Minor Alliance, Major Repercussions

     It wasn’t one of the things that looks like it’d trigger a shift in the entire set-up of the world. In all actuality, it was just one nicely-dressed man walking out of a small shop in downtown London. He carried a small black leather satchel and smiled to himself as he walked. He paused at the intersection, then glanced across the street. A slender woman with nut-brown hair waited patiently, smoothing her grey suit with flicks of her callused hands. When the last auto passed, the man walked across the street, joining her on the corner. She turned slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye, a frown touching her face.

     "Has it been approved?" She asked calmly.

     He held up the satchel slightly, tapping the top with a finger. "Yes. The papers are here, signed."

     "I have the approval of the elders," she said, picking at the edge of a healing cut on the back of her wrist. She seemed uncomfortable in the light grey suit; it fit poorly through the shoulders, and her hair escaped her bun in wisps and tendrils. He, however, was perfectly at ease in his tailored black suit, with slicked hair and mirrored sunglasses. He did not tip his sunglasses, but simply looked at her calmly.

     "And?"

     She blinked. "And what?"

     "What did they say of our terms?"

     The woman shifted her weight, looking suddenly feral as she tilted her body away from him. "They couldn’t quite agree on all of it, especially not the fertility treatments. But…they did decide that your second proposal was okay."

     He nodded curtly, once, and opened the satchel. "That is acceptable. You may take the papers to your elders and have them signed."

     She seemed suddenly ill at ease, showing her discomfort by shifting her feet and looking away. She had to clear her throat a couple of times before speaking. "What…uh…what about the young ones you guys mentioned? Will…will we get them back? Intact, I mean. Okay and everything?"

     No expression flickered on his face, but he simply pulled the papers from his satchel and held them out. The woman frowned darkly, and approached the proffered papers with the look of a wary animal. Her hand darted out and she snatched the papers, backing away quickly.

     "Thank you," she said quietly, folding the papers and tucking them into her jacket. He nodded again, once, and snapped the satchel shut.

     "The alliance will be cemented once the papers have been signed. The young will be returned after authenticity has been assured of your signatories. Good day." He turned away at once, and walked off down the street, his shoes gleaming brightly. She stood there for long moments, inhaling and exhaling deeply, then dragged her hand across her eyes.

     "I hope this isn’t the end of everything," she said to herself, as she turned to head up the street. One hand rested under her breast, over the papers as she walked, and her shoulders hung like a creature ashamed.