from the depths (dnf)

three.

a/n: woah! chaos posts more than once within a week?? this is crazy ! anyways. thank you all for such strong support and such kind words :) i truly appreciate every comment and vote and read on this series, as i've worked so hard on it, and i have such a strong connection to it. i'll stop with that before i get too sappy, but again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! here's a longer chapter to show some love <3 don't forget to vote and comment !!

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word total for this chapter: 2878 (YOO ALMOST 3000 WORDS)

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"You're the leader? What exactly does that mean?" Dream speaks up, his voice unwavering, though I feel as if mine would if I asked the same thing. Schlatt turns his eyes to him, narrowing them slightly.

"I'm a sort of president. I was basically elected into the position, but me and my board of advisors make the decisions when it comes to the government. Nothing too big." He says nonchalantly, crossing his arms over his chest, causing the front collar of his blazer to lift slightly at the motion.

How much power does he really have? I wonder if he's being truthful.

"Have the two of you found a place to stay yet?" He asks, his voice sounding genuine. I look over at Dream, noticing that he's flexing and relaxing his hands in a slightly nervous manner, probably an anxious tick he's picked up over the years.

I speak up. "No, we haven't been here long. Just enough to fill out the paperwork and walk here, essentially." My voice comes out small but in the emptiness of the main hall, it bounces off the walls much louder than it came out.

"Ah, I always forget the old side still does paperwork. They insist upon it though, regardless of how many offers and recommendations I've made to switch to a digital check-in format." His voice sounds almost bitter, and it crosses my mind that maybe "new" Firebend and "old" Firebend might be more different than just their technology.

"Does the old side of Firebend fall under someone else's lead?" I ask, and Schlatt clenches his jaw. Uh oh. I've pissed him off.

"Not exactly. I run the whole of Firebend. Everything within these walls belongs to me. But Old Firebend is more self-governed. They accept my overall rule, but they begged me to not interfere with certain things, and it's honestly easier for me if I don't, so I just let them be." He explains, cracking his knuckles, the sound echoing loudly against the hard walls.

"They typically run polls or take votes and go based off of the majority vote for things. There's not one specific person who takes charge over there." Technoblade chimes in, and I glance over at him, nearly forgetting that he was standing there. I was so focused on Schlatt and his weird mannerisms that I hadn't paid any attention to Techno.

"So do they have access to all of the things in this newer part of Firebend?" Dream speaks up, his voice full of curiosity.

"Yes, but they only adopt the things that they vote on as a group. I'd say that the whole part of Old Firebend is around a hundred people?" Schlatt guesses, looking over at Technoblade for his opinion. He seems to ponder it for a moment, his eyes shifting back and forth in consideration.

"Yeah, give or take 10." He agrees.

"What about New Firebend?" I ask, looking between the two of them.

"More like three hundred." Schlatt says, grinning in that almost evil way again. I notice the way his cheeks scrunch up and make his eyes look small, but it doesn't take away from the bad feeling he gives me.

"Woah." I say under my breath, breaking eye contact with him. A shiver runs down my spine, and I take a subtle step closer to Dream, our arms brushing lightly against each other.