This chapter is dedicated to @porky_corky
for her insightful help with exploring grief!
UNEDITED CHAPTER;;
Thank you for your patience on these chapter updates!
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Timothy Gruel, the president of The Foundation, was a small man with a big presence, emphasized by his animated hand gestures. His domineering voice boomed over the white noise of the Passamont crowd, yet Daniel struggled to pay attention. The two men scheduled this meeting at the Silvia rally, but so much had happened since that day. Any other week, Daniel would have been more than happy to discuss politics, especially with the election just days away. This week, his thoughts continually floated to Gemma.
The memory of her green eyes haunted him. The absence of her laugh left him cold. His apprehension grew with each hour that he didn't receive an update on her well-being. All he knew was what Hyun Min told him - she was safe.
"Daniel?"
Daniel blinked, Gruel's distinctive hooked nose came back into focus. "I'm sorry?"
"I said, what is your plan after Silvia's election."
Daniel cleared his throat, taking a sip of his black coffee. "To be honest, I hadn't thought about it."
"It's only three days away," Gruel noted, also taking a sip from his mug. "The people will not be assuaged regardless of the outcome."
"I know." Daniel nodded. "I've read about the boycott."
"You're not participating?"
Daniel gave him a dry smile. "I am currently attending Mangiatorvi University, which makes it difficult to boycott against all royal entities."
"Fair, but more and more ungifted are joining the statewide employee walkout. It would make quite the statement if you were to join them."
"Let's get to the point, Mr. Gruel," Daniel said, setting his mug on the cafe table and fixing his grey gaze on the older man. "What does the foundation want from me? Participation, or are you here for my public endorsement and funding?"
"I appreciate your candor," Gruel admitted. "We want more than your endorsement or your funding. We want you."
"What?"
"We want you to be our champion," Gruel explained. "We share similar goals, admire your natural leadership, and recognize your respected standing in the community. You have the power to bring this organization to the next level as the face of the Foundation."
Daniel frowned. Supporting the Foundation came with many more implications than supporting a singular House of Commons candidate. He was unsure whether he was ready for that level of commitment or proclamation.
"You don't have to answer immediately, we simply wanted to extend the offer." Gruel pulled out a few large bills to leave on the table for their drinks as he stood to his feet. "Sleep on it."
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The soft sounds of classical music engulfed Luca's apartment-style dorm as he sat at his bar with a bourbon. He stared into the glass, watching the ice clink against the edges. A gentle knock, then another, broke into the rabbit hole of negative thoughts he had fallen into. Luca looked up, realizing the sound originated from his front door. He set the glass down, getting to his feet to take a look out of the peephole. He smoothed out his dress shirt and opened the door to reveal Haruhi. The frown of disgust that she regularly reserved for him was nowhere to be seen. In fact, she was practically smiling.
"Hey," he smiled.
"Hey," she responded.
Luca took two steps back from the door, opening it wide to welcome her in. He guided her to the couch, grabbing his drink off the bar along the way. "Is Beka coming?"
Haruhi nodded her head, wisps of her long black hair fell out of her lazy ponytail as her gaze floated around his apartment. "She's on her way."
"Do you want a drink?" he offered.
Haruhi shook her head, she motioned to the grand piano in the corner. "Do you play?"
Luca nodded, taking another sip of his drink.
"That's interesting. The people of Oasi do not seem to value the arts."
"My mother studied abroad in the Mortal Realm, so she developed a love for them," Luca explained. "Mostly music."
"I gained my love of music from my mother as well," Haruhi said, running her hands over the top of the piano. "It's odd to me that the arts are considered a frivolous activity after primary school here."
"We absorb culture from the Mortal Realm. We use their music, art, and media," Luca countered, then paused. "But yes, I guess we do not encourage pursuing those activities." Luca finished his drink and placed the empty glass into the sink. A smile crept onto his face as he thought back to the hours he and his mother would spend by the fireplace listening to classical music. "My mother was a fan of your mother."
"Oh, I didn't know that." Haruhi stared at him with wide brown eyes.
The two sat in a second of awkward silence before three firm knocks at the door signaled Beka's arrival. Luca went to open the door, but he had barely turned the doorknob before Beka was halfway into the room with Madison close behind.
"Is Gemma okay? Can I see her?" Madison asked, standing too close for comfort.
Luca took a wary step back from the disheveled brunette. "Please, sit, we can discuss everything."
He led Madison to the long sectional couch where Haruhi and Beka were already seated. Madison's flushed cheeks deeply contrasted with her pale white skin. Her swollen eyes, most likely from crying, were emphasized further by her large glasses. Luca's eyes flit over to Beka and Haruhi, who both sat with their hands tightly laced in their laps. He let out a deep sigh. They were not going to like what he had to tell them.
"I went to see Gemma earlier. She is okay in the fact that her accommodations are decent, she is being taken care of, and I am filling out the appropriate paperwork to have her released on probation."
"But?" Beka prompted.
"But she is refusing visitors," Luca said. "The guards say she has barely touched her food or water since arriving last night"
"Poor Gemma," Madison whispered to herself, wiping away the tears that spilled upon her cheeks.
Beka sighed, placing a comforting hand over Madison's shoulder. "Is there anything we can do for her?"
"Actually, there is," Luca said. "During training the other day I overheard Gemma mention you two were investigating her birth parents?"
Haruhi nodded, "We believe she originated from Oasi."
"She was found by her adoptive mother wearing the Mangiatorvi University logo."
Luca took a deep breath, his heartbeat pounded in his ears as he grappled to keep his emotions off his face. "Have you found any answers?"
"Not yet, but I submitted a formal request for a portal report into New York. We have her arrival down to almost the exact minute," Haruhi said. She tilted her head. "Why?"
"Gemma lost her adoptive mother, I thought finding her birth parents could offer her at least some comfort during this time of loss," Luca lied. The guilt dripped from the tip of his heart down into the bottom of his stomach, resting heavy in an acidic rumble. However, for the time being, he couldn't risk revealing his ludacris theory without stronger evidence. "When did she arrive in New York?"
"When she was four years old, around four am on October six."
Luca swallowed roughly, forcing down the urge to vomit.