back to Chernogobyl, correct?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out why Talulah had come. Reunion lacked the heavy transport logistics needed to move such a massive group of refugees across vast distances, whereas Rhodes Island operated massive landships that were perfect for the job. Still, taking on a movement of this scale inside Victoria was no small feat.
"I can't give you a firm answer right away," Outcast cautioned, tapping her fingers lightly against her teacup. "This isn't a small favor. Only Kal'tsit or Amiya can make a call of this magnitude."
"I understand," Talulah replied. "I only ask that you forward the proposal to your main vessel. If I recall correctly, Rhodes Island already secured entry permits for Victoria, so moving through the borders shouldn't prove too difficult?"
While Talulah wasn't entirely sure of the background details, she knew Rhodes Island had been prepping official documentation to operate inside Victoria for quite some time.
"That's true," Outcast admitted freely. Keeping their presence legal wasn't a secret, especially now that the paperwork had cleared. "We've had our eyes on Victoria for a long time. Given how complex the political landscape is here, keeping tabs on the region is standard practice for us."
Outcast stood up and walked toward the back room. "I'll establish a comms link with Kal'tsit right now and see what the doctor thinks."
Once Outcast left the room, Janie fidgeted in her chair for a long moment before finally gathering the courage to speak up.
"May I... ask you a question?" Janie asked, staring straight at Talulah.
"Go ahead."
"Do you really intend to take all those Tarans with you?"
"Of course," Talulah replied naturally. "I gave them my word. I will bring them to my city and give them the life I promised."
Janie's expression grew even more convoluted. She opened her mouth several times, struggling to put her chaotic thoughts into words.
"Isn't there any other way?" Janie blurted out at last. "Forcing these people to abandon their homeland and move to a completely unfamiliar city... Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insult your city! I just... it feels so cruel to make them leave everything behind."
Realizing how critical her words sounded, the young soldier flushed with embarrassment, trying frantically to explain herself like a child who had just blurted out something wrong.
"I understand your concern," Talulah said calmly. "But if they had any other viable choice, who would willingly pack up and leave their home behind?"
Talulah watched the girl closely. There was something about the way Janie blurted out her unvarnished thoughts that felt oddly familiar...
She glanced sideways at Jeanne.
Jeanne caught the look and blinked in confusion. What's she looking at me like that for? Is she plotting something?
Instantly on high alert, Jeanne prepared for a quick retort, only for Talulah to casually shift her eyes back to Janie, leaving Jeanne's head spinning with unanswered questions.
Just you wait till tonight! Jeanne fumed silently. If I can't pry out what you were just thinking, I'm cooking dinner for Fafnir the moment we get back!
"You've seen the reality out there," Talulah said, keeping her focus on the young Victorian soldier. "You know how Victoria treats the Tarans. Tell me... if you were in their shoes, what choice would you make?"