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Sometimes, ruling did have their own sort of unsavoury things and awkward bed partners. It had been a while since Penny had decided to make her an important person in her cabinet. Of course, the memories of both the Mariette raid and the subsequent attack were fresh. Above all, Dina was becoming painfully more aware and aware that Cindy’s demise had not been the opportunity she had once hoped to be.

It had been a very dire warning. One that made her rethink the whole status quo of the city. 

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing“ Dina said, she sipped her iced tea on one of the still shops that like weeds, still stubbornly surviving in the near empty city. This reeked of a warzone to her memories, albeit one of a shadow war. While her appearance as a monster girl was not usually a concern, she had taken extra care to make an effort and appear as a human girl this time.

“Well, we’re not exactly men, but we must give it a shot I think.” Dina said, as she awaited. She had pulled this unlikely information out of the Queen herself. And the first time they saw each other, they were on opposing sides. 

And yet, they had almost reached a compromise. She had felt bad things had fallen through. And Mariette, as bound as she had been bound to help her, had a terrible master who had actually tricked the well-meaning but utterly clueless Beach Guardian in a conflict that had been Anathema to it all.

So, it was time for a chat in neutral territory. With Alicia. She had laid some groundwork, but she did not fully expect her to show up.

it was interesting, Alicia noted to herself as she walked down sparsely populated streets. She was used to being contacted by Penny, but being told that there was someone in the Sanctuary who might want to speak with her was a bit more unusual. That it had actually happened even stranger still. From what she’d been told, the two groups rarely found reason to intermingle, aside from coincidence. 

Dressed in a heavy coat to brace against the cold, Alicia made her way to the cafe that she had been directed to in the message. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what she intended to accomplish with this. Humor a friend/ Make new allies? Raise the flag? It was all kind of up in the air. So she resolved to be flexible and play things by ear. It was the best way to approach an uncertain situation

at last she arrived at the cafe. It was not hard to figure out who she was here to meet, given there was basically no one else besides employees around. [color=aba000]”Dinah, I assume?”[/color] she asked as she took a seat across from the tea sipping girl. 

“Indeed.” Dina said as she called the waitress to serve Alicia. “As surprising as it might be, lady Hayden.” The disguised catgirl said. “It’s a change...from how we first met, don’t you think?” She added, offering a small smile.

[color=aba000]”Most situations are pretty different from that,”[/color] Alicia observed as she glanced at the menu. She settled for some hot chocolate, to balance out the cold that currently afflicted them outside. [color=aba000]”So, what did you want to talk about?’[/color]

Dina raised an eyebrow at the choice of the senior Beacon leader, but did not comment further. Trust youths to have a sweet tooth. "Take a look around. What do you think you see?"

Alicia glanced out the window before returning her focus to Dina. [color=aba000]”So, cooperation to get the city back on its feet then? Or is this about the Ascendancy?”[/color] Those were the two things that immediately sprang to mind based on the prompt she had been given. 

"The second is merely a consequence of the former." Dina said. "This city's future...does not bode well at all. High handed has become the common language… and as such, everything suffers. Both magical and non magical worlds are intertwined like vines." She added. "And a difficult choice is slowly but creeping in. Peace paid in blood, or Justice over ashes." 

An eyebrow rose as Dina laid out her view in eloquent language. Still, Alicia did her best to cut through that to the heart of what she was trying to say. [color=aba000]”And which of those do you value most? For those who would disturb the peace must be brought to justice, lest they continue to scheme unchecked.”[/color] Like Mariette, or Justine.

Dina said. "It's a terrible choice, indeed… but If I were to say I prefer to bring the former. Scheming is part of any being, and there will be no shortage of schemers. All doctors seek to undo all ailments, but sometimes a triage has to be made."

"Would I ever meet with you if I did not think that sometimes It's better the evil you know, as they say?"

[color=aba000]”I see.”[/color] Alicia did her best to overlook the fact that she was being described as an ‘evil’ in the first place, albeit a lesser one. [color=aba000]”I take it that’s why you chose to join in the defense of Mariette the last time that we met? She is one of the more egregious schemers after all.”[/color]

Dina's lips curled in a slight frown. "My patron was not the smartest tool in the shed. He was tricked in believing it so. And I honour commitments. Nevertheless, Dan has taken one of Mariette's most powerful artifacts and locked it down until she behaves. Trickery comes at a price."

An eyebrow rose as Alicia took in what Dina had said. She recalled Janet mentioning something like that, though those details had been from a different perspective. Interesting to know, though perhaps not that helpful at present. At least she knew a bit more than she had before. 

For now she left that behind, to approach the actual details of this plan. [color=aba000]”So how did you intend to go about creating this peace? Some sort of conference of big factions, or playing middleman to keep people from taking shots at each other.”[/color] Even if Beacon agreed after all, one would still have to convince everyone else who might ruin that peace. 

"That would be ideal yes, but not all factions care about reputation in that way to work… unlike real world state affairs." Dina said. "We cannot be at peace… but we can scale things down to a cold war." 

Her gaze became unfocused for a brief moment. Those words brought bad memories. "Standoffish attitude is already taken care of, unfortunately. We need a sort of Red Phone to avoid escalation."

"Like Mariette calling friends, Justine calling allies… What was a feud between two magical girls dragged half of Penrose with it. I am sure you did notice."

Dina then looked at the rest of the cafe, and the lack of crowds."I am not sure how many of these escalations this otherwise industrious city can take, If I am being honest with you."

[color=aba000]”Yes, I noticed,”[/color] Alicia replied, verging on a grumble without entirely expressing that exasperation. So she could see what Dina was going for. That said, it was not necessarily a foolproof decision. [color=aba000]”That only worked because of the threat of mutually assured destruction. There is no verifiable way to claim that the destruction of Penrose is assured, aside from personal feelings. And there’s enough people who don’t respect Mint or Beacon that a ‘Red phone’ would only be of limited use. Unless i’m misunderstanding what you’re aiming for.”[/color]

“The scale of it, mainly. We need to round up as many pragmatic people as we can across factions, and get them in touch. It’s true that there’s no shortage of rash individuals.” She placed the teacup on the saucer dainty, with a small clatter. “People like you are far rarer.”

“We have had attempts to reach out in the past… but how do I say, they seemed as if they were meant to appease someone’s conscience rather than actually helping a fellow. They did lack the weight of commanding.” She stared at the Beacon girl.

“I was that hydra, you know.” She then promptly revealed. 

Alicia barely reacted as Dina revealed the other role she had played in the last fight. [color=aba000]”So you were,”[/color] she answered, her tone measured and calm. It wasn’t as if that hydra had fought her, and it only played a small part in her general frustration with the event. 

For now, she did her best to move on. [color=aba000]”Regardless, I am open to the idea. If you can provide proof that it will work as you hope it will.”[/color] She had been led astray by words before. She would be a fool if she let it happen again. 

Dina sighed. "If i was able to produce proof beyond doubt, would I even be talking to you and not your superior?" The catgirl said. "Fortunately, It is not as the world will end tomorrow. I may be able to gather some good will in the meantime." She paused. "I heard that there was a nasty attack on the Cardinal. How is she?"

While Dina pointed out the fairly obvious, Alicia found it hard to be sympathetic. After all, her weight was only really good with the Sanctuary, and if that were a problem then Dina wouldn’t be here. [color=aba000]”Well then, let me know if you make any progressOur word may not be all that much in bringing people on board.”[/color]

Sipping her drink, Alicia turned to the matter of the Cardinal. [color=aba000]”On the mend. Things were tense for a bit there, but she was able to pull it out with some help.”[/color] Luckily for everyone involved. Otherwise there would have been no check on Rachel’s authority

"Hmm, less bloodshed. That is… good." Dina said. She then pulled a pen and some paper from her purse, and began scribbling in exquisite penmanship, before she handed the paper to Alicia. "My contact details." She added.

Alicia took the paper, glancing at it before slipping it into a coat pocket. [color=aba000]”Do you want mine?”[/color] she asked, more out of courtesy than anything. After all, Penny had her number, so Dina could always just ask her if it was needed. 

“I could use it. Her highness it’s not a phone company… I mean, she might as well be, but that is beside the point.” Dina said, tilting her head. 

Nodding, Alicia picked up a nearby napkin and jotted her number down on it. Once finished, she passed it over to Dina. [color=aba000]”There. Now you can skip the help line.”[/color]

“Brilliant.” Dina said, offering a smile. If her ears and tail were out, her tail would be stiff and up like a pole. “Here is some little extra. From Saladin to Richard.” Dina added as she pulled a small bag, with a glittering substance. “Some fairy dust. I could get some unicorn horn if need be. For your leader.” She added. 

It took Alicia a moment to figure out what reference Dina was making, partially because she wasn’t that old and partially because the normal school system didn’t go that deep into the crusades unless you were taking a particular class. But once she’d figured it out she would nod and take the offered bag. She didn’t imagine it would be needed, but it would be rude to refuse. 

[color=aba000]”Thank you, but this should be alright,”[/color] she assured Dina. [color=aba000]”I’m afraid I didn’t bring anything for you though.”[/color] she might need to start doing that in the future, if these sorts of diplomatic meetings were to become more common. 

“Your presence is a good enough gift.” Dina stated. “I do like these sorts of meetings… unlike most girls with my condition. Mine is surprisingly much more manageable.” The catgirl said. “I’d love to stay and enjoy more company, but I am afraid we might be accused of colluding.” Dina said, waiving the waitress for the bill. 

[color=aba000]””Fair enough,’[/color] Alicia agreed with a shrug. That was probably more of a problem for Dina than herself. It wasn’t as if she had not dealt with those sorts of accusations before. [color=aba000]”I’ll look forward to your next message then. I hope you find success in your project.”[/color]

“Be well, this city needs you.” Dina said, as she paid the expenses, before draping her skirt in a curtsy and leaving with measured steps.

Alicia observed Dina leave, taking some time to finish her hot chocolate before she considered doing the same. [color=aba000]”No pressure,”[/color] she muttered, with the hint of a smile to accompany it. It seemed there was still plenty going on these days.