Three Square Meals Ch. 141

"I certainly hope we will be," Rachel said with a disarming smile. She leaned in and continued in a conspiratorial whisper, "But I also know Alyssa. If she thinks you're John's favourite out of the new matriarchs, I'd place a sizable wager that she was hoping I'd give you a synopsis of all the crew so that you'll ace the quiz."

Faranise giggled and looked intrigued. "You could do that?"

"It wouldn't be hard to predict what you're likely to be asked about each of the Lionesses. Assuming you have a heightened capacity for fact recall, I could help you memorise all the answers in about ten minutes." She raised an eyebrow and playfully added, "Unless you have a moral objection to cheating on an icebreaker exercise intended to help you make new friends?"

"Could I suggest a compromise?" Faranise immediately countered.

"Suggest away..."

"Perhaps you could compose a list of key questions I should ask each Lioness?" the matriarch asked with eager anticipation. "I'd still have to speak to each of them individually to find out the answers, so the true objective of the icebreaker exercise wouldn't be compromised."

Rachel laughed and darted a glance across the room at Alyssa. The blonde just happened to be looking in their direction and her cerulean eyes sparkled as she gave a slight nod.

"Alright then, I think I can come up with a few key topics you should cover..."

"Thank you!" Faranise gushed, leaning in as she listened attentively.

***

The servants had started circulating trays of food, so Jade and her sisters departed to hunt down some Maliri delicacies. John offered Helene his arm and they left with the twins to circulate around the ballroom, which meant that Edraele finally had an opportunity to conduct a private discussion with Jehanna.

"So tell me more about this project?" the Terran girl asked, intrigued as to what it might be about.

"I'm sure you're well aware that there are some titanic shifts in political power occurring within what used to be the Maliri Regency," Edraele began, meeting the former reporter's curious gaze. "For thousands of years, the Noble Houses have been at each other's throats, playing a deadly game to achieve supremacy amongst our people. As you can see, John's arrival has brought all of that conflict to an abrupt end."

Jehanna followed her gesture towards the party guests and was pleased to see how well the event was progressing. With only a few exceptions, the matriarchs were fully engaged in conversation with the Lionesses, the sound of laughter and jovial chatter echoing around the ballroom.

"They certainly don't look like deadly rivals to me," she said, turning back to the Maliri Queen.

"No, far from it," Edraele agreed, a whimsical smile on her face as she gazed out at the gathering. "I was just picturing how their mothers would have reacted to seeing our newest matriarchs behaving like this."

"Probably a lot like Emandra Holaris," Jehanna said, noting the stricken look on the dour matriarch's face.

Raising an eyebrow, Edraele glanced at the only Maliri in the room who was older than her. "Actually, there's something else bothering Emandra."

Jehanna heard the strange note of sympathy in her voice. "What's that?"

"Her conscience," Edraele said softly, watching as Emandra thrust her empty glass at a startled servant, before lurching unsteadily from the room.

"Should we go after her?" Jehanna asked with concern.

Edraele shook her head. "Leave Emandra to me. I'll speak to her later when she's had some time for self-reflection." Her expression brightened as she turned to face the Terran girl. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand. With the matriarchs united in serving Baen'thelas, we're in a unique position to be able to make fundamental changes to Maliri society."

Jehanna frowned, unsure how this related to her. "I'm sure Lynette could give you some excellent advice on shaping domestic policy, but I don't know how much I'll be able to help. I've been a journalist for my whole career; all my experience has been in exposing big stories and presenting them to a Holonet audience."

"Yes, exactly," Edraele said, a bright gleam of anticipation in her eyes. "The old matriarchs kept their citizens completely in the dark regarding intra-House politics, and as an insular civilisation, we had little interaction with our neighbours. Now that John has claimed the Maliri, everything is going to change. I want our people to know what has transpired so far and understand that Baen'thelas has rescued them from the old matriarchs' tyrannical rule. I want them to follow his exploits as he fights to save us from destruction... and I want you to be the one to deliver them a message of hope for a brighter future."

"Me?!" Jehanna exclaimed, gaping at the Queen. "But I'm not even Maliri!"

"Neither is John, but he's already had a profound impact on our society," Edraele countered. "Most Maliri have watched Terran media broadcasts, so you'll already be a familiar face after your heavy exposure on TFNN. There are no Maliri with your broadcasting experience or your magnetic presence in front of a camera; you're absolutely perfect for the role."

Jehanna stood in stunned silence for a moment, not sure how to respond. "I really appreciate the offer, Edraele, but I've just joined John's crew as a Lioness. I'll be fighting beside him against the Progenitors and I won't have the time or opportunity to work in a studio."

Edraele gave her an indulgent smile. "I've been a constant presence on the Invictus for the last several months, albeit as a telepathic voice inside John's head. There tends to be brief but intense moments of extreme violence, followed by days of bonding and preparation for the next battle. You'll be able to act as a war correspondent fighting at John's side and use combat footage from the Lionesses to make compelling exclusives for us to show the Maliri public. When the Invictus returns to Genthalas for refits and repairs, you can spend your downtime in the studio, updating the audience on domestic policy improvements."

"Yes... that could work," Jehanna murmured, nodding thoughtfully. "It'd be very similar to my role working as an embedded reporter for TFNN."

"Except this time you'd have full editorial control as Chief Editor of our new broadcasting division," Edraele said, reaching out to clasp her hand. "I trust you implicitly, Jehanna. I have absolute confidence in your professionalism and expertise. I want to help John shape the Maliri Protectorate into a Utopia we can all be proud of and I can't think of a better person to share that wonderful news with our people."

Jehanna let out a disbelieving laugh. "This is like my dream job. Covering the war against Xar'aziuth will be the biggest journalistic bombshell the galaxy has ever seen!"

"So you'll accept then?" Edraele asked, holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

The dusky-hued girl hesitated for a second as a nagging suspicion formed in the back of her mind. "Edraele... you know how hard it was for me to choose between being a TFNN reporter and fully committing to my relationship with John. Are you just offering me this job as compensation for giving up my career?"

"No, the offer is quite genuine, as is my appreciation for your capabilities," the Maliri replied. "If you'd been a terrible reporter, I would still have made a similar offer to reward you for your dedication to John... but encouraged you to take a less pivotal role instead. I would have agreed that fighting aboard the Invictus would make it difficult for you to act as Lead Anchor and suggested you help train Maliri to eventually assume that position."

Jehanna blinked in surprise, then grinned as she recognised the blunt honesty in her reply. "Thank you for the compliments... and I very gratefully accept!"

"Are you sure you don't want to hear the remuneration package first?" Edraele asked, her purple eyes twinkling. "I promise that by the time you retire, you'll be a very wealthy woman."

The Terran girl laughed and hugged the Maliri Queen. "I would've done it for free! Thank you so much, Edraele. I can't believe I get to have John and my career!"

"You're very welcome," Edraele replied, smiling as she returned the embrace.

***

"It's quite difficult to demonstrate my abilities," Calara explained, before gesturing down towards her slinky ankle-length dress. "And as you can see, I'm not really dressed appropriately for anything physical."

"Oh please, Calara," Phelora begged, looking at her with big eyes. "All the other Lionesses have shown us what they can do..."

Lyvia Amarille nodded eagerly. "You can manipulate time! That's the most unbelievable ability of them all!"

"I've got an idea..." Alyssa said, making eye contact with the Latina.

Calara tilted her head to one side as she listened, then gave her Maliri audience an indulgent smile. "Alright then. I'm going to need a sharp knife and a blindfold."

One of the servants scurried away to the kitchen as the matriarchs thanked the brunette for agreeing. It didn't take long for Calara to be presented with the items she'd requested on a silver platter and Sakura stepped forward to pick up the blade.

"I'll blindfold her, you get in position," Alyssa volunteered, gently turning Calara and wrapping the velvet cloth around her head.

John watched with a flicker of worry as Sakura strolled into position, not particularly enamoured with the idea of a deadly weapon being thrown at the back of his fiancée's head.

*It's okay, Rachel's going to shield her,* Alyssa informed him, her calm voice soothing his concerns.

The Maliri moved back to a safe distance, then watched with growing excitement as Sakura flipped the knife in the air, showing off her deadly expertise with a blade. The knife tumbled downwards and Sakura smoothly caught it, before pirouetting and hurling it at Calara's head. There were shocked gasps as the weapon flew across the room, but the Latina had already stepped out of its path, and deftly plucked the knife out of the air as it whizzed past.

"That was incredible!" Lyvia exclaimed, joining in the loud round of applause.

Phelora grinned and nodded exuberantly. "The things all of you can do are amazing!"

Calara removed the blindfold and bowed to her appreciative audience. "Thank you."

Kehlarissa shook her head in wonder. "How did you do that?"

"It was simple really," the Latina said modestly. "I focused on Sakura and time stretched out before me in a series of frames. I knew when she was going to throw the knife, so I had advance warning to move out of danger. After that, it was easy to intervene at a particular point in time and catch the hilt as it passed."

"Yes, that certainly sounds easy," Kehlarissa remarked with a smile, making Phelora giggle.

"I want to see more! Is there anything else you can show us?" Nakiasha beseeched the Lionesses.

"Would you ladies like to see something really impressive?" Alyssa teased the excited Maliri.

Faranise and Garinia whispered together, then the House Eshenestria matriarch called out, "We haven't seen what Baen'thelas can do!"

All eyes snapped to John who froze in surprise as he was suddenly the centre of attention.

"I don't want to upstage the Lionesses," he protested, holding his hands up defensively. "This evening was supposed to be about getting to know them."

He was soon surrounded by Maliri who urged him to give them a demonstration of his abilities. John quickly realised it was inevitable that he'd succumb to their ardent pleas and glanced at Alyssa with an exasperated frown.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," she protested with a playful grin. "I was just going to ask Jade to turn into a dragon."

"A dragon!" Lyvia exclaimed, her blue eyes like saucers. "Do you mean like those huge winged reptiles from Terran mythology?"

"The very same," the blonde replied.

John gave her a grateful smile for the lifeline she'd thrown him, then turned back to his audience. "If you're all feeling brave, I'm sure Jade wouldn't mind showing off her abilities. Seeing her shapeshift into a dragon is extremely impressive."

"I'd love to see that," Lyvia agreed. "After we've seen what you can do."

He let out a sigh and gently cupped her cheek. "I've already made a big impression on all of you. I'm worried how you'll react if I start flaunting my abilities."

Tsarra Perfaren gave him an affectionate look. "I think it's safe to say that we've all fallen in love with you already, Baen'thelas. I don't think it's possible to make me adore you more."

John chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Oh, alright then. I can see I'm not going to get out of this one. We'll need to move outside though... I'll need the room."

The Maliri clapped and cheered him on as he led them through the palace to the water gardens at the back. There wasn't enough space left on the patio area where his audience had gathered, so he swept his gaze over the grounds until he spotted a neatly trimmed meadow edging the waterways. Closing his eyes, he ignored the background noise of excited chatter and focused his will inwards.

*I'll need some more energy soon, ladies,* he informed his matriarchs.

*We'll slowly feed you more power until you've got enough,* Alyssa replied, with Jade and Edraele quick to add their agreement.

John's eyes began to shine with a rich blue light, and the Maliri fell silent, watching him in fascination. Glowing runes materialised around his body and he lifted off the ground, held aloft by skilful manipulation of Aerokinesis. Banking away, John soared over the ornate bridges and winding streams, until he landed gracefully in the middle of the meadow.

"What's Baen'thelas doing now?" Garinia asked, standing on tip-toe in a vain attempt to get a clearer look. "I can hardly see him!"

"Don't worry... you won't miss this," Edraele murmured, her eyes glowing as she fed eldritch energy to John.

He began to grow, slowly at first then at an exponential rate, his height doubling by the second until he towered over the estate. The Maliri gasped in shock as John loomed over them like a titan, his height clearing well over fifty metres until he ceased his psychic expansion.

"I was wrong..." Tsarra whispered, staring up at him in awe.

From John's perspective, his audience looked tiny, and he was barely able to make out their stunned looks of wonder and disbelief. Judging by the matriarch's expressions, he was confident that he'd managed to meet their sky-high expectations, and released the passive size enhancement that he'd slotted into the alcoves of his mind. John shrank rapidly, diminishing in height until he was back to his regular six-foot-two.

Flying back to the matriarchs and Lionesses, John was a bit concerned when almost everyone stood there staring at him with eyes like saucers. He landed on the smooth flagstones amidst eerie silence and was quietly greeted by Alyssa and Edraele, but even the Maliri Queen looked awestruck.

"I knew what you were capable of, but knowing something is possible and actually seeing it with my own two eyes is very different," she murmured, pressing herself against him and softly kissing his cheek.

Alyssa grinned and hugged him from the other side. "Not all my girls have seen you get huge like that, handsome. I think you just blew quite a few minds."

To John's surprise, Sarene Baelora was the first to recover from that initial shock. When she approached, she reached out to gently touch his arm.

"I'm honoured that you allowed me to serve you, Baen'thelas," she said reverently. "I promise that I'll do whatever it takes to be worthy of that privilege."

He released his two matriarchs and held the noblewoman's hand. "I'm still the same man I was five minutes ago, Sarene. I don't want to be revered like I'm some kind of god, I just want to build a good relationship with you... with all of you."

The Young Matriarchs responded next, gliding over to hug him.

"I'm trying not to look at you differently," Tsarra admitted with a lopsided smile. "But that was quite awe-inspiring."

Nyrelle nodded and gave him a kiss. "I'm torn between being stunned that you're so powerful, thrilled that you're the father of my baby... and feeling unbelievably turned on."

Her comment broke the ice as her friends laughed and nodded their agreement. As the Young Matriarchs relaxed, the mood in the audience shifted and the rest of the Maliri were soon gathered around, the air filled with excited chatter.

"Can we see Jade turn into a dragon now?!" Lyvia asked, bouncing on her toes.

John chuckled and glanced at the eager Nymph. "I have a feeling she's been waiting all evening to show you."

***

Edraele nodded her thanks to a servant and walked through several arched trellises covered in sweet-smelling flowers. At the end of the picturesque section of the grounds was a beautifully engraved gazebo, and it was there that the Queen found her missing matriarch. Unlike the gleeful Maliri she'd just left behind, Emandra Holaris was a picture of misery, her face contorted by a host of dark emotions.

"Hello, Emandra," Edraele said softly. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

Emandra looked up at her, pain filling her troubled gaze. "Just leave me alone... I don't want to talk to anyone."

"I know... but you shouldn't go through this alone."

"You know?!" Emandra snarled, shaking her head. "No you don't. You have no idea what I'm feeling!"

Edraele sat beside her on the padded bench. "Tell me then."

The House Holaris was about to growl another terse dismissal when her expression cracked. "Don't ask me to go back in there, Edraele... it's too painful to be around them."

"Why? What happened?" the Maliri Queen asked with sympathy.

Emandra fell silent for a long moment, then when she spoke it was in a hushed whisper. "I was watching the new matriarchs fall over themselves to gain favour with the Lionesses... and I felt nothing but contempt. They were a disgrace to their Houses, laughing and joking together like witless fools. Their mothers would have been appalled to see them casually abandon generations of feuds that had lasted millennia."

Her eyes looked haunted as she gazed into the distance. "Then one of the matriarchs turned and I saw her face... it was Aestelle... my youngest daughter. She was a whimsical girl, with no sense of duty and even less aptitude for life as a noblewoman... but she would've loved this party. I could see her there, surrounded by women who were just like her, finally in her element. But I couldn't remember the sound of her laughter... it had been so long since I last heard it. When Aestelle opened her mouth, she started to scream... she was in agony..."

Emandra let out a ragged breath and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I did that to her, Edraele. She tried to stab me... her own mother! So I tortured her to death and made sure her last hours were filled with torment... but now I can't stop hearing her scream for mercy."

The House Holaris matriarch began to sob, guilt and regret gnawing away at her blackened soul.

Edraele hesitated a moment, an ambivalent expression on her face, then she reached out to stroke the older matriarch's back. "I do know what you're feeling, Emandra. I've been through it myself."

Angrily shrugging off her hand, Emandra whirled around to snap at Edraele. She froze when she saw the terrible look in Edraele's eyes... a depth of pain that made her cringe away in horror.

"Oh yes... I know all too well," Edraele murmured, her voice riven with regret. "I was Edraele Valaden, the cruellest monster in a long history of malevolent beasts. If I can survive the guilt and regret for all the horrific things I've done, then you can bear that burden too."

"You tried to warn me... why didn't I listen?!" Emandra groaned, closing her eyes to try to escape from the gruesome images of Aestelle's final moments. It didn't work.