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((Triple Saturday -- Page 1 of 3))
‘Okay, well, you can still give us the basic gossip, right?’ said Voreese. ‘I mean, you’re a damn reaper, aren’t you? This kinda shit is what we live for.’

‘She’s not wrong,’ said Garovel. ‘I’d be interested to hear more from you as well.’

Axiolis gave a small sigh. ‘If you insist.’ He turned to Yangéra and Lorios first, however, who had both been rather quiet this whole time. ‘Would either of you care to tell the tale?’

‘Oh, no, thank you,’ said Yangéra.

‘Yeah, you go ahead,’ said Lorios.

Axiolis paused again, perhaps considering how to begin. ‘Well... the Jungle Wars had been raging on and off for some years when it happened. In fact, that was ostensibly the root cause behind it. A number of Melmoorian and Corricoan aristocrats claimed that they sought “a true end to the conflict” and so decided to break away from their respective nations and form their own.’

‘Richland,’ said Voreese.

‘Yes,’ said Axiolis. ‘The name is not a misnomer. They managed to get away with a considerable portion of the most arable land in the region, as well as seventy percent of the diamonds that had been the chief cause of the conflict from the beginning.’

Voreese laughed. ‘Gotta admire the sheer audacity it takes to even attempt something like that, let alone to actually pull it off. That’d be like runnin’ up to a group of guys who are already fighting, waiting until they’re a little tired, and then just kicking them all in the balls.’

‘Mm,’ hummed Axiolis. ‘They certainly managed to anger everyone at once with that move. And my Intarian brethren helped them both acquire and secure their wealth.’

‘How did Sai-hee factor into it?’

‘She had been trying to broker a peace between all of the warring nations for decades. She had even managed to succeed, though only briefly. There was a cultural hatred that was born during those conflicts, and I imagine that proved difficult to overcome in a sustainable manner.’

‘So she blames you guys for prolonging the war?’

‘My understanding is that she believed she was getting close to achieving a true, lasting peace which would have been to the benefit of all parties. Whether or not that was actually the case--well, that is something we may never know.’

‘Hmm,’ said Voreese. ‘Still seems like a strange thing to blame you guys for. Why not the audacious pricks in Richland?’

‘Oh, I imagine she does reserve some hatred for them as well,’ said Axiolis. ‘But there was also... another element to it.’

Voreese perked up at that. ‘Oh? Do I sense something salacious in what you are about to say?’

Axiolis tilted his head at her. ‘You have heard a few rumors, I presume?’

‘I may have,’ she said with a smirk. ‘What can I say? I’m a gossip-loving girl at heart.’

‘Yes, well... from what I have been told, there was at least a degree of truth in those rumors.’