Kalim kept his playful smile on as he pushed open the doors and led the way into the very dark office. The windows were covered in blinds and a large, glow crystal cast a moonlight over the room. It was covered in dark woods and stone based artworks. A large desk carved from what appeared to be a single black crystal sat in the center of the room. And behind it, a small, drow woman, sitting in a high backed chair. Kalim walked forward and sat in the central of three chairs before the desk, indicating the other two, though quite oversized, were for the fairies. 

Once they'd taken their seat, [color=f7941d][i][b]"Good evening ma'am. How's my favorite Warden Knight?"[/b][/i][/color] Warden Knights were the second highest achievable rank in the Ebon Knights, only below the five Lord Knights. It was an incredibly prestigious position, only granted to the most capable in both combat, tactics, and politics. There wasn't a single one among them that wasn't ruthless and dangerous, in all settings. The Warden smiled, her crimson eyes gazing fiercely over the fairies, her white hair swishing lightly. She nodded at the Lii, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Is this her?"[/b][/i][/color]

[i][b][color=bc8dbf]"Yes Ma'am."[/color][/b][/i]

[b][i][color=bc8dbf]"Outside of their village, who knows for sure what she can do and who she is?"[/color][/i][/b]

[b][i][color=f7941d]"Master Longarm, myself, and you."[/color][/i][/b]

It would be quite evident that Kalim's normal playful attitude and mystery was not applied to his superior. The woman now looked quite pleased, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Excellent. Let's make sure it remains that way."[/b][/i][/color] The weight of those words clearly indicated a not-so-veiled threat. She now looked at Lii as a spider would a fly caught in its web. [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Do you speak for your village?"[/b][/i][/color] The woman would allow just enough time for a simple answer before continuing. [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"I am Warden Knight Drisceya. You are a rare and valuable person, Lyriia, and you need to be protected, by the might of the mighty Ebonfort and her laws. As such, we need to bring your village into the fold. If not, anything could happen to it. We'd hate for that to happen, wouldn't we?"[/b][/i][/color] 

The woman now stood, creeping toward the female fairy, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"This hasn't been done for some years, most recently with Stone Crest fifty years back. Some may not know the... protocols for such. And I see Kalim has ensured the first steps. You're now the civilian representative for your little village. What is it you call this place?"[/b][/i][/color] She paused, waiting for the response, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"As such, you will bring forth any issues, of any sort, directly to the Captain Knight assigned to your village."[/b][/i][/color] She glanced at Kalim, smiling venomously, as she reached down and gently brushed a single finger tip across Lii's hair, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Kalim certainly deserves a promotion. After all, he's discovered this little village of yours, and found the first known mage in centuries. Consider it done, Kalim."[/b][/i][/color]

She began walking from behind Lii's chair, over toward her brother's, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Which brings us to the third requirement, now that a civilian representative and Captain Knight have been assigned. We require a certain percentage of the youth of a new village to enlist as squires. Since your population is so small, Kalim clearly only needed to bring along a single recruit. And all Captain Knights deserve squires. Congratulations Lyellan. Your training begins the moment you leave this office." [/b][/i][/color]

She continued her femme fatale stride back to her chair, [color=bc8dbf][i][b]"I know how much you detest paperwork Kalim, so Serah will take care of all that. However, civilian representatives cannot be so... unimportant. Perhaps it is time to restore Lii to her previous position. Would Master Strongarm be willing to take his apprentice back?"[/b][/i][/color] Kalim nodded, the self satisfying grin barely contained by his face, [color=f7941d][i][b]"He's already awaiting her arrival, and has been made aware of the plans."[/b][/i][/color]

[color=bc8dbf][i][b]"Excellent. All that leaves is the agreement from our two fairies here to make this official. Accept and enjoy the protection of our little empire. Decline and... well, that wouldn't be recommended."[/b][/i][/color]

Drisceya looked at the two fairies, awaiting their response, and the next step in her plans to come to fruition. Yes, this was definitely the advantage, the opportunity she'd been waiting for, and she was not going to let it pass her by.