At the time, it was as elating of a moment as anyone could have imagined or asked for. Endless days worth of preparation, of careful planning, of calculated decision making, a gamble that could have threatened to completely and utterly derail the political career and ambitions that she had set for herself, it had all panned out. Against all odds, they had managed to orchestrate one of the most unexpected political powerplays in all of the history of the Fiore Senate. And the high and sense of empowerment that she felt off of it, the last time she could remember such a feeling was to hear the false verdict being rendered against her father what seemed like a lifetime ago.

But when the letter reached her hands, it was not that the circumstances suddenly rendered that feeling obsolete or wrong, but rather that she was simply not sure as to how to respond. The letter came on behalf of a source that Astrid admittedly never would have imagined engaging with, a person whom likely she would have gone her entire life without likely anyone assuming a reason for the two to be in company of one another, let alone a meeting just between the two of them.

Yet, there she was. A day removed from one of the biggest moments of her life and political career alike, in the presence of the woman whom was considered the most powerful woman in all of Fiore from the religious perspective.

The Divine of Fiore, Her Holiness herself.

It was a very simple room, hardly one of elegance, nothing like that of the offices that the politicians would typically establish for themselves. Certainly not Astrid, whose office within Crocus was one that at least several times the size of the total dimensions of this one, the meager furniture that was present here, a handful of simple wooden chairs and a simple couch on opposite sides of an unimpressive table. The general state of furniture within the room being not much different than it, all of it worn-down, functional yet uninspired and unimpressive. Basic. Furniture that Astrid would sooner see to be being used as firewood than that of anything she’d have for her own quarters.

It suited the woman perfectly though, the lovely figure adorned in the simple, yet refined white garments, seated upon the couch, watching patiently as Astrid looked out the stained glass window of the room, some of herself still a bit uncomfortable with the setting and audience. Not that she was not used to being in the company of important and powerful figures, but this was a different one entirely. She recalled hearing her father discuss the Divine, saying that it was one woman whom he had felt the most fearful of approaching, not due to anything that she had done, but rather what she represented.

This woman, in as simple of a presentation as she conveyed herself in, was the single most powerful woman in the Illumin faith within Fiore. To offend her would be enough to rile an entire nation’s worth of devoted followers into a frenzy. But at the same time, to garner her as an ally would be an asset far greater than anything Astrid could have imagined, save for what she had managed to pull off the other day.

“I hope you do not take offense, Your Holiness. Under most circumstances I would have seen to ensure that a proper bottle of wine was delivered for such a meeting of this sort. Though,” Astrid spoke, at first towards the window but as she turned back to look at the woman, kind eyes staring back at her, “Allow me to first to come forth with a sad truth. Your religion, I know quite little about. What is considered appropriate and what is not. So I hope you find a donation of bread as opposed to wine.”

It was a simple gift, but a thoughtful one at that. Upon the simple table was a small woven basket, within it containing a number of pastries, breaded treats, all of the best quality that one could have gotten within Crocus. It was a cheaper option than that of an expensive bottle of wine that she would have typically selected for such an engagement – as would many of her fellow Senators – but looking at the state of the room around them, it likely would have been the best option, all things considered.

She didn’t speak immediately again, instead opting to take a seat first. Legs crossed as she adjusted herself to get comfortable upon the simple chair, she looked up, noticing that the Divine’s expression did not seem to change, still maintaining a level of composure and sincerity that Astrid admittedly could not help but find a little uncomfortable, as well as somewhat leery towards.

“You’ll have to pardon me Your Holiness, but, I have a hard time wrapping my head around why someone such as yourself would wish to hold a meeting with me. I am not a practice of your Faith, nor have I ever pretended as such to be. To the best of my knowledge, there is no avenue from which our paths would have ever crossed, either in harmony or dissonance. So, if I may ask, for what, is the purpose of me being here?”

It was an uneasy conversation, in part due to the contrast that The Divine seemed to carry herself as compared to everyone else that Astrid seemingly interacted with before. Beyond the game of politics that seemed to utterly ensnare so much of her life, both prior to and since her own political career began, there was also the insidiously cruel world that existed and that she flourished within as the Phantom Lord Guild Master. Everyone had an agenda. Everyone had a motive for doing what they did. Astrid was no different; her success in becoming the Reigning Senator was built on the shoulders of her having manipulated every single advantage and opportunity possible in as profitable and beneficial of a manner as she could have possibly managed.

But now she sat opposite someone who by all indications seemed to have been so much different than that.

It was unsettling. Even going as far as to make Astrid feel uncomfortable; a situation that she seldom found herself within.

Acknowledging the woman’s request, Astrid indulged in the same treat that The Divine had been. To her surprise, it actually ended up being tasting incredible. It had come from this small shop owned and operated by an elderly Joyan woman who lived within Crocus. Years ago, when she was just a child, Astrid loosely recalled Lady Tsara bringing her there and picking out a treat for her. She had often thought about returning there, yet despite how long she had been capable of doing so, whether due to her being in Crocus or having the means to order from there, she simply hadn’t.

Now having tried just a single of the treats and revitalizing her memory of what she had experienced once before, she couldn’t help but feel that she had erred in waiting so long.

What excitement she got out of the little treat seemed to go awry slightly as The Divine seemed to turn to a more serious tone, recognizing the loose deception on her part that Astrid had managed to see through. A simple matter of wishing to make acquaintances would not have suited a meeting of this sort, nor would they have had reason to interact, save for potential aspirations on Astrid’s part, but even entertaining such fantasies would not be for a lengthy period, at the minimum.

She kept her own gaze trailed on The Divine, a reasonable level of suspicion floating about, that sentiment proving to be valid when the question came of The Void. It had been a growing threat, one that she knew of well enough, had indulged in excessively, both in learning more of and harnessing herself. It was one of the things that mutually drew her and Ny’alotha together, the two of them sharing a fascination towards the Void and the power it possessed. And it was something that in her role of Senator she had been able to fully capitalize on, far more than if she were simply a normal Fiore citizen.

It was a fascination that broadly speaking only she seemed to have carried, especially within the Senate. Most, including even Lady Tsara, did not view it with the same intrigue that Astrid did, at best considering it a potential threat if it remained uncontained, at worst assuming that it would not be an issue that stood to affect Fiore. She seemed to recall more than a few sessions wherein the topic of the Void had come up, only for it to be summarily excused as ‘frivolous’ or ‘not a top priority.’

That The Divine was inquiring about it, a part of Astrid was both curious towards, but also admittedly leery to as well.

“The Void? I would say that I have a better understanding of it than most of my colleagues. I certainly don’t view it with the callous, care-free perspective that they all seem to convey towards it. I’ve seen enough of the reports that had come out of Talaz Lagaar to know what was attributed to their foolish war and what wasn’t.”

Astrid took another bite of the pastry, treating it with the indifference that she may have shown towards a sip of wine under the same circumstances. “But I would not have figured someone of your stature to be so interested in it. That you are bringing it, it lends me to more believe that you view this as a greater threat than what most would consider. Am I right?”

She suspected it to be the case, and there was little reason to doubt that. It would have made more sense to the reasoning behind this meeting, Astrid having shown herself as one of the few invested in the Void, regardless of the motivation behind it. But even it didn’t change that there were an uneasy feeling that lingered over this meeting.

Neither of them, Astrid nor The Divine, had shown all of their cards; both still feeling each other out.

It was apparent that there was more to all of this than what their discussion initially intended to be centered around. Astrid’s hesitation throughout this had been in part under the basis that The Divine had ulterior motives for arranging this meeting. The Void, while a threat and a potential opportunity, was by itself nothing that she felt would have merited her being singled out for such an interaction. It was flattering, particularly on the eve of her victory within the Senate Chamber, but it still left her wondering what the endgame of the woman before her truly was.

Her mind entertained a number of scenarios as to the potential reasoning. Much of them centered around the work that Astrid had done independently of the Senate, her own involvement within the smuggling of goods out of Talaz Lagaar, the testing of Void energies conducted by Ny’alotha maybe, but it was as likely that even those scenarios may not have been known. There was no certainty that The Divine had the insight to know of just what Astrid had been involved in; her correspondences regarding the matter were private, seldom revealed to any outside parties, including those within The Cabal, but nevertheless it was hard to tell quite what else it would have been that prompted her to be within the focus of The Divine.

She listened, saying nothing, but being unable to hide the subtle contempt upon her face as The Divine spoke of her God and the intended path that he saw her upon. Astrid never saw herself as a religious figure. Religion was never a stressed point of her homelife growing up, nor as she grew did she find that there was any reason to entertain it either. After all, what sort of God would have given her a life as difficult and unfair as the one that she had lived? In spite of that she was able to find herself to the status that she was now, not some deity that religions simply expected to blindly follow and obey.

That The Divine spoke with such a fervent sense of absolutism as to Astrid’s involvement in a matter that as far as she were concerned did not much worry her, that was by far the most eye-opening thing. Astrid may have thought that the Void was a threat, and the sentiment she shared of it was a genuine one, but it was also only a half-truth. In reality, she didn’t much care much about the Void and the affect that it would have on the rest of Fiore, or Earthland for that matter. What mattered most was the potential that maybe she would have been able to manipulate to her advantage, to further her along the Path of All-Consuming Power that she had been long walking.

For obvious reasons, there was little chance that she could say that without garnering a harsh reaction out of this woman, especially with The Divine being of the naïve mindset that the Void was something that could only be feared, not harnessed.

The Divine was not entirely out of her mind though. The fact that the Void had been as critical to the fall of Talaz Lagaar was nothing short of frightening, especially too given that most of the public perception of that conflict was that the fall was associated to the civil war that took place, not an outside entity like the Void. That ignorance was going to have no shortage of ramifications as it became more lively in nations like Caelum and others, areas where the Void had already been reportedly seen. If those nations continued to live in the ignorance dismissal of what really happened in Talaz Lagaar, they surely would follow in the same path.

“You cannot expect those to do anything if they all want to keep living in ignorance. Talaz Lagaar, that alone should be enough of a wake-up call for the people of our world.” Astrid sighed, “That conflict would have waged on for another decade at the least at the rate they were trying to destroy one another. That it can simply end in a single night… That anyone doesn’t find it suspicious or disconcerting, well, I think fair to assume at least another nation will fall.” She realized that the casualness of how she said, there was almost another emotion intertwined within it; glee. “Not that I’m excited for it, of course.”

Her callous remark didn’t seem to have much an effect upon The Divine. Perhaps it was simply the reality of the subject matter. The Void was exactly as they both described it to be; a risk of worldly scale. To some degree, it should have been expected that there was some dry humor thrown about in an attempt to ease the seriousness of the matter.

It was almost what Astrid had figured when she heard what The Divine had to say next. Proposing to become a God in the name of the God their religion believed in? It was utterly absurd, not just the idea behind, but the fact that it seemed that this woman was dead set on the position. The Oak Town Senator simply looked at the woman, trying to fully understand just what she meant. Tear away the ridiculousness of the suggestion, and how would one have been expected to achieve such a thing?

And for that matter, for what reason could she possibly have thought that Astrid needed to, or would be willing to help? Especially if the prospect was nothing short of impossible to achieve.

“I think you have me mistaken Your Holiness. Though I am flattered that you may think of me as someone who can help you, you’re wrong.” At this point, a part of her was as much thinking of some reason to excuse herself from this meeting. It may have been in poor taste, but listening to the idea pitched before her, she could not help but find that this sounded like madness than anything else. “The idea of ascending to Godhood as you describe it, I don’t believe it possible, nor have I ever heard of such a notion. Furthermore, I fail to see how you find that I would be someone who could help you.”

She stood up, nodding her head slightly towards The Divine, “I would have made an excuse as to dismiss myself, but I feel to do so would simply be demeaning. Your Holiness, I thank you for the audience, but I regrettably cannot, nor will help you in such an endeavor. I hope you can understand, but I have enough obligations going on to where I cannot entertain religious fantasies.”

She had thought the conversation concluded, the need for them to waste each other’s time had come and gone. Not to say that Astrid was not appreciative of the opportunity to meet someone like The Divine. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity as far as she were concerned, not only out of the notoriety of such a meeting, but also as a byproduct of how simply different their respective paths traveled. After all, The Divine was a political icon within Fiore, arguably the most important person within the entire nation to those that believed in their faith, even more important than King Reign. Meanwhile, Astrid was simply a politician, a member of one of the more controversial figures, and one whom managed to ride an even greater level of notoriety than even compared to what would be considered standard. Outside of an event such as this, as curious and unexpected as it and its origin had been, there was no reason to ever figure that it would bear a second instance occurring.

But as Astrid heard what words came from The Divine next, she all but froze in her place. At first, the idea popped into her head that it was simply a joke, that she had misheard something, as there was no possible way that it could have been proven the case. She was dumbstruck, at a complete loss but still having the mental acuity to know the risk posed if she had showed her hand. No immediate expression on her face save for the glance she exchanged as she looked down onto the woman seated, still having the same sincere expression on her face, even in the wake of the drastic tonal shift in the conversation.

“I’m sorry?” Astrid feigned ignorance, shifting her stance back and returning to her seat. It was a lose/lose situation; either she concede resuming the conversation with The Divine or otherwise walk away, both posing a level of risk to be admitting guilt that mirrored innocence. The only difference was that walking away deprived her of just how this woman may have known what she knew. “You’ll forgive me for asking you to clarify, but I could have sworn that you made some ridiculous accusation towards me. The Phantom Lord Guild?” She chuckled, “I may be a Senator from Oak Town, but to blankly assume I’m in association with them, that’s an ignorant stance that I certainly wouldn’t have expected out of you.”

It would have been welcome that the conversation could have ended there, Astrid selling the idea of the being offended by a baseless accusation as opposed to hoping she could properly conceal the genuine worry that had begun to sink inside her. But in the back of her mind she knew that wouldn’t be the case. She leaned forward, taking the snack that she had been snacking on earlier, finishing off the last bite or so that remained. “As to the rest of those accusations I suppose you can call them, quite what am I expected to stand accused of, and for that matter, is it just off the word of your God? Seems like a rather impossible scenario for me to defend against, now doesn’t it?”

She simply sat there, at first having thought that she could have simply listened through what was left of this meeting, unscathed. But with each word The Divine spoke, the more clear and apparent it became that it wouldn’t be the case, not matter how much she wished it. Her body tensed as she listened to the broader detailing of her interactions with Iblis, his role within the plot that saw not only her father killed on the basis of treason, but also saw her begin her role as a Senator outright. Whatever else she knew of their dealings was secondary to that bombshell.

Exposed, it could have been enough to see the Senate utterly rocked. It would have gone without saying that Astrid would have been ousted from her position, that probably being the most forgiving of punishments that could have been laid upon her. But those whom aligned with her, Lady Tsara, the scattered alliances established amongst those within the Cabal, and of course the newly introduced Senators of Oak Town, all of them would find themselves facing unparalleled scrutiny and criticism. It would have been a scandal to rock the political world of Fiore, but also be one to undoubtedly spread beyond its borders into the other nations of Earthland.

But, there were ways to get around that. Countermeasures that they had taken great strides in to try to minimalize any sort of fallout if such engagements were brought to the surface. It would be a dangerous game however, and even for as thorough as Astrid may have thought their political powerbase was built, it was never intended to fair off accusations from someone who had as much of an influence as The Divine herself did.

What more, there was little that Astrid could defend against when she heard what else Her Holiness appeared to have known.

She knew of the Eye!

The twisted artifact of unknown Magical power that Astrid had come across, a trade-off that she had made in exchange for the secrets of her ghoulish body; a more than fair trade as far as she had been concerned with at the time, only to revel in the power that she eventually came to learn of later. But even those delights were exposed. The Blood Pact with Alisa Vollan, the possession of both Sia and Noir, that she knew all of it, it left Astrid stunned. She could feel the color draining from her face. Whatever lie she could have produced, in the back of her mind she knew it would have been pointless.

The Divine had caught her right within her web, a cruel twist of irony, this having been the very same game that Astrid had so often found herself deploying herself.

Her mind moved at a thousand thoughts a second, struggling to find any sort of option, any type of move that she could make. Tragically, even what could have been her greatest trump card had been severed, even to the knowledge of The Divine, who almost spoke with admiration of the Void in it having stolen that power from her. An almost uncomfortable moment of irony, given how vehemently the religious figure decried the Void throughout their meeting. Perhaps a scale to the threat that would have been posed by Astrid’s continued use of it. Perhaps simply colorful language. Either way, it was an option denied her.

As she looked, trying to maintain an indifferent face, the reality finally began to set in upon Astrid. Her body, having been tense since before taking a seat, finally began to relax. A sigh escaped her lips, one that as much served as her conceding than anything else. She looked forward, staring directly at The Divine, the serious look on her face versus the almost childish demeanor that was cast on The Divine’s.

“So, I am to help you become a God, and I am forgiven for my crimes? You would simply allow me to continue to do whatever I may be planning, without stopping me? Why does that feel all too convenient?” It seemed too good to be true, but there still were too many things left unclear about it all. “Let’s entertain the idea that what you have said I’ve done is true, you expect that I simply take you at your word that I come out of this unaffected?”

Her legs crossed. As much as this had at one point seemed like a one-sided meeting, the longer it went on and the time allowed to Astrid to speak her side, the more comfortable she felt, the more the two seemed to have been on equal footing. At least to a degree. Though not said, the deal was struck, the two simply now figuring out the terms, the logistical matters that so often plagued a deal like this.

“And lastly, you tell me why you care about me so greatly? If what you’ve said is true, and I am being quite generous in entertaining even that, then why the game of cat and mouse?” Her hand reached out across the table, fingers delicately plucking the piece of pretzel held within the hand of The Divine, taking it for herself as she bit down upon it, a sickening grin on her face. “What’s so special about me that you felt the need to stop so low and discover such horrid secrets for? Were the skeletons of my past worth tarnishing your ‘holy being’ over?”

The irony of the situation was something that she could not help but marvel at. In reality, Astrid had as much found a way to escape from the fate that had been cast upon her as she had found that it had been by her own actions that prompted it. Everything ultimately pointed back to her trip to Seven, the hubris that she displayed there, the need to take control of Noir, the Sevenese Goddess. It had been worth it, of that she had no mistake, no doubt at all within her. But at the time, nor in the future that followed, would she have imagined that things played out in the manner that they had.

To think that the most powerful religious figure in all of Fiore would have found a means to blackmail her over what she had done in a foreign nation, there likely would never have been a single soul, certainly not Astrid, that would have thought that possible.

But all that said, to equally know that the prison cell she had constructed for herself would have a simple means of providing her the key to her freedom, she would not have changed a thing. Neither then, nor now.

Simply too was the reality, that a choice for her was false. The reach that The Divine had was far beyond what Astrid could have comprehended, her word being something akin to a decree by that of King Reign himself. And too, the commitment that she would take to following through on her word, Astrid had zero doubt that no matter what she thought she could to manipulate the situation, The Divine would follow through on her threat. But in the same breath, so too was the likelihood of the reassurance provided. If she were to help, then the threat that she held over Astrid would be gone.

As far as she were concerned, that assurance was enough of a reason to agree. Whatever hell it would have been that this effort by the Divine was going to require, the prize for it at the end would be entirely worth it.

“I suppose then that a trip is in order. Not that it is a bad thing. I'm sure Noir would appreciate a chance to return home one last time.” She leaned back, comfortable now. The tension in the room dissolved away as the two spoke, almost as if one of any number of meetings that Astrid had found herself in during her political tenure. Simply a negotiation, but with an equal party than that of a lesser. “The timeline won’t be particularly forgiving, especially not with the Senate set to reconvene in a few days. Though,” she peered towards The Divine, “I’m sure that a sufficient justification on behalf of Her Holiness herself could excuse my abrupt departure.”

More thoughts went through her head, matters that needed to be tended to, matters that would predominantly be tedium, if not outright unnecessary had the Senate been in a longer recess window. A pity that the timing could not have been better on that end. “I’ll have Sia prepare a formal note to the Senate, lest there be any unwanted eyes that pry into our current agenda. I’m sure given everything, you certainly wouldn’t want interfere run either.”

She then pulled herself up from the seat, a warm smile on her face, one uncharacteristic of Astrid, both given the earlier nature of the conversation and the general demeanor that seemed to somewhat loom over it all. “Although I had not planned for, I’ll be returning to Oak Town, most likely tonight then. Any and all information that you have for me, directives, itinerary, have it all sent to my headquarters within Oak Town. I have no doubt that you will be able to find that information, if not have it already available.”

Stepping away, at first it seemed like she were heading towards the door, but she stopped and turned, facing The Divine once again. With one hand placed against her chest, Astrid bowed; a show of respect that would have been expected in such an encounter, regardless of how the meeting had played out. One that she nearly was willing to depart earlier without. “Your Holiness, it has been a great honor to spend this time with you. I’m looking forward to us working together and to seeing the world bow before you. Until then…”