Start the day.

Though it's not quite noon, it's far after breakfast, so you sit yourself down in the hall of tables that sits before the throne along with Niki, Eva, and Amara... At least, that's what you thought was going to happen. Before it does, Luna actually beckons the girls away, and in her teasingly coy way, doesn't allow you to follow. You don't mind, however. Everything Luna does is for a reason, and you're sure by the look she gave you, the results of the girls departing will be interesting to say the least. You may have to eat an early lunch on your own today, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Again, you're wrong!

Just as you consider walking to the kitchen and making something yourself, you see three girls enter the room together--Nyllia, Taiga, and Summer. They're chatting with one another, laughing and enjoying each other's company, which is quite a heart-warming scene to behold. It makes you happy that the people here do get along together.

They look in your direction, but Summer looks the most surprised. Quickly, she steps forward and salutes a hand to her forehead. "Have you come to eat already?" she asks, shouting from across the large room. "I hope you weren't kept waiting!"

"No, no. It's fine," you call back. "I know it's not lunch time yet."

She smiles bright. "I'll get to work on something to eat straight away! Buzz buzz," the bee exclaims before sprinting off towards the kitchen, wings flapping behind her as she does.

You watch her disappear. "Buzz buzz...?" you ask, though not to anybody specific.

Taiga and Nyllia approach--two knights, though quite a bit different. One stands like a warm beacon of light, as a hero, while the other comes across as much colder, though her powerful will and loyalty as a soldier is just as inspiring, and on top of that, they're both beautiful. Garbed in armour, and with Taiga gripping a spear in her hand, they stop before you, and Taiga salutes.

"Demon King," greets the bee.

"Good morning, sleepy-head," teases Nyllia.

You laugh awkwardly. "Yeah. I know I slept quite a bit, but good morning to you both."

"There is nothing wrong with rest and relaxation," the elf continues. "Is that not what we fight for to begin with?"

Taiga taps the bottom of her spear against the stone floor. "All is well in the area this morning, Demon King. After monitoring the perimeter, Lady Tesgella and I decided to spar. Now we seek something to drink."

Just then, Summer comes hurrying back into the room with a plate in her hands. Arriving at the table, she places down a delicious looking sandwich with a, "Here we go!" and then takes a moment to catch her breath. She then turns to the other two. "Ah... I forgot to grab your drinks."

Nyllia chuckles. "It is fine. Just relax."

Though it nearly takes **** to keep the bee from exhausting herself, you begin to eat your sandwich as she eventually departs back to the kitchen to retrieve some water for all of you to enjoy. Then finally, she joins as well, and you all sit together around the table. As always, it's delicious. You feel incredibly lucky to have such a talented chef, even if she does occasionally go overboard with her own interests. You're able to trade for ingredients from Gobiidae now, which mostly just means fish, but even with your limited choice of resources, she somehow makes it work every time.

You look between the bees and finally decide to speak up about something in particular. "Hey, Taiga, Summer. I just wanna say we ran into another type of insectrin while we were out, beneath these tunnels Elok's people seemed to have dug."

"Oh?" Taiga looks at you with interest. "What did you see?"

"Ant-girls. Formica insectrin."

"Interesting. I have not seen those since the fall of our Demon King."

Summer chimes in. "There aren't many of us left and we're hard to find, since we had to scatter everywhere after we were freed. Nowhere to go and unable to make more of us, now we just sorta... find places to live, until I guess eventually there won't be any insectrin left."

"Hey don't feel down about this," you reply. "Yeah some asshat created you for his own purposes, but some of the coolest people I know are insectrin, and... well, in my world, we don't have things like people with cat ears or whatever. This world has so much. Bunny people, bee people, mouse people... We're so diverse here that I barely know any humans. And who knows? Maybe there's still a way for there to be more."

Taiga stares down at her half-empty drink. "Your words trouble me."

You open your mouth to speak but hesitate. "Sorry--"

"No. I apologize, Demon King. I didn't mean it like that. I meant how you mentioned the insectrin in the tunnels. You saw many, I presume."

"That's right."

"Where have they been this whole time? That particular Demon King's lair was destroyed. He was slain, and his methods of creating us fell with him. So then, how is it Elok Daven has all of these formica insectrin in his army, and how many does he truly have? Perhaps dozens of them fled and hid, and he found them, recruited them... Yes, perhaps that's all it is. In a sense, almost as you did." She shakes her head slowly. "My mind is wandering and I'm allowing all my thoughts to spill out. Ignore me."

Luna steps quietly into the room--antennae twitching. She makes her way through the doors and lays her hand against the closest column to lean against. There she remains for a moment, perhaps pondering something, before finally coming over. "I apologize for eavesdropping," she says.

"If we were discussing secrets, we wouldn't be doing it in one of the most publics places here," you reply. "What's up?"

She smiles. "Of course. Well, I wish to show you something." Just then, her expression begins to change. Her previous smile grows, and she begins to faintly blush in excitement, like a giddy schoolgirl is trying to escape the exterior of a dignified woman. It takes her a moment to speak again, but when she does, she beckons you with her hand. "Follow me. I wish to show you something truly magnificent."