Karner Enfijo stepped up to the speaking platform and swept a polite grin across the room. He cleared his throat before he uttered a word. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began as he smiled at a pair of senators who had arrived fashionably late, "we have gathered here today to commemorate the efforts of seven brave men and women who risked their lives for the peace and religious freedom of the Kaborian Republic, namely a group named the Tereslars." 

Karner took a sip of his champagne and winked at a woman in the corner of the room before continuing. "Led by the admirable Major Qwarten Rakon, these Tereslars endured the long trek from this city of Camborne all the way to a secret base several miles south of Costera City in Haspodia, operated by the Logolian terrorists called Yugdabs. Along the way, they endured frequent attacks and harassments, their guide, Bernard Deon suffered a painful death, and Major Rakon himself suffered a shoulder injury. Only through dogged determination and superior skills did the group survive to celebrate with us this day." 

Karner's smile slipped for a brief second as he locked eyes with a glaring Qwarten. He immediately recovered it and gazed into a different section of the audience. "Through the Tereslars' noble efforts, the Yugdab fortress has been levelled to the ground and most of its members have been executed. Though a very small possibility exists that the Yugdab leader escaped death, he will encounter great difficulty in recruiting the necessary number of men to rebuild his movement, especially considering that the Senate is deeply involved in the matter and would soon discover his actions." 

After taking a deep breath, Karner raised his glass to toast the audience. "To the procurement of victory and the recovery of peace and righteousness." 

The crowd of people raised their glasses to Karner and cheered loudly. Then the senator descended the steps of the platform and joined the sea of festivities. Once the commotion quieted a little, a string quartet stepped up onto a small stage to the side of the bar and began playing an upbeat tune. The people in the crowd instantly paired off and floated over to the dance floor. 

Kahiri took a quick step back as a wild couple leapt across her field of vision. Then she frowned as a young man nearby slammed his hips into hers. They locked eyes for an awkward second, but the man offered no apology. Kahiri huffed and searched for a chair far away from the dance floor. 

Erok raised an eyebrow as a group of lively young ladies crowded in around him. Their utterances of praise floated atop a sea of girly giggles. When one woman flung her arms around his hips, he hesitantly began to dance with her. He shot an uneasy glance at Meg when he sensed her judgmental stare a few moments later. 

******************** 

Meanwhile, Dr. Swedo ambled over to a blonde senator who had just finished a piece of cake. He stood before the woman for quite a while before she noticed him and made eye contact. 

The senator stared at Swedo for a long moment and only received a big grin in return. "May I help you?" 

Dr. Swedo held out his hand. "Would you care to dance with me?" 

The woman coughed and looked away. "No, thank you. I'm content to stay where I am." 

"But dancing is among the greatest forms of exercise! I implore you to reconsider, my lady." 

The blonde senator stared blankly at Swedo for a few seconds. "I've reconsidered, and my answer is still no. Goodbye." 

With that, Swedo watched the woman walk away with a bewildered expression on his face. 

******************** 

A few minutes later, the musicians shifted to a slower tune, and the mood in the room instantly mellowed. The couples on the dance floor drew closer to one another as their flirtatious glances morphed into loving gazes. One by one, the few singles awkwardly left the floor after failing to obtain partners for themselves. 

Qwarten slowly nodded as he saw the crowd thin out on the dance floor. After taking a deep breath, he stood up and stretched his back. Then he strolled over to Kahiri's seat in the corner of the room. 

When Qwarten approached Kahiri, he grinned and held out his hand. "You wanna dance, Miss Oriann?" 

Kahiri beamed back at Qwarten as she placed her hand in his. "I'm rustier than my grandpa's plowshares, but okay." 

Qwarten threw his head back and laughed. "You country girl..." he teased. 

"You jug of dry water..." Kahiri retorted. 

Qwarten chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"What do you think it means, dummy? Don't get me started on Rebtenese insults, because I could keep going all day." 

Qwarten smirked as they stepped onto the dance floor. "I'm sure you could. Give me one more." 

"If I had a sword as sharp as you, I'd have a club." 

Qwarten chuckled heartily. "Wow, that's cold. I like it." 

The two exchanged amused grins before they went silent and fell into step with the music. Qwarten placed his meaty hands on the small of Kahiri's back, and she placed her delicate digits on his broad shoulders. He held her close to his body, shut his eyes, and sighed with contentment as the beautiful tones of the skilled violinist soothed his ears. 

Kahiri inhaled deeply and smiled as the wonderful fragrance of Qwarten's cologne wafted into her nose. Though she couldn't exactly place what the scent was, she could pick out the aromas of cedar, citrus, and leather. When the two opened their eyes once more, their gazes met, and they exchanged pleased grins. 

Qwarten smirked as he twirled Kahiri and immediately tugged her body close to his once more. When her eyes met his, his smile grew. 

"By the way," Qwarten began, "what'd you think of Senator Enfijo's speech?" 

Kahiri nodded. "I really liked it! He's a very eloquent man." 

Qwarten grunted. "He may be eloquent, but he also knows nothing about the topic he's speaking on." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"You can bet your life that he's never got off of his easy chair and worked a day in his life, much less fought in a battle like we have. Instead, he sits in his office and signs papers all day before attending pointless Senate meetings that go nowhere. Then he comes here and starts talking like he knows what it's like to be out in the real world fighting these terrorists. Rationing food until hunger bites at you like a rabid dog. Working so hard each day that your very fatigue keeps you from sleeping. Getting injured for people who won't even thank you to your face, and worst of all, losing your best comrades over a god as fake as useful politics!" 

Kahiri slowly nodded. "I see what you mean. But at least he gave the people a vague idea of what we went through and what the price was to bring this battle to an end." 

Qwarten shook his head. "Kahiri, unlike what Senator Enfijo wants you to believe, this battle ain't over. This is only the beginning." 

"How so?" 

"Let's put it this way: I overheard some things in that hospital, and it's pretty disturbing how many more Yugdabs there are than we originally thought. Even if their leader is dead, which I highly doubt, they still have more than enough men to continue the movement without him." 

Kahiri raised an eyebrow. "But we destroyed their base." 

"One of their bases." Qwarten corrected. 

"Qwarten, if you knew this, why haven't you told Senator Enfijo about it? If he'd known, he certainly wouldn't have presented his speech the way he did." 

The Major sighed deeply. "If the Senate gets wind of this information, they're gonna do what they see fit with it. As it is, they're planning to disband the Tereslars and create a new group to preserve this so-called peace. But if you and I are the only ones who know, then..." 

Kahiri patiently waited for Qwarten to continue, but he never did. "Then what?" 

"Then maybe we can do something about this together, our own way. The Senate doesn't need to know a thing about it. Can I trust you?" 

Kahiri bit her lip while she thought it over. "I ... guess so." 

"Only a 'yes' or a 'no' will do me any good." 

"Yes, Qwarten, I'll do whatever I can to help you." 

"Good. Now I'm gonna need to do some more investigation before we make our move. You can go home, rest up, and enjoy some time with your family. I'll come around when I have a plan." 

Kahiri gazed deep into Qwarten's eyes and rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "Alright, then." 

Ever so gently, Qwarten brushed a few strands of Kahiri's hair behind her ear. Then he closed his eyes and tenderly kissed her forehead. "Stay safe, Kahiri. You're the first true friend I've made in a long while." 

A tear made its way to Kahiri's eye as she threw her arms around Qwarten and embraced him firmly. "You take care of yourself too, Qwarten." 

The two shared one last pleasant smile beforeQwarten spun on his heel and vanished into the crowd. Kahiri sighed and steppedoff of the dance floor. She grabbed an orange from the banquet table before pushingthe golden doors open and exiting the city hall. 

******************** 

A/N: Well, there you have it! This ain't over yet, fellers. There's still more work to do.

*mega-cringes*

Anyway, so I think this was a fun chapter, as well as an informative one. I can't decide whether my favorite part is the little heart-to-heart between Qwarten and Kahiri at the end, Kahiri's quips moments prior, Erok's reaction to girls swooning over him, or Swedo's failed approach. XD

What was your favorite part?

And also, since (big surprise, but not really) this is the last chapter of act one, I'd like to know: What are your thoughts on the story as a whole so far?

And to ask one more random question, what's one clothing item you couldn't live without?

Have a great day! I hope to see you in the comments and next update. :D