Everybody Has A Price

Trust Fall

"Thank you."

I didn't break my focus from the papers in front of me, but I raised an eyebrow to signify that I was listening. A sudden profession of thanks wasn't exactly ordinary, especially from Dianite, but it certainly wasn't extraordinary either.

"I know I seemed resistant to the idea of taking a day off. Well, I was, so I guess it would be more than seems like...," He rambled. Now that was extraordinary. I glaced up at him to see if I could catch what knocked the confidence out of him. "Look, what I'm trying to say is you were right. We both needed a day off. Alone. Together. I feel much better, and it appears that you do too, so thank you for convincing me to take a day off." A smile spread across my face.

I stacked the papers and put them away so I could turn my focus to Dianite and Dianite alone. "Well, thank you for being the best boyf-" I stopped. What do I call him? I haven't really called him anything in terms of a title. Boyfriend certainly feels wrong. He's not a boy. Hell, he's not even a man, really. Godfriend is definitely out of the question.

I could tell he was listening to what I was thinking because he let out a tiny snicker at the thought of godfriend. Lover? No. Far too much sexual connotation with that one, although I'm sure Dia wouldn't mind, and the look he gave me confirmed it. Partner? Maybe, but is it too official?

"Partner will do," he sighed in faux defeat.

I rolled my eyes and corrected myself, "you're the best partner ever."

"Whatever you say, Twinkle Toes." He messed up my hair and pulled me into a hug. "We should get going. I'm sure if we keep them waiting too much longer, their imaginations will get to the best of them." He kissed the tip of my nose and pulled away, already heading toward Wag's castle. On the trip there, I began to wonder why we never met at my fortress. It would definitely cut down on my travel time. Having large groups of people in my home has never been something I was fond of though, so I dismissed the idea.

When we came inside, I was immediately thankful that Wag was hosting rather than me. Why were there so many people here? Who are they? They were all shouting, but I couldn't understand a single one of them. My head began to throb from all the noise. I looked around the room frantically, looking for any familiar face. Unfortunately the first one I saw was the last one I wanted to see. What the hell was Tony doing here at Wag's?  Whether it was from guilt or the headache, I did not know, but nausea overtook me. Thankfully, Dianite took notice of my faint look and steadied me.

What the hell was going on?

Finally, Wag grabbed us and dragged us into a separate room. The closing of the door muffled the sound of all the shouting just enough for me to hear myself think.

"What's with the crowd?" asked Dianite. Everyone turned to look at Mot as if he were the only one left with a tongue to speak.

"Urulu. They're refugees." He paused for a moment. He looked serene. I knew better than to take it for face value. If Mot was calm, then that meant he had surpassed rage. "Mianite guards overtook the city. I tried to keep the peace as long as possible, but they started attacking citizens and destroying buildings and homes. I killed as many as I could, but I knew I'd be more useful helping people escape."

The air hung heavy around us. Nobody knew what to say, and absolutely no one wanted to be the first to speak.

"I'm not a coward, damn it!" Mot slammed his fist into the table, breaking the board. The sound resonated throughout the castle, silencing the shouting for the other room. Mot lowered his voice. "I am going back. I'm not going to rest until every last one of them meet's their maker."

"Mot, you can't do that," Sonja sighed. "You don't know how many there are. More could've come since you left, too." Mot looked completely unsatisfied.

"It doesn't matter. They could send as many as they please through that portal. I will end every single one of them," Mot declared righteously.

"Portal?" I interjected. I felt the color drain from my face.

"Yeah, that guy that built the portal that brought me here, he made the portal that brought the Mianite guards. He first told us it was his experiment. Then guards started spilling through it." I felt the nausea rush back.

"Gaines is a part of it. I should've known." I buried my head in my hands.

"Who the hell is Gaines?" asked Tucker.

"Just another rat for Mianite. For what Mianite's power can't cover, this guy builds machines for. I guess he took Sparkles, here, for a little play date." That was the exact moment that I remembered. I jerked my head up, eyes wide like a deer in headlights.

"He has a portal to my fortress!" A flurry of questions began.

"You're telling me there could be guards flooding into that place as we speak?"

"How will we fight all of them?"

"Should we flee until we have a plan?"

"Where should the refugees stay?"

"Stop!"

Everyone hushed trying to identify the source of the command. With all of our eyes directed at Dianite, he began to speak. "As far as Gaines seems to know, him and Sparky don't have any reason to fight. Chances are there aren't any guards at the fortress, else that would have been the first place they came. Why would they give us time to prepare rather than going straight for an attack?" He did have a point. "Now, this is where you," he looked dead at me, "need to trust me."

Of course I trusted him. I was pretty sure I did, but I guess if I absolutely trusted him, I wouldn't have been so nervous. Was this some test? Was he using this to test the strength of our relationship. What is a relationship without trust after all? I simply nodded.

He continued, "You need to go back. Have Gaines lead you around, showing off his work with his little pompous attitude. You need to find a way to destroy those portals."

"If I destroy the portals while I'm there, I'm stuck there." The silence was defeaning. They were willing to sacrifice me.

"Between me and Ianite, we will find you. You have to trust me." I waited for someone to protest his plan, but no one did. Everyone just looked at me expectantly. I looked back at Dianite. He looked firm in his idea. There was no changing his mind. I kept reminding myself 'He loves me. He wouldn't let me get hurt.' I repeated it to myself over and over.

'You will be okay.' I heard. Flurries of memories of Dianite protecting me filled my mind. 'I'll be with you, somehow.'

"Okay. I'll do it."

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Plot progression? From me? Unheard of.

Anyway for you older folks reading this, and by older I mean like over 18. I've been wanting to get pregnant recently, but I'm scared now with COVID19 and stuff. I'm an essential worker so I know that it would be a HUGE risk. I just don't know how long all of this will last. If any of you have advice or anything please share.

Thank you.