She had hoped for her arrival to be more prompt than how it was seeming to be. As best she could tell, there was no poor conditions such as weather or anything of the like that would have led to such a delay from Crocus to here. It certainly was not as lengthy of a trip as when Astrid had made it only a short time ago. But even she could have recognized that the nature of her trip versus what she had come to expect out of her young aide, Sia, were two entirely different animals.

For her, it had been the arrival to Oak Town to resolve any and all matters that were outstanding between her and Iblis. What she had first thought to have been her severing all ties with the guild master of Phantom Lord and her former patron instead turned into an instance of direct succession; her having taken the title of Phantom Lord Guild Master. Unexpected, to say the least, but a role that even she could recognize the value that came with it. A dark visage to wear alongside the dutiful public face that she so often carried, both of them equally determined to see to the further grow of her own power.

While she certainly welcomed it, it also called for a proper response, namely that of establishing a true base of operations. Crocus had long been where she operated first and foremost, but now with this sudden change in fortune, that could no longer be the case. She would still have a presence within Crocus; that was to be expected. But now Oak Town would be her primary headquarters for all things, both those related to her role as Phantom Lord Guild Master as well as her role as a Senator. If it were to fulfill that role, there were no shortage of matters that had to be addressed.

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Hence why she had made a point to delay Sia’s arrival to Oak Town. The girl, as motivated as she was to assist Astrid, had plenty of things to take care of first, including the categorizing and labelling and proper travel procedures for all the items that were worthwhile. Numerous of them, from portraits and other pieces of classic art, to handcrafted furniture that was all but impossible to replace. There could be no chance that any of it were lost or otherwise dealt with in a way that could be linked to her being within Phantom Lord. False businesses and fronts established by allies such as Freddie Khruschev were utilized and helped throw off any sort of deception by and large.

But it was not the only reason why Sia was expected to be delayed. There were other matters that Astrid had wanted her to take care and be properly apprised of. Much of it was tied to her Office of the Auditor, a role that seldom anyone within the Senate wanted to be associated with out of fear of perception. It was not much of a popular role, part of the reason why there was significant reluctance to even have it become a thing; yet Astrid was already a polarizing figure within the Senate, and had the benefit of being the daughter of one of the most beloved politicians in the history of Fiore. If she ever found herself forced to run for her seat, she could do nothing and secure a massive landslide victory off of the Venier name alone.

There was another matter too that Astrid wanted handled, one that demanded absolute discretion. It would not have been an easy one to pull off however, but if there was anyone at this point whom she suspected being capable of doing just that, she looked at Sia as one of those. It was in part why she found herself so interested in the young aide. Physical attraction aside, and there was plenty to be attracted to, the girl had been considered one of the most sought-after aides amongst all of the Senators. It was considered a massive shocker that she opted to work for Astrid, at least to the outsiders. For Astrid, she knew the exact reason why she wanted to work for her; because she convinced Sia that she wanted to, thanks to her Eye of Makima, an ancient artifact that gave her unworldly power of control, Sia being one of the first instances where the Magic was applied.

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Although it took much longer than first expected, finally Sia arrived, her carriage being one of several that arrived together, a convey that would be responsible for delivering some of the required goods that Astrid had ordered. As Sia stepped out, she was unexpectedly met by Astrid, who was actually quite pleased to see her young aide. The two had been gone for several weeks now as all the matters relating to Oak Town, Iblis, and the transition of locations had been occurring, and the look that both of them gave one another was clear enough of a shared sentiment; both of them longed for each other’s touch again.

But that would have to wait, sadly enough.

There were too many things to take care of at the moment. Especially now, while the Senate was engaged in a lengthy recess, slated to return to Crocus again in about a month’s time. That gave Astrid more than enough time to go ahead and carry out some of the longstanding plans that she had been wanting to take care of, not having to justify or fear it being delayed due to the nature of the Senate. It was only through exercising an emergency session that she was able to take advantage of convening them in one place, making them subjected to the Eye of Makima without the natural defenses the Senate chamber almost always had. Such affordances she would not be able to capitalize on often later.

So, the reunion was cut short somewhat, as a quick, but proper introduction was deemed necessary. With Sia following behind, Astrid led the girl to her new home away from Crocus, the Phantom Lord Guild Hall.

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“I will not be so cruel as to expect you to become a part of this Guild, unless that is what you want,” Astrid said, walking through the Guild Hall with Sia just beside her. The girl saw firsthand the respect and fear shown by the Phantom Lord members, all of whom made a point to bow their heads in reverence or move out of the way, lest they interrupt her path. “I have made a point to make sure that they were aware already, but for your own knowledge, you will be regarded as below me in rank, reverence, and respect alike. You, alongside a few designated members of whom I will make a point of introducing you to at a later time, may operate and conduct yourself within this building in any manner you see fit. In a way, consider yourself an Underboss to my own absolute authority.”

It was a nice perk, one that Sia did not even fully appreciate at the moment. There was some level of exhaustion that admittedly was at play for this, but also it was a case of ignorance. She knew little of Phantom Lord, it’s history, or anything to the matter as far as the guilds of Fiore and their relationships with one another. If anything, she were more familiar with them due to their checkered past with the government of Fiore. But even then, it only painted a small part of the picture.

“I have seen to that your quarters were properly prepared. I have taken the matter to provide you with a master suite, one of multiple within this impressive Guild Hall. Despite that, I expect that I shall be seeing most of you,” She stopped in her tracks, turning to face the young aide, cupped her chin and planted a small kiss upon her lips, the first instance of intimacy afforded either of them since Astrid had first left for Oak Town, “Clothed and otherwise in my chambers. I’m sure you will be fine with such an arrangement.”

Though posed as a question, there was no response given by Sia, whom was stunned for a moment, elated at the sensation provided, while also wishing for more. When she finally came to, she nodded hastily, which prompted an almost sinister smile on the face of Astrid.

“Come. There is much to show you still and I believe you have prepared some topics of discussion for me as well.” The playfulness of her tone was gone, a matter of urgency brought forth, especially in the nature of what she was calling for. Several matters had come up that required immediate response, and Astrid had made a point of making sure Sia could provide an appropriate update to any of them when she arrived. She had no reason to doubt the girl, nor did she.

“Tell me, of the matters I had asked you to prepare, tell me your thoughts regarding them. If we were to depart today, where would you recommend we venture to first?” She posed it as a question, but it was not that at all. It was no hypothetical, but a reality. With such limited time on their side, handling some of these matters, particularly those that could ignore the need to involve the rest of the Senate, was an ideal one. The challenge though, would be the matter of a resolution at all. There was a reason in part why these topics were of importance, and sadly, some of that came from their difficulty.

Difficulty thus far, and difficulty still to come.

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