"Thank you very much." Selina said, before taking a sip from the glass. The effect of the taste was more powerful than she had anticipated. She wasn't just reminded of home, she was almost back there. For that briefest second, so very close. The halcyon summer afternoons spent reading on the balcony. The evening high-society parties, where she had wrapped the great and the good of Iberia around her little finger. The rush she felt to see Assemblymen, Ambassadors and Generals trip over each-other attempting to gain her favour, while the women they had brought in on their arms barely contained the sourness of their envy.
Above all else though, was her father's face. Serious yet kind; bookish yet endearing. It was the face he had worn before the war, when he still looked at her with pride. His expression when they had said their goodbyes the last time had been very different. She had ripped him in two that day, and opened a wound with no possibility of healing. As a parent, he had loved her as much on that day as ever before, perhaps even more so. However, her father The Parent, and her father The Servant could not be separated. The man had dedicated everything, and risked even more, in the name of the glory of the Iberian Alliance. He had never truly cared for the power he wielded, only what he could do with it in service to the nation. His roots to Iberia sank deeper than any Emperor; and on that day, his own flesh and blood had stood before him betraying everything he believed in, everything he had toiled for. He could never hate her, but neither could he forgive her. When it had come down to it, her father couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eye.
She had made the only choice she could. In order to save Iberia, in order to give the ruling class the security of being able to claim victory, she had sullied it, condemning it to a second-rate future. On the day that treaty was signed, Iberia became at best a client nation, a crony of Ignite Solutions, and Selina had been the one who had given the Emperor his pen. From that day on, all of it, the power, the perks, the splendor, would all have an unbearably bitter aftertaste. How could she stay? How could she go on serving, when the glory of the Iberian Alliance that her father had fought so hard for, was now nothing more than a masquerade, and it was her fault?
That choice had been a wise one, and now Selina soared higher than ever, with the lift of Venture Horizon's power and influence beneath her wings; and yet, in that tiny moment Selina had never regretted her choice more.
Little, if any of this melancholy showed on her face, as Selina had long ago become accustomed to keeping her true heart as far away from her sleeve as possible. Instead, she gave a small moan of intense satisfaction, confirmation of this woman's excellent work.
"Tell me Miss... how long have you been here?" she asked.
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"I will answer all your inquiries as well as I am able," The Talon told her, her smile only growing warmer as Kusanagi's faded. "and you may believe whatever you take most comfort in believing. However, I cannot promise that I will be completely honest with you. For you see... there is only one truth, the One Truth, that matters, and only those that are ready can know it. Beyond that, you have my word that I will answer with the closest analogue to fact that my single perspective can offer."
This one was fierce, determined, and intelligent. All qualities The Talon greatly admired. The Talon was certain that Kusanagi was not this one's real name, but it fit her well, so The Talon would address her as such. After all, she had grown up with no name at all. What was a name other than another meaningless construct, meant to distract the mortal gaze from the One Truth. In many ways she was reminded of a younger version of herself, when she stared deep into those eyes. That said, the cancer of naivety still clung to this one, distorting her world view. This one was not ready to know the One Truth. Not yet, but perhaps in time...
"The companion that you call Nikolai is going to live." she announced. "For days he danced on the edge, but out of hopelessness he chose purpose, and though he may take time to adjust, when that time is done he will be stronger than ever before. Now, as for the villagers... their deaths were not by our hand. They were slaughtered by enemies of The Great Revolution, heretics to the One Truth. However, I do not deny that their deaths benefited us in some passive form. From what we observed of their demise we learned valuable information. In this war we are fighting, none are safe, and all will surely sacrifice in some form before we see the end."
It was at this point Riley entered.
"Very good." she congratulated him upon his informing her of the situation. "You have done excellent work, and this day our song will be in your honour."
The giant wolf, Odin, slunk towards her. His head was bowed. With her mechanical left arm she scratched the beast behind the ears, and he nuzzled into her side affectionately. Apart from Riley, The Talon was the only one who Odin recognised as a superior. Riley was one of her best operators, and the hatred he held in his heart for their mutual enemies was more than enough to ensure his loyalty. However, his wolf had a greater understanding of the One Truth than he did. In fact, such a revelation made perfect sense, and was further proof to The Talon of the necessity of The Great Revolution.
