Because This World is Loved

Chapter 18: Debriefing

Time passed, and life seemed to return to its usual rhythm. Noel didn't get to see much of the gradual settling down of things, as she was stuck in bed from the pain of her injuries, but she was able to infer that everyone was doing well from Melia's reports when she visited. Melia herself was slowly regaining her usual spark, which Noel was glad for. Sometimes, Agila would visit and allow her to directly view the goings-on in town; other times, Sasha would stop by to discuss the latest gossip and other "details" she had gleaned from her observation. Eventually, Noel was able to get out of bed, just in time for an official town meeting regarding the events that occurred in Eldiel's lab.

Noel's and Melia's families had decided to attend the meeting together, resulting in a fairly large group. Kelves had been informed that he was to receive an award for stopping Eldiel, which surprised him, but he didn't refuse the recognition. It meant that he had to sit close to the stage, however, separating him from his family. Fortunately, Alea had Geralt and Faith's help when it came to corralling Alves and Drea (not that they needed much corralling to begin with). While waiting for the meeting and speeches to begin, Melia tried to catch Noel up on happenings around town. "I've seen Caleb and Fenne together a lot," she said. "I guess they did more than just kiss. I mean, not like that! I mean, they must be dating now, or something. Good for them."

"That really is good," Noel said with a nod. "What about Alrai? Have you seen him around?"

"Actually, not much," Melia said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Remember what he said when we first watched him with Agila after the lab? Maybe Nashir's being harder on him, so he doesn't get to get out as much."

"That's not so good," Noel said. "I wonder if Nashir's going to talk about that at all today."

"I'm more concerned about what he'll say about the lab invasion," Melia mumbled, her finger still to her chin. "I wonder what the official stance is going to be. I mean, Kelvir's getting recognized for killing the guy, so I guess there's a little reversal, but I hope none of the details are going to get doctored."

"I'm sure some names will have to be changed to protect the innocent," Noel said. "Or at least left out. I doubt he wants anyone coming after you or Caleb for getting involved."

Melia scoffed. "Innocent, yeah, okay. Mostly-innocent at best."

Noel simply shrugged and let the conversation drop. The royal family was beginning to assemble on the stage, with chairs for each of them. It seemed that Fenne and Caleb wanted to sit among the actual audience for this event, but Alrai had no such luck. Sitting next to Alrai was someone Noel didn't quite recognize: a black-furred Caprimet woman with short black horns that curved inward and dark, almost black-purple hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were a shade of magenta that made them stand out even from the distance Noel was looking at her from. She seemed to be dressed in a modernized version of old Caprimet warrior wear: a red sleeveless tunic top, red leggings, and a pale pink sash hanging from a belt. Noel found herself watching the new girl, trying to figure out who she might be. She seemed a bit young to be a bodyguard for Alrai, but Noel knew that apparent age could be deceiving when it came to Caprimets. The girl's posture was stiff, and there didn't seem to be a sense of comfort between her and Alrai; if anything, the body language pointed to a great deal of awkwardness.

Soon, Nashir took the stage, standing at a podium and tapping the microphone to produce feedback that would get everyone's attention. "Welcome, welcome, everyone! I hope you've all been having a good morning thus far. We've got a fair few subjects to cover, so let's get right into it, shall we?" There was a pause for a crowd response that never came; Noel guessed that Nashir was checking his notes. "First things first, the most important issue at hand. A few weeks ago, there was an impromptu raid on Dr. Eldiel's laboratory after it came to light that the magic he was researching had dangerous side-effects, and that he was using these effects to greatly empower himself. Furthermore, he had even deceived a child into effectively becoming a guinea pig for the magic."