With the decision made to take a short break, a commotion of activity broke out in the room. The participants began to mingle among themselves, some rising from their seats to stretch their legs, while others stayed seated and engaged in hushed conversations. The atmosphere, while still somewhat tense, was more relaxed as people took the opportunity to discuss lighter topics and, of course, the upcoming mochi snacks.
In one corner of the room, Izanami and Bianca were already chatting. The ever-chipper Bianca was listening to Izanami's stories, the kitsune's wit leaving her with a cheeky smile.
"So, you're telling me you actually impersonated a temple priest once and gave out blessings?" Bianca asked between giggles.
Izanami chuckled, a sly expression on her face. "Oh, that's just the start, my dear," she replied with a sly grin. "I've impersonated a lot of different characters in my many years. Priests, nobles, even a talking fish once. I've done it all."
Bianca's laughter grew, her hair bouncing with the movement. "You're such a troublemaker, Izanami. I can't believe you actually pulled that off."
Izanami shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's stirring up a bit of chaos here and there. It keeps life interesting, no?”
Bianca chuckled before her expression turned contemplative. "You know, I've always admired your totally carefree attitude," she admitted. "You seem to live life on your own terms, not caring what others think. I wish people could be a bit more like that, sometimes."
Izanami smiled a little. "Ah, you give me too much credit," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm just a kitsune being a kitsune. I've never really cared much about the rules or social norms. Life's too short to worry about such things, you know?”
“Fair. So how's Raijin? I'm surprised she didn't attend this meeting, seeing she leads Ōkuninushi.”
Izanami blinked at her mention of the Ōkuninushinese goddess of storms.
“Oh, she's just in her own realm training her li'l butt off, so I'm standing in for her.”
“Huh, I need to meet her one day. She's so dark that I have this little conspiracy theory that she singlehandedly soaked up all the melanin of nearly everyone in Ōkuninushi, and that's why the lot of them have fair skin.” she said with a chuckle.
Izanami chuckled at Bianca's conspiracy theory. "Yeah, I've been told that about Raijin. But trust me, she's a force to be reckoned with. She's much more than just her skin tone."
Bianca raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Really? What makes her so formidable, aside from being the goddess of storms of course?”
Izanami grinned. "Well, for one, she has a bit of a temper. Let's just say she doesn't take kindly to disrespect. But, on top of that, she's incredibly powerful. She's not just a storm maker, she's able to manipulate every aspect of the weather. And, she's a master of combat. She can handle anything thrown her way."
Bianca's eyes widened, a tempting smirk on her face. “Oh, I gotta challenge her to a duel whenever I get the chance.”
“Don't,” Izanami rejected with a snicker. “As the goddess of lightning, obviously she's fast. But she moves way quicker than even that, she'll knock you around like a pinball machine from hell.”
“Funny analogy. I still don't wanna turn it down though.”
“You're better off facing off against Fujin, at least she won't be a blur to you the whole time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have mochi to prepare for everyone.”
“Ooh! Can't wait. Please tell me there's strawberry mochi.”
“I can make ‘em all! It's a literal field day for mochi lovers, so treat yourself!”
…
"Man, this mochi is divine," Naphi said, taking another bite.
"It really is," Mable chimed in, still munching on her own mochi.
Naphi chuckled, noticing that Mable was speaking with her mouth full. "Heh, you're being so informal, Mable. I've never heard you speak like that.”
Mable swallowed her mouth's contents and let out a chuckle. “Well…it's so good. I've never had it before but now I'm very interested in Ōkuninushinese cuisine.”
“You should try sushi then.”
Mable scowled and shook her head. "No way. Raw fish doesn't really appeal to me. Besides, I enjoy things cooked, even in salads.”
Naphi nodded. "Fair point. But you do realize that the Ōkuninushinese have some amazing dishes other than raw sushi, right?”
Mable stared into space while twirling her hair. "I've heard of some dishes, like tempura and udon noodles. They sound fascinating; I'm open to exploring other types of Ōkuninushinese cuisine.”
Naphi chuckled. "Exactly! There's a whole world of Ōkuninushinese cuisine worth exploring, and not all of it involves raw fish. You should give it a chance.”
…
“Man,” Trixie began, dusting herself off after finishing the matcha flavored mochi. “All this food talk makes you forget just how intense the meeting was so far.”
“It's only gonna get worse,” Ahina promised. “We still gotta hear what Aurelia has to say.”
Svenja shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Ah, that racist fuckbucket. Can't wait ta see ‘er make a fool o' herself.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Won't have to wait too long.”
“Who do you think is gonna win this whole thing though?” Trixie inquired.
“Definitely not Aurelia, Zakiya and Xiuying,” Ahina answered. “Their opinions and views are just too…spicy for the average person. My bet is on Sebastian, he's killing it so far. Zamazenti and Helka are pretty cool too though.”
“Yeah...I pretty much agree,” Trixie pondered. “Let’s see how it goes.”
…
The leaders stood back in their places, ready to get serious once again. Sarolta stepped forward and adjusted her microphone.
“May I have everyone's attention, please? Welcome back. We will now be continuing our discussion on diversity and inclusion. We will be continuing from where we left off. Aurelia, it is your turn to give us your thoughts.”
A pit formed in Zuri's stomach as she watched on, hoping to the Goddesses that her friend won't say anything to hang herself and ruin her homeland’s reputation with her racist and sexist views.
Aurelia rolled her eyes and leaned forward. “Mu has always been a white country. It is imperative that I keep it as exactly that, a country dominated by white women.”
The audience wasted no time jumping right down Aurelia's throat, downvoting her like there was no tomorrow, her overall score deep into the negative thousands.
Ugh, I thought my smack from earlier would knock some sense into her for at least hour or two... Zuri thought, shaking her head with a frown.
Sebastian pursed his lips, not exactly surprised by Aurelia's statement. He glanced at Zuri with a small frown, letting out a soft sigh before returning his attention to Sarolta.
"Aurelia," she began, her tone serious yet diplomatic, "Your stance on maintaining a white majority in Mu is quite extreme. Can you elaborate on why you see it as crucial?”
Knowing how Aurelia would say something way out of pocket, Zuri pushed Aurelia back and spoke into her microphone. “Um, Miss Sarolta, may I speak up, please?”
Sarolta sighed and crossed her arms, narrowing her cold orbs at the Munese princess.
“I'm sorry,” she began, her tone infused with sarcasm. “but I'm sure that Aurelia can speak for herself, being the adult woman and ruler of the Mu continent that she is.”
"I understand your point, and I'm not looking to undermine her. But I believe she's about to say something completely illogical and absurd, which will get her into some trouble," Zuri explained.
Sarolta let out another sigh, rolling her eyes at Zuri's warning. "Fine, then what do you have to say, Zuri?"
Zuri took a deep breath before taking another step closer to the microphone. “What Miss Aurelia is about to say is going to sound completely racist and sexist. And I want to make it clear that, as a Munese princess, I do not endorse or agree with her opinions on this matter.”
Sarolta raised an eyebrow, intrigued now. "Well, you have a chance to speak. Go on.”
Zuri sighed, mentally preparing herself to deal with whatever nonsense Aurelia was likely going to spew after she gives her piece. She adjusted herself in front of the microphone.
“Miss Sarolta, and all the other world leaders present,” Zuri began, her tone firm and deliberate. “Mu has a deeply rooted history of racism, colorism, misandry, and division within its borders. It’s not something that I support or agree with. It’s a dark blemish on our culture.”
Aurelia sneered, her eyes filled with annoyance. “Oh, spare me the sanctimony, Zuri. You’re the princess of our country; it’s expected for you to spout this politically correct tripe.”
Zuri clenched her jaw, her irritation mounting with every word out of Aurelia’s mouth. She took a moment to control her temper before responding in a cool but stern tone. "It's not about being politically correct. It's about being decent and respecting others' rights to live their lives without discrimination. The Mu continent should be for everyone, not just people with a specific skin tone. We're all humans, and we should treat each other as such."
A wave of anger washed over Aurelia's features. She had heard these arguments before, and they were as frustrating as ever. "So your solution is to maintain the status quo?" Zuri asked. "To allow racism and segregation to continue unchecked? That's not leadership, Aurelia. That's cowardice."
Aurelia scowled and puffed out her chest. "It's not cowardice; it's how things should be. Their kind are dirty, gross-" Aurelia's rant was cut off by a swift smack on her arm from Zuri, who shuddered as she listened to Aurelia's racist and colorist tirade, knowing that this was the mentality that had divided the Mu nation for too long. Aurelia got too comfortable, and it had to stop.
"That's enough, Aurelia," Zuri interjected firmly, her voice crackling with suppressed anger. "Your words are not only offensive, but they perpetuate the very problem we are here to address. We can't claim to be leaders if we tolerate such discrimination."
Zuri's gaze shifted to the other world leaders in the room, waiting to see their reactions.
The room was tense as the other world leaders exchanged glances, processing the magnitude of Aurelia's offensive comments. Some looked visibly uncomfortable, while others harbored unbridled disgust, especially Zakiya.
Sarolta sat there, her brow furrowing as she listened to the heated exchange between Zuri and Aurelia. This type of blatant racism was exactly the issue she wanted to address in the meeting, and it seemed to have reared its ugly head.
She took a deep breath, her mind working overtime to find the right words to calm the situation. "Aurelia, your obscene and racially-charged language will not be tolerated here. Zuri raises valid points. Can you explain your stance on this, without resorting to derogatory comments?"
Aurelia rolled her eyes, tapping her foot as she stared Sarolta down. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Sarolta." she began, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm just being honest about how I feel. Why is it okay for them to have black pride yet I can't have my white pride?”
Zuri's heart sank as she listened to Aurelia's unapologetic defense of her racist beliefs. The other world leaders' expressions ranged from discomfort to outright disgust, and Zuri knew that things were getting more contentious by the second. "White pride and black pride are not the same, Aurelia. Black pride is a response to centuries of systemic discrimination and oppression.
“It's about celebrating and reclaiming a culture that has been forcibly suppressed." Sarolta picked up, her tone stern. "White pride has no such historical context. It only serves to reinforce the very racism we are here to dismantle.”
Zuri felt a flicker of hope, glad that at least Sarolta was firmly against Aurelia's narrow-minded views. But Aurelia, unsurprisingly, was not ready to concede.
"Oh, spare me the history lesson," Aurelia sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. "We're talking about the here and now, not the past."
"The past is directly related to the present," Zuri interjected patiently. "The discrimination and violence experienced by black people, which led to the formation of black pride, are sadly still prevalent today. White pride, on the other hand, has no legitimate basis, only harmful and divisive implications."
Sarolta nodded in agreement with Zuri's words before turning back to Aurelia. "You seem to be very fixated on the idea of a white-majority nation. But why does it matter if Mu's population is predominantly white?”
“It matters very much. It's not just a white-majority nation I aim for, but specifically white women. Besides, women are far superior to men, all men do are engage in wars and be barbarians in general. I don't need men in my nation either.
“So this is about male inequality as well?” Sarolta inquired further.
“Yes, indeed,” Aurelia confirmed.”
Zamazenti’s eyes widened at this statement, offended by the obvious misandrist perspective. “Come again?”
“You heard me. Women are more intelligent, compassionate, and more capable. My way of leading is miles better than any king that has ever been, they have no place ruling.”
Aurelia nodded defiantly, crossing her arms and raising her chin haughtily. "Yes, I said it and I stand by it. The majority of kings that I have observed in my life are not fit to rule. They lack emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to make rational decisions. They rely too heavily on violence and aggression, which only creates more problems. It's time that we let the women, but only white women, take the wheel.”
Sebastian shook his head in disbelief, leaning into his microphone as he spoke up in a hesitant voice. "Miss Aurelia, your beliefs are both outdated and extremely harmful. Mu belongs to everyone, regardless of their race or gender. Equality and diversity strengthen a nation, not bigotry and prejudice.”
“No one was talking to you,” Aurelia spat at the merman, glaring into his meek eyes.
Sebastian flinched at Aurelia's hostile tone, looking down to avoid her fiery gaze.
The crowd erupted and downvoted Aurelia all the way down to hell, shouting in protest at her response to Sebastian's plea.
Leave Sebastian alone! shouted people in the crowd from all directions.
Zuri felt a flash of anger at the way Aurelia treated her friend, but she suppressed it and continued.
"Sebastian raises a good point," Zuri said, her voice firm but not quite as intense as her emotions were. "Mu should represent and welcome all, regardless of superficial factors. I'm not being idealistic or whatnot. I'm speaking from the perspective of basic human decency.”
Helka let out a cold chuckle as she chimed in. "Aurelia, your views are so archaic and ignorant, we might as well all be in the medieval times again.”
“You know,” Zakiya joined. “Mu and all the other majority-white countries in the world wouldn't be so prosperous and well-off if it wasn't for the grueling contributions of my enslaved ancestors-"
"Silence, you chimpanzee!" Aurelia roared, jumping out of her seat.
“Struck a nerve. I'm telling you-
"No, I'm telling YOU that you cannot bring your ass over here and start telling me all that."
Zakiya jumped out of her own seat and stepped towards Aurelia. “Okay, hold on, first-of-fucking-all, you white devil, let me tell YOU something! Black and brown people built YOUR country AND this country with free labor!"
Aurelia was unmoved by Zakiya's advance as she scoffed with her arms crossed. “Free, my ass. We had to shelter them and feed them, so it wasn't free in the slightest.”
Sarolta, sensing the discussion going in a direction that she didn't want it to, stepped between the two women and outstretched her arms. “Order, you two. Order.”
“No,” Zakiya revolted. “She needs to know all of the contributions of black people to not just Mu and Elbrastion, but most of the world.”
“Yeah, like the lot of you did everything.”
“For you to not acknowledge what we did for Mu is despicable. How dare you only allow us to have jobs that involve ‘dirty’ things like janitorial services, then pay us chicken scratch for working our asses off.”
“If you don't like it, then you should all pack up your shit and go back to Yushalia.”
Zakiya flushed and growled, turning around and storming off without another word.
Let me get out of here before I fucking pummel her, she thought.
“Zakiya, wait.” Sarolta ordered.
“No, I'm outta here.”
Zakiya swung open the door and disappeared, leaving only the other leaders.
“Woah…” Sebastian said under his shaky breath.