The Lonely Earth - Earth ISOT into Magitek fantasy

Chapter 6: Faith and Ideal Part 1

Office of the Executive Council of the Coronia, 30 hours since translocation

First Speaker Saerana sat at her desk in an elegantly appointed office, engrossed in a stack of papers handed to her moments before an unexpected interruption came in the form of a buzzing sound.

"Yes?" Her tone betrayed her weariness and tension. Dealing with a constant stream of interview requests had frayed her patience.

"We have Ravi Ahmad here to see you, from the Democratic Socialists of America," the voice on the intercom informed her before Saerana could see the image on her screen. She sighed in relief, glad that this visitor seemed more professional than some of the others. Perhaps she could spare a few moments for them.

"Let them through. But if they start bombarding me with inane beauty questions, I'll send them back to you, Zera," she said, her exasperation evident in her voice.

Zera chuckled on the other end. "That's an improvement. Last time you threatened to throw them out the window."

Saerana rolled her eyes playfully before Zera cut the feed.

The doors slid open to admit the dark-haired woman, and Saerana noted that she looked serious and businesslike, a welcome change from the usual distractions. As the woman approached her desk, Saerana rose to her feet and extended her hand in a gesture of greeting, which was understood in both of their worlds.

"Good day and well met, herserum," the woman said as they shook hands.

"I must admit, I have a million and one questions for you," she added, acknowledging the curiosity surrounding Saerana.

"I believe everyone who has walked through those doors recently shares your sentiment. Hopefully, your questions will steer clear of what I eat, drink, wear, whom I date, or even my choice of undergarments," Saerana quipped, counting off her daily nuisances on her fingers.

The visitor chuckled. "The paparazzi can be relentless, can't they?"

"Does your press not know how to behave around an elven woman or werman?" Saerana inquired, using the term she assumed would be understood in the United States.

"Werman?" the woman asked, her confusion apparent.

"Yes, males," Saerana clarified, realizing that the term might be unfamiliar.

"Ah, so 'men' is gender-neutral in your language," the visitor noted.

"Precisely," Saerana confirmed, amused by the cultural exchange.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the woman turned to more substantive questions. "I'm sure you're not just here to talk about vocabulary," Saerana remarked, tapping her fingers on her desk.

"Correct. I'm sorry; I'm just not sure how to approach speaking to an Elf. By the way, how are we able to communicate so easily?" the visitor asked, trying to sound composed.

"It's through a tongues spell, refined over generations until it became simple and easy to cast," Saerana explained.

"And how does that not lead to weird lip-syncing issues?" the woman inquired, showing an interest in the magical aspect.

"There's a minor illusion magic that comes with it. It's not really challenging to mask lip movements," Saerana answered.

"That's fascinating! I know at least a dozen animators who would love to know about that," the visitor said with a grin.

"Moving on to the more significant matters, I have some questions about how your society is organized," she said, flipping open her notebook, eager to learn more about the UCA as information about it started to reach the USA.