Aftermath || Sequel to The World Without Them [HIATUS]

02 | High Stakes

Frost held his breath as he walked into the conference room, trying his best to keep a blank expression on his face. The designated meeting space was rather small, and the majority of it was taken up by a large and long metal table. The walls were comprised of electronic screens that showed different news stations covering topics all across Inridia. Luckily the volume on them was silenced, but Frost figured that the overlapping noises they would have produced wouldn't even compare to the loud thoughts running rampant through his head.

Frost's eyes then slowly landed on the figures sitting at the table as Acacia, Mana, and Sage shuffled in behind him. There were six representatives in total -- four men and two women. They seemed to range in age from early twenties to late forties, and most were attentive with straight, somewhat stiff postures as they waited while others were much more relaxed.

The representatives turned their heads and got to their feet as soon as they entered. Frost and his team bowed to them, and the newcomers did the same. Before he could speak, the man positioned closest to where he was standing stepped forward with an outstretched hand and a friendly smile.

"Frost Statice, it is a pleasure to meet you," he greeted in a deep yet soothing voice as the boy extended his own hand so they could shake. The man grinned. "My name is Ano Kalama, and I am the representative from the Alola Region."

Frost smiled back as some of his nerves subsided and took a brief moment to observe the guy before him. Ano was tall with a dark tan and wore khaki pants and a shirt covered in tropical flowers reminescent of what a tourist would wear on an island vacation. His black hair was cut short, making his ocean blue eyes much more prominent. The short sleeve of his button-up also revealed ink trailing down from the upper part of his arm and shoulder, but one shift of his body caused the art to disappear beneath the fabric.

The Silverkeep native released Ano's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." He then looked at the others. "Thank you all for coming this far, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. There's a lot to discuss and I hope you can provide input and advice about our current situation, but first I'd like to know all of your names. When I sent out those messages I didn't know who would receive them, so it'll be nice to actually get to know you."

Ano stepped aside so Frost could have a clearer view of his audience. Then, the muscular man pointed to the woman closest to him.

"I'll make this quick since we want to hear what you have to say and have time to discuss after. This right here is Flora Knight of Hoenn. She isn't the one that sits on the council, but she works as a close assistant to Kylie Stites, the representative." The pale blonde gave a small wave. Ano then turned to a man with chocolate brown skin and a dazzling smile that revealed the bronze glow of his cheeks. "And that is Lucca Cleveland, from the Kalos Region."

Ano continued on in this fashion for the next couple minutes. Frost was introduced to the stern Vincent Ross who, like Flora Knight, was the assistant to Grant Wood, the real representative of his home region, Unova, that couldn't make it to the meeting. Vincent was redheaded with scrutinizing green eyes that seemed to analyze Frost's every move, making him a bit uncomfortable. There was also Bradley Tagavilla of Johto. At the mention of his name the man gave a deep bow that the host couldn't help but return. He appeared to be rather quiet and distant from the other representatives, seeing as he didn't interact with them almost at all. Frost made a mental note to keep that in mind.

When Ano reached the final representative, Frost had to suppress a shudder as harsh, piercing brown eyes found his icy blue ones. It was the only other woman in the group besides Flora, one who had remained completely silent for the duration of their encounter. But despite this, the Alolan beamed happily at her.