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The Councilwoman looked at Lady Kai when she brought up the burnt down homes and the death of the Duke, she remembered quite well. It hadn't been to heavy a blow that she couldn't smooth over at the time "Ah yes, that would be another reason to be under the water" she said "Contrary to popular belief Antari and Ecruos don't get along that well and find each other rather annoying from what I was told." she could woman fished wringing out her hair and she folded her hands.

"Money wont bring back the dead and if we rebuild the houses that were lost I doubt many would bother to occupy them since most of the Ethen's that once occupied them have either died or returned home, those that remain in Bellris have better homes then those that were burnt down already and are working jobs that had elevated them. Despite popular opinion they have a voice within the republic. I can do no more then that" Hysteria stared at the woman for a moment and blinked "and again, despite popular belief, I was not the one that killed the Duke or burnt down your personal home. Though I will go as far to admit that I did not stand in the way or bother to stop the person that did, doing so would have caused far more deaths" Hysteria would take a single step toward her "so what do you want in reparation?" she asked her.

The Councilwoman pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes for a moment, she either seemed to be about ready to explode in anger or that she was thinking rather deeply. "I see." the councilwoman shook her head and let out a few tsk tsk tsk noises as her tongue clicked against the back of her teeth "How do I put this gently. Ah." Hysteria's lips no longer pressed together and her eyes no longer narrowed "You can keep demanding the head of the ones that murdered the duke and caused the fires but if I was to hand over the person that did so you would be either killed politically or literally." The Councilwoman wasn't smiling

"A little more information for you, freely given." The councilwoman took another step forward, she was not being threatening, but she moved forward so that she would be able to lower her voice so the guard wouldn't be able to listen in "When your beloved goddess chose to bless you about two years ago now, my peoples goddess took her appearance as a threat to Bellris, if you want to claim the head of the person that killed the duke and set those fires then you will either find the authority to order a goddess around or find a way to kill her." Hysteria's eye twitched "The first of which you made clear you can not do with Agni which makes me wonder how you would plan to order MY peoples goddess to appear before you. While the second one I doubt either of us want since killing a goddess is far more heinous then killing a duke" Hysteria tilted her head slightly "as for money for the reparation. Find me someone I can trust and then I will gladly give the coin, but I will give nothing to you or to the crown that you represent."

Hysteria raised an eyebrow and then let out a breathy chuckle before she went over to a long bench like stone and sat down "Lets get everything out their then" she put her hands on the chair "Since you speak of nations being responsible to another nation for crimes." Hysteria looked at her, the old soul that lived within her body coming to the surface and showing though her eyes "History teaches us that 200 years ago Ethe sent an assassin to kill our Queen, Bellris, to which my family is of relation as is our goddess Antari. How should Ethe answer for this crime?" she asked her as she raised an eyebrow "80 years ago Princess Artimisia Bellris was drowned by Ethen assassins." her eyes narrowed at this as pure fury came into her eyes now as her shoulders stiffened "How should Ethe repay Bellris for the death of a thirteen year old girl?" Hysteria tapped her fingers "sixty years ago another assassin from Ethe barged into the throne room on the coronation day of Astara Bellris and using his magic turned her into a splatter on the wall in front of her children, Astara's mother would hear the screams of her grandchildren and neither would be able to give the young woman, a HOPE and golden light to Bellris any funeral because that assassin made it so no body remained." Anger, pure anger was within Hysteria's eyes, tears pricking the corners of her blue eyes but she did not move to act on that anger that was so very clear "How should those grandchildren and the mother and the husband of that woman be repaid for the death and trauma they suffered after seeing her body become nothing right in front of them? How should Ethe respond?

The Councilwoman's fingers held tightly onto the stone bench "For two hundred years Bellris has been taking every blow of suffering and humiliation Ethe has given us, We have taken every attempt to weaken us and never once have we demanded that your people pay that price. Hysteria narrowed her eyes at Youkimi, hardly able to see her as her tears finally dripped down her face "For eighty long years every self righteous action I have wanted to act upon, every head I have wanted in return for the death of my sister, my daughter, my family, and myself. I have thrown it away because I would not ask anything of Ethe and now you want peace when Ethe has NEVER ONCE made it possible and now you think Ethe has any right to coin or help or peace when it has always been Ethe that has been the cause of every suffering soul within the body of MY countries people." Hysteria reached up and wiped a tear away from her face "For every wrong Ethe has made Bellris suffer. You tell me what Bellris should demand for those losses.

"To demand justice for what has happened in the past is no less then to ask for redemption for those dead more recent, Regent. You would discount the murders of people that lay at your nations feet, as high a body count as those that rest at Bellris'. Sixty years was not all that far in the past and yet by your words you would ask those that still live and remember and still wait to know when justice will come to stop asking what you have been asking." Hysteria looked at her, the tears were not yet dry on her face "If you want peace to begin now then everything from the past must be forgotten. Things from two hundred years ago and things from two years ago. You want to begin building, the first block is to not make demands. The people did not burn down your buildings or kill your Duke just as your people today did not kill out Queens or send assassins after children." Hysteria lowered her head "A legacy begins when all passages are unblocked of all hatreds, stigmas, fears, and repayments one or the other believes another to have."

Anything that was remotely sympathetic toward Youkimi's plight drained from the councilwoman and as she did her eyes went cold, She felt the tears on her face no longer wet as some grew cold. Hysteria would slowly stand up and walk over to the woman in front of her, standing a good head above her. Hysteria would look down upon the woman in front of her now both in height and in her mind "I have listened to you. I have attempted more then once to make you understand but it seems impossible to do not because you are inept in politics but because you seem to only hear what comes out of your mouth" Hysteria hand would slowly snake up from the starry blue dress she wore and she would take one of Youkimi's hands and squeeze it "I can see that everything I say is lost on you and I will tell you now I once had a respect for Queen Ophelia and it was though her word and action that Bellris does not rightly damn Ethe back to the gods, but you will ruin everything she has ever done or worked for because you don't know how to listen." Hysteria's blue eyes moved as if she was searching for something but as she pulled her hand away from Youkimi's it was clear that whatever she had been trying to find she had not found it.

"So I will speak as plainly as it is possible." she said, becoming rather articulate "You demanded reparations from Bellris to rebuild houses and for the death of the duke. I said yes so long as it was a third party that handled the money. You did not hear me" she stopped "You said we have the building blocks for peace. I agreed. I offered to put everything behind us and start anew so long as you did the same. You did not hear me." The councilwoman looked at her "For every conversation we have every had I have been trying to get you to see that I have been attempting to push for peace by going out of my way to speak with you, by explaining Bellrisian customs, by explaining why allowing you to have power in Bellris while you where still an influence in Ethe was not permissible, but for every conversation you have only chosen to see what you have wanted to see and hear what you have wanted to hear." Again the Councilwoman would stop "I have for three years been trying to give you and Ethe a chance because I knew from the moment I saw you that you were going to go somewhere, but now I question what I was thinking back then and what Ophelia was thinking naming you as regent. Because now despite all the experience and training you have all I can see is Ethe's death if you remain in charge and unchanging" Hysteria finally walked passed her "If you want peace Regent Kai, if you want the animosity between our people to stop. If you want Ethe to grow or become strong." Hysteria stopped just before the barrier that held back the water "then you need to wake up and stop seeing the world though your own eyes." with that the Councilwoman walked into the water.

She would pop back up from the water and walk back up the few steps until she stood on the ground, her guard quickly ran over to her and handed her a red coat, placing it across her shoulders "My lady?" the guard looked at her with the silent question, asking if she was alright. Hysteria smiled slightly "Not really" she said as she went over to a raised rock and sat down "I'm pretty certain that she just took every word I said to her as an insult" her words made the guard raise a platinum eyebrow and Hysteria shrugged "She wanted me to council with her so I gave her council. Ethe would not grow if she remains as she is" "That's...a little harsh if you don't mind me saying" the guard muttered, which only made Hysteria laugh slightly "I do mind, but don't worry about it. She doesn't know how to listen and she seems to be a bit purblind" that my lady, is a bit more then harsh" the guard said as he went over to her and tugged the cloak a little harder around her shoulders in order to get it tighter and Hysteria scoffed "Ignorance will only make her time more brutal, Either she rids herself of it or its going to get beaten out of her and leave her broken."