Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 5: Root of The Invasion

Gabriella and Lucille were standing in front of a door. Behind said door was Albedo. After their long and hard journey, it was time for them to meet. Gabriella stepped up to the door and reached out to knock. She stopped, however, turning to Lucille. "D-Do I smell alright? Is my hair okay?" She asked, "You smell...natural if that makes you feel better. And your hair is fine...there are just a few strands out of place..." Lucille answered, "C-Can you fix it? I-I don't wanna look bad in front of Grandmaster Albedo..." Gabriella said. Lucille nodded, approaching her. She reached out, gently pulling and brushing Gabriella's hair with her fingers. Once it was all in place, she took a step back. "There you go." She said, "Thanks..." Gabriella responded. Finally, she knocked on the door. Thirty tense seconds passed, before the door finally opened. Albedo stood on the other side, within her chambers. She was wearing black suit pants, with matching black loafers. She wore a white button-up, with the top few buttons undone. There was an undone tie hanging around her neck loosely. It was likely that she was either getting dressed or undressed when they knocked. Upon seeing her, Gabriella's eyes widened. "Don't look at her chest. Don't look at her chest. Don't look at her chest-" Her thoughts were cut off as her gaze shifted to Albedo's chest. She swiftly raised her eyes back up to meet Albedos. "Fuck!" She thought to herself. Albedo looked her up and down. "An Arvanian? Are you the one who sent us the message?" She asked, "Th-That's right." Gabriella answered. 

She shifted uncomfortably, hoping Albedo didn't notice her staring. "Me and my good friend, here." She said. Albedo looked at Lucille, having noticed her for the first time. "Oh, hello!" She exclaimed, "Huh? Oh...hi." Lucille responded. Gabriella cleared her throat, reattracting Albedo's attention. "So...are you willing to unite with us against the Covenant?" She asked, "I'm not sure. We don't really know what's happening...but this situation feels strangely familiar. I'll personally hear you out. We're planning to have a Council meeting about it too. But at the moment I can't really guarantee anything..." Albedo answered, "Thank you...this has all been so sudden...I'm glad you're willing to at least hear us out." Gabriella said, "No problem! I do have to ask though...why Celestia? Arvan is in a closer friendship with Arumi than Celestia, so why choose us over them?" Albedo asked. Gabriella slipped a cautious glance at Lucille, who nodded to her reassuringly. She looked back at Albedo, meeting her curious eyes. "Well, it's a bit of a long story. But we know the invaders are coming to Celestia next. I...think you should know why. Do you have time to talk right now?" She vaguely asked, "Yeah, I've got some time. My girlfriend and I were actually about to go to dinner if you would like to join us." Albedo answered, "Would that be okay? I don't want to get in between your time together." Gabriella asked, "It's no problem at all! I'm sure she won't mind." Albedo answered, "Well...if you're sure." Gabriella said, "Alright. Give us a minute to get ready, we'll be right out." Albedo responded. 

With that, she closed the door to her chambers. Gabriella turned to Lucille, a hopeful look in her eyes. "They're willing to hear us out...at least." She said, "Well...I'm glad. It's our fault they're in imminent danger anyway." Lucille responded. Gabriella averted her eyes shamefully. "Yeah...I guess that's my fault..." She said. Lucille walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No one is blaming you. I don't think it's your fault. If our places were reversed, I wouldn't have been able to watch you die either. If anything, it's my fault for getting myself captured." She said, "Lucille...what am I to you?" Gabriella suddenly asked, "Huh?" Lucille asked in response, "I know it's not really the time or place...but I want to know..." Gabriella said. She finally turned her gaze back to Lucille, causing her to swallow hard. Just as she was about to answer, the door opened once more! Lucille took her hand off Gabriella's shoulder, shuffling back awkwardly. "S-Sorry...are we interrupting something? We can go back inside if you need a minute." Albedo said. Gabriella let out a nervous laugh. "D-Don't worry about it." She responded. Albedo stepped out of her chambers, followed by Kei. Albedo had removed her loose tie, though the rest of her attire stayed the same. Kei was wearing a black tank top, with black pants and white sneakers. Lucille eyed Kei in surprise, as though she wasn't expecting something about her. Though it was unclear exactly what it was. "Are you two ready?" Albedo asked, "I believe so." Gabriella answered, "Alright! Off we go!" Albedo exclaimed, leading them down the hall.