Room 318, Monday Morning

[lockestheway]

"'The stability of our world--' no. 'The balance of power--' no, too on the nose. This can't be too obvious. It has to be all vague promises. Ah-- 'We have lived in peace for a hundred years, yes, but also in fear. Now that that fear has passed, we must regain our footing.' Better? Yes, better

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Maybe Natalie had a sixth sense for whining.

Or maybe her houseguest was still asleep, while she was getting started on the day, checking the news and getting coffee started with her phone jammed between her shoulder and her ear.

Either way, she was checking in.

[lockestheway]

Peter took one glance at caller-ID, then answered with, "'We have lived in peace for a hundred years, yes, but also in fear. Now that that fear has passed, we must regain our footing.'"

[whenshewasnice]

"Sounds grand," Natalie replied without much in the way of a pause. She half expected these things. "'Regain our footing' from what, though? It doesn't sound right to me."

[lockestheway]

"Composure? Balance?" Peter proposed. "Or maybe just-- now that fear has passed, the balance of power is shifting. We must be ready for a new kind of Hegemony..."