It was a moment that for those within the massive chamber, was met with either elation or disappointment. For the minimal few, there was a sense of excitement yet not for the reason that others were excited for. The summer session of the Fiore Senate, a day that had become synonymous with change. Over the past several years since the Senate had become the foremost body of government within Fiore, the summer session had become known for being the day in which changes such as the promotions to Senator from the Junior positions were openly announced, where the change in representation across the respective cities of Fiore would change too, and most notably – especially to what a good amount of people within the Senate were anticipating – where the ambitious Senator would make a serious gamble and attempt to be named to the role of Reigning Senator, one of the most prestigious and fiercely vetted roles within all of the Senate.

It had not been for nearly three years that such a vote had been declared, not since the current Reigning Senator of Crocus, Lady Tsara, had managed to secure a sufficient vote to be named to, much of the success that she had carried coming off of the endorsement and significant advocating of by the then-revered Senator, Rickon Venier of Crocus. It had been thanks to him that Tsara was able to secure her spot, the title that she has held to this day.

Since that point, there had been two other Senators that had sought to secure themselves a role as a Reigning Senator, both of whom had failed to generate support. The first was a notable one in a Senator hailing from Orchidia whose decision was looked at as a betrayal, it neither having been discussed amongst their fellow representatives nor had it been discussed within the Senate more broadly. After the failed effort, it became ‘proper’ decorum that those who sought to declare their intentions would bring it forward to the Senate beforehand, lest it not turn into one’s fellow Senators being blindsided. If even just a declaration to Senators of the same city, a modicum of support was to be expected.

The second attempt was by a Senator coming out of Hosenka. There was some support from those also representing Hosenka, but it was otherwise split within the Senate. Too many issues presented itself within the candidate, one whom had never openly supported efforts done by their fellow Senator. Their career up to the point had been one marred by the singular identity of being about themselves first and foremost, a known track record that never had seen success in the past. Thus, when the vote to not support their declaration came through, there was hardly a surprised amongst those in attendance.

Since then, and even prior to the past two failed attempts, the idea of a Reigning Senator being voted in had become more of a novelty than that of a likelihood for the summer session. The usual agenda had much more become that of typical affairs like that of the promotion, retirements, and of the like. ‘The summer session is intended for the Senate to be caught up on the logistics to define our approach to matters for the remainder of the year’ was the expression given and the broader sentiment held.

And there was truth in that ultimately. Especially for the pool of Senators that had come from Oak Town, the majority of the agenda that took place throughout the morning having been the to handle the appointment and swearing in of Junior Senators and Senators from the western city. It was very standard, if not almost underwhelming for much of those who were in attendance. In total, nearly a fourth of the Senate found themselves sworn on their respective roles and titles, their responsibilities explained, the expectations and obligations conveyed. What came as a surprise to some however was the sheer length of time required for the whole process to take place. As was noted by several and openly remarked too by others, the amount of new figures within the Senate was much higher than that of recent years, which regrettably forced the session to last much longer than first figured.

After nearly two hours, it seemed that everything had been finished finally, the last of the Senators being sworn in. All that remained was simply the official closing of the session and then those in attendance would be fortunate to enjoy a short break that would last for a period of about three days in total. However, all of that anticipation and excitement – along with a desperate desire to leave the massive Senate chamber that had begun to become more and more uncomfortable the longer they were in present in – seemed to die out with a final announcement that came from the balconies where the Oak Town representation were stationed. A faint cacophony of groans echoed throughout the chamber as Oak Town had long dominated the agenda for the day already. Outside of those who knew what the matter was, there were not a single individual who wanted to hear more of what Oak Town required.

“Absolutely not!” A Senator roared out from atop one of the balconies that overlooked the Senate floor. “How possibly can anyone, let alone HER expect to look to become a Reigning Senator!?”

The news of Astrid Venier’s declaration of looking to become a Reigning Senator had been met with backlash and disgust, as was expected long before the decision had been finalized, but not even Astrid and her closest confidants were left blindsided by the sheer vitriol that was being thrown. It was never a secret that Astrid had become a controversial figure within the Senate, if not the most controversial figure since her arrival, one that in its own right was mired in controversy. The purported intent of committing treason that her father had been accused of, her exposure of it, the sudden turn of support against him, and worst even, the ascension of her into the same role that her father once held, it had done wonders in establishing resistance and hatred towards the young woman.

Combined with some actions that she had taken throughout her short time already in the Senate, including the incredibly controversial Office of the Auditor that she had not only established but had been personally carrying out which had significantly impacted several of the Fiore cities, it was no surprise that sentiments were at best, mixed towards her. But at the same time, despite the negative reception that many felt towards that policy and legislature, there were many Senators and scholars alike who recognized the overall success of the Office, even if at times it worked against the interests of the city that they were representing. It simply only managed to further cloud the overall sentiment towards her.

When the declaration came, it wasn’t quite clear how it would have been received, in part due to the complicated relationship that Astrid had established between her and the other Senators. It came as little to no surprise that those within the Cabal, the political group established by Astrid, Lady Tsara, and others, were in clear and unanimous support, but for those that were outside of the group, the support – both internal and external – was eye-opening, if not somewhat concerning.

“There should be no reason to believe that someone as young to the Senate as Ms. Venier should be looked at as someone to be taken serious. Not in a role as serious and with as significant responsibilities as those that come with it. We have seen those with more experience and better temperament fail to live up to the expectations that come with such an office.”

Unwelcome looks began to settle on the faces of those who stood around her, the Junior Senators, all having just been sworn in, all having their dreams realized, Astrid’s endeavor being the last of a long list of goals that up until this point had gone forward smoothly. This was the first road block faced, and tragically appearing like the attempt may stand to fail. There was one though within the block of Oak Town Senators that did not share in their worried expressions; Astrid Venier. The woman of the moment simply sat within the seat that she had first taken at the start of the session, the look on her face seeming to be unaffected by the harsh critique of the other Senators.

They all knew that this was coming.

It still took them by surprise, though it was more the venom in their words that left them surprised. For Astrid, this was far from the first time it had happened as it had also happened when she had pitched the justification for the establishment of the Office of the Auditor. She had come out of that session of the Senate as the victor, despite the resistance faced then.

“Before we think that Ms. Astrid’s position is so unreasonable,” A familiar voice echoed now through the Senate Chamber, one that held particular value, not just to Astrid on a personal level, but also one that held weight within the Chamber. That of Lady Tsara, one of the Reigning Senators hailing from Crocus. “Perhaps we ought to remember that it was she who proposed to this Senate the creation of her Auditor office. Many here who stood in the same roles decried that position, finding it foolish. Yet now Oak Town thrives, so much so that I would argue few of us could recall it in such fortunate shape.”

“Easy to say for someone whose city had not been raped by her office…” Several gasps escaping out of the words of the Orchidia Senator, the sentiment over how Astrid conducted herself with that city being very much a sore spot for the people of the Northern city. Particularly it was Astrid’s insistence that a massive investment within Orchidia – a huge defensive wall – had been stripped of a huge amount of resources, to the point of rendering the project dead. Nevertheless, even to those who were aware of the ramifications of Astrid’s policy, language of that sort was as much frowned upon as anything like that.

Especially within the presence of King Reign, whom sat on his throne, overseeing the session.

A loud thud echoed throughout the entirety of the Chamber, bringing all conversation to a deafening silence. “The Senator from Orchidia will refrain from such language!” Bellowed out one of the guards assigned to the direct protection of the King. It was rare that such measures were taken, but often in the past when they had, it would not be a second time that they would be commanded.

“Foul language not withstanding, the Senator does bring a fair point. Orchidia was stable. Safe. And yet it was the decision made by the Oak Town Senator that has since caused them such strife.”

Finally, Astrid arose from her seat, several of the Senators whom were closest to her taking a step back as to allow her space. “And had I not uncovered what had taken place within Orchidia, would the Senator have found that to be more tolerable? Does the Senator from Orchidia whom speaks with such foul language have the backbone to stand before us and explain the justification of their little project?” Astrid smirked, “The reality is that had it been anyone. Orchidia, Hargeon, Oak Town of course, you all would have relished in the opportunity to hold myself or another accountable. That anyone would have found out of what they were doing, the same expectation would have been held to them.”

There was a harsh truth to what she said. Orchidia’s project was not so much the issue, as it was that it had been done in secret. Funds were provided to the city, allocated by the Senate, intended for the purposes of aiding the people there. Building a wall to keep out potential threats, especially in the wake of Paradise Dawn having been integral to their previous defense, was wasteful, arguably. And that it had been done in secret, was even worse.

“You wish to condemn me, but Orchidia made their own decisions. That the Senator from Orchidia allowed such decisions to be carried out within their city under our noses is what should be condemned, not I or the office that we as a Senate confirmed. So does the Senator from Orchidia wish to answer for what his city committed, for the fraud that they intended to pull on us?”

There was another moment of silence as the people within the Chamber waited for a response. Yet there was none. The Senator from Orchidia was silent; a damning indictment in its own right.

“The Senator and his kind will face the judgment of their actions, but that is not the primary matter at hand. The Senator from Oak Town should be mindful as to not distract us from their own measure introduced.”

This was the complicated nature of the Senate that Astrid expected. Accusations thrown against her to which she would have to defend, only to be met by deference and a shift back to being on her. It was an unfair game, but an expected one. And one that she had seen on both sides, at times having been the one to bring forth the accusations. It just happened to be that with her stepping forth in a hope of becoming the Reigning Senator that she had accepted being subjected to extreme scrutiny. Much more than what anyone else would otherwise anticipate.

“I wish to bring in an alternative line of thinking on this,” A different voice started, one that had otherwise been quiet throughout most of the proceedings up until this point. “Oak Town has seen a massive turnover since we last met during this time last year. Most of them replacing those whom had been representing the city in that time. Yet Ms. Venier remains, which I do not expect that to be a coincidence. I ask the Senator, what role if anything did you have in the turnover within your city?”

She turned her head in the direction of the Senator that spoke; an older gentlemen hailing out of Hosenka. He was not someone whom had worked with her before, nor did she imagine had much opinion of, that sentiment going both ways. At best, he was a supporter of her. At worst, he was neutral in his opinion. Either way, the question he brought up was a good one, and one that more within the Chamber felt than were willing to say.

“Those you see before me who have been sworn in were elected by the people of Oak Town. What role I had in that, all I could do was to provide my opinion and throw support towards them over other candidates.”

“And everyone you backed coming away successfully? That’s quite a fortunate set of circumstances, wouldn’t you agree?”

“When given a fair opportunity, I don’t find it to be too hard to believe. One thing that seems to be repeatedly conveyed here is the contempt towards what I have done, or rather what my Office of the Auditor has done to ones’ city. Realize that Oak Town is no exception. The amount of Jewels that the city was robbed of, instead going into the campaigns and personal funds of those elected?” Her telling of the tale was convincing, particularly that it was in part truthful. The reality was that under Iblis there was no shortage of corruption with much of it going into the Senators that were backed by Iblis. When she audited Oak Town, those same Senators lost their income streams. The only thing that Astrid selectively chose to ignore was the fact that those funds instead went to the candidates that she backed instead. From one political entity to another. But the optics of such a confession were often less than flattering.

“What it ultimately comes down to, this resurgence into Oak Town, it should be applauded by those present. Is this not what we should want? A young generation of those wanting to follow in our footsteps, to see that the process that we have taken to heart be continually realized?” She didn’t much mean the own words that she spoke of, rather instead preferring to simply play off of the idea that she were more of a noble soul, a masquerade that she regrettably had to entertain more often than not towards those within this Chamber. Fortunately, the lie she chose to spin was one that better resonated than others she could have told.

Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid took notice of something. Lady Tsara, standing among the Senators of Crocus on their own respective balcony, taking out something and inspecting it. Astrid knew fully as to what it was; they had discussed it at length beforehand. The golden pocket watch that she possessed, a gift that Astrid had given to her after she had established within Oak Town. A belated birthday gift. One that Lady Tsara considered to be precious, and the secret signal that she would use to communicate to Astrid to inform her of when she would initiate the vote. Tsara was not clear as to what it would be that would force the vote, but she had given Astrid her word that it would be of the best circumstances.

“My fellow Senators,” Lady Tsara began, her words calm, a hint of exhaustion evident in her voice. “It has been a long day, longer than I believe any of us could have imagined when we entered today. This debate and cross-examination of Miss Astrid’s both positive and negative attributes may wear on for hours now, and I do not find it impossible to believe that sentiments would not change much.” A murmur echoed throughout the crowd, shamefully admitting to that reality. At this point, it was as much hoping to have the last word than it was to change any minds. “I suggest that we proceed forward with a vote and allow this session to conclude. Any objections?”

It was the one time that silence was a welcome thing, not only to the many Senators, but also to Lady Tsara and Astrid Venier, both of whom were more than welcome to the idea of going forward with the vote. They had carefully mapped out who they expected to vote for her and not, what hopes they may have had in terms of swaying influence, and the likelihood of success. Just how fruitful their suspicions may have been, it would very soon be confirmed or otherwise proven false.

As was customary in the process of Senate votes, the first city to cast their votes was Crocus. Under Lady Tsara, much of the Senators were either of The Cabal or otherwise supported Lady Tsara and whichever direction her votes were cast towards. Not surprisingly then, that the majority of votes cast by the Senators there were in favor of Astrid, an early yet important early swing.

Era cast its votes next, with the decision being much more mixed. In total, it just barely favored Astrid in the overall  votes, but it was a notable break from the one-sided vote that had been cast by Crocus.

Orchidia voted afterwards, being the lone city from the Northern Fiore to have representation in the Senate. As Astrid and Lady Tsara predicted, the votes cast were highly against her, though there was a surprising few that voted in favor of her. They had figured that the Orchidia Senators would hold the treatment of their walls against her, and while many did, there also appeared to have been some that respected the integrity of her work and holding them accountable. Indicative perhaps of a greater divide than what even she may have realized.

Their time came when the Western cities got their opportunity to vote. To the surprise of nobody, Oak Town voted in unanimous fashion, all of them siding with Astrid Venier in support of her becoming the Reigning Senator of Oak Town. Baska and Astera were also significant allies in their votes, neither of them committing to unanimous support, but both nonetheless throwing a notable amount of support forward. With those votes, Astrid’s support was looking good, though there was still the matter of Magnolia and Marigold, the two cities that she expected to more heavily vote against her, Magnolia in particular given the potential for them to rely on their Reigning Senator’s vote.

The Eastern cities voted afterwards, Magnolia and Hosenka being the only two to cast. Magnolia was a split decision, just a little more than half of the city voting against the confirmation of Astrid while Hosenka seemed to be mixed as well. However, when all votes were cast, Hosenka was more in support of Astrid than they were opposed to them.

And then there was Marigold and Hargeon from the Southern part of Fiore, with Hargeon seeming to be of significant support to Astrid – not surprising given the Blood Pact that remained in effect between Astrid and the Blue Pegasus Guild Master, Alisa Vollan, of whom had provided significant political support towards Astrid since before she had even become the Phantom Lord Guild Master. Marigold was certainly not of the same mindset, seeming to be heavily against Astrid’s confirmation, some of it expectedly due to tension from Hargeon’s fortune at evading the nature of the Office of the Auditor, a fate that Marigold certainly did not benefit from.

With the broader votes cast, there came the final matter of determining which of the Reigning Senators sought to cast their vote in lieu of their cities. In total, Era possessed two Reigning Senators, Crocus had two, Magnolia had one, and Hargeon had one. Based on the conversations had with Lady Tsara, there was confidence that if a vote were exercised, Crocus would vote in support of her, as well as Hargeon. Magnolia would almost certainly vote against her. Era may potentially hold off on casting their vote due to a non-unanimous vote cast. With the votes they had, the only circumstance that none of them wished to have happen was Era exercising a vote of no.

So long as Era did not go forth with that decision, all things pointed to Astrid becoming the Reigning Senator of Oak Town.

She waited outside of the Senate Chamber. Despite being Astrid’s political aide, Sia was not welcome while the session was underway. If things went the way that they were all hoping however, the opportunity would be much more plausible. Reigning Senators had a great deal of power that they were able to exercise, including the allowing of a political aide into the Chamber during live sessions. It remained to be seen though if that was even something that they should have given thought to.

She glanced down at the small pocket watch she had kept in her possession, a gift from a Senator that had sought her acceptance in the role of his aide. It was a bribe, all things considered, but one that she was hardly willing to accept and surrender her morals towards. The idea of keeping a bribe though, as dubious of a moral sense as that may have been, she knew that gifts from the corrupt were not ones to be weighed against the moral compass of the pure. It was a gift, absolutely. But no gift would have been enough to have swayed her from working with the Lady Tsara, and then ultimately Astrid Venier.

It was taking quite a while, much longer than she had first anticipated it taking. They all knew that there were going to be a heavy amount of new inductions coming out of Oak Town, but they were unable to adequately tell just how many also would be introduced through the other cities. Even under the worst case scenario, what time would have taken would ultimately end up being that of the debate over Astrid’s potential appointment. That there was relative silence from beyond the heavy-frame doors, Sia had to believe that things were moving forward.

Suddenly then, what sounded like a loud clamor began to radiate from beyond the door. It grew louder and louder, to the point where it was impossible not to notice and regard it as a very loud, and if not animated, fight taking place between many of the Senators. Though Sia was not sure what to think of it, she had to believe that it was something that was favorable to Astrid. Based on everything that she had overheard in discussions between Lady Tsara and Astrid, there was going to be a great deal of resistance to her attempted appointment. A simple acceptance that was without any sort of drama was far more likely to have been met with concern.

More others gathered around, many like her, political aides, while others were onlookers, reporters, those who were curious of the happenings of the Senate’s Summer session. Often, this was looked at as one of the most entertaining sessions, in part for the nature of things that were discussed during this. But an outburst like this, to say it was unexpected was an understatement.

She stood, looking out to the door as everyone was taken by surprise at the sound of a loud click, the mechanical locks that kept the Senate Chamber doors sealed being unlocked, indicative of the session ending. Only during the session can the doors of the Senate Chamber be sealed, that was the long established ruling. With this, it seemed that everyone would know exactly what to expect.

Senators emerged in droves out from the massive doors, not just the one that Sia was standing outside of, but the others too. But this one, it was from here that Oak Town Senators and Crocus Senators emerged out of, the exact people whom Sia was hoping to see. Many of the new Senators to Oak Town emerged, many of them recalling Sia and expressing their thanks to her for showing up, but otherwise distracted by the others who were curious of them. From what she could tell, Sia could see and hear the elation in their voices, though it was hard to say entirely whether that was based on their own success or that of Astrid’s success.

After a short bit, she finally saw them. Lady Tsara, walking alongside Astrid Venier, both of them appearing to be in very good spirits, wide smiles on both of their faces. Seeing this, Sia could not help but smile herself as she rushed towards the duo, pushing through the crowd as she threw her arms out in an excited state, already confident that she knew what had happened. “Did they do it!? Did they appoint you!?”

Astrid said nothing at first, simply looking at the woman with the same smile, but not before cupping the woman’s chin in her hand as she brought her lips upon Sia’s into a quick, yet sensual kiss. While the aide would certainly have liked to have heard the words coming from Astrid’s lips herself, there was also something quite delectable about getting the news in that fashion instead.

And it seemed that Lady Tsara did not much seem to mind, chuckling very softly at the look of the two, behaving like that of young lovers than that of a politician and their political aide. She doubted that Astrid was going to say much, instead preferring in part to torment Sia, so instead she decided to break the news, something she knew Astrid would not mind. “We ended up getting quite fortunate. The Senators from Era chose not to exercise the veto power of their Reigning Senators. It was enough to push Miss Astrid here over the required majority.” She turned her head back, seeing the chamber as empty as it was, “As you no doubt likely heard, the reception to such a decision was not the best received.”

“We got lucky,” Astrid remarked, excitement still in her voice, but reason also being conveyed. “If that vote were cast again, there would be no certainty that things would have gone our way. But… We don’t need a vote cast twice. What’s done is done, and we won.”

“That we did…”

Sia was certainly elated, maintaining her grip on Astrid before finally releasing it as the decision to move on was made, the three walking in unison. With the session concluded for the day, it would be several days now until the next time they were to report to the Chamber for the Senate. With such freedom now available to them, the three began to discuss potential plans. But very little of that was accomplished before they found themselves interrupted by an unexpected messenger.

“Lady Astrid Venier,” the messenger asked, to which Lady Tsara pointed to the new Reigning Senator. “For you.”

An envelope passed hands, one having a unique seal that Astrid had never seen before, one that even caused Lady Tsara’s eyes to widen in surprise.

Running a finger along the waxed seal, Astrid figured no point in waiting until a more private setting were available to them. People were focused enough with either the new additions to the Senate or otherwise what to do with the free time now afforded to them that they did not much care. Sia remained there, watching the duo as Astrid read the letter, Lady Tsara watching the young woman’s express at the same time.

Finally, Astrid put away the letter, her face having an expression looking like she had seen a ghost, utterly unable to believe what she was seeing.

“Everything aright?” Sia asked, concerned for the expression on her Lady’s face.

It took a moment before Astrid responded, finally figuring out just what to say, “I’m not sure. It's a request for a meeting.”

“Just a meeting? That doesn’t seem all that worrisome,” Lady Tsara knew what the seal indicated, the Church of Illumin, but she was still curious too as to just who from there would have sought a meeting with Astrid. “Who requested it?”

“The Divine of Fiore themselves.”